Category: Hobbies

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Food Secrets

Life Updates | Game Plans + Funny People + Frozen Embutido

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1.

Every year, I make a post about the goals I want to achieve for that year (I call it my game plan). Dun ko rin nilalagay yung naging result nung previous game plan ko. But this year, I decided to keep my 2026 goals private until the end of the year. Since there won’t be a game plan post this year, dito ko na lang ilalagay yung naging outcome nung 2025 goals ko:

2025 RESULTS

  1. Maintain an organized and clean home 😊
  2. Visit PH again, this time for Mama’s 60th birthday 😊
  3. Take one or two C level French classes 👎🏼
  4. Don’t go a 3rd day without working out—or doing yoga at the very least 👎🏼
  5. No sugar Monday 👎🏼
  6. Practice having my last meal at 3 or 4PM 😊
  7. Start building 3 months worth of emergency fund 😊
  8. Invest more than we did last year 😊
  9. Find a remote job 👎🏼

Out of the 9 goals I set, I was able to achieve 5. Okay lang naman kung hindi sya ma-achieve lahat, kaso mas satisfying sana kung na-achieve ko yung numbers 4 and 5.

Note dun sa goal #1: Magkakaiba tayo ng standards ng kalinisan. So pag may pumunta sa bahay namin at nadumihan sila, it’s a them problem 😂

2.

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Books Free Posts Hobbies

The 12 Books I Read in 2025

I was able to achieve this year’s reading goal (yay). Since 2023, my reading goal has been the same: read 12 books in a year. This number feels right to me—it’s not too many, but still personally challenging enough.

Here are the 12 books I read in 2025 (with quickie reviews), starting with the ones I liked the least:

LOWEST RATED

I rated these books 2 to 2.5 stars

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Annoying kid. Mean boy. Bad friend.

Continue reading “The 12 Books I Read in 2025”
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Happy Things Hobbies Life Secrets

Happy Things #29

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Feeling Pro

First time kong makagamit ng stand mixer nung nag-bake ako sa bahay ng friend namin (Hello Aryan and Hudas!) Ang saya pala talaga nyang gamitin! As in konting seconds lang combined na lahat ng ingredients. Walang kapagod-pagod. Sobrang bano ko. Noon, ang tingin ko sa stand mixer ay pang-pro levelzz lang. Napapanood ko lang yun sa mga experienced bakers. Pero nung nakita ko sya sa bahay ng friend namin, at ginamit ko sya pang-bake ng revel bars, napaka-smooth and convenient pala talaga!

Nung una nga na-intimidate pa kong gamitin. Plano ko na talaga na i-mix lang yung dough using a spatula. Pero sa sobrang thick nung mixture, sumuko na ko. Sinubukan ko na yung stand mixer kahit hindi naman ako marunong mag-operate ng ganun. Pero siguro sa dinami-rami ng napanood kong baking videos sa buhay ko, na-figure out ko sya agad. Na-amaze din ako sa sarili ko kasi alam ko kung pano i-tilt yung head, kung pano i-detach yung mixing bowl sa base, kung pano yung pag-push and turn to remove the beater—all in one try. I was practically a natural at it. Meant to be talaga kami! Haha! Kaya naman sa isip-isip ko, “Gusto ko nitoooo!” And that’s what I got for my birthday!!

Hindi ko pa naman birthday pero in-advance ko na hehe. At buti na lang merong 12 months to pay, 0% interest sa Amazon (may kamahalan din baga). Sa sobrang excitement ko, chinat ko si Aryan para i-share ang good news. And her response made me cryyy…

I Love My Friends

This is my second happy thing. Literal na naiyak talaga ko sa reply ni Aryan:

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Art Secrets TV

Life Updates | Stranger Things + 911 + New Favourite App

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1.

We watched Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 at sobrang na-excite ako sa volume 2! Kaso ang tagal i-release. Sa Pasko pa. Pero perfect timing na rin kasi on-call ata si Kenneth ng Christmas at malabo naming magawa ang aming Christmas movie tradition sa cinema, so manonood na lang kami ng Stranger Things kasi para na rin namang movie ang bawat episode.

Yung last Christmas movie namin ay Nosferatu. Para tuloy nagkakaron na ng monster theme ang Christmas movies namin (and I think I like it).

Stranger Things volume 1 spoiler alert:

Nung first time pinakita na na-eexperience ni Will yung POV ng demogorgon, naisip ko na yung possibility na maco-control nya yung mga monsters, at yun nga ang nangyare sa ending ng volume 1! (maybe even controlling Vecna sa season finale??) Sobrang satisfying. Will deserved this moment. After being helpless sa mga naunang seasons, yung tipong sya na lang lagi ang kelangang i-save, now it’s his time to shine! I love this for Will.

The thing I’m dreading is yung mga mamamatay before this final season ends (for sure meron!) Ito yung list ko ng mga characters na hindi ako sobrang magiging heartbroken pag nadedz sila:

  • Nancy
  • Lucas
  • Joyce or Jonathan (dapat may isang matira kasi kawawa naman si Will)
  • Maybe Eleven and Robin??

Habang naghihintay mag-Pasko, sinimulan ko ulit panoorin yung season 1 (I’m now on season 2).

2.

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Journaling Secrets

Thursday Letter #13 | What I Love About Journaling

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Good morning/evening!

I found myself in the mood to update my Hobonichi (my planner-slash-journal that’s more like 10% planner, 90% journal). I filled in the calendar page to reflect our recent California adventures, then, out of curiosity, picked up my 2024 Hobonichi to see what my November looked like last year. Some significant events were:

  • nag-last day ako sa work
  • pinanganak si baby Max (pamangkin ko sa pinsan)
  • took French classes
  • early Christmas party with Winnipeg friends (kasi malapit na kaming mag-move to Calgary)
  • watched Wicked with Trix

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Books Food Nutrition Secrets

Life Updates | Social Media Detox (Again) + Baked Goods + Disappointing Author

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1.

Deleted my social media apps (except Threads). I just said goodbye to TikTok and *with a conflicted heart* Instagram. Where am I gonna find my recipes? Where am I gonna share my cooking and baking and our cute kitties? But my willpower prevailed, and I’m going to try and stick with it for as long as I can.

I don’t think an explanation is needed for this move because, at various points in our life, all of us wanted to take a real break from these apps. And last week, I had the guts to go cold turkey and just live a quieter life. I’ll get my recipes somewhere else and I’ll still be able to share stuff here.

2.

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Food Secrets Wellness

The Menace Bulletin No. 2

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Welcome to The Menace Bulletin! It’s where you’ll find a curated collection of little discoveries, interesting tidbits, and all sorts of odd curiosities.

THE GOODS

Cool people and things I stumbled upon.

Micro library

I discovered this last July nung maganda pa ang weather at araw-araw pa kong naglalakad. Lumihis ako sa usual walking route ko at nakita ko ‘tong maliit na building. Nung mas nakalapit pa ko, library pala sya!

Parang greenhouse pero mga libro ang laman

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Books Journaling Life Secrets Today's Log

Today’s Log #23 | Perfect Day na Sana

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Books Secrets TV

Life Updates | New K-Drama + Skincare Update + Dreading Winter

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1.

It took me more than a year, but I finally finished The Graveyard Book. When I started reading it, I stopped at 20%, paused for 15 months, picked it up again, then finished it in a week.

Every time I read a Neil Gaiman book, my initial reaction is always, “I don’t get this. This is out of my league.” But I learned that if I just keep going and let myself enter his mysterious world, I would eventually be enchanted by it. I have to keep this in mind whenever I start one of his books again.

I currently have 38 books on my ‘currently reading’ list and maybe that’s just how it is. Maybe each book has its own time and place (The Graveyard Book was gifted to me by my sister last Christmas of 2020!) and I’ll pick them up again when the timing feels right.

2.

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Journaling Secrets

Thursday Letter #11 | Planner Season

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Love my new office space 😍

In the journaling and planner community, September is known as ‘planner season’. It’s when notebook brands start rolling out their new lineups for the coming year. Two of the popular ones I always look forward to are Hobonichi and Traveler’s Company (both Japanese companies).

It’s kind of like when Apple announces the new iPhone each year. I know I’m not going to buy every release, but I’m invested in seeing what’s new. It’s the same with these two big brands. It’s just so fun to browse the new cover designs and themes for 2026, and also temptingly look at all their planner offerings in different layouts and sizes. But in my heart, I already know the single thing I’m going to get. I know that I’ll be sticking with the same planner I’ve been using these last two years: the simple and uncomplicated Hobonichi Day-Free in A6 size.

But alas, I was wrong.

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