Here we are now, entertain us.

Photo by Nathan DeFiesta on Unsplash

It’s been more than a week since the 2024 US elections and boy, was it something. Don’t worry though, I am not making a temporary comeback here just to trigger bore you with my thoughts and opinions about it all because I’m not from there to even involve myself in any discourse. I mean, not when my country is also dealing with our own sh*t.

What I wanted to talk about is how telling it was, that even with the collective endorsement of famous celebrities and Hollywood A-listers, it didn’t help the VPOTUS’ bid to be the next president of the US.  

Days leading to the elections, the Harris campaign was in full force. I’ve seen the likes of superstars Taylor Swift, Beyonce, JLo, Oprah, Lady Gaga and even Eminem joining the fray and expressing their support. Many of them even made threats that they would leave the country if Trump won. Such a bold statement that obviously didn’t go well for them.

The Kamala lineup was star-studded. I mean if we compare it to the celebrities on the Trump side: Zachary Levi, Scott Baio, Rob Schneider, Roseanne Barr, and Kevin Sorbo, to name a few, most people would go, “Who?” at the mere mention of these names. 

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I digress. I have this friend who was never really interested in any celebrities in general. I don’t think he’s ever been a fan of any movie star, TV personality, athlete, or influencer in the same manner most of us do. I always thought he was just jealous and bitter because these people are rich and popular; that he’s such a sad being. 

As I got older, I was starting to somehow get him. Not totally—but somewhat. 

In the past few years, I have seen so many of my well-loved celebrities fall from grace. I realized that they were not who I thought they were. 

Will Smith is one—always liked this guy, until he slapped the bejesus out of Chris Rock during an Oscars monologue/presentation in 2022. I used to love Ellen DeGeneres so much and never missed a show. I thought she was genuinely nice and funny. Why wouldn’t she be when her tagline was: “Be kind to one another”? Until it was exposed that she's just downright mean and manipulative in real life.

I did mention before that I had a crush on Jimmy Fallon until former staffers of ‘The Tonight Show’ exposed his erratic behavior on set. 

Don’t get me started on Oprah Winfrey. Her and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s People’s Fund of Maui initiative faced so much backlash when they had the gall to ask the public to fund the rest of the program instead of just donating their own money.

Then there’s Tom Hanks, the Mr. Nice Guy in almost every list there is until he was rumored to be on Epstein’s list as well. Dave Grohl is another one, always touted as a genuinely nice guy—the rocker who does a lot of charity work — until the recent news of him having a baby outside marriage came out. 

Of course, no one ever said that celebrities are perfect people, but a fan would always envision that they are close enough to being one. Over time, something comes up that would make us realize that they are regular, flawed people like you and me, capable of indiscretion. We become disillusioned because in reality, there’s so little left of them to be desired.

I am also not saying that they shouldn’t stand up for something. Having a view and an ideology is everyone's absolute right. But sometimes, to seemingly force their beliefs and values to their fans as if they are not capable of critical thinking for themselves is another thing. These days, their opinions are more like virtue signaling. Ricky Gervais made it a joke, but it’s true that these celebrities are not in the position to lecture the public. 

Days leading to November 5, I came across the two-minute video of some of Marvel’s Avengers cast which includes Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, Danai Gurira, and Paul Bettany coming out to support Harris. And while by all accounts, I am an MCU superfan, I honestly felt a twinge of cringe seeing them improvise their famous catchphrases to encourage people to vote for Kamala.

After seeing that video, I finally understood what they meant when they said, “Never meet your heroes, they’ll surely disappoint.”

This is not to say I am pro-Trump, as I’m talking about celebrities supporting either side, but because Kamala’s superstar friends were more visible and had more platforms, it made me realize how so entitled of them to think that a regular working-class American would just set aside the more important things that matter to them and let them dictate who to vote for. 

These celebrities are so out of touch with reality. Maybe because they will never be bothered about skyrocketing prices of groceries, gas, and mortgages. They will always have different problems than most people deal with day in and day out.

Even if we don't talk about celebrity politics, it’s clear that celebrity influence is not as powerful a persuasion tool as it was.  More and more people do not take their word on social and global issues, culture, and media anymore. If anything, a celebrity’s activism and advocacies sometimes turn people off. When I stop and think it through, that is how it should be. 

In the bigger scheme of things, no one cares about what these often tone-deaf elitists think. We have already established that they are not perfect, so no, they are not the barometer for what’s right and moral. After all, the main reason they exist in our lives is for our entertainment. 

Uhm...Hello?

