Transferring and editing of previous blog posts is ongoing. I’m behind 10 years but I’ll finish it. In the meantime, you may still navigate through the mess.
IKEA, for real
“Meatballs to die for”, “best meatballs I ever had”, and “I’d line up for hours for IKEA’s meatballs” are just a few of so many testimonials I have read since the biggest IKEA opened here in the Philippines. So off we go for the second time to IKEA. Take note, second time.
If there’s something the three of us could be proud of is the very fact that we are probably the first customers to set foot at IKEA Philippines . Yes, July 2018 we were there, absentmindedly, immediately after I read in the papers about the Swedish brand opening in our country just to later realize I missed the part where it’s building was just being constructed. That booboo felt like sitting on an IKEA stool with one leg completed. Proud but embarrassed about the experience.
Yesterday we finally made it for real. We made it inside IKEA’s famous restaurant and eagerly lined up for the meatballs—actually skipped a long one because we got ushered to the priority lane for kids, seniors, and PWD. Wifey also got us spring rolls, baked salmon, carrot cake, and chocolate cake. On my count most customers did have Swedish meatballs on their trays.
So was the meatballs worth the two-hour trip? Hate to disappoint but personally it wasn’t. I have tasted better meatballs and wifey can even do a much tastier version. And take my word, skip the baked salmon too—its sauce was bland. I liked the spring rolls and the cakes a lot better. Coffee was strong and it’s free refill so it made up for the meatballs.
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IKEA was crowded on a Saturday. It’s like Baclaran with overwhelming pricey stuff. I feel like everyone was there just because everyone was there. If ain’t for the masks, it was as if COVID-19 never ever happened.
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Last time I drove up the Skyway going to the airport was January 2020 before the pandemic and I was on my trip to Kansas. I was back a week after and by then was driving back late at night with me anxiously wanting to reach home because Taal erupted. And yesterday by coincidence, just before we left home for IKEA we received an alert from NDRRMC about Taal erupting and being on level 3 again. As of this writing we haven’t gotten any SMS alerts except one at 4 AM. Since then it’s been calm at least from where we are at.
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In the midst of the pandemic this current administration continues its Build Build Build initiatives and among of which is the Skyway extension that starts just before Alabang. Yesterday we passed there on our way to IKEA and it did cut travel time by almost 30 minutes to an hour. Going back was likewise a breeze because this time we skipped the congested SLEX and exited past Alabang. Isn’t it good to see where our taxes go—well, at least some of it.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Long weekend)
Masked Mall Rats
Things seem to start going back to normal. Thanks to the ongoing vaccination program, COVID-19 cases have significantly gone down, at least what the government statistics say. (But hey, props to them. Give credit to whom credit is due.) So in the past weeks we’ve been seeing traffic volume building up—not that we’re happy about it. Businesses are opening again one after the other. And people flock to the malls once more. Us included.
Two weeks after Marcus finally got his second COVID-19 vaccine we packed ourselves in the car and headed to the destination we once frequent before the pandemic hit. With a wee bit of anxiety, we set foot on Festival Mall’s ground, almost two years after. All three of us in the mall just like the good old days.
The mall no longer requires contact tracing forms to be completed upon entry but restaurants maintain their own policy for precautions. Yellow Cab for one allows only fully vaccinated customers to dine in— the cashier did check our vaccination cards. Activities inside the mall are close to pre-pandemic days with difference of masked mall rats and the ubiquitous social distancing signages. We agree it’s an inconvenience but this is the new norm so let’s deal with it.
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What makes yesterday more special? Taylor Swift’s birthday! Among the things we did in common at home during the quarantine period—and continues to this day—is karaoke with Marcus on weekends. Early days during start of social distancing and isolation Marcus grew fond of singing and big chunk of his repertoire are Taylor’s songs—then some BTS and couple of rock, to indulge wifey and me, respectively. He’s still working on the tunes but it’s been fun all the time. I even learned—or forced myself—to dance while he sings. Good way to burn midnight snack.
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Except for Saturday, two days this long weekend we skipped the karaoke. Sunday was finale of the F1 2021 season where we saw ourselves screaming especially when Max Verstappen stopped the championship streak of Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi race. It’s been a long while since F1 was this exciting. Actually both drivers deserve the title but this time we were rooting for Max who is now the first ever Dutch F1 driver champion.
