My Decluttering Journey Part 4

One of the biggest chunks of work I did, and am still doing, is decluttering my CDs and DVDs. My CDs can be categorized in two: commercial CDs (music and video) and personal CDs that contain photos and documents. I didn't have an external hard drive back then so when I needed to back-up my files and/or transfer them from one laptop to another, I would burn all my photos and personal documents into CDs (which I used to buy from CD-R King). I didn't want to just give these CDs away because someone might end up accessing whatever photos and files are in them. I decided I had to check the contents of each of these burned CDs and determine which ones contain photos and personal files and which ones didn't. The ones that do, I would keep for now. My friend Myna has a CD shredder so I can shred those CDs. Everything else I would just get rid of. The problem is, most laptops nowadays, including mine, don't have CD drives. As such, I had to buy a CD/DVD drive that I could then connect to my laptop. This would help me verify the contents of all my CDs.

My external CD/DVD drive

Now all this time, I believed that everything I burned into these CDs, I somehow transferred to my external hard drives and personal laptops. However, it turns out that I hadn't. As I was checking some of these CDs, I found photos that some of my friends shared with me in the past. Thank God I decided to check the contents of all my old personal CDs because it was like finding valuable treasures! Here's one photo that my friend David took of me in Seoul. We we on a business trip there at the time and it spanned a weekend so we got to go around. I don't even remember which place this was.

An old photo from one of my old CDs

I've already gotten through a lot of personal CDs and identified which ones I need to shred and which ones I can already toss out. That said, I still have a lot more personal CDs to go through so this is still a work in progress.

Now, onto my commercial CDs and DVDs. I'm a big music and movie fan and so over the decades, I amassed a pretty large collection of CDs and DVDs, which I kept in racks and in large CD and DVD cases that I purchased from Amazon. The thing is, I already ripped most of my CDs into my iPod (yes, I still have a working iPod and I still use it LOL) and since I can play music from my iPod in my car stereo by connecting them via Bluetooth, I haven't had any need to play any of my CDs in a really long time. As such, I got rid of almost all my CDs. I actually still kept some of them. For instance, my Elliott Yamin CD that he autographed when he visited Manila back in 2007.

I also got rid of a large chunk of my DVDs. Almost everything that is on Netflix or Disney+, I tossed out. I also tossed out movies that I enjoyed back in the day but realized I'm no longer interested in rewatching. (I actually purchased a lot of DVDs that were on sale because the sale price wasn't that much more expensive than a movie ticket so when I missed a movie that I wanted to see at the cinema and I saw a DVD of it on sale, I would sometimes buy the DVD.) I still actually kept a lot of my DVDs, particularly of movies that are not available on any of the streaming services that I subscribe to. These included my Meryl Streep collection that includes Sophie's Choice, Silkwood, and The French Lieutenant's Woman and my local films such as Himala, Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, and Ina, Kapatid, Anak. I also kept a couple of my animated films such as Kubo and the Two Strings and The Boxtrolls. I'm surprised these aren't being streamed since they are really good films!

My DVD case which contains all the DVDs I decided to keep

So what did I do with the CDs and DVDs I got rid of? Most of them, I gave to our helper. She sells a lot of stuff to junk shops and earns extra cash from it so she normally asks us to give her any stuff we no longer need. I also gave several DVDs and CDs to my brother because he said he had a friend who still watches DVDs and listens to CDs. (Note: if our helper told me that she didn't want the CDs and DVDs, I would have dropped them off at the e-Waste disposal drop-off points of The E-Waste Project in UP Diliman.)

Everything that I kept could fit in two large cases so that meant that I no longer needed all of my CD and DVD racks. Once again, our helper was the beneficiary of these because she took them from me. I'm not sure if she sold them or if she used them at home, but either way she hopefully gained some (a lot of?) benefit from them.

Getting rid of most of my CDs, DVDs, and my storage racks really did have a huge impact because they took up space at home, both physically and visually.

Sports Central Sale and New Sneakers

I am now the happy owner of a new pair of Nike Court Shot sneakers which I got on sale at the Sports Central Sale.

