Cathy Laine Blogs

No Longer a DOFOLLOW Blog

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:58:21 UTC

I shifted back to being a nofollow blog. And I sincerely think that Blogger should have a spam blocking mechanism with their comments or a way to block a certain user from ever trying to comment again because I have this really annoying blog reader that uses Chinese characters in his/her username and sometimes in the beginning of his/her comment. And every time I see the email notification that I got that comment again, my blood usually boils and if I could just see that person, I'd strangle him/her.

He/she may actually think I don't get what he/she is trying at all. And you're absolutely wrong. I've been using the internet for quite a bit already, and so I know if you're trying to embed adult/pron sites in the URLs linked to several dots and periods within your comment. I'm not stupid. I'd rather think you should just stop because I'd never share PR with you or any of your porn sites. I hope and pray that you understand the meaning of this blog not being a dofollow blog anymore so you'd just stop annoying me with your stupid comments.

On my 10th Week

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:34:53 UTC

My apologies for not blogging more often, but I was just in the pits in the last weeks - feeling tired and sluggish, not understanding what I'm really feeling, things like that. And up until now, I still don't understand myself most of the time. But here are some observations I've made during this whole "trip"...

MORNING SICKNESS

Most of the time I just want to stay in bed, or wake up late. BUT....I also don't push it because when I do so, I feel more tired and nauseated.
First few times I noticed that I'm nauseated is just about a few minutes after waking up and standing. It was really a hard time. I couldn't read the bible so well without feeling really vomit-ty.
First 2 or 3 weeks of my morning sickness episodes, I always always to keep everything in. Yeah, yucky. But I was thinking I didn't want to just lose all the things I managed to eat and drink during the first half of the day. Oh how I was very wrong.
The more I kept everything in, the sicker I felt. The vomit-ty feeling stayed with me throughout the day! Sometimes even at night, so technically I can't call it morning sickness anymore. It was a whole day event. And my husband and myself termed it as "the baby is playing with bubbles".
The more baby played with the bubbles, the more I felt the urge to finally let it go. And voila, one morning I just went straight to the bathroom and felt my stomach go inside out. Tom went up to the room so he won't hear anything. ;)
After that, I almost always set appointments with our lobby toilet once in the morning and once in the afternoon for one straight week. Today, luckily, no episodes yet. Yipee!

YUCKY SMELLS

After answering curious people that I still haven't found any odor or smell annoying yet (except for those I already do, I have a very sensitive sense of smell even before I got pregnant), it all started. I couldn't stand the smell of our shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, facial wash, etc. All of which were organic and smelled of fruits. I just can't stand it so we had to buy new ones.
I absolutely hate the smell of raw meat and fish. I can't even stay near the meat section of the grocery store long enough to pick meat. My stomach just does somersaults.
I now hate the smell of my own deodorant. lol!
If you're Pinoy, your familiar with Mang Inasal. I can't even pass by their resto without feeling crazy. Same thing with the smells from all roasted chicken stands and outlets. Grrr!
Our office smells weird. And I can't help but notice that I feel cramped and gasping for air everytime I'm there.
I also cannot be near dried fish that's not yet cooked. Especially when it's still on the frying pan.
There's also something about tomato sauce and garlic together. There are some types of spaghetti recipes that I can't devour now because of a distinct smell.
Same goes with some viands with sauces and still, that smell I can't describe.
Milk. Something that my husband is scolding me for. I can't help it! The smell and the memory of the taste of milk just makes me weak and vomit-ty. Same goes with some fruits like mango, ripe mango, I think.

SOME GOOD THINGS

Something that calms down my tummy is the combination of soy sauce, vinegar and chili. Yummy.
Kamias with salt.
Singkamas with vinegar and salt.
Steamed rice. The ones you find in Dimsum restos/stores, it's a rice in a bowl swimming in some kind of sauce that has pork and peas.
Beef chowfan (of course, from Chowking) with siomai or lumpiang shanghai and vegetable soup (which Tom also loves).
Meat, for it to be appealing to me, should already be cooked when I see it. Also I shouldn't see or smell it while its cooking. :)
Fries and vanilla ice cream. Plain vanilla ice cream.
Smell of coke. Just because I can't drink it. Hohum.
kwek kwek. Or hard boiled quail eggs, peeled, and coated with orange-y flour and then deep fried. With it's sauce of course, vinegar cooked with onions and other spices.
Iced tea. Any kind of iced tea.
Chocolate or chocolate milk drinks. Also soya milk I like.
Meat roll with ketchup. Meat roll here is like baked siopao.
and of course... Chocolate!

