Michi Photostory

The good thing about DIY Trip is you can visit those places that are not usually included in travel packages. My husband suggested UPMSI Bolinao Marine Laboratory, where you can see giant clams. 

We’ve been to Giant Clam Culture in Camiguin, way back in 2011 and we already saw different clams. Little did I know that the Bolinao Marine Laboratory is the official marine station of the Marine Science Institute (MSI), University of the Philippines, Diliman. The clams that we’ve seen in Camiguin came from BML.

After our visit to St James the Great Parish, we went to Bolinao Marine Laboratory. I was not sure if the office was open but we still tried our luck and I was glad that they accommodated us. We registered and paid P20 per person. The guard informed us, na nagstart na yung tour habol na lang kami.

The tour started in Dry Museum where you can see different clam fossils. 


Then we went to AVR where we watched video about the history of BML and what they are doing. 


Then we moved to Outdoor Hatchery. This is bigger compared to Giant Clam Culture of Camiguin. 


We’ve seen the stages of how they culture clams, sea cucumber and even corals, from eggs up to the adult stage.



In Camiguin, if you want to see the giant clams in the sea, you can rent a boat for a fee. You can choose for glass boat or a regular boat. But I’m not sure if it is available in BML because it was not offered to us. 

It was Mother’s Day last Sunday and my husband insisted that we go out to celebrate. I was feeling lazy because I know that restaurants are packed and traffic is everywhere. I’m pretty sure that a lot of people will celebrate Mother’s Day.

To all the moms out there, it was our day yesterday. They say that it is only our vacation leave every year. Hehehe! But not for me, I still did some chores yesterday because I know that my chores will just pile up if I will not do it.

I wish I could have “momcation” (mom vacation) but time and budget did not permit me. It is not my priority because we had home improvement + we’re starting to buy the school supplies, uniform, and other stuff that my son needs for this coming school year. But next time I will pamper myself. Hehehe!

I was really lazy to go out yesterday but my husband insisted we celebrate Mother’s Day. He suggested that we try the Korean restaurant in Silang, Cavite. We always passed this restaurant but we don’t even know its name. Hehehe! When we parked our car, dun lang namin nabasa name. We had an early dinner and it was a nice experience. I will share our “Baek Yuen” food trip in my next post. 

To my son:

You are the reason why I can celebrate Mother’s Day. I admit that being a mom is not easy, it's challenging. But I’m forever grateful to God for the blessing of being called “Mom”. Every time I see you, I know that I did not leave the corporate world for nothing, because I left it for my everything.

Sungayan Grill is the most recommended restaurant when you search for Bolinao, Pangasinan so I included this in our itinerary. After our Bolinao Marine Laboratory visit, we went to Sungayan Grill for early lunch. 



Sungayan Grill is a floating restaurant in Balingasay River, this river is one of the cleanest rivers in the country. It is really good to know that we still have clean river. 



When I first saw the restaurant, I remember our Loboc-Loay River Cruise experience in Bohol. The only difference is the food is not buffet style but I think they also offer packages so you can experience river cruise while eating.



But since we are only three persons it would be practical to just eat at the floating restaurant. Good thing that there is available table for us but unfortunately we are not on the side of the river. But I’m still thankful because some guests were no longer accommodated. 



We browsed the menu and the staff immediately informed us that sungayan fish is not available. Too bad we cannot taste the sungayan fish so my husband ordered Sinigang na Malaga P150 and Grilled Liempo P130.



After several minutes, we’re still waiting for our order and some guests were already complaining na kanina pa sila don and tagal ng order. The staff went to our table and asked us if we are still willing to wait, mga 30 minutes pa daw kasi bago maserve food. We said yes, since nandun na rin naman kami, we ordered Halo-Halo P40 para may makain na kami. 



The restaurant was really packed at that time, I’m not sure if this is always the scenario. It was long weekend + summer vacation and at the same time GMA staffs were there. I’m not sure from what show but I saw them from St James Parish hanggang Enchanted Cave. (Same kami itinerary) hehehe! 



Finally, our order was served. The serving was big enough for three persons. Price is very affordable too, our bill is less than P500. We enjoyed our food and I do recommend that you visit this restaurant if you are in Bolinao, Pangasinan. But make sure you are not really hungry because it took them almost 1 hour to serve our food.

My husband was born and raised in Pangasinan so we always have reasons to visit this province. Most of our visits in Pangasinan, we just stayed in their house or we will visit Lingayen beach. You can check it here. 

It’s been three years since our last visit in their province so we took advantage of the long weekend (May 1 - 3) to visit my grandmother-in-law in Bugallon, Pangasinan and at the same time visit Bolinao, Pangasinan. 



