Why Pinoys are Resilient

We've just experienced another super typhoon (Bavi with local name Inday). It brought strong winds and rain. I've never gotten used to it and I always wake up whenever the rain starts pounding on the roof. I'm also always creeped out when the wind howls. I keep reminding myself we're safe and we've taken precautions to prepare, but the worry never goes away when you've been through a lot of disasters.

And that made me think. They always say Filipinos are resilient. We are because you grow up needing to be prepared all the time. Here's what I grew up with:

• EDSA Revolution (x3), Coup d'etats
• Strong typhoons (Ondoy, Pepeng, Yolanda are just some, it's an annual thing)
• Flooding (queue memories of getting stuck in school and not being able to go home + walking in floodwater)
• Heavy forever traffic
• Increase in prices (gasoline/groceries/electricity)

We all just usually shrug it off as something that's common and an everyday thing. I was in Singapore when I realized it is a hard life we truly live. I was at an event and people were panicking because Orchard Road was flooded. I had to see it for myself so I stepped out of the hotel and saw it was just practically a puddle. An inch of clear water coursing through the street. The other attendees of the event were already saying they were stranded! 

The event has ended already, so I crossed the road to go to the MRT. My shoes didn't even get soaked! Ahh, for me, it wasn't a disaster. I would have probably waited for the water to subside if it reached gutter level, but it wasn't bothersome for me. Well, that's the sad thing. If we had things in place and if we weren't cheated by those who could make our lives easier, then our threshold for disaster would be much lower. 

I hope and pray everyone is safe and dry. There's going to be more rain for the next few days, so don't forget to bring your umbrella.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Our Bistek Tagalog Recipe

Bistek Tagalog is one of the dishes I learned early on. I prefer making dishes that are marinated first since it allows me to rest between preparing and cooking. I've also been just preparing and having Miggy cook lately since he likes cooking. 

Here's our recipe:

500 grams beef (I normally use sirloin)

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 cloves garlic

3 to 4 calamansi

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 medium onion

And here's how we cook it -

It's very easy to make and that's why it's a staple in our home cooked meals!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Kwek-Kwek

Kwek-kwek isn't the healthiest afternoon snack, but it's still enjoyable to have once I'm awhile. I look forward to eating it whenever we drop by the garden nursery.

I buy gardening supplies, bread at Uncle John's, and while Sweetie buya fruits, I get some kwek-kwek for me and Miggy. We split 3 orders between us because one order of 4 quail eggs isn't enough. Two orders is too much, so 3 orders hit the craving perfectly.

I've just had my once a quarter indulgence, I guess I'll have it again next year na.

#BeKins #StaySafe

Watched Kontrabida Academy

The past week was stressful. There were so many things that happened locally. What's stressful about it is you don't know who's telling the truth, plus the fact that our taxes just went nowhere.

Anyway, I decided to watch a movie to destress. Decided to watch "Kontrabida Academy" on Netflix. Eugene Domingo and Barbie Forteza did not disappoint. They filled our afternoon with laughter. I love how sweet Barbie turned into a Kontrabida.

What was also very special about the movie were the cameos of well-known kontrabidas. I was happy to see they included Cherie Gil, the premier kontrabida of Philippine films. I won't mention any more so I don't spoil the fun for others.

Need a breather? Watch it 😁 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Comfort Food: Dayrit's

21 Days to 50

I haven't been able to do anything since I got home. My right arm is still painful and I'm not supposed to use it. It's going to take a few more days before it heals.

Sweetie and Miggy have been keeping me comfortable. I'm trying to keep my self from drinking too much pain meds, so I'm just using ice to keep the swelling down. 

First order of the day after I was discharged was to eat comfort food. Nearest go-to place from the hospital is Dayrit's, a childhood favorite. I love their cheeseburger and I love how they've stayed the same through the years. I've dined there with my parents numerous times.

Comfort food is part of the healing process and dining where I used to eat with my parents makes me feel safe. Everything will be alright.

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Yummiest Potato Salad to Date

It's been awhile since I made potato salad at home. I "learned" it from Mom. She gave me a list of ingredients and told me to just "mix it up". The list did not include measurements (as usual), so I have been winging it.

Found some potatoes in the fridge. I planned to make afritada, but the other ingredients weren't fresh anymore. Potatoes last longer, so I popped everything in a pot and boiled it. Sweetie helped peel and dice it. I took care of slicing the other veggies. 

I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl, then added the diced potatoes. Added a bit more mayo and put it in the fridge. I forgot to try it before storing it, so I was really surprised how good it was when we had it for dinner. Yum! Yum! Yum! It tasted like Dayrit's/Makati Supermart Coffee Shop's potato salad (I usually get these when I'm lazy to make). Of course, it reminded me of the potato salad we'd usually have during family reunions. 

Here's how I made it:

Recipe here: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2025/06/recipes-for-my-son-moms-potato-salad.html

Let me know if you try making it based on what I have figured out how to make a proper 80s potato salad. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched "Everything About My Wife"

The day after watching "My Future You", we decided to watch the Jennilyn-Dennis flick, "Everything About My Wife". We watched the trailer a few months ago and thought it would be an interesting romcom.

The first part of the movie delivered the fun moments as the main characters went through their courtship. It was still light when it fast forwarded to the 7th year of their marriage where they moved to Cebu.

Sam Milby played the perfect "third party". His job was to stir the marriage and hopefully break it up. After that part, the film suddenly turned too serious and left the audience hanging at the end. It felt like the writer ran out of ideas and someone took over to finish the film.

Well, maybe that's what they intended to do, but it left me disappointed especially knowing that the main characters are married in real life and gave their love a second chance. I've watched other movies by Jennilyn and they usually end on a positive note. 

Sigh.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bottomless Soup for Our Pork Sinigang!

There's a few restos where you can get a side dish of Sinigang soup. It's never enough though and we started to crave for it when it rained during election day. It's one of our favorite comfort food dishes. I managed to get some ingredients during our grocery run (minus Gabi since I couldn't find any), so I made some last night (even though it's not raining!). 

It's one of the dishes that's just right for my energy level to cook. I managed without Miggy's help, but they still hovered around to help anytime I needed it. I have no idea how to use kamias or sampaloc, so I just always use Sinigang mix. I like the Knorr Sinigang mix better than other brands since it's really sour. 

Here's how I made it:

We all had happy tummies after dinner last night and I definitely slept soundly. Too soundly, I missed pulmo rehab again, haha. We still have some left over and I might have some soup later!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Tried "Delimondo Cafe"

For brunch yesterday, we got curious and tried the "Delimondo Cafe". I've tried their corned beef at home and it's tasty. 

I got the classic ranch style corned beef. It was served with scrambled eggs and pickles. Sweetie ordered the adobo corned beef. We paired the meal with coffee from Yardstick. 

The meal is pretty standard silog. It was pricey at PhP350 per plate. Sweetie's adobo corned beef was better than mine. I think next time I'll just try their buns and just cook cornsilog at home.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched "My Love Will Make You Disappear"

Took the opportunity to watch "My Love Will Make You Disappear" today. We had to step out for an errand and the showtime worked out. 

Since it was a Monday there was a line of senior citizens lined up to watch for free. They were so excited and very happy when another customer bought tickets. Apparently the cinema only allows SCs to watch if there's a paying customer. We chose a later time, so we were not able to witness how they found the movie. They were so excited though, which I thought was so cute.

Sweetie and I got the theater exclusively. No one watches at noon on a weekday, so we were quite happy about it. It felt like we booked a block screening for ourselves, hahaha. 

We missed the first few minutes of the movie, but we got the gist that Sari (Kim Chiu) experienced trauma of losing loved ones at a young age. Eventually, she met Jolo (Paulo Avelino) who inherited the compound she and her neighbors were renting. 

The story was simple and straightforward. The villains were mostly their inner struggles and trauma. The story unfolded beautifully and had a good mix of fun, drama and, of course, kilig.

Kim Chui has perfected her talent for leading rom-com films. She embodied Sari. She was Sari. I've watched a number of Paulo Avelino's films and series. He's certainly more comfortable doing drama and playing dark characters. Perhaps he should do more rom-com films with Kim so they can make it as flawless as Marvin and Jolina (sorry GenXer here). The definitely have chemistry and TBH I wish they'd end up together (hehe).

Overall, it's a good show to watch. Definitely entertaining and the lines they threw reminded me of the struggles I had before I met Sweetie. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Dayrit's Forever!

Finally managed to go out today. Sweetie had some scheduled tests so we accompanied him. We decided to get some takeaway from our all time favorite restaurant, Dayrit's!

I remember I was a young child when my parents would bring me there. I immediately fell in love with their ginormos cheeseburger. And that's been my order for over 40 years!

I was happy to see the resto bustling with activity. We sat by the door and more people arrived waiting to be seated. We also got some local snacks. It's also our go-to place for shingling, merengue and fish crackers. Yum!

#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

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

Watched Dollhouse

Dollhouse has been in my watch list since last year. I finally watched it today while cleaning Sto. Niño, St Joseph, and a crucifix. I was right in front of the TV, so I saw all the nuances made by the characters.

I have been avoiding watching it since the time I watched "Lolo and Kid". It was a tearjerker and I was sure "Dollhouse" would be too. I still watched it since it got good reviews. I also read that it's based on the story of the writer's relationship with her father. 

The film told a very good, heartwarming story about regret, responsibility, making amends, and essentially what happens when you keep making bad choices in life. I like that they kept a small cast and showed multiple facets of the story. It successfully made me understand why the characters made those choices.

Of course, I bawled at the ending. The actors really did a great job to make me feel what they were feeling. The film is worth watching and I actually wouldn't mind watching it again. Now, I have to work up the courage to watch "Rewind". One of the last 3 MMFF 2023 movies I've yet to watch.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Got a Copy of Tobie Abad's Diliman Generation

I got excited when Tobie announced that he was publishing a limited edition of "Diliman Generation Now". It came out recently and, of course, I ordered copies of the zine.

It's good company while trying to stabilize (I'm still feeling off). The zine reminds me of the good old days when we were part of the "Malate Literary Folio" in DLSU.

Congratulations Tobie! Mamasan is so proud of you 🥳😍

Tobie just announced you can now get a copy through Komiket's Lazada store: https://s.lazada.com.ph/s.lA9Z9

#BeKind #StaySafe

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

How We Make Pineapple Glazed Ham at Home

How I wish Purefoods can make their fiesta ham available all year. It's one of our favorite dishes especially during Christmas. We always had it for noche buena. I learned to eat macaroni salad because of pineapple glazed ham. It matches perfectly!

I learned how to magically turned the ball of ham into a sweet one through Mom. She told me to just add 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Of course, I had to figure out what she meant. My Mom doesn't cook, but she knows all the processes and just directs whoever is cooking, hehe. 

I experiment every year on what to do with the ham. What's important for us though is to have a lot of sauce. My boys like adding some of the sauce to their rice whenever we have this. This year I added two cans of pineapple juice (the one you drink) and a can of pineapple chunks plus brown sugar to the ham. The ham drowned when it was plated. So just use 1 can of pineapple juice. It turned out alright for us though since we still had extra sauce until we finished the whole ball of ham. 

You can also add cloves. Just add it sparingly to the ham while cooking or baking. It adds flavor. We couldn't find any cloves, so we'll just do that next year. Oh, and you can also opt to bake it instead of simmering it in a pot. I find it easier to simmer since baking takes sooo long, haha. Purefoods also now pre-slices the ham, so it's much easier to serve. It was hard to slice in the past when it was one whole ball.

Plated by Sweetie :)

 

I'm keeping one more fiesta ham for Valentine's day, haha. That or maybe for the Lunar New Year. Or maybe a random weekend when we're off our meal plan, LOL. I'm actually thinking of getting one more since I could keep it in the freezer for a special occasion. I'll get one if it's still available in the grocery, hehe. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

2024, New Year in Manila

Happy New Year! 

Celebrated the new year at home contained in our family room. Had to do this to avoid the bad air quality. Didn't want to welcome the new year with asthma, haha. We also just prepared the ready to cook food Kuya and Ate Joy sent. I'll cook pink pasta today so we could have noodles.

I was so surprised so many neighbors had fireworks! There wasn't as many last year when we welcomed 2023. By 11:20 pm it was super noisy in our neighborhood. It wasn't the same though as the 80s/90s when it was non-stop. There were moments of silence in between. Of course, the loudest bangs came five minutes before midnight. 

I feel 2024 is going to be very different! I haven't crafted any goals yet, but I have some ideas in my head. I'll let it simmer for now and will write it out in the next few days.

Here's how my 2023 went as a one second everyday vlog!

Have a blessed year everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Secret Spaghetti Sauce (Beef and Mushroom with Black Olives)

I was looking through "Recipes for My Son" and realized I never shared how I cook my beef and mushroom with black olives spaghetti recipe. I never had the chance to film it because I've been cooking more pink pasta. I also shifted to cooking tuna pasta (using the same recipe) than beef since it's just Sweetie and I who usually eats red pasta. 

Anyway, since it was Christmas I thought it would be nice to make my first spaghetti recipe. It was my seatmate, Maica, who taught me how to make it. I had to wing the measurements since she didn't give me any. I'm not ouido when it comes to cooking (that's Daddy), so it was hard at first. I eventually found the right mixture and don't really measure anymore when I cook this recipe. 

Well, those who have tried it said it's really good, so I thought it would be useful to share the recipe. It's not sweet pasta and I honestly don't know how to cook Filipino spaghetti (that's Kuya's expertise). Anyway, here's how I make my spaghetti -

For ingredients and more info, visit:  https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2023/12/recipes-for-my-son-moms-special-beef.html

I really like having more sauce than noodles whenever I make spaghetti :)

Miggy's Leche Flan

Ahh, Christmas is just a day away and for our last "Recipes for My Son" video I thought I'd share Miggy's leche flan. He finally agreed to film it the other day (took me months to convince him!). He was still perfecting it I guess, haha.

It was Titay who taught him how to make leche flan. I remember we were still living with my parents that time. Titay also moved in with us and so I snagged the chance to have her teach Miggy how to make leche flan. 

Miggy eventually started making it at home and I found this old photo of him. This was back in 2011 and I think it was his first time to make it on his own. He's our designated leche flan maker and I only learned how to make it when we were apart during the pandemic. 

Found a few cans of Alaska condensed and evaporated milk which we got for free from the Coffee Home Brewers event. Got some eggs and asked Miggy to make us some leche flan. We'll make a second batch this weekend so we don't waste the milk (we'll giveaway some hehe). 

And yes, Miggy has perfected his leche flan. Our favorite since it's not too sweet. Here's how he makes it.

Recipe at:  https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2023/12/recipes-for-my-son-miggys-leche-flan.html

#BeKind #StaySafe