Your guess is as good as mine

Yes, I did say I didn’t want to post anything political or anything to do with current events but of course I couldn’t help it.

Who else could it be??? Like as if any Korean presidential candidate would be as brash as this… Or I could be wrong 🙄 But then the most obvious candidate is…TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

Your guess is as good as mine.

Meanwhile….

The top rice importers in the world 1) China; 2) PHILIPPINES

And hellooooooo! Who is the concurrent agriculture secretary? The president who could not even make head nor tail of the economy and government.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Bravo! Bravo!

And this government cut the budget for health; we no longer have budget for Covid vaccines and support for cancer patients. All went to the confidential funds of the Department of Education Secretary, who is the Vice President, and should not have confidential funds because what does she need “intel” funds for as education secretary? Then the office of the president has billions in unwarranted “confidential funds” that can be disbursed without state auditing.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

*Sigh* I shouldn’t have clicked on Twitter. 🙄


My desk on Friday night chaos. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Been busy emailing people for meetings in Singapore in November so I can have my trip approved by London. Kinda stupid that I had to justify my trip to my own office. As if I’m there to have a holiday. 🙄 Good thing the people I reached out to were very willing to meet me and have already ordered their secretaries to send me an email invite to table the meetings.

I need to book my hotel and flights next week since the rates are already going up.

Because I was attending to these things, I wasn’t able to get off my table and to start walking again at 4pm. I opted to have indoor workout, which I’m not really a fan of. The usual core exercises and dumbbell workouts. Then stretches.

After planking.

I can’t NOT have exercise these days because I love home cooking. Just look at this!

Instant Pot 45 min kare-kare swimming in peanut sauce. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Fall-off-the-bone beef kare-kare in 45 minutes. This is part if the xxx number of kilos of beef I bought from my hometown. It’s cartilaginous but it just melted. The peanut sauce became peanut soup since it is pressure cooked, no steam escaped/no evaporation, hence, the sauce remained watery instead of transforming into a gooey sauce. I remedied this by plopping more Reese peanut butter…ah well. Lesson learned. But the kare-kare is excellent. *Chef’s kiss* 👌😘

And to cap off the weekend, here is 12-year-old Yoyoka, wowing me again with her wicked drumming skills in 1970s classic heavy rock. She’s just one year older than my girls and yet her mastery of the instrument is that of a 45-year-old professional drummer.

I’m glad that heavy rock is still alive and kicking in Japan and has not been swallowed up by Kpop/Jpop. Japan has always produced very skilled guitarists and bassists, especially women bassists, like Madoon who complements Yoyoka here.

Monoral was in heavy rotation in my iPod a decade ago.

https://youtu.be/k5X0gngUz4M

Speaking of bassist, the best bassist for me is Billy Sheehan >>> he’s a big part why I loved Mr. Big. He could make the instrument really sing and compete with the lead guitars in terms of melodies. And with Yoyoka’s drumming, it was ear candy.

My kids are starting to appreciate some of my music now that they started listening to Up Dharma Down and Radiohead. We’re on Spotify family plan so they have started to discover music on their own. However, I don’t think they’re ready for nu metal like Korn and P.O.D. but they have an entire lifetime of listening to discover those.

Oh Up Dharma Down…smooth jazz fusion music on a Friday night. I miss them and there’s a huge void when they disbanded. I’ve only seen them live once 😥 but Armi Millare is still there creating beautiful music and she provided me with the most poignant soundtrack of my life.

Kapit/Hold

When melancholy hits, it hits hard. It’s just one of those days. Monday blues.

This song has been with me for 7.5 months now.

The beauty of the lyrics in Filipino is lost when I translated into English (the best I could manage)

Hold

In the darkness of the night
I have been searching for the meaning
of the times that have just passed
without any warning, I was just left behind

Eyes that used to twinkle
Are now swollen, used to tears
Is life on earth
supposed be like this?

That’s why
I will tighten my hold on the hands of time
So that it won’t just pass by
I wish I had savored every moment
of when we were younger

It has been days
the rain would not just let up
Couldn’t fathom
if I could get through this

From the mud I force myself
to pick up one by one pieces of my dreams
that shattered like glass at my feet
Does the rainbow really appear?

That’s why
I will tighten my embrace
For I know this will not last;
I wish you will remember me this way

I will tighten my hold on the hands of time
So that I will not get left behind
I only want to take a peek into the past

I will tighten my hold on God
It’s already getting brighter
For dawn is coming
This trial will soon be over

Kapit

Sa gabing kay dilim
Hinahanap ko ang kahulugan ng mga
Panahong lumipas lang
Nang walang pasintabi, ako ay iniwan

Mga matang noon ay
May kislap pa ngayon ay
Mugtong-mugto sanay sa luha
Sadyang ganito nga ba ang
Mabuhay dito sa lupa

Kaya’t
Hihigpitan ko ang kapit sa mga kamay ng oras
Nang ‘di ‘to lumipas lang
Sana ay aking sinulit ang panahon na
tayo’y mga bata pa

Ilang araw na rin
Na tuloy-tuloy lang ang ulan
Hindi mawari kung ito ba’y malalagpasan

Pilit sa putik aking pupulutin nang isa-isa
Mga pangarap kong nabasag tila bubog sa paa
Ang bahaghari ba’y nagpapakita lang pagka

Kaya’t
Hihigpitan ko ang yakap sayo’t
Alam ko na hindi ‘to magtatagal
Sana ako’y maalala mo ng ganito

Hihigpitan ko ang kapit sa mga kamay ng oras
Nang ‘di na maiwan pa
Nais ko lamang masilip ang nakaraan

Hihigpitan ko ang kapit sa Diyos
Maliwanag na rin
Ito na’t parating

Matatapos ang lahat ng pagsubok na ‘to