We’ve never been to Bolinao, Pangasinan so few days before our trip I checked possible places that we could visit for a day. After breakfast (May 2), off we went to Bolinao, Pangasinan. We used google maps and Waze for directions. 



1. Our first stop was St James the Great Parish located in Don Alonzo Ponce Street, Poblacion, Bolinao Pangasinan. The church was made out of black coral stones. Its church tower is seventy-five feet which is the tallest in the whole Pangasinan but the earthquake toppled about half of it in 1788. After that, the church was accidentally burned in 1819 and suffered in Typhoon Emong in 2009. 

2. UP Marine Science Institute - my husband suggested this so I searched if this is open for the public. We’ve been in Giant Clam Culture in Camiguin but I have no idea that the Bolinao Marine Laboratory (BML) is the main office. 



According to their website, BML is the official marine station of the Marine Science Institute (MSI), University of the Philippines, Diliman. BML serves as a research base for the scientific activities of MSI’s senior staff, visiting scientists, graduate students, and other collaborating institutions.



The clams that I’ve seen in Camiguin came from Bolinao, Pangasinan. There is no doubt that this is the main office because their outdoor hatchery is bigger compared to Giant Clam Culture. The entrance fee is P20. 

3. Sungayan Grill at Balingasay River 



We had lunch in Sungayan Grill, it is a floating restaurant in Balingasay river. This river is one of the cleanest rivers in the country. I will share more of our experience in my next post. 

4. Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

I’ve first seen this lighthouse in the “The Promise” movie starring Angel Locsin and Richard Gutierrez. 



I’ve been to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Pagudpud and Guisi Lighthouse in Guimaras so this is the third lighthouse I’ve seen in the Philippines but unlike the two lighthouses, we can’t go up to the top. 

5. Enchanted Cave 

There are three caves that you can visit in Bolinao, Pangasinan such as Cindy’s Cave, Wonderful Cave and Enchanted Cave. We chose the latter because it is more popular. I will create another post for this cave. Entrance fee P150. 



The cave was our last stop because we have to drop by at the Bani market to buy seafood for our dinner. 

Places that you can visit in Bolinao, Pangasinan. 

Falls - Bolinao Falls 1 & 2 and Tara Falls 
Resort - Puerto Del Sol Resort, Punta Riviera Resort and Treasures of Bolinao Resort. 
Beach - Patar White Beach and Rock View Beach Resort

It is no longer surprising if our electricity bill increases every summer and I am sure that all of us want to lower our electricity bill. We have read and tried so many energy savings tips but sometimes it is not enough especially if we often use an electric fan, air cooler, or aircon to minimize the heat.
Here are my energy saving tips that I really practice. 

1. No standby mode on our appliances. 
2. Appliances are unplugged if unused. 
3. Turn off all unused lights. Used LED lights. 
4. Defrost the fridge every weekend. (I don't do this anymore since we replaced the old refrigerator. We are using no frost and smart inverter now)
5. Wash in full load and minimize the use of spin dryer, air dry if possible. 
6. We used to have a power saver and it really helps us to minimize our electricity consumption. But now we invested in solar panels. 
7. Replace old appliances with more energy-efficient ones. 

Even we are doing our best to save on electricity but if there are always price increase per kwh, our electric bill is still high. Our electric bill goes up to 200 - 300% increase every summer so it really hurts the budget. 

My husband installed solar panels in our house last March, it was a big decision because it is not cheap to install one. But I’m blessed to have a husband who can do it so labor is free. We have a solar lamp outside so even we’re not at home, our house is well lighted. We also have a small solar battery charger that we can use in case of emergencies so we can charge our phone, use a small fan, and connect to the internet. 



We’ve been contemplating about it since last year but so far we have no regrets in investing in solar panels because we received our bill last March and April and there was really a decrease in our electric bill. 



Care to share your energy-saving tips.

For the last two years, I’ve been meaning to register my son in McDonald’s Kiddie Crew but I have to wait till he hits 6 years old. They were very strict with age so I had no choice but to wait. But now, I noticed that there were kiddie crew as young as 4 years old. 

McDonald is the only fastfood near my son’s school and most of the time I stayed there while waiting for my son’s dismissal. Since March 12, I accompanied my son to school until he finishes his graduation practice. At that time, I learned that McDonald’s Kiddie Crew was already open for registration.  

I immediately got the registration form, filled up the form and I was so excited to tell my son that I would enroll him in McDonald’s Kiddie Crew. But my son did not like the idea. My husband and I kept on persuading him to join the workshop but he had so many excuses. 

Ethan: I can’t do that. 
Ethan: I don’t want to work in McDonald.

Finally, after four weeks, he said yes. Unfortunately, the next available date is April 27 to May 1, 2015. I chose the 8-10AM schedule. 

