bury me in this dress

I decided it’s time to announce it in public. I only told a few people last week why I would be undergoing a surgery not because I’m embarrassed by it but because I wanted the privacy. Last Thursday, I checked into a hospital because my blood sugar is high. The glucose resistance test the day before showed that I’m at the early stage of diabetes. The doctors need to normalize my blood sugar fast because I would be undergoing a lapband surgery the next day. I underwent many tests but everything quieted down come 10 PM. I was only awake a few minutes when the nurses transported me to the operating room the next morning. I don’t really know what happened during the operating room but my doctor said I was an easy case. I guess that’s good, right? Mom said the nurses wheeled me back to my room around lunch time but I was still asleep then. I was asleep pretty much of the day. Some relatives visited me but I hardly registered their presence.Saturday, Mom just settled the bills and clearances then we were home by 1 PM.

I got the lapband surgery for myself and for my mom. She said she wanted to see me thin before she dies. I had qualms about the surgery for a long time, mostly for my safety. But we found a good doctor who made me feel safe and that’s when I really started to consider getting it done. As I’ve said, I also did this for my own. I’m having difficulties with my weight and not just simple irritation. I can feel it affecting my health. The test results confirmed it and it’s really good that the diabetes was detected at an early stage. However, the surgery itself still has complications. Not so much as gastric bypass but the lapband could slip or perforate, etc. I have to be more careful now with how and what I eat and I am sure I will not always have the patience for that. I’m just praying for patience, self-discipline, and the ability to resist temptation because that’s all I have – prayer…also a thin band around my stomach.

I’ve been resting a lot lately so I don’t go online as much anymore. Being away from the internet made me realize who and what really matters. My family. They will always be there NO MATTER WHAT. I might find them annoying sometimes but they’re the ones I can turn to when I need comforting. My friends, online and offline, I hardly heard anything from. Honestly, this saddens me a lot but because of this, I rediscovered the importance of my family. Most of you guys don’t know me outside the internet but that’s my fault. I need detachment because that’s how I know how to cope. Maybe I should change that and actually befriend some of you. I dunno. To those who’ve I’ve let inside my life, I really value the companionship. It keeps the depression at bay. I guess what I’m saying is I need to spend time outside the internet. I am really at a loss as to how to go about that but I need to do that for myself. I really hope I can do that. The online world has been a crutch for so long.

And with this post I’m reclaiming the real purpose of this blog.

I love my friends. They gave me a much-needed ego boost last Saturday night just exactly when I needed it. Here are some photos from my get-together with them. We spent most of the night at Xocolat in Serendra. These photos were taken using Jenny’s camera. Newly-acquired vintage cameras are ours

Click the photo to access the album

Mrs. Noemi Dado of Touched By An Angel blog informed me that Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL) will be offering a free workshop on creative writing, photography, and videography on the 24th of June at their branch in Bonifacio High Street. I signed up for the workshop on June 18. On the day of the event, I learned that my family will entertain our balikbayan relative that night at Serendra. I haven’t seen my Aunt Rose for years so I decided to prioritize family even though I’ve always been a big fan of CBTL. When we got to High Street, my other relatives weren’t there yet so I decided to drop by the workshop. I informed the girl with the sign up sheet that I wouldn’t be able to stay long but she said I should still fill up her sheet. After doing that, I went inside and saw some people I know from my days working for ABS-CBN. We chatted a bit since the workshop hasn’t started yet. I also greeted some bloggers I know. When the workshop was about to begin, I got a call from my mom and she told me that I should go to Conti’s since they’re eating already. I had to leave the event and join the relatives.

I’m sure the event was a success. My relatives and I passed by CBTL a couple of times and I saw that the workshop attendees were busy doing their tasks. I know I missed out by not going to the workshop but CBTL is still my favorite. Especially their “The Ultimate” – mocha and no whipped cream please. To make up for it, some of my college friends and I had a spontaneous reunion last June 25 and we went to CBTL Eastwood.

It was a fun night. I missed my college friends. It was a night of nostalgia and catching up on each others’ lives.

Friday night I met up with Phoebe at Shangri-la so we can dine at Cibo. I miss the food there and I ordered my usual. Telefono with spaghettini and the Crostini with the Spinach dip. Did I spell that correctly? Phoebe ordered her usual as well which is Spaghetti Alfonso (I think). Basta it tasted good. We’re kind of lactose intolerant though and our stomachs were rumbling after the cream-based pastas.

Last night I had another Italian dinner at Amici. It was my first time there and I was surprised that it’s a self-service restaurant. The place was packed but Phoebe and I got a table easily. I forgot what she ordered. I wasn’t able to taste it because she ate it all so fast. That girl has a really big appetite. I got Spaghetti Vongoli something something. Very long name but I didn’t like it much. It also took a loooong time to arrive so I just lapped up the pizza we shared. It was the Al Funghi pizza (my spelling sucks, I know!) and it was really good. I think Amici’s specialty is their pizzas. Jenny caught up with us and we indulged in their toe-curling gelatos and profiteroles. I especially loved the sans rival gelato and ended up buying 1 kilo of it to take home. I think the price is reasonable for P450.

Yummy pizza!

Scrumptious profiteroles

After Amici, we hung out at our usual Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Only Phoebe ordered because Jenny and I were so full but usually I order The Ultimate mocha there. Since I bought that gelato from Amici, I asked the staff if they can store it in their refrigerator and they were so nice enough to accomodate me. We spent hours there just talking about different things. Phoebe showed me her new Sony Ericsson W960i and I’m now more tempted to get one too. We used the free wifi there and their internet was fast. I’m not sure if it’s because of the phone or just the ISP in the cafe. We made plans of going to Fort Ilocandia soon. If I’m going to buy a W960i, I won’t have enough money for the vacation so now I’m having second thoughts about the trip. Is the phone more worth it or Fort Ilocandia which I’ve never been to? We talked about so many things from American Idol contestants (I don’t watch it anymore) to US politics. Fun times. I haven’t gone out for ages because of the damn PCOS so last night was a good catch-up for us three.