Michi Photostory

This week, back to online classes ulit ang anak ko so I will take advantage of this time to blog habang may stable internet pa kami. After class, maglilipat ulit kami ng gamit. If money is not an issue, parang gusto ko na lang lumipat at bumili na lang lahat ng bago pero masakit na nga sa bulsa yung pagbili namin ng ibang gamit sa bahay. Hehehe! 

Anyway, I mentioned in my other post that we did not buy a bed frame at Uratex Alabang Showroom so we visited the Mandaue Foam Store in Alabang. Feeling ko kasi mas marami mabibili doon kaysa sa Sta. Rosa branch nila. I’m also thankful na meron sila sale during our visit kasi laking tipid din yung 30% off discount. I think the sale is until May 12, 2024 so if you are planning to buy something, visit their store. 

We purchased a sofa set, dining set, bed frame, coffee table, lights, and ironing board. Some of the items that we purchased were not available so it took them two weeks to deliver all the items. We paid PHP3,050 for the delivery fee, ang mahal pero inisip ko na lang, wala naman bayad yung pag-assemble. They just delivered the items yesterday and will return to assemble the dining set, bed frame, and coffee table later. 

Update: Scheduled time is 4-6PM. The installers (two persons) arrived quarter to 6PM and finished around 7:30PM. 

Just like our last visit, they still have complimentary drinks for the client. Hindi ko ito napansin sa Sta. Rosa branch nila, I will check nga on my next visit.

487 Alabang Zapote Road 

Brgy. Almanza Uno 

(02) 556 5621 or (02) 556 6086

Today I am taking a break from packing, cleaning, and unpacking our stuff. We’re slowly moving our stuff to our new house, ang ginagawa ko per room so para hindi overwhelming pero nakakapagod pa rin, Malapit ko na matapos yung sa kitchen, ang naiwan na lang dito yung every day na ginagamit pa talaga namin. Ilang rooms pa tatapusin ko, Waah! 

This month, we’ve visited several home and furniture stores, including Uratex Alabang Showroom. How time flies, it is more than a decade na pala since we bought our bed at Mandaue Foam Store. Our present bed is still okay but we no longer want a queen-size bed and we want to try a new type of bed. 

Uratex has been around for 55 years and is one of our go-to brands. In fact, our first bed was from Uratex, if I remember correctly, Uratex Classic yun and wala pa 10k yung Queen size. That bed was still okay pero pinamigay na lang namin kasi we wanted a thicker bed so we bought the Gala Bed Chiropractic at Mandaue Foam.

After more than a decade of using our bed, it is time for a change. We visited the Uratex Alabang Showroom so we could personally see and try their beds. They have several bed collections depending on your budget and preference. They have Uratex Classic, Trill Collection, Perfect Serenity Collection, Senso Memory Collection, Orthocare Collection, and Premium Touch Collection. 

They have a designated room where you can try these beds, yung room na meron pampatulog na background music and dim light pa talaga. Bibigyan ka pa ng staff ng pillows para feel na feel mo na talagang matulog. 

There are so many choices but we chose the Premium Touch Collection. Our options are Uratex Premium Touch Viscoluxe Mattress, Uratex Premium Touch Sublime Mattress, and Uratex Premium Touch Cozy Latex Mattress. After trying the 3 beds, we purchased the latter, the price depends on the size of the bed. 

Single - PHP26, 899.75 

Double - PHP31,199.75 

Full Double - PHP33,399.75 

Queen - PHP36,599.75 

King - PHP48,399.75 

* Made of Smart Reflex® pocket springs that cleverly adjust to the body’s every move. 

* The top layer features natural latex that is naturally elastic and highly resilient adapting to the movement of the body, correcting spinal alignment, and promoting good blood circulation and pressure relief. 

* Uses mattress cover made from Tencel®, a natural cellulosic fiber that regulates moisture and body temperature. 

* Treated with Sanitized® which effectively protects against the growth of bacteria, odor, mildew, and dust mites, keeping the mattress clean and hypoallergenic. 

* Power Edge® support foam provides a supportive seating edge. 

* Trusted and approved by the Philippine Orthopaedic Association. 

We only purchased the bed kasi wala kami na gustuhan na bed frame. The bed is out of stock so we need to wait and it was delivered after 8 days. We only paid PHP340 for the delivery fee, sana all ganyan lang delivery fee, ang mahal kasi sa iba. In addition, they gave us two complimentary pillows. 

