Acceptance

When my doctor discovered I had pulmonary embolism I joined a patient group on FB to understand what I was going through. Knowing what others with the same condition helps. I had ten years to prepare myself for my heart surgery and I prepared by reading a book written by a patient. It also helped prepare my family.

You always have the choice to make your life colorful.

The clot in my lungs was discovered after suffering from "severe asthma" for over a year. It was left undetected because I would feel okay after taking asthma meds. I didn't feel better after having "mild pneumonia" and it was then I realized something was terribly wrong. I insisted on getting a second opinion. It was my second opinion respiratory doctor who finally found what was wrong.

My seatmate who got sick last week told me that he wondered how I pull through whenever I get sick. He told me he got a bit depressed when he was sick. I admitted to him that I get sucked in the black hole too, but I always fight to get out of it. My secret? Acceptance.

Two weeks after I was diagnosed with PE I went to Rome (for work!).

I really wanted to go and commanded my body to cooperate!

Doctor grounded me from traveling after haha. 

My allergologist was the one who taught me that the first step is acceptance. I took that lesson to heart and whatever comes my way I accept it, learn from it and move on. By accepting what you have it is easier to learn how to take care of yourself. There's no use blaming yourself or questioning why you got sick. Sometimes there are no answers to that especially if you were born with it.

Majority of my medical conditions are largely due to mechanical issues in my body. It's been really hard to manage, but as I told my friend yesterday, "I cannot live in fear." I have to trust Him that I am where he wants me to be until I complete all my missions.

So if you have medical conditions, fear not. You were saved for a reason. Don't question it. Live your life happily and you can still do many things. Understand what your limitations are and accept that as an excuse to discover other new things about yourself. 

Working Under a Tree in My Alma Mater

Last year when I was visiting my alma mater I ended up joining a meeting via Google Hangout. My colleagues noticed that I was in a different location and asked where I was. I told them I was in my alma mater, seated under a tree.

After I finished my call I just sat there for awhile reminiscing. The campus looks so different now. The simple entrance (South Gate) we had when I was a student now has a huge lobby and a statue of St. La Salle. We used to flash our IDs back then to the guard, the student IDs now they just scan. They also have a body scanner now.

I usually enter through South Gate and walk through the La Salle building. I usually peer inside the "cafeteria" which we used to call "Aristo". I told hubby it used to be full of yummy, oil-filled, unhealthy food. They cleaned up the place and they offer healthier food now (whyyyy???). The first floor of the La Salle building hallway still looks the same. The walls are lined up with photos of graduates from the many decades ago. I remember finding my brother and sister's photo before, but I don't remember now which building it's on.

La Salle building hallway, 2019.

I had a lot of my classes in the main building throughout my undergraduate and grad school years. They have upgraded the classrooms and I know they completely changed one of the cases rooms (it now has Google technology in it hehe). The amphitheater area is still the same, what's different is that huge building beside it and the SPS building. That huge building now used to be the gym. The bookstore which used to be inside of the SPS building has been relocated to the big building. I still saw the cashier back in 2018, but she wasn't around anymore last year.

My thesismate, Jingo.

The chess plaza... I'm not sure if they still call it the chess plaza. The SJ walk which was known as the tambayan of the sushals is still there, but it feels so much different now. The field is gone and on it is a huge building where they host a lot of events. There's also a large open area for activities.

This is how it looks now. Miguel building seems so far away now from South Gate. I used to speed through the campus to get to my class. Now it takes 30 minutes for me to get there haha.

The biggest change for me is the College Canteen. It's gone! Well not technically. The canteen is still there, but in a very different format. My favorite spaketsup is gone forever. Gone are the many, many tables that lined up the canteen. That place was special to me because my Ate and Kuya used to bring me to La Salle when they had activities during weekends when they were a student. I always knew I would end up studying there when I grew up.

Last photo in 2011 at the College Canteen before it was demolished.

I was so happy that day under the tree. Hopefully this year I get to visit again. 

Calle Crisologo

Calle Crisologo in Vigan is one of the most memorable places I've been to in the Philippines. I've been there thrice, in 2007, 2012 and 2014.

Beautiful during the day.

I saw a lot of improvements every time I went and the town became more vibrant. The historic town really worked hard to preserve its heritage sites. It's been recognized as the best preserved Spanish colonial town.

And sparkling at night.

I love walking around Calle Crisologo. I remember buying a miniature wooden cabinet which I've been using for my accessories. I first saw it in 2007, but only bought it in 2012. If I got it in 2007 it would probably have gone under water during Typhoon Ondoy. The miniature wooden cabinet is one of my favourite travel souvenirs.

