Michi Photostory

Last year, we had a chance to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was just a short trip so we just visited the famous Petronas Twin Tower and had a KL City Tour. Since it was the first leg of our trip, I did not bother to research for the best pasalubong from Malaysia.

RM127.50 less 40%

My husband had a business trip in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last week so he asked me again what I want for pasalubong. I checked the net and Malaysia is known for OldTown White Coffee, tea, batik and handicrafts. I’m not fond of coffee and tea so I told my husband to buy chocolate instead. 



My friend told me that Cadbury chocolates are inexpensive in Malaysia because there is a Cadbury factory there so I informed my husband about it. And guess what? He bought Cadbury chocolate at the airport and it is really cheap. 



There is no tax. Promo is Buy 3 Free 1 and there is an additional 40% discount because the expiration is near. My husband checked the expiration and chocolates will expire in two months. But knowing us, it will not last for a month.

Just like that we are now on the last quarter of year 2015. Here in the Philippines, some people start decorating for Christmas as early as September. Yes, it is not a joke because countdown begins on September 1. 

But we are still on the month of October, I’m sure kids are excited to join Trick or Treat event. My son is now in grade school and they no longer have Trick or Treat activity in their school. But I know that my son still want this activity so I’m contemplating if I will join a Halloween event in mall, hotel or DIY my own Halloween party. 

I was checking online and I found sammydress.com, I have no idea that they also offer other products aside from dress. They have Festive & Party Supplies here where you can see event & party supplies, masquerade masks, Christmas decoration supplies and other holiday supplies that you might need. 

I was browsing the page and here are the three things that I like. 

1. Special Stylish 3-Mode Colored Super Flashing Light Shoelaces and it is on sale for $2.73. My son will definitely love this because he like glow in the dark stuff. Check the other colors here. 




2. Pumpkin Design 2M 20 LED String Light. This is a cute decoration for your house. I have a friend who decorate her house during halloween and I saw this pumpkin light in her garden. You can buy this here.



3. 14 Simple Wedding Props. I checked the design and you can use this for Halloween party too. This is nice props for photo booth whether DIY or not. 



How about you? Are you ready for Halloween? Care to share your plans this coming Trick or Treat?

We were so busy cleaning our house and packing our stuff for our staycation last Saturday. We left the house at 12NN without eating lunch because we were so excited to go to Manila Hotel. But before checking in, we had a late lunch at Harbor View Restaurant, it is 2 minutes away from the Manila Hotel. 

My husband suggested this place and warned me that there was no aircon in that restaurant. I lived in Manila for a few years but I have no idea about this restaurant. This is already an old restaurant in Manila Bay, it is like a floating restaurant where you can enjoy the amazing view of the sea. 


Upon entering the restaurant, you will see a lot of frames with pictures of famous celebrities and politicians who dined there. The place is very simple but you will love it because of the ambiance. Who needs an aircon kung ang hangin hangin naman. I was worried about the smell of the sea but that time, wala naman malansa na amoy. 


The staff ushered us to our table and gave us the menu. We ordered Lechon Kawali P295, Grilled Squid P240, rice and drinks.

The price is reasonable because the serving is not that big. We all enjoyed our meal, Lechon Kawali is crunchy and tender and Grilled Squid is flavorful and tender too. 


Service is good too and they even returned our stuff. My husband left his cap on the chair and hinabol kami sa parking ng staff nila just to give the cap. Kudos to the staff. 

I will definitely go back to this place, maybe mas ok ang view pag sunset. The only downside of this place is the parking fee. Yes, may P40 fee sa parking.

Harbor View Restaurant
Manila Bay, Rizal Park
5146339

2015 is not a good year for our family when it comes to health. I’ve been going back to the hospital as early as January and until now I’m battling with my severe psoriasis. I’m not the only one in the family who have health concerns this year and I do really hope that we can surpass this challenge. 

If you remember my Iskargu post, I visited my grandmother and gave her monthly allotment from my mom and aunt. The following day, I received a text that my grandmother was rushed to the hospital due to unstable BP. I was thankful that I just went there so they had money for the hospital deposit.

