HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOYS

Yeah, I know it's already late, but it's better late than never. Last Wednesday, my hubby celebrated his 29th birthday and my father celebrated his 58th last Friday. My two most important men celebrating their birthdays on the same month. I really think that they have something in common. They are both quiet and, shall I say, submissive?!


As I am away from home, I was only able to greet my father on the phone. I also sent him stuff from Red Ribbon. Yes, you can order from Red Ribbon online and have it delivered where you want to. The price is quite affordable compared to this site, even with 10% processing fee per item ordered. You also get to pick the date and the time you want it to be delivered. For my father, I ordered his favorite ube cake, carbonara and empanada. The variety for their platters-to-go is not that wide, because not all of Red Ribbon's items are available on the website. However, they have a wide variety of cakes and pastries to choose from.


For my Papi, I gave him Bvlgari Aqva for his birthday. The scent is sweet, yet still masculine. I got this for a bargain. He told me that he wanted a perfume for his birthday, but he did not tell me the particular brand that he wanted. I decided to give him Issey Miyake, but it was not available in the shop. Then there was Polo, Hugo and Perry Ellis. However, it was Bvlgari Aqva that caught my attention and pleased my olfaction.

So last Friday, I decided to cook kabsa as a post dinner celebration for their birthdays.

I wish I could have given them both a birthday bash. Anyway, the fact that both of them were happy on their special day is enough for me.

I'M ADDICTED TO FACEBOOK

Yes, I have to admit it. I am addicted to Facebook; not to Facebook itself, but to its applications such as Farm Town, Pet Society and Restaurant City. I just can't fight the urge of achieving a higher level and improving my site. I hate it, just hate it. It kills most of my time after work. Arrgggh!!!!

But what can I do? Instead of me studying, I am always glued to my laptop. Hate it, absolutely hate it! I think this is ludacris.

I think I should start resisting the temptation that Facebook offers.

This is what they call, "will power."

ON FATHER'S DAY

Dear Papa,

I want you to know that I will always be your little girl, though I already have my own little one. I still remember those times when you would come home for vacation from the ship that you were working with. Those were the times that I wasn't able to recognize that you are my father. I guess it's because you've been away for quite some time. Now I realized how painful my reaction towards you was and I want to say sorry for that.

I used to be so envious of my friends who always had their fathers with them, especially on special occasions because you were not. I didn't even know how hard was it for you to leave your family behind and be onshore for almost a year just to provide for our needs. Never did I say thank you for that.

Then came the time when you decided that you want to stop working. I didn't know why you had to stop where in fact I was still studying college and would be having more expenses for my studies than before. Afterwards, you suffered a heart attack, not once, not twice, but thrice, all in the same year, and we were thankful to God that you survived all those. Then we knew why you had to stop.

Papa, I want to thank you for being the wonderful person that you are, for being the best father and a good provider. I want to say sorry for all the shorcomings that I had and will have and for all the selfish acts I had shown.

Pa, there's always a special place for you in my heart, and each day that passes I am more grateful and proud just to call you my father. Thank you Papa for listening, caring, giving and sharing but most of all for loving us and being just the humble you.

I love you Papa and Happy Father's Day.

ON REMINISCING SAUDI ARABIA

During our breaktime, my colleague and I are talking about our experiences when we were still working in Saudi Arabia.

It was funny because our experiences were almost the same.

We both know that we have the vegetable of life in Saudi Arabia, and it's the ordinary lettuce. We call this as such because in Saudi, we have very limited ingredients whenever we cook something. We do not have kangkong, pechay, ampalaya leaves, or even the chow-chow (chayote) there. So be it sinigang, nilaga, monggo, tinolo, whatever dish you have in mind that you have to put some veggies on, I am 100% sure that lettuce will be a one of the ingredients.

Love life, oh yes. We all have one don't we? Both of us were in a relationship when we left the Philippines to Saudi Arabia. It's not just a simple relationship because both were already counting the years. Yet when we arrived in Saudi, both of our partners betrayed us and dated someone else. Typical ain't it?

And as we were both young back then, after the breakup along came other suitors. I really don't understand why old people in Saudi (particularly our Kabayans) are very judgmental when it comes to relationship. If they will see you going out will someone, they will brand you as a flirt, malandi, or BI! It's as if you're not allowed to date someone because they won't like it. I don't if they were envious because you still have a life while they don't, or is it because they didn't want to see someone else happy? What's worse is that you'll be the talk of the town for the next couple of months if you're seeing someone.

Last but not the least, we talked about the simplicity of Saudi life. Saudi, as we all know, is a conservative country. Even the facilities are very limited especially if you are living in the province, like we did. Weekends in Saudi are simple. Friends will usually go to a park (of course with a married couple so that it'll be safe for men and women to mingle) and have a picnic and that's it. We also talked about the never-ending birthday and maasalama parties that we have to attend even if we didn't know the celebrant.

We shared a good life talking about this and realized that we almost had the same experiences in Saudi Arabia; some were good and some were not, but one thing is for sure, and that is the lessons that we have learned from our experience there that helped us to be what we are right now.

ON BEING A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST

Until now when people ask me about my job and I tell them that I am a Medical Transcriptionist, people are still clueless about it.

