Her eyes stared back at me for a second, wondering who it was standing beside her bed. She rolled over to her side, breathing heavily, she kept trying to doze off to sleep. I kept fanning her with a local comic that I found beside her bed. Together with my aunt, we've tried to calm her down but she was unease with her situation.
Irritated by the tubes that was attached to her nose, she tried to remove them. We struggled with her, trying to put back the tubes that transport life-giving air to her. We struggled to keep her calm. She struggled to keep holding on. Unable to look at her current state, I left the room as tears are welling-up my eyes. Outside, her husband sat waiting, troubled and tired. Nurses keep checking on every movement she make. All of us are waiting for something.
Hours. Minutes. Seconds. Everyone is waiting for something uncertain. The radio on the Nurses' station softly sang... "Don't give up on us, baby Lord knows we've come this far. Can't we stay the way we are? The angel and the dreamer Who sometimes plays a fool Don't give up on us, I know We can still come through". She finally calmed down. Every breath for her is a heavy task. She raised her hands, stared at them, then closed her eyes.
Everyone struggled. As I look through the glass window, the doctor tried to bring her back. But by bringing her back means bringing her more pain... and so I conceded.
She finally won her battle. Her children gathered around her staring back at her through watery eyes. Trying to accept the truth and the fact the she finally won the battle.
...and so I conceded.
== One week earlier ==
I hastened myself as I close our house gate. Double check everything in my bag before going to the jeepney stop. As I was walking through the street to the coastal road, I saw her. She had just finished hanging wet clothes and was returning to her house.
Isabelita: Ayan na ang pogi kong apo. Pasok ka na? Tanghali na. Me: Opo, pasok na me nay. Isabelita: Ingat pogi.
== ==
...We'll miss you Nanay...
Isabelita M. Ordanozo, a wife, mother to eight children, grandmother to thirteen grandchildren, finally won her battle againt lung cancer on October 19, 2007. She was laid to rest at the Kabihasnan Public Cementery last October 24, 2007.
It's 1:22 AM and I just got home from work. Tired yet thankful, almost none of my officemates remembered something about this day. All of them are poring over the work that has to be done. I really don't want to spend the first hours of this day at a cube trying figure out the messy codes and pull out the bug that's been wrecking havoc at a computer program. But it can't be helped, I just have to make ends meet with the hours and the knowledge that I have. And so I left the office at 12:30 AM.
As I was about to alight the elevator when I received a text message. A message that I was expecting and eager to receive. My first greeting. Later on several text messages from people that I know arrived. Some of the messages came from numbers that were not stored in my phone. Puzzled, I just saved the messages for later.
Thankful, that even though at the dead of the night I was able to arrive home safely to an empty house. Almost all of the occupants were asleep except the last one to arrive. There was no food table to welcome my arrival so I let my messy bedroom welcome me instead.
A year has passed and I realized that somehow I've grown a lot. Leaving more traces of my childhood and turning them into mere memories. But somehow I'm still reluctant to let go. Still I kept a piece of childhood in me. My comfort zone.
Thanks to all those who greeted me at the first hours of my day. To those who surprised my with simple gestures. You know that I've been forced to keep my distance for obvious reasons but still you are all here with me. Thanks again for the patience and the understanding that you have been unconsciously giving me. Forever will I be grateful for your existence and your continuous appreciation of my existence.
Hope I can still see and be with you on my next New Year.
And with this, I'll start again. Refresh, reboot myself for Another reBirth.
The problem as it seems can no longer be contained in a specific area. Initial findings on the operations of the group are no longer valid and should be archived for references. It is also evident that the organization is undergoing expansion and evolution. Notice that branches are sprouting on places also infected by its nemesis (case "Ronald McDonald"). The current investigation report are as follows:
A. Portrait of the kingpin. Although camouflaging in a different color (It was previously verified that the original color used is orange), tactics in luring victims are still the same.
B. The victim. No further analysis is required but might had been saved if a professional is present in the vicinity.
C. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti. Possibly used by the organization as a front to hide its master plans and top secret blueprints. Needs further investigation.
