True Peace Begins in a Heart that Loves

Pope Leo XIX tweeted this today,

For many years there was a gap in my heart. It ran really deep and probably contributed a lot to my ailments. I prayed hard for healing and it finally started a few years ago. I read that the only way to heal long sown wounds is to talk to your younger self and explain why it's okay now. You can also add how you can release the pain and move on. 

I realized my prayer was being answered and that's what I did. From that time I felt peace and I was able to move forward. It also helps if you focus on what you are grateful for every single day. It can be as mundane as feeling the breeze, getting love from your cats, appreciating your hubby making you oatmeal and other simple things/actions. 

As Pope Leo XIV said, "True peace begins in a heart that loves." Replace the pain with love and things will feel lighter and gentler. It will also remind you that you are never alone  :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Aglaonema, One to Bushy

My Mom gave me a pot with a couple of plants. It was a 3 in one. I honestly had no idea what they were and her only instruction was to water it everyday.

This was the pot -

More than half a year later it grew -

Eventually, repotted it -

And now it's crazy big 😅

#BeKind #StaySafe

My New Favorite Toy

I have a new toy! It's a Pacman pinball from Miniso. I got it the other day and it's been a fun "no power needed" gadget. I reach for it now instead of my phone when I need to take "a break". I play it a couple of times and then go back to whatever I'm doing. That means I don't end up wasting so much time doom-scrolling, haha. 

It's just PhP198 (or PhP199). I hope I don't break it soon since I'll probably use it for awhile. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Googleplex Throwback

I was a scout for Google in my past life.  That's what they used to call us (being lone feet on the ground). It was hard and we coped by having calls with our regional scout siblings. We had one international meet-up in Mountain View in 2007. We were not complete since the others couldn't get their visas on time. 

When I was cleaning up my childhood home, I found a framed photo which I made back in 2007. It included the names of the other scouts and then CEO, Eric Schmidt. I did that so I don't forget their names, especially since the others were from other regions. 

We were late for our meeting with Sundar because we had to
ride a bike to transfer buildings. It was hard!

That week with the other scouts was one of the highlights of my stay at Google. We got to meet the CEO and I remember meeting the current CEO, Sundar Pichai (he was still a VP back then). Ahh, but what I remember most from that week was learning how to play bocca and meeting fellow Pinoy Googlers. 

And here's little me with my Chilean and Colombian siblings, Jim and Francisco.

We bonded by figuring out what words in Filipino was similar to their language.

We planned to write a book a few years ago, but everyone's so busy. I guess we'll have to wait until everyone's retired, haha. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Saved by the Bell

We went to the mall yesterday to check out Mandalorian and Grogu toys. It's always a treat for me since we're being cautious. Anyway, it was a weekday and we thought there would be less people. 

We were wrong because it felt like a weekend. We went around slowly since I still use a wheelchair (so I don't overwork my heart). Malls here try to be PWD friendly, but from my experience they need to improve. 

Anyway, as usual, I almost got clobbered by people walking backwards. Miggy would always avoid people, but there are those who are unmindful. I had to use the bicycle bell* to catch their attention. Most people forget they are in public places and should be mindful. That's the reason why I installed it on my wheelchair because I've had near-accidents even at the hospital. 

*I got this in a Daiso branch in Japan and was saving it for a future bicycle. Getting a bicycle is not happening soon, so I just used it.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gaga Over Mandalorian and Grogu Collectibles

I have been collecting Yoda figures and collectibles for many years now. It wasn't a conscious effort because my collection grew from gifts of friends all over! 

The same happened with Grogu/Baby Yoda. I honestly just wanted to stick to my Yoda collection, but the same thing happened. A friend gave me a huge Grogu Funko Pop. I knew there was no turning back, haha.

I started watching new offers of collectibles after watching the movie. I only watched the trailer to keep the suspense. Most of the clips featured Miniso and movie theater special popcorn tubs. I also checked Amazon and there are a lot of Funko Pop variants, other figures, shirts , mugs and, of course, Lego.

