IKEA and Swedish Nostalgia

IKEA Philippines opened in November 2021 but it took almost two years for me to make my first visit here. I guess that's because up until just now, I hadn't had a need to buy any new furniture or home equipment.

Recently, however, I realized that I needed a new shelf. That's because I have amassed so much stuff over the last few years and I don't have enough storage at home anymore. I started going to furniture stores to look for possible shelves and I actually found a couple of really nice ones, although they were very expensive. (The ones I saw that I really liked were in the P38,000-50,0000 range!) I checked out the Ikea website to see their range of shelves and I saw one that appealed to me. While I could've just purchased the shelf online, I wanted to see it in person first. I decided to make my way to Ikea to check it out.

Ikea is a Swedish brand (although apparently, it is now based in the Netherlands) so there was a sense of nostalgia as soon as I got there. (I lived in Sweden for about 6 months in 2007 when I was assigned to work on a project there.) The Ikea logo itself sports the blue and yellow of the Swedish flag. And inside, there was a display that showed the flags of the Philippines and Sweden next to each other, along with the seal of Pasay City.

I will say that I got a bit lost when I arrived. I wasn't quite sure where to go and I also didn't know how to purchase items. I decided to have an early dinner before delving into my search for the shelf I wanted. I gotta say, I really love the Ikea restaurant! I ended up ordering meatballs (after all, Sweden is known for meatballs haha), salmon, a croissant, and coffee (their coffee is refillable). I really enjoyed my dinner and seeing the Swedish flag on my plate of meatballs made me miss Sweden even more.

I eventually got my bearings and found my way to the section with shelves. I was looking for a shelf named Jattesta so I asked one of the salespeople for help and he pointed it out to me. While the website does indicate the dimensions of the shelf, seeing it up close made me realize it was bigger than what I expected. (It was also definitely bigger than the other shelves that I saw from other furniture stores.) This was perfect for me because it meant that I could place more items on it.

I purchased the white and light bamboo Jattesta shelf (it also comes in black but the lighter color works better in my small space). The purchasing process requires you to take a photo of the price tag with the bar code and show it to the salesperson. They will print out an invoice for you that you have to present at the check-out counter and that's where you pay. Since the shelf was quite big, I opted for their delivery service (P600). The salesperson asked me if I wanted to purchase anything else because the fee would be the same no matter how many items I had delivered but most of the other items I wanted to buy, I could just carry home with me. I placed my order and I was told that it would be delivered in about 3 days. Cool!

I then went around to purchase more stuff. I ended up getting a couple of bookends, several picture frames, a storage case made of fabric, and a bedside clip-on lamp (I needed to replace the one I got a while back). My lone impulse buy was another lamp named Tarnaby. I didn't need another light source at home but when I saw it, I thought it looked really nice. The light can also be dimmed. The bulb is sold separately so all in all, it cost me more than P1000 but now that I've set it up at home, I'm really happy with it and I have zero buyer's remorse haha.

On my way out, I also purchased a bag of frozen meatballs.

I also purchased some plant balls to take home with me. They said that they don't have a lid for it but I told me them it was okay. They were actually quite good!

A few days later, my delivery arrived. I ended up spending an entire Friday evening building my shelf. (Ikea provides a service for furniture assembly but I decided I wanted to build it myself.) It wasn't easy to put it together, much less to make it stand (it was really heavy!) but now that it's set up, I think it looks really nice. I now have more storage for my books and board games! I also thought it would be a perfect place to put my new lamp.

This trip to Ikea really reminded me of Sweden and brought back so many wonderful memories. It makes me want to visit Sweden again. Until then, maybe I will just visit Ikea more often.

IKEA Philippines
https://www.ikea.com/ph/en/
MOA Square, Mall of Asia Complex Zone 10 CBP-IA, Marina Way, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila

Family Day and Other Random Stuff

My family and I spent a day out recently to do some shopping and errands together. We found ourselves in Powerplant Mall in the late morning so we decided to have lunch there. I suggested CDP Global Table because my family hadn't eaten there yet and it's been a while since I last had a meal there. We all ordered separate dishes but I also got some steak for all of us to share. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food and the steak was really good!

Steak at CDP Global Table

My mom and my nephew also ended up going home with some new stuff. My mom purchased a bag and I got my nephew jogger pants and socks at Uniqlo. On our way home, we passed by Tomas Morato and I decided to have a coffee break at Halfsaints, mainly because I told myself I wanted to return there and also because I wanted my family to try the Flower Tartlet Trio. It was still as good as I remember and my mom ended up liking the Quezo De Bola tart which also happens to be my favorite.

While we're on the subject of quality time with family, I visited Tita Florence at her home recently to join in her birthday celebration. The last time two times we saw each other were during sad moments - my cousin Maricel's funeral and the wake of my grandmother - so I wanted to be present for her party. It was wonderfully unique, with her family preparing lots of food included a few items that aren't your traditional birthday party fare, such as nilagang baka and banana cue. The nilagang baka was especially nostalgic because it was a staple dish of my other grandmother (Tita Florence's mom) and we would also have it for dinner back in the day. Naturally, I made sure to have some. Her son Rainier also prepared his famed ribs which continue to be really good. I brought a red velvet cake and I'm glad I did because one of her grandchildren apparently doesn't really eat cake except red velvet. Cool! I'm really happy that I got to spend time with Tita Florence under much better circumstances and I wish she has many more birthdays to come.