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

This is awkward.

This site has been quiet for almost eight months and it’s not because nothing has happened the past few months. So much has happened, actually. So many things that would normally send me blogging before, I now prefer to keep under wraps. I just don’t have the same passion to write it all down like I used to. It’s also no fun how there are some people who attack you for having thoughts or opinions that they don’t necessarily agree to. And how some of them will even go out of their way to call you out for it.

Writing one’s thoughts kinda lost its magic on me. It’s no fun spending hours composing a post when anyone can easily “generate” something using Chat GPT in seconds. We are in a generation of advanced AI and it somehow downplayed the human element in writing/blogging.

I also don’t know if it’s because I’m pushing fifty in a couple of years, but oversharing is not something I do anymore. I know this is long overdue because most people my age realized early on how it’s not necessary to share everything. I wish I have done this sooner; then again, I didn’t regret all those years writing about my thoughts (maybe a little on the ranting and the venting) because at least I have something to come back to.

I noticed this about myself recently when I don’t even feel that “need” to post Facebook or IG stories as often as I did before. I’m also not as talkative on X (Twitter) and I don’t post much on Facebook too. I guess, I no longer have that desire to be seen or known.   

But to be fair, it’s not just the writers like me who have gotten lazy, but also the readers. Judging by my site traffic (which I don’t check very often), I don’t think people are still visiting sites like mine just to read about my personal experiences and thoughts. A lot of us are now more interested watching short videos. I myself no longer visit the bookmarked blogs I religiously read before because my hours online are usually spent scrolling through Tiktok videos. Everyone’s attention spans are shorter these days.

While I will still have this site up for the public to view, I might not renew the domain next year (and save me $17). Maybe I will still write and post something here if I suddenly have the inspiration for it, when I have my heart on it again. When my purpose for writing something is because I want it, not for people to actually read and like it.  

Health is the greatest wealth

Photo by Julia Zyablova on Unsplash

The saying “Health is Wealth” hits differently in the recent years. The other day, my brother and I were talking about that Tiktok video that got viral in 2020 showing a clip of Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive”, which became some sort of anthem during the pandemic. It was supposed to be a meme, or a joke, but kuya and I agreed it was much more that.  All jokes aside, we were really trying to stay alive then, especially when we lost two uncles days apart because of COVID, and we had quite a scare when some of us here got it during the most potent of the variants: Alpha and Delta.

While COVID is no longer as deadly as it was before, it left an indelible lesson in all of us: Health is everything. Diseases don't discriminate. There’s no rich or poor as it leveled the playing field. 

Last February, my mom had to be once again rushed to the ER due to difficulty in breathing. Thank God, she tested negative for COVID, but when she was admitted, she was in bad shape. The many times that I was watching her at the hospital, I thought we’d lose her. Turns out it was pneumonia, which is a very common illness for the elderly. They had to give her strong antibiotics through IV and do several tests on her. I’m glad that after weeks of medication, she’s okay now.

I remember that one thing I read somewhere, that “middle class is just one hospitalization away from poverty”, and to be candid about it, my older brother and I, being the breadwinners of the family, felt this very much. Kuya had to use up his savings, while I maxed out one of my credit cards only after a few days that mom was in the hospital. I even have to take a bank loan just to keep my finances on check.

Make no mistake, I’m not complaining; it’s just that one will realize that illnesses can siphon one’s savings so easily with the exorbitant medical cost in this country. PhilHealth can only cover a little most of the time. No wonder, I’ve heard of well-off friends who had to seek help from other people for medical expenses incurred from treatment of terminal illnesses. 

It’s hard enough that my mother, being almost 84, had no healthcare insurance or HMO to speak of. So the mere sound of my mom coughing at night can make me anxious and lose sleep. It doesn’t help that she’s all kinds of stubborn and would continue doing things that the doctors had advised her against.

My brothers and I would talk about how health was the least of our worries when we were much younger. We never cared about our blood pressure, cholesterol levels,  blood sugar levels or whatnot. But now that we’re older, this is the everyday sh*t we all have to concern ourselves with whether we like it or not.

My younger brother, who was once fit and an all-around athlete in his younger years, is now severely overweight and riddled with a lot of health issues. What’s concerning is that he doesn’t have an HMO so most of his issues are often ignored. All I can do is remind him to take care of himself, if not for him, at least for the sake of my young nephews. I just don’t know if my reminders penetrate him.

