Michi Photostory

I was awake as early as 12AM last December 31 because we needed to catch our morning flight to Basco Batanes. While waiting at the boarding gate, I was reflecting on my year 2018 and I was not able to finish my notes so here I am, trying my best to finish my supposed to be year-end post.


If my year 2017 is like a rollercoaster ride, my year 2018 is a challenging year. If you’ve read my post last year, two weeks before Christmas we received a not-so-good news so we welcomed 2018 even though we didn’t know what would happen. We patiently waited for an answer and held on to His Promises.

“For I know the plans, I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29;11” 

2018 is not a good year for our family, there are so many ups, downs, and even bumps. It was physically, emotionally, and financially draining. It was challenging because…

1. We don’t know if my husband will still have a job, his former company sold one of their business and unfortunately, that business is where my husband works. So there is no option to stay in the former company and there is no assurance that the new company will hire him. The waiting is so long and we have no other choice but to wait.

After five months of waiting, we’re grateful that my husband got an offer from the new company. Even though the salary and benefits are very different, he still accepted it. Mahirap walang source of income lalo na I’m not working. We’re thankful that he got an offer because yung iba, nawalan talaga ng work.

2. So when I thought that life was already okay and smooth, I did not imagine that our last quarter of the year would be so emotional. We’ve lost someone dear to us and two of my in-laws were diagnosed with cancer. We all know that dealing with cancer is not easy. Cancer affects everyone in the family because of family routine changes and lifestyle.

“When someone has cancer, the whole family and everyone who loves them does too” - Terri Clark 

I realized na mamamatay ka talaga kung wala ka pera because even you go to PCSO, it takes time to get an Individual Medical Assitance. Two months of waiting and until now, we’re still waiting if we can get assistance.

My husband just bought his insurance for a critical illness, two months before we heard the news about cancer. I’m thinking if I will get insurance with critical illness too kasi kawawa si hubby if ever, kulang ang health card.

3. Aside from that, starting January our family was going to the hospital every month tapos naging every week na starting October for our health concerns too. Some are simple health concerns lang naman pero hindi mo pwede ipawalang bahala like caterpillar sting, ear infection, colds and cough and even upset stomach of my son. It is not a secret that I have psoriasis so I always have check-up and laboratory tests. Nakakapagod but health is wealth and prevention is better than cure.

But despite the challenges, I’m still grateful because God is faithful and God always provides. The year 2018, is the year when I got more blog opportunities and I even became part of Althea Angels. So even our problems and concerns are not yet over. I’m still looking forward to the year 2019.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil 4;19” 

So what happened in...

January 

January, the start of the year. Even though we don’t know what will happen to my husband's job, we still make short-term goals. Life must go on! I looked for a resort for our anniversary and family outings. Mabilis mafully-booked ang resort so as early as January, I paid our reservation for our family outing with my mom. We also went to Tienda sa Solenad.

February 

We had a simple home improvement, my husband wants my son to sleep in his own room na so we’ve started fixing his room. It was my son’s Field Trip and this time hindi na kami nagconvoy. It was our wedding anniversary too, so we had Staycation at Pico Sands Hotel and Sofitel Manila. We were able to watch 9th Philippine International Pyromusical Competition.



Read: Breakfast Buffet in Spiral
Food Trip in Hamilo Coast Pico De Loro

March

We attended my son’s Recognition Day in school and ate at All 4 U Unlimited Korean Restaurant. We treated our son to Kidzania for getting a Gold Eagle Certificate for the school year 2017-2018. We had a day trip at Acuaverde Beach Resort. We went to Caleruega last Holy Thursday. My mom went home for vacation so we spent the Holy Week long weekend in Valenzuela.


April 

To enjoy the summer, we had a family outing at Laiya Coco Grove and family get-together. I got a DFA appointment for my husband so he can renew his passport because he doesn’t have enough passport pages. We booked tickets and planned for our Bangkok and Baguio Getaway. Our most memorable moment on this trip is we experienced Business Flight on our way to Bangkok, Thailand.

Read: Passport Renewal Experience


May 

May is a busy month because I need to prepare for “Back to School”. I bought books, school supplies, and uniform. And because I was so preoccupied, I made a mistake in writing my check so I paid P1500 for that simple mistake. We celebrated Mother’s Day at Tong Yang Plus. And before summer vacation is over, we had a Day Trip at Woodside Farm and Waterpark with my in-laws.


June

Back to school. June is the month when my husband started with his new company and because of that, he has no vacation leave yet. So he was so busy that we were not able to celebrate his birthday. Kasi meron siya despedida from former company + orientation naman sa new company. Sobrang hectic so we had delayed celebration na lang and sabay na rin ng Father’s Day. We went back to Tong Yang Plus.

July

After two months of not flying, my husband is back with his business trip again so wala gaano ganap kasi nasa bahay lang kami mag-ina. I received good news that I’m part of Althea Angels. Yey! I’m hooked with Korean products so I’m really happy to be part of Althea Korea.

August 

It was my birthday month and we celebrated it at Las Flores and Pantry of Dusit Thani Hotel. I got birthday shopping rewards from Althea Korea so I splurged on my birthday. We watched my son’s Cheers and Yells and they won. First championship since 1985 daw. Wow!

September

September was stressful because Furniture Source Philippines failed to deliver our order on the agreed date. It took them 24 days to fulfill our order. Kastress talaga! It was also my son’s first recollection in school.

We celebrated my son’s 10th birthday in advance so we spent the last weekend of September in Sofitel Manila again but this time we book the Sofitel Luxury Club room. My husband and I had a quick date in Tagaytay.


October

10th birthday of my son and 80th birthday of my grandmother-in-law so we went to Pangasinan to attend her birthday. This is also the start of our series of check-up, we visited different doctors such Pedia, Ophthapedia, and OB. We lost someone dear to us and this is also the month when we learned that my two in-laws were diagnosed with cancer.

November 

Our family had a series of check-up and labtest with OB-Gyne, Pedia, Orthopedic and Dentist.

December

Our family had a series of check-up, labtest, and therapy with OB-Gyne, Nephro, Orhophedic, Ophtha, and Derma. I still need to see my Gastro doctor pero dahil holiday na, nagpahinga muna ko. Writing this year-end post, reminds me na hindi pa ko nakakabalik. Waah!

We had family get together, we went to Tagaytay and lastly, we ended the year 2018 in Batanes.

With all the health expenses that we’ve spent parang ayaw ko ng gumastos pa. But life is short. We deserve a break and we want to enjoy the holiday. I was thankful for God’s provisions and for making our Batanes trip possible. Expect for my Batanes series soon.

Baguio is a popular summer destination in the Philippines so if you want to go to Baguio, it is very important that you book early because hotels are always fully booked. Last April, my husband had a seminar in Baguio so we decided to stay in one of the hotels near Camp John Hay, unfortunately, the hotels that we checked were already fully booked.

Read: The Manor at Camp John Hay

We’re running out of time and a few days before our trip, my husband’s friend booked us a room at Azalea Hotels and Residences. Not really our choice of hotel because I find it expensive but we need a room for two days. Lesson learned, BOOK EARLY. 


Since we are coming from Bangkok, my husband informed the hotel that we will be arriving in the evening. From NAIA 2, it took us more than 5 hours to reach Baguio. We arrived past 11PM, after check-in we went to our room which is just located on the first floor. We always book a standard room but since the room is not available, we settled for one bedroom suite. The room package includes a complimentary buffet breakfast at Tradisyon for 4 persons. 

Read: Tradisyon: Pinoy Comfort Food 


The room is big, it has a kitchen area, living room, bathroom, bedroom, and balcony but the view is a wall. There are 2 TVs but we did not check if it is working or if there is a cable. The kitchen has pots, plates, glass, and other stuff that you need if you want to cook or prepare your food. But we did not use it because we prefer to eat outside. 



The room is good for 2 adults and 2 kids or 4 adults. It has one queen-sized bed in the Master’s Bedroom and one convertible sofa bed. We’re thankful that the sofa bed was already prepared when we arrived because we really wanted to sleep. Same with The Manor Hotel, it has no aircon. We have a ceiling fan in the bedroom.

May window yung bedroom so kahit sarado, rinig ang ingay ng dumadaan.

Honestly, when I saw the room I was really disappointed because the rate of the room is P8000+ for one night. They claimed that they are a 4-star serviced apartment hotel but looking at the room, I guess it is not a 4-star. Yes, the room is big but it is not clean, just look at the tiles. When I moved some stuff like chair, trash bin, lumalabas ang dumi at alikabok. 

Watch the video here 

The bathroom is small and it really needs improvement. Just check the tiles and grout of the bathroom. The floor towel is also dirty and the floor tiles are really slippery when wet. It provides basic toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, and soap. The bath towels are good for three people and they changed them every day. Our toilet bowl was clogged so we need to call the following morning so they can fix it. 


My son and I just stayed in the room so we were there when the housekeeping cleaned the room. He cleans the room and bathroom using a broom and floor mop. I think they need to invest in cleaning materials, their tiles need deep scrubbing. Hindi naman ko OC sa kalinisan pero whenever I think of the P8000 rate, I was expecting na okay ang room. We stayed in other hotels with living room and kitchen area pero maayos at malinis naman. Yung tiles ng lobby nila, malinis at shiny pero bakit ang room, hindi?

Read: Vivere Hotel 
Crosswinds Resort Suites 



Since we are staying on the first floor, you can hear a lot of noise. On our second night, nagising na lang kami around 11PM kasi ang ingay talaga. After several minutes, my husband can’t take it anymore so he called the front desk and informed them. We checked the hallway, wala naman tao, so we don’t know kung sa lobby or sa parking area ba nanggagaling ang ingay. Nakakainit ng ulo. At that time, my husband was planning to check-out na, uwi na daw kami. But I told him, sayang bayad, konting tiis na lang last night na naman. hehehe! Imagine, mas mura pa yung hotel namin sa Bangkok kaysa dito pero ang layo ng experience.

Read: Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok

If you have kids in tow, they have a small playground outside the hotel. Aside from that, wala ng magagawa so it is not ideal for a staycation. Tulugan lang talaga siya. Since the room is big, it is good for a big family or if you want to cook your own food para tipid. But since we are a family of 3, I guess we will just choose another hotel. There is free wifi but it is hard to connect and the phone signal is weak too in our room. 


Despite our not so good experience, I cannot deny that the service is good naman. Most of the staff are friendly and helpful, I think they just need to improve the cleanliness of the room and of course, check the room if everything is working. We also enjoyed our buffet breakfast at Tradisyon. 

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

We stayed at Azalea Hotels and Residences when we went to Baguio last April. The room package includes complimentary breakfast for 4 persons at Tradisyon restaurant. From the name itself, it serves Filipino dishes and some international foods.


Breakfast 

We just came from our 6 Days Trip in Bangkok so I was really happy when I saw the different Filipino meals in their buffet spread. I love Filipino dishes so namiss ko talaga ang adobo, dried fish, daing na bangus, pansit, tapa and many more. They have salad, bread, main dishes, dessert, soup, fruits, drinks and omelet station. I just have limited photos because the restaurant was crowded, maybe because it was long weekend.





The restaurant was not that big so it is better to eat early or else ang tagal niyo maghihintay ng vacant tables. On our first day, we’re just lucky kasi dalawa lang kami ng anak ko so naisingit pa kami pero yung ibang guests, ang tagal talaga naghintay. I was a little bit disappointed because when I ordered omelet, tapos na ko kumain, wala pa rin. I made followed up pa, more than 30 minutes ang waiting, parang di naman nasunod yung listahan. Hindi din ako nag-iisa, the two tables on my left and right nagrereklamo na rin sa tagal. Yung isa, pinacancel na rin niya yung omelet kasi tapos na rin siya kumain.


Timing naman, the staff gave me a survey sheet so I wrote about that incident. Hehehe! The following day, may changes agad. Okay na yung pag-order sa omelet station and we even requested for bacon. Yes, the bacon is not included in their buffet spread but you can order without additional charge.

Lunch 



Since I was lazy to go out, my son and I ate lunch at Tradisyon Restaurant. They have brunch buffet but I’ve been eating a lot of buffet meals so I chose a la carte meals. I ordered pinakbet, rice, and chicken and spaghetti (kid’s meal). While waiting the staff gave me fruits pa, complimentary daw.


My son doesn’t like spaghetti so they I asked them to replace it with rice but the staff told me, same price pa rin. I have no choice but to agree kahit alam ko na wala pa P100 ang Chicken Joy meal sa Jollibee. Hehehe!


I was surprised when they served the pinakbet, good for three persons. Waah! So take-out na lang, since we have microwave in the room naman. I forgot the exact price but I paid P500+ for our meal so napaisip ko, sana nagbrunch buffet na lang kami. Hehehe! The food is good naman and ang dami din nila walk-in guests. They also give discount and cake for birthday celebrants, at that moment ang dami may birthday.


Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

Tradisyon Pinoy Comfort Food
No. 7 Leonard Wood Loop,
Brgy. Manuel Roxas, Baguio City 2600

We went to Baguio without itinerary because I just have no time to prepare and our trip fell on our coding day pa so I thought we will just stay in the hotel. We can commute naman but there were occasional rainshowers during our visit so baka mahirapan din kami. While researching, we found out that there are certain areas in Baguio that we can still access and we just need to avoid the CBD area.


We checked-out early and we started our tour in Camp John Hay. If you remember my Manor Hotel review, my husband discovered the Historical Core Tour in CJH so we decided to check it out. There is an entrance fee, no tour guide, no flyers so you can just tour the place on your own.

Read: The Manor Hotel 

Entrance Fee 

Standard Fee: P60
BLISTT Residence P40
Senior Citizen/Students/PWDs P30
Photoshoot Fee P1000

There are seven tourist spots that you can check, unfortunately, the Bell House Library Museum was under construction during our visit. If you want to know more about Camp John Hay or if you love history, you will enjoy this tour. It is a walking tour so expect na hihingalin kayo sa paglalakad especially sa history trail.

Watch the video here.

1. The Bell House
2. The Bell House Library Museum
3. The Bell House Amphitheater
4. Cemetery of Negativism
5. The Secret Garden
6. Totem Pole
7. History Trail

The Bell House 



The All American themed house of Major General James Franklin Bell. He designed this house and other structures in Camp John Hay. It gives scenic view of mountain ranges, pine forests, and manicured lawns and gardens.

The Bell Amphitheater 

“Where your whisper is heard”


Major General J. Franklin Bell personally designed and supervised the construction of the Bell Amphitheater. It was completed in May 1913. It is a perfect backdrop for all occasions like wedding.

Cemetery of Negativism 


It is also known as Pet Cemetery or Lost Cemetery, it is a symbolic burial place of man’s greatest self-imposed infliction, limiting factor and heaviest burden. It is designed by Base Commander Major John High Tower. It is one of the popular sites in Historical Core, I learned about this because of the TV series that I watched before “Forevermore”

The Secret Garden 

“A calm rest with nature” A perfect place to make promises or whisper prayers to the elements.

Totem Pole 


It is made by Ernesto Dul-Ang who was employed by the camp as a wood carver. The Totem Pole has the image of leaders who helped shape the development and history of Baguio City, Camp John Hay, and the Philippines in general. They are Admiral George Dewey, General Emilio Aguinaldo, Pres. William Howard Taft, Secretary John Milton Hay, William Cameron Forbes, Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, Major General Franklin Bell, Lt. Col. Lyman W. Kennon, Mayor James Hanselma, and General Douglas McArthur.

History Trail 

Learning the history of Camp John Hay while taking a walk under the pine canopy. Take time to read the history posted along the way. It is approximately 500 meters in distance so it is a walking tour that my son did not enjoy. Hehehe!


After our Historical Core Tour, I saw the Statue Liberty and I was really surprised because I’ve been to Camp John Hay for the nth time but it was only last April that I saw this statue. Oh di ba, no need to go to France, meron dito na kapareho ng statue nila.

The Statue of Liberty 

The Statue of Liberty portrays the figure of a woman who had just won her freedom. The torch in her right hand is a light to others to follow. The law book in her left is a symbol of justice. Broken shackles lie at her feet as she steps forward to enlighten the world.


The Statue of Liberty at Camp John Hay erected on December 1981 stands exactly 48” high - the same as the original located at Point de Grenelle Bridge in Siene, Paris, France as symbolic and beautiful as her sisters.

We did not stay long at CJH because the rain started to pour again. Buti na lang natapos namin ang Historical Core Tour before umulan.

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

We’re supposed to eat lunch at the Food Camp but because of the rain hindi na natuloy. So we decided to go to a different restaurant but we’re having a hard time looking for parking, parking is always full. We were really hungry so kahit saan pwede na pero punuan talaga. We were losing hope so we went straight to Good Shepherd Convent to buy pasalubong first, then we started looking for a restaurant again.


We passed by Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna and I remembered that this is one of the Top 10 Restaurant in Baguio and finally, we were able to park. Yey, merienda time na yata so nalipasan na kami ng gutom. Lol I love the interiors of the restaurant, the combination of blue, white and yellow colors. There are a lot of tables but the best spot is at the balcony because you have the view of the mountains and pine trees. And like I said, it is a good spot so sometimes di kami makaconcentrate sa pagkain kasi bigla may pwepwesto sa gilid namin para mapapicture sila with the view. Waah!





The staff gave us the menu, it’s been years since the last time we tried Greek food so it was a challenge to choose meal. We ordered Greek Village Sausage P180, Grilled Steak P410, Greek Style Spaghetti P260 and Classic Baklava P160. They have a special menu too where you can order lamb rack, seafood platter, Angus beef, beef giouvetsi and lamb giouvetsi that is good for two, four or six persons.



The meals are good for sharing. I was worried that my son would not like the sausage but I was glad that it was not spicy. For the grilled steak meal, it includes vegetables and a choice of fries, plain rice, lemon pila,f or pita, I chose fries. I enjoyed my grilled steak, there is a distinct flavor so siguro ito yung Greek or Mediterranean taste.

My husband enjoyed his spaghetti, it is not the usual red spaghetti. The pasta is already filling because of the big chunk of beef sirloin and generous mozzarella cheese. I love cheesecake so I ordered Baklava Cheesecake but it was not available so I chose Classic Baklava instead. It is a delicate dessert made of thin paper-like dough called Phyllo filled with chopped nuts and sweet honey syrup. It is not the usual dessert that I eat but it was good.



Overall, we were satisfied with the meal and service. The only thing I don’t like is yung bill-out, ang tagal talaga. Uwing-uwi na kami, parang gusto ko ako na magcompute para sa kanya. Nagmanual computation pa sila in the end, I don’t know why.

Lemon and Olives Greek Taverna
26 Outlook Drive, Baguio City
Open daily from 11AM to 10PM

Read: 2 Days Trip in Baguio 

Happy Independence Day! Today is a holiday but because of the heavy rains, we’re stuck at home and enjoying the bed weather. This reminds me of our Baguio trip last April. After our Historical Core Tour in Camp John Hay, we passed by Food Camp in front of Baguio Country Club so we checked it out. Parking is limited, fortunately, we got a slot.


Food Camp at the Baguio Country Club is the new attraction in Baguio that offers local and international dishes such as Japanese, American, Mediterranean, Mexican, Chinese, and of course Filipino. You can see camping area, bonfire, log cabin, go-kart, and food stalls.


The Christmas Village is now Food Camp. It is the first and only food camp in the city. There is no entrance fee and will be open to public from February 14, 2018 until June 2018. But I learned that they already closed the food camp last May 31, 2018.

Opening Hours 
5PM to 10PM (Weekdays)
10AM to 11PM (Weekends and Holidays)





My son tried the Go Kart but after one round, the rain began to pour. Sayang! Since it is an al fresco dining restaurant, hindi na kami naglunch and I just bought bread. I bought banana bread, carrot bread and raisins bread. We liked the banana bread. My son and I did not like the carrot bread, we prefer the carrot cupcake that we tried at Hill Station. But my husband liked the carrot bread so binaon pa niya sa office. We gave the raisins bread to my in-laws since favorite nila ang raisin bread.


Baguio Country Club Food Camp Desserts by Kate Reed’s 

P100 Almond Brownies
P100 Baked Cheesecake
P100 Baklava
P265 Banana Bread
P100 Blueberry Cheesecake
P290 Carrot Bread
P280 Cheese Bread
P100 Chocolate Mousse Cake
P100 Cookies
P50 Cream Puff
P50 Eclair
P100 Mini Cake Choco Truffle
P100 Mini Cake Red Velvet
P100 Panna Cotta (Mango)
P100 Panna Cotta (Strawberry)
P265 Raisin Bread


Now that the food camp is closed, I don’t know if I can still taste the BCC bread or desserts if ever we will go back to Baguio.

Read: 2 Days in Baguio