Pyrophobic

What are you afraid of?

Not many people know I am pyrophobic. My fear of fire has its origin when I was a little nine years old. Our stove then was a kerosene stove, the pressurized burner portable type. One time, as it was being put to use, I saw the fire coming from it billowed up, almost touching our ceiling. It was good that the one who operated it (can't recall now who s/he was) had a presence of mind that s/he was able to release the air and turn off the pump knob. Since then, I never wanted to go near or, worse, operate a kerosene stove.

And The Biggest Loser Is...

Our own Biggest Loser Contest had ended last Friday coinciding with our office's Christmas Party. Would you believe, the top three biggest losers were all males? Ren was third placer, losing 9 lbs. Kim was second placer, losing 10 lbs. And the biggest loser was Resty, losing 13 lbs.

Let's Party, Animals

The themed Christmas Party of our office was, as expected, fun-filled just like its predecessor Hawaiian Party of the DTI Direct Call Center which our office manages. What made our unit's animal-themed party more special was the group effort to make it exciting and memorable. Special mention should be given to our angels Kia, Jam, and Yhen and archangels Kim, Ren, and Aye for the all the preparations including the making of the masks and the video presentations (it was too bad, though, that the video done by Aye met some technical difficulties that the final product was not shown. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed watching the raw footages).

Of course, the ever reliable assistance of Ate Myrns, Ate Genie, Mang Doms, and Lyn could not be underestimated. Ditto, with Resty and Mang Joebar and our colleagues at the other division headed by Tita Rems, together with Tita LV, Tita Baby, Tita Belen, Mel, Au, and Ric. Even our resident angels at the call -center - Hazel, Eden, Glev, and Hedy - made extra effort in preparing their costumes. And our generous lioness queen (who should be the runaway winner of the best costume award but declined since she's the prize donor), Tita Anne, made sure that each of us would take home something,

We are looking forward to having another themed-party next year. This early, the staff have already something in mind, which our boss also likes: Walt Disney Movie Characters.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Now it can be told!

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Direct Call Center, of which I am a part of, won the Most Innovative Idea Award in the Functional Group category of the annual DTI System on Performance Rewards and Incentives (SPRints). The idea of putting up a call center that aims to provide DTI clients a "no wrong door" reply to their queries came from the DTI Anti-Red Tape Technical Working Group (ARTTWG) and our office was tasked to manage it.

We have to give credit where credit is due. While the idea was brought up by the DTI ARTTWG, it was really Assistant Secretary Baby Baua who orchestrated everything to have the call center established with the able support of Office of Special Concerns (OSC) Officer-in-Charge Lydia Guevarra, Management Information Service (MIS) Director Lizzie Cabrera, Financial  Management Service (FMS) Director Ireneo "Boy" Vizmonte and the other bureau directors who allowed their staff to man the call center once a week on a rotation basis. Of course, I won't forget the call center agents who have been instrumental in the continued success of the DTI Direct.

Now on its third year of operations, the DTI Direct has proven to be an invaluable mechanism in addressing the concerns of the Department's stakeholders, particularly the consumer and business sectors. Lest this article be accused of being self-serving, I will just let the continued operation of the call center speak for itself.

One of our volunteer agents and an officemate, Ric, was also an awardee for the Best Clerk Functional Group category. Three from our division who were nominated by our OIC Director to the Best Supervisor (that's me), Best Technical Staff - Specialis Level  (Kia), and Best Secretary (Ate Genie) categories did not make it.

Well, that's life. You win some, you lose some. Our defeat will never prevent us from doing our work to the best of our abilities and capabilities.  The fact that our boss recognizes our performance is already something to be proud of. Speaking for myself, I have been an awardee thrice, twice as a specialist and once as a senior specialist. Recognition is an incentive but this is not the be-all and end-all of everything. My time will come when I shall be recognized as an outstanding supervisor and so with Kia nd Ate Genie in their own categories.

In all fairness, the winners in the categories where we were fielded deserved the recognition they got. But this we cannot say in other categories and I'd rather keep my mouth shut than name names. After all, the winners themselves will find it in their hearts if they truly deserved the awards conferred on them. Besides, we still respect the decision of the committee no matter how different it may be from our own preferences.

When Babies Get Sick (Part 2)

We thought our youngest daughter would be okay after we had brought her to the emergency room of Divine Mercy Hospital around 5:30am yesterday for vomiting. Since the initial finding was just a mild UTI, she was not given any medication but was only advised to be given more liquids and for further observation at home.
 
