Christmas in July

I think it was only a few years ago when I heard about “Christmas in July”, in my mind it is too early to prepare for Christmas. Some of the Filipinos starting to prepare as early as September and sobrang naaagahan na rin ako, July pa kaya.

But according to my research, Christmas in July is considered a second Christmas celebration, it is sometimes called Christmas in Summer or Christmas in Winter, depending if you are located in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. They celebrate this in order to have a Christmas spirit or Christmas Winter Feel. 

Well, hindi pa uso yan sa Pilipinas but I still look forward to Christmas in July because of sales or promos. I’ve been buying digital products for my holiday crafts. I wanted to prepare as early as now so I won’t cram again. 

Anyway, since I’ve been doing a lot of craft projects this July, let me share the birthday cake topper, holiday ornaments, and birthday card that I’ve made for my aunt. It was a last-minute invitation so I no longer have time to buy a birthday gift so I decided to make my own gift. Good thing that I still have acrylic blanks at home. 

I have a lot of Christmas SVG files but due to my limited time, I decided to use the file that I’ve already tried and tested. This is the design that I used last Christmas, you can visit my DIY Personalized Christmas Ornaments post.  For the very first time, I was able to use the Cricut Brightpad that I received last Christmas, so after several months na nakatago, nagamit ko na rin. I’m thankful for this gift because weeding is a bit challenging so this made my life easier. The font is Festive.

I also made a name cake topper using my favorite font which is Samantha Upright. I used mirror gold cardstock, specialty paper, and glitter gold cardstock.  

Lastly, for the birthday card, I used white and mirror gold cardstock. I cut the Happy Birthday SVG file from the “Big Cake Toppers SVG Bundle” that I purchased last February. 

Birthday in Heaven

Today is your third birthday celebration in heaven and this is one of the days that always make me sad because I know you are no longer here to celebrate your birthday. 

I miss your message. 

I miss our chat. 

I miss our conversation. 

I miss how we used to talk. 

I miss them all, especially you. 

You are one of the few people that I can share everything that is on my mind without hesitation. But you are no longer here… 

My mind still talks to you.

My heart still looks for you. 

My soul knows you are at peace. 

I thank God for having had you, 

but I still miss you so much! 

-Unknown 

Name Cake Topper 

For my late sister’s birthday, I’ve made this name cake topper using: 

Mirror Foil Cardstock 

Specialty Paper

Glitter Cardstock 

Font: Brilliant Soulmates

Hiking Adventure at Synnørsfjellet Mountain

Time flies and our summer vacation is about to end at parang hindi ko siya naramdaman because I spent most of my days at home. I’m back to my routine life so I’m kinda missing our nature tripping when we were in Norway so let me share a throwback post. 

For the past five years, my mom was persuading me to climb Synnørsfjellet but my answer is always NO because I’m not really into hiking. Having a sedentary life, I know that my body will ache after hiking so bakit ko pa papahirapan sarili ko. I still can’t forget our "Angel of Peace" experience. 

But two months ago, I finally gave in and we climbed Synnørsfjellet. It just so happened that my youngest sister was home for a visit and wanted to climb the small mountain. So my mom, my son, my sister, and I traveled to Garten for a hiking adventure. 

There is a car park near Gartbrua where you can leave your car. I mentioned in my “Trip to Garten” post that there are two ways to climb Synnørsfjellet, of course, I chose the easiest route. You can see the guide map at the parking lot too. 

Sharing some photos so you will get an idea of how child-friendly it is. My son and youngest sister reached the top without problem but my mom and I need to stop to catch our breath and recharge our energy. Lol When you reach the top, there is also a logbook where you can write your names (if you want). 

The weather was not good for the past few days so I’m happy that we were able to climb even though it was cloudy and windy. I am afraid of heights but still, I appreciate the great view. The mountain is only 74 meters above sea level but you can see Ørland landscapes, Garten, Storfosna, and Trondheimsfjord. 

“The best view comes after the hardest climb” 

Trivia: Synnørsfjellet has been part of World War I, it became a signal station for Agdenes fortress. This summit was occupied by Germans during World War II so when you climb the mountain, you can see traces of military activity.

DIY Korean Drama Stickers

When the community quarantine started, I rarely watch television because we subscribed to Netflix already and nawala na rin kasi yung ABS-CBN. Parang naging display na nga lang yung TV namin kasi bihira mabuksan except for our play or movie time. 

Since I can watch series, movies, and shows anytime and anywhere using my phone. I became more hooked to Korean drama series, mukhang nadoble pa yung number of dramas na napapanood ko every year. You can check my Korean Drama List here and Short Korean Drama List here.  

Korean Drama became part of my life because it is one of my relaxations so when I saw this K-Culture Bundle, I immediately bought it so I can make my own Korean Drama stuff. The bundle has graphics for Korean drama and K-Pop fans. 

I’m not into K-Pop so I only made Korean Drama Stickers. I uploaded the SVG files on Cricut Design Space, used the offset feature, resized the image, attached, printed, and cut. That’s it! 

Just one more episode 

I Purple You Korean Hand Symbol 

Heart and Seoul 

Eat, Sleep, Kdrama, Repeat 

KPop Finger Heart Hand Symbol Heartbeat 

It’s a K-Drama Thing 

I just want to watch k-drama and ignore all of my adult problems. 

I paused my K-drama to be here. 

I was up all night watching Kdramas 

The only drama I want is Korean with English Subtitles

3 Wellness Restaurants at The Farm at San Benito

Just this month, my husband went back to The Farm at San Benito and this reminded me that I haven’t shared our staycation last year. So I’m pressuring myself to start my The Farm at San Benito series para naman mabawasan ang backlogs ko. 

Staycation at The Narra Villa of The Farm at San Benito

A Glimpse of Lakan Villa of The Farm at San Benito

A Glimpse of Mahogany Luxury Villa of The Farm at San Benito 

3 Wellness Restaurants at The Farm at San Benito 

Expect three more blog posts but let me start with our Food Trip at The Farm. Bringing food and drinks inside the resort is strictly not allowed so you have no choice but to eat at their restaurant. The Farm at San Benito is a supporter of farm-to-table philosophy so the majority of its ingredients are grown from their own organic farm or locally sourced. 

You now have three options; ALIVE, PESCE and PRANA. 

1. ALIVE Restaurant is one of Asia’s first and best vegan restaurants offering whole food plant-based cuisine. A vegan diet is a term used for a person who abstains from eating or using animal products. Browse the menu here. Open from 6AM to 11PM. 

2. PESCE Restaurant pronounced as “pesk” is a pescetarian restaurant that focuses on health and longevity of life and takes inspiration from the Mediterranean Blue Zone diet. The menu consists of organic living fruits and sustainable seafood. Browse the menu here. 

3. PRANA Restaurant is the newest restaurant that offers Ayurvedic Vegetarian dishes. PRANA is a Sanskrit word for breath, life force, and vital energy. Expect Indian dishes with herbs and spices. Browse the menu here. 

Three years ago, there are only two restaurants at The Farm at San Benito so I was surprised when we went back last year, there is a new restaurant na pala “PRANA”. But of course, I always choose PESCE. 

Read: What to Eat at The Farm at San Benito 

Sweet Escape at The Farm at San Benito 

Check-in time is 2PM but we traveled to the resort as early as 6AM because my son has online classes so sa resort na siya nagclass. All he needs is a stable wifi connection for his class. At dahil diyan, napamahal kami ng lunch. 

Lunch at PESCE 

After my son’s online classes, we went to PESCE for our lunch. I planned to reorder the food that I’ve tried before but I was a little bit disappointed because it is no longer available. They already removed the dishes from their menu. Sayang, gusto ko pa naman ng Pinakbet and Calamari. Anyway, we ordered Fish Head Curry PHP2,300 and Spaghetti Con Gamberetti PHP1200. 

Fish Head Curry - Indian red curry made from tomato paste, curry paste, and coconut milk served with steamed basmati rice. 

Spaghetti Con Gamberetti - pan-seared prawns in garlic deglazed with white wine and cream, diced tomato, and parsley garnish. 

We waited more or less thirty minutes for our food and unfortunately, they did not serve any complimentary bread while waiting. I thought wala na but we asked for it when we saw that they served the bread to other guests. Gusto kaya namin yung bread nila. 

The fish head curry doesn’t look presentable on my photo but this taste good, medyo maanghang siya sa panlasa ko. We ate the Spaghetti Con Gamberetti before so ito ulit inorder namin kasi masarap itong pasta na ito. 

Complimentary Food and Drink 

Before 6PM, we went out and we were surprised because there is a bonfire event at ALIVE Restaurant so they serve complimentary drinks and food. Yey! We stayed here before attending the “Sound Healing” session 

Dinner at ALIVE and PRANA 

After our Sound Healing session, antok na antok na kami, parang ayaw na namin magdinner. But we still ate dinner at ALIVE and PRANA, magkatabi lang ito so you can order from ALIVE and PRANA Restaurant. We ordered Pad Thai Noodles PHP800 and Cheese Pizza with Buckwheat Crust PHP600. The taste is just okay, we take out our unfinished pizza. Luckily, they serve complimentary bread while we are waiting for our order. 

Breakfast at ALIVE 

Breakfast is already included in our room package and this time, there is only one menu for everyone so no need to choose. I liked their arrozcaldo. 

Breakfast Menu 

Fruit Salad with Coconut Yoghurt 

Mixed Green Salad with Orange Balsamic Dressing 

Healthy Cereal with Banana and Prunes 

Vegan Omelet 

Live Cooking Station of Pancake 

The Farm’s Arrozcaldo with Vegetable 

Bread Station and Seasonal Fruit Juice 

Herbal Tea or Coffee 

Staff: Coffee or Tea 

Me: Coffee 

Staff: Still or Sparkling 

Me: Still 

Nagulat ako pagserve ng water kasi Evian. Sa isip-isp ko, ang sosyal naman ng service water.

After kumain, may charge pala tubig. Toink. PHP280 for one bottle of water. Nabudol ako. Grrr… Dapat pala service water sagot ko.

Styled Stock Society New Membership Pricing

Heads up! Styled Stock Society membership rates will be increasing for new members on August 1, 2022. For current members: the current pricing won't change as long as you have an active subscription! 

So if you’ve been thinking about becoming a member of the Styled Stock Society, now is the perfect time to join and save $$. I'm giving you a heads up so you can secure a Styled Stock Society membership now to lock in current pricing before it goes up!

It’s been almost two years since they’ve raised membership prices and in that time, they’ve added thousands of new images, 1,000+ templates, hundreds of stock videos, and new bonus resources to the Styled Stock Society member library – plus they're continuing to add more every single week. 

The new membership pricing doesn't go into effect until August 1, 2022, so you can still join at the current rates! Here’s a breakdown of the new membership pricing: 

Quarterly Membership: $97 → $120 

Annual Membership: $297 → $360 

If you haven’t tried Styled Stock Society, you can grab the 25 stock photos here. And if you like the photos, you can join here and save on your membership, before the price goes up on August 1st!  #afflink

Food Trip at Oori Korean Restaurant

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you already knew that I love Korean Barbecue so we always try different Korean BBQ restaurants and we also do our own Korean grilling feast at home.

Read: DIY Korean Barbecue

Birthday Staycation at Sheraton Manila

  

For a change, when we had our Birthday Staycation at Sheraton Manila Club last month, we took the opportunity to eat at Oori. This Korean restaurant is located on the second level of the Sheraton Manila Hotel. It is a sophisticated version of Korean barbecue because they serve wagyu steak, imported duroc pork, and sustainable seafood. 

Since we’ve been eating a lot during our staycation, we were not really hungry when we went to Oori, our initial plan is to eat Bingsu for merienda but I suddenly crave samgyeopsal when I saw their Korean Pork BBQ Feast menu for PHP2600nett so we had late lunch instead.

The Korean Pork BBQ Feast includes 

Duroc Pork Belly, Duroc Pork Collar, Duroc Jowl, and Pork Skin 

Duroc Pork Kimchi Jjigae 

5 kinds of side dishes 

Steamed Korean Rice 

Sauces and vegetables for Korean wrap 

Grill on the table 

We just ordered one set because we just want to try it and we were expecting that they will serve one set of everything. So we were surprised when they gave rice, side dishes, and sauces per person. There is also a complimentary hot tea. Yey! 

Although we enjoyed our food trip, we cannot finish everything so “take-out” na lang yung Duroc Pork Kimchi Jjigae. But we still ordered the Fresh Mango Bingsu PHP450, this is good for sharing. Sobrang tuwa ko dito kasi favorite fruit ko mango and wala sa Norway nito so 3 months akong nagcrave sa mango.. Hehehe! 

Oori Korean Restaurant also offers Unlimited Korean BBQ for PHP2450nett per guest. This includes 5 kinds of banchan, noodle of the day, Denjang Jjigae, Beef Top Blade, Spanish Pork Belly, Chicken Thigh, Steamed Rice, and Fruit Bingsu. 

Note: If you have Marriott Bonvoy Membership, you can get exclusive F&B Savings of 10%, 20%, or 30% discount, depending on your membership. (until June 30, 2022)

Watch the video here

Oori Korean Restaurant 

Second Level, Sheraton Manila Hotel 

80 Andrews Avenue, Pasay City, 

1309 Philippines