So far, that's it. At least for now... ;)

And oh, before I forget. The baby is fine. His, or her, heartbeat is now normal. So far there are no immediate concerns based on the last ultrasound. So far, we're both generally doing well... Thanks everyone for the prayers! :)

What Really Happened?

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:06:41 UTC

I actually don't have any idea. And I'm actually worried right now since the two doctors that examined me offers two different views on what happened to me.

It was Saturday morning, and as usual, I went to the bathroom to unload my bladder. I noticed a little discoloration and when I looked at the toilet paper, it was red. Good thing I'm not so much into panicking so I changed clothes, went back and lay down, got my phone and asked Tom to call. I then asked the Finance Controller here to refer to me anyone who can go with us to a hospital so I can be checked.

It was a good thing also that I'm currently in another location, employees here are easier to deal with and will give you support as much as you need especially in "emergency" cases. The property lent us their van for our disposal and the company nurse Theresa accompanied us until everything was done.

First we went to Davao Medical School Foundation where I was initially checked by Dr Amelia Vega. I underwent I.E. and she said I was indeed pregnant and yes there was blood inside that has slowly seeped out. She diagnosed it as "threatened abortion" and recommended I get scanned as soon as possible. Dr Vega said I can have my ultrasound in Ricardo Limso Medical Center, and she will wait in her clinic there to interpret the results and tell me what to do next. She also gave me a presciption for Dydrogesterone (Duphaston) and Folic Acid. She prescribed dydrogesterone because the spotting/bleeding may have just been caused by implantation bleeding and taking duphaston will help restore luteal function, thereby decreasing the possibility of an abortion/miscarriage, and folic acid as vitamins.

So my first ultrasound scan was not at all enjoyable. The sonologist was such a pain-in-the-backside, she's so used to seeing cases that may be near-death that she matter-of-factly tells all her patients that they're almost dying or if they're pregnant, that they are NOT pregnant and that they just have a huge cyst that requires medical attention. Oh I hated her. Dr R (I edited her name so I won't be in trouble). She's the sonologist from hell. As I listened to her I expected the worst.

First she kept on asking me if I had regular periods. Even if you kept on telling her yes, she still will insist that no, you may not be regular. Here's a translation of all the other things she said:

"Oh look, here's the gestational sac, but there's no baby. Maybe it didn't push through. Are you sure you're pregnant? When did you check? How did you check? Did you just buy those things from a drugstore? Are you sure you peed everything before this scan? You go and pee again, because if you already peed everything and this is not your bladder, then this is a cyst. A very big one. Yeah, this is a cyst."

So I went out and forced myself to pee because the sonologist from hell is now telling me I have a humongous cyst inside my thing. Hmm. So I went back.

"You peed already? Are you sure? Let's see again. Yeah, it's a cyst alright. Look, it's so big. Really big. have I seen your left ovary yet? Ok. Wait. Hmm. Yep, it's a cyst."

Damn her, I never heard of the gestational sac again because she kept on repeating I have a cyst. And inside my mind, isn't that cyst supposed to be normal for pregnant people? Because from what I've read it's called the corpus luteum. So I was told to wait a few more minutes outside the sonogram area for my printed ultrasound results.

Again, she's a snologist from hell. Because her report just reads:

Transvaginal scan shows a normal size anteverted (means normal) uterus with no myometrial lesions. There is a beginning gestational sac-like structure seen at the upper endometrial pole (12.4mm) by mean sac diameter, approximately less than 4 weeks AOG (age of gestation). No yolk sac nor embryonic pole is seen yet.

The right ovary is normal in size and echotexture.

A thick (0.4cm) walled cystic structure is seen anterolateral to the uterine corpus measuring 8.9 x 8.7 x 6.9 cm which could be a corpus luteum cyst vs a benign pathologic cyst.

There is no free fluid in the cul de sac.

Final Impression: * anteverted uterus *early intrauterine pregnancy approx 4 weeks AOG *no yolk sac *no embryonic pole yet *no subchorionic hemorrhage *cervix is long and closed *normal right ovary *cystic left ovary as described

**Cul-de-sac, aside from being any "blind pouch or cavity that is closed at one end," is used specifically to refer to the rectouterine pouch (the pouch of Douglas), an extension of the peritoneal cavity between the rectum and back wall of the uterus. (source)**

See? everything almost sounds far better than how she talked to me while poking a stick with a camera inside me.

So we went back to Dr Vega, I told her how I hated the sonologist because she really sounded like I was dying. Anyway she said that I should take a rest, no strenuous activities, no contact, take my vitamins and the meds and that I should observe myself for a week until I get back to Cebu. And once I'm in Cebu, I should immediately contact an ob-gyn and ask for another ultrasound scan to check on the pregnancy. Since the implications of another bleeding episode would mean that the pregnancy has terminated itself, meaning I miscarried. She also said that if we consider everything to be just normal, my ovulation may have just been delayed, so the embryo's development is likewise delayed compared to our counting of how old it should already be. Otherwise, what may have happened is that the embryo did not continue to develop, only the sac was able to position itself, but no further development occurred and the body may later expel it and is therefore a miscarriage.

Below are photos of the scans:

Right ovary

Another shot of the right ovary

Left Ovary

Left ovary again.

the gestational sac

Another look at the gestational sac.

So there they are, and that's the story. To all concerned, just pray for the baby and it's proper development. Stop gossiping about bleeding and that I was rushed to the hospital or that I was in a serious condition, because you can ask anyone I'm with that day, I wasn't at all in a SERIOUS condition. I didn't bleed to death; I didn't miscarry and it's not even confirmed yet so stop commenting that it's "sayang" because instead of us being comforted, it's already getting annoying. We'll tell you whenever whatever is confirmed so just pray. But let me take note here that we really appreciate the comments, messages and calls confirming or trying to confirm the details and telling us the they are praying for us and for the pregnancy. Forgive me for being a b*tch about it, but it's myself and a pregnancy we're dealing with so for heaven's sake people, be optimistic humans.

Formally Welcoming A New Member of the Family

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:58:31 UTC

Yes, you're thinking quite straightly. But may not be interpreting correctly though. lol!

This is just to follow suit on Tom's facebook announcement that he has just formally turned into a father-to-be. "Formally" because the first 2 tests we did were just over-the-counter testing kits and we wanted a more formal way of being confirmed so we went to Hi-Precision to get tested. I'll upload some more pictures of the kits and Tom's excitement when they become available for upload.

I was a bit worried too because I couldn't feel that I was in the mood for sharing urine samples, but heck, Tom gave me 3 cups of water just so I can go through with it already.

After 2 hours, we went back to the lab and got the results, the releasing person was all smiles with her congratulatory releasing of the paper that said it was POSITIVE. And so started Tom's shouting and smiling while driving along the roads of Cebu City going back to Ken's house. He was going almost ridiculously berserk.

So anyway, to cut it short, I guess today, I'm on my 4th week when the method of computation used is based on the day of conception or the "actual" fetal age of the baby. If you want to try this out, you can get the conception date and other details by using this Due Date Calculator and then inputing that date into this Weekly Pregnancy Calculator to determine how far along you are.

I haven't gone to an OB yet and I haven't bought any pre-natal supplements or vitamins. All I'm taking now is Anmum. I accept donations too. Hahaha! The OB should be Cebu-based and affordable too.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions? ;)

Start of a New Chapter

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:27:06 UTC

~

This is just to formally announce that Tom and I will be starting a new chapter of our lives together soon enough.

:)

For more details and updates, please proceed and subscribe to my main blog
The Blue Speckled Diary.

Finding Organic Products in Cebu City

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:29:38 UTC

Having trouble finding organic products in your locality? Tried google and yahoo but failed to choose what site to go to?

There are actually a lot of online shops nowadays, but the trouble seems to start when you need to choose which site to click on. You may have had trouble searching for the right site because you missed the right keyword.

To help you out, here is one all-around group of sites that features all natural and organic products from shampoos to conditioners to lip balms to makeup to laundry detergent!

PhilOrganics. PhilOrganics was coined by Badz Anoba, one of the brains of Bilivery.com. Apparently, he couldn't fit in too many of his endeavors into his very hectic schedule, so he turned over PhilOrganics to yours truly.