When we arrived home at around 8:30am, she was able to go back to sleep. When she woke up after one hour, she started throwing up again. When she had vomited thrice, we decided to bring her back to the hospital and this time she was attended to by a resident pediatrician who ordered a complete blood count test to rule out dengue as among the possible causes of Charm's condition.

Thank God Charm was dengue-negative. Just like the attending physician, the pediatrician also advised us to bring Charm back home for further observation. She was just advised to take glucolyte for her mild dehydration. However, if Charm could not tolerate its taste, there's no other recourse but to bring her back for confinement.

When we got back home, Charm was able to take 1 oz of the 7-oz preparation of oresol before she went back to sleep. After two hours, Charm woke up and I fed her with Skyflakes. After some time, there she was again vomiting. As per her doctor's advice, I had to make Charm take her oresol 5-10 minutes after she would throw up. I did just that. But when she had vomited five times, I thought I had to bring her back to the hospital and request for her confinement because I could no longer bear seeing her vomit again. Before I brought her back to the hospital, I called wifey, who was attending a grand reunion of former officemates that time, and told her about my decision. I also told her she need not worry and just go on with the party but requested her to leave early so she could be at the hospital soon.

At the hospital, Charm vomited one last time. When wifey arrived, Charm was already feeling better. It was wifey's turn to take care of our youngest child and my turn to go home to rest.

Before I went back to the hospital this morning, I got a call from wifey telling me that Charm had some rashes on her neck and forehead. The attending physician had not yet arrived so Charm had to deal with her rashes for the meantime. When the doctor had made her rounds and saw Charm's rashes, she did not give her any medication since it was only localized. Instead, Charm was put under observation again for her rashes.

When wifey went home to take a bath and attend to our two daughters, I asked her to bring the antihistamine we had at home since I already told the nurse to ask the doctor if Charm could already be given it because she had been itching and she started scratching her neck. There was no available antihistamine at the hospital's pharmacy and I could not go out to buy one because I was all alone attending to Charm. It's good that I remembered we had one at home.

When Charm's attending physician visited her this afternoon, she requested another CBC to check if she's finally okay so she could be allowed to go home tomorrow. Thank God, the CBC test was encouraging. Tomorrow, Charm will be back home. I would have wanted to fetch them from the hospital but I have a two-day training starting tomorrow. This time, it was wifey who urged me to proceed with the training and she would manage arranging for Charm's dispatch tomorrow with the help of our maid.

I pray that by tomorrow Charm will be back to her usual self -- playful, talkative, and cheerful. I shall go home early after our training and see my baby waiting for me at our veranda.

When Babies Get Sick

Parents would never want their children to get sick. But we cannot prevent them from getting sick. The least we can do is provide them with immunization shots so that when certain diseases strike them, the impact on them would be mitigated.

The Two-Hour Mass

I am used to attending a one-hour mass as most Catholics are. But the mass I attended last Tuesday, together with some of my staff and our boss, was a little different because it took us some two hours before it was finally over.  No, I'm not complaining. In fact, I would have stayed even longer had the officiating priest extended the celebration to another half an hour or so. Who would not give an extra hour or two to God who has given us all the time in this world to do whatever we want?

The Vigilant Consumer

I am a vigilant consumer and I'm proud about it.

The Call Center Like No Other

It has been three years since the DTI Direct Call Center was established. An initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry's Anti-Red Tape Technical Working Group (DTI-ARTTWG), the DTI Direct Call Center reinforces the "no-wrong door" policy to provide accurate information and quality response to its clients. Our bureau has been tasked to manage it and, modesty aside, we have been able to do our responsibility very well because of the effective leadership of our Offier-In-Charge and the unwavering support of all the staff and the volunteer agents and  partner bureaus as well.

My Long Lost Kumpare

After more than a decade, I finally saw again my kumpareng Eugene last Monday in, of all places, Divisoria when wifey and I went there for Christmas shopping.  He was a good friend from our former office and one of my eldest daughter's godfathers.

Bonding Time With My Family

November 28 and 29 were another memorable days for me and my family.  In observance of my milestone post-birthday celebration, we spent an overnight accommodation at Orchid Garden Suites located along Pablo Ocampo, Sr. (formerly Vito Cruz), in front of Century Park Sheraton. We had planned it almost a year ago (yes, that's how excited we were in celebrating my 40th birthday this year) and we're happy that it pushed through because it was another bonding time for the whole family.

