The Blue Glow: An Explanation

Late Saturday night I posted about the "Creepy Night" I had when I was in Baguio. I was already shivering from the 12'C weather and this was made worse from the unexpected night visitor. Some of you have probably seen the video recount on Iosif's reaction when we asked him to verify the "thing". That post was supposed to be the last account of my experience but some of my friends have been asking me what it was we actually saw since there was only a "blue glow" at the end of the video.

Here's some photos I took of the "thing".

Sorry if the photos aren't as clear. As you can see the "blue glow" or "thing" is a person. A person really desperate to get free wifi from the hotel I was staying at. He had gone up the roof of his house at around eleven in the evening with his tablet, sat down on the (what I assume) cold roof (it was made of yero) and spent almost an hour online (well I hope he wasn't just playing Candy Crush!).

What do you think he was doing on his tablet?

The Night Visitor

This is the continuation of "Creepy".

Philip and I slowly moved the curtain so we could peek out the window. It was pitch black beyond our hotel's perimeter wall. We were both showing "brave" faces to Sweetie but the hair on my arms were standing and I could feel my heart beat harder. I had no idea what to expect and was hoping that maybe it would just be a cat and not the stuff I used to see and feel. Philip and I saw the thing at the same time. We looked at each other and then looked out again and then exclaimed "Oh my God!" at the same time. It took us a few seconds to process what we saw.

After seeing the thing we decided to get Iosif to verify. When Iosif got out of the shower Philip asked him to go see Jay. And this is what happened...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLahQCVAISw

Creepy Night

It's about 12'C here in Baguio tonight and we just had a very creepy experience. Caught it on video but unfortunately uploading is quite difficult right now. Hotel wifi and my 3G connection is just not cooperating.

We got back to the hotel at around 10:30 in the evening after a whole day of activities outside. We capped our day with an impromptu pizza/housewarming/celebratory dinner at Aris' new home. We had to go through Teachers Camp from his house. As we were passing through Teachers Camp Vince shared some creepy stories with us. Good thing the ride was short since the hairs at the back of my neck were all standing already (might also be because of the really cold weather).

As we got back to our room I was chatting with Philip in the kitchen area when Sweetie just suddenly said loudly from our bedroom, "Oh my God!" When he came out of the room he had a shocked face that made me and Philip feel a bit anxious. When I asked him what was the matter he just said that there was something outside our window that he didn't expect to see. He further explained that it was never a habit of his to look out from our hotel window at night but just had to check since he's been so busy and never had time to check our surroundings.

So Philip and I slowly walked to the bedroom to check. The feeling was quite dreadful since I've never really seen Sweetie that anxious. We peeked out through the curtains and had the fright of our lives...

To be continued tomorrow...

Places with Cool Weather in the Philippines

Baguio is one of the few cities in the Philippines that enjoy cool weather. The temperature can sometimes go as low as 6'C. The only other places I've been to in the Philippines is Benguet, Buda, Lucban and Tagaytay. Aside from going to the beach I love going to these places just to take a break from the heat in the city.

Baguio

Going to Baguio is easy. You can just take a bus and then in about 6 hours you're there (best to take the late evening bus). I've been visiting Baguio since I was a child and I remember during that time water heaters didn't really exist yet and I'd cry everytime my Mom would bathe me. It was just so cold! I enjoy Baguio a lot more now since I can take warm showers and there's a lot more food places to try and more sites to visit. Do visit the Ketchup Community to satisfy your hungry tummy.

Benguet

Ah the land of strawberries! Benguet is where our veggies come from and the farmland is a sight to see! I'm going back tomorrow to finally see the strawberry farm full of strawberries!

Buda

Buda is a town in between Davao and Cagayan de Oro and is a great place to stopover for a meal. The trip from CDO to Davao is about 6 hours. I've only been there once since my uncle wasn't too happy about me traveling by land from CDO to Davao. The place though is like Baguio when I was still a child and would be a great hideaway if I had the chance to go there again.

Lucban

Lucban is my Dad's hometown and is located in Quezon. We used to go there a lot to visit relatives and to enjoy the cool weather. Lucban has great heritage sites (it was occupied by the Japanese during the war), fantastic food (pancit habhab!) and it's where I received healing (Kamay ni Hesus). And one thing I love most about Lucban is the longganisa!

Tagaytay

I go most often to Tagaytay though since it's just about an hour away from where I live in Manila. We usually head there just to get some cool air and relax and see the sites. But since you can only take as much photos of the Taal Volcano (it hasn't really changed in my lifetime), the best thing to do in Tagaytay is to eat! You can experience a wide variety of cuisines and visit cafes just to chill.

Feeling the heat? Relax, visit a cool place in the Philippines!

Happiness

There was a time in my life that everything was gloomy. I was going through something and during that time it was hard for me to find joy in anything. I eventually read in a book that it helps to list down your blessings. It doesn't have to be huge things, but can be as simple as a a sunny day, an easy commute to work, eating pandesal etc. When you are depressed it's really hard to find something that made you happy for that day. I told myself though that I had to get myself out of the rut I was in so I kept on listing in my diary (which unfortunately went under water during Typhoon Ondoy). Eventually it became so easy to make a list that I could list down a hundred blessings a day.

I was reminded of this when Sweetie mentioned that he and his officemates would use the term "happiness" for their afternoon snacks. They do this to cope with work stress. So if you are stuck in a rut and need a quick fix try listing down 3 things that made you happy in a day. It doesn't need to be an extravagant thing, the more simple it is the better. It could be as simple as the elevator (lift) opening as you are about to press the button to call for it. Or a stranger helping you by keeping the door open. Or finding some extra money by chance in your pants pocket. Add 3 more to the list as days go by and pretty soon you'll be running out of notebook space!

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Brrrain Freeze

I had our veranda door open awhile ago because the evening breeze was cool. I was enjoying it until the construction work beside our place got too noisy and well it was getting too cold for comfort. I'm heading up to Baguio on Friday and with temperatures at 12'C I'm going to be in trouble.

Back in 2012 I had the chance to visit Zurich and a cold snap happened at the same time. From 0'C when I arrived the temperature dropped to -12'C by the time I left. It was so cold I had to take a taxi to the office even though it was just a short 10 minute walk. The taxi drivers actually got mad at me, but I told them that I come from a tropical country and my body's not used to such cold weather. My doctor also forbade me from participating in a planned ski trip. He said that I would've been more prone to getting a virus at very cold weather. I monitored the news back then and it was reported that over 200 people died in Europe because of the cold snap.

I watched in the news today that the US is experiencing the polar vortex and the coldest temperature recorded was -37'C. Brrrrr! -12'C was bad enough, I think I would instantly freeze at that temperature. I remember when I was a kid I used to ask my Mom why we it didn't snow in the Philippines. She didn't give me a scientific explanation, but said that we're in the tropics and that if it snowed here a lot of people will die because of the cold. I asked her the question several times and she always gave the same answer. I eventually agreed with her (after several years of science classes) and never wished to have snow in my country. And well I'm like my Dad, I get cold easily.

I hope and pray that my family and friends in countries affected by the polar vortex will keep warm.

365 Days After Surgery

A year ago today I had mitral valve surgery to repair the leaky heart. It was an open heart operation, but was just supposed to be a quick 2-hour event. My body though wasn't built the same way as other people since I had a lot of tiny veins and this made it difficult and complicated. Recovery wasn't easy as well since I responded differently to the medicines and I eventually had to go through another surgery to drain water from my heart and lungs.

It was the most horrific thing I went through in my entire life. I survived through prayers and sheer willpower. The first few days after surgery I would dream that I was in an accident. I realized later on that my body was probably wondering what happened and was synthesizing that maybe it was an accident that caused the 8 inch incision (and well maybe it was all the medicines!). It eventually went away but I still remember those dreams.

I don't think I will be normal ever again. I still have some difficulty going down a staircase and usually need assistance when good balance is required. I conquered Borubodur though 5 months after surgery (thanks for the help by Vanj and JR!) and when I told my doctors about this they said I was well on my way to full recovery. To validate my independence I took a gazillion trips shortly after that. In the last 8 months I've gone to the following places: GenSan (2x), Davao (3x), Bacolod (2x), Pangasinan, Baguio (2x), Kuala Lumpur (2x), Cebu (3x), Dhaka, Bangkok, Manila (because I'm supposed to be based in SG!), Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh, Benguet, Tagaytay and Batangas. I also managed to watch a rock concert for my birthday (Eraserheads!) and survive the stressful work of doing crisis response (shhh please don't tell my doctors!). I feel though I haven't done enough.

My dear friend Juned served as my inspiration to reach the top that day. We made it!

I know a lot of people are scared of going through surgery and a fellow patient reached out to me in the community of heart patients I'm part of. She said that her doctor required her to go through surgery (same as mine) but she was just given a few weeks to prepare. She said she was anxious about it and was not sure if she wanted to go through it. I told her that I had a decade to prepare myself but had come to the realization that surgery was the only way to improve my quality of life. I had to go through surgery to get better for my family. I didn't hear from her after I responded so I hope she's okay, but for those faced with a similar decision just be brave for your loved ones. If things fail anyway you wouldn't know!

This is me now, a tad bit overweight... okay a lot overweight according to my cardio!

 I'm chubby now but I'm happy!

The priest last Sunday said that we are all here, we have our life because we still have a mission to fulfill. This is one thing my Dad always reminded us of. The priest's sermon was indeed a great reminder as I face 2014 with my repaired heart which has given me renewed energy. I am thankful that my family continues to support me in my endeavors even though I know they worry a lot. Surviving a major operation with complications is easy when you keep to your faith and have your family beside you.

In the next few days I'm going to start another crazy work year!
And as W.C. Fields said, "Start every day off with a smile and get it over with."

*Mobile screenshot was a Hangout with my brother and his kids when I was in the hospital. My other hospital photos look really scary.