After all the quarantine hoops we had to go through, some of us are already thinking that Christmas season is going to be cancelled. Usually, once the "ber" months start, people get excited about the holidays and malls also start putting up decorations.
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| Christmas trees and decor abound in the mall. |
I checked out one of the biggest malls and checked to see for signs of the Christmas spirit. I'm happy to report that the holiday spirit is still alive and well.
Eating plant-based can be a bit of a challenge if your someone like me, who enjoys their breads, donuts and muffins. I have tried baking my own muffins and it was a satisfactory experience. However, baking bread is another story. I don't really have the patience to do all the kneading and waiting. Luckily, I found a tasty solution to my problem.
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| Vegan Asado Bun and Vegan Ube Pandesal with Cashew and Soy Filling |
I found Vegan Bakes for the Animals and the Planet and ordered some of their baked goods right away. They don't make and sell just breads, they have muffins, crinkles and donuts too.
If you've been feeling down lately, you are not alone. While some of us are okay with coffee as a pick-me-upper, others feel an even deeper feeling of something lacking not just in their systems, but in their lives. During this time where we are all unable to make physical connections; it is time to enhance our inner sense of connection instead.
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| Source: Spirit Conference International Website |
The Spirit Conference was first held in 2017. This year, the theme of the conference is "Remembering the Spirit". It is a timely and much-needed educational event to help us re-establish our sense of connection to our inner selves and to the greater community, that is humanity, and each being on this planet.
I always have notebooks at home. I like collecting different kinds of notebooks; different sizes, different paper, different texture, dotted pages, grid pages, blank pages, regular lined pages. Stationeries were what I collected when I was younger; but now, notebooks fascinate me.
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| Same notebook, different covers. |
They fascinate me but I'm not obsessed with them. I don't always carry them in my bag ,for example. For a while, I had them stashed away, unused. I use a keyboard to write for work most of the time and there are many applications online that you can use to save your notes.
Most people have been leveling up their cooking skills this quarantine period. I have been trying to cook new dishes too. However, there are some days when I've been too exhausted to even think of what to cook. Thankfully, there are online stores where I can order some healthy grub without ruining my budget. 24/7 Super Healthy is one such discovery.
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| Veggie Nuggets Bowl from 24/7 Super Healthy. |
Most online food places offer meat dishes so I was glad to find one that has plant-based options on their menu. I ordered 3 of their veggie bowls to maximize my delivery fee and just reheated them when I was ready to eat.
I'm not counting the days in quarantine anymore but I am counting the many times I have had to suffer from not being able to satisfy my food cravings. Luckily, online vendors are available to rescue us from our food craving woes. You just have to be diligent in searching for them online.
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| Vegan Spam Musubi with Black Rice from MaxTeaPH. |
Vegan spam musubi is one such craving that is rather hard to find even in restaurants. But an online search yielded MaxTeaPH offering this delicacy as well as milk tea with non-dairy milk options.
One of the things I miss when going out is checking out the bazaars in malls and parks. Bazaars are usually alive in malls during weekends and on special occasions. That's where I find natural and organic beauty products too. Thea Botanicals PH is one bazaar find that really delighted me with their wide array of beauty products. They come in cute packaging too!
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| Lip & Cheek Tint from Thea Botanicals PH. |
Beauty products in cute packages can sometimes bring out the girly side of me. More so if they have natural ingredients. Luckily, this local brand offers just that.
