Michi Photostory

I’ve mentioned before that my husband was planning for our Anniversary Getaway, he kept on checking different resorts that will allow kids. Then he found a resort in Calatagan, Batangas that accepts kids provided that we have a travel medical certificate issued by a government physician stating that we are not showing any symptoms and are not on the list of the probable suspect and confirmed COVID19 cases + Resident’s ID. My husband research how to avail this, he went to Barangay to get and pay for our RESIDENT CERTIFICATE. He mentioned that we need it to secure a travel medical certificate because it is a requirement sa resort. 

Then he kept on checking the resort if there is an available room and out of excitement he immediately booked a room nung nakita niya na may available na. He paid a 10% downpayment to secure the slot. Then two days before our trip, we went to the health center to get a travel medical certificate, only to find out that they are not giving any travel medical certificates for leisure. I don’t know when they changes this policy kasi ang dami ko na nakita na nakapagbeach and may mga nabigyan dati. I understand naman kung ayaw nila magbigay but I hope sinabi na ito nung kumuha pa lang kami ng Resident Certificate so we were able to plan. 

We’re so disappointed because we’re really looking forward to our beach getaway. Though we have another option which is the swab test but the problem is, the resort does not have its own swab testing, unlike sa resort sa San Juan, Batangas. We have to research pa kung saan kami pwede magpaswab test. And because of this, my husband immediately called the resort to cancel our reservation, kasi kung late na namin icancel, we need to pay full reservation kahit hindi kami makakapunta. 

This happened on the day of our wedding anniversary, nakakastress and nakakalungkot. Well, I have to accept the fact na lang na matatagalan pa bago nakatravel. I’m thankful na 10% percent lang yung non-refundable downpayment, unlike sa iba na 50% or Full Payment na ang bayad. And because of this nag-stress eating na lang kami. We went to Chef RV Manabat Cafe to order hot meals, cakes, and bread for our anniversary celebration.  

But after trying their food last December, I blamed myself for not buying the voucher. Sinayang ko yung chance, ngayon pa na may community quarantine and I’m not sure kung kailan maibabalik ang buffet nila. Huhuhu Just this month, we visited their restaurant during weekends and no buffet offering.

Would you believe that Alba Restaurante Español has been around since 1952? Wow, almost seven decades na but they only have few branches, you can find their restaurant in Bel-Air Makati, Tomas Morato, Estancia Mall, Prism Plaza, and Westgate Center. This restaurant was founded by Señor Anastacio de Alba who came from Avila, Spain. 

Last December, we were planning for our New Year’s potluck and I told my husband na bumili na lang kami. Ayaw ko na magluto, napagod na ko nung Christmas. Hehehe! He wanted lechon and I suggested Alba’s Cochinillo so he called the restaurant but at that time, they are not accepting orders pa. They are not sure and will inform us if they will accept orders. Fortunately, they called and we paid for our reservation. My husband picked up the cochinillo at the restaurant, we did not ask kung may delivery. 

It was our first time buying cochinillo so maliit pala talaga siya. I remember, marami naawa when I posted this on my social media. Life is short for the suckling pig because it is being roasted between the ages of two and six weeks. After I’ve learned this, napaisip ako, next time I will just buy per kilo ng lechon or lechon belly. But the taste of cochinillo is really good, it is crispy, tender, and flavorful. One whole is PHP6000 and it is good for 12 people. 

I went with my husband when we paid for the reservation and while at the restaurant, I saw the different cold cuts and cheese. Wow, this is perfect for our New Year’s Eve because I don’t want to cook, so I bought a few packs for our DIY Charcuterie. I purchased Salchichon, Pamplona, Jamon Serrano, Tocino, Chorizo de Bilbao and Los Molinos Tempranillo (Wine). My charcuterie was a hit so now we know where to buy our cold cuts. 

Chorizo de Bilbao PHP125 per 100 grams 

Pamplona P160 per 100 grams 

Salchichon P160 per 100 grams 

Butifarra PHP110 per 100 grams 

Jamon Serrano PHP330 per 100 grams 

Tocino PHP130 per 100 grams 

My son and I like the Chorizo de Bilbao, I sliced and sauteed this in olive oil. Sometimes, I add this to Chicken Afritada. We liked the Salchichon and Pamplona too, meron na kami instant yummy sandwich, I just need bread, meat, and mozzarella cheese then toast it in the oven toaster. The Jamon Serrano and Tocino are too salty for our taste but we still eat this kasi sayang but I have no plans to repurchase. During our last visit to Alba, I bought a few packs of cold cuts, and this time I added Butifarra, I will just update this post once we tried it. 

We’ve been planning for our wedding anniversary getaway or food trip but I guess it is still impossible for now. The day before Valentine’s day we went to Landers for grocery, this was the third time that I went to the grocery since the community quarantine started. Then after our grocery, my husband and I went to Alba for lunch, instant date na rin for our anniversary. 

We don’t have any reservations but we’re glad that they were able to accommodate us. We’ve seen other tables with “Reserved” signs so mukhang marami na kumakain sa labas. You need to scan the QR code and answer the health declaration form, I was having a hard time doing this because the form is not appearing on my phone after I scanned it. Good thing that my husband has two phones so I used his other phone para makapagscan ako ng QR code.

Upon seated, they gave us the menu, it was so thick that we just scanned it and order the house specialty Paella Valenciana PHP580 and Lengua Sevillana PHP500, the meal is good for 2-3 persons and the cooking time is 30 minutes. While waiting, they served complimentary bread. I really appreciate this kind of gesture because we have something to eat while waiting for our meal. 

They served our meal on time and we were so delighted with our order like I’ve said before I’m not fond of paella but after tasting the Paella Valenciana of Alba, nagbago na pananaw ko sa buhay. Hehehe! I like their paella, it is already a complete meal. I’m planning to buy this again kapag may occasions. I love Lengua and their lengua sevillana did not disappoint me, in fact, favorite ko na agad. 

We tried to finish our food pero hindi kaya so may take-out pa kami sa anak ko. Nagustuhan din niya yung paella and lengua, sorry na lang siya hindi niya natikman yung Tarta de Queso PHP160. Parang nagsisi pa kami na isa lang order namin dessert, bitin sa amin ni hubby kasi nagshare lang kami. Hehehe I’m not sure if they are selling whole cake, I’ll check na lang when we dine in again. 

Lengua Sevillana - Stewed ox-tongue with mushroom & olives in rich sherry brown sauce 

Paella Valenciana - Valenciana rice dish with chicken, pork, seafood & vegetables

Tarta de Queso Alba’s- classic cheesecake 

Ever since I discovered Alba, it became my go-to restaurant if ever we are in the Alabang area because I like the food and service. So last December, after our grocery trip, off we went to Alba, and luckily, there is still an available table for us kasi nakareserved na talaga yung mga tables. It was our first time upstairs and medyo masikip pero okay siya kung irereserve mo lahat ng tables for intimate gathering.

Without checking the menu, I already knew what to order kasi nga favorite namin yung Lengua Sevillana and I am a creature of habit kaya lagi same order ko. Hehehe! So for our family of three, we ordered Lengua Sevillana PHP650, Plain Rice PHP60, and Solomillo a la Pobre PHP700 + Service Charge. 

Solomillo a la Pobre - Classic grilled beef tenderloin with olive oil garlic sauce. 

The Lengua Sevillana is good for sharing but the Solomillo a la Pobre is good for one person lang pero hinati namin sa tatlo so we can all try the steak. hehehe! After trying this one, may bago na ko favorite. Hehehe! At least, nadagdagan na yung options ko. We’re supposed to order Tarta de Queso Alba’s para matikman ng anak ko kaso busog na kami.

In fact, as early as January, I was searching for accommodation and planning for our Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe trip. We were planning to visit a travel expo so we can score a cheap flight to Japan but all plans were canceled and until now, traveling is still unachievable. I don’t know when everything would be back to normal. I don’t know if we can still use this Japan Tourist Visa because, since last year, tourist visas are suspended. 

Whether we can use this or not, I will just post this to remind me na minsan sa aking buhay nagkaroon ako ng Multiple-Entry Visa. Hehehe! Last October 2019, we visited World Travel Expo and we availed the Japan Visa Processing promo for PHP600 from PHP1,200. It was a good deal already compared to our first Japan Tourist Visa application.  

Japan Visa is free but you cannot apply directly to Japan Embassy, so you need to look for a travel agency to process your visa application. The processing fee depends on the agency that you will choose. You can check the list of authorized travel agencies here. For our first application, sinabay kami ni hubby sa pag-apply niya ng Japan Business Visa through their company accredited travel agency. Unfortunately, their agency is not part of the authorized agency of the Japan Embassy so nadoble tuloy bayad namin because we paid 2 travel agencies, more story on this blog. 

Anyway, we realized that it is so easy to apply for Japan Visa as long as you have complete requirements but of course, the visa is still subject to their approval. Here is the list of visa requirements for a Japan Tourist Visa from H.I.S. Travel Agency. They sent the list of requirements and forms that we need (via email). We just printed and filled out the forms. 

Philippine Passport 

Visa Application Form (A4 Size Paper) Download the application here 

2x2 Photo with White Background 

Original PSA Birth Certificate 

Original PSA Marriage Certificate 

Daily Itinerary in Japan (A4 Size Paper) 

Original Bank Certificate 

Photocopy of Income Tax Return, Form 2316 or 1701 

HIS Authorization Letter (A4 Size, signed per applicant) 

Request for Multiple Entry (optional, not guaranteed) 

Note: 

A. Since I’m a housewife, the staff asked me to write a letter of explanation why I don’t have an ITR or Income Tax Return. 

B.They asked my husband to sign the Letter of Guarantee for me and my son. 

C. This was our second Japan Tourist Visa application but they still require us to submit the original PSA birth certificate and marriage certificate. Ganun daw talaga if you are applying as a family. 

D. They require us to submit the passport where our Japan Visas were issued. So we submitted our old and new passports.

E. This time, we submit a letter of request for a Multiple Entry Visa, this was part of the forms that were sent to us so print lang din namin. We did not do this during our first application, hindi rin kami aware na pwede pala magrequest. 

January 6, 2020 - submitted our application at H.I.S Travel Agency 

January 7, 2020 - visa approved; Multiple Entry for 5 years 

January 8, 2020 - passport our ready for pick-up 

Photo PHP255 (PHP85 per person) 

PSA PHP720 (3 Birth Certificate and 1 Marriage Certificate) 

Japan Visa Processing PHP1800 (P600 per head) 

Bank Certificate Free (use our voucher) 

We spent PHP2,275 for something that we haven’t used but I’m hoping and praying na in the future, we can still use this. May 4 years pa naman na natitira. Hehehe!

And because of that, I started exploring Korean movies. The first two Korean movies that I watched are “A Moment to Remember” and Miracle in Cell No. 7, these were already old movies. As far as I know, I am not addicted to kdrama yet when I watched these movies. Both movies are tear-jerkers and they are worth watching. 

When I started watching the drama series, I watched the “Fabricated City” movie because I learned that Ji Chang Wook is part of this movie. Then just this year, I finished watching Space Sweepers, Extreme Jobs and My Girlfriend is an Agent. I’m still searching for good movies but some are not available on Netflix.

1. A Moment to Remember 

2. Miracle in Cell No. 7 

3. Fabricated City 

4. 200 Pounds Beauty

5. Okja

6. Space Sweepers 

7. Extreme Jobs 

8. My Girlfriend is an Agent 

9. Tune in for Love

10. The Bros

11. Pandora

12. One Day

13. Sweet and Sour 

14. Crazy Romance

15. On Your Wedding Day

16. Always

17. Be With You

18. Love + Sling

19. Luck - Key

20. Flu

21. My New Sassy Girl

22. Finding Mr. Destiny

23. The Princess and the Matchmaker

24. Kim Ji Young Born 1982

25. Whatcha Wearin?

26. Hit and Run Squad

27. Tunnel

28. Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong

29. Collectors

So let us see if I will hit 100 Korean Movies too. Care to share your favorite Korean Movies? 

Even though my blog and social media accounts have few followers, I continue blogging because I didn’t start my blog for fame but for myself. Even I have an audience of ONE which is myself, I still go on. Blogging is my creative outlet to keep my mind and life productive. 

I love seeing and reading my old blog posts because it is a testament to my improvement as a wife, mother, and person. I discovered how my hobby changed from cooking to baking, sewing, crocheting, designing, and now crafting with my Cricut Maker. I witnessed how my body size keeps on growing as the years go by because of food trips. Slowly, I'm crossing out my bucket list and the list goes on.

Today, I’m celebrating my ten years milestone and as of this writing, I have 1,640 blog posts and 8,167,086 pageviews. If you have stumbled on my blog, thank you for being part of my 8 million views. Sharing some of my favorites quotes that keep me going and doing what I do. 

Two years ago, I received a succulent plant as a souvenir so I was happy because this type of plant is perfect for a non-green thumb like me. But I felt sad because, after few months, we went to Norway for a vacation so I already expected that my plant will die because no one will water it. Surprisingly, it survived for almost one month. When my husband went back to the Philippines, he took care of it. 

One year had passed, my succulent keeps on growing so one pot became three pots and then five pots. When my husband repotted my succulent plants, the plants slowly died hanggang sa walang natira. Huhuhu! I don’t know why, is it because of the soil that we used or nasobrahan ba ng dilig? 

Anyway, after several months, my husband bought me a new succulent plant so I was happy na may kapalit na yung nawala sa akin. My husband was so shocked with my reaction, iba daw kasi yung smile ko sa plants compared sa flowers na binibigay niya dati. Now, he finally understood na ayaw ko talaga ng bulaklak talaga. Hehehe! Well, he already stopped giving me flowers since year 2012.  

On the same day, I immediately searched Shopee for ceramic pots. I don’t want to use the old plastic pots at baka mamatay ulit sila. Hehehe Sinisi ko na ngayon ang paso. I ordered from two different stores and I’m glad that my pots arrived in good condition, may free pebbles pa. 

Then using my Cricut Maker, I made some decals stickers. I can’t do this with my old pots kasi hindi sila smooth so ngayon pwede na. I used glossy black and frosted glitter vinyl stickers pero hindi maganda kinalabasan sa frosted glitter so I will remake this project if I have extra time. 

Love grows here 

Please don’t die 

Plant, grow, bloom 

Plant your dreams 

Bloom where you planted 

And dahil halaman naman daw pala magpapasaya sa akin, my husband bought succulent plants again. OMG, I only ordered 5 pots so I have no choice but to use the plastic pots sa dalawa, hehehe! Next time na ulit ako oorder kapag naggrow and bloom na sila. I do hope humaba na ang buhay nila. I’ve made some research on how to take care the succulent plants. 

How to Care Your Succulent Plants 

1. Choose the right soil. A mix of gardening soil, sand, and perlite or pumice. 

2. Make sure they get enough sunlight. 

3. Water the soil directly not spray. 

4. Choose a container with a hole or drainage. 

5. Keep succulent leaves clean. 

6. Fertilize 

I asked my husband kung ano name nila, hindi daw niya alam so ireresearch ko pa. Waah! Checking the plants parang I have Echeveria and Jade, correct me if I am wrong.

Sharing the links where I bought my succulent pots. 

Yesterday, I shared about the homemade mojos potato and now let me share the Great Earth Potato Wedges. I just realized na same brand ito ng California Blend that I previously blogged. Anyway, last weekend, I cooked fried chicken and I remembered the potato wedges that I bought last December at Landers. One pack is 2 lbs for P179.75. 

I checked the packaging for cooking instructions and this potato wedges pala is good for baking. But I did not follow it, nag-fry na ko ng chicken so nagfry na rin ako ng potato wedges. I just fry 1/3 of the pack for 6-8 minutes. 

The taste of the potato wedges is quite similar to KFC fries, medyo oily because I deep fried it so it was not a hit. Next time I will follow the cooking instructions kung magbabago ang lasa. Pero may lasa na siya kahit wala pa seasoning or dahil prinito ko siya kung saan ko prinito yung chicken na may Crispy Fry. hehehe!

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Light grease a large baking sheet and set it aside. 

2. Place potato wedges in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. In a small bowl, whisk together salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle potato wedges with the shredded cheese, tossing to coat, then sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. 

3. Place potato wedges on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer with skin-sides down. Bake for 25-35 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender and golden. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and dressing for dipping. 

But because we are still under community quarantine, eating outside is not that easy so I was happy when some restaurants offer “Ready-to-Cook” meals like the Shakey’s Mojos Potato. One pack is P375, pero sobrang dami niya talaga na napuno agad freezer namin nung binili yun ni hubby. Unfortunately, the pack does not include the breading mix but there is nothing to worry about because they also shared the recipe on how to cook mojos potato at home. 

1. Wash - Rinse mojos for a few seconds and drain. 

2. Coat - Coat evenly using your preferred breading mix, or this recipe. 

1 tbsp garlic powder 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 tsp ground black pepper 

2 tbsp iodized or table salt 

1 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp thyme 

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Carefully toss mojos in a bowl with the breading mix to prevent them from breaking. (Breaking mix can approximately cost 1.5kg of mojos) 

3. Fry - Heat cooking oil in a frying pan. Place coated mojos individually. Deep fry until golden brown and desired crispness is achieved. Choose good quality cooking oil for frying and reuse up to 2 times only to ensure crisp and tasty Mojos. 

I did not bother to make a homemade breading mix because we are already okay with Crispy Fry. Since 2012, ito na gamit ko para wala ng measure-measure pa. I use it kahit anong food pa, you can check my post here.  

For my fried chicken, I always precook this, boil it for 30-40 minutes with seasoning. If nugget-sized yung chicken, I don’t precook na, diretso fry. After boiling, coat the fried chicken and mojos then deep fry in oil for 6-8 minutes. Voila, we have our own version of Chicken n’ Mojos. As years pass by, improving na ang mojos ko compared sa first try ko. hehehe 

Hindi rin lahat ng nasa Bahay Kubo song kinakain ko so mabibilang lang na vegetables dishes ang niluluto ko. If my husband wants to eat more veggies, yung tipong nagdadiet siya, siya na bahala magprepare ng salad niya. Sa samgyeopsal lang ako kumakain ng lettuce. Hehehe! 

Last December, I saw this Great Earth California Blend Frozen Vegetables at Landers. Most of the time, corn + carrots + peas ang nakikita ko na frozen vegetables so when I saw carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, napabili ko. It is only P164.75 for 2lbs so feeling ko mura na kasi ang mahal kaya ng broccoli.

I planned to pair this with our Lechon Belly de Cebu pero hindi natuloy so last month I cooked this. It just so happened that we have leftover beef bulgogi after namin magsamgyeopsal so para hindi kami maumay at puro meat na kami, may sidedish kami na vegetables.  

I just followed the cooking instructions at the back of the packaging 

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter on high.

2. Add frozen vegetables to the hot pan. 

3. Stir frequently, add separate carrot clusters, adjust heat, as needed to reduce browning. 

4. Cook for 10 minutes (2 lbs) 

The taste of the vegetables is bland so I seasoned it with salt and pepper. Maybe next time, I will add chicken powder or cubes. For a family of 3, 2 lbs is a big serving so after I cooked it, I divided it into 3 portions. May sidedish kami ng ilang kainan. Hehehe! I will buy this again on my next visit.