Lessons from Move to Heaven

I’ve first seen Tang Joong Sang in Crash landing on You drama which is one of the highest-rated dramas in South Korea. He is part of Captain Ri’s North Korean soldiers. One year after, he already got a leading role in the Move to Heaven series. It is a Netflix original series but I did not mind this because I don’t like heavy-drama series. But after watching Tang Joong-Sang’s Racket Boys, out of curiosity, I started watching Move to Heaven. 

This is number 122 on my Korean drama series list. Move to Heaven is the name of the business of Han-Jeong-U and Han Geu-Ru, they are trauma cleaners who help people in cleaning and sorting out the belongings of the deceased. I have no idea that there is such thing as trauma cleaners and I don’t know if we have this kind of service in the Philippines. 

But all I know is, this is a sad reality that we need to face after the wake and interment. Cleaning, organizing, and disposing of the things that our loved ones left behind is a challenge. It is an emotional process where we feel sad and happy at the same time. The pieces of memories that we remember and stay alive in our minds and hearts. 

Going back to the story, Han-Jeong-U died and left Han Geu-Ru who has Asperger syndrome to his long-lost uncle Cho Sang-gu. An ex-convict became Geu-Ru's guardian and helper in running the trauma cleaning company. Move to Heaven is not an ordinary trauma cleaning business because they don’t just clean but they also solve some issues of their deceased clients. They believe that things that were left behind can still tell stories and these things help them to uncover and discover the truth. 

This series has only 10 episodes but it is full of lessons about family, friendship, life, and death. I have so many realizations after watching Move to Heaven. 

1. It confirmed that material things mean nothing. You can’t really bring your treasures to heaven. And shockingly, after the trauma cleaners clean the space, the important things were kept in just a small yellow box. 

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 

2. How sad and lonely to die alone with no family members who will organize your funeral. No one even visits you in the wake. Actually, this happened to some people especially now that we are experiencing a global pandemic because of COVID19. 

“There’s no greater misfortune than dying alone” - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

3. I love how Namu supports and protects Han Geu-Ru. A true friend that is hard to find. 

“There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.” 

4. We all go through loss but we have our own way to deal with our griefs and mournings. Some people will take weeks, months, years, and even forever to heal. Whether we like it or not it is a reality that we cannot escape from, we just need to accept and learn to let go. 

“Our grief is a measure of the affection we had and still have for those that have gone to rest in the arms of the Lord. It is the last act of love we can show to those whom we loved but have departed from us.” - Unknown 

Ending this post with some of my favorite lines in Move to Heaven

"Although you can't see someone, it doesn't mean they're not with you. As long as you remember, they are not gone" 

“Even for the deceased, we can still hear their voice” 

“I was told not to say carelessly when you don’t know their story” 

“Dad says what makes a good person is how they try to understand others, not how they talk”

“Since I met you, for the first time, I want to live for tomorrow. I want to be a braver man than I was yesterday all because of you. I don’t want to hide anymore like a coward. I’ll never let go of your hand till I die”

My 3D Birthday Cake Topper

My first project using my Cricut Maker was my birthday cake topper last year. Since then, I try to explore different materials and projects. So far, I’ve done a few cake toppers already using acrylic, cardstocks, glitter cardstock, and vinyl stickers. I’ve been meaning to try 3D Birthday Cake Topper so last week, I finally made my first layered cake topper. 

For this project, I only use the sweet decorative font “Nimaly” and the classic font “Braveold”. I attach and weld the two fonts and create different offset layers. Since it was my first time doing it, it was a challenge to choose colors so I wasted a few materials before I finished this gold birthday cake topper. I used a glossy gold vinyl sticker, black cardstock, and gold glitter cardstock.   

The following day, I decided to change my birthday cake topper because I felt sad with my color combination and my husband was teasing me, golden birthday ko daw ba? So I just followed the purple colors of the Love Cynthia Happy Numbers which I printed and cut using a glossy sticker. 

At first, I used a glossy purple vinyl sticker and white cardstock but I changed my mind and decided to print the first layer so I can do a 3D Birthday Cake Topper. For a change, I used a foam sticker in between the cardstocks. I am happy with my improved version of my cake topper.

