There's Something Bad in the Air

My pulmo describe my asthma as mild, but it can be easily triggered by a number of things. I noticed I've been having asthma attacks almost everyday for the past week. I even had it twice last Sunday.

Ugh. I abhor it when I have prolonged attacks especially when I'm outside. It easily dissipates when I'm home since all my remedies are within reach. Good thing I bring my inhaler whenever we go out. I've been doing this since the haze from Indonesia has been oddly reaching our shores.

I've been careful with food, avoid areas where people smoke, and I use a mask whenever I'm out (and even while gardening). The one thing unavoidable is heat. It hits me fast. Yup, I need to always be in a cool place since I had heart surgery. 

Oh well, I hope things will be better in the next few days. I had a relatively good days and survived our meeting with architect. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Ughhhh

I've been having asthma attacks almost everyday.

Just resting for now :(

#BeKind #StaySafe

Repair vs. Buying New

After almost 5 years our beds were showing signs of wear and tear. The outer area still looks good, but the area that supports the mattress was broken.

Bed frames are expensive and I remember it took a year of installment payments to finish the bill. It's not in our budget to buy anything new. Luckily, our foreman lent his lead carpenter. 

He visited us and checked the bed frames, made a list of materials to buy. He finished adding support to three bed frames in two hours! Wow! He was fast because he used to be the lead carpenter in a hotel, so fixing beds was probably something he did everyday :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rediscovering Sen Lek Thai Noodle

Many years ago, one of our favorite Thai food places was Sen Lek Thai Noodle. They had a restaurant in Dona Soledad. The food was really flavorful and we'd order by phone when we were lazy to go out (no Grab yet back then!).

A few weeks ago, we saw a blog feature it. They opened a place just a stone's throw away from SM Nuvali. We went to Tagaytay today with friends and took the opportunity to get take away from Sen Lek.

We were pleased to discover that it's the same Sen Lek we loved before. The branch is owned by the child of the owner. The original owners now live in Iloilo and have a branch there (if I remember correctly what we were told while waiting for our food). 

With so many of our favorite restos disappearing, this is a great find! 

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

It Finally Bloomed Again!

My gumamela plants hibernated. They haven't been producing any flowers in almost two years now. They weren't happy where they were and I've been looking for a good spot where to put them. Out of the 4 I bought back in 2023, one died. It was eaten by pests and I wasn't able to save it. I was able to save the 3, but they've been unhappy. 

Two weeks ago, I fed the gumamela plants bone meal and with the sun out everyday, one finally produced two flowers! I was ecstatic! And the one that bloomed is one of my favorite two-tone variants. Yay!

I should probably fertilize them with bone meal more often, but bone meal is expensive! Oh well, it's like what you say when you keep going to a derma, tiis ganda, haha. 

What do you do to encourage your plants to produce flowers?

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Southie Fave: Presko Coffee

It's been awhile since we first experienced dining at Presko Coffee. It's a cafe founded near where we live. The first time we went there was on election day in 2022. We honestly haven't been back to the actual cafe but we've been ordering almost every week. I sometimes interact with the owner through Threads. 

Anyway, we noticed they added their abot kaya meals in their Grab menu. Sweetie and I were both craving for adobo. He got the chicken adobo abot kaya meals and I got the pork gourmet adobo. We just gobbled up one Spanish bread each so we'll wait a bit before eating. It smells good though and I'm excited to eat dinner!

Well, we ordered for dinner so we didn't get any drinks. I usually get Presko latte for breakfast or the muscovado latte if I'm ordering lunch. Sweetie and Miggy are more adventurous and usually switch around what they order to drink. Anything you order there is good anyway, so you can just try anything.

 

What I haven't tried are their cakes. I usually get a cookie, but I haven't tried any of the cakes and other pastries. I normally get so full after eating what I ordered and that's why I haven't tried any of the cakes. I'll make sure to try something soon. 

If you want to try Presko, they recently opened a branch in Ensueno, Makati. It's just for take-away and I'm not sure if it's just the abot kaya meals or if they have the full menu. They also have branches in Malacanang, Manila and Caloocan. Just search for it and try it soon!

#BeKind #StaySafe

In Power Saving Mode

After running errands back to back for two days, my energy was depleted. I was too brave and attended pulmo rehab. I barely made it out alive, haha.

I've been ordered to rest and that's what I'll do. 

Zzzzz.

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Parking Angel

My friend Honey was the one who introduced me to the parking angel. She said she always prays to get a good spot to park whenever she's out.

We tested last weekend to recuperate from the bad days I had due to the haze. Miggy has to rest too from his gym activities.

We've been running around the metro the past two days and the parking angel has been very kind to us. With Miggy busy with his appointments, it's just me and Sweetie going around and I'm grateful we've been blessed to park near the entrances since it's hard to get around on a wheelchair.

Thank you parking angel 😇 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Should I Frame my Baby Yoda Project?