We are all worried about our grandmother condition and of course for the hospital expense. My grandmother has no health card and we all know that once you reach 60 years old, it is difficult to apply for a health card. Good thing that one of the Senior’s Citizen benefits is “automatic member of Philhealth” + 20% discount. 

My grandmother stays in Laguna and the nearest relative is me because I also live in South Luzon. But because I wasn’t feeling well since Sunday and my doctor advised me to rest after my check-up and lab test last Tuesday, I can’t go out and extend my help. But I was really glad that everyone in the family is involved when my Lola was confined in the hospital. 

But as I mentioned the hospital is far from Metro Manila and traveling just to send money is not a good idea. Yes, we can always send money in the bank but one thing that really helped us during the confinement period of my Lola, is Cebuana Lhuillier. 


Before, I don’t understand why people choose Cebuana Lhuillier to send money because I always choose online banking to send money, to save time, money and effort. My first experience in Cebuana was three years ago when I claimed a remittance from a relative. My second experience was last month when my aunt asked me a favor to withdraw and send money to her son and daughter-in-law.

Then last week September 25, my aunt informed that the billing staff was already asking them to pay more to decrease the running balance. Five days stay in the hospital, bill was 165k+. Waah! September 25 was Eid’l Adha holiday so there is no way to send money through bank. Thank God for Cebuana Llhullier who is open everyday, mapaholiday or weekend. Hehehe! 

How to Send Money in Cebuana Lhuillier

Sending money is easy as 1, 2, 3. All you need is the name of receiver. Make sure that the receiver has valid id. He/She will present it once he/she claim the money. 



Go to nearest Cebuana Lhullier, get this form and fill up. The charge is depending on the amount of the money that you are going to send. I don’t have the complete list but these were the charges when they sent the money.

P20,000 - P350 fee
P50,000 - P500 fee 

After that inform the receiver about the tracking number. He/she can go to nearest Cebuana Lhullier to claim the money. 

Now, I do understand why people choose Cebuana Lhullier because they can send money to anyone who has a valid id. They don’t need an account to get the money. It is open everyday and even holidays.

I’ve visited my grandmother last Saturday and Monday and finally after 10 days, we’re happy that my grandmother was out in the hospital. 

Read: How to Claim Remittance in Cebuana Lhullier

For the last six years I’ve been going to Victoria, Laguna to visit my grandmother every month. We always passed by Iskargu and we’re really curious because we always see that parking is full. 

The restaurant was badly hit during Typhoon Glenda but after few months, they built it again. Last Saturday, we picked up our son in school and went straight to Laguna then it was time for lunch so we tried Iskargu. Iskargu for isda, karne and gulay. 



I thought it was a restaurant but I was surprised when we went inside, more on carinderia or turo-turo. There were ready food already and all you have to do is choose.



My husband ordered fried chicken, pork binagoongan, and pinakbet. They gave us complimentary soup but I can’t understand the taste. The food and soup are just ok but we did not really enjoy it because they served it cold. 



I think they should have a microwave to reheat the food and soup before serving it. But anyway, they have a nice view of rice field and mountain. The food bill is less than P500.



For turo-turo style, we prefer Rose & Grace because they always serve hot bulalo soup. :) 

You can also visit Isdaan and Kamayan Palaisdaan. 

No post for the last few days because last week was my son’s exam and I wasn’t feeling well these past few days. Anyway, hubby was in Brunei last week, he was asking me what I want for pasalubong. Honestly, I don’t know what is the popular pasalubong in Brunei so wala ko bilin. But my husband never fails to buy chocolate for pasalubong. 

Hubby’s flight was delayed last Friday + traffic in Pasay because of Oktoberfest so nakatulugan ko na paghihintay. The following day, I went down the stairs and I was surprised when I saw the Royce plastic bag.

Me: Ano yung Royce na plastic dun? 
Hubby: Pasalubong ko.
Me: Bigay sayo?
Hubby: Binili ko. 
Me: Wow, level up na chocolate mo.
Hubby: Bakit ano ba yun? 
Me: Mahal na chocolate kaya yun. 

My husband just bought Royce Nama Chocolate without any idea that it is popular and expensive chocolate. I was happy because finally, I can taste this chocolate. FYI, Royce was founded in 1983 at Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido. 



I checked the fridge, the chocolate was inside the cooling bag with dry ice pack to make sure that it will not melt on your way home. 



I notice that the packaging is good and secure. 





I can really say that this is not an ordinary chocolate. It was cut in cubes and my son said, yummy brownies. Hahaha! I find it amazing that the chocolate is soft even it came from the fridge. It is not sweet so there’s no umay factor. 



We loved and enjoyed it very much and I told my husband to buy another flavor if he will go back to Brunei. It is cheaper compared here in the Philippines.

Moving to our new home six years ago was not easy as 1, 2, 3 because there are so many things that you need to buy and prepare. One of those things is applying for your electricity and water supply. 

We all know that in order to have electricity, you need to pay a bill deposit. Bill deposit is an amount required from customers of distribution utilities as a guarantee for payment of electric bills. It is equivalent to your average monthly electricity bill and earns interest at a rate prescribed by ERC. 

The bill deposit may be refunded in full if you have been consistently paying your monthly electric bills on or before the due date for the past three years. 


Last April, aside from our Meralco bill, I saw another paper stating “As a good paying customer, we are pleased to present to you the following options regarding your bill deposit.” 

Option 1: Refund the bill deposit in full including accrued interest. 

If you prefer this option kindly accomplish the application form at the back of this letter and submit it to the nearest Meralco Business Center together with the necessary documentary requirements. 

Please be informed, however, that as prescribed under the rules of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), a bill deposit previously refunded in full prior to the termination of service may be re-imposed if the customer fails to pay the monthly bill on or before the due date. Further, once the bill deposit is re-imposed, the customer loses the right to refund the same prior to the termination of his/her electric service. As such, we encourage you to continue paying your bills on or before the due date to maintain your good credit standing and avoid having your bill deposit re-imposed. 

Option 2: Retain the bill deposit with Meralco to continue earning interest in accordance with the existing rules of the ERC.

If you prefer this option, Meralco will defer collection of the additional deposit should your existing bill deposit fall below the required amount as long as you continue to pay your bills on or before the due date. On the other hand, should the bill deposit go beyond the required amount, the excess amount will be credited to your electric bill. 

April 2015 

Of course, we chose Option 1, the amount is not that big but we decided to refund it. #peraparinito My husband went to Meralco to refund but we were not able to get the money yet. They just get some information and we need to wait for 30 days to process. 

Months had passed and we forgot to follow up on our Meralco Bill Deposit Refund and we did not receive any letter or call if we can get the money already. #asapa 

August 2015 

My husband was on leave so I told him to call Meralco and check if we can refund the bill deposit and off he went to Meralco. 

I prepared the following: 

Original Receipt that we received when we applied six years ago. It was attached to the Contract for Electric Service Form.
Letter of “Meralco Bill Deposit Refund” 
Photocopy of ID 

He was able to refund the bill deposit. Meralco got the original receipt + letter then they gave my husband a paper“Acknowledgement of Credit Refund” + stamped “BD Claimed” on our Contract for Electric Service. 

And because I want to be a good paying customer so they will not require us to pay the bill deposit again, I enrolled Meralco in my bank account so I can pay it online. 

Read: How to View Meralco Bill Online

Important Notice from Meralco

Early Refund of Bill Deposit due to Good Credit Rating

Registered customers with good payment records can avail of the Early Refund of Bill Deposit. The bill deposit serves as a guarantee for payment of electric bills and earns interest at a rate prescribed by ERC. Eligibility for early bill deposit refund is earned through consistent payment of monthly electric bills on or before the due date for three consecutive years.

To know if you are eligible for this program, kindly call any Meralco Business Center or the refund hotline at 632-8888. 

If you are eligible and decide to refund your bill deposit, kindly be advised to keep paying your monthly bills on or before the due date to avoid deposit re-imposition. Under ERC rules, a customer with a re-imposed bill deposit loses the right to refund the same prior to the termination of the electric service contract.

