Michi Photostory

Whenever we go to Caleruega, we always passed by Breakfast at Antonio’s because it is just located along Aguinaldo Hi-way. I noticed that the parking is always full so I was really curious to try their food. Aside from that, I’ve been reading a lot of good reviews but I’m also aware that the price is not affordable.


Last Christmas we were in Tagaytay for early mass so I suggested to my husband that we eat our breakfast at "Breakfast at Antonio’s" after the church service. Past 8AM we’re on our way to the restaurant and good thing there was no traffic yet. 


We went inside the restaurant looking for a table but the staff informed us to wait in the waiting area. My husband registered and we waited for our turn. I don’t understand because there are so many available tables and it took us so long to be seated. It is a first-come, first-serve basis. 

While waiting, I checked the bakeshop where you can buy bread, jams, cakes and many more for pasalubong or take out. But I did not buy anything because we still have brownies and desserts at home. 


After 30 minutes, the staff called my husband’s name and ushered us to our table, which is the best place in the restaurant. Our table is beside the large windows covered with a screen where natural light and gentle wind come in. #anglamig 

Since it was our first time it took us so long to browse the menu, we ordered Housemade Pork Sausage P375, Golden Waffle P205, Housemade Sliced Bacon P375 and brewed coffee P180 (refillable). 


They served the coffee together with three types of sugar and milk. If you are not a coffee drinker, I guess the P180 cup of coffee is not worth it. My husband just finished two cups of coffee.


The Golden Waffle was served with maple syrup and butter, a simple meal for a price of P205 + 10 SC. Nothing special in their waffle. My Housemade Pork Sausage was served with hash brown, housemade toast and two eggs cooked depending on your preference. I chose scrambled egg. The Housemade Sliced Bacon was served with two eggs and rice. 


I was glad that we enjoyed our meal. I wasn’t able to finish my food because I was already full after eating half of everything. I tried my husband’s bacon and I proved that it is really housemade, di siya kalasa ng mga nabibili sa grocery. 


Except for the coffee and waffle, you will understand why the meal is on the pricey side. The food is homemade + the atmosphere of the restaurant, ang sarap lang magbreakfast. I can say that it is still worth the experience.

Breakfast at Antonio’s 
Aguinaldo Highway, 
Barangay Bagong Tubig 4120 
Tagaytay, Philippines 
(046) 413 0738 
7AM to 9PM daily

I can’t remember what year Night Sky Cinema started, but I know that we wanted to try it. Unfortunately, we always have scheduled trips on the show dates, so it took us so long to experience it. We’re supposed to go last November, but when I learned that they will show scary movies, ayawan na. Knowing me, I don’t watch horror movies. Hehehe! 


We were looking for rubber mats the day before the trip pero namamahalan ko sa P800 so wag na lang. We have no idea what time the movie will start, but the gates will be opened at 4PM, so we left the house at 2PM to avoid the traffic, so we can secure a parking slot and a nice spot for the movie.

Parking space in Nuvali Fields

No traffic, so we were there before 3PM. Fortunately, the gate was open past 3PM, so we went to Nuvali Fields immediately. We were able to borrow rubber mats at 4PM. Just leave your ID. 

There were food stalls too if you want to buy food and drinks. We brought some snacks and drinks, but no rice meal, so we had an early dinner there bago pa dumilim. My husband bought BBQ and Sisig Meal at P65. 

The program started at 4:45PM, and the first movie was “Rise of the Guardians”. Remember our advent calendar, we missed the “Watch your favorite Christmas movie” activity, so nagawa din namin. Hehehe! 

We already knew the list of movies, so even though we had already watched them, we still went to Nuvali because watching in an open field and under the night sky is a different experience. Since it is December, we brought some blankets and jackets, but honestly, it was not enough. Nilalamig pa rin kami, I should wear hoodie kasi nilalamig ang aking face. 


We just finished the second movie, which was "Home Alone" and we went home already, and baka maging yelo na daw kami sa lamig. Lol, The third movie was “The Holiday” so hindi na pang 6yrs old. 

By the way, if you upload your pictures on Instagram and put hashtags #nuvali and #nightskycinema, they will print that pictures for free. I uploaded two photos only at ang bagal ng net. 

The next Night Sky Cinema is in February, but I’m not sure about the date yet. Admission is free.

Discover our family’s sweet adventures with Mrs. Fields — from baking Christmas sugar cookies in 2014 to trying delicious Cookie Nibblers in 2015. Perfect for cookie lovers and holiday bakers!

Creating Sweet Memories with Mrs. Fields

Every Christmas, our family enjoys completing our Advent calendar — 24 days of small activities that build up the holiday excitement. But let’s be honest, it’s not always easy! Sometimes, we skip a few days because we’re already too tired — activities like “watch a favorite Christmas movie,” “record a Christmas song,” or “bake Christmas cookies.”

Mrs. Fields Sugar Cookies 

It was December 23, 2014, and I was exhausted. But my son was excited to bake, especially since he wanted a Christmas tree–shaped cookie. Thankfully, I had a Mrs. Fields Sugar Cookie Mix I’d bought during our field trip in Subic — perfect for a quick and easy holiday treat. 

It was my first time trying the Mrs. Fields instant cookie mix. I followed the instructions carefully, but somehow, the dough came out too runny — impossible to roll out or cut with cookie cutters! I ended up using a scoop to make round cookies, but my son insisted on his Christmas tree shape. 

That’s when my husband had a genius (and funny) idea — he pressed the soft dough directly inside the cookie cutter and baked it that way.  It actually worked! My son finally got his Christmas tree cookie, and seeing his happy face made all the effort worth it. 

The cookies turned out soft and tasty, even if they weren’t perfect. More importantly, that day reminded me that baking with kids is really about making memories, not perfect cookies. Still, I promised myself I’d look for a sugar cookie recipe that works better with cookie cutters next time!

One of the most memorable moments from our 2014 Advent calendar was definitely the “bake cookies” day — even though it didn’t go exactly as planned!

Update: Mrs. Fields Cookie Nibblers (2015)

Fast forward to August 2015, and Mrs. Fields made another sweet appearance in our lives — this time, not in our kitchen but at Alabang Town Center.

After one of my therapy sessions, we went to check out LazerXtreme. My husband heard about it from a coworker, and my son was so excited to try it. We arrived early, waited for the mall to open, only to find out that LazerXtreme had already closed! They had stopped operating in ATC, and their only remaining branch was at Market! Market! — too far for a quick trip, especially since I had a webinar scheduled that afternoon. 

My son was disappointed, so I tried to cheer him up with a little treat. That’s when I remembered — Mrs. Fields was having a one-day anniversary promo! I’d seen their kiosk at ATC many times but had never bought anything, so it felt like the perfect time to try.

I bought a dozen of their famous Cookie Nibblers for ₱76, and oh my — they were delicious! The nibblers tasted just like Ghirardelli’s Triple Chocolate Cookies — chewy, chocolatey, and best enjoyed with a glass of milk. My son loved them, too!

I wished I’d bought more, especially since the promo was only ₱38 for half a dozen. At the regular price of ₱150 per dozen, they’re a bit pricey for their size (isang kagat lang talaga!), but still, it was worth it for the experience. These cookie nibblers became a fun reminder of that unexpected, cookie-filled afternoon.

Sweet Lessons from Mrs. Fields 

From our Christmas Eve baking experiment in 2014 to our cookie nibbler discovery in 2015, Mrs. Fields has been part of our family’s sweetest little moments. 

Whether it’s mixing dough that doesn’t quite cooperate or enjoying ready-made treats from the kiosk, one thing remains the same — it’s all about sharing joy, laughter, and a little sweetness together.

My son’s Christmas party theme in school is Olaf/Frozen so they were asked to wear a touch of blue, white, and aqua blue. He wanted to wear aqua blue and I went to different malls to check for an aqua blue shirt/polo shirt but I couldn’t find anything. I was trying to persuade him to wear blue or white since we have that at home. And to finally convince him, I made a DIY Olaf Hat Costume. 

I didn’t know where I could buy felt cloth so I bought felt paper, but sadly I couldn’t find black/white felt paper in the four National Bookstores that I’ve visited. Good thing I remember his firefly costume so I used some materials of his costume to make his Olaf hat such as black felt paper, brown ribbon, and the antenna. 

I got the idea on this site, but there was no template for everything. I just printed the Olaf picture, got the eyebrow pattern, and drew shapes for the eyes and nose. Fortunately, his dad has a white cap from fun run freebies. 



Materials 

Felt paper 
Fabric paper for the nose 
Oslo paper 
Brown Ribbon 
Wire 
Glue 
Glue gun/ glue sticks 
Scissors 
Cotton for filler (nose) 

I trace my pattern in felt paper and oslo paper. 



Cut and paste everything together. Place cotton inside the nose. Cover the wire with brown ribbon. 


Attach everything to the cap using glue gun. 


I made three circles for his white polo shirt. I sew the circles so it won’t ruin the shirt.


My son was happy with our DIY Olaf Hat Costume.

Two weeks ago we had a staycation in Canyon Cove and since the check-in time is still 3PM, we had a Batangas road trip first. My friend and I decided to meet up in McDonalds in front of Taal Vista Hotel for our breakfast.

Then we dropped by Caleruega, if you’ve been reading my blog for quite some time now, you know that we always visited Caleruega every year and sometimes twice a year since 2008. The entrance fee is P30. 




We had an early lunch at Kainan sa Dalampasigan. I thought we were the first customers, but I was wrong. People were already busy waiting/watching Pacquiao’s fight. 


My husband suggested this place, they also ate here before going to Canyon Cove last May. I remember that this restaurant was featured in one TV show. It was also featured in different magazines and newspapers. 


We’re a group of 4 adults and 2 kids so we ordered Bilao sa Dalampasigan P850 (baked tahong, inihaw na baboy, garlic fried shrimps, daing na bangus and green mango salad) and Lechon Kawali P270. Nahirapan pa kami ubusin ang dami kasi ng rice nila. The price and serving is reasonable too. We spent  almost P1500 for the food and drinks.


I find the restaurant big and almost all the tables are long, good for 10 people. The place was so relaxing too, yung tipong masarap tambayan. Honestly, after eating our food, ang sarap ng matulog. Hehehe! 



So if ever you are in Nasugbu, Batangas, drop by this restaurant. Check the menu here.

Last semestral break, I thought we have time to relax because no school for five days but I was wrong, my son’s teacher gave “Firefly” poem that he needs to memorize for their Speech Contest. 



Good thing that it was a group contest so I did not have a hard time in preparing for Firefly costume. Active moms in school volunteered to make the DIY Firefly costume and we just paid for it.

I still remember when I was young, my aunt brought a Kinder Surprise Egg Advent Calendar. We were so excited for our turn to open a Kinder egg. Too bad Kinder Eggs are still not available here in the Philippines, and I don’t know if Kinder Joy offers something similar. I’ve been meaning to make an Advent calendar since my son was four years old, but I wasn’t able to do it. So two days ago, I promised myself that I would finally make one.

Advent is one of their lessons in Christian Living, so it is the perfect time to make a calendar, and I know my son would be excited to do the countdown. The Advent calendar is a special calendar used to count the days in preparation for Christmas.

I was thankful for the different ideas and free printables on Pinterest, so making an Advent calendar wasn’t difficult. Two nights ago, I printed everything I needed and started cutting.
The next day, while my son was still in school, I made DIY Christmas envelopes again because I needed 12 more pieces to complete the 24 days.

I placed the numbers on each envelope and put the activity paper inside

• You get a piece of candy.
• Write a note to Jesus.
• Make a gift for someone.
• Mom will read you a Christmas story.
• Make a fun Christmas craft.
• Watch a favorite Christmas movie.
• Play festive Christmas songs and dance.
• Pick out a Christmas treat.
• Make Christmas cards to give to your family.
• PJ Day.
• You get to play a video game of your choice for 40 minutes.
• Make a new ornament for your tree.
• Watch a favorite Christmas movie.
• Sing “The 12 Days of Christmas” 12 times.
• Make a Christmas craft.
• Record yourself singing a favorite Christmas song.
• Read a favorite Christmas story.
• Call someone you love just to say “hi.”
• Bake Christmas cookies.
• Bake something special for someone special.
• See Christmas lights.
• Drink hot cocoa.
• Read a Christmas story.
• Open a present.

Then I stuck all the envelopes on the back of an old calendar.
I was happy with the result because I thought I wouldn’t finish it on time. I hung the Advent calendar on our door.

I also printed this Christmas tree for another countdown activity, put it in a cardboard box and covered it with a plastic cover. I am still looking for Christmas ball stickers.

I won Zoobic Safari Package last month, the package includes 5 entrance tickets, 5 free rides and 1 overnight package in Zoobic Lodge. I got excited because I haven’t stayed in this hotel so I immediately search for it. I have no idea that the zoo offer rooms too because the last time that we went to Subic, we stayed in Camayan Beach Resort.

I was having a hard time in getting information even the website have limited information and photos of Zoobic Lodge. Then I found out that Zoobic Lodge a.k.a. Tiara Hotel is the former Crown Peak Homes. Waah!, I stayed here 14 years ago, yes more than a decade already. I went here with my college friends. My excitement was gone already because I know it was already an old hotel. I’ve been reading reviews pa na it looks creepy, knowing me na sobrang matatakutin and I don’t watch horror movies nga, parang I don’t want to go na. But my husband said, sayang and kasama naman daw siya. 

So I asked my husband to call the office to check if we could use the gift certificate even on weekends. There was a note kasi na “not valid for weekends and holidays”. The staff said yes because there is an available room. Day before the trip, my husband called to confirm our reservation and he was surprised because there was no reservation under his name. We emailed the gift certificate to reserve and still no reply. My husband called again to follow up and reserve na nga daw. 

We really hoped that it was really reserved but we prepared ourselves for worst scenario, just in case makalimutan ulit. That is the reason why after our Zoobic Safari tour we went immediately to Zoobic Lodge, to check if we could check-in because if not, we will just go home. 



Good thing that our room was really reserved. After watching the Animal Parade in Zoobic Safari, we went back to Zoobic Lodge. The hotel was really old and I was praying na sana marami kami nagcheck-in. #paranoid 




I must agree with other reviews because I find the place creepy. Everything is old and really need an improvement. Actually, the room is big, it has a kitchen with fridge, you have an extra bed pa, Thank God that the aircon is working fine. 



The bathroom has hot and cold shower, it has a bathtub but you can’t use it kasi wala naman pantakip sa butas. Lol I thought they won’t provide towels but they deliver it to our room without asking. Soap, toothbrush and toilet paper for toiletries. 



Zoobic Lodge has a mini restaurant where you can eat so we did not go out anymore for dinner. There is wi-fi too in the restaurant but I haven’t tried it.

P95, grilled liempo for my son and porkchop for me +iced tea

P85, one veggie and one meat + iced tea

I told my husband that we will go home after breakfast but he promised my son that they will swim. Around 7AM my husband asked the staff what time open ng pool, he was informed 8AM kasi lilinisin pa daw niya pool. So we had morning walk around the area while waiting for 8AM. 



We went down and only to find out that the pool was still closed. My husband looked for the staff and was told na 9AM pa daw at maglilinis pa. My son cried already because he wanted to swim but we have no choice but to wait. 

Ready to swim na but still closed

We went back to our room, I took a bath and persuading my son to take a bath too so we can go home. But he was determined to wait til 9AM so he could swim. At 9AM, they went to the pool and it was still closed. And the staff was eating and saying, mamaya na bumalik na lang kayo at maglilinis pa nga. Oh my goodness, we wasted our two hours waiting for the pool, I don’t understand bakit ayaw niya iopen. Maglilinis pa? Two hours na nagdaan, ni hindi naman niya ginawa. #lokohannaito High blood na kami mag-asawa so my husband and son took a bath and we went home. 

The staff at the reception asked? 

Staff: Sir, di na kayo maliligo. 
Husband: Hindi na. 
Staff: Sir, pasyensya na po kayo dun kasi Blah! Blah! Blah! 

Hindi ko na inintindi kung ano sinabi niya about dun sa isang staff na ayaw buksan ang pool. All I knew is, we wasted our two hours waiting for nothing. I don’t know if that staff is under the Zoobic Lodge. We’re not dying to swim in that pool, it just so happened that my husband promised my son that they will swim, trust issue ito. So we convinced our son that the pool is dirty at may mga frog. We promised that we will swim in other pool na lang.



Anway, although the place was creepy for me, wala naman ko nakita o naramdaman na kakaiba. Lol The service was ok except for the pool staff. I don’t know about the room rates but I saw this in our room. 




Zoobic Lodge
Tiara Building, Upper Cubi, 
Subic Bay Freeport Zone,
2222 Zambales
(047) 252 8638

It is very unusual to me that I will revisit one place or attraction within a year because I always wanted to visit new places and discover new things. But this year, I visited two places, twice in a year. Last February 2014, we had a family trip in Zoobic Safari and Ocean Adventure, then last month my son had field trip in Ocean Adventure and at the same time I also won Zoobic Safari Package in one contest. Sayang lang, kasi after field trip ko na nakuha prize.

Klook.com