The_Grimwitch_Chronicles

This is my husband and I's first Halloween away from our families. It's just the two of us in our current residence - a bungalow amidst fruit trees and colorful blooms. We planned our date: Early morning, we will eat heavy breakfast consisting of rice, sausages and eggs (as scheduled). Then, after we've done our morning rituals, we'll go to a certain salon in the city where we could have our hair cut. Before lunch, we'll meet up with a friend whom my brother-in-law owes a cash gift.In the afternoon, when the malls start opening, we'll go to a competing mall (the West Wing is soooo boring!)to window shop what we'll buy when we receive our 13th month pay this December. We'll definitely buy ingredients for our nightcap, food for the dead (consists of rice cakes and other native delicacies) and loads of candles. We'll definitely go home early because Succubus the Vile and Succubus of the Steely Moon will wreak havoc in the garage when they don't receive their dinner at 7PM.

Now, let's get on with the night cap we're planning. We're actually thinking of having a private cocktail party. I am something of a bartender since my mum made me drink my first punch before I ever had my first menstruation. You might say that I learned through experience.

Cocktails, as the Wikipedia defines it, is any alcoholic mixture that is kinda sweet and kinda bitter (traditionally!). The sweet part is attributed to sugar, fruit syrups or favored soda. Bitters are from spices (the traditional cocktails have them) or citrus rinds dissolved in glycerine or syrup. Recently, I have tasted cocktails that are more on the creamy side (attributed to milk, coconut cream or honey). Before, gin, whiskey and rum are commonly used for traditional street smart Filipino cocktails. Older people still prefer them. Younger generations, however, prefer vodka (odorless!), tequila (kicks in when least expected!) or brandy (health benefits?).

Although I would like to lecture you on how to create your own cocktail, it would take up too much virtual space. Let me share with you instead how a particular traditional cocktail evolves through time and you might just get what I mean.

Basic street smart Pinoy cocktail is RUM COLA. You just need to mix 250 mL of Rum with 750 mL of Cola. Any brand will do as long as you have abundance of ice. But then, the taste gets a little too familiar. So you now add 4 pcs of squeezed calamansi or Philippine lime. It's now called CUBA LIBRE. After a while, you get tired of the tangy taste of lime so you add something a little sweet but tangy fruit. You add 212 mL of Mango Concentrate and it now becomes MANGO SLING. More fruits means more fiber. More fiber means better digestion: so you now add 500 mL of Pineapple Juice concentrate and 250 mL Orange juice (still mixed with lime!). It now evolves as ZOMBIE. It will take a while for you to realize that this concoction might cause a little stomach cramps when there is scarcity of hoers d' oeuvres (namely: pulutan). You need an ingredient that will lessen the acidity in your stomach while the errand boy buys a new set of "pulutan." You remove the calamansi and the orange in the mixture since they lower the pH of the drink. Instead, you add 168 mL of condensed milk (sweetened concentrated milk). Your masterpiece is now the PINYA COLADA. By this time, you might get tired of the expensive pineapple juice. Remove it from the mix, add 500 mL of water and 2 grams of coffee powder and voila! You have the ISLAND CAFE LATTE!

See? It's just a matter of innovation and budget. What you prepare for your crowd depends on those factors and lots and lots of tube ice. Good luck!

I was about to eat brunch with Uriel when I received a text message telling me that a special someone had passed away. It was my pet fish, Yin.

I named her Yin because I would always catch her staring at me from her fish bowl while I'm tapping away in my laptop. Yang (means Dark half of the circle. He has a mole on his side - probably a parasite), her bowlmate, would often swish the waters violently in an effort, I guess, to wet my laptop or maybe to get her attention. When I got them last Monday, I've been learning a lot about their quirks.

Yin would play with the aerator's bubble and would not shy away when I pet her head lightly. Yang would try to bite my finger (unsuccessfully, he has no teeth!) when I try to pet his head. Yin wants her food to be soaked and sinking in the water while Yang wants them big and floating. Yin likes to play with bubbles, like she's bursting them or breathing into them. Yang plays with bowl's pebbles, prodding them along with his head.
I enjoy watching them play in their bowl beside my desk, especially when there are no customers in the shop. I used to think that fish exist for human consumption - they have no emotions, no thoughts nor personalities. I guess I was wrong. I think, that despite the size of their brains, fish are aware of their selves and interact to their environment.

I feel sorry that Yin died that early. I read that gold fish can live up to 16 years old. I think I have yet to learn a lot in taking care of fish like Yang and Yin.

When I got to the store, I learned that my colleague flushed Yin in the toilet. I bought 2 more gold fish for Yang. They're Yeng ang Yong. How do I distinguish them? Simple. Yong has a bald spot on his head while Yeng has an angled tail. Quite pretty seeing them stare at me right now.

I think, I'm going to bring them home with me tonight. I don't want them to die here.

Monday is always rush day for me. That Monday was no different. I had barely scrubbed myself down with a damp towel, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and changed into work clothes. It was a hot dry afternoon and I had to fan myself as I walked the green mile to civilization...well, actually...it was more of the village gate where I had to ride a jeep to the nearest bus stop to get me to work.

I was lucky to ride a fast jeep. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied checking the stuff inside my backpack that I was dropped off a little farther than the bus stop that I had intended to get off in. So there was sweaty me, half walking half trotting to the bus stop when I bumped into this old lady with a young boy. Her hair was ashen gray and wrinkles accented her gaunt face. She looked poor but her threadbare clothes were clean. She almost fell over. I helped her get on her feet and the boy thanked me profusely. As I was about to leave, she held my hand. I was surprised and a little irritated but she held up a plastic bag tied with rubber band. It was filled with two common goldfish, its water bubbling and cloudy with debris.

"Please take this fish," she said. I had gestured no and had successfully pulled my hand away from hers but she ran after me. "Please, Miss. Please take this fish. My grandson and I have to go home to the province but we have no money to take the jeepney ride home." My mind was in disbelief. How could this woman have 2 goldfish and not have money for a provincial trip? The boy told me that it was the only thing they saved when their house burned down. I gave them an Osmena bill and ran after the bus. The boy ran after me and gave me the fish.

It was inconvenient carrying a plastic bag of fish to work but I have no choice. I rode the bus to work with the plastic bag of fish hanging from my backpack. When I got to the shop, my colleague was delighted to see the fish. She improvised our aerator as our fish bowl and bought flakes for their food. I was assigned to clean the bowl every other day and of course, provide for their medications and other paraphernalia for them.

I placed our plant inside the bowl and put some pebbles and rocks for them. Before, the bowl went on top of our counter but since our customers are often distracted with their googly eyes, I had to put them beside my desk where they swim about. Recently, I bought an oxygen pump for them because Yin had been swimming upside down. Yang is his usual naughty self (he tries to bite my finger for chrissakes!). I might buy a decent aquarium for them next time with filters and lights and eventually bring them home with me.

I have yet to notice if these fishes will bring in good business, as foretold by feng shui. I hope they do. And then, there would be lots of shops with gold fish in bowls bringing in good fortune to those who rent at west wing.

I have recently opened a PayPal account because I won an item at ebay. I have added my bank accounts in its facility but it asked about a "Bank Code." When I tried to ask about their bank code, they gave me wrong answers like the last 3 digits in your ATM card or the first 3 digits in the pass book. They're both wrong because the bank code is supposed to be 9-digits. I did my research and viola! I found the bank codes.

This bank code is needed if you're withdrawing from your online earnings deposited to Paypal and you want to transfer them to your local bank here in the Philippines. Before they can be done, you have to add the local bank in your account. Log in to PayPal> go to My Account > Profile > Add or Edit Bank Account then fill in the Bank Name, Account Number, and Bank Code.

