Restart. Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic.

Mood: Mixed. Energized yet bored. Day 4 'Enhanced Community Quarantine' due to COVID-19.

Music: Restart. by the amazing Sam Smith.

March 18, 2020. Philippines. It is Day 4 since President Rodrigo Duterte declared an Enhanced Community Quarantine for Metro Manila, Sunday March 15th then widened the lockdown to the whole of Luzon on Monday. The World Heath Organization (WHO) already declared the current COVID 19 health situation as pandemic. Health safety measures are enforced and the government declares quarantine, so that means the general public are to stay indoors unless one needs to go out for vital necessities or health emergencies.

Quarantine. Stay indoors.

Amidst the current global health pandemic, I am restarting my blog. We are on Day 4 and I have tidied up, did simple DIY around the house and after a two-year hiatus, I think it is but perfect to restart blogging. I have been putting this off for, God knows how long lol. I have been constantly taking notes of experiences, of travels, and taking photos and telling myself  'this needs to be shared, one day'. So, yup 'one day' is now. Timing couldn't be more perfect. I am side-eyeing myself for being a procrastination queen, crown and all.

Two years was too long. My notebook entries are almost filled up, including my thoughts that need to be written down. There are too many new and newly discovered products that I wanted to write about. Restaurants and food discoveries that I have been meaning to share here. So, I guess one restart post will do the trick and hopefully all will flow out from now on. Excuses, be gone haha.

Eottoke eottoke? What to do now? Oh yes, I have been consumed by Kpop, Kdrama... but that is another topic altogether. I am telling you. Here are some suggestions for all of us who are just staying indoors. Perhaps you want to rest your eyes (and those neck muscles) and consider doing these, in between, checking Instagram, Facebook, or keeping abreast with the hourly news update.

Declutter. Konmari.
You can tidy up. You may want to start with your wardrobe, the bookcase, your gazillion shoes, your bag collection.
Clean up your kitchen pantry. Check those expiry dates. Plan recipes for those forgotten herbs and condiments.
Go through your paperwork. Throw those old bills.
Or check our Marie Kondo's site and discover for yourself the systematized Konmari method and 'Spark Joy' in your life.


Start a Journal. Start blogging, vlogging.
Jot down those thoughts. Organize them. Ponder. Reflect.
Or start a Youtube channel, be a vlogger. And monetize your channel. (Not for me though, I am just too shy).

Destress. Restart your old hobby.
Remember before 'adulting' happened? Rediscover your music interest, playlist collection. Reread your favorite books. Rewatch your favorite films or better yet discover new film genres.

Remember all the times you were so frustrated that you are so busy with work and you need to do this and that at home. This is that time. Anyway, I bet you already know that by now.

Let us not forget. Cooperate with your government.
Let us do our share and cooperate with the authorities. Since we cannot physically go out and help alleviate this health problem. Let us leave that to the front liners, health professionals (who are the real heroes! May God Bless them and keep them safe). Let us discover the internet, there are probably things you can do to help out while confined. In our country, there are kind-hearted individuals who are already on it, you can check their story and find ways to help their cause

I totally love this Sam Smith song. It's screams 80s and 90s. I'm sure my fellow GenXers will agree. Lisa Stansfield and Sybil vibin'? Yes? Yes?

My Konmari Journey. Part One

Marie Kondo's tidying bug bit me late last year and after more that 6 months I feel there is a need for second wave. I know there is still much more to improve on. I mean there are still a lot more to dispose of.  If you do not know Ms. Kondo, she is the organizing guru of today. She wrote The New York Times' #1 Best Seller  'The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up'. If you have heard of 'Spark Joy'?  She wrote that one, too.

So okay like I said, last year I discovered KonMari-ing (coined from her name).  It started from the new way of folding clothes the way Marie Kondo does it. Check out this video.

