Bailey Boo's Birthday

Bailey Boo's mother, Mama Kaley Boo used to visit our home everyday. She did this for two years. We already knew her cycle. She was pregnant every few months and we had an inkling when she'd give birth. We didn't know though where she'd give birth and we never saw her kittens, until she gave birth to Bailey's litter. 

I marked it on the calendar when she disappeared to give birth. She would usually be gone for a day and then come back the next day. It was March 4 when she gave birth to a new litter. We were surprised though when she brought all 4 kittens to our home after about 2 weeks. Bailey was actually the runt and he was the one who never interacted with us. 

Unfortunately, a few weeks later Kaley Boo moved them somewhere else. A new house was being constructed beside us and it got noisy. Kaley was also probably annoyed that we would play with the kittens when she was away. She never got mad at us, but probably thought it would be safer to bring the kittens somewhere else. 

More than a month later, Kaley started bringing one kitten to our home. It was a small scraggly thing and I recognized it to be the runt of the litter. Since we didn't know the gender of the kitten, we named it Bailey. After eating, Kaley would usually bite its neck and bring it back to their other home. We started feeding Bailey too and he eventually became too heavy for Kaley to carry. He would also hide from Kaley when it was time to leave. Bailey decided to live with us. 

Two weeks later, a scraggly black kitten appeared in our garage. We think Grey brought him in while we were asleep. It was a cute little kitten and because of it's color we named it Anakin. Turned out it was a boy and became Bailey's best friend. They played to no end and grew up together and did all the vet stuff together too. Since Kaley only visited twice a day to eat, Meredith took over mothering both kittens. 

Bailey was very shy when he was little. He eventually became more engaging and accepted scratches. I used to be able to carry him, but he's much heavier now and doesn't like being carried. His exercise includes wrestling with Anakin everyday and he lines up for scratches when Anakin's done rubbing our legs (haha). Bailey is our gentle, sweet boy and I cannot imagine life without him.

Happy, happy birthday my love! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gumamela Cuttings from my 4th Grade Teacher

Just thought I'd make this post to thank my fourth grade Filipino teacher, Mrs. Orenza, for the beautiful gumamela cuttings she sent me yesterday. I appreciate it when my friends post beautiful flowers on their timeline. I commented on Mrs. O's post where she shared her beautiful white gumamela Flowers. I told her I didn't have any white ones yet. 

After awhile she messaged me and said she'll send me some cuttings. I was so shy to accept it at first, but I can never say no to plants. The cuttings were sent to me in less than an hour. I dipped the cuttings first in rooting hormone. 

After watering the plants in the garden, I worked on potting the cuttings. It took awhile before I finished since there were 5 cuttings. I wanted to make sure I mixed the soil correctly. I'm aiming to successfully encourage the cuttings to grow roots. Some of the cuttings had flowers. I'm not sure if I should remove them so the cutting can focus on growing roots. Hmm, I'll research more about it. 

Thank you again Mrs. O! I'm going to watch the cuttings like a hawk to ensure they all propagate properly!

#BeKind #StaySafe

"Suntok sa Buwan" is Worth Watching

I chanced upon the "movie-serye" on Netflix. I later on discovered it was shown on TV5 a few years ago. I was curious and started watching it. The beginning of the film was a bit light, but it became heavier as the struggles of the father and son, Jimmy and Dos, grew. I almost didn't proceed with watching, but the actors showed a lot of depth in portraying their characters. That's what got us hooked. 

We finished watching the whole series early this morning. The last 5 episodes kept us glued to the screen. We just had to know what would happen to Jimmy (Aga Muhlach), Dos, (Elijah Canlas), Tonio (Ketchup Eusebio), Doc (Gio Alvarez), Mr. Seng (Ronnie Lazaro), and their family and friends. The last two episodes had us gripping to our seats. 

I belatedly realized my classmate, Clarissa Estuar-Navarro was part of the team of writers. No wonder I liked the story. I had previously watched some of the shows she wrote and enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the great portrayal of the actors. It's not everyday you'd see Aga Muhlach star in a series. I also enjoyed how Elijah Canlas, Ketchup Eusebio, and Ronnie Lazaro, portrayed their characters. It gave them the opportunity to showcase their talent. I honestly did not recognize Gio Alvarez as the doctor. I only found out when I read the cast of characters after I finished watching.

The series has 65 episodes. It's worth the time especially if you want to see really good acting with a great storyline. So, did Mr. Seng really die? It wasn't clear in the ending, so maybe there can be a book 2?

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Heat was Debilitating

It was a good thing I saw the news warning everyone about the dangerous heat index for the day. Classes were called off in some cities. I also changed to something cooler before we headed out for errands.

The mall was quite cool, but I could still feel the heat. I'm required to wear a mask whenever I go out and that made it really hard for me to walk around. We took a break at our favorite merienda place before proceeding with our errands.

Of course, one staple whenever we go to the mall is visit Booksale! I promised myself I wasn't going to buy any books! But!!! Fifteen peso books are seriously irresistible!

We trudged back to the car with heavy stuff and went home. Good thing the temp had gone down and it was windy, since I had to water the plants. Took me an hour since the plants looked really thirsty after a full day of very hot sun!

Hope the weather will be better in the next few days!

#BeKind #StaySafe

FamBam Day at The Sundry

"The Sundry" opened awhile back and we've been curious to check out the food court style place. From the outside you could see it had a number of food stalls. We finally got to visit today and the three of us got something different.

I tried the buffalo wings from Frankie's and Taiwan milk tea from Wann Mann. Miggy got boneless chicken from Wann Mann. And Sweetie got stir fried holy basil and tofu dish from Bangkok Station. Of course, we couldn't resist getting some fries from Potato Corner.

Twas a good place to visit, although it could get very noisy when there are kids running around, plus it could get quite warm. Maybe next time we'll go on a weekday.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Harvested on the First Day of March

Happy new month everyone! While doing my usual plant watering, Sweetie mentioned we should harvest the ginger. 

We watched videos where they just pulled the ginger out. It was so big we couldn't just pull it out. I didn't want to use a shovel because we might hit the ginger. With gloves on we wet the soil a bit and then dug through the pot to loosen the roots.

Eventually we were able to pull the leaves and ginger, but it still clung to the soil. Sweetie then washed off the soil with a hose. We were surprised with how much ginger grew out of the pot. It started with a few small ones I propagated in water.

Since there was a lot Sweetie gave some to our neighbor. He mentioned it's likely native ginger. It's more potent than regular commercial ones. Now we have to think what dishes to make, haha.

Great start for the month of March!

#BeKind

February Month End Round-up

I looked through my one second a everyday video for the month of February and realized I spent majority of my time going through Mom's things. I was able to go out at most once a week.

The highlight of my month though was getting to watch "Ex Ex Lovers" in an actual movie house. The MarJo flick matched the nostalgic feeling I've been experiencing while going through my Mom's things (yes, it's bottomless). The movie was also a good break for me and Sweetie from going through a gazillion boxes.

I'm bent on finishing what were doing in the next few weeks. It will be a huge load off my shoulder to clear the house. I know how valuable my Mom treated her things. She took good care of it so it can be passes on to the next generation. A lot though are items that can be better passed on to people who will have good use for it. 

Onwards to March!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Grief Journey Process: Clearing the Ancestral Home

The task of sorting and clearing one's ancestral home is gargantuam, especially if your family lived in it for more than 50 years. 

I knew the task would fall on my shoulders. I realized my Mom through the years pointed out which things were important. I'm not physically fit to do everyday by myself, so I did some research and asked help from our decluttering coach, Ally Canita. She helped us go through our things from our two homes when we went back from Singapore.

I knew that it didn't make sense to hold on to what my Mom left. Six months after she passed, I had the items in the house sorted and boxed. This was the same process we took when we decluttered out home. After that I took my sweet time sorting each box. 

To be honest I didn't touch my Mom's stuff from her bedroom for over a year since they were packed. I just couldn't. I had to come to terms that Mom was gone. It's good I didn't rush into things because I was in a better frame of mind when I started sorting through her bedroom items.

Here's the steps I took sorting :

1. Documents

2. Photo albums

3. Craft materials 

4. Clothes/shoes/linen

5. Outdoor back garage stuff (because I was alerted there may be a snake around)

6. Kitchen stuff

7. Plants

8. Furniture (last because there's a lot boxes on it)

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Grief Journey

It's been almost two years since we lost my Mom. I've never told anyone, but the grief of losing her started years before we did. It was in 2018 when I noticed the changes. She started becoming more forgetful and she became less and less interested in doing things. 

I brought her to doctors and they all said the same thing, "Let her enjoy, any surgery would just be very hard on her body". I thought it was unfair, but I understood the wisdom of the doctors. She did enjoy and was still doing some gardening under her last day. 

It was really hard for me. I had several cardiac episodes because of it. It took me a long time to get moving with the task of sorting through her things. The items I had boxed waited 18 months before I could work on it.

I didn't rush into it, but at some point I realized it was time to get moving. I have been very busy the past 3 months sorting her stuff. Good thing I got help from Ally Canita and her team to organize and box everything. 

Going through her things has been challenging. It's a LOT! It has helped me though because it helped me understand my Mom better. It's part of the healing process and I'm glad I have the privilege of being the one to sort her worldly belongings.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Memories of EDSA People Power Revolution

I write about my EDSA People Power Revolution almost every year, but I think it's more important to wrote about it again today. We just never forget the atrocities and abuses that led to it.

A lot of those who fought for it are long gone. My Dad, my Mom, my titos. My Kuya was the only one in the family who went to EDSA.

I remember it was still dark when Tito Ben called my parents to let them know something was going on. Tito Ben was in the AFP back then and warned my parents that something was about to happen. The mood at home was tense, but I was allowed to continue learning how to bike in our lawn (I was just 10 years old back then).

I noticed there was a lot of air activity happening that day. A lot of helicopters were flying around. Mom and Dad closely monitored the news on the radio and unwillingly allowed my then 23-year old Kuya to go to EDSA. 

Since I was a child I knew that the government was doing a lot of bad things. This was the reason why everyone had to be home before sunset. My parents would get really angry whenever my siblings would come home late. I wasn't even allowed to play out on the street. 

My teachers and the nuns of our school also made sure we knew what was happening. We even had an activity where we cut news clippings from that time (I'm hoping to find my folder while sorting my Mom's things). I wrote about why Scholasticans always fight for what is right here a few years ago (one of my most popular posts).

My generation was probably shielded by our parents from the abusive regime. Not many of us were directly impacted and got to enjoy the fruits of the fight our parents and elders pushed. It took them a long time to overthrow the dictator. Our role is to ensure that the period of abuse does not happen again. 

Never forget. Never again.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eugenia Berries and Free Starbucks Coffee Grinds

While watering the plants I noticed that our Eugenia tree has a lot of berries growing. I was so surprised since the last time it produced berries was in 2022.

I have been feeding it with sundried coffee grinds, rice water, and fish water. I just use one of the three once a week. I was doing this to make the Eugenia plants produce red leaves. They look really nice when they're red. (Make sure to water down fish water if you're using it from an aquarium).

I also noticed yesterday that Starbucks used coffee grinds is available again. I saw two packs yesterday and got one. I have also laid it out under the sun to prepare it for use. 

If your nearby SB doesn't display used coffee grinds, you can always ask if they have any available. Sometimes they'll ask you to bring your own bag.

Happy gardening!

#BeKind #StaySafe

FamBam Sunday

Finally did our usual Sunday afternoon lakwatsa today. We were supposed to do groceries the other day, but we weren't able to go out for a number of reasons (#signsofoldage). 

We were happy when we saw a new resto open where we sometimes do our groceries. We decided to try it out since they had a good menu of mostly Filipino food. The food was good, but next time we'll just have our usual coffee at Starbucks.

We were able to get most of what was on our grocery list. I just need to buy some meds next time in my usual drugstore. It was a good day to step out. 

Happy Sunday everyone. Hope you had a restful weekend.

#BeKind #StaySafe

My 3 Grandmas

Found a rare photo of my 3 grandmother's together today while sorting some old photos. Here's my Mama Lola, Ma Edad and Lola Iyay.