* This post contains affiliate links.

Happy Lockdown Birthday

Cheers to myself for surviving my second lockdown birthday. I never thought that I will be celebrating another quarantined birthday but of course, this pandemic won’t stop me from celebrating. Despite what is happening in the world, there is always a reason to be happy and thankful. 

Another year down and I'm grateful to God for the gift of life. Waking up every morning is already a gift so I’m really glad to spend and share my life with my two boys even at the comfort of our home. My love language is time so as long as they are present on my birthday, okay na ko. I'm also thankful for all the people who remember and took the time to greet me. 

For the past few years, my birthday wish is always good health because it is true that “Health is wealth”. If you get sick, mauubos ang pera mo sa pagpagamot and worst pa, kung hindi mo rin maenjoy ang wealth mo. So I'm praying for a healthy life ahead because I want to grow old pa. 

And because this is another quarantined birthday, wala ng ibang iisipin kundi food. Last year, we had Steak and Seafood Grill so I was planning for a Shabu-Shabu Birthday Celebration but I changed my mind. I felt lazy to prepare for the ingredients, naisip ko marami ko i-slice na mga veggies, seafood, and meat. Ayaw ko mapagod sa birthday ko, hehehe! So I told my husband to order food at Illo’s Party Trays. 

I learned about Illo’s last month, ito yung handa ng pamangkin ko nung graduation niya. Nasarapan sila so I checked the website and social media. Nagutom ako sa kakabrowse ng food and even celebrities pala bumibili din sa kanila. They have different packages and I was choosing between Ricardos and Remedios, but I settled for Ricardos kasi ito yung order ng sister-in-law ko dati. 

Ricardos PHP3,080 

Beef Caldereta 

Lechon Kawali 

Cajun Roast Chicken 

Chorizo Fried Rice 

Mixed Nuts Banana Loaf 

We are just a family of three and the food package is good for 4 to 6 persons. As far as I know, ito na yung pinakamaliit and mura sa menu packages. It is not really a problem because my birthday leftovers will be our food for the week. Hehehe! Hindi pa ko magluluto ng ilang araw, nakapahinga pa ko. 

My husband just called but was advised to send a message through Viber or WhatsApp. Then he paid through online banking. As expected, my husband chose pick-up, nagtitipid sa delivery fee. All foods are safely packed in plastic containers and may sariling eco-bag din so hindi mahirap bitbitin. 

While I was preparing the food, my son kept on saying “wow, sarap ng food”. It was funny because hindi pa naman niya natitikman except for the cake and leche flan na all-time favorite na namin. But after trying the food, we knew that it won’t be our last time. For our future celebrations, Illo’s Party Trays will be part of our options. My son likes the Cajun Roast Chicken while my husband and I like the Lechon Kawali. 

My husband also bought Cafe Mary Grace Cheesecake PHP1302 and Contis Leche Flan PHP195. I told my husband to buy a small cake for my birthday but he ended up, buying a big cake because he said, mas malaki pa daw cake topper ko sa small cake. Hahaha! Actually, I made two cake toppers for my birthday but I will share my DIY Cake Topper in a separate post.

Homemade Cheeseburgers

Since I am not fond of food deliveries, I will just cook the fastfood meals that I am craving at home. My malunggay pandesal was a hit so this month I prepared cheeseburgers for our merienda but this time, I made my own burger patty. I just mixed ground beef, salt, egg, and flour and cooked them in Air Fryer again. 380F for 10 minutes.

But my patty shrunk so it looks too small for our burger bun. My husband was expecting that it will look like a Cheese Whopper of Burger King but I told him, it is Angel’s Burger. Hehehe! 

Para makabawi naman, I made another homemade cheeseburger using the Chef’s Selection Value Beef Burger Patties that I used for the malunggay pandessal. For a change, I fried the burger patty on the pan so it will fit my burger bun. I’m trying to copy the Bacon Mushroom Melt of Wendy’s so I put burger patty, bacon and mozzarella cheese then toast it in the oven toaster until cheese melts. 

Sayang, wala lang ako mushroom but my burger looks presentable now compared before so lesson learned, I will just fry my burger patty. If I will use the air fryer, it will take me a lot of time since it can only fit 2-3 burger patties. 