Of bullies and bullying

The other night, when I and my wife arrived home, we found Clare, our eldest daughter, already asleep. We learned from our second child that her Ate had not yet taken her dinner so wifey woke her up to eat. When Clare was roused from her sleep, I overheard her mother's high-pitched voice like she was scolding her. Clare was crying and telling my wife that she would not want to go to school the following day because she could no longer take some of her classmates overbearing attitude towards her. We were trying to get the details from her but to no avail. All she was saying was that she has been so good to her classmates  to the point of being an utu-uto to them but they still seemed to go up against her for reasons she could not fathom.

Charm, New Moon, and Bobby: The Saga Continues

Had it not been my birthday last Saturday, I would not watch "New Moon" that day because I knew the Twilight saga fanatics would come in droves at the theaters. I was right after all. Five of the 10 moviehouses at the Festival Mall were showing the movie but queueing for the ticket still  took me more than 30 minutes. The good part of it, we were just right on time for the next screening, meaning we would be able to watch it from start to finish. Also, we were able to get a good seating arrangement.

Preparations for Death

No, I'm not dying. Not yet. But who knows? I may only have five more minutes, five more hours, five more days, five more weeks, five more months, five more years, or five more decades. We can never tell. One thing is certain though: sinners or saints, we all die. As to when, nobody knows. Only He who has given us life knows when He will take it back.

Are You An Addict?

Sex. Pornography. Gambling. Drugs. Alcohol. Work. Internet. Computer Games. What do they have in common? These are things or activities that get us hooked and, in the process, make us addicts. Each of us may be addicted to any or all of these. Addiction to the first five, in my opinion, is outright sinful, except maybe for the first one which is not against morality if one is doing it with his or her lawful spouse. As to the last three, I can consider Internet addiction as outright sinful if it is used in surfing pornography. But then, addiction to it, as well as to the rest, creates a dent  in our relationship with God and the people around us – family, friends, neighbors, and officemates.

My 40th Birthday Celebration

I am celebrating my 40th birthday today. I thank God for being patient with me in the last 39 years of my life and pray that He will continue to be so in the next 39 years or until the day that I shall account for all my actions here on earth. I am excited about what the next 12 months will bring to my life. Life begins at 40, so they say. Since I have been dead in the last 39 years, I hope that with this new life I have now I can keep my covenant with God that I will always be His loyal follower.

YMC Forever

Tayo na at tayo ay sumapi

Sa kilusan ng YMC

Tayo na at makibaka

Para kay Birheng Maria

Tayong lahat dapat magsama-sama

Samahan ng mga kabataan

Iwaksi ang kasalanan

Magdasal ng Santo Rosaryo

Isuot itong iskapularyo

Mag-alay ka pa ng sakripisyo (sakripisyo)

Itaguyod mong samahang ito

Ibalita mo sa barkada mo

Tayo'y sumigaw "Mabuhay si Maria!"

Any true blue Youth Marian Crusader would surely know the song above from the heart. To the uninitiated, the Youth Marian Crusade (YMC), now known as Youth for Mary and Christ, is a high school-based religious group whose main mission is to bring people, especially male students, to Christ through Mary.  I'm proud to say that I was once a member of this organization. In fact, I became its coordinator in my senior year in Manila High School, my beloved alma mater.

Seriously Funny

I'm serious. I'm funny. I'm seriously funny.

At the outside, I look very serious and well-behaved that  butter would not melt in my mouth. In fact, I am always mistaken for an ex-seminarian. Well, I am not an ex-seminarian but I have lots of friends who are. I also have some priest-friends. In fact, I was ready then to enter the seminary had Tita Letty Albert, the mother of erstwhile singer Joey Albert, chosen me as a candidate during the vocation seminar I attended at the Youth Marian Crusade's (YMC) former formation house in Antipolo, Rizal. Tita Letty is the founder of this religious organization which recruits high school boys from mostly public schools nationwide. But, as fate would have it, I ended up being a father...not of a religous order but of three beautiful kids.

Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo

Sounds Japanese? Actually, they are some of the common terms that we have learned in our basic aikido training yesterday as part of our agency's Human Capital (HuCap) Development Program. Aikido, in case you don't know, is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba.

Lost Opportunities

One's lost opportunity is another one's gain. So I thought. But I was wrong.