This is the Official List of PayPal Philippines Bank Codes
Bank Name Bank Code
ALLIED BANKING CORP 010320013
ASIA UNITED BANK 011020011
BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS 010030015
BANK OF AMERICA 010120019
BANK OF CHINA 011140014
BANK OF TOKYO 010460012
BANCO DE ORO/EQUITABLE PCI BANK 010530667
BANK OF COMMERCE 010440016
BANK OF THE PHIL ISLANDS (BPI) 010040018
CHINA BANKING CORP 010100013
CHINA TRUST COMML BANK 010690015
CITIBANK N.A. 010070017
DEVT BANK OF THE PHILS (DBP) 010590018
DEUTSCHE BANK 010650013
EAST WEST BANK 010620014
EXPORT & INDUSTRY BANK 010860010
FUJI BANK 010640010
HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK(HSBC)010060014
INTL COMML BANK OF CHINA 010560019
INTL EXCHANGE BANK 010680012
JP MORGAN CHASE BANK 010720011
KOREA EXCHANGE BANK 010710018
INTL NEDERLAND BANK 010660016
LANDBANK OF THE PHILS 010350025
MAYBANK OF THE PHILS 010220016
METROPOLITAN BANK & TRUST CO 010269996
PHIL BANK OF COMMUNICATION 010110016
PHIL TRUST COMPANY 010090039
PHIL NATIONAL BANK (PNB) 010080010
PRUDENTIAL BANK 010150018
PHIL VETERANS BANK 010330016
RIZAL COMML BANKING CORP (RCBC) 010280014
SECURITY BANK & TRUST CO 010140015
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK 010050011
UNITED COCONUT PLANTERS BANK 010299995
UNION BANK OF THE PHILS (UBP) 010419995
UNITED OVERSEAS BANK 010270189

Happy online earning!

Philippine banks with Paypal bank codes: Allied Bank; Asia United Bank; BSP; Banco de Oro (BDO); Equitable PCIBank (same as BDO bank code); Bank of Commerce; Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI); China Bank; China Trust; Citibank; Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP); Deutsche Bank; East-West Bank; Export Bank; Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC); Landbank of the Philippines (Land Bank); Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank); Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCom); Philtrust; Philippine National Bank (PNB); Prudential Bank; Veterans Bank; Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC); Security Bank; Standard Chartered; United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB); UnionBank of the Philippines (Unionbank); United Overseas Bank.

P.S. My new predicament: I'm a buyer from EBay, not a seller. How do I transfer funds from my bank to PayPal so that PayPal will pay for my online purchase?

Uriel was rushing to work while I was basking in the afterglow of our early morning delight that Monday morning when my brother Barnabas barged into our room. He complained of cramping back pain which woke him up. Since I have felt that sensation regularly after I have had my kidney lithotripsy, I advised him to pee because it may be due to urine accumulation in his bladder. He peed but then came back again complaining that the pain had radiated to his stomach. I dismissed him by saying that it may best to eat breakfast first because it might've been hunger pangs. He ate a light breakfast of coffee and toast. After some time, he came back to my room and was sweating profusely. He lay beside me and tugged my arm. He was cold and very much in pain. He crouched in a fetal position and with his eyes, pleaded for my help. It scared the hell out of me because my mum's brother died of pancreatic disease, crouched the same way. I shuddered at the thought. My mind was running with possible diagnoses. I suspected pancreatitis.

We took a taxi to a nearby suburban hospital in the outskirts of Marikina. He was attended to in the emergency room where he was given Ranitidine intravenous and a pain killer (which he suspected to be Meperidine) which alleviated the pain a little. He was to be confined but the only room available was the hospital's suite. Since we had 48 hours leeway to transfer to a cheaper room, we agreed. All sorts of tests were immediately administered - blood counts, skin tests, x-rays and of course, ultrasound imaging. Initial inspection of all the tests showed a swollen gallbladder because of a gallbladder stone dislodged in its opening. He was too stunned to speak because he had to go under the surgeon's knife again. Surgery was scheduled for the next day.