In 2012 I went to Vigan for a mapup. I enjoyed that time going around the town and sampling delicious local food. The empanada in the plaza was truly unforgettable. I haven't found the any suitable replacement anywhere else (suggestions are welcome!). Two other things I love eat in Vigan are: longganisa and chichacorn. Now I wonder where I can get any in Singapore!

Sweetie though hasn't been to Vigan though and I'd love to come back and explore more of it and eat more empanada!

Watching "Crash Landing on You" for the First Time

My friends have been nagging me to watch Crash Landing on You since it aired last December. I didn't rush into it because I was still watching "My First First Love" and I was also busy with "The Witcher".

My expectations though were raised because of the many comments of my friends on social media about the show. I have a godmother who started watching last weekend who finished the whole season in less than 2 days! I told myself though I should just watch and enjoy the show.

The scene where the two main characters first met was interesting, but LizQuen did that already in La Presa (Forevermore, 2014) haha. I think sparks flew at the last scene. That bit really sizzled!

One thing I like about watching Koreanovelas is I see other places on earth. I have been to Korea twice only and I've been curious to learn more about it. Here are some questions that ran in my head while watching the first episode -

(1) Did Yoon Se-ri really travel 1,000 kilometers to reach the DMZ?

I got different results when I researched the distance of Seoul and the DMZ. It's somewhere between 50 to 85 kilometers. Anyway it's still below 100 kilometers and not 1,000 kilometers. Tokyo and Seoul is about 1,000 kilometers apart, I don't think anyone would survive getting blown away that far.

(2) What's the DMZ? Can you visit it?

The Korean Demilitirized Zone is a 250 kilometer strip of land in the Korean Peninsula. It serves as a buffer zone between South and North Korea. And yes it is a tourist place, but only outside. Research also shows it's best to go with a guide.

(3) Are there deers in Korea?

Yes, water deers. I don't remember though if I saw some at Nami Island.

Apart from enjoying the show, I thought I'd use it as a way to learn more about Korean culture. I've been working on Korea since last year. When I was assigned to cover Japan I tried to learn more about the culture by taking basic Nihongo classes. It was a great experience and at least I can tell when our meetings are going well (lots of sodesne) and when it's ending (lots of arigatou gozaimasu!). For Korea I thought I'd take a different approach by watching more Koreanovelas! 

How to Bake Cashew

Just before I left Yogyakarta, Pak Ganis handed a bag of cashew nuts to me. I brought some to the office and my director told me that raw cashew is poisonous. I did some research before I decided to bake the cashew. Most important thing to do is boil the cashew first before baking it. Boiling removes the poison, just make sure you don't over boil the cashew because it's going to end up soggy.

To keep the cashew nuts fresh and crispy we keep it in glass bottles. I bake only 250-300 grams every time. We finish the batch in about a week. It's a great snack to bring to work too.

Ingredients:

250-300 grams raw cashew
2 Tbp salt
olive oil
water

1. Boil cashew with 2 tablespoons of salt for less than 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Dry the boiled cashew with napkin.
3. On a foil lined pan, spread a teaspoon of olive oil.
4. Pre-heat oven for 10 minutes at 177'C.
5. Arrange the cashew on the pan and bake for 15 minutes. 

A Beautiful Love Poem

My friend Cathy who's a published poet dedicated a poem to Mike during their wedding dinner. The title of the poem is "The Space Between Words is a Pause". She granted me permission to post the full video of the poem. Here it is -

I think most of the people in the room were in tears when she read the poem. She strung the words beautifully and it was so heartfelt. She shared that she started writing the poem at the beginning of their relationship. It inspired her to write, but only finished it days before their wedding.

Congratulations and best wishes again Cathy and Mike! <3

Make March My Maker Month

After I finished the huge quilt blanket I made last December I rested from sewing and caught up with other things. I also spent a lot of time relaxing, watching different types of content and I started to vlog again. Being stuck at home because of the coronavirus outbreak has given me time to ease back to a regular blogging rhythm. It was hard in the beginning, but I eventually found my writing voice again and it's become easier to blog (I only plan what to write once I click compose on Blogger hehe).

Anyway, I have resolved that March will be maker month for me. I would like to finish the other blanket I started a few months ago which was supposed to be a wedding gift. I also have my tshirt quilt blanket project lined up. Also told myself I shouldn't buy any new fabric until I reduce my stash.

I would also like to do more cooking videos this month for Miggy since he's back home and needs to learn how to prepare more non-fried dishes. And oh I also want to bake! I will really have to manage my time well since I want to do so much stuff!

What about you? What do you want to do this month?