posted by Jennie on Sep 16
As promised, I am giving a more detailed entry about Hi-Precision Diagnostics Laboratory‘s role in the early detection of our son’s bout with Dengue fever. We first had our son take the Dengue NS1 test when he had fever last June. It turned out to be viral.
Hi-Precision Diagnostics has a total of 14 branches. I still did not know before that they have a branch in Pasig, or if it was already open then. So our default was to their main branch in Del Monte Avenue, Quezon City. Whenever I go to have my son’s blood tested, I always get asked if I had a doctor’s request. Both times, I don’t. I always choose to have the necessary laboratory result ready when we go to the doctor. That’s just me being prudent and practical. It is for my own peace of mind as well. Even if the doctor won’t request for a laboratory test, with the Dengue fever incidents in the Philippines growing at such alarming rate, it really is better to be safe.
I was asked to fill out the Patient Registration Slip as soon as we got there. During our first visit, I also had my son’s blood and Rh (Rhesus Factor) typing done, while he was already there for blood testing anyway. This earned him his Hi-Precision Diagnostics Patient Card.
The Hi-Precision Diagnostics Patient Card serves as his blood type card as well. My son’s blood type is printed on the covered portion of his card (above photo). This card also serves as a discount card, 10% off on all laboratory tests.
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posted by Jennie on Mar 8
When Ervin Tan of Electrolux Philippines contacted me last month for a video shoot of an actual consumer of their air conditioners for their upcoming launch, I made it a point to clear out my schedule for it. Not because I love being in the limelight. On the contrary I have always been more comfortable working on the sidelines, thank you. Even backstage, as my dear hubby can attest to. But with my sincere satisfaction on the Electrolux split type air conditioner that we bought last year and especially their service, I felt it was the least that I could do to express my appreciation.
with Ervin Tan, the man behind the Air Care Category of Electrolux
I first heard about the Electrolux Split Type air conditioner last year during the Electrolux Midsommer Festival luanch held in Shangri-la Hotel last March 25, 2010. Being in the middle of summer around that time, it slowly became a torture for me to homeschool and work from home at the same time. It did not take long until the hubby and me canvassed air conditioners around the malls and we actually found the deal on the Electrolux air conditioners affordable.
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posted by Jennie on Jan 28
I cannot anymore count the number of times that I shared woes upon woes of being a domestic goddess trying to ever so faithfully juggle working from home, homeschooling an energized bunny toddler and doing house chores. To say it can be crazy is a major understatement. It is so easy to get out of sorts. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how it is when the queen of the house is in that state, it can be a lot worse than when a king comes home defeated from an exhausting battle.
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posted by Jennie on Jan 21
I am thankful for a handful of things. One of which is the helper who initiates things around the house by herself. I hardly have to teach things to her twice. Just the way I want things to be. I can be very impatient and I do not exactly fancy having to repeat myself every so often. I also celebrate having a virtual assistant who can help me with my online tasks.
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posted by Jennie on Jan 8
More and more households are turning “green” nowadays. Yes, that includes our home. We have been using mostly biodegradable and all natural household products for some years now. There are a handful of benefits of going green in our homes. Whenever we use eco-friendly products, we automatically reduce the risks of toxins coming into our home. Resulting to a healthier us.
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posted by Jennie on Oct 21
Our family has been practically helper free since we started. Going 9 years now. The short periods I did hire a helper proved to be a nightmare when I saw with my very eyes how the nanny hit my 10 month old son with a balloon stick when he was just playing hide and seek with her. The mark on his arm proved this and yet that nanny lied straight faced. Needless to say, she did not last a month. Ideally, babies should be taken cared of by family members. I say this with conviction, because I only know so well how our patience could really be tested even by our own children. How much more can we expect stranger to have some compassion for someone who is not related to her. Makes sense, right?
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posted by Jennie on Jul 18
If you need to accessorize your bathroom but you aren’t into anything frilly or pink, don’t despair. There are still plenty of options for you and your bathroom. You can make it look classy and elegant while still clearly showing that a man lives there. Choose dark colors for the accessories and let them complement lighter-colored walls. You can also choose bolder colors, just to make a bit of impact. Read the rest of this entry »
posted by Jennie on Jun 24
Three things that I have been pondering on these past few days – moving boxes, moving homes and gratitude. It has been three years since we last moved houses. And years before that we moved places at least once a year ever since we got married. It can be pretty taxing, to say the least. But you can very well say that with all the five shiftings we did from 2001 to 2007, we have become experts that we can actually make a living out of it.
