Lessons in turtle care #1

When feeding your Red Eared Sliders kangkong (water spinach), it is better to immerse it in the tank instead of cutting off some stalks and putting the rest in the fridge.

Why? I noticed that it keeps better when kept in water. After 2 days, the one I put in the tank was still green with some brown edges while the ones in the fridge were dried and wrinkly.

Should I worry about overfeeding them?

No. From what I’ve read, I should only control feeding them proteins such as pellets and bloodworms. When it comes to vegetables (those that are good for them), it’s fine to feed them as much as they want.

How often do I feed them?

My turtles are still young so I feed them twice a day. I feed them turtle pellets in the morning and then just leave vegetables in the tank so they can munch on them the rest of the day. I’ve only had these RES for 2 weeks but I used to have a Malayan box turtle. I intend to try a variety of vegetables for them but so far, they seem to like carrots, romaine lettuce and kangkong.

Here are photos of my new turtles enjoying their tank.

Blogger Labels: Lessons,Red Eared Sliders,tank,pellets,vegetables,Malayan,carrots,turtle,kangkong,fridge

Technorati Tags: Red Eared Sliders,Malayan box turtle,turtle,vegetables,feeding

Read More

First of December rant

Sometimes, I think I have forgiven that blasted idiot who gunned me down over a year ago. Forgiven, not forgotten. I’m still bent on making sure he stays in jail even if it’s the last thing I do. But then I see my brother, working his ass off. He goes home just to change clothes. Sometimes he gets to sleep for a bit. But most of the time he just works.

Then I realize I couldn’t do that anymore. I used to be fine staying up for days without sleep. I used to be fine with just 2-4 hours of sleep a day. I used to be productive all the time. If I’m not working, I was learning something. That was, or is still important to me. But I can’t…

Now, I welcome every bit of rest I could. Yesterday, we cleaned up my grandmother’s room. It was no mean feat. Her room is like a scene from the cable show about packrats. None of the boys were around to help out. It was just me, my mom, and my 2 sisters who cleaned the place. So I did everything I could to help. My mom warned me against carrying heavy stuff but I just brushed it off. I was feeling great! Surely, I’d be just fine carrying this huge box which probably weighs 50 kilos.

3 hours later, I couldn’t even bear to laugh. My stitches hurt with the littlest movement. I couldn’t even get out of bed, and going to the bathroom was a struggle. It sucked.

I hate not being able to move around. I hate not having my long leisurely walks. I hate not having adventures.

I can’t wait until I fully recover.

Read More

Fruit kid rants

How do you politely turn down buying something from someone who's trying real hard to make a living? See there's this kid who goes by our house everyday selling fruits. My mom doesn't like it when I buy from him saying it's overpriced and I can get it cheaper if I go to the market. I then explain to her that I'm paying for convenience. I don't want to spend time going to the market just to buy a couple of things when there's this kid who's trying to make an honest living by carrying a big basket of fruits all around the neighborhood. Sure, it may be a bit more expensive but factoring the cost of my time (which could be spent working or resting) and considering that he does sell them fresh (and he's more than willing to replace them if I wasn't satisfied), I think its reasonable.

I like buying from the kid but I can't always finish all the fruits I buy from him, even if I share it with others at home. Still he passes by our home multiple times a day, and there are times that it gets very annoying. There are times when I'm working and I got a good rhythm going. You know those moments when you're just in the zone? Then he rings the doorbell multiple times and knocks on the gate which are both really noisy because our house produces this echo inside and I try really hard to ignore him because I couldn't be bothered to get up from my seat and tell him I'm not buying. Sometimes the noise interrupts my sleep. Worse, there are times when I’m on a very important video call and he comes around making all that noise.

I have tried many times to explain to him that whenever nobody’s answering the door, that means either people at home are busy or asleep, or nobody’s home. Still he does it every single day. It’s getting to a point that it becomes frustrating because he’s interrupting my work and at the most inopportune times.

Read More

A “slight” misinformation from Globe Gcash

 

I saw this posted on Globe’s Gcash website two weeks ago. I stopped using Gcash since I lost my last phone over a year ago, but I used to utilize it often for online purchases. Since my friends and I decided to start our own online business a month ago, I figured it would be a good idea to re-active my Gcash account again.

What further spiked my interest was this promo they have. Instead of paying P100 for a Gcash card, you can get it for free either by purchasing tickets at SM Cinema with Gcash or by subscribing to a postpaid plan. Subscribing to a postpaid plan is not an option for me since I can barely consume P500 a month on prepaid credits. So I clicked on the first option which is through SM Cinema. The link opened to this page here.

This wasn’t the exact page that appeared. It seems like they have extended the promo period. This promo was supposed to end by June 30th and since it was already the 25th that day, I called their hotline to verify some information. The representative on the other line confirmed that as long as I make the purchase during the promo period, I would be eligible for this offer. I just need to wait for the confirmation message from Gcash that would enable me to apply for the free card. Armed with this information, I proceeded to register my current Globe SIM to Gcash.

It took a while before I got to register through my mobile phone. I had to try a couple of times before my registration finally went through. Apparently, my previous Gcash account was interfering with my current registration. I had to find that out the hard way because I had to wait in line (sure there were seats and numbers but my point is, I had to wait a long time) the next day at the Globe Business Center in SM Marikina. It took around 20 minutes for my number to be called at the counter and when I got there, they had to send me over to Account Modifications at the Express lane because I can’t put money in my Gcash account yet. I waited another 25 minutes at the Express Lane as they tried to modify my account, and when they finally did, I had to go back to the counter again. Good thing they didn’t ask me to fall in line again.

