Friday's 10 Happy Things + a Wishlist 😄

I really wanted to be productive at work today but I can't stop looking at Shopee lol so maybe I'll just list down a Christmas wishlist or something...

1. New backpack. I realized that my fake Doughnut has a low quality zipper and while it isn't broken yet I don't like how it feels unzipping it. It's not smooth, like it's gonna get caught at random. Also it feels weird owning a fake one when I've had two original Doughnuts. It's just that the original one is a bit bigger and has bulkier straps which doesn't look good on me. Hay. Oh well. Off to search for a new one!

2. TV speakers. Not really a soundbar but a decent external speaker that can be connected via aux cable just like our current one, the Edifier MP260. Thing is, it broke on us in less than a year so we're hesistant to have the same model again. Jeckie got it as a gift last year. I love it though, it's perfect and doesn't need to be turned on separately like most soundbars. But I think that's why it broke so soon. It's always on! I know there's gotta be a solution to this. Need to look into soundbar technology. I'm sure there's like a feature that turns the soundbar on and off along with the TV.

3. Dymo label maker. Just the manual one cos it's cute and doesn't need charging! 😄

🎊 On to the happy things

1. It's day 5 of going to the gym daily! I'm not seeing anything significant in terms of my size haha but it feels good to be sweating every day. I hope I don't jinx it specially that it's the weekend and we're normally out and about but what's 1 hour of my time before we head out for stuff right? 

2. I'm making progress in this new project that was assigned to me recently. Much as I'd like to postpone this for next year, a new project like this kinda puts me in the zone hehe

3. My sister has FINALLY resigned from her job that's been stressing her out big time ever since it started. Happy for her! Also, she's broken up with her boyfriend of 2 months haha. Good riddance I'd say, they don't align in values AT ALL, which is basic for any relationship to thrive, even friendships.  

4. I don't remember jotting this down but I just started attending church again. I learned that there's CCF BGC which is an easy 15 min drive from home so I commited to attending the 10:30 AM service even though it's deathly early for me haha. So far so good. Let's see where this takes me on my quest to rediscovering Christianty.

5. Behrouz dinner! It's been a while since we ordered from them and I love how they're still very responsive despite not being on Grab! 💖

6. Lots of Japanese snacks from kuya Julian!

7. I just made significant progress on my new project. Yeah, the gap between item #2 and this one is like 6 hours hahaha I find it hard to blog in just a single session now, my mind is aaaaaalways drifting somewhere.

8. Koomi is a good boy tonight who finished all of his food!

9. Booked a sofa cleaning service for tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Finally getting our sofa shampooed after one year! It's disgusting! 

10. I'M OFFICIALLY ON VACATION! But will have to manually run a job on January 1 lol. If I get some free time I'll work on publishing it and putting it on a schedule. But for now, HAPPY HOLIDAAAYS!! 🎊

11. Additional happy points I'm just so delighted to be able to use emojis in my post now especially that it's very easy to pull up the emoji menu from the keyboard (win + dot)! 

Friday's 10 Happy Things

I was contemplating on whether or not to make a gratitude post this week because I've been feeling largely sad for the most part. But then I realized it's the perfect time to count my blessings haha

1. Our new rice cooker has arrived! Upgraded our 7 year old mechanical rice cooker to a digital one from Tefal that has exciting options like brown rice and congee! Best part is the non-stick pot!

2. Always thankful for my coffee time. Whether it be during dessert or while working. 💖

3. That we may not need to raise 2 million for my mom's operation after all. Maybe 1 million na lang lol still a large sum but 2m is just too big. I think she's semi-convinced to get an open heart surgery instead because her doctor says there are more experts in that field compared to TAVI.

4. Frankie's dinner and cheesecake!

5. Happy to have found 2 workouts I can follow tomorrow (fingers crossed).

6. Finally completed my self evaluation for the year. And provided feedback to those who requested for mine.

7. Happy to have successfully supported 2 automation issues this week without having to raise to our architect. The first one was a quick fix that only need a job refresh. And the other one was due to a user error that I fixed by updating the ticket and re-running the job.

8. Also happy to have FINALLY provided an update to this one task I was too lazy to work on since last week. Had an issue trying to setup the automated report using Jay's tool because I forgot what arguments to use for adhoc running. But now I'm slowly getting the hang of it and even made a confluence page for it so I don't get lost once he's gone! He's resigning by the way! 😔

9. Happy that I'm finally feeling better. Though now it's Jeckie that's sick. At least we're not both sick at the same time hehe.

10. Last but not the least, swelday! Off to paying more credit card debt 🤣 💖

Today

🏢 It's RTO day today! I don't really go to work on Thursdays but I wasn't able to come in on Monday cos I was sick. Free parking slots were full, which is getting more common these days as teams gather for Christmas. Thankfully, there's guest parking available which is great. Then eventually I took over Urielle's slot, but only for an hour because I decided to leave early after more people came in. I can't with a lot of people now 🫠.

💒 One of my friends got married today and I wasn't invited so I kinda feel bad. I thought we were close enough. Guess I'm wrong. Anyway. I shouldn't really dwell on it because it's their-wedding-their-rules, but I get a really bad case of FOMO seeing my old friends together. Now it's like I lost a whole friend group. I just need to let that out. And start getting used to it. Hay🫠

💔 I miss my White & Case friends a lot. I guess it's just the reality of leaving a company. You lose access to some people just by mere absence. And I've long proven that it's hard to cultivate friendships online. Specially with my personality. It's also because I haven't really made a lot of friends here. IT'S DEATHLY BORING HERE. Maybe it's something I have to accept, because of my preferred work style (hybrid, mostly remote). If the team was probably meeting more often at work then it would be easier to make friends haha. Right now it's just Urielle and I 🤣 #notcomplaining

I guess I just really miss W&C. Not just my friends, but the company itself. The people, the events, the food, everything is so fun. It's really one of a kind. But I also know I won't be able to further my career (consequently, my salary) if I stayed there. 😄

🎊 Hey it's already Friday yey!

Sanicare Highlights the Spirit of Giving at Inaugural ‘Carols of Care’ Event

With Care Ambassadors Bianca Gonzalez-Intal and Belle Mariano Championing "Sharing the Care" This Christmas Season

03 December, 2024, Manila, Philippines - Embracing the true spirit of Christmas, Sanicare, a trusted Filipino personal hygiene brand, celebrated the season of giving with its inaugural “Carols of Care” event at SM City North EDSA Annex Event Center. Centered on the theme “Sharing the Care,” the celebration reflected the brand’s commitment to fostering community, love, and togetherness—values deeply rooted in Filipino Christmas traditions.

The event marked the launch of Sanicare’s limited edition holiday-themed tissue boxes, inspired by the cherished Filipino tradition of caroling. Featuring vibrant and nostalgic designs, the collection captures the joy of communities coming together to share songs and cheer during the holiday season.

“Our holiday-themed tissue boxes are a celebration of Filipino Christmas traditions, capturing the warmth and joy of the season,” said Jazel Ramos-Yeo, Sanicare’s Marketing Communications Manager. “These designs embody the spirit of ‘Sharing the Care’ by inspiring moments of connection and togetherness. Each box serves as a visual invitation to share kindness, love, and compassion with loved ones. By incorporating beloved Filipino customs like caroling, we aim to foster a sense of nostalgia and strengthen family bonds.”

Present at the event were Sanicare’s Care Ambassadors, Bianca Gonzalez-Intal and Belle Mariano, who brought the theme of "Sharing the Care" to life. Together, they led the Care Conversations segment, sharing their personal experiences and insights on the importance of hygiene and well-being, especially during the festive season. Through heartfelt stories and practical advice, they inspired attendees to embrace balance, joy, and celebration amidst life’s challenges,  perfectly reflecting Sanicare’s commitment to providing #TheCareYouDeserve and rekindling the spirit of Christmas celebrations.

The “Sharing the Care” theme resonates with Sanicare’s core mission of putting customers at the heart of everything it does. “Sharing the care has always been part of who Sanicare is,” added Ramos-Yeo. “It’s embedded in our identity and drives us to create products that cater to the specific needs and preferences of our customers. Beyond that, we aim to play a role in their journey of sharing love and care with friends and family, especially during the season of giving.”

A special meet-and-greet session with Mariano added a personal touch to the event, showcasing the brand’s focus on meaningful connections. Her heartfelt interaction with fans underscored Sanicare’s commitment to fostering relationships and bringing care to every aspect of the celebration.

The Carols of Care event reinforced Sanicare’s mission to “care it forward,” reminding everyone that Christmas is not just a nostalgic memory but an opportunity to celebrate the present and create meaningful moments. The limited-edition holiday-themed tissue boxes, now available in stores nationwide, embody this mission, bringing warmth and joy to every Filipino home this holiday season.

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ABOUT SANICARE

Sanicare, a Filipino personal hygiene brand under Sanitary Care Products Asia, Inc. (SCPA),is renowned for its eco-friendly and affordable sanitary products, including tissues, wipes, and cotton balls. As a 100% Filipino-owned company, Sanicare is dedicated to producing safe, high-quality products free from parabens, harmful chemicals, and unnecessary additives, ensuring care and comfort for every consumer.

Website: https://scpa.com.ph/

Life Lately - so much to pray for

🖥️ My work is in all sorts of disarray right now. I have so many things to work on. I have a list of them but I always end up to too tired and lazy to do anything. I have two weeks to work on them so I can enjoy my Christmas vacation! Aja! 

🫠 Thursday I had my PT session with Coach Nick. I was not able to finish all of the workouts he gave me because I was too full lol. I ate too close to my schedule so my body was struggling to give me energy while digesting the burger I ate for lunch lol. Also I think he progressed me this time. All the leg exercises I did was with 2x 20lbs weights and it was exhausting. My single leg balance still needs a lot of work but I can feel my quads improving. It's just that it's the only exercise I had this week so I was too exhausted after the sesh. We ended 15 minutes early cos my legs are literally shaking haha. Anyway, still thankful cos that's 1 excercise point this week hehe

🙏 Praying for healing for the entire family. My mom has aortic valve stenosis. Her valve is too narrow for blood to pass through, causing her heart to pump harder. According to her doctor her options are:

1. a heart valve replacement requiring an open heart surgery; 
2. TAVI or TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve implantation/replacement) I haven't really confirmed with them but my sister mentioned a transcatheter implant procedure that's possibly less invasive than an open heart surgery.
3. Live with it. Manage her triggers basically. She'd probably have a year left to live though if this were the case.

✨ Options 1 and 2 will cost millions; around 2 million pesos. Which we don't have. So while I'm praying for healing, I'm praying more for financial provision because we don't have that kind of money saved. No one in our family is rich enough to shoulder that. Might need to sell their property just to afford an operation. And for how long? How much more time with my mother will 2 million pesos give me? 10 years? I don't know.

✨ My husband also has a health concern. There was a lump on his neck that wasn't there before. He noticed it one time on one of my vlogs. He was drinking water and noticed his adam's apple is too big. His APE confirmed an anterior neck mass that needs to be checked. An ultrasound confirmed the lumps and the sizes. A biopsy will confirm if it's congenital, but we have yet to see the results. If it is congenital then his HMO will not be able to cover the surgery to remove it so haaay gastos nanaman. I don't know how much that costs but we certainly don't have enough saved for an operation, however minor.

🙏 Oh well. This is the reason why I started attending church again. There are just some things you don't have any control over which will lead you to pray. Health is one of those things. And my personal yearning to seek the Lord more properly this time. The good thing about attending church is that it forces me to wake up early on Sunday haha.

☺️ Alright happy weekend!