Goodbye November, Hello December!

Oh wow, it's going to be December already tomorrow. Where did time fly? It feels like time stopped after February and the last few months have just been a bad dream. November did not treat me kindly and I'm still recovering from being sick. My doctor wants me to heal naturally. This means I need to take the punches as they come and let my immune system do the work. 

Whew! The next few weeks are going to be challenging. 

But, Christmas is just around the corner and I want to be in tip-top shape for Christmas! I think that's the best I can do for my family. I think my doctor wants me to heal naturally so I can also build up my stamina and be stronger. Tomorrow will be day 1 of full balik alindog program! 

I'm just glad that despite all these challenges I'm in a better place now compared to last year. It took me six months to regain my resilience and normal happy self. I got to this place thanks to my family, friends and my plants! Yes! My plants! I think whatever it was I went through this month they took the hit for me. A few are still alive and I'll see if I can nourish them back to good health (together with me!). 

I have also been preparing for Christmas. Sent a box to Miggy and Mom and arranged for some gifts to be sent to family and close friends. I'm a bit delayed with the Christmas cards, but I hope to send them this week. 

I can't wait to start December and then count down to a better new year! 

#CB//236 #StuckAtHomeDay/266 #WFH156 #StayHome #BeKind 

Beautiful Lazy Sunday

Sunday is rest day. Slept in and finally got up at noon since I wanted some coffee. Ate oatmeal and a half a bagel while drinking coffee and then tended to my plants. 

Most of my plants are dead now. Yup! They lived beautifully for a few months, but when I started getting sick I couldn't take care of them the way I used to. I had to treat them weekly so keep the bugs away. It takes a lot of effort from my end and when I got sick a few weeks ago I wasn't able to fight the pest anymore. I finally got to remove some of the dead ones today. It'll take a few more days for me to clean up the pots and then I'll think about re-planting. Maybe I should plant more mustasa since the bugs hate it hehe. 

Took a shower and then heated up all our leftovers for buffet Sunday. That's what we usually do on weekends. After eating we just settled on the couch and watched videos. I was going to work on my quilting project, but I just decided to rest. Tomorrow will be a work day and I'm sure I have a gazillion mails waiting in my inbox. I also need to make a quick run to my doctor. Tomorrow he will decided whether it's the right time to remove one of my medications. 

I can't believe it's the last day of November already tomorrow. The month just flew by, although this is not one of my favorite months since I unexpectedly got sick. I'm grateful to be alive and hope this impasse can eventually get resolved. 

How was your weekend?

#CB//235 #StuckAtHomeDay/265 #StayHome #BeKind 

Started Working on my TB Bucketlist

A few years ago we got lost and ended up in a MRT station far away from our home. We went out and ended up at a Toast Box branch located by the station. I got curious and checked how many Toast Box branches there are in Singapore. At that time I think there were only 50. I thought about visiting all the Toast Box branches across the island. 

Got so busy and I never got around to starting it. I told a friend about the plan a few months ago and he said he wanted to join me on my quest. I checked last night and found out there are 70 Toast Box branches across Singapore now. I'm not sure how many branches I've been to already so we started the quest today at a branch I've never been to -- Tiong Bahru Plaza. 

We wanted to go to one that had outdoor seating, but I couldn't find any. The last time I visited Tiong Bahru was over ten years ago probably. I usually just pass through it on the way to another location. The shop was located at Tiong Bahru Plaza. It had quite a lot of seats inside and is a cozy place for meeting up with friends. We spent a good hour eating merienda and catching up. 

With the TeaCompletely.com crew at ToastBox Funan (c. 2017).

I just took a look at the list and it looks like I have been to a number of branches in the North, South and Central area of Singapore. Not much from the East and West part. It'll probably take time before I complete all the 70 branches since it seems I have to limit my movement for now and rest. It was fun though to finally start something that's been on my to-do list for a long time now. 

Have you tried my Toast Box peanut butter cookies?

#CB//234 #StuckAtHomeDay/264 #StayHome #BeKind 

Lunch Date at Central Perk

I took a leave for the rest of the week to rest and recuperate. I also didn't know how much energy I'd lose after the tests I had yesterday. I'm glad I took the day off also today since the scan was pretty painful. I had a brilliant idea last night and told Sweetie maybe we can have lunch at Central Perk. 

If you're an avid fan of the TV show "Friends", you'd know that Central Perk was the cafe they used to hang out in all the time. We've been wanting to visit Central Perk and attempted to go twice already. It was either full because of a party or closed. We randomly saw a "Friends" related video last night and that's how I got the idea to have lunch there today. 

Google Maps said it would be open by 11am and it prompted me to make a reservation. I booked for 12:30pm and the place was empty when we arrived (so much for booking haha). Went through the usual safe entry and temperature check protocol and we were showed our seat which was just beside the replica of the couch. We accessed the menu via a QR code which directed us to a web page where we can select our orders. 

