We lost our dog 😞

The last several days haven't been kind. Shortly after I lost a very good friend, my family lost our dog.😞

No one knows exactly what happened but it seems that when my mom went to work late last week, the dog slipped out of the house when our gates were opened. Normally, whenever our dogs go out of the house, they always go back after a short while. Unfortunately, because my mom left very early in the morning, no one else was awake to open the gate for our dog when it came back home. It was only when my nephew was going to feed our dogs for lunch that he noticed that one of them was missing. It's been several days now and he still hasn't come home. I am heartbroken. 

I am hoping that our dog didn't suffer badly if anything did happen to him. Or if someone else captured him and took ownership of him, that they take good care of him. Either way, I will be praying for our lost dog.

Rest in Peace, Karen

I just lost a dear friend.

I met Karen around five years ago through common friends. She was tremendously kind, generous, and supportive. She would read her friends' blogs - I remember sharing links to my Russia posts because she was interested to visit Russia - and watch their vlogs. In our chat group, she would respond to people's questions, even if it was just to say that she didn't know or that she wasn't familiar with whatever was being asked. When I was prepping for my South America trip, there was a Samsonite luggage sale at the Rustan's Department Store but you needed to have a BDO credit card to get the 40% discount. Karen said that she had one and she volunteered to accompany me to Rustan's. When we got there, we found out that it was a specific BDO credit card that was needed so Karen and I ended up just having dinner in A Veneto in Glorietta. While the luggage purchase was a fail, it was still a good evening because we got to hang out and talk about stuff, including things we wanted to do.

What makes this loss even sadder is that it was all so sudden. One minute we were chatting about Smart TVs and the next, I learned that she had passed on. It didn't even register immediately. When my friend told us that Karen was gone, I thought she was referring to another person with the same name. It's really heartbreaking that I wasn't even able to say goodbye or wish her well. But that's how death is most times. Unexpected, like a thief in the night.

Karen said she wanted us to take a crack at the Morbid Morgue room in Mystery Manila - it was the one room we still hadn't tried in the Ayala the 30th Mystery Manila - but now I'm gutted that we won't ever get to do it, at least not with her. Maybe when the pandemic is over, I can gather our friends so we can give this room a go in her honor.

I'd like to end this post by sharing a song that's in Karen's Spotify playlist, Funeral Bell by Phildel. It's a hauntingly beautiful song and, given what has happened, also sadly appropriate.

video uploaded in youtube by Phildel - Topic

*****

 

Eternal rest grant unto Karen, O Lord

And let perpetual light shine upon her

May Karen and all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace

Amen.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

 I just finished reading my first book this year: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley.

This novel centers around a struggling artist who, along with a four-year-old boy, survives a plane crash. This miraculous tale of survival and heroism gets turned on its head by the fact that all other passengers and crew perished. What started out as a story of inspiration slowly and insidiously turns into one of intrigue and innuendo.

While this book is classified as a suspense thriller, I found it to have a relaxed and easy pace. The writing switches back and forth between the present and the past, allowing the reader to learn more about the passengers and the crew which in turn this strengthens the reader's desire to know what caused the crash. That said, the climax was pretty intense and unexpected, and as I finished reading, I was left wanting to know more. Which is a sign of a great story: you get so emotionally invested in the characters that you want to know what happens to them after.

Now that I finished my first book of 2021, I'm hoping that I have gained enough momentum to keep on reading.

Nadal wins Barcelona Title #12

 Congratulations Rafa Nadal for winning the Barcelona Open for the 12th time!

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It wasn't an easy road to the final. Rafa dropped a set in his first two matches before finding his form in the quarters and the semis. In the final, he faced an in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas who not only won Monte Carlo the previous week (and without dropping a set!) but who also defeated Rafa in a tough five set match in the Australian Open earlier this year. Rafa actually held a match points in the second set of the final but it was on Stefanos' serve. Not only did Stefanos save the match point, he managed to win that set to even things out. In the 3rd set, Tsitsipas was on the verge of his second consecutive title as he held a match point against Nadal but he managed to save it. He then won that game, broke Stefanos in the next game, then served out the match. Check out the match highlights here.

 

video uploaded in youtube by Tennis TV

This win means that Rafa has now won at least one title each year for 18 consecutive years (from 2004 to 2021). This record in men's tennis is just absolutely staggering. I am hoping that this gives him confidence to defend his French Open title. The next generation players including Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and now Andrey Rublev are really getting closer to the top as they consistently challenge the Big Three now. I'm hoping Rafa can still hold on to claim Roland Garros #14.

Good luck, Rafa, and congratulations on your Barcelona title!

My First GForest Tree in GCash

Achievement unlocked: GCash will be planting a tree on my behalf!

GForest allows users to earn green energy when performing cashless activities such as bills and purchase payments. While I already enrolled most of my bills in my online bank app, I still had one credit card for which I didn't have an online payment option in early 2020 (during the first ECQ). I learned that I could use GCash to pay for it so that's when I started using GCash. I then told my mom and my grandmother that I could pay their bills via GCash so that they wouldn't need to go payment centers for Meralco, PLDT, and Maynilad. Now, after about 10 months of online bills and purchase payments through GCash, I earned enough green energy in my GForest to plant a tree.

