For Paranoid Moms Like Me

When I was a teenager, I always resented my mom for making me keep a curfew and going after me if I went to parties. I could not understand why she could not trust that I could take care of myself. Now that I am a mother myself, I could understand that what she did not trust was not me, but the people and circumstances around me. Females are especially vulnerable in such situations. It didn't help that that was the time before cellular phones became popular and everyone had one.

Now that I have a son, I worry whenever I do not see him. In a mall, I would have his nanny watch over him, but even if I knew he was with her, I would be a bit paranoid and worry that she might have carried him off without my knowledge. I would also worry about potential kidnappers, especially since my son had Chinese features. I am happy that technology such as GPS units developed by GTX Corp could now be utilized in order to track people in real time on Google maps. The fact that these devices are small and rather inconspicuous would make it even more useful for us paranoid and worrywart moms.

Coffee Break Version 1.7

This weeks challenge by Jan:

Share with everyone the fondest memory you have of you and your family.

There are simply so many! There's the good, the bad and the ugly. I think I'll just stick with the good for now :D.

• Vacations with the family! My favorite would be the Summer of 1991. Because I truly felt that our family bonded through that memorable road trip. This was a trip taken by my Dad, my Mom, my brothers and I. I hope that I'll be able to have another trip like that with my children.
• My wedding day -- Finally getting married to the man I love. And he's proving that he's worth all the trouble that came before the wedding itself. Everytime I see him I thank the Lord for bringing us together. Not everybody is that fortunate. And, of course --
• Our honeymoon trip! -- This is brief 3 day 2 night Hong Kong trip. We stayed in a pension house instead of a hotel because it was peak season then. But we were able to cover most of the places we want to go to.
  
• The birth of my son -- I've always wanted to be a mother. I am so fortunate that I got pregnant not long after I got married.
• Family dinners, especially when my mom did the cooking. Also, we used to have dinners outside every Sunday at a restaurant which we always looked forward to.
• Conversations with grandparents. Their stories always inspire.
  
• All my son's milestones!
• House hunting! Back in the early nineties, we decided to look for a house. The house hunting is a fun adventure with the whole family! I loved looking at houses for sale, and discussing with the family the pros and cons of each house.
• Weddings in the family. Birthdays in the family.
• Cooking with grandma! My grandmother is a traditional Chinese housewife. Certain special dishes are events at our house. The making of lumpia (spring rolls), ma tsang, zhong gwan i (potato flour balls with peanut filling) etc. is often an endeavor with all the female members :). We didn't have that for many years already :(
  

There are so many more! This is all I can think of for the time being.

There are also the "bad" ones. Truth is, I believe that everything -- good memories, bad memories, bonding, quarelling, fighting, celebrations -- every little thing brings my family closer together.

Chinese Superstitions Regarding Pregnancy and Childbirth

I came to know some Chinese superstitions about pregnancy and childbirth during the course of my own pregnancy and after giving birth. Some of them sounded weird to me, but since my mother insisted and I was watched over closely, I have to follow those that I believed did no harm anyway.

These are a few of them:

• A pregnant woman should not attend wakes or funerals.
• A pregnant woman should avoid going to weddings so as not to rob the newlyweds of their good luck.
• A pregnant woman should drink special herbal soups to ensure the safety of her baby.
• After giving birth, the new mother should not take a bath, or shower, or shampoo for at least a month. As much as possible, she should not leave the house, or be exposed to wind, because these would make her body weak and she will be prone to arthritis in the future.
  
• The new mother should eat "hot" foods to balance the energies. It is believed that childbirth with its blood loss makes the body "cold".
• People should avoid praising babies, because these would attract demons and ghosts who would bring harm upon the baby. Hence, unfavorable terms should be used.

I know Tsinoy mothers would find it hard not to follow these, since their mothers and mothers-in-law (if they were Chinese) would watch them like a hawk to ensure that tradition is followed. I just consoled myself with the fact that these are temporary and my mother was only thinking of my welfare and that of my baby. :)

Beginning to like Dr. Seuss

I was not a Dr. Seuss fan. I haven't read any of the books but I've always thought the titles sounded too weird. I mean, titles like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in a Hat, Horton Hears a Who, Green Eggs and Ham didn't really appeal to me.

But then, I didn't really grow up with Dr. Seuss. My parents are Chinese immigrants and know nothing about him. I read a lot of other books, non of them Dr. Seuss.