That was the problem because at the beginning of the coming month, his company changed HMO's and that hospital was not accredited by the new HMO. The old HMO advised us to remain in the small hospital and pay for the remaining days not covered by the HMO. My brother's company had assured us that it will be reimbursed in the new HMO. Since we could not confirm that with the new HMO, we don't want to take the risk aftr assessing our funds. Besides, many of our families do not even know that small hospital existed. We decided to transfer to a big hospital more familiar, covered by both old and new HMO but definitely more expensive than the previous. I had to rush everybody in the small hospital into processing the discharge papers fast because we need to get in the big hospital before dark.

We got to the big hospital after numerous taxi transfers. Since the old HMO is effective till midnight, we paid for the room the next day since the new HMO is still incommunicado. When they were finally reached (think about the callous formed on my fingers dialing their friggin' numbers). They issued an LOA (letter of agreement) for my brother. He was given a new set of doctors and of course, same tests given in the small hospital. He was to be transferred to a semi-private room as indicated in the LOA. We were given 48 hours (again!) to transfer or pay the overhead cost of that room. I asked the big hospital's billing if there's any difference on the cost of diagnostic tests, medication and procedure rates per room. And you know what? There IS a BIG difference!

Before Barnabas went under the knife, his white blood cells rose in the recent blood test. There was infection but they don't know where. Upon further interview, they suspected that my brother might have had ear infection again (the bane of his previous surgery). They sent in another specialist and they wanted a CT scan. I refused to have that test done because I wanted the pain removed from my brother's abdomen. After all, that was why we're here for. They gave him antibiotics (loads of them!) for that and had him on surgery the next day.

He had a laparoscopy. It was a real high tech surgical procedure where there are 4 incisions: 1 for the camera, 2 for the prongs and 1 for the gall bladder's exit. The doctor saved his gall stones and took pictures of it. It was real cute: it's as small as green peas but made up of yellowish aggregates. Beau Boi and I gave up eating chicharon on that moment. They put it in a small vial with rubber cover and my brother kept it.

After his catheter and drain was removed, he was good to go. The nurse gave him his last dose of intravenous fluids and it was time for us to settle the bill. I already informed Jubei that we're going to borrow a little cash from her because I was sure that we had exceeded the new HMO's limit.

I was advised to go to the billing section. I got the initial assessment. My sister rejoiced when she found out it was within her credit limit (17K). The big hospital had already discounted it because of the Philhealth and of course, the HMO coverage. Jubei withdrew cash from a nearby ATM machine and I was asked to go to the credit section which was a bit odd.

When I got inside the credit section office, the woman (I assume that was their supervisor) told me that the doctor's fees were not included in the bill and that thy weren't mentioned in the LOA. In summary, we would have to pay for their professional fees in addition to the excess. It was quite alright until I saw how much. It was more than 65K! She added that we would have to settle that before midnight or pay the penalty of 5K plus the room rate for the whole day because the account was already closed.

I was crestfallen. How on earth am I going to wriggle ourselves out of this predicament? I told my sister who was very angry at the new HMO (55%) and of course, the big hospital(25%) and my brother's company (10%). We had only one hope that day: my brother-in-law Armand Oleander, who is Josette's husband. If he agrees to cash out 65K for Barnabas, that would be the end of our problems but how in the world can Barnabas pay it back? We know that Armand will pay for the monthly amortization of his SUV. We had to find another way. Josette and I called people who might lend us money now and eventually Barnabas will pay it back.. but no success.

Armand arrived and had a private conference with Josette. I know that since she's a housewife (meaning, no income), she has no choice but agree to whatever Armand's condition may be. After the conference, I saw Josette smiling and of course, handing the cashier the money. Barnabas was thanking the blushing Armand profusely and a teary-eyed me assured him that I will help Body pay for the said credit.

We went home, where my husband waited with a piping hot dinner. Josette and Armand would have joined us but Claudius, my nephew, kept checking on where they are. While we ate in silence, I could tell that Barnabas was humbled and embarrassed by what had transpired. I could sense Uriel was worried how Barnabas was going to pay the Oleanders back. I couldn't think of anything else but retribution for us. I urged Barnabas to get back at the new HMO when he returns to work after a fortnight.

He didn't reply. With the glint in his eyes, I think he might do more than that.