Nike Court Shot

I recently went to SM Megamall after work for some errands. While at the restroom, a security guard was on his radio and talking loudly enough for everyone else to hear him. He was asking someone about reserving a pair of shoes for him. We both headed out of the restroom at the same time so on the way out, I decided to ask him what was going on. He said there was a Sports Central sale at the Megatrade Hall on the 5th floor. He said that it officially opens the next day but it actually already started that day. He suggested that I check it out since there weren't many people yet, given that the sale hadn't officially begun. I had been wanting to get plain white sneakers for a while now so I thought this could be my chance.

Sports Central sale at SM Megamall

As it turned out, I did find a pair of plain white sneakers. They also cost a bit less than P3,000 which is quite inexpensive for Nike shoes. Luckily, I found the size I needed. Naturally, I decided to get them.

I also ended up getting an Adidas shirt that was also on sale at 50% off. I didn't really need a new shirt but it was a pretty nice shirt with colors and a design that I like and the discount was very compelling haha.

I don't normally go to the 5th floor of Megamall so I wouldn't have passed by this sale by chance. I'm really thankful that I ran into that security guard which allowed me to learn about this sale.

A Memorable Wedding in Tagaytay

Tagaytay is a beautiful city located just about 60 kilometers from Metro Manila that is a popular location for weddings in the Philippines. So when my friend and ex-colleague Pao got married, it isn't a surprise that he and his now-wife Alyssa decided to have their wedding in Tagaytay.

Pao and Alyssa get married

Actually, Pao and Alyssa are already married. They actually got married last year in the US where they now live (Pao moved there early last year). Since a lot of their family is still in the Philippines, they wanted to have a church wedding and a reception in the country so that they can celebrate their union with their family and friends here

Reception venue was Fernwood Gardens Tagaytay

The church ceremony was held in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. While I originally planned to go, I remembered that the last time I attended a destination wedding where the dress code for men was suits, I got soaked in sweat for a prolonged period of time and I ended up getting sick shortly after. Pao told me that the church was not air conditioned so I told him that I would just attend the reception because I couldn't risk getting sick again. (Yes, Tagaytay is cooler than Metro Manila most of the time but during the summer months, it gets pretty hot as well.)

The reception venue was Fernwoods Garden, which is near Breakfast at Antonio's. I didn't know there was a Fernwoods in Tagaytay; I only previously knew of Fernwood Gardens in Quezon City and Fernbrook Gardens in Alabang (and I had attended weddings at both these venues.) All these venues share the same design and style, making any of them a great choice for a wedding. Being in Fernwoods Tagaytay feels like you are in a fantasy, fairy tale forest. It really was lovely.

Fernwoods Garden Tagaytay

The venue was also very stunningly and elegantly decorated. As you enter, you are greeted by a beautiful display of the photos from Pao and Alyssa's wedding in the US.

Photos from Pao and Alyssa's wedding in the US

There was also a selfie op here, with a full-sized mirror enabling guests to take photos of themselves. Naturally, I did.

This wedding also featured one of the coolest ideas I've seen: a LEGO guest book. Instead of having attendees write a dedication along their names in a traditional guest book, we got to pick our own LEGO mini-figure, attach it anywhere on the board, and write our name underneath it. I loved this concept a whole lot!

Super cool LEGO wedding guest book!

The main reception area was absolutely gorgeous. It was grand and resplendent and tasteful and very festive and celebratory.

Reception area

I also loved the food. It was served buffet style and I think I ended up going back for seconds. I also thought the menu was really cute. Their fur-baby Chopper was left behind in the US so if he couldn't be here physically, then maybe by featuring him on the menu card, he could be here in spirit.

Dinner menu card

Pao and Alyssa also hired Bar on the Run to provide drinks that evening and these drinks were served in a really cool car!

Bar on the Run

I knew that Fernwood was also not air-conditioned so I made sure to bring my Jisulife, which I got as a gift for my birthday last year. It really was such a blessing to have. I wasn't the only one with that idea, though. Everyone else in my table had one of these portable electric fans.

Making use of my Jisulife

One of the most poignant moments that evening was the dance of Pao and his mom. It felt quite emotional, probably because Pao's dad passed away a couple of years ago. While his dad wasn't there, you could feel his presence and you could tell how much he is still loved, remembered, and revered by his family. Maybe a bit of the emotion is also because Pao lives in the US now so he doesn't get to spend a lot of time with his mom anymore. Whatever the reason, this dance really tugged at the heartstrings.

Mother and son dance

At some point that evening, everyone in the reception was asked to head out for the fireworks display. It was fantastic! (Also, since it was the evening already, it was very cool. In fact, it was a lot cooler outside the reception area than it was inside!)

Fireworks display

I also have to write about our table, which was a cornucopia of Pao's friends. I was the only one from the team that Pao and I were a part of in my previous company but there were also a couple of other people from that same company but from a different team. Also in our table were Pao's friends from online gaming and some of his roommates in Manila. You'd think that we would all have ended up not talking to each other and maybe just all being on our phones but somehow, everyone was really friendly and we clicked. By the end of the night, we were all talking with each other, sharing stories, and laughing as if we'd all known each other for a long time already. We clearly enjoyed each other's company because we ended up staying even past the end of the program. We were in fact the third to the last table to leave the party.

The party favors also deserve a mention as they were very special. Everyone got to take home two items. I got a jewelry box and a bottle of perfume! It was a pretty good scent too!

Wedding party favors

I'm really honored to have been invited to this wedding and I'm very happy that I attended. I got to see and catch up a bit with Pao, who I haven't seen since he left for the US, and I got to be there for him and his wife for this very special moment in his life.

*****

As is my usual practice, I stayed overnight in Tagaytay after the wedding since I didn't want a long drive late at night. Once again, I stayed at my go-to place: Lee Boutique Hotel.

Lee Boutique Hotel

After checking out very early the next day, my plan was to have breakfast at Charito's but it was Mother's Day so the parking was full! I went instead to my other go-to breakfast/brunch place: Bag of Beans Athena. Thankfully, I arrived when I did - which was around 8am - because shortly after that, all the tables were filled. I was so surprised that there were so many early morning people in Tagaytay that weekend!

Breakfast Sampler at Bag of Beans Athena

I bought some barako coffee and raisin bread from Bag of Beans Athena before leaving. On my way back to Manila, I also got some ube jam and a few bottles of pickled mango from Good Shepherd. And of course buko pie from Cecilia's. It really was such a superb weekend.

Ika-35 Sampung Mga Daliri, atbp.

My family and I watched the Ika-35 Sampung Mga Daliri, atbp. of the Conservatory of Music of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). The main reason: my nephew was part of the Guitar Ensemble. I believe this musical event is staged every two years (except during the pandemic) and this year, it was held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

Ika-35 Sampung Mga Daliri, atbp.: Pagdiriwang ng Musikang Pilipino

This was actually a special year because it is the 80th anniversary of the UST Conservatory of Music. The theme: Pagdiriwang ng Musikang Pilipino.

The show included voice faculty, the UST Symphony Orchestra, the UST Wind Orchestra, the UST Jazz Ensemble, the UST Guitar Ensemble (which my nephew was a part of), the UST Rondalla, Coro Tomasino, Liturgikon, the Chorus class, the Music Theatre Ensemble with alumni, and other faculty and students of the UST conservatory of Music.

As always, what I love about Sampung Mga Daliri, atbp. is that it always features a fantastic repertoire. Because this year's theme was Pagdiriwang ng Musikang Pilipino, all the music played was local. One of my favorite segments was "Sa Dating Sinehan" which featured a medley of songs from Filipino movies. I wish there was a recording of it that I could watch again because it was beautiful and the song selection was topnotch.

My nephew was once again a performer at the show. He was also part of the 33rd and 34th shows but this year, he had a bigger role in that he actually performed twice. First, he played guitar together with the UST Guitar Ensemble as they shared the stage with the UST Rondalla to perform a lovely medley of Filipino folk songs. I loved this segment as well, not only because my nephew was performing, but also because I do love Filipino folk songs.

The UST Guitar Ensemble and the UST Rondalla playing Filipino folk songs

He then performed again in the grand finale. Wow! As I had written in past blog posts, he is a member of the Sibol Guitar Octet, which is the core performance group of the UST Conservatory of Music Guitar Ensemble. As such, their group played guitar in the closing segment of the Ika-35 Sampung Mga Daliri, atbp. The grand finale - Patriotic Medley - was very inspiring and uplifting as many artists and musicians shared the stage and performed many nationalistic Filipino songs, including the always powerful and evocative Bayan ko.

I managed to find my nephew among the performers on stage both times. It was really such a proud moment for our family! Not only did we get to enjoy incredible performances and beautiful music from the entire event but we got to appreciate the fact that my nephew was on stage, including at the grand finale. Awesome!

Grand finale: Patriotic medley

The show finished quite late in the evening and by then, almost all restaurants in Newport were closed. Thankfully, Brotzeit was still open. I've eaten at Brotzeit several times in the past but I think everyone else in my family hadn't yet. Thankfully, everyone enjoyed the food and my mom even said that it was great that we got to try German cuisine for a chance.

Congratulations to UST and to my nephew for a very successful ika-35 Sampung Mga Daliri!

Talisay The Garden Cafe

My friend Raych was in town so naturally, our group of friends met up for dinner one evening while she was in town. Raych asked us for suggestions of good places to eat in the Quezon city area and our friend Bett suggested that we try Talisay The Garden Cafe, a Filipino restaurant in Maginhawa. I'm glad we met up and ate here because it was the perfect venue to catch up with great friends over great food.

Talisay The Garden Cafe

Before I get to the food, I have to say that I loved the design of the place. Being named Talisay the Garden Cafe meant that there would be an al fresco dining area in the garden which was very lovely.

Al fresco dining in the garden

One side of the restaurant has high glass windows so people dining inside can still see and feel the garden vibe.

The main dining area is very spacious inside, with comfortable seating and a lot of space between tables.

And there is also another dining area at the back that can accommodate large groups. I love how they built this dining section around a tree that they protected with glass rather than cutting the tree down.

A tree at the back of the room

Now on to the food. We ordered on a lot of dishes that evening. The Lumpia Fresca (P280) was unique in that it had sauteed singkamas (or jicama) wrapped in an ube crepe and served peanut sauce. I don't think I've ever had lumpia with an ube-flavored wrap before so this was a first.

Lumpia Fresca

We also ordered the Croquetas (P350). These breaded fried potato croquettes are stuffed Jamon de Talisay.

Croquetas

Their Palabok Negra (P745) is their version of paella version but they replace rice with rice noodles. It is still cooked in squid ink sauce, giving it that black color, and has shrimp, squid, and smoked fish.

Palabok Negra

The Seafood Platter (P1250) had grilled swordfish steak, baked mussels, and Cajun spiced shrimp and having it on our table felt like we were in a fiesta.

Seafood Platter

I only recently got to try Chicken Pianggang (P460) - at Lore - and Talisay also has this Sulu dish on their menu. This grilled chicken cooked in burned spiced coconut sauce is really good!

Chicken Pianggang

Their Malunggay Pasta with Kohol (P420) is like their version of pasta. It is homemade fresh malunggay pasta with native escargot (or simply put, snails) and malunggay coconut cream sauce. It was really good.

Malunggay Pasta with Kohol

As if all that food wasn't enough, we still managed to find room for dessert. I ordered the Orange Cashew Cake. My friend tried this cake before and she said she really liked it although I did think that the orange soda flavor was a bit artificial. It was still enjoyable overall.

Orange Cashew Cake

My friends shared the Dark Chocnut Chocolate Cake...

Dark Chocnut Chocolate Cake

...and the Cassava Cheesecake. (I missed out on taking note of the prices of these cake slices).

Cassava Cheesecake

Talisay The Garden Cafe is a really great find. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a good place to eat in Quezon City, especially in the Maginhawa area. I would certainly love to eat here again.

Talisay The Garden Cafe
https://www.facebook.com/TalisayGardenQC/
Address: UP-Village, 44 Maginhawa, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101 Metro Manila
Phone: (02) 8293 9077

International Dance Day 2026

For the second year in a row, I watched a couple of International Dance Day shows at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. This year, I saw the Folk Dance gala night on Thursday and the street dance gala night on Friday. (I would have also wanted to watch the ballet performance on Saturday night but I had a conflict.)

I really love the Folk Dance gala. For me, there is something deeply evocative and soul-stirring whenever I see Filipino folk dances, especially when they are performed well. I enjoyed this year's show immensely as I did last year's. This time, I tried to get a program before the show started so I could better appreciate the dances being performed. However, there seemed to have been some printing issue and we were told that the programs would only be available during the intermission. So the moment we got to the intermission, I headed out and checked if the programs were there and indeed they were. I of course got a copy.

Curtain call of all the performers of the Folk Dance Gala

All of the dances were great! The show featured 11 performances from 10 groups (one group performed twice). Check out this next video for the highlights from the Folk Dance Gala:

 

video uploaded in YouTube by CPATOfficial

One of my favorite performances was from Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild. According to the program, "this dance is inspired by the culture of the Subanon people, portraying the journey from planting to a bountiful harvest." The finale of their performance was a spectacular dance that was like tinikling but on a more massive scale. There were multiple sets of dancers jumping skillfully between multiple sets of bamboo poles being clapped together, and these multiple sets of dancers and bamboo-clappers were moving across the stage and changing formations throughout the dance. My description doesn't do this performance any justice and I wish I could find a video of it. It was absolutely sensational dazzling to witness!

Musicians and Philippine instruments at the Folk Dance Gala

Another favorite of mine was the Philippine Normal University Kislap Sining Dance Troupe who performed a Muslim suite dance entitled "Bangsawan" which means nobility. This performance finished with singkil, which I always love seeing because of its drama, its power, and its impact. But the Pang-Apir, or graceful fan movements, was also extremely memorable. This dance had women in brightly colored outfits and vibrant fans dancing with very elegant and undulating movements. It was breathtaking to watch.

The next evening, I made my way to the Samsung Performing Arts Theater again, this time to watch the Street Dance Gala Night.

Curtain call of all the performers of the Street Dance Gala

You can check out the highlights here:

 

video uploaded in YouTube by CPATOfficial

There were a total of 9 groups that performed that evening. Unfortunately, there was no program. However, I did note down the name of every crew. They were, in order of performance: Vpeepz, Upeepz, Eleven 11, Armada, Mixed Nuts, UNRVLD, Femme MNL, Manoeuvres Ignite, and V3. The vibe of the street dance gala is different from the folk dance gala. For instance, cheering and applause during a dance is normal if not encouraged (in most other dances, applause is usually reserved after the performance). Once again, the dances were all fantastic. I loved the song selection that Mixed Nuts used in their number. My favorite performance may actually have been the first one from VPeepz, which had a chef/cooking theme. I loved everything about it! Apparently, this was the same routine they performed at the World of Dance Philippines 2026, for which they won first place. So I guess it makes sense that I loved it because the World of Dance Philippines judges did too. Here is a video of that performance:

 

video uploaded in YouTube by Official World of Dance

I'm really happy that I got to see a couple of gala nights from International Dance Day this year. Hopefully, this becomes an annual thing for me now.

Bonus: Tanaw-Laya Exhibit

While at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, I passed by an exhibit called Tanaw-Laya, the 2nd National Persons Deprived of Liberty Art Exhibition. All the pieces on display were created by persons deprived of liberty or PDL. (This phrase was coined to avoid the negative stigma attached to terms like prisoners or inmates and to ensure that their human dignity is kept intact.)

This exhibit was made possible by many sponsors and groups, including The Bagong Buhay Group of Artists or BAGA. This collective was founded by former persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and they use arts, such as painting and other crafts, and public exhibitions to help in the rehabilitation of PDLs.

I spent some time admiring the art here. I felt that every piece had a strong point of view. It made me wonder if the people who made them had created art before becoming PDLs or if they found their artist self through this journey of restorative justice. Either way, the paintings on exhibit were amazing.

Hopefully, art can be life-changing and truly rehabilitative for these  PDLs.