An Apple a Day

I Didn't Know Caladiums Can Grow So Big!

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Last May, we transferred the last set of pots and plants from my Mom's garden. Some had soil in it but no plants. Those pots eventually got rained on and I was surprised to see Caladiums/Heart of Jesus growing.

I didn't touch it and I watered it everyday. I eventually gave those pots some chicken manure and I was surprised to see them grow so big! Here's a few photos of how it developed:

I think I'll re-pot the other bicolor caladiums. They thrive in bigger pots.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Found Some Dalandan, Made Spanish Chicken Adobo

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I made Spanish Chicken adobo whenever we buy dalandan. It's always a big hit and I remember Tito Mon would hide it when I bring it for parties at home, haha. We bought some dalandan in Tagaytay a few weeks ago and I immediately planned to make some Spanish Chicken Adobo.

Full recipe is on my recipe blog: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/07/recipes-for-my-son-spanish-chicken-adobo.html

Here's how I made it (this time, Miggy did the cooking coz that's how we roll nowadays):

#BeKind #StaySafe

Back When I was an Office Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:30:00 +0000

I honestly never planned to work in "tech". I just stumbled into it. I worked for a Telco, then helped my Mom in her business which forced me to learn how to make a website, make marketing materials, and figuring out how to use the world wide web for business.

It eventually led me to work for a company that made websites/directories. I ended up as a product manager of the Philippine version of an import/export directory. It eventually led me to the yellow pages - the electronic version.

The skills I developed through my career led me to work at the biggest search engine in the world (it still is!). Looking back though, what led me to work for tech companies was not because I planned it. I was led to those companies because of my quest to learn new skills.

I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in marketing but what fascinated me when I took my MBA was the different pathways you can take to become an expert marketer. At that time I didn't know what path to take, so I thought I'd do stuff to learn. My experience and skills led me to become a product manager (eventually program manager) and it allowed me to learn new things.

If you're feeling lost in your career, perhaps learning new skills in your particular interest can be a way to grow :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Respiratory Therapist Made Me Cry

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:30:00 +0000

Last week during my respiratory therapy session, my OG respiratory therapist suddenly joined the session online (they reverted me back to online sessions to protect me from picking up germs at the hospital*). I didn't recognize him at first because he was on a hospital bed and he lost a lot of weight.

He said he just wanted to say hi and told my current therapist to do well. My OG therapist always knew when to stop so I don't get overwhelmed and exhausted from the session. He also motivated me to continue since he knew I had only resumed my sessions recently.

After he dropped off, the team told me he was supposed to get discharged, but was sent to ICU when his BP became unstable. I bit my lip from crying since my OG therapist could've just rested to get well, but he made the effort to say hello and motivate me to do well in my sessions. I guess he can't help, but be his generous self. Even in pain he thinks of others.

Huge hugs for R*****. I pray you will get well soon.

*Plus COVID-19 cases have increased.

Made a Cat Coaster

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:30:00 +0000

I had a hard time making the Yoda-inspired coasters and to reset I wanted to make something easy. I took a look at a cat coaster I got from Daiso and thought it would be a perfect pattern.

I found some of my Mom's scraps (they're probably older than Miggy!) and I used it for this experiment. It was fairly easy after I got the size of the squares right. Here's how it turned out -

And how I made it :)

Maybe I should make more in other colors?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Where Did the Demolition Debris Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:30:00 +0000

During the first month of construction, the contractor ripped off all the cabinets, windows, ceiling and flooring. The outer walls were mostly still intact to keep the roof. Our architect explained that they will work on the foundation first and then remove the walls as needed.

There was a LOT of debris. The reusable items like the wooden flooring and walls were kept for future use. The chipped walls were set aside to be re-used as filling. Only the things that cannot be re-used like rotten wood, ripped linoleum flooring and tiles and broken glass were hauled out.

I'm actually glad that parts of the original house will form part of our future house. The original foundation will also be kept to reinforce the new foundation. How'd that happen? We asked our architect to strictly follow the property line and easement requirements. That's what allowed them to move the new foundation and use the old one as reinforcement.

