Just Ask

We've been meaning to go to Tagaytay for a few months now. We set a schedule to go with Kuya and Ate Joy two weeks ago, but a few days before our schedule the volcano decided to release a lot of gas. Of course, we canceled our trip again.

A friend pinged and said he was coming to visit. Since he was coming all the way from another country, I mentioned maybe we could go to Tagaytay. Well, Taal wasn't in the mood again so we made other plans. The day before we were set to meet, plan B place did not confirm our reservation. Sweetie and I made a mad scramble to make plan C. 

I took a look at the weather and air quality situation in Tagaytay. Surprisingly, it was good. Air quality was in the green level. Some rain was forecasted (40 to 50% chance), but lately those forecasts are usually a miss. So I asked Sweetie maybe we could go? 

To make a long story short, we went to Tagaytay with my friend. My friend was ecstatic and he was so happy he was able to experience local life. The weather was clear. Skies were blue. Rain clouds only started to form when we went to Mahogany Market, but we were able to leave with good weather. I've been wary to visit Tagaytay in rainy weather because the road could be slippery. 

While looking at the Taal Volcano, I realized I haven't been asking God for much. My prayers have been focused on praying for good health, safety, blessings and guidance. The night before our trip I prayed for safety and good weather and air quality. He gave that and more. The day was perfect and I'm glad we were able to show my Malaysian friend another side of our beautiful country. 

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. – Luke 11:1-13 and Matthew 7:7-12

A blessed Sunday to everyone.  

#BeKind #StaySafe

Trying a New Way to Compost

We set up a compost bin for about a year now. I initially tried it while we were still in Singapore. It did not go as planned because I made the mistake of not balancing the green and brown matter in the bin. I had too much green stuff, so it didn't turn out well. 

Since we got home I finally learned to balance what I put in the bin. I learned you have to put equal amounts of green matter (peels, coffee grinds, eggs, fresh leaves etc.) and brown matter (paper, dried leaves, cut up toilet paper rolls etc.). Make sure to wet it, then cover it so it will heat up. I just left it as it is and let the earthworms find it. 

One thing though I don't like doing is moving the contents once a week. It's a lot of work. It's usually smelly in the beginning, but if you have the right balance between green and brown matter it shouldn't smell. I came across a video which taught a different way to compost. 

He said you can put an air tunnel in the middle of the bin. You can do this by using a pipe with holes in it. The holes would provide the air needed to help with decomposition. I didn't have a pipe, much less something that could create holes in it. So I used a water bottle and put holes in it. I think it would be able to provide the air needed. I could also pour water in it every so often to keep the contents moist. 

Well, it's supposed to aerate the bin better and make decomposition faster. Also, no need to turn the contents weekly. Ahh, one thing I noticed also is it's better to use a huge terracotta pot to compost than plastic bins. The pot already has holes in the bottom and allows the matter to breathe better. This also prevents you from accidentally drowning the earthworms if you put too much water. 

I'll let the bin warm up the next few days. This should allow the needed gasses and bacteria to develop and help with decomposition. It should hopefully be ready in a month! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

"It's Like Restaurant Fried Rice" - Miggy

I was so proud of myself the other day when Miggy told me that the fried rice I made tasted like it was ordered from a restaurant. Then he asked how I made it. I was so kilig over his complement and was so happy he also asked how I made it. 

Ended up making fried rice because Sweetie ordered some lechon. It's been years since we had lechon, so I agreed immediately when he asked if I wanted any for lunch. We both realized though we didn't have any veggies available, so thought I could make fried rice with frozen veggies. 

Miggy was still asleep, so I asked Sweetie to help me film the process. I normally try to document what I cook so Miggy can learn. I also refer to the videos whenever I have to cook something I haven't made in a long time. Getting others to watch it has just been a bonus. You'd notice though that the video quality changed towards the end. My camera battery died, so we used our phones hehe.

Anyway, here's how we made it (Sweetie took care of mixing it properly in the end since it was too heavy for me). 

Would have wanted to add chorizo, but we didn't have any. You can also add hotdog if you wish.

Recipe is at: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2023/10/recipes-for-my-son-restaurant-style.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

Empty Gas Tank, Empty Car Charge Experiences

I have had two funny experiences in the past where the car I was riding run out of gas and charge. Both happened in the US! 

That fateful day we ran out of gas 80 meters away from the gas station.
Kala ko pagtutulakin nila ako ng kotse, hahaha.

Empty Gas Tank (2006)

The incident happened back in 2006. We stayed in the US for a few weeks for training. My scout brothers planned for us to do some driving on the weekend. They arranged everything and off we went to Napa Valley. 

Francisco took care of renting the car and computed how much gas we needed to get to our destination and back to Mountain View. We were on the highway on the way back when the gas gauge started to go red. We were still quite far from our hotel. The boys figured out we needed to refill the tank. 

In 2006, we were still using feature phones. We didn't really have access to the internet and Google Maps. We gave Tasha a heart attack when we called her to ask where the nearest gas station was. In the US, it's a big problem if your car stalls in the middle of the freeway. Luckily, there was a gas station in the next exit. 

We were about 80 meters from the gas station when we ran out of gas. Good thing the street was sloping down so we rolled to the gas station to get gas. My scout brothers kept reassuring me and P that we'd be okay. What they didn't know was I saw it as an adventure, haha. After that we got back to our hotel and breathed a sigh of relief.

Empty Car Charge (2015)

A colleague volunteered to give me a ride to San Francisco from Mountain View. Rides to SFO from MTV are very expensive, so I appreciated the gesture. I was also excited to experience riding an electric car. It was still quite new at that time and it was a good way to catch up with my colleague. We used to do special projects together before he moved to the US. 

Made it to SFO in one piece and managed to also meet up with a childhood friend. 

He immediately told me when I got in his car that he hoped the charge would be enough to reach the SFO office. I said, yeah, I have faith in you. We'll make it. What we didn't anticipate was the heavy traffic. At some point I was already thinking what I would do if we didn't make it since my luggage was huge and heavy (full of groceries from Target hahaha). 

We managed to get out to San Francisco, but had to stop to charge for about 15 minutes so we could get to the office. Good thing my meeting was scheduled in the early evening, so I wasn't late. I just found out recently that it didn't only happen to me. It also happened to another colleague who was visiting from Singapore, hahaha. He described it as a heart attack moment. That's why I remembered the empty car charge adventure. 

I never experienced running out of gas back home. My parents taught me to always have at least half a tank of gas at all times. I never let my phones die out either, haha. So experiencing running out of gas/charge was an adventure for me. I also trusted the people I was with, so it didn't cross my mind to worry. I'm Filipino after all and we all grew up to be resilient. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Pulmo Rehab

Had my fourth pulmo rehab session yesterday. I guess the center thought it was time to level up my exercises. We did last Thursday's one hour session in 30 minutes and I was taught new exercises in the second half. We are working on increasing my endurance since I am limited to doing one activity per day. 

Ended up resting the rest of the day. I took two long naps after. I was winded since we also went out yesterday. I did 3x the usual steps I make. Usually it takes a couple of days to recover whenever I go out. My cardio and pulmo worked in tandem to have me do pulmo rehab. They said it should help strengthen my lungs and reinforce the healthy parts. 

I've been doing my pulmo rehab online. I originally wanted to do it in person so the PT can gauge my capacity better. Ended up doing it online which is fine since I don't have to travel to the hospital. Saves me time, energy and gas. 

Been in touch with my former PT. She's back in London and has been busy teaching. She was really good to me. I was sent to her to do PT for my back, but she realized she had to deal with my lungs first before I could do any of the back exercises. The sessions were excruciating and I'm really lucky she was very patient with me. We developed a friendship and have been in touch since I last did a session with her in 2021. 

I have so far experienced 3 PTs now. I think they switch around depending on your progress. They are all efficient and kind and I'm surprised they keep tabs on what you go through. They also don't shy away from questions because I raised the issue about climbing stairs. Told my PT yesterday I encountered steep stairs last Monday and it was really hard for me. He taught me how to deal with it. I'm going to practice it when I've recovered. 

I have 12 more sessions and have to see my doctors midway to check on my improvement. I think it's so far been very helpful. How I wish I did this sooner (like since 2018). I could have probably avoided gaining more scars and lung issues, but doctors have different schools of thought. My PT told me yesterday, "Well at least you know you're one of a kind." Haha, yes, indeed. 

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Retaso Project 4: Coffee Pot Rug

We've been using cork potholders for a few years now. After I finished making a potholder from scrap fabric I thought maybe I could make a coffee pot rug. We make coffee everyday and we normally just leave the pot on the counter. I wanted to replace the cork to make the stuff on our kitchen counter livelier. 

Gathered the tiny triangles I chopped off to make binding. It was quite a lot. Took me a few days to realize that the triangles could only create 3" x 3" squares (or smaller). Eventually decided to just use the tiny triangles as an accent. I think it turned out cute.

Here's how I made it -

I guess you can call it a potholder too since I used insulation wadding for it. It's amazing how the insulation wadding can keep heat out even though it's quite thin! I doubled the wadding just to make the rug a bit thicker. I think I'll make more since the cork potholders keep going MIA from the kitchen. 

Maybe next time, a Christmas one?

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Path to Our Current Home

After our wedding, my sister gave me very sound advice. She said, "Your first home doesn't have to be your forever home." She said that circumstances change and sometimes you have to move. I guess she gave me that advise because it was my first time to move out since birth. 

Sweetie, Miggy and me moved to an apartment a few streets away from my parents. We decided to live near my parents because it was close to Miggy's school. We tried to look for a home closer to his school, but rent in the area was more expensive. TBH, we got so busy with wedding planning we forgot to plan for our first home. 

December 2009

We stayed there for almost a year and decided to end our contract earlier because of plumbing issues. Luckily, our landlady was my Mom's friend so we did not get penalized. Mom heard about a duplex that was being rented out a hundred meters away from her. The place a bit bigger and it was easier to manage since if we were still at work we could just pick up Miggy from his grandparents. 

December 2010

We stayed there for more than two years. It was a nice home since it had a lot of space. That was when we learned it's really hard to move homes. We made the mistake of hiring a small vehicle to help transfer our things. It took a lot of trips.

During our stay at home #2 I suddenly got an offer to move to Singapore. After a few months after reviewing our finances, we decided to invest and buy a condo unit. Since turnover kept moving, we ended up extending the rent of our second home. Luckily, our second landlord was also very kind. I moved all our stuff by my lonesome self with help from a professional moving company. 

Early 2013

Moving to the condo was much easier for the boys. The timing though was very hard. It was Christmas, so we were not able to furnish our new home properly. Our old furniture were too big, so that went to Mom's house. I also had heart surgery in Singapore a few weeks after we moved. Well, at least we weren't paying rent anymore.  Our furniture was finally complete just before I was allowed to go home to recuperate. 

We lived in a couple of other homes in Singapore. All of those were rented. As a family we always talked about eventually having our own house. The condo eventually became too small for us. It was during the pandemic when I was convinced by my doctors to retire when we started to watch house and lot videos. One house caught our eye and I found out a friend was the agent for it. 

Will it be our forever home? Probably not. As my sister said, circumstances change and sometimes you just have to move :)

#BeKind #StaySafe