An Apple a Day

Best Birthday Bouquet

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 11:04:45 +0000

It's another very rainy day today and all my plants are soaked. I gave a bit of water to some plants that don't get wet from the rain. I wanted to putter around the garden today, but everything's so wet, so I just checked on all the cats. I need to keep an eye on Meredith since she was coughing. I hope it's just a hairball.

Anyway, I celebrated my birthday yesterday. It was just a family affair -- just me and the boys and Kuya and Ate Joy. The food I ordered was just enough for all of us and we're eating leftovers today. My friends surprised me with a parcel. I thought it was a bouquet of flowers...

It was better than flowers! It was a huge pot of succulents! I super love it and immediately thanked them for choosing a very unique gift! It's another chance for me to prove I could take care of succulents. I also pinged my friend in Cebu to ask for advise. He said I should put it outdoors where it would get a lot of sun, but not get rained on.

I moved it today beside a window. The intense rainfall we've been getting will ruin the succulents, so I just placed it for now beside a window where it could get sunlight all day. I hope it will adjust well in its new spot. I'll move it outside when it's not raining anymore.

Stay dry and safe everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

A New Era

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:49:55 +0000

It's my birthday today and I honestly feel like a new chapter of my life has opened. It feels comparably different from when I became a golden girl last year. I didn't celebrate last year because of the accident* and I focused my time on physiotherapy.

First Birthday

Anyway, we had a brief respite from the southwest monsoon (Habagat) for a few days, but it's back and we received an orange rainfall alert this afternoon. I checked and so far, no flooding in our city and the metro. It's nonetheless still very hard to get around when it's raining. Good thing we just ordered some food and it arrived before things can start going crazy.

As a child, I never really liked parties. I remember I'd even hide when guests started arriving. I'm an introvert, so the attention was overwhelming. I still feel the same and I just celebrate with smaller groups. I didn't plan any since I wasn't sure about the weather.

After 5 years, I think I've finally accepted the fact that I'm retired. I had been so anxious about it, but the Nile is not just a river in Egypt. Acceptance is key and now I'm enjoying my time. There are days when I'm unstable and that's just how things are nowadays for me. I just follow my doctor's orders to be stable and be healthy (as healthy as I can be).

So, what's next for me? I don't have any "grand plans" and I'm just taking things one day at a time. All my "projects" are "home"-based:

Currently working on a Baby Yoda quilt
I have gardening goals which isn't moving much right now because of the weather
Still blogging everyday and need to do that long overdue mitral valve replacement
Biggest project to complete in the next six months, move to our forever home. Then, sell our current home (we hope someone buys it sooner than later!)
And most important for me is to make more happy memories with my boys

All my "projects" depend on God's Will and grace for me. I have accepted my reality that my world will be smaller compared to what it used to be. It's fine, I've had my fun the past three decades. Perhaps it's also time to write the book I started during the pandemic? Hmm... we'll see.

Happy birthday to me!

#BeKind #StaySafe

*Fell down a step and had a knee contusion

Throwback Thursday: GTD Days

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:24:54 +0000

Before I became part of the yellow pages, I handled the local version of Wand.com's trade directory. It was called Global Trade Directory where we encouraged exporters to sign up to find customers abroad.

The work tied up nicely to my previous job of exporting stone craft products (my Mom's company). I learned a lot about marketing a local products through the world wide web which was still a fairly new way to market.

I enjoyed joining trade fairs and getting exporters to sign up for our directory. We did well and even got a visit from Wand.com. That directory is still up and I still get regular updates from them. Ah, that was my first stint collaborating with an international team.

I was in my mid-20s back then and a fresh MBA grad and I definitely learned a lot from that stint. I didn't know back then, but looking back, God put me on the path for bigger things.

Just believe 🙏

#BeKind #StaySafe

Saw a Menopause Specialist

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:31:46 +0000

The genX generation are on the same perimenopause/menopause boat. My high school friends and I have been moaning about it on our group chat the past two years. We've all entered a dreadful era where our bodies are changing.

I think I was 43 when my cardiologist noted in his report that I was perimenopausal. At that time I didn't really feel any different and brushed it aside. He must have seen it from my tests. I was probably having minor symptoms, but it was last year when I started experiencing the awful ones.

It started with hot flashes, then itchy ears, itching all over, and joint issues. The itchy ears went away and was replaced by tinnitus and now that includes pain behind my right ear at night. I've done a lot of adjustments. Changed to lye soap and have been slathering on lotion all over twice a day. I've also seen an ENT and neurologist on top of my regular cardio and pulmo appointments.

I met a menopause specialist on Threads and thought I'd consult with her. The symptoms are not as bad as it was last year, but I feel I still need help. She spent more than an hour with me to figure out what I could do to ease symptoms. I'm taking various medications and I can't do hormone therapy because of my medical conditions.

I'll start with some lifestyle changes. I'm now adjusting my sleep hours and will go on a Meditteranean diet, plus eat fermented food everyday. Sounds easy, but adjusting has to take into consideration the medications I drink. She wanted me to try intermittent fasting, but since I can't do it because I have time bound medications that require a full stomach.

I hope the symptoms will be kinder as I adjust my lifestyle and maybe it will also help bring down my weight.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Baby Yoda Project Update

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:45:13 +0000

I decided to break the piecing part of the project into 3. Working with small pieces is hard and you're bound to make mistakes! When I made the Pikachu project two years ago, I followed the grid and pieced together 1" x 1" squares. It was HARD and I remember making mistakes since most of the pieces had the same color.

This time, I thought I'd try cutting the fabric based on the length. It won't take me a gazillion years to piece everything together. I cut a third of the needed fabric and it was less overwhelming to piece together. Whew! Doing it this way might motivate me to make the other characters I want to do.

I hope it turns out cute!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Keeping Tabs on the Construction

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:54:44 +0000

We wanted to keep an eye on the developments and since we installed CCTV a few years ago, we had it moved so we could see all the sides of the house. We also added some cams indoors. Through the cameras, we were able to see how the house was slowly chipped away.

Since the house was being demolished, the team created a "server room" which reminded us of Dr. Who's telephone booth. The booth even had a door and was made from materials that came from the house. The team even found wallpaper and decorated it, haha.

The CCTV has been very useful in making sure the site is secure. We also use it to ask architect questions especially when we need something adjusted. Some funny moments were also captured by the camera and sometimes we chance upon Manong Lito singing especially on weekends.

Thanks to Netoy for making sure the CCTV we invested in a couple of years ago is still useful :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Blep

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:44:23 +0000

I accidentally sprayed some water on Meredith. She gave me a blep face after she cleaned up.

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Grew Curry Plant from Seed

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:30:00 +0000

I've had a curry plant for a few years now. I was trying to buy lemongrass, but the garden nursery made a mistake and sold a curry plant to me. It's very tall now and has been producing berries. It usually just falls off or eaten by birds.

The curry plant produced berries again, so I planted the seeds. I chose black ones, removed the flesh and placed them in 3 pots. Two pots of seeds without the flesh and one pot with whole berries. I covered the pots with cut plastic bottles to increase humidity and encourage the seeds to sprout.

A few weeks later it started to sprout.

I eventually removed the cover when it looked a bit stable. I also moved it with other plants I'm growing. I would water it sparingly to make sure the roots won't rot. Then it rained and it rained. I only got to check my plants again yesterday.

The sprout has grown! It's now what I think you can call, a seedling! I'm happy since it was just an experiment to see if the berry seeds would grow. And from that experiment, only the seeds without the flesh grew. Nothing grew from those I planted whole.

Ahh, new skill unlocked! Yay!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Remembering Ninoy

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:22:20 +0000

It happened a week before my birthday. I was only 7 years old, but I felt the tension and anxiety it brought. My parents required everyone to be home before sundown and they always gave reminders about the dangers of being outside.

It was a chaotic time. I remember going to Fort Bonifacio where we paid our last respects. If I remember correctly, it was near the army hospital. When we went, the former president, Cory Aquino, and Kris were there. My Mom told me to be brave since it was my first time visiting a wake.

Our family discussed current events everyday when we had dinner. It was through those chats I slowly began to understand what was happening and why we all had to be careful. The former senator, Ninoy Aquino, was the catalyst that helped overthrow the dictatorship.

It's been 43 years since he died and sadly it looks like we're back to square one. Corruption has not been eradicated, services for citizens not at par, and things just look really dismal. Are we just going to live this way forever?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: Cebu and Davao (2005)

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:35:40 +0000

If I remember correctly, 2005 was the first time I visited Davao. I was still working for the yellow pages back then and I traveled to train sales. They moved provinces every other week and I'd be shipped to see them wherever they were.

In August 2005, I chased them in Cebu and Davao. They were all bent to show me around since they deemed I was too sheltered (haha). In Cebu, they introduced me to the delicious BBQ and siomai in Fuente Osmena. I remember we also went to a bar where we went dancing. It wasn't really for me and I remember escaping with one of them.

In Davao, they brought me to Eden and we ate at a buffet that only cost PhP100 each! It's been 21 years and my memories from that time are slowly fading away. I remember having so much fun with my colleagues and I actually felt more aligned with them.

How I wish I had a good camera back then. The photos I have here were taken with a Nokia 6630. It was my first camera phone that was assigned by the company. Good thing I managed to back-up my photos and I still have some of the blurry photos of those fun times.

I caught up with one of my colleagues through chat and she gave me an update on some of our colleagues. Sadly, two of the nicest ones passed away a few years ago. Most have transferred to other industries with some in controversies. Don't ask me about it since I'm really bad at keeping in touch with people.

Happy days :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Parenting in this Crazy World

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:41:01 +0000

When I got up yesterday, the first news I saw was the horrifying incident in Zamboanga. I quickly said a prayer and watched news clips.

My heart breaks for the parents of school age kids. The world is entirely different from what it was when my child was younger. I cannot imagine how we'd cope.

I spoke to my son briefly about what happened. I told him it was a good thing the internet wasn't as "sophisticated" as it is now. He agreed and gave a good insight.

He said it's not just the games that's causing it. He said there are groups/chats/topics that's influencing kids. He mentioned the word "manosphere".

It's my first time to hear that term, so I asked what it was about. He gave me homework to read up about "Andrew Tate". He's supposedly the one who coined the term and is pretty controversial.

I did a little reading before writing this post. I realized, there's a lot I don't understand from the younger generation. Pretty much like how my parents were with me. I'll read more about it, but perhaps us parents need to communicate more and meddle in the lives of our child/children. My parents sure did.

Take care everyone and hold your love ones closer.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Started a New Project

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:55:03 +0000

Live had the fabric ina separate box for a year now and decided to bring it out to start the project. I did a similar one two years ago and it took two months to finish.

I realized, piecing together one inch squares is backbreaking work. So I'm going to do this project differently.

Miggy helped me choose the right fabric colors and I'm now working on cutting fabric! I hope I'll finish it sooner than later!

I'm not doing this by square, so let's see how it goes!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Correcting Issues from the Childhood Home

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:26:45 +0000

Ondoy, 2009

While planning our future home, we made several lists:

List of basic needs and must-haves
Wish list
Property red flags

The list discussion lasted a couple of years. It started as a rough draft and evolved to a final list when we also chose our architect. It was important to give our architect a list of issues we experienced while living in my childhood home.

Flooding Issues

Basement flooding - the water would come from the road at the back. It's lower than our frontage, plus the basement was lower than the road and there was no firewall between our house and the property at the back. Also, there would be times flood water would come in from the bathroom drain.
The neighbor doesn't have a drain and their basement area gets flooded. They used to throw water over to the property behind them.
Our ground floor never flooded, but when the creek overflows, the street gets flooded up to 2 feet. This only happened during Typhoon Ondoy and Yolanda. Mom's garden also only got flooded once during typhoon Ondoy.

Termites and other pests

Our whole village gets infested with termites. I had my childhood home treated by pest control in the last decade.
There was a time we had a rat and roach infestation.
And, snakes.

Burglary

We had experienced burglary in the past. We've lost a couple of bicycles and some tools since they were not placed inside the house. Our neighbors have also reported some random burglaries happening in the past few years.

Heat

The overall temperature of our home was tolerable when I was a child. It got very hot eventually when my parents made adjustments to the house.
Also, back when the house was built, installing insulation wasn't really a thing. Mom had insulation added, but with the cross-ventilation affected, it was still very hot in the house.

All of the past issues would be addressed. I think the biggest change we're doing is to raise the whole house by at least a meter. It's in consideration of climate change. We'll also be able to avoid getting the basement flooded as well with proper firewalls on all sides. It's been raining for more than 3 weeks now and the street in front of our future home hasn't flooded. I think our barangay has been working hard to clear all waterways.

Stay safe and dry everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

An Important Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:59:47 +0000

It was Fr. Rene* who taught me a very important lesson from Pope John Paul II -

#BeKind #StaySafe

Alocasia Update

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:21:59 +0000

Last March, I decided to re-pot a plant that grew out of a pot we got from Mom's garden. The leaves looked nice, so I didn't remove it. It grew and I eventually looked up what it was.

Alocasia.

Oh! I remember the plant became popular during the pandemic. I was happy for the free plant.

It's been 5 months and I have two pots of alocasia now. Three weeks of rain has encouraged it to grow bigger!

I have to check soon if it needs to be re-potted again :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Brunch at Conti's

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:57:23 +0000

We had the chance to try Conti's all day breakfast. I usually order the baked salmon and tbh I wanted to order it again, haha.

I told myself to try somewhere new, so I ordered their pork tocino. It's interesting to try this staple sulit across restos. I was surprised since Conti's tocino wasn't red! I even thought it was tapa. It was definitely tocino made even better when you eat it with vinegar and atsara.

Sweetie got boneless bangus.

And Miggy his usual chicken since it's been awhile since we dined at Conti's.

Our unforgettable moment was when the extreme weather alert hit everyone's phone in the restaurant. It was surreal.

Of course, we got some goodies before we left :)

P.S. I've been tracking rainy days in my planner and we're now on week 3 of rain pouring everyday. Forecast shows we'll have more rain next week! Take care!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Some Forgotten Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:26:43 +0000

It's throwback Thursday again. I made time to scan some old photos. I want to finish the album I've been scanning since last month! I think I scanned 60 photos in 2 hours. I have an old printer, so it really takes time.

It was satisfying to scan this batch from the album because it reminded me of that time we were complete (as a family) for Miggy's birthday. Good thing I took photos of the cake because it's the biggest clue on what year the photos were taken. 2002!

We also went to a number of outings. It was one of the last few times we got to visit Pasacao. Life got busy after that and my parents eventually sold the property. My parents loved going there since it's where my Mom grew up. I still remember the scar on her leg which was caused when she fell while playing with her siblings. It was one of the reasons why she was so strict with me!

Fun times from 24 years ago!

#BeKind #StaySafe

My 80-year Old Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:09:18 +0000

A decade and a half ago, my cardiologist said I have a 70-year old's heart. He said after surgery everything will improve. I had mitral valve repair 13 years ago and I enjoyed it until late 2018 when I had a pulmonary embolism. Things went downhill from there since my lungs were affected.

And now I'm (over)due for mitral valve replacement. The surgery has been postponed several times and now we have to do it in Singapore since my case is very complicated.

And I feel I now have an 80 year old's heart. All my activities have to be "calculated" and I cannot overdo things. When I miscalculate, I'm definitely unavailable and unstable the next day. I used to feel bad about it before, but now I just shrug my shoulders and rest as needed. Whatever I had planned, just gets delayed.

Sometimes it saddens me when I can't do anything especially when I can't be more supportive for my friends. That's the sad reality of having a dysfunctional body. I know not many people understand what it's like to have chronic conditions. On the outside, I look healthy. My insides are like a new car with an ancient engine.

Life.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Sewing Machine Cover (with a Cat!)

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

Making a new sewing machine cover has been on my to-do list for 3 years now. We were still in Singapore the last time I made one and I made it by hand. I've learned a few tricks since then and made this one mostly by machine. I embroidered some parts which is why it took longer than I expected.

Anyway, I did the cat first and made the base really simple. Just huge strips of denim-like fabric. I think I went for monochromatic tone since the sky has been pouring rain for at least two weeks now.

I think it turned out cute and it matches the covers I made for my kitchen appliances. Here's how it turned out:

And how I made it:

#BeKind #StaySafe

Starting House Construction During the Rainy Season

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:11:15 +0000

Our home construction was tackled differently. We thought that the whole house would be demolished and then everything would start from scratch. The construction team treated it differently and demolished parts of the house as they progressed.

After removing the "finishings" (all doors, cabinets, windows, bedroom walls), the team prioritized digging the new foundation. They kept the roof intact so they can work without getting rained in. It was surreal to see a huge part of the house removed.

At street level, you wouldn't actually know that the house was slowly getting demolished. The front door was intact and the debris was kept and picked up from the back. It was a good idea to do this since the movement inside was kept private and it kept the dust going to neighbors to a minimum.

It's really helpful to work with an experienced team. I was worried at some point about their safety and our architect told me not to worry since they knew which walls to remove. My siblings said seeing the bones of the house reminded them of the time it was still being built (I wasn't born yet at that time). Well, I was able to see (from photos) the structure of the house and it was really surreal.

