29 days without a car

UP Sunken Garden. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Finally, after a month I was able to ride my bike again but this time it was rather weird that I had a harder time. Maybe because I slept at 4 am? But it turned out that it was my first day of mens (learned when I got back home) so no wonder I was so sluggish and I easily got tired.

Not a lot of people exercising since it was drizzling. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I was able to shop for a week’s worth of vegetables. It’s really a lot cheaper inside the UP campus compared to the veggie stalls along C.P. Garcia. This week’s haul was only PHP 560 and my veg compartment in my fridge is overflowing.

The drizzle was getting heavier so I stopped at Infinitea along Maginhawa St. to rest and cool off.

I shouldn’t have caffeine but what the heck, I want this.

According to my smart watch, I burned almost 700kcal form cycling alone but then I compensated with milktea so I no longer know the net calories burned 😂.

Oh that gold chain there? That’s my face mask necklace so I dont’ have to fish for it in my bag/beltbag or put it on the table when drinking/eating. I just let the mask hang on from my neck; it’s more sanitary that way.

I was am sooo tired that I told the girls we will just do the grocery shopping tomorrow.

I’m now preparing for the coming week, fixing my schedule and to-do list. I need to email my interview questions later for my interview at 11 am. I have back-to-back-to-back calls tomorrow, so Lord, give me strength to last the day while my body is uncooperative.

My Filofax system that I find works best for me. CallMeCreation.com

Hopefully, I would be able to write three articles this week so I don’t have to worry about it when I’m in Singapore chasing people for the entire week. I don’t even know if I could edit stories while in conferences for four whole days. 😶 I chose a hotel with a swimming pool so I can swim after work because gyms really don’t do it for me. I guess I can work at night to finish the edits. I don’t think I would be having drinks after work unless absolutely necessary. I’m avoiding socializing with people I would be meeting there. I should learn my lesson.

I don’t think I have enough time to do some sketching there. 😑 Ah, all work and no play make me so boring.

I’m tired. I may need to sleep earlier tonight. Damn this period.

I’ll end this evening on a high note. As an ex-football player, this breaking news just cheers my old broken futbolera bones. (An ex-goalie with busted knees).

More than what we have bargained for

So we went to UP riding our bikes to buy vegetables. We are now on stage One Entire Week of Being Carless.

Water break. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Everything was going well even though we went out at almost noon, so there was danger that we will get fried.

Got two bags of veggies for only PHP 680. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We went to Nomu, the milktea place beside Bahay ng Alumni.

When we were waiting for our teas, I heard a loud “pop!” And that sickening hissing sound.

A flat tire. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

The stupid thing here was I took the longer route going to the UP gate near Krus na Ligas. I told the girls to bike their way into Science while I walk with my bike and then we’ll just meet at the corner where we used to turn right going into Science.

While waiting for the girls. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I guess I was bad at giving them directions so we spent the better part of that hour trying to find each other. After several video calls, they finally located me at that corner where they were supposed to meet me.

When we finally agreed how to proceed, I let the girls bike to the Krus na Ligas exit while I walked again.

Long story short, the guy at the bike shop along CP Garcia Ave fixed my tire by changing the interior and said that I had a busted tire pin. Good thing I had extra money then to buy a new tire interior.

Then off we rode our bikes back home. Got home after four freaking hours.

Gee, I am so tired.

I need to buy more wicking running shirts from Decathlon if I am to do this again regularly.

I PROMISE I WILL EXERCISE MORE SO I WOULD NO LONGER BE FAT.

Damn it.

I’m tired of feeling ugly and worthless.

City biking

Biking in BGC. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Twin I and I changed location today and we tried biking in a busier area than we are used to because I want to teach her again how to bike with more cars and stop lights around.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I was teaching her how to cross intersections. She has more confidence now in biking alongside cars compared to the first time I brought here to bike.

Water break near Philippine Stock Exchange. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Since Twin I is braver now, we crossed 5th Avenue to reach McKinley Road and went to McKinley West for steeper inclines and car-free roads. Then we went back to Lawton Avenue to go back to BGC.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Bonifacio High Street. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We took a break and I had cold coffee with a cookie while Twin I had a vanilla drink and cupcake. The sun was already setting so we decided to go back to our parking area.

But we couldn’t locate our parking area.

It took us a while so we had more exercise than we had bargained for. 😂 Burned all the calories we gained at Coffee Bean.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

This is the painful part. I had to fold up the bikes again and load them back into the Crosswind. Good thing I am no helpless woman as I can carry a bike by myself.

