1156 - Wigo Updates

Last Sunday I replaced the seat cover of the Wigo with a new set I bought from a former colleague of my mom who now does seat covers.

It was a pain in the ass to replace. There were so many coverings that made removing and installing the new seat covers a challenge. Good thing I decided to check the internet to figure out how to remove the rear seat cushion. Overall it took me maybe a good three hours total to figure stuff out.

It was frustrating but at the same time fulfilling that I was able to do it on my own. Frustrating because the new seat covers had a lot of sweat drops from me. Fulfilling because, like I said, I did it myself. I look forward to trying it again in a few months when it's time to replace these seat covers with the original seat covers.

After changing the seat covers I washed the old seat covers and surprisingly they were dry and stored in an eco bag by the afternoon. I guess it was because it was a sunny day and the seat cover fabric was pretty thin.

Aside from this the mobile phone holder I ordered from Shopee finally arrived. I thought it worked by suction but apparently it stuck on the dashboard with adhesive. Good thing I checked where to place it before sticking it. Hopefully it lasts long and gives me a good location for my mobile phone when I do connect it to Android Auto via cables.

And that's it. What's next for the Wigo? I'm still hoping to save enough money to do a one-time upgrade of the horns, speakers, and hopefully the antenna (and maybe even a small amplifier to really improve the sound quality). That's for another time though.

Out.

1155 - Musashi-Tei One Ayala

Earlier today my family had lunch in Musashi-Tei, a Japanese restaurant in One Ayala. We've eaten there before a few times and I have to say that the restaurant is really bang for the buck.

As a quick background, I think Musashi-Tei is part of the Musashi Group (I just used Google translate on their website). Based on the history on their website, the restaurant we ate in at One Ayala is their third restaurant in the Philippines.

Anyway, each time we've eaten there I've always ordered from their tuna bowl/salmon bowl offerings. You can find their menu here, just use Google translate. I've tried their tekka don (twice) and their spicy salmon rice bowl. These come in a set with pickled vegetables and side dishes. I have had all three side dishes, the tonjiru, mini udon, and mini zaru udon. They all taste pretty good but I think I like the mini udon best.

Aside from a side dish and pickles their set meal also comes with a free beverage. You can pick from iced green tea, iced lemon tea, an iced coffee, and other non-soft drink beverages. Price depends on the side dish.

I really don't have any major complaints. The service is fast, the staff are pleasant, and the food is great. Bang for the buck as I wrote earlier. It can seem pricey but for me it is worth it. Probably why we've eaten there at least three times.

If there is an issue I guess some of the portions are small, specifically when we ordered the tuna sushi (tekka maki) and for the price I felt it was a wee bit too small. That's inflation I guess.

We'll most likely be eating there again to celebrate my birthday. I haven't tried their other restaurants here but honestly I'm very happy eating in their One Ayala branch. Their other restaurant, Musashi-Maru is nearby in Glorietta. We might also give that a shot if time and money permits.

Out.

1154 - Rebuilding the Consistency

It's Tuesday this week as I write this.

Yesterday I was able to do 3 km of 3:1 interval jogging. Earlier today I was able to do 3 sets of my 20 lbs kettlebell workout.

It may not sound much but I am trying to get back to being consistent with my exercising. I can't believe it took me two weeks to recover from whatever flu-like symptoms I had, yet here I am. Back at doing 3:1 intervals for a 3 km jog that I used to be able to do straight.

For the kettlebell workout I did my usual routine of 10 kettlebell swings, 5 goblet squats, 5 deadlifts, 5 per side bent over rows, 5 kettlebell upright rows, 5 two-hand kettlebell presses, 5 two-hand bicep curls, and 5 two-hand tricep extensions.

It may not seem much, or at least for me I don't think it's much, but this is my starting point yet again to being consistent with exercise. I still wish I could get a 35 lbs kettlebell. The reason for this is even doing one or two sets or my routine will probably affect me more than the three I'm doing now.

Yes, I can do more sets but after three I'm pretty tired already. So I guess keep pushing.

Out.

1153 -- Getting Back

This week I've been able to do two interval jogs of two laps, or roughly two kilometers per jog.

It's a struggle. Mentally I feel like I'm not in the mood, but I'm not being too hard on myself. I know I'm still recovering from that flu. I do feel like I'm at 100% or so but at the same time I feel tired. I'm not going to feel that bad for not getting my usual distance per week.

My goal is to get myself back into the regular jog schedule I had. Current aim is to get back to 3 lap full jog for MWF and maybe kettlebells on TTh. We shall see.

Out.

1152 - 2025 Elections

I voted yesterday. I decided to try something new and left a little past 7am, which is when the voting precincts would open for us non-senior citizens.

For context the last time I voted back in 2022 I chose to leave around 10am or later, thinking the lines would be shorter. I think I finished voting and got home around 3pm.

This time I arrived maybe 7:30am or so at Dr. Arcadio Santos National High School, got the location of my cluster from some volunteers at the entrance, and proceeded to the room I was to vote in. Fortunately the lines weren't that long so I ended up falling in line between the second and third floor stairwells.

It took me a while to vote, and I got home a little past 9am. The lines took a while because every time a senior citizen, PWD (person with disability), or a parent with a child would arrive they got priority (as they should). Good thing one of the volunteers instructed the volunteer handling our room to alternate between priority people and the voters in line, because if they didn't do that our line wouldn't move anymore.

So it was a relatively positive voting experience for me. I now know that I should go early to vote. And bring water, a handkerchief, and some snacks just in case.

Anyway I'm not going to comment about the results of the elections.

Out.

1151 Sick

I've been sick since this past Wednesday. Or at least dealing with an illness. Basically flu-like symptoms that have weakened me, so I haven't done any exercise at all this week since Tuesday.

I made the decision not to do any exercise until next week, most likely after the Monday elections, so that I don't drain myself too much. Yes, I plan on voting so I will need a lot of energy to fall in line and wait for my chance to vote.

So that's it. Time for some recovery and hopefully I can get back on track next week.

Out.

1150 Wigo "Upgrades" Wishlist

Yes, I know I just did a Wigo post about upgrades so I'll just re-write them here (so I also have a blog post for May, obviously).

1. Horn upgrade. Like I wrote before, the Wigo's stock horn (literally just one horn, I just checked under the hood earlier) is too weak to be useful. I'm not planning on getting two sets of horns because that would just be inconsiderate (though I have seen some videos on YT showing cars with four Bosch Europa horns, which I think is a dick move) and stupid. I just need a decent, easily heard horn that can make my car's presence felt.
2. Speakers upgrade. Again I've written this before and it would be great to upgrade the four speakers inside the Wigo with some co-axials speakers. If it would be possible to add a small amplifier to improve the quality then great.
3. V-Kool tint. I believe V-Kool has this tint that is almost clear but very effective in reducing heat inside the car. I want this, since even with the current tint I do struggle at times with visibility when checking the side mirrors and rear windshield.
4. Fog lamps. I'm happy with the headlights now but I haven't driven in heavy rains nor fog. This would be a helpful upgrade when the going gets tough.
5. Roof rack to mount roof rack accessories. I'm not sure what is compatible for the Wigo since it has no roof rails. If Thule had a one-size-fits-all roof rack system that would be my choice, so I can get a roof cargo box, a roof basket, and a roof bike rack.
6. Rims. Pako Wheels has a rim for the Wigo. I'm just not sure if these are available in 15 inches since I'd rather stay within specs when getting new rims. Plus I'd rather not have to go with really low profile tires to keep the comfort of the car. I also don't know if there are dealers locally.

And those are the upgrades I'd want for the Wigo. In order of preference/priority.

Out.