Dog Cannibalism

15. Is there any dietary restriction during PET?

It is generally advisable to abstain from alcohol during the ARV administration as it may affect the immune response. Source: http://rabies.org.in/resources/about-rabies/#5

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Shit. Fuck.

Today is my supposedly 3rd shot/last shot for ARV (Anti-rabies vaccine), but I was so hard-headed that I need to repeat everything. I drank half a glass of San Mig Light last night, and because of it, the doctor awhile ago said I should repeat the ARV shots from Day1. Apparently, according to her, even a small sip of any type of alcohol could effect the immune response of the vaccine shots. Yes, I remember one of the doctors there saying real fast that I should not drink any alcohol drink while on the procedure, but I didn't take it super duper seriously. 

Oh well, it is additional days of hassle plus money drain, but better safe than sorry. I can repeatedly say I'm such a stupid ass, but that wouldn't do anything. Repeating the process would give me a long time of rabies immunity anyways. So, no dramas. (I need to keep myself from being too frugal to the point that I'll sacrifice my happiness)

    

(These pictures are taken at Ramilo Bite Center @ Bahayang Pagasa, Imus Cavite. p650 for the first shot, p600 each for the next two, there is still a fourth shot for p600 if something happens to the dog)

So, let me just give you  a brief back story.

Last Saturday, August 2, I got bitten by our neighbor's dog. I regard myself with a wild dog-like personality, so I jokingly think of this experience as Dog Cannibalism (Dog eating another dog's internal organ). I am scheduled to attend a writing seminar that day, so I was almost late for the seminar because of this pre-event, but that was a different story (I'll blog about it too). It has been 1 week now and so far, the dog seems healthy. I got my 1st ARV shot immediately that day, then had the 2nd one last Tuesday. Today is supposedly my last, but then I need to go back from scratch because of drinking alcohol. 

Well, I'll just take last night with my office mates as a good night spent. I can't pass not going out with them as one of our QA (Quality Assurance) friend went personally to our station to wait for us. I should have allowed myself to get drunk if I just knew I have to repeat the ARV shots even though it was just half a bottle! But then again, it was a good night spent, and at least I had known this information. I'll just charge it to experience.

So please guys, if you are under ARV shots, please make sure not to drink alcohol up to the last shot. Alright?

Beat the Summer Heat: Ice Candy Experiment

 

As for my experience, this summer of  '14 is the hottest summer here in the Philippines. Beach and summer getaway aside, it could be really uncomfortable: the laziness-inducing humidity in the air, the itchy feeling of sweat, the unbearable moodiness one can feel as temperature gets high, the scorching heat while enduring traffic... the list of aggravating things of the hot summer goes on and on and on and on.

 

But hey! We should not get defeated by this so called heat! It could be expensive going to the beach everyday... but there are very cheap, fun alternatives that you could do at home to beat the summer heat. I know you know this, you just need a little push down to your childhood memory lane. Yes, your are right! ICE CANDIES!!!

 

 

Melon Milk Ice Candies!

 

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One weekend, my brother and I decided to search for Halo-halo within our village. Sadly, we did not find one. Instead, we found a house selling buko pandan and ice candies. They sell their ice candies for 7pesos with attracting flavors like banana, mango and buko. My expectations, however, is not met because I didn't find their ice candies that delicious. It is too sweet, and it feels like it was refrigerated for a long time already.

 

With this, I then thought why not makeice candies on our own and sell some? I have few pesos to spare and I found a sudden penchant in preparing food... so why not?

 

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It could be cheap. If you want to experiment and try selling ice candies this summer, all you need is around 150 pesos and you could already start. 

 

For 50pcs Mango flavored ice candies here is the rough ingredients :

 

100 pcs pack of ice candy plastic - 8 pesos

Half a kilo of Mango (3 pcs) - 50 pesos

Cheap Alaska Evaporada (Evaporated creamer) 410 ml- 25 pesos

1/8 sugar - 8 pesos

Water - free, or it depends. Let us say 10 pesos for 2 litres 

3-5 spoons of cornstarch - 4 pesos (holds the mixture compact when it solidifies)

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105 pesos!!!!