The movie adaptation made me a convert! I loved the message of the movie! I am going to introduce Dr. Seuss to my son. Now, the toddler school he's going to is actually big on Dr. Seuss. With kid-friendly verses, nice illustrations, and most importantly, important life lessons even small children can pick up, it really is no wonder Dr. Seuss became so popular!

World Wide Link Love

I was tagged by both Kelly & Leah.

~ start copying here ~

Join the Worldwide Link Love!
Benefits of Worldwide Link Love!
1. Make new friends around the world.
2. Feel the Link Love.
3. Gain new readers and subscribers.

Rules:
1. Copy from ~start copying here ~ to ~ end copying here ~ and paste it on your blog.
2. At the end of the list, put your name and the country you’re in, it doesn’t matter what’s your nationality just put the country where you are publishing your blog.Don’t forget to put links at your name.
3. If u have many blogs, you can link all of it, just make sure you post the same on each blog.
4. Tag eight (8) or more of your blog friends.
5. Tip for blogspot users: make sure you copy and paste the code in Compose mode.

Wanna join, and you can’t find your name on the list?Just leave a comment here.
Worldwide Link Love! Participants:
1. Julia (Philippines)
2. Catherine (Malaysia)
3. shimumsy (u.s.a)
4. Mitch (Philippines)
5. Hailey (Philippines)
6. Sexymom (USA)
7. Liza (Philippines)
8. Idealpinkrose (Korea)
9. Korean food (Korea)
10. Allinkorea (Korea)
11. Kimchiland (Korea)
12. Confessions of an Army Wife (USA)
13. Bless Sanctuary (USA)
14. VampSquad (Philippines)
15. Manna from Heaven (Philippines)
16. And Life Goes On (Philippines)
17. Uncomplicated (Philippines)
18. To the Moon and Back (Philippines)
19. IamDzoi (Philippines)
20. My Happy Place (Philippines)
21. 100% Kelly (Philippines)
22. Me, Myself and I (Philippines)
23. A Matter of Perspective (Australia)
24. Freebies Australia (Australia)
25. Endometriosis and Fertility Resource Page (Philippines/Australia)
26. Ang Therapist (Philippines/Australia)
27. Joey M.D. (Philippines)
28. The Working Mom (Philippines)

~end copy here ~Because I'm late with this, I don't really know anybody who hasn't done this yet. Anybody can just snag it!

About Haircuts

I used to have long hair. When I was already planning to get married, I refused to cut my hair because I wanted long hair that could be artfully styled during my wedding itself. It's also the hairstyle that my then-boyfriend (now husband) prefers on me.

But last February, I decided to bite the bullet and have it way shorter than my usual do. I was required by my mother to have a haircut in preparation for Chinese New Year. I decided to go for a short, stylish bob since my long hair was always pulled by my toddler. The weather was also getting hot and I find myself pulling my hair back in a ponytail most of the time!

I loved my new hair! It actually made me look a lot younger and more stylish. It's also very easily maintained -- wash and wear actually! It's now 2 months after that haircut and although it's a little longer, it still looks good! I get compliments whenever old friends and relatives see me.

I'm thinking of having it cut a little shorter again because it now brushes my nape and I'm feeling the heat, but, well, I'm still enjoying my look now :).

Breakup and Learn

I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I never had a breakup. My only boyfriend is now my husband, and our relationship is still going strong.

I did find, however, that some of the questions raised in this featured survey are still something that I learned from observing other people who had bad relationships and eventually a breakup.

I hope you would enjoy answering this suvey. It's really interesting :) .

Updates

It's been difficult for me to update my blogs lately, as I've been busy offline.

I've managed to put in my 2 cents for the Philippine Medical Blog Rounds. The topic is about the Philippine Healthcare System. My piece is entitled Not a Priority!

Jan posted another coffee break. Since the topic is about budgeting, I've decided to post my reply on my other blog.

I know I owe a lot of tags, bloghops and such. I am really sorry I haven't done them yet. I promise to as soon as I get the time.

Blog for You -- my insights

Most of my circle of blogger friends are either mommy bloggers like me, or doctor bloggers. It's easy to see why. We often gravitate to those we relate more to. But I do some blogsurfing and come upon other blogs that are not related to either being a mommy or a blogger. Also I get to see blogs from people outside the country. That's the beauty of blogging. Blog for You is one of sites I've surfed to today. It's a Personal Business Blog written by an Indonesian man, and it focuses more on his hobbies and experiences , mostly online. What I like about this site is that he doesn't ramble on (like I do) and says things directly and to the point. Just like a man, perhaps, but some men's blogs do tend to ramble too and it's more painful for me because I don't have the same interests as they do. This blog has kept most entries short and sweet and to the point. That makes it a lot more readable than a lot of other blogs. This looks promising.

Help for a busy postgraduate student

Being a multitasker is no joke. Aside from being a mom and a doctor with a small business on the side, I am also a part time graduate student at the UP Open University. Since my course is about Hospital Administration and I need to present a paper before I graduate, I feel that I might need assistance since I might not have time to do it on my own. Fortunately, I've found some services on the net that offer services in writing nursing dissertation and finance thesis, which are both relevant to my course. They also provide dissertation literature reviews, which would make the paper even more credible.

Coffee Break ver. 1.5

The question: How committed are you to health and fitness?

Since we're both doctors, you'd think our husband and I would be more health and fitness conscious. But we're not, if what you're thinking about in terms of keeping healthy and fit is a really good diet regimen and a regular exercise program.

We basically try to moderate our eating ourselves by trying to eat less unhealthy stuff like fatty and oily foods. But that's about it. Our exercise now mostly consists of everyday stuff like chasing after our energetic toddler and walking around the mall (it's too hot to walk outside!)...if we have the time.

Maybe we should step up the efforts. After all, we are already creeping into middle age (eep!). We do want to get old being still healthy and functional, and not dependent on anybody.

The most unforgettable vacation

For me, it would definitely be the Summer of 1991. I know it was already a long time ago, but the memories are etched very clearly on my mind as if it happened only yesterday. We still have the videos of that trip, but they are all in Betamax format and the photos are prints from films. I hope I would be able to convert them into digital files.

What made the trip memorable was the bonding that our family had. It was a road trip through the West coast of USA with no set itinerary. I wish we could have that same experience with my husband and kid/s someday. A local trip would have been nice, since the Philippines has so many beautiful places. But sadly, it's not easy to do a road trip here because we don't have as many good roads and lodging facilities along the way. It's more of a "road trip to a specific location". Maybe when my kid/s are old enough, the roads will be better and we'll have more lodging places along the way. I hope I won't be too old to enjoy it by then. :)

Survey time again!

Here's a survey on relationships:


A survey on social influence:


For Dneero-ites, here's another survey -- on Dneero itself! Proceeds from this survey goes to the charity of your choice.


Enjoy!

Another Survey on TV Shows

I know I have been remiss in keeping up with my blogs nowadays. Who would have thought that a toddler going to school would cut down mommy's internet time? :) I'm enjoying it anyway, but more on this later. The tax season has made us (and our accountants) even busier!

Anyway, in the meantime, here's a great survey on the shows that appear on American TV. I hope you'll enjoy answering it as much as I did.

Coffee Break ver. 1.4: What are your top 3 scariest movies?

Jan, I'll probably be a little bit of a killjoy :). I do not like watching horror movies because I used to get bad dreams after watching them, even if the concept is illogical and would not have really happened. I avoided watching movies that my brothers say were really scary like "The Ring", because of horror movie buffs like them got scared with that movie, what more a scaredy cat like me?

So....I have to think very hard for this. (Pwedeng hindi ko nalang i-rank?). Movies that come (slowly) to mind, movies that I've actually watched are the following:
- The Nightmare on Elm Street Series
- The Blair Witch Project (although it didn't have that much of an impact on me since I already knew that it was staged, but hey, they did a good job)

Ay, grabe! Those are the only ones I can come up with. It's either because I didn't go to watch them or I've just blocked them from my mind!

Another Fun Survey! -- Now There's Two!

If you want to be a SAHM....

In my experience in the clinic, I've come across a lot of moms who are stay at home moms/wives without any visible means of income. While I salute these moms and try to tell them that they shouldn't say that they're "housewife lang po" (only housewives), I couldn't help but notice that they are financially dependent on somebody. Most of the time, it's the husband, other times, it's the children. It's really difficult to be dependent on other people, because what if....?

I believe that being a stay at home mom is very good, but you should have a fall back in case something happens to the breadwinner of the family. I mean, how many times have you heard about a man leaving his family for another girl? Or if the man is decent and good, you can't expect him to live forever. I've heard of a young SAHM who's husband suddenly passed away due to a vehicular accident, leaving their brood of eight! How is she going to support them all?

Thus I believe that women who want to be SAHMs should, as much as possible, have the following:

• Life insurance on the life of the husband. Just in case the undesired inevitable (death) happens.
• Educational plans for the kids to be shouldered by the husband, since he will be the only breadwinner. The thing I like best about the educational plan is the portion which states that if the one paying for it passes away, the plan is considered fully paid. At least they have some money to spend for their education.
  
• Contributions to SSS as a voluntary member. So that you can apply for maternity benefits, sickness benefits, and you will get a small pension when you are of retireable age.
• An alternative income source. There are now lots of work opportunities that can be done from home or on a part time basis.
  
• Your own money. I think you should still have a small portion from the family pot for you to save or spend on whatever you want. For me, I'd rather invest any extra money I have.

I think these are the minimum. Of course, this is just my 2 cents.

As for me, I love the setup that I have right now. I get to have the best of both worlds.

Choose and reuse the right type of plastic!

People need to be more environmentally conscious. We should produce less trash, especially non-biodegradable ones, and either reuse or recycle things like plastic. Plastics are non-biodegradable, but some varieties of plastic may be recycles. An example of recyclable plastic is High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This plastic is very versatile and is used for a lot of packaging requirements. There are companies which can process and recycle HDPE Material, hence, we should consider using this kind of plastic over the other types. We don't want our children and grandchildren to be living in a "trashy" world a few years down the line, do we?

This (busy) week in summary

This has been a busy, busy week! We have started Ethan (finally!) on toddler school and he seems to be enjoying himself there. He's still not quite a good student, since he's always late -- he's used to waking up at around 8:00, has a loooonnnnggg breakfast and a bath before leaving for school, which starts at 8:30. Good thing the school is just in the neighborhood. We jittery parents try to accompany him every single day. That's on top on our clinic schedule! Whew! School is tiring even for parents! It's worth it, though. I'll blog more about this later.

So please excuse me if I've been a little remiss with responses, tags and bloghops. I've taken to doing these when my boys are asleep -- but by then I'm also quite sleepy so I don't do much na.

In the meantime, if you're interested in what doctor bloggers have to say, we just had a blog carnival of Pinoy MD bloggers here. My contribution is here. The others are pretty good reads. I've only read some of them (since there are a lot), but they've all been proven to be very personal and very human.

I've also gotten to meet Jan and we had quite a chat. She bought some stuff from me (Thanks!) It is always nice to see other n@wies because most of time, you feel that it's not the first time you've met even if it is.

Pharmacy technicians, another job consideration if you're planning to work in the U.S.

There are many jobs in the allied healthcare industries. I bet some people do not know that a pharmacy technician is also part of the health care system in the United States. A pharmacy tech helps licensed pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients. The pharmacy technician salary depends on a lot of factors, but they usually hover around 10 dollars per hour. It is less stressful than being directly in patient care. So if you're considering a career in health care but do not want the regular stresses of a health care job, this may be for you.

coffee break ver. 1.3

For this version of the coffee break, Jan asks:

What was your High School
Graduation song?

Whoa! That was a long time ago already!

Back in high school, we had several songs sung during graduation. But while the other graduation songs were the same for all the batches (the same every year), each batch had a unique song.

Don't laugh, but our batch graduation song was "Somewhere Out There" from the movie "An American Tail". Each time I hear that song, I remember high school. :)

I only got to watch the movie months later, by the way. The movie was not playing yet in the Philippines when I graduated and I didn't catch its theater run. I watched it on home video instead.

Anybody interested in becoming a chef?

A recent favorite movie of mine is Ratatouille. It's a story about a rat living in Paris who want to be a chef, inspired by a famed chef's assertion that "Anyone Can Cook". In reality, if cooking is your passion and you want to cook beyond the usual home cooking and want to turn it into a career, it is better to enroll in a culinary school.

Culinary schools help you understand the art and science of cooking. While learning your cooking from mom is good enough for home, or, if you're really good, operating a small restaurant, a chef school will make you a certified chef and make you a force to reckon with in the culinary world.