D. Codename 'Hetty'. A pawn used by the organization to lure more victims. It is an incarnation of living spaghetti and pure tomato evil. Effects on children with no previous contact with pawns are extreme shock and excessive tear gland production.
Therefore with this findings, it is highly recommended that a mere citizen, together with its off-springs, should be accompanied by a professional who can handle situations such as tantrums and emotional outbursts upon off-spring's visual contact with a pawn such as 'Hetty'. A professional will also be effective in verification of safe and healthy nourishment offered by the organization.
Date: 06.10.2007 17:42:33 By: Inday
(Report ni Inday sa amo niya nang di siya pinasama sa birthday party sa Jollibee. Tsk Tsk tsk)
It was 12:30 pm and I just arrived at the office. At the floor lobby, after swiping my id badge to open the door, the security suddenly stopped me. He asked my name and after confirming it he then pulled out a pack of cookies from under the table lobby and handed it to me. Puzzled, I asked if the pack of cookies was really meant for me. He said yes and says it was from someone. He wouldn't tell who so I thanked him and went to my desk.
I related the incident to my officemate sitting behind me and he said that it was probably from my "Mommy" or "Daddy". I didn't get what he mean but why the hell would my parents go to my office and leave me a pack of cookies? Extremely puzzled, I just shook my head and started working.
Suddenly, one of the girls shouted out "Yey! I already got my present!". That's when it hit me! Today is the first day of our Office Kris Kringle and I haven't bought a gift for my "Baby" yet! Luckily the theme was "First thing you look for in a convenience store." so I rushed to the nearest Mini Stop and bought a small item.
Anyway, back to the girl, She showed us the gift she received: (and I knew that something like this would turn up) two packs of condoms. And when there's something related to sex, there's bound to be sex jokes and stuff.
It didn't end there. Our client on-site also joined in the fun and showed us his banana-- Err, that didn't went out right--I mean one of the bananas he bought from the canteen. Then almost everyone had this idea of putting the condom on the banana for demonstration's sake and Academic purposes. So one complied and did the demonstration:
Never knew that fruit and rubber goes well together.
Says Teri Hatcher before she lashed out the punchline concerning the quality of Philippine Medical education. This was the premiere episode of Desperate Housewives season four and was aired last September 30, 2007 in the US. Below is the transcript of the joke and the clip itself.
MD: I know for a lot of women the word menopause has negative connotations. They hear aging, brittle bones, loss of sexual desire...
Susan: Before you go any further, can I check those diplomas? I would just like to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines..."
So, most of the Filipino medical practitioners around the world are in an uproar, wanting a public apology from the ABC network as well as from the actress herself. Even the Philippine Government has joined the hoola-baloo although there are more important issues to be concerned with.
I just pity Teri Hatcher for summoning the wrath of the Filipino people (or those Filipino people who are swayed by the issue) with her bad choices. I mean, the mastermind behind it all is the writers of the show. But any kind of publicity-good or bad-is still publicity, so good for Teri Hatcher. Just don't make the mistake of stepping into Philippine territory or she'll be skinned alive by the our doctors, nurses and everyone in the medical field including the faith-healers and the 'albularyos'.
I liked the first season of Desperate Housewives since it had a witty storyline. Too bad, I did not have the time to catch the following seasons and I'm more into Heroes now -- Yatta!
On other news. Back in 1998 with the Claire Danes incident:
In 1998, just after the filming of Brokedown Palace in Manila, she was quoted in Vogue as saying that Manila was a "ghastly and weird city". She further remarked in Premiere that the city, "smelled of cockroaches, with rats all over and that there is no sewage system and the people do not have anything -- no arms, no legs, no eyes".
Unforgivable. My average blogging is down to one post per month. Ugh. And now I ranting again (and again) about my time, stress and work... It's like I'm stuck in a loop hole.
And so I noticed that I'm losing touch with most people who are close to me; People I once knew and now to me they are just a mere image of what they were. To me they are personalities frozen by time and I need time to discover that they have changed.
Two years. I already spent two years finding my spot in my chosen industry. Trying to mold into the cookie-cutter corporate setting and never realized that I am losing myself... From time to time I plan to take back what I lost. Take back myself. Take back my life. But all plans go in vain as time itself is elusive to me.