Then last night, coming from the mall and powdered by Starbucks Americano I found myself glued watching Taylor Swift’s Fearless video on Blu Ray. Interestingly, we realized that Blu Ray is a technology that is no longer supported even by major appliances stores but thankfully Xbox still plays it.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Cold kettlebell workout)
Wistful and happy
If your 2021 were a playlist what would it sound like? Mine would be wistful and happy. At least, according to the data collected by Spotify about my music choices which by the way I discovered from Marcus yesterday. Apparently, Spotify had been tracking my favorite songs and genres since day one of 2021–without my consent or maybe I just missed the fine prints.
Spotify captured that I have spent 93,000 plus minutes (and counting) since January this year or an average of 282 minutes per day listening to music on their streaming service alone. It also recorded that close to 3,000 artists have played on my phone during this same period and interestingly, Spotify Wrapped shows that while I have explored other genres like Chill pop, hardcore rap, and even Taylor Swift’s, and yes, BTS’ songs too, New Wave continues to be my top genre. Age alert.
So if you have been stuck fiddling from one playlists to another on your Spotify, check out that icon that shows Spotify Wrapped and learn what Spotify had been spying about you and your music. See if like me you’ve been listening to wistful and happy music. Take note, guilty pleasure songs you’ve repeatedly played in your car while driving alone are there but thankfully, Spotify doesn’t record moments we sang out of tune. Well, not yet.
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Mood: 1/10 Honks! (All three of us are now fully vaccinated.)
I Survived November
Ever had those days when paranoia sets in because the series of events do not make sense? That was November for me, my stuffs were breaking one a time like I was cursed. And oddly enough , after I posted about my streak of bad luck, a couple more were added on the list of things I broke clearly unintentionally.
Following my Apple Watch was my AfterShokz Titanium headset. It just snapped while I was cleaning it after my 5K. Then last Monday my work desktop just stopped leaving me unproductive almost majority of the day. And that wasn’t the worst part but it was the thought that I would need to report to work the next day—which means I would be driving. I was thinking Final Destination scenario.
I made it back home the next day despite having to stay up all night at work to conduct an 8-hour training—my first time to talk nonstop for almost the entire shift.
Wednesday was next, Thursday, and finally Friday. Then the final weekend when I had an uneventful drive to my 2nd COVID-19 vaccination, then the 29th, and then the 30th. Yes, I was counting the days until November will be over.
So last night I can’t recall being more than excited to see the calendar show December 1 finally. It was a holiday and I spent more time playing The Hunter with Marcus while keeping to myself that I’m on the the lookout if I’d break something—maybe a glass, my Xbox controller, the door knob even. But nothing happened. I stepped out of Marcus’ room two hours past midnight. November’s over and I survived it. Whew. That night, Jim Bean and Netflix never felt that good.
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I had my progressive glasses fixed which only required frame replacement. I paid for a cheaper one this time just in case I break it again. Knock on wood.
An accessory I found on Lazada also gave my Apple Watch a new lease on life. I paid only P141 including shipping from China. I regret discovering it late but at least it now covers the crack and makes the watch look like brand new.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (So this is how it feels to be 48.)
Murphy, Give me a break
“When it rains your poor” a friend once jokingly said about his equivalent of the more popular “when it rains, it pours.” But while that’s funny, come to think of it, his version actually makes sense. Case in point, this month—of all months.
I don’t consider myself careless nor clumsy so breaking things aren’t normal for me especially if in succession. However, it looks like sh*t does happen because it’s just past half of the month and I start to feel I have reverse Midas touch.
First to go was my 8-year old Starbucks steel spill-proof coffee tumbler. It was a gift from my wife which was my companion during countless sleepy drives. It was even with me on my trip to cold Kansas. All that considered I’m keeping it, sealing the flip top for good and using the tumbler to keep my drinks warm and crossing my fingers I don’t spill coffee on my desktop while using it. (I’m not clumsy, I’m not clumsy, I’m not clumsy…)
Then there’s my treadmill’s cup holder. I’ve had so much trust about the Nordictrack S20’s durability that I have been slamming my drinking bottles and aerosol cleanser until I noticed recently the cup holder’s screw mount broke off behind the control panel. Like my Starbucks tumbler Mighty bond also did the trick but I’m more gentle this time and paying attention how I place my running bottles while at the same time checking my cadence, my pulse, and if I’m about to pass out or not.
