Michi Photostory

I don’t normally review the Korean Drama series that I have seen but after watching “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay”, I guess it deserves a post. I stopped watching Korean Drama for a while, the last Korean drama that I watched was “When Camellia Blooms”. Inaantok ako sa story, I tried to watch it pa until epi 9 kasi baka nga gumanda pa but I gave up.

After almost a month of not watching Korean Drama, nagbalik loob ako. I always see “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay’ on the Top 10 list of Netflix, I got curious so I checked the available episodes. There were already 12 episodes so, in my mind, I can start watching it because 4 episodes na lang naman ang kulang. I usually watch 1 to 2 episodes or 1 movie before sleeping.

"It’s OKay Not to Be Okay is a story about two brothers who lost their mom when they were still young. Gang Tae has no choice but to take care of his older brother Sang Tae who has autism. They keep on running away and relocating because of a traumatic experience until they meet Ko Moon-Young. She is a successful fairy tale writer who suffers from an antisocial personality disorder."



I thought I will only watch 1 or 2 episodes but I got hooked and I finished the 12 episodes in two days and nabitin pa ko. I’ve waited two more weeks for the 4 remaining episodes and finally, yesterday, I watched the last episode and ang hirap magmove-on, ang ganda lang ng ending.

I like “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay” because this series is so relatable, Growing up without parents is not easy, I am fortunate that I have my grandmother when my parents are not around pero si Gang Tae, Sang Tae, and Moon-Young, wala man lang relatives. They were struggling to live a normal life because of the challenges and traumatic experiences.

Thank God for kind people who help and treat them as a family. Grabe lang yung loyalty ni Jae-Soo kay Gang Tae and Sang Tae na hindi napapagod sa pagsunod sa dalawang magkapatid. Sobrang loyal din ni Sang-in kay Moon-Young na kahit may mood swings, he stayed. The mother and daughter Soon-Deok and Nam-Juri who welcomed Gang Tae and Sang Tae, na kahit iba ang gusto ni Gang Tae, accepted pa rin sila and they got an instant mother (to my fake, real mother.).

When you watch this Korean Drama, ang dami emotions na mailalabas, maiiyak ka, matatawa at kikiligin. There are so many lessons and realizations like, people who have autism are really special, you just have to accept, understand, and love their weaknesses. You have to believe in their talents or skills and kahit may autism sila, mayroon silang dreams and may mararating.

Hindi mo kelangan ng kadugo para magkaroon ng pamilya na magcare at magmahal sayo. A family picture will do, hehehe!. Ko Moon-Young is proof that the right man will accept and love your true personality kahit minsan mahirap ka sakyan. Learn to love yourself, hindi lang puro ibang tao ang nasa isip mo. If you want to move on, find your exit door. And of course, we don’t need to be always strong, it is okay to cry, it is okay to pause and it’s okay not to be okay.

Mamimiss ko yung friendship ni Gang Tae, Sang Tae and Jae-Soo, friendship ni Sang Tae and Moon-Young, the love story of Gang Tae and Moon-Young and the troublemaker trio. I love all the lead and supporting casts here, walang tapon at ang galing lang umarte ng lahat. I want to end this post by sharing the list of my favorite lines or quotes from the series.

1. Hurtful, painful memories. Memories of deep regrets. Memories of hurting others and being hurt. Memories of being abandoned. Only those with such memories buried in their hearts can become stronger, more passionate, and emotionally flexible. And only those can attain happiness.

2. Remember it all (the painful memories) and overcome it. If you don’t overcome it, you’ll always be a kid whose soul never grows.

3. One must face one’s trauma to overcome it.

4. Only those who have suffered truly understand suffering.

5. Do you believe in destiny? Who cares about destiny? If someone shows up when you need them, you call that destiny.

6. I thought I was on the run because of my brother, the butterflies and all. I thought we were being chased by something that doesn’t exist all because of Sang Tae. But today, for the first time, I thought maybe I was just running away because I wanted to. You see, when life is unbearably hard, the easiest way out is to run.

7. Why live a boring life? You’ll get sick if you suppress yourself like that. If you want to have fun, then have fun.

8. The first step is always the hardest. But once you take your first step, things will get easier from then on.

9. I belong to myself! Moon Sang Tae belongs to Moon Sang Tae! I’m not yours! I belong to myself, you don’t own me.

10. Is being different something to be afraid of?

11. It’s okay to be different.

12. Your body is honest. When you’re in physical pain, you cry. But the heart is a liar. It stays quiet even when it’s hurting. Then when you’re asleep, you finally weep and whimper like a dog.

