Calle Crisologo

Calle Crisologo in Vigan is one of the most memorable places I've been to in the Philippines. I've been there thrice, in 2007, 2012 and 2014.

Beautiful during the day.

I saw a lot of improvements every time I went and the town became more vibrant. The historic town really worked hard to preserve its heritage sites. It's been recognized as the best preserved Spanish colonial town.

And sparkling at night.

I love walking around Calle Crisologo. I remember buying a miniature wooden cabinet which I've been using for my accessories. I first saw it in 2007, but only bought it in 2012. If I got it in 2007 it would probably have gone under water during Typhoon Ondoy. The miniature wooden cabinet is one of my favourite travel souvenirs.

In 2012 I went to Vigan for a mapup. I enjoyed that time going around the town and sampling delicious local food. The empanada in the plaza was truly unforgettable. I haven't found the any suitable replacement anywhere else (suggestions are welcome!). Two other things I love eat in Vigan are: longganisa and chichacorn. Now I wonder where I can get any in Singapore!

Sweetie though hasn't been to Vigan though and I'd love to come back and explore more of it and eat more empanada!

Watching "Crash Landing on You" for the First Time

My friends have been nagging me to watch Crash Landing on You since it aired last December. I didn't rush into it because I was still watching "My First First Love" and I was also busy with "The Witcher".

My expectations though were raised because of the many comments of my friends on social media about the show. I have a godmother who started watching last weekend who finished the whole season in less than 2 days! I told myself though I should just watch and enjoy the show.

The scene where the two main characters first met was interesting, but LizQuen did that already in La Presa (Forevermore, 2014) haha. I think sparks flew at the last scene. That bit really sizzled!

One thing I like about watching Koreanovelas is I see other places on earth. I have been to Korea twice only and I've been curious to learn more about it. Here are some questions that ran in my head while watching the first episode -

(1) Did Yoon Se-ri really travel 1,000 kilometers to reach the DMZ?

I got different results when I researched the distance of Seoul and the DMZ. It's somewhere between 50 to 85 kilometers. Anyway it's still below 100 kilometers and not 1,000 kilometers. Tokyo and Seoul is about 1,000 kilometers apart, I don't think anyone would survive getting blown away that far.

(2) What's the DMZ? Can you visit it?

The Korean Demilitirized Zone is a 250 kilometer strip of land in the Korean Peninsula. It serves as a buffer zone between South and North Korea. And yes it is a tourist place, but only outside. Research also shows it's best to go with a guide.

(3) Are there deers in Korea?

Yes, water deers. I don't remember though if I saw some at Nami Island.

Apart from enjoying the show, I thought I'd use it as a way to learn more about Korean culture. I've been working on Korea since last year. When I was assigned to cover Japan I tried to learn more about the culture by taking basic Nihongo classes. It was a great experience and at least I can tell when our meetings are going well (lots of sodesne) and when it's ending (lots of arigatou gozaimasu!). For Korea I thought I'd take a different approach by watching more Koreanovelas! 

How to Bake Cashew

Just before I left Yogyakarta, Pak Ganis handed a bag of cashew nuts to me. I brought some to the office and my director told me that raw cashew is poisonous. I did some research before I decided to bake the cashew. Most important thing to do is boil the cashew first before baking it. Boiling removes the poison, just make sure you don't over boil the cashew because it's going to end up soggy.

To keep the cashew nuts fresh and crispy we keep it in glass bottles. I bake only 250-300 grams every time. We finish the batch in about a week. It's a great snack to bring to work too.

Ingredients:

250-300 grams raw cashew
2 Tbp salt
olive oil
water

1. Boil cashew with 2 tablespoons of salt for less than 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Dry the boiled cashew with napkin.
3. On a foil lined pan, spread a teaspoon of olive oil.
4. Pre-heat oven for 10 minutes at 177'C.
5. Arrange the cashew on the pan and bake for 15 minutes. 

A Beautiful Love Poem

My friend Cathy who's a published poet dedicated a poem to Mike during their wedding dinner. The title of the poem is "The Space Between Words is a Pause". She granted me permission to post the full video of the poem. Here it is -

I think most of the people in the room were in tears when she read the poem. She strung the words beautifully and it was so heartfelt. She shared that she started writing the poem at the beginning of their relationship. It inspired her to write, but only finished it days before their wedding.

Congratulations and best wishes again Cathy and Mike! <3

Make March My Maker Month

After I finished the huge quilt blanket I made last December I rested from sewing and caught up with other things. I also spent a lot of time relaxing, watching different types of content and I started to vlog again. Being stuck at home because of the coronavirus outbreak has given me time to ease back to a regular blogging rhythm. It was hard in the beginning, but I eventually found my writing voice again and it's become easier to blog (I only plan what to write once I click compose on Blogger hehe).

Anyway, I have resolved that March will be maker month for me. I would like to finish the other blanket I started a few months ago which was supposed to be a wedding gift. I also have my tshirt quilt blanket project lined up. Also told myself I shouldn't buy any new fabric until I reduce my stash.

I would also like to do more cooking videos this month for Miggy since he's back home and needs to learn how to prepare more non-fried dishes. And oh I also want to bake! I will really have to manage my time well since I want to do so much stuff!

What about you? What do you want to do this month?

Living in the Time of the Coronavirus

February has been a big improvement from the crazy month that was January. The first month of the year was full of issues - the airstrikes that almost caused a war, the Taal Volcano eruption and the rise of coronavirus cases. It was a very stressful month and I was glad that Miggy accompanied me when I went back to Singapore.

We've been spending the last five weeks at home. I thought since we had Miggy for a few weeks we'd get to explore more of Singapore and perhaps make a dent on visiting all Toastbox branches. We cancelled all our lakwatsa plans. To be safe we only went out when it was really needed. I wanted to work on my vlog, but there's not much you can cover when you're stuck at home.

Went to see my doctor for my regular check-up. 

He told me to avoid going back to the hospital.

Keeping me safe was the biggest concern of my boys. We read the news from trustworthy sources and followed the advise to always wash hands. That day when the outbreak alert went up Sweetie passed by the grocery to buy bread. He was surprised to see many people buying so much stuff. Supermarkets and pharmacies ran out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, thermometers and masks. In the Philippines though when we have calamities people stock up on candles*, delata, rice and water.

Miggy's special chicken fingers. It was delicious!

As advised we also avoid eating raw food. It's been a long time since I had sushi and we usually eat cooked vegetables (vs. raw vegetable salads). We try to prepare most of our food. Miggy cooked a lot of our meals and I used that time to teach him some of my dishes (like the baked salmon in honey and lemon!).

One of our essential activities - physiotherapy.

Honestly, I enjoy just staying home. I've been able to blog every day and work on other things that make me happy. Spending all this time at home brought me back to equilibrium. It also provided me much needed rest from traveling for work. In Singapore you can easily buy everything online, but it's online grocery shopping has been hard because delivery schedules are always full.

I think whatever panic we were feeling early his month has waned. The government here has been doing an amazing job managing the situation. I am really grateful that they are taking care of everyone in the country. We still need to be vigilant as advised by the government. New cases may come from other sources. I pray though that scientists find the right treatment and medication to stop the virus from spreading further. I also pray for all the medical doctors, nurses and personnel fighting this.

May God protect us all.

*Candles because we oftentimes lose electricity in the Philippines during typhoons.

The Value of Being Kind and Courteous

I've made a lot of mistakes. I learned a lot about being a good leader when I was in college. Back then I thought that when you're a leader you just tell people what to do. I expected people would just follow what I say they should do. That scared people and in the long run I also hurt friends. Coupled with that I was scared too because I was put in a position I didn't feel I was ready for. It was a disaster for me.

It took years for me to learn that being a boss is different from being a leader. I started to change slowly when I had a terror boss. Monday mornings were always tense because that was the day the leads would meet and we could hear him scolding people throughout the meeting. This was the norm throughout the week. My seat was unfortunately right outside of his room. The walls were made of glass so if there was any screaming happening I'd hear it. I told myself I didn't want to be like that.

I was eventually transferred to the mother company. I breathed a sigh of relief because my new manager was really kind and nurturing. I craved though for the challenges my former boss always gave me. I eventually learned to ignore his tantrums and used it as a learning experience. It still left me scarred, so I made sure that I would take care of my team who moved with me to the mother company.

My team though got split in two. Some got moved to another supervisor. She was very traditional. My former staff would come to me crying. I fought back by writing icy emails. I was angry and wanted to protect my team. My boss then though nipped it at the bud and taught me the value of using kindness and courteousness to fight back. She said that it would be more effective than sending angry emails. Funny though, she made my former boss in the other company look like a kitten next to her. So I resolved never to be like her too.

I took that lesson to heart and I practice it everyday. The past two weeks though I encountered someone who was just like me in my 20s. She made me feel like I'm a fresh grad who know nothing. She's brilliant and all, but I guess she needs coaching in being a leader and communications. Instead of striking back I just sat back, processed it and remembered the journey I've been through. I'm not perfect, but I think being kind and courteous has helped me build better relationships at work.