After Miggy's gym session we headed to Glorietta and SM Makati to check out toy stores and Miniso. We were not disappointed since there was a lot. It was honestly very hard to choose, but budgetary constraints led the way, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

How We Chose an Architect

For the longest time, we lived in rented accommodations. We eventually got a condo unit as our first owned home. My sister advised me early on that you can always change where you live. It was sound advice because we moved as our situation changed. We're now on our 8th home which we thought would be our permanent home.

During the pandemic we'd watch videos on houses for sale and architect videos. I remember mentioning to Sweetie I wish one of the architects we were watching would become our architect. That did not happen immediately and we got to work with several architects before we found the right one. 

Original plan of my childhood home made by Tito Bert Apolo, c1969 (before I was born!)

Last week, I posted about red flags when hiring an architect/contractor. We have a fair share of horror stories and that's how we learned through the years. We've also reviewed several proposals. Oftentimes, there were more questions than information that would put our mind at ease. 

We put our plans to build a house on hold because we felt we had not found the right people to work with. I was also grieving the loss of my Mom and clearing the childhood home was very overwhelming. My Mom had meter deep cabinets and she packed a lot of stuff in it. 

With home building on hold, we thought about investing some of our savings and that's how we met our current architect. We felt that our values were aligned. We shared with him what we experienced and he gave us a lot of advice. 

I was a program manager and details are very important for me. I used to make and review a lot of proposals/quotations/contracts, and over a year later we started the house build. Here's what we liked about our current architect:

• We started with a business relationship
• He was very patient and generous in answering questions
• He got to know our lifestyle, needs and wants before he started planning
• He adjusted the plans as needed and has been flexible throughout the project
• Most importantly, he's the only architect that gave a detailed costing which included professional fees (architect + a number of engineers), cost of materials, other building costs, and a list of owner supplied materials

With everything above board, we also felt that we had the same values as the architect. I personally dilly-dally whenever I need to make a big purchase, so I took my sweet time deciding. Mind you we started looking for an architect even before the pandemic. It took a lot of prayers and reviewing to find the right architect for our needs. I think the most important thing is finding one with the same values as us. 

The big bonus? We're working with the architect we wished for during the pandemic :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Happy, Restful Sunday

I hope you all had a restful weekend. We were so busy last week and needed the break.

Our cats are lucky, they rest anytime they want, haha.

We'll be starting the week without water again. Apparently, a third party contractor hit a pipe somewhere in Manila and we're all impacted in our city. Oh well...

#BeKind #StaySafe

Beautiful Narra Trees

When we headed out last Tuesday, I was surprised by the beautiful blooming narra trees, fire trees, bougainvillea, and golden shower trees. 

The stretch of Skyway we passed had a lot of glowing narra trees. I was amazed and could not recall when this last happened.

I guess the trees got a spurt of rainwater nutrition when it finally rained. Unfortunately, the blooms were gone in my area when we went out the next day. 

Now I want to have a narra tree in my future garden. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched Mandalorian and Grogu

We watched "Mandalorian and Grogu" today at the cinema. I was so excited since it's a Star Wars film and we haven't watched any movie in the theater for awhile now.

We watched the series through Disney+, but watching Star Wars films are better on the big screen. You can see many more elements of the film and nuances of the characters when it's a huge screen.

I enjoyed the movie. It wasn't really connected to the series, so you can enjoy it even if you didn't watch the series. We watched a recap of the series last night since it's been awhile since we watched the series. You don't actually need to do that since the storyline stands on it's own.

I have to be honest though, story-wise I think the last season would have been better as a movie. There were some things I was expecting that didn't happen. It made me feel it was a step back from the story. I still enjoyed it though since I super love Grogu.

Go watch it!

#BeKind #StaySafe

What's the Most "MacGyver" Thing You Did?

I watched a short video about MacGyver this afternoon. My generation grew up with him finding solutions using things you can find at home. The clip mentioned that whenever MacGyver blew up stuff, the producers would always give an incomplete recipe, so that kids at home won't blow up their kitchens. 

I never tried any of the things MacGyver did on the series, but I definitely "MacGyver" (do DIY) on some things. Growing up, I was always excited when we had projects that involved building things. Back then you have to figure out a lot of stuff. I remember making a display box for a stone collection. In 5th grade, we were tasked to use bamboo to make a diorama bahay kubo. 

We had to build a lot of stuff with stuff you can find at home. You're lucky if there's a stash of craft cardboard you can use at home. I normally had to make do with old folders and shoe boxes. Nowadays, I usually experiment in my garden and sewing projects where it's safer to DIY stuff. Sweetie's most favorite tools are cable ties, haha. For me, it's bamboo and garden tie cables. 

Anyway, you can watch the clip about MacGyver, here.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eat Fermented Food Everyday

Since I had a "relapse", I went through another round of tests last week. My infectious disease doctor was back from her vacation and saw me last Wednesday. Good thing I was feeling better and my pulmo also cleared me from pneumonia even though my chest x-ray was still hazy (more on that later). 

Anyway, I was luckily feeling better by Wednesday because my ID doctor said I may be confined again. Whatever it was that ailed my tummy again was gone from my system. I had slight fever also but paracetamol whisked it away. I wasn't given medication but was told to eat fermented food like atsara or kimchi to help rebuild my tummy's good bacteria. 

Homemade atsara :D

Good thing I like pickled veggies like atsara and I also like kimchi, so it wasn't hard for me to re-align my tummy. I also ate banana everyday to stabilize the potassium level in my blood since it was in low normal level. I actually felt much better after a few days of it and I'm now back to eating more seafood than meat. 

As for my lungs, I remember now why it was clear during my APE. I had been religiously using my spirometer for over a month before I did my APE. I will start doing that again since it's important to save the healthy part of my lungs. In the meantime, I'll keep eating fermented food everyday.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Assembling a Quilted Bag

I'm still working on my yellow bag. It's as big as this quilted tote bag I made back in 2021. I just want something that will bring sunshine when I move around. 

Read to quilt and assemble!

I've been amiss with editing my sewing vids. I've just gotten so lazy with editing and taking videos. One day I'll get to it. In the meantime, we'll celebrate my Dad's birthday today. He would have been 93 years old. 

Happy birthday Dad! We love and miss you!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Red Flags When Choosing an Architect/Contractor

It took us a long time before we finally chose an architect for our home project. We learned a lot in the past few years since we had a lot of stuff fixed in our current home. Here's a list of red flags from our experience:

1. The over eager supplier who blinds you with drawings and lay-outs.

2. The one who promises the moon, but under delivers. 

3. The one who cannot stick to the costings and you end up paying 2x more than the proposed cost. 

4. The one who ghosts you when you discover errors with their work. 

5. The one who cannot produce a proper contract.

6. The one who uses substandard materials that puts your family in peril.

7. The one you have to report to the city building official for not doing things right. 

8. The one who does not provide the right materials for their workers to do their job properly.

9. The one who says they'll set a meeting and then you bump into them in the mall during the supposed meeting date and time.

10. The one who doesn't have reliable contacts. 

These are just a few of what we've experienced the past few years. I probably have more bad experiences at the back of my mind. Next week, I'll write about how we chose our architect. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rest and Recover

The past week has been really crazy.

Let's all rest, recover and pray for better days.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Finally! Heavy Rains

I suddenly woke up a little after 4 in the morning. I got up to use the toilet and strangely couldn't go back to sleep. A few minutes later it started to rain. 

I thought it would be short-lived, but it started pouring hard. Really, really hard for the next 3 hours. I checked the CCTV to see if the street was flooded. It wasn't. I was worried that our backyard was flooded. Luckily, our demand for the developer to fix the drainage issue was done. Our neighbor's rainwater and sewage wasn't flowing back to us anymore. Sweetie confirmed it in the morning.

My plants are really happy after getting drenched thoroughly. I was allowed to go out again today, so I was able to check the garden. The rain wiped away the stress from the heat. Everything was still and refreshed when I went around to say hello to the plants.

Thank you Lord for the refreshing rain 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Memory Triggered by This Week's Hullabaloo

With all the hullabaloo happening in our country this week, I started remembering a lot of childhood memories. It's weird, but the charged political issues happening today are reminiscent of the issues in the 80s. Add the rotating brownouts and it just feels like the 80s again. 

I just realized I'm about my parents' age now in the 80s. They were so protective of us and Tito Ben would always call us to stay put if there were any movements happening. That's why I missed a lot of classes in the mid to the late 80s (EDSA + coup d'etats). 

Late 80s/early 90s? Rockin' 'em teased bangs

Since my mind went back to the 80s, I remembered a few people who were (more or less) part of the off my childhood/memories with my parents. I mentioned to Sweetie that my Dad worked for GSIS for awhile. I remember Mom and I heading there to bring food for Daddy's birthday (that fateful day we experienced a gun pointed at us in Manila). 

I remember meeting Former Speaker Sonny Belmonte on that day. He said I was a very perceptive child because I noticed how rundown the office was (it was the old GSIS building and I was incorrigible even back then). Tito Sonny was my Dad's seatmate in law school (as well as Former Rep. Sergio Apostol). He wasn't successful in convincing my Dad to get into politics (my Mom made sure of it). [This is why I remember my seatmates].

Anyway, I just thought I'd write about this random memory since I'll probably forget about it eventually. My Dad went into government service when I was in elementary school. He always wanted to do that and only went into it when my siblings completed their degrees. His reached his dream to become a judge. He did and eventually moved on to other government agencies. It's probably why I took polsci and legal management. He hoped I'd become a lawyer. But alas, I followed a different path. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

GenX Guide to Surviving Brownouts

As a GenXer, I've experienced long periods of no electricity in the 80s, 90s and during typhoons and crazy flooding incidents. I remember waking up drenched in sweat as a child because there was no electricity. In high school, I finished reading Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo by candle light. By the time I was in college (university), I'd write reports on my Mom's Olympia typewriter by candlelight. 

Not having electricity for hours was just part of life. You just need to go with the flow. The difference now is a lot of gadgets that help you be more comfortable during power outages. We always worried about it because my health condition requires me to be kept at a certain temperature and the air has to be clean. Bad air quality is my kryptonite. 

We lost electricity last night for 3 hours. I was resting on the couch and watching the news when it happened. Here's what we have on hand that made the 3 hours bearable:

Emergency Lights

We have an emergency light that also functions as a radio. It was unfortunately not charged last night, so I instead used a Neewer video light panel. I installed it on a camera stand and focused it on the ceiling. I learned that trick when I was a child. Focus the light on the ceiling because it'll light up the room better. 

We also have other rechargeable lights (bulbs/flashlights), spotlights that can be powered by a power bank, solar lights, and a Firefly rechargeable light with radio. The solar lights we installed around the perimeter of our house proved very useful and our neighbor was surprised it would automatically light up whenever a cat passed by. 

Rechargeable Fans

We invested in Xiaomi rechargeable fans a few years ago. It has saved us a couple of times already. Just make sure you condition the battery so it lasts long. We also have Firefly rechargeable fans. It's smaller, but we each like to have a personal fan (this is Sweetie's favorite fan since he brings it around the house). Miggy and I each have a handheld Tylex fan. I got it three years ago and it's still working well.

Radio

We always have a battery operated radio on hand. Back when CCTVs were expensive, we would leave the radio on at home when we had to step out. Sweetie and I both grew up in households that would tune in to AM radio during power outages. We're both martial law babies, so it was always important to know what was happening. 

Sweetie got a walkman a few months ago from the Australian Surplus Shop in Muntinlupa. He couldn't find our old radio (plus the emergency light was dead), so he brought the walkman out and we listened to DZMM. At that time mobile phone signal was down, so having a radio proved very useful. 

Powerbank

Always have your powerbanks charged. We got an extra powerbanks for our go-bags. Sweetie had to use his go-bag power bank since he was still charging his everyday powerbank (we were at the hospital earlier in the day). I used mine to charge my phone to keep in touch with family/friends.

Portable Air Purifier (useful for those with asthma!)

