/Let it Snow... →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

DSC00586
Originally uploaded by aidsaaronn.

Missed last year's first snow here in Tokyo but not this year!

/Lights...Camera... →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

Japanese don't spend Christmas the way most of us do. It's not even a holiday here. "But they have Christmas Lights?" a friend asked. They do but just all those public places(malls, park, train stations). You can find some lights in some residential area but its really rare.

I went out this afternoon(holiday here because its the Ambassador's day) and took some pictures. Sorry i dont know how to set the camera to take nice lights pics.. Photography experts! what setting is perfect for this? From what angle? I really want to get better photos than these.

/Do you hear what i hear? →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

3 more sleeps before Christmas! I'm not skipping Christmas obviously.

We will attend mass on the 24th 10PM and probably eat out(Christmas Dinner!). Next day there's a Christmas party in Chiba. I need to be there because we are organizing a bingo. We did it last year but didn't get anything. I'm crossing my fingers this year.

Anyways just want to greet everyone a Merry Christmas!

Here's my Christmas tree,



and my FFXI character wearing the dream hat+1 with the trees from the 3 cities...

Lunch December 22, 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12222004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

/Skipping Christmas... i thought i can... →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

Have you read John Grisham's Skipping Christmas? I did last year and was kinda having the same what-if-i-skip-christmas-this-year bug lately.

Last Christmas was the the best Christmas i ever had. After spending Christmas here in japan for four years (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002) i was able to muster some courage and ask for additional 3-day leave to be able to spend both Christmas and New year in the Philippines. I planned everything so my mother won't know i'm coming home early for Christmas. I told my brothers and sisters not to tell her because i want to surprise her.

The day we went home to Bulacan, I asked my brother to drop me a few blocks from our house so i can walk home to really make my mother think I wont be able to make it. I also asked him to videocam everything. I then sneaked to the back of our house and waited. She then heard the dogs barking at me (I should have talked to the dogs about the plan.) She saw me but instead of a hug she repeatedly hit my back saying "Gago ka! Gago ka!" while crying. That's priceless! and my brother got it on cam! (I'll look for the tape later)

I think she would be crying this year too because me and my sister won't be there. My sister just moved to Taiwan. This would be like the worst Christmas for her, knowing how she really enjoys spending time with the whole family during Holidays. It would be worst for me too thus the what-if-i-skip-christmas-this-year bug.

I decided not to skip Christmas... because of Final Fantasy...read below.

->->->

I didnt expect Final Fantasy XI will change everything. I was leveling my Ninja character this weekend when i saw other players with Santa's hat. I checked it but its just a hat with defense:1 as its attribute.



So whats the fuss getting a lame hat. I even shouted in Kazham "Is it even worth it to get the hat?!?!?!". A guy said "I like how it looks on me." I said "Whatever.".

After a while i was surrounded by red hat people! I feel like scrooge and all alone.... So i decided to do the quest for the hat, "Dream Hat" as the people from Square coined it. To unlock the quest you need to talk to the Starlight event moogle. The moogle will tell you that the smilebringer has been handing out gifts to children and that there are 3 kids who want to send letters to the smilebringer. Your mission is to find the 3 kids and get the letters from them. You just need to roam around talking to kids until you get the three letters: letter of Gratitude, letter of Joy and letter of Thanks (Beware tarutarus look like kids but they are not). After that, look for SmileBringer(the NPC with the Santa hat) and hand him/her those letters. The Smilebringer will then give you our own santa hat and the honor to give presents to all the kids around the three main cities. I'm really overflowing with Chritmas spirit that i even finished all three Christmas tree quests(Windurstian Holiday Tree, Sandorian Holiday Tree and Bastokan Holiday Tree). I heard if you give enough presents to children You will get a special hat "Dream Hat +1" that can dispense ginger cookies every game day. (Just check Allakazham or other sites for quest guides.)

After playing FFXI i rummage for the small Christmas tree from 2 years ago and place it in my room... I guess im not skipping Christmas after all...

Lunch December 17, 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12172004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

Hamburger :)

Lunch December 16, 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12162004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

The best so far!

Lunch December 15, 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12152004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

Lunch December 14, 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12142004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

/All I want for Christmas... →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

A new fone...


A new camera...


