A Purple Star

My daughter gave me gifts when she was a child. Sometimes, she presents me a drawing, an original poem, a letter, a bouquet of flowers she picked on our afternoon walks to Dogwood Park in Rockville, or her toy jewelry.

I kept them all, except for the fresh flowers. While I dried some, but was not able to dry them all.

I still wear the jewelry she gave me on parties, and just whenever I feel like it. I kept them in a jewelry box. I even wore them while videotaping for my vlogs.

The iridescent glittered purple star plastic silver ring was one of them, and I wore it to hang out with friends at a brewery in Virginia about 2 weeks ago.

It's so pretty, isn't it?

I didn't panic.

I was so frustrated yesterday. While at the parking lot after a grocery run, I accidentally turned on the rear window wiper.

I have operated this vehicle for many years, yet I do not recall ever activating this wiper, even during inclement weather.

I did locate the front wiper button. I thought that the front and the rear had the same button. I thought they synchronized.

Apparently, not.

I even thought of just ignoring it and drove home. I eventually decided to call the mister while he was at work to ask how to turn it off.

I didn't panic.

I wasn't mad either.

I was just frustrated with my lack of knowledge about the existence of this certain button.

*deep sigh.

Staples

August 29, 2016

After we bid farewell to our friends and left the brewery, we decided to go somewhere to eat. J suggested going to Roots 657, a restaurant and a market. It's just less than 2 miles away from Vanish. 

We frequently stop by this place whenever we are in this part of Virginia. Sadly, that place permanently closed in October of last year. 

But a new restaurant took over—Staples. It is also a country market, a coffee shop, and a restaurant. It is also owned by the brewery where we just hang out.

I got a chicken salad sandwich, and J had their Smash Burger. I also ordered their spiced lentil soup. You know, I love soup.

My sandwich was okay. However, the soup was unimpressive. *big sigh. 

A Beer-day Celebration

Last Saturday, August 29, we met with friends at a brewery in Virginia. With this group of friends we really try to meet as often as we can. This time is particularly special because both of them celebrated their birthdays in August.

We decided to hang out in Vanish Farmwood Brewery in Leesburg, Virginia. The mister and I came here maybe four years ago in the late afternoon, and it was mobbed. The oyster bar was closed too.

Last Saturday, the band just started playing, and the place was almost empty.

To our delight, before ordering drinks, we saw the oyster bar was open, Nomini Bay Oyster Ranch.

Because I don't drink beer, the mister got me hard seltzer. 

The duo playing at the brewery, One Blue Night, played, for me, familiar songs and many of Dolly Parton's songs. By around 2 p.m., people kept coming in. Some requested more of Dolly's songs. My favorite was their cover of "Jolene".

Some people say that eating oysters on the month that don't end in an R aren't safe to eat raw seashells. We don't believe that. Plus the 2 guys manning the stall said they had freshly gathered the oysters earlier in the day. 

The mister ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell. But I suggested that we should also try the grilled ones. 

We got half a dozen of each.

By the way, they gave us 3 extra oysters on the half shell. The mister shared 15 oysters because our 2 friends don't eat them. 

We were at the brewery for over 3 hours. The band packed already, and the next band playing at 5 started to set up. 

We had a blast. 

We are planning to go back soon, and we will definitely make sure that the oyster bar is open. 

Vanish Farmhouse Brewery 

42245 Black Hops Ln, 

Leesburg, VA 20176

9/1/2026 at 4:31 p.m.

Because of the intense heat, Papi announced that our after-office walk will not take place. Breathing heated oxygen is dangerous for my fragile lungs.

8/26/2026 at 5:24 p.m.

The mister called while he just pulled away from the parking space at his office. He said he's calling to invite me for a walk, if I'd like to.

OMG!

I never say no to so many things, especially to walks and hikes.

We went to the park but didn't park our car near it but a few alleys away. I love it when our routes are in these streets, as I get to see backyard gardens.

I was honestly jealous of the vegetables and flowers we passed by. In all of the years since I started gardening, this year is my lowest-achieving year. I have only a few varieties of plants that I was able to grow.

I do have a few flowers and vegetables, but most were grown from "volunteer" seeds. (Those plants that grew from the seeds dropped on the ground from that last year's crops.)