We were hungry and so ordered a lot of food! The servings were huge! The items on the menu were each associated which a character from the show. I ordered the Phoebe Buffay cappuccino and Sweetie got the Chandler Bing cappuccino. We ordered a couple more things and brought home some leftovers hehe. We ate really slow and by the time we finished (2 hours later) there were a couple more diners. (More about what we ate here).

There was a small area which led to Monica and Rachel's kitchen replica and they had a few more memorablia on display. They were also selling some souvenirs (shirts go for SG$49!). After looking around we left. The food was a bit pricey, but the servings were huge and we had fun. I'm thankful I was able to make it out today. I hope I can go swimming over the weekend. 

Have you visited Central Perk? Did you finish watching the Friends series?

#CB//233 #StuckAtHomeDay/263 #StayHome #BeKind 

A Gloriously Happy Thanksgiving

I asked Sweetie last night if they celebrated Thanksgiving when he was growing up. He said they had friends and neighbors who would invite them. I have never experienced celebrating Thanksgiving. It's not something we celebrate in the Philippines. 

This years has been really tough so I've been looking for excuses to celebrate (a.k.a. order yummy food!). I thought it would be a good time to experience Thanksgiving. A few days ago I started to look for Thanksgiving food delivery. Up until this morning I couldn't find any so we decided to just get some chicken. 

Max's Restaurant had the perfect combo. They have a smaller combo now good for 3 which includes half chicken, kare-kare, pancit and lumpia. Ahhh what a feast! It was a lot so we'll have the rest for lunch tomorrow. Luckily Sweetie brought home some Thanksgiving dessert from the office so I got to try pumpkin goodies. 

It's been a tough year, but there's so much to be thankful for and I am grateful for that. There's been so much bayanihan around us. Our medical frontliners have been taking care of all of us. They have sacrificed so much of themselves. To support these frontliners there are those who volunteered to provide food, additional PPEs, masks, face shield, shelter. And in the past month there's so many people helping those affected by the typhoons. Even though the year has been really tough it's been bringing out the best in us too. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Always be grateful and live life to the fullest! 

#CB//232 #StuckAtHomeDay/262 #StayHome #BeKind 

Thank You for the Hugs and Love

I was feeling so unwell yesterday and asked hugs from everyone. After I asked for the hugs I went offline and focused on finishing work and rested after. I was so surprised this morning when I got an outpouring of hugs and messages of love from family and friends. Thank you from the bottom of my repaired  heart <3

Showing your support for us who get sick helps a lot. It makes us feel we're still needed and does wonders to our fighting spirit. My doctors believe so much in me I forgot to ask for some rest time. My friends here were telling me I should have taken a break. I'm so busy at work right now it did not cross my mind to ask for some rest time from my doctors. I figured since they only gave me dizzy meds I'd be okay after resting during the weekend. Not. 

I'm still oddly lucky because despite all these mishaps I never had to stay in the hospital. And that's a big thing for me. I dread having to stay in the hospital especially during this time. You also don't really get enough rest at the hospital since they check on you every other hour. So I'm grateful that I'm able to hold up even with my complicated body. 

Tomorrow I am scheduled to do some tests. I hope and pray that the tests would be positive and help me with my quest to reduce my medication. If it works out it means I'll probably get off one of my medications next week! This medication has a lot of side effects. I think I can only get better when I stop taking it. We'll see :)

#CB//231 #StuckAtHomeDay/261 #WFH155 #StayHome #BeKind 

It's Complicated

I was told after heart surgery I am one in one hundred thousand. It was funny because nurses, pre-med students flocked to my room to have a look at me. I didn't mind since I thought it could help someone they treat in the future. I even told my second opinion doctor that I may decide to donate my body to science once I pass. Seriously, yes. My family though would probably disagree. 

After PT yesterday. Must get stronger. 

I'm feeling a little bit sad today. I just read a summary my second opinion doctor wrote about my condition. She mentioned the term complicated a couple of times in the report. I've always known that my body is different from everyone else. It's an intricate system (don't worry I won't bore you with the details). My doctors told me I've been this way since I was born and it's never really bothered me. And I'm just grateful I'm still alive and can do to contribute. 

In a lot of ways I know I won't be me without being different. My doctor told me I'd probably be very different if I didn't have those tiny cavernomas in my brain. Sometimes though I cannot help but think, would my life be different if I had a normal body? If I did I would probably have more adventures. Maybe I'd be an extrovert. Maybe I'd be more friendly, more outgoing. I'd have more energy and be able to do marathons, climb mountains, hike, bike like crazy. 

But that's not me. God gave me this body, challenges, and mission. I will not have it any other way. I am thankful and grateful for all my family, friends and colleagues who understand that I am not physically strong like everyone else. They know that despite all the challenges I face physically that I give what I can. 

I thought I'd write this for all other people who are like me. Especially for those persons who have bodies that science don't completely understand yet. We are all created different after all. So just live the best way you can. Just love and live happy. 

#CB//230 #StuckAtHomeDay/260 #WFH154 #StayHome #BeKind