I got to spend time with Mama Lola since she lived with us. She was the one who taught me how to use a manual sewing machine. I would see Lola Iyay whenever we went home to Pasacao. She cried easily, but had the most memorable laugh.

I rarely saw Ma Edad. I don't remember where she used to live and only remember that the three of them had a huge age gap between each other. My titas though said that Ma Edad was really strict. 

I didn't get to meet any of my grandfather's. They were long gone by the time I was born. I had my grandmothers who were all a character on their own :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eevee and Pikachu Coming Out of Their Shell

Brimsley's second litter, Pikachu and Eevee, are finally coming out of their Shell. They are 19 months old now and are finally interacting better with us.

They both learned from their older brother, Grogu, who loves getting belly rubs and scratches. Pikachu started subtly by brushing against my leg. I would lightly rub her back to her tail whenever she did. She did this for a few weeks and now voluntarily approaches me for scratches especially when Grogu is around.

*Pikachu looks more like Mama Brimsley when she first came to us. Eevee looks like his Papa Grey 🩶 

Eevee, on the other hand, still needs a bit of work. At least he now comes to the garage area to mingle with the other cats. Lately, he's been coming near me and doesn't run away anymore. I think in a few more months he'll be like Pikachu. He accepts rubs when he's seated closely with his elder sibling, Mando Laura. They're both very introverted, but I'm happy they've been exploring the rest of the house lately.

We've learned a lot living and helping raise feral kittens. They can be quite shy, so any progress is something we celebrate at home.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched the Trauma Code

We finished watching "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" today. I got curious when Netflix added it. We immediately got hooked and finished it in 3 days.

It's our first time to watch a Korean made medical series. I must say it's very different from the other doctor shows I've watched. It's supposed to be a comedy, but it's more than that. It had drama and action. 

I loved the dynamics of the characters and how the story showed how they grew across 8 episodes. The surgery parts though got a bit gory, so I usually looked away when they were cutting up someone. 

I like the tight pace of the story. It didn't feel like they were trying to make the story longer. It was spot on with it's transitions. They did well with the pacing. Now I can't wait for season 2!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Vintage Massage Devices!

Unearthed these from one of the boxes. Not sure if they still work and one even requires 110 volts 😅

#BeKind #StaySafe

Mom's Treasures

Took a break last weekend since I wasn't feeling well. Resumed sorting Mom's things yesterday and spent a good amount of time today sorting a box of cards and letters.

Mom wasn't into expensive things. What was more important for her were her loved ones. She kept all the cards, invitations and letters that were sent to her through the years. I found all the cards I gave her since I was a child. She also kept cards from relatives, friends and her priest friends like Fr. Harry, Fr. Edward, Fr. Emil, and Fr. Bernard. Of course, I found an envelope of stamps too.

Here's a card from my niece, Patricia -

And a card from Fr. Harry bearing tickets for the big fund raising activity for our church -

And a rare random recipe of Mom's chicken galantina -

To be honest, I stalled on going through Mom's things for over a year. I had it boxed a few months after she passed away, but I couldn't work on it. It took me awhile to come to terms with her passing. It's been more than 18 months now and it's time to finish the task. 

It's been easy to know what to let go and what to keep. Mom prepared me for it since I was a child. She'd always tell me, "I won't be around forever." She'd also point out which were valuable and which were not. It's just been taking a lot of time to finish since it's a lot of stuff. We already have about 41 boxes ready for donation. 

Just keep on going.

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Avocado Trees!

It's been six months since I propagated 6 avocado seeds. Five rooted, but only 4 grew leaves which I eventually planted in soil.

All 4 plants are almost 3 feet tall now and I'm so happy with the progress. I know it will take years before they bear fruit. I'm happy to wait.

We had a huge avocado tree before at the back of our house. It produced a lot of fruits and I remember my Dad would always make crushed avocado with milk for me. Mom would also make avocado shake often.

It would be wonderful to have avocado trees again in our backyard and get free avocado! Maybe I could even make some ice cream. Yum-yum!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Almost 40 Years in the Making

I was wiped out last night after hosting a family dinner with balikbayang, Tito Butch and Tita Jenny. Kuya was the one who organized it though and we just hosted it at home. 

