Jiggly Bit Me! (On Getting Anti-Rabies Shots)

I just had my first vaccine as a grown-up - "anti-rabies" that is. Well, not that I was really anticipating it.T_T

Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. The disease is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from one species to another, such as from dogs to humans, commonly by a bite from an infected animal. 

For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. The rabies virus travels to the brain by following the peripheral nerves. The incubation period of the disease is usually a few months in humans, depending on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system. Once the rabies virus reaches the central nervous system and symptoms begin to show, the infection is virtually untreatable and usually fatal within days.    - Wikipedia

No thanks to our little furball JIGGLY who's currently at a stage where he playfully bites and nips everything he encounters in his way. His favorite perhaps is human leg.@_@ 

Jiggly takes a break from leg nipping for a photo opp. ^^

Last Sunday, Jiggly happily nipped my leg but got a little too rough that I ended up having shallow skin scratches. There wasn’t any bleeding though but the epidermis was somehow broken. Unfortunately, our pup hasn't received anti-rabies shots yet due to his young age which is just a little over 2 months. 

Though convinced that Jiggly's "clean" plus my pocket's not too happy to shell out moolah haha, I  decided to have myself vaccinated with anti-rabies just to be sure.

It took me 5 days before I was able to go to an animal bite clinic (Heaven Animal Bite Clinic located in San Mateo, Rizal). To my surprise, there were lots of patients even though it was already evening. I didn't realize until then how animal bite could be very widespread. 

To be honest, I'm scared of injections haha. 

The doctor let the anti-rabies vaccine flow just right under my skin by means of a small needle. With my eyes closed, I stopped breathing for a few seconds. After "recovering" from the ordeal (LOL!), I was advised to be back after 3 and 7 days to get more shots.

Since the "bite" took place on the 23rd of June, I was given until the 8th of July to monitor Jiggly. If he dies (oh no!), then that's a definite sign of rabies so I need to complete 5 rounds of anti-rabies shot. If he remains healthy, which I fervently pray, then I could relax and stop at the 3rd round of vaccine.

UPDATE (July 8, 2013) JIGGLY IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND KICKIN'!:D Guess I'm spared from the wrath of rabies. Thank you Lord!:D

At the clinic, I was handed a sheet of paper with some guidelines which I would like to share to everyone:

WHAT TO DO DURING THE VACCINATION PERIOD: 

A. The Animal 

1. Monitor the animal for 14 days from the day of the bite. 

2. DON’T KILL THE ANIMAL IF IT IS STILL HEALTHY. 

3. Behaviors to observe which often indicate the presence of rabies in the animal: 

 * Suddenly become restless and agitated  *  Suddenly becomes aggressive; bites on anything (In my case, this isn't valid because Jiggly has been like that ever since haha)  *  Runs around without direction; excessive drooling and foaming in the mouth  *  Has difficulty in eating and drinking water

4. If the animal dies during the observation period, bring its head immediately to any   laboratory for rabies test.

= RITM Animal Laboratory [Filinvest, Alabang, Muntinlupa City; Telephone No. (02) 807 -2628]

= Bureau of Animal Industry [Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Q.C.; Telephone No. (02) 926-8071]                                                                       

= San Lazaro Hospital Rabies Unit [Quiricada St. Sta. Cruz, Manila; Telephone No. (02) 732-3776]                                                            

5. If the animal gets sick during the observation period, bring it immediately to the  nearest veterinary clinic. 

B. The Person 

1. As much as possible, avoid alcoholic drinks, steroids and medicine for malaria. 

2. For those vaccinated with ERIG and ATS, avoid chicken, egg, crab, shrimp, shrimp    paste, fish sauce, fish and food with preservatives such as tocino, longganisa etc. 

3. The skin area where vaccine [Equine Rabies Immunoglobulin (ERIG)*/ Human Rabies Immunoglobulin (HRIG)*/ Anti Tetanus Serum (ATS)/ Tetanus Toxoid/ Purified Vero Rabies Vaccine(PVRV)*] was injected may appear red, swollen, and could be itchy right after vaccination. It could be covered with warm towel for the symptoms to subside.