Some two months ago, our Human Resource Development and Personnel Services routed a memorandum  inviting our office to send two applicants for a free training in Taiwan on various software applications. Our officer-in-charge asked me if I was interested. Of course I was, but I had to beg off because of my other commitments which I could not just take for granted. Instead, I suggested that another staff take my place because he, too, was qualified for it.

My Robotic Child

What creature has two arms and two legs and is run by a battery? Robot? Logically, yes.  In reality, no. If you answered a child with a battery in her nose, then you got it right. And that child happens to be my youngest kid.

Bobby, My Youngest Daughter's Classmate

While I was using the laptop one time, I noticed Charm, my youngest daughter, dialling the phone. When I asked her who she was calling, she said it was Bobby, her classmate. I asked why she was calling Bobby and she said she just wanted to know how he was feeling.

Protection for My Family

I have always known that getting an insurance for the whole family is a wise investment but I haven't really done anything about it because I always thought I could not afford it given our family's cash flow. Come to think of it, I was able to complete the full payment of my eldest daughter's educational plan with the same mindset before.

I Will Be Rich

I never dreamt of becoming rich because I just wanted to live a simple life. I was content with just being able to feed my family at least three times a day, send the kids to school, pay all the bills, and spend some for leisure activities.

End Of The World

The end of the world has been predicted by so many self-proclaimed prophets and yet none of these predictions ever came to pass. Good for us living because we still have time to amend our ways and focus on our soul's salvation.

The Stronger Sex

A former student of mine wrote on her wall at Facebook: "I also like you, but you will leave again. What's the point?" One could sense the mutual feeling of love she and her present beau have for each other. Although she is one of my closest former students, I don't really ask her about personal matters, especially with regards to her heart's condition.

All Women Are Grouchy

Wait a second...don't react too fast, my women readers. The above idea did not come from me but from one of my former students, Abby Alerta, who has just read my post entitled "Oh, Women!" (As of this writing, she was also reading my other entries). She reacted on it, saying that not all women are grouchy when they have their periods. Her boyfriend, she said, can attest to that (Well, I will ask her 'baby' when I get the chance to meet him in person). She even told me that she's more grumpy even when it's not yet her monthly visit.

So, I retorted to her, can I safely say that all women are grumpy, periods or no periods (hence, this blog)? I don't want to be accused of being sexist but I think women are a lot grumpier than men. And I wonder why?

Instead of making all the guesses as to the real reason, I want this blog to be an avenue for my women readers to tell me if my opinion is right or right. Will I be deluged with so many violent reactions? Let's see.

Daddy Bloggers

There are two things in common between me and my two officemates, Resty and Ren. First, we are all daddies. Second, we are all bloggers. In short, we are all daddy bloggers. However, our topics of interest vary. I write mostly about relationship - family and friends - and some of my hobbies. Resty blogs mainly about chess, one of his favorite sports. Ren, on the other hand, writes about moving on, literally and figuratively.

Among the three of us, Resty is the most senior in terms of blogging since he has been doing it for over a year now. Ren and I have just started this month. Actually, I have created my account at blogspot.com last June, but for some reason, I was not able to write my first entry then until I forgot everything about it. Then on the first day of this month, again for no apparent reason, I found myself writing my very first entry on the new blogsite I created: vic-daddyblogger.blogspot.com.

The Photojournalist In Me

My former boss' prophetic comment on my very first blog entry i.e., "The Experience That Was Ondoy" is now coming true. Indeed, my foray into the blogging world is giving me so much satisfaction and elation. I feel satisfied with what I do and at the same time elated by the encouraging comments I have been getting from good souls.

Oh, Women!

If God would allow me to complain just about one thing it would be about women having to have their periods. I do not complain about the regular (sometimes irregular) visits per se because I know it is part of their nature being women. But what I can't understand is that when women have periods, they also have "exclamation points". I am referring to their mood swings which usually accompany their mens. This is the part I'm trying to understand which at times I cannot.

Biggest Loser, Anyone?

Something exciting is taking place in our office. We have officially started our "Biggest Loser" contest last Friday with the weighing in of the participants. The idea of launching this contest came about while we were having lunch in the pantry one time.

Young Face, Old Bones

I look young but my bones are not.

Last Friday, I showed the results of my lumbosacral spine x-ray to my physician and he told me that I have a very mild scoliosis that I don't need to worry.It was actually my second x-ray as the first one, the scoliosis series, did not capture the last three bones of my spine. The first x-ray had already shown that I have a very mild scoliosis but my doctor just wanted to be sure there was nothing wrong with my lower spinal bones.

