The Meaning of "Pambansang Jumper"

Forgive me a genXer for writing about the definition of "Pambansang Jumper". I may be wrong, but it took me awhile to figure out.

I learned that "jumper" can mean different things. It may basically refer to someone who "jumps". It can also mean, a sweater (British term). 

I chanced upon the term "Pambansang Jumper" from a news clip about a telenovela character. I racked my brain to understand why the reporter refered to the actress as the "Pambansang Jumper". And then it hit me...

In the Philippines, we normally use the term "jumper" to connect to the electrical system of a neighbor. It's not legal, but common in developing areas. In local term it's called, "kabit". 

The term "kabit", on the other hand also means "mistress". The reporter probably used the term, "pambansang jumper", as a polite term since the actress plays the mistress character for the show.

Really have to catch up with terms the younger generation use nowadays, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bell Peppers Soon?

I've been planting bell pepper seeds whenever I have store bought peppers. You have to be very patient with growing bell peppers. It takes about 3 weeks before the seeds sprout and then you need to move it around when the weather changes.

The seeds I planted last January have started to produce flowers. I didn't expect it since it's been growing super slowly. I think it hibernated when we had extremely hot weather. I watered it everyday and consistently gave it rice water weekly. It had a growth spurt when I moved it to a sunnier area. I think the rain also helped. 

I've been so afraid to re-pot it. I bit the bullet and re-potted it the other day. I placed it in a spot that gets about 6 hours of sun. It won't get any rain though, so I'll have to observe whether I should move it. I hope the flowers get pollinated so I can harvest some bell pepper soon! 

I also have to review what kind of fertilizer it needs. I was in Singapore when I successfully grew some bell pepper. The fruit though was deformed which meant it lacked something. I would very happy if my bell pepper plants finally produce something! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Received a Gift: Vintage Talking Yoda

I was ecstatic when a friend told me he was going to give his "talking Yoda" to me! I shared a photo of my Yoda collection and he thought it was best to give me his Yoda. Of course, I gladly accepted the gift and he sent it yesterday. 

He said his father had shrink wrapped all his toys when he worked abroad. The figure he sent was still wrapped in plastic and was attached to a part its original box. The toy traveled from another city and arrived boxed and protected by an air bubble. 

I was so excited, I quickly unwrapped it. I had to be careful removing the plastic wrap since parts of it stuck on the figure. I also freed it from being shackled to the box. My friend said he never removed it and the original batteries were still inside. After removing the wrapping, I wiped Yoda with a cotton ball. I didn't scrub him since I was afraid I might wipe off parts of the figure. I also removed his robe and washed it. 

After cleaning him up, I passed on Yoda to Sweetie. We wanted to check if it still works. Talking Yoda figures tend to have a complicated battery system. You need a screwdriver to open it up. This figure had the battery by its feet. The batteries were already corroded, but the contact points are still intact. Unfortunately, we didn't have any C batteries on hand, so I have to wait for it to be delivered. 

My friend jokingly told me that Yoda walks around at night. I told him, I'll lock him up in the display cabinet with his compatriots. Haha. I did just that. This Yoda talking doll actually looks better than the one I bought in a Disney store in San Francisco which was all plastic. This Yoda has real clothes and looks more realistic. I hope the batteries arrive soon! Crossing my fingers it still works.

Thank you again Redge, you made the collector in me so happy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Birthdays

Celebrated Sweetie and Miggy's birthdays last June. We decided to invite a few friends for lunch. It's been my dream to eat Alba's porchetta again. Kuya sent me one for my birthday last year. One order is too much for the three of us, but perfect for a small group. I let the boys select a package from Alba's and that's what we feasted on for lunch. 

Here's what we feasted on:

For decorations, I just got a banner. I even got art paper because I thought I'd have time to cut out their names. We were so busy organizing the house I forgot to make time to cut the names. Good thing I got a happy birthday sign and some banderittas. It even came with lights! I had my friends help with the balloons. 

The lunch stretched to early evening since we had a lot of catching up to do. It was a fun and chill afternoon where we learned more about coffee, making Thai milk tea, and cheese. Note to self: don't prepare salad at home. Just order, if needed. 

Thank you to our friends who came to celebrate with us! <3 <3

#BeKind #StaySafe

3 Hour Gardening Workout

My thighs are so sore after 3 hours of gardening. I sat on bangkito (the plastic kind) for a few hours to re-pot my cacti and succulents. We heard something crash outside my sewing room the other night. I told Sweetie it was likely the cacti. We paused the video we were watching and Sweetie investigated what happened.

We think Grogu was chasing after Anakin. The kitten probably went up the planter and hit the pots. It came tumbling down, hitting the pots below. It was a huge mess. I didn't expect it would happen since we just covered the sides of the plant stand last week to keep the cats away. 

Oh well, I've been meaning to re-pot the cacti and succulents since some have outgrown their pots. It took me awhile to finish re-potting since there were a lot of pups and some had to be separated. Since I re-potted some of them in bigger pots, I asked for help from Sweetie to add support. That way they won't topple down easily if ever a cat goes up again. 

Added bamboo to support the pots

It was a good workout and I enjoy working quietly while gardening. The cats kept me company. Anakin was quite naughty. He even tried biting the cacti. So kulet. I had to separate him and Grogu to avoid having another accident. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Re-Organized my Fabric Stash

I took a break from blogging to make time to organize our home. It's been more than two years since we moved and I decided to bite the bullet and invite friends. That meant we needed to make time to make our home presentable. Our living room still had boxes and we hadn't been using our dining room since it was hosting stuff from our basement (due to the renovations). 

The renovations finally finished in early June and that gave us two weeks to organize our home. It took me two weeks (++) to unbox all my fabric and sewing materials. Whew! I decided to wrap my stash in comic book boards. I also re-categorized the fabric, so it's easier for me to find items. 

I decided to use the vertical cabinets for the fabric. I put the rainbow colors fabric on the left side. My friends squealed when they saw how I organized it. "It's so gay!" they said. The cabinet also has my Christmas themed fabric collection. On the other cabinet I placed fabric prints. I categorized them as: floral, shapes, and characters. In the middle are the 10" squares fabric and the fabric designed by Mx. Domestic. On the bottom are backing fabric. 

I placed the jelly rolls and charm packs in the horizontal middle cabinet. I got some containers to hold them. The containers make it easier for me to find the right pack. I think I'll organize them by color when I have time. 

I would have started blogging sooner, but I used the last two weeks of June to celebrate Sweetie and Miggy's birthday. After the celebration I used the time to do some quilting! I needed to do something creative since organizing drove me crazy (haha). 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Factory Store Shopping: Uratex

We needed additional chairs for our get togethers last month. It was practical to get some monoblock chairs since it's easy to store and lasts long. I tried ordering online, but surprisingly you can only order two of the items I wanted to buy. 

We knew there was a nearby Uratex store and headed there on a Sunday. We went around three in the afternoon and traffic was light. We were in the area a few months ago to check out pre-loved musical instruments. That was how I was reminded that Uratex has a showroom. 

We were greeted by staff as we came in and was immediately assisted. We quickly found the chair I was eyeing from their website. They luckily had stock. After putting in our order we went around to look at the other items they were selling.

Of course, they had a lot of mattresses on display. They had the bigger items displayed on the second floor. You can get ideas on how to organize and decorate your bedroom from their bed displays. They also had some tables and chairs and sofas. We were really curious about the sofas since we need one for our family room. They had some really good deals and we were tempted, but we forgot to measure the area and said we'll just come back. 

Aside from chairs, they also had pillows, living room and kitchen items, on the ground floor. I decided to buy throw pillows. I had meant to make my own, but since that's taking time, I just got some since I have made a couple of throw pillow covers I could still use. I also got place mats since I only have sets of 4 (not enough if you have visitors). 

It was fun going around the shop. Staff were very helpful, though they could be more organized in the billing section. They have free soda while you wait to pay. We'll probably come back to buy some of the nicer chairs for our small family room dining table. I'm also just currently using a monoblock chair as my sewing chair. It's a cheap weaved one and not very comfortable. 

Next time we need to buy new mattresses, we'll just go back to the Uratex store. We should probably check out Mandaue Foam's store noh?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Celebrated Pride Month with the Gaylas Filipinas

Eleven years ago I met a group of people who blew me out of my mind. I first met them at a training session. I had meant to ask why all the trainers were male. I was going to bring it up with the leader since I thought we needed to be inclusive. 

I got the surprise of my life when I realized during the training that they were all gay. I didn't bring up the issue of inclusivity anymore since the group was in good form. I also thought they would bring a lot of fun to the project. We traveled across the Philippines together for three years. Of course, that gave me a chance to get to know them better. 

The project eventually ended, but we all kept in touch. It's been years since I've seen most of them. We planned to meet up a year ago, but they decided to go to Taiwan to celebrate Pride. Ahh, sometimes it really takes time to plan a get together with over 10 people. It finally happened and we had so much fun. 

The reunion wasn't exactly to celebrate Pride month, since our goal was just to have a get together. It just so happened it's Pride month. I just added some colorful elements for the party. We reminisced, ate, laughed, reminisced some more and ate some more. 

I'm really happy we got together again. I hope we can do this more often. Realistically, it will be hard, so likely our next reunion will be for my golden year. They were the ones who organized my 40th birthday many years ago, so we'll see how things go. 

Love you forever girls :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Preparing for a Party

The last two weeks have been nerve wracking. I had agreed to host a reunion of friends who I haven't seen since before the pandemic. We only finished the renovations in early June, so we were hard pressed for time to organize our home for a party. I realized I also didn't have enough plates and utensils and other essentials to properly host a party. It's also been years since I did any hosting. 

When I hosted parties before I used to do it in my childhood home since we had the space for it. My Mom, of course, took care of preparing everything. She's a pro at hosting parties. All I needed to do was invite and show up (and order food when needed). My experience at hosting in our own home is incomparable to my Mom's abilities. 

A week before our first housewarming/reunion event, I made a list of what was needed. Good thing it was a potluck party so I just ordered spaghetti and lumpia. I also had my friends list down what they would bring. I told them I didn't want us to end up having just dessert, haha. Of course, when hosting a party you also need a lot of other things. I thought I'd detail here what I listed for future reference:

• tables and chairs (we had to buy monobloc chairs since we don't have enough chairs at home)
• dining table needs: placemats, plates, utensils, drinking glasses, table napkin, toothpick, potholders
• food counter needs: serving dishes, serving utensils
• food and drinks: make sure to check for food restrictions
• decor
• Sharon needs: containers for takeaway
• an accessible toilet area
• directions and parking

Our home isn't in its best state yet. It's still pretty bare and we still have a lot of stuff that needs to be organized. We don't have decorations, so we've left our walls bare. I don't think it will be perfect, so we just bit the bullet and hosted a party for a small group of friends. It's been on my bucket list to invite friends over and I thought it's the best time to do it while I have some immunity for now. I can't possibly do it often, but I hope I'd get to see most of my loved ones before the year ends. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Do Small Things with Great Love

"Do small things with great love," is a quote from Mother Teresa. I still remember I gave a small decor item with the quote to my Mom for her birthday. I bought it from a bookstore with savings from my allowance. I thought it would be a cute gift and she kept it through the years. It was still in the bathroom before I had everything packed up. 

I got the item more to remind myself to do my chores with love. I was always scolded back then because I was messy (still am). My Mom always wanted everything to be organized. I slept in their room until I was in senior high school and that meant I had a lot of my stuff within reach (usually under their bed). She would keep reminding me to keep my things in order. 

I was reminded about what Mother Teresa said from Fr. Tito Caluag's homily. We hosted our first party at home. We invited friends we haven't seen in years. I took care of washing the dishes and preparing the dining and kitchen area for the party. I was amazed I was able to do what I had to since my energy levels have been spotty. I pulled through because I did the activity with love. 

And that's what I have to always keep in mind, Do everything with great love.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Pneumonia is Not a Joke

In 2008, I fell very ill and I had to ask my Mom to bring me to the hospital. Good thing I did because I had pneumonia. My lungs were filled with water and I was having a hard time breathing. 

I was in a daze for about a week and I finished up boxes of tissue because of the cough. Two weeks after discharge  I flew to Singapore for my annual checkup. My cardiologist was gravely concerned and had additional tests done. I was so thin and could barely eat. Everytime I ate it turned into a coughing fit.

