Throwback Thursdays: Long Walks in Darling Harbour

I mostly went on foot anywhere I went when I'm in Sydney. I walk to the office. Walk to the grocery. Walk to the mall to eat. I've always stayed in Darling Harbour and when I have time I cross the Pyrmont Bridge to get to the other side.

My main motivation is to get to Lincraft* (for obvious reasons). After I do my business at Lincraft I cross to the Queen Victoria building. The Queen Victoria building is a heritage building built in the 1890s. It served as a municipal market. It was restored in 1986 and is now a well-known shopping center. They have a lot of nice shops, but more importantly a toy store that collectors would love. I was able to buy a few Yoda figures there (budol is real!). It's a nice area and if you walk a bit more you'll get to St. Mary's Cathedral. 

The best time to visit Sydney is during spring. The weather is always perfect and it's always good to stay at Darling Harbour. There's a lot of restos in the area overlooking the harbour. I got to try them with Tita Chu. Miggy loved the Australian National Maritime Museum which is located beside Pyrmont Bridge. The mall was my savior whenever it would be too cold for me to walk outside. 

My favorite thing to do though was walk across Pyrmont Bridge. It's 369 meters, so I'd always walk slowly. I liked hanging out in the middle of the bridge to watch boats and the multitude of birds. Sometimes I would hear Pinoys banter with their friends. That would always make me smile because it would make me less homesick. 

The key though to those long walks I would make is the fresh air. That's elusive in cities in Southeast Asia so I'm always stuck inside an air filtered room. I realized that when we were in Bohol because I was able to walk more and do more. Perhaps time to move to a place with cleaner air? 

*Just found out it's now permanently closed, huhu.

P.S. Day 5 and 6, boys are feeling better. Still positive though so we're still taking all precautions. As for me, I'm just taking things slow. Not sure if the SOB I've been feeling is due to the bad air quality or if I'm coming down with it. Vitals are stable though so I'm very hopeful it's just the bad air. 

Wellness Wednesdays: Live in Love not Fear

I must admit, fear gripped me when Sweetie messaged me that he tested positive for COVID-19. I was in the hospital for a CT scan with Miggy. I felt though that Sweetie was as scared as me so I set my fear aside and told him everything will be alright. The next day Miggy tested positive too. 

I super miss my boys.

It was a miracle though that I did not pick it up where they got it. We suspect it was from the airport or plane ride. From what I recall, the three of us were always together. We were only apart when they bought food and stood in the plane queue. Sweetie covered me throughout the flight because someone kept vomiting. We were seated in front so he kept passing by without a mask. Sweetie said he wanted to protect me that's why when his temperature went up last week he immediately isolated himself. 

I'm still scared. I was with Miggy the whole day last Saturday. We thought his cough was due to GERD, but I had him isolate when I heard him wheezing. The next day he tested positive too. Patients though are contagious a day or two before they test positive and I was certainly exposed. We're praying I don't come down with it. 

I keep reminding myself though that I should live with love not fear. I told the virus it has no space anymore in my body. I am rejecting it! The next 48 hours are critical for me because we'll probably know by then if I come down with it. It's been very hard to decipher the symptoms since I experience being dizzy, raised temp, shortness of breath all the time. I'm just resting in between providing food for the boys and chores.

Live in love, not in fear. Have faith that God will protect you and keep you safe from harm. 

Keep safe everyone. 

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Craft Tuesdays: My Favorite Craft Shops and New Discoveries!

I haven't picked up a needle in over two weeks now. I thought the t-shirt memory quilt would be finished by now. There's so much going on I haven't had the time to sit and stay in my maker/craft room. I could probably finish the blanket in two days. Prioritizing the boys for now. All my energy is focused on nursing them back to health at a distance. I'm grateful for all the help I'm getting from friends and family. 

In the past few months I've had to research on getting materials I need for my hobby. I have most of what I need, but had to buy for some special projects like making curtains. I was overjoyed to discover that favorite craft material haunts are accessible online! Here's a list of places, online and offline, where you can buy materials:

1. Shopee/Lazada - ahh, you can practically get everything you need from Shopee and Lazada. I found some shops from Divisoria in the app. You just need to be a bit discerning in choosing the shop because some obviously are just resellers. For my quilt projects I only normally buy the backing fabric from Lazada/Shopee. You can find patchwork/quilting fabric also, but they're not as nice as those from specialty shops. If you're looking for fat quarters or other cut fabric, there's a lot of choices but most of them are from China. 

In case you need thread, Makati Supermart has a lot!

2. National Bookstore and Makati Supermart - they carry some basic sewing materials like needle,  thread, velcro, and scissors (if you're not fussy about scissors). You can also buy materials for making patterns like cintra board/illustration board/Manila paper and fabric markers. I could spend hours just going through the tools they're selling. 

3. Carolina's Lace Shoppe - I know about Carolina's from their shop in Glorietta. It closed though before the pandemic, but they have branches in Makati (Gil Puyat) and Market Market. I've also ordered some items online through their FB account. I still miss walking around their shop though. 

At Carolina's

Good thing I still have a lot of fabric for my projects, but in case I run out or need something else I can always order*.

Spotlight with Mom.

1. Joann (https://www.joann.com/ph/) - I purchased some fabric from them last year when I was still in Singapore. They have a lot more variety, just a bummer that there are some licensed fabric you cannot purchase when overseas. Their selection of wadding is also much more affordable and that's what I use for the big quilt blankets. 

2. Spotlight (http://www.spotlight.com.sg/) - I used to go to Spotlight at least once a month when I was still in Singapore. The aunties actually know me already and I miss just walking around the store looking for good finds. Well, Spotlight does not deliver internationally so if there's something I really need a friend can help send a balikbayan box to me hehe. 

3. Amazon - you can buy anything on Amazon and they have a nice selection of patchwork fabric, but it's usually much more expensive. I discovered Joann's from quilt groups I joined. I use Amazon just to look at items and then I try to find them elsewhere. 

I miss those days I could go to Tomato and Yuzawaya (in Tokyo), Lincraft (in Sydney), Michael's (the US) and Yongle Fabric Market (in Taiwan). I just realized what a rare opportunity that was for me. Now since I'm back home it's time for me to discover what we have locally and see what's feasible for my hobby. That would be a fun new thing to discover.  :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

*Wishful thinking - with currency exchange going crazy, I cannot justify buying anything for now. 

Home on Mondays: Dealing with the Dreaded Two Stripes

The boys have been okay. It's day 3 for Sweetie and he said his cough has lessened. He's also been exercising while isolated. Miggy is on his second day and he said his cold and cough has worsened. He started taking medication yesterday so probably the virus is pretty riled up. It's been hard for me to determine how I'm feeling since I always have something everyday. I'm also monitoring my temperature and O2 and other symptoms. So far nothing out of the ordinary. 

We went through the same thing last month when the boys had flu. We learned a lot when they isolated, so taking care of them now isn't as hard. I'm also much better now compared to a month ago, I just need to make sure my energy lasts until I turn the lights off before bedtime. 

In case you have someone who needs to isolate in your home, here's a list of what we've done:

1. Room supplies - we always have the following extra supplies in each bedroom: toilet paper, alcohol, dishwashing liquid and sponge, masks, and air purifier.

2. Own plates and utensils - to minimize interaction we learned it's better to provide plates, utensils and drinking glass/mug for the patient. We used paper plates and disposable forks and spoons last time and that wasn't really sustainable because it added to the trash (plus not environment friendly). I immediately gave the boys their own set once they quarantined. 

3. Water - what goes in the room doesn't go out, so we've been buying 6 to 8 liter water bottles for the boys. The virus is airborne and we don't know how long it lasts on surfaces. Also have a friend who said he was infected from their office water station. The big water bottles last 1.5 to 2 days per person. 

4. Medication - took us 3 days before the boys went for e-consultation. What we did this time was immediately do e-consultation. We've been using AIDE app and they have so far been consulting with the same doctor. I ordered the meds from Mercury Drug online and sometimes I get via the Watson's app also. If you need it same day Mercury Drug delivers the same day, just be patient and watch for their email. Watson's has express delivery, but I think it's not available on weekends. 

5. Food - to conserve my energy we've been ordering food via Grab. Friends have also been sending, so we're always eating something every hour (hehe). The doctor advised to eat more fruits and veggies. I got help from friends to buy for me since buying via the grocery hasn't been a good experience. Ahh, one thing helpful is to have snacks available. We usually have bread and instant oatmeal which they eat for breakfast also. That way I don't have to rush to prepare food in the mornings. 

The list is so far the key elements to managing the illness. My friends have offered to send a helper, but I'm wary of exposing someone else. So far things have been manageable and we're coping well. This morning I ate breakfast slowly and did one load of laundry. Things have been quiet and I've been able to enjoy watching vids on YouTube. It won't take long and I'll have my boys back soon. 

#StaySafe #BeKind

Miracle Sundays: Perseverance

My boys have tested positive for COVID-19. With our movements the past two weeks we're not sure where they picked it up. I suspect though it was from our flight home. There was someone who kept vomiting the whole flight. He was seated three rows behind us and walked around without a mask. We were seated in the front row and he passed by our area several times to go to the toilet. Well, we have no way to confirm, but that was the most obvious way they could have picked it up. It also falls within the incubation period. 

Mask up guys!

We've always feared getting infected. We had a scare last month when the boys had the flu. The miracle was I didn't get it. They both isolated and the experience taught us what to do. We weren't expecting this to happen since we've always taken precautions, but it has happened. Sweetie had chills on Wednesday night and decided to isolate himself at around 3 in the morning. I woke up because he was restless. It was two days later when he tested positive. 

Miggy, on the other hand, was coughing off and on. He originally thought it was due to GERD. Last night I noticed he was wheezing, so I immediately sent him to his room to isolate. We both tested negative last night, but I felt something was different that's why I asked him to isolate. He tested positive this morning. Both have consulted a doctor through e-consultation and I just ordered their medication online. Their symptoms have so far been mild.

I am hopeful for another miracle. We are hoping and praying that I don't get it. A friend told me not to worry because my angel will watch over me. I have "given notice" to the virus that it's not welcome in my body. I'm already fully booked with other issues and my priority now is to take care of my boys. I am not afraid because I know God will take care of us.

Super thanks to all my friends who have been helping out! Your help, support and advise is very much appreciated at this time.  We are so far coping really well and have our game plan to win over this. We will persevere and hope to be back to normal by month end. 

Keep safe everyone!

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” - John 15:7

#BeKind #StaySafee

Plantita Saturdays: Getting into Succulents!

My track record with succulents is really bad. The culprit has always been overwatering. I just can't ignore my plants! My doctor told me to keep hydrated, so I feel my plants also need to be hydrated! You can't imagine the torture I felt when I was away on vacation. Anyway, together with the pothos my friend gave me were succulents. Her bilin was to re-pot them so they can grow properly. 

Kalanchoe pinnata also known as the mother of thousands/millions

I looked at the succulents and I honestly had no idea what they were called. I prioritized potting the pothos since I have experience taking care of pothos. I gave myself a few days before I sat down to re-pot the pots of succulents. First order of the day was to take their photo and use Google Lens to identify them. Then I did some research to understand what kind of soil they needed and how to take care of them.

Basically, the soil used for succulents is different from your regular plants. The soil has to drain well because succulent roots can rot easily if it's too wet. Rocks are usually put around the succulent to absorb more heat, prevent soil erosion and to stimulate root development. I didn't have these so I just ordered via Shopee. Good thing I ordered an extra set of small pots because I underestimated the number of kalanchoe pinnatas crammed in the pot. Here's how I re-potted them -

I must say the process of re-potting the succulents was both nerve-wracking and calming. The tiny plants looked so fragile and there were even tinier ones that the plant produced. I read that kalanchoe pinnatas are known also as the "mother of thousands". They grow babies at the edge of their leaves. These grow into new plants and they eventually fall and grow bigger. That's what I underestimated because there was a lot of babies on the soil when I removed it from the pot. 

I ended up using more than 10 pots. I read you should put it in indirect sunlight. I put half of them on the planter in the garage and the other half indoors. After a week I noticed that the pots in the garage seemed happier than the ones indoor. I moved the indoor plants nearer the front window where it's warmer. There was a number of babies I didn't want to cram in the pots so I just "threw" them in a pot with soil. They survived and are now growing nicely. I'll re-pot them properly when they're a bit bigger. 

Well, I hope they will survive because they will be good to give as gifts! I wasn't planning to buy plants for now, but I'm really happy Ate Rose gave me some plants to work on. Really hope I do better this time :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Lakwatsera Fridays: Happy Tummies in Bohol!

After almost three years, we finally had a proper family vacation! Our last vacay was in December 2019. We went to Bohol to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We felt bitin though and wanted to visit again. Sweetie had a travel fund that was about to expire so we decided to go back to Bohol. 

We picked up where we left off and chose a resort based on our trip goal. We just wanted to chill and relax. We didn't sign up for any of the local tours since we've done that in previous trips. We just wanted to breathe in fresh air and eat good food. 

I think we chose well since the resort has a strip of food places just beside it. The strip included our fam fave, Mooon Cafe, and we didn't need to go far to finally dine at Bohol Bee Farm. We were able to eat by the beach at Rojo Grill and Bar Restaurant and ate at the very instagrammable La Vara which was just across the resort. We only had room service once because we were so tired from swimming, haha. 

I have compiled the mouth watering meals we had in a vlog. We ate mostly in restos we could reach by foot. Only went out once to visit and dine at South Farm. Here's our happy tummy video. It shows how we gained 3-5 pounds each from our vacation. 

We were so happy how things were going, but felt bitin again. When the hotel said that our room was still available if we extended we took the plunge and extended one more night. That allowed us to swim to our hearts content. Will share about the place we stayed at next week! 

#BeKind #StaySafe