My progressive glasses was next victim. Didn’t sit on it but I did something foolish. I’m still able to use it at work, thanks to work at home, but I’d look stupid if I wear it in the office with half of its temple broken. I now feel like I’m wearing a monocle. By the way, Hitler wore a monocle, FYI.
But Murphy’s law isn’t done yet and this time it targeted our car’s battery. Discovered it fully drained just this past weekend when I was about to go out for a drive to pick up the Conti’s choco overload cake Marcus requested to celebrate his 13th year. It pays to have an in-law with a spare car.
Then there would be another. Last but not the least because obviously this one is the most expensive. How about breaking an Apple Watch? This one really sucks because I just had it this year as a gift. What makes it worse seeing it drop and break is that it occurred just when I’m starting to enjoy the convenience of wearing it while running as it streams music directly from Spotify. I think I can still use it but the crack on the screen will likely take in water so I have to be extra careful I don’t drop sweat on it. (May be too late but I found out that there’s a bezel being sold online that I could attach to protect the screen. Bought one anyhow in an attempt to save this watch.)
Quite a list already on my birth month, right? I’m never superstitious but I can’t help thinking a knock on wood wouldn’t hurt. Or maybe staying indoors until end of the month a better option? Common Murphy, give me a break. No pun intended.
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Mood: 5/10 honks! (Fingers crossed not to break more things)
The Great Outdoors
Not everything on Netflix are created equal. And not all that involve guns are excessively violent movies or series. Like Meat Eater. I’ve seen this on my profile long time ago but never really opened nor previewed it just because its cover hints it‘s about hunting. Yup, I’m one of those “hypocrites “ who eat meat but loathe the sight of animals getting slaughtered or killed and our son Marcus shares the same sentiment. But it was a thing of the past we discovered just recently.
Several weeks back over dinner my wife randomly picked Steven Rinella’s series but was quietly observing Marcus’ reaction knowing that he would easily cry over shrimps being cooked for food. I myself was waiting for his protest, gladly willing to stop and find another film to watch. Minutes past but there was nothing from Marcus. He was watching the show.
We finished our first episode of Meat Eater and even watched a couple more. Everyone in the house was surprisingly hooked on a hunting show and in fact we are now on its second season.
Meat Eater breaks the bad reputation about hunting. It’s more educational than violent but be warned it shows animals getting shot, skinned, and butchered. Yes, there’s blood too. Despite all the seemingly gory details, what makes Meat Eater a must watch is it tells us that there’s more to hunting than just killing animals. Legal hunting entails discipline, patience, respect for nature, and even acceptance that bad days happen—when all our best efforts yield nothing.
As much as we’d like to, we do not have plans to purchase guns or hunting clothes yet—probably won’t happen in our lifetime—but thanks to XBox Marcus found a free hunting games through his game pass. The Hunter: Call of the Wild is as close as we can get to real life adventure. The game has impressive graphics of the great outdoors and its challenges are similar to what Steven Rinella encounters on Netflix’s Meat Eater. The Hunter Call of the Wild is so random and unpredictable that I’ve had days when I haven’t seen or shot an animal yet still enjoy playing it. (FYI, I got attacked by a wild boar yesterday. I plan to track him one of these days after shift.)
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Well, Marcus went outdoors for the first just couple months short before being inside the house for two years since COVID-19. Just this weekend he finally got scheduled for his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It was administered at the office during the dependents vaccination program. I learned ours was the first site of the company to have vaccination for minors.
Marcus received Moderna vaccine. We didn’t expect that it would happen so soon because of his condition but thankfully his doctor who knows about his Duchenne Muscle Dystrophy was kind enough to send medical clearance online. It’s been three days since he got injected and so far only complaint from him was some hint of dizziness before bedtime plus some soreness on his left arm. Thank God he responded well to the vaccine.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Hot Monday afternoon)
Clocking in, clocking out
Clock starts now. It was almost a month ago when I stopped posting on Facebook. Cold turkey. No hints, no drama. I feel like it was the most appropriate thing to do. While leaving just like them also seems like apathy, during the times when friends need consoling, need uplifting, or some needing validation, I just woke up one morning saying “no more.”
