Almost a Week in QMMC

Two months ago, Youngest Brother contracted one of the vicious diseases in the Philippines. My brother became ill of dengue fever.

My brother is already out of the hospital and out of danger. However, I can still remember the worry that my parents felt when they discovered my brother's illness. We thought at first that my brother only had the usual fever. The initial medical check-up also showed that he didn't have any grave illness. But after a few days of fever, my parents decided to bring Youngest Brother to Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC).

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There, my parents discovered that my brother had a dengue fever. Our consolation is that the dengue fever is just starting, which means that he didn't need any blood transfusion. The doctor said that my brother only needed to stay in the hospital for a few days for recovery.

Renting a private room in QMMC is expensive. Our family didn't have enough money to afford such expensive room. Also, we need to spend our money for my brother's medicines and other needs. My parents decided to send my brother to the “charity ward.”

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QMMC's children's ward.

The ward is very crowded. It was said that majority of the patients in that ward were victims of dengue. It was the dengue season during the time when my brother got sick.

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Other patients in QMMC's children's ward.

My brother had to share one hospital bed with two patients. It is a big sacrifice on his part but still he is fortunate because he got a bed. Other patients had no choice but to sit on monobloc chairs.

The stay in the “charity ward” is not free of charge. The hospital bed is for rent. The only benefit on staying in the ward is that my brother became eligible to get assistance from the Department of Social Work.

My brother recovered after staying for almost a week in QMMC. We are so happy that he is out of danger. Our hope is that none of us in the family will suffer another dengue fever.

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Do you or your loved ones experienced dengue fever? Or did you experienced staying in a public hospital? Tell us your experiences by leaving a comment in the comment box below.

Chub's Restaurant at Balibago, Santa Rosa

Me, my Beloved and my two siblings (Little Sister and Youngest) went to Barrio Balibago of Laguna's Santa Rosa City to catch a bus going to Cubao. Our group just finished a whole day of fun in Splash Island Resort and we were hungry and tired.

We decided to have our dinner at Davao Restaurant, which I think was newly opened during that time.

I ordered their chicken inasal with sunny-side-up egg.

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I like their chicken inasal, which tasted really good even in the inside. My problem is that it is a little dry. Another plus points for their chicken inasal is that it is not burnt, unlike the one I ate in Mang Inasal.

Another thing that I liked is the little carabao figurine on the top of our table. I played with it (yep, I'm still a little childish) while we were waiting for our orders to come. See this little carabao drinking vinegar:

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The place looks like a big bahay kubo. The outside wall of the restaurant is made of bamboo. I guess they are echoing the bahay kubo style of Penong's, which is a very popular restaurant in Davao.

Me and Beloved went back to this restaurant before I left for Thailand. I was surprised that the name of the restaurant was changed to Chub's. Only a few things were changed inside but their menu is still the same. The little carabao was also removed. :-(

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I was curious of their chicken tinikling so we ordered that one. We also ordered their grilled tilapia.

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I enjoyed eating the chicken tinikling. I tasted a hint of sweetness, which might come from the marinade. I will order this chicken tinikling if I visit Chub's again.

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The grilled tilapia is just OK. Nothing bad about it but also nothing special.

Santa Rosa City is a heavily populated place in Laguna. Many people living in this city came from different parts of the Philippines and work in the factories located in the economic zones in the area. Thus, there are a lot of restaurants in this city, especially in Balibago. These restaurants offer cheap-priced meals for the workers. I think that Chub's is a little expensive than the other restaurants in Balibago that's why few people dine there.

I prefer this restaurant, however, because the food that they offer is better than other restaurants in the area.

P.S. What I hate with Chub's is its videoke. It is so noisy specifically when the restaurant's staff amp up the volume while they were singing.