My Mom told me that Tito Bert (the original architect) made the house earthquake proof. She said that the house moves as earthquakes happen. True enough, the original house barely had cracks in the 50+ years it was standing. I'm really glad we chose the right architect to work with because I don't have to worry about potential structural issues.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Why Pinoys are Resilient

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We've just experienced another super typhoon (Bavi with local name Inday). It brought strong winds and rain. I've never gotten used to it and I always wake up whenever the rain starts pounding on the roof. I'm also always creeped out when the wind howls. I keep reminding myself we're safe and we've taken precautions to prepare, but the worry never goes away when you've been through a lot of disasters.

And that made me think. They always say Filipinos are resilient. We are because you grow up needing to be prepared all the time. Here's what I grew up with:

EDSA Revolution (x3), Coup d'etats
Strong typhoons (Ondoy, Pepeng, Yolanda are just some, it's an annual thing)
Flooding (queue memories of getting stuck in school and not being able to go home + walking in floodwater)
Heavy forever traffic
Increase in prices (gasoline/groceries/electricity)

We all just usually shrug it off as something that's common and an everyday thing. I was in Singapore when I realized it is a hard life we truly live. I was at an event and people were panicking because Orchard Road was flooded. I had to see it for myself so I stepped out of the hotel and saw it was just practically a puddle. An inch of clear water coursing through the street. The other attendees of the event were already saying they were stranded!

The event has ended already, so I crossed the road to go to the MRT. My shoes didn't even get soaked! Ahh, for me, it wasn't a disaster. I would have probably waited for the water to subside if it reached gutter level, but it wasn't bothersome for me. Well, that's the sad thing. If we had things in place and if we weren't cheated by those who could make our lives easier, then our threshold for disaster would be much lower.

I hope and pray everyone is safe and dry. There's going to be more rain for the next few days, so don't forget to bring your umbrella.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bloomed After 4 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

My friend, Ate Rose, gave me a bunch of cacti and succulents 4 years ago. She gave me some tips how to care for them and I watched videos how best to care for them. She told me to re-pot them, so that's what I did 4 years ago.

There were two gymnocalycium saglionis originally and I think I gave one to my Mom a week after I re-potted them. The other one that was left with me grew and I didn't even bother re-potting it. I would just give it some fertilizer when I remembered it.

Gave some to my Mom :)

A month ago, I gave all the plants in the pocket garden some rice water with orange peels and then let Miggy do the watering the cacti and succulents weekly. I checked the plants early this month and was surprised to see something coming out of the gymnocalycium saglionis. My friend from Cebu pointed out that it was a flower.

Oh! I didn't know that this particular cacti can produce flowers. I ignored the cacti as usual (it doesn't like that much attention) and told Miggy the other day to check if it already bloomed. He sent a photo to me and it looked like it was about to bloom.

I checked the next day and was surprised to see it had bloomed! It took 4 years! I guess randomly giving it some diluted fermented rice water with orange peels encouraged it to bloom. My friend also said to put it under bright light the whole day. It gets morning sun and afternoon sun, so I guess it's just on the right spot.

I'm really happy about this achievement because TBH I failed a lot on cacti and succculents. I usually overwater them, but I've managed to correct that and here we are today, haha.

How's your garden?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Our Bistek Tagalog Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:36:18 +0000

Bistek Tagalog is one of the dishes I learned early on. I prefer making dishes that are marinated first since it allows me to rest between preparing and cooking. I've also been just preparing and having Miggy cook lately since he likes cooking.

Here's our recipe:

500 grams beef (I normally use sirloin)

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 cloves garlic

3 to 4 calamansi

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 medium onion

And here's how we cook it -

It's very easy to make and that's why it's a staple in our home cooked meals!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Super Typhoon Preparations

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:43:25 +0000

After my therapy session, I went straight to the pocket garden to check the plants. I wanted to make sure they wouldn't be toppled over by the strong winds. Most were secure since I also had to make the area cat-proof (they like sleeping in pots!).