I was less than 100 lbs by March 2009

I was diagnosed with asthma and heart failure. The lab also found possible strains of legionella in my blood. It's one of the worst causes of pneumonia and 30-80% fatal. It's a miracle I survived.

It took a year with many prayers and visits to churches to pray for a miracle before I started to get better. Other worrying blood markers also consistently normalized everytime I saw my cardiologist. Sadly, the effects of the illness still affect me today. I am kept stable with the help of my doctors and those who pray for me. 

If there's one thing I think I could have done after that very bad bout of pneumonia, I think I should have heeded the advise of my parents to rest more. I should also have sought to know what caused the illness so I could have the proper care.

I know the experience I had was extraordinary and that's why I worry whenever I have friends who get sick. I don't want them to end up like me, retired at a young age and barely able to do normal stuff. 

"Flying Tiger", First Look

I saw the announcement a few months ago that "Flying Tiger" was opening soon at Alabang Town Centre. I was only able to visit today since the weather has been bearable already. I also insisted with the boys it was time to go out. I don't remember the last time we went to the mall.

We were just going to take a peek, but the store was set up like a maze. You have no choice but to see everything. Like IKEA, there's no shortcut to the exit. We enjoyed our first look of Flying Tiger. 

If you like stationery and anek-anek, you will like the store. The store is originally from Copenhagen. Their take on decor is different from what we see from Daiso, Miniso, and Mumuso. I didn't look at where the items are made, but I saw some are made in China. 

I just got a few plastic plates and cups. I was planning to buy paper plates and disposable cups, but realised reusable plates and cups are better. Next time I'll go check out the stationery section. I saw they have cute planner pads. They also have a table for "last chance to buy items". There were some interesting items. I just resisted from buying, haha.

There's a couple of branches across the metro if you want to check it out :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Complain When You Need To

I see a lot of posts of homeowners on Home Buddies who ask if their contractor did the right thing. Oftentimes it's about tile work, stairs, windows, roof, walls etc. Most of those who comment say the work is unacceptable and should be fixed. I guess people ask because most of us are first time homeowners. It is indeed rare to go through building a house more than once (unless you're very rich!). 

Our supposedly simple renovations dragged on. We were told that the work would finish in just two weeks. It's been two months now and it's supposed to finally finish today. Well, it was supposed to be finished in early May. We found a couple of issues with the work mostly because the last set of workers hurriedly finished their task. 

We waited a few weeks before we allowed them to come. We had to get well and have the house disinfected even though the virus likely came from their group. The good thing about our contractor is they do back jobs if there are issues. Oftentimes though we had to wait since they quickly move on to other projects. 

Looks fine, but there were issues with the drawer and floor. 

The project would have finished in two weeks if they provided materials on time and if they did the work properly the first time. There are many horror stories with bad contractors. We've so far stuck it out with this one since they do get the job done with supervision. I think that's required anyway for any work that you have done. Among all the work they did for us the best one is the plumbing and the garden work. It was outsourced to another company (haha). 

I know a lot of us tend not to complain when you have work done. I learned to give proper feedback and complain after working for an international company for 15 years, haha. I don't bottle things inside anymore especially when I pay for it. Demand the worth of your hard earned money. Just a few more tweaks and we should be done.

#BeKind #StaySafe

 

Grateful

I was thinking about my family the past few days and realized that we only have Sweetie's Dad left. We're almost orphans now. My siblings are also mostly abroad, so it's just us. I have my cousins, but they all live in other cities. We both don't have relatives where we live, but we have a lot of friends I grew up with in the neighborhood. 

My stupor changed when I realized I should be grateful. We have additions in the family! My cousin and niece gave birth in the past two months. I have a kalokalike who was born last year (poor baby, I hope she didn't get my temperament!). We lost our parents, titos and titas in the past decade, but our family continues to grow. My pamangkins are also set to marry in the coming months. 

I'm set to make this month different. We will finish fixing our living room and dining room so we can have friends over. My boys are having their birthdays this month. We haven't planned anything yet and just playing it by ear for now. I'm still trying to gauge whether I could muster up the strength to entertain, haha. Well, we'll see. I do want to celebrate though. 