Little Sacrifices

I woke up at 3:30am today because I had to accompany my wife to the airport. She will attend an interoffice meeting in Davao and be back tomorrow evening. Little sacrifice on my part if compared to the sacrifices of my wife who sleeps late at night because she helps our children in their assignments and wakes up very early in the morning to cook our food and prepare our baon.

Vernon, My Boy

When my wife got pregnant the first time, we decided that we would name the baby Mary Clare if she were a girl, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Clare of Assisi. If it were a boy, we would name him Vernon Gabriel. Vernon was my personal choice and Gabriel was taken from Archangel Gabriel. So, after nine months of waiting, our firstborn was delivered and it was Mary Clare.

The Other Best Cook

If my wife were a blogger, she would surely write about the above topic. But since she's not into blogging, allow me to write about it on her behalf. Even without her permission.

There are actually three chefs in our house: my wife, my father, and...me! My wife can cook almost any viand with so much expertise but she cannot cook adobo as good as my father's. Even my own adobo version pales in comparison with that of my father's.

My Wife Is A Loser

Yes, you read it right: My wife is a loser. After so many attempts, she has finally become a loser and she's very happy about it. So am I.

Stage Father

Fathers of today's generation are becoming more involved in their children's academic life. Unlike fathers of older generations, modern-day fathers find time to be present in the school activities of their kids or help their children in their assignments.

The Best Cook

I've always wanted to marry someone who knew how to cook and I must be among God's favorites because He answered my prayer. My wife knows how to cook. Let me qualify that: My wife knows how to cook very well. Her kaldereta is superb; her menudo is great; her kare-kare, mouth-watering; and her chopsuey, delectable. From a scale of 1 to 100, I would give my wife 99 for her cooking expertise. Well, the 1-point margin of error is for the very rare instances that her cooking is below her and our own standard.

Beauty and Brains

I am very proud to have an intelligent and good-looking daughter in the person of Clare. I thank God for showering upon her the same intelligence and good looks (well, in the eyes of the Creator nobody is ugly) He has bestowed upon me.

The Joy of Giving and Sharing

Last night, I and my wife went to Max's Restaurant in Pacita, San Pedro to make a reservation to celebrate the confirmation of our eldest child  this coming Saturday. While my wife was making the arrangements, I went out to withdraw some amount from a nearby automated teller machine.  On my way to the ATM, two very young sampaguita vendors, both girls, approached me and offered their items to me. I was not inclined to buy so the two kids just begged for some coins. The older one asked me to give them P10 each to buy food. It was not my custom to give money for alms. Rather, I would buy food myself to give to beggars. I told the kids that i didn't have coins in my pocket but this did not deter them to follow me.

Camille, My Camille

It is every couple's prayer that their would-be children would be born normal i.e., without any physical or mental anomalies. We were no exception. But as fate would have it, our second child, Camille, would be born with congenital deformities. She had cleft palate and bilateral cleft lip. You could just imagine the emotional and mental anguish my wife suffered from the day she learned about the condition of our baby who was diagnosed with such deformities when she was still six months in her mother's womb. I had to be strong for my wife so I could somehow alleviate her suffering. When Camille was finally delivered, she had another abnormality which was not detected by the ultrasound.

Daddy's Girl(s)

Every time I come home from work, my youngest child, Charm, would always be the first one to welcome me eagerly at the main door and ask if I have "something" for her. It has been my habit to bring home anything for her as my pasalubong, which she readily appreciates with her "Thank you, Papa!" words coupled with a kiss on my cheek. Even now, when I come home early, I see to it that when I bring home something for Charm, the other two also have something for them. But since it's only Charm who is still awake when I come home late, I don't bother to buy pasalubong for her siblings since I know they would already have fallen asleep when I arrive.

The Experience that was Ondoy

Last Saturday (Sept. 26), my wife, Gina; my eldest child, Clare; and I braved tropical storm Ondoy. We came from our child's confirmation seminar, which lasted past 12nn. We had our lunch first in the newly opened Robinson's Supermarket in Centro Pacita. After eating and buying food for our viand that night and the next day, we headed toward home.Since the road was impassable to tricycles, we had no option but to walk. What normally would take us 15 minutes to reach our home by foot, took us almost an hour since we waded through the knee-deep water. We were shocked when we reached our subdivision's main gate because the torrents coming our way was so strong and it was the first time that we have seen such a current coming from our subdivision.