Welcome Back, Mommy!

It was as if the virus was waiting for me to come back.

I arrived from China with my two boys picking me up at the airport.  We were all excited to see each other and had fun telling/listening to stories.

You know me, by now... fearful of airplane rides.  The weather did not help so I experienced the longest runway approach of my flying life... around 30-45 minutes of circling around until touchdown.  By the time, I saw my boys, I was having a bad headache because of airplane ride stress.

So, I was extremely yearning for a good night sleep when suddenly the little boy asked for the blanket... quite surprising since he loves the air-conditioning.  A few minutes later he started to have chills.  And then, temperature shot up to the 39s.

After two sleepless nights, he got better, thank God.  He is actually playing with my pasalubong as I speak.

How did we survive?  A little bit of my Mom and Dad's tricks, a compilation of the doctor's instructions from way back and some inputs from the ever reliable Google. (These have worked for me and my kid but each child is different so better to always keep the pediatrician informed.)

• Temperature check is very important.  Whenever it goes up to 38.8 and above, I check it every 15 minutes.  The ear thermometer is not so reliable but it is the quickest way to make the check and it will not disturb the patient that much.
• Fluids indeed help.  It is actually the cheapest medicine.  To make things a bit more fun for the sick kid, the powdered juice would be the best alternative to water.  If there is no sore throat, it helps to keep the water/juice a bit cold.  Use a colorful straw -- they would appreciate not giving too much effort when drinking.
• Throwing up is not really bad.  It is even one way to lower the fever.  If the kid wants to throw up, welcome it (even if it means having to change the sheets).  Better if you have a bowl or mini "palanggana" ready to catch the mess.
• Calpol tastes better than other paracetamol syrups.  My kid hated medicines for the longest time but he can tolerate Calpol.  Hallelujah!
• Never bundle up when fever is high.  The idea of overdressing a sick kid is passé.  It will just make the temperature go even higher.
• Based on experience, fever usually peaks at night.  Be prepared not to sleep.  Paracetamol does not work sometimes... so thanks to the ancient way of "punas" (read: washcloth treatment).  Cloth should not be too wet and not too cold.  The vinegar mixture is still reliable.  But I read in some internet materials never to use the alcohol as it can cause shock.
• Aim for the kid to have the longest uninterrupted sleep.  It has proven to make wonders for my kid every time he is sick.  Whenever he goes beyond the 6-hour borderline, he gets better the next day.  
• Lastly, the moms should take multivitamins.  Sleepless nights can really make you vulnerable to the circulating virus.  The next thing you know, you are the new patient.

So yes, I am starting to rest and enjoy my return only now.  Thank goodness for the holiday, else I would be a walking zombie in the office.

I am not complaining at all.  It's part of being a Mommy.  And I am lucky to have an appreciative kid.  Aside from the constant Thank Yous, the best compliment of the weekend was -- "Mommy, your punas is very, very good."

Allan's Art Gallery.

I was at the NBI around a month ago to get a Travel Abroad clearance.  I thought of doing some more errands including paying my insurance.  And I took the chance to say hi to a very good friend.

It has been a while since I last saw Allan.
He has left the Makati/Taguig work area and took a role in an office in Manila.  With the schedules that we have, it would indeed be a trek to find a regular chika time with him. For that, I was so happy that I did not forget he was very near the NBI!

His office was very nice.  And smelled good.  And had great snacks.  But the nicest thing about it was his collection of art pieces.

He has since been my coach on art pieces as I am not as 'cultured' really.  I just know the very famous painters like Van Gogh, Picasso, Amorsolo, etc.  He introduced me to a wider world of very talented Filipino artists.  And with my visit to his office, I have learned more!

Here is his fisherman brass sculpture made by Michael Cacnio.
He has another one.  (Update:  This is the "Kite" piece.)
And even more plus a Ramon Orlina glass sculpture (update: called "Inspirations").  I forgot where he got the ceramic bunny but I am pretty sure that's expensive (update: it's actually a bone china rabbit from Heima).
And of course, the paintings... all colorful.  The River Pebbles Stone Garden by Noel Mahilum.
A nice abstract art piece but I forgot the artist. (Update: The Island by Jose Julio Austria)
And another painting which he was planning to give to his Mom. (Update: The Midnight Lullaby by Roel Obemio)
My most favorite of all is this actually.  It's not a work of art but equally lovely.
Very glad that we had some time, even if short, to catch up.  Happy that he is happy now and proud of what he has achieved.

Until our next catch up, Allan!

Hong Kong In My Heart.

The journey back to HK was via train still.  This time, officemate Eric was with me.
We arrived at around 8pm.  No more crowds.  It was better than Guangzhou's.  And again, I kept on wishing for something like this to happen in the Philippines.  Not even our airports can compare.
It was my nth time in HK but still very happy to be back.  For me, it rivaled New York when it comes to the hustle and bustle.

We stayed in a hotel with a spectacular view of the harbour.  I woke up to this.
It was right in the middle of shopping action - Causeway Bay!  And it was sale season, my goodness.
For a whole lot of reasons, Causeway Bay was in UK fever.  Since it was very much related to our work, Eric and I snapped away.
I have not gone to Hong Kong Park before.  It was near the office so we spent some minutes to explore before heading back to the hotel/shopping.
During my last official night, I met up with my good friends in HK - Liezel, Bernice and Grace.  Eric was with us.  We all had a ball.
We broke out late already.  Eric had to continue the business trip to exotic Ulaanbataar (happy that I now know someone who has gone there!), Bernice and Grace went their own ways, while I joined Liezel and bunked in her place.

Here's Liezel and her small but super cozy flat.
It's somewhere in Quarry Bay and the neighborhood is certified HK.  My friend has indeed gone local!
Some more pictures of Quarry Bay before I left.
I realized that time spent with Liezel was soooo short.  I should've stayed longer.  But my little boy was waiting for his loot and I missed him terribly (hubby, too, of course).

Off to the HK airport which, for me, will always be awesome.
Did my last minute shopping and was lucky to see another wonder.  It's my first time to ever see an Airbus A380 LIVE!  One of the next short term goals is to ride that giant.
A few hours later, I was back at NAIA Terminal 1.  It was not too bad but baggage claim area was just too small, the carousel just too old.  Glad no one approached me for a tipped assistance.  I guess that's one of the improvements.
Then a few minutes later, I was back in the arms of my boys.  This was the part I loved the most.