Sweetie cut some of the bamboo this morning. He trimmed the top parts so they don't sway wildly while the typhoon is ongoing. He actually started a few days ago to make sure everything will be secure.

The only thing I'm worried about are my bell pepper plants, tomatoes and two growing papaya trees. The bell peppers are still growing a number of fruits. I hope they don't get affected by the typhoon. I'm hopeful the papaya trees will stay put. One has flowers already and it takes months before they are ready to be harvested.

I brought down some of the decorative plants. They were swaying wildly when I went out an hour ago. It was hard to grow them, so I set them in between larger plants to be protected from the wind.

As for our cats, I added some beds that should warm them up in the next few days. They have hiding places and should be safe. Anakin and Grogu though loves the rain and they really like wiping their wet bodies on our legs, haha. We'll be ready with towels!

Stay safe and warm everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Organizing

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:35:21 +0000

I was too tired yesterday to do anything. I just watched the impeachment trial the whole afternoon and watered the plants. I planned to organize some of my stuff since the clutter has been terrible. I usually get that urge to clean up when I'm in between projects.

I woke up rested today and after a hefty lunch, I puttered around while watching (again) the impeachment trial. After boxing some stuff, I started sorting documents from envelopes I put them in. These included bills, receipts, medical reports.

My main goal this week is to reduce the clutter around me. When it hits a certain level I'm not able to do anything else because I get overwhelmed. I found it useful to target specific areas and then do another area if I still have time.

Since I finished two "areas" today, I can move on to the "fun projects". It feels like I cleared the "cache" and can pile things up again, hahaha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

My Craft Books Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 08:24:16 +0000

I'm so sad. The nearest Booksale branch to me is gone. I had asked them several times if they were staying and they said they had no plans of leaving. Hubby went to the mall last Saturday and was surprised to see Booksale gone.

A mix of books from Booksale, Big Bad Wolf, Kinokuniya, Amazon and trips

I've been collecting craft books the past few years and I buy at least one or two monthly from Booksale. It's hard to find craft books at regular bookstores, plus they're expensive, so we go to Booksale monthly.

I enjoy going through the books. I usually do it while waiting for Miggy when he's at the gym. I use the books mainly for inspiration and when I'm stuck figuring out something. I know there are a gazillion sewing videos I can watch. I do that too, but going through books is a different experience. Aside from seeing designs, it also pushes me to be better at what I do.

More than 50% of my collection are probably from Booksale. Some I buy at PhP15 to 30 only! Some are a bit more expensive. Part of my collection came from Kinokuniya, a few from National Bookstore/Fully Booked, Big Bad Wolf (here and Singapore), and a few from trips (especially the magazines). The collection started when the Gaylas gave me a boat-load of craft books for my 40th birthday, I just continued it :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Where to Donate/Sell Pre-Loved Items/Appliances?

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 23:30:00 +0000

It took us more than two years to clear more than 50 years worth of accumulated stuff from my childhood home. We had meter+ deep cabinets, so you can just imagine how much storage my Mom had in the house. She kept everything and that meant finding appliances used when I was still a child! We didn't have the time or energy to host a garage sale, so we found ways to donate and sell the items best used by someone else.

Here's a list of where we donated and sold the excess items from my childhood home -

Donation centers:

Library Hub Philippines - for books and useful office/school supplies
Goodwill Philippines - pre-loved items (clothes, kitchen items etc.). We donated more than 200 mugs that were mostly unused, plus useful kitchen items, bags, clothes etc.
Ateneo de Naga - where we sent my Dad's law books (coordinated through my cousin in Naga)

Items sold:

A.C. Scrap - old airconditioners
Fernando Delgado junk shop - other junk like very old appliances
Old furniture (cabinets/cribs) was bought by the contractor and some of the workers

The proceeds of the sale were used to pay for our decluttering coach whose team helped finally pack and clear everything from the house. Some of the proceeds were also used for the ground-breaking and blessing of the property.

