Sweet and Sour 16th Wedding Anniversary

Dave Meurer said, “A great marriage is not when the perfect couple comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences”. My husband and I have been married for 16 years and I’m thankful that we are still together despite our differences. So totoo siguro na opposites attract. This pandemic proves na hindi naman kami nagsasawa sa isa’t isa. I will miss him if everything is back to normal because hindi na ko sanay na may business trip siya.

Sabi ko din sa kanya “I love you more than I’m annoyed by you, which is a lot”, I love my husband kahit may mga times na naiinis ako sa kanya and I’m sure vice versa. But despite our disagreements and arguments, at the end of the day, we still love each other. 

“A perfect marriage is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other” - Kate Stewart 

Anyway, we recently celebrated our wedding anniversary so I made cards, a cake topper and we had a quick getaway at Chateau Hestia. 

“I Like You a Hole a Lot” Donut Card 

I used to make printable cards but since December, I enjoy making cards using my Cricut Maker so I started making cards for different occasions and my husband is my number one customer. Lol! One of the cards that I made for February is the “I like you a hole lot” donut card and my husband gave it to me. :) 

Anniversary Cake Topper

I told my husband that I will make a “Sweet and Sour 16” cake topper and he thought that I was joking kaya nagulat siya na ito talaga yung ginawa ko. Because this is the reality, sometimes we are sweet, sometimes we are sour and sometimes may toyo. Hehehe!

This is a layered cake topper using glitter and metallic cardstock. Font is Loving Hollydate. 

Rustic Chocolate Torte of Purple Oven 

Celebration is not complete without cake so last week before hubby went home, he dropped by at Purple Oven Sta Rosa. We already tried different Purple Oven cakes and so far masarap lahat. I suggested White Chocolate Sansrival but it is not available so my husband sent me pictures and I chose Rustic Chocolate Torte. 

It was a good decision because it became an instant favorite cake. This cake is a layer of sansrival, whipped cream, with lots of cashew, almonds and pecan nuts, and chocolate shavings. We finished half of this cake in one sitting. ;) 

White Chocolate Sansrival 

Classic Sansrival 

Pistachio Stardust Cake 

Grandma’s Chocolate Cake 

Staycation at Chateau Hestia 

My husband likes the beach so after our Acuaverde Resort Trip, he was already planning for our anniversary getaway. Unfortunately, fully booked na naman sa mga gusto niya, it is really hard to book kapag anniversary namin kasi love month ito so maraming nag-outing. 

I suggested a food trip at Chateau Hestia so he contacted them but unfortunately, fully booked sila sa dates na gusto namin because Valentine’s Day and may wedding event din. My husband checked the website and he found out that Chateau Hestia is also a Bed & Breakfast so he booked a room instead kahit delayed celebration na lang. 

We’re glad that we were able to go out this year kasi last year, nacancel yung anniversary beach trip namin so food trip na lang kami sa Alba and Chef RV Manabat Cafe. But this time, we both enjoyed our food trip and staycation at Chateau Hestia, this deserves a separate post.

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Food Trip in Stockholm Sweden

It’s Throwback Thursday so let me continue my Stockholm Sweden series and this time, let me talk about food. We stayed in Generator Stockholm and there was no guest kitchen so we had no choice but to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner outside. The hotel has its own cafe and restaurant but we haven’t tried the food because we prefer to eat at 7-11 so we can save money. 

Hindi ko pinapansin ang 7-11 dito pero when we travel abroad, nagiging bestfriend ko ito. Hehehe! This post is not about Food recommendations in Stockholm Sweden or Where to Eat in Stockholm Sweden because I did not research the Must-Try Restaurants in Stockholm Sweden. We just eat wherever and whenever we’re hungry so I will just share the food and drinks that we have tried during our trip. 

I’ve been checking my Sweden album and I was surprised because I have limited food photos so it means, I was not able to take photos of our food trip. I’m not sure if it is because we’re hungry or maybe because we ate at 7-11 or fastfood that can be found in the Philippines. 

1. Maestro Pizza & Kebab 

We arrived in Stockholm in the evening so we were really tired and hungry so after checking in, we went out to look for a restaurant where we can eat. We ended up at Maestro Pizza & Kebab because the place was not full. 

My mom ordered this sandwich and we ordered pizza. I can’t remember the name of this pizza but even we were hungry, we were not able to finish this. I don’t know, we just don’t like the taste. We’re a little bit disappointed because the name of the restaurant is Maestro Pizza & Kebab so we’re expecting that the pizza would be good. I’ve made some research and this restaurant is known for kebab and falafel so I guess, we just ordered the wrong meal. 

2. Pressbyrån 

On our second day, we visited Drottningholm Palace which is one of the private residences of the Swedish Royal Family. It is a one-hour boat trip from Stockholm City Hall and there was a limited schedule of boat trips so for our lunch, we did not eat at the restaurant because we don’t want to miss the 1PM boat trip. 

We found Pressbyrån, a small convenience store at Drottningholm Palace. It was small so food choices are also limited so we just ate hotdog sandwiches to satisfy our hunger. We are tempted to eat ice cream but the weather is so cold and we will eat outside. 

3. Burger King 

After our Stockholm Panorama Tour and before we went back to the hotel we ate late lunch/early dinner. We only ate hotdog sandwiches for our lunch so we were still hungry and we decided to eat at Burger King, pwede na din early dinner kung tamarin na kami lumabas sa gabi. Hehehe!

I don’t have photos but we ordered the usual which is burger meal and chicken nugget meal. This is a fastfood so I thought the service would be fast but it wasn’t the case. My husband placed an order and went back to the table. So we waited for several minutes before our orders were ready. This is self-service too so my husband picked up the order. The budget per meal is more or less PHP400. 

4. McDonald's 

For our third day, we ate breakfast at McDonald's which is located inside the Stockholm Central Station. They have an ordering machine but we are not used to it so my husband ordered at the counter. He ordered McMuffin Bacon and Egg meal, which includes a sandwich, juice, coffee, or chocolate drinks. The total bill is SEK180. 

We also ate early breakfast here during our fifth day, we ordered McMuffin Bacon & Egg, a sandwich, and pancakes. The total bill is SEK184 . 

5. Skansen Terrassen 

Skansen Terrassen is a self-service restaurant inside the Skansen, we had late lunch here and we ate pasta, waffle, ice cream, and of course Swedish Meatballs. We enjoyed our meal here, at last hindi na fastfood and convenience store. I can’t remember the price of each dish but the ice cream is SEK35.

6. Sen Street Kitchen and Fattoush 

On Day 4, we had late lunch at Sen Street Kitchen and Fattoush, I can no longer remember the name of these dishes, but the price of each meal is more than PHP600. We also enjoyed our meal, especially the salmon. 

7. 7-11 

There is 7-11 just in front of the Generator Stockholm so we ate several times here for breakfast, snacks, and dinner. I’m thankful that they have a lot of food choices; there are pastries, sandwiches, hotdog sandwiches, salad, pizza and they also offer combo breakfast meals. The price is not really cheap because the combo breakfast and pizza are PHP400+ already so parang mas okay pa nga kumain sa fastfood but we don’t like to walk far so we settled for their meals. Okay naman ang lasa ng sandwich and pizza nila. 

8. SJ Train Bistro

We took the SJ train from Stockholm Sweden to Oslo Norway, it was a 6-hours train ride so we had lunch on the train, We ordered Swedish Meatballs and pieces of bread, the total bill is SEK158 without drinks.

How to Get a Vaccine Certificate in the Philippines

Last quarter of the year, I’ve learned about the vaccine certificate so I immediately checked the website so I can download our vaccine certificates, getting a vaccine certificate is easy because you can do it online. 

1. Go to https://vaxcert.doh.gov.ph/

2. You will be asked if you’ve been vaccinated for more than 48 hours. 

3. Enter your vaccination details that can be found on your COVID19 vaccination card. 

4. Review the details and submit. 

5. You can also enter your passport details before downloading the file. 

Unfortunately, our records were still not updated. I did not submit anything because in my mind, baka hindi pa lang naeencode kasi September lang naman yung second dose namin so I decided to wait for our booster shots before downloading the vaccine certificate.  

A few months had passed and we were done with our booster shots so I checked the website again and I was shocked because my husband and I still don’t have records for our first and second dose. The only record we have is the booster shots. I also checked my son’s record and luckily all his records are updated so I was able to download his vaccine certificate last month. (I redownloaded his vaccine certificate because of the update last February 7, 2022)

And because of that, I clicked the update records and uploaded our vaccination cards and valid IDs. After you submit, there is a pop-up box stating:

“Your update request was successful. 

 Please take a screenshot or a photo of your Reference ID: 

If you do not hear from us within 5 days. Please contact 88-7614-88 or email vaxcertsupport@doh.gov.ph”

Jan. 29, 2022 - requested for our vaccine certificate 

Feb. 2, 2022 - few days had passed but our record is still not updated so I sent an email to vaxcertsupport@doh.gov.ph but there was no reply. 

Feb. 4, 2022 - my husband contacted vaxcert 88-7614-88 and was advised that if travel-related naman mabilis daw maupdate. 

Every day, I’ve been tracking the status of our vaccine certificates pero lagi “Open” pa rin ang status. So parang naghihintay lang ako wala so I told my husband na tumawag na lang sa Municipal Hall kasi sila naman ang mag-eencode ng details. 

Feb. 14, 2022 - my husband called our LGU and was advised to visit the municipal hall to update my records. My husband informed na nagsubmit na kami ng records sa vaxcert website so he gave my reference number. The staff said, tawag na lang ulit bukas for update. 

Feb. 15, 2022 - I tracked the status again and I was sad because the status is still ‘’Open”. Iniisip ko kung tatawag ba ako o pupunta na lang para mapabilis na maencode details ko, pero I tried entering my vaccination details and voila, meron na ko record so I was able to download my vaccination certificate. So kahit status is open, naupdate na pala yung vaccination details ko. 

My son and I have vaccination certificates already, but my husband still has no records. He called vaxcert again kasi ang tagal na wala pa rin and may note na nga sa reference number niya na may travel abroad siya pero wala pa rin. Upon checking, the staff informed him na mali kasi yung birthday niya. So iba yung birthday (baligtad ang month at day) na nilagay ng Makati sa kanya pero tama yung nasa booster shot. I don’t know how long, it will be corrected, ang sabi lang kasi tumawag ulit.

DragonPay Validation Error on ShopeePay

It was the year 2020 when I started ordering on Shopee and for the new user, they are giving FREE Shipping Vouchers but of course, it didn’t last that long. So I’ve been paying shipping fee every time I order which I did not mind at first kasi feeling ko mas mahal pa bayad ko if I will go to the mall.

I always use my desktop to order, mas gusto ko kasi malaki yung screen so it took me almost two months before I learned that there are always free vouchers on mobile app especially if you will use ShopeePay payment method. Toinks! 

Since then, I started using ShopeePay for my online shopping so I can take advantage of the free shipping, cashback, and discount vouchers. At the end of 2021, according to my Shopee highlights, I was able to use 528 vouchers so ang laking tipid di ba.

To top up or cash in, I always use online banking, here are the different banks that are available on ShopeePay. 

Unionbank 

RCBC

BDO 

Metrobankdirect 

Landbank 

PNB 

Robinsons Bank 

UCPB 

Chinabank 

Bank of Commerce

It’s been more than a year already since I’ve been using this method but today was my first time to encounter an error. After clicking the link to validate, I saw this error message “Error: Unable to cast object of type ‘PaymentGetaway Sevice.ProcessingInfo to type ‘System.string!”. I checked my email and I did not receive any Payment Instruction for Transaction Ref: email from DragonPay so I contacted Shopee but after sending the screenshot of my transactions, the customer rep advised me to contact DragonPay. 

I was nervous because the amount was already deducted from my savings account so I try to click the validation link again to check kung pwede na ako mag-enter but I saw another error. “Error: Unable to find offline transaction. Please contact our support." I clicked customer support and online chat support because I need resolution already and I was shocked na nasa #74 pa ko. 

Patience is a virtue but I was happy that the customer rep was able to solve my concern. The customer rep just asked for my DragonPay Reference No. and my Bank Transaction No. and the amount was validated real-time, I already saw the amount before he/she told me to check Shopee. I also received Payment Confirmation for Transaction Ref: email and the remark is “Offline Payment Admin Validated” 

I thought magfile pa ako ng refund just to get my money back, pwede naman pala na sila magvalidate. So tuloy ang online shopping this Payday Sale, may free shipping na ulit. :) 

Update: December 2023

I transfered money from my savings to Shopee Pay and after one hour I did not receive any confirmation email. My money was deducted already but it was not transferred to my Shopee. So I contacted customer support via chat. This time they asked for my DragoyPay Reference No. and proof of payment. This time not just the bank transcation number, they want a picture. After sending the photo, my transcation has been validated so the amount was already transfered to my Shopee Pay. 

Cricut Project: Succulent Birthday and Valentine Card

These past few weeks were quite hectic and I miss crafting, I have a lot of projects that I wanted to do for Valentine’s Day and for our Wedding Anniversary but I don’t know if I can still do it kasi ilang araw na lang. Waah! I need more time, bakit ba ang bilis ng araw. 

A few days ago, I was browsing my files and I saw this Succulent Cactus Card that I purchased before so I started cutting the 4 designs. I can use these cards for birthdays and Valentines, this is perfect for plant lovers or in tagalog plantito and plantita like my husband. 

Aloe You Vera Much 

Free Hugs 

I Hope Your Birthday is on Point 

Have a Succulent Birthday 

This is similar to the Christmas Insert Cards that I made last Christmas. The file includes the card, insert card, and envelope. Just upload the files to Cricut Design Space, and change the settings to pen, scoring, and basic cut. The setting is cardstock intricate. 

I just cut everything and the following day, I started adding glitter cardstock and insert cards. 

Today, I decided to add some colors but I don’t know kung gumanda ba o mas pumanget. Hehehe! Anyway, at least may card na ko for Valentine’s Day. 

Update: January 2024

I recreated this project, but I tweaked the design a little bit. Using contour I removed the corners and background of Hug Me.

Day 4 in Stockholm Sweden

As of today, Philippines is now open for tourism so international travelers who are fully vaccinated (from visa-free countries) can visit the Philippines without undergoing quarantine as long as they have a negative RT-PCR test. The test result should be taken 48 hours before departure. I hope this is a good sign that the world is starting to reopen and everything will be back to normal soon. 

For this reason, let me continue my Trip to Stockholm Sweden series. I started this series in year 2019 so here are the links to my previous blog posts. 

Copenhagen to Stockholm via SJ Train

Where to Stay in Stockholm: Hotel Generator Stockholm 

Day 1 in Stockholm Sweden 

Day 2 in Stockholm Sweden 

Day 3 in Stockholm Sweden 

Day 4 in Stockholm Sweden 

We only visited a few tourists spots during our first three days so we were not able to maximize our Stockholm Pass. And because of what happened on our Day 3 Trip, we decided not to ride the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus anymore so we will just visit the tourist spots where we can travel on foot. Since we are not familiar with the place we took advantage of the FREE STOCKHOLM TOUR, yes the tour is free but don’t forget to give a tip for the effort of the tourist guide. 

There are several groups that offer free Stockholm tours but during our visit (2019) we availed of the Free Tour Stockholm because one of their meeting places is Generator Stockholm lobby where we stayed. But now, it is better to book online to reserve your slot since they are now limiting the number of people per group. The tour is available in English, Spanish, and Deutsch language. 

We booked a morning tour, tour pickup at 9:30AM so we had a quick breakfast at 7-11 which is just in front of our hotel. We joined the Old Town or Gamla Stan Tour, of course, English language. The tour is 90 to 120 minutes long so make sure that you have the energy to walk about 2km. 

Free Old Town Tour 

Learn the chilling stories of the Stockholm Bloodbath 

The tragic tale of Crown Princess Margaret’s death Vikings stories 

Discover the smallest statue in Stockholm 

Sights of The Royal Palace, a real runestone, St George and the Dragon statue, Stockholm Cathedral, and more. 

It is a really long walk on the cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways so it is not PWD-friendly. We even walked down to the famous Mårten Trotzigs Grand, which is the narrowest street in Stockholm with 36 steps and just 90 cm (35in) width. It was named after one of the richest merchants in Stockholm. 

Other popular tourist spots in Gamla Stan are Royal Palace, Royal Chapel, Swedish Parliament Building, Storkyrkan Cathedral, Nobel Prize Museum, Stortoget Square, and Medeltidsmuseet. During the walking tour, you will only pass the popular tourist spots so if you want to explore more, you can visit those places after the tour. 

Nobel Prize Museum

I took note the tourist spots that we can visit using our Stockholm Pass para hindi naman sayang ang binayad namin. First on my list is the Nobel Prize Museum, which is located in the old Stock Exchange Building at Stortoget. This museum showcases Alfred Nobel, Nobel Prize winners, and Nobel Prize Laureates. 

They have an activity for kids too, my son received a Nobel Prize coin after he finished the task which he immediately ate. Hehehe! 

Storkyrkan Stockholm Cathedral 

Storkyrkan or The Great Church is the oldest church in Stockholm and the venue for so many historical events like coronations, royal weddings, military victories, Reformation in Sweden, and others. It also houses important works of art such as Saint George and the Dragon, Parhelion, Vädersolstavlan, and other well-known artifacts. 

The Royal Apartments at The Royal Palace 

It is one of Europe's biggest palaces and the Swedish Royal Family’s official residence. Discover the banquet hall, hall of state, royal apartments, state apartments, and the apartment of the Orders of Chivalry. 

Three Crowns Museum 

This museum is dedicated to the old palace which was destroyed in 1697 by a violent fire. It features the different objects that were rescued. 

They have activities for kids too but my son is no longer interested. The Royal Palace is really big and we only visited two spots because we were already tired and hungry. We skipped The Treasury, Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities, and The Royal Chapel. 

For our late lunch, I can’t remember the name of the place but it houses different food stalls like the Sen Street Kitchen, Panini, and Fattoush. 

On our way back to the hotel, even we don’t have a plan to shop, we visited H&M. Hennes & Mauritz AB is a famous Swedish multinational clothing company. It is a fast-fashion company that operates in 74 countries including the Philippines.