Michi Photostory

Last year, my sister decided not to have a birthday party for my nephew’s 7^th birthday instead they will just have a family out-of-town trip. So when I saw the PHP12 Cebu Pacific seat sale, I personally invited myself to join their family trip and informed her after I booked our flight (Ethan and I). Hehe!

Hubby was not interested to join but after our stressful week last December, he promised that he will join our Ilocos trip kahit magbus siya (babawi daw). But God is so good and I was able to get a seat sale ticket for my hubby last month.

A month before our trip I booked our hotel accommodation at UKL Ever Hotel and rented a van for 2 days tour. Actually, we can avail of the 3 days tour but 2 days tour is much cheaper and I can do Laoag tour on our own because we will be staying in Laoag Centro.

Fast forward, we started our tour as early as 7:30am, first stop is La Paz Sand Dunes, I thought this will be part of our second day, so I was not prepared, namuti tuloy ang black shoes ko. If you remember the “Temptation Island” movie, this is the location. As far as I know, you can also avail of sand boarding lesson, P2,500 for a group of four.

I can’t believe it’s already February, since Sunday we're so busy packing and unpacking stuff for my husband’s Baguio trip, Subic trip, and our upcoming trip. Very stressful week but finally we will be out again. 

Though I’m a bit nervous because we (my son and I) have to commute to meet my hubby (who is coming from Subic) before going to the airport. Good luck to me and my son, it’s been four years already since I rode a bus (bus from our place) so I still asked my former officemate a.k.a busmate regarding bus schedules and bus stopover.  Good thing I’ve asked, iba na pala. 

This is one of the disadvantages of living outside metro manila, there is no taxi. This will be the start of my busy days, I love February month. Hoping for good weather. We left early because I do not want to miss the bus, so we rode the tricycle and jeep to reach the last bus stop over. Thank God, we did not miss the bus, buzzer beater nga lang. It took us only 1 hour to reach our meeting place but hubby wasn’t there yet, we waited for 1 hour and 30 minutes before hubby arrived.

When we reached the airport, the security guard said no more parking slot and he asked for our flight schedule. Naawa naman si manong and he said, “sundan niyo, try ko maghanap bandang dulo,” We only have less than two hours so we’re so scared to miss our flight. Thank God again because we’ve found one available slot.

We had a great time in Laoag, Vigan, and Pagudpud except for last Sunday. There are some mishaps that really stressed me.  

1. After our half-day tour, we really don’t know where to go to kill time, we went back to the hotel and stayed in the lobby but we were so bored so past 2PM, we decided to go to the airport already. We asked first the hotel receptionist if Laoag airport is already open and she said yes. 

Off we went to the airport and we were so disappointed because it was still closed and we were the first passengers there. For the second time around, early bird na naman kami. We experienced this in our Puerto Princesa trip, after check-out we went to the airport for our past 2PM flight and the airport was closed. We waited for almost an hour.

chichacorn, longganisa ilocos, bagnet, shirt, salt, garlic, onion, bangui windmill magnet, keychain and display

Yesterday, after church service we went to Soderno, I’ve been meaning to go here since last year but it is always crowded whenever we passed by maybe because it was Soderno nights. Sunday organic market is not crowded, it is almost empty and I only see few food stalls.







Before we left, I asked hubby to buy cake from megabox because I saw “buy 1 take 1 promo”” but he bought pastries, P40 each.  (napakamasunurin).  =). If you visit Soderno, don’t forget to try megabox, we love their brownies and revel bars and it is not expensive, too bad, hubby bought only 3 pieces.

it may not look good on the picture but it is really yummy.

Orlando, Florida is also known as “The City Beautiful” and there is no doubt about that because we all know that Orlando, Florida is indeed the beautiful and interesting place. It is the home of Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld Theme Park, Universal Orlando Resort, Gatorland, and Wet 'n Wild Water Park.

We went to Pangasinan last weekend to attend the “Babang-Luksa” of my grandfather-in-law. Sort of family reunion though we’re not complete. One thing that I always look forward to every time there’s an event in Pangasinan is no other than my favorite lechon. It’s love at first taste, I don’t know how they marinade their lechon but I always enjoy this dish. I was busy eating lechon so I have no time to take some pictures so I just borrowed pictures from my cousin-in-law. =)

sorry pig!

Don't forget to bring your Tupperware!

When I was still in elementary one of my favorite subjects is HEKASI (Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, and Sibika) maybe because I enjoy knowing and learning about beautiful places in the Philippines. There is so much to see in the country but I still have no money to visit these places, so I promised myself that someday I will be able to go here.

So when I reach College, I open a savings account and start saving my allowances so I have money to spend on vacation. Little by little I was able to explore our country and when I graduated from college, that was the start of my travel adventure via plane.

I cannot consider myself a certified traveler but I’m still proud of myself because slowly I’m achieving my dream and for someone who is not rich, this is really an achievement. I want to be rich with knowledge, experience, and memories, things that I know I can treasure forever and no one could take it away from me.

