An Apple a Day

It Finally Bloomed Again!

2026-10-17T09:00:00.000+08:00

My gumamela plants hibernated. They haven't been producing any flowers in almost two years now. They weren't happy where they were and I've been looking for a good spot where to put them. Out of the 4 I bought back in 2023, one died. It was eaten by pests and I wasn't able to save it. I was able to save the 3, but they've been unhappy.

Two weeks ago, I fed the gumamela plants bone meal and with the sun out everyday, one finally produced two flowers! I was ecstatic! And the one that bloomed is one of my favorite two-tone variants. Yay!

I should probably fertilize them with bone meal more often, but bone meal is expensive! Oh well, it's like what you say when you keep going to a derma, tiis ganda, haha.

What do you do to encourage your plants to produce flowers?

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Southie Fave: Presko Coffee

2026-10-16T20:06:58.351+08:00

It's been awhile since we first experienced dining at Presko Coffee. It's a cafe founded near where we live. The first time we went there was on election day in 2022. We honestly haven't been back to the actual cafe but we've been ordering almost every week. I sometimes interact with the owner through Threads.

Anyway, we noticed they added their abot kaya meals in their Grab menu. Sweetie and I were both craving for adobo. He got the chicken adobo abot kaya meals and I got the pork gourmet adobo. We just gobbled up one Spanish bread each so we'll wait a bit before eating. It smells good though and I'm excited to eat dinner!

Well, we ordered for dinner so we didn't get any drinks. I usually get Presko latte for breakfast or the muscovado latte if I'm ordering lunch. Sweetie and Miggy are more adventurous and usually switch around what they order to drink. Anything you order there is good anyway, so you can just try anything.

What I haven't tried are their cakes. I usually get a cookie, but I haven't tried any of the cakes and other pastries. I normally get so full after eating what I ordered and that's why I haven't tried any of the cakes. I'll make sure to try something soon.

If you want to try Presko, they recently opened a branch in Ensueno, Makati. It's just for take-away and I'm not sure if it's just the abot kaya meals or if they have the full menu. They also have branches in Malacanang, Manila and Caloocan. Just search for it and try it soon!

#BeKind #StaySafe

In Power Saving Mode

2026-10-15T23:01:43.841+08:00

After running errands back to back for two days, my energy was depleted. I was too brave and attended pulmo rehab. I barely made it out alive, haha.

I've been ordered to rest and that's what I'll do.

Zzzzz.

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Parking Angel

2026-10-14T21:17:00.000+08:00

My friend Honey was the one who introduced me to the parking angel. She said she always prays to get a good spot to park whenever she's out.

We tested last weekend to recuperate from the bad days I had due to the haze. Miggy has to rest too from his gym activities.

We've been running around the metro the past two days and the parking angel has been very kind to us. With Miggy busy with his appointments, it's just me and Sweetie going around and I'm grateful we've been blessed to park near the entrances since it's hard to get around on a wheelchair.

Thank you parking angel 😇

#BeKind #StaySafe

Should I Frame my Baby Yoda Project?

2026-10-13T22:01:02.146+08:00

After a gazillion years, I'm almost done with my Baby Yoda grid quilt project! Rawrrrrr! It took me so long to hand quilt it since I have to rest my arm from repetitive movement. I had to rest in between, but I finally finished the last stitch last weekend.

And now I just need to add the binding. I haven't gotten around to doing it since we've been busy with a long list of errands. I also got sick and was down for a few days, so that's why we're cramming a lot of stuff right now.

I'll probably take a break from sewing when I finish this project. I need time to finish organizing my "maker/sewing" room which looks more like a bodega now. I am thinking though to make one grid quilt annually to add to my "collection". Should I frame them? Here's the Pikachu one I made two years ago.

What do you think?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plumbing Needs for Your House

2026-10-12T08:30:00.000+08:00

We had an OMG moment when the engineer overseeing the construction near us told us that the owner who hired him to build the house didn't have plans for a septic tank. We eventually discovered that they didn't also connect their sewage properly. It affected us severely because their rainwater drainage and sewage was flowing back to us. (Read more about what happened and how it eventually got resolved here, here and I just realized I didn't write about the ending, will do soon).

Anyway, because of that very bad experience, we resolved that when we build our future home we will make sure to cover all areas of plumbing. Here's how we thought about it:

What should the connection to Maynilad look like?
How can we check if there's water coming in or none?
How do we want to store water? A tank? Cistern? Are you collecting rainwater?
How do we reduce having the tank cleaned? (It costs at least 6k to 8k to get a tank cleaned!)
How do we want our bathrooms set-up? Will we use a heater? Do we want a high-tech toilet (we chose the regular one)?
For the kitchen, do we want to use a heater? Do we want to use a water filter? Do we want to have a faucet on top of the stove (nope)? What kind of sink are we using? Are we having just one big kitchen or a dry and wet kitchen?
How do we plan to do laundry? How many faucets do we need and how many washing machines are we going to use? Do we need an outdoor sink? What about drainage?
We also thought about where we need to have water for watering the garden and cleaning.
And most importantly, where will the septic tank be located? For this one, you need to ask your HOA or barangay where the connection for sewage is located.

It's not the most exciting thing to think about, but it's very important to plan it ahead. It's easy to plan when you have a good understanding of your routines and needs. Think about the future too. We have been collecting rainwater for a few years now and that's what we use to water our plants. I think we saved a lot from collecting rainwater for our plants and cleaning outdoors.

A good plumbing system will save you a lot from having headaches.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Don't Turn a Blind Eye to What is Wrong

2026-10-11T23:04:10.702+08:00

I know what you're thinking... This is not a political post or commentary. The past few days we've been watching, "Love is Never Gone". It's a series on Prime which we initially got to watch on YouTube. It piqued our interest, but we only continued watching it this week.

Sunset in Morocco

The series was very vibrant. The locations where they filmed was not just a backdrop, but also part of how the story was told. It was well thought out and barely any boring moments.

Once upon a time in Morocco :)

The quote, "Don't turn a blind eye to what is wrong," was uttered by Ronnie (JM) to Raya (Fyang). They were arguing about the crimes her family was involved in. Well, just watch it :)

Enjoy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

New Gift from the Birds?

2026-10-10T21:06:11.946+08:00

New leaves grew out from one of my pots. I let it grow to see whether it's a legit plant or just a weed. I finally took a photo of it and Google Lens identified it as Callisia Gentlei (common name Callisia).

The plant just grew and I'm not sure if it's from seeds that birds dropped or a part of it has been in the soil. Remember, we rescued some of my Mom's plants last year and new plants grow out of the pots we got, haha. Perhaps it's a gift from my Mom, haha.

I'm still not sure if it's a weed or a legitimate plant. I'll probably re-pot it so it doesn't eat up the nutrients of the other plant in the pot. Let me know if this is really Callisia and if it's worth it to keep.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Amici

2026-10-09T20:02:56.446+08:00

It's been awhile since I last got to dine at Amici. If I remember correctly, I was able to dine at the original resto in Don Bosco many, many years ago. We have not been able to come across it when we go out. Funny thing is it's just a few steps away from Lore where we've dined at several times, haha.

Anyway, Sweetie and I got to try it last week while waiting for Miggy. I absolutely loved the carbonara I ordered and also got Miggy a plate so he could try it too. The small plate I got was enough for two meals for me.

Sweetie got chicken parmigiana which he liked too.

The staff were very friendly and efficient, we came back after some errands to pick up our cake and also got pizza to bring home, haha.

And pistachio chocolate cake was amazing!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Still

2026-10-08T23:48:52.365+08:00

I woke up with slight fever and just rested the whole day. I didn't even get to see any of the cats :'(

I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Downed by Haze

2026-10-07T21:26:39.425+08:00

I stepped out for less than five minutes. Fifteen minutes later I had to lie down because I didn't feel well.

I napped for almost two hours on the couch. I felt better after and watched the news.

Note to self: don't go out without a mask!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Look at My Beautiful Cat

2026-10-06T21:22:24.017+08:00

I have no crafting update today. I'm still quilting by hand the Grogu project. I'm really hoping to finish it soon, but duty calls and we've been busy tending to our house and working on our health.

For now, take a look at our beautiful cat, Meredith.

Ain't she adorable? Just be careful, she only allows 2-second pets, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Determining Your Electrical Needs for Your New House

2026-10-05T19:03:50.728+08:00

When we visited my Mom when we got home from Singapore, I was surprised with the many extension cords in her room. They were plugged in from other rooms and I was really concerned with what was plugged in the extension cords. It was a jaw-dropping discovery.

A small refrigerator and the aircon on another extension cord.

What?!?!?

60-year old outlet. It included a 110 volt socket which was common in the 70s

I was just thankful that no untoward incident has happened. They probably did that even during the pandemic. I immediately had a licensed electrician check everything. The house was built in 1970 and it definitely did not take into consideration any newer appliances.

Modern outlet of a hotel. We're skipping the ones with USB options since that changes quite frequently. We'll stick to traditional ones and just work on keeping them out of sight

Anyway, the shock probably contributed to my heart deteriorating further. We also did an electrical audit for our new home. The house was deemed a fire hazard and so we had to re-wire everything and changed all the cheap lights installed on the renovated house.

Research on brands. Did you know electricians prefer Panasonic for outlets and switches?

We learned a lot from that experience and we followed this process when we were given the floor layout:

Listed all appliances per room
Marked where all the appliances were to be placed per room

A sheet listing all appliances and gadgets
A separate sheet listing air conditioner placement
CCTV placement (check with your provider if it gets its power from the server or requires it's own plug)
Network needs (internet is more important nowadays than a phone line)
Outdoor needs for your laundry area and garage and lights for your garden if you need it

Noted what kind of outlets we needed, i.e. universal outlets for kitchen appliances and placement of energy guzzling appliances like the fridge, oven and microwave
We followed most of the planned lighting and just added some wall mounted lights outdoor. We also decided to use smart lighting sparingly (less fuss = less stuff to think about and replace in the future).

#BeKind #StaySafe

Sunday in Haze

2026-10-04T22:20:15.364+08:00

I woke up wheezing today. I had a hard time with the bad air quality yesterday. I skipped watering the plants and playing with the cats.

I thought it would be a better day. It rained a bit, but the bad air came back immediately. We cancelled our plans to go to the park for the parish fiesta.

Apparently, our air purifier wasn't giving the right status. Sweetie changed the filter and it was covered in dust. Ughhhh. We'll probably check all our purifiers to make sure all the filters are still clean.

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Eggshells, A Garden Staple

2026-10-03T20:49:06.331+08:00

I have been using eggshells for my plants for a few years now. I think it's one of the "ingredients" that helped make my bell pepper plants produce a lot of fruit.

I read in several sources that you should boil it before using it in the garden. I have a regular supply because we normally use at least 2 dozen eggs every month. After cracking the egg open, we normally wash off the sticky residue and set it aside. When the container of egg shells gets filled that's when I boil it.

After boiling, I set aside the shells to dry for a day or two. I also transfer the water to a bottle to be used when I water the plants. Once the egg shells are dry, I then grind it to make it smaller. Then I put one to two tablespoons per pot.

I read that it takes time for the nutrients to be absorbed in the soil. That's fine, I treat it as a "slow release" fertilizer with the plants. It also helps ward off pests because they don't like the sharp edges of the egg shell. I also use the crushed eggshells when preparing soil for planting seeds and for re-potting growing plants. I basically put it on everything since different kinds of plants need calcium anyway.

For the more adventurous, you can also brown the shells on a pan or bake it after you boil it. Grind the eggshells and then place them in a bottle. Then add vinegar (sukang paombong) at 1:10 ratio (egg shells:vinegar). Cover the bottle only when it stops bubbling. Let it ferment for a few weeks and then use 1 to 2 tablespoons for every liter of water. You're plant will go crazy over the nutrients, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made Salmon Lemon Cream Pasta at Home

2026-10-02T09:00:00.000+08:00

One of my favorite resto dishes is Nono's salmon lemon cream pasta. It's expensive, so I only enjoy it once in a while. Unfortunately, they removed it from the menu, so I've been experimenting on making it at home. Of course, cost-wise, it's much cheaper since I can share what I cook with the boys.

