Down the Rabbit Hole

My family went to Florida just before the Christmas holidays. I always like to include a historical or nature tour whenever I visit a new place. So, I included in our itinerary an airboat tour of Lake Tohopekaliga to see alligators basking in the sun and a visit to Cape Canaveral for a taste of space flight history. A trip to St. Augustine was perfect for our Florida visit's historical aspect. We took the hop-on, hop-off tram tour (but stayed on it for the duration of the tour) to get a quick tour of the city and learn about its history. It claims to be the oldest city in the USA. The city was founded in 1565 by Pedro Ménendez de Avilés and served as the capital of Spanish Florida. The European settlement in this city was part of the  Viceroyalty of New Spain . Since then, St. Augustine has been continuously inhabited, making it the oldest European-established city in the contiguous United States. It is much older, of course, as Timucuan tribes were known to inhabit this part ...

Shingles Awareness Week 2025 is from February 24 to March 2. I was unaware that such an event existed until—you guessed it—I was diagnosed with shingles during Shingles Awareness Week! The timing is impeccable. Thanks to getting shingles, I am reviewing what I have learned about this condition (in college-level virology and during my PHM training ) in juxtaposition with my experience. What is shingles? Shingles is a disease caused by the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). The VZV contains double-stranded DNA, similar to its host (i.e., people). Its replication mechanism is similar to its host, allowing it to use the host's enzymes to multiply. As Dr Jill Hacker (of CDPH's Viral and Rickettsial Diseases Laboratory) said during one of her Virology lectures, VZV (and its cousins in the Herpesviridae family) is a "gift that keeps on giving" because once someone gets it, the virus is with him/her as long as he/she is alive. As it happens, VZV is the same virus that causes chick...

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...

When I was in grade school, Mommy saw a feature on TV Patrol about how beautiful the Christmas lights were in Imus, Cavite . The whole family got into the car right after the news, and we went to Imus (totally unplanned). I remembered the spontaneity of that family trip when I saw a social media feature about Deacon Dave's light display in Livermore, CA. I thought that Donan would love to see the Christmas lights. Val hadn't been to Livermore (outside of the outlets), so it would be nice for him to experience it, too.  We went to Deacon Dave's Casa del Pomba after shopping at Costco. I was surprised by how popular his house is. The 500-foot queue of visitors went around the corner and into a cul-de-sac! I was worried that it would be too cold for Mommy (she wasn't dressed warm enough for the plunging temperature), boring for Donan (he fell asleep; thank goodness we brought the stroller!), and too slow for Val (he had complained about the long waiting time at Singapore Z...

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...