Gold!

The Philippines got it's first gold in the 2024 Olympics through gymnast Carlos Yulo. He won the artistic gymnastics men's floor exercise.

Watch snippets of his win here:

https://youtu.be/YninxhM26Mk?si=c6x1gXRJNK0P3X2V

Congratulations Carlos! 🎉🎉🎉

Tips from a Landscape Architect

I came across Slater Young's interview with Architect Efren Aurelio, a landscape architect. It piqued my interest since I've just been winging my way with gardening. My Mom was a talented home gardener. She had the instincts and green thumb. She told me though that she started with a brown thumb and just continued gardening until she knew how best to take care of her plants. Mind you, she only had a handful of reference books and never really used the internet. So her beautiful garden was a product of her talent and the skills she developed through the years. 

Mom's garden, c2019.

So, I watched the whole video to understand a few things. The difference between a landscape architect vs. landscaper. One deals with designing for large populations and the other usually plans for homes. There are landscape architects though who still do homes. Among Architect Aurelio's many award winning works, I am most familiar with Greenbelt. I remember I was amazed with how the open space was done the first time I saw it. I rarely walk outdoors at malls, but Greenbelt is an exception. 

Architect Aurelio mentioned that when planning for an outdoor space, here's a few things you can do (well, the ones I picked up). 

• Understand the direction of the wind in your property. This is because landscaping allows you to modify the climate of the space. The wind also affects your space depending on the season. 
• Preserve existing trees. 
• Plan to catch rainwater. Rain gardens/fountains help lower temperature.
• Understand what's best trees/plants to put in your area. I wish we had something like plant zoning in the US. They have a list of what will survive in your area. 
• Divide your garden into 5 so you can just schedule a specific area for everyday of the week. I think this works except during summer when you need to water the plants everyday. 

Architect Aurelio is indeed the ultimate plantitos idol. You can watch the video here.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Tried Secret Recipe at One Ayala!

I know One Ayala has been open for awhile now. We're kinda slow when it comes to visiting new places! We had a chance to finally visit One Ayala a few weeks ago. What drew us was to dine at Secret Recipe. It's one of the restos we frequented in Singapore. I first tried it in Jakarta and had the chance to also visit their KL branch (where it supposedly originated). 

We were pleasantly surprised we were able to park easily since it was a Saturday. We had a doctor's appointment and decided to have lunch at Secret Recipe. We were surprised to see that our local Secret Recipe had a very different look compared to the branches in other countries. Every nook and cranny is "Instagrammable" haha. We sat across the cake display. I am always mesmerized by cakes (biggest one I've seen is Calea in Bacolod). Anyway, I digest. 

We ordered these -

To be honest, I found the dishes here much more delicious than in Singapore. My original favorite Secret Recipe was the one in Jakarta. I'm glad our branch here is so much better. I ordered carbonara and had Miggy try it. He said it was delicious and Miggy approved. I didn't get to try Miggy and Jay's dishes, but they said it was really good. 

Of course, we had dessert. I had a hard time choosing, but eventually decided to get a slice of red velvet cake. I've been craving it for about a month now. It did not disappoint. Here's what we ordered -

We learned a lot from Argel about how the restaurant came about. She mentioned that the chef trained for a couple of months in their headquarters. They also pushed to make the restaurant more decorative. Secret Recipe branches in other countries are just usually white all over. The one we have at One Ayala is special. I guess the crew appreciated sharing our experience. They gave us a slice of complimentary dark chocolate cake. It was so good!

We got lucky with our bill. The payment method we used provided 50% off. I was also able to use my PWD discount. We walked off what we ate by exploring the mall. We look forward to coming back to dine at Secret Recipe again. We'll probably go when Filbar's is open. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

It's My Birth Month!

I took a break from blogging to pursue other interests. In the last two months I've been delinquent I finished reading 8 books, started cooking again, quilted a couple of projects and we managed to make our home look more decent. I realized the online world is truly a rabbit hole. When I pick up my phone, a quick scan stretches to at least 30 minutes. My laptop has also gotten a much needed rest. 

I enjoyed the quiet since I managed to be more productive. I also managed to fall asleep faster. What I had been doing before I stopped blogging was a routine I started during the pandemic. I remember when I started blogging frequently in 2006, I would usually pour my thoughts early in the morning before I started work. Yes, I used to start my day super early. 

I'm trying to start my day earlier now. The trick is to fall asleep earlier and that's what I'm working on. It takes me awhile to fall asleep, so I have to slow down earlier. Reading has helped me fall asleep faster. I read two to three chapters every night. I'm happy I started reading again since I have a lot of backlog! 

It's my birth month and I hope we'll be able to do some new things. I'm still on the fence whether to have mini-celebrations or do a staycation. It's a bit hard to plan since we're expecting two to three typhoons this month. I'm also enjoying just spending time with my boys at home and making lakwatsa when we can. Well, we'll see what happens.

Happy August everyone! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Meaning of "Pambansang Jumper"

Forgive me a genXer for writing about the definition of "Pambansang Jumper". I may be wrong, but it took me awhile to figure out.

I learned that "jumper" can mean different things. It may basically refer to someone who "jumps". It can also mean, a sweater (British term). 

I chanced upon the term "Pambansang Jumper" from a news clip about a telenovela character. I racked my brain to understand why the reporter refered to the actress as the "Pambansang Jumper". And then it hit me...

In the Philippines, we normally use the term "jumper" to connect to the electrical system of a neighbor. It's not legal, but common in developing areas. In local term it's called, "kabit". 

The term "kabit", on the other hand also means "mistress". The reporter probably used the term, "pambansang jumper", as a polite term since the actress plays the mistress character for the show.

Really have to catch up with terms the younger generation use nowadays, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bell Peppers Soon?

I've been planting bell pepper seeds whenever I have store bought peppers. You have to be very patient with growing bell peppers. It takes about 3 weeks before the seeds sprout and then you need to move it around when the weather changes.

The seeds I planted last January have started to produce flowers. I didn't expect it since it's been growing super slowly. I think it hibernated when we had extremely hot weather. I watered it everyday and consistently gave it rice water weekly. It had a growth spurt when I moved it to a sunnier area. I think the rain also helped. 

I've been so afraid to re-pot it. I bit the bullet and re-potted it the other day. I placed it in a spot that gets about 6 hours of sun. It won't get any rain though, so I'll have to observe whether I should move it. I hope the flowers get pollinated so I can harvest some bell pepper soon! 

I also have to review what kind of fertilizer it needs. I was in Singapore when I successfully grew some bell pepper. The fruit though was deformed which meant it lacked something. I would very happy if my bell pepper plants finally produce something! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Received a Gift: Vintage Talking Yoda

I was ecstatic when a friend told me he was going to give his "talking Yoda" to me! I shared a photo of my Yoda collection and he thought it was best to give me his Yoda. Of course, I gladly accepted the gift and he sent it yesterday. 

He said his father had shrink wrapped all his toys when he worked abroad. The figure he sent was still wrapped in plastic and was attached to a part its original box. The toy traveled from another city and arrived boxed and protected by an air bubble. 

I was so excited, I quickly unwrapped it. I had to be careful removing the plastic wrap since parts of it stuck on the figure. I also freed it from being shackled to the box. My friend said he never removed it and the original batteries were still inside. After removing the wrapping, I wiped Yoda with a cotton ball. I didn't scrub him since I was afraid I might wipe off parts of the figure. I also removed his robe and washed it. 

After cleaning him up, I passed on Yoda to Sweetie. We wanted to check if it still works. Talking Yoda figures tend to have a complicated battery system. You need a screwdriver to open it up. This figure had the battery by its feet. The batteries were already corroded, but the contact points are still intact. Unfortunately, we didn't have any C batteries on hand, so I have to wait for it to be delivered. 

My friend jokingly told me that Yoda walks around at night. I told him, I'll lock him up in the display cabinet with his compatriots. Haha. I did just that. This Yoda talking doll actually looks better than the one I bought in a Disney store in San Francisco which was all plastic. This Yoda has real clothes and looks more realistic. I hope the batteries arrive soon! Crossing my fingers it still works.

Thank you again Redge, you made the collector in me so happy!

#BeKind #StaySafe