Registration Fee: P595 
Inclusive of T-shirt, ID with Lace, Cap, Bag, Chef’s Hat, Apron, Meals and Workshop Materials. 

After two weeks of waiting, we attended the orientation and got the uniform. The staff toured the kids in the kitchen and my son became interested. 

Day 1 

Kids introduced themselves (name, age and talent). The kids were divided into two groups. So if group 1 is in the counter the other group will practice their song and dance number. 

My son doesn’t like burgers but I was surprised that he ate his burger McDo meal. 

Day 2 

My son started to enjoy his counter experience. He experienced preparing drinks and putting tissues, spoon and fork and ketchup on the tray. 

Day 3 

Cheeseburger Making. Kids made their own cheeseburger for their snacks. 

I ordered a meal while my son was at the counter. He was happy to serve his mom. 

Day 4 

The kids painted their McDonalds Happy Meal boxes and presented their talents. My son said his talent is drawing so we just brought his sketch pad. 

Day 5 

Graduation day. Kids sang “Make it Happen” and danced “Shake it Off”. 

I always tell this to my son, stop saying “I can’t do that” or I can’t do this” always say I can do it! So I was really happy when I checked the lyrics of McDonald’s Kiddie Crew theme song. I liked the message. 

 “As we gather here today, we make our pledge to serve others and be the best. Let nothing bring us down, always say we can. Let the whole world know, we’re gonna make things happen.” 



My son enjoyed his first Kiddie Crew Workshop.


We bought the McRib meal (fries + drinks + free umbrella) for P200 because there was a raffle but we did not win. But at least we have McDonald umbrella. hehehe! Hubby said, McRib was just okay. 

Cebu is not only known for famous tourist spots and Sinulog Festival but it is also popular because of lechon. Lechon is skewered whole pig roasted over charcoal. Do you know that Cebu is even considered as “Lechon Capital of the World” so if you are going to visit Cebu, don’t ever leave without trying this dish.

Where to Eat Lechon?

There are several lechon makers in Cebu but so far I’ve tried four different lechon. I’ve only visited Cebu thrice so most of the time I can eat this from pasalubong. My husband knew that I love Cebu’s lechon so he always buys lechon when he has a business trip there. #whenincebu

1. Cebu’s Ayer Lechon 

It offers both classic and spicy lechon but so far I’ve only tried the classic one. They have a branch at Mactan International Airport so you can still buy this for pasalubong.


Read: Cebu Ayer's Lechon

2. CnT Lechon 

When you are in Cebu, CnT Lechon is the most recommended lechon maybe because it is considered as the crunchiest of Cebu’s lechon and it has several branches all over Cebu. We ate at CnT Lechon when we’re in Cebu and most of the time this is my husband’s pasalubong. This is my go-to lechon restaurant if ever we are in Cebu because they have a kiosk in Ayala Mall.

Read: CnT Lechon

3. Zubuchon 

This is the third lechon that I’ve tried and Cebu became more famous because Anthony Bourdain’s declared that it is “Best pig ever!”. This is also my breakfast later because my husband just came back from Cebu business trip.


Read: Lunch at Zubuchon

Update: April 2016 

4. Cebu's Best Rico's Lechon 

I've been meaning to try Rico's Lechon because of the good review of Kris Aquino when I watched it in one of the Kris TV episodes. So finally, I visited Cebu last April 2016 and I included it on my food trip. But the Lechon did not meet my expectation.


Read: Cebu's Best Rico's Lechon
Cebu's Best Rico's Lechon in Metro Manila

These 4 lechons are all good naman but of course, I have my own personal favorite but having an option is also good. Pero madalas kung saan mas budget-friendly, yun ang mas gusto ko. hehehe! I wanted to try more brands of lechon in Cebu. Care to share your favorite lechon in Cebu.

Domino’s Pizza is an American food chain which started in Ypsilanti Michigan, USA in the year 1960. The first branch in the Philippines was opened in the year 2011 and I had my first taste of Domino’s pizza when I started working in Makati several years ago. This is one of my favorite snacks in the office, I usually buy one slice at their kiosk in Robinson’s Summit.


It’s been years since the last time I had a taste of their pizza so when we saw the that there is Domino’s Pizza at SM Sta Rosa, we did not hesitate to try it again. The restaurant is just small and there were only six tables. We ordered the Two Pizza Deal for P399 only (Medium).



For the first pizza, you can choose any flavor you want but for the second pizza, you can choose from Cheese Mania, Pepperoni Feast, Hawaiian and Kalamata Tomato Pizza. We chose Extravaganzza Pizza (classic hand tossed) and Pepperoni Feast (thin crust). Between the two flavors, we prefer the Extravaganzza pizza but I would definitely try other flavors.



January 29, 2016 

Shopping for the holiday is not easy because of the crowd, it seems that half of the population of the world is inside the mall. In addition, looking for a restaurant that has an available seat/table is very difficult, good thing that my family can eat pizza for lunch.


We were in SM Sta Rosa last month for our last minute gift shopping and we had a hard time finding an available table so I told my husband, dun tayo sa dulo baka wala tao. Voila, may table sa Domino’s Pizza. Filipinos love to eat rice sa lunch kasi but if you are really hungry, kahit ano pwede na. Kaloka noh, holiday pa rin ang story ko. #backlog.


As usual, my son ordered Pepperoni Feast, I can’t remember the flavor that I ordered but checking my receipt, it is Extravaganzza. My son loves Domino’s Pizza because he can watch the staff while preparing the pizza. They also have a small screen where you can see the waiting time for your order. The Domino’s 2 Pizza Deal is only P399.

April 2019 

Last month, my husband and I went to SM Sta Rosa, we were checking the price of Surgical Tooth Extraction in different Dental Clinic pero mahal din pala so I guess P9000 - 12000 talaga ang normal price. Anyway, we had lunch at Goldilocks and we ordered pizza at Domino’s. It was Tuesday so they have Buy 1 Take 1 Deal pizza for P399 (Medium size) so we got Dominos’ Deluxe and Pepperoni (Thin Crust). 



Merienda time came, I ate one slice of Domino’s Deluxe and my husband finished the rest. I was thinking that my son won’t finish the Pepperoni so makikishare na lang ko ulit pagkagaling niya sa school but I was wrong. We were shocked when my son finished one box of Pepperoni. Waah!


Then before March ends, I went to my doctor for a check-up and we went to SM Sta Rosa again for lunch. We ate at Domino’s Pizza again. We asked if they have Buy 1 Take 1 Pizza Promo and we were informed na Tuesday and Thursday lang daw yung promo. So we ordered the Ocho EatzzAmazing Deal, we got three medium pizzas and 1.5L Coke for P699. We chose Domino’s Deluxe, Meatzza, and Pepperoni. We chose thick crust pizza and this time my son was not able to finish one box of pepperoni, hahaha! Nabusog agad dahil thick crust. We took home our leftover.

Care to share your favorite pizza restaurant?

My husband’s company had a special screening of “Avengers Age of Ultron” at SM Aura last Friday. My son was so excited to watch the movie because he is a fan of Avengers.



But last Friday, I wasn’t feeling well blame it to abdominal pain so I was convincing my son that we will watch Avengers on Saturday.

Ethan: No, you said we will watch Friday not Saturday. 

It is really difficult if you promised to him because you have to fulfill it. #trustissue So my husband just gave our free tickets to his officemates and went home after his office. 

He picked up my son and they watched the movie without me, huhuhu! Good thing they were able to watch the 7PM movie at SM Sta Rosa, because next schedule is 8PM and 8:30PM. #buzzerbeater Nagtiyaga ang mag-ama sa front seats and popcorn na dinner maumpisahan lang ang Avengers. 

I was asking my son about the movie pero ayaw magkwento, lol. Ok fine, hintayin ko na lang sa TV. Hehehe! 

It is no secret here that our family loves Contis, we always buy cakes and pastries and it is our go-to restaurant in Nuvali. The restaurant started in 1997 in Paranaque but it was only in the year 2007 when I first dined in their restaurant in Serendra. 

Serendra is so far from my place so I was glad when Contis opened another branch in Nuvali. Since then, we are frequent diner and buyer of Contis.



Last April 9, we tried their branch in Alabang Westgate. Every time we eat in Contis, my order is always Lengua Estofado P340. Minsan lang ko nagpalit ng order and Lengua Pastel pa pinalit ko. Hehehe! Sometimes I buy Frozen Lengua Estofado too. 



But I have tried other dishes because of my husband’s order. Nakikitikim lang ako. We know that Contis have big serving so we always order two meals only + extra rice for my son. My husband tried the Mom’s Garlic Longganisa P195. The taste was just ok for me, it as a bit dry. 



One thing I noticed in their branch is, they offer toys for toddlers so they will not get bored while waiting for the order. The service is good too, when we got off the car, nilapitan na kami ng guard para payungan on the way to the restaurant. 

As always, we’re satisfied with our meal and the only thing that change is the price. Way back 2007, la pa P200 ang Lengua Estofado. Hehehe! 

Contis Alabang (Westgate) 
Lot X-101, Westgate Center, 
Filinvest Alabang 
Parking: Westgate Center Parking (free for first 15 minutes)