My lungs are wrecked, so it's important for me to breathe in filtered air. As soon as the power went out I started coughing. The air quality has been bad the past few days. I brought out my portable Tylex Air Purifier and that helped end the asthma attack.

I'm curious to know how other generations deal with power outages?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Feeling Better

Ah, some me only time. The boys are running errands and they "parked" me at a cafe. The past few days was horrendous.

I caught another bug. It was bad enough I lost my appetite likely due to the medications I took, but catching another bug had me lose two kilos in a few days. Ugh.

We didn't want to be confined again, so I immediately did an e-consult with my infectious disease doctor. I was meant to see her anyway. She ordered some tests which I did yesterday. Most of the results were normal, although the radiologist said not to rule out pneumonia.

I saw both my pulmo and ID doctor today and they were happy with my test results. Pulmo ruled out pneumonia since I'm also up and about and I know how pneumonia feels. I won't be able to get out of bed if I had pneumonia.

I also finally had a full meal today. My doctor advised to eat fermented food so I could rebuild the good stuff in my tummy. I hope my recovery doesn't get waylaid again!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Yellow

Making myself something yellow.

What will it be?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Relapse

It seems I have relapsed :(

Waiting for doctor's orders for the tests.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Ugh

I don't know if it's the humidity or heat, but I don't feel well :(

Here are half of our cats waiting for their favorite person 😄 

Hope y'all had a good weekend.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rice Water and Orange Peels

I read that you can add orange peels to rice water. It will reduce the smell of the rice water as it ferments and it adds nutrients to the mixture.

I tried it two weeks ago and it worked wonders while I was away. It worked well on the caladiums, bougainvillea plants I was propagating, and the pothos went crazy. 

Next time I'll add some crushed eggshells so it can add calcium to the mixture.

Hot and Humid

The weather last month was better. It's now hotter and more humid, so gardening has been difficult. 

Our cats have also been hiding a lot. Good thing I put some space between pots, that's where they hide to cool off.

My body feels like it's fried... Zzzz

#BeKind #StaySafe

Out of Sorts

I don't know if it's the heat or my body is slow to recover, but I'm feeling out of sorts today. O just rested since my head hurts and the rest of my body is uncooperative.

I watered some plants and the cats were all over me. That was a good reprieve. They always make me feel good. Mando even showed up to say hello. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Recovery

I've been home for a few days now. I got a bit scared the day after when I got home because I kept coughing for a few hours. It eventually stopped and I've been dry eversince. I guess that was my body getting rid of excess fluid in my lungs. 

My strength isn't back yet, but I'm slowly going back into my daily grind of watering my plants. I just do a section I can manage and the boys cover the sections I can't do yet. My appetite though isn't back yet, so I'm trying to eat my favorite food. My stomach was probably traumatized from food poisoning. The only thing it wants are fruits.

Meredith

The cats have been extra affectionate. They give me extra leg rubs and lots of slow blinks. I think about them a lot and they're a driving force to get me outside. We can't keep them indoors, so I go out whenever I want to play with them. They help calm me down. 

I hope my stamina will come back soon. I need energy so I can cook and tend to my garden. 

New Quilting Book

Sweetie surprised me with a quilting book he found at Booksale. It was surprisingly only PhP25! The past few times we went to Booksale, the craft books would usually cost Php65 to 130, so this was a treat!

The book features an interesting design which I've never tried. I'd probably skip making it if I just saw it online. I'm not so keen with designs with curves. It's hard. The only quilt I've made with curves are my cat bags. 

I think I'll try this out since it includes patterns I can trace. It also details how to put the quilt together. It will probably challenge my sewing skills. 

Have you tried this pattern?

#BeKind #StaySafe

May the Fourth

Be with you!

It's Star Wars day again! 

My stamina isn't back yet, but I managed to take photos of my Yoda and Grogu collection. Here it is -

I have a few new ones which I haven't put on display yet. Most recent one are the Grogu and Mandalorian mugs from Burger King. I'm so glad a friend told me about it and I managed to get it on the first day.

Hope y'all had a great Star Wars day!

#BeKind #StaySafe