This month’s guiding thought was: Prediabetes is your body’s way of saying, “Pay attention.” It reminded me that health challenges are not the end, but a chance to make better choices. The rains from June to August helped refill dams that had been running dangerously low, yet they also caused flooding across Metro Manila and parts of Luzon. Much of the flooding was worsened by trash accumulation and delayed flood-control projects.
On the personal side, I struggled with dry, swollen feet and a non-healing injury that eventually produced pus. Delaying medical care made things harder, and blood tests revealed high uric acid, prediabetes, and elevated cholesterol. These results pushed me to start gout maintenance, cut down on sweets, and reduce salty, oily foods. It was a wake-up call to take responsibility for my health and be more proactive.
I visited the Santolan Super Health Center, expecting little but finding the process organized and efficient. In two hours, I completed registration, measurements, consultations, and received free antibiotics, plus a prescription for gout medicine. The visit reassured me and gave me a clearer direction for ongoing care.
On the tech side, I upgraded my DigitalOcean server from Ubuntu v14 to v26 and PHP v4 to v8, while downgrading to a lower tier to save costs. I refreshed SSL certificates, updated plugins, and fixed bugs in my Pstahl PHP application.
Finally, though my injury slowed me down, I managed to read two isekai-themed stories: The Novel’s Extra Remake and The Tutorial is Too Hard. These tales of survival and adaptation mirrored my own slower pace, offering escape and imagination during recovery.
This Month's Quote
Prediabetes is your body’s way of saying, ‘Pay attention.’ It’s not the end—it’s a chance to make better choices while you still can.
Flooding caused by the Habagat rains and accumulated trash
Trash accumulation worsens flooding across Metro Manila...
This has been a rainy month, and while water is crucial—especially with dam levels running dangerously low—the continuous rains from June to August have almost restored them to normal. Unfortunately, the heavy rainfall also led to widespread flooding across Metro Manila, as well as in Northern and Central Luzon. Much of the problem stems from delayed or missed flood-control projects, which left many areas vulnerable despite the replenished water supply.
Injured and Swollen Feet
Foot infection accompanied by dryness...
This month has been a wake-up call for my health. It started with dry, swollen feet and a stubborn injury that refused to heal, eventually producing pus. I delayed seeing the doctor for a week, and then waited another week for the medical results before starting medication. Looking back, I realize that if I had taken antibiotics earlier, the problem might have resolved more quickly.
The blood tests revealed more than just the infection. My uric acid levels were high, which meant I needed to begin maintenance medication for gout. I also learned that I was pre-diabetic, so sweets and sugary foods had to be flagged from my diet. On top of that, my cholesterol was elevated, reminding me to watch my food intake, drink more water, and cut down on salt and oily fried dishes.
Though the experience was difficult, it pushed me to reflect on my lifestyle. It reminded me that health cannot be taken for granted, and small choices—like diet, hydration, and timely medical care—make a big difference. This episode became more than just about treating an injury; it was about learning to take responsibility for my body and making changes that will hopefully lead to a healthier future.
Santolan Super Health Center
Public health care...
Because of my foot injury, I decided to drop by the nearest super clinic. To my surprise, the experience was better than I expected—I went in anticipating the worst, but it turned out to be fairly organized. The entire process took about two hours, starting from registration, followed by pre-medical measurements, a preliminary consultation with the staff, and finally the doctor’s assessment.
I was also able to receive free medications, including antibiotics, which were a relief. The doctor prescribed gout medication as well, though the clinic didn’t carry it, so I had to purchase that separately at the pharmacy. Overall, the visit felt efficient and reassuring, giving me both immediate treatment and a clearer direction for my ongoing health management, SSHCG: Santolan Pasig Super Health Center.
DigitalOcean Project: OS Upgrade & Server Plan Adjustment
Managing servers and web services with a cloud provider...
It’s been over a decade since I first started using https://www.digitalocean.com/. Back in 2014, I switched from a small hosting provider, and since then it has been my go-to platform for servers and web services. This time around, I upgraded my server OS from Ubuntu v14 to v26 and bumped my PHP version from v4 to v8, ensuring my stack is up to date.
To balance performance with cost, I also downgraded my server to a lower tier—enough to meet my needs without sacrificing utility. Alongside the upgrade, I refreshed my SSL certificates and updated my free cert-open plugin to keep everything secure. During the process, I discovered a few bugs in my Pstahl PHP application, which I managed to fix.
Overall, the upgrade felt like a necessary step forward: modernizing my environment, tightening security, and optimizing costs, all while keeping my projects running smoothly.
Manwha: The Novels Extra Remake and The Tutorial is too Hard
Reading novels over the month...
Due to my injury, I haven’t been able to read much this month. Most of my time was spent exercising my swollen feet or moving slowly through daily routines. Rest became my chance to catch up on stories, though at a gentler pace than usual. During those quiet moments, I browsed through two titles that both explore isekai or summoned-world concepts: The Novels Extra Remake — a reimagining of a familiar story where the protagonist navigates a world he was never meant to belong to.
The Tutorial is too Hard — a survival tale where a seemingly simple tutorial becomes a brutal test of endurance and wit.
Though my reading was limited, these stories offered a welcome escape, carrying me into other worlds while I was grounded by recovery. They reminded me that even in slowed-down days, imagination can still move freely.
Kids Birthday, Kenney Assets, Kokoclone, Heavy Knight, Crazy Demon, World After the End, Katture |