heart-racing discovery

The news came as a surprise. Early last month, my classmates and I attended a seminar in the school where two of our instructors are pursuing their graduate studies. It was a 3-hour drive from our city.

I had a slight headache. Although generally bearable, I felt occasional painful throbbing in my head. I informed my companions about it and while the program has not begun, our college head decided to bring me to the school clinic to ask for a tablet of Paracetamol. The nurse did not issue the med right away though but cuffed me with the sphygmomanometer instead.

“Are you high blood?”

“No”, I replied.

She pumped the device again and while she’s reading the meter, I began to suspect. “Why? Did it register high?” I asked calmly. “Yes. 130/120”, she affirmed. “Oh! It’s the first time I’m told such”, I said with a sheepish smile which I cannot tell whether due to my attempt to shrug off the fact or I was just feeling weak to be panicky.

I was given the tablet and a glass of water. “Rest for a while”, the nurse advised me pointing to the couch behind her desk.

She checked my BP every 5 minutes and told me it was declining. I fell asleep in the interim when our college head left me to check our companions. When I woke up about 20 minutes later, I was feeling better; not very well but better. Before sending me back to the seminar venue, we checked my BP once more and it had slipped back to the normal range. We attributed the incident to the sweltering weather in the area – a province not blessed with vast bodies water and has been greatly affected when a nearby volcano erupted 18 years ago.

The drowsing effect of the med brought me to a stupor mid of the second talk and I was awakened with the sound of clapping.

I was back to my ‘normal self’ the entire trip home.

* * * * *

Thursday afternoon of the following week, I entered the Electronics laboratory to refill my bottle of water. One Engineering instructor had with her a sphyg so I decided to have my BP taken without anticipating a negative result. But the reading still seemed a surprise to me. Two more tries later, the result was consistent: 120/110. As if doubting her own skill, she recommended that I ask our school nurse for second opinion although technically hers was already the ‘second’ opinion.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in the clinic. A different device and a different person affirmed the result: 120/110.

* * * * *

As advised, I sought a doctor’s evaluation. The next week, I went to my employer’s dispensary. In fact I had fasted overnight in case a blood analysis will be required. After being queried at the nurse’s station and my BP checked as well, I was given a slip with the instruction that I have to have my BP monitored by someone every morning for 7 days. Based on which would the doctor shall give his recommendation upon my return. I was told though that in any case I feel something odd, I could come back immediately.
Thankfully though, there are no weird feelings ever since I was first told of my condition.

* * * * *

Despite slight fluctuations in my BP register, the doctor said that these were acceptable especially that BP is affected by fluid intake and the hot weather. I was relieved and grateful. Nonetheless, I personally took the initiative to be more careful. I was a pescatarian for 4 years so I guess it has little to do with diet but I did cut on carbs. I’m also guilty of living a sedentary lifestyle although recently stress is quite inevitable especially that we just had our finals at school; I did gain weight within the first quarter of the year. Heredity is also one possibility.

Regardless, I guess it’s time to act now and do things to truly a healthier me.

i'm in

Did my part last night; the fan and the fridge were the only things running

Ink of Romance

The editorial staff of Sine Qua Non is proud with the launch of ‘Ink of Romance’, our special Valentine literary folio that is first in the history of our school’s publication.

The folio primarily features love poems and short stories which are fruits of both our [very own] literary writers and our contributors’ ingenuity. We also offered page footers as ‘ad space‘ for dedication and greetings although we weren’t able to raise much money from it maybe because students don’t know yet how the thing works for our publication. Anyway, nothing is more rewarding to see the excitement in the readers’ eyes when they saw their names printed along with their contributed articles, survey responses, or dedicated greetings.

Although the release had been a couple of weeks delayed from Valentines’ Day due to funding matters which we had to contend with the school administration, we at the editorial board had completed the thing for printing promptly as set .

Here are the cover, my page and excerpts laid out for A4 paper and folded in half.



