Yesterday, am happy to say that I finally took the courage to bike on the main streets. My only problem now is keeping my balance and applying the right kind of reaction whenever I apply breaks to the bike. You see, the bike I practice is too big for me. I had to tiptoe to reach the ground. When I apply breaks, I jump off the bike instead of reaching the ground. From time to time, I try to apply breaks without jumping off the bike. So yesterday, when I applied the breaks after being paranoid with the other vehicles passing by, I lost my balance. I was trying to apply breaks and tiptoe to reach the ground but I lost it.

I fell on my left side. Unlike the other falls I’ve encountered during my practice, my lower leg got folded and I landed in it, with the bike on top. The pain was excruciating. I had to ask help from Ed to slowly untwist my ankle and pull my leg to straighten it. I was thankful that I didn’t have any dislocated joints (I think). I saw a makeshift bench under a tree across the street and told Ed I had to rest for a while in case the joints swell. When I was relieved from what happened, and seeing that the knee and ankle were fine, I decided to continue biking. We were on the last bend on our way to this huge road leading to Angkor Wat.

While biking after the accident, I noticed pain on my knee every time I pedal but I didn’t mind it. But when we finally finished my biking lessons and went home, the pain started to increase. My ankle started swelling and I couldn’t walk properly. I applied cold compress using the frozen bacon in the fridge.  I also elevated the leg 45 degrees and the ankle swelling subsided. However, there’s still pain on my knee which prevents me from walking properly.

It’s a good thing that Ed had this cold compress pack which I alternately used for the ankle and knee. I also used this bottle of frozen iced tea to apply cold compress on both joints.

Currently, my ankle is still swollen but it’s not painful anymore. I guess I just have to elevate it to stop the swelling. As for the knee, it’s still swelling and I could barely move it. My doctor friend advised the intake of anti-inflammatory meds but I don’t want to take one since those make me hungry She was concerned that I might have torn ligaments on the knee and ankle. I guess they are just fine. Sorry if I’m too stubborn. hehehe. She also mentioned to lessen walking for the next 48 hours and just do passive exercise. I guess that means I’d have to stay in bed and ask Ed to feed me

So, would this bike accident stop me from biking once I’m ok? The answer is a big NO!

Update at 3pm:

I messaged my doctor-friend what happened and seeked advise on what I should do. This was her reply:

“Take anti- inflammatory meds – example mefenamic acid, ibuprofen round the clock for 48h then as needed after.

Did it occur while driving at fast speed? We need to rule out fracture sa ankle and torn knee ligaments. Anyway, continue the elevation, decrease walking for the next 24-48h but do passive exercise sa joints involved. – this is important as you dont want your joints to be not working, it’s more painful to move it after long immobility. Pain and swelling should gradually decrease if thers no fracture in a day or 2 even 3. Key words, gradual improvement, not worsening. As for the torn ligament, pain may resolve but not completely even after 2 weeks. I do hope you got the travel insurance, you wrote about it bya before. Update me okay”

I told her in detail how I folded and almost twisted my knee and ankle but I don’t think I was in any danger at all. I told her I don’t want to take the meds as it will make me hungry but I got scolded when she replied this back:

“Take anti inflammatory, that’s a must. No negotiation there.
Passive exercises- moving muscles and joints without weight or weight bearing. Gradually fold the knees while seated, rotate ankle while elevated. Get an insurance or I’ll drag your ass back here. With the length of your stay overseas, and without family to run to, I think it’s worth it. Okay, update.”

Prior to this, I already went down on the 1st floor of our guesthouse to cook my breakfast since I was about to get hungry. My travel buddy was busy doing I dunno what and I don’t want to be too dependent on him. After being scolded bout the meds, I immediately took one. I guess my doc-friend’s reaction scared me and made me take the meds just in case I’m in for the worse.

In times like this, I wish I had crutches so that I could move freely *sigh* I hope my knee will get better soon as I’m moving out of SR in a few days! Geesh!

When checking the sidebars, I found some that are no longer applicable to me and started cleaning up. And then I saw the wishlist part that I probably created a year ago.

I hurriedly updated the list in my Widget editor bar and got rid of what I no longer need.  Since I’m now backpacking in SEA, am definitely not gonna need a 23″ Samsung monitor. That one was supposed to be for my monitor back at home. I also don’t need a backpack anymore since I decided I’d stick with my 26L TNF Amira backpack. Upgraded some items I listed down and basically trimmed everything to the essential things I’d like to have for now.