Slappy Cakes is an all day breakfast restaurant that started in Portland, Oregon, USA in 2009. They only have few branches here in the Philippines so it was only last Sunday that we were able to try this. 

After our LazerXtreme experience we moved to SM Aura just to eat. It was already lunch time so most of the fastfoods and restaurants were packed. Then we saw Slappy Cakes and good thing there is still an available table for us. 

The staff handed us the menu. Even it was lunch time, I still ordered pancake so my son can cook his own pancake. Well, he knows how to cook pancake at home but I know that he will have fun because he can create different shapes and styles of pancakes. 


For DIY Pancakes 

1. Choose your batter - buttermilk, chocolate, peanut butter and red velvet

2. Pick some fixins - (Sweet) chocolate chips, mangoes, bananas, and coconut.
(Savory) bacon, sausage, chorizos, cheddar cheese, salted duck egg and white cheese

3. Add some toppings - blueberries, creamy peanut butter, lemon curd, apple sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, hazelnut spread, cream cheese frosting. 

My son chose Buttermilk P225 + Chocolate Chips P45. Hubby and I ordered Slappy Moco P250 and Pop’s Pot Roast P390. 

While waiting for our order, we started cooking our pancake. Good thing we ordered pancake because it took them so long to serve our food, twice pa kami nagfollow up. For the 8oz batter we were able to make these pancakes.

After cooking and eating pancake, our order came. 

Slappy Moco - Grilled hamburger party with steamed rice, sunny side eggs with mushroom, red bell pepper and spinach sauces. 

Pop’s Pot Roast - The classic comfort food. Tender, slow cooked beef with gravy, sauteed broccoli and carrots with your choice of rice or mashed potatoes.

I did not enjoy their mashed potato because I want a creamy and smooth texture. The gravy is so limited and bland. 

The price is on a pricey side but the serving is big and I can’t even finish my order. Taste is just ok, nothing special. I guess they need to improve on the food presentation and service. Good thing our table is beside the counter where you can get water and maple syrup so we served ourselves na lang. Staff are nice pero parang ang tagal lahat maski sa pag bill-out.

I mentioned in my previous post that I wasn’t feeling good but I’m trying to be okay because I know that life is a gift to be enjoyed no matter what. 

Last Saturday, my husband went to school to get my son’s school card. I was nervous about his grade in Araling Panlipunan and I’ve been telling to myself, accept whatever the grade. Hehehe! Of all the subjects kasi, we’re really having a hard time in Araling Panlipunan because my son is not really good in Filipino Language yet. 

When my husband arrived, I asked him about the grades and he just handed me the card. #pasuspense I opened the envelope, I was glad when I saw the Gold Eagle Seal because in our school, getting an eagle seal is already a big deal because it means you did well in school. 

Gold Eagle Seal - 91.50% and above with grades not lower than 89 in any subject.

As expected Araling Panlipunan is the lowest grade of my son which is 90, not bad at all. I just need to teach him more Tagalog words so he can understand the questions lalo na pag Tama or Mali na questions. Malalim na sa kaniya ang ipagmalaki, ikahiya, talaan, or anything na mahaba, di niya gets. 

And because he did well in school, there is a reward for that. If you remember my post before that we went to Alabang Town Center to check the LazerXtreme but it was already closed and we promised that we will visit the other branch. So this is it, so kahit malayo ang Market Market sa min pumunta pa rin kami.

Table and chairs are reserved for party guests

LazerXtreme is located on the 4th Floor of Market Market and I noticed that it was small compared to the ATC branch. We paid for one game which is P220 per person and we had to wait till 11:20AM. 

There were no available seats inside so we had to wait outside for one hour. I did not expect that we are going to wait that long because the game is only 15-20 minutes. My son was so excited to play the game and 1 hour = forever to him so inip na inip. Hehehe!

After one hour of waiting, we were called to go inside. There was a video instruction before you started the game. 


They wear this vest with gun, the color of the vest is your team color. 

I don’t know what happened inside because I did not join them. My husband told me na madilim daw sa loob and nagkahiwalay pa sila ng anak ko. Naghanapan pa sila, good thing my son was saying “I’m lost” repeat nth times hanggang sa nakita siya ng daddy niya. Hehehe! 


The goal is to shoot your opponent (co-player). Ending, talo ang team nila (Cyan). I was teasing them na natalo pa sila nung 2 players lang. Hehehe! 


My son really enjoyed the game because he whispered to me, “Mommy next week, let’s go to LazerXtreme and I will be the red team”. Waah! I told him, not next week, if he gets a good grade again in 2nd grading, we will go back.

LaserTag Rates

Weekdays (Mon-Thurs) 

P190 one game
P170 on next games

Weekends/Holidays (Fri-Sunday)

P220 one game
P190 on next games

LazerXtreme is ideal to product launches, birthday parties or team buildings. 

LazerXtreme
4th Floor Market Market
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

I do believe that learning is not confined in the four corners of classrooms so I see to it that we have our own field trip and we do not rely in school field trip alone. When my son started school, we always treat him at the end of the school year. With or without award we will treat him because we’ve seen his effort in studying and doing his best. He deserves a break. 

Click here for the video

When he was in Nursery, we went to Sky Ranch and when he was in Pre-Kinder, we went to Mind Museum.  He graduated in Preschool last March  but we did not go out anymore after our Sambokojin celebration. 

My son wanted to visit Dinosaur Island and it is so far from where we live so we really need to reserve a weekend for that. Then during my blog hopping I’ve learned about DreamPlay and I asked my son if he wants to go there and he said yes. So ito na lang treat namin but summer became so busy and we were not able to visit it before school year 2015-2016.

I felt so guilty kasi kung kelan may award anak ko, nalimutan ko iprioritize yung promise ko so when I celebrated my birthday last month at Four Seasons Hotpot City, I told my husband that we will go to DreamPlay at City of Dreams Manila. Yes, we have City of Dreams here and no need to go to Macau.  



I cannot describe the happiness of my son when he saw the entrance of DreamPlay. He was really glad and excited to Play, Create and Learn. 



The line was not that long, maybe because other people were visiting Kidzania. Hehehe! While waiting for our turn, one staff gave us a form to fill up and she encoded it in the tablet. Upon reaching the counter, we availed the 4 hours of playtime at P880 for kids and P400 for adults. Then they gave us our wristband assignment. 


Adults can only participate in DreamTales Library, Madagascar Plane, Dream Theater, and Science Exhibits. 

They don’t have a map, but the staff gave me a piece of paper where the attractions, height requirement and clothing requirements listed. Some say that Dreamplay is the mini version of Universal Studio but I guess not. We’ve been to Universal Studio Singapore and the activities there are different from what we’ve experienced here.


At first, we did not know where to start because there was no map so we immediately looked for Gingy’s Kitchen to register. The earliest schedule we got is after 2 hours so if you are getting a 2 hours pass, you might miss other activities. The place is not big, maybe that is the reason why they are not giving a map because you can explore the place without a map. 


After registering in Gingy’s Kitchen, I checked the schedule of DreamTales Library for the puppet show and Dream Theater. Then we decided to watch Dreamworks 4D movie habang wala pa ganu pila. We enjoyed the 4D movie, the only thing I dislike hindi nagmove yung chair, mas ok if the chair is also moving para feel na feel ang action.


After that, we explored the second level, we checked the Science Exhibits and Madagascar Plane. 

Then we moved to How to Fly the Dragon and Dragon slides. My son enjoyed the slides, natanggalan pa ng sapatos so the staff went inside the slide to look for his shoes. 

Next is DreamStudio where you will learn how to make animated films. No picture taking is allowed inside the studio. 

Then we fell in line in DreamTales Library because there is a maximum of 60 persons inside. Socks are required. 


Finally,  after two hours of waiting, we went back to Gingy’s kitchen for our schedule. This is one thing that I really liked in DreamPlay because it is a nice experience for kids to make and design their own gingerbread. 

We moved to Whatever Floats Your Boat, where my son made a boat and fortunately, the boat floated and reached the finish line. 

He played balls in Afrocircus, we played this game when we went to Legoland Malaysia. My son enjoyed playing here and I had to remind him na meron pa iba na attractions. 


So we went to Dinotrux and Shrek Swamp. 

Then to Kung Fu Fighting Fast as Lightning, my son has no idea that he will dance here but he had fun. 


We finished everything in 3 hours because there were attractions that my son could not join because of height requirements like Wall of Destiny and Thread of Enlightenment. 


So we spent our time in Shrek Swamp and when we were about to go home, we saw Po. Yey, buzzer beater sa pila. Sayang lang, we did not meet the other Dreamworks Animation characters. 

Souvenir Shop is available too, mahal lang din ang price. Hehehe! 


Note: 

1. I think 2 hours are not enough if you want to enjoy Dreamplay because there are fixed schedules for Gingy’s Kitchen, DreamTales Library, and Dream Theater. It is a first come first basis also.
2. Socks are required in other attractions so make sure you are wearing socks.
3. Outside food and beverages are not permitted inside the facility so make sure that you are not hungry when you visit. There are foods and drinks inside but expect for expensive rate. Eating inside will also consume your play time. 
4. Adults with no child are not allowed to enter Dreamplay.
The rate is not cheap so I suggest they provide at least this map so those people who will avail 2 hours pass can manage their time. Souvenir na rin because you can’t take home the bracelet. 

Photo from Dreamplay site

Operating Hours 

Park hours 

Weekday 11AM to 8PM 
Weekend 10AM to 10PM 
(Counter closes at 7PM) 

DreamShop Hours 

Weekday 11AM to 8PM 
Weekend 10AM to 10PM 

Dreamplay Admission Rate 

Weekday Rate (Monday to Thursday) 

2 hours P480 children, P50 toddler, P260 adult 
4 hours P680 children, P50 toddler, P300 adult 
Hourly Extension P250 children and P120 adult 
Day Rate P1200 children, P50 toddler, P350 adult 

Weekend/Holiday Rate 

4 hours P880 children, P100 toddler, P400 adult 
Hourly Extension P300 children, P150 adult 
Day Rate P1500 children, P100 toddler, P680 adult 

Toddler: Below 100cm 
Children: 100cm up to 17years old 
Adults: 18 years old and above

I went to the National Bookstore just to buy a ballpen but knowing me, the bookstore is one of my happy places. I love checking school supplies, books, and many more, looking for something that I might need.

Then I saw this Craft Easy Canvas Painting Kit P115, I asked my son if he wanted to paint and he said yes. He chose the “knight” design, maybe he remembers our trip to Legoland Malaysia. The ride that we never dare to try.


Anyway, the kit includes 1 piece canvas with print, 6 pieces paint tubes and 1 piece brush. 


There’s no example on how to paint it so it is really up to you on how you are going to paint it. 


I let my son paint this canvas and here is the finished product. I hang his painting on our wall. He prefers painting to coloring so I’m planning to buy more designs.

I always see Uncle Tetsu’s stall in Alabang Town Center but I haven’t checked their product. I’ve been reading good reviews about this Japanese cheesecake but it was only last Saturday that I bought a box. I supposed to buy the P99 cheesecake because I just want to try it but it was not available so I settled for P299 Uncle Tetsu’s Original Cheesecake. The small box of cheesecake was placed in a paper bag + free plastic knife.



The staff informed me to refrigerate within 12 hours from purchase and consume within 3 days. So off we went home and because I love cheesecake, I immediately tried it. 



The Japanese Cheesecake is very different from the cheesecake that I love. Uncle Tetsu’s original cheesecake is soft, fluffy with melt in the mouth texture while the American Cheesecake is creamy with graham crust.



My husband said, “parang isang malaking mamon” hehehe!. The cheesecake is good, it is really soft, fluffy with slight cheese flavor but it is not sweet. I want a sweet cake so it is not a hit for us. But surprisingly, my son liked it. He said it is creamy bread. My son loves mamon kaya siguro nagustuhan din.