Can you believe it’s already July? Sometimes I think the days feel long and short at the same time. I always get a little sad when I’m winding down on a Sunday night because it means it’s back to work again the next day. But then I wake up one day and it’s already Saturday again. What is time?
On the home front
We’ve gone on round 2 of birthdays already this past quarter. I made my brothers 2 different cakes because I wanted to. The first one was a delicious flourless chocolate cake topped with strawberries and iced with mocha frosting. The second was a teeny-tiny confetti cake with classic buttercream. Both were delish and 10/10 would make them again.
Flourless Chocolate with Mocha Frosting 
Confetti Cake with Buttercream
We also celebrated Mira’s 8th birthday and I loved watching her and her barkada dance along to Dynamite all afternoon long. Just recently, she got a scholarship and it makes me beam with so much pride. Even when she was much younger, she was already so smart and curious. Now I’m still in awe of her creativity and resourcefulness. I wish we spent more time together, but the few times we get to hang always feels so special. I still owe her a lettering class, so that’s something to look forward to!
Professionally speaking
Crossed the 9th month mark at work—and got promoted! 🥳 TBH, I was very much happy in my former role. It was steady and just the right amount of challenging. But in the spirit of saying yes to everything, I thought maybe this opportunity would not have presented itself if it wasn’t meant for me. It’s been 2 weeks feeling my way into my new role, and it’s equal parts nerve-wracking and chill. I suppose there are some things that come naturally and things you never forget. I guess it’s kinda like riding a bike…if I actually knew how to ride one.
It was also pretty cool to meet some of my teammates for the first time when we picked up our office equipment. Wish we could’ve hung out a little longer, but it was a work day and some of us aren’t comfortable staying out of the house. I’ve worked with some of my teammates in my old company, but a handful of them I’ve only met in person at this point, 9 months into the job. It was also the week before I officially started my new role, so it was a pretty nice way to start off this new chapter.
Finally got my platitas and pirasos from the studio! I still have 3 pieces left from this batch I made last November. (Yes, that’s how long it takes me to make them hahaha!) You can check the remaining stock in my web shop. Excited to go back and make some more! I loved experimenting with new colors and designs for the underglaze. Really happy with how they turned out and I love when my friends post their platitas and pirasos with their snacks. Also kept one of the platitas that didn’t stay flat in the kiln to replace the OG confetti platita I broke a couple of months ago.
Health report
I’ve still been sticking to my daily workout routine. I follow NTC’s Cycle Sync (but I choose my own workouts based on each phase), and it has worked so well for me. I no longer feel sluggish on my red days and I haven’t had cramps in so many months! There’s also something about hitting my mat right after I wake up. It wakes my body up and also I get to focus on an intention once I start cooling down. I still allow myself the 10-minute stretches when I’m not feeling so great or want to take a break, but I have not missed a day. Yes, even the day after I got vaccinated!
Speaking of vaccination. As of last Saturday, I am fully vaccinated! Thanks to Taguig, I got to register under A3 (I have Hepa B) and got inoculated with Sinovac. Save for my dreadful 6.5-hour wait for my second dose, it was a pretty fuss-free experience. Just registered via the Trace website and picked a schedule of my choice. Because they’ve already opened up to the A4 category, it’s understandably harder to find a schedule, but keep trying! The LGU social channels have been posting announcements when slots are opening up, so keep checking. The more people get vaccinated, the closer we get to having some semblance of normal!
All dressed up
I’ve gone out a couple of times these past few months, and have finally worn all my budol, lol. Been avoiding going to the grocery IRL since last year. But my brother had some Sodexo GCs that needed to be used up, so I’ve had to go in person for the last 3 trips. I missed it so much but I still scrub myself clean once I get home, haha! I still really hate going out though, because I get so sweaty and my glasses fog up and I just feel so icky in general with all the things on my face. That said, it’s been fun getting to wear my outside clothes actually outside.
What I wore to Mira’s bday 
First time to a clinic to get a blood test 
Out for my first vaxx 
Picked up office equipment + met some of my officemates for the first time! 
Seonhohada 🤍 
Didn’t want to shower before heading out haha so I’d only shower once after 
On my way to get my second dose!
For my entertainment
Some things I’ve watched this quarter: Cruella (so fun! also, Emma Stone’s accent is ridiculous, I love it haha), Mainstream (v trippy), In the Heights (enjoyed this v much even if I’ve never seen the play or heard the songs), Wild Mountain Thyme (strange movie, but I want to grow my hair because of Emily Blunt, lol).
Some terrible finales of shows I love: Younger. Not really sure what they were trying to do here, but what a horrible final season! Ugh, and this is a show I binged the first couple of seasons in a week because I was so eager to catch up on the latest one back then. And just last night, I finished The Bold Type. I initially did not like this show on my first watch. But I think when I stuck with it, because I had nothing else to watch, it kinda grew on me. LOL! It’s like the publishing world but preserved in 2006-2010 or something. Down to the layoffs and closing off print, it hits v close to home. Given how awful this last season was, I’m just happy the only people I care about had a happy-ish ending. I can finally move on. Haha!
The only book I read and finished this quarter is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. I really tried to read this slow and in small doses because each time I did, I would just cry. And I mean sob. For anyone who’s gone through a loss, I highly recommend reading it. Something about reading about other people’s grief really helps me process my own. Please send me recos if you’ve read any books like this!
For the second half of the year, I stuck a sticker on my planner that says “SLOW DOWN.” I feel everything just rushing by so fast, that I want a reminder to pace myself. This is not a race, I keep telling myself. So here’s to savoring the slow and steady life.
