I Got My Annual Dose of Flu Vaccine Today

October 7, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

I got my flu vaccine this morning. This is just one of our benefits as city government employees. We are also given free flu and pneumonia shots last year. Aside from that, we have a monthly supply of vitamins and supplements to boost our immune system. I am already fully-vaccinated against COVID-19.These are really essential nowadays as we continue our battle against coronavirus.

What are the benefits of getting a flu vaccine? Of course, it can prevent us from getting sick with flu. According to cdc.gov, flu vaccination has been shown in many studies to reduce severity of illness among people who are vaccinated but still get sick. Still, the vaccine helps us lower the risk of hospital admission due to flu. That’s the reason why I did not hesitate to avail of this, getting hospitalized is much difficult right now, because of the COVID-pandemic.

My husband also got his vaccine today. We will schedule the same for the kids – will inquire with their pedia regarding this.

Gardening: Philodendron Serratum

September 30, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

It’s been a while since my last post about gardening. At the heights of pandemic last year, many people became plantitos and plantitas. Personally, I have been caring for plants in my small window garden even before the rising hype of gardening happened.

One of my favorite houseplants are philodendrons varieties. Just like this Philodendron Serratum:

Such a beauty, isn’t it?

Caring for this particular houseplant is very easy. It can thrive with bright, indirect sunlight and right amount of water – allow the top soil to dry out between watering . You might wonder why the featured plant is indoor. That is one of the advantages of collecting Philodendrons…Unlike most houseplants, they do not experience as much stress when moving from outdoor settings (from gardeningknowhow).

More about my houseplants collection in the next posts. See yah!

Blended Learning Year 2

September 20, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

We are now on the second week of classes for this school year. Yasmin is in Grade 10 while Yohan is already in Grade 5.

Honestly, we experienced a lot of challenges last year. The kids have a hard time adjusting to blended learning. And so am I -as their home learning partner most of the time. We even hired a tutor for Yohan as my alternate during the times that I have to report at the office. Yasmin’s grades dropped because she was overwhelmed with the activities required in most of the subjects. Nevertheless, we survived and completed the new normal schooling amidst this on-going pandemic.

This year, we are anticipating some adjustments that I believe will make learning from home much easier. Thanks for the applications made accessible for the kids, such as Facebook Messenger. Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Meet, Google Classroom, and Google Forms. They are also learning to use Canva for designing their outputs.

They will still use the Self-Learning Modules developed by DepEd as reference for their lesson and activities.

Good luck to us and hoping for another meaningful and productive school year.

Why I Love Watching Korean Dramas and Movies + an Inspiring Quote from one of the shows I’m currently watching

September 7, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

Wow! that was a long title, hehehe

‘Twas year 2004 when I first hooked to Korean dramas and movies. Believe it or not, I love them way more than the locally-produced ones. Ooopps, sorry.

Full House (starring Song He-Kyo and Rain) was the very first drama I’ve watched. I still remember those days that my former officemate and I swapped CDs containing all the episodes of our favorites shows. Thanks to the fast-evolving technology, we now have lots of options on where to watch/stream our favorite TV shows.

I’ve seen a hundred (or more) titles ranging from romantic comedy, romance, medical, legal, thriller and all other interesting genres. That made me realized that, perhaps, I should blog about my reviews and Kdrama recommendations for you, guys. Hmmm, watch out for it, soon.

Fast forward to 2020 to 2021, pandemic period, when most of us are stucked at home, bored and worried – especially here, in my side of the globe, where the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. We need to refrain from going out unless it is an essential business like reporting for work, or buying basic goods. Watching movies, dramas and documentaries is one of our favorite hobbies at home.

Korean dramas are very interesting to watch, isn’t it? It is because they have interesting plots – creative story lines, love story match ups, and relatable experiences by the lead stars. There are shows that I even watch over and over again.

I am currently watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha. It’s a new series on Netflix with only 3 out of 16 episodes available. It is a light-hearted, romantic comedy. The lead stars Kim Seon-ho and Shi Min-a have an amazing chemistry, too. They are now trending on social media as “dimple couple”.

credits to decider.com for the background image.

That’s one of my favorite lines from the show.

I am also waiting for the last two episodes of Hospital Playlist Season 2.

On Skills Upgrading and Future Goals

August 31, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

” It’s never too late to focus on your DREAMS!”

Updated my resume for the first time a couple of years. I used Canva as an editing tool and I was very happy with the result.

With the current health and economic situation in the Philippines today, I am considering to upgrade my skills, that is why I prepared my updated resume. As I approach mid-40’s, I am confident enough that this plans I have in mind and with constant discussion with my family, will pull off. I just need to focus on my goals and put in extra amount of determination.

I am thinking of going back to school because I love learning – I love learning new things.

image from: pinterest.ph

16 Years Since We Said “I Do”

August 25, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

My husband and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary last August 20 – our second celebration while being locked down inside our humble abode because of this pandemic. It was one of our simplest celebrations but the sweetest one nonetheless. Despite all the challenges, we are very grateful for our happy and healthy small family.

Our hearts fluttered upon reading our family and friends’ warm greetings, both offline and online. My FB status has close to a hundred comments as of this writing. Thank you all for all the love.

one of the few photos we have. both of us are not fond of taking pictures hehe

So, that’s it for a very very short blog update. Now, back to work from home mode.

Metro Manila back to ECQ starting August 6

August 4, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

I was supposed to go to my daughter’s school this morning for their Report Card distribution. However, her adviser messaged us in the parents’ group chat that the distribution is cancelled as instructed by the Principal. We will be informed after the lockdown.

Yes, you read it right. Metro Manila is expecting stricter quarantine measures in line with the current Covid-19 pandemic. From August 6 to 20, Metro Manila will be placed on Enhanced Community Quarantine (again). Our situation is not getting any better. With the Delta variant becoming a threat to everyone, the government deciced to declare ECQ. According to the article I’ve read in webmd.com, the Delta variant can spread more easily. The strain has mutations on the spike protein that make it easier for it to infect human cells. Thus, people may be contagious if they contract the virus and more easily spread it to other. Scary, right? So, let us be very very careful. Always wear face mask, practice proper hand hygiene, and avoid crowded places. Stay at home, go out only for essential reasons.

This is heartbreaking. It has be more than a year that the kids remained at home. The challenges, the boredom. It’s really never easy for the kids. We wish and pray that this soon be over. Each and everyone of us should remain strong and healthy, more importantly. Protect ourselves and our family. Get vaccinated. We are grateful that husband and I are already fully vaccinated.

Stay safe, everyone!

Challenges in Schooling in the New Normal

July 7, 2021 by Weng Zaballa Leave a comment

How are you fellow parents? How’s the school so far? Some of you maybe on school break already huh. Well, we are on the final week now. The kids (and I) are busy taking summative tests, completing modules and projects.

This school year was not a walk in the park for us. I think many parents and guardians will agree with me. We faced difficulty adjusting to the new mode of attending classes, we have fair share of anger and frustration. It was quite hard, especially when you are also a working parent. Added to that are the distractions here and there that the kids frequently lose focus on their studies.

Thankfully, despite all the challenges we are facing due to COVID-19 pandemic, we will be able to finish another school year, soon.

I will share in details our blended learning journey in the separate post.

See yah!