So here we are again, at the ER. I don’t know if this has something to do with the increased number of lymph nodes or this is an entirely different thing.

Twin A has been vomiting and having diarrhea the entire day. This morning she said she was fine after she vomited and pooped and took Loperamide for her diarrhea. She didn’t tell me she was vomiting the whole day in school, afraid that I will pull her out.

She said three of her classmates also had the same symptoms. They were vomiting either last night or today. We’re tracing if it’s something they all ate in school or there’s a stomach bug going around.

Oh God, I hope this is just another bacterial or viral infection. Not the one I fear most. 😭

We’re now in an isolation room in the ER because my patient is immunocompromised. It’s better now we face these things than later when I’m already in HK. 😢

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So Ok since all we do here in the ER is wait (for blood tests, urinalysis and fecalysis), might as well update this entry.

I finally was able to finish the article this afternoon without going out of my house. But I felt the walls closing in on me so I decided to try that co-working space just outside the university campus.

I ordered from their menu, which allowed me an hour of hot desking. If I don’t order, I just pay PhP 60. So that is a little under PHP 500 for 8 hrs, which was the rate of independent or small co-working spaces in Metro Manila. I said was because you can no longer find such low rate in the metro—inflation is such a killer.

I was just getting into the groove when my daughters messaged me that Twin A is still vomiting. I xould no longer extend my stay.

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Just when she needed to poop, she can’t. We need the fecalysis so we can have some kind of diagnosis. Her CBC doesn’t tell much since her TB infection does skew things a little bit.

Aggghhh! I don’t want to be in the hospital again. 😩

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Nope. No poop.

Urinalysis is clean.

Will be sent home with domperidone for stomach contractions. Fecalysis to follow as OPD.

I’m tired.

I’m having a writer’s block. An artist’s block. Whatever you call it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve been trying to finish this article since Monday but so far I have only managed to write 355 words. It used to be easy to write this kind of stories but I don’t know why I am in a creative rut now. Like there’s this black hole somewhere that saps all energy in me. I’ve been trying to alter my work hours so I can push myself creatively. Like right now (11:06 pm), I’m attempting to add more paragraphs to the article I’ve been working on for days.

I need to work in a coworking space tomorrow. This unproductiveness can’t go on and on…

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I should be relieved that there is overall regression in my daughter’s GI TB. I’m not sure why there is an increase in lymph nodes…Oh God, don’t let it be lymphoma. Let it be just the TB acting up or some virus.

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I guess I’m still stuck in the creative desert. I still couldn’t produce anything decent these days. I will salvage this painting tomorrow. I think I used a too-bright green for the rice field still planted with rice.

I’ll lay off a bit from painting. All throughout the weekend, I wanted to paint but the creative juices weren’t there.

What this video taught me was that during the post-pandemic years, mid-tier luxury brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton suffered sales slowdown while ultra luxe brands like Loro Piana and Delvaux still saw an uptick despite catering to a very small number of clientele. This is because mid-tier brands cater mainly to the middle class who want to flaunt the aspirational brands, hence, the screaming logos. When inflation went through the roof, the middle class stopped spending and saved instead whereas the 0.1% of the economic pyramid is nonplussed. They still spent on top cashmere for their regular wear. The middle class? They buy these brands as a treat, not as a regular shopping item, like underwear or usual grocery item.

It’s like what I wrote about a couple of years ago in an article, the sit-down dining restaurants (such as Bistro Group or Moment Group restos) are the ones that are greatly affected during economic difficulties because their major market—the middle class—goes down a notch lower to dine at quick service restaurants. Perfect example of price elasticity of demand.

So what am I driving at? Nothing. I am just wondering about where investors should be placing their money. Should they place their bets on businesses that cater to the middle class that are price sensitive? Or on businesses that cater to the mass market since the sheer volume can make up for the price elasticity of products geared towards this market? 🤔

Why am I thinking about this? As a business journo, I should be paying attention to such things because these musings direct me to ask more probing questions.

Speaking of investments, my friend, M, egged me to try crypto currency. While I don’t believe in that shit—because there is no rhyme nor reason behind that thing—I tested it just to be able to delve into the world of crypto trading to educate myself. I joked to him that I will just invest so I can buy myself a Nintendo Switch. So as of this moment, it’s up 14.6% and I don’t understand how and why when these digital assets are being minted daily in huge amounts. I also want to see how it would behave when gold is up/down, when fixed income markets are shot, or when equities are yo-yoing. Meanwhile, M, placed a huge amount on this silly game of his. I told him, you are a business journalist and yet you succumbed to this scam. 🤦🏻‍♀️I’m just in this for the silliness of it, akin to buying lotto tickets just in case stars aligned.

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My indoor cats were keeping a watchful eye over me while I was sitting in my pseudo-balcony because Ampon had been trying to get inside my house through my bedroom window (she figured out a way how to climb the emergency exit balcony). Ampon is desperately trying to get adopted as an indoor cat but of course my two suplada tricolor would have none of it. So as consolation, I sat outside to keep her company or else I would have her yowling by my bedroom window at 3 am (which she had done several times).

But then Sushi and Kimchi are a jealous lot so they went out on the cat ledge to guard me. They kept meowing at me, telling me to get inside.

What have I gotten myself into? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Because I was too lazy to cook, I agreed to Twin I’s suggestion of buying dinner at the fair. I think I regreted that decision. I’m already old for this kind of thing.

My kids had been going here everyday with their friends. I couldn’t deny them that enjoyment because this thing has been an annual event for me and my friends since we were in grade school. We saved up pocket money so we can buy jewelry, foodstuff, or buy tickets to the carnival rides.

So today my girls went to the local comic con to see cosplayers and buy stuff. Twin I went home early and then Twin A went home before dinner just to get more pocket money from her safe. They managed to drag me out of the house.

And my girls bought their own stuff, which consists mainly of earrings for Twin I and stickers for Twin A.

My legs couldn’t stand it anymore or it’s the large number of people that sapped my energy but I just wanted to go home immediately after I bought a footlong hotdog. I was just hankering for junkfood like this.

If I were younger, I would have stayed or come back to watch the rockbands that were supposed to play. But no, I’m already old and I just want to be in my comfy bed after that long drive back home late last night.

On my way to Makati to meet friends and work at the same time. Yes, we journos combine socializing with work like that. With deadlines.  Then attend a dinner party with execs of a conglomerate. On a Friday after payday. 😬

Still waiting for my sis in law and her boys here in a gas station along SLEX while they have a bathroom break. They’re hitching a ride with me because, why not?

I’m hungry.

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Time check: 11:21 pm along SLEX