The Accidental Icon Update

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I am a fan of the blogger Lyn Slater, aka Accidental Icon. I shared my post on Facebook when it came out and tagged her. To my surprise, she posted a comment to reply! I can't believe I never shared this!

Keto-Friendly Baked Fish Recipe

My sister is currently getting ready for her December wedding by going on a Keto Diet. She’s been very strict with following this diet and has lost a lot of weight since she started. Since she only eats keto-friendly food, I decided to try preparing a dish that the family can all eat together even if she is on her diet. One recipe that I found via the Yummly app was Baked Fish with Mushrooms by CDKitchen.

As with any recipe that I try, I tend to tweak them a little to fit into what ingredients are readily available. Since I was making it keto-friendly, I checked in with my sister and showed her the ingredients to make sure it was something that she could have. Ingredients and instructions are credited to CDKitchen, with italicized notes being my tweaks on the recipe.

Appreciation Post: Fresh Produce

When I first moved to the province from the city, I felt that my stay would be temporary. Now that I am two decades into it, I feel that there’s no place I’d rather be. Aside from enjoying the fresh air and not living in an overcrowded area, one of my favorite parts about it is getting fresh produce like fruits and vegetables easily – sometimes even at no cost!

My sister and her husband are good with planting/gardening. We’ve been able to harvest the following organic fruits and vegetables from their hard work: Chinese Cabbage (Pechay), Papaya, Malunggay, Calamansi, Lemongrass, Chilis, and Dragonfruit. No fertilizers and no pesticides are used. Our garden may not produce a lot, but it’s a start. Fresh fruits and veggies straight from the garden. Who doesn’t want that?

Netflix Pinoy Movie Review: Everything About Her

A successful woman on the top of her game is diagnosed with cancer. Life expectancy is low. What do you do when you know you are going to die? For Vivian (Vilma Santos), the lead in the Filipino movie Everything About Her that is streaming on Netflix, it meant facing her disease head-on while continuing to kill it (pun intended) in the real estate industry. She hires a nurse named Jaica (Angel Locsin), who not only helps her with her illness but also teaches her a thing or two about living a better, more fulfilled life. 

My Most Common Balikbayan Box Gifts

As a Filipino, I believe it is next to impossible not to have a relative or a close family friend who lives or works in another country. As is normal with Filipino culture, the balikbayan box is an item almost all of us have had at one point in our lives (at the very least). Lately, I realized that the most common items I’ve received as gifts via the balikbayan box are bath products, colognes, and lotions. I think at this point I have enough to last me a VERY long time!

Netflix Rom Com Review: Isn't It Romantic?

I’ve always loved watching movies, but lately, I watch them from streaming services like Netflix more than I do in the cinema. Most of the time my movie reviews would be from films I’ve caught via streaming, like this romantic comedy called Isn’t It Romantic, starring Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra, and Adam Devine.

My Musical Obession: Hadestown

I love my share of musicals. I grew up watching Annie on video, along with other classics such as The Sound of Music and Jesus Christ Superstar. During my high school years, I was a fan of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon and more recently I was (and still am) obsessed with Hamilton. 

A few months ago, I discovered another show that I started to obsess over in the way that I have with Hamilton. It’s the (fairly) new musical called Hadestown. I found out about it when I got a suggested video on YouTube that featured the two leads of the show performing the song All I’ve Ever Known. From there I watched the other videos and started following the Hadestown OBCR playlist to listen to the songs from the musical. 

My Fave RomCom: Never Been Kissed

I am a sucker for romantic comedies. I will always love them, no matter how cheesy they get sometimes. A few months ago I was reminded that one of my favorite rom-coms of all time had just celebrated its anniversary: Never Been Kissed (coincidentally the name of my very first blog from way back) is now 20!

The Twin Lakes Hotel Experience

Last year my family and I had such a good experience “staycationing” (if there is such a word) that we decided to do it again this year. For my birthday I decided to take the family out to stay overnight at a hotel again. I had originally wanted to do it at Taal Vista Hotel, which was where we stayed last year to celebrate my niece’s birthday, but the suite we used wasn’t available. I looked for other hotels in the area and ended up booking the suite at Twin Lakes Hotel along Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway in Batangas (although most people tend to think that this is in Tagaytay, I know I did).

Netflix Show Review: Tidelands

If mermaids existed in the real world and if they live among us, what would life be like? The Netflix show called Tidelands seemed to answer that question for me.  

The TV show is an Australian 8-part series that tackles the world involving the Tidelanders, who are the offspring of sirens and humans. In the show, ex-convict Cal McTeer is released from prison and goes home to a town called Orphelin Bay, where she finds out about the real reason why the town is still being kept alive despite the poor economy. Clue: it has something to do with the Tidelanders. 

