Old Metro Manila Paper Map

Found an old paper map while sorting my Mom's things. It was a map published by National Bookstore in 1988. Only street names could be found on the map. To find a street you could follow the designated grid from the list on the back of the map. 

Of course, if you look closely, the map features more of Manila, Pasay, Mandaluyong, San Juan, and Quezon City. My city, Paranaque, is at the bottom of the map and just covers half of it. Marikina, Las Pinas and Alabang are nowhere to be found. Apparently, Alabang used to be a farm land. Las Pinas used to be part of Manila. Marikina, on the other hand, was part of the province of Rizal (same as Paranaque). I'm not sure when their status changed. 

The map also shows Taguig as an empty lot. It's where BGC is now located. When I was growing up, the area where BGC is now used to be part of "Fort Bonifacio". Most of it was empty and just housed the American Cemetery, AFP buildings and golf club, and the Libingan ng mga Bayani. I used to go with my Mom there to visit Tito Ben and eat yummy pancit at the AFP golf club. The area is now filled up if you look at Google Maps. 

Aside from this paper map, I also found a thicker street map book-slash-magazine. Sweetie was excited to see Marikina in the map. Unfortunately, half of the book was missing! Haha. Maybe we'll find it as I go through more boxes. I told him, we almost never went to Marikina even though Tito Bert lived there. My parents thought anywhere outside of Makati is far. 

Kids nowadays would be surprised how we used to find places. Google Maps was only introduced in 2005 and I worked on getting more things mapped only in 2007. Back then smart phones were also not rampantly available yet. I remember I used to print maps from Google Maps before going out (and yes I found a few print outs while sorting). 

There's no need for us to keep the paper map and the street map book (and it's missing pages) since online maps have richer information. Things also change a lot. The main thoroughfare near us has changed a lot since I was a child. And I'll save that story for another day. 

Do you still have paper maps?

#BeKind #StaySafe

How My Stamina Improved!

I finally resumed pulmo rehab yesterday. My PT asked for updates first. I haven't seen her since the first week of November, just before I got very sick! My doctor had me rest first before I resumed. I told my PT I improved a lot after Christmas. Here's what I've been doing since mid-December which helped improve my stamina:

(1) Use the CPAP machine - I've been using it for 6 to 8 hours daily. My doctor explained, it's been helping me get the right amount of oxygen while I sleep. Getting proper sleep helps the restorative process. My Fitbit sleep score has improved a lot too. 

(2) Meal plan - I'm on a 1200 calorie deficit diet. I chose the heart meal to ensure I'm eating the right kind of food. Eating kutsinta sized brown rice shocked me in the beginning. My tummy has since shrank, the tiny sized rice has since become very filling! 

(3) Daily exercise - my neuro advised me to exercise. She said, "Do something you like doing." I'm doing pulmo rehab so I could progress to biking. I'm months away from reaching that goal, so I garden daily for now. I started watering plants for 15 minutes in mid-December, I now garden at least an hour everyday. I read it's a good workout since you use most of your muscles while working. 

(4) Doctor added supplements - aside from vitamin D3, my doctor added vitamin B to my daily supplements. It's helped me be more stable. The late afternoon gardening sessions also help with my vitamin D insufficiency. 

(5) Grow in faith - I still get stressed out sometimes. It's usually from things I cannot control. I'm practicing mindfulness and so I could control how I react to things. Read more about it here.

My quality of life has improved a bit. I'm able to do a bit more stuff everyday. My doctor reminded me to check my oxygen saturation especially when I'm gardening. This is to make sure I'm okay, so I could stop when needed. Miggy has been on-point when it comes to stopping me from over-working. He's very strict and I appreciate that since I have a tendency to keep doing stuff when I feel I have more energy, haha. 

I'm happy with the improvement. I have to ensure I stay stable so I can improve more :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Starting the Year with a Fun Project

I'm so excited to start sewing and quilting again! I usually start the year with something useful and fun. I've been wanting to make my own version of the popular jute bag used during the holiday season for gifts. I like the shape and size. 

A friend gave me one and I've been using it to carry my stuff around the house. My tablet and phone fits it perfectly. I also bring around some essential oils in case I get a headache or need to stop an allergy. I have a collection of character fabric, so that's what I experimented on. 

As I happily assembled the bag, I told myself I could finally use the straps I've bought in the past. When I started assembling the bag I couldn't find the straps! My craft room is currently in a bad state. It's messy because I'm also sorting through boxes from my childhood home. Since I couldn't find the straps, I challenged myself to DIY it!

Good thing I had materials to make straps. It was quite easy to make (see video above). Next time, I'll try to make the rounded ones. I'm happy I was able to add a new sewing skill! Will share next week, how the bag turns out!

More info about this project on my sewing blog: https://www.needleadventures.com/2024/01/how-to-make-bag-strap.html 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Cat Leaves a Surprise for Us

It was just the beginning of the year when we got a huge surprise from a stray cat who started visiting us a few weeks ago. We think she was abandoned by her previous owner (they moved out). She's a noisy cat and does not shy away from hoomans. She's also friendly to other cats. She's managed to get in our door a couple of times. That's how we figured out that she's domesticated and not part of the feral colony.  

We aptly named the cat, Meredith. Her markings though are different from Grey since she has spots. Soon enough she allowed us to pet her. The other feral cats that have been visiting us for 2 years now, still don't want to be touched. They would just sniff our fingers and then turn away. Anyway, we soon noticed Meredith had a strange bulge. She was pregnant and would meow loudly whenever she visited to eat. 

On the third of January, Sweetie and I stepped out for some errands. When we got back we were surprised to see something red on the garage floor. It didn't have any hair and wasn't breathing anymore. We were not sure whether it was a bird, a mouse or a cat. Took a photo and sent it to a friend studying to be a vet. She said it was definitely a mammal. 

Check the shadow of her mouth.

I mentioned to her about Meredith, the stray cat that had a strange bulge. My friend said she likely experienced dystocia. CCTV footage showed it was indeed Meredith. She gave birth across the street and carried the baby to our garage when she got spooked when our neighbor went out. She left the baby on the floor and then disappeared for a few days. She probably stayed in the house where she usually disappears to after eating.

When Meredith came back she was obviously unwell. We noticed she wasn't eating her usual pellets, so Miggy gave her some wet food. She immediately perked up and moreso when she was given water with some sugar. I remember that's what we used to do for our dogs whenever they were unwell. We didn't bring her to a vet since we're not sure whether she has an owner. 

It's amazing how animals could bounce back so quickly. The next day, Meredith, gave us a gift. Near where she left her baby were two medium-sized rats. Ugh. They stank! She probably brought it in from another property. The boys immediately removed the "gift". Hopefully, she doesn't bring any more "gifts", haha. 

Meredith is well now. My friend mentioned that dystocia is also risky for the mother. I'm glad Meredith made it. Her noisy nature though seems to have scared Kaley away. I haven't seen Kaley for a few days now. Looks like she's friends with Brimsley since she hasn't been chased out. Will try to bring her to the vet soon so she can be spayed. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Grow in Faith

My Mom was a very strong person. Nothing fazed her. I don't recall her getting scared of anything. What was her secret to living without fear? I thought about it for a long time. A few months before she passed, she had to change helpers. She insisted on staying home alone. I couldn't sleep and worried a lot if she was eating properly. We brought her food several times a day. 

On the third day, I had her "kidnapped". Brought her to our house since we saw she wasn't eating well. She insisted to go home everyday. Those with elderly parents would understand how hard it is to extricate your parent/s from their home. I got sick with worry and it was a good thing a replacement helper soon arrived. Mom went home as soon as the new helper arrived. 

That week was very hard for me. It took months for me to recover. I asked Kuya to take over managing Mom's home needs since I had become frail and I fell into depression, again. Mom went home and slipped back to her routines. She was happy and content as long as she could work on her garden. She would call to check on me, but most of the time kept busy with her garden. 

Mom's secret to being strong came to me while I was gardening. I've been able to start gardening again this year. My doctor told me to move more and exercise by doing what I like to do. I never saw my Mom exercise, she just did gardening. I figured I could do the same since I enjoy it and it's considered as exercise according to the CDC. Gardening also stills my mind, it's mindful movement. 

And so it came to me while gardening why my Mom is a strong person. If not gardening, my Mom would be sewing, working on crafts or most definitely, praying. Growing up she told me to lift up all of my problems to God. Whenever I rant, she'd just tell me to pray. My Mom's faith is solid. She never worried because she believed God would always protect her. 

To the end, she got her last wish granted - to not to get sick and just go in her sleep. She wasn't sick, in fact, she spent several hours gardening (2 hours in the morning and several hours again in the afternoon). I told myself, that's what I need to work on this year. To grow in faith and be secure in God's love and protection. 

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Trimmed Jack the Philodendron, Now I have 3!

I nicknamed the philodendron Ate Rose gave me as "Jack". It kept growing taller and reminded me of Jack and the Beanstalk. I planted the philodendron cutting Ate Rose gave me last June in a huge pot. I put the two cuttings together since I wasn't sure it would survive. 

It survived and eventually surpassed the plant pole. I added a longer bamboo to support it. Jack strangely grew much taller during my 3 week hospital stay. He probably got a lot more watering from Sweetie. I also had added some soil and compost to it before I got sick, so that's probably why it grew a lot. 

Jack the Philodendron, June 2023 (newly planted) vs. early January 2024

By early January, Jack had reached the roof. I had to act fast since I didn't want the roots to attach to the roof. Since we were planning to add some plants indoors, I thought I could trim Jack and plant it in a new pot. That's what I did last Monday. One stalk was really long, so I cut it in two and planted them in one pot. This is what I'll put indoors. The third stalk I planted in another pot. This one will stay outside my craft room. Hopefully it won't burn since it will get a bit more sunlight. 

And, if the three pots of philodendrons grow tall again I'll just give away the cuttings. Jack the philodendron has been easy to manage. Just water daily and add soil plus a bit of compost or fertilizer when you remember to. I spray it with neem oil once a week since critters love to eat the leaves. Just make sure it only gets indirect sunlight since the leaves may burn.

There's still so much to re-pot. I'll fix my succulents next and then I'll deal with the pothos. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

First Attempt at Making Lengua de Gato

We had to do something about the leftover egg whites from making leche flan. I found out that lengua de gato is made from egg whites. I super love lengua de gato, so I studied how to make it by watching videos and reading recipes. I combined two recipes when Miggy and I made our first attempt. 

The batter was perfect! The cookie tasted really good even though I forgot to add salt (since I used unsalted butter). One thing we didn't realize though, we own a fan oven and most recipes assume you're using a gas oven. We adjusted the baking time, but the middle part would be soft. Most of the cookies ended up that way and the edges were browned. It still tasted good, so the boys finished the whole batch in no time. 

Here's how we made it:

Next time Miggy makes leche flan, we'll attempt to make flavored lengua de gato. Actually, if you notice, some of the fingers are a bit tanned. It's not burnt. It's because I added coffee to half of the batch we made. The boys said they liked it a lot, so next time I'll do half and half again. Miggy has also taken note to make sure we use fan oven temperature next time we bake. No wonder my baked goods haven't been turning out well, haha. 

Full recipe at: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2024/01/recipes-for-my-son-lengua-de-gato-our.html

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