16 Years

We are celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary today. It just seems like yesterday I was walking down the aisle to the altar with my parents.

It was a memorable day with our families and friends. Sweetie surprised me today and brought me and Miggy back to where our family officially started. 

It was surreal to visit Mary the Queen church again after 16 years. There were a lot of changes in the church, but that didn't matter because I felt like we were there again on our wedding day.

The past 16 years has been filled with memorable moments. We've had highs and lows, happy and sad times, and we've weathered all the challenges with love, respect, trust and faith. 

While praying at the church, I was just grateful for Lord for providing all the love and care for our family. Thank you Papa God <3

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Happy Birthday Baby Jesus

It's Christmas day! Happy birthday Baby Jesus!

We are celebrating a quiet Christmas at home this year. We are complete, healthy and blessed. Thank you Papa God for everything. 🙏

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Lunges on Bosu Ball

Me and my big mouth. I mentioned to my therapist that I still wobble when I use the stairs. 

He promptly added a bosu ball exercise to help with the issue. My current PT program isn't my first rodeo. I've had PT for my heart, tennis elbow, my back, and my lungs. I've used a number of machines and equipment, but this was the first time for me to use a bosu ball.

Doing lunges on it was pretty hair-raising since it would get wobbly. My therapist said you have to be intentional with your movements. My injury is still healing, so the way my body moves isn't normal.

Physiotherapy has been helpful. Healing has progressed faster and my bruise is breaking up too. I hope the inflammation will be gone by Valentine's?

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Papaya First Harvest!

I've been gravely busy preparing for Christmas, doing PT and gardening. I haven't been able to sew at all for two weeks now. 

Last Saturday, the two papaya fruits that started from a bloom last July, showed signs of yellowing. My friend advised I should only harvest when it starts to turn yellow. 

We waited two more days and then excitedly harvested the two fruits. They're not supposed to be big because it's the solo papaya variety. I propagated it from the seeds of store bought Dizon solo papaya.

It took 20 months with inconsistent care (I was hospitalized twice during that time), but the tree was still able to bear us at least two fruits. It has other smaller ones, but TBH it's not as healthy as my other tree.

Anyway, the effort paid off and we're now thinking to let one ripen and maybe we'll pickle the other one.

Happy!

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How to Encourage the Young Ones to Dream

In his homily yesterday, Fr. Tito Caluag, asked, "How can you encourage the young to dream big?"

It reminded me of Jodie, one of my physiotherapists. It was a serendipitous meeting because she was a replacement.

I always ask my PTs how long they've spent at the hospital. Then I ask if they plan to go abroad. Most of them joined during the pandemic and all have plans to go abroad.

Jodie though told me she originally dreamt of joining Google. She said she watched the movie The Internship and since then really wanted to join Google. She was discouraged from taking an IT course and that's why she ended up in the medical field. 

She said she eventually shifted her dream to join NASA and just remembered it when she met me. I told her those companies accept applicants based on experience and knowledge. I shared with her that I'm not an IT graduate, but still got a job at Google. 

By the end of the session, Jodie looked really excited. I advised her to build her skills based on where she wants to be. She told me our meeting felt like we were meant to meet. She said she was re-energized to reach for her dream.

She's not scheduled to be my PT again. I found a Lego-like spaceship at the mall after our session. I bought it and wrapped it as a Christmas gift with a note to follow her dreams.

To answer Fr. Caluag's question, I guess that's how I can help the young ones reach for their dreams. 

Happy Monday everyone!

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Advent Calendar

We were ecstatic to receive this Advent calendar from a friend. We've been curious about it, but never really got around to buying one.

Anyway, we've been opening one window everyday and it's fun to see what chocolate we get, hehe. It feels like we're kids again.

Baby Jesus' birthday is coming up in a few days. We're just planning to stay home and have a quiet celebration. We'll also try to get a headway re-potting Mom's plants. They need a lot of TLC.

Happy Sunday everyone!

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Thought It was a Ladybug

While watering plants, Sweetie asked me about a cute black insect he saw on a leaf. I looked at it and thought it was a ladybug. A black ladybug!

I've seen ladybugs around my garden, but it was my first time to see a black spotted one. I took a photo to identify it using Google Lens.

It's an orange spotted/Asian lady beetle and it's supposedly native in the US. It's not identified as an invasive species here. I just left it on the leaf and hope it helps eat aphids or what-not.