*Types of Anti-Rabies Vaccine --- It's best to consult a doctor to gain further understanding on what each one is. It was made clear by my doctor though, the type of anti-rabies vaccine initially injected should also be the same as the succeeding shots during the vaccination period. No mixing.

4. If fever occurs after receiving the anti-rabies shot, paracetamol may be taken as medicine. 

5. Consult the doctor if after vaccination, any of the following condition is experienced: extreme itchiness, redness/rashes spreading from the vaccinated skin area to the whole body, difficulty in breathing and continuous fever. 

6. The schedule of vaccination must be strictly followed. In case of failure to do so, it is important to call or visit the clinic as soon as possible to know the next course of action to take. Always bring the Vaccination Schedule Card.

ALGORITHM FOR RABIES POST-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS

Source: http://www.philhealth.gov.ph/circulars/2012/circ15_2012.pdf

Click link for larger image.

Going back to Jiggly, yes, he is currently under observation but I am very confident that he will make it through the 8th of July. And I won't have to worry about...err...dying LOL! Because as I look intently at our little furball now, he's still the same adorable, playful and "nippy" puppy that he is...well, so far.:DDD

Happy times...Jiggly and I.:D

Youngestus Spinsterus: A Retro Post

At the height of Harry Potter craze, I made a spell for myself which I published on my first ever, and now hidden, blog. And this is how it goes:

I ain't elaborating on what prompted me to create such "spell" but I guess it's pretty much obvious. Go figure.:D

What the hell was I thinking then?!!! With no antidote at hand, it's good that the spell didn't have any effect on me LOOOOOOOL.:D

Photo courtesy of www.zazzle.com

Anyway, I posted this just for laughs. No, I don't have anything against spinsters but the thought of self-targeted enchantment is simply amusing!:D 

Cherry Mobile Flare: On How It Fares ^^ (UPDATED: 8-20-13)

I wasn’t really planning to purchase a new phone this first semester of the year. However, a week ago, my good old Samsung phone decided to rest in peace so I was left with no choice but to seek replacement. T_T

Since it was too sudden, I immediately thought of getting a phone that is value-for-money, meaning “sosyal” looking and packed with features (hello android!) YET pocket-friendly.

After browsing the Net and listening to opinions of people around me (special mention to my brother who sounded like a sales agent ready to receive commission anytime LOL), I zeroed in on one Filipino Android Phone --- CHERRY MOBILE FLARE.

Photo courtesy of
Cherry Mobile

BACK PORTION OF MY FLARE
I didn’t have to go far or spend money on transportation to 
purchase this because there’s a Cherry Mobile kiosk 
stationed at the nearby grocery.

A week after getting a new phone (my first ever "Pinoy Phone", mind you), it’s time for me to share to the world my “Flare” experience. I won't dwell much on the technical aspect though as it ain't my expertise haha.  

UNBOXING

A Cherry Mobile Flare unit comes with:

* Charger with detachable cable

I am just not happy with the cable that I got. When I tried connecting the phone to the laptop, the device can’t be recognized until I pushed the seemingly loose conector really hard to the port. I inevitably ditched my Cherry Mobile cable and instead, used my Samsung cable which fits perfectly and connects my Flare to the laptop well.

* Headset

Normal headset.:)

* Manual

To date, this remains barely used since the Hubby and I have successfully figured out the ins and outs of the phone. The only time I actually opened the manual was when I had trouble finding out how to edit contacts. Unfortunately, the solution was nowhere to be found in the manual so I had to discover it myself. Turned out, I just had to press the contact’s name for a few seconds for the edit option to appear.

Oh one more thing! I just discovered a day ago that my Flare has a default screen protector. I initially thought that it’s just the usual protective film most brand new phones have. However when I finally decided to take out the film, I saw another layer of plastic stuck directly to the screen. Cool huh!

