Steam Iron, Playlist, Dried Fish and a Milk Tea Date: A Father's Weekend Journal

I woke up at 6:30 when the loud "puto maya mo diha, tapol, init pa!" echoed the whole neighborhood. It's Saturday, I didn't need to wake up early to bring my partner and kids to school, but I needed to get up, puto maya is used to be my breakfast.

I ran downstairs before the puto maya vendor passed by and bought three packs. I went inside, turn on the water heater and turn on the computer. I looked for my weekend playlist and it started to play. After a while the water boiled, I grab a cup and began to make my coffee, seated on the table and I started my coffee sips and puto maya bites.

My partner and our kids were still sleeping. My weekend playlist never failed me to enjoy my coffee alone. This kind of music always makes me energized and motivated for the whole day. They seemed to be my quick dose of vitamins. Heart warming, nostalgic and always brings back my childhood memories.

After the coffee, I went outside and started to hang the laundry I washed yesterday. My partner was already awake and tried to capture snaps of me while I was doing my stuff. Who says men don't do the laundry? Hahahhaha. Well, in our home, it is always me who do the laundry every weekend. Someone complains to have headaches or fatigue on weekends (hahahahah nasanay na ata kaya naghahanap ng rason para di siya yung maglalaba). But for me, it is okay. Men should participate in doing the household chores, it doesn't make us less men.

After the hanging stuff, I immediately grabbed my motor key and went to the market. We chose to cook healthy meals on weekends since on weekdays instant foods were trending. I bought some vegetables, okra, talong, alugbati and malunggay, and also bought dried fish (tuyo). And went back home so that my partner could start preparing breakfast.

My partner started cooking. The playlist was still playing, she never turned it off, she knew she shouldn't hahahha. I remembered our steam iron was not working well these past days. The power indicator blinks and get heat slowly. I began to open it and checked the wirings inside. And I found our some of the wirings were already disconnected and a lifeless cockroach was inside the tiny water tank. I spent an hour for it and hadn't noticed it was already pass eleven.

Everybody had their breakfast already, except me. Anyway, I usually do not eat in the morning. I used to have brunch. I also realized the playlist was already off that time, someone turned it off (my 5 year old son) and played ROBLOX in my computer. I prepared my brunch on the table and started to eat.

Fried eggplant is one of my favorites along with chili garlic sauce. She also fried the dried fish, cooked vegetable soup, steamed fish (inon-onan/paksiw na isda) and the rice was still hot. I grabbed a cold fruit juice from the fridge and enjoyed my brunch very much.

At one in the afternoon, I returned the soldering gun I borrowed from my friend Clarence and went straight to gym. On weekdays, I used to work out at 6 in the evening because I had to fetch the kids and my partner in school at 4 pm but on weekends I can do my workout in the afternoon. Gym is part of my daily routines.

When I arrived home at 3 pm, someone dearly asked for a milk tea. I can't say no to this brilliant little lady who had perfect scores in her first quarter exam. We had a short date at the milk tea shop and brought some milk tea home for my little boy who was sleeping when we left. Now, I sit down, grab my laptop and started to recall my weekend review and writing this blog.

Today was not a very busy day. Most of my weekends were busier than today. I have my weekend playlist that keeps me going, kids that inspire me to be a good example to them and a not so tiger partner (not so tiger daw! Hahahha) who appreciates these small chores that I do at home.