Family is Love

Walt Disney said “Life is beautiful. It’s about giving. It’s about family.” Thankfully, this is true for me. A couple of months ago, for Mother's Day. I got my mom dried and preserved flowers for the first time. I wasn't sure about this choice so I asked some friends and one of them said she actually appreciates dried and preserved flowers a lot more than normal flowers because they last significantly longer. They are real flowers and they do look beautiful so I decided to get my mom a bouquet. A couple of months later and they are still on display at home. Cool!

Dried and preserved flowers for Mother's Day

For Father's Day, I got my brother this special Chocolate and Berry Velvet Crunch special edition cake from Butternut Manila. It's a moist chocolate cake filled with hazelnut cream, strawberry compote, and walnut praline. I love it when bakeries and cake shops have limited edition cakes for special occasions.

Chocolate and Berry Velvet Crunch from Butternut Manila

Finally, I got my family a new TV. The audio of our old TV at home wasn't working properly anymore and while we could have tried to maybe connect external speakers to it so it would be cheaper, I felt that plugging in and turning on too many things - TV, Chromecast, speakers - would be too much of a hassle. Getting a new TV would just be simpler because the newer ones either have all the apps you need or allow  you to download them, meaning no need for Chromecast. I got a 50" Samsung TV because it was on sale, with an almost 30% discount, making it the almost the same price as many of the other smaller TVs. Now, my family can enjoy watching TV and streaming services much more easily in our living room at home. Plus, we've never had a TV this big before. Cool!

Our new Samsung TV

 

San Sebastian Church

For the first time in my life, I finally got to visit San Sebastian Church. And I'm very happy I did.

More formally known as the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian, it is renowned for being the only steel church in the Philippines. In 2011, it was declared as a National Cultural Treasure. It was built in 1891 so it has been standing tall in Recto for much longer than I've been born but it's in a part of Manila that I never really go to so I never had the chance to visit. But thanks to my nephew and his graduation, I now have.

I didn't have a lot of time to fully appreciate San Sebastian Church when I was there but I did take a few photos. Hopefully, this won't be the last time I get to visit this national cultural treasure. (I need to make sure it isn't.)

Read more about San Sebastian Church:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Sebastian_Church_(Manila)
https://www.rcam.org/sansebastianchurch/about-us/

My Nephew's Graduation

Congratulations to my nephew on his college graduation! He started college during the pandemic, which was definitly not easy. Not only did he have to attend classes virtually as a college freshman, he also had to shift to another course because his original choice, for which he was accepted, was not offered during the quarantine. So seeing him now with his diploma in hand after a challenging university journey fills me and the rest of our family with so much pride.

We had a celebration lunch at XI by Cafe Guilt. I had eaten here before but it was the first time for my family. Because this was a big occasion, we had to have steak. I ordered the 1.2kg Tomahawk which was prepared with olive oil and rosemary.

Tomahawk

My favorite dish that we ordered was the Lamb Bourguignon, which is a lamb shank that is slow-cooked for 24 hours with carrots, shiitake mushrooms, red wine, and lavender tea. This was sensationally good! It was packed with incredible, complex flavors that all worked so well with each other. I definitely want to enjoy this dish again!

Lamb Bourguignon

The Bagnet and Bringhe paella was also incredibly good. It came with very crispy bagnet (or pork belly) served over paella that was cooked with coconut cream, turmeric, and tamarind sauce.

Bagnet and Bringhe paella

We also had the Asian Seabass, which is served with German potato salad and charred lemon.

Asian Seabass

We ordered several more appetizers and dishes. To wrap up our meal, we had the San Sebastian cheesecake, which we felt was quite appropriate to have since my nephew just graduated from San Sebastian.

San Sebastian cheesecake

Our waiter figured out we were celebrating a special occasion and asked me what it was so I told him my nephew was celebrating his birthday. As the end of our meal, he then came out with some complimentary ice cream that was served with truffle oil. Not a common flavor combination so it was really cool for us to get to try it.

Complimentary ice cream served with truffle oil

We had a fantastic meal at XI by Cafe Guilt, which was a truly perfect way to celebrate this important milestone. Congratulations again to my nephew and I wish him all the best in this next chapter of his life!

Mystery Manila Night

I spent an awesome evening at Century City Mall with my friends to try our luck at two Mystery Manila rooms: Sinister Sensorium and Mutants' Mission. It's been a while since my last visit to Mystery Manila so it was great to experience it again.

The first room we tried was Sinister Sensorium. It is really unique because all the participants need to "lose" one sense - either sight, hearing, or speaking (well, speaking isn't a sense but that's how it's described). It was such a cool challenge because you had to figure out how to communicate with each other when one person can't speak, another can't hear, and one person can't see and everyone is locked in their own area. I "lost" my sight but I was really happy I was able to figure out the puzzle box just through feel. My friends and I needed to a few hints to get out but thankfully, we did.

The Mutants' Mission was a lot tougher. This X-Men-themed room was really cool, with the entrance to the room looking like the entrance to Cerebro. At some point, I was certain that one part of the room was the key to help us get out but I couldn't quite figure out how exactly to make it work (I won't say what part of the room it is so I won't spoil you). I also got confused by so many different elements in the room. In the end, we exceeded the hint allotment (I think we are allowed up to three but we asked for, and were given, four) but we did eventually figure it out and get out.

I gotta say, these two Mystery Manila rooms were a lot more challenging than the rooms I had tried previously. There's a certain way of thinking that you need to have when you try to find your way out. It does make we really want to try more of their mysteries in the future.

 

New Board Game

I have a new board game - Intarsia. In one of our board game nights, my friend Cla said that she wanted us to try this game. I thought it was both interesting and really nice to look at, what with the interestingly shaped wooden pieces that kind of lock together. I asked Cla if she was selling this game and she said that she could just sell me the copy we played. She also sold it to me at a really good price. How could I say no? As such, I now have a new board game, my first new one in a long time.

Intarsia Board Game

I promised myself not to get new games until I can reduce my "shelf of shame." The shelf of shame is the term somewhat popular in board gaming circles and it refers to the set of board games that a person owns that he or she has not played yet. Thankfully, I managed to reduce my shelf of shame a bit recently when my friends and I played my copy of Ecos. I actually really like this game although I don't know if it's because I seem to do quite well. The first time I played it (using Cla's copy), I won relatively convincingly. The second time I played it, I ended up in second place. It can be played by up to 6 players so it's a good choice for us when there are 6 of us playing and we don't want to break up into two different tables during game night.

Ecos Board Game

Hopefully, I get to reduce my shelf of shame a bit more before the year ends. My goal is to finally play two games I have that I have been wanting to play for a while - Altiplano and Yokohama. 

Alas Pilipinas Women Win Silver at the 2025 AVC Women's Nation's Cup!

Congratulations to the Alas Pilipinas women's volleyball team for winning silver at the AVC Women's Nation's Cup. This is the best ever finish by a Philippine women's team at this 64-year old event. Amazing! They built on what was achieved last year - when the Philippines won bronze - and took it a step further in 2025. Most of the players from last year where still in this year's roster, with the notable addition of some incredible talents such as Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Shaina Nitura. This is also the first time the Philippines won a silver medal at an internaional volleyball since the 1997 SEA Games.

NEW HEIGHTS UNLOCKED 🥈

In a defining moment for Philippine volleyball, Alas Pilipinas soared to their highest finish yet—a historic silver medal in the 2025 #AVCNationsCup—after a fierce, hard-fought duel against defending champions Vietnam.#AlasPilipinas #AVCNationsCup pic.twitter.com/DoB5WEtve1

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 14, 2025

The Alas team also had multiple individual awardees. One of them was Angel Canino who won Best Outside Hitter. This is such a spectacular result on so many levels. This is Angel's second international individual award in two years. Last year, she also won but as an opposite hitter. It's utterly impressive to think that she has won two international awards for two different positions in two years. Way to go, Angel!

AN ANGELIC FORCE 🇵🇭

With wings of grace and offensive power, Angel Canino of Alas Pilipinas claims the Best Outside Spiker award at the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup.#AlasPilipinas #AVCNationsCup pic.twitter.com/5CSkFwFWOi

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 14, 2025

Jia De Guzman was also awarded best setter for the second year in a row. She really has cemented herself as one of the, if not the, best setters in the country. Not just right now but maybe in history. She truly is JiAmazing!

NEW HEIGHTS UNLOCKED 🥈

In a defining moment for Philippine volleyball, Alas Pilipinas soared to their highest finish yet—a historic silver medal in the 2025 #AVCNationsCup—after a fierce, hard-fought duel against defending champions Vietnam.#AlasPilipinas #AVCNationsCup pic.twitter.com/DoB5WEtve1

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 14, 2025

I am also really happy that Dell Palomata was awarded best middle blocker. This was her first international individual award but she really did hold her own against some of the best attackers in the continent.

BEST IN THE MI-DELL 🇵🇭

Dell Palomata secures the Best Middle Blocker award after her towering performance for Alas Pilipinas in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup.#AlasPilipinas #AVCNationsCup pic.twitter.com/PvRK6xlguG

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 14, 2025

This may be the first time in recent history that three members of the Philippine women's volleyball team won individual awards at the same international event. Congratulations Angel, Jia, and Dell!

AVC Nations Cup - Best Outside Hitter, Best Middle Blocker and Best Setter - Mga 🇵🇭ALAS PILIPINAS! 💪 pic.twitter.com/2jCMwVHb7d

— AlasPilipinasVolley (@AlasPilipinasVB) June 14, 2025

Hopefully the powers that be can keep this team intact for the most part and strengthen their skills as individuals and as a team. With their recent progress and ability to play against some strong team in Asia, they really do have such great potential. Congratulations Alas Pilipinas Women's team!

HERstory makers! We are so proud of you, 🇵🇭ALAS PILIPINAS! Palaging lalaban para sa BAYAN! #ALASPILIPINAS #labanpilipinas pic.twitter.com/iC7fadNGIf

— AlasPilipinasVolley (@AlasPilipinasVB) June 14, 2025

 

Retail Therapy

I found myself in SM Megamall recently, after a particularly stressful day at work. And as it turned out, I ended up doing some retail therapy.

To be fair, while I purchased three items of clothing, two of them weren't unplanned. A short while ago, I passed by the Perry Ellis store on the third floor and when I was there, I saw a cream-colored shirt that I really liked.  It was actually the exact same shirt that I wanted to buy when I visited the Perry Ellis store in Shangri-La mall months ago. I was told back then that they didn't have my size in any of their stores. So when I saw that same shirt in Megamall, I asked if they had my size and they said they did. I tried it on and it fit well (and I liked how it looked). I also saw an orange polo shirt and since my only other orange polo shirt was starting to get a bit too tight due to my weight gain, I thought that maybe I should get this one as well. As a bonus, both shirts were on sale, with about a 30% discount I think. However, since I really didn't need any new shirts, I decided not to purchase them on that first visit. A week or so later, I was still thinking about those shirts so I figured that if they were still available and still on sale, then I would get them. They were, so I bought them haha. I guess they were really meant for me!

The unplanned purchase was a pair of jeans that I got from American Eagle. The thing is, I discovered shortly before the pandemic that American Eagle jeans fit me quite well. So when I passed by their store and saw that they were on sale, with some items being up to 70% off, I decided to head in. I saw a pair of jeans that were the right size that were now "only" P900. Whoa! I quickly tried them, decided they fit me well enough, and immediately bought them.

Thankfully, this version of retail therapy wasn't too negative since I have not experienced any buyer's remorse. In fact, I am really pleased with what I bought. That said, my closet is way too full now so it's time for me to start letting go of some older clothes, especially ones that I don't really wear anymore.

All aBoard Expo 25 sa QC

I spent an afternoon at the All aBoard Expo 25 sa QC and as a boardgamer, it was truly awesome! This event was the first of its kind in the Philippines and was designed to replicate board game conventions abroad. It was organized by the Quezon City government and Gaming Library. A few of my board gaming friends decided to go on the first day so I filed a vacation leave to join them.

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A post shared by Gaming Library (@gaminglib)

It was a great experience on so many levels. Guests could borrow board games that we could play on any of the tables on the first floor of the M.I.C.E. Convention Center at the Quezon City Hall. (I got to play a few games that afternoon and my friends and I even made a new friend who played some games with us. Cool!) More tables were set up on the second floor that guests could also use to play games that they brought themselves. Coaches were present and scattered all over the venue to teach people how to play. Games were also available for purchase.

All aBoard Expo 25 sa QC

I spent most of the afternoon there and I was able to play a few games with my friends: Ding, Cascadia, and the LEGO-based game Monkey Palace. We also made a new friend who played some of these games with us. I also loved that there were standees of the beasts of King of Tokyo at the lobby (I actually own this game haha). Naturally, I had to have my photo taken.

Space Penguin from King of Tokyo

Another really great thing about this event was that a few game designers were there. One of them was David Gordon, the designer of Monkey Palace which we played that afternoon. As we were setting up the game, David Gordon passed by and he even sat down and interacted with us for a while. He even clarified one of the rules for us. Wow! But as if that wasn't enough, when I was taking a group photo with everyone along with the game, David saw us and joined us in the photo. It was super cool! And David is such a nice guy, it was such a wonderful experience getting to meet and interact with him.

Monkey Palace

The turn-out at this event was pretty massive, even on the workdays where you would expect not a lot of people to show up. I guess, similar to what I did, a lot of people took time off of work haha. In fact, I actually saw a colleague there and he also took a leave just like me haha. All aBoard Expo 25 sa QC was such a success that the QC government and Gaming Library have all but confirmed that this event will be held again next year, and the plan is to make it even bigger than it was this year. I can't wait! 

Rest in Peace, Wolf

Very sad news for my family. Our dearest dog, Wolf, passed away.

My family has had many pets over the decades but Wolf was the pet who was with us the longest. He joined our family almost 14 years ago. Apparently, the average lifespan of a medium sized dog is about 10-13 years so that means Wolf actually lived longer than expected. He had been getting sick a lot in the last few years of his life and there were times when we thought he wouldn't make it but he did. When my family took him to the vet this last time, we were told that he only had a 50% chance of making it. Sadly, due to his advanced age, he didn't make it.

I really do miss his presence at home. When he was alive, he would always greet me as I stepped into our gate. Now, whenever I pass by the shops where I used to buy dog food, I feel a twinge of sadness as I am reminded that Wolf is gone. That said, I am grateful that he had many wonderful years with us.

Run free, Wolf! Thank you for your loyalty, companionship, and love. You will forever be missed.

Celebration Dinner at Deo Gracias

My dear Anna recently had a milestone birthday and she celebrated it with her family and friends over a fantastic dinner at Deo Gracias.

Deo Gracias

Deo Gracias is a Spanish restaurant in the Tomas Morato area (specifically, along 11th Jamboree street). At the start of the evening, Anna said that it felt fitting that we were joining her at this restaurant because Deo Gracias is a Spanish play on words on the Latin phrase Deo Gratias which means Thanks be to God. She said that there is a lot to celebrate in this milestone birthday of hers and she was very happy that we were there that night to join her.

We had an incredible feast that evening. We started with several charcuterie board-style starters such as the Tabla Iberica which includes Jamon Iberico, Salchichon Iberico, Chorizo Iberico...

Tabla Iberica

and Tabla De Quesos which includes Manchego, Idiazabal, and Mahon cheeses.

Tabla De Quesos

Croquettes are a popular Spanish appetizer so it wasn't surprising that Croquetas Liquidas de Queso was on the menu. This is a croquette with Idiazabal cheese and a bit of apple jam.

Croquetas Liquidas de Queso

The Gambas al Ajillo y Gulas is a bit of a twist to the popular gambas dish. While it still has prawns, garlic, and olive oil, this dish also includes baby eels. I really loved their gambas!

Gambas al Ajillo y Gulas

I also really enjoyed the Puntillas Fritas. What makes this dish interesting is that the crispy baby squid is served with parsley aioli and squid ink aioli. It's quite cool to have squid ink as part of the dipping sauce of a squid dish. 

Puntillas Fritas

Anna and her family love callos so our menu that evening also included Callos a la Bilbaina which is pork and beef tripe stew with chickpeas.

Callos a la Bilbaina

Instead of the traditional paella to go with our Spanish feast, Anna selected Fideua Pollo y Alcachofas which is like a pasta-based paella (with pasta being used instead of rice). This dish includes chicken, artichokes, chorizo, and thyme aioli.

Fideua Pollo y Alcachofas

Our final savory dish of the evening was also the most grand: Cochinillo Castellano. This Castillian-style roasted suckling pig was delicious. The fact that it had a special presentation, with the wait staff cutting it up using a plate to show us how soft and tender the meat is, made the dining experience even more exciting and memorable.

Cochinillo Castellano

Different wines were served that evening. We had white wine, red wine, and dessert wine. Our friends and wine experts Lala and Ferg helped Anna select the wines that would be served that evening.

I did have a bit of the dessert wine but I preferred to enjoy my dessert with coffee. Our dessert: Tarta de Queso Manchego which is Burnt Manchego cheesecake. This was absolutely delicious!

Tarta de Queso Manchego

I took a photo of the cake display and I saw that this cheesecake costs P3,080. It's really expensive but I think that maybe for a very special occasion, I could buy this. I think my family would love it too.

Cake selection

While we didn't have an official program, Anna did ask me and our other friend Jenny (who is a classically trained singer) to sing a couple of songs. She asked our other friend Mitch to bring her portable karaoke machine. Jenny and I didn't have time to practice and I told her I didn't have time to study harmonies so we went with songs that we were both quite familiar with: Sun and Moon from Miss Saigon and The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. Yes, I know it was ambitious, but this was a performance with people I know so it felt like a safe enough space to sing these songs without fear of being compared to Andrea Bocelli and Simon Bowman haha. Since we did have a portable karaoke machine, we ended singing a lot more songs that evening, including That's What Friends Are For (which I loved, not only because it was appropriate but because I had just seen Dionne Warwick perform that song during her concert in Manila earlier this year).

It was such an fantastic evening, made even better by the fact that I got to spend time with a lot of great friends. Anna and I have known each other since high school, we took the same course and were classmates in college, and we even worked for the same company twice so everyone who was there that evening were people I have also known for a long time now. It was an incredible birthday celebration filled with amazing people and great conversations, spectacular food and drinks, and a lot of music and singing. Happy birthday Anna!

Deo Gracias
https://www.facebook.com/deogracias.ph
12 11th Jamboree, Diliman, Quezon City 1103 

New Glasses

I now have glasses for nearsightedness.

My distance vision started to become noticeably worse in the last few years. A couple of years ago, during my annual physical exam, I realized that the lowest lines in the eye chart were getting out of focus. I could still correctly identify the letters because I could see their shape but they were quite blurry. Last year, a line in the eye chart I could still read well last year was no longer clear.

I had been meaning to see an ophthalmologist in the last two years but I couldn't get my HMO letter of authorization sorted out up until very recently. My doctor was really good. He said my vision is still not too bad but he did prescribe glasses for nearsightedness. He said that I didn't need to wear glasses on regular basis but he strongly recommended that I wear them while I drive. Apparently, the grade for my reading glasses has gone up as well so he gave me a prescription for those too. My doctor also said that when I purchase glasses, the salespeople would most likely try to sell me progressive ones but he said he doesn't really recommend that for me. I had the same thought, especially since my grade was still quite low and I didn't need to wear them all the time.

I bought my first pair of reading glasses from Starfinder and I was quite happy with that experience so I decided to go there again. They were able to prepare my new glasses in about 30 minutes. Cool!

Starfinder

Hopefully, my eyesight doesn't deteriorate too quickly so I can keep using the glasses I now have for at least a few more years.

Renewing my Bistro BFF Card

I just renewed my Bistro BFF card. And as luck would have it, I managed to renew it with a P500 discount. Cool! It started a few weeks before the expiry date of my card. I had dinner at Secret Recipe in One Ayala and when I presented my BFF card, they told me that it was expiring soon and they asked me if I wanted to renew it. They said that there was an early renewal discount of P500 if I did. I knew I was going to have lunch at Modern Shang, another Bistro restaurant, about a week before my card would expire so I decided to renew then instead. However, during my Modern Shang lunch, they told me that they didn't give any early renewal discount. Bummer. So one day before my card expiry date, I went back to Secret Recipe to see  if they still offered an early renewal discount. They did!

I got to use my new BFF card for the first time at Olive Garden in Opus Mall. My ex-colleagues and I were planning a lunch get-together and one of us suggested Opus Mall. She shared some restaurants she hadn't tried before, including Olive Garden. Being a Cobra Kai fan - there is an Olive Garden scene in season 4 and they talk about how good the breadsticks here are - I said that I would like to have lunch here haha. Thankfully we did because I really enjoyed it! I ordered the solo Seafood Alfredo and it was good.

Seafood Alfredo at Olive Garden

The solo size is P795 and you might think that it is quite expensive. However, it comes with unlimited salad, soupd, and breadsticks. The salad was okay but the soups were delicious! I ordered the Chicken and Gnocchi soup and it was so good that I asked for another bowl!

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup at Olive Garden

Needless to say, after having pasta, two servings of salad, and two bowls of soup, I was completely full after lunch. I did get to have try a breadstick and it was good too! I could have eaten more of it if I wasn't full haha.

Olive Garden breadsticks

That said, we still had a bit of dessert after. Four of us shared tiramisu and strawberry cheesecake (I forgot to take a photo haha). Naturally, I enjoyed our dessert with free coffee that comes with my BFF card. I have to say, I really loved my Olive Garden experience because I liked the food and the unlimited salad, soup, and breadsticks is such a winner!

The BFF card has really proved to be a great purchase for me. I often get my return on investment way before my card expires and I do actually like a lot (most?) of their restaurants.

Easter-themed Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula Manila

My Peninsula Manila membership includes a voucher for afternoon tea for two at the lobby. I was going to be in Makati with both my mom and my brother so I thought that it would be a great time to use my voucher. The last time I used my voucher, it was just me and my mom and we weren't able to consume the whole set so I knew that the afternoon tea set could actually be shared by three. (It comes with two coffees so we ordered one more.)

Since we were there close to Easter weekend, we got to enjoy the special Easter-themed tea set. The top tier included a pastry with bunny ears, another with a sunny side up egg decoration, a green macaron (I assume the green color symbolizes new life and maybe also the grass where Easter eggs are sometimes hidden during Easter egg hunts), and carrot cakes with a carrot slice decoration (because bunnies supposedly eat carrots). The special design really did make our set more fun to eat.

The Peninsula Manila lobby is usually full on weekends so I'm quite happy that we managed to get a table when we were there. I have also written about this before, but this might also just be my favorite lobby of all hotels I have visited in my life (whether locally or abroad).