Michi Photostory

It is hard to plan for get-togethers because we all have busy lives but sometimes we need to make time because life is short. So as much as possible, we should meet our friends habang may energy pa and wala pa bawal na mga food so we can still enjoy reunions. 

As usual, ang tagal na naman namin nagplan for our get together pero in the end, hindi pa rin kami complete pero push pa rin. Last year, we had get-together at Borro + Kandle Cafe but last weekend, I volunteered our place if willing sila bumiyahe sa probinsiya. Hehehe!

My friends suggested na instead of potluck mag-order na lang daw ako ng food but I told them na, Amber lang ang okay dito. They approved Amber naman so mukhang matitikman ko na yata ng lahat ng menu nila. For six adults, 1 teenager and 2 kids, I ordered Spaghetti P750, Lechon Kawali P1,080, Kare-Kare P850 and Pichi-Pichi P300.

Last Mother’s Day, Amber’s required us to pay in full but this time, they only asked for 50% downpayment. Pero kung common yung order mo like the Spaghetti and Lumpiang Shanghai that I ordered last July during my friend’s visit, pwede Cash on Delivery. 

Anyway, the delivery rider arrived 40 minutes before the scheduled time, ang aga naman. I was expecting na nakatupperware yung Kare-Kare kasi may sauce pero hindi pala. In fairness, okay pala ang Kare-Kare ng Amber’s. Unfortunately, dahil gutom na kami hindi ko na nakunan ng walang cover yung food. 

For dessert, I prepared buko salad and my friend brought Chocolate Cake from Moonchild by Lea Sawali. He lives in Mandaluyong pero dinayo pa niya ito sa Las Piňas so it means, there is something special about this cake. It was a simple cake with smooth chocolate ganache. The cake is good and the taste is similar to the Chocolate Truffle of Cafe Mary Grace. 

I also made cake toppers for my friends na ginamit na rin nila kasi may cake kami. Hehehe! For this cake topper, I used Birthday Verygood Font. 

We had a 5-day trip in Vietnam and stayed at Sheraton Grand Da Nang Resort. When my husband said that this would be our accommodation, I was looking forward to our trip because it is a five-star luxury resort and according to our tour guide, this is one of the best hotels in Da Nang so we would enjoy our stay. 

Of course, before our trip, I already knew what to expect but when we arrived, napa-wow pa rin ako, true to its name, the resort is grand. I’ve been to a few Sheraton hotels or resorts and this is the biggest that I visited so far. If you are in Vietnam, you will notice that their hotel or resort rate is much cheaper compared to the Philippines rate. 

Since we arrived late, the connecting room was no longer available so yung 2 reserved rooms namin, magkaiba ng floor; one room on the second floor and one room on the third floor so we ended up staying in one room. Ayaw maghiwalay sa pagtulog. I think once lang natulog si hubby doon sa isang room, nung nag dinner sila ng colleagues niya. Ayaw ko na kasi bumangon para magbukas ng double lock ng room. And para hindi kami hintayan sa bathroom na may bathtub, nagpupunta si hubby sa isang room. hehehe!

After check-in, the staff ushered us to our room via golf cart so medyo malayo-layo rin ang lakad from our room to the lobby. 

This is the room on the second floor with a partial sea view. 

This is the room on the third floor Deluxe Pool View King. The two rooms are pretty much the same, we have a king-sized bed and the bathroom has a separate shower, bathtub, and toilet. 

The room includes complimentary breakfast at Table 88 but since we stayed here for 5 days, I will share our breakfast meals in a separate post. I already blogged about our International Dinner Buffet at Table 88 before. 

Since the weather was not good, we were too lazy to go out so we just ate at the hotel for lunch and dinner. (room service). There are few restaurants inside the hotel, there is La Plage, Table 88, Poolside, Tea Lounge, and The Grill. 

This resort is nestled on Non Nuoc Beach so you have a beach and pool. But during our stay, we were not able to swim on the beach because of the bad weather. 

Sheraton Grand Da Nang is popular for its infinity pool because it is the longest pool in Da Nang about 250 meters long. Sa laki niya, pwede nga magkayak. 

If you have kids in tow, there are classes that you can join like a cooking class, pizza-making class, lantern-making class, and others. There is a mini water park and playroom too. 

Fitness, spa, and golf are also available but we did not visit. 

35 Truong Sa Street, Hoa Hai Ward, 

Ngu Hanh Son District, 

Danang, Vietnam, 550000

Time passes very quickly and after several days, it was time to say goodbye to Sydney, Australia. Our last day was our flight to Manila, Philippines so we woke early to prepare for our afternoon flight. 

Since it was our last day, I cooked our leftover ham and hotdog and we need to eat and drink all the complimentary breakfast like the bread, fruits, milk and juice, para walang sayang. 

We check out at Hyde Park Inn around 8:30AM and we arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport three hours before our flight. Unfortunately, all check in counters were still closed, as in we didn’t know where to fall in line, nagkahalo-halo na yung pila ng mga airlines to Manila. Our flight was 12NN and past 10AM na kami nakapagcheck-in and because of that, sobrang nagmamadali kami. 

Immigration is via Smartgates so you just need to scan your passport + facial recognition and that’s it. My son and I were able to pass through Smartgates but my husband needs to go to Manual Passport Control Counter because for some reason, hindi nareread passport niya doon sa Smartgates. After that, we went straight to our boarding gate just to make sure kung malapit ba or malayo and if we still have time to eat. 

My husband went to “The House”, this is the complimentary lounge of Philippine Airlines at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. He just ate here and we will meet na lang ulit sa boarding gate. 

My son and I just ordered the boxed meal at KFC, the meal includes Original Tenders, Popcorn Chicken, Fries, Mashed Potato and Drink + additional drink. Food is around 22AUD. PHP800+ na yang isang meal. 

After eating, we went to Think Sydney and Pharmacy to buy some souvenirs before going to the boarding gate. Nagmamadali pa kami pero delayed naman pala flight namin. Tapos, boarding took a long time pa because we need to ride bus. 

After 8 hours, we were back to Manila. End of vacation and back to reality. 

I discovered that Grandparents’ Day started in 1965 and Poland was the first country to celebrate it. The date varies per country and here in the Philippines, it is celebrated every second Sunday of September since 1987. Grabe ang tagal na noh pero kelan lang ako naging aware. 

I no longer have grandparents so I decided to make a card for my mom. Using the Peg Doll Family Creator, I mixed and matched the elements so I could personalize this card. A picture of my mom with six grandchildren. The font is Happy Heart. Another option is printing the card and putting it on a photo frame. 

This is a simple printable card. I printed, die cut, and attached the design to my card base. This is my entry for Bee Happy Weeklies Week 36: Grandparents.