SPECIFICATIONS

* Android 4.0 ICS
* MSM8225 1.2 GHz Dual Core S4
* 4" Capacitive Touch Panel
* ROM: 4GB/ RAM: 512 MB
* Expandable micro SD up to 32GB
* GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE 900/1800; UMTS 2100
* WIFI b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1
* 3.5mm Stereo Audio Jack; Standard micro USB 2.0
* 5MP Back Camera; VGA Front
* DUAL SIM

And the PRICE? P3,999.00 ONLY! No wonder I chose this phone!:DDD

USEFUL APPS

Aside from Candy Crush and Tetris Blitz, 4Pics 1Word (LOOOOL!), I downloaded a few useful apps with my android phone such as :

GO LAUNCHER EX- Thanks to this app, I am able to customize my home screen and arrange widgets into folders.:) 

The Hubby and I!:D

Oh-so-girly! Hihi

ALARM CLOCK PLUS - Perfect for sleepy heads like me and the Hubby who find it hard to wake up early in the morning. There's an awesome option called Math for Snooze/Dismiss. I activated so that I would have to solve a math problem first before I am able to snooze or dismiss the alarm hehe :D

CAMERA

Since I love taking pictures but more so having my snapshots taken haha, I spent (and continuously spend) a little more time exploring Flare's camera. It has 5.0 MP back camera and VGA front camera. 

Here are sample shots:

Outdoor shots, morning vs evening
Auto flash; No filter

Indoor shot; Auto flash
Light source - behind the photog
No filter

Indoor shot; Auto flash
Light source - right side of the photog
No filter

Indoor shot; Auto flash
No filter

Shot at the brightly lit
Champagne Room of Manila Hotel;
Zoomed in; Auto Flash
No filter

Sample Panoramic Shot
The lil sister-in-law posing by their backyard.:D

VERDICT: Though I still think Sony Ericsson camera phones create better photos, I’m pretty much OK with Cherry Mobile Flare’s camera.:)

BATTERY

Before judging the battery of Cherry Mobile Flare, let me share my initial observations:

DAY 2 – At 1:00 am, battery was full after the initial charging. I slept through the night, errr dawn and when I woke up at 9:00am, it was down to 44%. Turned out, my wi-fi was kept on and it drained a lot of “juice”.

DAY 3 – I decided to download a battery saving app called Easy Battery Saver.

Among its modes, I decided to be on Intelligent Power Saving mode which "optimizes network connection and other settings intelligently". When I noticed my battery's "juice" draining, I switched to Super Power Saving mode with "only conversation and test messages saved, hence, the lowest battery consumption".  Battery lasted longer, yet less than a day still.:(

DAY 4 – I finally had my battery surviving an entire day. I only went online and played games for merely an hour and on Super mode all throughout. I also surmise that the battery has already attained full power by then after going through 4 cycles of charging and discharging.

Cherry Mobile Flare would have been a perfect phone for me if it had longer battery life. :( But I heard that most smart phones don’t really have long-lasting batteries compared to non-smart phones because there's a lot of things going on with applications running here, there and everywhere.:) 

As for me, in order to prolong the battery life, I just need to constantly remind myself that my primary reason for owning a mobile phone is to communicate via sms and calls. I also need to make the necessary adjustments like opting to use other gadgets when going online rather than the phone whenever possible.

A GOOD BUY AFTER ALL!

This early, I must say that I do not have any regrets in choosing Cherry Mobile Flare as my new phone. It's P3,999.00 price maybe relatively cheap but it is at par, if not even better, with the more expensive phones. I can do A LOT of things with it, I get to communicate with the world, go online, download helpful and entertaining apps, take photos and many more! I still wish though that it had longer battery life. Maybe I’ll just buy a power bank to save me from compromising circumstances like totally draining the battery in the middle of an important conversation. Right?

Cheers to Cherry Mobile Flare!:D

For more information on Cherry Mobile, go check their website. :D

Special thanks to www.jeipitech.blogspot.com for the tip on how to take screenshots with Flare  (again not in the user manual toinks).:D

********************

UPDATE (August 20, 2013)

After almost 2 months, my sentiments on "The Flare" still hold true. I find this phone very efficient and is able to cater my communication, as well as entertainment, needs. One-day battery life, on the average, is not bad after all.^^

My "major" complaint now is the prompt which appears whenever I run out of load, as shown below.

