thesumofmycourage

[thesumofmycourage]

👒 Lately

We are now on the second week of the enhance community quarantine and I feel like I earned merit badges for the new things that I tried out.

🎖️ Yoga Apprentice Merit Badge

As mentioned on my prior post, I did try out yoga to resolve my back pain. It definitely worked and I am much better now. Since it made me more mindful of my posture, I decided to continue the practice. I am currently doing Home: A 30 Day Yoga Journey, still, by Yoga with Adriene.

At first, I thought you need to be super flexible to start but that is not really the case. If you are not comfortable in this position, try doing this instead; if you cannot reach your toes, no biggie! There are alternatives that you could do so you still reap the benefits of that day's practice. Important thing is that you are in tune with your body.

🎖️ KonMari Methodist Merit Badge

It took me 2 days to fold 6 medium-wide drawers and 3 big bags worth of clothes using the KonMari method.

I even arranged the clothes by type and by color for that department store look.

🎖️Helping Hand Merit Badge

Realizing that no matter how small I fold our clothes, since we have a ton, the drawers are still cramped. To acquire some space, I decided to let go of our old and rarely used clothes and donate them.

Not only will I get my desired space but I would also be able to help our community. Win-win!

Speaking of donation, we can now use GrabRewards points as a form of donation to continue supporting the Covid-19 projects initiated by The Philippine Red Cross.

What are the merit badges that you earned for last week? Do not forget to give yourself a pat on the back for trying out new things and remember to get yourself a proper a reward once this is all over, alright? I got my eyes on this one:

But hey, if you just stayed in bed, did pretty much nothing, that is still all good, my friend. No pressure:

https://forge.medium.com/now-is-not-the-time-to-obsess-about-productivity-d3f585006bf7

Read

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

Similar to how The Daily Bread works, each day of the year, a passage either from Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius or from their Stoic predecessors is quoted, analyzed, and then applied to our daily lives to give a different perspective in life.

Watch

Street Food on Netflix

To continue my quest for good food I watched the series Street Food. The first season showcased Asian cuisine. Aside from the mouth-watering dishes, the stories of the then ordinary individuals turned chefs are heart-warming and awe-inspiring that I wanted to grab a pan and cook as well! It was amazing as to how they gave their country a taste of their love and passion by cooking.

Keep safe!

[thesumofmycourage]

👒 Lately

Hey, how are you? It has certainly been a while! I was busy with work for the past few months but since Manila is currently under a month long community quarantine, I have more time on my hands now.

If your area is also in quarantine or if you are simply looking for something new, these are the things that has been keeping me sane for the past few days:

Play

Black Desert

My family name is MelonHeart. Feel free to add me up!

Read

I Am A Cat by Soseki Natsume

A book about a cat's point of view towards human beings and their behaviour. Set on the Meiji era, the cat's witty comments on almost everything that his master does made the book very entertaining.

So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport

A book claiming that following your passion does not always lead to workplace happiness then presents four rules on how to find that happiness supported by success stories.

Watch

Amazing Interiors on Netflix

Anything that has to do with interior design never fails to amaze me. The end result always work seamlessly together. Browsing design on print or on the internet has given me tremendous joy.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner on Netflix

Over and over the series never failed to entice me to go visit a certain area and try doing this activity or give that restaurant a try or have that specific dish here instead of there because it would be way better. My bucket list is getting longer and longer and longer. I cannot wait for the world to be nCoV free already.

Wellness

Yoga

I have already dismissed the idea of trying out yoga since I started exercising again however, my back was killing me! I suppose this is because of all those slouching so, I tried Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and so far, so good.

Hope these help during these trying times. If you have any suggestions, hit me up :)

Keep safe!

[thesumofmycourage]

🎨 Inktober Day 7 - 8

Day 7: Kanao Tsuyuri

Day 8: Nezuko Kamado

[thesumofmycourage]

🎨 Inktober Day 6

Day 6: Tsukasa Shishio

[thesumofmycourage]

📆 Alorica Sports Fest 2019

📍 Amoranto Sports Complex

[thesumofmycourage]

📆 Sticker Con MNL Halloween Pop-up 2019

Loots from last Saturday's event:

Few more stickers from boyfriend:

Free stickers from Nagaraya:

[thesumofmycourage]

🎨 Inktober Day 1 - 5

Day 1: Izuku "Deku" Midoriya

Day 2: Tsuyu Asui

Day 3: Fumikage Tokoyami

Day 4: Hitoshi Shinso

Day 5: Enji Todoroki / Flame Hero: Endeavor

[thesumofmycourage]

📚 AnyBooks

I was fond of books at a very young age. I think it started when my parents bought a treasure chest-like box full of fairytale books that comes in fancy covers. In elementary school, I would read books while having lunch and then would read some more in the library as soon as school ends. I would also borrow them and then take them home and with that, I received a borrower's award from the library. I didn't get to read as much during high school, though. I was busy with club activities, dance programs and contests, and student council tasks. I was reunited with books and the library when I got into college. With the wide array of subjects to choose from, I stayed longer in the library reading books about architecture to interior design to psychology to photography, whatever sparks my interest on that day!

Reading books electronically became a thing here, if my memory serves me right, was sometime when Fifty Shades of Grey (E. L. James) hit the shelves. The bookworm that I am, I tried e-books. I stopped after a few pages because (1) I'm just not used to reading that way and (2) my eyes hurt when I'm on my phone for too long.

Fast forward to 2019, today marks the 31st day of me using AnyBooks. In a month's span, I was able to finish 3 books namely Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life (Héctor Garcia and Francesc Miralles), The Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin) and lastly, The Convenience Store Woman (Sayaka Murata). I'm currently halfway through on my 4th book which is Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk: And Other Truths About Being Creative (Danielle Krysa).

I wanted to read more without spending and looking for space to place the book/s after - yeah, I don't know where to place my books anymore because they are so many already - so, I downloaded the app. I finally got used to reading thru my phone and yes, my eyes still hurt but I just take little breaks every now and then - all for the love of reading.

[thesumofmycourage]

🧳 V Exclusive Resort

📍 1070 Baranggay Bagong Barrio, Siling Bata, Pandi City, Bulacan

[thesumofmycourage]

🍴 Chi Em Gai

I had Vietnamese food for dinner for the first time last Friday.

My boyfriend wanted me to try Chi Em Gai’s pho ga (chicken noodle soup) and cha gio(fried spring rolls). He had it for a couple of times already and claimed it was one of the best so, I just have to try it out for myself.

I actually didn’t expect the noodles’ broth to be that tasty even without the vegetables and garnishes. It was surprisingly flavorful! The spring rolls on the other hand, are small but are stuffed and either the hoisin sauce - the dark sauce - or the vinegar is a perfect pair.

I would definitely have some more Vietnamese dishes in the future due to this satisfying experience. Hooray for a happy belly (っ˘ω˘ς )

📍 Cluster 2, Retail 13, Eton Centris Walk, EDSA corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.