Quarantine Stories Part 3

One of the things I've managed to do recently is to exercise at home. And by exercise, I mean a proper one that leaves me drenched in sweat and completely spent after each workout. I've been meaning to exercise at home since the quarantine started but it was only when a friend suggested that I use the Down Dog app that I was able to really do it regularly. I was actually a bit hesitant at the start because I wasn't sure a paid app would be much better than readily available youube workout videos. However, Down Dog came with what I think was a free trial (either that or it was free to use until June 14) so I said I could try it out and if I didn't like it, I could just stop.

Down Dog: https://hiit.downdogapp.com/

As it turned out, this suite of workout apps is perfect for me. I first downloaded Down Dog HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). You can select the workout level for your upper body, lower body, and core and how long you want your session to be. What's really good about this app is that each workout is really different from the next. This keeps things interesting because I am always curious to see what kind of exercises will make up my next workout. Also, whenever I have to do a really difficult exercise, I always wait for that same exercise to pop up in a future workout session so I can see whether I can do it better. Down Dog HIIT also does a good job in balancing difficulty during a workout session. Sometimes, after a couple of really tough exercises where I feel I can't do anymore, it'll throw in a really easy one that helps me rest a bit more and regain my breath. This app has really helped me exercise about 4-6 times a week in the last month and I hope I can sustain this.

After a couple of weeks, I started using the Down Dog Yoga app as well. I shied away from it at the start because I am terribly inflexible but then I realized that my lack of flexibility is the best reason to start doing yoga. My workout routine now usually starts out with an HIIT session (usually 20 minutes) followed by a yoga session (usually 10 minutes).

Another bonus about using the Down Dog app is that at the end of your workout, you can take a look at the music that was played during your session. I've added several songs in my Spotify playlists based on the music I heard while exercising. Cool!

Oh and I had to buy a yoga mat. I had to get one because during my first HIIT workout, during which time I still didn't have a mat, I needed to do one arm side push-ups which meant that my hips were on the floor. Let me tell you, it really hurt! I think both my hips were bruised after that workout and I decided immediately that I needed a yoga mat. Gotta say, it has really helped. And now that I am also doing yoga (albeit very poorly LOL), I have no regrets with my purchase.

Obviously, my free trial with Down Dog has expired so I've had to pay for it already (thankfully, you just need to pay for the entire Down Dog suite; you don't have to pay for the individual apps). I decided to pay for a full year because it costs about half of what it would cost if I pay per month over 12 months. I also got a 33% discount because I paid for it through their website (rather that via Google Play). I was a bit worried paying for the app on the website because I wasn't sure how secure my credit card payment would be but some friends suggested I create a Paypal account, link my credit card to it, and use that to pay. I now have a Paypal account, another first for me during this quarantine.

A couple of other firsts:

I got to try ube pandesal. These were pretty good, made even better with a cup of coffee!

I also finally got to try Aguila Corned Beef!

When the quarantine started, I searched online for recommendations on the best corned beef and Aguila was suggested a lot, along with Highlands Gold and yes, even Purefoods. These last two are readily available at the supermarket but Aguila wasn't. It was only three months after the quarantine started that I finally saw it in the supermarket shelves so I made sure to get a few of them. Thankfully, it lived up to the hype. (I also think Highlands Gold and Purefoods Corned Beef are pretty good, too. I still alternate these three brands. :))

Cooking in the Time of Covid

One of the things I've been forced to do during the pandemic-driven quarantine is cook. I don't really cook because (1) the effort to prepare food, cook it, and wash dishes, pots, and pans after is such a pain, especially when you are just cooking for one, and (2) I'm crap at it LOL. In fact, before ECQ started, I was starting to lament the fact that I spent a lot of money on cooking equipment, cookware, knives, and cookbooks that I never really got to use. That is, until recently.

A few years ago, I bought a cookbook called QuickCook One Pot where all recipes can be cooked in just one pot. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that most of the recipes in it required an oven which I didn't have. I looked through all the recipes and the one that seemed simplest to cook was this fancy sounding French-style Chick Stew with Tarragon. As a first attempt, I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken, carrots, and potatoes were all well-cooked (I did stew them for 30 minutes or maybe more). However, I made the stupid and horrible mistake of adding 500mL of white wine when the recipe just called for 50mL!!! As such, the broth didn't taste good at all hahaha. I still ate everything but I did toss out most of the broth. :)

My next two attempts were for recipes that were also in the cookbook. There was a recipe for Chicken Saute with Peas, Lettuce, and Tarragon but there wasn't any lettuce at the supermarket so I substituted it with broccoli. This was miles better than my first cooking attempt.

I also cooked Linguine with Creamy Chicken Carbonara. This turned out quite well too.

However, I am not sure if I undercooked the chicken (I'm almost certain I didn't) or if it was the egg or the sour cream I used in the carbonara but after eating these dishes, I ended up having very bad stomach problems that forced me to go on sick leave for a couple of days. I had a couple of servings of pasta at that point but I decided to throw everything out. I also avoided cooking for a while after that.

My next cooking attempt was pork giniling. My friends shared their recipes with me. However, I badly underseasoned my first attempt. It looked very unappetizing and worse, it tasted like boiled meat hahaha.