I still have some items which will go to relatives (mostly plates and drinkware). I also gave some furniture away since there's a lot. I'm expecting to give away more once the construction is done (it's currently stored and un-movable). We'll be using most of the key furniture (like the dining set), but I'll need to have it refurbished.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Kamote

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 14:46:56 +0000

We were just a few meters from our home when we almost met an accident. From the alley, a speeding motorcycle suddenly appeared. The driver wasn't looking our way. Good thing we were going slowly and Sweetie was able to hit the brakes and honk the horn. The motorcycle driver finally saw us and stopped.

I sat quietly the rest of the way because I didn't feel well after the near accident experience. When we got to the hospital, we traversed the parking area slowly. We stopped when we saw a car coming up from basement 4. The car stopped and had us go ahead. As we were turning left a security guard driving a motorcycle overtook the other car and almost hit us head-on.

I broke my silence and screamed, "Kamote!" The guard didn't hear me, but looked at us sheepishly. Sheesh. It would have been a head on collision if we weren't going slowly. We saw the same guard speeding again when we were on our way out of the hospital. Sheesh

I have videos of both incidents and will report it to the HOA and hospital to send reminders about driving safely. I sat quietly again on the way home and cancelled plans to dine out. I just wanted to be home and safe.

#BeKind #StaySafe

New Flowering Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 23:30:00 +0000

When we went to Mahogany Market last week, I couldn't help but buy a couple of plants. I still have a gazillion from Mom's garden to re-pot, but I wanted to get a few plants to help ward off pests. I tried growing marigold plants from seed, but it didn't work out. A neighbor said she also tried to grow them from seed and it also didn't work out. So, I bought a couple from Mahogany Market.

I re-potted them the day after because the condition of the plastic pots were circumspect (it weirdly had rice on it?). I placed them in the shade for a few days and moved them under the sun over the weekend. The most prolific one is the yellow marigold plant because I put it beside the tomatoes which get a lot more sunlight. I'll move the others this weekend so they can produce more flowers.

I also got additional gumamela (hibiscus) plants. I got several colors so I can have more flowers in my garden. I absolutely love gumamela, they bring back happy childhood memories. One of them gave a beautiful yellow bloom. They also absolutely love the sun and I have to find a sunny spot for them. The ones I got 3 years ago are still alive (save for one). I hope they'll give me some flowers soon.

I need to add more flowers in our garden to encourage more pollinators to visit. There are two large bees so far helping pollinate our tomato and bell pepper plants. We hope to encourage more to come and visit.

Happy gardening everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Month of June

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:35:41 +0000

June is always set as a month to celebrate for us. Sweetie and Miggy's birthdays fall on the same month, so it's a month-long "cheat day" for us, haha. Oh! And we also celebrate Anakin's gotcha day.

I realized I haven't been posting my monthly one second a everyday videos, so I'm going to back-track and upload the months I skipped (March to May). Here's the one for the month of June -

The biggest highlight of the month was a day trip to Tagaytay. It's been three years since we went and we feel very lucky because the weather was good and there was barely any traffic (despite typhoon Francisco*).

Here's what I also accomplished for the month:

Completed two sewing projects - a bag and a couple of Yoda-inspired coasters
Finished doctor check-ups
Went shopping with Architect Ed and cleared the rest of Mom's jungle
Tomato plants started growing fruit! Also got to sprout orange seeds!
Survived the month without getting sick!
Re-opened my kitchen and cooked Spanish adobo

It doesn't seem much, but when you're operating on a limited capacity reaching 1,000 steps per day is already an achievement. :)

*Thank you to my Papa Lolo for watching us when we traveled! He has the same name as the typhoon, so I felt he helped give us a reprieve so we can go out.

#BeKind #StaySafe

6 Years Ago at the Height of the Pandemic

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:03:50 +0000

By July 2020, we had gone through different versions of the "circuit breaker". We were stuck in Singapore and continued to work from home. It was the busiest time for our team and I had to find ways to shake off the stress.

Our usual stress busters which included going to the mall, dining out, and walking around were limited. Like everybody else, I turned to home hobbies.

I tried making Dalgona Coffee -

Baking -

I even tried making Filipino bread, like pandesal -

Cooked our own food -

Of course, I also tried my hand at growing veggies!

One thing I wished we had back then? Miggy. We were separated for almost two years.

And, it would have helped also to have a pet. My plants though served the gap.

My respiratory therapist told me earlier to be careful. COVID-19 cases are increasing again. That's why I still wear a mask when we go out. My cardiologist has reminded me to stay away from trouble.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gaming vs. No Gaming for Children

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:02:09 +0000

When I was growing up, there wasn't as many ways to play games. Popular back then were cartridge gaming consoles (Atari, Sega, Nintendo), Game & Watch, and computer games existed (Pacman!). Access was limited. You can only play if you owned a console or if your neighbor/playmate has one.

I had one Game & Watch and I was gifted a Pacman watch (much to my parents' dismay). I only got to play Pacman when Kuya would lend me his computer. I was never allowed to play Atari/Sega/Nintendo (I wasn't really allowed to go out, periodt). I was busy learning crafts, so that was what distracted me. My parents wanted me to focus on my studies, so all my "game time/play time" was done away from any type of screen.

Did I want to play on consoles? Of course, I did. All my classmates seemed to have access to it, but I guess I got content with my Game & Watch and Pacman watch. I did not get addicted to it because I was busy with crafting. I got addicted to Candy Crush a few years ago, but I eventually deleted it because I was losing sleep over it and it ate up my crafting budget. The only game I play now is Pokemon Go and I just play a few minutes a day.

This is what I had when I was a child.

My son, Miggy, didn't have any gaming consoles as well growing up. We played Plants vs. Zombies as a family when we each have our computers in one room. We all outgrew it and I allowed Miggy to play games on his computer. There were times when I had to intervene when I'd see danger lurking. I also removed his computer physically when he got into gaming too much and it affected his studies. We noticed some changes in his behavior that's why we had to take drastic measures.

Sweetie got this for me for my birthday.

I guess I got to experience the extremes of how gaming affects a person. What we all learned is it's important to supervise and check what your child is doing and reinforce their values. Miggy eventually finished his studies and I don't bother his computer time anymore. Both he and Jay play games I'm not interested in, but we all still play Pokemon Go together as a family.

It's probably harder for parents now to track what their child is doing. A mobile phone is very powerful compared to the XT computer I had growing up. Miggy was way more knowledgeable than me when it came to computers when he was a teen, so it was already hard back then. We were lucky because Sweetie's a comsci graduate, so I leaned heavily on him to decipher managing Miggy's online time. The best thing I think we did was to be joined on the hip as a family.

Good luck dear parents with younglings.

P.S. The funny things is I bought myself my own Nintendo Switch. I used it a few times... it's still pretty brand new. I also had a Gameboy which I eventually gave to Miggy.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Yoda-Inspired Coaster

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:30:00 +0000

Another sewing project inspired by cats and Pinterest! I finally finished the Yoda coaster I've been working on for two weeks now. I thought I could finish it in a day, but it took longer. I didn't expect that making a mini "Yoda" stuffed figure would be challenging.

I finished my practice piece in 3 days. I had to adjust a few things since Miggy said the arms were too big and the Yoda head was too small. My mistake was using a Yoda keychain as a pattern. I made it a bit bigger and filled out the arms more. I must say, it's a very healthy Yoda, haha.

I had to move the head also since it seemed awkward to put it on the side. Miggy said it worked for the cat sample because cats have four legs. Ahh, he made sense, so I decided to just put the head in the middle. The coaster though would only work for slimmer glasses (sorry na).

Anyway, hard as it was to make, it turned out cute. It would be annoying to use for our small family room dining table, so I'll bust it out only when we use our "formal" dining table (the table we only use during Christmas and New Year, hahaha).

Maybe I'll make a cat version, yes?

#BeKind #StaySafe

First Few Weeks of Demolition

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:30:00 +0000

To be honest, seeing my childhood home demolished slowly was jarring. I cried when I first saw the cabinets from my parents' bedroom removed. I always had in my mind that they were just both home doing what they love doing. Mom would be doing some gardening, while Dad would be busy writing or reading on his desk at the lanai.

