Michi Photostory: April 2021

April 30, 2021

Korean Travel Variety Show List

It’s been more than 400 days already since I’m stuck at home and I can still count on my fingers how many times I went outside. I can clearly remember that two years ago, I was itching to travel on my birthday, semestral break, and Christmas break and I was looking forward to the year 2020.

We were supposed to visit Taiwan, Japan, and Siargao but all plans had been canceled because of COVID19. This year, we tried domestic travel but it was canceled too so for now, I gave up the possibility of leisure travel. I already conditioned my mind that there will be no travel trips for the next two years. I am just hoping that we can still use our passports and Japan visas before they expire.

Tripophobia (n.) the fear of not having any travel trips that are currently booked.

Even though our travel plans are on pause, it doesn’t mean that I don’t miss traveling. In fact, I find comfort in reminiscing our past trips and I’m thankful that I have pushed those trips even though our budget is limited. I also find joy in watching Korean dramas that were filmed abroad and some Korean travel variety shows. I like watching travel-related shows because they give me a glimpse of the places that I wanted to visit including the places that are not on my bucket list.

“I heard an airplane passing overhead, I wished I was on it”

Read: Travel the World by Watching These Korean Drama

Sharing some Korean travel variety shows that I have watched so far…

1. Twogether

Last year, I watched “Twogether”, it is a travel documentary on Netflix that was released last June 26, 2020, starring two celebrities from South Korea and Taiwan. Lee Seung-gi and Jasper Liu traveled to 3 countries (Indonesia, Thailand, and Nepal) and 6 Asian Cities (Yogyakarta, Bali, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pokhara, and Kathmandu) in order to meet their fans. But before they can meet their fans, they need to complete the missions first that were recommended by their fans.

I enjoyed this travel series, even though I’m not a fanatic I felt happy for their fans. I like the chemistry between the two celebrities. I only watched Lee Seung-gi in the Korean Odyssey drama series but after watching him at “Twogether, I began to like his cool personality. He is a total package, he can act, sing, and host.

I'm not familiar with Jasper Liu since Meteor Garden is the only Taiwan drama series that I have watched. But this "Prince Pajama" has a cool personality too and I got curious so I watched one of his dramas which is “Triad Princess”

2. Trans-Siberian Pathfinders

Kim Nam Gil was my first Korean actor crush, I fell in love with him when I watched Queen Seon Deok, twelve years ago. Just recently, I finished watching “The Fiery Priest” and because of that I started searching for his other drama series and movies, then I found this travel variety show “Trans-Siberian Pathfinders”.

Trans-Siberian Pathfinders was aired last September 26, 2019 starring Lee Sun Kyun, Kim Nam Gil, Ko Kyu Pil, Kim Min Sik, and Lee Sang Yeob. These five celebrities traveled from Vladivostok to Moscow Russia via Trans-Siberian Railway. Do you know that TSR is the longest railway line in the world? It has 126 stations with a length of 9,288 kilometers that was built in 1916.

Honestly, I have no idea about TSR so I really enjoyed watching this show because I learned a lot. I know that Russia is the largest country in the world but I was still surprised when I learned that they have 7 or 8 time zones and as you travel from West to East Russia or vice versa, you will notice that the weather changes too.

Russia is not part of my bucket list but after watching Trans-Siberian Pathfinders, I wanted to visit Moscow. I’m still contemplating if I want to ride the Trans-Siberian Railway because I am not adventurous, and I don’t think I can endure the 168 hours of travel via train. The longest train travel that I’ve experienced is from Oslo to Trondheim. I experienced sleeping on a bunk bed when we rode DFDS Crown Seaways but we have privacy and our own bathroom.

The series has only 9 episodes so I felt sad when I already finished it because I like the chemistry of the 5 celebrities, it is nice knowing their personality outside the Korean drama series, especially Kim Nam Gil. How I wish, magkalovelife na siya. Hehehe!

Travitude (n.) when you start to feel grumpy and sassy because you miss traveling

3. Traveler 2

Traveler is about backpacking trips of different actors in different countries. I haven’t watched the first season yet but I already finished Traveler 2. Ahn Jae Hong, Kang Hae Neul and Ong Seong Wu traveled to Argentina for two weeks, they visited Buenos Aires, Puerto Iguazu, El Calafate, Fritz Roy, and Ushuaia.

When I started watching the series, I have very low expectations because all I know about Argentina is Evita Peron, an exporter of beef, and a stopover to Antarctica but as I watched each episode I became fascinated by this country. Wow, I was blown away and I love their travel adventures in Iguazu Falls, Perito Moreno Glacier, Penguins, and End of the World. In addition, I am a meat lover so I was salivating while watching their food trips, I love steaks and crabs. And because of this, I wanted to include Argentina on my travel bucket list.