I have not figured out yet why I need to press OK for the nth time before the prompt totally disappears. Even if I go back to the home screen, the prompt still shows.

And even if I open another program, there goes the prompt making "papansin" LOL!

But that is forgivable, I should say. I don't think I would be changing phones anytime soon.:D

One Post, Four Dogs! ^^

DOGS? Who doesn't love 'em?:D

Truth is, I am so fond of dogs, so is the rest of the family.:) If our past and present canine pals could speak to each other, I am very confident that they would all agree on how we treat pets so kindly, as if they're truly one of us.:)

I remember, our first pet dog was a golden brown beauty whose real name is Gomaoniga, GOMA for short. I know you'd find her (yeah, dog's a she!) real name weird but it was actually derived combining the first syllables of the names of the Tabid kids (aka my siblings and I). Yeah, we were that possessive haha. A neighbor gave her as a gift which the family graciously accepted. Unfortunately, as of writing time, I couldn't really remember Goma's breed and how long she stayed with us before she rested in peace. Anyway, posthumously, she still holds the record of being our family's first ever dog that made us experience the great responsibility and even greater joy of having a pet.

Fast forward to 1999, a little white mongrel became part of the household. It was at that time that a new family tradition was unintentionally born, that is using the names of POKEMON characters for our pets. Initially we just thought our little white mongrel was as cute as Pikachu, one of the lead characters in that famed cartoon series so we decided to name him as such, CHUCHU for short.

With overflowing love, our little white mongrel grew into an adorable bear with ever gentle disposition.:) We enjoyed Chuchu's company for 9 years.

Pikachu aka CHUCHU; 1999-2008

A year after Chuchu left us, we welcomed a new puppy. And we were back to seeing a golden brown furry friend in our home just like the first time.:) We named the cute little bitch after another pokemon, Bulbasaur. The nickname? BULBY! 

I would have actually suggested that she be named Jiggly Puff, another pokemon, because for me it sounds cuter. Unfortunately, I wasn't home when the name selection took place so my "voice" wasn't heard, oh well!:D

Bulby is very much alive and kicking up to now.:) Half mini pinscher, half pitbull, there's no trace of Chuchu's gentleness in her. Instead, she barks at the faintest scent of people especially beyond the family circle, at the slightest movement or at the softest sound outside our home. It has long been agreed upon that she is the ultimate guard dog.;)

BULBASAUR aka BULBY; 2009 to present

Little did I know that 4 years later, Jiggly Puff would come into existence! Donald, the Hubby (then boyfriend during the time of Chuchu and Bulby's earlier years) accepted an adorable little white furball for us to adopt . (Segue, do we see a trend here? Brown - White - Brown - White :D)

And the name? JIGGLY!:) The pup's officially the first ever pet of the DG Couple (yours truly and Hubby). Jiggly's with us for only 2 weeks but he (yup, another "he") has already endeared not just Donald and I but everyone in our respective families.

Jiggly Puff aka JIGGLY, DG's newest little furball

Initially, my mom did not want us to bring Jiggly home (to my maiden home that is, since the Hubby and I already live 6 doors away) fearing that the ever aggressive Bulby would attack the little puppy but we insisted on doing so. Good thing mom's fear was unfounded! The first time we actually brought Jiggly to my maiden home, Bulby seemed to tame down in the pup's presence. There was not any display of playfulness nor over friendliness in the bitch's part though but we immediately knew Jiggly's not and will never be seen as a threat.:)  UPDATE (6/26/13) Bulby and Jiggly are already friends! They now spend some time playing with each other teehee :DD

Since coming into our lives, Jiggly has become a stress buster for both Donald and I.  Have to control myself though because every time I come home and see the cute little puppy trying to get my attention, wagging his tail and running around as if there's no tomorrow, I have this urge to squeeze him out of gigil haha.:D

Anyway, there's a part in me thinking what if all our pet dogs had existed at just one period in time and had made friends with each other? It would be a riot for sure, a happy riot that is!:D 

Now who doesn't love dogs?:D Well, I do for sure!:D