To cap the year…

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Brunch of recycled whatever. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I cooked. Twin I asked for onigiri, so I made them rice balls from rice I cooked yesterday and was just sitting in the refrigerator. Reheated tonkatsu in the mini oven and steamed okra and mandu, and chopped cucumbers and lettuce for salad as sides. Yogurt for dessert and Smart C for a boost of artificial Vit C. Lemon and ginger infusion tea for scratchy throats. The girls had the sniffles after their trip. Trust their dad to allow them to get colds…

Controlled carbohydrates. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I made ham sandwich and yogurt and cold tea for brunch. Controlling my carbohydrates. Sheesh.

We went to Ikea this afternoon to get some inspiration for our flat. The girls enjoyed it because they saw for themselves that a green accent wall in the living room is cozy.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

And to have our grey sofa reupholstered with floral fabric is ok. It wouldn’t look too granny. Twin A is urging me to buy that daybed for the tiny living room that we’re going to have for friends who would want to crash into our flat. Plus they themselves fall asleep on the couch.

Twin I testing if the daybed is comfortable for her naps. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

The kitchen below is about the same size as the kitchen in our future flat. I will show this to my contractor. If he can make me similar cabinets and counters, great. If not, he should give me the dimensions so I can order from Ikea and his workers can install them for me. Although I prefer that he make me my kitchen because I want real wood and not just particle boards. I like Ikea’s soft-close doors and drawers though.

Investigating the feel of the breakfast counter that we will have in our flat. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
I’m doubting the longevity of the doors but they look neat. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
This is the workstation setup that I’ve been looking at their online catalogue. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I told my contractor to allot a length of 140cm for my workstation so I can spreeeeaaadddddd. My table should be able to accommodate my dual monitors, laptop/desktop and printer. My work table will also function as my sewing table and vanity area.

Dark-walled bathroom. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I’m still debating whether to have a dark-colored bathroom and have shiny fixtures and fittings or have all-white microcement bathroom but with black fittings and fixtures.

I showed this bathroom to my contractor because I said I don’t want tiles in my bathroom because I hate grout. They become grotty over time, as shown by what I had to deal with this apartment where we live now and I had to spend thousands of pesos for a bathroom that isn’t even mine.
Loft bed that the girls wanted. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

This is the main reason why we trekked to Ikea: they want to see for themselves how a loft bed can be set up for them. They got so excited that they started planning what tables and dressers they can put under their beds.

Girly loft beds. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I can have their loft beds custom made with real wood to make their room warmer and same goes for the study tables and dressers. At least I can show this to the carpenter. I saw on FB Marketplace some custom furniture makers offering loft beds but I’m thinking I’d rather have them made on site so that would be less transportation cost.

I bought picture frames. I’m still not done with my walls. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
My girls insisted we buy new drinking glasses because they’re not inspired drinking from our fugly mugs. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

And teapot. Because we need a bigger teapot. We all drink tea now.

Here’s to the coming new year! Photo by CallMeCreation.com
This is our new year’s eve dinner. I’m too lazy to cook tonight. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Growing

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My kids have appetites of grown-ups. They eat more than I do these days and that’s a good thing. Since they’re healthier these days, they were able to withstand Covid even without vaccines yet while I was knocked down despite being fully vaccinated. They were only sick for 48 hrs max (Twin A; Twin I was 24 hrs but she’s healthier) I make sure they have their veggies 3x a day and their daily dose of Vit C or multivitamins.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Greenhills. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

They had a full meal set for our late lunch this afternoon when we went to Greenhills. It had a bowl or ramen, rice, tonkatsu, cabbage salad, hot green tea, and fruit salad. I was afraid they won’t be able to finish it.

Demolished it. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I was completely wrong. They cleaned their bowls really well 👏👏👏👏. As a mother, I’m happy that they’re eating whatever they’re served with and are no longer that picky when it comes to food. They can already tolerate the Korean spicy chicken that we normally buy at Jjangke along Kalayaan Ave. It’s a far cry from what they were when J was still with us.

You know, they grow up. They don’t stay as whiny little brats forever. They mature if you just have the patience to train them well. And so far I have been successful. They’re cleaning up after themselves now and doing chores so they can earn pocket money. They know now the value of money and how to manage their resources that’s why they were featured in my TV friends’ talkshow about personal finances. They save up for whatever they want to have, like the second-hand folding bikes and other extras. If they want something, they need to do more chores and we tally by the end of the week how much they’ve earned. If they fall short, they just do more the following week.

Next school year, they said they want to prepare their own bento boxes for school. Let’s see. ❤️

Speaking of Covid protection, I’m still trying to book my schedule for the booster shot but no such luck yet. I also applied with my barangay for assistance. K told me his sister, who is a nurse in California, got the omicron variant and she said it’s highly transmissible vs delta. Even if she followed the protocols to the letter, she still got it and omicron is really a nasty one.

So until then, I am double masking and wearing my glasses instead of just contacts to protect my eyes from any bodily fluid that may accidentally hit my eyes (just in case some Neanderthal talks or coughs without a mask. To make sure I won’t be down again with Covid.

The girls said they rarely went out of their grandpa’s house when they were in their dad’s hometown because people outside were not wearing masks! It’s as if they feel the pandemic is just a hoax or an elaborate conspiracy. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Goodbye, Philippines!

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If Marcos Jr wins, it will be worse than having Duterte for the second time. OMG 😱

We need to reach out to the masses. I want to render my services for free as a communication strategist for Team Robredo. They have no unifying theme. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The campaign is organic, yes, but it lacks cohesiveness as a result. The messaging is undefined. The actionable message is lacking, there is no aspirational thrust.

We need to do something!!!

