“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”

Matthew 28:5-6

After church service, I had my 4-km walk. It was a wrong move because it was still so freaking hot at 4:30 pm. Since the hot and dry season is already here, I should adjust my exercise time to an hour later than usual.

The trees are already teeming with summer fruits. Roadsides are now abundant with mangoes. When we were younger and our stomachs can handle sour things, we used to climb mango trees to pick green mangoes, peel the skin and dip the crunchy fruit in salt, fish sauce, soy sauce, or fish/shrimp paste (alamang or bagoong). Those were core memories of my childhood.

Corn will soon be harvested. They will have the land rest for a bit before planting rice in time for the wet season.

This idyllic scene masks the uncertainties looming hardships we’re facing.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin issued a statement via her Facebook page, saying securing the safe passage of tankers carrying Philippine flags will not immediately help bring down oil prices but it ensures less suply disruptions. It is risk management.

𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗨𝗭 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘.

In recent days, marami pong tanong tungkol sa ating arrangement to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. These are valid questions—and they deserve clear, straightforward answers.

FOR CLARITY: This is not a perfect solution, and it does not eliminate all risks.

But it is an important step that improves our position in a highly uncertain global environment.

Even if much of our fuel is sourced from regional hubs like Singapore or Korea, the crude oil these come from often passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption there creates a domino effect that impacts global supply—and ultimately, prices at the pump.

What we have secured is a safe and preferential access.

This means:

• We reduce the risk of disruption to our supply
• We strengthen protection for Philippine-linked cargo
• We improve the safety considerations for Filipino seafarers

This is Risk Management, because in a time of global tension, risk reduction is already a meaningful gain.

We also want to manage expectations:

This development will not immediately bring down fuel prices, nor does it resolve our long-term structural challenges in energy. Those remain priorities that we continue to address.

But what this does is help ensure continuity of supply and stability, especially at a time when further disruptions could significantly affect our economy and our people.

We recognize that there are questions—and even concerns—about the scope and impact of this arrangement. That is part of a healthy and informed public discourse.

Our commitment is simple:

To continue providing clear, accurate, and timely information, and to act decisively in protecting the interests of the Filipino people.

𝗦𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗮 𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗮 𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗸𝘀𝘆𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘆-𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗸𝘀𝘆𝗼𝗻.

Oh boy, we will need all the help qe can get in securing supply because this shitshow isn’t going to end soon.

It was cooler last night and this morning so we didn’t have to sleep with the aircon on, which is a relief. I was awakened by Mommy Cat, our balcony cat and mommy of Socks and Gorilla, when she kept on meowing outside my bedroom window at 6 am.

Trust cats being on time with waking you up for their breakfast. 😑

I was already awake so why not have 3-4 km of walk?

I took a different route because I was again late. At 7 am the sun was already high and the trees couldn’t shield me if I did my usual straight route.

After an hour, I went to a nearby fruitstand to buy bananas and mangoes to make into milkshakes.

I think I will go to the gardens along the highway to buy materials for my veggie garden later.

The world has gone bonkers because never in my wildest dreams would I even think of agreeing with Steve Bannon about anything but here I am…

The US should throw in Baron and Donnie Trump Jr, even Ivanka, into the mix.

And Iran continues to shoot down US aircraft, with one pilot still missing.

I started my walk a little late today so the sun was already beating down on my neck when I finished at 7:30 am.

It’s Good Friday and most shops are closed. I wonder if I could drive with my kids to Caliraya to have snacks overlooking the lake and watch the sunset this afternoon.

I destroyed my diet yesterday by indulging in Chowking halo-halo. It’s not the best halo-halo out there but it’s the most convenient to have on this hot and dry season.

I just spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for twilight on my balcony. There’s nothing better than cooling off in your OWN balcony, in your paid off tiny home.

So I try to enjoy my balcony as much as I can.

Surrounded by my cats.

With global recession looming, I feel insecure again with my job and liquidity is a source of anxiety now. At least I have a paid off home now and the possibility of homelessness is no longer a fear for me. Once I have my solar power system installed in the next few months, I will have less utility bill to worry about. My internet is not as big as my Meralco bill and my Smart post-paid is only 1k a month so that’s manageable.

I feel so blessed and thankful that I have a roof over my head and even if I lose my job, we still have a home that can’t be taken away from me.