I thought I've already seen all the insects I'm supposed to encounter since I've been doing gardening. It just shows there's still a lot to learn!

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Inheritance

I got the rest of my "inheritance" today.

Mom's plants and old pots.

My parents told me when I was growing up that the only inheritance they could give us is our education. All of us finished our studies and we all managed on our own to go to grad school too. 

We weren't Nepo baby rich. We got by through Dad and Mom's hardwork. Mom retired when I was born, but she helped manage Dad's law office and did some trading (buy and sell of office supplies). We had a comfortable life and that's enough when you live simply.

Dad didn't keep a lot of earthly items. I only found his neckties and a couple of tie clips. His clothes and shoes were gone when I cleared the childhood home. His treasure? His law books and documents. I sent useful law books to his Alma Mater and just kept a few key ones. Old law documents have been shredded. I asked a lawyer what I should do with it and he said we can just shred it since the courts and notarized docs are also kept by the justice system.

Mom's treasure. Her garden and craft materials. I finished sorting the craft materials last October and have been working to rescue her plants for two years now. It's a lot of work, but I know Mom loved her garden (sometimes more than me, haha). She had been passing potter plants to me since we got home and I know she wanted me to continue her work. 

I know Mom has been watching me. I've only so far been unsuccessful with all her orchids, but most of her ornamental plants have recovered from neglect. The boys got some more plants and empty pots today and I'm happy I have more gardening work to do. I'll do my best to save the plants Mom left. The huge, huge flowering tree beside my childhood home is definitely one remembrance of Mom's epic green thumb.

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15 Years

Google Photos made this then and now photo of me. It's a family photo from where we started in a small, rented home. We moved there because it was nearer my childhood home.

Our now photo is not in our current home, but in one place where we usually done at. We're creatures of habit, so we always visit a place when it provides comfort.

It's unbelievable how much we've been through in the last 15+ years. We are now in our 7th home! I really to my sister's advise when she told me our first home won't be our last since our needs would change. 

It's true, needs change as you age. My wonky body needs something else at this point, but we are where God plants us. I wonder how things will go in the next 15 years!

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Almost Done with Physiotherapy!

I have been heads down and focusing on physiotherapy for my knee and ankle. Movement of my right ankle has improved. I'm able to use it to lift the foot rest of my wheelchair without pain.

My knee has improved a lot. I still experience some pain. One of my therapists said it's normal since there is still some inflammation. Same for my knee. The bruise around it is still visible.

My leg exercises are also still light. My lungs and heart prevent me from having strenuous exercises. I noticed though I'm able to do more now than when I started 

When I finish my sessions, the pulmo rehab team will take over. I'll be able to do whole body exercises and that should help increase my stamina and prepare me for surgery.

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Made a Snowman Food Processor Quilt Cover

I'm so stoked! I finished another cover for my kitchen appliances. The design of inspired from a post on Pinterest. I just embellished it a bit more. 

I always add pockets to my kitchen covers. It's where I put the accessories of the gadget. I hate looking for them in drawers, so I prefer to keep them close.

It took me a few weeks to make it. I made a pattern first since I had to match it with the size of the food processor. One thing different I did for this batch of covers is I added fusible interfacing to make it sturdier.

I love how it turned out! Here's how I made it :)

https://youtu.be/d5lt7nNjGjc?si=raLaQZLwtvjTGYKl

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Christmas Shopping

I meant to start my Christmas shopping early this year. I have a spreadsheet with my list. I also list down what I give annually and just easily cross out those who aren't in my current active sphere.

I miss buying gifts for my nephews and nieces. All of them have grown up already and live across the globe. My friends though recently brought their kids in our house, so I found a good excuse to find toys for chikitings.

A fairly new store opened nearby. It's called KKV and I was so happy with this discovery. I was happy to find stuff that can keep your hands busy. They have paint by numbers, crochet kids, wood model kits etc. They also have stickers and stuff for journaling. The other half of the store was full of beauty products which I didn't bother to explore, haha (all my make up has expired and I have no need for it).

Anyway, if you're visiting it, better to go early. The line to the cashier is very long. We also checked out National Bookstore. They have less books now, sad. If you must know, Booksale SM Bicutan gets their supplies on Mondays. It's better to go on a Tuesday since by then they have re-stockedntg the shelves 

Almost done with our list. Yay!

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My Tenacious Grandfather

Today is my Papa Lolo's 120th birth anniversary. I found his civil registry document certifying his birth. It said the records were completely damaged or lost during the battle of liberation. 

Aside from the war, Papa Lolo lived through the pandemic and built a family. His branch of the family now has representatives all over the world and is scattered across the Philippines. 

I also found some of Papa Lolo's letters to Mama Lola and a small date book. He was truly tenacious at keeping records of what he did, where he went and always had a list of bilins for Mama Lola. He also wrote down expenses and made budgets. I got that from him.

The world back then was crazy. I cannot imagine how Papa Lolo got through the war. He was part of the Bataan Death March. He walked and even helped up a comrade from being bayoneted when he fell (Mom's recount -- his son eventually became PNB president who produced a well-known telco chairman). Anyway, Papa Lolo survived and his legacy lives on with my nephews and nieces now working on bearing and growing the next generation.

What Happens When You Ignore Your Cacti

I got very busy with other plants and it's been almost a year since I properly tended to my cacti. It started with just a few pieces Ate Rose gave me back in July 2022. They looked like this by August 2023 -

And how they looked in November 2024 -

I re-pot them once a year. I moved them to a sunnier spot almost a year ago and water them once a week. One thing about cacti and succulents is they're very low maintenance. They're best left alone. Just top it up with some perlite once a quarter and they'll be fine. 

I was so busy re-potting Mom's other plants, so this is what happened in a year -

Looks like this will be my year-end project!

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Tried the Taco Bell Mix

We chanced upon a pack of Taco Bell taco mix at a grocery store and just had to try it. The nearest Taco Bell store is at least 45 minutes away, so this was a good opportunity to have it at home. 

It was very easy to make. Just saute some beef with minced onion and then add the Taco Bell mix. I let the boys do the slicing and grating of the other ingredients. To be honest, we found it easier to use the taco cups than the regular taco shells. Either way, you can just break it and eat it as a salad. 

Here's how we made it at home:

One thing we added to the taco is homemade pickled onions. My friend makes it, but she lives far from us and rarely delivers in our area, so we just made some. I even got some powdered red beets to complete the pickles. 

Now I want to have this again, soon!

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Throwback Thursday: Mom's Last Birthday with Dad

We celebrated Mom's birthday the other day. We did her favorite things to do: go to the bank, eat comfort food and did groceries. I took a look back at how she celebrated it 15 years ago. I realized it was the last time she celebrated when Dad was still around. Little did we know, we'd lose him a month after. 

Mom always loved having friends around. She had a gazillion friends from our neighborhood. I was looking at our photos and realized we also lost some of her friends the past few years. It's sad to also lose the extended titos and titas you grew up with. 

It was also the last Christmas we were complete. Both Ate and Kuya came home to celebrate Christmas together. We were never complete after that and had fragmented Christmas celebrations. Kuya and I would even have Mom celebrate Christmas with me in Singapore and she'd do New Year in Jakarta. Mom always complained she didn't want to leave her plants alone, haha. 

Mom wouldn't want us to mope around especially for celebrations, so we made it a point to celebrate. Aside from eating a good meal, we also did her favorite things. We went to the bank and did groceries. Mom took care of the plants for the day and it rained enough to hydrate the plants properly. Ahh, she would have been pleased. 

Happy birthday Mom! We miss you! Today we'll also celebrate Sweetie's Mom's birthday! We have another excuse to celebrate!

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Leg is Healing

I had my seventh physiotherapy session yesterday. I can now really feel that my knee and ankle are healing faster.

Two-thirds of my PT time is spent on machines. The physiotherapist used electricity in my knee and ankle twice, then she does ultrasound therapy, and I'm not sure what the other machine is called. It compresses my whole leg with air.

A third of my time is allotted for exercise and icing. I was a bit cold yesterday and fell asleep while the physiotherapist was working on my leg. LOL! Next time I'll bring a jacket and not just a shawl. 

Anyway, I'm glad my leg is improving. I'm able to use my right foot now to lift the foot rest of my wheelchair. It used to be so painful before. Now, I'm able to do it. I also tried to walk around the grocery by holding onto my wheelchair. I had to take breaks in between, but I think the issue for that is now my stamina and my listless lung power. I'll go back to pulmo rehab once I'm done with physiotherapy.

