The Highs and Lows of 2023

The year has been one of the most devastating years of my life. I lost my Mom and I just had to cope with my grief through the rest of the year. The state of my health has also been challenging. Worse off, I was hospitalized for 3 weeks last month. 

Some of my friends said it hasn't been a good year for them too. I always remind myself that God only gives us trials that we can bear. The day before He took Mom home with Him, I had prayed in earnest for something I have been praying for over a decade now. God finally answered the prayer the day before my Dad's birthday. It helped ease the pain of losing my Mom. 

I wouldn't put 2023 as a bad year. We all go through highs and lows each year. I put goals for different aspects of my life so I could feel more productive and useful. Adjusting to retired but disabled life has been difficult for me, so having goals helped make me feel useful and needed. Here's how I broke it down:

Make Our Home Beautiful (https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2023/01/home-on-mondays-make-our-home-beautiful.html)

We made a lot of progress with fixing and organizing our home. We had the electrical and plumbing issues fixed. Kitchen was overhauled. Garden is not muddy anymore and plumbing has been improved. We're down to a handful of boxes which I'll finish sorting today. We've sent more than 50 boxes of items for donation. Also hope to clear the sala before 2024 comes knocking in 24 hours (haha)

Craft the Year Away (https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2023/01/creative-happy-tuesdays-craft-year-away.html)

I probably finished half of the projects I wanted to do. I take time whenever I work on my projects since I want to enjoy every stitch I make. I enjoyed making the cat series the most. I also enjoyed the challenge of turning scrap fabric into something useful. Will prioritize those I wasn't able to make next year. If you want to take a look, I documented what I created on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@aileenapolo/videos). 

Wellness, Stability and Stamina (https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2023/01/wellness-wednesdays-my-wellness-goals.html)

I set wellness goals for the year to ensure I took care of myself better. The most important thing I did was to change doctors and hospital. I felt I needed a change because they were forcing me to have surgery. My doctors in Singapore warned that it would be very risky for me to do any procedure. I knew I really needed to change when the medtech staff doing my CT scan freaked out over my results. Changing doctors helped a lot and despite being confined for 3 weeks I feel I'm becoming more stable and my stamina is increasing. Ahh, and I finally got my PWD card (hooray!).

Bucket List (https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2023/01/2023-bucket-list.html)

I made my 2023 bucket list attainable. I was able to do 70% of it, the others have to wait (more like pass the approval of my boys). We were able to enjoy traveling twice without any incident and I hope we can do that next year again. Just need to avoid the flu season and ensure I'm strong and stable when we get to travel again. I hope to resume though in-person grocery and dine at interesting food places. 

Ambitious Gardening Goals (https://aileenapolo.blogspot.com/2023/01/plantita-saturdays-my-ambitious.html)

I'm still not successful with my veggie garden. It's hard! It's been really challenging since one really needs to be consistent with it. Plus it didn't help when I got hospitalized since the watering and care had to be delegated to the boys. I've been more successful with ornamental plants. I bravely re-potted the plants Mom gave me and they're all thriving. I hope to do better with gardening next year. 

I'm still thinking about what I'll do next year. I haven't really thought about making goals yet since I'm a month behind everything (haha). I'll probably continue blogging everyday since it's part of my therapy, plus it helps me to keep active and productive. 

Let's all hope and pray for a better year next year!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: A Look-back at The First Quarter of the Pandemic

We were in Singapore when the lockdown started to happen. We were trying to extend Miggy's stay, but since things were getting fuzzy our application was denied. He managed to get home just a few days before the lockdown started in the Philippines. The strict movement kept us apart for almost 2 years. We've always done things together and those 2 years were very hard. I jumped out of the van to hug him when we finally arrived. 

Work from home era

I started blogging daily in 2020. It was supposed to be a one month challenge. I extended it because of the unusual circumstance. I looked back at my posts that marked how things were during the 2+ years when movement was restricted and our lives changed completely.

1. 
   February 13, 2020 - Re-aligning Plans
2. February 16, 2020 - Did You Panic Buy
3. February 17, 2020 - Mad Monday and Thinking About Immunity
4. February 29, 2020 - Living in the Time of the Coronavirus
5. March 11, 2020 - How to Enable Distance Learning for Your School
6. March 12, 2020 - How to be a Homebody
7. March 13, 2020 - The Situation in Our Homes: Manila and Singapore
8. March 16, 2020 - We Will Bear this Cross Together
9. March 18, 2020 - Your Survival Guide to Working at Home
10. March 19, 2020 - Online Grocery and Online Medicine Delivery Service
11. March 23, 2020 - The Last Stretch of March
12. March 24, 2020 - I Did the Dalgona Challenge
13. March 28, 2020 - What is Mother Nature Trying to Tell Us?
14. March 29, 2020 - Keeping Safe: Staying and Working from Home in Singapore
15. March 31, 2020 - Goodbye March, Hello April

Just before movement was restricted, I was still able to attend a friend's wedding. It's the last celebration I attended before the lockdowns started (called circuit breaker in Singapore). Mask wearing was soon required and we were advised to work from home. I didn't know that last day at the office would be the last time I'd get to go inside it. 

I was grateful though to work from home because I was having breathing issues and working in a huge office was challenging. Sweetie and I had to work out a dynamic on how to work at home together. I was pretty noisy all day with so many meetings, so he used Miggy's bedroom. We were also bent to move to a new place and spent the month of March looking for a new place. 

Thought I'd look back at what transpired 3 years ago. Things seem to be going back to "normal", but while people are adjusting back to pre-pandemic norm, I'm still at the fork of the road, thinking about what my next steps would be. 

Have you gone back to pre-pandemic norm or are you following the new normal?

#BeKind #StaySafe

First Mall Adventure Since We Got Home

I'm still weathering through the effects of the booster shot. I've ticked off all the possible effects. I'm just thinking it's really working for me and my body will be battle ready after two weeks. Missing Mom though since I haven't been able to VC with her. 

Since the vaccination center was located at Megamall, we were able to break our mall fast, LOL. We've been avoiding crowded places so that meant no trips to the mall. 

We arrived an hour before the mall opened. It felt surreal to be in a mall. I was honestly dazed and had to hold onto Miggy/Sweetie the whole time. I've been having spatial issues since I had my second PE and I get cross eyed when there are many people walking around. The will to go around was strong, so I just walked slowly.

After getting vaccinated, we had breakfast at CBTL. It was a rare treat to dine out with the boys. After that we got more food! We got takeaway at Racks since it's been years since we dined there. It's one of our favorite goto places with our parents.

Of course, we just had to visit one of the shops. We went to Old Navy. They had really good discounts, so we ended up getting some shirts. The biggest budol of the day though was at Mercury Drug. I got one quarter worth of meds. The bill didn't look pretty. 

I probably ran on adrenaline the whole time we were out. I was still feeling perky until about 4 in the afternoon, then the booster shot took over my body. A lot of friends said it takes about three days before you get well. I guess I should reschedule some of my appointments this week since getting better is taking longer than expected. 

Happy Monday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely

Goodbye Fwend

I feel defeated. This pandemic just doesn't know when it should stop. I've been feeling unwell the past few days because I overexerted myself (a.k.a. I mopped the floor). I was settling down to sleep when I chances upon a post. I thought it was just someone trying to be funny, but after some investigation I realized a good friend just passed away. 

It was so unexpected and felt like someone punched me. It was the same feeling I had when I lost Juned. 

Eugene was a colleague turned close friend when we were working for EYP. I was a young product manager then given the additional task to make sure EYP delivered revenue. Eug was one of the 15 people I hired to do sales. He was one of those who believed I could deliver the herculean task. With his support we cracked the code to generate revenue for EYP.

For many months we spent time saturating Intramuros and Malate. After work we'd unwind with the while team in Malate. It was always videoke night for us and that's how I got to know Eug more. We were complete opposites. He was funny, pilyo, easy going and chill. At that time everyone saw me as an ice queen, but Eug managed to see through it and that's how we became friends. We usually talked about our kids. The best support he gave me though was seeing me through a breakup. He absolutely hated my ex.

Through the years though it was hard to bring the gang together again. We kept in touch online and the last time we chatted was last year. He asked me why I was in the hospital again. We updated each other about our kids and reminisced about those times we spent in Malate. I told him I didn't have clotting issues back then because we regularly drank! 

Fwend, I didn't expect you'd be gone so soon. Thought we'd still have time to update each other about Hope, Miggy and my inaanak. Mahilig ka talaga manggulat noh? Rest in peace my friend, please say hi to all my loved ones up there.

#BeKind #StayHome

Joyride to the 44th Floor!

It was my first time yesterday to be more than 3 kilometers away from our home. We had to go out for an errand in Ortigas. To avoid traffic we went through SLEX, C5 then went through McKinley, BGC and we experienced the new Estrella-Panteleon Bridge. I was surprised to see many new buildings in the area and baffled how we got to the Kapitolyo area so fast. There were so many new developments I got confused where we were already, LOL. 

Unfortunately due to heavy traffic we reached out destination at noon. They were already on lunchbreak, so we had to wait. Sweetie was wary of having me walk far from our destination so we ended up in the hotel next door because there were no waiting area in the office we went to. We were also avoiding crowded places, so we ended up in the 44th floor of the hotel. True enough the resto was empty. We ended up having an instant date with a nice view of the mountains in Rizal. 

I honestly don't remember the last time we dined out. Ah, I think the last time was at Starbucks Raffles Hospital just before we went home. We already considered it a date since we went out sparingly. I told Sweetie I hope we can have a longer joyride in early January. Maybe just go somewhere to eat and see nice views for a day. We've also been super tired lately from the move. My Fitbit actually said I needed for rest, hehe. 

I was happy to do our little errand. It became a joyride and a date! I'm already used to staying at home, so will just want to do this every so often and only if it's really needed. I haven't even been to the mall or a grocery. I don't miss it anymore since I can just do my window shopping by scrolling through Lazada, Shopee, Amazon or my favorite fabric shops. Just add to cart and just leave it there until the want fades away. I usually delete the items in the cart a few days later when I realize I don't really need to buy anything (unless it's my fave milk tea heehee). 

P.S. Hope to unearth more clothes in the coming days. Ended up wearing an un-ironed dress when we went out hahaha. 

#Home49 #NewG197 #Xmas3 #StayHome #BeKind  

The Big Transition Month, It's Not Over Yet

Can you believe that it's December already? The year is ending soon and we just survived the biggest transition in our lives. We began November by getting haircuts! I had my long hair chopped off and it felt so good! 

Here's a one second everyday video of how my November went :D

Moving countries is hard! It's not as easy as moving homes. The week before we flew home was hectic. Movers came to pack and box our things. After they took everything, we started packing our things. We soon realized we had more than what we could bring. We had to send a box through LBC (it hasn't arrived yet). It felt like Lucky Plaza magnetized us to come over for one last time, haha. It will be fun to unbox a balikbayan box when it arrives! 

The travel processes went smoothly. We had to follow closely new announcements since it was changing almost everyday. I have friends who have been asking me how we prepared to go home. Since the policies change often I suggest to read through my post here and visit the links I provided. We did not encounter any problems and we were able to stay together during our quarantine*.

After finishing our six-day quarantine, we finally went home and was reunited with Miggy. We stayed home for another four days before we were able to visit my Mom. The rest of the month was spent mostly re-organizing our messy home and preparing for another transition. Yes! It's not yet over! That's what I meant when I said, "Rad changes coming up!"

November was a good month. I'm so happy to be home with family and be in close proximity to friends. The frenzy of eating everything we missed is done! We have switched back to eating healthy meals. My doctor and my seatmate would be happy to know this, haha. 

Now we prepare for two important birthday! My Mom's and Papa Jesus' birthday. Yay! 

*The BOQ has a single person per room policy. More links on this post.

We're Finally Complete

When I woke up this morning I realized "today is THE day"! Eagerly awaited the results of our swab test and breathed a sigh of relief when they sent it earlier than expected. Made plans with Sweetie while eating breakfast. Packing did not take too long and soon enough front desk called to inform us that our ride had arrived. 

I couldn't contain my excitement while waiting for our bill. Soon enough our gazillion luggage were loaded and we were on our way home. Luckily traffic was light, the funny thing is I panicked a bit when we turned a corner. I thought the drive made a mistake and was going to meet traffic head-on. I realized a few seconds later that people drive on the right side here. I got used to the left side for almost two years. 

As the headed down to our drop off I saw a glimpse of Miggy. I immediately waved. I literally jumped on him for a hug when we parked. I almost bawled hahaha. I think Sweetie took a video of our reunion. I feel my life could go on now. I am now unsuspended. That's how I felt since I moved to Singapore. 

I am happy. I am complete. We're going to finish our 4 day home quarantine first before we visit my Mom. For the next few days we'll catch up first, do many, many hugs and reorganize our home. I'm still in a daze and have to keep pinching myself that I am finally home. 

*Many friends abroad have been pinging me about the steps we took to get home. I'll make an updated post maybe tomorrow hehe. I just need to wrap my head around the fact that we made it back!

#Quarantine6 #Home6 #NewG238 #Xmas46 #StayHome #BeKind 

Love is All Around Me

Following the stressful day I had yesterday I'd like to sit still for a moment and celebrate happy moments. It's the season of love! A few months ago my nephew, Gabby, got engaged. This was followed by my cousin, Precious, and now my niece Carissa just got engaged too! 

Ahhh, so much love around me! I shed some tears after watching the Carissa's engagement video. She obviously had no idea it was about to happen. I'm so happy for her and wish I could attend her wedding. I missed Gabby's engagement because I was napping! Arggggh. And Precious got engaged at the beach. 

The kids have really grown up. I used to watch Gabby when he was a baby when I got back from school. Chase after Carissa and Patricia when they were little. We did a lot of Christmas family trips in Indonesia when they were growing up. I remember when I was newly broken-heart Carissa told me, "It's okay Tita, you'll be okay." She was 12 years old and dispensed moving on strategies to me. I was so shocked I immediately got out of my hole. Hahaha. 

It's been years since we had everyone in the same place. Makes all the time we used to spend together more precious. What will probably happen is I'll see them again someday with little ones running around. But for now I'll just enjoy this warm, fuzzy feeling that love brings. 

It was also just fitting that yesterday my good doctor sent me some macarons! To be honest I'm not really fond of macarons (I prefer broas), but I'm always game to try new things. The macarons was made by his niece. I must say it's the best macarons I've tried! The sweetness level is perfect! If you're in Singapore and want to try it just order via the Macbites IG account. 

Don't forget, today is St. Jude's day 4 novena. 

CB////*Yr2/194 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/215 #NewG256 #Home12 #Xmas64 #StayHome #BeKind 

Proof of Travel Life

I was feeling unwell yesterday. I guess it's still part of the effects of the vaccine. I didn't want the day to waste away so I parked myself on the bed to sort out some stuff. I decided to work on my travel bags. 

I normally bring two hand carry bags whenever I travel. One is a tote bag and the second one is a backpack or a bag with wheels. I emptied the bags yesterday and found a treasure of hotel pens hahaha. Apparently I just kept tossing them in the bag and it added up. I was happy with the find because it means I don't need to buy a pen for a long, long time. Tossed out piles of receipts and asked help from Sweetie to shred print outs of tickets and hotel bookings. 

One thing I learned through the years was to keep a small amount of currencies from different countries. My job required me to travel a lot. I normally don't bring a lot of money, but you always should have enough cash to cover taxi rides and give tips. When I go back home I would keep the currency in an envelop for the next trip. Now that travel is suspended I'll just exchange the money back since some countries may change their bank notes and render my cash useless. 

Sorting through my stuff was also a trip down memory lane. I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people and learn about their cultures. Traveling wasn't easy for me especially the past three years (I had falls), but I was happy to be there to serve and help. With my health now I don't think I'd be able to do what I used to do. The best treasure I found yesterday were the happy memories and the opportunity to make many new friends across the world.  

And I think I found the money to buy a new sewing machine. Yay!

CB////*Yr2/185 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/206 #NewG262 #Home21 #Xmas73 #StayHome #BeKind

27 Dresses, the Rare Times I Cleaned Up

The movie "27 Dresses" is about a girl who was a bridesmaid 27 times. This post isn't about that (but I did become a bridesmaid countless times haha). This is about the select dresses I wore to special occasions. 

If you know me, you know I prefer to wear just a t-shirt and jeans. There were days though I had to dress up. Here are the rare occasions when I cleaned up haha. I'm not really good at it and don't really like wearing make-up. I just randomly thought about this yesterday while packing some of my clothes. 

Product launch party.

In Malacanang with my manager.

With Br. Armin :)

TV interview, the hair and make up stylist had a lot of time I guess haha.

That moment at PICC.

And meeting the good mayor.

I felt a bit nostalgic yesterday as I packed away my dresses. I haven't worn them for two years now. I wonder if I should still keep them since I don't see any opportunity in the near future when I could wear them again. Life has definitely changed and no one can tell when things will go back to normal. 

What do you think?

CB////*Yr2/179 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/200 #NewG268 #Home27 #Xmas81 #StayHome #BeKind

What I Miss Most

I dreamt of my nephews and nieces last night. We were, as usual, eating at a buffet. Whenever I get to see them we automatically head to a buffet. It's been awhile since I've seen them since they're located in different cities now. 

Oh how I miss my family and our food adventures. The kids though are all grown up now. Some have started their own families. I guess I was feeling a bit lonely last night because it's almost two years since I've seen family. 

It was a good thing I was able to have two family reunions before I headed back to Singapore last year. Got to meet my cousin's bf-now-fiance. My tita from Australia was also in town. I also got to meet my cousin's apo from the US. It was a great pre-pandemic good memories pabaon. 

I'm really so relieved that my doctor allowed me to get vaccinated. I was facing the possibility of living a hermit life and that thought was depressing. I experienced the usual symptoms post-vaxx, but that's okay at least now I'm protected. That also means we could probably have mini-reunions when things get better. 

And hopefully see my nephews and nieces again soon. 

CB///*Yr2/167 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/190 #NewG280 #Home39 #Xmas91 #StayHome #BeKind

My Buying Habits have Changed

So much has changed in the last 2 years. I don't know about you, but I previously preferred to go to the mall and supermarket to buy things I need. Malling was my official exercise on record on my doctor's notes. I made him laugh so hard when I told him what my favorite exercise was. I didn't really like buying things online, but the situation forced me to change my buying habits. 

I started with buying groceries online. It was a huge pain because items were not always available. We also always did not get everything we ordered. Eventually though things improved and we only go to the grocery if we happen to pass by one when doing other errands (like every other month?). I only expanded to buying other things when I needed to buy craft materials. 

Well, that opened the floodgates for me haha. I've joined a couple of online hobby groups and started to learn more about tools that I can use to make quilting easier. Remember, my Mom taught me how to quilt using basic sewing materials and it's been fun to discover that there are things you can use to hasten the process. 

One of my favorite things to do is finding the best deal and sources. Buying craft materials/tools can be challenging. I was so proud of myself when I finally found the right sewing machine extension table haha. I look forward to discovering new online sources when I get home. What I look forward to trying are new food providers, especially the ones that are home made. 

Budol is real every month. I survived 8.8 but not 9.9 haha! I think it's worse than the sweldo sale that malls do back home. We avoided those mall sale days because of the heavy traffic and that's why I think these monthly online sale hosted by Lazada and Shopee is seriously risky! Hahaha. I've learned though and I make a running list of things I need. Hrhrhr. 

My fave Plaza Singapura

I still miss going to the mall. I've been able to still go every other month here in Singapore, but I don't think I'll get to do it when I go home. The funny thing is I've started to take photos of my favorite shops lately. Haha! Do you do that too?

P.S. I'm back home from my daycation at the hospital. Just reminiscing my malling days haha.

CB///*Yr2/152 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/175 #NewG295 #Home53 #Xmas106 #StayHome #BeKind 

Indestructible

"There's nothing you cannot do," is a lesson my parents taught me growing up. They impressed this on me whenever I would share my fears (like recitation!). They also told me how Ate topped the chemical engineering board exam. She set aside her nervousness while taking the exam. I learned to take a deep breath and pray to calm myself before I do anything that makes me nervous. 

Abating fears is not easy especially if you have anxiety. It's often hard to quiet down the voices in your head. I've recently had to deal with being medically ineligible to get vaccinated. At the prodding of my respiratory doctor I rechecked with my vascular doctor if I could get vaccinated. He said yes. I also checked with my cardiovascular surgeon and he said yes too. I trust my doctors, but of course I'm still scared because of the previous risks that were raised to me. 

So I prayed and asked God to remove my fears. My doctor gave instructions on how I should go about it. I then did some research and slowly started to understand why I should not be scared to get vaccinated. The NUH website gave advise for those medically ineligible. There were two important points that struck me:

(1) If medically ineligible check back with your specialist every few months because more data may be available (I was told no in June and by end August there was more information available for my doctor), (2) You are ineligible if you have low platelet count. [Source: NUH Infographic]

It was a blessing in disguise my other doctor ordered for a blood test. It included my blood count and I'm in the normal range (in fact it increased the past few months). Whew! What also helped me was Dr. Mike Hansen's video explaining the death of a doctor (video here). All of these just unfolded a few days after I prayed for help. I really want to do this for my family. 

I wasn't sure about writing about this today. I read first today's Kerygma reflection and was surprised to see the headline, "Do not fear, God is here". So I went ahead and wrote about how my parents taught me how to be resilient -- just have faith and trust in God! <3

"Say to the fearful of heart: Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. – Isaiah 35:4"

CB///*Yr2/147 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/170 #NewG300 #Home58 #Xmas111 #StayHome #BeKind

Hello Ber Months, Day 1 of the Christmas Season!

Oh wow it's already the ber months! Today marks the first day of the Christmas season in the Philippines. I wonder if they've started to play holiday songs on the radio and in malls. It wasn't always like this. We used to start celebrating only in November. My Mom would normally set November 30 as the day we set-up the tree since it's a holiday. I don't know when  it was declared that the Christmas season starts when the ber months come. 

I think celebrating Christmas for 100 days is a good idea. It always feels like your daily grind changes, since there's something to look forward to. I remember in my previous jobs we'd start preparing for the Christmas party towards the end of November. I was also usually part of the holiday party committee. It was always a busy time where you try to see all of your friends before the deluge of family reunions. 

I must admit in the past few years I've been so busy. We didn't even set-up a tree in 2019. I made up for it last year and set-up our decorations early. It was a good thing I did because my health went downhill by mid-December. It was really hard for our family to be miles part last year, but we managed. We're all looking forward to be complete this Christmas. Family is everything. 

I haven't really planned what we'll do for Christmas. I expect movement would still be very restricted. We also have to continue following all measures to keep safe. We'll probably just have a nice family meal at home, exchange gifts and I hope I'd be able to send some personally baked cupcakes to family and friends. Let's all hope for a happier and safer Christmas this year!

Merry Christmas!

CB///*Yr2/143 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/166 #NewG304 #Home62 #StayHome #BeKind 

Are You Afraid?

My Mama Lola.

There is so much uncertainty nowadays. It's created a lot of fear in us. At the beginning of the pandemic I could say I was still a bit reckless. I'd go out for my PT sessions and go to the mall after. It came to a point where Sweetie would pick me up from my PT session so I'd go straight home after. 

My PT sessions ended a few months ago. I only go out now whenever I have a doctor's appointment. I rush out of the hospital after my appointment. I think it's normal to feel scared. We don't understand everything there is to know about the virus. The virus has been a menace and the past few weeks I see many more friends getting infected. The number of people passing away within my circle has also increased. 

I know I am at higher risk because I am medically ineligible to get vaccinated. I was trying to make sense of the fear last night. I know I need to take more precautions and I have to live like a hermit. I realized though that my grandparents lived through the 1918 pandemic. It took more than a decade for things to go back to "normal". The "Spanish Flu" had more than 500M suspected cases, and estimated 20 to 50M died (source). 

But my grandparents lived through it. Papa Lolo was born in 1904 and Mama Lola was born in 1915. I think my paternal grandparents were older than them since my Dad was the the youngest among 9 siblings. I'm not sure what their circumstances were during the 1918 pandemic, but what's important is they survived it. I wish they were still alive so I could ask what they did back then. They probably took a lot of care and followed protocol back then. 

I don't know why I thought about my grandparents. I was just trying to figure out how I should not live in fear. Living in fear will be bad because it releases toxins to your body which will make you more sick. To curb this feeling I have to keep restating my intentions and have faith that God will continue to protect me, my family and all my loved ones. 

It's okay to feel scared. Just remember that Papa God only gives us challenges that we can bear. This is a huge challenge for all of us. The best thing to do about it is to learn, adjust and do what's best for the whole community. Stay home, get vaccinated if you're eligible and do what's needed to protect your loved ones. 

Day 24 Minimalism challenge, turn off notifications. I did this for a few months as instructed by my doctor. I think more than turning off notifications, you have to discipline yourself from checking your phone every few minutes. I purposely did not install social media apps on my tablet too and it's been a quieter life for me haha. 

CB///*Yr2/135 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/158 #NewG311 #Home69 #StayHome #BeKind

Mom's Lockdown Formula

I had a nice chat with my Mom earlier. She shared updates on what she's been doing and not doing. I'm relieved she's just staying home. I had a panic attack when I heard she went out last January to visit the church. She only told me she did a few months after. Good thing Kuya also confiscated her driver's license because it's prevented her from going out. 

My Mom has adjusted well to the new normal. Senior citizens have generally not been allowed out since last year. She used to complain in the beginning that she wanted to at least go to church. Good thing she understands the risks of going out and have just stayed home. She only got to go out because one of her friends took her out for a spin. 

Here's my Mom's happy to be home formula:

1. Telebabad with her amigas - yup, it's been quite hard to reach her by phone! Well, she also gets regular calls from us and her grandchildren. 

2. Gardening - it's a known rule, if you want to call Mom, don't call her during her gardening hours haha. 

3. Sewing and quilting - I sent Mom a huge box of quilting materials to keep her busy. She loves hand quilting stuff and I asked her to make me some throw pillow covers for Christmas hrhrhr. 

4. Praying - growing up I always saw my Mom with her prayer book. She'd be sitting quietly on the bed praying. She does this all day and I'm sure she's busy doing that now. 

5. Watch the news - I'm sure my Mom misses Dad. They used to discuss the news a lot. I get bits and pieces of it whenever I call her. 

I think the key to my Mom's happy lockdown vibe is the fact she has a lot of hobbies. She always tells me there's a lot to do at home. She's excited to grow more pechay using Kuya's hydrophonics set-up. Maybe I'll try that too when we go home. 

Day 11 Minimalism challenge, meditate your day. I spend some time meditating everyday. It helps me calm down and center myself. There are days though where my mind just doesn't stop whirring. What helped me learn how to meditate was the Headspace app. I just went through the 10-day trial of the app and the I've been using the technique for years now. I think I'll revisit it for a refresher course :)

CB///*Yr2/122 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/145 #NewG324 #Home82 #StayHome #BeKind 

Minimalism

I started new challenge today - the 30 day minimalism challenge. Life has been so different in the past year and I realized I don't need a lot of my things. Week in, week out I wear the same clothes. I rarely dress up nowadays and I think it's going to be that way for a long time. I cleaned up my backpacks awhile back and I'm wondering why I have several backpacks -- oh because I used to switch depending on where I traveled.

Anyway, I found a nice 30-day minimalism challenge on Pinterest (it's become one of my fave apps). Today's order is to purge your wardrobe. I decided to purge first the folded clothes -- tshirts, shorts, pajamas etc. I was able to pack away two bags worth of clothes. Whew! Feels good to have more space in my closet. Maybe I'll work on the clothes on hangers tomorrow. 

I think it's a good thing to do now and I look forward to the next 29 days. I tried purging Marie Kondo style, but everything is precious to me so it didn't work (haha). Purging through a daily theme might work better. We'll see. 

Day 29 Gratitude Challenge, A compliment you have received. There's one compliment that comes to mind right now, it's when my friends call me FGM (fairy godmother). It makes me feel needed :)

CB///*Yr2/112 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/135 #NewG334 #Home92 #StayHome #BeKind   

Hello Outside World!

The last time we got to go out was when we went to the Star Wars Identities exhibit. That was more than two months ago. We've just stayed home to keep safe and just get our supplies delivered. Sweetie accompanied me to a check-up today. I was so happy when he agreed to go to my favorite mall after. 

We ended up dining at one of our favorite restos, Nana's Green Tea. It's a dessert place, but they have a great selection of meals. I usually order the oroshi hamburg. It comes with red rice and a salad. I should ask Uncle Fumio how to make this dish. I normally pair the dish with matcha latte. We missed Miggy since we normally eat there with him. 

The highlight of the day out for me was going to Spotlight. I needed to buy some fabric for a quilt project. I want to make a thank you gift for my doctors. I'll probably make a lap quilt since I noticed they don't use throw pillows in the clinic. My favorite doctor had the throw pillow cover quilt I gave him framed! Haha. i hope they will use the lap quilt I'll make. 

I was tired after just one store. I had to drag my feet to finish the rest of our errands. I'm happy we were able to get the free oximeter from the Temasek Foundation. They are providing one per household and you can claim it from Watsons/Guardian/Cold Storage or your community center. The oximeter is fancier than my old one! Thank you Temasek Foundation, really appreciate this support!

And now I'm flat on my back on the couch. I'm exhausted! The happy kind! I'll probably pay for this until tomorrow, but that's okay. It was good to see the outside world again! 

Of course, I forgot about my gratefulness challenge yesterday! I only remembered it after I posted my blog haha. Day 2 Gratitude Challenge: What you find beautiful. I find nature beautiful. I've been watching a lot of NatGeo, BBC Earth and nature vlogs the past few months. I'm truly amazed at God's creation. Watching documentaries and vlogs inspire me and I've been learning a lot too. Thank you Papa God for our beautiful home, earth. 

CB///*Yr2/86 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/113 #NewG360 #Home134 #StayHome #BeKind 

Interruption as a Blessing

There's another huge interruption happening again back home. Today the Philippines recorded more than 7k new cases of COVID19. This is the highest number for a day. It is scary and I have been sending reminders to my family to stay home and stay safe. 

It is frustrating. I think we are all looking forward to the day when we can move around freely. Hug our family and friends anytime, anywhere. Be rid of face masks, face shields. Be without fear. I can't wait for the day I can be with my family again. 

I watched a reflection the other day. It suggested to look at things (especially getting sick) as an interruption. And that interruption may be a blessing in disguise. The same as this forced time out we are all experiencing. It's a major interruption for all us. Maybe to protect us from something more vile. 

I think the biggest blessing this pandemic has brought us is the time we're spending at home. We're all getting to explore other things too. It started with dalgona coffee last year, then gardening, harvesting veggies we planted, to baking (remember it was so hard to buy yeast?). There was an exponential uptake of using online tools too. 

I remember when I was in high school, me and my friends were thinking that in the future we'd just be meeting via our computers. At that time internet was not available to everyone yet and most computers just had monochrome monitors. Now we can video call anyone on our phone. We are lucky we have all these technologies today to keep in touch. 

I don't know what's going to happen in the next few weeks, months or years. We just have to ride on, be safe and see this interruption as a blessing. 

P.S. I have been participating in the #9010Challege. It's where I list down 9 blessings and a prayer before I sleep for 7 days. Check it out on my page. 

CB///344 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/7 #StayHome #BeKind 

Goodbye 2020, Finally

I want to go back to this day. 

It's two hours to midnight and it feels like the eve to the new millennium. Remember 1999? That time when we were so apprehensive what may happen when the clock struck 12. There was a lot of fear then that computers may break down because of the change. The clock struck 12 and there wasn't any disruption. 

Now it's two hours to 2021 and all of us are hopeful that the new year will be better. Admit it, you're probably hoping that the new year will just magically wipe away the ugly year we've just been through. I did not sleep a wink last night. It was a side effect of the strong medication my doctor gave me. And yes, I'm hopeful that when the clock strikes 12, a magic wand will wave and transport us to a better year. 

And that my friends is what hope is all about. The desire to be better. My physiotherapist yesterday interviewed me about my ordeal before we did any exercises. I told her that I took a walk at the park last week because I wanted to push myself. I cooked noche buena also because I wanted to have some form of normalcy. It did more harm than good because I ended up having a relapse (thus the strong meds). 

Our last family photo of 2020 before Miggy went home. 

My physiotherapist said, "It does feel like you're trying hard to push for normalcy. Do you feel like you're fighting it because if you just give in you might end up in a worse situation?" She understood perfectly how I feel and I'm exhausted from fighting. I told her I feel defeated because we keep going back to zero. We make progress then I get sick and then we slide back to the beginning. She said that these are just little humps on the road and we just need to keep fighting. I'm lucky she's my physiotherapist. 

And that's just like 2020. We're all in this fight to defeat this virus. It is exhausting, but remember you're here today because your grandparents or great grandparents survived the pandemic. The new year may not be the miracle salve we're looking for, but a new day and a new year always brings promise. 

Happy new year everyone! Praying for a blessed and safe new year for everyone. 

CB///266 #StuckAtHomeDay/296 #StayHome #BeKind