Favorite Film Alert: Centerstage

I’ve always loved dance. I love to dance and I have such an appreciation for it. When I first saw the movie Centerstage, I loved every minute of it! To this day this is one of those films that I can watch over and over again!

The movie did not have any big movie stars, but it was still a good movie for me. Zoe Saldana, who played rebel dancer Eva later on became a big movie star, with her recent work being Gamora from the Avengers movies. Amanda Schull, who played the lead character, Jody, starred in the TV version of 12 Monkeys and is currently part of the TV show Suits. Eion Bailey, who played Maureen’s boyfriend, later on starred in the TV series Once Upon a Time as Pinocchio. I also can’t forget to mention that professional ballet dancers Ethan Stiefel, Julie Kent, and Sascha Radetsky were also a part of this movie, with Sascha co-starring with Mandy Moore in the music video used to promote the movie.

Book Review: Moonshot by Alessandra Torre

If I could turn a book into a movie (even just a made for TV movie will do), I’d love to make this one. Moonshot, written by Alessandra Torre, has the right mix of romance, drama, sports, murder-mystery, and suspense that would make for a good movie. Plus, I fell in love with the characters and the story so there’s that too.

Cover credit: EverAfter Romance

TV Show Review: New Amsterdam

One of the shows that I have been watching on the Fox TV app is the medical drama New Amsterdam, starring former 90210 and Blacklist actor Ryan Eggold. It is based on a book called Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital. It is about a young medical director named Max who is trying to make changes in one of the oldest public hospitals in the US, aiming to give the best care to his patients. His methods are out of the box and it sometimes rubs people the wrong way, but he has been able to make things work. 

What I found interesting about the show is the lead character. Max is trying to change the status quo to find better ways to serve their patients, even if it means ruffling a few feathers in the process. I also love that instead of pointing out what’s wrong, he is often found saying his favorite line: “How can I help?” I’d love to work for someone like that. 

Mental Health Awareness

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month. It is the time where people raise awareness about mental health and mental health issues. It’s the time where several groups try to help erase the stigma of having mental health problems so that help can be given to the people who need it the most.  

I’m glad that there is such a month for raising awareness for mental health because there are so many people who can benefit from the knowledge that could help others and, more often than not, themselves. 

While there are already several existing groups who advocate for this issue, I think that worldwide there is still a long way to go when it comes to how we view mental health problems. The stereotype that people who suffer from mental illness are of the straight jacket-wearing, institutionalized, and to-be-sedated variety because they are “crazy” is still alive and well. The amount of those aware is still widely outnumbered by the ones who are uneducated about this. 

Keeping Cool in This Heat

It has been raining a lot lately. According to the weather reports, the rainy season will follow soon after. That is such a relief! I have been having a difficult time dealing with the warm weather and it will be a huge blessing to have cooler days ahead! 

Blogging has not been as regular as I would like for it to be these days because of the heat. I have nothing going on because I’d rather hide from the sun when I’m not at work. The heat has also made me feel weak lately so sleep has been my default mode when I’m home. Hopefully, my blogging life will resume on a more consistent basis once the weather improves. 

I know that I’ve blogged about this before but I can’t help but do it again because the warm weather has been even more unbearable since my last entry on it. I was telling my sister that if the weather keeps getting hot as the years go then life in the Philippines in the decades to come would be next to impossible during the summer. The government and the private sector need to work together to ensure that measures are taken from both sides to combat Climate Change and to come up with methods to help cool down this side of the planet. 

Book Review: 29 Dates

I’ve always been a fan of Melissa de la Cruz, which started when I first read her Blue Bloods series (which I still wish could be turned into a movie or TV series in the future). Since then I’ve made it a point to check out her other books whenever they came out. When I read on Twitter that she had a new book called 29 Dates, I decided to give it a try.

Cover credit: Harper Collins

TV Show Review: Bloom

What would you do if you were given a second chance? If you could be young again? Would you take it? What would you do with it? This is the premise of the Australian TV series Bloom, which I discovered online and finished watching in one week.

Starring The Vampire Diaries/The Originals Star Phoebe Tonkin, Bloom is about a town where five people had died in a big flood. For some reason, in every location where a person had died a new plant bloomed, with fruit that can miraculously turn the person who has it younger. There are only six episodes in the series and it’s a quick watch if you’re interested in finishing the story right away. It can be a bit heavy with its theme but it does make you question the things about yourself, it makes you wonder what kind of person you might be if you were placed in a similar situation. 