PhilOrganics' main objective is to collect different organic products - whether for personal care, household use, or even raw foods like vegetables and fruits - into one online site. However, since I do lack the programming skills and very well thrive on social media and free tools, I incorporated PhilOrganics into different social media accounts, which are conveniently enumerated below:

Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/philorganics - because facebook is really really famous nowadays. lol!
Multiply - http://philorganics.multiply.com - because this is where majority of online shops are.
Blogger - http://philorganics.blogspot.com - the official blog of PhilOrganics
Twitter - http://twitter.com/philorganics - for tweeting needs. Follow us, k?
Scribd - http://www.scribd.com/iphilorganics - for the online documents, pricelists, etc.
Gmail - iaorganicacebu@gmail.com - for chat and email purposes, to answer your queries, see your orders, etc.

Links to other articles, other sites and even the pricelists are also included in the sites mentioned above, so you really would not have so much difficulty locating them.

Try out our sites to see what we offer, and if in case you missed it, we are currently offering 10% discount on all your purchases if your a valid FB page Fan. *wink*

We also offer an opportunity for you, your friends and loved ones to earn additional income, just head on to one of our sites to see how you can be financially independent!

:)

The Bottomless Pit

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:29:05 UTC

For me this looks bottomless enough. Ugh. My arm and leg hairs are on ends.. Goosebumps alert!!!

And thanks to CATSUPketchup, a twitter friend, she shared the link to the real news that makes this picture as real as can be.

Read it here. I just hope and pray nothing of this sort happens here in the Philippines.

For more pictures, see below:

May 2010 CPA Board Exam Results - 3

Mon, 31 May 2010 00:56:29 UTC

Continued from May 2010 CPA Board Exam Results - 2

**Entire list of passers including the TOP 10 Passers = 3 posts**

Links:

Part 1 - first 1,000 passers in alphabetical order - May 2010 CPA Board Exam Results -1

Part 2 - next 886 passers in alphabetical order - May 2010 CPA Board Exam Results - 2

Top 10 Passers of the May 10 CPA Board Exam - May 2010 CPA Board Exam Results - 3

TOP 10 PASSERS

The successful examinees who garnered the 10 highest places are the following:

(1) Gecel Gabucan Codera, University of San Jose-Recoletos, 93.14;
(2) Jan Marcus Ang Tang, Chiang Kai Shek College, 92.86;
(3) NiÃ±o Martin Arcenal Juntong,University of San Jose-Recoletos, 92.71;
(4) Ellen Joy Apostol Garcia, University of Santo Tomas, 92.43;
(5) John Raymund Vincent Aliangan Fullecido, De La Salle University-Manila, 92.29;
(6) Rene Boy Monsida Lebores, University of Cebu, 92.00; Fernando Miano Monterola, Jr., Kingfisher School of Business and Finance, 92.00; Reynaldo Macaloyos Prudenciado, Jr., Christ the King of Calbayog, 92.00; Jamil Montanez Saripada, De La Salle University-Manila, 92.00; Mark Solatorio, University of San Jose-Recoletos, 92.00;
(7) Mark Angelo Caana Acosta, De La Salle University-Manila, 91.86; Mark Alyson Baguitan Ngina, University of the Cordilleras (Baguio Coll. Fndtn.), 91.86; Jenny Belle Villaluz Rodis, De La Salle University-Manila, 91.86;
(8) Julius Calungsod Ondoy, Notre Dame of Midsayap College, 91.71; Randy Espiritu Ventanilla, University of Baguio, 91.71;
(9) Chester Miguel Pacio, University of the Cordilleras (Baguio Coll. Fndtn.), 91.57;
(10) Ritchie Zanoria Tejana, University of San Carlos, 91.14.

CONGRATULATIONS!

For a complete list of all the passers, you can see it all again here:

May 2010 CPA Board Exam Passers

Miley Cyrus Can't be Tamed New Music Video

Sat, 29 May 2010 01:42:52 UTC

And we can't say she didn't try.

American Idol Finale Live Streaming!

Thu, 27 May 2010 00:50:49 UTC

Here are the links to watch American Idol Season 9 Finale, Live!

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-fox.html

http://www.tvpc.com/Channel.php?ChannelID=1730

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-fox.html

I'm personally watching it through the 2nd link. :)

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