Beautiful Prayer

It is the hardest thing to do. But it always makes you feel better when you do it.

Give THANKS even when life is beating the sh*t out of you

Thank you Lord for all the trials, they bear lessons that deepen my faith in You.

Thank you Lord for my suffering, they bring me close to Your suffering and unite me more with others who suffer as well.

Thank you for prolonged waitings, these allow me to practice patience and a greater trust in You.

Thank you for my friends and family, they either test and purify me or help me bear my cross more lightly.

Thank you for Your grace, without which, I will stay in pain and misery all the days of my life.

Thank you for all the miracles and blessings, may I always praise, honor and adore Your Most Holy Name. 

My Mom shared this prayer to me. Try reciting until you get used to it, even if you don't have an ongoing crisis as huge as mine. When you do pray it, try not to look all crushed. :) 

HAPPY SUNDAY TO ALL! God bless everyone of us. 

Hello Mammo!

So we finally met yesterday. The mammogram machine and I. I don't even know if that's what it's called BWAHAHA. I'm 8 years late. Why? Because there's a strong history of breast cancer on my Mom's side of the family. Yup, you should be extra concerned if it's on your mother's side. I should've started getting annual mammograms 8 years ago when I was 35. The usual starting age is 40, if you don't have family history. So there. Don't be like me, kids. I'm not a good example at all. 

Like many women I know, the reasons I didn't get myself checked are as follows : 

Everyone said it was painful

I was afraid of what the doctors might see

I simply didn't give a crap

Where do you think that got me? 

This is what greeted me when I walked into one of the Examination Rooms at the Breast Clinic of The Medical City. Was it overwhelming? Not really. It's huge but there were no first-time jitters for me, thank God. I was hell bent on doing this upon my surgeon's advice. 

Ten to fifteen minutes. That's how long I had to stand there. In fact, I didn't have to stand the whole time. The girls who took care of me and operated everything were so well-trained, I felt like royalty. They made me sit down every time they had to check the screen. During the procedure itself, when that entire block of metal slowly goes down to press on your breast, the technician's soothing voice is there to tell me it's not going to take too long and that she's sorry for the inconvenience and discomfort. 

I left the hospital feeling just a tad bit regretful. This was what I had been postponing and taking for granted all this time. It was so easy and didn't feel like a burden at all to do. Why didn't I do it any sooner? If I did, would I have breast cancer today? Water under the bridge. I'm not the type to cry over spilled milk. So I got rid of that shitty feeling right away. No way, I wasn't going to be sad about this. 

It's all in the past and I need to just keep moving forward so that I can be well again. 

Also, when I use the words "sick", "illness" I hope people are not thinking I'm lying in bed at home, being served my meals in the comfort of my bedroom, not being able to go to the bathroom by myself or anything like that. NO I am not debilitated. The cancer is in my breast, not anywhere else. It's also in its early stage. I think my senior relatives are under the impression that I'm in a pathetic state. Oh please! Hehehe!!!

How much does a mammogram cost? - approximately P3,000 (at The Medical City it's P2,700)

How often do you need a mammogram? - once a year if there is no history of breast cancer

Health is wealth!  Don't be a stubborn mule like me!

Apartment 1B with Friends

This was one overdue meet-up/get-together. These girls have been wanting to take me out ever since Daddy was cremated. We finally did it over lunch yesterday. But because we waited too long, we had one more reason to see one another. 

I've only eaten in Apartment 1B once and in the old branch. Is that in Salcedo or Legaspi Village? I can't even recall. Anyway ... the one in One Rockwell looks so much more cozy. I didn't take much photos because this really isn't a review of the place or the food. I don't need to do that because I don't know anyone who doesn't love Apartment 1B. 

Prayer Warriors uhmmmmm ex-Globe Division? 

But one of them still works there hahaha. Yes, I worked in Globe for a good 4 years --- 4 of the most stressful YET insightful years of my corporate career. Maridol, Ailene and I (and many others) had countless smoke breaks together ... our way of taking breathers from the demands of telco work. Sorry, I'm digressing. Back to Apartment 1B.

Here's what I decided to eat

French Onion Soup --- OMG can I just say this is one of the best I've had in a very long time. All that gooey, sticky cheese on top literally took me to heaven! 

My main course --- Vongole, so perfect! My plate was so clean, it looked like I licked everything off of it. Nakakahiya!!! Hahaha!!!

My kids, especially Anissa who has grown-up taste in food, will love it here. 

And yes, other than the delicious food, what I loved most about this place is that it goes down in history as the place where all three of us gathered for the first time in years 

WITHOUT LIGHTING CIGARETTES

High Five, friendships!!!