I’ve Got My First Jab of COVID19 Vaccine

Living in times of Coronavirus is no joke, it’s been more than a year of being confined in the four corners of our house and no one can tell when it will end. Just when I thought that everything would be back to normal, we are suddenly back to MECQ/ECQ. The never-ending cycle of community quarantine. 

A lot of us are looking forward to resuming our normal life and some of us think that vaccines will solve this global pandemic. But when I learned that the COVID19 vaccine is already available, I was not excited to register for it. I am not part of the anti-COVID19 vaccine, I’m just not brave enough to take the first shot. I can never forget the Dengvaxia or dengue vaccine issue so part of me was scared to get the vaccine because I don’t know if it is really safe. 

Read: A Dose of Pneumococcal Vaccine

COVID19 Vaccine for Teens

In my mind, I don’t need to rush and I will just wait for what will happen. I’m just at home, my husband is working from home and my son is taking online distance learning so we seldom go out of the house. Deciding to get my COVID19 vaccine is not easy because I have an autoimmune disease and I have to stop my medication before and after the vaccine. 

But everything changed when my husband started to go back in the field, I started to worry for our safety because he is always out of the house. So last month, I finally decided to register for the COVID19 vaccine. Nauna pa magparegister si hubby sa akin pero since I am part of A3, ako ang naunang natawagan for vaccine sa local government namin. I’m thankful to Makati because they allowed my husband to register in their city, since doon naman nagwowork si hubby. 

We can't choose vaccines so we will get whatever is available. My husband got his first jab of Sinovac, (first week of August) and I got my first jab of Moderna (second week of August). My husband's Sinovac side effects are pain on the injection site, sleepy and parang lutang daw siya. My Moderna side effects naman just pain on the injection site and it is hard to move my arms (bigat ng feeling). 

Possible side effects of Sinovac

1. Pain at the injection site

2. Headache

3. Fatigue

4. Muscle and joint aches

5. Nausea

6. Diarrhea

7. Cough

8. Chills

9. Itchy Skin

10. Loss of appetite

11. Runny nose

12. Sore throat

13. Nasal congestion

14. Fever

Rare side effects of Sinovac

1. Muscle spasm

2. Eyelid swelling

3. Nosebleed

4. Constipation

5. Loss of sense of smell

Possible side effects of Moderna

1. Pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site

2. Tiredness

3. Headache

4. Muscle or joint aches

5. Chills

6. Nausea and vomiting

7. Underarm swelling

8. Fever

9. Swollen lymph nodes

Rare side effects of Moderna

1. Pericarditis

2. Anaphylaxis

3. Myocarditis

When my husband went to Makati, it took him almost two hours (morning schedule) bago siya natapos. So before going to our barangay vaccination site, I even bring a water bottle because I thought it will take me hours but luckily, it only took me more or less 20 minutes to get my shot. 

Update: Second Dose of COVID19 Vaccine; September 2021

My husband had his second dose of Sinovac and pain on injection site lang ang naging side effect. Mas okay ang second dose side effects niya compared sa first dose.

If the second dose of my husband's COVID19 vaccine went well, my experience was the opposite. I had my second dose of Moderna vaccine past 8AM (Friday) and I was still feeling normal throughout the day. But when evening came, my arms started to feel heavy and I'm already in pain so I slept early. Before 1AM (Saturday), I woke up with fever, headache, and muscle aches so, over the weekend so I just stayed in my bed. 

I was paranoid when I had a fever so I made some research, I've learned that side effects are good signs that the vaccine is working because it triggers the immune system. And it is pretty normal to feel more side effects after the second dose because there are more immune cells ready to attack. So I felt relieved na but I was praying na hindi magtagal ang side effects. 

Sunday afternoon, I started to feel okay and my fever is going down. On my third day, no more fever, no muscle aches, and no more headache but I can still feel the pain on my injection site pero hindi na affected buong arms. 

* If you don't experience side effects, it doesn't mean that vaccine didn't work. Kanya- kanya lang talaga ng epekto sa katawan. 