I'm also grateful that we have our cat family. They've been a joy. The cat distribution system gave us six stay-in cats plus 2 who come in and out. They have been living harmoniously, except when Brimsley is having a bad day. She seems to have forgotten about her kittens and doesn't want them near her. She's allowed us to pet her lately and rubs against Miggy's legs often. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bone Meal for Gumamela

My gumamela plants were not flowering again. I did some research and found out they like bone meal. My plants needed a top up of soil so I made soil mix with loam soil, compost, rice hull and bone meal.

And... Tada!

One of my plants had a lot of buds before the typhoon. Some survived and I noticed one blossomed today. Too bad it was already evening when I noticed it.

Anyway, you just need a tablespoon of bone meal for every gallon of soil. I realized we eat a lot of chicken and thought maybe I could just make it. Unfortunately, you need to boil it for 12 hours! Maybe a pressure cooker can make it shorter, but I don't have one so I'll just buy when needed.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Resumed Pulmo Rehab

It's been a month since I last attended my pulmo rehab. I was finally able to attend today since I was feeling a bit better. I was strangely coughing on and off during my session. I wasn't coughing as much yesterday. 

My doctor prescribed salinase for me since I was coughing during my consultation. I think the cough got scared of my doctor because I promptly stopped coughing by evening. I had very little cough yesterday and haven't bought the salinase. I will buy it today to make sure the cough resolves fully. My doctor said it's post-nasal drip. 

The exercises during my session were light. My therapist made sure I didn't get too tired. We basically just woke up my body since I've been resting for most of the month. I also gave him an update on what happened and how I've been coping. We did not do any spinning today and will resume that in two weeks. I'll still try to do some spinning to see how much I can do per day. 

Life goes on. My focus now would be to regain my strength. I hope I'll be back on track in two months. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Lore Manila, One of Our Faves

We were famished after spending the whole morning visiting doctors. We only had a quick bite for breakfast. I don't think it even reached my tummy, haha. We've been to Lore Manila a few times and just can't get enough of their food. We finished our hospital visit at around one in the afternoon. 

Decidedly famished we headed to One Bonifacio High Street Mall for lunch. We went straight to Lore Manila. Ended up ordering a number of dishes. That's how famished we were. The only new dish we tried was the chicken sisig. It was perfect with the chorizo rice (oh, our first time to try this as well). 

We ordered again our favorites, the Davao kinilaw, molo soup, inihaw na liempo, and the five spice chicken with hawhaw sauce. Ahh, the food was so delectable and delicious. Every bite I took sent me to heaven (haha). Soon enough we were all full. We ordered so much food we had leftovers. We were happy we had leftovers we could eat at home. 

Maybe next we'll finally be able to try other restos, haha. I'm sure we'll visit Lore Manila again soon.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Adjusting Wellness Goals

I experienced a huge setback to my wellness goals. I was progressing nicely with my spinning time. Last time I had pulmo rehab I reached 12 minutes. I've slid back down to 5.5 minutes since I had COVID-19. I will resume pulmo rehab this week provided I feel well enough. 

My main goal this year is to be able to go biking outdoors. It is my one favorite sport. I don't have a bicycle yet. I will only get one once my therapist tells me it's safe for me. My boys want me to have a bike and full protection gear. When I used to bike around our village I never wore any protection. Well, I shall wear protection just to be sure. I just need to graduate with flying colors from my current pulmo rehab program. 

It's probably taking me longer to regain my strength because of the virus. Ugh. I feel so annoyed. I tried making baked sushi the other day and felt really tired after preparing the tuna. Good thing Miggy knows what to do, so he finished preparing the meal. 

Last night I did some gardening. I just added soil on some plants. Ended up really tired and just watched TV the rest of the night. I know I should give myself some slack. I just feel a bit down because of the setback. I have to focus on being grateful that the illness did not get worse. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Some Progress on the Heart Tote Bag

I've been working on this quilted heart tote bag for a few months now. Sewing time has been disrupted because of the renovation, getting sick and my things are still in boxes. I did set aside this project so I could work on it, but there's just been a lot of distraction. 

Sweetie and I exchanged places when the family room was finished. I'm now sitting at the far end of the family room. We switched since it makes more sense for him to be near the display cabinet. He does toy photography, so he has to access his collection often. I switched with him since I need more storage space for my sewing items. 

The boys set up my sewing table and I've since tried to put some time to sew. The only project I have accessible is the quilted tote bag I'm making for a friend. I made some progress! I sandwiched the top and quilted the heart by color. I scrambled to find thread since most of my materials are still in boxes. I made do with what I have and finished quilting yesterday. 

I thought I'd finish it by today, BUT, I can't find the roll of bag handle, haha. While looking for it I ended up fixing my gardening stuff and emptying a few bags. I hope to find it soon so I can finish this project and move on to a new one! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Cute Pokemon Items

We have a small collection of Pokemon collectibles. We have a few Pokeballs and some gachapon figures which I got in Japan. My favorite though are the keychains you can add to your bag zippers. I had a Ditto which I unfortunately lost during a trip. We used to have a bigger collection (Miggy's). Unfortunately, all of them perished during Typhoon Ondoy. 

My prized Pokemon possession though is a pair of sneakers. I got it three years ago when we were still in Singapore. I still use it and match it with a Pokemon shirt and earrings. I should clean up the sneakers so I can wear it when I see my doctor, haha. 

Recently, we got two cups from Serenitea. They're so cute! It's just actually a sticker placed on the cup. It's cute, but we're not sure if we'll use it as a cup since the sticker will likely fall off after a lot of washing. Anyway, it's still cute, so we'll likely just add it to our collection. 

Do you collect Pokemon items? 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Typhoon Aghon

Our first typhoon finally came, Typhoon Aghon. I think it's quite rare not to have typhoons in the first few months of the year. I didn't notice we haven't had a typhoon in the past few months. Last year there were only 17 typhoons in the country. Normally there's more than 20, so it's been really unusual. That's also probably why summer has been terribly hot. 

Pikachu

It's been raining non-stop since yesterday. My plants are fully soaked. It's been a nice kind of rain in our area, but other areas have had it bad with flooding. I saw on the news that there are areas where trees have fallen. I hope everyone will be safe since the typhoon is still hanging around until Wednesday. 

Our cats have chosen to stay dry by our front door. We were surprised most of them were hanging out together there. Poor Mando was left alone in the laundry area by her siblings. She was calling us to come out and play with her from the kitchen window. We indulged her, of course, and was surprised she allowed us to pet her. Soon enough her siblings visited her and she quieted down. 

My favorite weatherman (meteorologist), Ariel Rojas, said the hot weather may come back after the typhoon leaves. Ugh. It's not rainy season yet since DOST-PAGASA hasn't checked off all the indicators. I hope the typhoons this year will be gentler. Just enough to water the plants and re-fill the dams. 

Stay safe and don't forget to pray!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Two Months After Propagating Solo Papaya Seeds

I've grown fond of eating papaya since my confinement in November. I usually order solo papaya together with my groceries since it's just enough for me. Last March I experimented on propagating papaya seeds. I washed off the goo and the let it dry for a few days. Then I placed it on a paper towel in a container. I sprayed it with water and left it on the bottom shelf beside the sink. 

It took three weeks before it started sprouting. I would check it weekly and I think I sprayed more water once or twice. I was worried it would just dry up since it was really hot in April. I wasn't sure when to plant it in soil. To be honest, I forgot about the seedlings. They had grown quite long before I remembered to plant them in soil. 

I transferred the seedlings to a propagation tray. I decided to do that so it could have water all the time. Good thing I did because I got sick right after planting the seedlings in soil. It survived for two weeks while I was unable to do any gardening. 

I was surprised to see the seedlings grow more leaves when I was well enough to go to the garden. It was the perfect time to transfer them to bigger pots so they could grow bigger. I mixed loam soil, compost and rice hull a day before I transferred the seedlings. I re-used some smaller pots which I disinfected first before I used them. I selected the bigger seedlings first and they seem to be adjusting well. 

Now I have to research whether I could grow the papaya in a pot. I don't think it will survive if I plant them on the ground since we have very curious cats. There are currently 15 seedlings and I hope a good percentage of them would grow and bear fruit. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wendy's, Coming Soon in Our Neighborhood!

A few months ago we saw an old building in our area demolished. They put up posters announcing that a Wendy's restaurant will soon rise in the area. Months passed and we eagerly awaited for it to be built. It's been 8 weeks I think since I passed the area and I was surprised to see the building has been built! 

They also put up a tall Wendy's signage which can be seen from afar (Chowking's higher though). I think when they finally turn on the lights we'll be able to see it from our home. I'm glad our neighborhood will have Wendy's again. There used to be one in SM Bicutan. I remember because we used to go there with my Mom and Dad. 

There are a lot of new establishments in our neighborhood. There's a lot of SME food providers and most of what we need is available in the area. SME businesses have extended far into what we used to call the "Fastract" area (a.k.a. Dona Soledad extension). The extension was almost empty when I did my driving lessons back in the late 90s. We also only passed by there as an alternative to go to the airport. 

Next time I'll take a video when we pass through Dona Soledad. I used to spend time mapping the area. There's probably a lot of things to update on the map now. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Burger Machine!

I found out that a new Burger Machine opened nearby. I read it from a group I follow on FB and they even gave me landmarks to easily find it. We were supposed to go to the hospital yesterday to see my doctors, but they re-scheduled. I thought it was a good idea to step out since I'm experiencing cabin fever already. I haven't gone anywhere since early April because of the heat. 

The easiest way to find it is to look for Phoenix Gas Station on Dona Soledad (Fastrack area, Brgy Moonwalk). There's a lot of parking space since the gas station is huge. I was so excited to go. It's been decades since I last got to eat at Burger Machine. There was one in Better Living before and we frequented it before. 

I was warned that supplies ran out fast. True enough, only the ultimate burger and double Bart Burger was available. We got 4 ultimate burger and 1 sansrival to take home. I was fascinated with how the crew prepared the burger. It's exactly how they used to prepare it decades ago. The menu though looks like it's been updated and they have other burger varieties. 

We ate the burger as soon as we got home. Sweetie recommended adding a slice of cheese. I wasn't sure if it would work since they added a dollop of Cheez Whiz on the burger. The burger was as yummy as I remember it. I think even better since it was the ultimate burger. I regret just getting one. Next time I'll order two, haha. 

Burger Machine <3 <3 <3 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Post COVID-19 Recovery

I'm now on day 18 and negative since day 12. Both my boys are well and living normally. Recovery for me has been slow with daily bouts of asthma. Not sure if it's because of the illness or due to bad air quality the past few days. I've been having some chest pain and body pain. 

It really takes me a while to recover from anything. I have co-morbidities, so I have to be really careful. I'm seeing my doctors again next week for a follow-up consultation. My cardiologist wants to make sure I don't have myocarditis. In the meantime, I'm trying to eat and drink recommended food and beverages to keep inflammation down. 

I'm also resting as needed. I had a hard time resuming my daily gardening chores (watering plants). I think my condition has improved today since I was able to water my plants by hand. It usually takes me an hour. It's part of my daily exercise. I have to remember to monitor my oxygen saturation while watering plants.

I'm praying to be better soon. Blogging has been hard for me since my brain feels foggy. I'm pushing myself to do it to make sure it doesn't become permanent! My doctors in Singapore told me to make sure I stay sharp and active. 

We can do this!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Hello Eevee

Mama Brimsley finally weaned her kittens last month after she was confined. We were very worried about her when she got home because she wouldn't eat. Miggy had to chase her around to get her to eat and drink some water. Eventually she started eating again, but started staying in the garage. She chose to stay in the original spot where we first saw her. 

We noticed she stopped visiting the laundry area where she used to stay with her kittens. She would hiss at the kittens whenever they approached her. It's been a month and she still doesn't interact with her kittens. It's like she's forgotten about them and she prefers to be solitary. She hangs out with Meredith, but I don't see them interacting. At least she doesn't hiss at Meredith anymore. 

Eevee. Photo by Sweetie

When we changed the polycarbonate that used to divide the garage and side garden to a gate. The kittens started to explore outside their usual area. Brimsley used to prohibit them from going over the divider. Without Mama, the kittens became more adventurous. Well, except Mando. The most she does is go on top of the gate and watch her siblings. She only comes out when I open the gate. 

