Beautiful Monotony

I created the Weekly Monotony vlog series simply to document little snippets of my life all year round. I actually thought it had a negative ring to it but I didn't mind because admittedly I know my life is mostly boring lol. Before lockdown started I would wake up, brew a cup of coffee, take a bath, finish a cup while drying up, get dressed, wait for Grab, go to work, eat dinner with my officemates, go home, wait for my husband, cuddle, then sleep.

When we shifted to working from home nothing much has changed. Aside from losing the commute, I now make 6 cups of coffee daily (don't tell mommy). My husband and I would wake up at the same time. I start working in the afternoon while he lounges in the living room. Then he starts working at night. Before going to bed, we'd try to squeeze watching a movie or a couple of episodes together. Every day that's how it went, my vlogs make it evident.

I thought my days were slow and uninteresting. My life is nowhere near exciting and my vlogs are a testament to that. But it's in those moments, those seemingly dragging iterations, that I forget to see God's work in our lives. 

He sustained us. All year round He did. That fact that I was able to carry out the same routine day after day shows that He provides 24/7. That I'm able to start the day as usual is proof of His protection. He protected our jobs. His omnipresence is felt not just in rejoicing when we celebrate and say Glory to God, or in suffering when we draw in prayer to cast our burdens. He too exists in between, when there's not much happening, when there seems to be nothing too positive to thank God for, or too negative to cry out to God to. Today I'm reminded to let His presence fill my life, no matter what season I'm in. 

Vlogging made me look for the highlights, and when there's none I try hard to make one. I was focused too much on looking for things to complete my day, my videos, without realizing that I only have to look at who made it to make my heart full. It's not about my day, it's about who made it. And we know who did.

This is the day that the Lord has made; 

let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Psalm 118:24

I thought having a steady, nothing-new year was so unamusing, but no. I found that there is beauty in monotony when you have a God whose steadfast love and mercies renew every morning.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

This year I want to reclaim my spirituality and be grateful always. I have lost touch with the Lord for the longest time that whenever I read a verse from someone or somewhere, it always sounds cliche. Today I felt God, and learned that when your heart is in the right place, His word hits the right aches.

Happy new year everyone!


Watch my 2020 Weekly Monotony here:

[Unboxing and Review] Xiaomi Mi TV Stick Android Streaming Dongle

Heya! Finaaaally I got to publish this long overdue review on YouTube. The clips of this video have been sitting on my phone for months now and it takes up a lot of memory so it feels really good to finally have it out there. We've had the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick for around 3 already and I remember shooting the unboxing immediately, then totally forgot about it. 

The video covers some of the basic stuff you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi TV stick, what's in the box, specs, setup, and my general feedback about the product, which is good. So this blog post will pretty much be just a repeat, but with more details about the pros and cons I encounter along the way.

Let's go.

What's in the box

1. Mi TV stick
2. Voice remote (2 AAA batteries required - not included)
3. English user manual
4. Power adapter
5. HDMI extension cable
6. Micro USB power cable
   
   

Specs

• 1080p@ 60fps  max output resolution
• Quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU
• ARM Mali-450 GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB storage
• Android 9.0 OS
• Wifi 802.11
• Bluetooth 4.2

You may also check the full overview from Mi Global site

Feedback

I liked the Chromecast feature a lot because it lets me listen to Spotify

We normally just watch on Netflix, Prime Video, or Youtube so in terms of memory and capacity, we're not overloading the stick given that it has a pretty low RAM. My hopes is that Disney+ will be available soon in the Philippines so we can download that as well!

I like how simple and minimal the remote looks, but it's a downer that it doesn't have an infrared blaster so I can't control the TV with it.

That said, you have to turn on the TV, then turn on the stick. I don't remember if I could launch the Mi TV stick directly with the TV off.

Google voice assistant is pretty cool, but it doesn't work on all apps and it's not that accurate too. 

It can be a bit sluggish when navigating.

It's not 4k ok? But that's ok for us. It's not like we have a big TV hehe.

