Down the Rabbit Hole

On one of my most recent medical check-ups, my healthcare provider noticed I was getting heavier over time (my BMI isn't what it should be). She said that if we don't start losing weight soon, we'd probably consider taking medications to prevent developing hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and other chronic lifestyle-linked conditions. I had reduced my double chocolate frappuccino intake to once or twice a month, but I need to increase my physical activity to help burn fat and build muscle. Thus, I currently take (almost) daily walks during my lunch break and plunged into heart rate zone training and reformer pilates over the weekend.  Heart rate zone training I must increase my heart rate to at least 120 bpm while working out to burn calories. Orangetheory monitors participants' heart rates in each class (through a heart rate monitor on each participant), so this was a good starting point for my weight loss. Each participant rotates among two of three sta...

A visit to Orlando , Florida, is incomplete without an airboat ride experience on the Everglades (I've been reading National Geographic stories about the Everglades since I was a child). Thus, I included a Wild Willy's Airboat Tour of Lake Tohopekaliga. Besides, Donan likes seeing animals. He thoroughly enjoyed the safari adventure in Animal Kingdom, so why not add some gator sightings to his memory bank? The Everglades The Everglades is a flooded grassland in Florida. It begins near Orlando (lucky us!). Water flows south from Lake Tohopekaliga to Lake Okeechobee (the largest freshwater lake in Florida) through the  Kissimmee  River. From there, the water flows south until it exits at Florida Bay. The Everglades is notable for its extensive sawgrass ( Cladium  sp.) growth. It is also home to mangrove forests, pine forests,  cypress  swamps, and other tropical trees. The variety of flora in these ever-flowing waters creates diverse environments that various anima...

Since I was exposed to Filipino gastronomy movements , I have visited Filipino-owned restaurants featuring Filipino cuisine in each city I explore. This hobby led me to insist upon dining at Kaya in Orlando, Florida , during my family's trip there in December 2024. Although I had difficulty finding time for our Kaya dinner, there was availability for our group on our last night in the city! (Kaya's signpost by the sidewalk. ) We went to Kaya straight after our gator adventure in Lake Tohopekaliga and arcade time at WonderWorks. The restaurant's façade was a welcome sight: a parol with twinkling fairy lights, kids playing street games in the parking lot, and a party in the front yard. The scene was the closest I could get to a fiesta in the Philippines. It was good that we had snacks before travelling to Kaya because the wait was long! Chef Lo Lalicon and General Manager Jamilyn Salonga Bailey brought over salabat to ensure we were warm and cozy while waiting for our tab...

When I first visited Orlando, FL (in 2005), Kuya Rendo  and Ate Lori drove me around the tourist spots in their home city. I noticed an upside-down building; it was as if a tornado pulled it out and then dropped it with the roof on the ground where it now stands. It has intrigued me since then; when we had some free time between the airboat ride and the dinner at Kaya , I checked in with my parents, my sister, and my aunt to see if they wanted to see it. They all said yes, and so we drove to WonderWorks. (Façade of WonderWorks. The rest of the family was not in the photo because I was taking the picture while Daddy was making sure Donan wasn't too close to the road.) WonderWorks is where we can let our imaginations run wild (the company's motto). It is divided into zones crammed with hands-on exhibits. It was sensory overload. Extreme Weather Zone Anna and I were blown away by the 74-mph wind in the hurricane simulator.  As if that wasn't chilly enough, we dunked our hand...

I was with Kuya Rendo and Ate Lorie during my first visit to the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Twenty-four years later, I was excited to see how Donan would react when he saw the life-size versions of the rockets and spaceships that brought men to the Moon and back. Mommy, Daddy, Ninang Trining, and Anna were with us, too; this made this visit even more fun. During this adventure, I drove our rental minivan, so I didn't take as many pictures as I would've loved. It was a 61-mi trip from Orlando. The day was sunny, allowing us to enjoy the view on the way. We went through wetlands before reaching Merritt Island. It felt like the road was going on forever until we saw the welcome signage of the KSC Visitor Centre. Donan was so excited! The bus tour brought us close to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). When I was there in 2005, this building housed the space shuttle. 2005's STS-114 was dubbed the "return to flight" mission after the Colum...

(screenshot from  https://www.restaurantmaligne.com/ ) Anna and I have always looked for opportunities to eat delicious food. During our most recent trip to Monterey , our research led us to Maligne, a restaurant in Seaside, CA. The restaurant is located at the corner of Broadway Ave and Hillsdale St. We were expecting Danville or Walnut Creek vibes (e.g., brightly lit streets with a bustling restaurant scene). Instead, we drove into a quiet city where the shops were closed when we arrived. The corner street lamp highlighted Maligne's minimalist (or brutalist) concrete façade (it was hard to tell; I'm not an architecture expert).  Maligne is small, with about 10 to 12 tables (if I remember correctly). The distance from the door to the open kitchen and the dining area was so short that I felt awkward standing there, not wanting to seem like I was ogling at people eating their dinner while waiting an hour for my family's table to get ready. To me, the wait meant that this res...