The Calm Before the Storm

To prepare for the coming typhoon, we focused on cutting tall branches and reinforcing plants that can be toppled over by the wind.

I'm just praying that the newly planted trees would stay put. It's just been two weeks since Mang Henry landscaped our front lawn, so hopefully the roots have stabilized a bit already.

To be honest, we're all feeling anxious at home. We've weathered a lot of storms, but I cannot help but remember the time when typhoon Ondoy hit. I don't want to experience that ever again, much more so since Mom and Dad are no longer around. It's just different when your parents are still around.

Let's all pray for safety and for the storm to pass without hurting anyone. 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

Papa Lolo's War Medals

I was surprised to find a frame of medals. I suspect it's from the last cabinet that was packed. It was Mama Lola's cabinet which still housed a few of her things (Mom got rid of most of it way back). I never met my Papa Lolo because he was gone already when I was born. The only time I "met" him was when he appeared to me in SFO when I was a child. 

Here are the medals I found:

I did some research to find out what each medal represented.

World War II 
Philippine Military Merit Medal

Asia Pacific Campaign
World War II

World War II USA Medal

I got a case for Papa Lolo's peaked cap. I'll put them together, so I can put them on display. Papa Lolo survived the Bataan March and helped save others. We wouldn't be around if not for him. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Unique Bathrooms

One thing I really appreciate when I travel are very clean and unique bathrooms. I must say though that the best ones are found in Japan. They have fancy toilet bowls that produce heat and sounds to muffle your business and multiple bidet features. 

My most favorite bathroom to date is the one at Manami Resort. The bathroom in their villa is huge! The shower and toilet area is separate and their sink is ginormous. Their restaurant CR is truly unique. It's the only toilet I've seen with parrot wallpaper, special sinks and interesting lighting fixtures.

And here's a few more interesting ones in Singapore:

*Our unit's bathroom 

Cebu

Bangkok 

There were other unique bathrooms in other countries, but at some point I stopped taking photos, haha. The elements are the same, but other countries like in Europe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc. decorate differently. Maybe I'll try to unearth photos of them (if I have any).

#BeKind #StaySafe

Waterlogged

Too. Much. Rain.

The forecast today says there's going to be more rain. It's been a stressful week since the mishap with the duhat tree and electrical post in our neighborhood. I got rained on a bit yesterday and haven't been feeling well. I had to postpone pulmo rehab to next week so I could rest.

Our cats are not so happy either. We put out new boxes with fluffy rugs to keep the warm. They are also sad they can't run around too much. I'll probably spray their toys with catnip to boost their energy.

I hope it's one of those forecasts that would miraculously go the other way. Stay dry and keep safe everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

You Win Some, You Lose Some

After voting yesterday, we headed to Wendy's for breakfast. It's a rare opportunity to have breakfast out. We arrived at Wendy's before six in the morning and soon enough a number of senior citizens arrived too. 

While eating I felt some sadness. I realized it's the first time we went to vote without my Mom. I checked the voters list and only me and Miggy were on it. Mom didn't vote during the presidential elections even though we went to pick her up. She wasn't feeling well and told us to go ahead and vote. 

One thing I also looked forward to was seeing our neighbors, the Titos and Titas and friends I grew up with. Sadly, I didn't see any of my Mom's friends and just saw one of my friends. I may have been too early, but then my Mom would've been 90 years old this year. 

I'm writing this post while watching the news. I'm happy to see two of those I voted for senators are in the top 5 and the party list I voted for is #1 on the results. The rest of those I voted for did not win (maybe only the vice mayor?). Oh well, you win some, you lose some. At least there's still hope. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Voted Early (Philippine Elections 2025)

I'm really grateful to COMELEC for opening the precincts early for PWDs, senior citizens and pregnant women. We went at 5 in the morning to vote to avoid the crowds and more importantly, the heat. 

I wasn't feeling well yesterday. My mind willed my body to cooperate. I did not want to miss exercising my right to vote. I was still a bit unstable when we arrived at 5:06am. 

The process was pretty straightforward. Check your name on the list and cluster, go to your precinct, show your ID, sign on the list, get your ballot, vote, feed your ballot to the machine, check the receipt and then get inked. We were done in less than 15 minutes considering I kept making sure I did not overbite (of course I had a kodigo).

I was expecting to see my Mom's friends. I belatedly realized my Mom would've been 90 this year, so most of her friends would be +/- 10 years of her age. I'd usually see Tito Mel overseeing the PPCRV and childhood friends running around as volunteers. I've been away too long and the PPCRV volunteers now we're probably kids when I lived abroad.

I never changed my precinct. My voters ID is still the original one they issued when I registered for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections. My whole family voted in the same precinct and I actually found my Mama Lola's voters ID from the 70s. That's what you call legacy :)

Vote wisely!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Goodbye D30

We were busy with errands yesterday and only got wind of what was happening at around 5 in the afternoon. The arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte wasn't something I expected would happen. I always hoped justice would be given to the victims of tokhang.

We watched the early evening news to get updates. The late evening news gave more surprising updates. At 11:03pm, it was announced that the flight to bring D30 to The Hague was cleared and was taking off already. 

When the government really puts its mind to making things work, it really does. I was half expecting he'll be able to get out of it again. It was truly a big surprise that he was actually sent to the Netherlands on the same day of his arrest. 

According to former Senator Sonny Trillanes, it was in 2017 that the Magdalo partylist that filed the case*.  Senator Leila Delima also did investigations where she was eventually jailed for no reason. Eight+ years probably feels a lifetime waiting for justice for the families of the victims of EJK. I am grateful that there are still servants who are really there to help. 

As Pope John Paul II said, "No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness." May the victims finally get justice, and the families have peace.

Here's the statement from Malacañang today - https://youtu.be/iRnJkkXlOuI?si=2VfeD01_2AnlGjVQ

*https://x.com/TrillanesSonny/status/1899299908424786356?t=68NLE0bQmnR2RSoTHBa69w&s=19

What's Unique at Ikea Philippines Restaurant

I know I've been living under a rock. We were only able to eat at Ikea's Swedish Bistro yesterday. Yup, yesterday 😂 

We frequently ate at Ikea's restaurant in Singapore even during to the pandemic when restrictions eased. The resto here was always full, so we'd either just buy at the cafe or buy frozen meatballs. 

Since it was our first time, I observed what was different. They actually had a proper line for PWDs/senior citizens. A crew member promptly escorted us when I mentioned I was a PWD (I was breathless from all the walking). The menu is fairly the same except for dessert!

There's turon! And much cheaper than SM's (lol).

Buko pandan and mango sago

And leche flan!

I was tempted to try the leche flan, but I had some banana bread for breakfast and Miggy's planning to make leche flan this week. Anyway, next time!

Of course, Miggy and I had meatballs. (What's up with the peas, they were bit undercooked I think).

Sweetie had salmon and spaghetti (and some of my meatballs).

We had a fun time reminiscing our days in Ikea Singapore. I won't forget it since I used the Tampines branch for my cardio exercises post OHS. My surgeon encouraged it to keep me walking! I loved it since Mom always bought me toys, haha. 

Here's the Westies at Ikea Alexandra (SG)

I wish though there's a lot more shortcuts. It always takes us 3 hours to go through the maze. Or at least have more seats across the store for PWDs like me to rest in between. I now have salonpas on my back from too much walking 😅

#BeKind #StaySafe

Got 16 Books from Booksale!

We finally got to visit the Booksale branch near us. We have not been able to go since our outings have been selective and getting to a Booksale was elusive. I told myself when we were decluttering that I will only buy books again when I have made a dent on my reading backlog. I also told myself I won't buy another craft book.

We were so excited when we visited Booksale. I think we spent at least half an hour in the store. I was surprised to find graphic novels. I grabbed two. One is a graphic anthology which includes two authors I personally know. The other one is a hardbound comics compilation by Neil Gaiman. It was tempting to get more. Maybe next time. 

Sweetie quickly distracted me and showed me a Star Wars storybook he found. For only PhP85, it included a read-along. There were more, but we'll test one first. I also picked up two books on wellness. One is a self-love journal and the other one is a coloring book. I'm familiar with the coloring book because they used to sell the same in Singapore (x4 the price). 

Miggy got 3 novels and a book on model ships. I broke my pact though and bought several quilt books. Hahaha. The books were sold as low as PhP15! The most expensive was a Better Homes and Gardens hardbound book on quilting. It was sold at PhP130! It was a really good deal and I guess quilting is an uncommon hobby, so no one's really interested in the books. Well, good for me! Haha. 

I'm so glad Booksale is still around. I hope they eventually open more branches again :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gold!

The Philippines got it's first gold in the 2024 Olympics through gymnast Carlos Yulo. He won the artistic gymnastics men's floor exercise.

Watch snippets of his win here:

https://youtu.be/YninxhM26Mk?si=c6x1gXRJNK0P3X2V

Congratulations Carlos! 🎉🎉🎉

Tried Secret Recipe at One Ayala!

