Michi Photostory

At a festival, he met Rose, the daughter of a vineyard owner. He fell in love, married her, and wrote a song about her wife. This song became an instrument to his stardom but because of his fame, it affected his marriage and life choices. 

I like this song, it can be a wedding song too. 

I'd been waiting on you to come along 

Seeing notes on a page but not the song 

Had a hole in my heart and a pain so strong 

Only a woman like you could take me on 

There's a plan for us, a hand divine 

The waiting was worth it now you're my wife 

We've been taking our time and doing this right 

But tonight I'm not gonna just kiss you good night 

You, the song my heart sings 

Awake love I want you to know we're making love 

Deeper than our bodies you are written on my soul 

 You're eyes like the dawn you are beauty 

The touch of your skin consumes me 

You shine like the sun pure and lovely 

Set me as a seal upon your heart 

O love stronger than death 

Flashes of fire with purest desire 

No waters will get quench 

Awaken love awaken love 

No riches or power appeal 

All will find they are truly alive 

In Love as it was meant to be 

This is love as it was meant to be

Love is the power that heals 

Love is the power that heals

If you will visit Norway, for the first time, you will immediately notice the cleanliness and iba na ang simoy ng hangin, fresh air talaga. So I was not surprised when Norway is always part of the Top 10 Cleanest Countries in the world. 

According to the World Population Review site, cleanliness is not just about the look but it should lead to a better and longer life by having clean air, pure water, waste management, and effective sanitation for human health. 

Denmark - 82.5 

Luxembourg - 82.3 

Switzerland - 81.5 

United Kingdom - 81.3 

France - 80 

Austria - 79.6 

Finland - 78.9 

Sweden - 78.7 

Norway - 77.7 

Germany - 77.2 

Based on the article, Norway scored a perfect 100 score for Sanitation and Drinking water, which is true because you can drink their tap water. No need to buy bottled water. But of course, there are occasions when we still buy bottled water, juice, or soft drink pero hindi madalas kasi ang mahal.

In addition, there is an extra fee every time you buy bottled juice, water, or soda, and soda or beer in cans, the rate is ranging from 1 to 2.5NOK. This fee is called “pant” or deposit in English. I remember when I was young, uso pa dati yung “deposit” kung bibili ka ng soft drinks na nasa glass bottle. So you need to return the bottle in order to claim your deposit. 

In Norway, they have pant machines at the entrance of the supermarket so it would be easy for people to return plastic bottles and cans. The rate varies depending on the size of the bottles and cans, sometimes meron pa nare-reject so make sure in good condition yung isosoli mo. The machine will total your returns and will give you a receipt which you can use to pay for your groceries or if you are generous, you can just donate it to charity using the machine too. 

This is one thing that I wish we have in the Philippines before I used to collect plastic bottles and cans and visit junkshops but I stopped doing this because I realized, mas malaki expense namin sa pagpunta sa junkshop kaysa sa nakukuha. But I still collect them in a separate trash bag pero sa garbage collector ko na binibigay. 

As far as I can remember, there are only two trash bins during my last visit to my mom so I was surprised when I saw 3 trash bins last year. So may nagbago na naman, so they have bins for plastic packaging, food, and organic leftover and general waste. On top of that, they still collect paper, metal, glass, and other loose and oversized waste; this waste needs to deliver to a recycling station. As well as garden waste should be delivered to waste disposal points. 

If you have clothes, shoes, towels, curtains, bedlinen, and others that you are not using, you can donate them to Salvation Army. In Norway, there are collection bins where you can put this stuff. Every time we visit Norway, marami ako naiiwan na gamit ng anak ko because I know malalakihan na niya yun and hindi na magagamit pa. So kapag wala mapagbigyan mama ko, she will drop my son’s stuff in these collection bins.

Wirst of Evil Epi 6

Youth of May Epi 3

Let me know which series is worth watching. 

Anyway, last November my son and his groupmates baked “Chocolate Chip Cookie” in school so I bought some of the ingredients (his share) and since konti lang naman need nila, I still have leftovers so after few months, sinipag ulit ako magbake. 

I used to buy Betty Crocker instant mixes so I have tried baking Oatmeal Cookie and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, my two boys like the taste of these cookies. But last year, I started baking Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch and it was a big hit. We prefer this compared to instant mix cookies. I baked these cookies before we flew to Norway and when I came back hindi ko na makita yung printed recipe ko.

I have Chef RV Manabat Recipe Book but his recipe needs shortening and I don’t have that so I checked Pinterest to look for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. I tried the recipe of Dessert Now Dinner Later and after trying her recipe, save ko na agad for future use. View the full recipe here. 

1 cup butter, room temperature  

3/4 cup brown sugar  

3/4 cup granulated sugar  

2 large eggs  

1 tsp vanilla extract  

2 cups all-purpose flour  

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats  

1 tsp baking soda  

1/2 tsp salt  

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

I don’t have vanilla extract and brown sugar so I only used white sugar. I also used dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. My oatmeal chocolate chip cookies taste good even though I did not follow all the ingredients. My cookies only lasted for one week, may pagpipigil pa iyan. I notice, medyo light yung color nung cookies baka dahil walang brown sugar and vanilla extract?

Last year, Philippine Airlines has a “Great Mabuhay Miles Getaway Promotion” so we did not waste the opportunity and we booked Manila - Cebu -Manila flight for 4500 miles + PHP2879 per person. I was shocked when I learned about the taxes and surcharges kasi wala pa PHP600 yung fee dati kapag domestic flight. But this is still a good deal because nowadays, airline tickets are really expensive.

This was our first family trip since COVID-19 happened so I was a little bit excited. We booked this flight knowing that my son has no morning classes but a week before our trip, the teacher changed their online classes schedule, nagkaroon na ng morning classes. Waah! I was glad that we book an early flight but I was still nervous, so during our trip, I was praying that there would be no flight delay so my son won’t be absent. 

Boarding is on time but it took a while because we need to ride a bus. We already ate our breakfast while waiting for our boarding so we did not touch the snack that was served. Ito na lang yung meal sa Philippine Airlines, hindi rin naman nakakabusog. I don’t know when they changed it, kasi bread pa yung food last Batanes trip namin. 

Fortunately, we landed at Cebu International Airport earlier than expected so my son was not absent from his first class. The perks of online classes so kahit sa cellphone lang pwede na magclass. Natagalan din sa pagbaba because we also need to ride a bus. From the airport to Sheraton Mactan Resort, my husband just booked Grab. 

When we learned that there will be Sheraton Mactan Resort, my husband has been saving his points for this resort so we were delighted when it finally opened before my son’s birthday. We’ve been to Shangri la Mactan Resort and Crimson Mactan Resort and Spa so I am looking forward to our Sheraton Mactan Resort experience. 

Compared to our previous Cebu trips, we did not do any tours and we just had Staycation at Sheraton Mactan Resort. We knew that this resort is not cheap so we want to maximize our stay. We were in the resort for 3 days and 2 nights. As usual, this resort deserves a separate post. 

If our Manila to Cebu flight was on time, our Cebu to Manila flight was changed so my husband requested for late check-out. Our travel time from the resort to the airport was less than 25 minutes, it was my first time at the new Cebu International Airport, hindi pa ganito yung airport nung last na punta namin. 

Yung last Cebu trip namin, kami ng anak ko ang nakalounge, ngayon si hubby naman. My husband has lounge benefits so he ate at the Mabuhay Lounge while my son ate in one of the restaurants at the airport. We just ate snacks since we are still full from our late buffet breakfast (brunch). 

Our flight was rescheduled and it was also delayed so ang tagal ng biyahe namin. Nalipasan na kami ng dinner kasi same pa rin naman ang snack na binigay. 

Despite that, we still enjoyed our short trip to Mactan, Cebu. I just hope na may magaganda rin na resort na malapit lang para hindi na kelangan mag-eroplano pa. 

My mom lives across the miles, so nabibilang ko lang sa daliri yung times na magkakasama kaming magcelebrate. According to my blog posts, we were able to celebrate in year 2013, 2019 and 2022. Anyway, since we can’t be there for her birthday celebration, I just made a birthday card so at least yung card ko makaattend. Hehehe! 

The past few months, I slow down on crafting but I still buy crafting materials and tools. Well, “I am not a craft hoarder, I’m the curator of an extensive private craft supply collection”. hehehe! And because, I bought a lot of Distress Oxide, dies, and embossing folders, I am pressuring myself to use them. 

So just like our anniversary card, I designed the card using clipart, then print and die-cut. I also used my Distress Oxide to color the embossed paper. I am still practicing my blending skills using Distress Oxide.

Actually, I only need one card but I want to maximize the watercolor paper so, I ended up with 4 designs. The envelope can fit two so I sent two cards to my mom but I am not sure if it will make it on time. 

Graphics: Bear Birthday Party Clipart 

When I hit my 40s, I won't deny that there are times that I feel nervous or scared because it seems that I am nearing my senior year. I can't help but ask, do I still have more time to do what I want in life? Do I still have more energy to travel? Can I still eat the food that I love? Am I physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually prepared for my retirement years?

Speaking of growing older and nearing home, I would like to share the movie that I recently watched and a book that I've read about nearing home. 

Just this week, we watched "A Man Called Otto", it is a film adaptation of “A Man Called Ove” novel. This is a comedy-drama film starring Tom Hanks. He played Otto Anderson; a 63-year-old widower and retired man who lives in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After his retirement, he felt that he no longer has a purpose in life so he planned to end his own life but his attempts were always interrupted by his neighbors. 

This movie shows the struggles, challenges, or problems that we may face as we grow older. When that time comes, do we feel useless? Ineffective? Bored? Depressed? Whatever we feel, it is not a reason to feel hopeless, and let us remind ourselves that “God has a reason why we are still alive” 

Two years ago, I’ve read the book “Billy Graham Nearing Home” and according to his book, the best way to meet the challenges of old age is to prepare for them now, before they arrive. He said that growing older was not something to be denied or dreaded; it was to be embraced as part of God’s plan for our lives.

I always pray that I will reach old age because I have so many things that I want to do, so many places I want to visit and of course, I want to see my future grandchildren. I just hope that when I am old, I won’t be a grumpy old woman.

I will share my Top 11 quotes from Billy Graham Nearing Home book. 

“The gift of old age is remembrance” 

“We should never get too old to learn or too old to smile” 

“Retirement should not put us on the shelf. We should use this time in our lives to rest from our labors but lift up others who are carrying heavy loads” 

“Look for the Lord’s purpose in every circumstance and in every face or voice you encounter daily, for the time He has given you is not without purpose” 

“One day you may not be able to do everything you once did or everything you would like to do. Instead of feeling guilty or frustrated or resentful, however, thank God that you can still do some things - and make it your goal to do them faithfully and do them well” 

"People either seem to get better or to get bitter as they grow older"