After a gazillion years, I'm almost done with my Baby Yoda grid quilt project! Rawrrrrr! It took me so long to hand quilt it since I have to rest my arm from repetitive movement. I had to rest in between, but I finally finished the last stitch last weekend. 

And now I just need to add the binding. I haven't gotten around to doing it since we've been busy with a long list of errands. I also got sick and was down for a few days, so that's why we're cramming a lot of stuff right now. 

I'll probably take a break from sewing when I finish this project. I need time to finish organizing my "maker/sewing" room which looks more like a bodega now. I am thinking though to make one grid quilt annually to add to my "collection". Should I frame them? Here's the Pikachu one I made two years ago.

What do you think?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plumbing Needs for Your House

We had an OMG moment when the engineer overseeing the construction near us told us that the owner who hired him to build the house didn't have plans for a septic tank. We eventually discovered that they didn't also connect their sewage properly. It affected us severely because their rainwater drainage and sewage was flowing back to us. (Read more about what happened and how it eventually got resolved here, here and I just realized I didn't write about the ending, will do soon).

Anyway, because of that very bad experience, we resolved that when we build our future home we will make sure to cover all areas of plumbing. Here's how we thought about it:

• What should the connection to Maynilad look like? 
• How can we check if there's water coming in or none?
• How do we want to store water? A tank? Cistern? Are you collecting rainwater?
• How do we reduce having the tank cleaned? (It costs at least 6k to 8k to get a tank cleaned!)
• How do we want our bathrooms set-up? Will we use a heater? Do we want a high-tech toilet (we chose the regular one)?
• For the kitchen, do we want to use a heater? Do we want to use a water filter? Do we want to have a faucet on top of the stove (nope)? What kind of sink are we using? Are we having just one big kitchen or a dry and wet kitchen? 
• How do we plan to do laundry? How many faucets do we need and how many washing machines are we going to use? Do we need an outdoor sink? What about drainage?
• We also thought about where we need to have water for watering the garden and cleaning.
• And most importantly, where will the septic tank be located? For this one, you need to ask your HOA or barangay where the connection for sewage is located. 

It's not the most exciting thing to think about, but it's very important to plan it ahead. It's easy to plan when you have a good understanding of your routines and needs. Think about the future too. We have been collecting rainwater for a few years now and that's what we use to water our plants. I think we saved a lot from collecting rainwater for our plants and cleaning outdoors.

A good plumbing system will save you a lot from having headaches. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Don't Turn a Blind Eye to What is Wrong

I know what you're thinking... This is not a political post or commentary. The past few days we've been watching, "Love is Never Gone". It's a series on Prime which we initially got to watch on YouTube. It piqued our interest, but we only continued watching it this week.

Sunset in Morocco

The series was very vibrant. The locations where they filmed was not just a backdrop, but also part of how the story was told. It was well thought out and barely any boring moments.

Once upon a time in Morocco :)

The quote, "Don't turn a blind eye to what is wrong," was uttered by Ronnie (JM) to Raya (Fyang). They were arguing about the crimes her family was involved in. Well, just watch it :)

Enjoy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

New Gift from the Birds?

New leaves grew out from one of my pots. I let it grow to see whether it's a legit plant or just a weed. I finally took a photo of it and Google Lens identified it as Callisia Gentlei (common name Callisia). 

The plant just grew and I'm not sure if it's from seeds that birds dropped or a part of it has been in the soil. Remember, we rescued some of my Mom's plants last year and new plants grow out of the pots we got, haha. Perhaps it's a gift from my Mom, haha.

I'm still not sure if it's a weed or a legitimate plant. I'll probably re-pot it so it doesn't eat up the nutrients of the other plant in the pot. Let me know if this is really Callisia and if it's worth it to keep. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Amici

It's been awhile since I last got to dine at Amici. If I remember correctly, I was able to dine at the original resto in Don Bosco many, many years ago. We have not been able to come across it when we go out. Funny thing is it's just a few steps away from Lore where we've dined at several times, haha.

Anyway, Sweetie and I got to try it last week while waiting for Miggy. I absolutely loved the carbonara I ordered and also got Miggy a plate so he could try it too. The small plate I got was enough for two meals for me.

Sweetie got chicken parmigiana which he liked too.

The staff were very friendly and efficient, we came back after some errands to pick up our cake and also got pizza to bring home, haha.

And pistachio chocolate cake was amazing!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Still

I woke up with slight fever and just rested the whole day. I didn't even get to see any of the cats :'(

I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Downed by Haze

I stepped out for less than five minutes. Fifteen minutes later I had to lie down because I didn't feel well.

I napped for almost two hours on the couch. I felt better after and watched the news.

Note to self: don't go out without a mask!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Look at My Beautiful Cat

I have no crafting update today. I'm still quilting by hand the Grogu project. I'm really hoping to finish it soon, but duty calls and we've been busy tending to our house and working on our health. 

For now, take a look at our beautiful cat, Meredith.

