Booksale Made Me Panic!

The other day, Booksale's CEO posted a gratitude post and mentioned that they were closing some branches. Sweetie had brought home five books for me just last week. Of course, I panicked and wanted to know whether they were keeping the branch near where I live.

There is nothing like Booksale. I grew up buying books there. It has the books I like for every season of my life. There was something similar in Singapore, but the books were still expensive. Whenever I went home I would visit Booksale whenever I can. It's a staple shop for me and that's why I had to visit and reassure myself it's still there, haha.

We had errands today. We finished it quickly and immediately went to Booksale after. I told the staff I wish they'd keep the branch. She said it's saw till there. I know it's close to their warehouse, so I'm hopeful they'll keep it. Sweetie and I left with 4 books each 😅

Miggy loves to read. We always visit a bookstore whenever we're near one. His love for reading started when he was in nursery school. We encouraged it and buying books is always part of our budget (that's why we love Booksale!). If you have children or nephews and nieces, encourage them to read. They will surely gain a lot of wisdom and knowledge from reading. 

Go visit a Booksale today. A list of their branches can be found here.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Be Kind also to Persons with Invisible Disabilities

I lost my greatest ally last year, my Mom. She understood perfectly that I wasn't functioning normally anymore. I didn't have to explain to her why I finally went home. She just knew and protected me as much as she could.

When you look at me, you won't think I have serious medical conditions. I guess that's God's gift to me. Let her look normal, but let's hide all her issues. I always get weird looks from guards whenever we park on PWD parking. Weirder looks when I give my PWD card at restaurants. At the clinic yesterday, the medtech didn't bother to ask me if I was okay while I was gasping for breath after being asked to lie down for an ultrasound. And the other medtech had to be told to help me move the foot stool so I could get up on the bed.

I'm a fighter. My pulmo rehab team have recommended for me to use a wheelchair whenever I'm out. I insist to walk because my legs still function. They are worried my heart will be strained with the effort. 

What people dont notice is I stop every 10-15 steps or I walk very slowly. Every 3 steps on stairs, I take a break. I also always have either Sweetie or Miggy assisting me. Yes, I look normal, but my lungs and heart are not. I could easily faint if I'm not careful. My doctor requires me to always have someone around whenever I putter around the garden.*

And that's why I keep mostly to myself and stay home. I don't want to bother others since they don't understand my medical condition. Only a handful of people do. I see friends in a similar plight raising awareness about invisible disabilities. Sadly, very few can really grasp it.

To have an idea if my circumstance, just think you're carrying a 30 kilogram backpack all the time. Can you imagine the weight? Now think you're carrying the heavy backpack up the viewing deck at Chocolate Hills. Can you feel the strain on your body? That's how I feel most of the time, even when I'm in bed. Can you still breathe? 

I've had to keep to myself. I avoid people who don't understand that I'm on a different path. My pace is different and I cannot possibly follow the norm. Since I lost Mom I had to learn to set boundaries to protect my wellbeing, my mind, my spirit, and what energy I have left. I'm grateful I have people around me who understand, provide guidance and prayers. 

So, please be kind also to people with Invisible disabilities.

*It's probably why our cats always hang out with me whenever I water the plants. They are watching over me.

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Executive Check-up Didn't Go as Planned

My medical insurance team reminded me that part of my package includes an executive check-up. I was so happy to hear this since I go through a battery of tests usually twice a year. Since I'm due to see my cardiologist soon I scheduled the tests so I can have it in time for my appointment.

My appointment didn't go as smoothly as planned. I had my LOA, but there were communication issues between my insurer and the facility. Well, I read the reviews about the facility last night. A lot of the complaints were about communicating with the facility. So I set my expectations low.

Good thing I set the bar low because the facility failed to complete their internal communications. I wasn't on the appointment list. I'm glad I was still accommodated since I already fasted for 10 hours. I didn't finish all the tests and the interview. After three hours my energy was already depleted and I was due to drink my medications (full stomach required). We just rescheduled the rest of the tests.

I really don't like being in a clinic, so we went for comfort food after. Then did some adulting stuff again, haha. And had merienda before we went home.

Health is wealth and I'm glad I just kept my cool. I just passed on my feedback to my medical insurance team since I think the facility needs to improve with how they handle PWD patients. They do have a great phlebotomist (Pat) and I'll ask for her in case I need to go back for a blood test.

Rest well my friends.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Safe!

Thank you Lord for keeping us safe from the typhoon. I pray for my fellow countrymen severely affected by it. Please keep them safe and give them strength to recover from the disaster. Amen 🙏

#PepitoPH, Let's All Pray for Safety

I've been monitoring the news closely since the third typhoon that came in the past week, #PepitoPH, is now a supertyphoon. I saw some videos showing storm surges occurring even before the arrival of the typhoon. It looked really nasty. Warning has also been given for those in Metro Manila. We're currently at signal #2, so far no rain as of writing.

Source: DILG CODIX/DOST PAGASA

We've heeded the warnings and have prepared our home. We even moved some of the plants indoors. 

Let's all pray for safety. May God keep us all safe from this weather disturbance. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Garden Notes: Cactus and Succulent Soil, Calamansi Soil, Avocado Soil

I have different kinds of plants and I can't find the notebook where I used to write down notes for my plants. I realized I should have just noted it here in my blog. That's what I do anyway when I need to refresh my memory. It's also why I make cooking videos at "Recipes for My Son". 

It's been hard to keep track of the needs of my plants. There's soil needs, fertilizer, pesticide, watering etc. So I thought I should write down what I use. It's easier to find it here than my (currently) missing notebook. Miggy can also put it to good use one day when he becomes a plantito (haha). 

Okay, so here's what I generally use for different kinds of plants -

Cactus and Succulents - loam soil, perlite, tiny pebbles, a little compost (learned this from Manong at the nursery)

Calamansi Soil - loam soil, compost/manure, rice husk, coco peat

Papaya Soil - loam soil, compost, rice husk, Coco peat

Avocado Soil - loam soil, compost, perlite, Coco peat, rice husk (use when you transfer from water)

Soil to Propagate Gumamela - loam soil, coco peat, perlite, rice husk

Gumamela Soil - loam soil, rice husk, vermicast

Bell Pepper Soil - loam soil, compost, rice husk

Desert Rose/Kalachuchi Soil - use succulent mix

Belly Buddha - use succulent mix

Ginger - loam soil, compost, rice husk

Dill Soil - loam soil, compost, sun drenched coffee grinds, rice husk

Rosemary Soil - loam soil, compost, sun drenched coffee grinds, rice husk, can also add some pebbles

Will update for other plants :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

I'm Back! (Mega Blog-Backlog Update)

It's almost been a month since I took a hiatus from blogging. I was unwell and so I let both my mind and body rest. It felt like my "cache" was overflowing and needed a hard reset. So that's what I did. I was down for almost two weeks after visiting Ikea. My whole body just hurt and I could barely do anything. When I eventually felt better I took baby steps to get moving. 

Baby steps meant re-potting my papaya and calamansi plants (haha). I'm glad that worked out since they all adjusted well to their new pots. I also transferred one avocado seed I propagated in water. The leaves has grown in just over a week. I'm glad it rained after I transferred it to a pot. It helped the avocado adjust faster. 

I spent a lot of time with our cats and kittens. They help heal, so that's what I did. Sadly, Grey and Kaley have gone missing. We haven't seen Kaley since September. Grey has been gone for a month now too. They just visit us to eat. We hope and pray they're both okay and eating well. 

I did some cooking too in the past two weeks. That's a good sign I'm getting better. I managed to make pink pasta with scallops, Dad's beef and Mustasa dish, and Bistek Tagalog. Whenever I get in a slump, I re-trace my cooking skills by making all-time favorites. Next week maybe I'll make salmon with cream cheese and chicken afritada if I can complete the ingredients. I'll slowly work my way up to cook at least 2-3 times a week. 

The funniest thing that happened to me the past month is my slippers from c.2008 finally retired. The old Havaianas slippers really last long. I got a new one and used the GC benefit from my medical insurance (yup, I could be very stingy haha). It's so cute and has gumamela in it. 

I've also done 2 pulmo rehab sessions. My therapist was very happy I wasn't absent today! It's really challenging to have medical conditions since recovery can take so long. I have to make sure I manage my energy well so I stay stable. After the exercise this morning I'm doing more laptop stuff and will just water the plants later. 

How you doing my friend?

#BeKind #StaySafe