Happy healing 🤗

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Making a Snowman

Moving in now to make a new cover for my food processor. I found a cute snowman design on Pinterest and after figuring out the measurements I thought it would be a perfect fit for my food processor.

I like the "autumn" colors used on the Pinterest. It took me awhile to find the perfect fabric for it. I hope I get it right. Gotta improve on my quilting skills!

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My Forever Iron

If I remember correctly, Sweetie and I received on our wedding day about 4 or 5 irons. I remember I gave Mom one and shared the others with relatives. We just kept two.

There's one I've been using since I moved to Singapore. I think I got it in late 2011 while I was still in the service apartment. It was heavily used from 2016 onwards when Sweetie and Miggy moved to Singapore. 

And, it moved back with us and I still use it for ironing. Sometimes I wonder if it's time to upgrade. The practical side of me says no since I haven't had any issues. I only had to change the foam on my ironing board when we moved back because it had degraded already.

What's your forever gadget?

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Happy Harvest Day

It's my fourth try at growing bell peppers at home. I planted the seeds from a salad I made a few months ago. My other trials failed due to pests. One batch grew big and was suddenly overcome by fungus. Another batch was overtaken by aphids. Ugh.

Since I got some plant stands from my childhood home, I decided to put the pots of bell peppers on it. I also surrounded it with companion plants that help ward off pests. 

It so far worked and a couple of bell peppers have been growing. They're small since the pots are small. I'll have to re-pot them and see if I can get bigger peppers. 

I'm happy this batch is so far successful. Let's see if I could grow more!

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Kalachuchi (Desert Rose) Seed Pods

Almost a month ago, I noticed my kalachuchi plant produce "antennas". I found it strange since I've never seen any other kalachuchi plant produce antennas.

After some research I found out it's a seed pod. The pod was very firm and it started to dry up after three weeks. I read you're supposed to cover it so you don't lose the seeds to the wind.

When the pod started opening I thought it was time to cover it. It wasn't fully opened yet, so I thought I had time to find a suitable cloth cover.

Nope, the next day the pod was fully open and all the seeds were gone! Whoopsies! I hope they sprout wherever the wind brings them. 

Now I know, next time I have to cover the pods early so I don't lose the seeds.

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Proof I've Moved on from My Favorite Boy Band

Last night I got curious when YouTube sent a notification about my annual recap. The recap showed my top interests, top channels I watched and favorite music I listened to.

My top interests truly show how much my life has changed in the past 5 years. It's mostly about cooking, home improvement, cats and the occasional travel videos to see what we can do if we can figure out how to care for our cats while away (we've been stuck at home for a couple of years now, LOL).

I honestly didn't spend much time listening to music. I only get to do that when I'm re-potting plants and remember to tell Google Nest to play me some music. However, this year I started to like SB19. I find their music fascinating and have made the effort to memorize their names! The last time I did that was for Menudo, hahaha. I did for Backstreet Boys when we watched their concert in Singapore, but I don't really watch their videos unless it's suggested.

Well, surprise-surprise! SB19 is my top artist watched for the year. This goes to show that I've truly moved on from Menudo being my favorite boy band. Hahaha. Don't ask me though who I like best among Pablo, Stell, Justin, Ken and Josh. It changes on a daily basis. 😂

Goodbye Menudo, hello SB19!

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Missing Taiwan

Ten years ago I started visiting Taiwan frequently for work. It somehow felt like home when I stepped out of the plane. I realized later on it must have been where my paternal grandmother came from. She had eloped with my grandfather, but passed away when my Dad was just a child. 

I showed her photo to some locals and they said she looked like someone from Taiwan. Her maiden last name was common they said. We could have done some more research, but since my grandma eloped we didn't know much about her family.

Anyway, what made it really feel like home was how the food tasted. I sampled a lot of food which was like how my Dad would cook. I can never forget that hole in the wall where I ate with some teachers. The food was heavenly. 

I never had a decent photo at Taipei 101, haha. I loved going to the office there since you get a great view of the city. I also got to experience it being enveloped by clouds. It was a different feeling. I'm just glad I never experienced an earthquake while in the building.

Ahh, someday when I'm better, I hope to visit Taiwan again.

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