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!

#BeKind #StaySafe

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.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Investing in Health

We've been working on our health the past few months. Since I was scheduled to do physiotherapy, we took the opportunity for the boys to be checked further since they've been taking maintenance meds.

Prevention is better, so the boys both saw an endocrinologist, nutritionist and dietician. It's an overhaul for our lifestyle since we're all not getting any younger. 

Miggy is enrolled in the exercise program and has been required to walk more daily. We decided to invest in a treadmill. It will be more economical than enrolling in a gym, plus both Miggy and Sweetie can use it everyday. The stationary bike is mine, but I'm not allowed to do heavy exercise for now. 

We canvassed across a couple of stores and found a suitable and cost effective one at Olympic Village. The staff was very knowledgeable. They also came the next day to unbox and install the treadmill. 

Cheers to healthier living!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Santa Yoda KitchenAid Stand Mixer Cover

I've been eyeing to use a Santa Yoda grid design I saw on Pinterest for awhile now. I originally planned to make it a throw pillow case, but decided to use it for a new cover for my KitchenAid stand mixer. I decided not to do it by square to save some time. 

I missed sewing by hand, so I prepared to sew it whenever we had waiting time during our appointments. Good thing I did it that way because I realized I couldn't sew by hand continuously. My hand and wrist would hurt. It took me a two weeks to finish Santa Yoda. Completing the rest of the project took a week more.

Here's how I made it:

I realized I should make my kitchen covers "season generic", so I made the other pocket plain. I can just switch it around after Christmas. I'm sure it will take me time to find my other covers to replace it again, haha. I hope to make a pink set for Valentine's. It'll be cute!

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Hosting an Impromptu Merienda Party

We were supposed to have a get together for my birthday. I had to postpone it because of my knee injury. My friend pinged me the other day and asked if we were free on Sunday. I said yes and then crammed the preparations.

I didn't worry about preparing since we planned to do potluck. It was just for merienda, so we didn't need to plan a heavy meal. Having home parties gives me the opportunity to get the food locally. Here's where I ordered:

Pasta, lumpia and leche flan from MCP Flavors

Private barista coffee by Love & Latte (ping me if you want to inquire)

Turon from our neighbor who sells everyday 

Other drinks from a small grocery

Also prepare:

Plates

Forks and spoons

Drink ware

Serving spoons

Extra chairs

Mom thought did it better than me. She always had something to offer even when she had surprise guests. In time I'll learn :)

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One

I am one with everyone in the call to end corruption and jail the evildoers.

Also praying to pass the anti-dynasty bill 🙏

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Ending November wit Beautiful Flowers

We don't have that many flowering plants in our garden. The only one I bought were my gumamela plants. They haven't produced any flowers since I moved them to another area and that's something I need to figure out why.

Most frequent to bloom are the desert rose (kalachuchi) which we rescued from Mom's garden. The new one I re-potted in mid-October has been producing blooms already.

Surprisingly, a set of torenias sprouted at the foot of the repotted kalachuchi. Good thing I didn't remove it because it's been producing pretty violet flowers. 

I asked Manong Henry to plant some flowers in the front garden and the Panama rose bushes he planted have been flowering too. They're a cute shade of pink.

And he also planted some pinwheel jasmine. They always have flowers whenever I see it and they're so far easy to maintain.

Oh, I just remembered, I also have two suntan plants. I think I need to re-pot them since there's so many weeds growing in their pot. I read, they also need regular trimming to encourage them to produce flowers. They also like to be fed with compost regularly.ni thought they'd be easy to manage.

I hope to produce some Gumamela flowers in time for Christmas!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Grogu's "You Haven't Fed Me Look"

Our cats are most probably overfed, but everytime we step out to check on them they give us a look like they're starving. Haha.

And here's Grogu today giving me that look when I stepped out to water the plants. He only moved when he heard his furdad step out with the container of food.

After having a quick bite, Grogu followed me in the garden and guarded me while I went around watering the plants. If he's not around, Bailey takes his place and waits for me to move to the garage. Then they all disappear and play outside, haha.

I really want imagine my life now without our cats. I'm very sensitive when I see them not their usual self or when they have a wound. Miggy is in-charge of applying wound spray, if needed, and contacting the vet. I'm just glad they've all been healthy <3

Happy Friday!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Our Christmas Trees the past 15 Years

I was thinking about what throwback to do today and thought about looking at the past Christmas trees we've put up the past 15 Years. I previously shied away from having huge trees since Mom always had a tall one.

2010

Our first one was in our rented home. I had been collecting decors over the years. I also made framed photo decors which I used for a long time and then it got buried under a lot of other stuff. Maybe I should make a new set?

We eventually moved to smaller homes, so our trees also shrunk, haha. We honestly only made an effort to decorate when Mom would spend Christmas with us. I wanted to honor her by doing the same. So here's our tree the past three years.

2018

2020, pandemic tree

When we finally went home from Singapore, I got a taller tree since we had more space. It wasn't the tree of my dreams, but it worked out for a few years. 

2021

And the tree shirt I finished that year.

It was when we lost Mom in 2023 when I decided to get a proper tree. I saw her always make an effort to decorate. I wanted to honor her memory by doing the same. Here's our current tree.

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Completed 25% of Knee Physiotherapy

I'm proud of myself for completing 3 sessions of physiotherapy consistently. It's partly because Miggy is also schedule to do exercises at the hospital, so that helps motivate me.

First two sessions were spent mostly for machine therapy and a bit of exercy. We did more exercise for the third session which included the dreaded step-up. Acccck! 

I've been noticing the improvements though and that gives me hope. I still limp when I walk, but I noticed I don't wiggle as bad. PT said that the machine stuff helps with healing. The bruise on my lower leg is lightening up too. I hope it won't look as hideous by Christmas!

On the nutrition side, we're all trying to change our eating habits. The boys are following the advise of a nutritionist and that means I get to avoid bad too, haha. I also need to lose weight, so eating healthy food should help.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made Cat Toys Using Old Socks

Our cats love rubbing their heads on our feet which I read is quite common. While decluttering I set aside some pairs of socks that have seen better days. They were no longer useful since the garter was loose already. A lot of cat owners give their cats stuffed toys or small pillows, so I thought I'd make some for our  cats using some of my retired socks. 

It was fairly straight forward and easy to make. My cats won't judge me, lol. I also used leftover batting which were cuttings from other projects. Here's how I made them:

I sprayed the toy with catnip before giving it to our cats. Meredith (above) immediately inspected the toys. I eventually paced them in their beds/boxes and they've been cozying up to it eversince I placed them there. Woohoo! I'll make more for them once I have enough batting again. 

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Real Property Tax Season

Miggy has been accompanying me the past few years to pay for our real property tax (RPT). I'm involving him more in doing adulting stuff so he could learn. 

I've so far shied away from doing the online route since it's not well ironed out yet bases on the comments I read online. Anyway, we also get our cedula at the same time, so at least we got two birds with one stone when we go to city hall.

I was happy to see that our city hall made some improvements in the building. The process of paying was cut in three: 

Step 1 - get the confirmation paper for your property at the Assessment Office

Step 2 - get the assessment

Step 3 - pay for your real property tax

*It used to be just step 1 and 3

It took us an hour this year, since there were many people in steps 1 and 2. Surprisingly, it took us less than 10 minutes at the treasury. They had more windows open at the treasury than at the step 1.

Check out your city hall's page on the discount you can get for paying early.

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The Raffle that Changed How I Manage Money

Someone asked online if she should sell the hotel stay she won in a raffle. It reminded me of the time I won a raffle during an Ad Congress in Baguio. 

It was totally unexpected since I'm not one to win raffles. My Dad though always win and would always bring home door prizes. I haven't won any raffle since that rare moment at the Ad Congress.

With my Ninong Billy :)

It was a windfall for me. I was a single Mom back then and was drowning in tuition fee debt. My savings was just the minimum to keep my bank account. 

I won and it helped change how I manage my finances. I paid for all my debts and promised myself I'd never go in the red again. I also disciplined myself to pay all my credit card charges monthly. 

Since then I've been very mindful on where my earnings go. I'm quite thrifty and I funnily take a long time before I buy something I want (like years). I also learned how to budget properly (read more about it here). 

Sometimes you just really need a break to change how you do things. Just make sure you use that as a game changer. I did and never looked back.

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Avocado, One Year After Propagation from Seed

It's been over a year since I experimented on propagating avocado seeds. We got them from fruits we bought from a neighbor. I saved the seeds and let it dry for a few days and then rooted it in water. 

Rooting takes a few weeks and then I wanted for it to produce leaves. When it had enough leaves, I then planted it in a small pot. Waited a few more months and then re-potted it in a bigger pot. 

It took me awhile to transfer it to a bigger pot. We positioned it where it could get enough sunlight and I hope pests won't disturb it. I plan to leave it in this pot until it's transferred to soil. It will take a few more years before it hopefully bears fruit.

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Tried Uniqlo Coffee

We've been meaning to try Uniqlo Coffee for a long time now. We just never had the time and we waited for the bridgeway from Ayala One to Glorietta 5 to open. We finally made it today.

The big push was the need to get jogging pants that could easily roll up for my PT sessions. We got VIP treatment because I was on a wheelchair. That made looking for what we needed faster and we soon made it to the cafe.

