Missing Toastbox

Lived in Singapore for 10 years, but I feel I wasn't able to fully appreciate and see all of it. I was so busy with work and was always traveling, I only got to really stay there without leaving because of the lockdown. Spent most of the time at home during the lockdown, but that was when we started to enjoy going to the park. 

The thing I miss most in Singapore is Toastbox! I used to drink teh peng almost everyday. I loved pairing it with toast and eggs. Today Sweetie brought home some milk tea from Nanyang. A friend told me it was the Toastbox at SM Aura. I was so excited to try it because it's been 8 months since I've had some. 

The first sip brought back happy memories. I regularly had it as dessert with Cherry after eating lunch. We'd descend from the 37th floor to buy at the food court. The crew would always ask me every time why I looked like a local and how come I couldn't speak Chinese* since I had Chinese blood. Well, when we moved to MBC the Toastbox was too far, so we'd normally go to Gong Cha or Starbucks. 

Toastbox was also a must visit place whenever we had friends over. It's where the TeaCompletely crew would always hang out whenever Koyah Drew was in Singapore. I wanted to visit all Toastbox branches in Singapore and was about to do it, but Marv went back home so I lost my Toastbox buddy haha. Didn't get to continue since we had to avoid going out for safety. Good thing it was easy to get some Toastbox goodies for delivery. 

Glad Sweetie was able to bring home some milk tea. It tastes a lot like my favorite Toastbox teh peng. Too bad it's far from where I live, but maybe I could get some at least once a quarter.

 *I tried studying, but I couldn't figure out the intonations so I ended up studying Nihongo instead.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Live Within Your Means

I was a teenager when my Kuya taught me this valuable lesson. He sat me down one day and told me to always weigh in whether a purchase is a need or a want. That was a good guide to live within your means.

 

Since then I learned to be cautious about making purchases, especially large ones. I purchased devices through installments and made sure to pay the bill on time. When I buy gadgets I make sure they would last a long time and I only replace them when they don't work anymore or are worn out. It also takes me a long time to decide whether to buy an item. 

I've wanted to purchase a second sewing machine for more than a year now. I have researched and canvassed what I want to buy. I have not bought it because there's so far no need (and space for it). I dilly dallied over buying a sewing machine for over two years, Sweetie bought it for me, haha. Well, it's still working, so I really have no reason to buy a new one. 

I think what also helped me was growing up with a Mom who lives simply. She only had branded bags because Titay would give it to her as a gift. Mom also rarely wore make-up and also usually got her supply from Titay, haha. My grad school professor explained it's a matter of putting it in proper perspective. Are you buying a car to get from point A to point B? Or are you buying a car to show off? 

Followed Kuya's advise and even when I moved to Singapore, I lived like I was still in Manila. I did that because I wanted to buy our own place. Looking back, I may have gone extreme because I was so cautious at spending. Good thing Kuya taught me another way to manage my money and since then I've been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor more. All the years of hardwork culminated in purchasing our dream home. 

One thing I learned in the last few months is to make sure you are surrounded with people you can really trust. We all worked hard and thought we were secure in the knowledge that we are able to take care of Mom. None of us touched the money our parents gave us because we allotted it to take care of her. What we did not know was someone else was spending it for their own lavish lifestyle. Envy, after all, is the root of evil.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Pokemon Go Fest 2022 Weekend

As usual we joined this year's Pokemon Go Fest. TBH it's quite expensive at PhP785, although they said it covers 3 days of events. Two this weekend and one in August. It wasn't as hard as previous Go Fests which got quite stressful. This one I felt was just right. It forced us to go out since we part of the tasks included spinning Pokestops.

Yes, we still play Pokemon Go. It's the only game I've played this long. I still play because we play it as a family. Outside of Pokemon Go we all play other games. It was more fun to play when we were in Singapore since we used to go out much more. We still use it for exercise since the nearest Pokestop just requires a five minute walk. 

Yesterday, we went on a joyride around the park. We didn't go out of our village because traffic was heavy. Today I proposed to the boys to go out and get some pizza takeaway. We did one round around the park and then headed to Shakey's (just had to check whether the mojos in our area still tastes the same hehe). Miggy and I didn't even go down the car hehe. 

It was a fun, quiet weekend. I finally managed to sleep well. I tried using the oxygen concentrator last night and I think that helped a lot. My heart wasn't going bonkers when I woke up this morning, so it was a good thing my doctor gave the go signal to use the device. It took us awhile to figure it out, so maybe I'll make a tutorial to help other people like me. 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Forgiveness is No Substitute for Justice

We went around our neighborhood to spin somme Pokestops earlier. We usually go around the park since there are a number of Pokestops in the area.  We usually stop and park where the stops are reachable and I saw a gate that had a message on the gate -

The house looked like it was being renovated. It probably had building materials inside, but no one was there to keep the place secure. Well, that was the main reason why we lived in a condo for a long time. We traveled a lot and could just easily lock up our place and leave. We decided to move to a house mainly because of the pandemic. We felt it would be safer for us to live in a detached house, plus we rarely go out nowadays. 

Stealing IS a mortal sin. Last night I watched a video on PTSD. The doctor explained that PTSD is caused by experiences that are usually disastrous and something very hard to comprehend. It is that inability to deal with the matter that triggers the stress. It happens because the event is something that does not adhere to your values or what is normal. 

The past few weeks have been very difficult for me. I told Sweetie last night that May 9 triggered my PTSD. I was already able to manage other issues, but May 9 was just really incomprehensible for me. I've been avoiding watching and reading the news because it stresses me out. When I get stressed, I get sick. Sweetie told me maybe I could train myself again so I could cope better. 

That made me get to the bottom of why its triggering my PTSD. Stealing is a mortal sin. It is one of the ten commandments and certainly an important value for me. Managing the issue of my Mom's helper and May 9 stems from the same belief that's been attacked. I think we can all agree that it is a painful experience when someone steals from you. It's been incomprehensible for me since it was done by a person we trusted for many years. And the circumstances surrounding May 9 is also incomprehensible. 

"Forgiveness is no substitute for justice." - Pope Benedict XVI

Outrage is what I feel. I am angry and that's why I am stressed. I cannot just let it go as someone suggested. There is so much more than being stolen from. It happened in my home which is our safe place. To help Mom move forward I hired professional cleaners, got Fr. Rene to bless our home again and I had everything they left physically removed from inside the house. That helped remove the bad vibes at home, but how does one remove six years of bad vibes we're stuck with? 

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Heart Skipped!

It does every day, haha. It was different though yesterday. Sweetie went to our old unit to finally pull out all the boxes. We commissioned a company to do some touchups. They will just repaint, fix the floor, replace cabinet doors and fix the lighting fixtures. They started working on the unit last Wednesday. 

My heart skipped when Sweetie sent a photo of a door being repainted. From brown it's now white! We just approved the colors the architect showed us and gave him free hand on what to retouch. I didn't know they were going to change the color of the doors too haha. 

They're also changing the ugly floor in the bedrooms. Luckily the living room and bathroom floors are still okay and would just need re-grouting. It would have been harder and more expensive to change them since property management requires a bond to do heavier renovation work. 

The work should be finished by end of the month. This also means we should finish unboxing and reducing our things in our home by then because we'll be working on our house by then. We're finally working on our to-do list now. We prioritized Mom in the past few months. Need to pace myself though, was out for three days straight and by Thursday I had slight fever. 

I think the new medication my doctor gave is starting to work. The pain has lessened and I could breathe better. We're trying to figure out how to use the oxygen concentrator. My doctor said it will help alleviate the strain on my heart. The sad news is according to the 6-minute walk test, my walking capacity has been reduced by 33%. I still hope it'll improve so I can still make lakwatsa!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Found Floating Island!

We ended up eating lunch at Makati Med yesterday since we decided it was better to do some of my tests already. We finally figured out how to get to Floating Island. It's on tower 2 and the easiest way to get to it is through the bridgeway from tower 1. 

I have many fond memories of Floating Island. When I was a child my parents would always buy me ice cream after getting vaccinated. Eventually I was buying Miggy ice cream after his vaccination dates with my pediatrician. When I used to work in a telco, my colleagues and I would dine at Floating Island. They used to have alcoholic beverages in the menu and I remember my officemates would sometimes order vodka haha. 

As I grew older the Makati Med visits were about visiting relatives who were sick. We'd still sometimes dine at Floating Island, but it got quite expensive and so we'd oftentimes just buy food from outside. The other restos yesterday and we thought it might be safer to eat at Floating Island.

I've been trying to eat more veggies, so I got vegetable kare-kare. It was good and it filled me up really quickly (I'm gonna eat the leftovers tonight). 

Sweetie got some tinola. He ordered it because he missed it. That's one thing I've never tried cooking, so I'm adding it to my cooking bucket list. 

Miggy got lumpiang shanghai. I guess he liked it because he finished it really fast, haha. He's quite picky when it comes to lumpiang shanghai, so it was a good sign he wiped out the plate. 

It's really nice when childhood resto is still around. Much as I like trying out new place, I appreciate going back to "staples" to make new memories. Visiting Floating Island again was bittersweet since I have a number of loved ones I dined with there who are gone now. Just keep the good memories and remember that you have more guardian angels watching over you now. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

  

Hope from a Tiny Thing

"I'm always excited to meet a new complicated patient!" 

Finally met my new cardiologist this morning and that's what she said at the end of my appointment. I haven't had a proper check-up since I left Singapore. I've been feeling out of sorts since I got my booster shot and thought it would be good to see a doctor. I'm also overdue to do tests. I was supposed to do the tests in Singapore in August, but I don't think I should wait. 

I pushed to see a doctor because I've been feeling miserable. My activities have become more limited in the last six months. It's frustrating because I can't even cook regularly or spend more time gardening. My back has been complaining again from sitting too much. I've had to force myself to do wall-pushups everyday and hope I can eventually do some spinning again. 

The most important thing I got from my doctor today is hope. She's having me try a pill. She said she has many patients like me who have been able to resume their activities. That's what I hope will happen because I still want to be able to do things with my family. I'm grateful my doctor gave me some hope. I'm really glad my pulmonologist sent me her way since she specializes in patients like me! Yay!

#BeKind #StaySafe