At least Kuya and I, since we are employed by the same company, have a decent HMO package of PhP200,000 per illness annually. But trust me, that coverage isn’t enough if you have something that requires expensive procedures and long periods of confinement. I remember during my exploratory laparotomy in 2018, I exceeded my MBL (maximum benefit limit) because I had an unexpected heart complication (arrhythmia) after my surgery. I had to sign a waiver just for me to be discharged against doctor’s orders, because I don’t want to incur any out of pocket.

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My HMO benefit is something I consider one of my life’s many blessings. Without it, I imagine I would be very hesitant to have my symptoms checked. I probably would just consult relatives that are in the medical profession knowing they will not charge me. 

After my epic food poisoning early last month, I’ve had recurring episodes of constipation, diarrhea and bloating—it’s either one or the other. There’s also this dull ache on my right side just below my rib cage that’s getting to be quite a bother especially if I lie on my side.  

I had myself checked by a gastroenterologist and she suggested I get a colonoscopy. She admits that it’s not something that’s usually done for someone my age but a problematic bowel can be a symptom of a more sinister disease. Since it is covered by my HMO anyway, I thought I should get one just for my peace of mind.

Two days prior to my scheduled colonoscopy last Saturday, I was given by the doctor a diet of no beef, pork, and vegetables. By 5PM the day before, I dissolved 10 sachets of Polyethelene Glycol (powder laxative) in 1.5 liters of water and then took two Bisacodyl (Dulcolax) tablets two hours after to clear my bowels. No more intake allowed (not even water) by 12AM of Saturday in preparation for my colonoscopy at 9AM.

Even the pharmacist was surprised I had to dissolve 10 sachets!

It’s good that even if I anticipated that the colonoscopy prep will keep me up all night because of my many trips to the toilet, it didn’t happen that way. There’s no gut-twitching abdominal pain (hilab) and I was able to empty about three times between 8pm to 4 am without any hassle.

The gastroenterologist also assured me that while colonoscopy is an invasive procedure, I will be under moderate anesthesia so there should be no pain or discomfort. 

When I got to the operating room, I was asked to change in hospital gown and then was given a sedative through IV. I was also hooked to an oxygen tank, a sphygmomanometer and oximeter through a cardiac telemetry machine to monitor my vitals while under sedation after I told them of my predisposition to arrhythmia. The gastroenterologist and the anesthesiologist did their best to ease my fears (although I wasn’t really that nervous) and made me relax by having small talks until the anesthesia kicked and I started feeling woozy. 

I told them I’ll just close my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself still lying on the operating table. I looked around and was waiting for them to start but there’s no one there. I’m still strapped to the beeping telemetry machine and I can see that my vitals are okay although I noticed that the monitor that is connected to the endoscope is already turned off.

I can hear my stomach making gurgling fart noises that I thought to myself why they haven’t started yet. It would be embarrassing if I pass gas (or poop!) while they’re doing the colonoscopy. Que horror.

The nurse then came in and asked me if I’m okay and I gave her a reassuring thumbs up after which she went out and left me again. All the while I was wondering what’s keeping them and slightly getting impatient because my nephew Gavin was outside waiting for me.

The next time the nurse got back she said: “Ma’am idi-discharge ko na po kayo.” I looked at the clock and realized it’s already almost 11AM!

To cut the long story short, tapos na pala.

Except for the rumbling stomach and gas, I didn’t feel a thing. I didn’t feel it when they position me on my side, nor did I feel the long, flexible tube inserted into my rectum. I didn’t even feel groggy or dizzy after. No pain in the bumhole too.

My gastroenterologist, Dra. Mercado, interpreted the results immediately after. I do have an outpouching in the ascending colon (diverticula) which is asymptomatic, but the best news so far is that there are no polyps or masses that usually lead to cancer. I asked the doctor if the dull pain I’m having on my side could be because of the diverticula, but she said it shouldn’t hurt. So we have yet to do more tests (an ultrasound perhaps?) to check my liver, gallbladder, pancreas, appendix and kidneys.

Bottomline, if I don’t have a health plan paid for by my company, I don’t think I have the liberty to go through these procedures considering the costs of these. As from what I read, colonoscopy alone can cost around PhP12,000-18,000, not including the professional fees for the gastroenterologist and anesthesiologist.

Imagine the plight of the less fortunate, of those who can’t afford even to have themselves get checked by a doctor. Or people like my younger brother who had no medical insurance. I have known of people who needed to go through dialysis but chose not to and died shortly thereafter. I feel for them. 

These days, I’m happier seeing my family and loved-ones in good health, than having lots of money to buy things. Now that I know how fast money could go because of high cost of medical care.