I prefer smoothies over whine, thanks

I am utterly tired, bored and on the verge of meltdown from ten days of camping out at the hospital while watching out for Dad. I have a lot of things to whine about at this point, but to help tend my sanity, i decided to make a list of things i am thankful for - little pearls I came across the rough, ditch-pocked path these past ten days.

1. The fact that my dad is loved by many, both in his workplace and his church.
It was a bit of a surprise for me that a whole lot of people expressed sincere concern, as well as extended their prayers, services and resources. I know that my Dad is usually a difficult person, but that just seems to be a footnote as far as his professional and ministerial relationships are concerned.

2. Financial assistance from family and friends.
Hospital bills can really shoot up for prolonged stays, particularly for a brain surgery. Despite the ginormous expenses, we're covered by family friends and have one less thing to worry about. This kind of aid is much, much appreciated.

3. Having an uncle who is a General Surgeon at a good hospital.
Very, very advantageous in case f a major medical emergency. We got an initial diagnosis from him even before we left for the hospital, and we had a room and a team of doctors ready even before we arrived.

4. Neurosurgery and neurosurgeons.
Proper credit to Drs. Tan, San Luis and Uy of UERMMMC for evacuating the bleed from my Dad's brain. They, especially Dr. San Luis, also gave us some practical tips for recuperation and post-recovery coping.

5. House and Grey's Anatomy.
Who would have thought that watching those TV dramas would have some practical use? It familiarized me with some jargon that the doctors used (you know how doctors can get sometimes; they forget that the people they speak to may not always understand medical terms) and I was able to catch up. There's this one particular episode of House that i recall - the one with the guy who seemed to be speaking nonsense but was actually communicating in terms of word association - it has been very useful in helping me grasp and describe my Dad's post-surgery verbal aplasia. Watching good TV pays.

6. Tomato sauce in a jar.
I've gotten so sick of fast food and caned goods. They have been staples this past week and a half since we've been tired and busy. But I crave real food. Fortunately we found an imported-product spaghetti sauce in a jar in Papa's secret stash. All we needed to do was boil the noodles, douse them with the ready-made sauce ad sprinkle with herbs and cheese, and voila! Instant gourmet pasta! No cumbersome can-opening! No grinding, sauteeing, or cooking!

7. Flannel blankets.
They've been really useful these past few while I needed to bunk in a nippy hospital room (Papa likes the temperature low; besides, as I've been told, it's comfier for those whove had head-operations). They can double as pillows or triple as shawls.

8. WiFi
Wonderful invisible convenience. If not for WiFi, we'd be bored out of our wits.