Down the Rabbit Hole

I've been attending barre classes at Open Barre Fitness Studio in Walnut Creek since I entered my second trimester. Because I've been enjoying the classes a lot, I thought I should share my experiences with my family.  Anna tried it out once with me but decided that isn't for her. Joycelyn said something along those lines too (she had tried it in Martinez and prefers other gym workout regimens). Kuya Allan, on the other hand, got interested when I told him that barre might help him with his leg pain (he gained a lot of weight over the last few months, based on his appearance; he just wouldn't step on a weighing scale). But on the day he was supposed to go with me, he ended up waiting for me in the studio's parking lot. Ate Maddie had tried barre as well, in a different studio, and also preferred other exercise programs. So when I talked about barre with Ninang Trining and Tita Tessie, my two aunts who are doing yoga, they both opted to join me in class. The...

This is Val and my first Christmas as husband and wife and we celebrated it with the rest of the family! Ate Gigi had an ingenious theme set up this year: every family had to arrive wearing pyjamas or costumes based off Disney characters.  While bouncing off ideas with Mommy, I hit a brainchild: why don't we wear something inspired by the Black Panther ? Since Marvel Studios has been acquired by Disney, we could explore those characters. BUT we won't wear the costumes themselves; rather, we'd dig up the African dresses and shirts I got for them as pasalubong and wear them to the party. I told Val about it and he cam prepared with several shirts as well. Ate Maddie, JP, Ninang Trining, and Tita Tessie arrived wearing Star Wars shirts and pyjamas. Yes, the Star Wars franchise has also been acquired by Disney. Ate Sally, Kuya Merlin's sister, went a step further: she actually came in Jedi-inspired attire! Biboy, Barbara, and Gabriel were the Incredibles. Donnell...

Ninang Trining stayed long enough in California to celebrate Christmas with us. Instead of giving gifts, she hosted a family lunch for us. Ate Maddie and I discussed possible restaurant options and decided that introducing the rest of the clan (those who haven't tried it) to Burmese cuisine . Obviously, we still couldn't get over the tea leaf salad and were raring to have the others try it as well.  The restaurant we chose for our family lunch was a restaurant called Burma Unique , which is located in Walnut Creek. The lunch menu already included Jasmine rice, a salad, and a bowl of soup. But because we loved the tea leaf salad, I pre-ordered a few servings of it for the family to share. I just couldn't partake of the salad because I'm not supposed to eat raw vegetables until I give birth.  The kitchen actually ran out of Jasmine rice during the lunch service so the staff started serving us coconut rice and brown rice! I opted to pair my green curry with coconu...

We typically go to Benicia for brunch at least once during the winter because is a great selection of restaurants along First Street. But why we always go there when it's coldest and windiest (the city has a shoreline on the Carquinez Strait), I don't know. For our welcome brunch for our Christmas visitors, we opted to drive to Benicia again. I suggested an Italian restaurant that Val and I immensely enjoyed, called Bella Siena, but Mommy opted for a more Filipino fare. So we took our seats at Java Point Café, described as Benicia's best-kept hole-in-the-wall secret. It would have been nice to dine al fresco but the weather was too cold so we pushed three tables together and got ourselves ready for some really cozy, homegrown goodness.  Soon, our brunch arrived: generous plates of tapsilog, omelettes, and sandwiches. Val is familiar with Filipino food already (after all, he's been in the Philippines for more than 10 years) so he felt right at home with the options...

One of the more exciting occasions for 2019 finally arrived: Ate Maddie graduated magna cum laude from Chamberlain School of Nursing! This is her second undergraduate degree, after finishing a marketing course at De La Salle University in Manila. Ninang Trining flew in from Michigan and was with Ate Maddie for the pinning ceremony (which happened during the graduation itself). This pinning ceremony welcomes the new graduates into the nursing profession. Tita Tessie flew in from the Philippines to witness her graduation with us. Kuya Teddy, another nurse cousin who I met for the first time, drove north from Los Angeles. As the graduation program continued, we learned that majority of the graduating class gained Latin honours. Case in point: three of the graduates were summa cum laude ! Ate Maddie joined the ranks of at least 12 students who graduated magna cum laude . That's one high-performing class right there. Graduating from the nursing program is a big feat in itself; b...

When I saw the billing that Al Pacino was one of the cast members, I decided to include  The Irishman  in my Netflix watch list because I loved his performances in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Scent of a Woman (1992), Angels in America (2003)... and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Yeah, even when he played a caricature of his other characters, I enjoyed watching him. And then, I saw that Robert De Niro was also in The Irishman's cast. I loved his endearing father figure roles in The Intern (2015) and Stardust (2007), and the way he portrayed an expert safe-cracker in The Score (2001). So I thought that I should watch The Irishman as soon as I could. Then, I read that Joe Pesci was also top-billed. I've seen him play one of the comedic villains in the Home Alone series. I fully expected him to play another villain role in The Irishman but  I did not expect it to be slapstick because the movie poster did not have that vibe. Oh boy, what I saw in The Irishman was beyond what...

For the past few years, I formed this habit of shopping for Christmas in different countries, wherever I went for a conference, a training program, or for a personal vacation. Val's like that too, it turns out. For example, he bought me a pair of suede loafers in Montpellier and a silver ring in Dublin. Anyway, for this year's shopping, Val and I made an early start this year by doing our first round of gift-buying for family gifts in June and bought few pieces here and there.  Discount Stores (Pleasant Hill and Concord) Val and I scoured TJ Maxx, Ross, Home Goods, and Burlington for shoes, bags, and clothes. The items we got were of designer brands but because of the deep discounts, we were able to buy more things within our budget. The discounted prices in these stores stopped us from buying items in Manila or in Singapore because we had to pay full price there. For example, I had paid SGD 75 for a pair of white and pink Adidas faux leather sneakers in Singapore in 201...