Michi Photostory

Read: Taytay Falls in Santa Maria, Laguna  

Moving on, just this month, we had a chance to visit another falls in the Philippines and so far this is the 7th waterfalls that I have visited in the country. We had a quick getaway at Gina’s Garden and Farm in Real Quezon and the owner suggested visiting Pinlac Falls. Actually, there are other falls that you can visit, you can see those falls on your way to Pinlac Falls but we chose Pinlac since this is a tourist spot in Infanta Quezon.

Read: Amazing Waterfalls in the Philippines 

The Falls is more or less 15 minutes drive from Gina’s Garden and Farm and you won’t miss the place because there is a sign of Pinlac Falls where you will turn right. There is a parking lot and I was glad that no longer walking or trekking just to reach the waterfalls. We paid PHP30 for the entrance fee. 

You can bring your own food because there are tables and chairs where you can stay. There is also a sari-sari store where you can buy foods or drinks. Unfortunately, there is no vacant space where I could stay so I just sat near the falls while waiting for my husband, son, and brother-in-law. The owner said na may limit lang daw ng number of guests per day so we’re lucky na nakapasok pa kami. 

The last waterfall that I’ve visited is Gullfoss in Iceland so when I saw Pinlac falls, naliitan ako. But to be honest I still felt happy to see the waterfalls, ito yung isa sa epekto ng pandemic. You will learn to appreciate even the small things. I was so glad because, after more than a year of being stuck at home, we had the privilege to have this nature trip. 

Though we did not stay long, I think 30 minutes lang kami nagstay. Nanginginig na kasi sa lamig mga kasama ko, lumubog din ako for few minutes para naman hindi sayang entrance fee ko. Hehehe! I am not sure if there is a comfort room because I did not bother to check. Since malapit lang naman yung accommodation namin, doon na kami naligo pagbalik. 

I already blogged about my DIY Graduation preparation and for my husband’s birthday, I also designed his birthday card and cake topper. It was a last-minute project because my husband is working from home so I can’t do it, wala ng surprise kapag nakita niya agad. So when he went out, nagmamadali ako gawin, I wanted to improve the face pa sana kaso he messaged me na pauwi na siya so tinapos ko na agad. 

For our food, we just ordered the Mini Celebration Meal P2,088 (Good for 5) at Amici. Last March, I placed my order online but last week, my husband just called to order and he paid on the day that he picked up the food. 

You can save PHP1022 if you order this bundle and this includes the following meals: 

2 Pizzas (Choice of Tutta Carne, Al Quattro Formaggi, Margherita, Ham & Two Cheese or Chicken Pesto) 

1 Grande Pasta (Choice of Carbonara, Prosciutto e Tartufo, Aglio Olio, Garlic Italian Sardine Spaghetti & Pomodoro) 

6 pieces of Pollo Arrostito (Composed of 1 Half Chicken and 1 Quarter Chicken) 

5 Pieces of Italian Bread 

1 Pepsi 1.5L 

1 Pint of Gelato (any flavor) 

We chose Tutta Carne Pizza, Ham & Two Cheese Pizza, Prosciutto e Tartufo Pasta and Coffee Mudslides Gelato. Spaghetti ai Tesori del Mare is our favorite pasta in Amici but it was not available in the choices so I suggested the Carbonara because we already tried it before but my husband chose the Prosciutto e Tartufo for a change. It is a combination of prosciutto, truffle oil, porcini, and shitake mushrooms. The taste is kinda bland for our taste. 

Since we already have a Gusto Privilege Card, my husband ordered additional pizza to take advantage of the card benefits which is Buy 1 Take 1 Pizza. He delivered the pizza to my in-law's place. It was my husband’s birthday, Amici was so generous and gave a complimentary sliced of Caramia Creme Brulee Cake. A classic creamy and baked custard dessert. Four layers of melt-in-your-mouth chiffon cake with a vanilla pastry cream, buttercream filling, and burnt egg custard topping. I liked this cake compared to Caramia Pistaccio Ciocolato. 

We still have leftover graduation cake so my husband bought a small cake for his birthday. He bought Light Double Cheesecake at Kumori PHP570. A creamy combination of white chiffon, cream cheese mousse, topped with Japanese cake crumbs, and white chocolate. It is a simple cake but we liked it.

Read: How to Order Online at Amici and Caramia 

I’ve been looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime event but life circumstances change so I have no other choice but to accept and adjust my life. I cannot just stop my life and wait until this global pandemic ends. So even though this graduation is a little bit different, it is still worth celebrating. I have to remind myself that there are things that I can do even I am stuck at home.

Last year, we don’t have Recognition Day so I’m still thankful for the Virtual Graduation. And I won’t let it pass without celebrating it so last week, I was preoccupied because I made a graduation card, gift tag, banner, cake topper, sticks, and video. 

For the food, I just ordered Paella Valenciana PHP1160, Lengua Sevillana PHP1000 and cold cuts from Alba Restaurante. I prepared my son’s favorite which is charcuterie, he likes the chorizo de bilbao, butifarra, salchichon and pamplona. My husband bought Limoncello Torte Cake PHP1145and Dinner Roll PHP112 from Contis. 

While I was making my son’s graduation video, I can’t help but cry, it is so true that life goes by in the blink of an eye. I suddenly miss my son during his childhood years and I can’t imagine na mukha na palang binata ang anak ko. I didn’t notice the big changes because we are together 24/7 since community quarantine started. All I knew that his voice and height changed pero yung sa face, ang laki na pala ng pagbabago from grade 5 to grade 6 pictures. I’m grateful for the photos that I took because I have memories that I can always look back on. 

I watched the graduation video for the nth time because it is a testament to how my son gets one step closer to his dreams. It seems like yesterday when he graduated from Kindergarten and he told me “No Mommy, I want GOLD eagle”. Since then, I witnessed how my son strives to become better and he keeps on beating his own grade. Little by little he is learning, improving, growing, maturing, and working hard to achieve his goals. 

That is the reason why I chose “The Climb” song for his video to remind him that “It’s not how he started, it’s how he finished”. I am so proud of him not only because he got GOLD Eagle Award but I’m proud of him because he keeps challenging himself. #beyourowncompetition Literal na climb kasi pataas ng pataas ang grade niya. 

I can almost see it 

That dream I'm dreaming 

But, there's a voice inside my head saying 

You'll never reach it 

Every step I'm taking 

Every move I make feels 

Lost with no direction 

My faith is shaking 

There's always gonna be another mountain 

I'm always gonna wanna make it move 

Always gonna be an uphill battle 

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose 

The struggles I'm facing 

The chances I'm taking 

Sometimes might knock me down, but 

No, I'm not breaking 

There's always gonna be another mountain 

I'm always gonna wanna make it move 

Always gonna be an uphill battle 

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose 

Ain't about how fast I get there 

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side 

It's the climb 

Yeah 

There's always gonna be another mountain 

I'm always gonna wanna make it move 

Always gonna be an uphill battle 

Sometimes you're gonna have to lose 

Ain't about how fast I get there 

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side 

It's the climb 

Yeah, yeah 

Whoa 

To my son, Congratulations, and always remember that I am always your number one cheerer and supporter. Do not be afraid to aim higher. We’re all rooting for you so keep going and keep climbing.

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Whenever we stay or eat in a hotel, there is always cheese spread and cold cuts section but I don’t mind the cold cuts because I’m not fond of eating raw foods. Among the hotels that we have visited, Spiral has a room of cold cuts and cheese so it is a feast if you love cold cuts and cheese.

Then three years ago, we revisited Sofitel but we booked a Luxury Club Room for a new experience. During our stay we had access to Club Millesime Lounge, so we have All day complimentary food and beverage and even Cocktail and Scheduled Wine Tasting. The foods and drinks at the lounge are limited pero sayang naman if we will not eat there and we also want to experience the cocktails and wine tasting so yun na pinakadinner namin. And since the buffet spread is limited, we were able to try almost all the foods and that was the time that I finally explored different cold cuts and cheese.

Read: Sofitel Club Millesime 

Fast forward to last year, I made my own charcuterie board for our New Year’s Eve celebration. I bought the board at the department store, cold cuts at Alba’s, cheese and nuts from grocery, and fruits from the wet market. Cold cuts are a convenient food because it is easy to prepare, no need to cut or cook the meat. But as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t like eating raw foods so I toast the meat in the toaster for few minutes and I cooked the chorizo de Bilbao. Then I just put everything on the cheeseboard. 

Mixed Nuts 

Mozzarella Cheese 

Quickmelt Cheese 

Jamon Serrano 

Tocino (Bacon) 

Salchichon 

Pamplona 

Chorizo de Bilbao 

Dinner Roll 

Fruits 

Chips

Among the Alba’s cold cuts, we like salchichon, pamplona, chorizo de bilbao and butifarra. So whenever we visit Alba, we always buy them. We love these mixed nuts too but it is a little bit expensive. Since this is so easy to prepare, I’m sure this will be part of our future celebrations. 

One of the things that I noticed is they love cooking buchimgae or pancake. They have different pancakes like gamjajeon, kimchijeon, hwajeon, jangtteok, bindaetteok, jeon pajeon, hotteok and many more. Korean pancake uses different ingredients that are soaked in batter mixed then fry, it is either sweet or savory. Among their pancakes, hotteok is the only thing that interests me.

A few months ago, I discovered this CJ Beksul Hotcake Mix and I immediately bought it since we love pancakes for breakfast and snacks. I used Google translate to check the recipe at the back of the packaging and I also searched online how to use the CJ Beksul Pancake Mix. If you don’t have a weighing scale, it is better to buy the 500g pack, kaya natagalan ako sa pagluto kasi hinanap ko pa yung weighing scale ko. 

CJ Beksul Hotcake Mix Recipe 

500g of CJ Beksul Hotcake Mix 

2 eggs 

400ml of Milk or 280ml of water 

1. Put 2 eggs in a bowl and whisk it. Pour milk or water then whisk it again. Add the 500g of hotcake mix and stir until there are no lumps in the mixture.

2. Preheat the pan and lightly wipe oil in it.

3. Pour 1 ladle of hotcake mixture into the pan. Cook it in low heat for 1-2 mins then flip it when bubbles form on the surface and cook it again for 1 min. 

4. Serve and eat. 

I added milk instead of water and the batter is a little bit runny so I find it hard to cook a pancake, hindi kasi siya nagiging bilog. If I’m using a different brand, I can cook 3 pancakes at a time using my pan pero dahil runny yung batter, I can only cook one pancake. To make my life easier I just cook waffles. I don’t understand why 400 ml kapag milk at 280 ml kapag water. Next time I will use 280ml of milk instead of 400ml. 

I also bought a CJ Beksul Doughnut Mix but I haven’t tried it yet but I already made a printable recipe card for future use. Feel free to download the recipe card for both pancake and doughnut. 

Check the links where I bought my CJ Beksul Hotcake Mix and Doughnut Mix or care to share kung saan mas mura bumili. :)

Maya Pancake Mix and Bisquick Pancake Mix