LAUNDRY

Laundry time is not always fun for me. I used to wash clothes with my bare hands with the aid of my washing paraphernalias - a big basin, a netbag scrub, Ariel or Tide powder or Speed bar (when i'm on a tight budget) and Perla bar for the whites.
When I arrived in the USA, washer and dryer became my new best friends. The push button capabilities made my life easier. We used to live in an apartment complex and we wash our clothes in a laundromat. It is necessary to have extra cash to do the laundry each week so when my husband and I hit a financial low, I decided to hand wash our clothes. 

Hand washing is a walk in the park. NO! A standard american bathroom is not a perfect place to do "labadami". There is not enough space for a big basin, no space to sit, among other challenges. For the longest time I could not find a basin big enough to soak our clothes in so the tub did the job for me. 

Thankfully, we were able to buy a square container that is deep and wide enough to use as wash basin. I was able to lessen laundry load by washing one article of clothing at a time. Jeans were the most difficult to wash as I just didnt have enough space to spread them on for a good brushing. Drying is done hanging the clothes in front of a blowing electric fan. This process presents a bigger challenge since we were not allowed to hang any clothing outside. 

The task may be daunting and challenging by my efforts paid off and we saved a few bucks :)

Pregnancy and Miscarriage 1.0

October 18, 2008 one day before my birthday, I found out I was pregnant! Tears of joy, excitement, fear, and worry flooded my eyes. I was so humbled by the thought that there was a baby growing inside of me. Worried thoughts of how will we raise the child, are we ready to become parents, what will the baby look like, all thoughts entered my mind all at once. For the next few days, all i talk about are about babies, my plans for her/him, activities we will do together as family, etc. The joy of having a baby overwhelmed our worry and fear of our financial situation. We prayed hard for a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Then four days later, I started to bleed and have abdominal cramps, my husband rushed me to the Emergency Room. After waiting for almost 4 hours in the ER, we were seen by a doctor and after a series of tests they told me something is very wrong. Based on my cycle, I was already 6 weeks pregnant but my blood HCG level is just on the early pregnancy range and they didnt see anything in the ultrasound.

With heavy hearts we went back home and then my abdominal cramps heightened, and I passed out a big glob of meaty tissue and clotted blood. I stared at it in silence and grief while hot tears streamed from my eyes. For two days I stayed in bed. The abdominal cramps was too painful it took my breath away. We went back to the hospital and test results showed that I am not pregnant anymore and that it was a complete miscarriage.

For a moment I want to think It was God's plan, But God doesn't plan to kill people. Deaths, miscarriages, illnesses and all other bad things are the result of sin in general. Losing my unborn baby is painful, how much more painful it was for God the Father to see His son suffered on the cross for humanity.

I am doing fine now, the cramps and bleeding were gone. But the joy that i once felt to be given such wonderful gift and the pain of losing it, still remains in my heart and reminds me that no matter what we go through in life, there is a God who understands our joys and pains because he experienced it

My Birthday



Today I turned twenty seven. To my ears, the sound of that number means maturity, adulthood, seriousness in all life's aspect but my heart is shouting I am still a child. A lot of things happened this year: I got married, relocated to the US, resigned from my 4 year job, and I was given a very special gift that I will write about next time.


I am thankful for today 
and for many other things:
I thank God for the warm rays of the sunrise
and the beautiful glow of the sunset.
For the birds, for the flowers, for the trees and the fruits,
For the air and water, shelter and food.
I thank God for my husband, my family and friends.
Thank you Lord for the 27 colorful years, You always stayed
and will always stay beside me.


Autumn Experience

The trees around me burst into colorful flames of yellow, red, purple, orange, brown, pink, etc. This is my first autumn and I love it. This pageantry of colors is such a pleasant scene to behold.
But why do the leaves change color in this part of the world? So i reviewed my science books and searched the internet and found amazing facts about trees and what makes autumn so beautiful.

COLORS OF LEAVES
Leaves are green because of the presence of CHLOROPHYLL. Chlorophyll is the molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.
Some leaves also has CAROTENOIDS and ANTHOCYANINS but they are masked with the green coloration of the chloropyll.

CAROTENOIDS - produces yellow, orange and brown colors to leaves and fruits
ANTHOCYANINS - gives red color to leaves

WHY THEY CHANGE COLORS
Sunlight regulates the production of chlorophyll.
As the Earth rotates on it's tilted axis around the sun, different parts of the Earth receive higher and lower levels of radiant energy. This creates the seasons. In the tropics the sun doesn't shift up and down in the sky as much. This means that the length of day temperature doesn't vary as much. So countries near the equator only have two seasons - rainy and dry. That explains why trees there bear green leaves all year long - well, except when the leaves die they turn brown.

During autumn, the north pole moves away from the Sun. The Sun rises lower in the sky so the days continue getting shorter and temperature drops. (This happens in temperate regions like North America). The lower temperature and fewer hours of sunlight signal the tree to go into storage mode for the winter. The chlorophyll now starts to break down, causing the green in the leaves to disappear - allowing the carotenoids which was hidden due to the presence of chlorophyll to show through.


The range and intensity of autumn colors is greatly influenced by the weather. Low temperatures destroy chlorophyll, and if they stay above freezing, promote the formation of anthocyanins. Bright sunshine also destroys chlorophyll and enhances anthocyanin production. Dry weather, by increasing sugar concentration in sap, also increases the amount of anthocyanin - thus the red color of leaves we see.


References:
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/CHEMWEEK/fallcolr/fallcolr.html
http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/f/fallleafcolor.htm
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html


Miracle in a Trash Can

This week was a hard week for me and my husband. Our household economics has gone out of balance - too many bills to pay, too little funds. I searched my wallet for money we can use in the laundry mat, but instead of dollars, I found pesos - then I remembered a heartwarming experience of God's love and care. . .

Although they had a hard time making ends meet, my parents managed to send me to a christian boarding school (South Philippine Adventist College Academy). On my part, I had to budget every peso in order to survive. One day, broke and out of monthly meal ticket, too embarrassed to tell my room mates that I ran out of meal ticket - again, too afraid to get another meal ticket as it means new fees to pay for, I went to class with an empty stomach. Silently, I prayed for a miracle as my stomach growled louder and louder I was sure the teacher heard it. My school had "work education units", meaning, on a certain day, each week, we spent few minutes of "work". I raked leaved and carried them to the trash cans when I saw a brown paper inside the bin. My heart skipped because it was not an ordinary paper - It was a ten peso bill! I told the teacher I found a bill and she put it on the lost and found. At the class period's end, nobody claimed the money so it was mine, that noon, I had a meal of steamy hot noodles. Then I went to college, and God was there with me every step of the way, He sent help in form of friends, a twenty peso bill on my doorstep, and even helped me graduate even though my college fees were not paid yet.

In life, trials and struggles are inevitable but we have a God who cares. He knows our sorrows and troubles. God helped and provided for me in the past and I know that My Heavenly Father will take care of His children who trust in Him.

All things work for our good
though sometimes we don’t see how they could.
Struggles have break our hearts in two
sometimes blinded to the truth.
Our Father knows what is best for us,
his ways are not our own.
So when your pathway grows dim
and you just don’t see him
remember your never alone.

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don’t understand
when you don’t see his plan
when you can’t trace his hand
trust his heart.