On cold, liquid salt, vaporub and more

I woke up at 3:00am for the bathroom, but couldn’t find sleep since then for a very good reason.

Upon returning to our room I found out that due to bad cold Christian, my younger nephew, breathes through his mouth causing him to breathe louder than our AC. This set me out for a “Salinase” hunting mission. I knew I gave him the 30ml Sodium Chloride bottle when he went to his grandparents on his mother’s side, but still I had to ransack my medicine cabinet or else I’d find no peace. Unluckily, only the yellow and green box complete with the needed instructions presented itself, yet failed to serve its purpose.  Life can be like that small box sometimes – stuffed with guidelines or even choices which we could not  follow because of certain circumstances.

Going back to my mission, I scooped out a pea-size of Vicks Vaporub instead and rubbed some under Christian’s nose and on his chest.  Afterwards, I added an extra pillow under his head to keep it elevated.  These should help him, too, although the Salinase would have been a faster solution.  Then a thought came again – life branches out to different directions, a few of which instantly lead to our goals; others are punched with puddles that slow us down.

Meanwhile, after doing what I could do best for my nephew I already had an option to go back to sleep.  But the hissing sound still echoes in our room shouting at the mother in me so I went down to get a cup of coffee instead of throwing myself to bed. Then I sat beside my brother’s little boy and wondered if he would even know I stayed awake for him at all.

A few sips and a half full cup later, Christian’s breathing smoothed out already and words came joggling inside my head so I sat down to write.  More than an hour of waiting and a sleepless Monday morning proved worth my time.  The mommy in me felt relieved and happy for a job done with patience and love while the writer in me jumbled excitement and joy with hope for a greater find.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

A bitter remedy for too much sweetness

I am blessed with many mothers. Aside from my biological mom, Mommy Fely, I also have a mother in the person of Mommy Linda, my mother-in-law; Mama Cely, my dear friend’s mother; Nanang Gay, ate Dorie’s mom; and last but not the least, Mom Sandy, my American mom.

You read it right, I also have an American mother. Like any mother to her daughter, she sees to it that I get plenty of guidance; yet believes that I can face the world aright. We have never seen each other in person yet, though, but she keeps me posted about what she’s up to through letters and emails. It’s how I found out she’s got diabetes.

In my last email, I told her it would do her good if she eats “Bitter gourd”. She said she doesn’t know what it is so I thought I’d write something about it. Here’s a taste of bitterness that makes life sweet with the healing power it brings.

Ampalaya a.k.a. Bitter gourd or Bitter melon in English; 苦瓜 pinyin: kǔguā in Chinese; and karela in Indian is a vine that grows in tropical and subtropical countries.  In the Philippines where it is widely grown, Ampalaya is usually sautéed with pork, tomatoes and egg or is used as a main ingredient in the Ilocano’s dish Pakbet or Pinakbet.

The bitter taste of this vegetable is due to the presence of momordicin, a compound said to be effective in treating diabetes mellitus. Below are the other health benefits of the bitter veggy taken from the “Agriculture” magazine, March 2009 issue, page 22. I hope this would encourage everyone to eat the nutritious Ampalaya.

Hurray!