I started writing when I was 8. My mom got me a journal where I could rant (prob so I won't be an annoying brat). I stopped writing for 8 years until the pen and then later on the keyboard called on me again. I blog because I like writing and that's just about it. Hope you get inspired though... Bite the apple!
Anyway, I chanced upon the series "K-Love" on Viu while browsing for shows. I got interested because Sweetie's cousin is part of the cast. I had no idea what the show was about, but gave it a try and got hooked! I roped in Sweetie too and we finished the series in just 3 days (well, I had fever and was forced to rest haha).
I actually liked the series. The characters were well-developed. The cast was well-chosen and believable. There was no dull moment in the story. I laughed and cried with the characters and was certainly gigil with how infuriatingly slow the lovebirds came together, haha. The narrator explained that's how K-dramas go.
What I particularly liked is the reveal at the end that the narrator is the writer of the story. I am fond of stories written that way because of Louisa May Alcott. She wrote Little Women based on their family, narrating the story through the main character, Jo. I also like the fact that the writer had a happy ending. The series certainly kept me going while fighting fever.
I enjoyed the series even though I was clueless with the K-drama and Korean artists they mentioned (haha). Well, I have Viu now, so I can probably start with shows that have been dubbed in Tagalog. In the meantime, I'm watching Flower of Evil too. Haha.
#BeKind #StaySafe
Summer is around the corner, but it's been quite hot already. We had issues with heat in our house and found ways to make our home cooler. We got advise from architects and contractors. The most important thing to do is to make sure that the heat trapped in your ceiling has a way to exit.
Here are some tips I learned the past few years:
We all bear crosses. It's different from person to person. My most obvious cross is my health. I carry other cross which I carry with my family. It was pointed out to me a week ago that there are crosses that you share with others. The pain you carry is also shared and understood by someone else.
I strangely found comfort in that because for so many years I thought I was alone in it. I wasn't and knowing that someone shared the cross with me made carrying it lighter. I also know people are praying for me to bear it better.
The inspiration today came from someone I just met. If my disabilities are invisible, his is very obvious. He told us about how he powered on when he was a student forced by a professor to go up 8 flights of stairs to attend class. He had to crawl up since the lift (elevator) in their building was oftentimes busted (and once for 2 straight months). His other professors would not require him to be physically in classes, but one pushed him and would mark him absent if he couldn't get to class.
I could still go up a flight of stairs, but I would be short of breath by the time I reached the top. Him? He had to crawl up because of his disability. He put his mind towards finishing his studies and that's how I eventually met him many years later because I need his services.
Seeing how he carried his cross like a champion was inspiring to me. It reminded me of the passage, "None of the trials which have come upon you is more than a human being can stand. You can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength, but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)
God will only give you trials that you can bear. Look up, have faith and He's got your back.
#BeKind #StaySafe
Since we shifted to grinding coffee beans I had a happy discovery! We have a steady supply of coffee grinds we can re-use. I'm happy about it because I used to ask for grinds from Starbucks. Sometimes though someone beats me to it, haha.
Here's how I use it:
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| I add tea leaves when available. |
Happy gardening!
#BeKind #StaySafe
Back in the day when watching movies and TV series/shows online wasn't available we'd rent videos from stores. There was ACA video, Video City and other mom and pop stores where you can rent. At first you'd rent Betamax tapes, then VHS tapes then eventually VCDs and DVDs. To be able to rent you had to become a member of the chain or store. The fee was pretty inexpensive (I just don't remember how much).
Miggy and I used to rent videos weekly. We'd borrow movies and whatever he liked. When he grew up we enjoyed watching horror movies. Eventually cable TV became available, so we rented less and less. Buying your own VCD/DVD also became cheaper. I just remembered about that time because we recently watched the movie, "Video City, Be Kind, Please Rewind".
The movie brought us back to the 90s when the main character, Han (Ruru Madrid), time traveled to the 90s. He re-appeared inside of a Video City store and met Ning-ning (Yassi Pressman). It was fun to see how a video rental shop looked like back in the 90s. Rows upon rows of video tapes. I remember me and Miggy would go around the shop to look for interesting films to watch.
I used to collect VCDs and DVDs. I kept it in a small tower that doubled as a picture frame. It was a really cute cabinet. Unfortunately, it went under water during typhoon Ondoy together with all my CDs. Since then I have collected sparingly. I've given away those I bought post-Ondoy. I just have some favorite shows from the 90s which I found in Australia (#budol).
If you have time for some nostalgia, watch "Video City: Be Kind, Please Rewind" on Netflix.
#BeKind #StaySafe
My PT changed up my regime on my second pulmo rehab session. We started with spinning and I was able to do 9 minutes! I felt fine after and my stats quickly stabilized. I still had a bit of energy so we went ahead with the other exercises.
By the 45th minute I was tired and just sluggishly tried to complete all the exercise. My PT though is really good, he can tell when I'm already tired. My perky self disappears and it takes longer for me to lift arms or legs, haha. I still luckily finished the session in one piece.
My problem is I only feel I'm really tired after a few hours. Delayed reaction! I felt really tired after eating lunch and I rested for a few hours. Since I felt better I thought I had the energy to plant some seeds. I just sowed the seeds since the pots already had soil.
That was a bad move on my end. I should have just rested the whole day. I felt really, really tired after dinner. I went to bed early and I rested the next few days. We're still working on my endurance. We probably need to adjust the exercise and no overdo it.
I really want to improve and be able to bike around our village. For now my bike won't bring me anywhere since it's a stationary bike, haha. I just need to work up to 5 minutes of spinning per day.
#BeKind #StaySafe
You probably have an old shirt or pantulog that you couldn't let go of. You want to wear it until it's down to its last thread. We do have those in our home and if it's a pair I usually replace the garter to extend it's life. We all have this and usually at the end of its life it has nowhere to go, but the trash can. It would be too embarrassing to donate.
We have been decluttering and sending our pre-loved items to NGOs. There are items though that are just not useful anymore. Most are old garments that are not meant to be worn anymore. My Mom used to cut up old towels to become rags, so I thought I could do the same for "over loved" garments.
I needed to improve my sewing machine skills, so I thought I'd make round rags (trapo/basahan). I used a small round biscuit tin can to draw circles on the garments. Some were so thin already they were hard to cut (haha)! Luckily I got strips of shirts from a fragile item I ordered. I used it as a filling for the rags. It was really easy to make, i made 10 pieces over the weekend.
Here's how I made it:
#BeKind #StaySafe
He had always been Mr. Pure Energy for me. Even with the medical issues he still performed really well. It never crossed my mind that even while performing he has to be mindful of his stability. During the interview he told Ogie Diaz that his wife brings everything he may need. She has his meds, emergency food and other items that can be used to stabilize him.
Gary V also mentioned that there is always a medic around when he performs. He said he tells them that he hopes they're just there to watch and not have an emergency. The most important message though he said in the interview is even with all the precautions, his safe space is God.
I completely agree with him. I have chronic issues also and there are days when I become unstable. My doctor told me I'm lucky I don't need to use supplemental oxygen to walk around. I shared this with my former PT and she said I'm lucky because I have a strong mind.
I think it's faith. My will to live is strong because I want to make more happy memories with my family. My will is strong because I have faith. And like Gary V, Papa God is my safe space.
Happy Sunday everyone!
#BeKind #StaySafe
Thank you to my HS classmate, Jing, for teaching me how to make homemade cat food. I know it's healthier to give cats wet food, but it's expensive. I had to learn how to make it at home so our cats could eat healthier.
The vet said Brimsley had deficiencies when she had her first blood test. That was when I really pushed to make homemade cat food. We gave her meds and homemade cat food to ready her for spaying. Well, she was really healthy because she immediately got pregnant and produced two more kittens, haha. She's now been spayed, as well as Mando and Grogu. We're now just waiting for the two kittens to weigh a bit more and then we'll bring them back to the vet.
Anyway, Jing taught me various ways to make cat food. She said she normally uses fish. We tried that once, but found out that buying fish is quite expensive. I also honestly do not know how to debone a fish, so after the first time we have been using chicken and appropriate veggies to make cat food.
I finally remembered how to film how we made it. This time around we used chicken liver, gizzard, squash and carrots. So far the cats love whatever we make. They also like the broth, so I normally add a lot of water so they also drink soup. It was the broth that saved Meredith when she first came to us. She had dystocia and could barely eat. Miggy gave her soup and soon enough she was back to her sassy self.
Here's how we made the most recent batch of cat food:
More about how to make it at https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2024/03/recipes-for-our-cats-cat-food.html
#BeKind #StaySafe
Just started taking my pulmo rehab "masterals", haha. I will just do it once a week now. I started a few days ago. We did the usual breathing and stretching exercises. My physiotherapist, Ronald, cut it down so I would have time to go spinning.
We originally targeted 10 minutes, but I was already having trouble by the third minute. Ronald adjusted it to five minutes. Since I was tired already we used the extra 5 minutes for me to rest. The session ended with some cool down exercises.
I signed up for yoga through an app. I was supposed to start this week, but I've been unstable due to the heat. I had to cancel a doctor's appointment because I spent the entire Monday lying down. It's really tricky, I have to do stuff in the kitchen really fast so the heat doesn't bite me (fans aren't enough).
Oh well, that's just me, I have to be kept at temperatures below 30'C to be stable. :')
#BeKind #StaySafe
I wanted the cover to be colorful, so I matched the Star Wars fabric with orange, yellow, blue and green. I originally thought it would be too flashy, but Miggy said the accent went well with the theme. I thought I could finish the project in two to three weeks. It stretched to almost six weeks since I had other things to do at home, plus we had to work on our health.
It turned out well, but I think I'll delay making another one later this year (we have two benches haha). I also want to make seat covers for the sofa set (that's going to be a super huge project). I'm still thinking about making it a modern quilt or a traditional one. I'll probably do a modern one since it's for our home anyway.
Here's six weeks of work turned into a six minute tutorial video:
More info about this quilt project on my sewing blog: https://www.needleadventures.com/2024/03/star-wars-themed-quilt-cover-for-bench.html
#BeKind #StaySafe
We never planned to become pawrents to cats. They just came to us and adopted us. I was thinking about this last week after I watched a video saying that cats are like angels sent to you. We were apprehensive about having cats since none of us had experience. My doctor also forbade me from having pets.
Looking back we were actually eased in to become pawrents. Grey came and started hanging out in our laundry area. We suspect he's been hanging out there way before we noticed him sleeping there. We had no clue how to take care of cats so we started with giving him a bed, then water, then some food. He was very skittish and would run away whenever we came close. Eventually he became comfortable with us and he started recognizing his name.
Then came Kaley Boo the calico cat. She'd only visit for snacks. Sometimes she'd come with other calico cats, Sandra and Cheyenne. Cheyenne was the first cat who'd allow some petting. Sandra though is very fierce and would always fight with everyone else to get some food. Among the three calico cats, Kaley is the only one who comes everyday. She knows her name too, but still doesn't allow to be touched. Nose bumps only.
It was around May-June last year when Grey brought it Brimsley. She was still quite small then and we thought she was male (we obviously don't know much about cats). She would hide in the boxes in the garage. Little did we know she was pregnant. We were just surprised one day when she disappeared. I asked Miggy to look for her and he found her inside a box with a kitten. Whoops! We panicked a bit since we don't have any experience with cats giving birth. We got up to speed by watching YouTube videos on how best to take care of new cat moms. Since Brimsley is a feral cat, she knew what to do. We just had to create a safe space for her and the two kittens, Mando and Grogu.
We intended to get Brimsley spayed a few weeks after she gave birth. There was a risk if we had her spayed immediately because her bloodwork showed some issues. We had to give her medication before she got spayed. Unfortunately, she got pregnant again and had two more kittens, Eevee and Pikachu. She and Mando got spayed at the same time. We were scared that Mando might become a teenage mom like her mother. In time Eevee and Pikachu will be neutered and spayed too.
So we thought having 5 full time cats (the Brimsley family) and 2 regular cat visitors (Grey and Kaley) was where it would end. Nope, we were sent one more, Meredith. We think she was abandoned by a neighbor who moved out. The sad thing is Meredith experienced dystocia. She gave birth to a stillborn kitten. Ran across the street with the baby to our garage (we saw it through CCTV footage). Left the baby and disappeared. A day or two later she was back and looked really sick. At that time we thought she had an owner. She could barely eat. Miggy nursed her back to health with cat broth we just made. She survived and has been living with us for about two months now. We just had her spayed since we're afraid she might get pregnant and die. The vet said her uterus had been calcified already. Poor thing. She's so far the sweetest cat in the family and is our full time garage cat resident.
From one cat to 8 cats in just a year. We see it as a gift since they bring us joy. We accepted the responsibility and that's why we're actively getting them spayed/neutered. Not sure though how we can do that for Grey since he is still very skittish. We'll just make sure Eevee and Pikachu are neutered/spayed at the right time. We've probably hit quota already with 8 cats, haha.
#BeKind #StaySafe
And just like that the cool wind that usually comes during Christmas `til Valentine's has left. The heat is back and I have to be very mindful once again about stepping out in this weather. I spent most of the day yesterday on the couch because I was dizzy. I missed our high school class lunch reunion. It would have been fun to go. Oh well, such is my life. Stable today, unstable tomorrow.
Well, I was lucky today. I got a "free pass" to go out to buy something. It felt like our regular Sunday family day where we'd head to the mall after hearing mass. We got to try the new Japanese resto in ATC, Kiwami. Then we went to True Value to buy something. I also squeezed in some time to buy a new shirt. It's been awhile since I got something new to wear.
It's also been awhile since we've been able to have a vacation. Our last trip was when we went to Bohol last June. We'll need to figure out what to do with the cats if we ever decide to leave for a few days. Last time I just had to figure out how to keep the plants hydrated. That was easy. I just stuck a bottle with water in the soil. It also luckily rained the week we were away. The only other time we were away from home was when I was in the hospital. The boys though would go home in the evenings to leave food and water for the cats. So we'll see how we'll be able to go on a getaway.
Stay hydrated and protect yourself from the blazing heat!
Happy Sunday everyone!
#BeKind #StaySafe
It was July 2022 when a friend sent me a huge bag of tumeric. I don't really use it for cooking, but I kept some to see if they would grow. I propagated it and it grew properly. In early 2023 though we had renovations done in our home and my tumeric plants did not survive. I left the pots under the bamboo tree. Few months later they re-grew!
I re-potted the tumeric in bigger pot together with ginger. After two months I noticed the leaf started to yellow. I found it turned brown the other day. I read that's when you should harvest tumeric or ginger, when the leaves turn brown.
Got my shovel and pulled out the tumeric. I washed it down with a hose to remove the soil and then cleaned it further in the kitchen. It was really interesting to see how one knob created more tumeric. It also looked like it was going to create more if the leaves didn't die too early.
I'm so happy with how this experiment turned out. I still don't use tumeric, so I'll try to propagate this again and give it away if it grows. I have friends who use tumeric when they cook. I'll wait and see if the ginger I re-potted will give a good harvest.
#BeKind #StaySafe
We're making it a point to celebrate milestones. We decided to dine at Lore again after the "ceremony". We had the restaurant practically to ourselves since we arrived after the lunch hour rush. It was such a treat to dine there again since I wanted to try their other dishes. Miggy ordered his favorite five spice chicken. I got the liempo and Sweetie got the chorizo hamonado. We also got molo soup and adobo rice to complete our meal.
Everything was cooked perfectly. The hawflakes sauce complements the five spice chicken superbly. I tried the sauce on the liempo and it was excellent. The vinegar that came with the chorizo hamonda was sumptuous. I really like adding vinegar to what I eat. I learned that from my Dad. The serving was good for 3 and the food extended to dinner (leftovers).
As we were finishing our late lunch, Chef Tatung arrived. Sweetie "heard" him first, so he looked behind and told me that Chef Tatung just entered the restaurant. He passed by our table several times. I eventually had the courage to say hello and ask if we could have a photo. He gamely said yes and we had a short chat with him.
That was a special treat for us. We've been watching his cooking videos since we were in Singapore. I have all his cookbooks and have tried making a few of his dishes. Aside from Lore, we also celebrated my birthday in his home in Antipolo. The food was really good, the location is just so far (haha), so Lore has been a good alternative to go to. Maybe in time we'll brave the traffic and try his other restos.
#BeKind #StaySafe