Am not too sure though when I’d acquire these items. For now, all will remain to be items I wish to acquire. I hope I do get to own one of those things I listed on top. Donations are highly appreciated and encouraged!  ;-)

i didn’t pay for the fare going to i dunno where. thought i could get away with it on my way back. LOL. wasn’t able to control my excitement as my field trip ended and shouted out “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” because of my happiness. mababaw lang kaligayahan ko. sensya

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thought i visited Wat Arun today but found out it was Wat Saket or the Golden Mount. even so, i was happy i visited the place. the view from the top was a breather for me despite inhaling the city’s (polluted???) air. sad that i couldn’t see its beauty at night but still happy knowing that place existed. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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i thought the boat was doing an unscheduled stop to pick up a passenger but it wasn’t. the canal boat stopped to get a ball that got tossed over the river by some teenagers who were probably playing i dunno what. that crew of the canal boat’s gesture of kindness towards those teenagers despite running a public transportation in the busy canals of bangkok was very uplifting. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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saw this Mango Sensation at Swensen’s for 69 baht and thought i’d reward myself with that yummy desert after my field trip. yummy treat! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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i decided not to take the BTS since i spent too much on food today. LOL. but the bus never came so off to BTS i went. then decided to ride the bus again but rode the wrong one. toinks! good thing the bus conductor didn’t demand payment for the bus fare and this uber helpful lolo helped translate the instructions on where i should get off and what bus number i should ride. if i can only hug him, i would but i dunno if their culture allows it. LOL. he even wrote the bus numbers i should ride just in case. and what’s great is that i ended up riding one of their free buses! i thought i would leave bangkok not riding one but am glad i did get to ride one! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

photo credit: to their respective owners linked on this post

On one of my solo lunch takeouts on a busy time of the day night, I’d have to line up in Jollibee to buy my food. So I was there alone waiting for my turn to order when suddenly I heard this big happy and exceptionally perky voice behind the counters of Jollibee.

The voice said “I received 500 pesos from your lucky wallet!” A smirk forms in my mouth when I heard that comment. Then I patiently waited for my turn. Again, that voice said “Thank you for coming and more power!” Now I started getting curious. Who could that person be?

As I moved forward to finally place my order, I saw this guy behind the counters.

The name plate pinned on this crew’s shirt said “Hi my name is BUBBLES”

the very bubbly Bubbles as a Red Ribbon crew

And that’s the first time I experienced the “Bubbles Magic!”

Bubbles is just an ordinary fast food crew who has an exceptional way of showing excellent customer service. Every time Bubbles takes your order, he makes sure that he adds his own personal customer service touch to make your order experience bubbly!

Here are some his famous lines when taking your order..

“I received money from your lovely hands”
“Pwde kahuwat ug 5 minutes kay gipalami-an pa imong burger” (Please wait for 5 minutes as we are preparing an extra special burger for you)
“I received 50 pesos from your fabulous and expensive-looking wallet”

then all of a sudden, I no longer saw Bubbles in Jollibee IT Park. He was one of the reasons why I constantly buy food from that food chain. The other crew members of Jollibee tried to mimic his customer handling skills but no one was able to match Bubbles’ great customer service skills.

A year after, today to be exact, I was really happy when I saw Bubbles again. He is now working as a crew at the Red Ribbon outlet in SM Cebu. When I saw him, he even greeted me with “Welcome to my new home! Thanks for visting me!” hahaha. Same old Bubbly Bubbles. Nothing changed with the way he handles his customers. He is still in his usual perky self. I guess what’s great about his new home is that he has accumulated more punch lines for that Magical Bubbles Experience like “bug-at ang among cake sa tiyan pero dili sa bulsa kaya bili nah!” (our cakes are heavy on the stomach but not on your pockets, so buy now!)

Bubbles even mentioned that one of his fans created a Facebook page for him and told me to check it out. I couldn’t help smile at the thought of seeing him again. Upon checking out his FB Fanpage, you will read how grateful his customers were for his ability to bring a smile into their faces, including mine.

So to those who doesn’t know what happened to Bubbles and wonders where in the world is Bubbles, you can catch him at the Red Ribbon outlet in SM City Cebu. If you want to experience great display of exceptional customer service skills, you oughta pay Bubbles a visit and experience the Bubbles Magic!

You can visit his Fanpage at https://www.facebook.com/saksinibubbles to know more about his exceptional service

Donnie-Lee Sabang, my long time friend, is the brain child behind Donny Shoo. He always believed that fun should start at one’s feet, thus the tagline “Donny Shoo: Fun starts at your feet.” His designs are always up to date and will cater to each shoe lover’s cravings for comfortable and good looking footwear.

For more information on his latest designs and to know more on how to order those cool espadrilles, simply visit his website at Donny Shoo.

P.S. He doesn’t know this yet but try to mention my name when you buy one and ask if you can get a discount