The cafe is pretty spacious and ordering was straightforward. I had a latte, mocha for Sweetie and strawberry mint tea for Miggy. I also got a cookie to try since last night's Mountain Dew infused cookie trial failed. 

Sweetie liked his coffee, but I found it a week bit bitter. I was probably expecting the coffee to be like what I used to have in our Japan office, haha. Sorry na. I forgot they always provide extraordinary things.

Anyway, next time I'll try the other beverages. I'm interested in the matcha drink and maybe next time I'll notice what other pastries they have. I zeroed in on the cookie because of last night's disappointment, hehe.

Have you tried dining at Uniqlo Coffee? What did you like?

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Look Back at My Kitchen Cover Projects

I'm currently working on new covers for my kitchen appliances. I've been meaning to make it for Christmas, but only got to start it a few weeks ago.

Anyway, thought I'd look back at my previous projects for some inspiration. Here's what I've done so far -

KitchenAid cover

Cat design - https://youtu.be/QW4ifCPV9JY?si=N5UMgR1LNLakD38R

Rainbow - https://youtu.be/7BxvVaOdAgY?si=wSmb8rHgkrN4Azfv

Food Processor Cover

Cat design https://youtu.be/Wmvz9U7Wv6s?si=twkMoOej5Ml1cfL0

Rainbow - https://youtu.be/WfzsD_Pu4V0?si=J_cmyc23SxM1wpsQ

Blender Cover

Cat design - https://youtu.be/Si8hJw2blOo?si=VlM1x4seGUTQurTW

Woohoo 🙌 

#BeKind #StaySafe

First Knee PT Day

Three months ago I missed a step and sprained my knee badly. My doctor hoped it would heal by itself, but with how things are my knee is still wonky. Another visit to my Ortho and he recommended I do physiotherapy. Nothing new for me.

We waited over a month for a slot. If I do well, I should be done before new year. I was assigned to Miggy C. today. He was very professional and made sure I was comfortable. I asked a gazillion questions and he happily obliged me. He also asked me a lot of questions and adjusted the program as needed.

I survived my first day, but was sad to find out my next sessions will be managed by someone else. I'll miss working with Miggy especially since I learned a lot about Northern Luzon and his dreams. Yes, as a pakielamera tita, I wanted to know what his plans are for the future. I just told him to enjoy, save and plan for retirement! :)

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Kitchen Cover Progress

My kitchen gadget cover is progressing well and I'm now working on the other parts. I decided not to make it too Christmassy so I can extend using it, haha.

Since it's Yoda themed I decided to render the rest of the cover in green. It will be light to the eyes, very different from my rainbow kitchen covers. 

Hope to finish by end of the week!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Prepping for No Water Again

Maynilad has been busy fixing pipes, leak issues and having brownouts the past few months. We oftentimes get last minute "no water" noticed. We have a tank that can last us a day of light water needs.

It hasn't been much of a problem since we collect rainwater. The scary notices are the ones sent days before because that means it's for a longer period. We'll have a 30 hour interruption starting midnight of Wednesday.

It's going to be rough even with our extra pails. Since we'll need more water especially for the bathroom, we decided to get additional pails and water containers with faucet. We do use the bathroom allot (hello diuretic). It's better to be prepared than encounter issues since sometimes interruptions can be extended.

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Cute Friends Collectibles

I was just checking if McDonald's had caramel sundae when I chanced upon their offer for "Friends" collectibles. I haven't been buying toys for sometime now since my display cabinet is full already. But... I can always squeeze in some more, right?

I got Sweetie to order a burger too so we can get two. I got Ross and he got Joey. Cutie! 

Should I complete the set?

Have a blessed Sunday everyone :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Desert Rose (Kalachuchi) Rescue After Two Months

It's been two months since we rescued a pot of kalachuchi from my childhood home. It stood lonely beside our pedestrian gate. It was totally neglected and had very few leaves yet.

We brought it back home and I worked on adding soil, perlite, rice hull and compost to it. I didn't dare cut any of the stems for fear it might die. I gave it a good soak and put it where rain could reach it.

After a few weeks, baby leaves started to come out. I would turn the pot around to allow it to get more sunlight. I guess it was happy hanging around my calamansi plants because it started to produce flowers stems last October.

Two months after

Despite heavy rains and typhoons, it bloomed beautifully during typhoon UwanPH. The strong howling winds did not affect the flowers. At the same time, my two other pots (also rescued from Mom's garden) bloomed.

Rescued early this year

Thanks Mom and St. Fialcre, for helping me with the plants. There's more I need to transfer. We'll get them soon.

#BeKind #StaySafe