27 Dresses, the Rare Times I Cleaned Up

The movie "27 Dresses" is about a girl who was a bridesmaid 27 times. This post isn't about that (but I did become a bridesmaid countless times haha). This is about the select dresses I wore to special occasions. 

If you know me, you know I prefer to wear just a t-shirt and jeans. There were days though I had to dress up. Here are the rare occasions when I cleaned up haha. I'm not really good at it and don't really like wearing make-up. I just randomly thought about this yesterday while packing some of my clothes. 

Product launch party.

In Malacanang with my manager.

With Br. Armin :)

TV interview, the hair and make up stylist had a lot of time I guess haha.

That moment at PICC.

And meeting the good mayor.

I felt a bit nostalgic yesterday as I packed away my dresses. I haven't worn them for two years now. I wonder if I should still keep them since I don't see any opportunity in the near future when I could wear them again. Life has definitely changed and no one can tell when things will go back to normal. 

What do you think?

CB////*Yr2/179 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/200 #NewG268 #Home27 #Xmas81 #StayHome #BeKind

Down Time, How I Reduced My Online Time and Saved Myself

How did you survive the FB and IG down time? Haha. I wasn't aware of it until Miggy told us. We were watching Pepsi half-time videos on YouTube. I used to get so anxious when platforms have an outage or when there's no internet at home. Now I look forward to it haha.

I realized why I look forward to flights. The longer the flight the better for me. Why? Because you're forced to be offline. I feel it's the only time when everything goes silent. I can sew, write or read without distractions. 

And that's what my doctor ordered me to do after I got warded last December. He repeatedly told me to stay offline. I was probably too wired up and stressed, my body broke down. I turned on the well-being controls on my phone and saw how much time I was spending online and on different platforms.

Honestly, it took four months before I calmed down. That's how bad it was and the only way I relaxed was to stay offline. My brain was on overdrive and it took four months for it to go back to base. Staying offline and controlling my online time was the best thing I did for myself. 

Fave plane ride, Hello Kitty flight from Taiwan to Tokyo!

In my mind I always go back to the time when everything was offline. While having information at the tip of your fingertips anytime is good, it can also be bad. I realized the solution is to just go online when needed or indulge only at certain times of the day. 

It's hard to do in the beginning, but you can start it as a micro-habit. Begin with turning on the well-being controls on your phone. Limit the time you spend on platforms and work your way up to your "online time goal". It will also help to define other activities you want to do that doesn't involve a device. For me it's sewing, reading and working on my journal. 

Less mind clutter, the better :)

CB////*Yr2/178 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/199 #NewG269 #Home28 #Xmas82 #StayHome #BeKind

The Sunshine Vitamin

It's been a few days since my doctor's worried nurse called me up. I had a "vampire*" appointment last Friday to check for vitamin deficiencies. I was getting off the taxi when the nurse called. She sounded really worried that I have a vitamin D deficiency and advised to drink within 24 hours. 

The nurse wanted me to go to a clinic to pick up some vitamin D3. I was wary to go out again especially to a clinic. Luckily I found some on Amazon with next-day delivery. After ordering I read up on the benefits of vitamin D3. It's supposed to keep your bone and muscles healthy. It's known as the sunshine vitamin because you can get it from the sun. 

I realized I was showing signs of the deficiency already. The past two weeks I felt imbalanced whenever I walk. The morning of my vampire appointment I almost had a fall in the shower. Good thing I was able to steady myself by holding the ledge. I didn't think much about it because I thought it was an effect of the other meds I'm taking. 

Here's a video by a doctor explaining the importance of vitamin D3 and D2 -

I guess I developed the deficiency because I was told to stop all of my vitamins last year. I used to take vitamin C, E and multivitamins everyday. I noticed I wasn't as energetic as before. My doctor though wanted me to be cautious about drinking vitamins because of my medication. I've been taking vitamin D3 for four days now and there are some noticeable effects. 

My balance has improved, I've been able to add more reps in my exercise and I feel less muscle and joint pains. I feel more energetic also and don't feel so exhausted after heating up food on the stove. I know this is just probably one of the many things my doctor will flag. The nurse hasn't called back, so hopefully the other things they checked are within normal level. 

Thank you St. Raphael the Archangel for intervening to get me an immediate appointment! 

CB////*Yr2/177 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/198 #NewG270 #Home29 #Xmas83 #StayHome #BeKind

*Vampire - my nickname for medtech's who take my blood hehe. So far they find it funny. This started post-OHS when my blood was taken everyday.

The Journey

October 15, 2011 flight

I officially moved to Singapore on October 15, 2011. That's almost a decade ago already. I never planned to be an OFW. If my Dad was alive he would never have allowed me to leave since my siblings both live abroad already. Well, it just happened. What I thought was just a chat turned out to be an interview haha. The process went by quickly and I eventually found myself in Singapore. 

Many have asked me why I never applied to be a PR. It wasn't a priority for me because I always knew I would eventually go home. My original plan was to go back home as soon as Miggy finished his schooling. I was lucky because in the first few years I was able to go home a lot. Most of my projects and pilots were done in the Philippines. Eventually I had to focus across Southeast Asia and then Asia Pacific. 

Service apartment :)

Things became harder for me when my coverage grew. I couldn't see my family as often anymore. A friend's passing was instrumental in how decided to bring our family together in Singapore (story here). Miggy decided to finish his studies here and Sweetie followed after a few months. I still traveled a lot, but we were happy to be together. 

Complete, May 2016.

Miggy finished his studies two years ago and wanted to start his career back home. We knew we had to let him go and give his freedom to find his way around the world. Oh boy, becoming empty nesters is the worst feeling in the world. Both me and Sweetie felt very lost. We literally found ourselves going out everyday. We'd go home late to avoid the feeling of an empty house. 

Shortly after that I took a break and spent two months at home with Miggy. It was then I started thinking about going back for good. Miggy brought me back to Singapore and went back home a few weeks after. I have not seen him in person since February 2020. It's the hardest thing to go through as a mom and I guess that partly contributed to me getting sick. 

My doctors have advised it's best for me to go back home. Yup, even in the middle of a pandemic. That's one of the reasons why half of my doctors insisted I get vaccinated. Good thing I got cleared. Having another PE effectively changed my future. I took it as a redirection to go back home. I know it's a huge risk, but we'll take the necessary precautions to be safe. 

And so my OFW journey will end soon. I will miss living in Singapore, especially all its conveniences. They have taken good care of me here, but I feel there's something waiting for me back home (aside from my Mom and Miggy!). Excited to see how my life unfolds in the coming months. 

CB////*Yr2/176 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/197 #NewG271 #Home30 #Xmas84 #StayHome #BeKind

My Sew-thing Hobby

I'm really grateful that my Mom taught me how to sew. It's one of her hobbies which she passed on to me. My Mama Lola also did a lot of sewing when she lived with us. She's the one who taught me how to use a sewing machine. My skills though are still far from what my Mom and Mama Lola could do. So like anything I do I set to learn new skills as I go along. 

Sewing is the perfect hobby for people like me. I want to do a lot, but my body is just uncooperative haha. I'll probably remember 2021 as the year when I progressed my quilting skills. I had to really use the sewing machine Sweetie bought for me because my fingers and arm started to hurt a lot from hand quilting (#signsofoldage). I joined several online quilting groups and also learned about tools and equipment I could use to make things easier.

I haven't really done a lot since I've had to pace myself, but I'm happy with the little experiments I've done so far. Here's a round-up -

Harry Potter Quilt Blanket for Jomar and Celine (2-year delayed wedding gift!)

http://aileenstitching.blogspot.com/2021/07/harry-potter-quilt-blanket.html

Personalized CD Case, made this for my huge collection of scans lol

http://aileenstitching.blogspot.com/2021/06/easy-diy-quilted-cd-case.html

Tote bag, made this to show it off to my doctor, also wanted to see how I could integrate embroidery into my projects

http://aileenstitching.blogspot.com/2021/05/quilted-tote-bag-for-sewing-enthusiasts.html

