Book Haul - September 2013

I've discovered a Book Sale branch that offers second-hand books cheaply; I saw books worth P5! Instead of going to the mall's Book Sale, I went to this branch to get my monthly book haul. 

It was a Sunday when I went there so the store closes earlier than during the weekdays. I spent an hour browsing through the titles, holding in my hand the books which I would like to purchase.

 

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The first book that caught my eye was "Heat" by Bill Buford. It tells about the adventures of the author as he worked in superstar chef Mario Batali's Italian restaurant. I know Batali from Iron Chef and I was intrigued as to what goes behind the scenes of a famous restaurant owned by him.

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I have two novels by Alice Hoffman which I haven't read yet but I can't stop myself from getting another one. I don't know why. Maybe I just trusted that Hoffman's a good author and her stories such as the "Blue Diary" would be worth reading.

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"A Recipe for Bees" by Gail Anderson-Dargatz had a cute cover. Novels about bees interest me, after reading Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees." The story is about Augusta who learns about beekeeping which helps her reconnect to the world and strengthen her marriage.

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"Basket Case" by Carl Hiaasen is about a former investigative journalist turned obit writer, Jack Tagger, who tries to resurrect his name by solving a murder case of an infamous rock band vocalist. Praises written on the book's back cover said it was a fun and hilarious read, so I bought it. It wouldn't hurt to have something comical in my book haul.

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I've read a Mary Higgins Clark mystery novel before from a former roommate and I bought one which seemed intriguing. The plot of "Where are the Children?" is about a woman who changed her identity to get away from a hurtful and disturbing past only to realize that the same nightmare is happening to her and her children again.

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"The Bridges of Madison County" is a best-selling novel of all time and became a major motion picture. I hope it is a good read as what most reviews say.










I can't say enough about my love of Book Sale. The total of my purchase, P95 only! I have to double-time reading since unread books keep on piling on my shelves.

Human Heart Nature Membership

I'm an avid consumer of products from Human Heart Nature and after months of contemplation, I've decided to finally apply to become a Member. An HHN Member is the lowest in terms of membership ranking and cheapest membership available (P799). 

I went to the nearest HHN store and I informed them that I would like to become a Member. A friendly staff accommodated me. She let me fill out a form and she photocopied my ID as proof. She gave a small orientation for me, explaining the history of HHN and the vision of the company. She also informed me of the harmful chemicals such as SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), mineral oil, and petroleum by-products, commonly used in toiletries, cosmetics, and household cleaning supplies. Petroleum-based ingredients (found in petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol, etc.) pose risks of infertility. Oh my! 

Our skin is the largest organ of the body and it absorbs most of the chemicals in whatever we applied onto our skin. That's why we must be conscious and we must read the labels of what we use and apply on our skin on a daily basis. When I went home, I immediately checked the label of a baby oil I'm using and its ingredient is Mineral Oil, the #2 cause of skin-ageing (#1 is the sun).

The Starter Kit of an HHN Member includes the following:

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As an HHN Member, I need to have a minimum monthly purchase of P800. With my personal purchases, I can probably reach that amount for the first 2 months, but I asked my sister to order HHN products from me, if I'm not able to reach P800/month.

Human Heart Nature

www.humanheartnature.com

Novenas I Inherited

My cousin's wife, T, recently visited our home after the baptismal of their son. Since it took them many years to conceive, our aunts hoped that I would be the next to get pregnant. They told me to carry the baby and spend time with him so I could get the "baby energy" and hopefully, get pregnant soon. I was touched when my aunts gave me positive affirmations and revealed that they were praying for me because they were excited to have babies around. For a TTC wife like me, I thirst hearing other people tell me that everything will be alright, that I'll get pregnant soon, and that they're praying for me.

T gave me the novenas she used for all those years, and a rosary. She told me to pray with my heart everyday. As I pray the rosary, I should think about offering a rose to Mama Mary for each Hail Mary. She also said I shouldn't be hesitant about asking people for prayers.

I was happy as she gave me those novenas. I heard that a prayer book is more powerful if someone gives it to you. I wanted someone to give a novena book to me, without me asking for it. Inay gave me a Padre Pio novena in 2011, but that was after I asked for it. :) So, T giving me her personal novenas touched me. The novenas have a rich history from a strong woman who battled all odds just to have a baby. As you will notice, they show signs of frequent use and age.

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The Our Lady of La Leche novena is new for me. I've never heard about her and I was instantly drawn to the breastfeeding Mary. 

Years ago when I was still single, I've vowed that when I get to be blessed with a baby, I would breastfeed him/her. A former officemate, who was also a lactation consultant, told me that mothers should breastfeed since God gave women breasts for a reason. Every woman has milk in her breasts to nourish a little one. Breast milk is pure, nutritious, and perfect for a baby.

At the end of the novena book, is a list of churches where an image of Our Lady is located. I plan to visit one of those sites soon. The feast day of Our Lady of La Leche is October 11.

I was introduced to the novena to St. Raymund Nonato by my cousin. She advised me to get one since St. Raymund is the patron saint of pregnant women, children, childbirth, and midwives. I've bought one but only prayed the novena for a few days. I'll start praying this novena again.

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God always answers prayers. Sometimes, He answers "YES" and sometimes, "NO." There are moments when I feel discouraged when my prayer for a baby isn't answered with a YES. Sometimes, I need someone to remind me that prayers are always answered at the right time, in His own beautiful and magical way.

Celebration of Life and Faith

Over the weekend, my cousin (K), and his wife (T) went to the Shrine of Padre Pio for the baptismal of their 4-month old son.

Their TTC journey is an inspiring one, and makes you believe that there are indeed miracles in life. I know I'm not the one to tell about their story since many details may be missed and I couldn't relay the same depth of emotions which they've been through, but I just want to inspire other women like me who's finding it hard to start a family, and for those who want a boost of positive energy.

K and T were trying to have a baby for more than 7 years. T was able to conceive three times, but after several months, she always miscarried. The hardest was when one pregnancy reached 5 months but when she went for an ultrasound, there was no heartbeat and she had to have a C-section and a D&C (dilation and curettage or "raspa"). So heartbreaking!

At first, we thought that they were having a fertility workup to conceive. Our aunts advised K to forgo the treatments that were emotionally and financially draining but he clarified that they had no problem conceiving. It was easy for T to get pregnant, she even got pregnant twice in a year, but the problem was carrying it to full term.

They consulted with an OB/Perinatologist, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, Dr. Valerie Guinto, MD. After several tests, the OB found that T has Antiphospholipid syndrome (or usually called "APAS"). Aside from the OB, she had to consult with an immunologist, as well. T was supposed to start treatments for her APAS when she discovered that she was already pregnant. From what I understood in her story, the APAS treatment should be done before you get pregnant, but since she was already having a baby, they had to take another approach in treatment to keep the baby. And, as we in the TTC community know, treatments don't come cheap. She needed daily injections of medicine costing P1,200 for several weeks plus other expensive medicines. She also needed to take complete bed rest. My cousin said T's belly looked like a beaten eggplant due to the numerous injections she had to endure for several months. Everything -- from injections, eating, to taking a bath-- was done while she was lying on the bed. Such sacrifice!

Since T was in bed all day long, she prayed several novenas, specially to Padre Pio. She prayed the rosary and asked Mama Mary to give them their baby. Whenever there was some problem, she would have a text brigade asking for prayers from family and friends. Since many people knew about their situation, the couple would be surprised to see money in their bank account. Whenever there was medical payment to be made, amazingly, money would be available. Many deposited money to their account to aid them in their journey, while praying that this baby would be healthy.

At 36 weeks, T had some bleeding which alarmed and saddened the couple; they have reached that far in the pregnancy and they didn't want it to end with another possible miscarriage. They went to the hospital and T was admitted for an emergency C-section. The OB advised them that T had to give birth right then since the baby's heartbeat was getting slower.

K started praying Padre Pio's novena as he waited. He told me, right after finishing the novena, the nurse asked him to come to the delivery room. Just after 15 or 20 minutes in the waiting room. That quick. He was scared that something horrible happened to his family.

The funny thing was, because of his heightened emotions, he didn't see his baby immediately. He asked the nurse how was his baby and the latter pointed in front of my cousin. He wasn't able to grasp what the nurse was telling him until he realized that his baby was right in front of him.

They named him John Pio, and uses Pio as a monicker.

Bonitos Bar & Restaurant

Last Saturday, my bestfriend since high school and I went to our alma mater, UP Los Banos, to catch up and walk/stroll around the campus. Since we're chained to our desks on weekdays, we decided that it's time to be active even only once a week. And UP is the perfect place for this since trees are all over the campus grounds, assuring us of fresh, mountain air. And reminiscing about our college years is another plus.

After our "walk," we were famished and decided to try one of the restaurants outside the campus. The street outside the campus was called "Grove." We walked and checked out the shops along the Grove and discovered much has changed years after we graduated from college. There were many coffee shops, little memorabilia stores, and there was even a newly-built mall! When we were studying there, the norm was cheap finds, budget meals, affordable dining establishments, and definitely, no shopping malls. Now, it was different. Maybe the students were living better financially compared to our batch? I don't know.

We saw a poster of a pizza-pasta place called Bonitos Bar & Restaurant and decided to try it. We ordered Ravioli Lasagna (P170) and Everything On It Pizza (P270). As we waited for our order, we took pictures of the dining area. The restaurant used recycled materials in the decoration which was smart and neat. 

This chandelier looked lovely, mimicking a crystal chandelier but upon closer look, it was made of clear plastic spoons. Clever, huh!

This round floor decor was made of ice cream plastic cups stapled together. It looked like a coral of some sorts.

The tables were made of crazy-cut tiles that gave a colorful and playful design. The black trim was made of old bike tires.

The cover of this light fixture was made by putting strings with glue around a balloon. Once the glue dried, the balloon was popped, leaving this web-like decor.

The restaurant had a nice ambience, which I thought was a good date place. The lights were soft and the decors had interesting stories behind them.

Our food arrived about 20 minutes after our order, and the long waiting time made us hungrier. The smell of the Ravioli Lasagna was heavenly. I could smell the pesto sauce, tomatoes, and cheese. The taste was great, as well. The pasta was al dente and the meat inside the ravioli was lightly seasoned. The cheesy lasagna was good for two people.

I only ate a slice of the pizza since I was full after eating half the lasagna. The pizza had lots of toppings including eggplant, green bell pepper, pepperoni, mushrooms, and ground meat. I thought I could eat a pizza with veggies, but my palate is not yet used to them. Sorry (sad face).

Overall, Bonitos did not fail us. We loved the food, the ambience, even the restroom (which was clean and smelled clean).

Bonitos Bar & Restaurant
Oregano St. cor. Lopez Ave.,
Demarses Subd., UPLB