Waterlogged

We finally had a break from constant rains this afternoon. It's been raining everyday for two weeks now and it does a number on you when you don't see the sun shining brightly. The sun peeked this afternoon and it was refreshing. It was short-lived though and it rained again. 

I'm unable to sleep well when it rains, especially when it rains hard. I guess it's PTSD from typhoon Ondoy when I woke up to water rushing in. The past few years I struggled with the issue that the basement in our current home would get flooded. 

Good thing we managed to get help from city hall (Building Official and CENRO) to get it fixed.The flooding was due to the wrong way the contractor of the house beside us did their drainage. It was back-flowing to our backyard. It took two years before the issue was addressed, only resolved when city hall warned the contractor their license would get suspended if they didn't fix it. 

We held our stand and pushed back when the contractor through the HOA wanted to charge to fix the drainage. It wasn't our fault, so we said no. It took them almost two months to fix and it was quite obvious where they went wrong when they dug up the area. The drainage was higher than ours, that's why their sewage would back flow to us. They eventually grudgingly fixed it. 

Our issue is a very small one compared to the countless families affected by the floods the past few days (weeks, months, years...). Our city seems to have been crowned as the most flooded city in the region which is so sad. I hope a solution can be found and done soon. 

Stay safe and dry everyone.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rain Drenched Garden

It's been raining for 12 straight days now. I've been missing my gardening time. I miss watering my plants one by one. And I miss trimming them when needed. Taking photos of random flowers that bloom. Harvesting bell peppers, tomatoes and papaya. 

It's always a wonder how plants survive non-stop rain, but easily get root rot when you over water them. Everything is so green in the garden now and I'm happy there's still some random flowers blooming despite the rain. 

I'm just afraid there will be a lot of pests again when the rain lets up. I'll just have to be vigilant and make sure they don't multiply like crazy! 

How's your garden doing?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Ravioli with Al Telefono Sauce

I'm honestly not sure if the term I used above is correct. We found ready to eat ravioli at a shop in Molito, Alabang. I immediately bought one because it's been years since I had it at home. When we were in Singapore, I used to buy a pack from Marks & Spencer after my PT (it was in the same building). I would boil it, drain and then mix it with bottled pasta sauce. It was so easy to make!

We got spinach ravioli, but since I couldn't find any ready pasta sauce I liked, I decided to mix it with pasta al telefono (sauce). I wasn't sure if it would work, but trying was worth it! 

Here's how I made it:

Now I want to run back to Alabang to buy some ravioli to make this again, hehe. 

Full recipe: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/08/recipes-for-my-son-ravioli-in-pasta-al.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

One Second Everyday: July 2026

I'm trying to make sure I post my one second a day a week after the start of the month. Good thing I remembered to do it today for Throwback Thursday. 

The highlight of the month was celebrating Mando Laura and Grogu's birthday. They were born on different days, so we celebrated across the week. We even got cake! Haha. I couldn't figure out where to get cake that's safe for cats? The cake I got was devoured by the hoomans...

The rainy season is back, so I got to re-open my kitchen and cook homemade meals. Gardening time reduced a lot because of the rain. I water only when needed to make sure the roots don't rot. It will probably be this way for the next two to three months until the weather changes. 

We also go to see two friends from abroad. One from Australia earlier in July and the other one from Singapore at the end of the month. It's really fun to see friends who come and visit. I must admit, we've been hibernating and only go out when really needed, haha. It's hard to get around when you're on a wheelchair. 

I only finished one measly quilt project. We got busy with other stuff, so I had to de-prioritize sewing for the month. I've been a bit picky also on what I do since I have other ongoing non-sewing projects which take up time. I'm now choosing between three possible projects for the month. I'm having a hard time choosing since it will definitely take more time to make, heh. Here's my 1SE video for the month of July:

I hope the month of August would be a bit more productive. It's been raining like crazy, so we'll see...

How was your month of July?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Brain Fog

Is real...

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made Another Cat Quilt

I finally finished the cat quilt I've been working on. It was inspired from Pinterest and I used scraps to put it together. Making it took longer than I expected because I embroidered some parts of it. I also asked for advice from Miggy to make sure the measurements were correct.

Here's how I made it:

And the end result:

 

Nonetheless, I enjoyed making it. I'll use it as part of my new sewing machine cover. I haven't made one in more than 5 years. I hope it will turn out cute :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

How We Resolved the Water Pump Issue

After two weeks of just getting water directly from Maynilad and experiencing an almost 24 hours water interruptions, we identified the issues to determine whether we should replace our water pump. This is how we decided - 

El Nino + health issues + 3 to 6 months wait for repair = get a new pump.  

We asked our architect what water pump he used for his projects. He recommended Grundfos. What followed was a week of research and checking the nearest place where we could buy a pump. The store said they didn't carry Grundfos anymore since parts were expensive (based on feedback from customers). They had another brand, Calpeda, which we found out has been around since 1959 and an Italian brand. We also looked at other cheaper brands, some which I experienced using growing up -- they broke down a lot. 

With Maynilad having frequent water interruptions, we decided to get Calpeda. We got a discount for it since it was included in the 3-day sale. The next day, the installer came to inspect the area. We decided to move the placement of the pump to keep the cats from using it as a stand to jump to the roof. The installer explained also that it's better to put the pump close to the bottom of the tank so it doesn't have to work harder. 

The pump was installed a few days after. It made a huge difference in the water pressure and we got to use our shower heater again. We were relieved that the heater wasn't at fault for the crazy extra hot water we were getting a few weeks ago. Ahh, Bhagwan water heaters are really for long-term use! To be honest, I was having a hard time taking showers without hot water and it made me feel unstable. 

We're still thinking whether to have the pump fixed and use it or sell it. What do you think?

#BeKind #StaySafe