Glorietta Food Choices After a Gazillion Years

I honestly don't remember the last time I visited Food Choices in Glorietta. We only go to a small area when we visit Glorietta since I easily get tired. We were looking for a place to eat and ended up at Food Choices. 

I was a bit confused because it looked so different! A lot of the stalls I used to frequent are gone too and I didn't see where World Chicken moved (will have to go back). I used to eat at Food Choices frequently with my colleagues back when I was a fresh grad. It was always full, but we'd always find a table magically. 

My work location eventually changed, but we'd still go there as a family. There was a time we would hear mass at Landmark on Sundays and we'd head there for lunch. Well, our circumstances changed and we were gone for 10 years. Last time we probably got to visit was way before the pandemic. 

So seeing the changes was a bit of a shock. I always thought it was still the same (haha). It seemed smaller and the restos have changed. I'll go look for World Chicken next time (Google Maps says it's still around) and maybe try the Malaysian food (they have mee goreng!). 

We were supposed to do groceries at Landmark, but because we got distracted I ended up using up all my energy (half was used for a doctor's appointment). We decided to go home and I slept the rest of the day (haha). #signsofaging

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Generous Philodendrons

I nicknamed the philodendron Ate Rose gave me, "Jack". I was surprised it could grow so tall. The stalk she gave me two years ago have multiplied. I trimmed it a couple of times. Re-potted it and have given a couple as gifts. 

Look how tall it is again :)

I cut a few and planted the stalks beside some bamboo in our backyard. I hope the big leaves will dissuade our cats from using the plant box as their litter (they have proper litter boxes!). I placed one of the stalks beside our compost bin. It will get a lot of nutrients from the compost juice that goes directly to the soil. I haven't had to water it the past week since it's been raining. 

I have to cut a few more and maybe give it away to our neighbors again (hehe). It's easy to care for and just keeps giving! :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Yummiest Potato Salad to Date

It's been awhile since I made potato salad at home. I "learned" it from Mom. She gave me a list of ingredients and told me to just "mix it up". The list did not include measurements (as usual), so I have been winging it.

Found some potatoes in the fridge. I planned to make afritada, but the other ingredients weren't fresh anymore. Potatoes last longer, so I popped everything in a pot and boiled it. Sweetie helped peel and dice it. I took care of slicing the other veggies. 

I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl, then added the diced potatoes. Added a bit more mayo and put it in the fridge. I forgot to try it before storing it, so I was really surprised how good it was when we had it for dinner. Yum! Yum! Yum! It tasted like Dayrit's/Makati Supermart Coffee Shop's potato salad (I usually get these when I'm lazy to make). Of course, it reminded me of the potato salad we'd usually have during family reunions. 

Here's how I made it:

Recipe here: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2025/06/recipes-for-my-son-moms-potato-salad.html

Let me know if you try making it based on what I have figured out how to make a proper 80s potato salad. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: Care Bear Stare!

Look what I found while sorting stuff. My Care Bare sticker book! I think I was in 4th grade when this came out. I remember saving my allowance so I could buy stickers! And sometimes (when lucky), I'd be able to convince Mom or Dad to buy some for me at National Bookstore. 

I wasn't able to complete the book. I missed just a few and I guess I just gave up since it would eat up my allowance. I loved the textured stickers the best. I don't think I had any other Care Bear items, so I got myself a stuffed toy a few years ago while traveling. It was an indulgence, but it made my inner child happy (haha). 

I'm actually surprised the sticker book survived. I thought it was washed away already during Typhoon Ondoy. Together with it were my high school newspapers. I placed them inside a plastic folder. The plastic folder did a good job. It bore the wear and tear of time and temperature.

Great find! It reminded me how simple life was back then. I've been trying to remember those  days before the harsh world infiltrated my being (weh drama!). With so many things going on nowadays, finding childhood things that made me happy gives me joy.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wellness Wednesday: Turning a Corner

I'm happy to share that my mind and soul is in a better place now. The past six months has been horrendous for me mentally. There's a lot of things that contributed to falling back into the ugly pit. I had a hard time sleeping, I was unproductive, I couldn't be pushed to do anything and, most of all, I didn't want to see anybody else except my boys. 

I've been in this place before and the biggest contributing factor was bad health and being overworked. I got help and bid goodbye to my doctor just before we went home. He warned me that the change may be too much and I could just holler if I needed him. I thought I didn't since there were times I was okay. I usually equate that I'm fine when I'm productive. 

And it's clearer to me now what sets me off. It's mostly my health. I thought about reaching out to my doctor, but I told myself I needed to respond to this challenge. If I'm able to win the challenge, I'd be able to change how I react whenever I have an issue. I prayed and slowly ramped up my activities.

One night I prayed and told the negative vibe to leave me. I woke up early and was surprised when I felt lighter. I felt like my old self and that week I was able to return to my weekly pulmo rehab. I was shaky and had asthma, but I was able to push through and finish the session. I was also able to complete some paperwork that had been waiting to be done. I also resumed sorting stuff. 

I turned the corner with prayer and continued to do activities that help me cope. I realized I'll be able to move forward only by moving on and doing what needs to be done. It's easier for me to create programs, run events, develop solutions, but I fail miserably at staying put and being happy. My goal is to make more happy memories with my boys and that's what I'll focus on. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Unboxed New Sewing Gadget!

I've thought about getting a bobbin winder for a couple of years now. I didn't since I've been able to make do with my sewing machine. It came to a point the bobbin would defeat me and run out of thread. I finally decided to get a bobbin winder a few weeks ago. I got it via Amazon. 

I ordered a Singer-branded bobbin winder. I figured it should work well since they make sewing machines (haha). Mom and Mama Lola only used Singer or Brother sewing machines and I didn't want to overthink getting a bobbin winder. I might push back again if I did research, besides it's not that expensive. 

The order arrived quickly and I excitedly opened the package. True to form I didn't read the instructions before trying it out (hahaha). I used batteries instead of plugging the gadget just to be sure I don't fry it accidentally (Sweetie said it should work). I don't like plugging stuff, so I used batteries. It worked, but the red button doesn't effectively turn off. I had to remove the battery for the winding to stop. 

Here's my unboxing video:

After reading the instructions, I was able to properly thread a bobbin. It just took 20 seconds! Woohoo! I was really happy about it. I was able to use it when my bobbin run out of thread while I was sewing (defeated again!). The big difference was I didn't have to remove the thread and redo the needle routine. Yay! 

I should have gotten myself a bobbin winder a long time ago. The problem is I take so long deciding whether I should get a gadget or not. It takes years (I have not replaced my GoPro Hero 3+, so you can just imagine how long I dilly-dally). 

Visited HMR Sucat

We saw a video featuring HMR Sucat and it piqued our curiousity. We made a plan to visit and went to check it out. We've been to HMR in it's original location in Mandaluyong, but we haven't been back in a couple of years. 

Anyway, Sucat is a nice location for us. It's just about 15 minutes from our place. We were curious to visit to see what they're selling now. We also wanted to compare to the last surplus store we visited. The Sucat store is huge! They actually also sell bigger items and have cars for auction. The video we watched also mentioned that you can build your resto with their surplus/pre-loved kitchen equipment. And they also had some stuff you can use for construction. 

I didn't really need anything, but saw a couple of interesting things, here's a few:

• Chromeboxes with monitors

• different kinds of coffee machines

• Locker cabinet which I'm interested in refurbishing for my future sewing room!

I didn't buy any of the stuff above. I instead got a bunch of sturdy pots since I still have a lot of stuff to re-pot! And, oh, I got a pair of sneakers for PhP399 (haha).  We only went around once since I was quite tired already. Good thing I dressed for comfort since the place was a bit warm. Also good to wear a mask, a lot of the stuff was dusty.  We'll go back in case we need anything :)

#BeKind #StaySafe