 

So, if you sell it for p5.00 each, you'll get p250.00! You'll gain p145.00!

 

 

 

 

Alaska Evaporada

(Picture not mine, from http://www.anas.sakura.ne.jp/shop/index.php?main_page=products_all)

 

The Cheap Alaska Evaporada is a surprise. I used the original one at first for 45 pesos, but we discovered the cheap Alaska Evaporada. The original tastes better, but using the cheaper one in making ice candies is also as good as long as you put healthy fruits on it. Here is a link for blog articles I found that might be helpful for you in deciding with what type of Alaska milk to use. http://www.reviewstream.com/reviews/?p=108108

http://foodcitations.com/digging-through-alaska-evaporada-is-different-from-alaska-evaporated-milk/

 

   

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Anyways, it is not enough to just stop from one flavor. You can try other variations. I did attempt making Avocado ice candy but due to lack of knowledge, I discovered I bought unripe ones.  It is not a waste though. I would wait for it to ripe then I'll make Avocado ice candies.

 

 

The unripe Avocadoes. Now I know how to choose ripe Avocadoes!

 

 

Banana Lakatan! Half a kilo is 30 pesos with 3 pcs. So, 10 pesos a piece!

 

 

The bad thing about mashing a banana: it turns dark in color fast. So make it sure that you'll do it fast!

 

 

So I experimented with Banana flavored ice candies and Melon milk flavored ice candies. The melon milk is really expensive, but if I don't use it, I'll just drink it on my own anyways and I am not really fond of the melon taste. The Alaska Melon milk powder box had been stored in the ref for a week or two now and no one's using it. So I decided to just use it for my ice candy experiment. 

 

 

 

Alaska milk Evaporada with water! Half a litre.

 

Melon milk! Expensive, not recommended for ice candy business. But superb for family!

 

 

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Making ice candy is easy. You need a little bit of patience though as it takes focus to fill the ice candy plastics with your ice candy mix. It would be really recommended for you to have a funnel so that it wouldn't be messy.

 

You can do whatever procedure you want, but as for me, what I did first is scraping off the mango into a separate bowl. Then I put half the Alaska Evaporada on a pitcher then fill it with water. You then put sugar until sweet enough, then add the mango strips from the bowl. You should make sure to stir all the ingredients well. After so, you'll do the painstaking transferring of mixture to the plastic then knotting it up. Lastly, putting it on the freezer up to the next day to make the liquid solidify into ice candy!

 

 

 

Ice candy inside refrigerator!

 

 

 

 

Just a short commercial! While I walk from the kitchen towards the dining room, I saw this cute dog of mine! Hihi.

 

 

Do not forget to make a signboard outside your house!

 

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And so, it was a fun experience. It is like hitting two birds in one stone: beating the summer heat and earning a little bit of money. If you have kids, have them try this while they are on summer vacation as this is very productive. But for single, young adults like me, it doesn't hurt to do this as well! Ice candies are definitely for everyone, no age limits, no age requirements!

In conclusion, I beat the heat and had fun making ice candies! What I love the most on this whole on-going experience are the priceless smiles from the kids and adults who buys my delicious ice candies! :) The best way to beat the irritating hotness is by being cool! Summer in the Philippines is truly awesome, even though you're not in the beach, you have colorful healthy ice candies to keep you cool!

:) Until next time!

 

The Tenses Table (My Cheat Sheet)

 

Please click the picture so that you can view the original size. You can also save this picture if you think it is useful.

 

This is my own interpretation of our lesson for verbs. I made this table so that I will have a cheat sheet. I still need to have this checked by my professor to make it 100% legit and credible. Thanks!

So, it is our last day in Speech Power tomorrow! I learned a lot! My next job is to review and apply it into writing for life-time retention.

Aja! I will update soon!

Personal Pronouns

 

This is a table I made to show the different cases of a pronoun.

 

A pronoun changes its form depending on the case. This knowledge is very useful as it will end the confusion with regards to pronoun usage.

