My first visit to Museo Pambata

For the first time in my life, I visited Museo Pambata.

Museo Pambata

The primary purpose of my trip here was to see Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit, an exhibit organized by Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) as a tribute to Robert Alejandro, one of their founding members who unfortunately passed away in 2024. My friend Jovan is part of Ang INK and one of her paintings was on display at this exhibit so I thought it would be nice to support her and Ang INK and see Museo Pambata for the first time, all in one go.

Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit

Before heading to the Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit exhibit, I visited the many different sections of the main museum first. I first saw Pamayanan. This room features important moments and milestones in Philippine history, such as the Galleon Trade. There's a replica of a galleon here and visitors can actually check out the different spices that were traded to the Philippines. Since I was alone, I had to ask of the museum workers to take a photo of me and she told me I can actually get on top of the galleon. Naturally, I did!

Galleon Trade display in the Pamayanan exhibit 

Pamayanan also gives guests an idea of what Old Manila looks like, with replicas of the Binondo Church, a kalesa, and the Meralco Tranvia which was the first electric railway in the Philippines.

Old Manila display at the Pamayanan exhibit

Next to Pamayanan is Karagatan, a vibrant exhibit of marine life with beautiful lighting. Did you know that you can find more than 3,000 different species of fish in our Philippine coral reefs? Or that the Philippines is the top exporter of cultivated seaweed and carrageenan globally? I didn't, but thanks to my visit here, I now do!

Karagatan exhibit

Himig features many different local and indigenous musical instruments, such as gangsa from the Cordilleras and the Ifugao bangibang.

Gangsa (left) and Bangibang (right) at the Himig exhibit

Habi showcases many different textiles and weaving techniques and styles across the country, with many woven fabrics on display.

Habi exhibit featuring Philippine textiles and weaving techniques

There were many more rooms, including those on the second floor. I went through all of them, getting to enjoy the many different exhibits that were designed for kids but can still be fully appreciated by adults. I realized that Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit was actually not in the main building but at the Balay Yatu Mini Gallery, which is a separate building on the Museo Pambata grounds. It's in the same building as Merienda Cafe. (I actually wanted to relax here for a bit and enjoy some coffee but apparently, the cafe was closed to guests since it was reserved for a private event that same day.)

Merienda Cafe and Balay Yatu Mini Gallery

As Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit was a tribute to founding Ang INK member Robert Alejandro, there were many photos of him and of the work he did, sharing his love and talent for art to kids. There were also write-ups of his life story.

Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit exhibit was a tribute to Robert Alejandro

Many beautiful artworks of Ang INK were also on display. I also found the piece created by my friend Jovan so I obviously had to take a photo of it.

Artworks by Ilustrador ng Kabataan

Before I left Museo Pambata, I also took a photo of the cute helicopter on the museum grounds.

Helicopter on the Museo Pambata grounds

I spent about half a day here, appreciating all the exhibits and art on display. It was a really lovely way to spend a day and I'm really happy that I have finally gotten to visit and experience Museo Pambata.

Colorful display at Museo Pambata

Museo Pambata
https://www.museopambata.com.ph/
Address: Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive, Ermita, Manila
Opening Hours: Fri and Sat 10AM to 5PM, Sunday 1 to 5PM

Loc&Stor 24/7 Secure Self-Storage

I am now a proud customer of Loc&Stor 24/7 Secure Self-Storage.

Loc&Stor 24/7 Secure Self-Storage Makati Urban Street Branch

As I wrote in my previous post, I rented a small storage unit to kickstart my decluttering journey. There were several reasons why I ended up availing of the services of Loc&Stor. First, when I did an online search for storage units in Metro Manila, it was the first hit. Of course, being the first hit during an online search doesn't necessarily mean that the service is going to be good. However, a friend told me that he used Loc&Stor in Makati Urban Street before and he recommended it to me.

Another big plus for me was that all their storage units, at least in their Makati Urban Street branch, were on the ground floor. Other storage places I checked out had multiple floors and in some cases, lockers were stacked up on top of each other, which meant that you had to lift some of your stuff off the ground to load into that higher-level locker. I wanted a storage space that was on the ground floor and that didn't require me to lift up any of my stuff. Loc&Stor also has a couple of platform trolleys that you can borrow to help you move your things from your vehicle to your storage unit and back.