I had been refraining from writing anything political during the Christmas break because I don’t want to be stressed out. So I’ve been writing about inane stuff to take my mind off stressors like the thing above 🤦🏻‍♀️

So back to inconsequential stuff, I picked up my glasses and contacts in Cubao, then went to Tiendesitas to buy cat supplies. Because I’m still a bit apprehensive about dining out indoors, I still wear two masks (surgical and cloth) and sunglasses in lieu of face shield. Because I still haven’t had my booster shot yet. I’ve been trying to book online but there’s no schedule yet for A3 people for QC. After experiencing Covid, I’m more adamant at having the vax ASAP.

My sister said I look like somebody who’s hiding from the paparazzi. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I then jumped to Makati to get myself another pair of shoes before I pick up the girls from the airport at around 5 pm.

Wrong move. There were a lot of people!!! Like there’s no more pandemic and omicron is just another Greek letter that doesn’t mean anything. It gave me some heebie-jeebies. Because of this, I wasn’t able to find that pair of shoes I need because it seems like face-to-face press conferences and meetings will be more frequent next year and I don’t have enough good shoes for such occasions.

I think I would have to buy online and grin and bear it if the pair of shoes turns out to be painful to wear. 😬

On minimalism

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I’ve always admired people who are able to live minimally, like the girl here in this video. I tried picturing myself as a minimalist but couldn’t. Although I have less stuff than other people I know (i.e. the girls’ dad and my ex-in laws), I still need closets and cupboards to store them.

The reason why I am thinking about minimalism is because I am planning in my head the closets I will have to have my contractor make in my flat. My place will be small so my closets should not take up precious floor space…

I clearly have too much stuff.

So I started purging yesterday. I put my old shoes in shoe boxes and put them outside of our gate this afternoon. I also put the rubber slippers that my girls have outgrown in a plastic bag along with the shoe boxes. They disappeared the next moment I went out of our gate to run errands. Then I culled clothes that I haven’t worn in more than 3 years or clothes that I’m no longer interested in wearing and chucked them in a paper bag for donation.

I have adopted Steve Jobs’ style of having a monochromatic wardrobe to take out the complexity of choosing what to wear for the day. People barely remember what I wear anyway and they only take note of the accessories I have to dress up my plain dark clothes. Jewelry take up just a tiny space. However, my bags do take up room. I can’t give them up yet since a lot of them are expensive (I won’t give up my Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Coach bags. Nope.) I think I may have to have a special cupboard made to store them…

Come to think of it, I have a lot of bags but less than 10 pairs of shoes.

When the girls come back (I’ll pick them up at the airport tomorrow), we will have a de-cluttering session before we usher in the new year. It’s just going to be 1.5 years before we move again and I will be hauling boxes upon boxes of stuff. And I will be spending 6 months unboxing them, just like when we moved here in this apartment. The last stuff I was able to unbox and organize are my books. Teehee!

Meanwhile, the girl’s apartment in the video above also gave me an idea how I can have an efficient pied-à-terre in Makati after I’m finished with my flat in my hometown and buying a new car. A studio will be enough, which I can AirBnB if I’m not there.

Single

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My bestfriend asked me how am I doing now that I’m temporarily single? (the girls are still with their dad) I said, it’s just wonderful not to worry about what to eat and when to eat. I’ll just cook and eat something if I feel like it. I’m not dictated by someone else’s body clock. When I suddenly felt like installing the curtain rod brackets in the girls’ room, I just did it. I just cater to my own whims.

Well, except for the cats and cat stuff.

Kimchi is so fat. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

They kept waking me up because their food bowls were empty. Then they kept bothering me until I cleaned up their litter boxes.

They kept meowing outside my door so when I opened it for them, they plonk themselves at the foot of my bed until i give in and fill up their food bowls. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

And I have to order cans of wet food and bags of kibbles and kitty litter online…

So I take it back. I’m still a slave to my other children. 🤦🏻‍♀️ They’re the reason I left my hometown early…

Worsening nearsightedness

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It has been a while since I wore my contact lenses because the one on my left eye doesn’t seem to stick. Or if I manage to put the contact lens on my eye, my vision remains blurred so it’s hard to drive. I thought my astigmatism worsened.

Well, it’s worse than I thought. My nearsightedness jumped from – 2.75 and -3.75 to -4.00 and -4.25 with astigmatism remaining at 100. This is just in a span of 6 months 🤦🏻‍♀️. No wonder I’m having these random headaches. This means I’m legally blind.

I had to change both of my toric contact lenses and eyeglasses again. This time I got a new frame because I think my half-rimmed eyeglasses wouldn’t be able to hold my thickening lenses anymore, even if I am already using the ultra thin ones. I got myself an Ann Taylor catseye frame that was on sale. If I were to remain a thick-lensed, four-eyed monster, might as well be a stylish four-eyed monster. I’ll claim all these by Wednesday.

It was an expensive trip to the optometrist today. 🙄

New running shoes to motivate me. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I took advantage of the sale in stores today at Gateway Mall where I had my contacts and eye glasses made. I bought myself a pair of New Balance running shoes that were on sale to motivate me to walk again at the UP academic oval. My old Fila are still intact but the soles are already too thin that they hurt my feet. Anyway, they’ve been in service since April 2018 so I’ve already maxed out its utility.

Once I get fit again, I’ll proceed to buy hiking shoes. I want to go to Masungi Georeserve to restart since I got so out of shape after Covid. I’ll video document it for my YT channel and for our KG talk show.

Web-style viewing platform at Masungi Georeserve.

My cats have missed me after leaving them on their own for more than 24 hrs. Now they don’t want me out of their sight. They even watch me sleep 🤣

I woke up to this. Photo by CallMeCreation.com