Seeing their bedroom empty of all furniture and the cabinet doors removed felt unreal. I felt it was wrong and the thought of calling off everything ran in my mind. I comforted myself by thinking that I have happy memories of my childhood home and we'll build new ones in the same space eventually.

The first few weeks of demolition focused on removing "add on pieces". All the cabinets,wall cladding and doors were removed. Space had to be made, so they also started removing window grills, sills and jalousies. It felt really weird to see the house stripped off of its coverings.

We chose to demolish the house after getting several inputs from different architects and structural engineers. We could have opted to do a heavy renovation, but the cost would be the same and for our safety it would be better to have a structurally sound house with new electrical fittings and plumbing. The foreman explained to us that they will keep the original foundation as a reinforcement for the new foundation. I think it worked out because we requested to follow the property line strictly.

Next week, I'll share where we sold some of the pre-loved items :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Learning from the Eraserheads

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 13:58:35 +0000

We watched the Eraserheads docu on Netflix the other day. The documentary basically showed the journey of the E-heads from the beginning. It all started when Ely Buendia recruited for replacements for his original band. It was definitely not a walk in the park for them and a lot of people helped them grow and eventually become a legendary rock band.

Singapore 2013

Take a Risk

The group didn't sound good in the beginning, but their music was unique. That's what caught the attention of the owner of Club Dredd and eventually the music label that took them in. It was on their "last performance" when they were discovered and the music label took a chance on them.

Relationships Matter

The group eventually grew in fame. They became famous and did a lot of shows here and abroad. Ely mentioned though that they were a group, but they were not really close to each other. Issues were never discussed and that led to their disbandment. Ah, it's a very genX characteristic. Don't rock the boat, don't say anything, keep the peace. It took a very long time before they got back together.

BGC 2008

Music Heals

One of them mentioned that they may not be close to each other, but they make beautiful music when they are together. We watched them when they first got together in BGC (where Ely fell). Then we watched them in Singapore (2013). And then we watched the Final Cut online (I think via TFC if I remember correctly). The group felt very different by the Final Cut. They even hugged at the end of the concert. The documentary also showed some behind the scenes of them having fun together.

There are things that only unfold after decades. Healing takes time as the old adage says, "Time heals all wounds." When you get on age, you'd really forget what was the issue anyway and the past will just become the past.

Have a blessed healing Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plants at Mahogany Market

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:30:00 +0000

After three long years, I finally got to visit Mahogany Market again. It was a spur of the moment trip, so I didn't really plan to buy plants. I'm also overwhelmed with caring for what's left of my Moms plants and only got what I could commit to.

Mahogany Market looked the same. No major structure changes. It's better organized now I noticed. Fruits on the ground floor of the market structure. Veggies on the second floor and other items (like souvenirs and dry goods) in a separate building. I noticed though the plant stalls are less than what it used to be. Maybe some of them transferred to Silang?

Anyway, with Miggy as my buddy, we went back to where I bought my gumamela plants 3 years ago. They're still alive save for one! I skipped buying a lot of herbs since they don't really survive long. It's better to plant from seed. That way they don't get heat shock when you bring them to Manila.

I was able to "control" myself and just got some "essentials". Three marigolds, 4 gumamela plants, and mint/parsley and basil. Only 10. Haha. My garden space looks like a jungle now and I can't wait to transfer everything back to my Mom's garden. I'm still planning how that will go. It's many months away, so I'm not rushing.

I enjoyed going to Mahogany Market. We will probably visit the Silang area one of these days. I don't need more plants at the moment and I seriously need to reduce since it's taking us longer to water the plants. You can just imagine how happy we are when it rains, haha.

*Plant prices seem to have increased a bit. It was also one reason why I didn't buy that much. Next time I want to find out how much they sell fruit bearing trees. I don't have space for it anymore (haha), since I have 5 avocado trees and one mango tree growing. I want them to grow big!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bag of Beans (Tagaytay)

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:30:00 +0000

We were pleasantly surprised to visit a "relatively new" branch of Bag of Beans. We chose the one nearest to Twin Lakes in Tagaytay and found out the Antonio and Charito Bag of Beans branch was the Twin Lakes branch. They said they moved 2 years ago.

It's been 3 years since we visited Tagaytay and wanted to visit our favorite spots. We chose Bag of Beans for brunch and so we could enjoy the view of Taal Lake. It's a bit far than other restos, but with an active volcano it's always better to keep a safe distance.

The boys ordered fish. Sweetie got tanigue. I regret not trying it, but it smelled to delectable.

Miggy got fish and chips and he was happy to find out it wasn't the usual Dory. I also regret not trying it...

I was too busy enjoying the country breakfast plate I got. I didn't feel like eating rice at that time and thought it was a good idea to get pancakes with bacon and sausage, haha. It gave me enough fuel to finish visiting Sonya's Garden and Mahogany Market.

And we all shared a plate of carbonara to fulfill the birthday noodles tradition!

You can also buy pasalubong at Bag of Beans. We just got a bread sampler since we planned to visit Sonya's Garden bakery. On hindsight, I should have bought some raisin bread at Bag of Beans. Well, it just means there should be a next time!

P.S. It was my friend, Juned, who introduced us to Bag of Beans way back. It was only the main branch at that time.

Throwback Thursday: June Double Birthdays

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:30:00 +0000

I never expected that Sweetie and Miggy's birthday would happen back to back. We've been celebrating it as a family for almost two decades now. We do it usually with family, but it's just us the past ten years and sometimes with friends.

The boys don't like huge parties, so the smaller the celebration the better. This year we went on a day trip. It's been 3 years since we went on any kind of trip. We just couldn't leave anytime because of our fur babies.

June 2010

Whatever way we celebrate, it's been an annual tradition to eat noodles and give toys as gifts. That started 16 years ago and the boys enjoy opening their gifts. Sometimes it deviates when they want something useful, but toys usually work :)

If it's just the three of us celebrating, we dine out. We tried traveling after the pandemic, but that's how we all got COVID-19 for the first time. We were stuck with someone very sick in-flight. A week after we were all very sick. And that's another reason why we haven't been traveling.

What's most important for us is to be together on this special day :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Road Trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:47:15 +0000

I've wanted to go on a roadtrip for awhile now. There's been no good time for it since we're busy with other things. Last Saturday, I asked the boys if they wanted to go out of town. We were undecided since Typhoon Francisco was set to arrive.

We made the decision to proceed on Monday night since the weather forecast showed a low chance of rain. We left around 9 in the morning on Tuesday and took the short trip to Tagaytay. We headed first to eat brunch at Bag of Beans. The usual branch from Twin Lakes we used to visit moved to their own place. It's now called Charito and Antonio Bag of Beans which overlooks the Splendido area.

After brunch, we headed to Sonya's Garden to buy some bread. We also love eating there, but since it's been 3 years since we last visited Tagaytay we split our time across what we wanted to see. Well, we spent more at Sonya's than for brunch since we got some pasalubong for our friends (haha). We agreed we won't wait long to go back, haha.

And then we went to our other favorite place, Mahogany Market, to buy fruits, veggies and some plants. We got dragon fruit, banana, avocado and dalandan. I was happy to buy some dalandan so I can make my annual Spanish adobo. Sweetie got some veggies since my kitchen is open again (it's not so hot anymore to cook!).

I managed to control myself and just got "a few" plants, haha. Just some marigold and Gumamela (hehe). I'll try to re-pot them in the next few days. We're starting to look like a jungle now. Mom would be pleased.

Going on a road trip felt like a reset. We all needed it since we've been busy with home and health stuff. It's a never ending cycle, so it was a good break. We couldn't do overnight trips anymore since we have 8 fur kids who will get mad at us. A whole day trip to Tagaytay is a good idea. Maybe next month we could go to Binan again to buy some Chef RV goodies!

#BeKind #StaySafe