13. Don’t make the same mistake I did and try to run when you can’t even walk. When you’re tired, get some rest. When you’re sad, go ahead and cry. It’s okay to take a break. Then one day, there will surely come a day when you’ll be able to run again.

14. I think that’s why we’re meant to be. You’re patient and I’m volatile. Like a bomb and a safety pin. We go hand in hand. We’re meant to be together.

15. I don’t want to look normal, because it’s normal.

16. If you want to make the people around you happy, you must find your own happiness first. Being selfish isn’t always a bad thing. Try to only think about your happiness when things are too stressful. It’s okay to do that.

17. When you can’t control yourself, count to three.


18. A promise isn’t something you can take lightly. You need to keep your promise. That’s the only right thing to do.

19. Don’t let the past trap you. You can’t get out once you’re trapped in the past.

20. Don’t be stubborn when things don’t work. You need to learn to try other methods.

21. A kiss is better than a fight.


22. A happy ending is what matters most.


Read: My Korean Drama Series List

Oslo is the capital and the most populous city in Norway. This city is one of the most expensive cities in the world and I agree with that because everything is expensive. I’m sure other tourists who have visited Norway, would also agree. Although it is expensive, our Scandinavian trip is not complete without visiting Oslo.


Every time we visit my mom, we always have a layover in Oslo Gardermoen but since we only have few hours layover, we never tried exploring the city so I was happy that I finally, ticked it off on my bucket list. After two plane rides, we arrived at Oslo Airport but we immediately traveled by train to Elverum. We stayed in Elverum for few days and we went back to the capital city for our Cruise to Copenhagen. After 9 days of exploring Copenhagen and Stockholm, we’re finally back to Oslo, Norway. Whew!

Read: Glimpse of Oslo Gardermoen Aiport
Oslo Airport to Elverum Train Station
Day Trip in Elverum Norway
Qatar Airway Flight Experience
Biyaheng Europe: Manila Philippines to Elverum Norway


Six hours of train ride from Stockholm Central Station to Oslo Central Station and from there we took a taxi to Cochs Pensjonat. This guesthouse was our home for 4 days and 3 nights, if I will convert the rate to Philippine peso, the rate is already expensive because this is only a guesthouse and with its price, I can already stay in a luxury hotel in Asia. But like I said, the Nordic trip is not cheap so I consider this a budget-friendly accommodation already. We also booked a hotel for our last night in Norway so I can tell the price difference. We stayed in Radisson Blu Oslo Airport before our flight back to the Philippines

Read: Traveling from Stockholm Central Station to Oslo Central Station
Radisson Blu Oslo Airport Hotel Review


Anyway, I like Cochs Pensjonat because of the strategic location, it is near the tourist spots, supermarket, convenience store, restaurant, subway, and train station. We have our own kitchenette and mini-fridge in our room so we can store and cook our own meals. It is a big saving in our pocket.

Read: Cochs Pensjonat Review


After our checked-in, we rushed to the supermarket because we need to buy food and drinks for the next 3 days of stay. The supermarket will be closed during the Holy Week so we need to buy everything that we need. My husband bought some chocolates too, sayang lang because there was no sale. And because we have a fridge in the hotel, we bought ice cream, “Royal” is my favorite brand of ice cream in Norway.

Read: Ice Cream in Norway 



And just like our Day 1 in Stockholm, we did not visit any tourist spot, we just took a rest. We need to recharge because for the next few days, we will just do our own Oslo Walking Tour.

We are a group of 3 adults and 1 kid so for our Scandinavian trip, I planned to book our accommodation in Airbnb but when I started to search, I had a difficult time because most of the available rooms are already outside of the city. While planning for our trip, my mom messaged me that she already booked our stay in Cochs Pensjonat so this gave me an idea to look for a hostel, 2-3 stars hotel or guesthouse instead.


So we stayed in Urban House Copenhagen by Meininger in Denmark, Hotel Generator Stockholm in Sweden, and for the last leg of our trip, Cochs Pensjonat in Norway. This guesthouse is located in an old, historic building which is walking distance to Royal Palace. They started operating since 1927 so the place looks old but still charming.


The Cochs Pensjonat is located in the heart of the city, it is 45 minutes drive from the Oslo Airport, 20 minutes walk from the city center, walking distance to subway station and less than 2km away from Oslo Central Station. We traveled via SJ Train from Stockholm Central Station and we arrived in Oslo Central Station after 6 hours.

