Blep

I accidentally sprayed some water on Meredith. She gave me a blep face after she cleaned up.

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

An Important Lesson

It was Fr. Rene* who taught me a very important lesson from Pope John Paul II -

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Waterlogged

We finally had a break from constant rains this afternoon. It's been raining everyday for two weeks now and it does a number on you when you don't see the sun shining brightly. The sun peeked this afternoon and it was refreshing. It was short-lived though and it rained again. 

I'm unable to sleep well when it rains, especially when it rains hard. I guess it's PTSD from typhoon Ondoy when I woke up to water rushing in. The past few years I struggled with the issue that the basement in our current home would get flooded. 

Good thing we managed to get help from city hall (Building Official and CENRO) to get it fixed.The flooding was due to the wrong way the contractor of the house beside us did their drainage. It was back-flowing to our backyard. It took two years before the issue was addressed, only resolved when city hall warned the contractor their license would get suspended if they didn't fix it. 

We held our stand and pushed back when the contractor through the HOA wanted to charge to fix the drainage. It wasn't our fault, so we said no. It took them almost two months to fix and it was quite obvious where they went wrong when they dug up the area. The drainage was higher than ours, that's why their sewage would back flow to us. They eventually grudgingly fixed it. 

Our issue is a very small one compared to the countless families affected by the floods the past few days (weeks, months, years...). Our city seems to have been crowned as the most flooded city in the region which is so sad. I hope a solution can be found and done soon. 

Stay safe and dry everyone.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Why Pinoys are Resilient

We've just experienced another super typhoon (Bavi with local name Inday). It brought strong winds and rain. I've never gotten used to it and I always wake up whenever the rain starts pounding on the roof. I'm also always creeped out when the wind howls. I keep reminding myself we're safe and we've taken precautions to prepare, but the worry never goes away when you've been through a lot of disasters.

And that made me think. They always say Filipinos are resilient. We are because you grow up needing to be prepared all the time. Here's what I grew up with:

• EDSA Revolution (x3), Coup d'etats
• Strong typhoons (Ondoy, Pepeng, Yolanda are just some, it's an annual thing)
• Flooding (queue memories of getting stuck in school and not being able to go home + walking in floodwater)
• Heavy forever traffic
• Increase in prices (gasoline/groceries/electricity)

We all just usually shrug it off as something that's common and an everyday thing. I was in Singapore when I realized it is a hard life we truly live. I was at an event and people were panicking because Orchard Road was flooded. I had to see it for myself so I stepped out of the hotel and saw it was just practically a puddle. An inch of clear water coursing through the street. The other attendees of the event were already saying they were stranded! 

The event has ended already, so I crossed the road to go to the MRT. My shoes didn't even get soaked! Ahh, for me, it wasn't a disaster. I would have probably waited for the water to subside if it reached gutter level, but it wasn't bothersome for me. Well, that's the sad thing. If we had things in place and if we weren't cheated by those who could make our lives easier, then our threshold for disaster would be much lower. 

I hope and pray everyone is safe and dry. There's going to be more rain for the next few days, so don't forget to bring your umbrella.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

God Provides

I thought we'd just have a sprinkle of rain today. I went about at half past 5 to play with the cats and then water the plants.

I looked at one of my rainwater drums. It was almost empty. I set the hose to fill it up. I didn't turn the faucet on yet and proceeded to water some plants.

Then huge raindrops started falling. I ran to set the strainer cover for the drum and then I went to the garage for cover. Ahh, the rain we've been waiting for all week finally poured.

Woohoo! Thank you Lord for the rain. I hope it will help Mom's bougainvillea to propagate. 

Have a blessed Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Past Few Weeks

There's been a lot of tension politically in the country the past few weeks. Well, more than usual. It's honestly, stressful since it ultimately affects each of us.

Since we got back 5 years ago, prices have gone up a lot. The budget I had before for groceries and food had to be adjusted. Luckily, we had solar installed a few years ago and we've been able to keep our electricity bill at a constant (we don't have batteries). Gas prices went up, so we only went out as needed. Water is also expected to go up this month. 

I hope it will be a better week for our country. I pray that truth and what is right will prevail. 

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

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

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

Rest and Recover

The past week has been really crazy.

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

#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

Busy Sunday

It was a very busy day today. I spent a lot of time pruning plants in our pocket garden. I'm close to giving up my cherry tomato plants because the leaf miners pests just won't stop, huhu. I might just start new. 

I was also busy working on plans for another project. Spending time on the computer gave me a headache. I'm not used to it anymore and will probably need more green time (gardening) tomorrow to clear my eyes.

During a break, I watched the amazing Britain's Got Talent audition of Matty Juniosa. It goes to show that sometimes your talent can be better appreciated abroad (just like Sofronio Vasquez). I hope Matty wins! 

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Sobering Week

On the way home from the hospital yesterday (after Miggy's gym time), I was thinking about the noticeable effects of the war. 

We were on EDSA when I saw a person lying down on the pedestrian lane. Part of his legs was stretched out on the road and he looked half naked. We were on the inner lane, so I only saw it for a few seconds. I pinged MMDA on X. I was hoping they could check on him since a vehicle can run over his legs. MMDA responded to ask for the exact location, but I didnt see any update anymore.

I said a prayer for the person. I hope he is okay and can get help. Most of us are probably feeling the pinch. We experienced getting more expensive gas today. We used to top up just 1k every other week, but now it's 150% more. Got some groceries also and the increase in meat prices was huge. We paid 4k for a few items and the cashier offered to use points for me to get a discount. Let's all help where we can 🙏

Dear Lord, praying for peace and normalcy 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

Unsettling

All of us has started to feel the effects of the war especially when gasoline prices increased. I'm sure everything else will get more expensive. My maintenance medications will probably get more expensive too.

Scary times! I know we're far away from the war, but we don't really know where it's going. The best thing we can do for now is pray and update our go-bags and home supplies.

Pray for Peace 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

Meredith

I spent the afternoon in between Pikachu and Meredith. My gardening table is flanked by two cat quarters, the bench and the cat cot area. 

I wasn't planning to do any gardening, but the cool weather once again lured me to do some re-potting, hehe. One thing led to another and I had already spent almost 3 hours outside, haha.

I seriously need to do some ironing tomorrow!!!

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Decompress

The past few days has been crazy busy. It's stressful for me. I postponed my scheduled APE today since I woke up with a migraine. I was exhausted.

I got up after lunch already. It took longer for my body to recover, but I also had to put my mind at ease. So, I stayed offline the whole day and spent three hours re-potting cucumber and tomato plants. 

I between re-potting plants and playing with Grogu, the stress from the past week dissipated. I was tired by the time I finished, but I still had some energy for a joyride. Sweetie and I went out to get some gas since they said it will go up by ten pesos per liter! 

Pray for Peace!

Happy new week everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Forgot

I forgot what I was going to write about today. It happens often, haha. Sundays are supposed to be for reflection and to recognize miracles or to identify things I'm grateful for.

It's been a busy month and I'm most grateful for the energy to keep up with our activities. There are days I want to do more, but I rest when needed. 

And that's just it. Live simply. Make more happy memories.

#BeKind #StaySafe