I have just arrived from my niece’s crib. She is 25-year old style savvy. It was my first time to visit her in their new home and I felt like I was reading a lifestyle magazine and the difference is that I could actually touch and try the stuff.
Her room was packed with her wardrobes, shoes and bags. There are three closets containing all her clothes while the mezzanine was specifically designed to fit in all her shoes. The room was painted in dark red and the brown fixtures made it more cozy. She also have this western hangbags that keep her purses tidy and organized. I wish I had a room like hers.

It is the time of the year for the kids. One of the best gifts I am thinking of giving my nieces are battery operated toys. I have fun seeing them tinker with stuff that stimulates their curiosity. There are those who are already packaged with duracell procell d so I would save up on getting separate batteries. I can’t help but think of the Duracell battery commercial on TV where two boys are trying to impress a girl using toy cars.

My nieces and I will be meeting their mother, my sister, in Makati later. My original plan was to bring my eldest niece to SM MOA to go ice skating but my sister just asked me instead to bring the girls to Ayala Ave to see the Christmas lights display there. She thinks that the kids will love them and it will save us money. My sister works for a jewelry shop in Manila Peninsula and I learned so much form her about different type of jewelry pieces including the baraka jewelry . I never knew that jewelry making has evolved throughout centuries.

Time is flying so fast.  A few years ago, I was excited to shop for my niece for her first birthday and next thing I know, she will be in high school next year. I caught them with her cousin who is in high school surfing for 2012 prom dresses online. Inspired by Hannah Montana and I-Carly, they are into contemporary fashion. I was really excited that I  joined them mixing and matching clothes, shoes and accessories. It just brings back my high school prom years.

I was really thrilled by the news I received from a friend. Her status on Facebook says” Bun in the oven” and everybody went crazy posting congratulatory comments. It is really nice how creative people are in terms of letting others know about their situation like baby announcements. I hope that I could think of better ways of making them when the right time comes.

I have a 28-year-old friend who works in a call center. He has been in and out of the hospital due to complaints of difficulty breathing, chest pain and easy fatigability. He does not smoke and drinks occasionally. He has been re-admitted due to the same symptoms and this time he needs to be placed on oxygen to aide his breathing. Chest CT scan revealed diffused interstitial pneumocystis and they are suspecting HIV.
He has been referred to an Infectious Disease Specialist but since his mother was there all the time, the doctor cannot expound on my friend’s sexual activity. Well, we have known his sexual preference for the longest but it is really hard to break the news to his mother. Hearing his unsafe sexual activity, which according to him, is common in the call center place and the gym, it is not really impossible for him to catch the disease.
The IDS doctor requested for a sputum staining to test for Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia infection and unfortunately the test is not available in the hospital where he is admitted. Respitory discharge needs to be submitted and be brought to a hospital that cater the Indirect Fluorescent Antigen study or IFA which is 97% reliable in confirming PCP. PCP is common among HIV positive patients. It is a kind of pneumonia caused by bacteria called Pneumocystis jiroveci which is classified as fungal pneumonia. It is the most common opportunistic infection among HIV positive patients.
The first signs of PCP are difficulty breathing, fever, and a dry cough which are the spot on signs manifested by my poor friend.
Upon admission he has been placed on IV antibiotics such as Meropenem and Fluconazole (which is actually an antifungal medicine). He is also on antibiotic pill Cotrimoxazole Bactrim Forte. My online research agrees that Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) has been shown to be as effective as intravenous pentamidine and more effective than other alternative treatment regimens
HIV can only be passed from person to person through body fluids, such as blood, semen and vaginal fluid. Children born to infected mothers can also become infected during pregnancy. HIV causes AIDS by damaging the immune system cells until the immune system can no longer fight off other infections that it would usually be able to prevent.
It takes around ten years on average for someone with HIV to develop AIDS.
The most common ways HIV is passed are:
There are various ways a person can become infected with HIV:
• Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person: Sexual intercourse without a condom carries the risk of HIV infection.
• Contact with an infected person’s blood: If sufficient blood from somebody who has HIV enters someone else’s body, then HIV can be passed on in the blood.
• Use of infected blood products: Many people in the past have been infected with HIV by the use of blood transfusions and blood products which were contaminated with the virus. In much of the world this is no longer a significant risk, as blood donations are routinely tested for HIV.
• Injecting drugs: HIV can be passed on when injecting equipment that has been used by an infected person is then used by someone else. In many parts of the world, often because it is illegal to possess them, injecting equipment or works are shared.
• From mother to child: HIV can be transmitted from an infected woman to her baby during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.
Source: www.avert.org
I do not understand but he has not been placed on ELISA which is the definitive test for HIV infection but I have secretly discussed the matter with my friend. detects HIV antibodies in a person’s blood. It is necessary to wait at least 3 months which is called the window period after the last possible exposure before having an HIV antibody test, to be certain of an accurate result.
I just do not know how he could come out to his parent which is badly needed. He is worried about the stigma that he needs to face if his health condition also becomes known to the public.
I hope that it is not PCP.

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the car crash my friend got involved in. She just posted the picture of her car on Facebook and I can’t help but get the chills down my spine as I look at it. The wounds are healed but like the indelible scar on her face, it left a horrific memory in her mind. The case is still ongoing and thanks to Brooklyn Accident Attorney who has been there to fight for her right.

One thing I enjoy about summer is that I have the leisure of spending good times with my nieces. Aside from swimming in inflatable pool, we enjoy playing in fire pits. Scary as they may sound but they are really safe. We are having a blast goofing around or just being lazy lying in our bed watching the glow in the dark star on our ceiling and the wall.

What is more stressful about having a vacation away from office is thinking of what to bring your colleagues back. Being a Filipino, it is an unwritten rule to think of bringing anything for relatives, friends or colleagues. As I checked on backwoods cigars price, I began to stuff my loot bag with it. Although I am a health advocate, I took the liberty of handing them down to very special people thinking that they would not light them.

In general, I would rate our out of the country vacation an 8 out of 10. We might have come across some bumps along the road but we managed to find joy in it. Although the place we stayed in is far from the OuterBanks rentals that are being offered elsewhere, we have had decent place to stay in. At the end of the day, it is not about the leisure but it is about the pleasure. I would not have it the other way.