It's Grogu who's been leading his siblings in exploring. We're a bit worried now because Pikachu and Eeven haven't been spayed/neutered. The Intruder has been courting Pikachu. We hope she doesn't get pregnant before we get her spayed. She needs to gain a bit more weight before she can be spayed. So far, she's been running away from the Intruder. We'll ask the vet if she can be spayed sooner than later. 

Eevee has so far just been mimicking what his Kuya Grogu does. He allows us to pet him if Grogu is around. He usually hangs around the sliding door wherever we are. It's like we have a guard dog, haha. We hope he'll be a bit more socialized soon. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Preparing for the Rainy Season

It finally rained a lot yesterday. The rain that poured the past week wasn't enough to water the plants. Only the top leaves got wet, so I was happy it finally rained for real yesterday. I expect the plants would look healthier today. The rain provides them additional vitamins and they like rain water better than Maynilad water. 

One pain we had for a long time was water would come in through the sliding door. We had sealant placed a couple of times, but water kept coming in. It was annoying since we've had to check for water when it rains hard in the middle of the night. After careful observation we realized that the sliding doors needed to be protected with a canopy. 

So after almost three years we had a ready-made canopy installed. Since we had the floors replaced, the floor area of the sliding door was also adjusted. The tile was removed and the cement was applied. It's now a bit slanted to allow water to roll down. This will also help prevent water from coming in, although the canopy should do the trick. 

The canopy also helped cool down our family room since it's tinted. It's pretty cool in the family room already, but we can now do away with curtains. This means we can see the cats whenever they roam around. We also don't need to worry about rain anymore.

I think this will be the last upgrade we'll do for the house for the meantime. We'll focus on organizing it so we can have visitors. We're delayed once again since we all got sick and we're still recovering. We'll have to schedule the house to be cleaned and disinfected, then have the display cabinets returned. Hopefully next week when we're feeling much better. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Dad's 91st

Dad has been visiting me in my dreams the past week. Last night he was with me in a new house in New York. It was a strange dream since the house was between sky scrapers. Haha. Dad though was telling me to always be careful about contracts. Something I've been fussing over the past few weeks. 

Dad would have been 91 years old today. We were trying to get some Buddy's for lunch, but they're not available in our area anymore. We'll just do a belated celebration maybe when I go for my check-up. Resting for now and remembering Dad on his special day.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Still Not 100% Well

I still have intermittent cough and colds. I slept most of the day. I think more rest is what my body needs after battling COVID-19. I've been trying to pick up on my daily chores, but it's leaving me really tired after. 

At least I'm able to pet the cats. I've missed them a lot. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Day 12, Finally Negative

I felt very unwell last night. It was a very rough night since I kept waking up. I managed to get up at noon. Still feeling sluggish. I got a tester to see if the virus is gone. Did the test and waited 15 minutes before I peeked at the result.

Finally  negative! Yay! 

I hope the coughing will be gone soon. To celebrate, I stepped outside to say hello to the cats. I've missed them so much!

Still have to take things slow, but hope my energy comes back soon. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Day 11

 Last day of antibiotics. Felt very unwell :(

Day 10

Used a tester, still positive. :(

Day 9

 Still napping a lot. 

Day 8

 Day after we went back home. Still coughing, but no fever. 

Day 7

 Day 7, still confined but feeling a bit better. 

Discharged by mid-day.

Day 6

 Day 6, still confined

Dreamt of Mom

I guess I was delirious from a fever when I had a strange dream on Wednesday afternoon. Mom brought me to the airport. She was wearing her favourite pink shirt and told me to take care. I gave her a copy of my flight details because she promised to pick me up.

I remembered the dream because of the strange entry way at KLIA. There was a 3-level escalator without railings you had to get on together with your luggage. Then at the top you had to slide down together with your luggage. I went on the slide and had an exhilarating ride down. I woke up when I reached the end.

It's been awhile since I dreamt of Mom. I was drenched in sweat when I woke up. It got me thinking that maybe it was time to go to the hospital. By late night I asked the boys to bring me to the hospital.

Mom probably visited me in a dream to warn me that my illness isn't the ordinary flu. It did not cross our mind that it would be COVID-19. 

Thank you Mom for being my guardian angel 😇 

#BeKind #StaySafe