Ain't she adorable? Just be careful, she only allows 2-second pets, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Determining Your Electrical Needs for Your New House

When we visited my Mom when we got home from Singapore, I was surprised with the many extension cords in her room. They were plugged in from other rooms and I was really concerned with what was plugged in the extension cords. It was a jaw-dropping discovery. 

A small refrigerator and the aircon on another extension cord.

What?!?!?

60-year old outlet. It included a 110 volt socket which was common in the 70s

I was just thankful that no untoward incident has happened. They probably did that even during the pandemic. I immediately had a licensed electrician check everything. The house was built in 1970 and it definitely did not take into consideration any newer appliances. 

Modern outlet of a hotel. We're skipping the ones with USB options since that changes quite frequently. We'll stick to traditional ones and just work on keeping them out of sight

Anyway, the shock probably contributed to my heart deteriorating further. We also did an electrical audit for our new home. The house was deemed a fire hazard and so we had to re-wire everything and changed all the cheap lights installed on the renovated house. 

Research on brands. Did you know electricians prefer Panasonic for outlets and switches?

We learned a lot from that experience and we followed this process when we were given the floor layout:

• Listed all appliances per room
• Marked where all the appliances were to be placed per room
• A sheet listing all appliances and gadgets
• A separate sheet listing  air conditioner placement
• CCTV placement (check with your provider if it gets its power from the server or requires it's own plug)
• Network needs (internet is more important nowadays than a phone line)
• Outdoor needs for your laundry area and garage and lights for your garden if you need it
• Noted what kind of outlets we needed, i.e.  universal outlets for kitchen appliances and placement of energy guzzling appliances like the fridge, oven and microwave
• We followed most of the planned lighting and just added some wall mounted lights outdoor. We also decided to use smart lighting sparingly (less fuss = less stuff to think about and replace in the future).

#BeKind #StaySafe

Sunday in Haze

I woke up wheezing today. I had a hard time with the bad air quality yesterday. I skipped watering the plants and playing with the cats.

I thought it would be a better day. It rained a bit, but the bad air came back immediately. We cancelled our plans to go to the park for the parish fiesta.

Apparently, our air purifier wasn't giving the right status. Sweetie changed the filter and it was covered in dust. Ughhhh. We'll probably check all our purifiers to make sure all the filters are still clean.

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eggshells, A Garden Staple

I have been using eggshells for my plants for a few years now. I think it's one of the "ingredients" that helped make my bell pepper plants produce a lot of fruit. 

I read in several sources that you should boil it before using it in the garden. I have a regular supply because we normally use at least 2 dozen eggs every month. After cracking the egg open, we normally wash off the sticky residue and set it aside. When the container of egg shells gets filled that's when I boil it.

After boiling, I set aside the shells to dry for a day or two. I also transfer the water to a bottle to be used when I water the plants. Once the egg shells are dry, I then grind it to make it smaller. Then I put one to two tablespoons per pot.

I read that it takes time for the nutrients to be absorbed in the soil. That's fine, I treat it as a "slow release" fertilizer with the plants. It also helps ward off pests because they don't like the sharp edges of the egg shell. I also use the crushed eggshells when preparing soil for planting seeds and for re-potting growing plants. I basically put it on everything since different kinds of plants need calcium anyway. 

For the more adventurous, you can also brown the shells on a pan or bake it after you boil it. Grind the eggshells and then place them in a bottle. Then add vinegar (sukang paombong) at 1:10 ratio (egg shells:vinegar). Cover the bottle only when it stops bubbling. Let it ferment for a few weeks and then use 1 to 2 tablespoons for every liter of water. You're plant will go crazy over the nutrients, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made Salmon Lemon Cream Pasta at Home

One of my favorite resto dishes is Nono's salmon lemon cream pasta. It's expensive, so I only enjoy it once in a while. Unfortunately, they removed it from the menu, so I've been experimenting on making it at home. Of course, cost-wise, it's much cheaper since I can share what I cook with the boys. 

I've made it twice and the second attempt was much better. I put a lot of spinach and it kinda freaked out Miggy (haha). I'll probably reduce that next time, but taste-wise, this attempt was much closer to what I usually have at Nono's.

Here's how I made it:

Full recipe: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/10/recipes-for-my-son-salmon-lemon-cream.html

Any tips or suggestions are welcome!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wake Up! September has Ended!

The song "Wake me up when September ends" by Green Day never gets old. It's a song about the grief Billie Joe Armstrong felt when his father passed away. I guess all of us have gone through similar journeys. 

September has ended and what I remember about the past month is the rain was replaced by haze. We were also busy trying to reach our health goals. That keeps us going every week. In between those appointments we were home doing a myriad of things. Tending to the garden, playing with cats, decluttering, and we were able to cook some good food too. 

Here's the one second everyday for the month of September:

I can say it was a pretty mundane month. Boring is good since it was already a struggle to combat the haze and breathe clean air. I hope October will be a better month. We have started to think about how best to survive the super El Nino which is supposed to hit us starting this month. 

Have a great week everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe