• Fitness Update: My 6-Month Progress

    You have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍

    Ngayong meron na kong increased confidence sa sarili ko na kaya kong maging consistent sa aking healthier habits, gusto ko nang magkwento pano nagsimula. Kasi diba, sabi nila kapag meron ka raw gustong i-attempt gawin at nakwento mo na agad sa mga tao sa sobrang excitement mo, bigla na lang mawawala yung drive? Kasi raw yung act of sharing it, it gives our brains a fake sense of accomplishment kahit wala pa naman talagang concrete results. Kaya kahit sobrang excited ko 6 months ago (5.5 months ago to be exact), I restrained myself from sharing my tiny accomplishments and my progress. Parang nung simula, sabi ko lang basta I’m proud of myself at ayokong ma-jinx. Tipid lang akong magkwento. Hanggang unti-unti, mas nakakapag-share na ko kasi how can I not share eh nagiging parte na sya ng araw-araw ko.

    Sobrang dami ko nang failed attempts dati, pero kung bibigyan ko ang sarili ko ng konting credit, over the years, meron namang nag-improve:

    • nabawasan na ang pagka-sweet tooth ko
    • i started eating vegetables na ayaw ko dati (eggplant, ampalaya, onions—pero ayoko talaga ng okra)
    • rare na kaming kumain ng processed meats (samantalang dati hindi pwedeng walang bacon at tocino sa ref)
    • i got interested in vegetarian dishes and discovered na masarap din pala
    • my beverage of choice has always been water

    Pero alam kong hindi enough kasi palaki pa rin ako ng palaki, kaya yung mga damit ko, pasikip ng pasikip. Kahit ang dami ko nang nabasa at narinig na advice about being healthier, tamang alam ko lang sya sa utak ko, pero kulang ako sa application. Ang impression ko kasi dun sa mga advice na yun, parang ang restrictive. Ang strict. Ang OA. Ang boring. Hindi pa ko nagsisimula, ang negative na agad ng outlook ko. Kaya more often than not, ang nangyayari ay either hindi ko sisimulan, o kung simulan ko man, hanggang simula lang. Until…

    Subscribe to continue reading

    Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

    , ,

  • Monthly Expenses in Calgary: The Dollar Breakdown

    Last week, I shared how I manage the finances for our two-person, three-cat household. Now for the fun part: the actual breakdown!

    Cha-ching!

    Where the money goes

    Our expenses change from month to month so I’ll give ranges instead of exact figures.

    (more…)
    ,

  • 😊 Happy Things #37

    You have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍

    New comfort show

    Kenneth discovered a new Netflix show called Ghosts. Naririnig ko lang sya sa background kasi parang filler show lang sya ni Kenneth pag hindi kami sabay manood. But I catch myself laughing when I hear random snippets, so one time, sinamahan ko na syang manood. Ang fun pala! Kaya humabol ako (I binge watched the whole first season kasi nasa season 2 na sya) and ngayon sabay na kaming nanonood.

    Yay, may new evening show na kami (kakatapos lang namin sa aming former evening show—Crash Landing on You). Last night’s episode was especially funny. At ang masaya pa, they’re on their 6th season! Matagal pa bago kami maubusan ng episodes hihi. I’m so happy I have a new comfort show! I just know that once we’re finished with all the seasons, I’ll rewatch this just like how I occasionally rewatch The Office and Modern Family.

    Price alert

    Subscribe to continue reading

    Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

    , ,

  • Monthly Expenses in Calgary: Our Money System

    Knowing about someone else’s budgeting system is something that interests me a lot. I like that more and more people are sharing how they handle their finances (I get my fill on YouTube). It’s super interesting to learn kung ano yung pinag-iipunan nila, what they splurge on, their money rules, or what they refuse to give up kahit tag-tipid. Kung favourite hobby nyo rin ang maki-chismis sa money habits ng iba, this post is another one of those that will hopefully satisfy that curiosity.

    😭

    My money system

    I wouldn’t be able to share our monthly expenses if I didn’t have a system in place. As the CFO of our household, this is how I do it:

    (more…)
    ,

  • Highschool and Lyrics

    You have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍

    Bigla kong naalala yung mga kanta na sinulat ko nung highschool. Yung feeling na akala mo sobrang laki at bigat ng problema mo (pero yun pala hindi ka lang crush ng crush mo) kaya mapapa-compose ka na lang ng kanta. Siguro yung iba poems, pero sakin kanta. Parang nakakatulong kasi yung melody para ma-express yung emotions ko. Ang galing na tanda ko pa yung mga lyrics at melody haha!

    * Kakanta nga pala ko sa blog post na ‘to kaya pagpasensyahan nyo na.

    Hindi ko na maalala kung para kanina ‘to:

    tomorrow
    another day
    another pain
    another disgusting day
    i’m thinking
    of you again

    * eto na, ehem ehem *

    Subscribe to continue reading

    Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

    , , ,

  • 🌤️ Life Updates: Back to Journaling + Anong Problema? + Maybe Share

    You have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍

    1.

    Since our hiking season is officially over (I learned that some people enjoy hiking during the winter, but I don’t think it’s for me), I finally came back to my commonplace notes that I neglected since April. I started catching up on my backlogs, and I enjoyed revisiting the quotes and passages that struck me a few months ago. One of them is this:

    For me, the artist’s job is to encourage us. Stimulate us. To pay attention to things we might otherwise take for granted. Because so much of life is what you might just walk by and not even give it any thought.

    — Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Diary of a CEO: “The Harsh Truth About Horoscopes”

    At dahil hindi na guest room ang aking home office, ang saya na ulit mag-journal! I miss writing here and being surrounded by my notebooks and books and crybabies.

    Love this wooden organizer from IKEA

    2.

    Subscribe to continue reading

    Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

  • 💸 Q3 Expenses | Same, Same

    You have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍

    When comparing this Q3 expense pie chart from Q2, halos pareho lang sila. It makes sense kasi kakaalis lang ng family ni Kenneth nung first week of September kaya hindi pa kami fully nakakabawi. I’m excited for Q4 kasi magkakaron ng significant changes lalo na sa ‘transport’ category—matatapos na ang car loan namin! Yehey, sa wakas!

    Excited na kong lumiit yung percentage ng ‘transport’ sa pie chart. Pero kung matutuloy ang pagbili ng smartwatch namin sa December, hindi lang siguro 4.5% ang aabutin ng ‘shopping’ category. We’ll see! Pero sobrang excited na talaga kong magkaron ng bagong Apple Watch hihi. Same with Kenneth, excited na rin syang magkaron ng Garmin. We’ll see, we’ll see!

    Btw, look at the ‘hobbies’ category! Nagpaparamdam sya this quarter. Sineryoso namin masyado yung hiking this summer kaya ang dami naming pinagbibili. But it’s worth it! Ang saya mag-hike!

    EXPENSE BREAKDOWN

    I’ve highlighted the highest and lowest expense for each month:

    Subscribe to continue reading

    Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

    , , ,

  • 🗓️ September Recap

    After all the activities of the past few months, parang September yung naging pahinga. This month feels lighter and refreshing. However, ito rin yung month na nagsisimula nang magparamdam ang winter. Nagsisimula nang lumamig. Kahit nakakalungkot kasi that means less outdoor activities, I think taking a break from our physically demanding hikes will be good for our aging bodies. Hibernation mode muna. It’s time to bring back the spotlight to my indoor hobbies, like reading and cross-stitching.

    SEPTEMBER DIGEST

    * links in bold are paid posts

    • A long rant on the first day of the month 😅
    • This list of Life Updates is one of my favourites this year. Lots of good things!
    • I talked about the new series I’m so obsessed about in Happy Things! So obsessed that I’m planning to do a rewatch soon. I also shared a sweet moment and my new planners.
    • A new blog series! It’s called Trail Diaries (they’re free), and it serves as a little time capsule for each of our hikes. Since every trail is unique and special and holds its own memories, I’m so eager to capture these mini adventures.

      I’ve already written two! Start here if you want something that’s heart-pounding, and this if you want to see some winter wonderland Christmas vibes.
    • Two Thursday Letters this month! In the first one, I talked about my attempt at minimalism. And in the second, it’s all about my wish list and consumerism 😂

    THANK YOU (!!!) for reading! 🩶

    ,

  • 🍃 Trail Diaries: Larch Valley

    Another memorable hike! Sa sobrang excited kong chumika sa inyo, I spent almost all day trying to finish this post. Muntik na kong mag-skip ng workout after 25 days of being consistent. Sumakit din yung ulo ko, siguro dahil ang tagal kong nakatingin sa screen pagsusulat.

    September 26, 2026

    This hike didn’t turn out exactly how I expected it to be—but in a good way. Legow!

    (more…)
    , , ,

  • 💌 Thursday Letter #24: Wish Lists

    You have full access to this post because you’re a paid subscriber. Thank you! 🤍

    I quoted Steve Jobs sa previous Thursday Letter ko, at ngayon, may contribution sya ulit. Simula kasi nung naglabas sila ng new Apple products two weeks ago, all I can think about is getting the new Apple Watch series 12! Kung makikita nyo yung YouTube history ko, puro reviews ng new Apple Watch haha. Ang tagal ko nang gustong palitan yung Apple Watch ko (a series 5, 2019 model), and I feel like ito na yung perfect year to do it dahil sobrang active ko na. This is my reward! Haha. Pero inaantay kong magka-work muna ako kasi ang mahallll. Or pwede rin namang sa birthday ko? I’m willing to wait until December hehe.

    Subscribe to continue reading

    Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.

    , ,