By definition, a Medical Transcriptionist is an individual who transcribes and interprets dictated reports by physicians into a typewritten format. In contrary, a Medical Transcriber is the equipment used by the Transcriptionist for this purpose.

The process is quite simple, yet complicated. This starts when the doctor dictates his reports through the telephone, either a land line or a mobile phone. Then the dictation will go to the Dictation Server which will then go into the Medical Transcriptionist's computer. After the voice file is loaded into the MT's computer, the MT can now start transcribing the report. The MT uses a foot pedal which controls the play rate of the dictation. It is the equipment which the MT steps at to play, forward and rewind the dictation. At the same time, the MT will type the report with the highest level of speed and accuracy that she can.

There are many challenges when it comes to transcribing reports. The doctor's accent for me is most challenging. Based on my personal experience, I find it really difficult transcribing reports from doctors who come from France, Belgium and Germany. Correcting the grammar is another thing that is of utmost importance (especially to my boss). In addition, the medical equipment and terminologies that these doctors use also gives the MT an extra challenge.

This industry started in the Philippines in the late 1990s as the medical reports from the US were outsourced to the Philippines and India because it is more cost efficient. The prominent companies before were IDSI in Alabang, JL Business Solutions in Ortigas and OTPI in Makati. OTPI was the company where I got my training and skills from. Later, the industry started to pop out like mushrooms. Now you can see different MT companies everywhere in the Philippines. You can even do transcription from your very own home.

The importance of MTs in a hospital is often overlooked by many. People only see MTs as individuals who sit and type the whole day, but mind you guys sitting, typing, listening and staring at the computer for eight hours straight is not simple. It is eye straining, gives one low back pain or tendinitis and a very mentally challenging job. In addition the reports that we MTs produce is also important because it is where the doctors usually base the continuity of care, in addition to the report being a legal document for medicolegal purposes.

There have been reports and hearsays that Voice Recognition (technology wherein the computer will automatically transcribe the dictation) will soon be used here in the UAE, but it does not mean that MTs will not be needed anymore. The technology is promising but not reassuring. I do not think that the computer alone can create reports as accurate as MTs do. If this happens, however, MTs will take the role of Editors or Quality Assurance personnels to further furnish the report.

For more readings about Medical Transcriptionists, please click on the link below:
Medical Transcription

ON KRIS ALLEN

Kris Allen is the newest American Idol with a whooping 38 million votes over who was thought to be the "best" for the season - Adam Lambert. However, there have been a couple of negative reactions as to how and why Kris won.

Some were saying that it was because supporters of Gokey voted for Kris because both are church goers, so they supported someone of the same faith.

Others were saying that it was because of Kris' good looks why people chose to vote for him instead of Adam. To add to this, some are saying that Adam has "demonic" looks so they opted for the angelic Kris.

The worse that I have read so far was that AT&T provided phones at Kris Allen's voting parties in Arkansas and showed the participants how to "power text" by sending 10 or more text votes at the push of a single button.

Having heard and read all of these, I feel so sorry for Kris because even though he got the title, with these intrigues around him, I know that he is not happy. I mean, come on guys, the guy also has a talent, although not the best (even for me) in the batch. But we have to face the fact that the show is decided by the people and whoever is the most charming (not the most talented) to the public will win.

I so love Adam, but what can I do, Kris won already. I know that Adam still has a career that's waiting for him though he was not the big winner, and that's for sure. And for Kris, let's give him a chance to prove his worth.

ON JULIETA FONTANILLA

She's less than 5 feet tall, nearlly 60 years old, morena, simple compared to all other mommies there who would still want to look as fresh as possible and very outspoken. She is not the "sosyal" type of mother who would still apply tons and tons of foundation and makeup to her face, but instead she would rather go out wearing her own natural beauty which I must admit is still there even with those wrinkles on her face.

She was the one who spent sleepless nights just watching over me and who did everything in her capacity just to make sure that I will be able to finish my studies.

She's the one who unselfishly prioritized my well being first before herself or anything else in the world.

Her name is Julieta Manalo Fontanilla.

She is my mother.

...And I love her so much!

Happy mother's day, Ma!

ON MONTHLY PERIODS AND SANITARY NAPKINS

When my monthly period is about to come, I eat a lot, and I mean it. Lately, I noticed that my waist line and my tummy is getting bigger and bigger every day. I was thinking that it's just related to me having a period in a few days, but naaahhh.... I really was eating a lot even during my period. I must do something about it though or I will end up as a couch.

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I usually walk from the hospital back home because aside from doing some exercise (just imagine walking 3 km under the heat of the sun), I can also save some money by not having to hire a taxi which will cost around 8AED or P100.

This week I decided not to walk because I have my period and I might faint because of the heat.

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When I have my monthly thingy, I really get too moody.

Last night my hubby got a piece of my mind. It's good that his temper is not as bad as mine and he understands that it's that time of the month again.

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In the office, we received a memo from our boss.

Guess what it was all about: Yeah, it's all about our monthly period. My boss and two others are already past that stage and what she wanted was for us to use another bin for our "particulars" during that special time of the month. But hey, as if we Filipinos are careless when disposing our particulars. We even wrap it before disposing it. Don't tell me that it's because of the smell of blood. I'd rather smell blood than see their poops left in the bowl without even bothering to clean it first!

Geesh!