Our architect has a video about starting construction during the rainy season. He pointed out some pros and cons. The big plus is the pricing of materials. With lower demand, the prices are more affordable. For us, it helped that a structure was in place and they were able to use the roof while working on the foundation. The new house will be a bit smaller than the old one, so the old foundation will help support the new one.

Would you start your house construction during the rainy season?

Waterlogged

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 15:15:06 +0000

We finally had a break from constant rains this afternoon. It's been raining everyday for two weeks now and it does a number on you when you don't see the sun shining brightly. The sun peeked this afternoon and it was refreshing. It was short-lived though and it rained again.

I'm unable to sleep well when it rains, especially when it rains hard. I guess it's PTSD from typhoon Ondoy when I woke up to water rushing in. The past few years I struggled with the issue that the basement in our current home would get flooded.

Good thing we managed to get help from city hall (Building Official and CENRO) to get it fixed.The flooding was due to the wrong way the contractor of the house beside us did their drainage. It was back-flowing to our backyard. It took two years before the issue was addressed, only resolved when city hall warned the contractor their license would get suspended if they didn't fix it.

We held our stand and pushed back when the contractor through the HOA wanted to charge to fix the drainage. It wasn't our fault, so we said no. It took them almost two months to fix and it was quite obvious where they went wrong when they dug up the area. The drainage was higher than ours, that's why their sewage would back flow to us. They eventually grudgingly fixed it.

Our issue is a very small one compared to the countless families affected by the floods the past few days (weeks, months, years...). Our city seems to have been crowned as the most flooded city in the region which is so sad. I hope a solution can be found and done soon.

Stay safe and dry everyone.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rain Drenched Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Sat, 08 Aug 2026 00:30:00 +0000

It's been raining for 12 straight days now. I've been missing my gardening time. I miss watering my plants one by one. And I miss trimming them when needed. Taking photos of random flowers that bloom. Harvesting bell peppers, tomatoes and papaya.

It's always a wonder how plants survive non-stop rain, but easily get root rot when you over water them. Everything is so green in the garden now and I'm happy there's still some random flowers blooming despite the rain.

I'm just afraid there will be a lot of pests again when the rain lets up. I'll just have to be vigilant and make sure they don't multiply like crazy!

How's your garden doing?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Ravioli with Al Telefono Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:30:00 +0000

I'm honestly not sure if the term I used above is correct. We found ready to eat ravioli at a shop in Molito, Alabang. I immediately bought one because it's been years since I had it at home. When we were in Singapore, I used to buy a pack from Marks & Spencer after my PT (it was in the same building). I would boil it, drain and then mix it with bottled pasta sauce. It was so easy to make!

We got spinach ravioli, but since I couldn't find any ready pasta sauce I liked, I decided to mix it with pasta al telefono (sauce). I wasn't sure if it would work, but trying was worth it!

Here's how I made it:

Now I want to run back to Alabang to buy some ravioli to make this again, hehe.

Full recipe: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/08/recipes-for-my-son-ravioli-in-pasta-al.html

#BeKind #StaySafe

One Second Everyday: July 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:49:43 +0000

I'm trying to make sure I post my one second a day a week after the start of the month. Good thing I remembered to do it today for Throwback Thursday.

The highlight of the month was celebrating Mando Laura and Grogu's birthday. They were born on different days, so we celebrated across the week. We even got cake! Haha. I couldn't figure out where to get cake that's safe for cats? The cake I got was devoured by the hoomans...

The rainy season is back, so I got to re-open my kitchen and cook homemade meals. Gardening time reduced a lot because of the rain. I water only when needed to make sure the roots don't rot. It will probably be this way for the next two to three months until the weather changes.

We also go to see two friends from abroad. One from Australia earlier in July and the other one from Singapore at the end of the month. It's really fun to see friends who come and visit. I must admit, we've been hibernating and only go out when really needed, haha. It's hard to get around when you're on a wheelchair.

I only finished one measly quilt project. We got busy with other stuff, so I had to de-prioritize sewing for the month. I've been a bit picky also on what I do since I have other ongoing non-sewing projects which take up time. I'm now choosing between three possible projects for the month. I'm having a hard time choosing since it will definitely take more time to make, heh. Here's my 1SE video for the month of July:

I hope the month of August would be a bit more productive. It's been raining like crazy, so we'll see...

How was your month of July?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Brain Fog

noreply@blogger.com (Aileen Apolo-de Jesus) — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:45:00 +0000

Is real...

#BeKind #StaySafe