Pure Energy

Filipinos would know who is known as Mr. Pure Energy. It's none other than Gary Valenciano. My generation grew up with his songs and even until now you'd hear his songs everywhere. He just celebrated his 40th anniversary in the entertainment industry. He had a two day concert last weekend at the MOA Arena. He has one more day on the tenth of May. 

c2008 during a Nokia event 

How I wish I could watch the concert in person. I managed to watch through YouTube and I was super amazed with his stamina. He sang and danced all throughout the 3 hour show. Wow! From news clips he shared that he had several surgeries and has a chronic illness. It's a huge undertaking to be able to do what he did for the show. 

I personally huff and puff just going up a flight of stairs, so I'm amazed with how he managed. The message of his concert is simple. Just trust in God and He'll make sure you have the energy to do anything. I wanted to jump on my stationary bike while watching since I was so inspired with Gary V. Unfortunately, I've been under the weather so let's see how I fare during my scheduled pulmo rehab tomorrow. 

Watching the concert inspired me to do better with my health and wellness activities. We're now able to use our family room again, so I can shake out the stupor I've been on the past month. It's really hard when I'm unable to do my usual routines, plus the heat has been bad for me. I will add watching concerts to my bucket list. It requires a lot of stamina. I really need to get going and reach my biking goal. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Year Without Mom

A year ago, I woke up to the bad news that my Mom was gone. It was unexpected since she was actually healthier and stronger than me. I was very sickly back then and she'd tell me to just rest and not worry about her. I still did and would have Miggy call her to remind her to drink more water. 

Mom would have wanted to go that way. She always prayed to go while asleep. She said she didn't want to have a prolonged illness. She said she wanted to be independent and not bother us (her kids). She wanted us to live our own lives and not worry about her. Dad also used to say the same thing. They both let us fly as far as we could. 

The past year without Mom has been surreal. Incomplete. There was always something missing. Whenever we go someplace or order food, I'd always think what Mom would like. Any quilting project I work on, I'd always think what she'd think about it. Oftentimes, I'd ask myself, "WWMD?" (What would Mom do?). 

Going through her things has been therapeutic. It took me months before I could start working on it. I honestly haven't made a dent since she has a lot of stuff. I know what she left are things that are important to her. I smile whenever I find a childhood toy. I gave Kuya one of his squeaky toys last week and I told him Mom wanted him to have it. Imagine, that toy is probably 60 years old already, but Mom kept it. 

Tradition dictates that "babang luksa" happens after a year. We could now celebrate birthdays, attend parties, have weddings etc. Grieving for ones loved one never ends. I still cry whenever I remember losing my Dad and it will be the same with Mom. 

Love you Mom, forever. We'll be back home soon as you wished. Please intercede with Dad for us to finish all the paperwork! <3

*Babang luksa - lowering of mourning

Reached the End

I just realized it's the end of April today. I've been under the weather again the past two days. I haven't been able to do anything except water the plants in the evening. I managed to do some sewing last weekend. I'm working on a tote bag for a friend using the rainbow strip quilt I made a few weeks ago. Alas, I haven't been able to continue work on it since some of my stuff is in boxes. 

April was quite unproductive for me sewing wise. I put all my quilting materials in boxes because we changed the flooring in the basement. My sewing/maker room is still empty. The work isn't done yet. It's delayed by two weeks! I hope they finish everything by end of the week. Some of my boxes were moved to the family room yesterday. I can probably resume some sewing tomorrow if I'm able to find my iron, haha. 

Quilting has been an activity that's kept me sane. I felt incomplete the past month. It's not the same when I'm unable to create. Even my blog has taken a hit. I've been posting late and haven't been consistently sharing my posts too. The heat probably contributed to my sloth-like behavior. I also don't remember when the last time I stepped out of the house. 

Anyway, a new month is just around the corner. Hopefully, things will be better!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Tiles vs. Vinyl, What We Chose

Our home had tiles in the living room, basement and kitchen when we moved it. After a few months the tiles started breaking. The contractor who did the house replaced a few and then disappeared. We were forced to get help from an architect to fix things. We had the living room and kitchen re-tiled. We used tiles for the kitchen and re-engineered bamboo flooring for the living room. 

We only had the basement flooring fixed these past few weeks. I wanted to do it last year, but the architect said they were still okay. We had to cover the floor with rubber mats for safety. Things got worse and we decided to fix the issue. We reviewed options for flooring. Wood flooring was out of the question because they're expensive. 

We also wanted something that would be easy to install. Something foolproof. Tile was out of the question since we had a bad experience with it. The foreman explained to us that the tiles were not installed properly. I used laminate for my childhood home's basement. It's still intact after 2 decades. It requires rugby for installation. The smell would be bad for me. 

We watched a couple of videos and we thought the best option would be vinyl tiles. It could be interlocked, so no need for adhesive when it's installed. We were given the option for waterproof or water resistant SPC vinyl. Waterproof vinyl is a bit more expensive than water resistant. We thought waterproof would be better in the long run, so that's what we chose. 

It took a few days to remove the tiles. This is the noisiest part of the process. We were able to save some that came off cleanly. We'll use it for a future project. After the tiles were removed, cement was laid out to make the floor even. After cleaning up the interlocking vinyl was installed. Part of the process included removing the baseboards and cabinets to ensure the planks were installed properly. And now it's done!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gift of Love

Kuya surprised me yesterday with a gift. At first I thought it was a box of pastillas, haha. Well, the gift was sweeter than that. It was a gift of love. 

It was the Divine Mercy 3'O clock prayer. Praying the Chaplet is for those seriously injured, sick and dying is a powerful way to receive God's saving grace. It also promises forgiveness of all sins and no punishment for sin. It is a miracle that happens quietly.

Praying for miracles. 

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Cute Gardening Assistant

Since Kaley only comes to have a snack, Meredith has replaced her as my gardening assistant. She follows me around whenever I water the plants. Sometimes Grogu joins her. I'm actually glad they get along now. They used to hiss at each other when they were in the same area. I kept telling them that they should be friends since they live in the same place. 

I give them some treats to keep them in one place when I water the plants. The treat has catnip in it which I think makes them thirsty. I learned to place a fresh bowl of water before I start watering the plants since they tend to drink from the pot plates! Last night, Meredith drank from my watering jug, haha. 

My efforts with the garden are paying off. It takes me an hour everyday to water the plants. It takes a long time  because I use a watering can to water the pots individually. I was happy to see my gumamela plants flowering again. I recently gave them some banana peel tea. I have to continuously figure out what plants need to make sure they flower. 

Having Meredith and Grogu around whenever I water the plants makes it more fun for me. Lately, Brimsley's kittens have been exploring as well. They're pretty shy though, so hopefully they'll learn to play with me too. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

It Finally Rained!

It took a few days before the forecast for rain finally came true. I've been closely monitoring the weather since it's been hot. The worst day in our area was last Wednesday when the heat index hit 47'C. Ugh. It was so bad I had a dizzy spell even though I'm well hydrated. 

For a few days the forecast showed it would rain. It would start at 11 am then move to 3pm to 4pm to 5pm and well into the night. It was paasa. We've been diligently watering the plants to make sure they don't die. Good thing majority of our plants can survive without much watering so I focus on my potted plants and the veggies. Rain water provides plants with some vitamins too, so they need it badly. 

Went downstairs last night to water my potted plants. It was drizzling. Soon enough it started to rain harder. Just a regular summer rain shower (not thunderstorm level). It didn't last long. It was only enough to wet the leaves of the plants. Not bad, at least it rained.

#BeKind #StaySafe