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

Ikea Trolley for My Sewing Stuff

I have a small sewing table and it's been littered with my sewing stuff. I need them close by since I reach out to them as I work on projects. It's been annoying though since I have to move things around when I need to use the sewing machine or when I need to measure fabric or when I need to iron. Yes, that's how small my space is for sewing. 

We went to Ikea a few weeks ago and I saw this circular trolley. It's about half of my old rectangular Ikea trolley. I intended the old one to hold my sewing stuff, but I found it too bulky, plus I could barely see the items on the second level. The trolley is PhP699 and I got one since I felt it would solve the clutter on my sewing table.

I built it myself. It was so easy to build since it didn't have any screws. Just plug and twist to screw it in. I thought it would take a long time to put together. I finished in a few minutes and had enough energy to clear my table. 

I moved the items based on frequency of use. I put the needles and pins on top with the pencils.

Safety pins and clips for binding and thread and bobbins on the second row.

The bottom houses my bobbin gadget and other stuff (I'm still fixing it).

I'm planning to re-organize my old trolley. I got a top cover for it since I plan to use it for ironing. I can just easily park it nearby and pull it out as needed. I love Ikea trolleys! I also got a utility cart for a bathroom. It makes it easier to pull out when the bathroom is cleaned, plus I used the old shelf to house my newer craft books from Booksale (shelf is now back inside my maker room). 

Happy sewing!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Firewalls have Ears and What You Can Teach Your House Staff

Anakin and Bailey probably felt I was getting anxious over the screamfest happening across our firewall. They had me go towards a "safer" area and calmed me down. Meredith also moved to a quieter area.

I was minding my own business and was watering my plants when the neighbors (helpers probably) started having a screamfest over sinampay. I guess it rained earlier when we were out and some of their newly laundered clothes got wet. I wasn't given a choice and had the misfortune of hearing the huge row that ensured. They threw hurtful words against each other. Words that I only usually hear from Batang Quiapo when the masters berate their assistants/helpers.

Oh boy, it felt like I was brought back to my childhood home. Our neighbor there had frequent screamfests too. We don't have helpers, but I grew up in a household that had a harmonious relationship with our angels.

Here's a few things I learned from my Mom about managing people. I also used this when I managed the team across the region.

1. Set responsibilities and expectations upfront. Define key results expected and how their work will be assessed.

2. Escalate issues as they come. Don't let it fester.

3. To resolve issues take a coaching approach so they realize where they can address the problem before it gets big.

4. Never use curse words or downgrade people.

5. Gambling is a big no-no.

6. Live within your means. Utang destroys relationships.

7. No gossiping.

8. Pray.

Good thing our other neighbor always brings good vibes. They have a baby so the mood is always happy. I transferred to that side to water my other plants. Grogu and Anakin followed and played with us. I'm so glad I have fur babies. They really help bring peace.

#BeKind #StaySafe