I was so unhappy with that attempt that I decided to try and cook it again, but this time with tomato sauce. I was planning to use soy sauce but I had an extra beef cube so I decided to use that instead. My second attempt still lacked salt but it didn't look as pale but more importantly, it tasted so much better!

I also tried Cacio e Pepe. I saw Jamie Oliver prepare this on his cooking show and it had only three ingredients - spaghetti, freshyl grated Pecorino cheese, and freshly ground pepper - so I thought it would be easy to do. As it turned out, my version was not bad.

Finally, a friend of mine shared her recipe for Ragu alla Bolegnese. She told me that it took her a couple of hours to cook this sauce but since the recipe calls for red wine, she would drink some of the  wine while chopping and cooking to make the experience more enjoyable. I decided to get a really good bottle of wine for this (I got the youngest Matsu) and I followed my friend's recommendation to have wine while cooking. The result: t was a tad salty - I put in two beef cubes when I should have put just one - and a bit too dry but it was really delicious and had the most complex flavor of everything I had cooked so far. I would say that this was the best dish I have cooked so far and I certainly plan to make it again soon. And my friend was right, drinking wine while preparing this slow-cooked pasta sauce made the overall cooking experience more relaxing and enjoyable. :)

I also cooked mustard pork chops, a recipe I discovered almost two decades ago, but I can't seem to cook it as well as I did when I discovered it back in around 2001. Maybe I need to use a non-stick pan or marinate the pork chops in dijon mustard a lot longer.

Aside from these dishes, I also cook breakfast almost every morning. I alternate corned beef (I often use Purefoods but I also discovered Highlands Gold which is pretty good too),

luncheon meat (Korean brand "No Brand" was sold at a promo for a while so I tried it and it tasted like Spam. Unfortunately, it isn't on promo anymore and the ones I see now are priced quite high. As such, I often get Spam with 25% less Sodium),

and bacon (I've been cooking CDO Premium uncured bacon). My first attempt was an absolute disaster because I cooked at a very high temperature and I generated so much smoke that my smoke detector was triggered (thankfully, the sprinkler didn't automatically spray water all over my unit!). My friends recommended that I cook at a medium-low heat. I've been doing this ever since and I am so much happier with the results.

My friends also suggested that when I buy lots of vegetables, I should try to blanche them as soon as possible then stick them in the freezer. When I am ready to eat them, I can just re-blanche or microwave them. This helps keep the vegetables as fresh as possible (if you keep them in the vegetable bin for a few to many days, they lose their freshness pretty quickly). My friends also suggested that I eat my blanched veggies with a drizzle of sesame oil and some salt and pepper.

I also recently discovered King Merbi Free Range Brown Eggs. They are about 50% more expensive than caged eggs but I decided to buy these because the farm they are from treat the chickens much more humanely (they are free range and not caged). Apparently, free range eggs tend to be a lot healthier than caged eggs too.

Other kitchen and food preparation experiences:

• I've been using my previously unused oven toaster everyday now.
• I bought a wooden spoon for cooking and a cheese grater.
• For the first time since I was a kid, I cooked Knorr soups, specifically Nido and Cream of Mushroom (I gotta say, these really are good, flavorful soups that are very easy to prepare).
• I've burned fingers a couple of times.
• I'm seriously contemplating getting a non-stick pan.
• I bought an espresso maker that works on induction stoves. I bought it because coffee filters were out of stock at the supermarket for a couple of weeks so I needed a way to make coffee without filters. I've been using my espresso maker about 4-5 times a day (don't worry, I only drink one proper coffee a day; the rest of the cups I have are decaf).

I'm still a crap cook and I still don't enjoy cooking like other people do but I have gotten marginally better at it. I've also improved my food prep and my mise en place. My next attempt to cook will be Beef with Mushrooms in Cream (a friend shared her recipe with me) and a couple of other recipes from my cook book. If I can get my hands on ground cinnamon, I will also attempt French Toast. Good luck to me!

Quarantine Stories Part 2

I've been wanting to organize and back up all my photos for a while now. And by all, I mean all photos I've taken since I started using a digital camera back in 2000. I was assigned in Japan for a project back in 2000 and all my friends who were also there for that same project decided to buy cameras so I thought, I also should. (My first camera was 3.3 Megapixels which back then was top-of-the-line and my memory stick was 128 Mb and that was the largest available memory back then. Whenever I would use that, I had to delete pictures or transfer them to my laptop immediately so I could take more.) I started using digital cameras 20 years ago so you can imagine how many photos I've accumulated over the decades. Anyway, since I am always at home now due to the quarantine, I decided it was the best time to start organizing all my photos. I started doing it during the Holy Week holidays and I'm still not quite done (although I estimate I should be done by next weekend). What slows me down is the fact that when I start organizing my pictures, I end up spending a lot of time looking at and appreciating the thousands of incredible moments captured on camera, such as this one from Paris back in 2003:

I took quite a few trips before I started blogging so I am now thinking of writing throwback posts about these trips. I also have so many travel photos taken before I joined social media so I may just start doing late/throwback posts on social media once I get all my photos organized.

I have come to realize that while I am an extrovert (or at least I think I am LOL), I seem to have a lot of introvert qualities. I haven't gotten bored yet, even if I'm home almost all the time just like everyone else. In fact, I haven't even subscribed to Netflix! I also haven't joined Tiktok (and I don't think I ever will LOL). That said, I still have a cable subscription so I do watch a lot of TV. I recently started watching The Resident, The Good Fight (which is a spin-off of The Good Wife which was one of my favorite TV shows many years ago), and The Good Doctor. I have always been interested in these shows before but I could never quite catch them on TV. Since I'm home all the time now, I've figured out what their airing schedules are so I am now able to watch them regularly.

I also watched the Purple Rain Concert of Prince and Revolution in 1985. It was streamed on YouTube last May 14 and it was supposed to be online for only 3 days. (Not sure how long it will be on YouTube but if you are interested, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRa8ZH_iOXo.) What an absolutely amazing concert! Watching Prince perform Purple Rain with that incredible guitar solo gave me chills. The passion he radiates when performing is second to none!

I do feel bad that I missed Tales of the Manuvu though. Ballet Philippines streamed it for a week at around the same time that the Purple Rain concert was shown. I watched Purple Rain first, fully expecting I would have time to watch Tales of the Manuvu after but then I got tremendously busy at work. When I finally checked the link for Tales of the Manuvu, it was no longer available. Too bad! I hope they get to stage it again. Friends of mine who saw it say it was amazing.

What I desperately need to do now is exercise. I tried doing push ups and burpees a few weeks ago but somehow, I couldn't sustain it. I guess this is the psychological or emotional effect that the quarantine has had on me: I've lost all discipline to work out. Maybe it's the fact that my workload has increased recently or maybe it's because I spend a lot of time cooking and washing that I just don't feel I have the energy nor the willpower to exercise. I think I've gained weight already, which is a shame because I just bought new jeans before ECQ and I'm guessing they won't fit anymore. I really need to find a way to motivate myself to exercise while at home. (I think maybe I can start doing the easy back exercises I was given when I had back problems many years ago. That should be a good start.)

I also recently started using GCash. I needed it to pay my credit card. Thankfully, I have a friend who works for GCash so he was able to help me set it up and pay my credit card.

I mentioned above that one thing I've started doing a lot more this ECQ is cooking. I will write about my cooking escapades next.

Quarantine Stories Part 1

This weekend, Metro Manila shifted from being on an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) yesterday. Supposedly, the only key change should have been that the government is now allowing some industries to resume up to 50% of their operations, which means a few more people will be allowed to move around. However, what I've seen in social media this weekend is alarming: myriads of people flocked to the malls that reopened, making it nearly impossible to observe social distancing. Reports even indicated that some people didn't even wear masks. We haven't quite managed the increase in Covid cases in the country so having huge crowds is a bit worrisome. I hope this doesn't cause a surge in the number of positive cases but I guess I wouldn't be surprised if this happens after 2-3 weeks.

I actually forgot that NCR would be on MECQ starting yesterday. I went to the supermarket yesterday for a grocery run but when I got there, the line was tremendously long. I estimated it would be about a 2-hour wait or more just to get inside. Thankfully, the supermarket is a 5 minute walk from where I live so I decided to go back some other time. I planned to return on Tuesday after work because I figure less people would be at the supermarket on a weekday but then I realized I had meetings all the way until 530pm so I might not be able to go on Tuesday. Since I was running out of supplies already, I decided to go back today. Fortunately for me, the line a lot shorter when I got there.

It took my about 45 minutes to get into the supermarket - there were so many people inside, it was a challenge to maintain social distancing! - but the queues at the check-out counters for credit card payments were extremely long. I had enough cash with me so I decided to just head over to the basket lane. Right before my turn to pay, the senior citizen counter that allowed credit card payments next to me opened and there were no senior citizens around (the queue for the other counters was so far away). I asked the lady at the counter if I could just pay there and she allowed me. Cool! I just had to wait 10 minutes in line to pay and I got to pay with my credit card.

The supermarlet lines this weekend reminded me of the time right before the curfew was announced (this was before the curfew turned into ECQ). I ran out of supplies just as people started panic buying so I had no choice but to brave the lines. I ended up being in line at 8pm and I only got to leave the supermarket at 1030. And there were still scores of people waiting to pay! I really felt bad for the supermarket workers that evening. Thankfully, things have been a bit more controlled since then.

I mentioned in an earlier post that the company I work for implemented a work-from-home arrangement for all employees. While this is ideal for most people, I have found it to be quite challenging because my work area at home is not ergonomic. I find myself getting tired a lot more quickly so after working for about 8 hours sitting in an unergonomic area, I don't feel like spending much more time in front of my personal laptop to blog. It is for this reason that despite being stuck at home, I have posted a lot less. I spent this weekend organizing things at home to hopefully make my work area more ergonomic. If I manage to write more frequently after this, then that means my plan worked. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Life on Hold

The Enhanced Community Quarantine has been extended twice now. When it was announced, it was supposed to end on April 12, then it was extended to April 30. Now it has been extended again until May 15. This is necessary to slow down the spread of Covid-19 and keep people safe. However, it has also put everyone's lives on hold.

One of the biggest things that my family is missing is my nephew's graduation, which was supposed to be scheduled in early April. I don't know if his school will arrange a special ceremony later in the year, even if it is after-the-fact, just so that his graduating batch can still have a memorable moment together.

I was also supposed to watch the Alanis Morrissette concert that was scheduled last April 6. Ticket-buyers were advised that they could get refunds or they could hang on to their tickets since the concert is still planned to happen in the future. It took some effort to get that ticket so I decided to hang on to it.

My family and I were also supposed to take a trip abroad during the school break, something we had been talking about for a while now. Obviously, that isn't happening anymore. Thankfully, I hadn't booked any flights or accommodations yet.

My work friends and I were also planning a trip to Cebu to celebrate close to two decades of friendship. The cancellation of this trip proved to be quite difficult since we had booked the flights and the hotel already. Thankfully, Cebu Pacific adopted a very customer-oriented approach. Even if I purchased a non-refundable flight, they allowed me to either get a refund or convert it to a travel fund. I decided to convert it to a travel fund since I am dead set on taking a local trip once I feel that it is safe enough to do so.

The bigger challenge has been with booking.com. I booked our hotel using the Booking Basic Reservation, which means the reservation is coursed through a third party provider. As a result, booking.com can’t contact the property directly regarding my reservation. Their first response to me was not very positive, saying that the "Booking.Basic rates are restrictive and are particularly branded as a basic rate that states save more with just the basics and clearly states in the confirmation that changes are not possible." However, the hotel we were supposed to stay in is closed indefinitely so even if I go there, I won't be able to to stay. The cancellation of my trip is not due to a change in my decision but rather a closure of the property I booked so logically, I should be refunded. They did send a more positive reply but I need to wait to see what the final response will be. It's a pretty heft amount so I am hoping they give me a refund or that they give me credit that I can use for a future booking.

Despite this. I'm still much luckier than others. As I said in my previous post, I don't need to worry about earning money or running out of it during the quarantine. I've been telling my friends that I don't take for granted the fact that I am able to get things that I need and even some things that I want, such as cakes and ice cream. I haven't seen my family in more than a month but I am able to communicate with them and send them money when they need it. I also know they are safe. Thankfully, my internet has also been very cooperative.

The Luzon-wide quarantine is now supposed to end on May 15 but we don't know if it will be extended again. Cases are growing by about 200 a day (at its peak, we had about 600 new cases a day). Even if it gets lifted by mid-May, I am pretty sure there will still be a lot of safeguards in place, like possibly a curfew (similar to what was established in early June). I continue to hope and pray that we can find a cure and a vaccine soon.

New Normal

These are uncertain and scary times. The world is facing a pandemic, the likes of which most of us have never seen before. There have been other epidemics earlier in the 21st century but none of them had the same global impact as COVID-19. Many countries have implemented lockdowns and quarantines to slow down the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Philippines also implemented a Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in mid-March that limits the movement of people.

As of March 31, more than 750,000 people all over the world have been infected and more than 36,000 people have died from the virus. In the Philippines, more than 2000 have been infected so far and 88 have died. What makes this epidemic very difficult to manage is that there is no cure nor vaccine yet. While healthy people can survive an infection, senior citizens and immunocompromised people are extremely vulnerable to the virus. The high volume of patients means that hospitals are now struggling to accommodate people who are or may be infected. This truly is an extremely difficult and even desperate time.

The Philippines and other developing countries are even more negatively impacted. The ECQ has forced most businesses to implement work-from-home if they can or temporarily shut down operations if they can't. This means that many people are unable to work and are now struggling financially. Some essential services such as markets, supermarkets, drugstores, food providers, and banks are allowed to remain open. However, because public transportation has been suspended, people who need to move around, such as healthcare workers or people who need to go to the hospital, have great difficulty doing so.

While social distancing is important to flatten the curve, it has also exposed socioeconomic issues. The affluent, and to some degree even the middle class, are able to manage (some better than others). I am very fortunate to be in this category. Many of us work in companies that still pay us regular salaries and provide us the option to work-from-home, we have vehicles that allow us to travel without having to interact with others, we have the means to buy lots of supplies and medicine so that we don't need to go out of our homes too much, and we have enough funds to keep us afloat throughout the quarantine. Sadly, the same cannot be said for our underprivileged countrymen and women who are now grappling with fear and hunger. I cannot even begin to imagine how frightened, anxious, stressed, and hungry they must be. :(

This pandemic and the global crisis that has come with it has left me very heartbroken: for the people who have succumbed to this COVID-19 or are fighting it right now, for the healthcare workers who are overworked and who risk getting infected themselves, for the underprivileged who have no work, no money, and no means to buy food and essentials, for those who are dealing with anxiety and depression, and for everyone else impacted by this disease. At this point, I feel the only thing I can do is donate to relief efforts and pray. I just hope that a cure and a vaccine can be found soon.

Happy 15th Anniversary!

It started out in 2005 on a whim. 15 years and 1,725 posts later, my blog is still alive. Happy Anniversary!

photo created in www.canva.com

I'm in a bit of disbelief at how I've stayed committed to this project and kept on writing for a decade and a half. I just did the math and I'm averaging 115 posts per year or almost 10 posts a month. Where did I find the time to do all this? LOL

Here are my most viewed posts:
Brunei: Travel tips and Suggested Itinerary
Segovia's Cakes and Recipes
LABArya Do It Yourself Laundry
Conti's Strawberry Shortcake
A fantasic family dinner in La Cocina de Tita Moning

And this continues to be my favorite post: Photo finishes at the train station - part 2. I also still find my snowy slip-up in this post pretty funny: [SWEDEN] Where the hell is Frosty?

I updated the list of all my travel posts that I wrote in my 10th year anniversary post. I have now added links to my travel posts after March 2015.

International travel

SOUTH AMERICA
My South America Trip Summary and Final Thoughts, South America Trip of a Lifetime, Prepping for our South America Trip, South American Wildlife, South American Food and Drinks, Challenges before and during our South America Trip, Condor Travel, Journeyou, and Going on a Tour versus DIY
PERU
Machu Picchu!, Aguas Calientes and Getting to Machu Picchu,  Cusco, Sacred Valley, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, Lima, Casa Qorikancha in Cusco, Tunupa in Sacred Valley, Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, Palacio Del Inka Hotel in Cusco,
BRAZIL
Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu/Iguazu Falls
ARGENTINA
Perito Moreno Glacier!, Buenos Aires,  El Calafate and Patagonia, Museo Del Filete in Buenos Aires, Casimiro Bigua in El Calafate, Loi Suites Iguazu Hotel, Hotel Kosten Aike in El Calafate
RUSSIA
Overview, Kremlin and Red Square, more Moscow sights, Moscow Metro, Sergiev Posad, Vladimir and Suzdal, Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg walking tour, the Hermitage, palaces around St. Petersburg, more St. Petersburg sights, Russian ballet, final thoughts, navigating the Moscow Metro, Travel tips
ICELAND
Summer holiday in Iceland and Austria, Blue Lagoon and Hallgrímskirkja, Glacier Lagoon, whale-watching in Reykjavik, the Golden Circle, Dettifoss and the Jewels of the North tour, last day in Iceland + suggested itinerary
TOUR OF NORWAY AND SWEDEN
Overview, Oslo, Norway in a Nutshell, Bergen, Stockholm
BRUNEI
Overview, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin and ame'asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosques, Empire Hotel and Country Club, Kampong Ayer and Royal Regalia Museum, Travel tips and suggested itinerary, final thoughts
SWITZERLAND
Lucerne landmarks, walking around Lucerne, Locarno and the canton of Ticino
SOUTH KOREA
2011: Overview, Seoul, Incheon, travel tips and final thoughts
2019: Return to Seoul, Seoul City Tour and the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul Food, DMZ Spy Tour, Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm, U2: The Joshua Tree Tour in Seoul
AUSTRIA
Summer holiday in Iceland and Austria, Overview, Vienna, Salzburg, Sound of Music tour, Final thoughts and travel tips
LEGOLAND AND SINGAPORE
Overview, Legoland Malaysia, Universal Studios Singapore (part 2), Final thoughts
FAMILY TRIP TO SINGAPORE
Overview, Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore Zoo, Suntec City, and the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Overview, Amsterdam sights, other Amsterdam experiences, final thought
DENMARK
Copenhagen, more on Copenhagen, sights surrounding Copenhagen
LUND AND MALMO, SWEDEN
Lund, Malmo sights, more Malmo sights
OTHER INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
Hong Kong Disneyland, Macau, Brazil, Bali, Bangkok
BELGIUM
Belgium, living in Brussels 1, living in Brussels 2, Ghent, Bruges

I also have almost 30 posts about my life in Lund, Sweden from January to June 2007. There are too many posts to share them all here so you can look through my 2007 posts to find them. 

Local travel

SAGADA
Overview, Sumaguing Cave, Hanging coffins and other Sagada sights, Sagada terraces and falls, Banaue Rice Terraces, final thoughts and tips
KALIBO
Visiting Kalibo for Ati-Atihan, Sadsad, Sunday Mass and Final Day Festivities, Primavera, Peil, Ramboy's, La Esperanza Hotel, Final Thoughts and Travel Tips
BORACAY
Boracay, La Cozina, Lemoni Cafe, Epic, Cafe Del Sol, Don Vito, Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel 

BATANES 

Trip 1: Overview, Basco, Sabtang Island, more of Basco, Travel tips and final thoughts
Trip 2: Revisiting, Basco highlights, new sights and experiences, changes since 2012, final thoughts and more travel tips
KALINGA
Overview, White water rafting, Shooting and rappelling, more Kalinga experiences, Travel tips and final thoughts
CEBU AND BOHOL
Cebu, Bohol, Bohol Bee Farm 
BACOLOD
2015: Bacolod, The Ruins, 21 Restaurant, Ading's Pala-Pala, Calea, Felicia's, Byron's
2017: Revisiting Bacolod, Lakawon and the Tawhai Floating Bar
TAGAYTAYTito Tito's Wedding, Visiting Taal, Nanay's birthday
Food Trip 1: Restaurant Verbena, Sonya's Garden, Bag of Beans, Buon Giorno, Chateau Hestia
Food Trip 2: Breakfast at Antonio's, Chine, Mano's Greek Taverna, Java Jazz Coffee
Food trip 3: Amoroma Ristorante Italiano, Morielli's
Airbnb find in Tagaytay: Casa dlF 
PANGASINAN
Puerto Del Sol, Hundred Islands
DUMAGUETE 
Dumaguete, Sans Rival in Dumaguete
DAVAO
Davao, S'mores from Kai Artisan
SUBIC
Subic weekend, Texas Joe's House of Ribs, Rachi Curry Corner
OTHER LOCAL TRAVEL
Intramuros, Corregidor, Cagayan De Oro (this proves I didn't use to include photos), Coron, Baguio, Club Balai Isabel, Sinagtala Resort in Orani, Bataan

Making a Difference

I recently had one of the most moving conversations that left me humbled and inspired.

My friend who also used to be my direct report told me that I changed his life. In one of our one-on-one conversations many years ago, it seems I helped him realize his potential and believe in himself more than he did at the time. He told me that this allowed him to take a huge and even frightening leap in his career, a move that would very positively impact his life. While I'm sure he would have realized how good he was by himself, I am filled with joy to know that I helped him in his journey.

I still get a bit emotional when I think of that conversation. When I decided to become a people manager in my previous job, I believed I could make strong contributions to the company I was working for. Making this much of a difference in someone's life, however, is not something I imagined I would ever be able to do.

Wedding Weekend

We're only two months into the new year but I have now attended four weddings! Just this last weekend, I attended two weddings. Thankfully, they were scheduled on different days so I was able to attend both. On Saturday, Gian and Blessy got married in St. Michael the Archangel Parish near Uptown Mall in BGC. It was my first time in this church and I love how bright and airy it is. Arguably the most memorable moment during the ceremony was the bridal march, when Blessy sang a few bars of a beautiful love song while walking down the aisle. Awesome! The dinner reception was at Bonifacio Hall in Shangri-La at the Fort. The ballroom decor was absolutely stunning, with gorgeous lights draped elegantly from the ceiling.

The introduction of the entourage and the couple was also really cool, with all of them performing a dance number that was well-rehearsed and well-choreographed. I actually found it very entertaining. :) The first dance of Blessy and Gian was even more amazing, as it included a very romantic lift and an exquisite dip that I believe ended with a kiss.

Gian was my teammate in my previous job so a lot of our ex-colleagues were also there, making it a fantastic reunion. As this was Shangri-La at the Fort, the food was sublime, including the desserts: tiramisu in a chocolate cup and a mille-feuille. I planned to leave once the program was over but Gian asked me to stay so I did. I ended up leaving once the party was over, which was after midnight. It was a truly memorable night.

The next day, I attended the wedding of Pao and Therese. The church ceremony was held at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros. It's been a while since I had been here so it was a welcome return for me. However, I woke up late that morning and thought I was going to be late for the wedding which was supposed to start at 1pm. Thankfully, the time indicated at the invitation was padded; the ceremony actually started at 1:30pm so I ended up being quite early. Cool!

The reception was held at Casa Ibarra near Mall of Asia. Both Pao and Therese are ex-colleagues so for the second night in a row, it was like I was attending a massive reunion. The program started quite early (I assume it was because the wedding was on a Sunday and there was work the next day) with the entourage being introduced at maybe around 530pm. The emcee started with a game that would prioritize the tables for the buffet dinner. Only one person per table would compete and I realized later on that I should've volunteered to participate because the game was "Name that tune"  with a twist; after guessing the title of the song, you had to dance to it. I knew almost all the songs and their dances so if I participated, our table could've been one of the first 2 to 3 to hit the buffet tables LOL. Nevertheless, because I was catching up with so many people and because dinner was served quite early, there was no rush to eat. :) Oh and another memorable moment from this wedding was the rock star entry of the newlyweds: they entered the venue with microphones in hand and sang Cruisin'. So cool!

The program ended at around 8pm and while I planned to leave immediately after the program (it was a full weekend so I was tired), it was so much fun catching up with many of my friends that I ended up staying an extra hour and leaving at 9pm. The great thing about weddings is that you celebrate one of the most special days that two people will ever have and you get to reunite with many of your friends and/or relatives.

Parasite

Congratulations to Parasite for winning four awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Bong Joon-Ho, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. It is the first time that a non-English film won the top prize at the Academy Awards. Prior to its Oscar success, this South Korean movie also became the first non-English language movie to win Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the SAG Awards. Amazing!

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_(2019_film)

I made sure to watch Parasite immediately after its Oscar triumph, primarily because I knew there was a major twist in this movie and I was worried that I would be spoiled if I didn't see it immediately. (True enough, a few days after I saw it, a radio DJ actually spoiled it on air.)

SPOILER ALERT: I will be sharing some details about the movie so please stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

The great thing about Parasite is how unconventional it is. The story revolves around the Kim family who con their way into high-paying jobs for the Parks, a tremendously wealthy family. After Ki-woo gets a job as an English teacher for the Parks, he sees an opportunity for the rest of his family to find employment at their household. As this was all unfolding, you just knew that at some point, their scam would be exposed. This tension made for very exciting viewing. The truth came out midway through the film but not in the way that I thought it would. This twist that people were talking about was truly unexpected and the frantic chaos that ensued when the Kim family tried to protect themselves from exposure was gripping. It is at this point that the mood drastically changes. Issues of social inequality, while treated lightly in the first half of the movie, become significantly stronger in this second half. The climax of the the film is wild, intense, and harrowing while the denouement is, once again, unexpected and very powerful.

To be honest, when I left the cinema, I wasn't sure how I felt about the movie, mainly because it was so heavy that I actually felt quite disturbed by how all the events unfolded. However, when I had a bit more time to process it, I realized how good Parasite is because it left me with a lot of uneasiness and discomfort and it weighed on me for a while. Only really good films can do that to its audiences. If you haven't seen Parasite yet, please do. It is highly recommended.

FOO'd by Davide Oldani

This is a really late post but it was a special celebration so I felt I should still write about it. When my friend Michele celebrated her birthday, she decided to take us to FOO'd by Davide Oldani, which is one of her favorite restaurants. I had never eaten there before so I was looking forward to our dinner here. Upon arriving, we were served bread and cheese cream and it was really good.

Food is ordered by selecting one of the three tasting menus: 3-course, 4-course, and 5-course. I believe all of us chose the 4-course tasting menu which consists of 1 Antipasto, 1 Primo, 1 Secondo, and 1 Dolce. For my antipasto, I selected the Iberico Pork and Scallop, which is a scallop appetizer served with Iberico pork and a green pea puree.

For my primo, I chose the Riso Marsala, with 18-month aged Carnaroli (a type of rice), black pepper, breadcrumbs, and Marsala sauce.

I had the 36 Hour Shortrib for my secondo. This dish is US Angus Prime Shortib served with creamy polenta and mushroom ragout.

Finally, for dolce, I chose the White Chocolate Souffle served with apricots, almond biscotti, and amaretto gelato.

Everyone in our table decided to share desserts with each other. I gotta say, all the desserts are plated exceptionally well. This Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cacao Crumble, Raspberry, and Dark Chocolate Gelato looks really mouthwatering...

...as does this Lemon Curd, which is a Dehydrated Lemon Meringue with Cacao Crumble, Curry Almonds, and Lettuce Gelato. While I do love chocolate and I really enjoyed the dark chocolate mousse, I think this lemon curd dessert was my favorite because it was really inventive and delicious.

Since FOO'd is a fine-dining restaurant, it's definitely not cheap but the food is superb, the ambience is elegant and tasteful yet cozy and comfortable, and the service is great. I may need to save up for another visit to this place.

FOO'd by Davide Oldani
https://www.facebook.com/pages/FOOD-by-Davide-Oldani-Shangri-La-at-the-Fort/670327909842873
Address: Shangri-La Hotel at the Fort, 30th St cor, 5th Ave, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Metro Manila
Phone: 0917 711 4469

Wedding Ninong for the 3rd and 4th times

I became a wedding ninong (or principal sponsor) for the first time in 2017. It happened a second time in 2018. Then all of a sudden, in a span of just a week, I became a wedding ninong again for the 3rd and 4th times!

Interestingly enough, both weddings were out-of-town. Mon and Chelle got married first at Palazzo Venezia in Malolos, Bulacan. Both of them were my direct reports at the time that I left my previous job so a lot of our other teammates were also there, making it a reunion. I was quite happy that Chelle and Mon asked the male guests to come in Barong Tagalogs because I really miss wearing the national dress of the Philippines.

A first for me: I had to give a principal sponsor speech. When I met up with Mon and Chelle for lunch a few weeks before their wedding, they asked me if I could give a speech. They said that of all their principal sponsors, I was the one who knew both of them the most. I decided my speech would focus on what qualities both of them had that would ensure their marriage would shine and last through the ages. Their ninong gift to me was also a first: cheese bread and sylvannas from L.A. Bakeshop (among a few other things). Apparently, L.A. Bakeshop is a very popular bakery in Pampanga so I'm happy I got to try this.

Six days later, I found myself in San Fernando, Pampanga for the wedding of Migs and Diann at the Country Garden. Both of them reported to me in my previous role (the one I had right before I became Chelle and Mon's boss). As such, their wedding also turned into a pretty awesome reunion.

There was a bit of a scare for me though right before the wedding. For some reason, I thought the ceremony would also start at 4pm. I decided I would leave Metro Manila at around 1:30 pm so that I could get to the venue at around 3 to 3:30 and I would have enough time to get settled before the wedding. However, when I checked the invitation at around 11:30am, I realized that the wedding was at 3pm! I started to panic because I was at risk of being late (which would be a disaster because I was a principal sponsor). I ended up skipping lunch to help ensure I would get to the venue on time. As it turned out, I still arrived a few minutes after 3pm and I was worried that the ceremony would have already started. Thankfully, it hadn't. In fact, it actually started at around 4:30pm (it was really hot that afternoon so the coordinators decided to start the ceremony later in the day so that the sun wouldn't be so high up in the sky). That made me wish I had at least a quick lunch somewhere along the way LOL. I did make up for my missed meal by overeating during dinner. :)

Another first: I was asked to give a speech on the spot! Apparently, the principal sponsors who were supposed to share some words of wisdom to the newlyweds didn't make it. The coordinator ended up asking me and my ninang partner Maan (who took over as their manager when I changed roles) to give the speeches instead. I didn't want to say the same stuff I told Mon and Chelle LOL so I just did the best I could under the very last-minute circumstances.

As such, I am now a four-time wedding principal sponsor. I don't know how many more times I will be asked to be one but hopefully, I will be able to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a ninong to all my current wedding godchildren. :)

Reunion Season

December and January are always filled with reunions and I'm fortunate to have had more than my fair share of them. The most significant one was also the most recent: I had lunch with my Grade 2 adviser, Mrs. Ontiveros, who is the best and most influential teacher I've ever had. I hadn't seen her in decades and while we talked about meeting up a couple of times, we never got around to finalizing a date. That is, until early this year. I asked if she was free one weekend, she said she was, and the date was set. I asked her if she wanted to see my family - she knows them and my brother was also her student - and she said she was actually about to ask me if I could invite them to our lunch date as well. Cool! We agreed to meet in Aristocrat Banawe and my mom and my brother were free to join. We enjoyed each other's company for many hours as there were so many stories to share. It was such an amazing, nostalgic, and soul-stirring reunion and I am so happy that we finally managed to catch up.

I also got to have coffee and dinner with Chachie right before Christmas. I think the last time I saw her was more than five years ago when we played board games in Ludo Cafe so it was great to see her. She's been through quite a bit over the last few years but she has maintained such a positive outlook in life which I find to be very inspirational. I got to meet her daughter for the first time and I also saw her husband whom I haven't seen since maybe their wedding. We hung out from the late afternoon until the early evening, when their family had to go to catch the evening mass. We met at Tyler's Cafe along Katipunan where I ordered the Ricotta Pancakes with chocolate chips, chocolate fudge, cream, and chocolate crumb and OMG it was sooo good! I need to visit Tyler's Cafe again so I can enjoy these delicious pancakes.

Another mini-reunion I had was with Ana and Earl at Motto Motto. I think the last time we had a decent conversation was when I was still working at my previous job. I did run into them quite a few times over the years but we never really properly caught up. We finally met up shortly after Christmas at Motto Motto in Serendra. It was great to find out what they were both doing over the last few years. We agreed that we needed to catch up more frequently.

Apart from these reunions with people whom I hadn't seen in a while, there were of course the annual ones. I had dinner with my friends from my first job at Relish Hello Happiness! My friends from our corporate social responsibility group in my previous company had dinner at Stock Market in Uptown Mall and we moved to Scout's Honor for coffee and dessert after. My college friends met up nostalgically at the house of the Jay's parents, which is where we had many parties when we were still in college. I had dinner with another set of college friends in Sentro. The team I last managed in my previous company had our Christmas party at TGI Friday's (a lot of them had moved on to new opportunities). Finally, I had dinner with my high school friends shortly after the New Year at my Michele's house.

As I look back at all these reunions, I can't help but feel very lucky to have made so many incredible connections in my life. Hopefully, I can continue to have these beautiful moments with people who mean a lot to me.

Happy 2020 and looking back at 2019

Happy New Year!

As usual, before I jump straight into 2020, I will take a look back at the last year. The highlight of my year was getting to visit Seoul and experiencing The Joshua Tree Concert of U2 there. This trip allowed me to see some city sights that I hadn't seen before, visit Nami Island and the Morning of Garden Calm, interview a North Korean defector during our DMZ Spy Tour, and go on an incredible street food tour that allowed me to enjoy a lot of amazing Korean dishes. It was also the first time that I got to travel internationally with one of my best friends Michele and her husband Ferg.

Seoul wasn't the only place I traveled in 2019. I also spent a night my high school friends in Sinagtala Resort in Orani, Bataan. I also revisited Club Balai Isabel during our company outing.

One really cool thing I did last year was perform travel agent duties for my mom who took a trip to Bali. She knew she wanted to go but she didn't know what to do there. I created her itinerary, booked her hotel (which she said was really nice), found her a driver with whom I aligned the itinerary, installed WhatsApp in my mom's phone and set up a WhatsApp group so my mom and I could communicate easily with the driver, rented a Smart Travel WiFi device for her so she would have mobile data when she was in Bali, then drove her to the airport and picked her up when she returned. It was the first time I did all this and my mom's trip turned out great. I was so proud of myself. :)

On the cultural side, I got to see quite a few stage shows. I took my family to see The Phantom of the Opera (it was the third time I got to see it). I took my mom to see Swan Lake by Moscow Ballet La Classique at the New Frontier Theater in Cubao. My mom and I also got to experience Van Gogh Alive in Manila. My family watched the 33rd Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp by the UST Conservatory of Music because my nephew was in the ensemble. Finally, I saw Beautiful: The Carole King Musical with a couple of my friends.

On the more mainstream side, I got to see quite a few movies in the last year. My favorites: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Alone/Together, Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, Knives Out, and Avengers: Endgame.

It wasn't all hunky-dory though. I had a health scare last year that triggered the need for a lifestyle change. I managed to lose about 10 kilos and so far, I've managed to maintain that weight. Hopefully, I can continue eating better and exercising whenever possible. In line with trying to having a better future for me and my family, I also got PRU Life policies for my nephews.

Back to more positive stuff. I managed to read four books last year, including the second Dan Wells trilogy. This is the most I've read in a single year and I'm hoping I can keep on reading this year. My family celebrated my grandmother's 92nd birthday. I played bowling for the first time in years as part of our department bowling tournament and I ended up winning highest men's score and my team was awarded best scoring team. My friends and I also visited Mystery Manila twice to try the Mr. Moriarty room and the Sorcerer's Stone room. I attended a few weddings and I sang in a couple of them. I went to a karaoke bar with friends on six separate occasions, the most times I had been in a karaoke bar in a single year in maybe a decade. I tried several restaurants for the first time, including Raging Bull, Salta!, La Mere Poulard, and Downtown Cafe in Pampanga. And of course, I got to play board games a lot.

2019 proved to be an amazing year that brought with it some rich and memorable experiences. Hopefully, I can continue to have more of them in 2020.