While waiting for my account to be modified, I asked the personnel about this Gcash promo and she did confirm that purchasing tickets online from SM Cinema’s website would allow me to get a Gcash card for free. Purchasing the ticket went smoothly but I haven’t received any notification from Gcash yet. I called the Gcash hotline again as soon as I got home and asked how long it usually takes for the notification to arrive and the representative said it usually takes a week. I again asked, to make sure, that as long as I purchase the tickets during the promo period, I would be entitled to that promo and she said YES.

Fast forward 2 weeks later. I still haven’t received any notification so I called up their hotline again a few hours ago. This time the representative was telling me something else. I called twice and spoke to two different people (Mayfel Colasito and Satine Armada). This time, they were saying that only select subscribers are eligible for this promo; which is contrary to what appears on their website. Their website clearly states that ALL GCASH SUBSCRIBERS WHO PURCHASE SM CINEMA TICKETS FROM www.smcinema.com THROUGH GCASH DURING THE PROMO PERIOD ARE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN. It does say on the following line that an sms notification will be sent to qualified subscribers but it wasn’t clearly stated that being eligible doesn’t equate to being qualified. So we may have a loop hole here. Nonetheless, I called twice and asked a personnel at the Globe Business Center and they all told me the same thing – that buying a ticket alone would allow me to take advantage of this promo. Not once was it implied that this is some sort of raffle.

I have heard a lot of things about Globe’s “tendency” to not disclose things ie. those people who were billed exorbitant amounts for being unaware that they should manually switch from kb to time-based internet charging, and it annoys me that these little bits of misinformation is causing people too much hassle. I sure wish something can be done about this.

Read More

Introvert through and through

I saw an interesting link in Tumblr the other day. It was about the 10 Myths about Introverts as listed by Carl King. Knowing I’ve always dangled between extremes, I never gave being an introvert much thought. I knew I was one, but being very flexible, I can easily adapt into extroverted~ness. However, during the Holy Week, my mom asked me to help her check the psychological tests of the students in the High School where she worked as a Guidance Counselor. After that, I have to collate their scores and fill up a report.

On the report sheet, I was supposed to write the number of students who are emotionally matured against the immature, socially stable against socially unstable, emotionally stable against the emotionally unstable, and introverts against extroverts. That got me thinking, the dualism here is obvious among the unstables and immatures. But what about introverts against extroverts? Is being an introvert considered a negative trait?

Going back to the link, Carl King wrote an article about a book called The Introvert Advantage: How to thrive in an extrovert world by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D. Being another introvert, he listed 10 common misconceptions about introverts. Gung-ho with interest, I decided to make it a checklist for my introverted~ness.

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Check! This is exactly me. I only speak when spoken to, and I only speak when I have something worth saying. I just don’t see the point in wasting energy in saying something stupid. This goes without saying that I do a lot of evil things in my head while keeping my mouth shut. Like mentally murdering people or torturing them.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Check! Whenever my mom would introduce me to people, I normally just smile and politely nod to acknowledge their presence. I would then overhear my mom say, “Tahimik talaga yan” (She’s really quiet) which I found amusing because I was often told off in school for being noisy. Or maybe I’m just loud at times. Still, I’m not really a quiet person. I just don’t have anything to say to them and I certainly won’t say anything just for the sake of saying something. Although when someone does try to make conversation, I make an effort to be engaged as well.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Check! I am just socially handicapped. If I want something I say it. I don’t care if its not socially acceptable to interfere like that, but I just can’t sit still and not do something. I don’t think I’m being impolite. No, not at all. I think they’re just being overly sensitive.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Check! I love people! I get off from helping other people and making other people happy. I’ve often been told that I give too much but maybe that’s just me. I will do absolutely everything I can for a friend without any care or thought for myself. That is how much I love them.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Check! Carl King why are you so awesome? You just explained everything en pointe.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Check! I daydream a lot and I don’t like being interrupted. I sometimes surprise myself at how detailed my daydreams are. It helps a lot in making me come up with ideas. I like having someone to share my thoughts with. I like having someone I can have adventures with. I’m comfortable being alone. Just not too alone.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

I am weird. I like being weird. I like being different. I choose to do things based on what I like and I will not apologize for it. I don’t care if people say otherwise. Is being weird a bad thing? Is creativity a bad thing? Is having a mind of your own undaunted by outside influence a bad thing?

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Normal people bore me. They are so predictable. It makes me sad that I’m related to normal people. My little sister is too easy to give in to peer pressure. And she likes all the popular stuff. It’s pathetic I can’t even bear to speak of it. So I’d rather not pay her any attention and focus on my shit. That terribly annoys my mom. She gets home and asks, “Asan si ____?” (Where is _____?) and I would say Ewan ko (I don’t know). She would then ask, “Wala ka bang pakialam?” (Have you any care?). In my head I would say, I do, I just don’t like what I see so I’d rather not pay any attention. But then I choose to be polite and just remain silent for the remainder of the impending nag-fest.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

You can’t fix what isn’t broken. I embrace my quirks with much gusto and although I can act extrovertedly with ease, I just can’t be bothered. Haters gonna hate.

Read More