I need more practice again as I got tired easily. Prior to yesterday, the last time I attempted to bike was in November last year when I tried to check if I can expend energy that much after Covid. And wow, it took me six months to get back on track. I gained a lot of weight in between those months.

I need to buy my girls new helmets because they have already outgrown the ones they have now. Just like their swimsuits.

Tomorrow I need to have Twin A’s gear shifter fixed/change cables before we can bike again inside UP for our daily exercise. I need to lose all the weight I gained post-Covid so my breathing will be better and I can resume my freediving practice. I plan to bring my sister-in-law and nephews to Anilao before my girls start their entrance exam reviews. The rainy season is slowly creeping in.

Here’s to a fitter 2022!

Ugh! Tomorrow I’m supposed to be on holiday because of the elections but I cannot just sit back or else I will spend the day as a nervous wreck (and all of the people I’ve talked to who are voting for Leni are also tensed and anxious). I think I need to work to keep my mind off the elections.

God help us.

In solidarity

Leni x Kiko Grand Rally at Ayala cor Paseo de Roxas at 6 pm. Photo by Roby Alampay via Twitter

Since I knew it’s going to be difficult with kids in tow, we opted to have a biking campaign around the village and UP campus.

Washing our bikes. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

First we washed our bikes and oiled them. We went to the vulcanizing shop and bike shop to change the interior tube of Twin A’s front wheel.

In solidarity with the people in Makati. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Rested here for a bit. Then the girls did some speed biking until it was too dark to do it. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Water break. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Something’s wrong with the gear shifter in Twin A’s bike so I’m going to have it replaced tomorrow before we bike to another venue.

We had dinner at Rodic’s near Bahay ng Alumni. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We were looking for the street food vendor near Oblation but it was already very dark and we couldn’t see them. We proceeded to Rodic’s near Bahay ng Alumni and had a quick dinner. The ambulant vendor-kid there was appealing to us to buy his heavy rice-based snacks. I felt bad so I bought one and I gave it to the other kid who was begging for food. Then the vendor-kid gave me Leni stickers. I gave him more money in exchange for the stickers.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We went around the community this afternoon and evening with this.

Screencap of a video by a friend.

I wanted to be there but as a mother of asthmatic kids, I cannot compromise their health by contracting Covid. I hope they’re all safe.

Yesterday, National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab initiated a flash mob at PowerPlant Mall in Rockewell. I am loving that artists are lending their talent for Leni.

All good planning came to nothing

We woke up late.

The sky was dark, like there would a big thunderstorm.

No Rizal trip.

But the rain did not come and it was already too late to go anywhere in Rizal, even in Antipolo.

Bike rental Moovr. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We ended up in BGC again and the girls rented a bike to satisfy that itch to try this thing. What they initially wanted were the scooters but every scooter was taken so the girls had to content themselves with the bikes.

Twin I trying the rented bike. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

After that we ended up in Bonifacio High Street since the government announced that Metro Manila is now downgraded to Alert Level 2, which means the kids can be allowed to eat in restaurants. So that’s what happened.

Bonifacio High Street. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
People watching while waiting for food. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Ate C also came with us. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We needed to walk off the calories so we strolled the length of High Street going the direction of McKinley. We crossed the Mind Museum.

After our early dinner, we walked towards Mind Museum and the girls tried the jeepney displayed at the lobby.

Then we had drinks at Coffee Bean & Tealeaf near Burgos Circle to end the day.

Waiting for our chocolate drinks. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I didn’t want to end up in a commercial center again but what can I do? Oh well, next time I would go on a long drive on my own. Just to feel the wind on my face.

So tomorrow we get stuck again in the four corners of our apartment.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Lunch out

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

The girls and I went to my cousin’s house in a private subdivision for lunch today. We brought slabs of steak, beef belly, Korean grill, and the charcoal grill. It’s nice to grill in the garden without worrying about the smoke disturbing neighbors since houses there are far apart.

Had a good chat with her as I haven’t been there since her mom’s hospitalization in August. My children, on the other hand, were enjoying her 50″ TV screen in her room, watching anime on Netflix.

After lunch we went to one of the subdivision’s parks so the girls can ride their bikes.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

They had a hard time climbing the sloping roads because the subdivision sits on top of a mountainous part of Quezon City.

Walking uphill. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Overlooking Montalban and San Mateo, Rizal. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We got back home at 4:45 pm. Nice way to cap the weekend.

As I said, weekends are too short.