Actually, I earned enough points to plant a tree months ago already. However, back then, there were only three trees you could plant: Narra (worth 9,411 green energy), Dungon (worth 10,080 green energy), and Yakal (worth 20,560 green energy). When I finally had enough points to plant Narra which requires the least green energy, all trees were out of stock. It took a while for trees to become available again but when they were, I was quite close to Yakal already so I decided that I wanted Yakal to be the first tree I would redeem. Unfortunately, when I finally earned enough green energy for it, it still wasn't available.

Then, a few weeks ago, several more trees became available in GForest, including Molave which was worth 18,410 green energy. Yakal was still not available but the green energy requirement of Molave was close enough to Yakal so I decided to redeem Molave instead. 

I have now planted my first tree through GForest. I'm starting to use GCash a lot more heavily now since I use it to make Lazada payments as well so hopefully it won't take another 10 months for me to have enough green energy to finally plant Yakal. And hopefully when I do, it will be available.

As of this writing, almost 7.4 million trees have been planted through GForest. This is amazing! Thank you GCash for planting trees on behalf of your users and customers.

Zack Snyder's Justice League

I've seen a lot of ads for Zack Snyder's Justice League which premiered lasst March 18. You can only watch it on HBO GO. I still have Sky Cable and apparently you can subscribe to HBO GO through Sky Cable so that's what I did. I am now one of the many people who have seen Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Funny and stupid thing: I actually thought this movie was a sequel to the Justice League movie that came out in 2017. Apparently, this is more like a director's cut that would allow Zack Snyder to present the film in the way he envisioned it (he was unable to complete his work on the 2017 film because of the death of his daughter so Joss Whedon took over as director). This means the story remains mostly the same so not a lot of suprises.

SPOILER ALERT: stop watching if you don't want any spoilers (it's pretty much the same story but I will be talking about some differences that could spoil you if you plan to watch the Snyder cut).

The first major change: the length of the film. Zack Snyder's Justice League is almost 4 hours long! I started watching it at 1030pm on March 18 and I had to stop watching and just continue the next day after work.

Another change is the tone. It feels darker, with characters being more serious and somber for the most part and having less funny banter with each other. However, it also feels less angry. I mean, in the 2017 film, Cyborg seemed to be angry at his father while in the Snyder cut, he isn't (or not as much) and they seem to have somewhat of a positive relationship. I also kinda felt there was less friction among the superheroes here which I appreciated.

Finally, we get to see a few more characters in this film, the most important of whom is Darkseid. Justice League was supposed to be the first of a trilogy and Darkseid was meant to be the supervillain in them but he wasn't in the 2017 version. We also get to see Martian Manhunter in a couple of scenes, including one where he talks to Batman about joining Justice League.

Sadly, it seems that Zack Snyder is not interested in making more Justice League movies anymore, which is a shame because the Snyder Cut sets things up quite well for what would have been future installments. Hopefully, these future films can still be made (and made well).

Quarantine Stories Part 9

The number of Covid cases has increased significantly in the last week or so, with new cases in the Philippines exceeding 7000 per day. I wonder if it's because people have gotten a bit more complacent given that we have now been in some form of quarantine for a little more than a year (we were placed under ECQ on March 17, 2020). That, or people have just gotten tired of being cooped up at home. Just a few hours ago, an announcement was made that additional restrictions are going to be implemented to hopefully reduce or better manage the number of new cases. While I wouldn't say I've gotten complacent or that I'm feeling an extreme urge to spend time outside my living area, a couple of weeks ago, I did get a haircut for the first time in about a year. I haven't had a haircut since quarantine started but in the last couple of months, my long hair had become increasingly annoying. I scheduled an appointment at the salon next door during a one-week leave that I took and I requested for the first slot at 9am on a Monday. I figured that there would be few to no other customers during that time plus the fact that being the first appointment meant that no other customers would have been serviced yet. My assumption proved to be correct since I was the only customer during my slot. Cool!

My first haircut in a year

Another benefit of me being on leave for a week was that I was able to have my broken Samsung phone battery replaced. Not only was my phone discharging very quickly - a full charge would only last a few hours - but if I was actively using any apps, my phone would immediately die even if the battery was still at 50%. The closest Samsung service center was in Megamall and as it turned out, I had to go there twice because I was told during my first visit that a battery replacement wasn't available and they still had to order it. Thankfully, it arrived while I was still on leave. The problem was that I had to wait about 3-4 hours because the technicians still had to observe the new battery and ensure it was working properly. Thankfully, it was a Friday afternoon so most people were at work and the mall wasn't packed. I had a late lunch in Pizza Express since only two other tables were occupied when I got there. I was hoping to just stay there the entire afternoon but they didn't have any coffee so after lunch, I moved to French Baker (there were maybe 2 or 3 other tables occupied and French Baker had really good dividers between tables and even seats so it felt quite safe). Thankfully, my phone battery now works.

I also started using my the Save Money service of GCash. My friends who work at GCash and Globe told me that the interest rate was 4% so I thought it would a good place to save some of my money. As it turns out, the interest rate has gone down to 2.6% now. Still, it's much better than what most other savings accounts offer.

Finally, I am now exercising again. Since the start of the month, I've probably exercised 6 to 7 times. I still want to work out a bit more frequently than that - maybe 4-5 times a week - but at least I'm not sedentary anymore and I get to break into a sweat every now and then. What I discovered is that a 15-minute HIIT workout followed by a 15-minute yoga session with my Down Dog apps is the best, at least at my current level of fitness. Hopefully I can keep at it and lengthen my exercise sessions or make them more difficult in the near future.

Australian Open 2021

Congratulations to Novak  Djokovic and Naomi Osaka for winning the Australian Open Men's and Women's singles titles respectively!

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Novak Djokovic proved yet again that the Australian Open is his house by winning the championship for a record-extending 9th time. This is now also his 18th Grand Slam singles title, only two short of the men's record held jointly by Nadal and Federer. He is also guaranteed to break Roger's Federer's men's record of most total weeks at number 1. Novak also showed everyone just how mentally strong he is this tournament (in my opinion, his mental strength is second to none). He survived a 5-set scare from Taylor Fritz in the 3rd round and he had to overcome three other players in four sets. In fact, against Zverev, he was down a break in both the third and fourth sets but he still managed to eke out a win in both of those sets. I actually thought his opponent in the finals, Daniil Medvedev, was going to break through to win his first major since he had beaten Novak three times in their last four meetings. However, Novak's Grand Slam championship mettle proved too much and he overwhelmed Daniiel in straight sets in the final. The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if Novak also ends his career with the record for most major wins among the men. (It will be really interesting to see what happens in the next few years.)

Naomi Osaka won her second Australian Open title and her fourth major and I wouldn't be surprised if she regains the number 1 ranking and wins many more Grand Slam titles in the future. She moves well, her ground strokes have got some serious sting, and she's developed her serve into a solid weapon (I believe she hit more aces than any other woman in the tournament). But more importantly, she seems to have strengthened her championship mettle. In the fourth round, she faced two match points against last year's finalist, Garbine Muguruza, but she saved both and then found another gear, turning the match around and winning in three very hard-fought sets. After she won the US Open in 2018 and followed it up by winning the Australian Open in 2019, I thought she was poised to be the next great women's champion. However, she was unable to maintain that level of play. Now, after winning both the US Open and the Australian Open trophies again, I think she may have just found the right formula to keep winning more Grand Slam events.

Congratulations, Novak and Naomi!

Quarantine Stories Part 8

Thank God for small mercies. We've been on quarantine for 11 months now but I'm tremendously grateful that I've had the opportunity to handle administrative things in a safer environment than the average person. What am I talking about? First is paying the annual Real Estate Property Tax. Normally, I have to go to City Hall to pay this. Lucky for me, the community where I live organized a satellite payment center so we could pay next door instead of having to go to City Hall. Even luckier was the fact that my friend, who's also my neighbor, told me via text that we had a satellite payment center in the area and that it was only for that day. And finally, I was working from home that day. I was able to go on the last hour and when I got there, there was only one person ahead of me in line. I was done in maybe 5 minutes and I managed to practice social distancing. Perfect!

Also, our amazing community organized another round of Autosweep RFID installations. I blogged about being able to get an Easytrip RFID intalled late last year and this time, I got to do the same for Autosweep. Once again, there was only one person ahead of me in line when I got there so I was in and out in a jiffy. Not that I will be going out of town any time soon. (I have been really wanting to hit the beach for a while now or go to Tagaytay but I guess I'm still not confident that it's safe enough, even if so many people I know have done it

In other news, I cooked tikoy for the first time last weekend. My boss very generously sent me and my teammates tikoy for the Lunar New Year. I decided to cook it and bring it to my family when I visited them. I asked a couple of my friends how to cook tikoy and I also did some research online. To summarize:
- put the tikoy in the refrigerator to make it easier to cut
- before cooking, cut it into small pieces
- dip each piece in a lightly beaten egg (this is supposedly so that the tikoy slices don't stick to each other)
- fry it (one of my friends recommended frying it in butter)

I have a small Masflex non-stick frying pan so I had to cook three batches (actually, I ended up just packing a fourth batch since I didn't have time to cook it anymore). I actually forgot to put butter for the first batch but the tikoy still didn't stick to my amazing non-stick pan! That said, because my friend said tikoy tastes better when fried in butter, I made sure to add some for the second and third batches. I have to say, the tikoy fried in butter really does taste better!

I brought the cooked tikoy along with some Chinese dishes to my family. I also brought some chocolates and Tiramisu since it was also Valentine's day. Not a bad way to enjoy the long weekend with my family.

Boardgaming in the Time of Covid

If you've been reading my blog over the years, you'd know that I am an avid fan of board games and tabletop games. I would normally play at least once a month and sometimes, I would get to play multiple times a month. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented my for enjoying this hobby for most of last year. To give me some semblance of normalcy, I decided in late 2020 to purchase Herbaceous Sprouts online from Gaming Library. This game looks visually appealing and it has a solo variant, meaning I can play it by myself. It's a quick game and the instructions are easy to understand. I found it to be quite enjoyable to play. I'm the only one in all my board game groups who has played this game so I look forward to the day that I can introduce it to my other friends.

Herbaceous Sprouts

I would have played Herbaceous Sprouts more frequently if not for the fact that some of my friends gave me online games on Steam. We decided that for our online Christmas get-together, we would play online games so I set up a Steam account and I got Lords of Waterdeep, Wingspan, Agricola All Creatures Big and Small, and Viticulture as presents.  (Thanks friends!) I also downloaded Tokaido on my phone because it's free on the Android Play Store. We got to play a couple of rounds of Lords of Waterdeep, Wingspan, and Tokaido that night. It wasn't quite the same as getting to play with my friends face-to-face, but given the situation, it was the next best thing.

The cool thing about these games is that you can play against AI players. As such, I ended up playing Tokaido quite a bit on my phone. This is such a relaxing game, although while there is still some strategy involved, I do find it is quite luck-based and the start-player sequence does play a part in how the final results are determined. I did manage to win my fair share of games against the AI.

One of my winning games in Tokaido

Lords of Waterdeep is the game I have played the most. I think this is one of my top 5 favorite board games because, while there is some luck involved, it requires a lot of strategy while having relatively simple and straightforward game mechanics. This makes it perfect for both newbies and experienced board gamers. I've played a few times with my friends online but most of the time, I play against the AI and I think I've become quite good at it haha. I've had more than my fair share of wins but the best one came earlier today, when I got what I think is the highest score I've ever achieved in Lords of Waterdeep - 191 points! - as well as my largest lead (I was 71 points ahead of the second placer). Amazing!

I'm Player, with a score of 191!

I'm really happy that I have these games now and maybe I will try purchasing a few other games on Steam, such as Scythe and Terraforming Mars. Until then, I will enjoy the ones I have now.

Welcome 2021

So it's taken a while for me to write my first post of 2021. In the past, I would normally post something within the first week of the New Year but I've really slowed down in my blogging in 2020. This is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic which still rages all over the world. To ensure safety of all employees in the place I work, our management implemented work-from-home for all employees. You would think that because I work from home all the time now, I'd have more time to write. However, the opposite has happened. I think this is because I would normally sit in front of my computer at home for several hours each day so once work is done, I don't feel like looking at my computer anymore, even if it just is to update my blog. Of course, I'm thankful that I can work from home because it allows me to practice social distancing and it minimizes my exposure to other people, thus reducing my chances of contracting Covid. However, this means that until I get vaccinated and it feels safe enough again to go out, I won't be writing as much.

Thinking about it now, maybe it's also because there hasn't been much to write about. While I am grateful that my family, my friends, and I have remained safe and healthy throughout this ordeal, the events of last year have meant that there hasn't really been a lot of interesting things going on. Being stuck at home has left me being a lot more unproductive than usual. I've barely seen anyone outside my family. I haven't hung out with any of my friends, I haven't gone out for meals, I haven't traveled, and I haven't played board games. I also find that I am spending more money: what I save in gas because I don't travel, I spend more on food. There is a cheap cafeteria in my office where I could get meals with protein, vegetables, and rice for under P100; I can't get that at home unless I just cook canned goods which I don't want to consume too much of. I also tend to buy a lot of junk food and sweets; the weight I lost in 2019, I have gained back in 2020.

That said, there were still things that happened last year that I'm thankful for. I got to be a ninong for my new nephew. I read four books - the most I read in a year in maybe the last few decades - and I completed the John Wayne Cleaver series (which I very highly recommend). I learned how to cook and while I had more than my fair share of kitchen failures, I also did manage to put together a couple of dishes that were pretty successful. I discovered and got to try a lot of different food items and online food sellers. I purchased an online work-out app (although I barely exercised in the second half of 2020 because of my very heavy workload). I put some of my savings in PRU Life UK and SunLife investments. I also downloaded the Lazada app and learned how to look for and free shipping vouchers. 

Covid is still infecting thousands of people each day in the Philippines. The UK coronavirus variant, which is more easily transmissible, has also made its way to our shores, which means it is still not that safe to go out. There are efforts to make vaccine available and accessible to Filipinos. I hope that my family and I can get access to a working vaccine soon. I can't wait for the day when I can go out without a face mask and a face shield, travel both locally and internationally, and hang out with my friends and family again.

Disney Christmas Advert 2020

I couldn't think of a better thing to write about in my last post of 2020 than Disney's Christmas advert that was released last month. I'm not sure how many times I've watched it but it really does move me every time. Why? Because it showcases the Filipino Christmas and the Filipino family. Check it out here:

 

video uploaded in youtube by Disney UK

As a human, there are so many things to love about this 3-minute story that is told without words. Seeing a young girl grow up to become a grandmother in another country then later lose her connection with her granddaughter before her granddaughter realizes the importance of spending quality time with family is a universal theme. It can surely be appreciated by anyone in the world.

As a Filipino, the story and its details become even more significant and heartwarming. This video honored the Philippine Christmas as well as our traditions, culture, and even language. Some of them, such as the parol, the mano, the flag, the skin color of the characters, and the word 'lola' are quite overt. There are a few less obvious ones, such as this doily which adorns many Filipino households along with the tin box reused as a container of arts and crafts items (very typical Pinoy):

...and the sewing machine, which many Filipinos also have at home.

That said, one of my favorite things - and I only discovered this when reading the comments on YouTube - is the picture of lola as a nurse. It feels to me like this acknowledgment that so many nurses all over the world are from the Philippines is a way of honoring them and the value that they bring.

A couple more things. The song in the video, Love is a Compass by Griff, is so beautiful (I've been listening to it a lot on Spotify since I discovered it). Check out Griff's piano performance of this song here. I also love that Disney UK released this tutorial of how to make a parol. So cool!

Thank you Disney for paying homage to the Philippine Christmas!

Christmas in the Time of Covid

Every Christmas gathering I had with friends was done via online video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. I will say though that my FOMO keeps getting triggered because more and more of my friends are meeting up physically. I see so many people posting their face-to-face get-togethers on social media that it makes me want to do that to. But in the end, my fear of contracting Covid and possibly spreading it to my family still weighs more heavily in my mind so I haven't met up with anyone outside my immediately family since March. Even our Christmas celebrations at work were via Zoom. I attended two of them: the company-wide one and the one for my department. Both parties had raffles and I was pretty lucky to have won something in both. In the company-wide event, I won a headset while in our department party, I won a 2-in-1 Electric Griller. I still haven't received the headset but the griller was already delivered to me. Cool!

My raffle prize: an Electric Griller!

Speaking of deliveries, this is the first Christmas where I had gifts delivered to friends. My high school friends and I agreed early on to just do a Secret Santa instead of having each person getting gifts for everyone else. We all shared our wishlists and my "baby" was based in the US so I ordered her gifts from Amazon. I, on the other hand, got a new board game - Notre Dame - from GeekBox PH. It has some good reviews so it's too bad that it will be a while before I can play it.

Notre Dame board game

While I did drop off some gifts to a few friends (it was great seeing them, even briefly and even if no hugs or handshakes were shared), most of my gifts were purchased via Lazada. I was able to get several free shipping vouchers so I saved a lot on logistics. I also skipped the surprise part: for many of my friends, I took screenshots of gift ideas and I had them pick which one they wanted the most from that shortlist. Most of what I ordered have already been delivered but there are a couple that are still on their way, including the JBL earphones for my "baby" in our department Kris Kringle event. In that event, I myself got a portable Bluetooth speaker.

The gift I got from our office Kris Kringle: a Bluetooth Speaker

There was a bit of a disaster during Christmas eve, however: the place from which I ordered our food had major kitchen issues that resulted in massive delays. Not much more detail was provided but my order was supposed to be picked up at 3:30pm and it was 6:45pm when I got it. Crazy! While I was tremendously frustrated, I didn't complain anymore because the people who got there before I did were complaining angrily.

I would normally be livid myself but my greater concern at the time was the size of the crowd and my prolonged exposure to other people amidst the pandemic. I was expecting a more or less in-and-out food pick-up situation so getting stuck in a large crowd of people was extremely stressful. I could've waited in my car but I was worried that if my order came out and I wasn't there when my name was called, someone else might claim it. The sad thing is that by the time I got home, my family had all eaten dinner already. I did get to have Noche Buena with my nephews for the first time in years; normally, they celebrate Christmas with their relatives on their mom's side but because of the Covid situation, they stayed home with us. I also cracked open a bottle of really good wine that we all enjoyed that evening (don't worry, my nephews are of legal drinking age).

My crazy experience waiting for our Christmas food and stressing out over the lack of social distancing emphasized how fortunate and privileged I am compared to most other people. I get to work from home and have stuff delivered, thus minimizing the amount of times I go out and get exposed to others. The same can't be said for most other Filipinos, who need to brave the thread of Covid infection in order to make a living and survive. I don't know how much longer this pandemic will rage on but my Christmas wish is that working vaccines can be made accessible to people all over the world and that everyone can live and thrive in a much safer world.

Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake

I have a new favorite: Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake!

Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake

I first learned about this cake (and Vizco's) because of the IWanT TFC film Glorious. I then read about it again on social media when someone was asking for strawberry shortcake recommendations and some netizens swore by it. Since Vizco's is based in Baguio, I didn't really have an opportunity to try it. That is, until I started seeing Manila-based resellers of cakes from Vizco's as well as other Baguio shops. I'm guessing these resellers started sprouting up during the pandemic to help stores in Baguio survive; these stores must have been losing a lot of income because people couldn't visit anymore. Since people couldn't go to them, the resellers would bring their products to the people.

When I saw ads for the Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake, I asked my friends if any of them had tried it before. One of them did and she said that while buying it from a reseller is expensive - after all, they do come from Baguio - she thought it was worth it. The margins that these resellers add are quite substantial but if you compare the Vizco's cake price with other Strawberry Shortcakes in Manila, it's in the same range. As such, I decided to give it a try.

And I'm so glad I did.

This is now my favorite strawberry shortcake and one of my favorite cakes of any kind. The cake itself is light and fluffy and I think they infuse it with strawberry syrup because it's pink and has a lot of flavor. The icing is delicious and not too sweet . There is also a generous serving of strawberries on top and the strawberry syrup ties everything together really well. If I wasn't concerned about eating too much sugar, I could probably eat several slices - or heck, maybe even the whole cake! - in one sitting. My family and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to order it again soon after we tried it the first time. I also ordered one as a gift for one of my friends who has been extra generous to me.

There are a couple of resellers that I have been in contact with for my Vizco's Strawberry Shortcake orders in Manila: Love, Strawberry and Gelikdrei Store. I communicated with both via messenger and they are both pretty responsive. They also provide delivery services. Gelikdrei Store offers a lower price but Love, Strawberry often has promos.

If you're looking for really good strawberry shortcake, I highly recommended this one from Vizco's.

Quarantine Stories Part 7

I recently discovered Kimchi Bake Race from Gochu-Gang. They have two varieties: Beef Bulgogi and Army Style (which is inspired by Budae-Jjigae, or a Korean army stew that has beef sausage, spam, bacon and egg). You can also order a combo tray, with both Beef Bulgogi and Army Style. I decided to go with the combo so that I could try both and I actually enjoy it. For my appetite, one tray (at P1,190) is good for four meals so I can make it last over four meals. It's actually quite good and I've already had it a couple of times over the last few weeks. 

Another new thing I got to try recently is Rosalie's Suman. A neighbor was selling it and I hadn't had suman in a long time so I decided to try it. It's stickier and sweeter than normal suman but it's still good. Because it is on the sweeter side, it is perfect to eat while having some coffee.

 I also made several purchases during the Lazada 11.11 sale. It's only recently that I installed the app - I used to order only through their website via a browser - so I am now getting better at finding vouchers that offer discounts or free shipping. I also wrote my first Lazada reviews this month. Some of my purchases and reviews include coffee filters and gifts that I plan to give to my family during Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, this is the first time in decades that I wrapped Christmas gifts again. Usually, when I would buy gifts at the mall or in a shop, I would have them wrapped at the place where I bought them but I didn't have that option now. (Makes me wonder though, does Lazada offer a gift-wrapping service?) I had to search for instructional videos on youtube, especially for that one item I bought that was irregularly shaped, but in the end I think I did a decent job.)

I also finally got an Easytrip RFID. I didn't until just a few weeks ago that the NLEX and SLEX tollways would only accept Easytrip and Autosweep RFID payments and not cash as they have in the past. Because of the pandemic, it wasn't exactly urgent for me to get this sorted out immediately because I didn't have any plans to go out of Metro Manila in the future. But when the building I live in organized Easytrip installation in our community, I decided to sign up. Luckily, I was able to get a slot. It's just too bad that I missed the announcement for the Autosweep installation. I guess I just need to worry about that when I plan to go to the South.

I'm one of the few remaining people I know who still doesn't have a Netflix account so I still watch cable. (Yes, I know, what a shock haha.) As such, I don't get to watch a lot of new movies. In the last few weeks however, I did get to see a couple of films that I hadn't seen before. One of them was
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. So many people I know feel that this is the best Spider-man film so far and it did win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film so I was really excited to see this. Unfortunately for me, I think the massive hype about this movie set the bar so high that I think it didn't quite meet my exceedingly high expectations. Still, I did enjoy it.

The other movie that I got to see was Inferno. I believe this is the third movie that features Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon (the first two were The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons). I didn't have any expectations about this movie so maybe that helped in my viewing experience because I really liked it. The opening sequence alone was really intense and riveting and I was fully engaged until the end. The location of the climax was really interesting and it makes me want to visit it at some point in my life (click here if you want to know what location that was, I'm not mentioning it here so that I don't post any spoilers, even if this movie is 4 years old haha). Hopefully, I can get to watch more movies I haven't seen yet in the near future (I reckon I will already subscribe to Netflix before the year ends).

The John Wayne Cleaver Series of Dan Wells

I finally completed the John Wayne Cleaver series of Dan Wells. And wow, what a fantastic and brilliantly written series it is! Very highly recommended!

I wrote about reading the second trilogy last year before realizing that there was a first trilogy and a novella that came before it. I ordered those books on Amazon last year but I only got around to reading them this year. I read the first book, I Am Not a Serial Killer, back in February but it was only last month that I got to read Mr. Monster and I Don't Want to Kill You. Then this month, I finally read the novella Next of Kin.

I am really happy that I chanced upon this series because I absolutely love it. I am such a fan of how it combines psychological and criminal profiling with the supernatural. I love how the protagonist, John Wayne Cleaver, struggles with inner demons while battling actual demons. John is flawed and imperfect, probably even more than most people, and yet he is written so exceptionally well that you somehow understand him and can't help but root for him.

One of my friends asked me what I felt the best book of the series is and I was unsure how to answer it because each book would probably good on its own but being part of a heptalogy just makes the value of each part even more significant. This is certainly a case where the whole is much greater than the sum of its individual parts. That said, I think the series is best read by starting logically with the first book, I Am Not A Serial Killer. I think The Devil's Only Friend is the most action-packed and Mr. Monster is the darkest.  I also love how we get to see a different perspective of storytelling in Next of Kin. I did find I Don't Want to Kill You to be the most emotional and maybe the most surprising. I remember reading the last few paragraphs and feeling this incredible sadness along with a whole host of rich and powerful emotions. (Now that I think about my friend's question again, maybe I Don't Want to Kill You is my favorite.)

If you have access to Dan Wells' John Wayne Cleaver series, whether via paperback or through e-books, I recommend that you read it. It is a bit of an investment time-wise since there are seven books but it is definitely worth it.

Quarantine Stories Part 6

Metro Manila continues to be on GCQ and based on the most recent announcement, this quarantine will run until at least the end of November. In the last month, the Philippines was getting about two thousand new cases a day, making it still pretty risky to head out. As such, I always have a face mask and a face shield when I leave the safety of my home. I'm not sure if a face shield is required or if it is just encouraged, but  I know that some places require people to wear a face shield and it does add a layer of protection so I use one each time I head out. I also started using a bandana as a headband, kinda like a tennis player or an 80s rock star haha. It may not be the most fashionable thing to put on, but my hair is getting pretty long now so I need something to keep it away from my face. The bandana also catches a lot of sweat and prevents perspiration from dripping into my eyes. This is especially helpful now because wearing a face shield can make it quite hot.

I haven't had a haircut for almost 7 months now. While many people I know have gotten a haircut, I decided not to get one just yet  not only for safety purposes but also because I've always sported the same hairstyle my entire life and I've never had long hair before. I figured that now was as good a time as any to grow my hair out. I mentioned in a previous post that I started using conditioner again after decades of not using it. More recently, I bought a hairbrush from the supermarket and I also bought some hairbands from Lazada during their 9.9 sale last month.

Hairbands weren't the only items I purchased from Lazada recently. I also bought an extension cord, curtains, gifts that I plan to give my brothers for Christmas, and a ring light. There was a big scare though when I purchased expensive sunglasses at 25% off but I instead got sanitary napkins and lotion delivered to me! I was told by customer service that they could not replace the item but they would give me my money back. This sucked because the item I wanted to buy was no longer on sale. To make things worse, it took a couple of weeks for Lazada to pick up the wrong items. And when they did, I got a notification that my item return request was cancelled! Shortly after that, Lazada corrected the situation and reopened my return request and after some time, I got a notification saying that it had been processed and the amount I paid would be credited back to the card I used for my purchase. I finally breathed a big sigh of relief when the amount was finally credited back to my account. Whew!

Over the last several weeks, I also got to try a few new things. My normal decaf was not available at the supermarket but I spotted this Lavazza decaf. It's pretty expensive but I needed my decaf - my doctor told me I had to reduce my caffeine intake - so I decided to buy it. Thankfully, it turned out to be really good. Decaf coffee often tastes less robust than normal coffee but this one has a pretty strong coffee flavor so it doesn't feel like I'm drinking weak coffee.

I also tried Hansel Premium Cheese Sandwich because I've heard some really positive reviews from people who tried it, including my friend. I gotta say, it really is good!

I haven't been able to exercise as much as I did a few months ago and I started gaining weight so one time, I decided to try Keto ice cream which has very little sugar content. While it is definitely healthier than normal ice cream, it doesn't taste as good haha.. I guess it's okay to have it if you really want to reduce your sugar intake but still want something that tastes a bit sweet. That said, I haven't repurchased it since haha.

Finally, a friend of mine sent me sushi bake a few weeks ago. Sushi bake became popular in Metro Manila during quarantine but up until my friend sent me some, I hadn't tried it. Now that I've had it, I understand the hype. It's really very good! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a photo because my friend had it sent to our house and it arrived while I was out. By the time I got home, it was already partially eaten. I think I will order this again next time (and I will make sure I take a picture then).

Rafa Nadal, The Undisputed King Of Clay

 It's not like there was any doubt. Rafa Nadal has achieved so much on clay courts in his career that the King of Clay title had been firmly his for many years now. What is mind-blowing is how he continues to add on to the records that are already his.

Slam No. 2️⃣0️⃣@RafaelNadal #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/HDb5wVqoTn

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 11, 2020

Yesterday, Rafa Nadal won the French Open, which was played in September-October instead of the usual May-June because of the global Covid pandemic. In the final, he played against Novak Djokovic, the world #1 who has been Rafa's nemesis over the last decade. Novak had in fact beaten Rafa in 14 of their last 18 matches. A win for Novak would have been extraordinarily significant, because he would have remained undefeated in 2020, he would have won his 18th Grand Slam title, and he would have been the only player in the Open era to have won each major at least twice.

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆@RafaelNadal conquers Novak Djokovic 6-0 6-2 7-5 to remain perfect in Paris finals and earn title 1️⃣3️⃣ at #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/lzOz5dmoqQ

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 11, 2020

Unfortunately, Rafa reminded the world yet again why Roland Garros is his house. He defeated Novak  6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in the final. How significant was this?

• It is his 13th French Open title. No one else in the Open era has won a single tournament that many times.
• It is his 20th Grand Slam title, tying him with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam singles titles won by a man.
• It is his 100th match win at Roland Garros. He only has two losses so far in his entire career.
• He didn't drop a set the entire tournament. This is the fourth time he has achieved this at the French Open.
• He has now won at least four consecutive titles in Roland Garros three times: 2005-2008, 2010-2014 (this was five in a row), and now 2017-2020
• He has not lost in a final at the French Open. In fact, he has not lost in a semifinal here either.
  

These records are just absolutely astounding. Winning 13 titles is most likely a record that will never be broken (or at least not in my lifetime).

1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Roland-Garros match wins.
1️⃣3️⃣ Roland-Garros titles.
2️⃣0️⃣ Grand Slam titles.
1️⃣ @RafaelNadal.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Lgu38j5F4C

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 11, 2020

On the women's side, we have a new star in Iga Swiatek, who announced her arrival by sweeping past all her opponents en route to the French Open title. Not only did she do so without dropping a set, she didn't lost more than five games in any of her matches. Iga was unseeded but she did win the Wimbledon Juniors event in 2018 so it's not like she came out of nowhere. Also, her road to the championship was definitely not easy since she had to get through top seed Simona Halep in the fourth round and she faced fourth seed Sofia Kenin in the final. Congrats Iga!

Etched in the history books forever.@iga_swiatek #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/sv5kQpECNj

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 10, 2020

2020 has not been a good year by any stretch of the imagination but I'm just happy that we still got some Grand Slam tennis. I think I may have become a bit of a fan of Iga Swiatek after seeing her inspiring run to the title but it was really Rafa Nadal's sheer and utter dominance of Roland Garros that brought me the greatest joy this last weekend. Vamos Rafa! All hail the king!

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy, Read Aloud by Tim Uffindell

 My friend shared this video recently. Tim Uffindell narrates the book "The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse" by Charlie Mackesy. My friend said that this video was discussed during a leadership class she was taking. The topic was one of the most important things that leaders tend to neglect: care for self.

 

video uploaded in youtube by Tim Uffindell

It's a 12-minute video and in this age of instant gratification, many may find it too long but it doesn't feel like it is 12 minutes long when you watch it and it is definitely worth it. This book is like a compilation of beautiful, moving, and inspiring quotes about life and love, including self-love. While a lot of what is in it are things we may already know, just reading (or in this case, hearing and seeing) all these lines together reminds us of what is important in life and how we need to love and be kind to our own selves.

There are so many amazing quotes in this book but three of them resonate with me because I believe in them very deeply and I wish that a lot more people did, too:

1. "If at first you don't succeed, have some cake." I really like this because we've all heard the other saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." While that teaches us dedication, persistence, perseverance, and commitment, it can be quite tiring to keep plugging away at something especially after we've failed. Sometimes, it's important to take a bit of a break when things don't go our way to help us calm down and refocus. Sometimes, or maybe even often, it is that break that helps us regain the energy, the courage, and the clarity to succeed.

2. "Sometimes I worry you'll all realise I'm ordinary," said the boy. "Love doesn't need you to be extraodinary," said the mole. I love this because I feel that sometimes there is such pressure for people to become "special" and to make a difference in the world that many end up being dissatisfied or feeling like a failure when they are unable to achieve the very high standards they have set for themselves. It's important for people to remember that we all deserve love, whether we achieved greatness in life or not.

3. "Don't measure how valuable you are by how you are treated." This is my favorite line and I love how it is shared towards the end of the book. Too often, people define themselves and measure how valuable they are by how others perceive and judge them. This can often result in disappointment, heartache, and misery. While it is important for us to be aware of and understand how others perceive us, we need to also understand and believe that we are valuable, even if other people are unable to see and appreciate our value.

Aside from the powerful lines in this book, I love how beautiful and uplifting the art is. Even the font adds such amazing character and even a touch of profoundness. Tim Uffindell does a terrific job narrating the book and the music that plays in the background makes the video even more touching and meaningful. I've watched this many times and I am moved each time. I hope you were moved by it too.

US Open 2020

 Belated congratulations to Dominic Thiem and Naomi Osaka for winning the US Open 2020!

🏆 Championship Weekend ➡️ Wallpaper Wednesday 📱#WallpaperWednesday pic.twitter.com/H9spKtulOd

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 16, 2020

I've been a solid fan of Rafa Nadal for more than a decade now but recently, I've found myself supporting for Dominic Thiem who has become my second favorite tennis player. This US Open was Thiem's fourth major final, with him losing two French Open finals to Rafael Nadal and losing the Australian Open final earlier this year to Novak Djokovic. His chances of finally winning his first Grand Slam title were given a boost when Nadal and Federer opted to skip the US Open and moreso when Novak Djokovic was defaulted for accidentally hitting a line judge (more on this later). When Thiem beat last year's finalist Daniil Medvedev in three tough sets in the semifinals, most people were expecting that the trophy was practically his. Standing in his way, however, was an in-form Alexander Zverev. In fact, Zverev pretty much dominated the first two sets. Thiem managed to fight back and take the match to a fifth set but even then, it was Zverev who had the advantage, breaking Thiem and serving for the match. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't close it out. I thought Zverev was going to take it because Thiem started cramping and it looked like his mobility was compromised but both players showed some (a lot of?) nerves amidst the incredible showcase of power and precise hitting. The match was decided in a fifth set tiebreak - the first time this has ever happened at the US Open men's draw - and Thiem remained steadier in the end, allowing him to win the title. Thiem is the first man to come back from two sets to love down in the final (Pancho Gonzales was the last person to do this; he achieved this in 1949, prior to the Open Era). Hopefully this gives him the confidence to win more major championships. Way to go, Domi!

Down but never out.

Dominic Thiem comes back from two sets down and defeats Zverev, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.

Insanity. pic.twitter.com/aVf9PkxJBh

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 14, 2020

The first US Open men's singles final ever decided in a fifth-set tiebreak.

All 14 points that ended with @ThiemDomi being crowned champion 👇 pic.twitter.com/6YJGkFG9Cm

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 16, 2020

On the women's side, Naomi Osaka won her 2nd US Open title after defeating Victoria Azarenka in three sets. This is Naomi's 3rd major title, after winning the US Open in 2018 and the Australian Open in 2019. This is the 3rd year in a row that Osaka has won at a Grand Slam title. Prior to the final, I actually thought Serena was going to win. While she wasn't at her best and she was constantly being tested, she always managed to outlast her opponents through her unparalleled will to win and her unmatched power game. When she won the first set of her semifinal against Victoria Azarenka with a very lopsided score of 6-1, I thought she would cruise to an easy win that would set up a rematch with Naomi Osaka. But Azarenka showed a lot of poise. Despite being routed in the first set, she maintained very positive body language throughout the match and fought Serena back, allowing her to win the 2nd and 3rd sets and make her way to the final. There, she had her chances, taking the first set convincingly. But in the end, Osaka remained the stronger player, making her a two-time US Open champion.

Second #USOpen 🏆 vibes pic.twitter.com/LAvcN0vx6G

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2020

The other big story that hit this year's US Open was Novak Djokovic's default after he accidentally struck a line judge on her throat with a ball. Some media outlets made it seem like he did so in anger after being broken by Pablo Carreno Busta. I saw a clip of it and I don't think Novak looked that angry (I've seen him angrier). I think he just directed the ball improperly. (You can watch this video to see what happened.) That said, tennis etiquette and safety rules are firm and clear, which meant that Novak had to be defaulted. I appreciate his public statements after his mistake, taking accountability for his actions and acknowledging that there is a lot to learn from this unfortunate incident.

This was not necessarily the most competitive US Open in recent history, with many top players choosing to skip the event due to Covid or other concerns. But in the end, we were still treated to a lot of great matches. I'm also really happy that my second favorite player Dominic Thiem has finally won a major title.