July 08, 2021

Our Bittersweet Staycation at Sheraton Manila Bay

This blog post has been in my draft for more than a year already but I can’t find the strength to finish this post because this brings so many sad memories. But since I was feeling emotional the past few days because another family member passed away, itodo ko na ang pagiging sentimental ko. 

Suddenly, my heart started to feel the pain of losing someone and it is just so sad whenever I look back and realize how much everything has changed even just a year ago. The number of people that have entered, left, and stayed in my life. 


Our staycation at Sheraton Manila Bay will always remind me that it was the last day that we are almost complete as a family. The last time that my late father, brother, late sister, and I were together. And that moment is now a memory, no photo or video that I can look back to.  

Last year, my siblings and I decided to visit my sick father in Manila so my husband and I decided to book a hotel near my Father’s place so it won’t be hard for me to commute since I live in the province. We chose Sheraton Manila Bay because it is near Robinson’s Place and LRT station where I could meet my brother and sister na magcommute din since wala parking space sa pupuntahan namin. 

Sheraton Manila Bay 

We left the house after breakfast because we’re going to drop by at H.I.S. Travel Agency for our Japan Visa Application but unfortunately, the office was still closed (extended holiday) so we went straight to Sheraton Manila Bay. We know that check-in time is 3PM pero nagcheck-in pa rin kami just in case may available room na. While waiting, they gave us welcome drinks. 




After several minutes of waiting, they gave us our room key. Yehey! Early check-in before 11AM, they upgraded our Deluxe Guest Room to Executive, Larger Guest Room, and even allowed late check-out until 2PM. They also provided additional two feather pillows. 


Executive Larger Guest Room 

The room is 40sqm so it is a little bit smaller compared to our room in Sheraton Manila but this room has its own charm. You have a comfortable king-sized bed, spacious bathroom, office table, mini-refrigerator, and minibar. The room has floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline views of Manila.






The marbled bathroom has a separate bathtub and shower area and in addition, may television pa sa bathroom. 



Sheraton Manila Bay has few dining options, you can eat or drink at Pacific Lounge, Sunset Lounge Bar, Lobby Lounge, Adriatico Square, or order from their 24-Hour Room Dining Service. We did not bother to check their menu because we want to save money so we went to Robinson’s Place for our lunch and dinner. You can read my food review at Curry House Coco Ichibanya and Texas Roadhouse below.



I bought some pastries from Kumori so we have something to eat. Little did I know na may mga freebies pala. Before lunch and dinner, we received some complimentary fruits and sweets. Ang saya, ang daming freebies. 



Buffet Breakfast at Pacific Lounge 

Our room package includes complimentary breakfast at Pacific Lounge which is located on the 21st floor. It offers a panoramic 360 degrees view of Manila Bay and city skyline. We’re a little bit late for breakfast so occupied na yung may view but it is totally okay kasi malapit naman table namin sa buffet spread. Since late check-out namin, nagbrunch na kami. Hehehe! 


The buffet spread has different stations too for the soup, omelet, cereals, salad, juice, noodle, bread, pastries, cold cuts, cheese, hot meals, fruits, and many more. As usual, we were all satisfied with our meal. 




Before we went back to our room, we visited the alfresco garden and gazebo of Sheraton Manila Bay.


Of course, we won’t leave Sheraton Manila Bay without trying the swimming pool. It is not that big, good thing hindi rin marami tao so hindi naman ganun kacrowded ang pool. 


We checked out before 2PM since mahaba-haba pa biyahe namin pauwi. That was our bittersweet staycation at Sheraton Manila Bay. Sad because I remembered the last moment when my father and sister were still alive and happy because we had no idea that it would be our last travel vacation in the year 2020 because of COVID19. So kahit medyo mahal sa Sheraton, sulit na rin ang staycation experience namin kasi good for one year na pala. 


 

Sheraton Manila Bay
M.Adriatico corner General Malvar Street N.
Malate, Manila, 1004, Philippines
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July 06, 2021

Cheese Egg Sandwich

If we are traveling and we want to save time, we don’t usually eat at home. Depending on our destination, we just eat at the airport, stop over or we’ll order food for take out. One of our go-to restaurants is McDonald's and my usual order is Cheesy Eggdesal with Ham. From time to time, I recreate this sandwich at home. 

There are several videos on How to Make Grilled Cheese Egg Sandwich but I prefer cooking the egg and toasting bread separately. I just feel that one egg per sandwich is too much if I need to make several sandwiches. My version of Cheese Egg Sandwich is… 

1. Cooked the scrambled egg and slice. 
2. Spread butter on sliced bread. 
3. Place egg and cheese on top of the sliced bread. 
4. Cover with another sliced bread and toast for few minutes or until the cheese melts. 



You can also grill them on the same pan where you cook the scrambled egg pero dahil late magising mag-ama ko, I prepare these sandwiches in advance and we will just toast it in the oven toaster before breakfast. I don’t have ham so Cheese Egg Sandwich lang. Hehehe! 

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July 05, 2021

Doctor X: Japanese Medical Drama

It’s been a decade already since I started watching Korean drama series and as of this writing I already watched 115 series. This does not include the series that I have stopped watching because I lost interest. These past few weeks, I have started few series but after watching few episodes, I can’t push myself to continue. 



So when my husband and son started watching Doctor X, I stopped watching Korean drama and shifted my interest to Japanese series. We seldom watched series together because we have different preferences and the last series that we binged watched is Dr. John. But we all liked Doctor X and we finished the 6 seasons in two weeks. 

Read: Doctor John 

Doctor X is the first-ever Japanese series that I watched and I have no idea that I will love the series. It is a Japanese Medical Drama starring Ryko Yonekura, an exceptional freelance surgeon whose hobby is surgery. She only works until 5PM and doesn’t accept any tasks that don’t require a medical license and most of all she doesn’t care about career, status, or politics. 

As you watched the series, you may feel that the flow of the story is the same but despite the repetitive pattern we still continue to watch the six seasons because it is not stressful to watch. I also like the lead actress here, she is indeed perfect for the role. The first season was premiered in October 2012 and imagine after so many years, Ryko Yonekura still looks young. 

The series is quite relatable because I have family members who passed away because of chronic illnesses and I have family members who are still battling with cancers. How I wish there is a doctor like Doctor X in real life who is willing do to non-operable, high risk, or impossible surgeries that other surgeons do not want to do. A doctor who never gives up on her patient, who never abandons the patient even the surgery seems impossible, and willing to risks her job just to save the patient. Even Stage IV cancer is not a death sentence because she can operate and cure it. 

The first impression on Michiko Daimon is she doesn’t care at all but the truth is, she cares a lot for her patient. Doctor X's trademark line is “I never fail” because she believes that there is no second chance for the patient if you commit mistakes. The doctor may learn from the mistakes but the patient may suffer or lose life because of that mistake. 

I also like how manager aka “melon man” Akira Kanbara and anesthesiologist Hiromi Jonuchi support Michiko Daimon. And how other doctors started to believe in her extraordinary skills and later on supported her too. This medical drama is more on comedy but there are also touching episodes here such as 

* When Michiko Daimon started to ask where her money goes 
* When Akira Kanbara, Hiromi Jonuchi and Michiko Daimon got sick. 

Doctor X Quotable Lines 

Itashimasen “I won’t do it” 

Watashi shippai shinai no de! “I never fail”


"Change and challenge"


“A surgeon’s competency is determined by basic training. The passion for learning how to operate is watching skilled surgeons at work. Like a river flowing constantly, repeat the basic techniques to create a clean final operative field. That’s the ideal operation."


“No matter how tough the surgery, never abandon the patient”


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July 02, 2021

Add Mo Ko As Friend: Your Link to Real Relationships Book

We live in a digital age and there are so many available networking sites out there. I have different social media accounts that I use for personal or business but I don’t introduce social media to my son. I try to delay it so he won’t waste his time on them. But last year when he started his online class I have no choice but to create his own Facebook account so he can join his school’s Facebook page and classroom group chat. 

So far my son is not into social media and when I checked his Facebook account, 14 friends pa lang, more on family lang. Since last year, he did not post anything pa. Now that he is on summer vacation, hindi ko na rin nakikita na online siya sa FB. I don’t know until when na hindi siya maFacebook but I hope he will use social networking sites in a good way. 