 

If you study the table above you can say that:

 

1. Nominative Cases are as follows: I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they.

2. Objective Cases are as follows: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them.

3. Possessive Adjective Cases are as follows: my, your, his, her, its**, our your, there.

4. Possessive Cases are as follows: mine, yours, his, hers, its**, ours, yours theirs.

 

I will explain some of my important learning in my own words and understanding (in attempt to make it in layman's term). This is for me not to forget.

 

Nominative Cases

Nominative cases are used if the pronoun is the subject or is the same as the noun in the sentence.

 

For example:

1. He is nice.

2. The thief is he.

3. You and I are something.

 

Usual grammatical mistake is that people tend to use objective case of pronoun when it is supposed to be the nominative case.

 

For example, it is wrong to say "The thief is him", although we always hear it. Correct way of saying it is "The thief is he."

 

According to our book, only using "I instead of me" is acceptable as it is always used even though technically it is grammatically incorrect.

 

For example. "It is me." -acceptable for common usage, but the correct form should be- "It is I." 

 

(In Tagalog: Gagamit ka lang ng nominative case ng noun kapag yung subject ng sentence ay yung pronoun o kaya kung yung pronoun e kino-complement yung subject, o kaya siya din yung subject mismo kasi iisa lang naman talaga sila.

 

Example: He is nice. (Ang "he" ay isang example ng nominative case ng isang noun. Ginamit natin ang he dito kasi siya ang subject. Hindi mo naman pwedeng sabihin "Him is nice." Another example ay: "The thief is he." Medyo pangit pakinggan kasi madalas na natin nagagamit at naririnig ang mali. Mas maganda kasi pakinggan ang "The thief is him", pero mali talaga yun. Tatandaan na yung Thief at yung "he" ay iisa lang na tao talaga, therefore parehong subject, so dapat nominative case talaga ang gamit. Ulitin natin: "The thief is he." para yang "It is I." Grammatically speaking, "It is I" ang tama, hindi "It is me.")

 

Objective Cases

Objective cases are used for pronouns used as an object of the verb or preposition (in, on, at, to, between, from) Use the objective case of the pronoun if the pronoun is preceded by a preposition. Use the objective case of the pronoun as well if the pronoun acts as the object of the verb, normally action word)

 

For example:

 

1.I love him. (Him is the object of the verb "love")

2. Nika gave the food to him. (Him is the object of preposition "to")

 

(In tagalog: Gagamitin mo ang objective case ng isang pronoun every time na makakakita ka ng preposition. Isang example ng objective case ng pronoun ay him. Laging merong preposition sa unahan ng objective cased pronoun. Example na lang -to him, on him, for him. Hindi mo naman pwedeng sabihing- to he, on he, o kaya for he. Ang sagwa. Hehe.

 

Bukod dun, gagamitin mo din ang objective case ng isang pronoun kapag object ito ng isang verb. Dapat laging may action word sa unahan nito. Example: "I love him" "Nika gave the food to her." Di mo naman pwedeng sabihing I love he, o kaya Nika gave the food to she. Ang sagwa ulit. Hehe)

 

 

******Possessive Adjective and Possessive Pronouns will follow as I have no time now, I need to prepare for grammar school. Ciao! I'll edit this part. I also need to make a blog about Indefinite pronouns. Later, we are tackling verbs the hardest part of speech to study about! I might even create a short video presentation about all the things I learned so that I have something to look back every time I forget!

 

 

Booklet activity (Page 26, exercise B)

 

Paragraph construction.

My Favorite TV Program

One of my all-time favorite TV program is FRIENDS. It is a situational comedy (sitcom) about 5 friends on their late 20s and how they together share and face real life situations as adults. I love FRIENDS because aside from the fact that it is very funny, it is also very relatable. For example, one can easily relate to one of the main characters, Rachel Green, as she struggles in living independently without her parents. Another main character, Ross Geller, is also very relatable as he struggles in secretly admiring Rachel on the first season of the show. Who hasn’t had the same experience as theirs, even just for a short period of time in one’s past?

FRIENDS is a show that you can watch all over and over again as it never gets boring. Its characters are diverse, witty and very real. As you jump from one season to another, you’ll see the character’s growth, and you can’t help but feel happy for them as if they are your real friends. Truly, FRIENDS is a must-watch if you haven’t seen it yet. Make sure you watch all the seasons for a complete, enjoyable watching experience.  