My Big Bad Wolf Experience

Last February, a couple of friends of mine from work and I decided to go to the Big Bad Wolf Sale at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. We had heard of this sale before but have never gone to it. Since the sale also coincided with a long weekend, we decided that we could go and give it a try.  

My Unplugged Policy

Back in my early days of working, I remember getting stressed out a lot because of calls from work during days off or after work hours. I used to take pride in the fact that I worked harder than most but after a while, I realized that things just got a little too far. People began to take for granted that they can call me anytime they need anything, even if I am sick. It was only after a friend advised me to stop taking calls outside of work hours that I started to value my time away from work and gave myself a little peace of mind. 

I was supposed to have a separate phone for work until I realized that all I had to do was put my phone on airplane mode. I’ve been doing that daily. Right after I get off work, I turn on airplane mode and I turn it off in the morning. I also put my phone on airplane mode on weekends and keep myself offline (or at the very least, invisible) from online-based messaging apps during my free time. Having this quiet time has been good for me, especially since I get stressed easily.  Since I am often just at home during my free time, this has not been a problem. I only turn off airplane mode during my free time when it is absolutely necessary, which hasn't happened that much.

My Epsom Salt Experiments

If there is one thing that I have been (slightly) obsessed with these days, it’s trying to detox. I know that most people say that our bodies can naturally detoxify themselves but I feel that it doesn’t hurt if I can help move things along, right? I’ve been reading a lot on this on Pinterest and one thing that got my attention was the use of Epsom salt. 

Book Review: The Accidental Beauty Queen

I’ve always been a sucker for rom-com chick lit books. I’m also a sucker for a good cover. When I spotted The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson, I knew that I had to read it. And after I read it, I knew I had to do a book review and share what I thought of it!

I remember reading this and picturing this as one of those romantic Hallmark Movies (of which I am a big fan). It wasn’t that much of a surprise later on when I found out that Teri Wilson actually wrote some of those movies that I have enjoyed watching.

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

The Crown Princess on GMA

Who else is watching The Crown Princess on GMA? To regular readers of my blog, it won’t be a surprise that I am watching this Thai drama now that it is being shown on Philippine TV. I became a big Nadech and Yaya fan since watching the show and I loved it so much that I am more than happy to watch it again, this time dubbed in Tagalog. 

Book Review: Flipping The Script

Synopsis: 

Miri dela Merced’s film director grandfather and Pabs Paglinauan’s studio head grandmother had a huge falling out that ended Lolo Ikong’s career. At seventeen, Miri finds herself in the same summer film internship program as the down-to-earth film studio heir Pabs, whom she’s decided to automatically write off, just because of his lineage. As Miri gets a crash course in her expectations vs the reality of what it's like to work on a real movie, her true feelings for Pabs become harder and harder to ignore. In between attending outdoor screenings of classic Pinoy movies and battling monster production assistants together, can flipping the script on a decades-old grudge be only a few sequences away? 

Percy Laureti Bag Review

When Meghan Markle aka the Duchess of Sussex was still dating Prince Harry of England, I was obsessed with the way she dressed. I loved how her looks were both very casual and laid back but still fashionable at the same time. One particular look that I loved was during their first public outing at the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada. She was wearing a white button-down shirt, distressed jeans, flats and was carrying this brown leather tote, which was identified as the Day Market Tote in Cognac by Everlane (priced at around $175).  

I was obsessed with that bag! For one, I’ve always been more a fan of totes than small dainty bags. I feel like I always need to bring along too much stuff so small bags are out. Whenever I do bring one of those small bags out of necessity, you can bet that those bags are crazy stuffed and busting at the seams because I can’t minimize the things I bring along whenever I’m out.  

One Last Time -- The Hamildrop

Last month, Lin-Manuel Miranda released the last of the Hamildrops: a version of the song One Last Time (44 Remix) that features former US President Barack Obama reciting a passage from the farewell address of George Washington. 

 

An Old K-Drama Fave: Lie to Me

There are a lot of good Korean dramas on Netflix. It’s a mix of the old and the new, with one of the older ones being a favorite of mine, which I had to re-watch as soon as I discovered that it was available: it’s the 2011 series called Lie to Me, starring Yoon Eun Hye and Kang Ji Hwan.

Pain Relief Rubs

Being an actual aunt with nephews and nieces, I think that it is fair that people lump me into the Tita (Aunty) category (then again, I have cousins who are as old as my parents so technically I have been an aunt since before I was born). I know some women don’t like literally being called Tita unless that came from someone close to them but for me, I don’t mind. I think I’ve already pushed on to a higher category of Tita-ness because of my dependence on pain relief rubs.