The monikers “Ink of Romance” and “Bolpen na Hinugot sa Puso” (Ballpen Drawn From The Heart) cater to articles in English and in Filipino respectively; the idea behind “Bolpen” is a joke that is provided to grab attention from readers.

We are glad that IOR was able to incite reading to our students; it’s a pleasant change that students are asking for copies rather than us almost forcing them to claim. We believe that we’re able to make our (the Ed board) presence better known. In fact, I already received a handful of contributions for the next issue. We could expect that students will be looking forward to the future issues of Sine Qua Non – something we aim to instigate to students the sense of involvement and concern towards the more serious issues in the school community.

highly in-demand

Here’s a pictorial account of some things that kept me occupied during the hiatus of my blogging.

There was the IT Week which I emceed thrice in the span of the 5-day event. First was the opening program, then the IT Quizzes held the next day which, I must say was the most demanding part since separate quiz sets were held for every year level. And since I belong to the seniors, I was quizmaster for the other 3 levels and that meant reading set of 25 questions per year level, twice.

Our instructors mandated our participation in the quizzes so somebody else had to be quizmaster while I competed in the senior category where eventually I was winner with 2-question lead. Considering that two of my classmates were the official quizzers who represent our school in regional competitions, it’s quite a surprise that I won! Must be my lucky day; the cash prize was 300% ROI for my registration fee.

Part of celebration of our school’s Founding Anniversary which coincided with the IT Week was a seminar for graduating students. It featured talks on preparing a résumé, handling job interviews and work ethics. Again, I was emcee.





























































And in the afternoon of the same day was the closing and awarding program of the IT Week. That explains why I’m wearing the same thing minus the jacket.




















































































I don’t know why they do not seem to get tired of me as program host. I’m highly in-demand. Hope I become ‘highest paid‘ too.

perfect time

Finally, our colleague and friend Dorothy marries her prince.

Time indeed was fast. Gone are the days when she could only joke that everything is ready for her wedding – everything but a groom. As well as the many times she had been the subject of ridicule of some officemates for being left behind in the race to finding a partner. Now, she could be proud she’d made it.

What I know about their love story is certainly just a tad of the whole thing nonetheless I feel privileged to have been entrusted with such fragments which Doth would usually share over breakfast. She used to be very private with her affairs so when she started sharing things about Pete when their relationship was in its early stage, I can tell it is love actually.

I just can’t refuse to be part of the action when Jing told me they were arranging a bridal shower. I was the emcee/facilitator of the rather wholesome (the groom was there to attest) shower which was mainly dinner with games and well-wishes attended by close friends.

The wedding was held in the bride’s hometown situated about 2 hours away from our city so we had to travel and spend the night there before the big day.

The bride started her day early and happy; truly she was most beautiful. It was wish-come-true that her bridal bouquet was made of yellow tulips – something she had fancied long before she even met Pete.

Here are some funny facts I recall on the wedding day:

• The priest did the ceremonies quite differently and forgot to prompt the couple to kiss. The couple only kissed when the photographer had to capture the moment. By that time, the wedding proper was over and the priest was out of the chapel.

• During the ceremonies, the priest ordered the couple to bow their heads for a prayer. But to translate word for word in Filipino, the order ‘bow your heads’ would come first before to whom it was addressed (‘the couple’). As a result, the assembly bowed upon ordered and undid the action when ‘the couple’ was mentioned. Wide grins followed.

• In the reception, the bride’s mom had mentioned in her privilege message that “should you (the groom) only hurt our daughter, you better return her to us.” When it was the turn of the groom’s clan, Pete’s uncle in behalf of his father used the same words about returning the groom.

Finally, Doth has someone to start her day with by having breakfast together. She’ll now be celebrating her birthdays with a family of her own and somebody else shall give her yellow flowers. Indeed, her dance to the beat of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” has been replaced with her wedding march – “Perfect Time”, finally.