8 km

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Nope, I couldn’t make it to 1.5 hrs 😂 Doing so would be suicide. I decided to take a more leisurely pace and enjoy the fresh air. My ave heart rate is just about right, based on the formula by Mayo Clinic.

A bit cloudy today. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I decided to cut through the park infront of the Main Library so I can feel the trees.

This pathway is finally completed. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
This is the park where we found puppies. One puppy wanted to come with us but we couldn’t take it home at that time because somebody owned them. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I would have wanted to take a water break here but if I sat down, my motivation to keep going and walk back home would have diminished. I opted to keep going.

When I was near the College of Arts and Letters after cutting through that park, I had cut across again to pass through the winding paths of the Lagoon. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I missed being under the trees so I went through the Lagoon and walked through the UP Ampitheater to go back to Delos Reyes Street then come out of CP Garcia so I can go back home.

Of course, I shouldn’t stop there. I must stretch myself into oblivion and try to earn back the sculpted abs I had when I was 20 years old 🤪

Streeeeetch!
Nope, we must stop this insanity.

No, I will never go back to my old body. My legs are screaming in protest. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

But I feel good. At least I know that my stamina is still the same. If we’re talking about playing football for an hour, yes I could still do that since my endurance is still intact despite my age but my knees will no longer cooperate. That’s why footballers—we’re talking about the very fit ones—retire at past age 35. It’s because of knees and other injuries on the shin bone and tarsals. David Beckham retired at 38 and that’s considered a ripe age already in football.

Egg drop/Nido soup for dinner. Must keep calories down.

The beautiful thing about getting tired this way is that I can finally sleep for 7 hours straight. It could be more than that but I needed to go to the bathroom so I had to get out of bed. Plus this morning I needed to work early as I was set to present updates about Southeast Asia, especially on the legal front, to the commercial team. Good thing I already finished my power point presentation a day before.

I couldn’t go home tomorrow to my hometown to talk to my contractor since they have started preliminary works on the construction of my house. The auto shop where I brought my car for the final paint job, buffing, and polishing did not start on time 🤬. They said I could only get it back on Monday—the day my plate number is banned on major roads. So instead of getting it tomorrow, I’m getting it Monday evening then I drive on Tuesday very early morning to my hometown then Wednesday I drive to BGC to meet bankers for lunch.

So I’ll take it easy tomorrow since I published a big scoop today. Or maybe I can be a little extra and write another story.

*I choose to refrain from writing about current events this week because my stress levels shoot through the stratosphere whenever I open Twitter. I should choose my battles.

Pink skies

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UP Ampitheater. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Today I walked 7 km, 9447 steps, 317 calories burned = entitles me to two cups of ice cream. Wow. 7km for 2 cups of ice cream 🥴 No wonder it’s so easy to gain weight.

I walked farther this time because I want to watch the sunset from Quezon Hall.

It’s nice to be out again. My younger sister said it takes her 2 hrs to walk 6 km so she just uses the treadmill to exercise. But that kind of exercise bores me to tears, that’s why gyms don’t work for me. I need to be out. That’s why I loved football when I could still play because I could be out in the field, rain of shine, under the wide, wide skies…

Looking down University Avenue. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

It took me 1.5 hrs but it involved a lot of stops because I was replying to emails on my phone and I rested a bit here at Quezon Hall/Oblation to drink water and take a little breather.

Underneath The Oblation. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
It’s windy up here.

I feel good about myself when I walk or bike. I still can’t jog because of my busted knee. I need to see a doctor for this 😥 But for a 42-year-old woman, I look ok. I still don’t look old and wrinkled like leather like some people. My back though feels 50 years old 😆 My face looks puffier, so that means I gained so much weight ever since I stopped biking (when the heavy rains started). I have exactly 15 days to get in shape so I can dive two weeks from now. I have ruined my breathing because of the extra weight I gained but my stamina is still there.

Next time I will target 10km for 1.5 hrs or less. 🤪

Cronyism Part 2

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This is the reward for cozying up with despots like Duterte and criminal families like the Marcoses. Manuel Villar acquired the franchise of ABS-CBN (after the latter was stripped off it by the demon Duterte) in a midnight deal with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that surprised us all.

The bastards.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN and PLDT had to call off the x-deal between them (PLDT’s acquisition of a stake in SkyCable and in return ABS-CBN gets to acquire TV5) because of political pressure from the House of Representatives.

This is to make sure there would be no opposition media.

I never thought I would live to see such things happening again.

I was set to attend Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)’s meeting with journalists about “what next?” and how we can maneuver in these dangerous times. However, I was too busy that I forgot about it 😶 Geez.

On the brighter side of life, I was able to cook a dish in my Instant Pot this morning. Chicken curry (using an Ottogi curry mix) for 5 mins only in the Instant Pot. Five minutes. Perfect for very busy homemakers.

Chicken curry on rice. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

The potatoes and carrots were soft and easy to eat, as is the chicken. It was lovely to have lunch within minutes of putting all the ingredients.

I’ll just have to check my power consumption since this gadget consumes 1000 watts of power. 🥴🥴🥴

Finally issued a manager’s check to my contractor for the 50% down payment through my mom this morning. Construction materials will be arriving tomorrow and I’m scared and at the same time excited that this is finally happening.

I’m scared because I will be going back home and I’m afraid of shrinking my world again. My hometown is like a nice cocoon that is very comfortable that will also stifle my personal growth.

While I was walking from my apartment to UP yesterday, I felt melancholic that I would soon be leaving the scenes I had been seeing for the last 20 years or so of living here in QC. I felt a tug in my heart when I watched the sunset and the colors that painted the sky. I will be leaving the memories of walking there in the evenings holding hands with someone, as well as the heartaches I had whenever I remembered those times while I was already walking alone. I will be leaving the pain that tore through me when I biked or walked around the campus when I was trying to recover my lost self.

Biking along University Avenue, UP DIliman. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

UP Diliman was home to me, a substitute for my hometown, minus my nosy family. I started graduate school there in 2003 and it has always been my go-to place when I wanted some comfort. It was where I brought my girls when they were still babies until now, to spend the weekend running around the grassy fields because we don’t have enough open spaces here in the city.

I will miss the convenience of having two grocery stores within 100m-200m away from my house and the many restaurants/food kiosks that dot the village. I will miss having Grab delivery just within minutes of me. Lazada and Shopee deliveries are easy because the QC hub is probably just near here.

Suddenly I have an epiphany…

I’m sad because I will be exchanging my freedom for convenience of having family nearby so my girls will grow up in a village, with a male role model (my brother), with cousins, grandma and aunties. They will help keep an eye on them while I’m away. I’m scared that I will be forfeiting a chance to have someone new in my life because my family is nosy.

I’m exchanging my personal growth for what is best for my girls.

Because it’s no longer about me. I want them to have the best childhood and teenage years I could offer them with my meager resources. I want them to have the best education I could afford and manage.

So children, if you’re already reading this when I’m already dead, I hope you realize now that I gave up my life and personal growth for you so you can have the best.

In the open field near UP MassComm. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Because I wanted to see a pretty sky

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Somewhere in UP. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I felt stifled today, I don’t know why. Maybe the heavy rains of the past weeks had gotten to me so now I want to be out everyday. But I don’t have the car for a week.

So I walked.

Walking in my village.

I started walking from my apartment at past 5 pm. I didn’t care if I still had a pending edit; I just needed to get out.

The less busy street in my village. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

It was nice to be out today. It’s not hot and it’s not wet. Perfect.

No cars on this road! Perfect for ruminating
Disappointing calorie counter.

Look at that, I walked 6km for an hour and I only get to burn 273kcal??? If I use MapMyWalk by Under Armour almost the same distance is around 375 kcal.

This was in February 2022

So in a way I feel cheated because I should have burned more calories…

But the flipside of this is that this means I need to work harder to burn more calories—I would lose weight faster. 😂 So maybe I’ll stick to the Oppo Band health app.

I have enrolled in my insurance firm’s program that tracks all the healthy activities to gain points. I still have to figure out how the points can be redeemed and what would be the rewards. Like, would it lower my premiums? Let’s see if the insurance can recognize my wearable (the smart watch) and the statistics it is going to feed into my insurance.

So this is now the trend in insurtech: integration of all health data into their platform and incentivize the policy holder to live longer. The healthier a policy holder is, the longer the delay in paying the beneficiaries the benefits. Simple.

As I said several blog entries ago, I need to work on myself so I will live beyond 42 years old. I also need to lose my belly because I need to fit into a dress.

I need to reduce my calories, but the incentive to eat MORE has arrived. 😭

Instant Pot bought from Lazada. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

This dang thing is huge. I can cook a whole chicken in this thing. ❤

I’m already planning dishes to cook in this. Tomorrow would be the Filipino menudo for only 10 mins (according to a recipe I found online).

Lalalala! I found a rotisserie (or fake rotisserie) chicken recipe… and beef and broccoli…

I’m getting hungry 😆

Booked!

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Matabungkay, Batangas. Photo by Matabungkay Beach Hotel.

OK, that’s taken care of. Booked for three days and let’s see if the girls can still attend class online. If not, then so be it. A day’s absence will not hurt. We’ll make the most of this beach trip to Lian, Batangas.

I used to frequent this part of the province as a child. The last time I had been here was when we had an exercise for our Bio 150 and I couldn’t remember what we were doing then. I think it was about biodiversity or something. There was a secluded area of this coast where underwater life was still unspoiled. When my mom was still teaching Bio 150, I used to tag along when I was a kid because I really loved the sea.

While I was doing a loop in UP academic oval this evening, I decided that I probably won’t stay in Anilao for a week. I may just end up holed up here at home or I visit the construction site.

A little sacrifice won’t hurt. By 2023, I would have more financial and physical freedom to travel more frequently as the girls will be nearer extended family who can check on them daily.

If I get to have my ADB conference approved in January, then I will be able to save on airfare for my holiday by extending my stay there. I just need to work my ass off and produce 16 stories again.

If Covid didn’t happen, I would have traveled to Incheon with J in May 2020 (I told him I can bring him as my guest) so he can network with all the big guys there. In Yokohama, I was able to talk to top execs of the big Japanese trading houses like Itochou, Marubeni, Mitsui and was able to get an exclusive story from the president of Hitachi. My Japanese colleagues’ jaws dropped because they said they normally don’t have access to such high profile people, much more have a chat/interview with them. I had been treated to dinner by an executive of JTI. I had chitchats with top bankers in Asia since we sat next to each other during meals.

At the receptions (sponsored by government of Yokohama [dinner 1], ADB [dinner 2] and Japanese government [dinner 3]), I was able to establish ties with some Japanese sources. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to maintain the connections because I became too busy. Nurturing connections like these take a lot of time and effort.

I expect the top execs of the chaebols would be there in Incheon, as well as medium and small enterprises in Korea and some Asian conglomerates. A lot of solid connections for him there since his sector is now one of the top priorities of ADB’s private sector arm.

Well, it’s not meant to be. 🙃 It was good Incheon 2020 meeting didn’t push through because that #$@#$%^&* would still have cheated on me anyway.

Imagine that, he wouldn’t have to pay for his airfare (we would have used my miles) and hotel (my work) and I was able to pull some strings so I could cover the Incheon meeting (even though we have a Seoul bureau) so he can have access to all these. That’s how supportive I was of him.

Ah well I was stupid.

I’m not going to be that stupid again.

Today I grilled some ribs because…why not? Since I am limiting our restaurant jaunts for a bit, I will just splurge on home cooked meals.

Chef’s kiss 👌😘 Photo by CallMeCreation.com

After that late lunch, I went vegetable and fruit shopping because my body is craving for veggies. I need to limit my red meat consumption and carbs if I want to get in shape for my November conferences. I need to fit into an evening dress. 🥴

Shopping at Enrique’s in UP. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I left the car near that area and did my brisk walking to make just one loop.

Wohoo! I missed this. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Only 200 kcal burned. *sigh* It was already getting dark and I needed to bring the car to Cainta to have the final buffing and polishing.

Need to lose weight and get back in shape.

I am taking advantage of this nicer weather. I hope it won’t rain heavily this coming week.

Let me finish the paint job please!!!

Screen shot from NOAA West Pacific Visible Loop.

It looks like it’s going to be clear for the rest of the week (*keeping my fingers crossed* 🤞). It breaks my heart to see this clear satellite view. This would have been the perfect weather to go to Palawan or even Anilao but I can’t go. 😥

Ah well, I’ll just bring my bike to my hometown this weekend when I meet my contractor and then I will go to that secluded place my high school friends posted on IG where they grilled food on their camping stove while waiting for the sun to set over the swamp. ❤

Uncle Roger would be proud

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It’s food recycling day. So I made fried rice that Uncle Roger would approve. Cold rice from the refrigerator left overnight ✅ leftovers ✅ Magic Sarap ✅ and cooking the scrambled eggs in the same wok as the rice (and not separately) just like what the ethnic Chinese uncles do ✔.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Meanwhile, mooncake gifts had been trickling in. I received a special Eng Bee Tin mooncake today and I think I would be drowning in mooncakes by the end of this week.

Nice tin box, no? Photo by CallMeCreation.com

It was raining heavily today so I decided to change course when we were already in Xavierville. We were originally going to Tiendesitas to buy cat supplies and shop at SM Hypermarket Pasig but the heavy rain earlier convinced me that traffic would be bad. I instead turned left in Katipunan Ave and went to UP Town Center to do grocery shopping in Merkado, because I want to check out their SKUs. We also had an early dinner at Razon’s because of the halo-halo. What I paid tonight is half of our usual meals outside our home.

I told the girls we need to put a cap now on our weekly dining out because I need to save a bit of money for the house. Although I have everything planned out, I’m just hoping that maybe my scrimping for a few months would allow me not to touch some of my investments to pay for the last few months of the job contract. Stocks are really low right now and I would be selling at a loss. Big, fat, juicy loss.

So I would be issuing a check for the half down payment next week, then it would 20%, 20%, and 10% as we go along.

Good thing I also canceled my Korea trip because I received this notice in my email:

Haha! My May 2020 trip there to cover this event is now pushing through. So I will have my trip paid for by my company. I will just extend my stay there for a week out of my own pocket.

By that time the financial pressure is less because my house is already built.

Let’s see if I can replicate my productivity in Yokohama in 2017 when I produced 16 stories from that event alone. 😏

I think I need to lay off Twitter and Facebook (well I’m not much into it anyway) because they’re causing me so much stress. I’m getting angrier by the day. The troll farms are going on offensive because a lot of people are calling out the government for the economic mess we are in.

It’s draining. No wonder I’ve been too exhausted the past few days.

I’ll just go back to my first love: reading. I have a lot of fantasy books here that I need to finish.