Book Review: Gmorning, Gnight

If you haven’t heard of Lin Manuel Miranda, I think I need to ask you where you’ve been these past few years first before reading this post. I mean seriously, where have you been?

I’ve been a fan of Lin since I fell in love with the music from the musical Hamilton, something that I first listened to on Spotify. I’ve followed his career since then and have taken to following him on Twitter, where he shares snippets of his life as well as inspiring tweets for his fans.

It is the inspiring tweets that he shares every morning and evening (US time) that make up the content of his new book, Gmorning, Gnight. Illustrated by Jomny Sun, the book shares some of the best good morning and good night tweets that Lin has shared with his Twitter followers these past few years. When he first started doing those tweets, I was already attempting to save some of my favorite ones (saving them for a rainy day, for days when I need them most). Turns out that I wasn’t the only one doing that, because the reason this book came out was that people wanted to have a saved copy of their favorite tweets too. 

In Hindsight...

What if you could go back in time and do things differently?

The question posed by the show Hindsight is similar to my previous blog entry where I answered a similar question from my friend. As I said in my previous entry, my answer to that question would be YES. Based on her actions in the show, the lead character of the show also has the same reply.

Hindsight is the story of Becca, a 40-something about to embark on her second marriage when she is taken back in time to the 90s. Not knowing how she got there or how she will get back to her own time, Becca decides that she can make her life better by changing the wrong decisions she made in the past (now her present), starting with not going through with her first marriage.

Oryang's Goodbye

I recently visited the Bonifacio Trial House in Maragondon, Cavite with some friends when I discovered this song by Aiza Seguerra titled Sa Huli ang Sikat.

House of Flowers (A Review)

Binge-watching is kind of my thing. It’s easier to watch a series when you know all the episodes are already available, so you don’t have to wait another week for what happens next. I was looking for a new show to binge on when I discovered the Mexican comedy/drama called The House of Flowers (Las Casa de las Flores) on Netflix.

The story tackles the struggles of the De la Mora family that owns the flower shop, The House of Flowers. It all starts with the death of the mistress of the head of the family. She commits suicide in the flower shop and this triggers the series of events that forces each family member to face their own personal issues during the first season: Paulina, the eldest daughter, struggles with the need to be there for every member of the family to the point that her personal life is sacrificed. Elena, the second daughter, is torn between the life she has built for herself in the US and decided to stay home in Mexico for good. Juan is the only son who happens to be bisexual and has a secret relationship with the family financial manager, Diego. He finds it difficult to come out and when he does, for some reason he just can’t – for lack of a better term – keep it in his pants. Most important of all is the lead character Virginia, the matriarch of the family who is obsessed with the people’s perception of their family reputation.

Book Review: All Souls Trilogy

I first found out about the All Souls Trilogy of books by Deborah Harkness when I read about the TV series that was going to be made starring Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer. Being a Matthew Goode fan since seeing him on Chasing Liberty with Mandy Moore, I immediately looked for the books so that I could read them all before the series began.

Cover Credit: Penguin Random House

A Discovery of Witches on TV!

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I am a fan of the All Souls Trilogy of books by Deborah Harkness. I found out about it when I discovered that Matthew Goode, one of my favorite actors, is going to play the lead in the TV adaptation of the books. As soon as I started reading, I could not put it down until I read and finished the last book. After that, I started watching A Discovery of Witches as soon as it was released on the Fox TV app.

Starring Teresa Palmer (Diana) and Matthew Goode (Matthew Clairmont), the first thing that I noticed with this series was the remarkable cinematography. Every scene was picture perfect, something that would make you want to travel and see the places shown in the series. It makes the show very memorable in my eyes.

Book Review: Walk of Shame

Lauren Layne is currently one of my favorite romance novelists. I don’t think I’ve read a book written by the woman that I did not like. It all started with me stumbling on one of her books and that was it, I was immediately a fan. What was that first book? It was Walk of Shame.

Cover credit: Hachette Australia

A Late Bloomer's Review of The Crown Season 1

One of the things that I have always been fascinated with has been stories about royalty. I’ve read the books, watched the movies and TV shows related to royalty through the years, with most of my interest being with British royalty. For the most part, the stories I’ve devoured have been of historical figures. Learning about the royal family that exists today and getting an inside look into their story (albeit with artistic license and probably partially fictional and speculative) is something that made the TV series The Crown appealing to me.

Screen captured from Netflix

Book Review: One Day in December

Do you believe in love at first sight? That spark, that connection that one feels upon seeing that person who could potentially be “the one” for you? What if, even if you both feel that spark, life gets in the way and you don’t end up together? The book One Day in December is about that dilemma.

Cover credit: Broadway Books