I won’t be putting money or will halve my allocation to my ETF and UITF and mutual fund in the next few months and keep everything in cash. We don’t know how deep this recession will be.

Reports said the Houthis in Yemen are reactivated and there’s a possibility that they could hold Gulf of Aden hostage, which will choke Suez and cut off global trade. This could lead us to a deep and long recession or worse, depression.

I should prepare for the worst. I will start buying gardening materials tomorrow. We need to start our veggie garden because even if Trump ends this war today, the after effects of this chaos will take months to unwind.

But Hegseth has fired the Army chief. The US military is falling apart. Russia, China, and Iran will take advantage of this. Israel won’t care. This war will be a long one and many nations will get involved.

The recession will be deep, long, and painful. We have to be prepared.

Iran is allowing Philippines-flagged ships to safely pass the Strait of Hormuz. Thanks to the efforts of our diplomats and energy secretary. It also helps that we’re non-agressive and we’re friendly to all.

The prices may remain high but at least we will have supply. We just need to bear the high prices. Many will go hungry. We just need to be nice to each other and help one another. I will continue to pay PHP 50 for a one-way jeepney ride.

Being in perimenopause is like being in constant PMS or pregnant. Your hormones mess you up. I usually find myself just crying over some Tiktok or Youtube video about a cat or whatever.

And my daughter just found me tearing up as I watched the trailer of Dreamworks’ Forgotten Island for the first time.

It’s based on Filipino diaspora and culture. Two best friends in the Philippines are going to be parted because one will be migrating to the US. Before that happens, they get sucked into a mysterious forgotten island of Nakali (sounds like nakalimutan, the Tagalog word for forgotten). The Philippine sun (from our flag) is everywhere — the glowing sinkhole was shaped like the Philippine sun. The Sarimanok (giant chicken with colorful tail), the glimpses of the manananggal, the kapre, and other Philippine mythical creatures were there. The anik-anik (the friendship bracelet), references to the blood compact. The classrooms, the metal school chairs, the school uniforms — they very much look like Philippine public schools.

That made me cry. Representation matters a lot.

President Trump told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, administration officials said, likely extending Tehran’s firm grip on the waterway and leaving a complex operation to reopen it for a later date.

In recent days, Trump and his aides assessed that a mission to pry open the chokepoint would push the conflict beyond his timeline of four to six weeks. He decided that the U.S. should achieve its main goals of hobbling Iran’s navy and its missile stocks and wind down current hostilities while pressuring Tehran diplomatically to resume the free flow of trade. If that fails, Washington would press allies in Europe and the Gulf to take the lead on reopening the strait, the officials said.

— Wall Street Journal

The dotard thinks the world is at his beck and call. Like pressure Europe and Gulf states to “lead” in opening the Strait — in other words, fix his mess.

The fuck.

I want to slap a MAGAt’s face right now.

I slept for 6 hrs straight last night because my cats couldn’t bother me at 3 am because my room was sealed. My kids and I slept in my room with the aircon on because the heat is already unbearable for my perimenopausal body and temperament.

Even though it’s still cool during the small hours, I told myself I shouldn’t let myself be miserable just because Trump is jacking up my electricity rate. Turn on the aircon!

Because I slept well, I woke up at 6 am without being groggy. I surprisingly had energy (as a non-morning person) so I decided to walk 3 km before going to the wet market for veggies and fruits and some fish.

I didn’t take my car and just rode the jeep to the market. I paid PHP 50 one way because a little help to our jeep ans tricycle drivers go a long way.

After washing my fresh produce, I cooked brunch for me and my girls. I will boycott work today. The government has declared half-day off anyway.

I had a lot of leftovers in my fridge so kimchi fried rice it is. I chopped up all the fish cakes and kimchi that were taking space in my fridge and dunked these on the day-old rice.

GMA News reported last night that there is a possibility that a kilo of pork could go up to PHP 500 by next week or in the following weeks.

Prices of basic necessities would go out of control. There are only a few jeepney and bus drivers who are braving the high diesel prices. Commuters are stuck. The ordinary workers are so fucked.

All because of an insane man. I want to throw a lot of expletives at my MAGA uncle. You and the rest of the ignorant Filipino Americans like you installed a madman that is bringing so much strife to us and we didn’t even want this war.

The Americans should oust this president, for the love of God, they should — through people power — before the world is dragged into WW3. The Philippines did it twice. Sri Lanka did it recently. There should be an end to this madness.