A new gaming console...


and World Peace! :)

/Lunch December 13 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12132004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

/Lunch December 10, 2004 →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

lunch12102004
Originally uploaded by aids_cruz.

/The Boy Who Lived →→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

Its been a long time... almost a month since i was hospitalized (pati last entry ko).

Here's the story... I woke up tuesday morning with a weird pain in my stomach. "Diarrhea na naman" i told myself . But it was not diarrhea.... I woke up the next day with my stomach really painful especially the lower right abdomen.

At work I yahooed(sorry google fans) "appendicitis" and found out the appendix is on the right side. I panicked so i immediately applied for a half-day leave to see my doctor.

After checking my white blood cell level, which skyrocketed, the doctor advised me to stop eating and just take food through drip infusion. Panic kicked in again. I'm not sure if it's the needle or the fact that i can't eat anything frightened me.

After 1 1/2 days of "resting" my stomach i went back to the hospital to get my next drip session (oo umuuwi ako pero di ako pwedeng daan Mcdo or magbukas ng ref!!!). I told them the pain is getting worse so they decided they can't cure me and send me to the University Hospital nearby (patay ang budget ko nito...).

I underwent different tests like CT scan, xrays. Im glad i wore a decent underwear because these tests required me to pull my pants down (pano kung laundry day yun!). The CT scan result revealed i have something around the appendix area (pero di ko naman makita).

The doctor said there are 3 possibilities,
a. i have an appendicitis
b. i have a diverticulitis
c. all of the above
I thought there's d. None of the above but the doctor stopped at c.

Appeciditis i know requires an operation, diverticulitis i have no idea but sounds painful... so I asked him about divertivulitis. I didn't get much because he is speaking in medical terms in japanese and i was still considering what to choose between a, b, and c... After some doodles and hand gestures I got the part that diverticulitis is a disease when you have swollen patches around the intestines and can be cured by just taking medicines. "Thank God..." i whispered... i totally forgot when was the last time i really thanked Him.

I need to be confined so they can determine what i really have. Everyone i know is at work so i asked the doctor if i can get things from my house myself. Just realized how hard it is to be sick away from your family... or be sick on a weekday in Japan in my case. I packed everything i can pack. I got a backpack and a large gym bag full with usual stuffs plus my wonderswan final fantasy game, a camera, mp3 player and 3 pocketbooks. I feel really bad i don't have a laptop to bring with me. I just don't want to be bored to insanity. This is my first time to be hospitalized but i saw people just staring at windows or their feet while spending their time in there. I don't want to do that.

Fast Forward:
I underwent 24-hour drip infusion and more tests. I dont know what they're giving me but the pain in my stomach slowly went away. Or maybe it's the visits from friends thats healing me. A familiar face during times like this really helps a lot. Too bad i can't eat fruits they brought me.

After 3 days, they announced i can start eating food! My first meal was like an ordinary meal, bowl of rice, bowl of veggies, some fish, but everything liquidized. They should have mixed everything together and pour it in a glass. "Oh well, this is better than nothing" and I'm sure it'll get nicer. I was right! The next few days im spreading jam on breads, scooping thick stews, and cutting tasty pork steaks! The food was not that great but those were the best meals i ever had.

4 days more and I finished all my books, harassed all the nurses passing the hallway, watched everything on tv(using a tv card 1 yen per minute), leveled a lot in FFI so they released me!

Things i learned:
1. We should respect our nurses they work really hard and do things i can't possibly stomach.
2. Staring at windows and watching your feet can be fun.
3. There is no boring tv program. Just people who have other things to do.
4. They can't possibly do drip infusions in outer space.
5. Yahooing or googling helps.
6. You'll know who your friends are when you are sick.
7. When your stomach aches its not always diarrhea it can be constipation.
8. Liquidized food is a big NO-NO.
9. Blood is red indeed!
10. Needle injection doesn't hurt after the 15th.
11. Ear plugs are heaven sent.
12. Always tell the nurse when your drip infusion is almost done. Not doing so might cause you to bleed and/or the nurse getting pissed. Better yet stop loitering around so the nurses can check you.
13. You can lose weight doing nothing.
14. The person who invented mobile drip infusion liquid holder is a genious.
15. John Grisham's "The bleacher" blows.
16. Hirosue is pregnant.
17. I have no money.