Random Thoughts While Having Coffee

"I love thinking things through while having a cup of coffee. Here are some random thoughts I have while having my cup for the day."

Entries are raw and unedited ideas and thoughts as I have my morning coffee, from newest to oldest. But this is on hold for now since it's my 2025 Holiday Writing Tradition. You may view my logs here.

***

It's the 7th already of Feb. I'm excited for my first time off from work since my long vacation last holiday. Well, this coming Friday is a special non-working holiday as declared by the president kasi Chinese New Year daw the following day, Saturday.

I'm not sure yet if I'm also going to take tomorrow or Monday next week as an off or not at all. Anyway, I'm excited sa plan namin this coming Friday kasi pupunta daw kaming Binondo for a Chinese food crawl. Hahaha. Papakabusog pero sana eh hindi gumapang pauwi dahil sa kabusugan.

As for work, nakaka-stress. I feel like it's starting to cripple me kaya I'm taking the holiday na rin para makapagpahinga rin ang katawan at brain ko.

***

Last day na ng January. And it has to end na may away kami ng partner ko. Last night, I found out a thing na sobrang nagpasama ng loob ko to the point that I didn't even know how to process it right there and then. Hindi ko alam kung magagalit ba ako, maiinis, kung sisigaw ba ako dahil sa sobrang biglang buhos ng frustrations ko.

All I could do was walk away from the scene, be far from him. And once I was already far from him, a tear just fell from my right eye. Parang pelikula lang di ba? Pero totoo 'yan. Sa sobrang bigat ng loob ko, hindi na kayang i-process ng isip ko ang nangyari. I couldn't even focus anymore sa trabaho ko kaya I logged out on the dot. It's the worst feeling I've ever had since 2016 when I had a horrible break-up with my now ex.

I was super thankful that #TheBeekeeper was already available online. It helped me keep my anger and frustration at bay. Every time Jason Statham punched and kicked a person, I felt like I was releasing my emotions through him. Anyway, I feel okay now. Wala na yung negative emotions ko, and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to come up with a solution sa problema naming 'to.

***

It's Tuesday of the last full week of January 2024. As cliché as this sounds, what the heck?! January is almost over. Time seemed to fly so fast compared to last year.

I thought I would be able to accomplish something more than what I've done already this month, but I just can't seem to focus and push myself to do them. I don't know, maybe it's because of my hair. Maybe I need to get a haircut already. It's weird? Maybe. But I can't seem to move around freely because my head feels heavier than usual due to my hair. Before, when I used to have very short hair, I had the energy to finish things and just fully focus on my goals.

Let's see what I will get tomorrow. This is going to be my first agenda after I wake up tomorrow morning.

***

First entry on this post for the new year, all I can say is it's a rough start to the year. But maybe a little better compared to some years in the past.

I'm trying my very best to find another source of income because living, just merely living, in this society is getting harder and harder if you don't have enough money. I can't say I'm frustrated with our current situation because other people are experiencing it worse than us. Recently, I looked at my payslip. I discovered that almost an equal amount to our bi-weekly grocery budget is being deducted from my salary just for PhilHealth contribution. I felt so enraged and sad and tired. I'm working so hard, yet I'm not seeing any improvement in the health services of the government.

My mother wants one of her teeth extracted, but can't immediately do it because they don't have enough money to cover the expenses. Since the health center near their home requires patients to pay for the service. A health center run by the government is asking for money from the people whom they are supposed to serve with no fee.

***

Writing here again after a few days of staying in bed later than usual. Lately, I've been having difficulty sleeping. Maybe it's just the domino effect of waking up outside of my schedule. So much with that. Right now, I'm thinking about our current economic situation. Based on our experience, it looks like living in the city has been a bit more expensive than usual. Yes, almost nothing in our household budget has changed, but it feels like money just passes through our wallets and then goes in a matter of seconds. Our usual grocery list almost never changed compared to the previous month, but our expenses for these household items almost doubled.

I mean, yes, I still feel that we're lucky to even be able to buy our groceries and still not remove anything from the list. But if this goes on for a few more months, I'm not so sure anymore. Anyway, I've been thinking about getting a second project since I noticed that my hours after my current project are just wasted on watching a lot of movies and other content on social media. I still haven't decided on it yet, but it looks like the time to have a second project is getting sooner rather than later, so why not now?

***

Taking in more of what happened last week, nakaka-gag* iyong mga taong ang galing magmalinis at may lakas ng loob na mag-maganda eh sila 'tong mas bulok ang pagkatao.

I know at some point, I'll be able to get over the things that they did and said to me. But definitely not today, not in the very near future. And as I said before, no change in actions and attitude means no remorse for what they did.

***

The past few days have been very eye-opening for me. My major takeaway is to not let other people know of our plans unless we are sure that they are the people who always have our backs, no matter what.

A deep conversation with my partner got us to a decision to ignore the noises in our surroundings and just focus our attention and energy on our goals.

***

It's Sunday, a slow one that is- got up from bed around 01:45 PM. This day doesn't require much action and urgency since tomorrow is a national holiday. Ang sarap sa feeling na ngayon ay optional na lang sa akin ang maging busy.

We have great plans for the coming days, and I'm very excited about them. I'm having a new project, and my certification as a training facilitator is coming unexpectedly fast. This coming week excites me in ways I hadn't been before.

***

Planning and budgeting for two people is a very challenging task. Let alone that we just started this journey of being financially responsible as a couple.

But you know what, this is such a great thing. I mean, it's good that we're already doing this, thus making our future lives together more comfortable. Though I'm very sure that this will require more discipline from both of us. And I think we're both ready for it. I'm very, very excited!

***

Due to some events recently, I realized that it's always best to keep away from your toxic and Marites friends and relatives on social media. In the first place, hindi mo kaibigan ang isang tao at never kang itinuring na kapamilya ng isang tao kung kapag nakatalikod ka ay ikaw ang laman ng kanilang mga kwento.

Tatahimik ang buhay mo if you only keep people in your circle who always have your back. Proven and tested ko na 'to. I recently had another run of this idea to test my first impression of my SO's relative. And it gave me the same conclusion. So yeah, another lesson learned for me, just because they showed you their best attitude when they first met you, doesn't mean that you can already trust them.

***

Downtime before working is so refreshing 'no? Sarap sa feeling na mag-start ng day sa trabaho knowing na masaya ang time mo outside of work. Regardless kung stressful ang trabaho or hindi, excited akong mag-logout from work and do the things that I love doing.

Sa ganda ng set-up at schedule ko sa work, I still get to do things on weekdays, hindi tulad dati na kapag weekdays eh work at tulog lang talaga ang 95% ng araw ko. I'm very grateful na sobrang supportive ng manager namin pagdating sa work-life balance.

***

When you talk about other people behind their backs, do you still expect that they will let you eat their food? 'Di ba obvious naman na hindi na? But let's make it more obvious, HINDI NA!

As a person who values peace and quiet at home, the moment you create noise, regardless of how loud it is and who you are, as long as it disrupts that calm, you are no longer welcome inside. You have to go! So don't expect, just please, don't expect that I will just sit in a corner and let you do your shit. Sabi nga nila, my house, my rules.

This is an ongoing, almost daily project that I have now. Expect that this will be updated from time to time.

Sagada 2023: Fulfilling A Childhood Dream

"Bata pa lang ako, pangarap ko nang makapunta sa isang lugar na malamig kapag Pasko, iyong tipong ang taas ng araw pero balot na balot ang buo kong katawan."

This would have never happened this year. After feeling under the weather for over a week, I convinced myself this trip had to be canceled. Thanks to my partner, he persuaded me to go on this trip with him, of course.

Packing for a trip had always been a challenge for us, and it's no different this time. After four hours of packing, we finally went to the bus station. As an additional challenge, taxis were nowhere to be found. So, we decided to just take a tricycle. The bus left the station at exactly 07:00 PM, just five minutes after our arrival. The trip was smooth as I expected, with occasional coughs and sneezes in the background from several passengers, including myself.

After five hours, we arrived at the Baguio City terminal, but we had to wait for almost two and a half hours for our connecting bus trip to Sagada. At the bus station, people flocked as we waited for the first trip, which thankfully left around 02:30 AM. It took us six hours to get to the Sagada Centro, after several stop-overs and many steep zigzag roads, just in time to register at the Tourist Information Center.

Our supposed check-in time was noon, but the guests before us had already checked out a couple of hours ago; that was why the receptionist checked us in around 09:00 AM. After settling in, we decided to have a late breakfast at the inn's restaurant. The food was generally good, except for some weird combinations of vegetables and mixed condiments. After, we decided to take a nap and explore the nearby establishments in the afternoon.

Around 03:00 PM, we went to the only museum in the town proper, Ganduyan Museum. It showcases things that the people of Sadada use in their daily lives. There's not much in the museum except for the catalogs with short narratives of the artifacts in the exhibit. There's an entrance fee of Php 100.00 per person.

I know that it's for the maintenance of the museum and the salary of its personnel, but I think it's a bit much. For one, the artifacts don't look well-maintained. It's as if after putting them on the shelves, that's it, no cleaning of any sort. Also, visitors have to remove their footwear before entering, which I understand was a measure to keep the place clean. But if you're exploring in slippers, good luck with the cold floor. All-in-all, it's a good experience to see what the lives of their ancestors looked like, but the museum could use some more love and care.

After spending half an hour in the museum, we decided to grab some snacks at Yoghurt House and Gaia Cafe. Yoghurt House's best-selling yoghurt was amazing. I think the coconut shreds and honey elevated this dessert, not to mention the perfect strawberry marmalade. We also ordered Bolognese pasta. I think there's nothing special about this pasta, except for the fact that the pasta was cooked al dente. Also, toasted bread could have been a better side. After an hour here, we decided to visit Gaia Cafe. From Yoghurt House, we had to take a roughly 10-minute tricycle ride. Good thing, our driver was so chatty that she informed us that it would be better if someone would fetch us after our stay, since tricycles were rare in the area. We ordered coffee and cookies while waiting, and we just basked in the cold breeze of the afternoon with the picturesque view of the fields at the back of the cafe. The cafe closed at 06:00 PM, but our tricycle driver arrived 15 minutes later because of heavy traffic.

We spent the time before our dinner at 08:00 PM just resting. I was able to catch some sleep while my boyfriend was browsing social media. Dinner at the Log Cabin was exceptional. We had to wait for almost 30 minutes while standing because many customers were still in the queue when we arrived. Good thing, the line for two people was very short. I ordered their smoked ham, and it's the best homemade ham that I've tasted so far.

For our second day, we woke up around 04:30 AM to catch the 05:00 AM bus to witness the sea of clouds at Isang Wow Cafe during sunrise. Unfortunately, the place was already crowded with other tourists, so we decided to only order a cup of coffee. It was disappointing, though, that it took them almost two hours to serve two cups of coffee. And the coffee tasted of nothing. It's as if it's just hot water with black food coloring. As for the view, it's nothing less than spectacular. We were able to see the clouds moving, and if they had moved a little towards us, we could have touched them.

Around 07:00 AM, we decided to go back to downtown to get our breakfast. We initially planned to eat breakfast at Sagada Bistro, but we found out that they open around lunchtime. We then opted to eat breakfast at Salt & Pepper. However, around this time, they only served breakfast items on their menu. There's nothing much to say about their breakfast other than marami, but your typical Pinoy breakfast items. After, we decided to have dessert at Lemon Pie House. Their lemon pie and egg pie were to die for. I will go back to Sagada to eat them again. They were perfect with their hot lemon tea.

After this, we returned to our accommodation to get some rest and resume our tour in the afternoon. Around 01:00 PM, we were already heading to Sagada Pottery. It's very near our accommodation, but since we didn't know that at first, we took a tricycle to get there. The demo they provided cost us Php 200.00 per group, regardless of the number of people in a group. I'd say it's a very short demo. It only contained a 2-minute brief history of Sagada Pottery and almost 10 minutes of telling us the basics of making a vase, pitcher, bowl, and cup. The items on sale cost at least Php 700.00. They also had an online shop, which was why we decided to only buy one item, and thought that it was better to buy the rest online since they sell them at the same price. After spending 45 minutes here, the extra 15 minutes waiting for another tricycle, we went to Sega Tours to book our Hanging Coffins itinerary.

It only took us 15 minutes to book our tour, and then we found ourselves already having a mini trek to go to the starting point, St. Mary's Church. I think this was the most challenging part of this activity since, instead of utilizing the paved road, to avoid traffic, we took some outskirt paths through the residential areas. Before we started our trek, we had to pay an entrance fee of Php 10.00 per person. While on our way to the scenic site, we passed through an Anglican cemetery. After almost 10 minutes of downhill and uphill trekking, we finally reached the hanging coffins of Sagada. As a talkative person, I was able to get as much information from our tour guide. Knowing the rich culture and tradition behind this practice was worth the breathtaking trek. After our trek, we decided to rest in front of St. Mary's Church. We just sat there, appreciating the beauty of the structure itself. Sobrang peaceful sa pakiramdam just sitting there with my partner kahit na medyo marami ring tao sa paligid. And I found myself daydreaming that someday somewhere I'll be in a place in winter enjoying the first fall of snow, holding a hot coffee in my left hand and a croissant in my right hand beside my partner with our dog. Then, I was pulled back to reality when my boyfriend said that we had to go and eat a late lunch.

So we walked to Sagada Bistro, it's just walking distance if you're used to walking. I had their pork sisig, and it's the best among all the sisigs that I've tasted. The ambiance of the place was very homey. Though I just didn't like that the place was a bit warmer than I would have wanted it to be, probably that's just because they wanted to keep the warm air inside since it's very cold during the night. But their food was very good, even the baked chicken that my partner ordered.

To cap off our day, we decided to have coffee at Bana's Coffee. I ordered their Spanish latte and it was one of the best that I've ever tasted. Although their al fresco tables were already occupied, we decided to stay for an hour while having our coffee. The place was decent enough for me to enjoy my stay while drinking my coffee, despite not being able to order any pastry.

Once we were back at our accommodation, we decided to take a nap. However, it led to a full-blown sleep, at least for me. Around 09:00 PM, my partner was a little hungry and decided to have cup noodles downstairs. I was so recharged after this much-needed rest because we had to check out around 07:00 AM the following day to catch the bus to Baguio. The trip was a bit longer than we anticipated because of traffic. We arrived at Baguio around 02:30 PM. Since a Good Taste branch was only a few steps from the Dangwa Bus Terminal, we decided to have a late lunch there. Their food was still as good as our first lunch there a few years ago. And their servings, good for two people, were still good for four to five people, just like before. As expected, we had to take out some leftovers.

Around 4:00 PM, we checked into our accommodation, City Center Hotel, which was just a walking distance from the bus terminal. Unfortunately, we were unable to participate in some nighttime activities, such as the night market and dinner, because my partner fell ill. We just slept in since our bus trip down from Sagada was also very taxing. Around midnight, I woke up and decided to eat the leftovers from the restaurant.

After having breakfast, I went to Baguio Public Market alone and just let my partner rest in our suite. I bought our supply of coffee beans, strawberries for my homemade jam, some lemons, and honey. Around 11:00 AM, we decided to check out already and left our bags in the reception because we still had some plans before heading home.

Right after checking out, sakay kaagad ng taxi pa-Camp John Hay. Since we were only there to have coffee, we were seated in a cozy corner near the coffee bar. I had a cappuccino and jowa and I shared a slice of ube cheesecake with macapuno. One of the best cheesecakes I've tried, I must say. Masarap din na may caramel sauce. We also spent some minutes strolling around The Manor and taking some photos.

Massage at North Haven Spa

Dinner at Tsokolateria

Left Baguio at 1145PM