Happy birthday, Tita Florence!

I also got to spend some time with friends. Suzanne and Nenen visited the Philippines for the first time in five years so the gang joined them for lunch at Mary Grace in BGC. Steph, who is based in Singapore, also happened to be in Manila at the same time so she was able to join us. A lot has happened since they were here the last time so there was a whole lot of catching up. We spent several hours together and even then it didn't seem that it was enough. 

French Toast at Mary Grace

I also met up with my college friends for dinner. There were two reasons why we were meeting up. One was because it was Letlet's birthday. The other reason was because Hes was taking on an expat assignment abroad and would be leaving soon. She didn't have a lot of time left in Manila so we made sure to catch up before she leaves. As is always the case with this group, we spent several hours wining and dining and talking and laughing. Things won't be the same without Hes in town but this is a great opportunity for her so I wish her all the best.

Oh and I also got to try out the limited edition Barbie donuts from Krispy Kreme. A couple of designs were available when I was at their store so I ordered them both, along with several other donuts. I ended up trying the pink Barbie donut and I thought it was pretty good.

Krispy Kreme Barbie Donuts

Eating Out

I've been going out a lot recently to meet up with friends or do errands and other stuff. As a result, I've been eating out quite a lot. Coffee Academics has been one of my go-to places for brunch ever since I discovered it last year. In my latest visit, I saw that they had a new item on the menu: HK-Style Chicken and Waffles. I immediately decided to try it and I'm happy I did because I absolutely love it! The chicken is crispy and very flavorful and the waffle is not too sweet. The dish is served with some salted egg sauce for the chicken and what I think is strawberry jam for the waffle. Naturally, I ordered this with some pour-over coffee. It was perfect for brunch! Even writing about it now makes me want to have it again.

HK-Style Chicken and Waffles at Coffee Academics

Another place where I had brunch was Dean & Deluca. It's been ages since I last ate here. I ordered the Dean & Deluca Big Breakfast. It comes with a sausage, bacon, potatoes, free-range egg, sauteed mushrooms, pork and beans, a grilled tomato, and sourdough bread. Pretty much everything I want in a breakfast meal. This was really good too! This makes me want to visit Dean & Deluca again soon.

Dean & Deluca Big Breakfast

I also had brunch at La Condessa. It was my first time visiting this place and I like the vibe and the ambiance.

La Condessa

The menu also looked really interesting but as it was still mid-morning, I once again gravitated towards the breakfast section and I ordered the Condessa, which is an egg white souffle with bacon and sausage and served with sourdough bread on the side. I was told it would take time to prepare which made sense because it is a souffle and I told them I didn't mind. When it arrived at the table, it looked pretty cool! The service is also really good here. Hopefully I can go here again soon and try other items on their menu.

Condessa, an egg souffle dish from La Condessa

If you haven't quite figured it out yet, I enjoy breakfast food haha so when I went to The Perfect Pint for lunch recently, I ended up ordering their Continental Breakfast. It was my first time at The Perfect Pint and I didn't expect them to have brunch items on their menu so this was a pleasant surprise. It has sausages, bacon, a hash brown, sunny-side up eggs, sauteed mushrooms, baked beans, and cherry tomatoes. I would have liked it to have some bread but I guess there already is a hash brown that provides the carb content. I actually really enjoyed this dish and it was cool that The Perfect Pint also has coffee on their menu (and their coffee is not that expensive).

Continental Breakfast at The Perfect Pint

I also recently enjoyed some coffee and a midday snack at Patisserie Le Choux-Colat in Podium. I had ordered cakes from this place a couple of times before so when my friend suggested that we meet for coffee there, I agreed. There are only a couple of tables here so thankfully there was an available one when we arrived. I ordered the Espresso Salted Caramel Gateau de Voyage, which is an espresso pound cake with milk chocolate salted caramel, caramelized hazelnuts, and espresso whipped ganache and finished with dark chocolate shavings. Looks good and tastes good!

Espresso Salted Caramel Gateau de Voyage at Patisserie Le Choux-Colat

There were some terribly hot days last month and on one of those days, I happened to pass by Kuya J. As I did, I saw a large poster outside the restaurant with pictures of their halo-halo. I gotta say, their ad worked very well because as soon as I saw it, I immediately got drawn in hahaha. I ordered the Kuya J Halo-Halo Espesyal. It isn't your usual halo-halo because it uses a coconut ice-mix instead of just ice. I think I prefer normal halo-halo but this was still a perfect way to cool down on a very hot day.

Another new place I got to try was Teppan Okochi. It had been a while since I last had soba so I ended up ordering the Ten Zaru Soba, which was a plate of soba and some tempura. I also saw that they had chawan mushi, which is Japanese custard, and it has been ages since I last had that so I got one as well. Finally, I also ordered their vegetable soup. I hadn't had much vegetables leading up to that meal and I also wanted soup that evening so when I saw their vegetable soup on the menu, I ordered it. It came out after the rest of my dishes (which is why it's missing from the pic below) but wow, that soup was surprisingly very good! I think I need to visit this place again soon.

Ten Zaru Soba and Chawan Mushi at Teppan Okochi

I guess all this eating out is kinda like the restaurant version of "revenge travel" because I couldn't really go out as much in the last few years due to Covid. I would love to revisit all these places again but I also look forward to being able to try more new places in the near future.

New Wimbledon Champions!

 Congratulations to Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova, our 2023 Wimbledon singles champions!

Our new singles champions 🤩#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/IU4ZC1RjNc

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 17, 2023

Carlos won his first Wimbledon title by defeating Novak Djokovic in 5 sets, 1-6 7-6 6-1 3-6 6-4. Carlitos - I believe this is how he prefers to be called - has been doing incredibly well in the last two years, achieving the #1 ranking and winning his first major title at the US Open last year. However, prior to this year, he hadn't really done that well on grass. Given this, and considering Novak's recent win at the French Open that would surely have buoyed his confidence, I thought Novak was going to win. When Novak won the first set 6-1 and the 2nd set was very tight, I thought he would take the match in straight sets. Somehow, Carlitos steadied and steeled himself and in the end, he notched what is arguably the biggest win of his career so far - a Wimbledon trophy against arguably the greatest ever tennis player (or well, greatest so far). I already had a very high regard for Alcaraz but this win and this fightback just made me that much more impressed in his talent and his potential. He now has two Grand Slam singles titles and he's only 20 years old. I am really intrigued to see what else he can achieve in the future and how much more success he can attain. 

On the women's side, history was achieved when Marketa Vondrousova became the first female player to win Wimbledon. She defeated crowd (and heavy) favorite Ons Jabeur to win her first Grand Slam singles title. While this seem like she came out of nowhere, Vondrousova has actually been knocking on the door of the top tier of women's tennis for a while now. She made the final of the French Open in 2019 and she won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Her career has been hampered by injuries, so much so that last year, she went to Wimbledon as a spectator. I think Ons succumbed to the pressure while Market played a lot more freely and that determined the winner of this match.

I also feel compelled to write about Diede De Groot, who won the women's wheelchair singles title. This is her 5th Wimbledon overall and, even more impressively, her 12th Grand Slam women's wheelchair singles title. 12th! She has now won two consecutive Grand Slams - not the title but the actual Grand Slam where you win all four major titles in the same calendar year - and is on track to win her third. That's just crazy. I'm a fan now and I am really interested to see what kinds of records she will continue to set. 

Congratulations, Diede De Groot!

The Ladies' Wheelchair Singles champion for a fifth time after a straight sets victory over Jiske Griffioen! 👏🏆#Wimbledon | @DiedetheGreat pic.twitter.com/x6dPdYMH4y

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2023

Congratulations Carlos Alcaraz, Marketa Vondrousova, and Diede De Groot!

Reducing my Shelf of Shame

One of my goals at the start of this year was to reduce my "Shelf of Shame". This self-deprecating tongue-in-cheek term is used by board game aficionados to refer to the board games they have purchased but haven't played yet. At the start of this year, of the 62 base games I own, I had only played 36 of them. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to reduce it. In a recent game night, I brought out Notre Dame. It's a relatively fast board game to play but it took a while to explain the game mechanics. There was some initial confusion about how to perform the different actions but once people understood it and got the hang of it, everyone started playing much more quickly. I actually quite enjoyed this game and it looks really nice too. 

Notre Dame Board Game

The other game that I finally got to play is Foodies, which is quite easy to teach and to play. It's great for casual gamers or if you're looking to play something that can be done in half an hour or less. That said, when I taught and played this game with my friends, I realized I made a mistake: we used the wrong side of the board, making it just a bit more difficult for the first player (in this case, me) to purchase cards during the first turn. That is my excuse as to why I didn't win haha.

I also got to play a couple of my board games that I had previously only played once. The first of these is Champions of Midgard. I played this once before the pandemic and this year, I have gotten to play it twice already. I really enjoy the mechanics of this game, especially when your warriors go into battle against Monsters, Trolls, and Draugr. The next game I got to play again is Tapestry. This is another game I really love, not just because of its beautiful game elements, but also because of the variety of actions you can take.

I've also gotten to play a few new board games that my friends have brought to game nights. One of these is The Lost Ruins of Arnak. It took me a while to figure out how to play it and I thought I wasn't doing well initially but it turned out that I made a lot of good moves and in the end, I won by a narrow margin. I really enjoyed this game and I hope I can play it again soon.

I also finally played the Tuscany Expansion of Viticulture. My friend JM had been wanting to play this expansion with us since before the pandemic but the one time it hit the table, I was playing another game with other people in the group and JM had to leave early so they didn't finish the game. This time around, we managed to finish the game. There are some pretty big twists in playing this game, including having a worker that can be placed in a previous season or how workers of a certain player are cleared immediately from the board once that player has passed (this opens up spaces that may have previously been occupied). I ended up winning this game by a relatively comfortable margin. Cool!

Viticulture Tuscany Expansion

There are so many other games I've played, including Citadels (I don't particularly think this game is meant to be funny but it was absolutely hilarious when we played it haha) and a really cool game called Role Player where you kinda build your own character. I'm just really happy that the world is starting to get back to the normal we had pre-pandemic and I am now getting to enjoy playing board games again. Hopefully I can reduce my shelf of shame just a bit more before the year ends.

Avantgardey!

This video of Avantgardey performing at America's Got Talent went viral recently and it's easy to see why:

 

video uploaded on YouTube by America's Got Talent

I absolutely love this performance on so many levels. The choreography is really unique, with innovative movements and body positions, flashy formations, and so many things going on that there always seems to be something new and interesting to see each time you focus on a different woman or a different part of the screen. Case in point: at 0:44, and it's quite easy to miss because of what's going on at the center of the stage that draws our attention, there are four women in the background who are each lifting another woman and spinning while they do. That's pretty awesome and showcases the strength of these amazing dancers! Also, their facial expressions are very quirky, making their performance even more entertaining to watch. Heck, even their stage entrance was unexpected and set the tone for the dance.

I've also been trying to figure out what the name of the song is that they dance to. It's a great song and their choreography works perfectly with it. If you know the title of the song, please leave a comment. 

ETA: I found out what the song is! It's Cinderella Honeymoon by Hiromi Iwasaki.

Certified Professional Scrum Master!

Several months after my first Scrum certification, I now have my second one. I am now a certified Professional Scrum Master!

I was a lot more confident when I took this second certification compared to my first one because I already got trained and certified before. I was also told by many people who had taken and passed the Professional Scrum Master certification that it was a lot easier the the Product Owner certification which I got late last year. While the exam was actually a lot more difficult and complicated than what I was made to believe, I still thankfully passed it.

The key now is for me to apply what I've learned. I've started seeing plenty of opportunities to apply Scrum and leverage Agile at work. Once again, I'm really thankful that company continues to invest in its employees.

Car Registration Renewal at QCIS Motor Vehicle Inspection Center

If you live in Metro Manila and are planning to renew your car registration, I highly recommend QCIS Motor Vehicle Inspection Center. While is located in Quezon City, you don't need to be a QC resident to avail of their services. Renewal is quick and easy. This is mainly because there is a satellite LTO office there. During my visit, inspection, emission testing, insurance, and renewal all took about 45 minutes.

QCIS Motor Vehicle Inspection Center

After last year's challenges of getting my car registration renewed, I wanted to make sure I had a much easier time this year. A few months ago, a friend of mine shared her great experience at QCIS. I saved that information and when it came time for me to renew, I messaged their Facebook page to set an appointment. (Note that they accept walk-ins and I think many of the other motorists who were there at the time didn't have appointments.) 

When I arrived, they took my car for inspection and emission testing. I paid for those services then I waited in their air-conditioned waiting room.

Once done, I sorted out my insurance. The ladies at the insurance desk took the payment then explained to me what I needed to do at the LTMS Portal to confirm that the inspection, emission testing, and insurance have all been sorted out. They then told me how much I needed to pay for my renewal fee and I was given instructions how to make the payment through Gcash. I was then told I could just print out the renewal from the document section of my LTMS account but since my printer at home is busted, they printed it out for me there.

There is an LTO Satellite Office at QCIS

And that was it! Done and dusted in less than an hour. After spending a day and a half sorting out my car registration renewal last year, I am so pleased that I barely spent any time on it this time around. I will definitely be going to QCIS again in the future.

QCIS Motor Vehicle Inspection Center
https://www.facebook.com/qcismvic
No 20 Cattleya Extension, Brgy Bahay Toro
qcismvic@gmail.com
Mobile: 0917 165 3757

Catching up on Disney+, Netflix, and HBO Go

The last few months have been very busy but I still found some time to watch some shows on the different streaming services to which I'm subscribed. One of the shows I was looking forward to the most was White Lotus Season 2 on HBO Go. I really loved the first season so I wanted to see how this next one would turn out. Gotta say, it didn't disappoint. While the theme of the first season involved money, greed, and social inequity, this second season dealt with sex and manipulation. White Lotus' study of the dark side of human nature is really captivating and I continue to be a fan of this show. I am definitely looking forward to season 3.

Also on HBO Go was Everything Everywhere All at Once. I had been interested in this film for a while now, especially since it was getting really good reviews. After its success at the Oscars, I took the time to see it. I gotta say, it's weird and trippy, with scenes that range from the borderline ridiculous to the not-so-easy-to-understand. That said, it is exactly those qualities that make this movie unique and innovative. It also has a lot of heart so I can totally understand why it won the Oscar for Best Picture. Michelle Yeoh also put in a superb performance and fully deserved her Oscar Best Actress award.

Over on Disney+, I finally got to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It was bittersweet how they handled Chadwick Boseman's passing in this film. I found so many elements of this Marvel movie to be really interesting, from the situation that triggered the movie's primary conflict to the backstory of main antagonist and to the emergence of the new Black Panther.

I also watched a couple of animated films on Disney+: Luca and Encanto. While its tempting to think that Luca is just like Little Mermaid but with a male lead, it isn't (or, well, not exactly). It talks about - acceptance of who you are and acceptance of others who are different from us. Encanto, on the other hand, is the story of a family that is receives an enchantment that results in everyone having powers, save for one. It is this twist that provides the conflict in the film, and the protagonist Mirabel Madrigal goes on a journey of discovery that leads to the movie's emotional climax. Of course, in classic Disney style, Encanto is a movie musical. One thing that ties both movies together is their use of the name Bruno. You can read more about this coincidence here.

On Netflix, I watched a couple of light and easy movies that were based on children's books: Firedrake the Silver Dragon and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. I decided to see both because I was looking for movies that were light and easy to watch and I felt that these two filled that requirement quite well haha.

Since it's Pride month, I thought it would be a perfect time to watch Filipino film Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings. That's the name it goes by on Netflix but the original Tagalog title is the Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington, which I think is much more intriguing. This movie tells the story of a man named Remongton who was very homophobic as kid. He teases and verbally abuses someone who turns out to have powers and this person places a curse on him, saying that when he gets older, he himself will become gay. He unexpectedly and slowly shows signs of becoming gay at a time when there seems to be a serial killer of gay men in Lucban, the municipality where he lives. It's funny and entertaining and the revelation of the Zombadings or zombie badings is hilariously outrageous. I gotta say, this movie was really loads of fun.

Still on Netflix, I started watching Cobra Kai. I heard lots of positive reviews about this series and I was a fan of Karate Kid back in the 80s so watching it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to start it. I love the fact that each episode is just about half an hour long, making it quite easy to watch. What I found to be really surprising and interesting is how the antagonist in the first Karate Kid - Johnny Lawrence - becomes a bit sympathetic in the show. Maybe it's because he takes a young kid who is being bullied under his wing. I've gone through several episodes in the first season already and I'm really enjoying it. That said, since I'm not a binge-watcher, it will take me a while to get through the whole series.

I have also finally completed the latest season of 9-1-1, my favorite current series. (I guess it became my favorite because I've become really invested in the personal stories of all the characters). It was one of the shows I was really looking forward to watching when Disney+ became available in the Philippines. Season 6 wrapped up in mid-May and the episodes were shown here about 2 weeks after they came out in the US so I'm now all caught up. I've also been watching The Golden Girls and Code Black, a series I used to watch on one of the channels on Sky Cable. I still have lots of shows on my watch lists on each of these streaming services. Hopefully I can find more time to watch them. And maybe complete Cobra Kai before the end of the year.

Keep on Walking

My Fitbit journey continues with a couple of new achievements. First, I got my Great Barrier Reef badge, which means I have walked a total distance of 2,574 kilometers since I started using my Fitbit last year. This means that for the last year, I have been averaging 7.33 kilometers per day. When I achieved my previous badge, I was averaging 7.11 km per month. This means that I have actually walked enough this year to improve my average by about 200 meters per day. That's pretty awesome!

I also achieved my best 1-week result in terms of steps (101,043) and distance covered (70 kilometers)! That's 10 km a day! I beat my previous 1-week best in terms of distance of about 67 km that I set a couple of months ago. It's also the first time I took more than 100,000 steps in one week. Cool!

Having a Fitbit has really motivated me to keep on walking. Hopefully, I can break these personal records soon and continue to improve my daily average.

Retiring My Favorite Shoes

Sad news. I now have to retire my favorite sneakers - my Metcon 2 Flywire shoes - after 7 years of use. I got them in 2016 and I've loved them ever since. They fit well and are very comfortable. I also love their color.

My worn-out, dirty, and apparently irreparable Metcon 2 Flywire shoes

A few years ago, I noticed the sole start to slowly detach from the show. Recently, I decided to bring them to a shoe repair shop to try and have them fixed and cleaned. Unfortunately, after more careful inspection, the shoe repair shop told me they couldn't repair my Metcons anymore.

Unfortunately, Nike no longer produces Metcon 2 Flywire. If they did, I would have purchased the exact same pair again. These shoes served me very well over the last seven years, especially during my trip to South America. I even went up the Perito Moreno Glacier wearing them!

Wearing my Metcons as I prepare to do a glacier walk in Perito Moreno in Argentina

I now need to find replacement sneakers. Hopefully, I can find a pair that will be just as good, both in fit and in looks.

A Historic French Open

23 in 2023. That's the number of Grand Slam singles titles that Novak Djokovic has now won after lifting the French Open trophy. Novak continues to make history with this win, and the numbers are staggering:

• With 23 Grand Slam titles, Novak moves past Rafa Nadal and is now the male player with the most Grand Slam singles titles in history.
  
• He ties Serena Williams as the players with the most major singles titles in the Open era.
• This is his 3rd French Open title, making him the only man who has won each Grand Slam event at least 3 times.
• He returns to the #1 ranking on the ATP tour.

Novak continues to break records and his tennis resume is absolutely astounding. I wouldn't be surprised if he soon equals and even breaks Margaret Court's all-time record of Grand Slam singles titles won (24).

On the women's side, Iga Swiatek beat Karoline Muchova in a tough 3-setter to win her 3rd title at Roland Garros. She has now won 3 of the 5 French Open tournaments she has played and has a very impressive 28-2 win-loss record at this tournament. She also has four major titles to her name and it will be interesting to see how many more majors she can win in her career.

Congratulations, Novak and Iga!

Revisiting Old Favorites

Recently, I found myself revisiting some of my favorite restaurants that I haven't been to in years. First on my list was Old Swiss Inn, which has been around since 1946. Their Makati branch used to be open 24/7 but since the pandemic, they're opening hours have been adjusted and they now open at 9am and close at 10pm. I had dinner there one night and I ordered the Zurich Geschnetzeltes, which is shredded pork tenderloin in mushroom cream sauce served with roesti potatoes. I really love this dish!

Zurich Geschnetzeltes from Old Swiss Inn

I also got the Zwiebelsuppe, a German onion soup (quite similiar to French onion). It was really good too! This return trip to Old Swiss Inn reminded me how much I love this place so I need to try and visit more often.

Zwiebelsuppe German Onion Soup from Old Swiss Inn

Another favorite is Bizu. While this restaurant is known for its cakes, pastries, and macarons, they also have really good meals. Their 10-hour Roast Beef is exceptionally good. The beef is tender and very flavorful and the potato gratin it is served with is the perfect complement.

10-hour Roast Beef from Bizu

When I was still in school, one of my favorite restaurants was The French Baker, mainly because they offered comfort food at a reasonable price. I had lunch at their SM Megamall branch on the day that I renewed my passport at DFA in Megamall. My go-to dish at this place is their Fettuccine Carbonara so I decided to order it again for old times' sake. There are lots of really good pasta places in Metro Manila but this dish is relatively inexpensive and they serve it really quickly so I still find it to be good value for money.

Fettuccine Carbonara from The French Baker

I used to go to Kitchen's Best a lot many years ago, especially when they had a branch in BGC along 3rd avenue that served savory dishes. (They still have a branch in Bonifacio High Street Central Square but I believe they only sell cakes and other baked goods there.) I visited their branch in Karrivin Plaza along Chino Roces Avenue recently to pick-up a cake I ordered - their Concorde is still really exceptionally good - and to have lunch. I ordered two items on their menu: the 40 Cloves Chicken in Olive Oil and the Wild Mushroom Pasta. I wasn't able to consume everything but I did take my leftovers home so nothing went to waste haha.

40 Cloves Chicken in Olive Oil and Wild Mushroom Pasta from Kitchen's Best

Finally, I had dinner at Causeway. Ideally, the best time to go to Causeway is when they sell their dimsum at 50% off (it differs per branch) but I found myself near Causeway along Timog Avenue one night and I decided to have dinner there, even if I would have to pay full price for dimsum. I got one order each of their Pork Siomai and Beancurd Roll. I also ordered their Asado Rice Roll, which I really love. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it haha.

Beancurd Roll and Pork Siomai from Causeway

Hopefully, I get to revisit these places again soon. And maybe other restaurants that I also love that I haven't been to in a while.

Bright Side of Life

The last month wasn't easy, given all the losses my family experienced, but thankfully there were still many good moments and positive experiences. My friend Drew visited Japan and I asked him if he could buy me a box of Tokyo Banana if he had time to find it and if he still had space in his luggage. I got to try this sweet snack many years ago when a friend brought a box home from Japan as pasalubong and I enjoyed it. I saw that it is now available in the Philippines at the Mitsukoshi Mall but it costs about twice as much here compared to Japan. Not only did Drew manage to buy a box and fit it into his luggage, he also gave it to me as a gift. I shared it with my family and they enjoyed it too. Thanks Drew!

I also got to try the Kurobota Pork Sinigang at Mamou. I've been to Mamou on a few occasions in the past but each time I've eaten there, I always have the steak and the truffle pasta. However, during the pandemic, a friend told me that the sinigang at Mamou is pretty good too. So when my friends decided to have lunch at Mamou, I decided to try the sinigang. It was good indeed. I'm glad I got to try something new and that I actually enjoyed. Of course, I'm also really glad I got to catch up with my friends Eliza, Marie, and Meg.

Speaking of new dining experiences, I enjoyed a crepe at Cooper's Coffee Haus in CW Ortigas Home Depot for the first time. I was in the area one afternoon and I was looking for a place to have coffee and dessert. I love crepes so when I saw Cooper's, I immediately decided to get a table. I ordered the Banana Nutella Brulee and the presentation was a pleasant surprise. The crepes seemed to have been sliced into strips, rolled up, made to stand on the side, and then topped with a banana slice. Pretty inventive!

My new experiences weren't limited to food. I finally got to set up my new weighing scale at home. I actually got it as a birthday gift from my mom a couple of years ago but I only set it up last month. Ive never had a weighing scale before so now I can more closely monitor my weight at home.

I also finally used my Nike app. I set it up and created an account during the pandemic but I didn't use it. And when my old phone ran out of space, I deleted it. I installed it in my new phone but didn't really use it. That is, until I walked into the Nike store at Glorietta one afternoon. One of the salespeople said that several items were on sale but you had to use your Nike app QR code to get the discount. I ended up getting the black Nike Free Metcon 5 at 30% off. Cool!

And while we're on the topic of luck, I won a 500g bag of coffee! I attended a company event and one of the activities that day involved visiting booths of the different departments to understand how other groups do their work. One booth offered visitors a chance to win a prize if they answered a trivia question correctly.  Thankfully, I did! My prize was a bag of Baslay Forest Coffee from Negros. I'm a big fan of local coffee so this prize really made my day.

Hopefully, the worst is over and things start looking up the rest of the year. In any case, I'm truly grateful for all these moments that make life better.

Tina Turner: The Legend, The Icon

Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock and Roll, has passed away.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and boundless passion for life, she enchanted fans worldwide and inspired future stars. We say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us her greatest work; her music. Tina, we will miss you dearly. pic.twitter.com/8SihpxMe14

— TinaTurner (@tinaturner) May 24, 2023

I obviously did not know Tina personally so her passing didn't affect me in the same way the recent losses of my grandmother and my cousins did. Still, it had a profound effect on me because I looked up to Tina on so many levels. She was an unparalleled performer. Her voice was strong, unique, and powerful. When she danced on stage, her joy was unbridled and infectious and everyone watching her could feel it. She connected with audiences in a way that only authentic artists can. Her presence demanded attention and her energy was off-the-charts. Even later in her career, Tina was an absolute force. Here is one of my favorite performances of hers from Wembley in 2000. She was 60 at this time!

What makes all this even more amazing is the fact that Tina didn't do drugs or alcohol. She talked about it when she accepted an Essence Award in 1993. What you saw on stage was her through and through. She was truly peerless and fearless! I still can't believe that in one of her concerts, she ran across an elevated walkway seemingly without a harness and in high heels! Check it out here. Also, one of her most iconic photos was this one, taken by Peter Lindbergh at the Eiffel Tower. Wow!

Tina Turner hanging off the Eiffel Tower.

One of Peter Lindbergh’s most iconic photographs. pic.twitter.com/TzkhHadVpX

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 24, 2023

As if all that wasn't enough, I find it truly inspiring how she overcame personal tragedy that threatened her life and well-being. Tina suffered abuse from her then-husband Ike Turner. How she managed to perform spectacularly while being a victim of domestic violence is beyond me. She eventually saved herself from that abusive relationship. She left the marriage with nothing - no money, no royalties - except her stage name (her real name is Anna Mae Bullock) and from there, she started again. Despite losing everything she had financially prior to her divorce from Ike, she managed to build a spectacular career that spanned decades. Tina's life story was made into a movie aptly entitled "What's Love Got to Do with It" that starred Angela Bassett and there is a powerful and heart-rending scene there that dramatizes how Tina left Ike. You can watch it here.

One of my regrets is that I never got to watch her perform live. Thankfully, there are countless videos of amazing Tina Turner performances, songs, and interviews that will allow me to continue appreciating her immense talent and be entertained by her even now that she's gone. Rest in peace, Tina Turner!

Rest in Peace, Via

2023 hasn't been an easy time for my family. A couple of months ago, I lost my cousin Maricel. Earlier this month, I lost Nanay. Now, I lost another cousin, Via.

Via moved to the US a long time ago and it's been a while since I got to see her. Sadly, she got sick. I found out about her illness only a few days before she passed away. At that time, we knew she didn't have a lot of time left so some of my relatives here in the Philippines were trying to figure out if anyone could fly to the US to be with her. Sadly, no one was able to go. Thankfully, my cousin was with her partner who loved her very much. He and his family took very care of Via and stayed with her until the end.

I come from a very big extended family and the great thing about it is that you have a lot of love in your life. Sadly, of course, as I get older, I start losing more people in my life. Via was not many years older than me so it fills me with grief to know that she is no longer with us. But at least I know she felt loved and she was surrounded by people who cared for her very deeply.

Rest in Peace, my dear cousin Via. We love you and we miss you.

Rest in Peace, Nanay

It's a very sad time for my family. My grandmother Nanay passed away.

It started a short while back. She had been feeling under the weather for a few days so I took her to the hospital for some tests. At that time, she was still able to walk. Despite the prescribed medication, she continued to be be sick so my family took her to the hospital where she was confined. Once her vitals got better, my family took her home. Unfortunately, once she was out of the hospital, her condition rapidly worsened. After a few days at home, we had to bring her back to the hospital. Her condition fluctuated while she was there - some days it was good, others it wasn't - and unfortunately for us, after some time, she passed away.

What is really sad to me is that she seemed to be doing fine up until she got sick. In fact, in the last year, she joined several get-togethers, some of them quite far from where we live. Since August 2022, she attended three family reunions, six birthday celebrations, a wedding, a memorial, and a Christmas celebration at my aunt's house. Even before the pandemic, Nanay would often decline invites because she found it too tiring to leave home so it was a very pleasant surprise that she started going out again. In that period of time, she got to see many of our relatives that she hadn't seen in years. She also got to catch up face-to-face with one of her dear friends. I thought that we would have many more opportunities to take Nanay out, especially since she could still walk. Sadly, that won't happen anymore.

That said, it was about as good a way to go as any. Nanay was 96 years old, a really good age, and she got to reconnect with many of the most important people in her life in her last year with us. Even at the hospital, there were a couple of days where she got a bit stronger. She even started to have cravings despite having no appetite for a few weeks. I got her Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream because that was her favorite flavor and she was able to enjoy it. Many of us were with her at the hospital hours before her last breath and we got to talk to her while we were there. I'm happy that she was surrounded by family before she passed on.

It hasn't been that long since we lost her but things have definitely not been the same. I miss our conversations and how sharp her memory continued to be. I miss bringing her favorite food whenever I would visit. I miss watching movies and shows with her on Sunday afternoons. I miss playing her favorite music in the car whenever I drove her. I also miss taking her to visit my grandfather and other relatives at the cemetery and praying for them every week until Nanay didn't have the energy to do that anymore. However, I am thankful that Nanay had a great life and that she is now free from pain and discomfort.

Rest in Peace, Nanay. We love you!

[Throwback] Final Thoughts on my Mexico Trip

My trip to Mexico was the first time I experienced being in very high altitude. Mexico City is 2,240 meters above sea level and when I got there, I actually felt it. I remember sitting in my hotel room and feeling a bit out of breath. I even experienced nose bleeds! Thankfully, it only happened while I was in my room and not when I was out and about.

Artifact on display in Museo Del Templo Mayor

Interesting and quite silly experience on my first night in Mexico. I saw a fast food restaurant near my hotel and decided to order a burger meal. I wanted to order Meal #3 and so when I got to the counter, I asked for "tres" and pointed to meal I wanted to get. It cost a about 40 Mexican pesos but when my bill came, it was more than a hundred. I was a bit shocked by it but didn't complain; I thought maybe I misunderstood the menu. When my order arrived, it became clear why: I had THREE orders of meal #3! Hahaha. I can completely understand why that is how he understood my order. Needless to say, I had burgers and fries until the next day. I do think I have gotten much better at navigating the language barrier since then.

On my way to visit Museo Del Templo Mayor

I have also gotten much better at documenting trips over time. Probably because cameras and phones now can store significantly more photos than they could two decades ago. One of the things I am bummed about is that I didn't take any photos of my hotel or the beach at our hotel. Also, while I took several photos of the wedding guests, I didn't take any decent photos of the church.

The New Basilica of Guadalupe

A great thing about our hotel in Playa Del Carmen is that all food and drinks were included in the room rate. Guests could enjoy a buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the hotel also offered an open bar and people could order alcoholic beverages at any time. Because I spent a full day in Chichen Itza and another day in Xcaret, I only got to enjoy the buffet lunch on the day of the wedding. My drink of choice during that trip: Amaretto Sour.

Swimming in a cenote

I wrote in detail about my horrific experience flying back home from Mexico (read about it here). I kinda want to edit the bad writing in that post but at this point, I can't really be bothered improving it haha. Oh and the photo I still use as my blog profile photo was from this trip.

Teotihuacan

I was still quite young when I took this trip and not as financially stable as I am now. As such, I spent only five days there despite having to travel halfway around the world. If I had to do this trip all over again, I would definitely spend more time there and do more research about places to see. That said, even in the short time I was in Mexico, I did get to visit some of the best and most important places in the country. Hopefully, I get a chance to travel there again the future.

*****

This is the last of my throwback travel posts. I promised myself during the pandemic that I would write about past trips - local and foreign - that I didn't get to write about in this blog (or that happened even before I started this blog). I can't believe I'm finally done!

[Throwback] Chichen Itza

I didn't know about Chichen Itza until I arrived in Playa Del Carmen. Once I checked into my hotel, some of the wedding guests, including Amy's family and my friend Amy, were already there. They were planning to take a tour that would bring them to Chichen Itza and they asked me if I wanted to join them. I took one look at the brochure that featured a photo of an ancient pyramid and it was a no-brainer; I had to go.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is an ancient Mayan city in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The most prominent and most significant structure here is the Temple of Kukulcan, otherwise known as El Castillo. Apparently, Kukulcan is the Mayan serpent deity similar to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza

The Temple of Kukulcan has 91 steps on each of its four sides. If you add all that and include the temple platform at the top of the pyramid as the final step, you have a total of 365 steps, which matches the number of days in a year. (The Mayans and many other pre-Spanish Mesoamerican cultures used a 365-day calendar.) I was there almost two decades ago and back then, visitors were allowed to go up the pyramid. I learned that this is no longer allowed, which makes sense because having tourists go up and down can cause damage and erosion to this ancient structure.

Going up the Temple of Kukulcan is no longer allowed

From atop the pyramid, you get an amazing view of Chichen Itza. The Temple of the Warriors, or Templo de los Guerreros, looks beautiful from the summit.

View of the Temple of the Warriors from the top of the pyramid

We had some time to go around the grounds on our own which allowed me to see the Temple of the Warriors up close and take some photos.

Temple of the Warriors

While the highlight of our tour was the visit to Chichen Itza, we had a couple more stops. In the afternoon, we got to visit and swim in a cenote. A cenote is a sinkhole that exposes the groundwater. There are many of these in Mexico so it was great that we got to visit one.

Visiting a cenote

I knew that we would have an opportunity to swim so I brought swim shorts with me. (The cenote haas a nice locker room where guests can change, shower, and dry off.) It's good that I got to swim at least once while I was in Mexico because I didn't get the chance to swim at the beach fronting our hotel.

Swimming in the cenote

Finally, on our way back to the hotel in the late afternoon, we passed by Iglesia De San Servacio, or the San Servacio Church, in Valladolid. We were given some time to view the church and do inside. By the time we left, dusk was settling and the church lights were turned on.

Iglesia De San Servacio

Next: Final Thoughts on my Mexico Trip