As years went by from 2001 and moving was inevitable, there were at least a couple of things that we have learned.
1. Not all cheap movers are unreliable. We were blessed to have contacted movers who had a very reliable staff who did not complain despite the one rainy night they had to carry our bulky couches and furnishings from the van, through the narrow alley, up an even narrower concrete stairs, and finally to the third floor apartment we last transferred to before we had our own house built. They charge cheap and we actually thought they’d have “cheap service” too. They did not.
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posted by Jennie on Jun 10
I have been lacking sleep since the hubby left for Africa last week. It has been 7 days today and the most I slept per night since was 4 hours. I am sorely missing him. There was this two days that we barely communicated. Because he was on borrowed time as he had to line up to use the hotel’s common personal computer at the end of the day. That will be in the wee hours of the morning, Manila time. For some reason that function button to turn the wifi on of his Asus netbook failed to work.
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posted by Jennie on Jun 8
The summer heat of these past months has been totally unforgiving. It actually has caused us heat exhaustion more than a couple of times. Aside from the fact that I do my job from home, we are also a home schooling family. The steady rise of temperature from 32°C up to beyond 42°C called for us to do something about our air conditioning for home. The humidity actually makes it a lot worse.
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posted by Jennie on Apr 19
I miss cooking for my family like I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I am doing. But for some reason, I really just miss the times that I prepare fabulous meals for the hubby and the kiddo. While I cannot exactly quit my job and jump into wearing my old chef queen crown, I’m hoping to learn more meals that are healthy but are also quick to prepare. I cannot anymore afford to do the nitty gritties of preparation for doing viands, casseroles, cakes and cookies, like I used to.
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posted by Jennie on Mar 29
The very first home appliance purchase the hubby and I had as newlyweds was an Electrolux vacuum cleaner. I was one overwhelmed housewife, to say that least. I grew up with a nanny and later an all around helper in the house. This is the norm of two income families in our country and it does not necessarily come with a “well off” premise. I always knew how to cook, bake but not so much when it comes to doing the laundry, ironing and cleaning department. The overwhelmed me got down to purchasing our very own cleaner helper via the Electrolux vacuum. The rest, as they say, is history.
Nine years into our marriage, we have sailed on beautifully in the household arena with but a few challenges. Yes, we have stood through our decision of being helper free. Save for the once a week cleaning lady that I hire to do some general cleaning, but that’s it. If I was just a plain housewife, then that wouldn’t have been such big a deal. But I am not. Aside from being the queen of our abode, I also homeschool my son and then work from home via web content writing and virtual assistant jobs and cover some events too. Truth be told, I’m not having it any other way. After having had a helper ever since I can remember. It is just bliss to have the privacy that we enjoy now. But this kind of crazy lifestyle isn’t for everyone. It did take a while before I was able to device a system that worked for me. But if there’s anything essential for those who can relate it is this – the household gadgets and appliances!
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posted by Jennie on Mar 3
We will rest when we die. This is a funny quote my husband says when we become crazy busy. Crazy busy, in a good way. Truth be told, I have been lacking sleep. The most I get nowadays is 5 hours a day. It’s a blessing that I don’t get as much migraine attacks anymore.
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posted by Jennie on Oct 5
Nine days of cleaning up the house and we’re still not done. While it is true that we are extremely grateful that we are intact through it all, we cannot help but still feel exhausted from time to time. It’s like we’ve been cleaning up since forever and it doesn’t seem to end. The Lord alone sustains us, this much I can say. Counting the blessings and people who ministered to us by reaching out, have done a great deal.
Just to give you a glimpse of the devastation this typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) has done to our abode, allow me to share some before and after pictures.
our washroom before typhoon Ondoy
Ondoy and his wrath
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posted by Jennie on Aug 14
Here is another valuable parenting insight that we can use in our homes. 
One of the roadblocks to harmony in family life is when siblings act foolishly and end up hurting or offending each other. Foolishness may be demonstrated by teasing and playing around beyond what’s appropriate or wanted. Usually one person wants to stop before the other. Angry words and tears often bring an end to what started out as fun. Incorporating a “Stop Rule” in your family will help children, and parents for that matter, know when to quit.
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