We passed by the creek at the park. I saw a bed of zinnias, hibiscus, cosmos, marigolds, begonias, tomatoes, pumpkins, and sunflowers. 

So envious. 

I will do better next year's planting season. 

Oh, by the way, we walked for an hour and hurried home because we were starving. What was for our dinner? It was roasted pork, and mango cucumber salad. I used the lemon cucumbers from our garden. 

Showroom

The mister had a medical procedure done today and hadn't had anything solid since yesterday. While still half awake from sedation, he told me that he's ready to have a burger for his late lunch.

He was very specific about his food choice, insisting that there must also be a milkshake.

Wow!

All the restaurants that we thought of were close on Mondays.

We also thought of another restaurant, Thai Meric Eatery and Bar. Although burgers aren't on their menu, it's closer to our home. Sadly, they're already on their midday closure but would open for their dinner hours starting at 4. 

Men! That's another hour and a half to wait.

Milkshake!? Burgers?!

I suggested Showroom! It serves milkshakes and burgers, plus the post office is on the way from the restaurant to our house. You see, I need to drop packages at the post office before it closes at 5. These packages contain items that I have sold from three of my online shops.

The last time we dined here was in February to celebrate my little sister's birthday. I usually order their Huevos Rancheros but decided to try something else this time.

J had their Double Stack Burger with duck fat fries, while I shared my chicken and waffle with him. We also shared an espresso milkshake. 

We inhaled them. I loved the sweet and savory marriage of flavors from my plate. The fries were also really good. They were cut thicker than usual, and the duck fat kicked the French fries up to a higher notch.

...and the milkshake? It was noteworthy!!!

Showroom 

882 N. East Street,

Frederick MD 

21701

8/22/2026 at 10:19 p.m.

Json just came home from a gathering held in Harper's Ferry. 

Me: Why are you home early? 

Json: Ma, they're old. 

Me: Old?!?! 

Json: I mean, they're in their 30s. 

Me: What are Papa and me? ANCIENT???

8/22/2026 at 4:25 p.m.

 At the dinner table...

Me: Papi, what's your favorite vegetarian food?

J: Rice!

During dinner ... 

Json: Pa, who's your favorite superhero? 

J: In Marvel or in DC Comics? 

Still thinking... 

Me: (((How about the Wonder Twins?))) 

I honestly am not very fluent in this discussion, but I tried, and those twins came to mind first. It's not too obvious what era my childhood was. Isn't it?

8/19/2026 at 11:39 p.m.

I was asked many times on Messenger why I am not as active anymore on social media, especially on Facebook. That I also stopped posting my vlogs as well.

Another friend also missed my OOTD (outfit of the day) photos.

I have been keeping my distance from the noise on social media and maintained my peace on a different platform—blogging.

"Who reads blogs nowadays?" That was what I got after my reply.

I honestly don't know, but I kept this space to write my thoughts and keep practicing writing in English. It took guts for me to write and publish it even if I knew that my grammar and punctuation needed polishing.

Lately, I noticed the increase in numbers in my readers.

So who reads my blog?

I still don't know. 

Oops!

My little sister sent me a message on Instagram around the time she gets in at work. That's about 8 in the morning.

I ignored her message until I got another notification. It said she sent me a photo.

She told me she was made aware of her major oops.

Oh no!

She said a lady who rode with her on the lift told her that she's wearing her button-down shirt inside out.

LOL.

If you looked closer at her cropped long sleeves, it looked fine except for the label—the size and garment care tag were hanging out. 

She usually takes the stairs to the 4th floor of her workplace, but not today. She went to the gym early and thought she didn't need to take extra steps or get too sweaty when she arrived at work.

I guess that was a blessing; she took the lift with the lady as well.

8/18/2026 at 11:56 p.m.

One of the moments I look forward to every day is when my body hits the bed after a day of work and chores.

By the way, I worked until 11:30 p.m. today.

It is 4 minutes till the clock hits 12 am.

Good night. 

Kittiwat Thai Kitchen

We were running around town last Saturday, from dropping packages at the post office to grocery shopping and sourcing at our local thrift stores. Our day was packed so much that the mister decided to have dinner at a Thai restaurant near his office.