Update: January 2022

We thought the booster shot is after six months so when we learned that after three months is already okay, we started waiting when it will be available in our local government. So when I saw the announcement, I immediately told my husband about it. Good thing that he no longer needs to go to Makati again, dito na sya sa amin nakapagpabooster, though it took him 2 hours sa pila sa dami kasi gustong magpabooster. Ito yung time na pataas na ang COVID19 cases ulit. He had Sinovac vaccine before so fortunately,, maganda naman ang booster shot niya which is Pfizer. The side effect is only pain on the injection site. 

Hindi ako sumabay kay hubby sa booster shot because I am afraid of the possible side effects, mahirap kung dalawa kami magkasakit. After two weeks, I had my booster shot which is also Pfizer. And I am lucky because it only took me 15 minutes and I am done. Direderetso lang kasi yung process, yung recovery na yung matagal. I immediately feel the pain on the injection site after one hour, unlike sa Moderna na almost half day bago sumakit. Pero tolerable siya unlike sa Moderna na affected buong arms and mabigat ang feeling. 

Pfizer-BioNTech Common Side Effects 

Pain on injection site 

Fatigue 

Headache 

Chills 

Muscle pain 

Fever 

Joint pain 

Swollen lymph nodes 

Nausea 

Decreased appetite 

Are you also scared to take the risks?

“You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen” Paulo Coelho 

“Do one thing every day that scares you” 

“To know what life is worth, you have to risk it once in a while” Jean-Paul Sartre 

“Every risk is worth taking as long as it’s for a good cause, and contributes to a good life.”

“Living with fear stops us from taking risks, and if you don’t go out on the branch, you’ve never going to get the best fruit.” Sarah Parish

My Japanese Drama Series List

I watched a lot of Korean drama series but there are times that I cannot finish one series so I also have a long list of unfinished dramas and I don’t know if I can convince myself to finish those series. A few days ago, I was watching one kdrama but I lost interest when one character died. I watch series to unwind so if I feel that the story is too heavy or all about revenge, I lost interest. 

Read: My Korean Drama List  

Two months ago, I started watching Japanese Drama Series, I already blogged about Doctor X, we enjoyed this series so much and we finished the 6 seasons in just two weeks. Then we watched Legal V because the lead actress is Ryko Yonekura too. Then just this week, I shifted to Japanese drama series again because I can’t find a good kdrama to binge-watch. I also enjoyed Kotaro Lives Alone, it was a short series that you can finish in less than 5 hours. 

I created this blog to document the series that I have watched, let us see if I can reach 100 too. Lol

1. Doctor X  Season 1

2. Doctor X Season 2

3. Doctor X Season 3

4. Doctor X Season 4

5. Docyor X Season 5

6. Doctor X Season 6

7. Legal V 

8. Kotaro Lives Alone

9. The Ingenuity of the Househusband

10. Doctor X Season 7

11. Alice in Borderland

12. Alice in Borderland 2

13. Let's Get Divorced

14. Burn the House Down

15. From Me To You

Unfinished Japanese Drama Series

Good Morning Call Epi 6

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Series Epi 1

Care to share your favorite Japanese drama series.

DIY Garlic Bread Toast

Our favorite garlic bread is from United Village Breadhouse and it is always part of my grocery list but because of the community quarantine, ang tagal na namin hindi nakakabili. We usually buy this at Landmark supermarket but since the start of the global pandemic, we lessen our grocery trip. 

When we learned about the approaching ECQ, my husband immediately went to Landers so we can store some food. He also bought a few packs of bread kasi mga naka-Buy 1 Take 1, like this baguette. I am aware of the expiration dates so I usually put some of our bread in the fridge and some in the freezer to make them last longer. 

A baguette is a long stick of bread that is always connected to France but it is bake around the world. This is often sliced and served with butter, jam, cheese, or pate. My son likes garlic bread so using the baguette, I made my own garlic bread. I just mix butter, dried parsley and season with garlic salt. Then spread the mixture on my sliced baguette and toast it in the oven toaster for few minutes. It is so easy to prepare so we have snacks in few minutes. 

Since we don’t always have baguettes, I normally used sliced bread to make my own garlic bread. I think any bread will do, it just depends on your preference if you want to have soft bread or crisp crust.

Ingredients

Sliced Baguette

Butter

Fresh or Dried Parsley

Fresh Minced Garlic or Garlic Salt

Read: Cheesy Garlic Bread 

Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette

In my previous post, I shared about Korean Egg Roll and because my first gyeran mari was a success, I also tried another Korean egg recipe which is Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette. It is supposed to be Korean pancake but I removed the flour from the ingredients. I just used whatever ingredients I have at home. 

Ingredients

Cooking oil 

3 Eggs 

Enoki Mushroom 

Quickmelt cheese 

1 tbsp of spring onion 

1 tbsp of bell pepper 

Garlic salt 

How to Cook Korean Enoki Mushroom Omellete

1. Removed the woody stems of the enoki mushrooms and sliced them. 

2. Rinse and pat dried the mushrooms. 

3. Crack the eggs and mix all the ingredients. 

4. Season with garlic salt. 

5. Preheat the pan over medium heat and add cooking oil. 

6. I used a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop my enoki mushrooms mixture. 

7. Cook the mushrooms until they turn brown or until you can flip them. 

8. Cook the other sides and remove them from heat. 

9. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. 

My Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette was a hit so I will add this to my breakfast menu. I will cook this again kapag may enoki mushroom na ulit kami and next time, I will add flour and see kung may difference ba sa lasa. 

And because I was happy with my Neoflam Fika Egg Roll Pan, I also invest in Neoflam Fika Frying Pan but this one, I bought it from SM (online) because it is cheaper. Nakasale kasi sa SM + voucher, ang laki ng tipid. I loved this pan because I did not use a lot of oil to cook my Korean omelet. You can purchase the pan here. 

Watch the video here

Korean Egg Roll (Gyeran Mari)

I have already watched a lot of Korean drama series, variety shows, and movies so slowly I’m adding Korean foods to our menu. I’m a picky eater so I know for sure that I can only add few dishes to my list. One of the side dishes that I’ve been meaning to cook is Korean Egg Roll or Gyeran Mari. It is a popular Korean side dish that I always see whenever I watch drama series, movies, and even variety shows.

The only thing that hinders me is I know that I am not good at rolling eggs, that is why I rarely cook omelets at home. Then I realized maybe I should invest in Omelet Pan but I was hesitant to buy because it is expensive but after few months, naicheck-out ko na rin sa cart ko. I finally bought Neoflam Fika Egg Roll Pan, I know that there are cheaper versions of egg roll pans pero gusto ko yung design ng Neoflam. Hehehe! 

Neoflam Fika Cookwares are also available in SM and it is cheaper compared to other sellers online but SM does not offer Egg Roll Pan so I ordered my pan in South Korea. You can purchase from this store. What I love about this pan, the egg mixture doesn’t stick talaga so you don’t need a lot of oil and rolling an egg is not a problem. 

In cooking gyeran mari, you only need eggs, salt, and cooking oil but of course, you can also add other ingredients like carrots, bell pepper, spring onion, ham, cheese, and more. The list goes on depending on your preference. On my first try, I added bell pepper and spring onion. I mixed all the ingredients in a  measuring cup so it would be easy for me to pour the egg mixture. 

Korean Egg Roll Recipe 

4 Eggs 

1 tbsp of spring onion 

1 tbsp of bell pepper 

Garlic salt 

1 tbsp of cooking oil 

1. Mix the ingredients 

2. Heat the pan on low heat and add cooking oil. 

3. Pour a thin layer of egg mixture into the pan and spread. 

4. If the egg is semi-cooked, start rolling the egg to the other side. 

5. Pour a thin layer into the empty space. 

6. If the egg is semi-cooked, start rolling the egg again to the other side, 

7. Repeat the process until you finish your egg mixture. 

8. Remove the rolled egg from the pan and let it cool. 

9. Slice the egg for about 1 inch thick. 

I'm so happy with my first try of Korean Egg Roll so I have no regrets about purchasing my egg roll pan. Hindi ko nagagawa ito sa round na pan e. Now, I have the confidence in making omelets and egg rolls. The advantage of this, my son can eat vegetables too. 

Watch the video here

Read: Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette