Another week in recovery!

Another week on the vlog... now seven days full. Because nothing ever really happens during the weekends that merits a separate video haha.

As for my knee...

• Day 15 (Jan 27 | Mon) - Jeckie can't stay in midshift for so long so I decided to just commute by taxi for the whole week. Ang gastos but yeah. I realized that GrabTaxi rates on the app are overestimated when it's really just the metered fare + 35p (or whatever's the booking fee that time). That made me feel better. My knee is starting to heal better. I can now walk properly, but slowly. If I speed up even a tiny bit I'd start to limp lol. Still being cautious. I noticed that I also stopped feeling discomfort when sleeping so I don't lift my knee anymore on the pillows. Set up an appointment with an ortho at TMC.
• Day 16 (Jan 28 | Tue) - I'm not sure how I got it but suddenly my ankle is hurting. And it's more painful than my knee lol. I can probably walk better now but because of my ankle I'm not pushing it hehe. I can now (cautiously) cross my legs, and it's feels less tired now. Halfway through Educated.
• Day 17 (Jan 29 | Wed) - Booked Grab Taxi to work this afternoon. Still can't find the courage to commute by bus. I can probably conquer the foot bridge because I can walk at my own pace, but the thought of boarding the bus scares me. What if it jolts before I could take a seat? What if I get pushed while alighting? I could die you know. On another note, 2019-nCov (Corona virus) is becoming a bigger threat. I've started wearing a facial mask to protect myself.
• Day 18 (Jan 30 | Thu) - First confirmed case of nCov in the Philippines. 38-year-old Chinese woman who traveled from Wuhan via Hong Kong (link). I'm watching the numbers here. My knee is getting better, my ankle doesn't hurt so much anymore so I could now feel how my knee has improved. Yey!
• Day 19 (Jan 31 | Fri) - I can walk properly now with minimal knee pain but I could feel a stiffness in my knee cap. Can't walk and stand for too long. Can cross my legs but not fully. Still can't indian sit.
• Day 20 (Feb 1 | Sat) - Went to the hospital to consult with an orthopedist. He checked my knee and advised me to get more rest, see how one month of recovery fares before he could suggest more diagnostic measures (like MRI or therapy). I was relieved when he said my major knee parts look intact. So yeah, just gonna rest and let me knee recover fully. After all, it's getting better each day.
• Day 21 (Feb 2 | Sun) - Drove to Fairview to see my family whom I sorely miss. My mom is sick with cough and sore throat and needs to recover, and with the nCov scare an all, she's kind of panicked. She can't even hug and kiss me because she's afraid I'll catch her symptoms huhu. In (an)other (sad) news, I accidentally wet the corner of Educated, the book that I borrowed from my officemate, and it felt devastating. I put it on a desk and didn't notice someone put a cold glass of water beside it, next thing I know the moist from the glass crept its way on the upper corner of the book, creating a wave the size of a coin. :'(

Ever since I started vlogging I kindof lost interest in posting on Instagram and ranting on Twitter. I can summarize my week in 5-minute videos, upload it on Youtube and not care about it. Then I can just put supplemental anecdotes here, just to overshare a bit further, then let it be haha. Just like the old days.

I think it has something to do with the fact that no one's really watching or even reading. I stopped promoting my Youtube channel too because I realized I didn't really want an audience. I just want an outlet. 

Recovery logs

Damn this knee, it's been three weeks since the accident, I'm getting better but I can't wait to heal completely. It's been terrible navigating the office on a limp. And because I kept compensating, now my ankle hurts too! Here's a vlog of the previous week, which is the week I finally came back to work after five days of rest. My husband was kind enough to change his shift (from night to mid) so he can drive me to and from work. At my current state, commuting via public transpo is a big nope. Just the mental image of the footbridge terrifies me.

• Day 8 (Jan 20 | Mon) - Knee still hurts. Getting in and out of the car is hard. Started reading Educated by Tara Westover
• Day 9 (Jan 21 | Tue) - Knee still hurts, but it's getting better. Hard to sleep at night because it just feels overly tired. Lifting it somehow relieves the pain, so I prop it on two throw pillows every night. 
• Day 10 (Jan 22 | Wed) - Improving. Navigating around the office is slowly becoming bearable. It's my mother in law's birthday and we had dinner at Mary Grace, which is in my building, in consideration for my leg (and my scheduled meeting). ♡
• Day 11 (Jan 23 | Thu) - Dinner at Gringo's haha! That's a good sign you know 'cos it means I'm now confident enough to walk out, even though the resto is really just around 150m from the office haha. Going down the stairs is still a bitch, but at some point I think it's just the fear and trauma that's hindering me from putting more force into it.
• Day 12 (Jan 24 | Fri) - It's swelday today! Woke up to a suspiciously hazy afternoon. Ate dinner at Ba Nois! Also, our Director announced a special bonus for Manila team! Everyone was ecstatic. Given my tenure I'm only entitled to $250 (3 years and up gets $500!), but it's fine since two years ago I qualified for $1,000 bonus naman, and I'm only 5 months old at the firm! My knee is getting better, still can't walk straight but everyday is an improvement. 
• Day 13 (Jan 25 | Sat) - I drove today! Success! But I twisted my knee as I was getting in the car on the way home. It's not really a fatal twist, just one of those wrong movements that trigger your pain points. It was terrible. It took a minute for me to recover. I felt the swelling in my kneecap along with the warmth of inflammation. I thought I couldn't drive, but when the pain settled down, I was able to go on our way.
• Day 14 (Jan 26 | Sun) - Went to the hospital to have my reimbursement forms signed. My attending physician advised to consult with an ortho for follow ups. Headed to Queens for dinner.

Is a Degree in Healthcare Worth the Time and Effort?

Photo from Pixabay

It’s no secret that any kind of healthcare-related degree is going to take a lot of time, effort and money to obtain. Having said that, a healthcare degree can be a lucrative long-term achievement that will give you many unique opportunities in the future. That’s why we would suggest it if you have the passion to help others and the dedication to work towards it. In this post, we’re going to help justify it by explaining why a degree in healthcare is worth the time and effort.

1. You can study online in your own time

One of the interesting things about the healthcare industry is that it’s one that has fully embraced the concept of online learning. This means that you can get a variety of different healthcare-related degrees online and study them in your own time. This is excellent for anyone that wants to study while also having a regular job. It’s a lot of work, but the option is always appreciated.

2. You can dedicate yourself to helping others

Another good reason to invest in a degree in healthcare is because you can dedicate yourself to helping other people. This is why a lot of people decide to choose a healthcare-related degree in the first place; because they want a more meaningful job and to learn skills that will be applicable in many different situations.

In the following infographic, you’ll learn more about the fast-moving world of healthcare and why pursuing an Executive Master of Health Administration degree can be something worth chasing.

Infographic: University of Southern California

A Week in Recovery

• Day 0 (Sunday): Day of the accident. Got checked at the ER. No fracture. Just a knee contusion. Need rest.
• Day 1 (Monday): Can't bloody move my leg. Can't walk. Can't cook for myself. Had to shower on the floor. Borrowed crutches from a neighbor.
• Day 2 (Tuesday): Getting used to using crutches. Knee still super painful and feels tired all day.
• Day 3 (Wednesday): Feeling better. Can now put a bit of pressure on my left foot. Can now shower standing up, but can't turn my knee. Can't stand too long but was able to cook for myself!
• Day 4 (Thursday): Improving! Practicing walking around the house without crutches. My in-laws visited me to bring food! Love 'em!
• Day 5 (Friday): More improvement. Can now walk around without crutches. Can now make coffee for myself. Ate mostly leftovers today.
• Day 6 (Saturday): Went out to eat lunch with the family. Can walk, but not properly. Still can't stand for too long. My other leg feels tired from supporting my injured leg hehe. Can't do stairs. Knee feels painful when turned.
• Day 7 (Sunday): Feeling a lot better but still worried about coming to work tomorrow.

//Work
This week was so boring yeah. I tried working from home but the internet keeps on dropping when I'm connecting remotely, so just decided to take 4 days off. My god. Can't imagine what's gonna be left of my sick leaves argh.

//The Circle
I wanted to finish a book but Netflix got the better of me. Finished watching The Circle: A Social Media Competition and was surprised to like it! Thought it was gonna be one of those stupid reality shows that's only good for background noise (like Selling Sunset) but hey I got sucked in! Left me thinking how utterly superficial most friendships are.

//Can you keep a secret
I don't think I'm ever gonna finish Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret. I can't handle the fakeness of Emma, Lissie, and Jemima's friendship. They're flatmates. Emma and Lissie are supposed to be BFFs but I can't help thinking how they're both just faking it. The dishonesty between the two is appalling. And the author tries too hard to paint them as really good friends. I shouldn't have started this book after finishing I've Got Your Number, then I wouldn't have discovered the template of every damn chick lit book out there. Uuuurgh. And also, Emma's secrets aren't even that interesting. So it's kindof a stretch for someone to fall for her on account of the way she panics. I just find this book too unbelievable. I mean, chick lits usually are but this book's just trying too hard.

//Work again
I really want to get back to work tomorrow but I'm afraid I'll accidentally trip over something and suffer some more. I want to make sure I've recovered to the point where I can walk properly at least. But damn I have so much work to do and I can't wait to get over them. Plus, my convertible leaves are thinning out.

//An oopsie
I discovered something on one of my vlogs just a few moments ago. I frkn caught myself naked, making coffee. Jusko. I was watching and wondering about one of my reflections, thinking what was I wearing then panicking after discovering there's none! It's gone and edited now, so thank God whew. Lesson learned: I should make coffee before taking a shower. Haha

Okay back to my coffee.

How Likely Is World War Three?

Photo from Pixabay

The search term ‘World War Three’ has had a huge spike in searches and interest over the last few weeks. Donald Trump gave the order to kill Soleimani, Iran’s top general, and since then, getting drafted hasn’t seemed like such a far off concept. People are searching on Google, constantly tweeting about what it would mean, and some are even making suggestions on how to avoid getting drafted. Experts have said that while it is unlikely that an all out war will start, this incident has caused more tension across the world. Many other people believe that Trump did this simply to take the attention away from his impeachment. Impeachment is something almost the entire Trump family publicly condemned other presidents for on social media, but they have been careful not to make any comments since it was decided that President Trump had indeed abused his power. Suddenly, a drone strike had been ordered, even though two presidents before him declined the same action.

It leads everyone to believe that Trump’s motives are troubling and misguided, even though he likely thinks he’s being very smart. If he did do this to draw attention away from his impeachment, he succeeded. But once again he has proven that he should not be trusted with the most powerful position in the world.

Below, you’ll find an infographic outlining how much wars truly cost us. Take a look, and you’ll see how important it is that we avoid World War Three.

Credits to Norwich University

Life lately and starting a vlog

I started the year with a new found hobby which is uhm taking clips of my day to day and compiling them into a montage. Also known as vlogging lol, I've been on it since the penultimate day of the previous year, hence it's my second week of doing it!

So far so good? I'm surprised at how quick and easy it is to do. No wonder so many people has jumped to it. Unlike blogging which requires a lot of thinking and writing, vlogging needs less brainwork (no offense). Just take clips of what you feel could highlight the moment. It's so simple. And by the end of the day, it only takes me less than an hour to edit and upload. Everything is done through my mobile phone so no more setting up the laptop to write lengthy accounts of how boring my day went haha. 

Yeah, so my days are still mostly boring and monotonous, but it isn't so bad. I've set up a channel at Youtube, namely *guess what* The Blahger and I invite you guys to view my vlogs if you can! Like and subscribe if you want, not forcing anyone here hahahaha, though I need a hundred subs to get a custom URL at least... so please... help this ghorl out? :D

Here's my latest by the way:

Not saying I'll quit blogging. In fact, I think it'll be easier for me to blog with the aid of my vlogs?! 

So what's up?

First work week of the year was boring. Nothing much. I guess the highlight for me, which I couldn't film because it's work related, was getting my performance rating and knowing how much bonus I'll receive on the next payday. I got a very cute increase haha and a bonus amount I didn't expect so yayyyyy. 

Our weekends are pretty much the same. On Saturdays we go to the grocery, sometimes we head to my parents, then on Sundays we meet up with my in-laws then play badminton after.

Which is where I got my knee injury. Last Sunday while playing, I accidentally twisted my knee chasing a long shot. I fell on my butt and couldn't move my right leg. It was darn painful. I dragged myself out of the court, put some ice and waited for it to feel better. I could barely walk but it isn't so intense in a way that I was still able to eat dinner with the family and lounge a bit lol.

Before heading home we went to the ER to have it checked. It was my first time at The Medical City Ortigas and wow it's the best hospital experience I've had so far. ER trips usually take me 3-4 hours, but at TMC I didn't have to wait 30 minutes after triage. I was sent to the doctor immediately, had an X-ray, was prescribed NSAIDS, and was discharged in under 2 hours. Amazing.

Now I know where to go for emergencies. Thank God my condition wasn't so bad. No fracture, just some contusion that will heal over time. I've taken some time off at work to rest at home. Hopefully my knee heals soonest so that I can walk properly na! Sobrang hassle nito huhu

Hope you're having a fine day. :)

2019 Wrapped

I don't have much to say about 2019. It was quite a steady year for us. The only life changing thing that happened was on January, when one of our biggest investments went down the drain. My parents suffered greatly, and even until now they're still recovering. Me and my husband also took some time to move on from it. But then that's it.

I guess that's the highlight?!?

Wow ang negative naman! Hahaha Pero seriously! I don't think I have anything good to remember 2019 by. It was an okay year, personally. Yun nga, steady lang. I also think it's a financially bad year for us. It already hit us right at the start, and it kinda set the tone for the rest of the year. All our investments look bleak, and I'm out of sidelines haha.

Okay wait let me look at the archives to see if there's anything remotely positive about the year that was...

• In January
• We lost a major investment
• In February
• Flew to Singapore to attend Planit's recruitment roadshow
• Enjoyed Singapore immensely! (Read our SG Diary here)
• In March
• Regrets from Planit (was put on waitlist)
• Attended RPA Philippines Summit
• No water for a week
• In April
• Staycation at Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas
• In July
• Celebrated my parent's anniv at Kasa Luntian, Tagaytay
• Family summer outing at Nagusbu, Batangas
• In August
• Tried going to the gym lol
• In September
• Celebrated our 2nd anniversary at BGC
• Team building at Nasugbu, Batangas
• In October
• Finally experienced Taytay tiangge
• Tried Angkas
• In November
• Celebrated my birthday at Baguio
• Re-investing in skin care
• In December
• Got news of delayed DV Boer Paiwi payouts
• Saved 15,000 pesos from keeping all my 50 notes

So yon. It's a mix of both good and bad, but nothing extreme. Keri lang talaga tong 2019 haha. But overall it's definitely a happy year. :)

So what's up this year?

Oh I don't really know haha. Praying for the best. :)