How Compliments Can Make Someone's Day Better

It's Monday and the blues hit me hard. I was like a hard-starting diesel car. Dragged my feet along to get myself in the zone. I guess I got too tired yesterday when we went to the mall to pick up my new eyeglasses. That snowballed to my listlessness early this morning. 

Things changed rapidly when a colleague complimented my skin. Yes, my skin! To get in the mood today I put more moisturizer than usual. I guess I was shimmering on video hahaha, thus the compliment. I wasn't expecting to receive a compliment. It meant so much more because it came from a Korean! 

That was exactly what I needed this morning. It made me feel I was doing something right. It was a simple gesture, but it changed the course of my day. What about you? Do you like giving compliments? 

P.S. I just discovered that there's a national compliments day! It's celebrated every 24th of January. So I guess this is an advanced post from me! Haha.

CB//202 #StuckAtHomeDay/232 #WFH137  #StayHome #BeKind

231 Days Since We had to Stay Home

In the last few weeks I've had a number of people share their experience with COVID19. I have family and friends who's families got infected by the virus. It's truly a terrible thing to go through. I pray everyday that this pandemic will end soon and no one gets sick anymore. 

My friends who shared their experience said more than getting sick the harder challenge is keeping mentally healthy. A friend from South Asia shared that her whole family got infected. Her Dad and brother were hospitalized and the rest of their household were luckily asymptomatic. My friend and her six month old baby were spared. They were the ones who moved out and stayed at a hotel for three weeks. 

She told me it took all her will to cope with the situation. My heart went out to her. It must have been so hard for her to manage the situation and take care of her baby on her own. Another friend shared her brother got infected so they decided to have her whole family stay at another place for a month to keep her parents safe. Her brother had to cope on his own. Luckily it wasn't too bad. 

I was watching a celebrity vlogger share her COVID19 experience earlier. She said almost everyone in her household got it and they got it due to a lapse in judgment. Her Mom picked it up when she went outside to buy food. She said she only felt really, really awful for one day, but she was able to cope for the rest of her quarantine period. 

We went to the mall today to pick up my new eyeglasses. I was really surprised that the mall was so full. As much as the situation here in Singapore is much better we still need to be careful and vigilant. This pandemic is really testing all of our individual limits. My rock has been my family and faith. 

Happy Sunday everyone. Hang in there!

CB//201 #StuckAtHomeDay/231 #StayHome #BeKind

I Love Homemade Pandesal

I took a break from baking so I could work on my Christmas project. I missed eating pandesal though so I got to work today to bake. It just takes 12 to 15 minutes to bake pandesal but it takes a few hours to prepare it. I've made a few adjustments to a base recipe to fit my taste. It's not the same as Pan de Manila's pandesal though haha. 

The smell of freshly baked bread filled our home this afternoon. Ahhh, that's what I like best about baking. I wish one could have freshly baked bread as a scent. Haha. Same as new books, fresh roses and a newly opened balikbayan box from the US. 

I haven't tried the pandesal I baked today. I'm still thinking about what I'm going to eat it with. Normally I eat pandesal without any filling, but sometimes I eat it with cheese and mayonnaise, spam or luncheon meat, peanut butter, Cheez Whiz and tuna mayo. Pandesal is so versatile, you can eat it with anything. 

What about you? What's your favorite bread? What's your favorite palaman? 

My Ninang Jane asked me if it's hard to bake pandesal. It's not hard, you just need to be patient because it takes time. The only thing to watch out for is the milk temperature when you bloom yeast. It should be around 32'C. I made that mistake once and put the yeast on very hot milk, it did not bloom. I actually like waiting for the dough to proof because it gives me time to rest while baking (it's like a workout for me). 

I haven't made an updated video of baking pandesal, but I think I have improved after baking it five times now. It also helps to have a stand mixer since it kneads the dough more evenly. Here was my first attempt at baking pandesal --

CB//200 #StuckAtHomeDay/230 #StayHome #BeKind

Help! I Think I'm Becoming a Coffee Snob

I only learned how to drink coffee in my late 20s! My best friend Anne would make me coffee every morning. Mind you it was just the usual pantry coffee, but there was something magical about how she mixed coffee, sugar and cream. She tried to teach me how to make it, but I just couldn't get it haha. Eventually I turned to 3-in-1 coffee. 

I drank 3-in-1 coffee for many years. I would try other types of coffee, but I'd palpitate and so I just drank the usual every day. I would always buy my stash from Manila. I was always covered for a me months. However, the pandemic happened and my supply slowly dwindled to zero (I still have two left). 

I always knew it would be better if I stopped drinking 3-in-1 coffee since it has so much sugar in it. It was a habit that was so hard to break. Honestly, I tried other brands but they were either too sweet, too strong for me or I'd go on a sneezefest (I'm allergic to some stuff). 

So I finally started exploring real coffee. I ordered a set of coffee that had a hint of nuts and fruit. I had no idea how it would taste, but I just wanted to try. It took me a few cups before I finally understood the nutty and fruity flavor that comes with coffee. I started appreciating real coffee. 

In the beginning I would alternate with instant coffee, but one day I just suddenly didn't like instant coffee anymore. I tried it a few more times, but I just don't like it anymore. I have been sharing this journey with my physiotherapist. I told her about it because I discovered that British milk goes so well with coffee (my PT is Brit). I told her the other day that I've finally come to appreciate drinking real coffee. She said, "Ahhh you're becoming a coffee snob!" Hahaha. 

I'm still taking baby steps. My foray into coffee started with disposable coffee drips. Last week I got myself a proper coffee drip contraption. I thought it was the next natural step and maybe later on I can explore the coffee press thingy, then go into grinding. It's been an interesting experiment for me since it was hard to break the habit of drinking 3-in-1 coffee (don't judge me!). 

What about you? Are you a coffee or tea drinker? 

CB//199 #StuckAtHomeDay/229 #WFH136 #StayHome #BeKind

My Dream Job When I was a Child

There's a meme going around asking people what you wanted to be when you were a child. This got me thinking and I was amazed at how my interests swung from one thing to another when I was growing up. 

I do remember when I was in elementary school I wanted to be an architect. I was four years old when I got my first Lego set. Back then Lego sets were just a collection of Lego pieces. They left it to your imagination to build things. I remember building different types of houses and I was always fascinated about home layouts. I guess that was why I wanted to become an architect. It didn't happen because I lacked the drawing skills (although my niece pointed out that it requires more technical drawing). I did live this dream a bit when I helped my Mom in her export business. 

Frowning even as a child, I was never into sports. 

Eventually my interest changed and I wanted to be an archeologist/anthropology. I got interested in it when we started learning about Asian civilizations in history class. I wanted to discover more about old civilizations, how they looked, how they lived, what their culture was about. It was a cross between archeology and anthropology. My parents though were quite concerned and had me talk to Tito Ed who explained to me more about the field. I got a lot of pressure not to pursue it. My passion for history remains at a personal level, my family and friends always go back to me when they need old photos and past information (lol). I also binge watch on shows related to this topic. 

My Dad was grooming me to become a lawyer and I ended up getting degrees in Political Science and Legal Management. Midway through my LM degree I realized that becoming a lawyer wasn't for me. Needless to say my professors were also disappointed I did not pursue it. It would have tied up nicely with my third dream job - to be the mayor of my city! I would have been on that path because I was being recruited to run for office when I was in university. Of course, Mom got in the way and that fizzled out. 

It's funny thought because all the things I wanted to do I'm in a way doing now at my current job. It's not what I envisioned I would be, but I think I'm where I should be right now. And that's what's important. Whatever degree or job you get, your childhood dream will always be there and it's up to you how you define your mission in life.

What about you? What was your childhood dream job?

CB//198 #StuckAtHomeDay/228 #WFH135 #StayHome #BeKind

Do you have a Battle Song?

Two years ago I was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism. I had a huge blood clot in my right lung and was the reason why I could barely breathe (full story here). I was shocked and I asked myself what did I do to deserve going through another illness that has a high mortality rate. I spiralled down into a black hole. Honestly, I just wanted Papa God to take me then. 

But I lived. And I think Papa God chose to let me live so I could share my stories.

Other pulmonary embolism patients usually get hospitalized until they stabilize. I didn't take a break and still went to work and my treatment was done through medications. A few days after I got diagnosed Sweetie pinged me and said he got free tickets for us to watch The Piano Guys. I wasn't really up to it, but I decided to go since they are one of my favorite musicians. 

The Piano Guys were amazing! I was so touched by their music especially when they played this song --

It's Gonna Be Okay

By end of the evening I felt the burden I was carrying lift. I truly felt everything was going to be okay. I was feeling tired today so I casted the song to the TV and immediately felt better. The song has that effect on me. 

What about you? Do you have a battle song? A song that immediately perks you up when you're feeling down? 

CB//197 #StuckAtHomeDay/227 #WFH134 #StayHome #BeKind 

Buried Alive in a Dream

Oh my, my subconscious has been going bonkers the last few days. I had another strange dream last night.

Photo by Jayvee Fernandez.

This time I was with a few friends and the younger version of a friend's son. We were in a tropical paradise exploring a cave. We were just walking around and we were buried alive! I woke up shortly after that and was baffled about the dream. 

I normally ignore my dreams, but they've been so vivid the last few days. I searched on Google to check what it means to be buried alive especially since it sounds so negative. I read that it's actually a positive dream because it means you have untapped or unexplored talent.

I guess I'm having these dreams because there's several things I'm working on that could potentially make a huge impact on many lives. It's that or maybe it has something to do with the home projects I've been working on. Whatever it is I'm looking forward to discovering what this untapped talent or skill that's lurking within me. 

CB//196 #StuckAtHomeDay/226 #WFH133 #StayHome #BeKind