4. Jung Hae In's Walkumentary

Jung Hae In became a documentary producer and hosted his own version of Backpack Travels. He planned, filmed, and documented his travel in New York with his friends, Eun Jong Gun and Lim Hyun Soo. New York is a very popular city so even I've never been to Big Apple, I'm quite familiar with the tourist spots so I was having second thoughts if I will watch this show.

But because the star is Jung Hae-In, I gave it a chance. It is nice to know more about him through this show, he loves burgers, oysters, spicy foods, and beers. He is so kind, caring, and generous to his friends and families. I really like his smile. The highlight of this show is their trip to Niagara Falls, I have no idea that there are so many ways to enjoy these falls, no doubt that it is one of the world's best falls.

5. Youn Stay

For the past few years, I have watched several episodes of Youn’s Kitchen where they went to Bali, Indonesia, and Tenerife, Spain but this time because of COVID19, no travel outside of the country. So for the third season, it is now Youn Stay where they invited foreigners who are appointed in Korea because of business or school. Foreigners will experience staying in hanok and eating Korean cuisine.

Still travel-related, although this is more of a staycation where you eat, sleep and enjoy the facilities and amenities of the homestay in Gurye Country, South Jeolla. I miss doing staycation too, nakakasawa na rin yung bahay lang namin ang nakikita namain for the last 15 months. Hehehe! I love all the casts here especially Jung Yu Mi and Park Seo Joon, bilib lang ako sa pagprepare and pagluluto nila. Parang ako nga ang pagod na pagod sa kanila.

6. House on Wheels

When we went to Europe, I've seen a lot of RV so traveling in a recreational vehicle is part of my bucket list. I got curious so I watched this show to give me an idea of staying in a wheeled house. It is not easy so I guess, I can only do this for a few days.

House on Wheels is a Korean travel variety show featuring Sung Dong Il, Kim Hee Won, and Yeo Jin Goo. The three celebrities travel to different parts of South Korea in a wheeled house. They visited Ganwon, Jeju Island, Damyang, Gochang, Mungyeong, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Geojedo. They invited their own friends to stay in their House on Wheels for one or two nights.

You will also learn about the popular tourist spots and foods in each place. It is nice to know more about the different celebrities that I usually watched in Korean Dramas, especially Ha Ji Won and Lee Sung Kyung.

7. The Hungry and The Hairy

A few days before the end of Christmas Break, I decided to check The Hungry and The Hairy, I have no expectations because I’m not familiar with these two celebrities. I know that Rain is really popular but I haven’t watched any of his shows or series even the famous “Full House” but after watching this travel reality show, I understood why he is indeed popular. Aside from his talent, he has a good personality and is a good cook too.

The Hungry and The Hairy is a travel reality show where Jung Ji Hoon “Rain” and Ro Hong Chul travel to different parts of South Korea on their motorcycles. They use different brands of motorcycles in Jeju Island, Gochang, Busan, Gangwon, Gyeongju, and Namhae. The two celebrities have opposite personalities but surprisingly, they became close. I enjoyed this travel and food trip series and my favorite place is Namhae.

Update: 2023

8. Europe Outside Your Tent

It's been a while since the last time I watched a travel variety show. I missed traveling so I'm happy to stumble on this travel show "Europe Outside Your Tent". Four actors went to Europe for a camping trip, they traveled from Switzerland to Italy, visiting different campsites. I enjoyed this show because of the amazing scenery as they explore different places. I learned a lot of things about Parmesan Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar. I also felt hungry when they ate T-Bone Steak, Pizza and Lasagna.

9. Traveler: Cuba

A few years ago, I watched the second season of Traveler so this year, I tried my best to look for Season 1. Unlike Season 2, there are only two actors here; Lee Je Hoon and Ryu Jun Yeol traveled to different places in Cuba like Havana, Vinales, Trinidad, Playa Giron, and Varadero. I've seen Cuba when I watched the "Encounter" drama series but this travel documentary gives me more insights about Cuba.

Cuba is not on my bucket list but I watched the show because I want to know more about the two actors outside the drama series. This travel series shows their struggle in looking for accommodation, looking for wifi or phone signal, and communicating with people. It also shows how they learn to haggle and say few Spanish words. Food is a hit-and-miss too.

10. Youth Over Flowers: Africa

Africa is part of my travel bucket list but I’m not sure if I can fulfill this dream because it is so expensive so I just enjoyed Africa by watching Youth Over Flowers: Africa. Reply 1988’s actors traveled to Namibia to start their 10 days road trip in Africa. Ahn Jae Hyong, Ryu Jun Yeol, Go Kyung Pyo and Park Bo Gum goal is to find Victoria Falls.

11. Youth Over Flowers: Iceland

Jung Sang-hoon, Jung Woo, Jo Jung-suk and Kang Ha-neul traveled to Iceland to see Aurora Borealis. It is one of their dreams to see Northern Lights and Iceland did not fail them. It is also my dream to see Northern Lights and I experienced that during our trip to Norway.

I’ve been to Iceland so somehow nakakarelate ako sa feelings nila when they saw the Geyser and Gullfoss. Just like them, amaze na amaze ako noong nakita ko. We only stayed in Iceland for four days so there are so many tourist spots that we were not able to visit so I really love this variety show kasi nakita ko rin yung mga namiss namin so parang nakapunta na rin kami. But I am crossing my fingers that I can revisit this country.

I like the camaraderie of the four actors and we are all the same, we like traveling on a budget.

Unfinished Series

Summer Vacation

Europe Outside Your Tent: Spain

April 29, 2021

Tips for Traveling Safely and Hygienically

If the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s that germs and harmful bacteria are everywhere and carry a very real threat to our health. The good news is, most countries have rolled out an effective vaccine program which means the most vulnerable members of society are protected from serious health complications as a result of contracting Covid-19.

Whilst the threat of Covid is reduced, though, it doesn’t mean you can pack away your hand sanitizer and stop washing your hands whilst traveling just yet. There are lots of other illnesses you can pick up whilst traveling that can leave you feeling really under the weather and potentially ruin your trip.

Some of these infectious diseases include:

Influenza

Norovirus

Common cold

All of these are extremely unpleasant but can be prevented through good hygiene whilst traveling. Here are just some of the ways you can travel safely and hygienically.

Hand Sanitizer

The most obvious way to practice good hygiene when traveling is to keep a hand sanitizer within easy reach. Whether you’re traveling on an airplane from LAX to Sydney, or if you’re getting in a taxi from Maidstone in Kent to central London, it’s always good to have hand sanitizer on you. Bottles are typically small and can last a good while. You can even buy bottles that clip to the strap on your bag so you don’t need to contaminate every other item in your bag with your unclean hands.

Antibacterial Wipes

This is more of a tip for those who are traveling whilst already infected with a disease (like a common cold). Airports and train stations are full of high bacteria points, such as handrails, ATMs, electronic booking screens, and doors. If you have cold or other infectious diseases, consider getting an antibacterial wipe and placing it between your hand and the item you’re going to touch. This will stop you from spreading your germs to other people. In the case of screens, think about wiping them down after you’ve used them.

Self-Awareness

In a similar notion to using antibacterial wipes, you should always exhibit self-awareness when traveling. This means avoiding touching your face and mouth without first washing your hands, not eating before washing your hands, not coughing/sneezing into your hands, and effectively disposing of tissues, etc. Also, consider personal space.

Practice Personal Hygiene

This point goes without saying, but when you’re traveling it’s important to practice good personal hygiene. This means keeping your nails trimmed, cleaning them regularly, washing your hair at least once a week, and showering every day. Your hair in particular can harbor colonies of bacteria, especially when wet with water or sweat. A good rule of thumb is to always wash your hair after traveling or being in the sea/a swimming pool. You should also try and dry your hair immediately so that moist, warm conditions (which bacteria thrive on) are kept to a minimum.

Oral Hygiene

Aside from your fingertips, your mouth is the next biggest hub of bacteria. Millions of bacteria live in your mouth and are spread through saliva. Whilst you might not directly spit on something, you might bite your nails or put food in your mouth, inadvertently touching the inside of your mouth and saliva. You might then touch a high bacteria item like a door handle or a handrail, spreading mouth bacteria in the process. You can minimize the effects of this by regularly brushing your teeth and using an antibacterial mouthwash.

Summary

These are just a few of the ways you can travel safely and hygienically, reducing your risk of contracting and passing on illness as you do.

April 28, 2021

DIY Envelope Using Cricut

They say ”Nothing lasts forever. Forever is a lie. All we have is what’s in between hello and goodbye”. I hate goodbyes and farewells because I don’t know if we will see each other again. But we all know that is part of our life and we cannot avoid it. Last month, I was surprised when my friend announced that they are moving to Abu Dhabi and they only have a few weeks left before their flight.

To be honest, I can no longer count how many farewell videos and farewell cards I’ve made in the past, all I know is nauubos na friends ko sa Pilipinas. I feel happy for them but at the same time sad because I only have a few friends tapos nababawasan pa. huhuhu!

Anyway, I was preoccupied last month because I made a video and farewell cards. I collected all my friends’ messages, designed the card, print it, and cut it. Unfortunately, I don’t have an A6 envelope at home. And because of the community quarantine, I’m not allowed to go out so I can’t buy an envelope. Good thing I love DIY projects so I make my own envelope. In the past, this is how I DIY my envelope but since I have a Cricut Maker now, I used it to make my own envelope.

Read: DIY Christmas Envelopes

For the A6 envelope, I just searched for a free envelope template online and uploaded it to Cricut Design Space. I created a rectangular box to make sure that my card will fit the envelope. I did not use the scoring wheel or scoring stylus, I just use the fine point blade to cut the paper. It took me three tries before I made it. I’m using letter size paper so minsan bitin yung cut sa gilid. But I’m happy that I’ve made it. I only need 2 envelopes but I made several envelopes using the assorted paper bundle that I bought from Bee Happy Craft.

Cricut Maker

Cricut Light Grip Mat

Cricut Fine Point Blade

Paper

Masking Tape

Ruler

Glue

I only have a light grip mat so I put masking tape to make sure that my paper will not move during cutting.

I used a ruler to fold the envelope. Glue tape to seal but if the paper is thick, I used glue.

Update: I purchased a lot of Cricut Insert Card designs and most of the files have SVG Envelope Templates which I can also resize. For this template, I am using 12x12 cardstock and I already knew how to use the scoring stylus. :)

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I love making printable cards so the following day, I tried making 5x5 envelopes, using the SVG template that I bought from Design Bundles.

I need 12x12 paper to make this envelope so I used the only 12x12 Paper Pack that I have.

I’m happy that I can make my own envelope in a few easy steps.

Watch the video here

April 26, 2021

How to Make Hot Chocolate Using Tablea

I’m not fond of coffee but I love hot chocolate and this is my usual order if ever we are going to eat breakfast meal in restaurant, resort or hotel. The waitstaff will always asks if I want coffee or tea but my usual reply is, “do you have hot chocolate?”. Fortunately, they always have it and yung iba pa talaga, tablea ang gamit nila.

I love hot chocolate made of tablea, iba talaga yung lasa niya. It is thick, creamy, and chocolatey. The first time I tried making this was more than a decade ago na, I bought tablea during our Bohol trip but I don’t like the result so I stopped buying tablea kasi hindi ako marunong gumawa. Fast forward to this year, my husband bought tablea, it just happened na nakita niya ito nung bumili siya ng Sagada Coffee so binili na rin niya.

He searched YouTube for recipes and he tried making this and surprisingly, mas masarap lasa niya compared sa ginawa ko. Then when we went to Landers, he saw this Alfonso’s Classic Hot Chocolate, one pack is PHP99.75 for 10 Cacao Tablets. We love this tablea compared to the previous cacao tablets that we tried because this one is already sweetened.

One more thing, the packaging includes recipes for hot chocolate, champorado, chocolate Espaňol, instant chocolate, and mocha. So far, he only tried making hot chocolate and he doesn’t use water, pure milk lang kaya and bilis maubos ng milk namin. Good thing I can buy a dozen of Fresh Milk online. Iba pala lasa ng hot chocolate if milk gagamitin, now I know bakit hindi masarap una ko na gawa. Hehehe!

Hot Chocolate Recipe

At medium heat, dissolve 2 tablets in 1 cup of water. Stir and simmer until creamy or microwave for 2 minutes. Watch out for boilover.

Champorado Recipe

Boil 2 cups of sticky rice in 10 cups of water. Add 10 tablets and 1 cup of brown sugar. Stir constantly until thick and creamy. Add milk (optional).

Chocolate Espaňol Recipe

Prepare hot chocolate. Add 1/3 cup of fresh milk or evaporated milk. Add butter (optional).

Instant Chocolate Recipe

In a blender, mix 2 tablets, 1/4 cup of milk, and a cup of water. Serve hot, cold, or iced.

Mocha Recipe

Add 1/3 teaspoon of coffee to 1 cup of hot chocolate.

Ever since we tried this tablea, we always buy 3-5 packs of this but because of ECQ, I’m not sure if pwede pa kami dumayo sa Landers. I was searching online and this is the cheapest that I found, I’m still contemplating whether I will buy it or not. Hehehe!

Update December 2022: I found this tablea at Waltermart for PHP118+, mas mura kaysa online.

April 23, 2021

Flavors of the Philippines

After our canceled beach getaway last February, I already accepted the fact that year 2021 is the same as the year 2020; no travel trips again. Though I miss traveling, I don’t want to waste my energy on the things that I can’t do, instead, I shifted my focus on the things that I can do even I am stuck at home. International or domestic travel is unachievable but I can still explore the world through food tripping,

Thanks to online shopping, almost everything is possible. In my previous post, I shared about How to Stop Stress Eating When You’re Stuck at Home because for the past few months I’ve been buying and eating a lot of foods. Blame it for being trapped inside our home. Pandemic weight gain is real and it is hard to control. Anyway, let me share the different foods that I’ve ordered for the past few months as I explore the flavors of the Philippines.

1. Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

For the longest time, I’ve been meaning to try the silvanas and sans rival cake of Sans Rival Cake House and Bistro in Dumaguete but I never been to Dumaguete and no plans in the near future yet. So I’m thankful to my friend who asked me kung gusto ko magpasabuy. And because of this, I learned that these goodies are already available in Metro Manila so I don’t need to go to Dumaguete anymore.

Read: Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries

2. Halo-Halo

Halo-halo is the famous cold dessert in the Philippines, especially during summer vacation. This dessert is a little bit expensive if you will order this in the restaurant so to save money, I just ordered my favorite halo-halo ingredients so we can make our own halo-halo na hindi tinipid sa ingredients. Unlimited din, ang kulang lang dito is leche flan.

Monggo Beans

Nata De Coco

White Beans

Macapuno String

Ube Yam

Langka

3. Fresh Pili Nuts

Last month, I was so happy because my dentist advised me na mga 2 or 3 months na lang pwede na niya alisin braces ko. I was expecting that it will take 2 years or more pa nga because there are months na hindi ako nakapunta because of the pandemic. And because of that, I was browsing for nuts and seeds, I tried my best to avoid eating nuts and seeds kasi nga baka masira braces ko, though sometimes I eat pero konti lang. Hehehe!

While browsing, I found a store that sells fresh pili nuts, as in may shell pa siya so I immediately added this to my cart. This is the usual pasalubong of my late grandmother whenever she went to Bicol and ang tagal ko ng hindi nakakakain nito so I bought 3 kilos of pili para sulit na rin sa shipping fee. Actually, I waited for FREE shipping voucher para makaless sa bayad.

When I received my order, nagpukpok agad ako, ganun ako kaexcited. As of this writing, napukpok ko na sila lahat and I still have one jar of pili nut na kelangan tipirin. Hehehe!

Fresh Pili Nuts

4. Good Shepherd Ube Jam

Good Shepherd Purple Yam is our favorite ube jam, thanks to late Sister Fidelis Atienza for creating this famous Baguio City Delicacy. Our Baguio trip is not complete without going to Good Shepherd Convent. Our last visit to Baguio was three years ago already so ang tagal na nung last kain ko ng ube. So I felt happy when I learned that I can buy this also online, yung price niya 3 years ago was PHP210. I don't know what is the present price pero feeling ko mahal pa rin yung nakikita ko online.

But we are craving for ube jam so pikit-mata na lang sa presyo, tipid pa rin naman kasi mahal din pamasahe paBaguio. Thankful for the FREE PHP100 shipping fee and PHP100 grocery voucher so laki din ng natipid ko. I added peanut brittle and peanut butter para sulit ang shipping.

Good Shepherd Ube Jam

Good Shepherd Peanut Brittle

People's Choice Creamy Peanut Butter

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio

5. Sagada Coffee

I’m not a coffee drinker but my husband loves to drink coffee. He always buys his own coffee and tried different stores na rin na nagsell ng Sagada Coffee. I noticed that he no longer has a stock of coffee and he can’t visit the coffee store kung saan siya bumili last time because of ECQ so when I saw this online store, napabili na rin ako.

I ordered Sagada Medium Roast Coffee (Medium Grind) and Sagada Dark Roast Coffee (Medium Grind). What nice about this store, you can choose whole beans, coarse grind, medium grind and fine grind tapos same pa rin price. Available in 250g, 500g, 750g and 1kg.

Sagada Medium Coffee

Sagada Dark Coffee

For now, I find comfort in buying my favorite foods online, sana lang lagi may free shipping and discount. :)

April 22, 2021

Why a Park Home Could be Your Holiday Home in the UK?

With the global vaccination program gathering momentum and the world starting to come out of its lengthy lockdown, people are beginning to make long overdue vacation plans and looking to travel once more.

Over 40 million people visit the UK each year, and in 2019 – the last ‘normal’ year – inbound visitors spent £28 billion. In 2013, a Deloitte study into tourism jobs and growth estimated that by 2025, Britain will have a tourism industry worth £257.4 billion. As you can see then, tourism in the UK is big business. And with a fantastic blend of history, culture, food, drink, heritage – even scenery – it’s no wonder tourism to the UK is so popular.

If you are one of the millions of people visiting the UK each year, perhaps you’ve considered purchasing a property here to use as a base for your travels. Perhaps you have considered a townhouse in London, or a cottage in Yorkshire. Perhaps, however, you’ve not considered purchasing a park home as your base in the UK, or perhaps you are not completely sure what a park home is exactly.

At first glance, park homes are similar to bungalows and static caravans – they’re one floor, detached, and stand on private land.

However, for it to be classed as a park home, it must be transportable in either a single piece or in two pieces. This means they are typically manufactured in a factory before being transported to the park – often making for quite the sight if you happen to see them being transported by truck on the motorway.

Technically speaking a park home is supposed to be less than 20m long, 6.8m wide, and 3.05m tall, so as you can see, they’re compact making them an ideal holiday home.

Despite a more compact size compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar building, park homes make the most of their size.

Inside, park homes tend to feature multiple bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen area, even central heating. If you are an individual, a couple, or even a family, you will have enough space to live while you travel.

Moreover, park homes are often affordable, depending on the specification, making them somewhat more affordable than a London flat. Additionally, a park home could be rented out when you’re not traveling to the UK, giving you an optimum return on investment – possibly even paying for the home in the long run.

Running costs too are also made affordable, as utilities are often paid for through the park owner, and there are regulations in place to ensure you aren’t overcharged.

When coupled with the money you would save overall on flight and hotel packages, from a financial perspective it would appear to make a lot of sense.

The UK boasts a lot of holiday parks in scenic countryside areas, giving you peace and tranquillity to either spend your time relaxing or serenity to unwind after a day of sightseeing, giving a more laid-back change of pace. And with it being your home, you would have more control over your surroundings, not at the mercy of hotel check-in and check-out times.

With park homes being built to strict regulations, you will still get high quality with less outlay over a traditional property. And if buying from new, it might be that you can have more influence over the exact specifications, allowing you to create an environment best suited for your needs.

And being affordable and cost-effective to run, whilst being situated in scenic, relaxing areas across the UK, perhaps it’s worth considering a park home as a holiday home.

April 13, 2021

How to Stop Stress Eating When You’re Stuck at Home

Since January 2020, we are dealing with COVID19 and no one can tell when this will end. Thirteen months of being stuck at home are no joke because every day we are feeling overwhelmed with all the physical, mental, financial, and emotional stress in life.

People manage stress in different ways. Some people avoid or reduce news consumption and find joy in watching movies or series. Some people read books, as Mason Cooley said “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are”. Some people started a new hobby like gardening, cooking, baking, crafting, and others. Some people treat themselves to retail therapy and fill their houses with things that they don’t need. Some people combat stress by emotional eating.

Pandemic weight gain is a common scenario now. Did you or someone you know also gained weight during quarantine? I feel and completely understand if you also gained weight because staying healthy during the lockdown is difficult. Since I’m confined inside our house, my daily routine is pretty sedentary so I’m definitely less active. Most of the time I am just glued to my computer, designing graphics, writing blogs, and crafting. My only exercise is household chores but it is still not enough to lose weight.

I’m also guilty of overeating because, over the past several months, my motto is “Life is short” so I find comfort in learning new recipes, exploring different cuisines, stocking our pantry, and satisfying my sweet tooth. After several months of stress eating, I can finally see the big changes on my body even my clothes and mirror can testify to that.

After calculating my ideal weight, I realized that stress eating affects my health so I need to learn how to manage my stress in a healthier way by reading stress management books or online health guide and tips like Rolling Paper. I need to take back my body in shape. I love to eat but whether I like it or not I should find ways to prevent overeating. If you are dealing with the same dilemma, then this blog post is for you.

According to my research, here are some of the ways to prevent stress eating during the lockdown.

1. Learn to recognize what triggers you to overeat.

2. Remove temptation and stock your pantry with healthy foods

3. Maintain a healthy meal schedule and limit your snacking

4. Drink enough fluids, water is your best friend to avoid adding more calories.

5. Exercise or meditate

6. Be mindful when you eat so you know your food intake and eating patterns.

7. Practice self-control

I know that maintaining my ideal weight won’t be easy, it requires a lot of effort and sacrifices. But I believe that by starting small, I can finally begin to take control of my life, and someday, I will bring my body back.

“Healthy eating is a way of life, so it’s important to establish routines that are simple, realistically, and ultimately livable” - Arthur Agatston

April 11, 2021

How to Keep Your Kid’s Sanity During the COVID19 Pandemic

Time swiftly flies even we are restricted in the four corners of our house. Today is Day 392 since Community Quarantine was implemented in our country and we still don’t know when everything will be back to normal. This COVID19 is indeed the biggest challenge for many of us and no one prepared us for this kind of situation. But even the future is still uncertain, life must go on.

Never in my life that I imagine that I will be stuck at home for the longest time. My husband is now working from home and my son is attending online distance learning classes. Just like that, we are forced to stay home, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to be safe.

The only thing that I like about pandemic is, we are spending more time together. But of course, we cannot deny that it is additional stress because we need to find ways to entertain our only child. As a parent, keeping safe and keeping sane is our everyday challenge.

“I’m bored” is the two favorite words of my son so keeping him busy while we are managing our daily lives is not easy. I’m sharing what we did to help my son adjust to this new reality and how we keep him occupied

1. Subscribe to Streaming Service

We already have a cable subscription but we rarely watch TV so I feel that subscribing to Netflix is not worth it. So for the longest time, I stay away from subscribing to streaming services because that is an additional expense on my budget but I realized, paying a monthly fee is still worth it because it entertains us. It helped us to reduce our news intake and give us a break from COVID19 news. Watching movies, TV shows and series helps us to cope with stress.

“Time you enjoyed wasting, was not wasted - John Lennon

2. Playing Online Games

COVID19 made me realize that life is short so since last year, I bend my rules a little bit and allow my son to play online games even on weekdays provided that he will help us with chores and studies first before playing. I accepted the fact that there are surprising benefits of playing video games like

A. It can reduce stress

B. It improves attention and concentration

C. It develops problem-solving skills

D. It improves social skills

E. It enhances memory.

My son has Nintendo Switch but we only have few games and I don’t want to buy a lot of games because Nintendo Games are not cheap. So I’m thankful that there are mobile apps and websites that offer free games for kids. All you need is an internet-abled device and you can play anytime and anywhere.

“Escape reality and play games”

3. Enroll in Online Classes

Although there are benefits in watching TV shows, series movies, and playing online games, we know that too much of it is also not good. We took advantage of the long summer vacation and we enrolled my son in 3 online classes; Young Engineers Enrichment Programs, Explore Scratch 1 and 2 and Explore HTML and CSS.

My son likes playing online games and at the same time, he wanted to create his own game so he really enjoyed his Scratch lessons because he was able to make his own games. The advanced lessons in HTML and CSS class were a big help because that was also their lesson in school.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” - Benjamin Franklin

4. Reading Books

My son is not a bookworm but I still buy books from time to time to limit his screen time. I am hoping that someday, he will learn to appreciate books and he will realize that reading is not boring.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” - Dr. Seuss

These are just few ways that we did to help my son during this pandemic. This school year is about to end and summer vacation is fast approaching so I’m currently searching for other ways to keep him busy again.

April 08, 2021

My Tried and Tested Lip Products for Dry and Chapped Lips

Dry, cracked, or chapped lips is my common dilemma since I was young so I seldom wear lipstick because it doesn’t look good on my chapped lips. I prefer to put lip balm on my lips to keep it moisturize but to be honest, I am also lazy in applying it especially now that I’m just stuck at home. I know that in order to avoid cracked lips, we need to exfoliate, hydrate and moisturize our lips.

How to Take Care of Your Lips

1. Removing the dry skin flakes by using a wet washcloth or soft toothbrush.

2. Avoid licking your lips. (I’m guilty of this)

3. Drink lots of water.

4. Protect and moisturize your lips by using the right products.

I know there are a lot of lip products in the market to soothe and prevent dry lips but I’m sharing with you, my tried and tested lip products.

1. Vaseline Lip Therapy

Since I was in college, I always have Vaseline Petroleum Jelly in my bag. I guess this is the cheapest product that you can use for your dry lips and I can’t even finish one jar of this. Petroleum jelly is not only for lips, it has a lot of uses for both babies and adults so it is a good buy. It is best for dry skin. It reduces the appearance of fine dry lines. It protects minor cuts, scrapes, and even burns. It protects your skin from windburn and chapping.

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly has no flavors, fragrances, or other ingredients that may irritate your skin. It is available in different sizes. I usually buy a bigger size and just transfer the petroleum jelly in a small container so it fits my pouch.

If you want a specific lip product, you can also buy Vaseline Lip Therapy, you can choose original, rosy lips, cocoa butter, or creme brulee. Available in mini packaging that can fit your purse or pocket.

2. Maybelline Baby Lips Bright Out Loud Lip Balm

As I’ve said before, I’m not fond of wearing lipstick but I always have lip balm. I like this Maybelline lip balm because it does not only hydrate your lips but also works as lipstick, it is a tinted lip balm.

3. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

I discovered Laneige when I was started browsing and buying Korean Products at Althea Korea. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is part of my Korea Haul 3 years ago. This sleeping mask is an overnight sleep treatment for the lips, use this 2 or 3 times a week. Available in different flavors such as vanilla, grapefruit, berry, and apple lime. I have tried the Vanilla flavor. This brand is a little bit expensive for my budget. Hehehe!

4. Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment

Over the past few months, I’ve been decluttering our house so I already threw my Baby Lips lip balm and Laneige Sleeping Mask because they are already expired. Summer is here so I’m experiencing severe dry and cracked lips again and the petroleum jelly isn’t helping me anymore. Last week I was looking for a lip product and thanks to Park Min Young's “What’s In My Bag” video because I discovered this Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment.

I’ve watched a lot of Park Min Young Korean Drama series and I’ve seen how smooth her lips so I was sold immediately and searched if this is available in the Philippines. I didn’t think twice, add to cart and check-out na agad.

As the packaging says, Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment helps heal severe dryness and relieve cold sores. This is clinically shown to elevate lip moisture, heal dry and chapped lips, and improve overall lip condition. Beauty professionals also use this to smooth the lip texture before applying lipstick.

Do you know that dermatologists recommend lip ointments over lip balms? According to them, lip ointment is more effective in retaining moisture. I used this product for two days and it really works. No more dead skin flakes. Ang lamig pa sa lips pagpinahid mo. Daebak!

Directions: Adults and children 2 years of age and older. Apply to the affected area, not more than 3 to 4 times daily.

How about you? What lip products are you using?

April 07, 2021

A Visit to Norwegian Forest Museum in Elverum Norway

Norwegian Forest Museum is another tourist spot in Elverum Norway, it is 20 minutes walk from Glomdal Museum via the Suspension Hanging bridge. It is best to avail the joint ticket so you can visit two museums in one day. This museum is also one of the largest museums in Norway and every year, they receive more than 100,000 visitors.

Just like the Glomdal Museum, they have both indoor and outdoor collections but since we are tired, freezing cold and the path is slippery, we spent most of our time indoors. But on our way to the Norwegian Forest Museum building, we have already seen some of the attractions.

Read: A Visit to Glomdal Museum in Elverum Norway

The Open-Air Collection includes Arboretum, Blast Furnace for Iron-Production, Mobile Saw, Head Saw, Flood Monument, Fire Tower, Forest Cabins, Fishing Cabins and Boathouses, Traps, Fishing Pond for Children, Suspension Bridge, Botanical Garden, River Park, Stream Workshop and Willow Park. If you want to enjoy the outdoor attractions, visit the museum during the summer season so children can do fishing, climb the fire tower, enjoy the 80 different trees in Arboretum, and other activities that are only available in July.

Norwegian Forest Museum showcases the history of hunting, trapping, forestry, and fishing industry. They have different exhibitions that you can explore like The Fantastic Tree, Forest in Focus, Pathways Through Nature, and Aquarium.

The Fantastic Tree is about the life, death, and history of tree life. It also explains photosynthesis with the help of light effects.

Forest in Focus exhibition where you can learn how the forests in Norway developed since the last ice age. It also describes the usage of the Norwegian forest.

The Pathways Through Nature presents biodiversity. You will discover the Norwegian animals and birds, fishers and hunters, and their joy, experiences, and challenges from past to present.

The Aquarium is the most popular attraction where you can find freshwater species like pike, perch, char, and trout.

During our visit, there is a free workshop so we tried making our own bracelet and we took it home too.

It was a long day for us, we’re really tired and hungry so we decided to go home. Even our feet are already complaining, we still walked again for about 30 minutes because we are saving money. Hehehe! As we all know, transportation in Norway is expensive. Walking is not a problem because they have a sidewalk.

Read: Day Trip in Elverum Norway

Norwegian Forest Museum Admission Prices

110NOK - Adult

50NOK - Children

80NOK - Seniors

40NOK - Primary School and Kindergartens

60NOK - Upper Secondary School

80NOK - College

160NOK - 1 Adult + Own Children

270NOK - 2 Adults + Own Children

90NOK - Group of 10/per person

+40NOK - including Glomdal Museum