It buffers a lot at home, which is weird because we're on Converge's 25mbps plan. We've tried it twice elsewhere and we didn't have any problems. We've tried it both on bigger TV's and slower internet speeds (hotel wifi and mobile hotspot) and it works flawlessly, so I wonder what gives.

I love how I'm able to connect my airpods to it so I can listen privately while watching. The only problem is it doesn't let me reconnect once the device is already paired. For example I just linked my airpods to the Mi TV stick, then I used it on my phone, then I want to get back on the TV. There's no option on the screen to reconnect. But somehow sometimes, it pairs automatically. It's so weird. So whenever I want to get back to listening on the TV, I have to unpair and pair my airpods again. Hassle lol.

Youtube buffering is bad. I rarely watch Youtube using the Mi TV stick because of how it buffers. The audio and video will just go out of sync, with the video paused while the audio keeps going, and then it catches up by fast forwarding the video until it's caught up with the audio. It's so bad lol. I'd rather have the video pause entirely instead of having the audio and video racing up to each other.

I wish it had a LAN port.

Overall it's still a pretty good portable streaming stick as it's very affordable. I mean, don't expect much for its price. If you're willing to shell out some more there's Roku!

It's a great staycation buddy. Now we don't have to bring a laptop to hotels anymore! Haha It's not our main though, to be honest. We have a Smart TV that's hooked up on LAN so it still gives the better experience.

Price and availability

I got the Xiaomi Mit TV Stick at Shopee Philippines for ₱1,699

[Once in a lifetime promo] We stayed 24hrs at Victoria Court's Princess Jasmine themed room. Is it worth it?

Lol I'm learning to make titles like a socmed manager haha. But don't worry this isn't clickbait hehe.

So. My husband and I claimed our Once in a lifetime voucher from Victoria Court last week and here's a quick look of the thematic room we chose: Princess Jasmine!

This is the second themed room we tried with VC and as usual, it was a visual feast! Our first one was the Venice themed room which we tried earlier this year, check it out here!

Back to the Once in a lifetime promo, the voucher entitled us to a 24 hour stay at any room we want so of course we went for a thematic room haha.

Princess Jasmine room features:

• King size bed
• Magic carpet
• Big smart TV (yeyy for Netflix and Amazon!)
• Karaoke (1 microphone)
• Twin jacuzzi
• Couples massage area
• Sauna room
• Separate urinal
• Shower room
• Room service w/ limited menu

We really enjoyed this room. It's smaller than the Venice room but it has more amenities. Interior design wise though I still prefer the Venice room. I was actually expecting the Princess Jasmine room to be more violet and gold themed ala Aladdin but it's actually very warm and Moroccan, even Indian, inspired. It's still beautiful though but I guess I'm just looking for more texture and ornaments like the Venice room. Oh well, we still have a lot of rooms to explore with Victoria Court hahaha!

We bought a bubble bath specifically for this staycation because we wanted to enjoy the jacuzzi. And yes we did! We bought Marks & Spencer's lavender bath essence and my goodness it smells heavenly! I have now added it to my official bath favorites, on par with Neutrogena's light sesame body oil. They smell so frkn amazing. First time namin mag-bubble bath sa jacuzzi so mejo napadami yung buhos ng bula hahahaha nakaka-panic kasi bigla na lang nag-umapaw yung bubbles hahaha.

Because it's quarantine, restaurant room service is only until 10pm and with a limited menu. Massage service is not available as well. I'm not sure about housekeeping but they don't seem to be up 24/7. And unlike before where you can walk-in whenever you like, now you have to book a reservation and check in at 2pm. But because we're staying 24 hours, we requested to be allowed in as early 6am, good thing they agreed.

24 hours, are you crazy?

Yeah, the voucher can't be split into multiple stays so there's that. So is it worth staying 24 hours naman? To be honest, no. Victoria Court is not a hotel per se so therefore it doesn't offer hotel like accommodation. Here's what I didn't like about our stay...

• The blanket is very thin, hindi sya pang overnight. Pang cuddle lang yung nipis nya para mag-yakapan talaga kayo ng partner mo pero di sya cozy!
• And when it got too cold I found that I can't control the aircon kasi walang remote haha. I had to call maintenance to turn off 1 a/c for me hahaha. May switch naman pala yung isang aircon di ko lang napansin kasi...
• It's too dark. Alam mo yung the lights are sexy-time dim, not cozy dim. So di ko maaninag yung mga buttons sa aircon...
• There's no good place to lounge by the TV, we had to move the chairs by the dining area just to get proper seats kasi nag-marathon kami sa Amazon.
• The magic carpet looks fun but it's creaky and uncomfortable and the carpet looks very old. It's really just a decorative feature. Same with Venice's gondola. And I bet all of their thematic rooms have that one big beautiful prop that's only good for eye candy and maybe a quickie hehe.
• Extra towels cost extra hehe. 20 each sya. We had to request because they only provided 2 bath towels and we didn't have floor rugs so ang kalat when we're moving from the jacuzzi to the shower.
• I had a hard time sleeping because it's so noisy outside. We slept during the day by the way, so it worked that it's very dark, but then I can hear the traffic outside. Di ako makatulog, plus yun nga nilamig ako ng bongga haha.
• And when I did get some sleep and finally woke up, lutang ako sa paligid. With no windows and no natural light coming in I have lost all sense of time and it's kindof disorienting. I don't like the feeling!

Bat ka naman kasi nag-staycation sa motel?! Hahaha

Don't be mistaken though because I'm not taking it against Victoria Court. I'm well aware their thematic rooms aren't meant for overnight stays. I guess the magic just wears off over time. After 5 hours you start experiencing things like what I mentioned above. Then you start noticing some details like may mga maduming corners pala tapos mapapansin mo mejo hindi na pala maintained yung interior hahaha. Tapos yung karaoke songbook kalat kalat yung pages?! It didn't really matter to me kasi pag may karaoke I always check the brand tapos download ako ng app nila so I can search for songs numbers on my phone instead. That's a life hack! Hahaha

Anyway we had so much fun, of course, *wink*. We also came here for the food because Victoria Bites offers a really delicious menu, and they did not disappoint kahit na naka pang-takeaway ang packaging at plastic ang utensils haha! And even though they reduced the options this time, the important thing is may Legendary Crispy Pata parin! Yung sinigang na baboy nila ang sarap din!!!

Okay that's all! Til next time!

Tagaytay Staycation: Taal Vista Hotel Premiere King Room

We booked a weekend staycation at Taal Vista Hotel last month to celebrate my birthday. We've been meaning to go to Tagaytay ever since it opened to tourists on September, but the rules kept changing so we held off. Eventually we were able to push through with the trip, lucky enough to have come during a period when requirements weren't that strict. No need for travel pass, health certificate, and the hotel also didn't require a negative COVID test. The only requirement is that you fill out a health declaration form when you arrive, and wear your face mask and face shield at all times. They also don't allow Monday check-ins at this time so do note that when you're planning to go to Tagaytay. LGU has ordered establishments to shut down on Mondays for disinfection.

Here's a video of the room tour! Please watch, like, and subscribe! :)

On to the blabber...

I really like the room that we got. It's a Premiere King Room with a lake view and it's stunning!

• Super comfy king sized bed
• Big windows with roller blinds
• Large cabled TV
• Amazing Taal view
• Basement and open parking available
• Room service
• Swimming pool (not sure if heated)
• Fitness gym
• Viewing deck
• Restaurants
• There's Casino Filipino and McDonald's across the hotel

There's also a water pitcher by the desk that you can refill from the water station by the hallway.

Yup! There are water stations placed along the hallway for your drinking water needs. It dispenses hot and cold water and it's just so convenient. I actually love this feature because we didn't need to buy our own water or keep asking for water bottles from housekeeping.

The TV is big but the smart feature is disabled, meaning you can't watch Netflix or Youtube or whatever. Good thing we brought our Xiaomi Mi TV stick with us so we were able to binge watch Parks and Recreation during our stay!

They also have a hygeine kit like this, containing face masks, alcohol, and wipes.

These are the bathroom essentials...

Body wash, shampoo, and conditioner are fixed on the wall

Breakfast buffet is served from 6am to 10:30am (IIRC) at the Veranda restaurant...

When we stayed over the weekend, I was actually concerned that we have a neighbor. I thought hotel occupancy is limited and guests should be at least one room apart from each other.

It gets noisy when someone hangs out at the balcony. You can literally hear them and it's very easy to peek over at their side as well. You can see through the balcony windows and people can look up to you when they're down at the open area. It's a bummer that we weren't able to enjoy the balcony that way. It's noisy and not that private. :(

Hallways can get pretty noisy with footsteps as well. The room we got has a connecting door too, so that's less sound barrier for us. Privacy tip: Try to get a corner room and make sure you don't get a connecting room hehe!

We had a chance to walk around the hotel and found how expansive it is! The Lake View rooms are separate from the Mountain and Ridge view rooms. 

That's where the other guest rooms are. It's a long walk from the Lake View area, and tbh the building looks old. I'm sure the rooms are upgraded though! Hehe the facade reminds me of a dorm though. The pool and gym area are near this side so if you're up for the pool, this area is cool! Maybe it's quieter here? Hmm...

Yeah I guess that's about it. Despite the noise and lack of privacy at the balcony, we had a very enjoyable stay. We ordered twice from their room service and in fairness, ang sarap and the price is reasonable too. The staff are very courteous and nice and I would love to stay here again in the future.

We got the Premiere King Room for ₱6,500/night (promo).

Taal Vista Hotel
Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City
https://www.taalvistahotel.com/
+63 (7917) 8225 | +63 (46) 413 1000

[Room Tour] Victoria Court Venice themed room

I can't believe I haven't posted about this? How come? I only realized now that I'm about to post our second VC room tour hahaha. So yeah, here it is. Plugging the Youtube video here and recalling everything (not everything ofc *wink*) that happened that day.

So, it was our first time to a motel. We didn't know what to expect, we were just curious. So one night we decided to drive to their Pasig branch. This was before quarantine started, around March this year so everything was still normal okay hehe.

So yun. We wazed it, and found it funny that the road that's lined up with motels is called Christian road on the map hahaha. We turned to where the VC logo is pointed and got to this street where there are tons of VC compounds . What's happening? Why is the place so big? Where do we go? What's a taxi? What's a garage? As of writing I still don't know.

I remember we entered the Escarpment compound. It was dark, there was no guard so we just waited. Eventually someone came up to us and asked for a reservation. We told them we didn't have any but we'd like to try one of the themed rooms. He pointed us to a different compound.

We drove to the next area, Suites ata yun, and there they gave us the available rooms. I think that time there's Princess Jasmine, Venice, and Cinderella. We went for Venice.

They led us to a car port where there's a narrow flight of stairs that leads to the anteroom, then to the main room. This setup is really cool. You have your own private parking space and upstairs is your unit! So here you go, a bunch of pics to show how beautiful and ornate the Venice room is...

Features

• There's a king-sized bed
• Big jacuzzi
• A freaking gondola
• KARAOKE with 2 microphones
• Mini ref
• Separate urinal
• Complimentary condom and bottled water
• Hygiene kit

They also have room service - VC Bites - and it's amazing. Whatever shameless notoriety they earned for being in the business of indirectly advocating extramarital affairs (sorry for the stereotype), they make up for offering an incredible gastronomic experience. Does it really make up for it though? Anyway.

Case in point, we loved their menu, specially their Legendary Crispy Pata! 

Another thing I enjoyed very much with this room is the karaoke. Man they've got a really good sound system and two microphones as well!

I guess that's about it. The jacuzzi was kinda hard to navigate but it's a delight to watch the water pour out from the jars. The bathroom smelled funky, and I also noticed this with their other room - Princess Jasmine. I wish they had a bigger TV though! Overall we enjoyed our stay, it was a whole new experience for us and we promised we'll be back.

Rates then? We paid ₱2,750 for three hours. Pretty steep for a short time! Haha

Victoria Court Pasig
(02) 8671-9782

Quarantine Wishlist Pt. 3

But first, an update on what's been fulfilled on my previous wishlist: Quarantine Wishlist Pt. 2

I think I got most of them already so yeyy. As you know, my wishlist is really more of a personal to-buy list hehe. So yeah, my wish list is my command lol hahaha. I got Stiles, new mugs, a diffuser, Corelle plates, and Tefal cookware. I'm also growing three kinds of Basil now and they're all looking sad huhu. Still on the lookout for cute placemats though, but that can wait.

What's next?

Hotel quality beddings in gray

Most hotel linen suppliers who've gone retail this quarantine only have white available, and I'd like to have the same quality sheets in gray! Any recos?

Messy Bessy Muscle Relief Rub

Still waiting for Messy Bessy to revive this crowd favorite. Hope they don't reformulate using coconut oil cos I'm not a fan of coconut based topical products.

Instapot or any good quality multicooker

I kinda removed this from my previous wishlist but after seeing the Baumann Living Duo, I kinda want a multicooker again! Or not cos it's gonna eat up a lot of space...

Wireless charging case for Apple Airpods 2

There's just so much wires on my desk right now. I have 2 lightning cables (for my phone, tablet, and airpods), microUsb for my fan, DC for my diffuser, and 2 type C for my husband's phone. Argh.

Fast wireless charger

I'm eyeing the Choetech fast wireless charger cos it can charge 2 devices simulataneously but that's gonna wait til I get a good deal on a wireless charging case. 

Get monetized on Youtube
I have a long way to go but I'm working on it, unless Youtube makes policy changes that will make it harder for small youtubers like me to earn money. Lol

Yeah that's it for now.

Making A Mess Can Be So Relaxing

Life has been getting hectic for a long time. But this year is the first time it affects us at a global level. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing everyone to adapt. With no time to prepare, most of us have turned the home into an office, a childcare centre, a classroom, and many more. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions and packing all your lifestyle activities into a confined space doesn’t make things easier. In a word, it’s not just been stressful; it’s been stressful for everyone at the same time. And that’s quite an achievement in its own right.

Now more than ever, we need to learn how to relax. The first and most important action you can take for yourself is to stop bottling your emotions up. It isn’t a healthy answer to a lasting and global situation. You need to take the time to talk about it and allow yourself to vocalise how you feel. Surprisingly, you’ll find that a lot of stress-coping mechanisms encourage discipline and order, from removing the emotional clutter in your life to building a positive routine. These are all effective. But ask yourself: Why use discipline, when mess and chaos are the quickest way to let go of negativity?

Photo from Unsplash

Finger painting on the canvas

Painting can be daunting if you’re not educated in this complex art. It’s odd to hear about artists explaining how liberating they find the process of creation when most amateur painters start their journeys with a numbered canvas and a selection of brushes in different sizes. Liberating? There’s way too much discipline to unleash your emotions at this stage! So, remove the brush and simplify your connection with the canvas. Finger painting gives you new freedom of self-expression that ties you back to your emotions. It’s a raw, direct, and accessible experience. You can grab everything you need from companies such as The Sydney Canvas Company and start your self-exploratory journey. If you’re worried about stains, a pair of latex gloves can do the trick!

Muddy hands are happy hands

You can find plenty of inexpensive pottery supplies and beginner’s kits for the home. However, if you are completely unfamiliar with clay works, it can be a good idea to watch a few tutorials first. There’s something wonderfully tactile about pottery that brings you back to happy memories of being a child and playing with malleable dough or salt pastry. As an amateur potter, you can get hands down with your creation and make something that could be undone and redone until you choose to bake it. It’s a never-ending process during which the clay washes away your worries and negativity.

Dough art, something messy you can eat

Pottery has only one disadvantage: There are only so many pots and decorative items you can make. Pastry art, on the other hand, offers an infinity of options that all start in the same way. A little flour, butter, and eggs that you can mix in a deliciously sticky mess. But, let it rest, and you can shape your mess into an elegant and yummy shape, for cookies, pie tops, or anything else you want to do.

Is it time to add a new function to your home/office/classroom? Creating a nook for messy art could be a nice addition to your multipurpose environment. After all, we all need to let some steam go, and what better way to do it than by creating your very own messy workshop? Relax and let your fingers do the rest.