Fitflops - a surprise - takes a load off your feet

i am disabled.

generally my pain is expressed  through my right leg, making my feet very choosy about footwear
i happened to find a pair in ebay that my feet might like.

the footwear?  Fitflops.  Supposedly authentic - well the price seems to be authentic

but never mind the price because my feet are happy - and i do try to pamper my feet

so if you are debating footwear and you have some money squirreled away
try fitflops - you will like the feel

HTT's 25 Jan 2013 post - On PhilHealth

HTT's post is regarding a healthy PhilHealth for .... obviously healthier Pinoys
Who can disagree with healthier Pinoys?

Part of the reason i couldnt disagree with the Repro Bill and the Sin Tax, no matter how high they pegged the Sin Tax..... was because this two (2) bills could help Pinoys have better health.

HT talks about the power of  PhilHealth to increase contributions without bothering the Senate, unlike SSS -
and believe you me that SSS needs to have contributions increased to have better pensions.  But we are not talking about SSS I cant help it though, having spent many years in the private sector ...

When i had my KT, it wasnt covered by PhilHealth in the same amount as it is now.  So swallow the increase and go for better protection.

Clck here for HTT's Manila Standard post on a Healthy PhlHealth

btw, if you need to see PhilHealth's website Click here

Taking care of oneself - the first order of business

taking care of business.

first the self.      
the main business of all individuals - is taking care of one's self.
it is not being selfish. it is being sensible as no one has a more vested interest

first up.  health.
my lifestyle MD has this to say
your plate should contain 1/2 veggies, 1/4 carbo (rice or bread), 1/4 protein (meat)
exercise should be at least 1.5 hours/week - at least 3x a week
walking is better than running/jogging - has to do with your feet and the impact of your weight on your feet and knees

and if you have prescriptions. do take them and make sure you always have at least 2 days supply left before you purchase again.  if you no longer want to take your meds, see your physician first.

DE-stress everyday. Stress kills.

2nd up. finances
make plans for enjoying life.  life is not just about working.
work to live. NOT live to work.

plan as if you will live forever.  live as if it each day is your last

have a back-up plan.

will you leave footsteps when you are gone?

Hail Mary

in honor of the Virgin Mary of Fatima

please say one (1)  Hail Mary and ask a favor.

Hail Mary,  Full of Grace
The Lord is with you
Blessed are you among Women
And blessed is the Fruit of your women, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners
Now. And the hour of our death. Amen.

May all those who pray receive their favor
and enjoy peace, love, health, and prosperity. Amen.

Weekend 20-22 Thoughts

I had a chance to chat with the wife of a friend last week.

Her husband is Beta Epsilon frat brother Junette Cruz.  i do not remember his batch.  If you are a Betan aged 50 and above, you have probably been to the house - where i live - as i live in ye olde homestead in Kamias.  Junette (Juanito is his real name) remembers the house and has pointed out the same to his wife, Marlyn.

Junette is currently undergoing dialysis.  Dialysis costs about 4K plus per session, and he has 2 sessions per week.  Diabetes caused his ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease).   Hemo-Dialysis is NOT easy, and it is expensive.  Money doesnt flow the way it used to flow....

Did you guys know that Junette has a special child?  Well, now you know.  

If there are any Betans or other friends out there with money to burn, you might want to say hello, or better yet, send him some special loving through a deposit to his bank account.  Every bit helps. Do you know that 300 will pay for transportation costs?  I have his cell phone and his wife's cell phone number.... so if you want to know, just comment or send email through this post. 

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When one is sick, and boy do i know this well, one feels things a lot more deeply.  Hurts are deeper,  Pains are sharper, but a bonus, Joys are .... more ebullient and ecstatic.  And one feels lonelier.  A little kind word to say hello goes a long way.  Do you have a sibling who is sick?  Have you asked if he or she is still alive and well?  No?  Ah, then at least you have shown your true colors.

Or are you envious and jealous because this sibling seems to have money you dont have so you dont care?  Do you wish the person dead so you might inherit?  Hahaha.  Fret not, you are probably not in the will anyway. 

******************

In a strange way, there was communication with Edgar H. Sarte last weekend.  i found several letters that he wrote to me while i was at STI.  Some of them, if you will believe it, discussed/talked about STI policy.  i always did ask him when there were things i didnt agree with;  i would tell him why i and he would return the favor.  Such were the letters.  I did found 2 pictures of Angelo, he would send them sometimes as Angelo is my godson. My, he was so very young then.  Now, from Vilma's FB, he is grown into a handsome young man.  i wonder what Ed wants to say .....  i have seen him several times in my dreams so maybe one of these nights he will make an appearance.

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i did go and visit the Pharisees.  And although i know i am healed, i fear i must visit the Pharisees some more.

my brilliant nephro, my Sayans high school classmate, Dr. Benita S. Padilla - who still heads the NGO Kidney Friends - she is connected with NKTI (National Kidney and Transplant Institute), has changed my meds again.. If she had been my doc from the beginning, i may not have needed the transplant in 2008.

Still, God has a plan and i abide by His Will.

**********************

and oh, i re-arranged my elephant collection.  havent taken the pics yet ...
just to fascinate you, i have elephant buttons, elephant hair clips, an elephant push pin, an elephant pair of salt-and-pepper containers, an elephant shaped pillow, an elephant candle holder, an elephant eraser,  elephant paper clips, an elephant picture frame, and elephant odds-and-ends.  :-)

Starting your Day

How do you start your day?

My friend, the sage, says he opens his eyes.  Yeah, right.
I suppose that's one way of answering the question.

i like to start my day by saying Good Morning to God. 
Then i say thank you for waking me up for the day and that i hope my day be filled with Him
i also dedicate the day to Him as an offering

i ask Him to put me in His Keeping
and ask him to give me strength to fight the temptations of the day
and to keep EVIL away from me

there are many evil persons abroad
betrayers galore, and i am "near" the presence of several
people who corrupt others, or peddle evil
persons who take delight in destroying other people or putting other people down
or who delight in building themselves up at the expense of others
people of greed - not just money but power

i simply ask the Lord God to take care of these kinds of people
and place them away - as far away from me as He can
they are vexations to the spirit

But no. sometimes He places them near.  To build character, i suspect -

Post Weekend 13-15 July

The weekend was very busy.  I was off to do government-related things last Friday, 13 July 2012.
I went to Camp Aguinaldo.  Then went home, talked to the carpenters, and left for Sampaloc, Manila - to be healed.

Healing is God's Grace freely given.  My first cousin is the instrument by which God heals those who believe.  He heals through the the hand of the Black Nazarene, my cousin simply is the carrier of God's Grace.

I want to be healed.  So I went for three days of healing. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I know I am healed.  I know I am lucky.  The "Pharisees" will bear the proof when i have my medical labs.

As for the rest of the weekend, i was able to fix my elephant collection.
Pictures to follow (i forgot to upload them)

and was able to discard things.  I have more stuff to deal with but as long as i am able to clear a few things every weekend, i am satisfied.  Life is too short not to enjoy it.  So even when i am angry at some people, i find myself looking for laughter.  i suggest anime for laughter.  i enjoy Beelzebub for that.

Laugh. Love. Eat. Drink.
I drink four liters of water, well sometimes 2.5 liters of water, 1 liter of tea (made from tanglad or lemon grass or parsley), and the other half liter, half-and-half of gatorade/coke zero or if i am lucky - half a liter of wine.

Social Security System - Using the Internet to Serve Members

The Social Security System is trying out different ways and means to reach its members.  With many of its members using the internet more and more, SSS has expanded its internet presence.  This blog is NOT part of the internet SSS expansion.  Although i hope the SSS posts will help individuals who have concerns.

Rather, this blog aims to serve members as a public service because as an SSS member, and having worked in the private sector, i know it can be sometimes difficult to ask, or know what to ask. 


This blog will not just touch on SSS, but other items of interest to me - and sana  (hopefully)  of assistance to the readers.


***************


i believe that each one of us is obliged to serve as the Lord has served, to share as He has shared.   we have only one life to live, and i would like to live this life partly in service in ways i can.  as the Lou Rawls song goes - click if you want to hear Lou Rawls youtube

i am a kidney transplant, and life is different, but almost normal.  i cannot have pets though, although i would like to have a cat or a dog.  i used to have pets.  *sigh*

i am deeply grateful to the family of my donor, who agreed to give one of his kidneys to me.  my kidney partner is a young boy of about 12.  my donor was a young man, the victim of an accident.  i am also grateful to my friend and doc, Dr. Benita S. Padilla, MD.  She is a nephrologist, and a very good one!  and deeply grateful for the miracle of a donor.  
Thank you God.


God is good.  God is great. God is Love.

Looking backward to look forward

Last February 6 2008, Ash Wednesday - I had life-changing surgery.  i had a kidney transplant at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

It will be my two year anniversary this Saturday. And today, as Saturday approaches, i think about yesterday and look at tomorrow, to see what i should implement today.

Life goes on, sometimes so fast. We must never forget to stop, take a breath, and look at where we are, what we have done, and what we have yet to do, and most especially, to always count our blessings.

Amihan, Alice, Benita, Dr. J

Robert A, Amihan, Alice, Benita, Dr. J

In December 2008, we had the first of Arts n Friends art sale. We were at Rafa's.

By the way, watch out for the Arts n Friends gallery at multiply. http://artsnfriends.multiply.com/

Black Soup Owner, me, Alice, Rafa owners, Benita, Manny

Last 30 January 2010, we had the second Arts n Friends art sale at the Black Soup at Maginhawa Street. We had lots of fun, even if we were so very tired at the end of the day.











One of the main beneficiaries of Arts n Friends is the NGO Kidney Friends. Their website is at http://kidney_friends.livejournal.com/