Last Week July 03 2010

Lights Off In Bogo City

This last week, I made some notes of what is going on from time to time.  Especially when the lights are off.  For the first few days, the lights were off a lot

This week is two days old.  I’ve spent most of those two days in the dark.  Two days and two brown outs.

On Sunday the lights went off around 8am.  When that happens on a Sunday, its going to be a long day.  They were off until about 5pm

Now its Monday.  The Sun has begun to unleash its heat upon the Philippines.  Its 9am and once again, the lights are off.

Now it is Monday Afternoon and the lights are off again in Bogo City.  So now I’ve had to go outside.  It is hot outside too.  My battery powered fan is breathing dragon breath of Cebu.

Its Tuesday and The Lights are Out Again

I woke up at 9:30am.  I was surprised that the lights had not been turned off yet.  I often joke that they wait until they know I’m awake.  I told Jessie they will turn off the lights at 10am.  She rolled her eyes a bit and let out a feminine sigh.  To indicate, I’m nuts.  They usually turn the light off on the hour in almost every case.

The clock hit 10:01am and Jessie said, I should have turned off the computer.  She said this because they did, in fact, turn out the lights in Bogo City again!

Its now  11:20 and it seems like noon will never come.  I’ve run out of things to say.

Jessie called the local power co-op.  They tell us the lights will be off for two hours.  Sometimes, I think they just make these times up.  Yesterday, during the second outage, they told Jessie an hour and a half.  It was two hours.  Sometimes they say two hours and it turns out to be one hour.  That’s not normal though.  Its rarely shorter than the time they tell us.  It is sometimes longer and sometimes its the correct amount of time.

Its now 12:01  and the lights are not back on.  Its become too hot to even type.  the temperature is 30.5C and the humidity is probably around 70%!

I spent the last hour playing around with Jason’s netbook.  They have taken about a million pictures with the built in camera and I can’t’ figure out how to take even one.

For the week, the lights were out in Bogo City during the following hours:

Sunday 8am until 5pm
Monday  9am until 11am
Monday 1pm until 3pm
Tuesday 10pm untill 12pm

Health

I’m having a lot of trouble with my vision.  I was having trouble last week but I couldn’t quite pinpoint what the problem was.  Then one day, the problem became pronounced.  I couldn’t see much from my right eye.  Unless I directly looked at something, it was blank.  I could see Jessie’s outline but I couldn’t see her unless I looked directly at her.

I think it may be related to diabetes.  :(

Its been almost a month now, I still feel the occasional “brain zap” that happens when one stops taking Effexor.  I’ve been able to reduce the amount of Xanax back down to near prescribed levels.

The itching is still much better though at times it is troublesome in my lower legs, especially around my ankles.  The heat is definitely a part of it.

This Week in Summary

Its been raining a lot.  Yet still the lights are off a lot. The power outages are said to be because of the drought.  I don’t think we still have a drought in this part of the Philippines.  I’m unsure about the rest of it.  I am sure though, the freaking lights are off too much in Bogo City.  Hey Cebu City, get your own rain!

Web Site Development

I’ve spent a lot of time on my websites this week.  I’ve been doing battle with a tool provided by Google, specifically, Google AdSense Manager or GAM as it is referred to by many of us.  I tried this thing a year ago and tossed it.  At the suggestion of my friend Mindanao Bob, I gave it another try.  I wonder if he could hear me cursing him.  haha  It looks like it will be a worth while tool to use but its got one heck of a learning curve.

I spent a lot of time on this and a lot of time on their help forums.   One frequent user there referred me to a guide he wrote that I found helpful.  If you find yourself working with this beast, visit his GAM GUIDE.

Vision and Health

I stopped taking Naproxen, an NSAID used to treat the aches and pains of lupus and other conditions, as I think that might have been the main culprit blocking my vision.  My right arm is very painful as a result but I can see again.  I’ll take the pain.

I have not been feeling well, to say the least.  I did walk a couple of times.  I didn’t walk far but I did walk.   So literally, I’ve taken the first steps toward feeling better, I hope.

Its been just another week of an expat living in the Philippines.

Tagged with: Diabetes • Living in The Philippines • Lupus

Filed under: Cebu Experience • Life

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