I ended up renting a small climate-controlled unit at their Makati Urban Street branch because I felt it would be the most convenient location for me. This branch has a decent-sized parking lot that can accommodate about 6 vehicles. I wasn't originally planning on getting an air-conditioned storage space but it was the smallest and cheapest one available when I rented. In the end, I figured that a climate-controlled unit would actually be good because I could store my stuff in better conditions, including a couple of my board games. (One of my friends who has lots of board games has unfortunately experienced having mold or mildew grow on some of her games that weren't kept in a regularly air-conditioned area.)

The security at Loc&Stor is also pretty good. Customers set up an access code that they need to use to enter the storage area. Yes, even if there is a guard on duty, you will need to enter your code. This allows the administration office to keep track of which renters go in and when. Their office's operating hours which is 8am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday and outside of this schedule, they lock the main gate for more security. However, there is always a guard on duty, so if you go there in the late evening or on a Sunday, the guard will open the gate for you.

I booked my storage unit at a time when they had a year-end promo: rent 2 months and get the 3rd month for free. I wasn't sure yet how many months I need but I knew I needed at least three months. Naturally, I availed of this promo. 

I have now been here a couple of times and I'm very happy with my rented storage space. Which I guess is not surprising since Loc&Stor has been awarded by the Self-Storage Awards Asia as the Multi-site Operator Store of the Year in the Philippines from 2022 to 2026. If you are looking for storage rental in Metro Manila, I highly recommend Loc&Stor.

Loc&Stor 24/7 Secure Self-Storage
https://www.locnstor247.com/
Locations and contact info: https://www.locnstor247.com/locations/
Storage unit sizes and types: https://www.locnstor247.com/storage-unit/storage-unit-sizes-and-types/#sizes 

My Decluttering Journey Part 1

Many people who live in the same small space over a long time will relate to this: at some point, there won't be enough space. After you, you keep amassing more and more stuff.  It doesn't help that among the many things I started purchasing were board games - and I have acquired a whole lot of them in the last decade - and these all take up a heck of lot of space.

The challenge I now faced was that with so much stuff at home, I didn't have enough space to look through and sort all my stuff to determine what items I should keep and which ones I should get rid of. While I have made some attempts in the past to do this, I could only ever get rid of a fraction of what I have at home.

I felt that the only way I could really, truly declutter was to rent a storage space. I could move out a large chunk of my stuff there as I slowly decluttered. It isn't cheap but this was really my best option if I wanted to have a much better, more relaxed, and safer environment at home without accidentally throwing out something I want to keep. I did some research online and I asked some friends and I decided to get a small storage unit at Loc&Stor (I will write more about this in my next post). With this storage rental, I have now started my most ambitious attempt at decluttering in my life to date.

My Loc&Stor storage space rental

Once I got my storage unit, I moved a lot of my stuff into it immediately. As soon as I did this, I felt the extra space at home. Great! For the first time, I felt like I could actually make a significant dent in my decluttering efforts.

I started to toss stuff out that I knew I didn't need and that didn't have any sentimental value. And boy did I have tons of it. I also finally found my set of screwdrivers that I had been looking for years. I found a large stack of brown envelopes and folders that I had set aside many years ago because I felt that I would be able to still use them. Over time, I forgot I still had those. In fact, when I needed envelopes and folders recently, I bought some haha. If there is anything I learned from this, it is that if you can't use something soon, no matter how useful it may be, you may as well toss is out or give it to someone who needs it because over time, you will almost certainly forget you have them.

I also let go of a lot of my clothes. This was hard because a lot of clothes I have, I still like and I still wear. Like the orange collared shirt that I bought from Uniqlo in Tokyo which is a bit too tight for me now as I have gained a lot of weight since my Japan trip. However, the need to make more space at home was a lot more important and if I gave my clothes away, other people would benefit. So I did. (I actually gave that orange shirt to my brother who is thinner than me and I already saw him wear it!)

My fearless forecast is that my decluttering journey will take several months, not only because I have lots of stuff but also because for some of the activities I need to do, I need loads of time. But I am really motivated to finally do this well. Wish me luck!

Ramen Ron

I finally got to try Ramen Ron in Rockwell. In fact, I got to try it twice.

Ramen Ron in Rockwell, Makati

Ramen Ron made waves recently after being included in the Michelin Selected list among restaurants in the Philippines. If I understand correctly, Ramen Ron used to be Ukokkei Ramen, which I had tried once before, in the early 2010s. While many people told me back then that the ramen there was really good, I thought it was just okay. But when the opportunity to dine at Ramen Ron presented itself, I gave it a go. I ordered the Ukokkei Shoyu Chashu Ramen, with a side of gyoza. While I thought it was good, I felt that Mendokoro's shoyu ramen was much better.