After one drawer lol I got so interested I also checked out her book and there was no stopping me. I was so into it. I was dreaming and planning how I would tackle this big task. I know I need to clean up and organize our home. I love buying stuff, so does my husband and the whole family, so I am aware that there are so much things I need to continuously organize and need to dispose.  You know, so much clothes that you seldom use. Baby clothes your children outgrew. Gifts you never used. Double or multiple of every day things like scissors, utility bags, screwdrivers, etc. I am telling you there is just so much stuff. Sometimes, I even question myself if I am a bit of a hoarder, perhaps just a little huh? Because I know when there are big sales, like the Big Nivea sale. I buy deodorants for a year's use, plus lotion and their soaps at half the regular price.  I am a sucker for anything 50% off, well who isn't?

KonMari and The Book Stop Project

The Book Stop Project at Molito grounds

My Konmari-ing last year made me dispose 80% of our books. There were still high school books of my daughter. She already graduated college and is  already working for 2 years now. I am just giving you an idea. I also let go of most of my fave novels. I was so lucky that time The Book Stop PH was in the South of the Metro and it felt good that I am donating my beloved books to a great cause. The Book Stop Project is a well-thought concept of sharing the 'love of reading'. It is just a refreshing idea amidst the overwhelming techie stuff of our times. The joy of turning a page... The thought of sharing your experience after reading a book to another person is very satisfying.  I just kept a few titles which I love rereading every couple of years and a few for sentimental reasons.

Jollibee's 'Maaga and Pasko'

I am sure you notice that big box at Jollibee during December where you can donate children's books and toys. Well, I did just that. There were still lots of stuffed animals wrapped in plastic in our storage, new yet old. My kid and I took photos of each, for sentimental reasons or whatever and donated them.. It is time to pass the joy to some other kid. And since my daughter was already earning she thought of buying new ones to donate as well. I am just proud that I instilled the 'sharing your blessings' in her.  Check ou Jollibee Maaga ang Pasko Website

Donate your old clothes to H&M and get a discount voucher

Now for the piles of old clothes. Some of which were worn only once or twice. There were some that were never worn, just forgotten. Tags and all. My helper's family in the province is often my first go-to for clothes donation. This time I asked her to just choose what we will send to them alongside her gifts for Christmas and the rest we shall donate to others in need.  I still even have stuff that I donated to H&M in Festival Mall ( they will give you a 15% discount voucher in exchange of your donation) and to Japan Home, who was also holding a donation drive for the Christmas Season.

So yeah I am seriously thinking of giving KonMari a second wave. I still have a china cabinet that I consciously avoided the last time I did this. Because I do not know how I am going to dispose of such stuff. Also, I have been reading about minimalism and I am intending to 'minimalize' my wardrobe. I plan to stick to the basics. Basic cuts and basic colors. I am leaning towards white, black, greys, and some muted blues and greens.

A big part of doing this is the feeling of lightness and neatness in your home. It definitely lessens the stress of too much clutter. Plus remembering the spark of joy the remaining things around gives you. At present I am planning and scheduling Part 2. Wish me luck!

Decathlon Philippines Opens First Store in Alabang, Muntinlupa City

Mood: Taking it easy. Colds got me. Sipping some herbal tea.


Last weekend, we got a call from my nephew (he and his wife are passionate about mountaineering/hiking ) who wanted us to check out this new super sporting goods store in Alabang. It turned out that Decathlon is already having its soft opening in Festival Mall, our go-to mall. Decathlon is bright and buzzing with people when we visited last Sunday.  Festival Mall's latest addition stands ground on the second floor, near the Corporate Avenue entrance. Its location was once occupied by Shopwise's 2nd level, which they vacated when they renovated the store years ago.

Decathlon , a French company and Europe's Number 1 sports retailer exclusively houses numerous brands such as Quechua, Oxelo, Kalenji, Domyos, Nabaiji, Artengo, Kipsta, B'Twin, Inesis, Tribord, and more. The warehouse-style store has a very extensive offering of sporting gears any sports enthusiast will need and want. The staff are well trained to answer all your queries about the store, the products, and are overall helpful and warm towards customers.

The store will officially open on June 30th and are now on soft opening operations. Customers are encouraged to register (its FREE) to enjoy exclusive benefits which includes 2-year warranty on their own brand products, free access to the playground, return policy, get invites to family events, and personal notification regarding updates on their products related to your selected sports. We also got a free Decathlon reusable cloth bag with our purchase. Nice!

Mini-Haul.  For this unplanned trip we just grabbed a few casual Domyos T-shirts (P150.00 each), a small Quechua backpack (P150.00), and a pair of Nabaiji Xbase Unie Ad swimming goggles in mauve (P180.00). These items are of great quality and very reasonably priced!

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We would definitely come back to visit again, the store is so big I am pretty sure we were not able to check out all the aisles. Also, I need to check out some home workout equipment and maybe new gym gear and trainers. I think I saw a pair priced less than a thousand pesos. Ha! There is a big possibility this will boost my interest to workout more lol. 

So, the next time you visit our friendly mall in Filinvest Alabang, Muntinlupa City, make sure you make a stop at Decathlon. 

Store hours 10:00AM -10:00 PM. Follow and Like DecathlonPH on Facebook 

Steam Yard Coffee and Community. Good Food, Great Coffee and an Online Shoppers Haven

Our Muntinlupa neighborhood keeps getting interesting and yes, the changes are definitely for the better. Just a few minutes walk from our place is Steam Yard Coffee and Community, which opened last year. It is a local specialty coffee concept shop providing sanctuary for online shoppers and coffee enthusiasts, as it says in their Official Facebook Page

If you are looking for a decent cafe that offers great coffee and yummy cakes and pastries, you will definitely enjoy the very cozy ambiance of Steam Yard. They also offer quite a selection of savory meals, pasta dishes, and sandwiches in case you want more than just good brew or a refreshing drink. Our family's favorites are the Tuyo Pasta with sundried tomatoes, Pasta Negra, Ensaymada with Kesong Puti and their Barako Muffin.

The restaurant are open daily from 8am to 10pm. This hip neighborhood cafe is excellent for meetings, a quick meal, or just to enjoy a mean cup of espresso. It also houses trendy items from online sellers which makes it amazing for one-stop shop and chill place. We have already bought a couple of shirts, makeup item/tools and gift items from their collection of sellers. They have the friendliest staff from Head Barista Angelo to the Manong Security Guard who will open the door and greet you welcome.

Steam Yard also hold special activities like vinyl listening sessions, pop-up events, etc. You can just follow them SteamyardPH on IG and Steam Yard Coffee on Facebook or contact at them (02)800-6324. Address is at 49 National Road, Muntinlupa City. They are between Shakey's Pizza Parlor and Domino's Pizza.

Hot and Iced Latte Macchiato at P120.00

Brazo de Mercedes (P65.00) and Iced Chocolate (P130)

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Bench Organics Products. Aloe Soothing Gel and Face and Body Mist

Mood: Lazy Saturday morning vibes
Music: Bill LaBounty. Livin it up.

Bench has always been a fave brand because they always keep you updated about casual fashion trends and even about skin care and makeup. Their organic product line has been around awhile and their Organic Aloe products are surely a favorite. These products are amazing and really worth a try because they are a great deal, considering the quality and pricing.

The Bench Organics 94% Aloe Soothing Gel

The Bench Organics 94% Aloe Soothing Gel is just fab. It is cool and refreshing to the skin. True to its name it is soothing when you apply it especially during the warm and hot months. And since it is in gel form it is very light on the skin, it does not feel heavy or sticky. The product has 94% Aloe Vera Extracts for excellent moisturizing effects. Its gel-based formula is quickly absorbed by the skin hydrating it and leaves no oily residue. 

It is suitable for the face and body, so go ahead and be crazy with it. It has a fresh and clean scent. No need to worry about the icky smell of the aloe vera plant. If you tried using the real actual leaves you would really appreciate this product because they already eliminated that offensive smell of fresh aloe.

This Bench product also suggest that you can store it inside your refrigerator for a fresher, more soothing, and cooling effect on the skin. The product comes in a green plastic pot and has 300 ml clear aloe gel, which is a great buy at P189.00. Counterparts retail at P300-500.

Bench Organics 92% Aloe Face and Body Mist 

Bench Organics 92% Aloe Face and Body Mist is another great discovery! It is also refreshing, moisturizing, and hydrating, as the product claims. It comes in a 150ml plastic spray bottle. It retails at P229.00.   I have been using this as a face spray to just freshen up. You can also use this under or over your makeup. I also use this to spray on my arms and neck when I'm outside and just need a quick cool off.

These products are readily available at all Bench branches or you can check them out via their Bench Online Store

Quick and Easy Doggy Liver Cake Recipe

Furmom: Mother to a four-legged loving creature. Usually a dog or cat, variety. Winkwink. You & will know when you are one. When you treat your pet like your own offspring, concerned about his/her whole being, comfort, and happiness.

I'm a serious furmom, meaning I celebrate my furbaby's birthdays. Our only daughter is all grown up so the baby of the family now is our 4-year-old rescue pup. My sweet baby boy recently celebrated his 4th birthday and we decided to celebrate it with a real doggy cake. For his past birthdays, we usually just buy a Red Ribbon chocolate cake and some fast food to celebrate and its only us his humans who were enjoying the food. Poor fur celebrant always ends up with his dog food and a few chicken meat treats. So this year I decided that I bake him a real cake.

So long story short I did just that, baked him a liver cake. I  researched the recipe online. Checked out how tos on Youtube and Pinterest links. I tweaked the recipe a little so it will really be a quick bake. I also intended it to be just a small treat. Not too fancy but definitely yummy for his doggy tastebuds.

Quick and Easy Doggy Liver Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup chicken liver

3 tablespoons instant pancake mix

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 tablespoon water

I first cooked the liver by just boiling it. Then mashed it.

Add in the pancake mix, egg, oil and water. Mix well using a fork.

Then cook at 375degreesF for 10-12 minutes. Or do the toothpick test to be sure. It has to be cooked through, no fudgy liver cake for doggies, ok? 

I used a medium sized ramekin for this so the cake ended up like a muffin.

We were all happy and excited about his reaction to his cake. He ate in seconds! I'm just so proud he loved it. In the future I think he would also love it if I will add some banana, carrots, or peanut butter to the mix. I also plan to bake him some doggy biscuit treats. I will be on the lookout for a doggy bone cookie cutter.

Little Joys. Daiso Japan Mini Haul

Mood: Happy, nibbling a Hershey's Bar. 
Music: China Crisis. Because 80s music is FRI-YAY!

Daiso Japan Mini-haul.

If you frequent your friendly neighborhood malls, more or less you are very aware of the Daiso P88 stores. Daiso is a large franchise of 100-yen shops founded in Japan, owned by Daiso Sangyo Corp (Thank You Wikipedia). The 100 yen translates to Php 88.00 here in the Philippines. Yes, the majority of the items are priced uniformly, then there are items priced a bit more but still very affordable and most of the time cheaper than their branded counterparts.

During my recent visit I bought some household items. The Four-Pack Kitchen Towel and the Linen and Room Spray, both Saizen brand. I also tried the Ellefar  Eyebrow Pencil in Brown and bought a cute tea infuser.  All four items are each priced at P 88.00.

There are four rolls to a pack, again priced at P88.00. The other Daiso-themed store, Japan Home retails their 4-pack kitchen towels at P99.00. Still a lot cheaper than what you can find in the grocery.

The Linen and Room Spray is just lovely. The lavender scent truly relaxes you.  It comes in a 250 ml transparent bottle. Other scent available is Ocean, I think. 

This Eyebrow Pencil is a steal at P88.00  As you can see it even has a spoolie on the other end for taming your brows plus an extra refill. The shade of brown is very wearable. 

This is just cuteness, right? You can fill up the adorable manatee- MANATEA (get it?lol) with your loose leaf tea. This super cute tea infuser just like the above items retails for P88.00

This Daiso Japan shop is located at the Lower Ground Floor of the Ayala Malls South Park in Bayanan, Muntinlupa. The newest shopping mall is just along the National Road of the city. If you are familiar with the City from years ago, the Ayala Malls South Park District is where the Nescafe Factory used to be. Decades ago when you pass by this area you can smell the strong aroma of Nescafe Coffee. It surely brings back childhood memories when we used to live just along Bautista Street, a few meters from the new mall.