The last weeks with Facebook was dreary. Couple of friends or friends posting about people they personally knew either dead or dying of COVID-19 was creeping in on me as well. I have extended help to some in my own little ways but there would be more coming in on my timeline. Different persons.
Then there’s that guilty feeling after realizing that I could actually do more. Last post I had was me testing my MIG welding machine. An innocent post but when I scrolled down there were others once again telling stories, asking assistance. And I just spent P6K for an item I would eventually store. An amount that could‘be been used for someone else’s medication.
So yesterday after reading in the news about some ex-FB employee squealing about privacy issues being left unaddressed I decided that it was a good reason to deactivate. So I did and it feels good. Now I have more time to put to good use. Like writing again. Clock stops.
Twenty minutes for this post. Need to practice once more. If procrastination doesn’t strike.
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Mood: 1/10 Honks! (I’m an ex-FB prisoner and now I’m free)
Fiber: Faster, Bitter
Things happened fast at home when we heard that Fox Sports is leaving Asia. No more UFC, no more Monster Jam, and sadly, no more Formula One. We didn’t care if Disney goes along with it, we’re not into Mickey Mouse anymore. Losing Formula One was compelling reason for the change to come.
Barely a week after the news we found ourselves dealing with PLDT to get fiber connection. The installation (the PLDT agent making rounds in our area at that time was like heaven sent) was fast that at some point we both had PLDT and our local service provider, Galaxy Cable, all at the same time running at home. We just kept the latter until Fox Sports’ final live broadcast of the Formula One race in Sochi.
Race day on Sunday, September 24, 2021, was bittersweet. Vettel had a strong performance as he was able to recover from his engine swap penalty and finished 2nd next to Lewis Hamilton who on that day achieved his 100th Formula One win. We are no (longer) Hamilton’s big fans but we concede that he earned it. We realize that it would take years, probably not even in our lifetime, before someone beats Hamilton’s record. Love it or hate it. We witnessed our generation‘s own Fangio.
The sight of the Asian Fox Sports hosts and staff saying goodbye was heartbreaking too. And as one thing leads to another. there’s that separation anxiety that followed on Monday when I completed the de-installation of our local ISP’s router and cable TV boxes—five years with them wasn’t easy to let go but that’s life, we move on. Our dependency to PLDT fiber starts.
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PLDT’s fiber speed was fast. Way too fast than Galaxy Cable’s analog plan. No contest. Well, only while the connection works.
After being so elated that our Speedtest results show past 300 Mbps for both download and upload, the router’s LOS red light appeared. What sucks was it was just less than half a day since the installation crew left. Resolution dragged for six full days and guess what caused it? Loose connection because, just as I suspect, some service crew who were also working that day must have touched our line. Imagine if we didn’t have Galaxy Cable’s subscription as back-up back then.
That wouldn’t be the last experience with a disconnected line though. Just this week it happened again and it helped that this time we learned from the recent experience so we had wifey’s phone installed with a Smart Telecom’s SIM which now makes us call PLDT‘a hotline for free anytime. We kept our fingers crossed because the last time we received an advisory that someone would pay us a visit in 24 hours actually extended up to six days. Thursday morning I accepted the possibility and had my mind set to work in the office in the succeeding days.
Having already unsubscribed from our local ISP, we had an unproductive Wednesday night. Marcus can’t play online, while wifey and I can’t connect to work either. Globe’s cellular data sucks as it only allowed me to check on my work-from-home team through Teams chat. Using our bandwidth-demanding tools was out of the question.
It was the night we re-discovered UHF TV. I realized we have a digital up our roof and all we need to do is connect our TVs to it and watch the channels available. Best we had that night was a basketball feed because GMA channels do not have any appeal—for the record, I will avoid watching any of it if I can avoid it. I can’t recall the last time I spent time watching a basketball game but that unholy hour WE were all glued to it. And to think it was women’s basketball in which China overwhelmed our country’s Gilas team. Loss of internet was interesting, isn’t it?
Thankfully, close to noontime the next day helped arrived and the guy fixed it fast, like less than 10 minutes. FYI, second person we permitted to set foot inside the house since the pandemic in 2020 and just like the first crew, Lysol was sprayed all over Theo trail. Blame COVID-19 for my strange behavior.
