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It took us a while to revisit S&R Nuvali after our not-so-good experience during their opening last November. So kahit mas mahal tolgate ng S&R Alabang, doon pa rin kami but last Saturday, we paid a visit. Before doing our grocery, we dropped by Solenad 3 to have our lunch.
Just in time, Kuya J Restaurant is already open and it was their grand opening day. I told hubby, dun na tayo baka darating si Jericho Rosales. Hehehe! I have long time crush kay Jericho, as in contestant pa lang siya sa Eat Bulaga, crush ko na siya.
But unfortunately, wala si Jericho so we just browsed the menu. There are so many choices but we just chose from their House Specialties. We ordered Kare-Kare Bagnet P399, Crispy Dinuguan P195, Plain Rice Platter P120, Ice Tea Pitcher P120 and Leche Flan P50. I was happy with their price, if you will compare it to other restaurants that serve Flipino foods, affordable ang Kuya J. No service charge.
When the meals were served, I asked hubby parang ang konti ng serving, kasya ba sa tin? My husband said, kasya yan. True enough, it was enough for three people.
I was surprised to see the Crispy Dinuguan because I was expecting that it was like the crispy dinuguan of Kanin Club. I was wrong, so it is like Bagnet Dinuguan of La Finca Tagaytay. So ending puro fried pork pala lahat order namin in different sauces. hehehe!
My husband loves the Kare-Kare because you can really taste the peanut in the sauce. The sauce is thick and you know that it is made from scratch. I’m also satisfied with my Crispy Dinuguan. My son likes the bagnet of kare-kare, he likes crunchy food kasi. The Leche Flan is smooth and sweet, there is calamansi at the side, pang-alis umay siguro.
Service is also good, ang daming staff everywhere, not sure kung dahil grand opening day lang. We now have a new favorite restaurant in Nuvali. We had a free picture from the photo booth after we ate.
Update: March 2016
We went back again to Kuya J Restaurant after my son's Recognition program. We ordered Lechon Kawali P235, Adobong Pusit P270, Rice Platter P120, Pitcher of Iced Tea P120 and 2 Lechen Flan P50 each.
We're happy with our food but not with the service, I don't know why it will take them so long just to serve the leche flan, I think 15 minutes of waiting and 3 follow-ups are too much, I'm sure luto na yan.
We wanted to go home asap because my husband needs to pack his things for his Malaysia trip. My husband asked for the bill and canceled the leche flan order. We received the bill with leche flan charge, good thing dumating na rin leche flan so di na naman pinabago.
Update: September 2016
We were in Solenad 3 last Saturday, and after our haircut we ate at Kuya J again. We ordered Bagnet, Pinakbet, Leche Flan and Tablea Coffee Flan.
I thought the tablea coffee flan is like a leche flan with flavor but I was wrong, parang kakanin siya. hehehe!
Update: December 2016
Before going to S&R, we went to Kuya J for our late lunch, we ordered Crispy Dinuguan P195, Sizzling Sisig P190, Rice P35/cup and Leche Flan P50. It was our first time ordering sisig and the taste is ok. We always like the leche flan of Kuya J but last December, parang iba na taste niya. Hindi na soft and creamy, iba na kaya ang supplier?
Read: Kuya J Southwoods Mall
Kuya J SM Sta Rosa Mall
Kuya J Restaurant
Solenad 3, Nuvali,
Santa Rosa - Tagaytay Road,
Don Jose, Laguna
I’m pretty sure that all of us wanted to earn unlimited income while we sleep, but is there such a thing like that? Is it possible to earn while sleeping? It looks so impossible but the truth is, it is possible. Yes, you can earn income even while you sleep and that is called passive income.
What is Passive Income?
Passive income is a kind of income that you gain without working so hard, without making so much effort, and without giving out so much of your time. It allows you to be the boss of your finances, time, and life.
It is very different from active income wherein you have to work 9 hours a day or more in order to receive salary, commissions, or bonuses. If you don’t work, you don’t have an income.
Of course, you will not just sleep in order to earn a passive income because you have to work first. You need to invest time and effort to establish your business or product to gain profit in the long run. Working hard at first and collect income after.
I’m a full-time mom so I don’t have an active income but I earn something through passive income.
1. Guest Post Space
I started this blog without thinking about income. I just really wanted to have my own space where I can share information then after few months, I received opportunities to earn. I consider that a passive income, it may not be a big moolah but at least I earn something to pay for my domain. :)
2. Dividend Investing
If you invested your money in the stock market, you will earn a dividend from the company that you have shares. The amount varies depending on company performance.
3. Take Surveys
I earn by taking surveys, the pay is not really that big because it is not easy to accumulate points but it is still an income. All it needs is a little time to finish the surveys.
These three are examples of earning passive income, I know that it will not make me retire rich so I’m still searching and learning how to increase my passive income. I’m glad I’ve read the Passive Income ebook by Samantha Connor. Click the link below if you want to purchase it.
Passive Income: The Ultimate Guide To Becoming A Money Machine And Have Unlimited Income Even While You Sleep (Passive income, business ideas, make money, income stream Book 1)
I’ve enjoyed reading the book because it gives me more ideas on how to increase my passive income. The ebook is so easy to understand and you can finish it in one sitting. So if you want to learn how to earn additional income, read this ebook. Passive Income ebook will inform you that there are so many ways to earn money even while you sleep.
My son is into arts, he likes to draw and paint so I was not surprised at all when he joined Art Club in school. At first, I was persuading him to join the Kab Scout so he will learn life skills but of course, he will be the one to decide his own club.
Read: Painting at Sip & Gogh
Mommy Bloggers Philippines had an opportunity to have 2-hour primer session at Artist Madhouse last Sunday. I know that QC is far from where we live but because my son loves to draw and paint, I said yes to the invitation.
About Artist Madhouse
"Artist Madhouse is a place of expression without the fear of being judged, as they believe, is a liberating feeling that brings happiness and meaning to our lives.
Jem Benzon and Carolyn Tongco are Expressive Art Meditation Facilitators from Artist Madhouse. Their experience as artists, volunteers, church workers and enthusiasts of Filipino culture developed their passion for using expressive art to help people. They graduated with honors with degree in Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas, Manila."
Jem and Carol were there to welcome and explain to us the Artist Madhouse workshops. They have two workshops, one for kids and one for adults.
Expressive Art and Creative Play
"Expressive Art and Creative Play is a holistic program that empowers your child to learn in an encouraging and supportive environment. Through the expressive arts, your child is encouraged to experiment creatively, leading to discovery of new knowledge. Play, being the language of children, fosters healthy interaction with others, enhancing your child’s social skills as well."
The theme is “Superhero in Me” and they started with superhero play. The team has a secret mission to solve, they need to work together and get the fruit. Kids were very happy because when they opened the fruit, there were so many candies.
They were also given a blank robot puppet and art materials to create their own superhero and superhero in their lives. While kids were busy doing their own artwork, mommies transferred to a different room to experience Expressive Art Meditation.
Expressive Art Meditation
Expressive Art Meditation has helped a lot of people find healing, confidence to face everyday challenges, and be empowered to solve their life problems. We were given illustration board and art materials.
The session started with guided meditation where you free your mind and body from any disturbance. Then art making, you can do anything you want with the illustration board. Lastly, reflect and share your artwork or experiences. It was a short session but it was a nice experience because you were able to express your thoughts through artwork.
So if you are facing challenges in your life, you are stressed with your work or are currently at the crossroad, you can try Expressive Art Meditation. It will give you time to reflect, reassess and express your thoughts.
After our session, we went back to the kids' rooms where they had a puppet show. They make and tell their own story, it was really good seeing the kids sharing their own story, kahit di ko gaano gets ang story ng anak ko pero at least he was sharing his own story. Hehehe!
If you are interested in joining their workshop, visit their website
Expressive Art Meditation is P1500 per session, it includes high-quality canvas, various art materials in your very own art kit, limited edition handmade designed journals and you can bring home your artwork.
Expressive Art and Creative Play includes all the materials for 6 sessions Child’s progress report at the end of the series, a photo documentation of your child during the workshop, a certificate at the end of the workshop and a meaningful and enjoyable experience for your child
Who can join: Ages 7-9 years old
Venue: Mulberry Kids Preschool in Pasig City.
5,000.00 PHP per child for 6 sessions
1,000.00 PHP per child for one session
We went to Artist Madhouse last Sunday while my husband stayed in UP Town Center while waiting for us (my son and I). I called my husband to pick us up and we went back to UP Town Center because I have never been there.
It was time for lunch and we immediately went to Shrimp Bucket, if you remember my post before. My husband ate here and he liked the shrimp with salted egg. I tried to cook it at home and we all loved it, sabaw pa lang ulam na. I always served it if we have a get-together at home. Click here to see the recipe.
We waited for several minutes because no available table yet inside, the staff already asked for our order while waiting. We ordered Shrimp P560 and chose Salty Eggsperience for the special sauce per pound. Other sauces are The Mardi Gras, Coco-SOL (South of Luzon), Frenchy Lemon Pepper, The Spaniard, and Coco-curry. My son ordered Plain Salted Chicken Wings P225 and extra rice at P40 each.
The placemat is big white paper that covers the whole table, they serve the chicken wings first which is tender, juicy, and crunchy.
The Shrimp Salty Eggsperience was served in a plastic bag, I tried it and it was good but I prefer my Salted Egg Shrimp. So hindi pala ko binobola ng asawa ko na mas masarap daw yung luto ko. Lol. Ok love your own. If ever I’ll go back, I will try the other specialty sauces.
Read: Salted Egg Shrimp Recipe
While eating, I asked my husband why other people have bib bakit kami wala, he checked the other diners and sabi niya baka by request. Ganun,? Dapat automatic na yun, I did not ask for bib anymore at patapos na rin kami kumain.
After that, I saw J.Co Donuts and wala pila so I bought a dozen of doughnut. Our favorite is Alcapone and I added Chocomaltine, Coco Loco and Jacky Chunk.
Just like that school year is already over, my son had his final exam last Saturday so I was really happy because no more homeworks, quizzes and exams. Finally, we can have a break from lessons.
Last Monday, my son went to school for rechecking of final exams, then we had no classes last Tuesday and Wednesday for deliberation of grades. Yesterday, my son went home and he told me that he is Red Eagle Awardee.
“Red Eagle Certificate” - an average of 93.50 to 94.49% and no final rating in any subject lower than 90.
I was surprised because I thought that they will announce the awardees today, napaaga ng announcement so it is already a school break for some of the kids but not for the awardees.
I’ve read the note,
“Dear Parents,
Congratulations!
Your child Ethan is one of our Red eagle awardees.
Please see attached schedule for practices.”
So we still have to go back to school but I’m not complaining because my son has an award and I know that it is not easy to get this award. Dugo’t pawis talaga just to maintain his grades in Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. So this summer vacation, we need to read more Filipino books to enhance his vocabulary.
I have to declutter all his school stuff and plan for his summer activities but I chose to rest. Relax relax muna and enjoy the no lessons moment.
Read
List of Summer Activities that you can Join this Summer
List of Lenten Promo and Easter Activity
Our family loves to eat out, we love to visit new restaurants and taste new foods that we don’t usually eat at home. But I can never deny that we have our go-to restaurant that we often visit whether we are in a mall, we want delivery food or we don’t want to think anymore.
Yes, when we don’t want to think anymore because before we enter the restaurant, we already knew our order. No need to check the menu, order na agad to satisfy our hungry stomach. I’ll be sharing with you our go-to restaurant for the past three months.
1. Jollibee and McDonalds - these two are our go-to restaurants not only for the past three months but all year round because they have so many branches everywhere. If we are traveling and we are hungry, we will just drive-thru. McDonalds is my usual tambayan in my son’s school, I’ll order a happy meal, eat the food and give the toy to my son. Oh di ba, may pasalubong pa sa uwian.
2. Shakey’s - now that they have a branch near our place, we often visit this even for merienda. Our usual order is Bunch of Lunch or Deal one, but there are times we just choose from pizza, mojos, chicken, pasta, french toast or banana split.
3. Kenny Rogers - if we are tired of fried chicken, we eat here. Our usual order is Solo A, ¼ roast chicken, 1 regular side dish, 1 rice and 1 corn muffin for P195. It is already a complete meal and we can choose our side dish.
4. Mang Inasal - my husband loves this restaurant because of the unlimited rice. But my son and I always order a regular meal. I love their palabok and turon split.
5. BonChon - most of the time we will order the BonChon group meal or Seafood Platter group meal but for the past three months, we always order the boxed meal at P155. I’ve almost tried all the boxed meal pero pare-pareho lang naman lasa ng breading. Hehehe! This is the new favorite of my son, Mommy, I want BonChon, repeat 100x.
How about you, what is your go-to restaurant?
I’m not really into sports and I’m so lazy to exercise so when my husband told me that he will join fun run, I said ok, magpicture na lang ko. Then he decided to include my son so I bought running shorts last week. Two days before the fun run, he said ‘’niregister na rin kita”. Waah! "The family that runs together stays together" lang ang peg.
Most of the time I just stay in the house, ni walking-walking nga wala ko e, then tatakbo pa ko ng 5k run. He said, pwede naman half lang. Ok fine! As if I have a choice pa. I’ll just think that I can help someone because they pledge to donate PHP 150 to Food for Hungry Minds School for each participant who completes the loop (PHP 60 per km run).
So we woke up early last Sunday and my husband was teasing me nung nilabas ko running shoes ko. It looks new pa kasi, syempre naman mga 3x ko pa lang yata nagamit. Hahaha!
My husband got our race kit on the day of the event. Honestly, I’m not really prepared for this event so most of the time, nagwalk lang kami mag-ina. Hehehe!
At first, my son was complaining, “Mommy, this is not funny!” (antok pa kasi). Hehehe! There is no fun in Fun Run ba? But after several minutes, he enjoyed walking and running.
We did 2.5km and my husband finished the 5km run.
My warm-up and cool down pa but still my body was in pain until Monday. Nagising ang natutulog kong muscles. lol Do you also join fun run?
Almost a month ago my husband underwent Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy at St. Lukes BGC. One thing that worries me is, “Where are we going to eat?”, we all know that hospital food is known for bland taste. If they have restaurants, options are very limited. I don’t want to go out anymore because I’m not familiar with BGC area.
But my husband assured me that it will not be a problem, “hindi ka magugutom, ang daming kainan dun” True enough when we went there, there are so many restaurants at the ground floor. Budget ko pala ang mamomoblema, hehehe!
Bizu
Cafe Via Mare
Dairy Queen
Market on 5th Avenue by Chef Florabel
Mary Grace
Pizza Hut
Starbucks
The Lobby Cafe
For our fist meal, we chose Market on 5th Avenue By Chef Florabel. If you remember my post, they have a branch in Asian Hospital too, but the name is “The Cafeteria by Chef Florabel”.
The ‘’On The Grill” meal range from P175 to P275, it includes plain rice or garlic rice. We ordered Pork Barbeque P180 and Pork Sisig with Egg P175. We take-out the food because my husband was alone in the room, additional P10 each for take-out order.
The following day, I ordered Liempo P175 and Pork Barbeque P180 again, yes hindi favorite ng anak ko ang BBQ, hehehe!. I was surprised to see the food container, iba na. (naubos?)
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| BBQ not in the photo |
On the third day, we tried Cafe Via Mare for our lunch, we ordered Vigan Longganisa P325 + Extra Rice. I was planning to go back for our merienda because I wanted to try their puto bumbong and bibingka but my husband texted me na pwede na kami mag-out.
We also bought Blizzard at Dairy Queen, as promised to my son.
St.Lukes Medical Center
32nd Street Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City
I’ve been preoccupied with so many things so I need to prioritize and do things one at a time to keep me sane. Last month, we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and for the very first time, I was not able to plan ahead of time because my husband underwent surgery so I’m not sure if we can celebrate.
When he went back to work, that is my go signal that we can have an out-of-town trip. I was searching, inquiring, and planning a week before our anniversary, and good thing we were able to fix everything.
We were reserving a room at Vivere Hotel but they did not reply to my email then I saw the Vivere Azure and I told my husband about it. He called the resort and they sent confirmation on the same day. There are 3 options to reserve the room, you can pay cash in Vivere Alabang, bank deposit, or fax the credit card details.
We availed the Special Weekday promo, the rate includes full board meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two persons), complimentary bottled water, and free use of the game room, swimming pool, snorkeling gear, life vest, raft, and kayak. Additional P2000 for my son.
We were excited about our trip since this was our first family trip in Anilao, Batangas. You can check here the different resorts that we have tried in Batangas. We left after breakfast and it took us 3 hours to reach the resort, we got lost using their map. Thank God for Waze! We reached the resort before 11AM and check-in time is still 2PM. They gave us welcome drinks upon arrival. We stayed in the cabana while waiting for our room.
We ate lunch first and I was surprised to see that it was a buffet meal. I thought it is a plated meal or maybe it depends on the number of guests. Finally, the room was ready.
We stayed in Rejuvena Suite, this is room and it is not beach front but still okay for us because it is located in the middle so we are near the swimming pool, cafe, and beach. Mahirap pag beach front at nakakahingal mag-akyat-baba if we want to go to swimming pool. Hehehe! #signsofaging
I’m so happy to see the brand of toiletries, soap is from Ilog Maria while shampoo, lotion, and conditioner are VMV Hypoallergenics. Other stuffs are dental kit, comb, cotton buds, shaving kit, and shower cap. Free resort bag too, a good souvenir for the guest.
We took a rest before going to the beach. Don’t expect sand in Anilao, Batangas because all you can see are small and medium stones. You can borrow swimming shoes, flippers, a life vest, and snorkeling gears. I brought swimming shoes for my son.
We tried rafting first. My husband had fun in snorkeling.
Then kayaking, my son enjoyed seeing the fish while kayaking. So he liked it here compared to his first kayaking experience in Canyon Cove. No doubt that Anilao is known for snorkeling and diving. The best thing about their location is, hindi rin maalon like Canyon Cove. You can see two islands in front of the resort, Maricaban Island and Sombrero Island.
I’m not sure if the dinner is always by the beach or because it was Valentine’s Day. But it was a nice setting for us because it was our anniversary and they even gave us free dessert for our anniversary.
The following day, after breakfast, we just enjoyed our remaining time before check-out.
All in all, we really had a nice getaway in Vivere Azure, the guests are really spoiled here. We really just eat, swim and sleep here. Service is impeccable because they always serve with a smile and do the extra mile. Food is also good.
There are only 13 rooms available in the resort so even if it is fully booked, you won't feel that it is crowded. So if you want privacy, go to this resort. We saw a female celebrity before checking out. The only downside here is the rate, yes it is not budget-friendly. But since it is our anniversary, we splurge on this one. The parking slot is very limited too. There is free wifi but not reliable.
Vivere Azure
Sitio Aguada, San Teodoro,
Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
Read: Vivere Hotel and Resort
Batangas Resorts
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to enroll myself in a summer art class where I can learn how to draw or paint but of course, we don’t have money for that. So when I saw Sip & Gogh featured in one TV show, I told myself that I will try it someday.
Click here for video
The only problem is, QC is so far from where we live. They have other branches pero malayo pa rin. Actually, I already promised to my son that he will paint as my reward for his “Golden Eagle” last second grading period pero hindi pa pala open yung sa Alabang branch so I ended up giving him a gift.
So I was really happy when I learned that Sip & Gogh Molito, Alabang branch is already open. Finally, we can try it na. It was our 10th wedding anniversary when we went to the painting studio.
Sip & Gogh is a paint-and-sip studio where you can paint while sipping your favorite beverage with family or friends. The fee includes canvas, paints, brush, easel, palette, and apron so all you have to do is bring yourself and enjoy.
Our family doesn’t have talent in art but we are just
frustrated artists who wanted to try painting. We registered for Open Sessions at P1000 each. It includes complimentary drinks and snacks.
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| Paint, Sip and Laugh |
It is an open session so you can choose an artwork that you wanted to try, choosing an artwork is not easy, parang lahat gusto ko itry and nagdadalawang isip ko kung kakayanin ko ba. We are all first timers and walang kaalam-alam. Hehehe!
We were lucky that we’re the first three guests so tig-isa isa kami ng nagguide sa min. They prepare everything that we need and guide us step by step like mixing colors and different strokes that we need.
We really enjoyed ou experience and sa sobrang focus ng mag-ama ko nakalimutan na nila ko kunan ng picture, lol. Good thing the Sip & Gogh staff take pictures and you can see that in their Facebook page. O di ba, may stolen shots pa kami, I thought we only have 2 photos. (picture above and below)
We really had fun and it was really memorable because it was our anniversary and we experienced painting at the same time. It only proves that anyone can paint. Our painting is now up on our wall, at last, no more blank walls in our living room.
I recommend this painting activity. You don’t need the skill and talent, just try it, enjoy and you will be amazed at your own masterpiece. My son wanted to paint again and I told him, we will go back if he will get an award this school year.
Sip & Gogh Alabang
2/F Unit 5, Molito 3, Madrigal Avenue corner Alabang-Zapote Road,
Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines
They have branches in Kapitolyo, Ayala Heights, and Eastwood
My husband was on leave last Thursday because it was our anniversary, we don’t have a definite plan where to celebrate that day because my son has classes. He cannot afford to be absent anymore because he already missed his long quiz in one subject because of our trip in Vivere Azure.
It was a lesson learned that do not expect na walang gagawin after monthly test. Hehehe! I did not expect na long quiz agad, e nagmonthly test kami ng Friday and Saturday (Feb. 12 and 13).
Anyway as I mentioned in my previous post, I suggested to hubby na magdate naman kami while my son is still in school. I suggested La Finca Tagaytay, I saw this in Deal Grocer but I did not purchase the voucher because there is a 48 hours reservation condition.
La Finca is one of the new restaurants in Tagaytay which is located in Domicillo Design Hotel. There were only two tables occupied including us that time so we did not have any problem with the service.
The staff gave us the menu and we asked her what is the best seller, she said “Bagnet”, you can choose from Dinuguan, Binagoongan, and Crispy Sisig. We ordered Bagnet Dinuguan P475, Bidasilog P295 from All Day Sunrise meal and extra rice at P75.
We can dine outside but we wanted to avoid the fly so we chose indoor. Do not worry because you can still enjoy the Taal Volcano view inside the restaurant. I was trying to take a photo of it but it is against the light so madilim lang lumalabas.
The meal is good for 2-3 persons, so sana pala di na kami nag-order ng Bidasilog. Hehehe! We liked the combination of the dinuguan and bagnet. We can't finish it so we took it home but I was disappointed kasi wala dinuguan sa take out ko, so parang dinampot lang ng staff yung bagnet at nilagay sa plastic. Kung ano lang nakadikit sa ilalim yun lang ang may dinuguan. Hmmm, sayang naman bayad ko sa dinuguan at di sinama sa pagtake-out.
I also ordered Chocolatey Mess P275, according to the staff that is the best seller. It was good but not really for my taste because I find it too sweet so we weren't able to finish it. It is a combination of ice cream, meringue, cookies and butterscotch fudge. A type of dessert with different texture.
La Finca Tagaytay
Km 58, Emilio Aguinaldo Hi-way
Maharlika East, Tagaytay - Nasugbu Hwy,
Tagaytay, Cavite
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