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Now let us identify the pronoun cases per sentence. 

 

1. One of my all-time favorite TV program is FRIENDS. (my- possessive adjective case)

2. It is a situational comedy (sitcom) about 5 friends on their late 20s and how they together share and face real life situations as adults. (It- nominative case, their- objective case, they- nominative case)

3. I love FRIENDS because aside from the fact that it is very funny, it is also very relatable. (I- nominative, it- nominative, it- nominative)

4. For example, one can easily relate to one of the main characters, Rachel Green, as she struggles in living independently without her parents.  (she- nominative, her- possessive adjective)

5. Another main character, Ross Geller, is also very relatable as he struggles in secretly admiring Rachel on the first season of the show. (he-nominative)

6. Who hasn’t had the same experience as theirs, even just for a short period of time in one’s past? (theirs- possessive)

7. FRIENDS is a show that you can watch all over and over again as it never gets boring. (it- nominative)

8. Its characters are diverse, witty and very real. (Its- possessive)

9. As you jump from one season to another, you’ll see the character’s growth, and you can’t help but feel happy for them as if they are your real friends. (you- nominative, you-nominative, them- objective, they- subjective, your- possessive adjective)

10. Truly, FRIENDS is a must-watch if you haven’t seen it yet. (you- nominative, it- nominative) 

11. Make sure you watch all the seasons for a complete, enjoyable watching experience.   (you-nominative)

 

Friday is Speech Power Day! Intensive Grammar Review 6

I enrolled to Speech Power Intensive Grammar Review 6 at their Pedro Gil, Manila branch. I'm attending my 3rd session tomorrow and I am looking forward to it.

In the advent of internet dependency when everything can be electronically downloaded, many would say there is no need to enroll anymore.  I contest to this because of two reasons. First, there is just too much information over the internet that you don't know what's legit or not anymore. Studying with the internet on is also a challenge as one can easily get distracted with his/her urge to check Facebook/Youtube/etc from time to time. Second, I want a teacher that I can ask questions to. Also, a teacher and a class will make everything interactive, making the learning and skill to stick and retain easily. Besides, learning is always fun when you are learning with other people right?

We are only 4 in the class. Occasionally, one or two students will sit-in on the class. It is a very small class so there is bigger room for focus. I can say my skills is a little bit better than them, but I cannot erase the fact that I am learning heaps, specially that my professor is very wise and likes to blurt out random trivia and what-not on the sides. We should always remember that the speed and amount of learning is always dependent on the learner. The more you want to learn, the more you will.

 

Speech Power Intensive Grammar Review 6 Book for P300.00

For stingy (like me) people out there, it is expensive. But hey! Money is money and it will be used up anyway. Might as well invest on classes. Treat it as an investment. It cost P6,500. You can pay half of it upon enrolment and other half on the 4th day of class. The book is bought separately, which costs P300. You are entitled to 24 hours of session in total with a certificate upon graduation. Classroom is air-conditioned and is very clean.

 I'm just doing some review tonight and here is my own constructed paragraph for one of the exercises.

The True Meaning of Success

Humanity is always in search of gaining success. In my 26 years of existence in this world, I realized that there is no clear definition of the word success. Although Webster dictionary may have its own precise definition, success is actually defined personally and differently by each and everyone of us, and often than not it is not limited to physical or monetary ownership. It is about setting a goal for one's self an learning while on the journey of fulfilling the goal. Whether or not you reached it, what's more important is the relationship you established; and the story and dreams you share and inspire the rest of humanity with. Success is all about learning and satisfaction from it. Therefore, there is no real need to search for success. All you need is to passionately live.


The True Meaning of Success

1. Humanity is always in search of gaining success (Simple sentence). 
2. In my 26 years of existence in this world, I realized that there is no clear definition of the word success (Simple sentence)
3. Although Webster dictionary may have its own precise definition, success is actually defined personally and differently by each and everyone of us, and often than not it is not limited to physical or monetary ownership (Compound-complex sentence).
4. It is about setting a goal for one's self and learning while on the journey of fulfilling the goal (Simple sentence).
5. Whether or not you reached it, what's more important is the relationship you established and the story and dreams you share and inspire the rest of humanity with (Simple Sentence- I checked with my consultant, this is just a long simple sentence.)
6. Success is all about learning and satisfaction from it (Simple sentence).
7. Therefore, there is no real need to search for success (Simple sentence).
8. All you need is to passionately live (Simple sentence).

One of the things that we are studying about right now are sentence structures and functions. I still have to have this checked as I am not sure if my classifications are right. Knowing these will somehow teach me not to make too long sentences as I, and mostly Filipinos usually do.

Alright! Now, I need to take a break. I am now going to watch Pinoy Big Loser Double Edition! Thanks for reading! :)

First Chapter of Twelve. 2014.

This is the beginning of my new blog.

Actually, I intend not to make a new one this year. But it is just so not me to not gush out words from my soul, to let out what my heart and mind wants to say (Yes, deep!). You see, writing a blog keeps me focused, as I use it as an outlet to see where I am at and use it to plan and organize. This is the exact reason why I am so back baby! I realized I need it bad!

I also said I wouldn't make any New Year's resolution or lists of goals. But I need to take it back as I found my January a little bit disorganized. My energy was shooting out from different directions, doing a lot of small goals all at the same time. It felt like I want to do a lot of things that it seems like I am going no where.

 And so to start off, here are my short and long term goals for 2014!

1. Try to focus on my new work.

I am already on it, might as well give it a shot. Do not waste time by slacking off as if just killing time. Who do you think you are Nika? This attitude makes me end up as a mediocre, when I know somehow, with a little push, I can be better (Maybe in fact, great!). Do not waste all experiences. Always remind self about this.

2. While working, do some studying on the side.

When I say studying, it means knowing what is happening around plus developing hard core basic skills. Reading the broadsheet newspaper at least once a week is a start.

Next, I am also going to try writing and remembering new English words specially every time I encounter a commonly used word I don't know the meaning of. No pressure here, just casually writing new words from time to time.

Aside from that, I would like to improve my use of the English Language. I will attend the 2nd session for Intensive Grammar tomorrow at Speech Power. Let us see if I will enroll for good. I think I will. :)

I like to improve first on my English vocabulary and grammar. Then I'll try Filipino grammar. Then improve my syntax. Then I will break all the grammar rules to write creatively. If given the chance, time and enough money, I would like to enroll into Creative Writing (MA or a one-one tutor at Speech Power, I met a professor that has a wife that teaches Creative Writing) as well. Not this year, maybe next year. But before that I must know all the basics. I know studying grammar can be boring, but I have no choice but to at least try to improve if I am really serious about writing. Besides, good command of the English Language can open a lot of possibilities: a promotion for my current work maybe, or even a professional English Tutor post abroad! :)

3.  Try New Things. Develop New Hobbies.

So, I am placing all the random things I want to try here. I need to accept the fact that I wouldn't be a talented musician any time soon so I don't need to stress myself in learning the Uke and the guitar yet (I know Nika you want this bad, but let passion dictate... you'll get it). I also want to learn how to cook, but I need to accept I wouldn't have cooking as a career (not closing any doors, but maybe not now). Driving too. I don't need to hasten things about driving, I don't plan to be a car racer anyways. Hehehe. But to simply put, I need to categorize everything else as a hobby this year if it is not about work or writing. That way I wouldn't put equal efforts in all of them and feel chokingly overwhelmed.

4.  Improve Health.

It is not about shedding off some weight anymore. It is about health. I will eat healthy and exercise for my health and to feel great. Looking great will come after.

So, there you go! These are by far my organized goals for this year. It is kind of boring, but all doable, basic and important. Somehow, I am done with the young adult phase when trying to be cool, trying to be successful and being competitive is all that matters (I have to admit, I wanted to be great so bad and make people think I am great--- subconsciously).  I don't need that stress right now, or ever. I am hungry for knowledge and new friends and skills yes, but I don't need to be hard on myself. I'll just do everything to improve and have fun! Keep the fire burning! Yeah! Cheers for a new beginning for a smooth 2014! :)

P.S. Pardon with my syntax. I will work on that! Cheerio!