Also, may complimentary drinks sila sa showroom so habang naghihintay kami ng turn namin sa cashier, busy kami sa pag-inom. 

We haven’t tried the bed yet but I’m crossing my fingers that we’ve made the right choice kasi ang mahal ng bed ha. Hanggang senior years na itong bed na ito. Hehehe! 

Km.23 East Service Rd. 

SSHW Bo.Cupang Muntinlupa 

Contact Number: 09178334195 / 0917 5799284

But why be against it in the first place? We say, start embracing it! There’s definitely no shortage of good things to appreciate during these sweltering months—case in point: fruit shakes and smoothies which seem to just have an extra dash of magic in them when enjoyed during this season. 

Whether you’re planning to stay in and cool down or take a trip to the beach, everything gets so much better when you have a delicious, healthy drink in hand. Need ideas for the best summer drinks that can quench your thirst? Get your juicers and blenders ready for the recipes below.

Remember those tasty coconut juices peddled by sidewalk vendors every weekend at the park? You can easily recreate those and add an extra twist to them with this Coco Twist Smoothie Recipe infused with mint leaves and real coconut meat! Bananas and mangoes give this healthy shake natural sweetness while the refreshing coconut water ties everything together. 

1 cup coconut water 

1 cup coconut meat 

1 piece ripe mango 

2 pieces banana (saba) 

5 pieces pechay 

8 pieces mint leaves 

3 cups ice cubes

1. Wash the pechay and mint leaves thoroughly. Cut the mango and remove the skin of the banana. 

2. Put all ingredients in the Breville blender jug and process through the smoothie function. 

3. Transfer the smoothie into the glass and serve. 

What’s a beach getaway without cradling a refreshing drink in your hand while sunbathing by the sand and waves? The Watermelon Lemonade is the perfect thirst-thirst quencher with its extra fizz while the Tropical Detox Smoothie is ideal for those who want something healthy but delicious still. 

0.5 piece Yellow Watermelon 

1 piece Lemon 

1 cup Soda Water 

1. Peel the watermelon and lemon. 

2. Process the fruits using the Breville Juicer 

236 ml Almond Milk 

236 g Pineapple 

1 cup Camote Tops 

1 piece Banana 

15 g Chia Chaff 

1. Freeze pineapple chunks and peeled bananas overnight. Chill the almond milk. 

2. Wash the camote tops thoroughly. 

3. Put all ingredients in the Breville blender jug and process through the smoothie function. 

4. Transfer the smoothie into the glass and serve. 

Who says you need to go out to have fun? The Dalanghita Mojito Mocktail Slush and Quick Quencher Juice will bring the glam of summer to your home with their refreshing flavor profiles! 

1 kg Dalanghita 

1 piece Cucumber 

1 pack Mint Leaves 

1 can Soda Water (Schweppes) 

1.5 cup Honey 

1.5 cup Ice Cubes 

1. Cut dalanghita into half, squeeze in dalanghita directly into the Breville blender through the citrus cone

2. Add the cucumber, mint leaves, honey, ice cubes and sparkling water and process through the smoothie function. 

3. Transfer the drink into a margarita or mojito glass. Garnish with sliced dalanghita and mint leaves. 

0.5 piece Pineapple 

35 g Squash, Local 

1 piece Cucumber 

1 piece Chayote 

1. Wash all of the ingredients thoroughly. Juice everything and enjoy! 

Chill and lay back with your friends while sipping on these juices that will chase your thirst away. 

One Pine Day Ingredients: 

2 piece Apple 

3 piece Celery Stalk 

1 piece Lemon 

15 g Herb, Parsley 

1. Wash all of the ingredients thoroughly and peel the lemon. 

2. Process all of the produce using the Breville Juicer. 

3. Pour it into a glass and serve. 

2 piece Pear 

1 piece Cucumber 

1 piece Lemon 

3 piece Celery Stalk 

1. Wash all of the produce thoroughly. Peel the lemon. 

2. Process all of the produce using the Breville Juicer. 

3. Pour it into a glass and serve! 

Of course, it’s always a good idea to enjoy drinks that you make on your own because you can easily customize the ingredients to suit your taste and health goals, too! Fortunately, you can now easily craft your own high-quality drinks with the help of equally top-tier kitchen partners like Breville’s Juicers and Blenders. Breville Philippines’ Kinetix Twist, for example, is a superstar of a blender that can be used to create velvety cocktails and smoother smoothies thanks to its innovative central blades that blend from top to bottom. The Juice Fountain Max, on the other hand, makes whole fruit juicing as easy as 1, 2, 3 with its unique juicing disk. It can even juice whole fruits and can extract up to 30 percent more juice and 70 percent more nutrients according to the National Measurement Institute (2003, 2011). 

Jazz up your summer and beat the heat with these tasty and healthy juices that you can make in a cinch. Looking for more recipe ideas? Visit FoodThinkers by Breville for some fresh inspiration! You can also check out their website to find more about their products or follow their official Facebook and Instagram channels.

Anyway, I’ll start with our first visit to Mandaue Foam Sta Rosa. I’ve learned that they have a new branch but I thought it is far from us so I was really surprised when I saw this store just in front of the New Sinai MDI Hospital. It just so happened that last October, my mother-in-law was confined in the hospital and my husband dropped by at the cashier to pay bills. So this was my view while waiting at the parking lot. I’m happy that we don’t need to travel to Alabang just to visit Mandaue Foam. 

But since we don’t have the budget for shopping yet so I promised myself that I shall return. Hehehe! After a month, my son has a table appointment project in school so I decided to check Mandaue Foam Sta Rosa and I was glad that they are on sale for up to 30% so I bought some kitchen stuff for our home. The store has two floors and marami rin naman mabibili. Sharing some photos that I took. 

Read: Buying Furniture at Mandaue Foam Store Las Pinas 

Knowing our budget is very important because it will give us an idea of how much can we afford. Monthly rent is not only the expense, there are some payments that we need to consider before, during, and after renting the apartment. Allot a budget for apartment hunting, processing papers, advanced payments, security deposit, and apartment utilities or amenities. Compute the possible expenses so we will know how much can we pay without breaking the bank. 

Next to budget is location, it is a very significant factor because it would help us to decide where to start our apartment search. Answer these questions so we have a realistic idea of what kind of neighborhood do we like. 

a) Is it near or far from my office or school?

b) How much will I spend on my transportation? 

c) Is it a safe neighborhood? 

d) Is it accessible to malls, markets, restaurants, hospitals, or other establishments? 

We have to keep in mind that the price of the property varies per location too. Are we looking for an apartment in one of The Most Expensive Cities Around the World to Rent or not? Hong Kong, San Francisco, USA, and New York USA are on the top list.

It would be easier for us to find an apartment if we know what are we looking for. There are several types of apartments, the common types are studio, loft, duplex, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom apartments. It varies on the floor plan, style, number of bedrooms, and others. 

Once we know our budget, preferred location, and apartment, it is time for us to do our homework. Looking for a place is quite challenging so it is very important to make some research. Lucky for us because we can do this online, depending on the location, I’m pretty sure there are user-friendly sites where we can do our rental research. 

If you live in the USA, Zumper will help you in finding your own apartment, condo, house, or room for rent by filtering the price range, location, and how many bedrooms do you need. You can discover affordable, expensive, and popular neighborhoods in specific areas like New York. Based on their data, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in New York is $2,700 and the average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $2,900. Does it fit your budget? 

Researching online is just part of the process, let us not forget to visit the apartment and make our own self-inspections. We need to take pictures and check water pressure, power sockets, cabinets, the presence of mold, and of course, the neighborhood. 

These are just a few things that you can consider in finding your apartment. Don’t rush, take time to do your research, read more reviews, and visit the space at different times of the day or week so you will have a better sense if you want to live there.

Anyway, I bought Heat-Transfer Vinyl last year but I am a little bit scared to start a project because I don’t have Cricut Easypress 2 yet. The heat press is too expensive for my budget and I am not sure if it is worth buying since I only do this as a hobby. But when I learned that there is an expiration for vinyl, I immediately start an Iron-On project. 

Last month, spiral artwork was trending so I tried making this project. I just chose pictures and upload them on the Spiral Betty website, downloaded the files, and uploaded them to Cricut Design Space. Good thing that I did not have a hard time cutting and weeding but since I don’t have Cricut Easypress, I only use regular iron. My first try was not so successful but I still kept it because it is my late sister's memorabilia.

After my first try, I finally ordered Cricut Easypress Mini at Amazon USA so I can do more Iron-On projects. For my second pillowcase project, I used the Stay Home and Summer Time SVG files. My first try was not perfect because I immediately peel it off so the design was lifted too but I’m thankful that the Summer Time turned out okay. I even washed the Summer Time pillowcase and so far so good. 

I am still looking for a plain shirt so I can use the Wife, Mom, Boss, and Best Dad Ever SVG files. 

Instructions may vary depending on your materials, but these are the instructions of the Heat Transfer Vinyl that I got from The Happy Station. 

1. Position the cut vinyl on the item you want to iron it on (with the plastic backing on top).

2. Set your home iron to the maximum heat setting.

3. Using your iron, press down on the vinyl for 20 seconds. Do not move the iron back and forth.

4. Remove iron from the vinyl. Let Cool.

5. Peel off the plastic backing. 

Preheat Cricut EasyPress Mini to medium 

Place pillow cover on clean Cricut EasyPress Mat 

Preheat pillow cover for 5 seconds 

Place Iron-On protective sheet over iron-on 

Press while moving with firm pressure at a medium setting for 5 seconds 

Flip pillow cover over and press for 5 seconds 

Slowly remove the liner when cool to touch. 

Allow 24 hours after application before washing 

Wash and tumble dry inside out 

Do not bleach.

We are living in our townhouse for the past decade and I can definitely say, we are completely satisfied with our present residence. We are just a family of three so we don’t need a huge one. Reminiscing our normal lives, my husband used to travel a lot because of work and my son spent more hours in school so, during the day, the house feels empty. I thought that our tiny house is enough for us so buying a new property is not a priority.

We have no idea that this virus will change the way we see our own home. After being confined in the four corners of our shelter for the last several months, it made us rethink the kind of house that we want to live in. All of a sudden we realized that we need a bigger space and we want to have our own quiet corner for school and work.

Thinking back on the preCOVID19 days, we just wanted to renovate some part of our house but during the pandemic, we let go of the idea of home improvement. Instead of renovating the house, we started dreaming of a new dwelling place. It is easy to say “we want to buy a new house” but with our present situation right now, we had second thoughts. 

We even read one article in Bloomberg “A Pandemic is a Terrible Time to Buy Real Estate” so there are so many questions in our head. Is this the best time for house-hunting? Is it a wise decision to invest in property during a global pandemic? Can we afford to buy a new home? Should we wait after the pandemic? 

Investing in a new property is never an easy decision especially now that we are dealing with uncertainties. We know that foods, drinks, health, and job security are more important than buying a property but our desire to move to a more comfortable home is also important. We weigh the pros and cons, we think the worst-case scenarios and we used a mortgage calculator to make sure that we can afford to pay for our property. 

After contemplating for one month, we finally bit the bullet and we invested in a new property last year. Buying a new house in the midst of a global pandemic is either a smart or dumb decision that we’ve made but there is no harm in taking a risk again. Thirteen years ago, during the financial crisis, we also invested in our present home. During that time, it was a big risk because I just recently resigned from my work, and living on a single income while paying rent and mortgage is a challenge. But looking back, it was the best decision that we made because we are no longer renting. 

Now, we took a big leap and bought a new property. You may be wondering why we did it? Well, after being trapped in our home for several months, we accepted the fact that COVID19 is not an easy battle. And because of this, I’m pretty sure that we need to stay in our house for the next few months. No travel trips for us but we can use the money to invest in property while the amortization rate is low. Even after the pandemic, we already prepared ourselves that we may not have any travel trips because we have our new priority. Nevertheless, we can’t wait to move to a bigger house so we have more space to move around even there is a lockdown. 

We live in a small house so obviously, our kitchen is small hence we have very limited storage space for groceries and kitchen stuff. I can’t wait to move to our new home so we will have more space pero matagal pa yun. Hehehe! For now, I have to organize the clutter inside our home so I bought storage boxes and a trolley. 

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that my happy place is IKEA and I try my best to visit their stores if ever we will go to another country. I failed to do this when we went to Sweden, kung saan pa talaga nagsimula ang IKEA hindi ko pa napuntahan. Then our Taiwan trip was canceled last year because of the pandemic so wala na naman IKEA trip. 

I love buying organizing stuff in IKEA because they are budget-friendly and there are so many uses just like the IKEA Raskog cart that I bought in Singapore. I know that there are stores selling this kaso ang mahal plus shipping fee. I’m happy that I discovered Shopee and Lazada last year so I found this trolley that is quite similar to the IKEA trolley cart. It is so easy to assemble, my son is the one who assembled this. 

Since the start of pandemic kasi, my husband only goes to the grocery once a month so maramihan na bili and yung mga boxes nakatambak na sa stairs namin since hindi naman kasya sa kitchen cabinet namin. So I bought a trolley cart to store our juice, softdrinks, milk, and chocolate drinks. I put labels so my son will know where to put them, minsan inuutusan ko siya na mag-organize ng groceries kasi. It is just a simple project but I’m glad nawala na yung tambak na boxes sa stairs and they have their own space na.

I love trolley because there are so many smart ways to use this, you can use it to store your groceries, fruits and vegetables, crafting materials, school supplies, baby stuff, and many more. There are wheels so you can move this around without effort, I’m planning to buy another one for my craft supplies. You can buy the trolley here or here. 

Since the start of the year, I’ve been doing a lot of projects, I already shared some of my home pandemic projects like making photobooks, photo tiles, and canvas air, organizing my printed photos, and getting rid of my paper clutter. 

Now let me share my DIY vinyl decals for our fridge bottles. For the past few years, I’ve been replacing our water plastic bottles with a glass; we are using IKEA Vardagen Carafe Glass Water Bottle and I planned to buy IKEA Korken Glass Bottle to replace our small plastic bottles. Unfortunately, IKEA Philippines is not yet open and there is a travel ban so we can’t visit IKEA. 

I can’t remember where I bought these small plastic bottles, kung sa baking supply store ba or sa party supply store. All I can remember is, I bought these bottles per pack, 6 pieces in one box, more or less PHP200 per pack. We’ve been using these bottles as water bottles and to store our leftover drinks. 

Water bottles para kung ayaw mo maghugas ng baso at magrefill ng pitcher, you will get the small bottle. If I prepare juice in advance, I will put them in these bottles, one bottle per person. What nice about this, you can bring it in your work station or study table na hindi ka natatakot na baka masangga at matapon kasi may cover siya. Iwas sa alikabok din because you can cover the bottle after you drink. Sometimes we bring them when we have road trip din, we just put them in a cooler. 

As I’ve said before, I also used this to store our leftover drinks para hindi masikip sa fridge. For example, if we open juice, milk, chocolate drinks, or softdrinks, instead of putting the tetra pack or big bottle. we transfer it to small bottles to save space. If ever we have leftover coffee or tea na ayaw na namin inumin, we transfer it to a small bottle before putting it inside the fridge.

I still have 3 plastic bottles left that I haven’t used but I decided not to use them anymore and buy glass bottles instead. Luckily, I discovered these square juice glass bottles when I bought my herbs and spices jars. I was nervous because I will order it online, yung IKEA bottles nga sa hand-carry luggage namin nilagay para iwas basag. But I was glad that all the jars and bottles that I’ve ordered arrived in good condition. 

I already have a Cricut Maker so I made my own vinyl decals, I used frosted white glitter, matte, and glossy black vinyl stickers. I have a lot of fonts but I always end up with Butter and Garlic Font, favorite ko na siya. Hehehe! This was my project last January, hindi ko lang mashare kasi hindi ko naman nakukumpleto yung 12 bottles na may laman, most of the time 5-6 bottles lang nasa fridge namin but for this blog post sake, nilagyan ko lahat sila ng laman. hehehe!

Note: You can also use these bottles to store your herbs, spices, and condiments.

P.S. I have Blue Mason Jars din but it is too bulky so I'm happy that I found these glass bottles. 

When my son was in his toddler years, I always buy books to keep him busy. Suki ako ng Booksale and  nagpamember pa ko sa isang company so I can buy books at a discounted price. But when my son hit grade school years, I gave away his books and even his preschool books. 

But I'm not sure if they are using the books so two years ago, I went to SM department store to donate my son's book in exchange for shopping coupons. I planned to donate my son's book last year but COVID19 happened. 

How about you? Do you have a pile of papers?