New Cart for Sewing Activities

Sweetie surprised me last week with a new "toy". He originally planned it for Christmas, but the store went on a long break. It became a pre-Valentine gift.

A few months ago, I mentioned to him that I was thinking about getting a cart. I wanted one to make it easier for me to bring around gardening stuff.

Well... It's too pretty to get dirty! So I said I'll just use it to gather materials for my sewing projects. It piles up and sometimes I have to go back and forth to complete what need. I can also use it to keep the materials on standby since I only store the excess when I finish the project. 

Thank you Sweetie 🥰 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Electric Cable Finally Raised

The Meralco app works! I've reported issues a couple of times and more often than not it's resolved immediately. One issue though has plagued us since 2021. 

The cable that connects our home to the Meralco post has been too low. Trucks that pass by always hit it and it was once damaged by the garbage truck. Our neighbor said it's been that way since the 80s. 

Meralco contractor fixing the cables

Anyway, the rainy and windy weekend probably loosened our connection again. Our lights kept flickering and a surge tripped the post. Our basement lights just died late Saturday night. 

The CCTV caught the moment. The garage light flickered brightly and burst. Good thing we have a working circuit breaker and the switch for basement lights automatically shut. Everything else was working properly.

Manong Caloy replacing one of our old solar lights (Photo by Sweetie)

Sunday morning we contacted our electrician. He promised to send someone on Monday. It was late evening when I submitted a report to Meralco via their app. 

Meralco's contractor came first thing this morning. They tightened the cable. Sweetie also asked the neighbor if their electricity was fluctuating. They tag teamed to ask the contractor to raise the cable and they did! Hopefully, it's now more secure and won't be hit by trucks. Yay!

The electrician also arrived shortly after the Meralco contractor left. He did a thorough check, changed the garage light and fixed a few more pending things on our electrical "to fix" list. Sweetie led all the fixes. Yay! Thank you Sweetie 🥰 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Fort Pilar Miracle

I chanced upon a post by Ambeth Ocampo last week. He featured the Fort Pilar Shrine in Zamboanga City. It's a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Pillar. Before I visited it back in 2010, I heard that prayers are granted when you request for it during your visit.

Back in 2008, I caught a very bad strain of pneumonia. It was one of the hardest illnesses I faced in my life. My doctors frequently had my blood checked and one tumor marker, CA 125, was almost 3x more than normal. I remember when I got the result from a hospital, the staff member who handed me the result told me he was very sorry about the result. 

I knew the result was very serious because it's an indicator for ovarian cancer. My doctors though said it may also be because my body was still recuperating from pneumonia. While we were monitoring the issue, I kept praying and took every opportunity to visit churches known for miracles. 

Prior to my trip to Zamboanga City, I visited Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban. We attended the healing session of Fr. Joey Faller. I surprisingly had an appetite after the session. The next time my doctor checked the tumor marker, it had gone down to 2x than normal. I prayed harder for healing and I made sure to visit Fort Pilar when I got the chance to visit Zamboanga City.

After Zamboanga, I got to visit Iloilo City where I pushed to visit the Jaro Cathedral. I remember it wasn't on our itinerary and we were discouraged from going because it was being renovated at that time. We made it and I prayed again. 

Everytime I would visit a miracle church, I would always feel something in my heart. It's hard to describe, but it felt like it would beat differently like it had a charge of electricity going through it. I also always felt very calm after. By December 2010, the tumor marker was midway of the normal range. I was healed and it has not recurred. 

Believe. Have Faith. Keep praying. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Braved Re-Potting the Last of Mom's Orchids

To be honest, I haven't found the best way to care for my Mom's orchids. A number have gone to waste. I researched, followed what medium to use, watering, sunlight, pots etc, but nope, none have survived me, huhu.

When we transferred what was left of my Mom's plants, I found one small pot of dendrobiums. A millipede came out of the pot, so I quarantined it first. After that I gave it some rice water every once in awhile.

Eventually, I was surprised to see it grow new leaves. It's been four months and I finally had the courage to re-pot it. Mom used to put charcoal and coco husk in her pots, so I did that with some sphagnum moss. 

I carefully split in two. I read dendrobiums like smaller pots and doesn't like a lot of space. I also read that you should only re-pot it when it's filled up the pot. I tried to replicate the condition it was in so it's not stressed and doesn't die under my care.

It's been a few days and it's so far still standing. I'm debating whether I should remove the white skin. Mom used to have me remove it before. She said it suffocates the orchid. I'll try it next week and remove a bit next week.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Arroz ala Cubana

I noticed my tummy has been at ease whenever I eat home cooked meals. Miggy's dietician also said it's better for your diet and losing weight.

I've been making an effort to cook as much as I could. One of the easiest recipes to make is arroz ala cubana. I've been making this for years and it's best when you can pair it with fried banana.

I made one change this time. I used premium soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. I noticed it was a bit salty while cooking, so I added some water and brown sugar.

Sweetie noticed the difference and he asked what I did differently. I said I used premium soy sauce. He said he liked it much better than the previous ones I made. Yay!

Note to self:

Ok to use premium soy sauce for arroz ala cubana but not bistek Tagalog 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Vintage Toy Pianos

Mom thought I showed some promise when I played with the toy piano. She enrolled me in piano lessons and my caucasian teacher came once a week. My first recital piece was "Old MacDonald (had a farm...)".

My teacher though I guess left, so he was replaced by my Ninang's cousin. She was very strict and would hit my fingers if I made a mistake. Of course, I quit.

It took almost a decade to get over my trauma. In met Ate Edith and I progressed really well. My recital pieces were "Joy of a Man's Desiring" and "Canon in D". I even had a trio. Ahh, those were the peak days of my musical era. I eventually got busy and focused on Miggy and my studies.

Now, I leave the piano playing to Sweetie. My big piano is with me, but badly needs tuning. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Absent

I was absent yesterday for my pulmo rehab. I woke up dizzy and I know things go bad when I force myself to get up if my sleep cycle is incomplete. My CPAP machine has been extending my deep sleep phase and when I'm woken up suddenly I get very dizzy. My alarm woke me up and I guess my body wasn't ready to wake up yet. 

To make up for my absence, I used my spirometer as usual and spent extra time doing some gardening. I re-potted some plants and gave rice water to select plants. I was planning to cook dinner, but my energy ran out. I'll just cook tomorrow and skip any heavy gardening. 

Oh well, that's my life nowadays. There are good days and there are bad. I just adjust as needed :)

#BeKind #StaySafe