So what was the cause this time? I figured that PLDT disconnected our connection automatically when I tried to access the router’s super admin setting in an attempt to open the NAT type and enable all the LAN ports. Following an instructional YouTube video, I briefly accessed the router’s UPnP and LAN Bridging menus when the ping stopped responding. I’ve done this in the past on several routers but this is the first time it happened. Soon I learned from PLDT’s customer rep that these now require request and waiver to enable the features. Shame but if it’s what works then I concede and will follow the process unless I want another extra night off from work. Kidding.
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My number one blog fan—nobody else but the only female in the house—asked me to post soon so I thought that my lull time at the vaccination center yesterday would be best spent posting one. But the transfers from one classroom to another at STA Santo Tomas was distracting plus the fact that I’m surrounded by people who would wonder who writes long text on phones nowadays. So I quit and saved draft.
And today, 24 hours after my first dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine I start to feel a nagging headache so running is not an option and finishing this post comes next while tuned to CNN Philippines which we realized is also available on UHF TV.
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Mood: 4/10 Honks! (Can’t run)
Lobster trip
A couple of days ago my wife and I were having lunch of chicken liver and gizzard adobo when we talked about trying new menu for a change. A thought out of having to eat same thing over and over again, not being able to dine out together since this pandemic hit.
What about lobster? “Nah, that likely tastes like regular crab,” I answered her suggestion. But I listed lobster anyhow among my next to-buy list on my next trip. I already had on my OneNote Cubi wafers, peanut butter, and CoQ10–all items for Marcus. Yes, just three.
This morning that trip happened. I left early wanting to beat the crowd especially now that variants of COVID-19 have started to spread. I arrived at S&R 30 minutes before it opens.
I tried to stick to what I had on my list but just like any trip to this membership shopping, I grabbed stuff from here and there though I made sure I’m still within budget if I find a lobster.
Few minutes at the frozen section didn’t yield any lobster so I looked for an alternative. Maybe a king crab. Yes, a king crab like those from Discovery’s Deadliest Catch. And I found one. Eureka! But what’s the price tag? P3,999 for about 4-5 claws. Shoot. Ended grabbing sushis for lunch. Maybe next time I’d find a lobster or could already afford eating a king crab.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Few minutes before Marcus starts his weekend videoke)
Boxing Days Are Here
I hate to admit it but running starts to become too much of a routine. More often lately it feels more like an obligation than a stress reliever that I started to cut my running days and participated less in free running challenges recently. The mileages I used to monitor closely after each run don’t seem to give that much satisfaction anymore and the body weight workouts I used to enjoy have been set aside more often and it doesn’t feel right. I realize a balance must be set.
Few days ago I deleted my Adidas Runtastic app and started to review my favorite workouts before the treadmill came. As I look at my faded cheat sheet that I pinned on my bedroom door I even had to figure out how some of it are done. Windshield wipers, pistol squats, and atomic crunch for a sec sounded foreign. That long since I stuck to my body weight workout plan. Don’t get me wrong, running isn’t a real bore but as they say “too much of a good thing is bad.” I need to mix things up. (FYI, I still have my Garmin Connect, Apple Fitness, Pinoy Fitness, and Strava apps. Runtastic was just something that’s not user friendly and maybe was the trigger I ended stressed out after running.)
After long consideration, and amid anxiousness of making an impression that purchasing a pricey treadmill was a bad idea, I finally decided I could use another workout though one that involves an additional equipment in my already crowded space at home. So yesterday—lo and behold, wifey like it or not (hehe)—the 2nd heaviest sports item I bought online arrived. I now have a 20-kg punching bag.
The last time I remember boxing was way back when I was very young. Young like early elementary days young. Back then local amateur boxing was famous in our place so my parents hang a sack filled with sand in my father’s workshop. I had boxing gloves and I even sparred with some neighbors of my age. I didn’t have the chance to compete locally but I think I boxed better before than when I grew older. I had martial arts lessons in college and from my previous job but I feel I was more of a better kicker than a puncher which is why I don’t really hit the bags in the gyms and not even shadow box when there are people around because I think I have an awkward boxing form.
But things could change soon now that I have a punching bag hanging at home, ready to be hit anytime. I’m excited to box and with the constant stress and the regular feeling to hit some people in the face, I don’t think I’d have a hard time finding motivation. Kidding.
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Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Extra day off and sleepy weather.)
Marcus Can Blog 