6 Years Ago at the Height of the Pandemic

By July 2020, we had gone through different versions of the "circuit breaker". We were stuck in Singapore and continued to work from home. It was the busiest time for our team and I had to find ways to shake off the stress. 

Our usual stress busters which included going to the mall, dining out, and walking around were limited. Like everybody else, I turned to home hobbies. 

I tried making Dalgona Coffee -

Baking -

I even tried making Filipino bread, like pandesal -

Cooked our own food -

Of course, I also tried my hand at growing veggies!

One thing I wished we had back then? Miggy. We were separated for almost two years. 

And, it would have helped also to have a pet. My plants though served the gap.

My respiratory therapist told me earlier to be careful. COVID-19 cases are increasing again. That's why I still wear a mask when we go out. My cardiologist has reminded me to stay away from trouble. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gaming vs. No Gaming for Children

When I was growing up, there wasn't as many ways to play games. Popular back then were cartridge gaming consoles (Atari, Sega, Nintendo), Game & Watch, and computer games existed (Pacman!). Access was limited. You can only play if you owned a console or if your neighbor/playmate has one. 

I had one Game & Watch and I was gifted a Pacman watch (much to my parents' dismay). I only got to play Pacman when Kuya would lend me his computer. I was never allowed to play Atari/Sega/Nintendo (I wasn't really allowed to go out, periodt). I was busy learning crafts, so that was what distracted me. My parents wanted me to focus on my studies, so all my "game time/play time" was done away from any type of screen. 

Did I want to play on consoles? Of course, I did. All my classmates seemed to have access to it, but I guess I got content with my Game & Watch and Pacman watch. I did not get addicted to it because I was busy with crafting. I got addicted to Candy Crush a few years ago, but I eventually deleted it because I was losing sleep over it and it ate up my crafting budget. The only game I play now is Pokemon Go and I just play a few minutes a day. 

This is what I had when I was a child.

My son, Miggy, didn't have any gaming consoles as well growing up. We played Plants vs. Zombies as a family when we each have our computers in one room. We all outgrew it and I allowed Miggy to play games on his computer. There were times when I had to intervene when I'd see danger lurking. I also removed his computer physically when he got into gaming too much and it affected his studies. We noticed some changes in his behavior that's why we had to take drastic measures. 

Sweetie got this for me for my birthday.

I guess I got to experience the extremes of how gaming affects a person. What we all learned is it's important to supervise and check what your child is doing and reinforce their values. Miggy eventually finished his studies and I don't bother his computer time anymore. Both he and Jay play games I'm not interested in, but we all still play Pokemon Go together as a family. 

It's probably harder for parents now to track what their child is doing. A mobile phone is very powerful compared to the XT computer I had growing up. Miggy was way more knowledgeable than me when it came to computers when he was a teen, so it was already hard back then. We were lucky because Sweetie's a comsci graduate, so I leaned heavily on him to decipher managing Miggy's online time. The best thing I think we did was to be joined on the hip as a family. 

Good luck dear parents with younglings. 

P.S. The funny things is I bought myself my own Nintendo Switch. I used it a few times... it's still pretty brand new. I also had a Gameboy which I eventually gave to Miggy. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Yoda-Inspired Coaster

Another sewing project inspired by cats and Pinterest! I finally finished the Yoda coaster I've been working on for two weeks now. I thought I could finish it in a day, but it took longer. I didn't expect that making a mini "Yoda" stuffed figure would be challenging. 

I finished my practice piece in 3 days. I had to adjust a few things since Miggy said the arms were too big and the Yoda head was too small. My mistake was using a Yoda keychain as a pattern. I made it a bit bigger and filled out the arms more. I must say, it's a very healthy Yoda, haha. 

I had to move the head also since it seemed awkward to put it on the side. Miggy said it worked for the cat sample because cats have four legs. Ahh, he made sense, so I decided to just put the head in the middle. The coaster though would only work for slimmer glasses (sorry na). 

Anyway, hard as it was to make, it turned out cute. It would be annoying to use for our small family room dining table, so I'll bust it out only when we use our "formal" dining table (the table we only use during Christmas and New Year, hahaha). 

Maybe I'll make a cat version, yes?

#BeKind #StaySafe

First Few Weeks of Demolition

To be honest, seeing my childhood home demolished slowly was jarring. I cried when I first saw the cabinets from my parents' bedroom removed. I always had in my mind that they were just both home doing what they love doing. Mom would be doing some gardening, while Dad would be busy writing or reading on his desk at the lanai. 

Seeing their bedroom empty of all furniture and the cabinet doors removed felt unreal. I felt it was wrong and the thought of calling off everything ran in my mind. I comforted myself by thinking that I have happy memories of my childhood home and we'll build new ones in the same space eventually. 

The first few weeks of demolition focused on removing "add on pieces". All the cabinets,wall cladding and doors were removed. Space had to be made, so they also started removing window grills, sills and jalousies. It felt really weird to see the house stripped off of its coverings. 

We chose to demolish the house after getting several inputs from different architects and structural engineers. We could have opted to do a heavy renovation, but the cost would be the same and for our safety it would be better to have a structurally sound house with new electrical fittings and plumbing. The foreman explained to us that they will keep the original foundation as a reinforcement for the new foundation. I think it worked out because we requested to follow the property line strictly. 

Next week, I'll share where we sold some of the pre-loved items :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Learning from the Eraserheads

We watched the Eraserheads docu on Netflix the other day. The documentary basically showed the journey of the E-heads from the beginning. It all started when Ely Buendia recruited for replacements for his original band. It was definitely not a walk in the park for them and a lot of people helped them grow and eventually become a legendary rock band. 

Singapore 2013 

Take a Risk

The group didn't sound good in the beginning, but their music was unique. That's what caught the attention of the owner of Club Dredd and eventually the music label that took them in. It was on their "last performance" when they were discovered and the music label took a chance on them. 

Relationships Matter

The group eventually grew in fame. They became famous and did a lot of shows here and abroad. Ely mentioned though that they were a group, but they were not really close to each other. Issues were never discussed and that led to their disbandment. Ah, it's a very genX characteristic. Don't rock the boat, don't say anything, keep the peace. It took a very long time before they got back together. 

BGC 2008

Music Heals

One of them mentioned that they may not be close to each other, but they make beautiful music when they are together. We watched them when they first got together in BGC (where Ely fell). Then we watched them in Singapore (2013). And then we watched the Final Cut online (I think via TFC if I remember correctly). The group felt very different by the Final Cut. They even hugged at the end of the concert. The documentary also showed some behind the scenes of them having fun together. 

There are things that only unfold after decades. Healing takes time as the old adage says, "Time heals all wounds." When you get on age, you'd really forget what was the issue anyway and the past will just become the past. 

Have a blessed healing Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plants at Mahogany Market

After three long years, I finally got to visit Mahogany Market again. It was a spur of the moment trip, so I didn't really plan to buy plants. I'm also overwhelmed with caring for what's left of my Moms plants and only got what I could commit to.

Mahogany Market looked the same. No major structure changes. It's better organized now I noticed. Fruits on the ground floor of the market structure. Veggies on the second floor and other items (like souvenirs and dry goods) in a separate building. I noticed though the plant stalls are less than what it used to be. Maybe some of them transferred to Silang? 

Anyway, with Miggy as my buddy, we went back to where I bought my gumamela plants 3 years ago. They're still alive save for one! I skipped buying a lot of herbs since they don't really survive long. It's better to plant from seed. That way they don't get heat shock when you bring them to Manila. 

I was able to "control" myself and just got some "essentials". Three marigolds, 4 gumamela plants, and mint/parsley and basil. Only 10. Haha. My garden space looks like a jungle now and I can't wait to transfer everything back to my Mom's garden. I'm still planning how that will go. It's many months away, so I'm not rushing. 

I enjoyed going to Mahogany Market. We will probably visit the Silang area one of these days. I don't need more plants at the moment and I seriously need to reduce since it's taking us longer to water the plants. You can just imagine how happy we are when it rains, haha. 

*Plant prices seem to have increased a bit. It was also one reason why I didn't buy that much. Next time I want to find out how much they sell fruit bearing trees. I don't have space for it anymore (haha), since I have 5 avocado trees and one mango tree growing. I want them to grow big! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bag of Beans (Tagaytay)

We were pleasantly surprised to visit a "relatively new" branch of Bag of Beans. We chose the one nearest to Twin Lakes in Tagaytay and found out the Antonio and Charito Bag of Beans branch was the Twin Lakes branch. They said they moved 2 years ago.

It's been 3 years since we visited Tagaytay and wanted to visit our favorite spots. We chose Bag of Beans for brunch and so we could enjoy the view of Taal Lake. It's a bit far than other restos, but with an active volcano it's always better to keep a safe distance. 

The boys ordered fish. Sweetie got tanigue. I regret not trying it, but it smelled to delectable.

Miggy got fish and chips and he was happy to find out it wasn't the usual Dory. I also regret not trying it...

I was too busy enjoying the country breakfast plate I got. I didn't feel like eating rice at that time and thought it was a good idea to get pancakes with bacon and sausage, haha. It gave me enough fuel to finish visiting Sonya's Garden and Mahogany Market.

And we all shared a plate of carbonara to fulfill the birthday noodles tradition!

You can also buy pasalubong at Bag of Beans. We just got a bread sampler since we planned to visit Sonya's Garden bakery. On hindsight, I should have bought some raisin bread at Bag of Beans. Well, it just means there should be a next time!

P.S. It was my friend, Juned, who introduced us to Bag of Beans way back. It was only the main branch at that time.