What is up

 I really need to frkn work on my Youtube backlogs. My earnings are dwindling.

Had a fun birthday staycation at Tagaytay. First time to bring Koomi this far so we were a bit apprehensive. Packed a lot of stuff. Had to bring a cart with us. Normally we just bring 2 backpacks with us.

Koomi takes 2 bags because of his food. We also brought a lot of snacks because we know Tagaytay sleeps early and we eat late.

It was so tiring though. I drove to and from, thankfully we always travel at midnight so there’s less traffic. Thank God we had a safe ride!

I reached 10k steps on Friday can you believe it. It’s the first time I walked this much since my surgery. I think it’s because I used a lot of stairs and I still couldn’t do one step at a time so that counts a lot (literally).

We ate twice at Lime and Basil. Friday lunch and Saturday lunch. The latter being with friends. It’s a really good Thai resto. Love the food, specifically the Tom Yum Goong, Bagoong Rice, and Salted Egg Fried Chicken. So so good! The ambience is beautiful as well, lots of open spaces, and it’s pet friendly too so it’s perfect.

Met with Jec’s friends and his godson. I think they indirectly answered one of my long time questions about being a god parent which is – do I have to be a ninang to my husbands inaanak as well? We were already married when they asked my husband to be a godfather. The answer was made clear when they referred to us as ninong and tita in front of their child. Too clear actually cos they kept introducing us to the child, you know – the way parents would teach their child a new word – so I also felt like I’m being put in my place over and over lol. But I also know they just want the kid to know his ninong. While making the distinction that I’m not the ninang lol. No biggie. They treated us lunch at Lime and Basil, let us shower Koomi when he got filthy playing with Bingsu, and served us delicious ice cream and coffee. I love them, they’re very good hosts. And I love Yohan, he’s such a cutie!

You know I have a bias with kids, they’re normally not cute for me unless they act stupid or if I like their parents. Haha.

Wishlist update

Because my wishlist is expanding disproportionately to my wallet I figured I’d just blog about. So far that has been effective in curbing my shopping impulse, see I don’t have a Dyson yet hehe

I want a new fitness tracker. I don’t trust my Fitbit Inspire 2 anymore. Battery drains fast and it syncs slow. I’m eyeing the Amazfit GTS 4 Mini or the Garmin Lily, whichever has better reviews. Personally I like how the Lily looks more but they say the Amazfit has a really good battery life and it’s roughly the size of an Apple Watch SE. If only Apple would work on the battery life it would’ve been my first choice. But still, I’m apprehensive about the watch size I want something small.

I want a tempur pillow. Or a memory foam topper. Whatever helps me sleep better and wake up without backaches.

I still want a new car but I’m just dreaming for now hehe.

Finally, I want a piano. I’m looking at the Casiotone CT-S300 but I still need to think about where to place it at home. I miss learning to play the piano. And Casiotone looks really cute. Hehe

I want to make a more profound birthday post but I just don’t have anything sensible to say haha. It’s a happy 33rd though! Celebrated with my two families, and also had a lovely staycation with my husband and Koomi. My heart is full. ♥

😊

Today: How do you manage screen time for yourself?

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How do you manage screen time for yourself?

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Oh I don’t. And I need help. Last night, I promised to sleep as soon as I got in bed. Unfortunately, I found myself doom scrolling right after I set my morning alarms, next thing I know an hour as passed and my head is starting to hurt. And yet I couldn’t stop scrolling. Later on I’d find myself bending over the toilet puking out my last meal. It’s horrible.

Anyway.

Today is a Monday. I woke up late which means we went to the grocery late, and in effect drove to the office late. I don’t really mind. BUT. I’ve got a really bad headache for days now, coupled with a bad dry cough, and when I got to the office I realized I have my period already. Argh. I didn’t have any napkin or cup with me so I had to go down to buy some emergency pads, and walk to my car to take a pain reliever.

I hate that I’m not feeling good right now cos I promised myself I’d have a productive Monday. I had significant progress on my script last week so I wanted to continue that. But goodness my head just fucking hurts and my dysmenorreah is making it worse argh.

PS: Now my eyes are hurting too. I feel like I need to have my glasses adjusted.

New shoes!

 First of the many gifts I intend to give myself on my birth month.

Been wanting to replace my rubber shoes for a while now but I couldn’t find a style I liked from Skechers. I wanted something similar to what I used to have, machine washable, and easy to put on. I’ve tried on different styles, went to Megamall, Podium, and Estancia to look but it’s either it fits weird or not available in my size.

After my rehab yesterday at Shang I tried checking at Rustan’s if they carry Skechers and lo and behold they do! In about 10 minutes I found the perfect shoes and in no time I’m out with a style I love in a size that’s perfect for me. Gotta love Rustan’s! It’s one of those expensive department stores I never go to unless they have something specific that I want.

I don’t know if there’s a psychology in high-end department stores but most of the time when I want something brand specific and they have it, it doesn’t take me weeks to mull over it. I get is as soon I see it. That’s the case when I got my Corelle plates, Tefal cookware, Doughnut Bag, and just now my new pair of shoes.

SM Store also carries all of those brands but for some reason, I always end up not getting from them. Maybe because there’s too much variety and I get paralyzed with choices? Like I want to rest my head and consider my options and come back for it later? Rustan’s doesn’t carry a whole warehouse of items so maybe that’s why I’m more focused when I’m there? Oooor, it could be that the range that SM carries is too wide. Like on one corner you have expensive Corelle plates and next to it you have cheap ceramic ones that look alike so your head goes, huh do I really want a 800 peso saucer when it sits right next to an 80 peso one? Haha idk. And you go back to Rustan’s and every where you look it’s expensive so it doesn’t matter what you get they’re all gonna break bank so might as well get what you want. Haha does that make sense.

I don’t know. Whatever it is. It works.

Happy birth month to me!

Today: Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.

 Daily writing prompt

Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.

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Annual Birth Month Tax Holiday. No income tax withheld from your salary on your birth month. I haven’t really thought about the economic repercussions but I’d get an extra 27k+ every year which is not bad. And for my birth month that’s gonna go a long way! But that’s about as much thought as I put into it. Maybe the government should shoulder this as a sort of bonus for every tax paying individual. They’re already taking too much without giving back anyway.

Today: What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

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What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

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Badminton. Which I can’t do right now. Bummer. My husband introduced it to me when we started going out more than 10 years ago. It was a family activity for them. I hated it at first because I sucked at it but eventually I found it fun hehe. Except I keep getting injured from it. Like now.

Been on rehab for around 3 months now and my recovery is really slow. I still haven’t achieved full extension, still can’t flex my knees beyond 100deg actively, still limping around. I’ve improved a lot since the operation but right now my progress is just so slow.

For context, I underwent ACL and meniscus surgery on June 24th and it’s been 4 months since then. I got injured playing badminton early this year. Self PTd for around 2 months but then it got worse. I consulted with an ortho, got an MRI and confirmed a chronic ACL tear and a meniscal tear on my left knee. So I got scheduled for surgery and what have you, few days before the operation I slipped and hurt my knee further. After the operation the surgeon said my ACL was completely torn. The procedure was a success, my HMO covered most of it, but I had to buy the implant. I opted for a bioabsorbable button and screw which set me back 85k.

A month after my surgery I started going to rehab at a nearby clinic. I admit it may have been too late. My doctor said I was supposed to be starting rehab at 2 weeks post op, but during that time I could barely put weight on my leg and had to rely on crutches all the time. I skipped my first post op followup because I literally couldn’t bring myself to the clinic.

I had a lot of catching up to do after I started rehab. Last month I got synovial fluid extracted from my knee because we thought it could be preventing me from making progress. My knee still looked swollen and I couldn’t bend past 100deg actively. But after getting some 6cc of fluid it didn’t improve significantly.

I’m starting to think I’ve started forming scar tissue, I know it starts forming as soon as you start healing so you want to keep moving to keep it from growing and hardening. I fear that might be it but I can’t be too sure. I’ll let my doctor think about it.

Oh well. Hope to be better.

Today: What food would you say is your specialty?

 Daily writing prompt

What food would you say is your specialty?

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I would say Guga Rub Steak and Truffle Mac and Cheese. Also oatmeal raisin cookies and banana cake. Caesar salad too, with dressing made from scratch. I don’t know if I love to cook but I know I love to eat! Who doesn’t haha.

Hmm. Might as well prepare them for my birthday!

Today is pretty chill. It’s RTO Mondays and thankfully I got parking yey!

I know I just babbled about getting a Dyson for my birthday but I’m currently contemplating it now that I’ve set my eyes on a bigger goal. A new car. Which I’m gonna share here because I figured this blog has been effective in curbing my appetite for material things like an overpriced vaccum and an unnecessary automobile upgrade. So here goes…

Source: https://toyota.com.ph/veloz

I know I wanted to get a Honda CR-V. For a while it was my dream car. And I think it still is. But for now a CR-V is too much for our needs. What I’m looking at right now is the Toyota Veloz. And I think I can save up for its top of the line version. Which is why I might hold back on getting a Dyson. So I can keep the 50k haha. After all, my 4-year old Dibea D18 is still working great. Plus it’s not like I can save on our monthly general cleaning expense by getting a new vaccum. They all work the same. Just a matter of preference for fanciness.

But a new car. My mom has been sublty suggesting we get a new car so we can give our goold ol’ Toyota Vios to them lol. And I want to, believe me. I want to give them a car cos their current car is already too old and cranky, we call it Lolo Wind. It’s a 2004 Isuzu Crosswind that’s currently on its last breath.

Hope my parents can get a new car though. My sister can very well afford one for them but she’s a tough nut when it comes to spending money. As much as possible she wouldn’t. Hope that changes though cos it’s also for her own good.

Anyway, back to the Veloz. I love everything about it except how it’s lowered. The backside I also don’t prefer much, but everything else I’m okay. I only really looked at the Honda BR-V to compare and I wanna go with the Veloz cos it has more bells and whistles. When it comes to cars I’m kinda loyal to Toyota, but still aspiring for a Honda because as they say, Honda is Honda. Though we can’t probably afford maintaining one lol.

Yeah that’s it pretty much as far as my ever changing wishlist is concerned.

So go blog, do your thing. We don’t need a new car do we? 😆

Today: Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

 Daily writing prompt

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

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It all depends on what I have planned and if I’m able to do any of it. Any day I’m not able to do what I planned to do is an unproductive one. If there’s no plan at all, then there’s nothing to produce.

Just like the past few weeks at work. We’ve been bombarded with knowledge transfer sessions for support work that take up a lot of time. Back to back to back meetings spanning four hours, every day of the week. I’m so tired of attendting those meetings, specially when it’s not very clear what the expectation is from our team. And most specially today, when I’m having a really bad headache. It takes away time I should be spending doing actual development work; from projects I should have started months back. So in a way I’m being punished for procrastinating on those.

Oh well.