Shophouse pillowcase, I plan to make this into a collection for my future home

http://aileenstitching.blogspot.com/2021/07/shophouse-quilt-sampler.html

Pinwheel lap quilt, started this project to learn shortcuts to making lap quilts

http://aileenstitching.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-to-make-pinwheel-lap-quilt-fast.html

My Mom sews so fast by hand. I don't know how she does it. She could finish a throw pillow case in less than a day! I guess it's because I get distracted easily by other things lol. Anyway, I enjoy sewing because it also helps me to calm down. I feel productive when my hands are busy. To make sure I don't sit around sewing the whole day I usually put my water bottle on the other side of the room to force me to stand up often. Para-paraan :)

I also enjoy making tutorials of my learnings. Please check out the vids here.

Happy Sunday everyone! 

CB////*Yr2/175 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/196 #NewG272 #Home31 #Xmas85 #StayHome #BeKind

Optimistic October

Oh boy, I just realized how busy this month is going to be. I promptly fell asleep after our hospital visit yesterday. I got exhausted after my doctor''s nurse called me twice to tell me I have a vitamin D deficiency. Well, that's probably one reason why I get so exhausted haha. I was told to drink a supplement asap! 

Immediately ordered some via Amazon and drank it when it was delivered. Felt a bit weird for a few minutes, but instantly experienced a shot of sunshine. Vitamin D3 is apparently known as the sunshine vitamin! I'm optimistic that this will help me get through this busy month. 

Good thing most of the tasks I need to do can be done at home. That includes completing an inventory of our things, donating things we don't need and the ginormous task of packing up our home. On top of this I need to finish sorting out my health. I also need to finish all the quilt projects. And not to forget, get my second vaccination dose. Oh and I need to take advantage of the internet here and finish uploading my photos! Whew! No time for afternoon naps!

I'm really grateful that I'm back to my old self. The body though is weary, as much as I want to do more I have to be on point about my health. I told Sweetie yesterday, I hope I won't have to go visit a hospital or a doctor for a long time when I get home (except to get a reseta for my meds). 

Anyway, gotta go, I feel like I need to burn off the energy I got from taking vitamins! I feel like doing cartwheels hahaha.

Happy weekend everyone! Stay home and keep safe!

CB////*Yr2/174 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/195 #NewG273 #Home32 #Xmas86 #StayHome #BeKind

The Initiation

Wore Daddy's clothes haha.

I finally got around to scanning photos from my high school scrapbook. I brought it to Singapore two years ago, but got so busy. It was a good thing I didn't because the Google photo scan app eventually became available and had a lot of improvements. It's a better alternative than using my printer. I created my scrapbook by hand and had it book bound. The printer would've wrecked my scrapbook. 

Anyway, I posted some of the photos yesterday. My high school classmates were so surprised with my "ultimate #throwbackthursday". It was some random everyday classroom photos. I don't even remember why I brought a camera to school that day. I had very few photos when I was in high school and Sweetie noticed I wasn't even in any of the photos I posted. 

I did find one funny photo of me trying out an outfit for our initiation week. This was the week where you are partnered up with a senior. During lunch hours you're their slave and have to follow whatever they want you to do. My senior was very nice to me and didn't have me do weird stuff. 

I got away just having to wear odd clothes. I also had to go to school using a pail as my schoolbag. Ran late for class and Mrs. Salazar banged on the CR doors while we were changing to our uniform. That was scarier than what I went through with my senior. Initiation week was supposed to be a fun way to welcome froshies to high school. We dreaded it though. 

I don't remember what I did with my froshie when my time came. I don't think I gave her a hard time since my senior was nice to me. Pay it forward ika nga. I think the most we did was have them dress up as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles using batyas. Haha. That's the only fuzzy memory I have of it. 

It would have been nice if I had more photos from that time. Well, it's also a good thing that the devices we have now wasn't around back then. At least we don't have much evidence of our crazy high school days. Hahaha! 

CB////*Yr2/173 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/194 #NewG274 #Home33 #Xmas87 #StayHome #BeKind