I've made it twice and the second attempt was much better. I put a lot of spinach and it kinda freaked out Miggy (haha). I'll probably reduce that next time, but taste-wise, this attempt was much closer to what I usually have at Nono's.

Here's how I made it:

Full recipe: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/10/recipes-for-my-son-salmon-lemon-cream.html

Any tips or suggestions are welcome!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wake Up! September has Ended!

2026-10-01T19:13:46.098+08:00

The song "Wake me up when September ends" by Green Day never gets old. It's a song about the grief Billie Joe Armstrong felt when his father passed away. I guess all of us have gone through similar journeys.

September has ended and what I remember about the past month is the rain was replaced by haze. We were also busy trying to reach our health goals. That keeps us going every week. In between those appointments we were home doing a myriad of things. Tending to the garden, playing with cats, decluttering, and we were able to cook some good food too.

Here's the one second everyday for the month of September:

I can say it was a pretty mundane month. Boring is good since it was already a struggle to combat the haze and breathe clean air. I hope October will be a better month. We have started to think about how best to survive the super El Nino which is supposed to hit us starting this month.

Have a great week everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bad Air Quality (It's Really Bad!)

2026-09-30T21:24:01.922+08:00

On our way home yesterday my nose started dripping while we were in the middle of EDSA. I immediately checked the IQ Air app and saw the reading was at 228 violet alert. That means the air quality is very unhealthy for everyone. I immediately wore my mask again even though we were in the car and I had a portable air purifier running. Better to be safe than to get sick.

With no rain, the air quality was worse today. My tonsils have been hurting a bit, so I've been drinking more water. I remember my pulmo told me before that bad air can affect your breathing and your tonsils. Stay hydrated he said and stay in a room with your windows closed and use your air purifier.

As much as I want to do some gardening, I've just been watering the plants. I also wear a mask to be sure I don't have an asthma attack. There's nothing much you can do when there is haze, just protect yourself by wearing a mask, staying indoors, hydrating and using an air purifier.

Time to wake up tomorrow!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Work in Progress: Baby Yoda Project

2026-09-29T20:20:33.325+08:00

I'm still working on my Baby Yoda grid quilt project. Hand quilting is taking longer than I expected since I can't overdo using my wrist.

I'm planning to frame it when I'm done and I'll also have the Pikachu one framed too.

Happy crafting everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Details that Need Input for Your House Construction

2026-09-28T21:07:54.924+08:00

To be honest, we all got cross-eyed when we were presented with the planned details. They were made by our architect together with engineers. There were pages upon pages of drawings showing the structure, elevation, ceiling, electrical, windows, tile count etc. Printed on huge blue paper, they were overwhelming.

We started a shared document with our architect to note down our requests. It started with comments on the layout and after that followed details on the following:

Electrical needs

List of appliances per room
Where we wanted outlets
Placement of airconditioners
Additional lights
Outdoor electrical needs

Plumbing

Installation of water heater for bathrooms (if any)
Outdoor needs for plumbing
Plan for water tank
Plan for rainwater collection

Internet/phone

Point the location for your Telco wirings for internet and phone
Extenders where needed

CCTV

Pinpoint where you intend to put CCTV since that requires wirings too

Solar

Get your solar provider to do an inspection for solar installation. There are requirements they need to follow from Meralco

Pest control

This is important especially if you're in an area where there are a lot of termites. Pest control companies can install pipes around your house to make it easier to do treatment.

Including details to the plan will help the construction team a lot. We were able to avoid doing corrections which can get expensive especially with plumbing and electrical requirements.

Or I'm just probably a bit OCD, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Last Sunday of September

2026-09-27T22:12:09.614+08:00

I woke up a bit late today. My forehead is still smarting after I bumped it on a table yesterday. I had a goose egg lump, but the swelling has gone down after icing it several times.

Anyway, I didn't let it get in the way on what I wanted to do today. I had to water the plants generously today because we won't have water tomorrow according to Maynilad. I gave the plants some bone meal too before I watered them. They're going to have a nutrition boost.

After a bit of rest, Sweetie and I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. We baked salmon in garlic cream cheese, made fried brown rice, and prepped red onion pickles for tomorrow's food. The food disappeared in a jiffy, haha.

And now my energy is depleted. Good thing I squeezed in some sewing time after lunch.

Happy new week!

#BeKind #StaySafe

5 Months After Propagating Mom's Bougainvillea

2026-09-26T21:19:20.052+08:00

I was warned by our architect that Mom's plants would not survive the construction. I made it my mission to propagate Mom's plants especially her bougainvillea trees.

Mom told me several times that she just propagated the bougainvillea from cuttings. I only realized that she had different varieties.

I made a final push to propagate different varieties. I crossed my fingers and prayed that the project would succeed because on April 1, the summer heat was really bad. Above are the bunch I placed in an area where anything I propagate usually succeeds.

I started seeing new leaves grow after a few weeks. I did the ICU method and kept the plastic bottles on for two to three months to make sure they were stable.

I would trim as needed, but in the past two months I let them grow like crazy. They're in an open space and hard to reach when it's raining. At least, they're all growing well and are healthy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Homemade Menudillo at Itlog

2026-09-25T00:05:00.000+08:00

It's been awhile since we had Menudillo at Itlog at home. I saw a friend make it and I had a sudden craving for it. We got the ingredients and then immediately cooked it. Ahh, craving satisfied.

Menudillo is very easy to make. Just add the ingredients one after another and season with salt and pepper. I usually make it with just 400 grams of ground pork. It's just enough for two meals for us and not too heavy on the belly. You can also opt to add raisins if you like (I usually don't).

Here's how I make it at home:

Full recipe at: https://recipesformyson.blogspot.com/2026/09/recipes-for-my-son-menudillo-at-itlog.html

Happy weekend everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Carbin Reef

2026-09-24T00:05:00.000+08:00

There's a good beach anywhere you go across the Philippines and since we went to the Negros Trade Fair it reminded me of Carbin Reef and Manami Resort. Both are on opposite sides of Negros and they're up in my "I want to go back list".

It's been years since I last visited Carbin Reef. It's located in Sagay, Negros Occidental which is about an hour and a half car ride from Bacolod and a short boat ride to the reef. The first time I went there it felt weird to be dropped off in the middle of the sea.

Carbin Reef is a strip of sand that's bigger and longer during low tide. It almost disappears during high tide. There's just a few huts on it, a lifeguard chair and you'd have to bring your own food if you want to eat. Of course, you have to bring your trash too when you leave.

What I enjoyed most was the clear water and beautiful white sand. What we'd do is hang out in the water until we got hungry, swim some more and then go back to Bacolod. The caretakers make sure you make it out before the water gets too high. Last time we went the sea was pretty rough on the way back, but the boat men expertly navigated the crazy ride back to land.

Go visit!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Do Things That Make You Happy

2026-09-23T00:05:00.000+08:00

I love going to trade fairs, so when a friend told me there's a Negros Trade Fair at SM Aura this week I told the boys I want to go. We had other errands to do at SM Aura, so we went yesterday.

My friend warned there would be a lot of people since it's the first day, but that's just how trade fairs work. The more people the better! We braved the crowd and slowly made our way around the venue. It was a bit hard going around in a wheelchair. The huge outlet humps didn't make it easy to go around, so I tried walking while holding on to the wheelchair.

It got hairy since there were a lot of people, but I was distracted enough to go around. I love seeing local products. There were a lot of decors, home items, clothes, bags, and jewelry. We focused on finding favorite food we love from Negros and said hello to the staff of our favorite resort, Manami (watch my video here!).

We went crazy and got a lot of goodies from El Ideal, cheese roll from Felicia's and silvanas from Sans Rival. Just having their food within reach gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling!

The trade fair is ongoing for a few more days at SM Aura. Just go and have fun!

#BeKind #StaySafe