November 6, 2021

 I made sure that all items sold were packed and shipped yesterday. I had my first meal at almost noon, and I was starving when I dropped all outgoing mail at quarter to 5. 

I was at a time constraint. Needed to finish all of it before the post office closed at 5. Aside from that, I also had packages dropped at UPS. 

So, I held my lunch until all items were packed and mailed.

Usually, I still mail items on Saturdays, but we were meeting Yna at the Union Station in Washington D.C. She left at around 11:30 a.m. from New Jersey, and will arrive at 2:30 pm. 

We left the house at 1 p.m. Travel time was an hour.  We got lost a little to the train station, but was just in time when her train arrived.

Her little brother was so excited to see her. It's been almost 5 months since we last saw each other. 

We had a late lunch at a Thai restaurant in Springfield, Virginia, which is about 2 to 3 miles away from Yna's close  friend from college. 

By the way, she's not staying with us for the weekend, but with her friend Diane and her new family. Last time I saw her was in their senior year, maybe in 2016. They rented an apartment together with another friend from Vietnam. 

We were able to meet her husband too, and most of all her baby girl. 

We left a little after we dropped Yna and met Diane's family. I am pretty sure they needed a lot of catching up to do. 

November 4, 2021

Today at 10 a.m.,  I had an appointment with my allergist / asthma specialist. It's a follow up check up because I had to use my emergency inhaler last week. I had a hard time breathing for a couple of days. I knew that there was something wrong with me because my breathing test numbers were in the "warning zones."

Apparently, based on my numbers, I am so congested and my lungs weren't their best self.

I have been coughing, and my peak flow kept going down on my yellow zone numbers. That meant, I felt symptoms of an asthma attack, and worst,  I am having an attack.

I was prescribed 3 different nasal sprays. I need to do nasal irrigation twice a day, take 1 allergy pill, and to continue using my emergency inhaler. 

That 1 nasal spray really worked. It opened up my nasal passage even with the first use. But I was strictly instructed to use it for only 3 days. I think it would be addicting. 

My doctor and I are very optimistic that I will feel better soon. 

She said I have to because it'll be the holidays in the coming weeks. I couldn't miss family gatherings, plus I need the energy to create all the bake goods I can make.

I am going back to see her in 4 weeks. I am going to bring her Taisan cake, maybe 2 or 3 loaves.

I am honestly grateful for my doctor. I remember my maternal grandfather, and my maternal grand uncle would have asthma attacks and they would just sit in their beds having trouble catching their breath. 

There was no allergist or asthma specialist on the island, and therefore, they didn't have an asthma care plan. 

They didn't know what triggered their asthma attacks and just endured their symptoms.

November 3, 2021

 I had the most uninterrupted sleep last night in a very long time. 

My dream felt like an event, and I found it extremely amusing.

You see, in that dream, I am one of Tom Cruise's best friends. In fact, he knew some Bisaya words already. He can also pick up some words when I talk to my kids and the mister in our dialect. 

Yes, that's how close we were.

Tom and a few of our friends were invited to an event. Two people that I knew were also there. They weren't really on the list, but they were the "plus one."

I saw the disgust on his face when they greeted him. 

Obviously, he doesn't like them because he hates ladies who threw themselves at him.

When that gathering ended at 10:30 p.m., Tom invited a few of the people in the party to his yacht. He limited it to strictly 12 people only, and between the two ladies, I asked who was not invited.

 "Lil, let's kick out big suso (boobs) from the list."

I laughed so hard when he gave me that answer. We have names for some people we know that we kind of don't like and are not fond of. Big suso is one of them.