Disaster fatigue

Posted on December 20, 2021 by admin

I’m taking a break from disaster news. I know I’m very privileged to have this opportunity to tune out while millions of Filipinos are struggling without water, food, and shelter. During times like this, we miss ABS-CBN because they have the widest reach nationwide via their regional stations. They are the first in the field whenever we have calamities like this, bringing news nationwide. Now it’s like we have a news blackout and only we get live feed via FB live from VP Robredo since she has been on the ground after Typhoon Odette passed through Visayas and Mindanao. Duterte deprived the Filipinos of this link just because of his pettiness.

*Chibi Rurouni Kenshin. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I received this chibi action figure for Christmas. I searched high and low in Akihabara for any Rurouni Kenshin items when I was there in 2017 but couldn’t find any. According to my colleague in our Tokyo office, stores in Akihabara sell merchandise from anime currently on air. They do have old stuff like Pokemon and Dragon Ball to cater to foreign tourists but Rurouni Kenshin is considered niche for vendors.

I grilled these for lunch today, part of my stash that I’ve been keeping in my new larger freezer. I have several kilos of wagyu beef that I will grill on New Year. The girls will be flying with their dad to his hometown on Wednesday so I’ll just save the grand cooking on New Year’s Eve.

After this we ran some errands and had late lunch/early dinner at Max’s.

Arroz caldo for me this rainy day.

After the girls leave tomorrow night (their flight is 6 am Wed), I may consider volunteering for relief ops in Robredo’s campaign center along Katipunan. They really need help given the devastation that the typhoon wrought in Vis-Min area.

First death anniversary

Posted on December 17, 2021 by admin

We made ourselves happy by going to Bijin Nabe at Greenhills. It’s still delicious like the last time we have been there two years ago. The last time the girls went there was with J and they barely ate the hotpot and just went for the karaage. This time they got so full–mushrooms, radish, and all–from eating too much of the the hotpot that we couldn’t finish the extra collagen soup and ramen so we had them packed for takeout.

*Mmmm. Chicken and its collagen soup. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Then we proceeded to the gadgets section of the Theater Mall to do business.

*Selling my iPad 7 and having my iPad 9 installed with a tempered glass screen protector. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

We went around Virra Mall to look for keyboards but it turned out that they were too expensive for Twin A. She had self-restraint and didn’t want to spend on something she really doesn’t need. She’s saving up for a camera.

We were so preoccupied that I almost forgot that today is my first death anniversary. I only got reminded of it when a friend from high school was telling me she is breaking up with her partner because he could not commit, saying some stupid thing like being traumatized by the soon to be ex-wife. (I don’t understand why he couldn’t divorce his wife when divorce is not that hard to get in Singapore unlike here where there is no divorce and annulment takes years to be granted, if you have enough money).

I told her it’s hogwash. I was in the same boat as this guy is but I never made an excuse like that when in fact I am really traumatized by my ex and that marriage. But I gave my all and didn’t hold back. I loved J unconditionally and did not hesitate with committing. It was he who didn’t want to commit.

I told my friend that he didn’t love her enough. Better walk away.

She said yeah, he didn’t want to put a label on whatever they had. He neither wanted to commit. She said, what are we, fuck buddies?

Looks like it, I said. Then I told her:

R was an instrument for you to realize what was important to you just as God showed me what kind of love I deserve. The unconditional love I gave J is the kind of love that I should have and not just the loose change that I received from him and from the girls’ dad. Because I grew up not knowing what a healthy love looks like. So in a way God let J into my life to make me realize that even if I forever remain single, it’s ok. Because I learned now what unconditional love is. It just so happened it was me who gave it instead of receiving it.

It’s kinda sad, right? But I’m still healing, a year after. It still hurts, I have to admit but I know it always will. It’s just a matter of managing that hurt and the degree by which I will allow myself to be affected by it.

He has moved on a long time ago. He started messaging that girl in April, so I was told. Four months after we broke up. How convenient.

I hope I won’t get triggered after today. I’m so tired of riding this roller coaster ride of emotions.

I’m getting better. I will be ok.

Hiring woes

Posted on November 26, 2021 by admin

I did nothing today but reach out to prospective candidates for hiring. Been trying to poach reporters from other news wires (tough) and other international media entities. Trying to hire locals with English skills in Indonesia and Thailand is so hard. Since I am the one training and editing the junior reporters who have come and gone from our bureau, I know what I’m looking for: Grit and willingness to learn and be down in the trenches.

It doesn’t matter if this person doesn’t have financial journalism background but as long as this person has the above-mentioned qualities, I am willing to take him/her under my wing and teach that person everything I know.

So far… I haven’t seen that, even in our recent hires. 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s hard especially in this current tight labor market.

Some friends who had a dinner party somewhere in the metro yesterday had been talking about the difficulty of hiring new reporters. The Gen Z kids no longer want to be permanently employed; they prefer to be freelancers and not be tied in one place. These are the kids who grew up with the gig economy, with all those influencers working with their laptops by the pool side or by the beach. These are the kids who do not embrace the corporate culture and prefer the hipster lifestyle.

With this in mind, and the struggles I’m having with the hiring, I need to compose carefully the things I must say in the career orientation that my high school will be holding next month. I must be encouraging and not preachy, but I have to tell the students the truth that journalism is not glamorous. It’s 90% grit and intellect and the rest is the writing. The pay and hours are horrible. Before I became what I am now, I ate dirt and barely had vacations. I was eating and breathing news. I was like a walking deadline—every moment is a deadline—especially when I was in online news, which operates 24/7.

That said, I shouldn’t compromise on the quality of hires because in the end, it is me who is going to suffer if I have another lazy/slacker dude who would just slap information without being careful about it. I had experienced several take-down threats because our last hire had cut so many corners in pursuing stories. And this person was much older than me 🤦🏻‍♀️ I had a lot of headaches. Lord knows he tried my patience.

That’s the reason why once I take over, I need to keep an eye on each journo under my watch and visit them regularly in their home turf. To keep them on their toes.

But before that, I need to hire ~~two~~ three more people before the year ends.

To power me up today, I had this for brunch:

*Scrambled eggs and spicy fish cakes on rice and a bowl of fern salad (with cheese, tomatoes, and onions) and home-made salad dressing. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

The girls and I did a little top-up shopping tonight at Save More. Bringing them with me to do errands to help me carry shopping bags keeps the cobwebs away and their minds healthy.

And we had grilled chicken in barbeque marinade for dinner.

*Mmm, smells lovely. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Happy weekend!

Fighting for your people

Posted on November 23, 2021 by admin

Today I emailed my APAC boss to ask for promotion and raises for two of my team mates. It’s long overdue and this has been neglected by my direct boss for quite a while.

I cannot work well if the team I have is overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated. I need to fight for them and be given their due. Just as I asked for equipment for one of my juniors and went to HK to fetch it. A good team leader always makes sure that her team is looked after by giving them the right support, training, and resources.

I have to keep fighting for their welfare. I cannot lose another team member. So even before I assume my new role, I have to make sure everybody else is well compensated. I have yet to have my papers worked on by my superiors for my promotion. Everything is still fluid.

I have a tough road ahead of me.

In the meantime, I will continue with my soup and bread diet for dinner and nuts for snack.

I will try the intermittent fasting in January for a clean slate.

I love mornings like this. Appreciate the little cozy things.

*Sunlight being filtered by my new curtain. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Coping mechanism

Posted on November 16, 2021 by admin

We remain the laughingstock of the world and the Dutertes and Marcoses and the Arroyos are the clowns who manipulate the Filipinos to perpetuate their greed. What I am worried about is the complacency of the opposition as they remain in their echo chambers, thinking that the echoes are the vox populi. Not so. Talk to the street vendors, the farmers, the fishermen, the vegetable sellers in the urban and rural places. They are voting for Marcos as they lap up all the propaganda crap that radio and GMA Network have been propagating. They do not have access to Internet; if they do, they can’t spend precious pesos on data. They don’t own smart phones; if they do, they may not have the cellular signal for internet. The C, D, E markets comprise the bulk of the electorate. A-B markets are just the small percentage and we often do not reach out to the grassroots.

The fight is in the grassroots.

*I finally have the butane grill that I’ve been hanging on to on Lazada. Bought during the 11.11 sale. Photo by CalMeCreation.com*

I no longer have to buy and use charcoal. I’ve been polluting my neighbors’ houses for so long. Whoppeee! And it’s easier to cook. No need to spend 30 mins to an hour trying to keep the embers going.

*Giant Monterey beef patties. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

To cope with the unsavory news stories that keep popping up on my newsfeeds (and I really can’t tune out because I am a journalist), I indulged again and cooked a nice dinner for all of us. The burgers were juicy and nicely smoked.

*Grilled salmon. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

The burgers were for the girls and Ate C. Mine was a small salmon steak with mashed potato and basil.

It’s easy to disassemble for cleaning. It packs away nicely so this is perfect for camping, together with the other portable stove that I first bought from Sarang Mart. It’s nice to grill chicken, hotdogs and marshmallows here while outside the tent as the sun goes down. I found another camping site where we could go, probably by January or February when it’s cooler and not rainy.

*The Bloc Campsite, Cavinti, Laguna. Photo from Tripadvisor.com*

*The BLOC.* *Photo from Tripadvisor.com*

To cope with the negativity around me, I must do the things that I love. Travel and be with nature. Simple wants and simple needs.

First time in a long time

Posted on November 6, 2021 by admin

*Somewhere in UP Diliman. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

The government loosened the mobility restrictions to Alert Level 2 in Metro Manila starting yesterday so children can finally go out of homes and visit parks. We went out this afternoon so the girls can ride their bikes here in UPD for the first time in so many months. I still didn’t bike; I’m still gauging my strength so I just walked, did laps, and stretches.

*Finally free. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

This morning I pulled my lazy butt out of bed to cook brunch. I had been very spoiled by Grab Food for a couple of weekends now so now I must flex my muscles in the kitchen.

*Baked ham with cheese. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

I made baked ham with cheese, which I learned from Imamu Room’s cooking vlog on Youtube. Then the usual tamagoyaki, rice with furikake, zucchini tempura, and miso soup.

*Brunch today. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

*Fire engine red. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

This is the first time I also used the new microwave oven to defrost the ham. It’s cute but smaller than my old Whirlpool. Oh well, I’m shallow like that.

And yes, Kimchi still hates me. She runs away and hides from me. I still have to endure her grumpiness for a few more days because she needs to complete her antibiotic round, anti-hairball/antacid and the supplements.

*Still grumpy cat. Photo by CallMeCreation.com*

Weekends are too short.

Stories from the sidelines

A journalist has a life other than news

Category Archives: food