This is my list when I was a kid. 

If you still remember last year, I went to the hospital for three consecutive weeks but my doctor was on Holiday leave so I just went back today, after Holiday. Thank God, she’s back and because she was away for several weeks, there were so many patients. While waiting for my turn, I’m checking my record and I was shocked when I saw my weight.



Last January 2011, my weight is only 86lbs and after one year, I’m now 100lbs, so 14lbs gained in 12 months. This is really shocking to me because for 28 years, I never had any problem with my weight. In fact, I always research on how to gain weight because even I eat plenty of foods I’m not gaining weight but last year, things changed and now I do not know why I’m gaining weight.

Last summer I started to buy clothes because my clothes won’t fit me anymore, from size XS to S and now Medium and from size 25 to size 26 and now size 27. So imagine my dilemma every time I wear my clothes and pants and it no longer fits me. 

I need to buy new clothes just to have something to wear if I’m going out. Good thing that I am a full time mom and I do not need to change my whole wardrobe. I’m happy with my weight now, I just want to maintain it and stop gaining more pounds because I have no more budget to buy new stuff again.

I was searching the internet a while ago, looking for reasons why I’m gaining weight and here’s what I’ve found.  

I’m not a big fan of garlic pasta because it’s too bland for my taste but with the help of parmesan cheese, I enjoyed my garlic pasta. Sicilian chops are also good; the meat is tender and juicy.


My son enjoyed Chicken Parmigiana of my husband and he only ate the vanilla ice cream of his crepe.



Hubby and I love the banana nutella crepe and one crepe is not enough, if we’re not in a hurry, we will order more crepe.

I woke up late last Friday so when I saw the PHP1 Sale of Cebu Pacific I knew that I have a slim chance of getting a seat sale but it did not stop me from trying. So I checked the possible dates that we can travel, it is not easy to book because I have to consider my hubby’s vacation leave and my son’s school activities.

I was having a hard time checking the available date for Piso Sale because of the slow connection and slow Cebu Pacific site. It seems that the whole Philippines are trying to book their own flight so I stopped trying.

After dinner, I tried again and book Manila to Macau but I was getting an error via credit card payment so I chose BDO payment but I was shocked when I read this.

"You have until tonight, 23:59H PH Time to pay for your booking through various payment centers."

It’s past 8PM so all BDO branches are already closed so how can I pay? I’ve sent FB message to my sister-in-law informing her that she needs to pay their booking within the day, not within 24hrs. I have no idea when Cebu Pacific changed the procedure but last year I chose BDO payment too and they gave me 24hrs to pay my due. Before 12AM, I checked my message and my sister-in-law replied that my brother was able to pay through BDO Online Payment.


I thought I need to enroll Cebu Pacific first before I can pay it online. I texted and called my brother but no answer so I searched the net for some information. Finally, I was able to get some answer but it was past 12AM, my booking is still on hold status, I called Cebu Pacific if I can still pay my booking even it is past 23:59H but the customer service rep told me that my booking is already forfeited.

I was really sad because our Manila to Macau flight is only PHP1548 for 3 pax so it is really a steal. Anyway, at least I learned something new, just in case my credit card failed me again. If you have no credit card, you can still book a flight using other options and one of these options is internet banking.

Banco De Oro - www.mybdo.com.ph
China Bank - www.chinabank.ph
East West Bank - www.eastwestbanker.com
RCBC - www.rcbc.com
Security Bank - www.securitybank.com

How to Pay Cebu Pacific Ticket via BDO Online Payment 

1. Log-in to your account and follow the steps for payment.
2. Fill out the form.

Subscriber’s No. = 14-digit confirmation number.
Subscriber’s Name = name of one of the guests.
Enter the EXACT amount.

3. You need to wait for 24 to 48hrs before they will send your itinerary.

I can definitely say that this is the most stressful Christmas season for me because we tried to squeeze our “to do list” in our limited schedule, hubby was on leave last Thursday and Friday, but it didn’t happen again because he needs to go to Cainta just to check something (baka siya daw masisi pag nawalan ng telepono ang Ortigas extension). 

Thursday

Staff cannot follow his instructions over the phone so we have no choice but to go there. (so pumasok din kami sa work). Good thing that we only stayed for almost two hours, kakainip kaya maghintay.
From Cainta, we went to MOA to get my Skin Food free sample then we had our early dinner at Gotti’s.

another favorite from Red Ribbon

A restaurant in Pennsylvania, USA, has recently banned children below 6 years of age from entering their doors. The reason? Younger kids are often difficult to control and end up disturbing other customers’ dining experiences.

Whether you agree with the action or not, you have to admit that as a parent, there have been times when you were unable to stop your child from misbehaving in restaurants. As you know, it can be quite embarrassing. Some parents might not even be aware that their kids' actions affect others.

Well, because it’s Christmas and people are making their own Christmas wish list, I also listed down my wish list on my blog. I started blogging just this year, to be specific February 2011. Actually, I’ve been meaning to have my own blog since 2008 so I registered my first blog using Wordpress, but my first post is also my last post. I was having a hard time exploring and using Wordpress so I stopped. And now, I can’t even remember my user id and password.




Checked:  Finally, I bought my own domain last Tuesday. Tee-hee! For the past few months, I keep on asking, searching and reading information about buying own domain but I’m still scared to try even I’ve seen some promos, I did not grab it. Sayang! Anyway, I have my own domain na, dotcom (sosyal! sana may pang renew ako noh. hehe!). The only disadvantage is my stats are back to zero.  

It’s pretty obvious that I’m a meat eater so diet is not really my thing, though I know that it is not good for our health but I cannot give up on meat yet, not now. =) Steak is one of my favorite food and in fact my comfort food but this was the first time that I cook my steak in an oven. I usually grill my steak because I find it easy but after I’ve tried baking it, I’m now a convert. I can prepare two dishes at the same time so less hassle for me.

I’m trying to practice minimalist living in my life because I love the idea of “living with less but only with the best”. But I’m not on the extreme side, I consider myself as simple to moderate minimalists. I talked to a friend before and he said that he only has three shirts, one pants and so forth. I asked him why? He said he donated all his clothes because he wants to live simple. I love this idea but I know that I cannot live in less than 10 pieces of clothes because I love variations.

I’m not sure if my “Milenyo” experience is the start of my minimalist living but it helped me in downsizing our stuff. When I was still young I love to collect stuff including my first airline ticket, entrance fee tickets of my travel, membership cards or any cute stuff that has sentimental value which will serve as souvenirs but after our bungalow apartment submerged into chest deep flood everything change.

We lost almost everything and I bid goodbye to all cards, love letters, magazines, books and stuff that I have collected. That’s when I realized that I can live without it. So when we move out to our own house, we did not have a hard time moving our stuff, everything fits in one truck van. Living in a new home helped me more in simplifying my life.


Minimalist living doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time to embrace the true meaning of it and I’m still in the process. But I want to share five benefits of minimalist living from everyday minimalist.

1. Less stress 

I love the first benefit because stress is not really good for my health. I have a skin condition called psoriasis and stress is not good for psoriasis patient because it triggers our flare-up.

How to achieve less stress? 

The answer is living a simple life by cutting back your commitments and downsizing your stuff. Do not say yes to all invitations, parties, and events if you think that is not really necessary. Christmas is a very busy month and I’m sure you have a lot of parties, occasions, and events that you need to attend but do not stress yourself, learn to prioritize.

Minimize your stuff so you have less to take care of. As everyday minimalist say “The less you have and do, the more you will FREE”

2. Less impact on the environment 

Minimalist living is like practicing green living because in some way you are helping the environment. Minimalists tend to buy less and useless. Before, I used to buy stuff if I find it cute or if it is on sale but now I think before I buy. I always ask myself “Do I really need this?”

3. Less money is spent 

Less money is spent because you will buy less and save your money. Saved money can be used for future needs or future wants like travel. Minimalist doesn’t mean you are cheap but it means buying quality items so you can use them for long period of time. Quality items are not always expensive; there are quality items that are affordable.

Do not buy new stuff just because it is “in” or everyone has it and you feel less if you don’t have the latest gadgets, bags and so forth.

4. Less cleaning to do 

Being a minimalist is a great help especially for a full-time mom like me who has no helper and nanny. Imagine the stress if I have more stuff and furniture that I have to clean, polish and maintain every day.

5. Less time wasted 

If we learn to simplify, prioritize and organize less time is wasted. We have more time to focus on things that are more valuable and significant. December is a busy month for me because this is the month when I weed out our closets, I put away our paper bills, I delete some files, email and phone numbers that I will no longer need and let go unnecessary stuff.

How about you, are you a minimalist or not?

Last Wednesday we went to SM to have our second oral prophylaxis but the dental clinic does not accept HMO card during holiday and weekends. I was shocked because last April we had our oral prophylaxis at the same clinic and it was Saturday. Well, what can I do if they have changed their policy.



Knowing my son who always wants to scribble and doodle, he immediately asks for a pen so he can scribble and doodle on the paper mat. Good thing that I always have a pen wherever I go but next time I will write it in their comments and suggestions paper to offer crayons for kids. Other restaurants like Burgoo, Pancake House, and Pizza Hut give crayons or simple game so you have something to do while waiting for your order.

And because my son loves mojo’s and dip, I tried to make potato chips at home but he only ate 1-2 pieces so I finished everything. hehe! I am looking for mojo’s recipe, please share it to me.

Exactly 25 days before Christmas we put up our Christmas tree, it is the same tree and decorations that we’ve used last year. I know it’s a little bit late but I really decorate our home few weeks before Christmas because my son always removes the decors and no gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve because my son will open the gifts when I’m not around.