Ukokkei Shoyu Chashu Ramen

However, shortly after that, some of my friends said they wanted to try Ramen Ron so it gave me a chance to try something else on the menu. I remembered one thing I heard from my friends a long time ago about Ukokkeoi, that their best ramen is actually the Tantanmen. So on this subsequent visit to Ramen Ron and I ordered their Tantanmen. Thankfully, I did, because it was really good! While it has a spicy soup base, it isn't too hot. This, for me, is up there in terms of my favorite ramen dishes in Metro Manila. It made me understand why and how Ramen Ron could be classified as Michelin Selected.

Tantanmen

I now look forward to revisiting Ramen Ron and enjoying their Tantanmen again. It really is very highly recommended.

Ramen Ron
https://www.facebook.com/ramenron.ph/
https://www.instagram.com/ramenron.ph/
Address: Rockwell Center, Ground Floor, Edades Tower, Amorsolo Dr, Makati City, Metro Manila
Phone: 0917 628 7245

An Amazing Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz just made history by winning the Australian Open. He defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the finals. He had already previously won each of the other major titles so winning the Australian Open completes his set. He achieved this at the age of 22 years and 272 days, making him the youngest person to achieve the career Grand Slam.

History 🏆

Career slam complete, take a bow @carlosalcaraz 🇪🇸@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/pd7ye35TTq

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2026

This is also the first time in his massively illustrious career that Novak Djokovic lost an Australian Open final. In fact, before this year, he had not lost a single semifinal or final that he played. That record was under threat in the semifinal when he faced Jannik Sinner but he managed to overcome a 2 sets to 1 deficit to snap a 5-game losing streak to the Italian. His triumph prevented a fourth consecutive Alcaraz-Sinner major final. It's amazing to think that even at 38 years old, Djokovic is still better than almost everyone else on the ATP tour.

Since we are talking about records and history, I thought I'd share these bits of trivia. I would like to add that while Carlos Alcaraz eclipsed the record previously held by Don Budge, Don actually won the Grand Slam in 1938, winning all majors in the same year. He was the first person, male or female to do so. Rod Laver was 24 years old when he achieved the career Grand Slam but he did it all in the same year as well - 1962 - making him the second man to win the Grand Slam. In fact, Rod Laver remains to be the only player to have won two Grand Slams, first in 1962 and then again in 1969. Many women also achieved their career grand slams at a younger age, including Maureen Connolly and Steffi Graf, both of whom won the Grand Slam at ages 18 and 19 respectively.

On the women's side, Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to win her first Australian Open title. This also marks her second major title, adding to her Wimbledon trophy back in 2022. Elena seemed to be struggling for the most part of 2025 but she found her form close to the end of the year, winning the WTA finals. She managed to remain at that level in Melbourne, where she only dropped one set in the entire tournament (and only to Sabalenka in the final). Hopefully, this second Grand Slam title gives her greater confidence and a stronger championship mettle to help her win more majors.

Exceptional. Elite. Elena 👑

Elena Rybakina is the 2026 Australian Open CHAMPION 🏆 pic.twitter.com/bHuSk06dop

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2026

Congratulations, Carlos and Elena!

My New Yeye Calderon Painting

My art journey continues with my new painting entitled Glum City, created by Wilfredo "Yeye" Calderon.

Glum City by Yeye Calderon

I actually got it before 2025 ended but it is only now that I got to write about it. It all started last September. I was in Megamall one day and I decided to pass by the galleries on the 4th floor to take a look at the art on display. One of the galleries, Artasia, had an exhibit featuring watercolor paintings from Yeye Calderon. Many of his pieces had bright, bold colors so even from afar, it caught my attention so I went in for a closer look. Interestingly enough, while the works with vibrant hues are what drew me in, it was his Glum City painting that truly captivated me.

I think it is because it feels very mysterious. It makes me wonder what the story behind it is. It is mostly dark but at the lower right corner, there's a couple standing underneath a red umbrella. What was that about? Was it meant to convey hope, that even in the bleakest environment can come a little light? Or was it meant to convey love, that two people in love will always shine brightly no matter where they are? Furthermore, the dark colors and the gorgeous brush strokes of this piece really spoke to me.

The thing  is, I saw this painting before I took my family to Taiwan so I didn't get it immediately since I was saving up for that trip. I thought to myself that maybe I can get it later on. I visited Megamall two more times after that first visit and each time, I passed by Artasia to look at that painting again. Each time I did, it reinforced my belief that I really wanted to acquire it. On my fourth visit in December, the gallery consultant, who at that point already recognized me and knew which piece I was interested, told me that I had looked at that painting so many times already so I should get it. And he was right. I knew that if someone else ends up buying that piece before I did, I would deeply regret it. So I am now the proud owner of Glum City from Yeye Calderon and I'm very happy about it.

Post-Christmas Catch-ups

For the second year in a row, my family and I had Sunday brunch at the Peninsula Manila. We do this for a several reasons. First, I have Manila Pen membership and one of my vouchers gives me 50% off on Sunday brunch at Escolta. Second, it's nice to get the family out once in a while and enjoy a lavish spread of delicious food in a lovely setting. Third, celebrating like this towards the end of the holiday season feels like the best time to do it. We get to avoid the craziness of Yuletide rush but it still feels very festive. In fact, the Manila Pen lobby was still beautifully decorated with Christmas decor. And finally, my nephew's birthday is also around this time so we get to have two celebrations in one.

Peninsula Manila lobby

As always, the food at the buffet was grand. Also, the dessert spread still had a holiday vibe. There were gingerbread houses with Santa and Christmas trees. There was panetonne, which is bread from Italy that is traditionally enjoyed during Christmas and New Year. And there was trifle, a traditional holiday dessert from the UK. I really loved the trifle. Actually, I loved our entire meal. We were all stuffed by the end of our Sunday brunch and it was great to be able to start 2026 with a bountiful feast.

Dessert spread at the Sunday brunch buffet at Escolta

I also got to catch up with my friends. For the first time in a while, I had dinner at Florabel in Estancia for post-Christmas dinner. My friend Pia always goes home to the province during the holiday season so we don't often get to see her during the Christmas get-together of our set of friends. As such, we normally meet up in January when she's back in Manila. It was also a pleasant surprise that our friend Celle joined us that evening. It's been years since I last hung out with Celle so it was great to catch up with her too.

Dinner at Florabel in Estancai

I then met up with my ex-teammates over dinner at Lugang Cafe. I randomly saw an ad on social media that said that elite BDO card holders can get 50% off at Lugang Cafe. Michelle had one, so we agreed to have dinner there before the promo ended. I actually also hadn't been to Lugang Cafe in ages but I have always loved the food here so I should try to eat here more often. I should definitely keep an eye out on their annual feast-all-you-can promo.

Finally, I got to have a couple of board game nights. I have two regular groups but there are five people that are in both of them, including Jovan who celebrated her birthday this month. For our first board game night of the year, we asked her what cake she wanted and she said she wanted Avocado Cheesecake from Lia's Cakes in Season. Unfortunately, we made a bit of a mistake in that we incorrectly ordered the Avocado Cake instead. We kinda felt bad that Jovan didn't get exactly what she wanted but since she would also be in that second board game night of the month, we got her an Avocado Cheesecake then. This also served as our post-Christmas get-together because this second board game group didn't get to meet up in December due to badly conflicting schedules. It really was great that we got to have a double celebration and enjoy a great cake along with it.

Loss

My Uncle Cesar passed away. (He's actually the brother of my grandfather but we call him uncle.) It happened right before 2025 ended. I actually saw him earlier last year, when his wife Auntie Lily was about to celebrate her 99th birthday. Since my mom and I couldn't attend the party which was scheduled over lunch on a weekday, we decided to visit them at home and spend some time with them to catch up. Uncle Cesar didn't seem sick at the time. In fact, he was quite energetic and he talked to us about all the work he was still planning to do. It was very impressive that his mind was still very sharp and that he was still doing consulting work at his age. It is quite sorrowful that we lost him shortly before the New Year but it is also great that he lived up to the incredible age of 98. My family and I went to the wake right after Christmas. It was such a shame that I got to see many of my relatives under such unfortunate circumstances during the Christmas season but I guess that's how life goes.

Then shortly after New Year, the fathers of two of my dear college friends passed away. My friend Val lives abroad but she came home recently because her dad was in critical condition. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. His wake was held a few days after his passing at della Strada Parish. Then a few day later, more bad news: my friend Letlet also lost her dad. His wake was held at Mt. Carmel. Both wakes overlapped and I ended up going to both wakes on the same night. I was told it was bad luck to do this but I don't really believe in that and I felt it was more important for me to show support to my friends Val and Letlet. Their husbands, Louie and Alan, are actually also part of our college group of friends, so I was there to support them both as well.

May Uncle Cesar, Tito Red, and Tito Gaudencio all rest in peace.

Celebration at Chef Jessie

What a wonderful way to spend the weekend. I joined my friend Jenny at Chef Jessie in Rockwell as she celebrated her milestone birthday. 

Dinner at Chef Jessie for Jenny's milestone birthday

Guests were asked to be there by 6pm so that everyone would have time to settle down because the party would start promptly at 630pm. And indeed it did! My friend Anna and I got there at about 630pm and as we arrived, the opening prayer had started. We made our way to our table - we were seated with many of our other high school batchmates - just as dinner was about to be served. Chef Jessie is known for great food so we really enjoyed our dinner. And because I shared a table with high school friends, many of whom I don't get to talk to very frequently anymore, the night felt like a bit of a reunion.

After dinner, the program started. There were speeches from several people from all parts of Jenny's life: family, high school and college friends, colleagues, and choir mates. Everyone shared such awesome and amazing stories of Jenny, which wasn't a surprise because I know how great a person she is. Then we got to the musical portion of the evening. Jenny is an incredible singer; she was part of a well-renowned choir in college and is now part of another topnotch choir. Interestingly enough, her son also sings. He entertained the guests by singing while playing the guitar. He then had a very lovely duet his mom. Then Jenny, who is a classically trained singer, regaled us with several songs that were all quite difficult to sing and require a high degree of vocal proficiency. Her solos were very impressive. Finally, she joined her choir as they closed out the night with fine music and incredible voices. It's not every night you get to attend a milestone birthday celebration that turns into a veritable concert.

Beautiful music from an amazing choir

It truly was a beautiful evening, filled with great food and wine, exceptional musical performances, and great conversations with friends that continued even after the program ended. Definitely one for the books. It really was an honor to have been part of this very special and memorable evening. Happy birthday, Jenny!

New Stuff, New Experiences

I have new plates. Swanky Plates. Last year, my family had dinner at La Latina and our dinner was served over these really cool plates that had very interesting animal designs on them. I decided to get my mom a couple of these plates for Christmas. I then also decided that, even if I didn't need them, I could get one for myself haha. As luck would have it, there was a bit of a problem with the availability and the shipment schedule of my order. I shared my concerns to Swanky Plates that this delay would mean that I wouldn't be able to give them as a gift to my mom in time for Christmas. They managed to send me the plates right before the 25th but because the delay meant that I couldn't properly prepare the plates as a Christmas present, they sent me a couple of extra plates as an apology. I decided to give one of the extra plates to my mom and keep one for myself. As such, I now have two Swanky Plates: the Matador Bull (which I ordered)...

Matador Bull Swanky plate

...and the Lioness Rockstar which they gave to me for free. Cool! (You also know you are old - or well, older - when new plates make you excited hahaha.) There are 16 different designs so if you are interested, you can order them from this link: https://swankyplates.pickup.ph/.

Lioness Rockstar Swanky plate

I also got to try a new place: Ossam at Food Choices in Glorietta 4. Apparently, the main branch is in BGC. I ordered their Yangneom chicken set with teokbokki and kimchi and while I knew this set would already be quite heavy, I also really wanted to try their cheese ramyeon so I ended up ordering both. Needless to say, I was really full after dinner haha. The food was pretty good too.

Ossam in Glorietta Food Choices

Finally, a first for me: I won Terraforming Mars! I've played this game so many times in the past, both physically and online (via the virtual Steam version) but I had never won it before. We actually hadn't played it in a long while - I'm guessing the last time we did was before the pandemic - but my board game group felt that it should hit the table again. And for the first time in my life, I won it! Cool.

My first ever win at Terraforming Mars

What a year 2025 was

It's time for my annual review of the previous year. 2025 was absolutely incredible. For the first time in a really long time, I went on two trips. I took my family to Taiwan where we had an absolute blast getting to see Taipei (including Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall), Jiufen, Shifen, Yelhiu Geopark, and Taichung. I also went on my first business trip since 2018 - and my first international one since 2009 - to Gold Coast in Australia. Interestingly enough, it was also my first time to both these countries, giving me an opportunity to see a bit more of the world.

There were also lots of great moments with family. One of my nephews graduated from college and I got to watch my other nephew perform twice, first during the Kaliwa't Kanang Kalabitan event at St. Scho and then again at the Natividad et Familia Christmas concert of the UST Guitar Department. Uncle Albert celebrated his 88th birthday. Tito Erwin and Tita Maritie celebrated the 50th anniversary of their wedding. I attended the first birthday of Andrei, who is the grandson of my cousin. I took my family to enjoy afternoon tea at the Manila Pen lobby. My mom and I visited the Ramon Magsaysay Library before enjoying afternoon coffee at Diamond Hotel. And of course my family had our wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations. These are only the ones I wrote about but of course there were many more. 

Last year was also filled with art, both visual and performance. Aside from the guitar shows where one of my nephews performed, my mom and I also got to watch Dionne Warwick's concert One Last Time in Manila. We watched Don Quixote staged by Ballet Manila at the Aliw Theater. We also saw two galas - ballet and folk dance - of the International Dance Day celebration at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. We I got to see a few art exhibits - Of Grit and Steel at the Ayala Museum, the Ortigas Art Festival at Greenhills Mall, and Manuel Baldemor's European Journey of Discovery. I also started on my art collecting journey, acquiring a couple of Manuel Baldemor artworks from Art Circle Gallery and a couple of Pancho Piano pieces from Nami Art Gallery. I haven't been able to write about this yet but before 2025 ended, I also purchased a Yeye Calderon painting from ArtAsia in Megamall. Since I started on my art journey, I have also started to pay more attention to art on display everywhere - in lobbies, hallways, hotel rooms, and many other places - and I feel that this has made me a lot more appreciative of the beauty that surrounds me.

I also got to spend a lot of time with my friends. I attended the wedding of my friend Michelle in Pico de Loro (which was also my first time there). I spent a weekend in Punta Fuego at the beach house of my friend and we got to play lots of board games and eat great food. I attended the first All Aboard Expo sa QC. I got to try a few rooms at Mystery Manila and that was lots of fun. Then of course there were the many board game nights and the many brunches, lunches, and dinners I had with friends.

Speaking of, I had several great dining and food-and-drink experiences. I wrote about most of the places that I got to try for the first time: Lusso, Dohtonbori, Crepe Glazik, Sourdough, Mixue, Mamacita, Made Nice, La Latina, Bolero, and Sicilian Roast. I also wrote about a few places I had been to before: Prologue and Aperitif. I also got to eat again at a couple of places that I hadn't been two in ages: Trellis and Little Tokyo.

Work was tremendously busy last year so I went on a couple of staycations for some me-time: once at Dusit Thani and then at New World. That said, I didn't get a chance to read a single book the entire year. Considering that I have a couple dozen books that I haven't read yet, I need to make sure I carve out enough time to read again this year.

It wasn't all happy memories though. My Uncle Albert passed away. We also lost Wolf, our family dog who passed on after being with us for almost 14 years. I also haven't written about this yet because it happened just right before the New Year but Uncle Cesar, who is the brother of my grandfather (dad's side) also passed away.

Writing a blog on a somewhat regular basis takes a lot of effort but I still do it because it helps remind me of my experiences and sometimes, I also get to read something that I have completely forgotten about. So after more than 20 years - and yes, I celebrated my blog's 20th anniversary last year - I continue to write. Hopefully, I can keep doing this for many more years.

Happy New Year and Welcome, 2026!

Happy New Year everyone!

I love the Christmas-New Year holiday season because for me, it is always centered on family. On Christmas Day, my family and I heard mass before visiting my mom's sister and celebrating Christmas dinner with our relatives. (I also have to say that I finally got to watch KPop Demon Hunters on Christmas Eve.) On New Year's Day, we all heard anticipatory mass in the late evening at our neighborhood church and we celebrated together at home. 

I also "ordered" a couple of dishes from our family friend Snooky, including her exceptionally good molo. Snooky and her family lived right next to my grandparents before my grandmother moved in with us and sold their house (they actually still live there now). Snooky and her family shared their molo recipe with us, and for decades, our long-time family helper Mama Guading would prepare it during family celebrations at home. When Mama Guading passed away, we no longer got to enjoy her molo. But a few years ago, when my grandmother was still alive, she ordered molo and lumpia from Snooky for my brother's birthday. I then realized we could still enjoy this very special dish. Because of that, in the last couple of years during Christmas, I "ordered" molo and lumpia from Snooky (I say "ordered" because she absolutely refuses to let me pay for them so I just give her and her family other gifts and treats as a thank you). This year, we had it for New Year. For me, tthis dish is Michelin-star worthy, with an spectacularly delicious broth and molo dumplings that are bursting with meat and shrimp. I have to say, it really is the best molo I have ever had.

Snooky's molo

I'm really thankful that I got to celebrate the holiday season filled with love and family. Hopefully, this awesome start of the year can continue throughout 2026.