A Stitch In Time...

... saves me from utter disgrace.

My dress strap snapped as Nards and I were on our way to Padre Faura for Mike and Anna's wedding.  My ever boy scout of a husband, bought a pocket sewing kit from a 7-11 across the street from the reception venue.

While the other guests trickled in to the venue, Nards and I stayed in the car, while he stitched my strap back to my dress.  He also reinforced the other strap to avoid anymore wardrobe failure.   I must say, he did an awesome job.  The strap remained intact all through the night.

Best wishes Mike and Anna!

Last two photos taken by PhotoBot Manila.

Dissidia

I am a certified die-hard fan of Final Fantasy.   I knew it was coming out, but I wasn't sure when the US/European version is coming out.  (Unlike Loco Roco and Patapon that you can figure out how to play even if it's in Japanese.)

Nards surprised me and just handed me the PSP last week, with the US version of Dissidia already loaded.  (He's sweet and sneaky that way.  He knows exactly what I want, doesn't let on that he knows, and then he just gives it to me.  Then he graciously gave up his personal time with the console to let me play.   Even though, he's dying to play the newest Madden Football.)  I was immediately hooked!    I can't stop playing, and reading walkthroughs.




Dissidia is perfect for those who do not have the time and patience to go through the usual FF games. It tells the story with FMVs and goes directly into battle plays. Definitely not your usual RPG. but still manages to entertain RPGamers like myself.

All the great heroes and villains from FF I to FF XIII are there, in fantastic animation, as well as the soundtrack.

And I'm really glad that Yoshitaka Amano illustrated for Dissidia. I just love his art.  More so, after I saw the bit he did for Neil Gaiman.

This is all for now.  Nards is done with the PSP.   My turn.

Clearances and TORs

I miss the sun.  I really do.  I love rain, but it's been days.  The last hint of sunshine we got was early Monday morning, and it was quickly obliterated by dark clouds and heavy downpour.  With a wedding and cosplay mania this weekend, I'm hoping that the weather improves.

* * * * *

Nards and I plan to finish all the designs and layouts within the day, which means we'll both be glued in front of the computer the whole day.   So yesterday afternoon, we decided to run our errands in UP and to make a quick trip to The Block in order to avoid going out today. 

In the years I spent teaching in UP, I have forgotten what it was like to run to and from one end of the campus to the other just to get a document.  It's been a bit cushy for me, because I simply put in my request to our academic staff and they do the rest.  Nards, on the other hand, have not experienced what we did yesterday in years.  Not even when he was taking graduate courses in Finance.

We wanted to get a copy of Nards' TOR, but before that can be done, he needed to get cleared by the registrar for his brief attendance in BA.   The procedure was pretty straightforward: 1) fill up the clearance form; 2) wait about ten days to get all the necessary signatures; 3) get the form and assessment from the registrar; 4) go to the cashier's office to pay fees; 5) return the form to the registrar; and 6) claim the completed clearance form.  After that, he can apply for his TOR.   So he filled up another form, and then we went back to the cashier's office to pay for the fees.



All in all, we made two trips to the cashier's, and visited the registrar about three times. This, plus the long queu at the cashier, took us two hours.   We have to go back again to claim the TOR because by the time we got back from our second trip to the cashier's, the registrar was closed for the day.

If you look at the the map, the registrar's new building is near the executive house; and the cashier's is behind the PNB building.  We're fortunate that we have a car, and it's easy to zip through the side streets and avoid the long winded one-way academic oval.  If we had to commute, we'd be at the mercy of the ikot/toki jeeps that normally take 15 minutes to complete its route.   Just imagining it gave us flashbacks of our undergrad days.  But back then, the registrar was still beside AS, far more accessible on foot and on public transport than where it's located now.  It's certainly a bit more difficult for students nowadays to do their business with the registrar.

Tomorrow, we go back to get his TOR.  I hope it won't take a much time as the clearance.


Photo from http//science.upd.edu.ph

Genius

It's a Sunday night, and I'm updating my iTunes playlist; and, deleting and making new playlists before I sync it to my iTouch.   I am terribly constrained with its current capacity because I can't upload all my albums, videos and apps.  I don't even bother uploading photos there.  I'm hoping Apple can come up with a higher capacity for this device soon.

Nards and I used to get defeated by iTunes, especially when we have to sync three devices--all with different contents.  But we both got the hang of it eventually.  I particularly like the Genius feature.  Click on the button and it generates a hundred song long playlist.  I'm a very eclectic listener and I listen to different genre's depending on my mood or activities for the week.  I used to spend at least an hour just constructing playlists, and now it takes me less than five minutes.

At present, this is my favorite playlist that Genius generated from Adele's Right As Rain.  It's been on my device for the past three weeks (the longest so far).   The others normally last a week, before I go and shuffle it up again.

And this is my second favorite.  I play it often enough that I sometimes catch Nards singing Popular or humming What Is This Feeling.  

Wait a minute.  Mistake, mistake, mistake.  It's not my second favorite.  Genius placed both our bridal march and wedding recession here. This gets bumped to the top of the list. :)

Indulge Me

Just in case you happen to get your hands on the most recent issue of Wedding Essentials, kindly flip over to page 178.

Thanks to Deepa, Marbee and Jessie for including us in your feature. :)

Backlog

Thanks to my long stint in the hospital and afterwards in recovery, Nards and I had a massive backlog.  One of them was editing the photos of the newborn and family shoot we did a week or so before I got confined.  It's finally done and here's one of my favorite photos from that session.

 

I love love love babies.

There was also Claire's album that we delivered to her parents just hours before they boarded a plane back to LA.  Here's a page from the layout; it's the first spread.  Her wedding was orchid themed so I went with a lavender and cream palette.  I like this pattern on the left side of the photo because it gives a modern and chic feel to the album.

For the next two weeks, I'll be on this mode because of all the layouts and designs we still need to finish plus preparations for cosplay mania next week.  After that I'll have to switch to academic mode for a workshop and case study for a foreign funding agency.  (Can't remember which, I'll have to check.) 

Pause work mode, and on to weekend mode.  Nards and I hope to go out tonight.  A friend invited us to watch his film before the cast and crew leave for Venice for the film festival.  I hope the weather is cooperative.

Sinigang sa Miso

Nards loves home-cooked meals.  So I try to cook as much as I can.  We've both been hankering for sinigang, so I called my Dad to ask how he cooks it with miso.

The ingredients are simple: garlic, onions, tomatoes, miso (I like the yellow one), sinigang flavor, mustard leaves and a pack of salmon belly.   The trick to getting the bitter taste out of mustard leaves is to wash it, slice it, then soak it in water for fifteen minutes or so.  I do this just before I start to saute the garlic, onions and tomatoes.
 

 

The miso is mixed in before adding water.  Then the water, then the a packet and a half of sinigang flavor and then the salmon belly.  Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat.   That's when I put in the mustard leaves.  I let it sit to let the leaves cook while I set the table.  (Nards hemmed and hawed when I bought table napkins and started using matching silverware at the dinner table.  But now he grins appreciatively every time he sits down for dinner with the table set properly.)

I'm afraid there's no "finished product" photo.  Nards was too hungry to take it.

Que Horror!

Murphy's law.  That's what Nards and I blamed.

We had a photobooth gig at Fiamma, and we did the usual set up.   All systems go half an hour before the start of the event.   Deepa and I did our test shots, and Nards was satistfied with the prints,  When the guests arrived, the flash started acting up.  For every four photos the machine took, the flash would only pop for two of them, which meant that when the prints came out, the grid would show two photos and two black ones.  We paused the service to try to resolve the problem.  Individually, all components of the booth were working, but somewhere was a malfunction that we couldn't find; and if we couldn't find it, we couldn't fix it.

I was apologizing profusely to Marbee and Deepa, and I told them that worst case scenario, we will end the service way ahead of schedule.  

After going through a fifteen minute panic attack, Nards and I decided to eliminate the flash completely, hike up the ISO and use the pilot light to illuminate the photobooth user.  I was praying under my breath when we resumed the service and waited for the first print to come out.  It worked.    Nards and I were so relieved that we were both weak-kneed.  It was the first time that our machine failed us (and at a very important event at that!), and it was very unnerving.

It wasn't very long when the queu to the booth was long, and Nards and I happily assisted the guests and manned the printers. 

Cissy and Noah arrived at 9, and I was so happy to see them!  Here's our photo from the booth.

They look cute together no?  As Nards said, "bagay sila."

Dengue 101

Three weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, Nards and I were up early to attend mass.  I took a shower and got dressed, but I wasn't feeling good as I pulled on a my jeans and shirt.  I figured it was the beginnings of flu, nothing more.  We went to church, but I was feeling worse by the minute.  I was sitting down for most of the mass, and I could barely make my way back to the condo.

When we got home, I put on warm clothes and curled up under a thick blanket.  My fever was high.  Nards prepared tocino for brunch, but I barely tasted it.  My head hurt, my entire body was in paain and I was extremely thirsty.  Nards gave me Advil and it kicked in just as my parents arrived in the afternoon for a visit.  I was fine for an hour or so while my Mom and I caught up and Nards and my Dad discussed photography stuff.  When they left, the pain and high fever came back with a vengeance.  It went on until Monday.  Nards biked to the drugstore to get bioflu, a thermometer, and a some fruits.  My fever was see-sawing from 38 to 39 deg.  I've completely lost my appetite and the only thing I can take in was water.

Tuesday, Nards dressed me in a sweater and yoga pants, packed a bag, and brought me to the hospital.  I was confined and got an IV on the back of my left hand.  The high fever continued for a couple of days, accompanied by head ache and body pain.  Everytime I went to the bathroom to pee, Nards (who is a paragon of patience and love) had to half carry me there and drag the IV pole behind him. I could barely talk and was unaware of things that were happening around me.  Nards said that I asked for water every half hour or so, and that I slept most of the time.  My parents and siblings were there each day, and it's such a comfort to see Nards and my family everytime I opened my eyes.

A nurse would come in at 6AM daily, and drew blood from the inside of my right elbow.  On the fourth day, the doctor told me that my blood count was down from the normal 200 to 157.  Nothing to worry about, he said.  But that he expects my blood to go down even more once the fever dropped.

The fever dropped on our fourth day in the hospital, my blood count along with it.  From 157, it was 90, then 48, then 11.  The doctor ordered for two units of plasma, which meant an IV on the back of my right hand as well. 

 A team of nurses arrived in our room when it was time for the first transfusion.  One of them was assigned to check my blood pressure, pulse and heartbeat, just in case I was allergic to the plasma.  After the first bag, nothing happened.  After the second bag, I had hives.

So they administered Benadryl on the IV on my right hand.  It was PAINFUL.  The second it entered my veins, my arm felt like it was on fire.  The nurse said that I'll be knocked out pretty soon and will be sleeping it off for about 8 hours. 

I got high.  I have no recollection of this, but Nards caught it on video.  (I'm glad that he did, because I wouldn't have believed that it happened!)  He showed it to me the following morning during breakfast.  I was there giggling like an idiot, and mumbling.  You can even hear Nards in the background asking me in his amused voice why I was laughing. 

The doctor ordered another three bags of plasma and five units of platelets the following day.  Papa and Nards had to go to PGH just to get the platelets.  The hospital ran out because they had numerous dengue patients needing transfusion.   While they were getting it, I got injected with hemostan to curtail the bleeding. 

In the second round of transfusion, we requested to have claritin instead of benadryl for my allergies.  I was so relieved that they agreed. 

The blood tests  were still a daily thing.  My arms were already badly bruised and they eventually had to draw blood from my ankles.  Maygedhanzaket.

A couple of days after the last transfusion, when my blood count was up to 75, the doctor signed my release papers.  I was so happy!  I was giddy as I was wheeled out of the hospital.  Nards and I sat on a bench just outside the hospital doors to enjoy the cool breeze, the blue sky and the warm sunshine.  I was so elated to be outdoors. 

It took me another two weeks and a half to be a 100% recovered.  I was weak and easily exhuasted after discharge, I could barely even sit up before the computer to check my email.  I was also susceptible to infection because my white blood count is relatively low.  Nards, my darling husband, patiently took care of me, gently helped me move around, fed me, did the housework and biked to the stores to buy food, meds and Off lotion.  I am so blessed to have him. 

Now, I'm paranoid about day time mosquitos.  I put on Off lotion everytime we go out.  Everyday in the house, I put citronella oil and water in an aromatherapy amphora and light a candle underneath it.   Sometimes, I also light citronella sticks (the healthy version of katol) that I got from Sonya's Garden. Better be paranoid than sorry.  There is no medicine that can cure Dengue.  It was an altogether horrid experience, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. 

Absence

I just realized that I have not written anything on my blog for more than a month, but I couldn't find the time to sit down and write about something mundane such as how my day went.  My hard drive is bursting with lot of photos that I hoped to upload and share.   

But two weddings, a handful of photobooth gigs, several photoshoots, a bridal fair, a food and wine festival, several hundred emails, phonecalls and texts (and countless hours battling zombies) have gotten in the way of my online life.

I was having withdrawal symptoms as early as May 1.   And I'm forever grateful to plurk and twitter for giving me some sort of relief for the easy platform they provided that allows me to jot down things every now and then.

I plan to get all my drafts and photos uploaded (and appropriately antedated) by the end of next week.   Sana sana sana.



Photo by Nards with our TLR
Taken at Kape Isla