I know One Ayala has been open for awhile now. We're kinda slow when it comes to visiting new places! We had a chance to finally visit One Ayala a few weeks ago. What drew us was to dine at Secret Recipe. It's one of the restos we frequented in Singapore. I first tried it in Jakarta and had the chance to also visit their KL branch (where it supposedly originated). 

We were pleasantly surprised we were able to park easily since it was a Saturday. We had a doctor's appointment and decided to have lunch at Secret Recipe. We were surprised to see that our local Secret Recipe had a very different look compared to the branches in other countries. Every nook and cranny is "Instagrammable" haha. We sat across the cake display. I am always mesmerized by cakes (biggest one I've seen is Calea in Bacolod). Anyway, I digest. 

We ordered these -

To be honest, I found the dishes here much more delicious than in Singapore. My original favorite Secret Recipe was the one in Jakarta. I'm glad our branch here is so much better. I ordered carbonara and had Miggy try it. He said it was delicious and Miggy approved. I didn't get to try Miggy and Jay's dishes, but they said it was really good. 

Of course, we had dessert. I had a hard time choosing, but eventually decided to get a slice of red velvet cake. I've been craving it for about a month now. It did not disappoint. Here's what we ordered -

We learned a lot from Argel about how the restaurant came about. She mentioned that the chef trained for a couple of months in their headquarters. They also pushed to make the restaurant more decorative. Secret Recipe branches in other countries are just usually white all over. The one we have at One Ayala is special. I guess the crew appreciated sharing our experience. They gave us a slice of complimentary dark chocolate cake. It was so good!

We got lucky with our bill. The payment method we used provided 50% off. I was also able to use my PWD discount. We walked off what we ate by exploring the mall. We look forward to coming back to dine at Secret Recipe again. We'll probably go when Filbar's is open. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Heat is Not Funny Anymore

The heat index in my area reached 46'C today. I felt dizzy and had to use an ice pack to cool down. I think maybe it was made worse because I took a diuretic. Even with hydrating more I felt off for a few hours. The ice pack helped. I put it on my armpit and nape. A friend said to also put it on your groin. I moved to the living room since it was cooler there. 

I think things would be worse if we didn't have plants around our house. Good thing I decided to delay having our front lawn landscaped. The bushy bamboo trees are helping keep our area cool. Good thing they are not water guzzlers and can survive with minimal watering. I moved my potted plants under the bamboo in our pocket garden to provide them some shade from the terrible heat of the sun. 

I have also been keeping an eye on my boys. I remind them to drink after they come back inside whenever they step out. We also starting making ice using ice bags. The ones in trays are not enough to cool drinks anymore. Maybe I should make some ice candy too? 

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Year Ago in Paradise

Ahh, Google Photos reminded me that it's been a year since we visited a beautiful resort in Sipalay. I'm sure more people know about the resort now since a news anchor featured it in her vlog. We managed to visit Manami Resort before it officially opened, thanks to a friend who made the arrangements. 

If I were to describe our experience in one word, I'd say it was "peaceful". There was only a handful of people in the resort. We enjoyed the place with our friends minus the crowds. The resort is secluded so don't expect to see other commercial establishments. You eat, sleep and enjoy within their premises. If you're a bit adventurous you can go island hopping too. 

We were happy just staying in the resort for 4 days. I especially enjoyed just sitting on the balcony and watching the sea, birds flying and waiting for sunset. We certainly enjoyed swimming and basking under the sun. At night we used the mini pool in our villa. I got to nap a lot of times too. That's my kind of vacation, doing nothing. I think I've had enough adventures in my life, so just lounging around is my kind of thing now. 

I would have probably gone back by now, but I'm currently avoiding the airport since they announced they have electrical issues. I cannot risk being exposed to heat in case their a/c doesn't work. Well, there are other places to explore. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

How to Beat Heat Exhaustion

I've experienced heat exhaustion a number of times already. I'm prone to it because of my medical condition. Even just a few seconds of heat can ruin my entire day. That's the reason why we have a constant quest to cool down our home. 

I asked a friend who is into construction if putting sprinklers on your roof helps. I saw a news clip about a technician who installed sprinklers on his roof. It automatically goes on at a certain temperature. He claimed it reduced the temperature in his house. I asked my friend if that's effective and if it won't cause your roof to have algae. He told me it's better to install double insulation on your roof. 

Well, installing double insulation on one's roof is an expensive and complicated process. Another friend suggested using an ice pack. Wrap it in a small towel and insert it on your armpit and other pulse areas. That will help quickly stabilize your temperature. I should have done this when I had heat exhaustion before. We have reusable ice packs in our freezer which we use as cold compress for bruises or swelling. So knowing we can use it as first aid for heat exhaustion is good information. 

Of course, stay hydrated all day. Don't wait until you get thirsty before you drink. Don't bother to go out as well since it's really, really hot. I've switched back to purchasing groceries online since it's too risky for me to go out. I'm a vampire for now and just step outside when the sun has set. I also moved all my potted plants under the bamboo trees to protect them from the sun. Some of my herbs were starting to fry even though we watered them regularly. If things get worse I'll set up a net for them. 

Oh well, take care everyone!

And, happy, happy birthday to my FIL, Dad! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

In 2003 It was Only PhP20 per Liter

I remember, buying a 1.5 liter bottle of Coke was always more expensive than a liter of gas. In 2017, a 1.5 liter of Coke cost PhP50 each or about PhP33.34 per liter (Source). Gasoline cost an average of PhP46.16 per liter (Source: DOE). Technically, a liter of Coke IS cheaper than gasoline, in my mind though buying a bottle was more expensive than buying gas. Gas provides energy for your car, Coke provides energy for you, lol. Well, Coke is a staple in my Mom's household (it's still on her bi-monthly grocery list). 

Found this photo in my baul. In 2003, a liter of gas was about PhP20. 
Doubled at PhP37-41 in 2010 (source).
Unfortunately can't find the price of Coke in 2003. 

Well, a full tank averages about 42 liters for a sedan. A thousand in 2017 would be half tank, nowadays you need to pay 2k to fill up half of your tank. And a 1.5 liter bottle of Coke is about PhP70 now (varies a lot depending on where you buy). This means it's about the same price per liter of gasoline in 2017. 

2017, took this photo of a new gasoline station on the way to Baguio.
A liter of gas was about PhP33.

I noticed that things started to get more expensive in the past six years. Cost of living here is still much cheaper compared to Singapore. In Singapore we always just used a basket when we went to the grocery since at the blink of an eye ten to fifteen items can already cost PhP4k. I do my Mom's groceries and I've been able to stretch PhP4k to cover 30 to 40 items (including her bottle of Coke Zero [don't tell her I'm not getting the original one!]). 

Habang maikli ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot.

I think all of us Pinoys are familiar with this Filipino saying. Bend when the blanket is short. At home we've only been spending now for food and utilities. Much as I want to do more joyrides or visit Tagaytay more often, we know it's the time to stay within the blanket. We'll just save up for a proper vacation and skip the fun stuff for now. The future feels so uncertain and seeing our leaders focus more on themselves than the citizens isn't reassuring at all.  

Be prudent. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

First Week: How I Know I'm Truly Home

It's been a week since we got home from hotel quarantine. It took me a few days to wrap my head around the fact that I'm truly home. I'd wake up confused when we were still at the hotel. I guess that's what happens when you get stuck in one place for a long time. Things got better when we got home and I adjusted faster. Here's how I really knew I was home:

Big hair don't care. Hello humidity! Hahaha.

1. Bottomless hugs from Miggy - this is what I missed most when we were apart. 

2. I could breathe better here! Surviving without a/c the whole day! There are days though when the AQI gets a bit bad. We also just use the air filter at night. 

3. The FOOD! I wrote that in big bold letters. Since my stove needs repairing we have an excuse to order all our favorites for now. 

4. Friends sending more FOOD! We've been receiving care packages from friends! Yay! It's been a mix of my favorite food and new food to try (like the Lola Nena's donuts!). I'm so grateful since we've been receiving food from out of town too!

5. Rows and rows of Pinoy tsitsirya in stores! I saw this today at the convenience store at our place. 

6. Kakanin everywhere! I should have seriously ordered two boxes of the puto Binan!

7. It's also much easier to get help here. When we arrived from the hotel we immediately got help from the maintenance folks to haul up our stuff. And at the airport, Sweetie was able to rest because the manongs took over everything. 

Neighbor's carpenter fixing our sliding door. 

8. I was deliriously happy when I was finally able to switch my Google Play country to the Philippines! I immediately changed all my subscriptions because they're just a third of the price compared to Singapore (well except internet!). And the prices of fabric on Shopee and Lazada, O-M-G! It's really going to reduce the cost of my projects.

9. Humor online. We all know how Pinoys can be funny at any kind of situation. Check out this posting for garter I saw the other day. LOL. 

10. And the daily politics teleserye. However funny it may seem, it's really a huge concern how things are turning out. We all need to take action and pray hard we don't go further down in the dump. Sigh. 

Of course, internet is spotty. I ended up writing this post across an hour because connection kept going up and down. Welcome to the Philippines! :D

#Home13 #NewG231 #Xmas39 #StayHome #BeKind