Yey! That means I do not have to cook for dinner.

We dined here when it was newly opened, and maybe the last time we were here was when Jay's work opened a new location in town. This place is near my ophthalmologist, whom I visit every year.

On Saturday evening, we were surprised when we came in. The place had a new look—it's a tropical jungle, and I loved it.

Khao Moo Daeng
(Roasted pork shoulder, soft-boiled duck egg, Chinese sausage, cucumber, savory-sweet gravy served with rice)

Pad See Euw
(flat rice noodle, egg, Chinese broccoli with black bean sauce)

Mango Sticky Rice

By the way, I ate the Denrobium orchid flower that was served as a garnish with the mango sticky rice we ordered. This edible flower isn't sold per piece but in bulk and usually costs from $0.41 to $1.00 each. 

The taste? It tastes fresh, like a green leafy salad. 

Although I loved their curries, I ordered their Pad See Euw this time. I also didn't get any soup, but it was very tempting to get their Tom Kha Kai Soup. 

I want to go back one of these days, even just for a bowl of soup and my favorite of any Thai restaurant dish, mango sticky rice. 

5205 Presidents CtFrederick, MD 21703

Kittiwat Thai Kitchen

5205 Presidents Court 

Frederick, MD 21703

What's the time?

There were 11 minutes and 55 seconds to go until I finished the 10th episode of the Korean drama, My Royal Nemesis. 

I had to pause it to pee, and when I went back to bed, I noticed the mister rolled facing towards my side. He sleepily looked at me.

"Jay, unsay oras na?" (...what's the time?)

In a flash, he answered, "It's time to close your eyes and sleep." 

Hehehe. 

I didn't realize it was 1:31 a.m. already. 

7/24/2026 To the Park

The mister and I went to the park last Thursday. Thank goodness the weather has been wonderful. It was a short walk before dinner—about 2.2 miles only.

The following day, because the mister comes home early on Fridays, he invited me for a tandem bike ride back to the park again.

By the way, he comes home mid-afternoon but goes back to work (from home) at 7 p.m.

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. We stopped by at this spot by the creek under the trees for a picnic. I packed ube hopia and coconut water for our snacks.

He thought he brought the word game, Zip-It, that he newly bought from the thrift store last weekend. Sadly, I think he forgot it at our garage.

Good thing each of us also brought books.

Good to Know

Yesterday, while dining in a Vietnamese restaurant at mid-afternoon, I noticed the songs they always play. It is always instrumental piano. 

I learned from the mister that public places such as restaurants cannot play copyrighted music or else they'll be fined. It would be considered a public performance if they played such licensed works. 

What?

I've never heard of this type of license until the mister pointed it out. 

He added that restaurants must acquire public performance licenses for them to play copyrighted music during business hours. 

Good to know.

7/19/2026 at 11:47

 I read on the internet today that...  

"Love is a verb 

demonstrated time and time again."

7/7/2026 at 10:07 a.m.

 Good morning. 

It's Friday already. Yehey! 

It's hazy outside, and the air quality is poor. That is due to the wildfire in Canada. 

When our son came down from his bedroom to the family room, he immediately forbade me to go gardening today. But, if insisted, make sure to wear a mask. 

I'll be working indoors today, plus I have a mammogram appointment at 2 p.m. Gardening will resume tomorrow, and I'll make sure to wear a mask.

Garlic Lover

I was checking messages on Facebook, and while at it, I saw this video of a lady cooking an Italian dish that she said she got the recipe from her Italian mother-in-law.

But I got extremely distracted when she put on the lid to the stainless steel pot she was using. Its handle  was an intricately designed shape of two garlic bulbs nestled on top of grape leaves.

It was just beautiful.

I want NEED a whole set of this cookware.

The room that I spent most time at home in is the kitchen, which comes second to the bedroom.

With a little digging on the internet, I found that it is by the Italian brand called Ruffoni.

... and omg! They're so mahal. (Read: so expensive.)

This 2-piece set (pot and lid) costs $650. 

Whoah!

And a whole 14-piece set, but not the garlic lovers' style costs $3,945.

This cookware can really break the bank, but it would be worth it if you can afford it.