Life Lately: The Fraggy Four + Living in Our Studio Unit in Makati

Life Lately: The Fraggy Four + Living in Our Studio Unit in Makati

It’s been almost three months since the Cupcake and I got married, and the most frequent question I get asked whenever I bump into friends is, “How is it like being married?” And I always tell them the same thing: it’s like playing bahay-bahayan, but in real life!

Three months seem so short when you think about it—but for me, it feels like a lifetime ago. This is why I’ve been trying to write down and document everything as much as I can—because I’m so scared to forget about the little details.

As some of you may already know, the Cupcake and I started renting a studio unit in Makati a month before our wedding—just so we could slowly start moving in things, and figure out what else we needed to buy (luckily, most of our guests gifted us with incredibly useful and helpful items—like a toaster; an electric fan; pots and pans; bed sheets and bamboo pillowcases; glass, dinner, and silverware; a bed foot bench that doubles as a storage; an electric kettle; and more!). We officially moved in together the day after our wedding—which allowed us to get used to the whole dynamic of living near our offices, figuring out certain things (like who would do what chores), and basically adjusting to our new environment and roles as husband and wife.

Three weeks later, after our mini-moon in El Nido and after adjusting well enough, we moved in Booboo! The Cupcake really did everything to make sure the unit was comfortable, and the move would be easy for him (because Booboo grew up being surrounded by my family, and we knew he would struggle adjusting to an unfamiliar lifestyle). In fact, Booboo was the deciding factor in everything—from the location of our condo (it had to be very close to my office so I could easily visit him during lunch), to the building being pet-friendly, to buying and setting up CCTV cameras from Xiaomi (so we could monitor him), to scheduling our smart lights to switch on before it got dark (so Booboo wouldn’t be scared), to playing relaxing music via Google Home all day (to help keep him calm), to buying pet calming supplements to ease his anxiety.

Despite everything, it was still a bit of a challenge. He would bark non-stop whenever he was left alone. And I was so scared it would annoy the neighbors—so I kind of apologized in advance by giving each one a Starbucks gift certificate (in case Booboo got too noisy).

During his first week, I had to bring him with me to work every day (I’m really fortunate that my workplace is pet-friendly). But I didn’t want him getting used to that, so the following week, the Cupcake and I decided to move in Bellatrix as well. Since then, Booboo has become much more manageable, and it was magical how Bellatrix affected him in a very positive way. He’s a lot calmer, sleeps longer, and he doesn’t panic when left alone (as long as she’s around). Bellatrix was truly the key in keeping Booboo at ease, and her quirky personality fit right into our family—believe it or not, she seems to love the Cupcake more than she loves me! Hahaha.

By the way, if you’re new to the blog, Booboo is my very spoiled and clingy 9-year-old Shih Tzu, while Bellatrix is my 2-year-old Persian Doll Face, who has always been extremely fond of Booboo ever since she was born. Together, we’re the Fraggy Four! Living together has been such a fun-filled journey. The two definitely keep things more interesting, and I just find so much happiness in taking care of them both. I think the Cupcake feels the same way.

Another thing I find so much happiness in is running my own little household and managing our tiny home. It’s great practice for when the Cupcake and I eventually move out and into our forever home next year—which is going to be bigger and most likely more challenging to manage.

But for now, we’re in a good place. We help each other out, and have been handling everything like we always do—like Ultimate Frisbee teammates and co-captains who strategize together and communicate. He washes the dishes whenever I cook; he carries Bellatrix while I have my hands full with Booboo; he folds the clean laundry when they’re dry; he vacuums and mops the entire unit while I deep clean the bathroom, etc. On weekdays, we like to stay cooped up in our unit watching Netflix or playing Mario Party. On weekends, we (together with Booboo and Bellatrix) go home to our families in Quezon City. We normally sleep over my parents’ place and spend the whole of Saturday with them, then on Sunday, we hear mass, have lunch, and spend the entire afternoon with his side. Dinner is spent with my side again, before picking up Booboo and Bellatrix from my parents and heading back to Makati.

So that’s how life has been like for us lately! I’m really grateful that things fell into place exactly how I envisioned them to be. And on days where I lack motivation or get extremely exhausted from work, it’s reassuring to know that I’ll always have the Cupcake, Booboo, and Bellatrix to come home to—and everything is right in my introverted world again.

Life Lately: The Fraggy Four + Living in Our Studio Unit in Makati