Read: Traveling to Oslo Central Station from Stockholm Central Station via SJ Train

The cozy guesthouse is 1.7km away from the central train station so we took a taxi from there up to the hotel and if I remember it right, the taxi fare is more or less NOK400 and we find it expensive for a few minutes ride but we had no choice. We also took a taxi on our way back to Oslo Central Station but we only paid less than NOK200. Same lang naman na wala traffic, pinaikot-ikot yata kami ng una namin nasakyan.


Anyway, we arrived at Cochs Pensjonat and you need to take a lift to reach the reception area. They asked for our passport and we paid the full reservation which is NOK4080 for 3 3-night stay, we used our Philippines credit card and the posted bill was PHP25,307.70. The rate is more expensive compared to our Copenhagen and Stockholm accommodation.


They offer different types of rooms that can accommodate single, couple, family, or group travelers. They have a Quadruple Room which is perfect for our group, the room looks simple and is only 20square meters. The room is tidy and housekeeping cleans it every day. We have 4 single beds, mini table and chairs, TV, mini-fridge, cabinet, bathroom, kitchenette, and kitchenware. Yey! This time we can cook our own food inside our room but there is only an exception, no frying.






After several minutes, we went to the grocery so we can buy foods and drinks that are enough for our 3 days stay. Since our stay fell on Holy Week, the supermarket will be closed for a few days. The REMA 1000 is only 50 meters away from the guesthouse. There are also bars, restaurants, and convenience stores within the area so food is not a problem as long as you have a budget.

As I mentioned before, Cochs Pensjonat is located in the heart of the city so we saved money on transportation, we just walk, walk, and walk. It is tiring but thankful that we had good weather during our stay. It is just a few minutes walk to the Royal Palace so we always pass this mansion every day. If ever we will go back to Oslo, we will still consider Cochs Pensjonat for our accommodation.

Read: Radisson Blu Airport Hotel Oslo

Day 1 is Oslo Norway

I know I am not yet finished with my Stockholm, Sweden series but let me skip it for now since I have no idea about the situation in Sweden. But in Norway, it seems that life is back to normal because I’ve seen relatives who are on the road traveling within Norway. How I wish we could do that here in the Philippines.

But it looks like it won’t happen anytime soon so let me reminisce about our trip to Oslo Norway, let me start with our train ride from Stockholm to Oslo via SJ train. If Copenhagen to Stockholm has 5 train schedules, for Stockholm to Oslo, we were down to two schedules only which is 9:10 and 15:08, we chose the earliest schedule since we don’t want to arrive in the evening. Travel time is 5 hours and 59 minutes.

There are different types of tickets, you can choose first class or second class, then non-bookable, rebookable, and refundable. For our Copenhagen to Stockholm, my mom chose the refundable ticket but when my mom received the confirmation and read the fine prints, she agreed with me to buy the non-rebookable ticket for our train trip. Hehehe!

SEK 1850 - Non-rebookable
SEK 2147 - Rebookable
SEK 2429 - Refundable

Total is SEK1850 for 3 adults and 1 child, I was so surprised when I saw the breakdown of the ticket because we only paid SEK5 for my son which is only PHP27.80 (current exchange rate). This is one of the perks of traveling with a family, they give discounts. Imagine, nakabiyahe anak ko from Sweden to Norway for less than PHP30.

SEK 615 - Adult
SEK 5 - Child

Since we had an early trip, we checked out before 6AM, from Generator Stockholm we just walked up to Stockholm Central train station. To save money, we did not take a taxi since we’ve been walking from the hostel to the train station for the past few days so even with our luggage, it won’t be difficult.

Read: Where to Stay in Stockholm: Generator Stockholm 


When we arrived at the train station, we immediately checked our boarding gate then we had our usual breakfast at McDonalds. We took our time eating breakfast because we had nothing to do at the train station. While waiting, my husband bought some chocolates at the convenience store, just beside our boarding gate. We survived Stockholm Sweden without cash, we only use our credit card for everything, even for comfort rooms which SEK10.


The train arrived on time, we had comfortable seats and free wifi. I did not bother to take photos or videos because this was my view. Toinks!


We had lunch at the Bistro, my husband just bought bread and Swedish Meatballs. The total bill is SEK158 without drinks.


 After 6 hours of train ride, we were back in Oslo, Norway. We stayed at Cochs Pensjonat for 4 days and 3 nights. After our Scandinavian tour, my husband went back to the Philippines while my son and I stayed at my mom’s place.


Read: Traveling from Copenhagen Denmark to Stockholm Sweden via SJ Train 
Traveling in Scandinavia via SJ Train 
Traveling Around Norway via NSB Train 
Where to Stay in Oslo: Cochs Pensjonat

We have a waffle maker at home but I stopped using it because I was having a hard time cleaning it. It is supposed to be a non-stick waffle maker but I don’t know bakit lagi may dumidikit and ang hirap alisin after ko gamitin. I checked this old blog post, and I can’t remember if this was also the last time that I cooked waffle, almost 8 years ago na pala and I’m not sure if my old waffle maker is still okay.


Moving on, my husband bought a new waffle maker last February but it was only this month that I was able to use it. I’ve been cooking a lot of pancakes and French Toasts during this community quarantine so for a change, nagwaffle naman ako. This time, I only use the Pancake Instant Mix for my waffle.


I love my new waffle maker, it is so easy to use and so easy to clean. And because of that, naubos ko ang 4 packs ng hotcake instant mix namin. My son loves eating it with Nutella.



Next time, I will try to cook waffles from scratch, baka mas okay ang texture. I’m missing the waffle that we usually eat in Norway. Parang gusto ko ulit ng bagong waffle maker, na ganito shapes. Hehehe!


Updated: October 2020: Waffle with Whipped Cream



I was planning to make crepe last month so I told my husband to buy whipped cream. Fortunately, he found a whipped cream at the grocery. We don't normally buy whipped cream but after trying this, I guess, mapapabili na ko lagi. I forgot to make crepe but I used it for our waffle. Mas masarap and waffle + Nutella + whipped cream. Elle & Vire is a French brand pala and according to my research, they are number 1 in the cream market and number 2 in the butter market. I just can't remember the price, I will update this post kapag bumili na kami ulit.

July 31, 2012

Waffle 

No classes for two consecutive days and I feel like a student again because I’m also happy. Class suspension means I have more time to do my chores and blog hopping but my son wasn’t happy because he loves to go to school even on the weekend. Every morning when I say “it’s time to take a bath”, my son will shout “Yehey! School time!” well, I do hope that he will be like this till college time.

Anyway, while doing my chores, I saw our waffle maker and I know that it’s been years since the last time I made a waffle so I cleaned the waffle maker and checked the internet for an easy waffle recipe. We made this for our merienda, I ate 2 pieces and my son ate 4 pieces. Next time I will add cheese or sausage.

My husband went to Landers last month and he bought a lot of instant cake mixes. I asked him to buy our favorite brownies mix but it was not available so he bought Betty Crocker cake mix instead. We already tried and tasted this brand for the past few years so it became a staple in our pantry. I’ve already blogged about their products before.

Super Cake Yellow Mix 
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix 
Super Cake Lemon Mix 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix  
Oatmeal Cookie Mix 

Among these products, our favorite is the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Anyway, last weekend I baked the Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix and it turned out okay, not super moist but not dry. You can eat it without frosting but if you want to make it special, you can add frosting like Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. I still have 2 boxes of cake mix and 1 pouch of cookie mix that I will try in the next few weeks. 


Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix Recipe 

1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

1. Heat oven to 350F for shiny metal or glass pan. 325F for dark or nonstick pan. Grease bottom and sides of the pans.
2. Mix cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed or beat vigorously by hand 2 minutes. Pour into pan.
3. Bake as directed or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before frosting.


Pan Size and Baking Time 

13”x9” - 30 to 35 minutes
8” Round (2) - 30 to 35 minutes
9” Round (2) - 25 to 30 minutes
Bundt - 40-45 minutes
Cupcakes - 14-19 minutes

One hundred twenty-three days since community quarantine started and I’m patiently waiting for the day that we are free to go out again without hesitation and fear. Staying in the house for more than four months is no joke, the only time I went out is when I went to the dentist and law office. It was only few hours but when I got home, I worried about the virus. I feel safe when I’m at home so I’m a little bit paranoid when I went out.

During those four months, there are so many special occasions that had passed like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, my husband’s birthday, and my son’s recognition day. We usually celebrate these occasions by traveling, staycationing, or eating out but because of the pandemic, we have no choice but to stay indoors.

I can’t even buy gifts for my two boys because I can’t go out and online shopping is not an option because I am not sure about the delivery. Good thing that our love language is not “receiving gifts” so we are perfectly okay without gifts. My husband bought cakes during those moments and I’ve made digital cards and video as my gift. Hehehe!

Community quarantine is not a hindrance, you can still make someone feel special during their birthday, anniversaries, or any other special events. If you can’t go out, you can shop online, there are so many stuff that you can buy online depending on your budget. If you have a limited budget, you can purchase digital cards that you can download. You can send the digital cards via email or social media or you can print these cards and mail it. These cards are available in my shop.

Happy Quarantine Birthday! 



Wishing you a Happy Quarantine Birthday from a distance 



Sending you a virus-free card on your special day! Happy Birthday 



Happy Birthday! Wish I could be with you 



We might be apart today but you are always in my heart.



Buy these cards here.

Last week, I planned to use my Cricut Maker and make some projects but after setting it up and trying it, I realized that I need more time to learn how to use it. I stopped my Cricut project and out of the blue, I decided to push my plan.

I’ve been meaning to have my online shop where I can place my printables and social media graphics but as usual, I always feel that it’s not the right time and I’m not yet ready. But I took my courage pill and start registering my shop on Etsy.

Since I’m not yet ready, it took me several days to figure it out. I won’t deny that last week I feel so stressed because I did not expect that there are so many things to do especially listing the products. So far, I only have few products, you can buy instant download digital cards, tags, and stickers. You can visit my shop here






I only have 1 sale after one week. I know that I still have a long way to go. But despite that there is only ONE SALE, I still feel happy because
Finally, I DID IT.
I started even I feel that I’m not ready
I started even I feel scared.

F.E. Marie said, “Even when you fall, even when nothing goes as you expected, even then, be proud of yourself. You tried, and there is nothing more courageous than trying.” 



If you are like me who are feeling scared, I’m sharing these motivational quotes so you too can conquer your fear

“I always did something, I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow - Marissa Mayer” 

“If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, then you’ve launched it too late” - Reid Hoffman 

“Do the best you can until you know better, then when you know better do better” - Maya Angelou

“Stop letting your potential go to waste because you don’t feel confident or ready enough. People with half of your talents are making serious waves while you’re still waiting to feel ready” 

P.S. If you want to start an Etsy shop, I have a referral link so you can get FREE 40 listings. If you are an on Etsy too, care to share some advice. :)

The first half of the year is gone and we’re now in the second half of the year 2020. Six months had passed, and those months are so challenging, overwhelming, and heartbreaking. Today is Day 110 since community quarantine has started and a lot of things happened even I’m just inside our home.

I was reading my Day 32 of Community Quarantine post and I shared that despite what happened in the past 3 months, I still try to be positive. In spite of the community quarantine and being stuck at home, I still feel okay. Then 4 days after I posted that, life hits me hard, my sister passed away and my world turned upside down. 


I wanted to scream “Noooo, this could not be happening to me”. At that moment, I don’t know what to feel anymore, my heart was really shattered into tiny pieces and I don’t know how to be whole again. There are days that I feel that I am just existing but not living. I kept on telling my heart to beat again. It is a long process to get back up and it took me a while to go back to my usual routine.

I am a planner so I always have a short-term or long-term plan but after what happened these past several months. I’ve learned to let go of my 2020 plans, I try not to worry about the future and I take one day at a time. I may not understand what is happening to my life right now, but I still have faith that someday, I will know the purpose and reason.

"Take one day at a time. Today, after all, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday" - Billy Graham

I’m meditating on this song Blessing by Laura Story “Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops. What if Your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near. What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise”


Though there are sad times, I cannot deny that God is still faithful and I am thankful for all the blessings.

1. When my sister passed away, I was helping her family in processing the death claims. It is hard to process because I can only call or email and I cannot travel. I’m really grateful to people who helped us and my sister’s family in getting some requirements and documents. We are just starting to process kasi kailan lang naman nag-open ang mga offices.I just hope na mawala na ang Covid19 and magkaroon na ng public transportation so it would be easy for us to process.

2. I’m grateful because my husband has still work, hindi siya nasama sa 2% na nalayoff sa company nila. I’m glad that he is still working from home, no need to go to the office, and no business trip.

3. I am thankful that after 109 days of being stuck at home, I was able to go out. Last week, I got my quarantine pass and my dentist messaged me that they are already open. I immediately booked an appointment because it’s been 3 months since my last brace adjustment. That was my quick visit to the outside world.

4. I'm happy because my son is “Gold Eagle Awardee” again. Ang sad part lang, wala kami Recognition Day kahit online so I’m praying na sana next year back to normal na. Nakakasad yung Online Graduation.

5. After 3 months of waiting, I finally received my Living Cash Benefits, naabutan kasi ng lockdown yung check. I’m happy because I am still alive and I can enjoy the benefits of the memorial plan that I purchased 15 years ago.

6. Lastly, even though I’m stuck at home, I’m still happy because I have freelance jobs from time to time. It keeps me productive during this pandemic time. I need to be busy para hindi ako malungkot.

I wanted to end this post with this quote “Be strong now because things will get better. It might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever”