No Kissing

I saw this 'no kissing' sign while surfing the Net and of course, it got my attention. It looked ridiculous and reading the literature further confirmed my opinion.

It seems the sign was put up at the Warrington Bank Quay railway station in England by Virgin Rail, which manages the station. Yeah, a virgin put up the no kissing sign. It follows.

What virgin was trying to do was to reduce train delays. It seems that when saying their goodbyes at the drop-off point, drivers and their passengers blocked access to the station. Well, good luck. I don't know any British national well so I do not know if they really deserve their image of being cold-blooded humans but if they put up any more signs like these, then I suppose there is some truth to the "stiff upper lip".

I do know that if they try it in the Philippines, someone will just take the sign home as a joke. That, or have their picture taken with it. That's how ridiculous it is.

Green Mobile Award

Mobile Communications is one of few industries where the Philippines shines in the global arena. For the others, I can think of fashion (think Michelle Lhuillier) and entertainment (Lea Salonga) and even tourism (Boracay).

So I was particularly happy when I read about how Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) won the very first GSMA Green Mobile Award for its alternative power for cell sites program. It seems that the company has already installed some 68 eco-friendly cell sites in remote or "off-grid" locations nationwide. I guess it makes sense to use renewable energy in remote locations where gensets and diesel plus hauling can be pretty expensive -- especially since our country is an archipelago. This is a business decision that paid off for the company -- not only in terms of savings but also in terms of reduction of carbon emission.

It may not have been an entirely green decision, but it's still laudable that the company is exploring green alternatives to provide communications in remote areas. Other companies focus on urban and populated areas for quick returns, forgetting entirely that communications is even more vital for hard-to-reach areas.

Congrats to SMART for its Green Mobile Award.

Valentine's Day

Concerned about our daughter's illness, my husband and I really didn't make much of Valentine's Day. In fact, I was ready to ignore the whole thing if not for getting reminded of it every time I opened the paper (and it was practically in all of the sections in one form or another) or the TV or the radio. On our way to my mother-in-law's house, it was also on the billboards on the streets. And it didn't help that my cell phone kept registering text messages on Happy Valentine's Day.

I really don't have anything against Valentine's Day. It's especially thrilling for lovers, and I do appreciate the effort my hubby made. We were supposed to take in dinner on Feb. 13 and then a movie. But when we saw how late the movie would end, we just had dinner because we still wanted to catch our daughter awake. After all -- loving is what Valentine's Day is all about and our daughter is certainly part of all the loving.

On V-Day itself, we had her checked by her former pediatrician, whom we would have wanted to retain if not for the fact that her clinic is all the way in Antipolo City and we now live in the Makati area. She advised that we continue with our daughter's antibiotic and to keep monitoring her. If the fever persists, we go back to her Makati pedia on Monday. Meanwhile, it would already be good to have her subjected to a CBC platelet count.

To draw blood on Valentine's Day? Unless you're a vampire, it makes for depressing. Very depressing.

Adenoids

Adenoids what?

Concerned that my five-year-old daughter had sleep apnea (and not knowing better), I had her checked by her pediatrician, who dismissively said "Huh! Large adenoids!"

Sometimes, I wonder if her pediatrician knows she is not talking to a fellow doctor. She issues one-liners like I know what she's talking about, though she is quick to explain when asked.

It takes a while before i understand that adenoids are lumpy clusters of spongy tissue somewhere at the back of our throats. Like tonsils, adenoids help keep your body healthy by trapping harmful bacteria and viruses that you breathe in or swallow. Hence, adenoid tissue sometimes temporarily swells as it tries to fight off an infection. Swollen or enlarged adenoids are common. When this happens, the tonsils get swollen, too.

Yes, yes, she nods when she checks my kid's tonsil. Swollen tonsil too. Probably caused by my kid's UTI. This is the reason why my daughter snores and has trouble getting a good night's sleep. Her whole demeanor suggesting that I am overreacting, the doctor gives me a referral. Have your daughter checked, if you want -- is what she doesn't say although her body language all but shouts it.

I respect my daughter's pediatrician, but there are really times when consultations at her clinic remind me of bouts with my calculus teacher. I barely passed calculus.