It was a get together that took almost 40 years in the making. I was only 12 the last time I saw Tito Butch. We visited him in Arizona the year Ate was married. And all this time he just stayed in the US. 

It was a good get together. We caught up on a myriad of things. We all got so full from the Filipino set I ordered from Alba's catering. Kuya added some lechon manok and baboy and Miggy served his leche flan. 

I heard there are more relatives coming for a visit. Maybe we could have a bigger reunion then. We haven't had one for a long time now. 

Today, I decided to spend a bit more time outdoors. I felt I needed more fresh air and sunlight. I trimmed some of my plants and battled the caterpillars again. Really need to be consistent to make sure they don't multiply. Also, spent a bit of time with the cats.

How was your weekend?

Unstable

Had a bad day :(

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Childhood Toys are Now Vintage

My Mom likes to keep things pristine. She always told me to take care of my things so they would last long. Imagine my surprise when I sorted boxes of toys today and found toys from my childhood.

I'm really surprised that my Mom preserved and kept them. She knew these toys were precious for me. I guess she must've kept it in her bedroom or my Mama Lola's since they were not affected by the floods (or stolen by you know who).

It was a delight to find my Fischer Price Music Box. It still works, but I need to find the records that come with it.

My Mickey Mouse Record Player! Probably requires 110 volts plug to play. It still probably works since Mom preserved it in its original box.

Electronic Portable Organ. I had a lot of happy playtime with this keyboard. Unfortunately, I don't think it's working anymore.

I'm a bit surprised I had a lot of music related toys. Tita Pet mentioned to me that Mom bought the upright piano because she really wanted one of us to be good at it. That's probably why I had a myriad of music related toys. 

I did learn how to play the piano and music has always been part of my life. Well, Sweetie is an expert at playing the keyboard, so music will definitely always be a part of my life :)

Thanks Mom and Dad for the great toy choices!

#BeKind #StaySafe

After the Movie

After watching "Ex Ex Lovers", Sweetie and I decided to eat at Nanyang. I had my usual, cheesy noodles and iced teh. Sweetie had congee and coffee.

We decided to walk off what we are and went to the other building to buy bread and, of course, drop by Booksale. The staff recognized us already since we've been visiting almost every week. They're doing a clearance sale this week, so make sure to visit!

On the way back to the car we bumped into Fitz and Din. We hang out for a bit since we haven't seen them for awhile now. It was fun since we only "feel" them when we see their Pokemon in gyms (haha). Maybe we can have a reunion soon with our blogger friends.

#BeKind #StaySafe

I Ugly Cried! (Ex Ex Lovers)

Last time I stepped inside a movie theater was probably in 2019. The pandemic happened and I have had to avoid going to crowded areas. When the teaser for "Ex Ex Lovers" came out, I told Sweetie I wanted to watch it.

Luckily, the stars aligned and the conditions for me to be able to watch was met. We booked a ticket at midnight and watched the Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal flick, "Ex Ex Lovers" this afternoon.

We enjoyed watching the film. It was full of the 90s romcom kilig. I realized that's what I look for whenever I browse through Netflix, haha. The film showcased the best of the chemistry of Marvin and Jolina. Now all grown up, it was a good way to showcase realistically where things may go from your younger "so in love" years. 

Lots of lessons to learn from the movie and that's why it's really important not to be impulsive and to choose well. The story made it very relatable to watch. I also liked the fact they shot parts of the movie in Malta. It's something very different!

I must admit, I ugly cried. Haha! I'm not going to give any spoilers though, just go watch it yourself if you want to feel the old 90s kilig warm, fuzzy feeling.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Spent Time with the Cats

I'm still in the middle of sorting my Mom's things, but I made sure to spent some time with the cats today since I missed them. 

I carried Anakin for awhile and was surprised how heavy he is already. The vet said he was 3.5 kg last month. He's probably well over 4 kg now even though he's so active. I bet Bailey Boo is a bit heavier. He was just running around so much I couldn't catch him.

I slowed down a bit with sorting to organize the fabric and scraps I removed from boxes. Everything will need to be washed before it's used, but I thought I'd organize them first. I placed the bigger ones on comic book boards so I could better appreciate what's available for use.

Still loads to do! Have a great day everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe