#thecatcave

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Enjoy sila sa new sheets haha!

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Late ata sagot ko but:

1. I have all hahahaha. I have a french press for days I need to be fast in having coffee. Usual ito gamit ko. Then I have my 3-in-1 coffee machine that I can use coffee pods (Nespresso, Dolce) and actual grounds. For slow days like weekends that I have time, I use my hand pour set.

2. My fave beans are ones from Kalinga hehe. The rest, I try to support local so Sagada, Buslig, etc. I tried some from Ethiopia and Guatemala pero mas masarap local beans for me. I usually have mine sa morning brewed,hot and black. Next cups after that are iced black or cold brew. When I put cream, I do Viet style so condensed milk gamit ko lang.

3. A beautiful coffee press + a simple hand or automatic grinder. Then buy beans na samplers like 100g until you know what you want. I don’t suggest latte art or milk frothing sa beginners kasi you need to know your preferred taste of base coffee first.

Ayun hehe. Sharing my coffee stuff below. Lemme know if you want to know more about anything you see there:

hi to all coffee lovers out there! inhave several questions

1. do u use french press, coffee makers or nespresso machines?

2. what are your go to coffee mixes?

3. what items should i buy/splurge on to make me feel fancy pero di masakit sa bulsa?

[grainfreeandhappykitchen]

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A post shared by Christine Ciancio (@grainfreeandhappykitchen)

It’s very real. Small businesses are suffering in this current climate. If you can help please do. Otherwise sooki and all his cat friends won’t have anywhere to stay when the family goes on holiday. #thecatcave #cattery #supportlocal #supportlocalbusiness #portarlington #drysdale #oceangrove #wallington #barwonheads #queenscliff #ptlonsdale #catboarding #grainfreeandhappykitchen #bellarinepeninsula #bellarine #grainfreeandhappykitchen (at The Cat Cave Cat Boarding) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_k4CmjOSX/?igshid=18xtq8n33pad7

[mellyhemps815]

They're just grumpy because I have the best wifi name in the building #TheCatcave #PussyEverywhereUpInHere

[lettersfromthecatcave]

One hour of my mornings go to these cuties— Vitamins, food, cleaning their bowls, cleaning their litter boxes.

But, look at those faces. Worth it yun isang oras every day na paggising ng mas maaga sa mundo lol.

P.S. Yes, we still haven't finished changing the tiles for the master bedroom. LOL.

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Happy Monday! Took a leave today, supposedly to rest, but of course, my ADHD arse cannot sit still feeling unproductive.

So... I am now going to: 🔲 Do an inventory of our kitchen supplies / pantry 🔲 Organize my cabinet (just a teeny bit lol) 🔲 Take a leisurely bath 🔲 Have a slow moment of reading a book and havng coffee 🔲 Walk for an hour (if it doesn't rain)

I hope my time blindness would allow me to do all these 😁

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Life lately:

Finished a grueling two-week training plus RTO discussions plus meetings, ugh. I deserve a two week vacation but we still have visitors from Global management.

House is in construction for a garage and hopefully a mini gym for me where I can finally put racks and treadmill

Saturday morning and it’s just 9am but we’ve grabbed coffee and ate breakfast with Fofo

Now about to work out for my optional HIIT day. Struggling with tracking my food and getting decent meals due to the busy weeks, but hoping to bounce back this week.

Kamusta kayo?

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Soon, my fire would come ablaze again.

I've been feeling like I am losing clarity again. Like many people trapped in whis WFH pandemic scenario, I feel like I am merely surviving and not thriving. And no, this is not me being hard on myself. I really have just been getting by... so I've been trying to rekindle my passion.

I've revamped my home office and I am also going back to freelancing. I still feel stuck, but I hope slowly, with discipline, I can regain control of my life.

I'm sucked in by Shopee but so far, I got some goodies from it. Here's my lamp finally arriving and giving some mood to the home office... light too. Hindi na ako mukhang nasa witness protection program kapag nasa meeting at naka-off ang vanity light... na mukha naman akong vlogger.

I also re-colored my hair- pink, for a change. Warm color kahit na feeling ko hindi talaga bagay sakin pero kere.

Haaaaay. Sana naman maayos ang mahalal sa eleksyon. Ang haba pa ng laban natin... but I want to keep sharing small pieces of help. Aasa ako na by coming from a place of understanding and kindness na we all want the good for the country and for our loved ones living here, eh sana matauhan tayo sino ang better choice ngayon.

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Obsessing over re-vamping my home office, yet again.

This means gastos, but I need to find some way to regain inspiration to work, especially that I am planning to go back the freelancing grind. Manifesting that in 6 months time, I can finally let go of the corporate slave life and earn more than what i currently do by doing less and having freedom.

Feeling streamer! Now let me look for a low cut tank top, charut!

Since the wedding, we still feel drained from socializing and organizing (we are both INFJs lol), so we've been living off foodpanda and Grab restos. Today, we prepped our lunch, finally. I cooked adobong pusit and J chopped up some tomatoes and salted egg.

Oh, we also got Nana already. Introducing, Espresso con Panna aka "Nana", our small bebi void.

Fofo initially hated her, but he's now.... civil. LOL. I worry though because Fofo's slowly being a good Kuya and he often wants Nana following him around, and eats after she finishes.

Any tips from other fur-moms on how to help cats bond better?

Last update is.... I CRIED YESTERDAY. Like flowing tears because PINK IS NOW THE COLOR OF HOPE. I volunteered on cascade and other groups, just making an effort to help in any way.

Kayo? Between an artist, a boxer, a son of a dictator and a lawyer, who will you vote for and why?

[lettersfromthecatcave]

There is nothing more rewarding that overcoming fear.

[Warning: Graphic Photo]

There is nothing more fulfilling that OVERCOMING FEAR. What ate me up for more than a month with dread was finished by my awesome dentist in less than 15 minutes... including me asking for my jaw to be held because it’s the part I hate the most.

Walking into the dentist's clinic and sitting on that chair, I was already calmer than usual. It might be because I got the message the Universe was telling me when I pulled out these two cards:

Earlier, I finally got what I needed to see.

To be able to defy my limiting beliefs, I needed to be able to see how I can always, always get over my fears when I want to. But, I need to ACCEPT them as they are - scary, uncertain, beyond what I am used to. Often, when I come across problems and pain, I tend to "jump" over it.... I detach from the scenario so I won't feel fear, pain, sadness. I disengage myself from the bad feelings for fear that my traumas would re-surface and it'll be chaos I can no longer control.

Like in tooth extraction, I do not fear the pain of the needle nor the blood. My fear lies in the actual uncertainty of how long I need to grit it out against the forceful pulling... especially when I am not feeling the pain. In as much as there is comfort in not knowing and feeling, there is also fear. And I realized, that is what I needed to learn - how to be present even when it is all discomfort, pain and uncertainty; how to show up even when I am paralyzed by anxiety and fear... and sit through it all. I need to feel those and LIVE THROUGH THOSE so I am reminded that my strength is beyond what I can imagine.

It also helps that I have people both physical and virtual, who supports me so much. Words can be just words to some, but to me, it matters so much. Salamat sa mga nagmessage, nag encourage. Sobrang salamat.

Here's me this morning before I pulled the cards, finding comfort in hugging Fofo and the breakfast in bed J made for me.

Here's the affogato I made at home. Doctor told me to grabe some ice cream but I really want affogato... don't tell him since he said not to drink coffee as it might slow down the bleeding from stopping. Pero mga cyst, 4 days ako di nagkape para di kabahan so I NEED THIS IN MAH LIFE. But forreals, I am so grateful for the patience of my dentist... since I was 12 y/o ang ingay at iyakin ko na sa dental procedures, bukod sa braces because that pain I can handle like a champ. Grabe, 15 minutes or less lang yun buong procedure at ang gaan ng kamay nya talaga. Naka-3 anesthesia siya sakin, because I am highly sensitive talaga sa pain sa mouth. Ahhhh, this is why he us our Ninong lololol.

That's it. Good night~

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Buying a house thru Pag-Ibig

Share ko lang 'tong link from Facebook. It's a good read about PAG-IBIG Housing Loan.

To be honest, takot ako ever since magpurchase ng bahay. Siguro kasi, bad examples nakita ko sa parents ko since they bought 2 that they struggled to pay. Wrong investment strategy.

PAG-IBIG is such a good and stable government agency na you can max out sa benefits. Low price, low interest. Maganda din talaga may sariling bahay lalo pa ngayon na pandemic, di mo kasi alam mga ganap if renting ka or nasa condo. Ewan ko, mas solid for me na may bahay na di kayo "stuck" feeling if lock down since spacious and may sense of community pa din sa villages/subdivisions.

J taught me a lot about buying houses and using them as investment. Target namin mamili ng mga bahay sa bawat project nila and then ipapaayos sya for renting or bed spacing. Mga lote at lupa maganda din bilhin to keep either as commercial space or for seeling when the price shoots up. Kaya din siguro inuubos ko na ngayon mga "luho" ko in a way. May mga desisyon kasi ako sa buhay na napupush ng life events. Naisip ko, after the wedding, yun napupunta buwan buwan na 15% ng salary ko for the wedding costs would be kept in a bank for investments. Kumbaga, kaya naman pala to set aside that amount monthly, na may savings pa din ako, so ilalagay ko yun sa space to invest.

Sana din lumago yun nasa Forex. Alam ko considered sugal yun mga nasa stock na pera, but yun naman sana ang pambibili namin ng lupa sa Zambales... to create the 100sq m loft house, with garden and balcony for sustainable living. Tokwa, halaman, isda, at home grown chickens nalang, okay na yun.

Nakaka-inspire isulat yun mga ganito ang for accountability din.

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Just crystals and essential oils~

Slowly trying to fix up the altar. I hope Dad makes me a small kyuripie table.

Clearly, I am impartial when it comes to oils. I use and buy what I want, so far from Young Living, Plant Therapy and Eden's Garden.

These here are in the bedroom area.

And these bunch are staples on my work space:

I can share more about them if anyone has any questions. Haha.

For now, I'm just documenting how they've grown~ I am a proud crystal keeper and oilbularya.

[lettersfromthecatcave]

The importance of honoring your hunger

So, I've been eating more lately. I used to skip breakfast due to fasting, but now, I am trying to teach my body to eat depending on how I feel.

Before, when I would fast, I eat over a 6-8 hour window. It keeps my calories well under my daily target, but I realized that it makes me binge eat somehow. Like, since I cram all food I want in that period, I binging everything - from what my body needs to what my mind/mood needs.

Opposed to when I eat 3-4x a day. I am slowly becoming more mindful of what I eat - is this nutrient densed? Does it have the protein I need to supplement my muscles that I am trying to build up? Do I feel good after eating vegetables, dairy, chips? It's easier to pin point which food I eat because I am bored or stressed.

I haven't weighed myself this week yet, as it might impact my eating. No, I don't have an eating disorder but coming from keto and fasting, some food because "bad" in my eyes. Imagine, staying away from certain fruits because keto says it has sugar and carbohydrates.... things our body really needs. So now, I am slowly introducing food and sort of doing my own tolerance test based on how I feel after or how bloated I become. To be honest, my tummy is not as flat as when I did keto but, it also do not bloat up as crazy.

I am not a nutritionist. Each body is unique. So, this is just me sharing that for now, intuitive eating is my way of eating. When hungry, I drink water to check if it's boredom. If still hungry, I eat. When I crave sweets or chips, I give in. But I listen to my body when it says, "the cravings has been met" even if it means only finishing 1 and a half slices of pizza.

My body is not perfect. And I think it never will be if I base it on social media standards. But my body allows me to move, think, create and for that I am grateful. So, this is me, trying my best to honor it the best way - working out to be strong, eating to nourish. It's not always good practice everyday, but habits are built over time.

With that, here's my recent go-to meal, aside from pad thai (heavily with chicken and toge, rather than rice noodles):

Sunny side up or boiled eggs with some nori bits~

Oh and owner perks... I gave in to wanting something aside from the usual coffee or Berocca, so I made my own drink: red velvet with oreo, no sugar, no milk.

And.... uhm, here's to share 1 of 2 new decks that arrived via Shipping Cart after more than a month. It's the Sasuraibito Deck~

[lettersfromthecatcave]

I woke up to this view today. Good morning!

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Freaky Friday

All that is happening around me made me light a candle. Some stakeholders on the project I am managing that comes from India have been sick, are in ICU, have lost their family members. Today, I also got news that one of our funniest, liveliest officemate died of non-COVID reasons. He was 30. Palestinians are being harassed and killed. Asians are being harassed and killed.

It feels so heavy that I feel thinking about myself feels selfish now. So, I am offering my candles for the next days to all those weary souls.

On a lighter note, nagtitipid kami sa kuryente so instead of turning on the aircon, I opened my home office's windows. Nakakarelax yun sound ng leaves and the air. Busy day ang Friday but cheers to the end of the work week.

Kamusta kayo?

[lettersfromthecatcave]

Oh, nothing special. Just my cats checking if I am working enough for their treats.