Last month, I bought this book “Add Mo Ko As Fried: Your Link to Real Relationships” by Marlene Legaspi-Mumar during OMF Mid Year Sale. This book will teach you how to use SNS, how to be a good offline and online friend, how to understand introvert and extrovert people, and more. 

The book is easy to read and you can finish it in one sitting so it is still a good buy even for those who are not "book lovers" like my son. My son is not really into reading books but I still pressure him to read books para hindi siya puro Netflix or Nintendo Switch na lang. We already finished reading this and sharing some quotes that I like from the book. 

A friend is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be anywhere else.


A friend loves you all the time.


Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. - Steve Klaka


If a man does not make new acquaintances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. - Samuel Johnson


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June 30, 2021

Scrambled Eggs

Egg is a staple food in our house because we use it for cooking and baking. There are tons of egg recipes that you can find online that you can serve for breakfast, lunch, snacks, or dinner. It is so easy to prepare and cook. And if you are starting to learn how to cook, you can start with eggs. 


In our house, I usually prepare scrambled eggs and of course, there are so many ways on how to cook scrambled eggs but what I usually do is I don’t beat the eggs. I just crack it, season with garlic salt and parsley (you can add pepper if you want). Pour in the hot pan with cooking oil or butter and stir for few minutes. 



You can add other ingredients, usually, if we have leftover luncheon meat, hotdog, sausage, bacon, ham, cold cuts, or other meat, I include this in my scrambled egg. Of course, if we have leftover rice I also add it, parang Yang Chow Fried Rice. Kanin pa lang ulam na. :)
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June 29, 2021

Jim’s Recipe Jiggly and Fluffy Sponge Cake

I am cleaning my phone gallery and I found these Jim’s Recipe’s photos, it was my husband’s pasalubong two months ago. When I opened the box, the bread looks familiar so I made some research, and true enough, this is the popular jiggly and fluffy sponge bread that I have seen before. I have no idea that this is already available in the Philippines. 

Jim’s Recipe is a bakery in Malaysia, they offer quality sponge cake and pastries which attract attention and now they have over 50 stores worldwide such as Singapore, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and many more. The sponge cake contains simple ingredients like eggs, milk, sugar, cheese, and dairy but it tastes and smells good. I also like their cute packaging. 


My husband bought Cheese Sponge Cake for PHP250 but it is also available in other flavors like Original PHP180 and Chocolate Sponge Cake PHP250. You need to consume the bread within 3 days but it is not a problem because we finished the bread within 24 hours. This bread is not overly sweet so it is a perfect match with coffee or hot chocolate.


Update: July 2021

Last week, my husband went to DHL at Festival Mall and because of that, he bought Cheese Sponge Cake and Chocolate Sponge Cake. And between the two, we prefer the chocolate flavor with nuts. 


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June 22, 2021

A Breath of Fresh Air at Gina’s Garden and Farm

As the famous quote says “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”. I’ve read this quote several times already but I appreciated it more especially during this global pandemic. Since I am confined inside our home, sometimes I feel that time is just passing and I’m not living the way I’m supposed to. I really miss the old times when you could live your life and where you can travel without limits and boundaries. 

Nowadays, you cannot just book and go because there are so many things to consider and it is kinda stressful even if I wanted to travel, nawawalan na ko ng gana especially when we experienced a canceled booking. Sayang ang non-refundable reservation. Moving on, just this month, my husband wanted to travel on his birthday, I suggested a farm in Laguna but there was no overnight trip. Fortunately, he found Gina’s Garden and Farm.

There was no available room on his birthday so extended birthday celebration na lang. He booked the Orchid Room for PHP6,000 and paid the 50% downpayment. You can book via AirBnb or Facebook page. The owner sent us a list of information about what to expect, what to bring, and Guest Certification that we need to present at the checkpoint (2 checkpoints). 


Fast forward to our trip, we left the house around 7AM, fetched our in-laws, and off we went to Gina’s Garden and Farm which is located in Real, Quezon. Travel time is 3 to 4 hours and we traveled via Marcos Highway and it was our first road trip there so we’re kinda surprised. I’ve been to Baguio and Sagada pero feeling ko mas maganda ang scenery dito. My brother-in-law said, parang broccoli ang mga puno. Hehehe! 

After we passed the two checkpoints, we started looking for a restaurant because there is no restaurant at the AirBnb. We had early lunch at Riders’ Rest Stop and after eating we immediately went to Gina’s Garden. Check-in time is 2PM but we’re lucky because our room is already available so we were able to check-in at 12NN. 


Gina’s Garden and Farm Orchid Room 


Here is the Orchid Room, we love our room because we have 180 degrees mountain view, a private bathroom, kitchen, inflatable pool, one double bed, and one bunk bed which is more than enough for 5 persons. 





For the kitchen, there are gas stove, cookware, and utensils that you can use but we brought our own. Since there is no fridge, we did not bring a lot of food and I made sure that our food are easy to cook and prepare. If you don’t want to cook, you can buy food at the restaurants which are just several minutes away or you can also order food for delivery at Hungry Tummy. There is a menu and contact number at the farm. 


After several minutes, the owner tour us around the garden and informed us on what to do and where to go. We are aware that there are assigned areas for each guest but we have no idea na you have to reserve din pala so we settled na lang kung ano available but you are free to visit those areas if it is available, alis ka na lang kapag dumating na yung nakareserve. #socialdistancing




There are children's books, board games, archery, and dart equipment that you can use for free. I’ve seen some games inside our room too like Jenga at cards. You can have a bonfire or watch a movie too.


Pinlac Falls 


Pinlac Falls is one of the falls that you can visit which is located in Infanta, Quezon. It is more or less 15 minutes away from the AirBnB and going there is not difficult. PHP30 is the entrance fee. What nice about these falls, there is no long walking or trekking from the parking lot. 


We plan to take a dip at the inflatable pool after our waterfalls trip but we’re shocked when we opened the cover na wala pala tubig yung pool. Toinks. We saw the staff drained the water and we thought, lalagyan na rin nila ulit pero hindi pala. So make sure to check the pool kung may water kasi ang tagal din magpuno e. 

Dinner Time 

Anyway, we just prepared for the next meal, for dinner we’re going to grill. Our mini version of samgyeopsal. The staff prepared our grilling place and we brought our food, cookware, and utensils to the garden. For dinner, we had Meltique beef, mushroom, and salad. 





We planned to have bonfire pero we felt tired na so we canceled it na lang so we can rest early.

Breakfast Time 

For breakfast, we had Vigan Longganisa, fried rice, scrambled egg, bread, and coffee. Actually, we have leftover food pa that we can eat for our lunch but we decided to eat lunch outside na lang so we can pack our things na after breakfast. 

Trekking and Duck Feeding 

At 8:30AM, we started our morning trekking and duck feeding. I thought it is just an easy trek kasi nagpunta nga kami ng falls and  madaling lakaran lang. But I was wrong, yung 15 minutes trekking feels like forever. Useful talaga yung tungkod namin. I was exhausted after the trekking and my legs are in pain for two days. Grabe talaga, ito yung nagagawa ng stuck sa bahay, hindi na ko sanay maglakad at lalo na magtrek. Ako lang naman ang ganito, wala naman problem yung iba ko kasama. Hehehe!



And of course, after our trekking we finally used the inflatable pool, nakakarefresh ang malamig na tubig. Laking tulong sa sakit ng katawan ko. 


We only booked for an overnight trip, mas okay sana kung 3 days and 2 nights but we’re thankful for this trip because, after more than a year of no travel trips, we finally had a chance. It was indeed a breath of fresh air. I consider this a memorable trip because even there is no electricity, no wifi and no mobile signal we had a great time. I love this nature tripping. Sometimes you have to disconnect in order to connect with what truly matters.

"There is no wifi in the forest but you will find a better connection."

Some of the things that you need to consider before booking 

1. The accommodation is powered by a generator from 6PM to 5:30AM. So don’t forget your power bank. 
2. The weather is much colder than Tagaytay which is true kasi wala kami electricity during the day pero hindi kami nainitan. 
3. Water is natural spring water from the mountain. 
4. Cellular or wifi signals are weak. 
5. Bring your own towels and toiletries. 
6. Bring your own drinking water, cooked or uncooked food, and dishwashing soap and sponge. 
7. The place is near the mountain so expect some insects, don’t forget to bring some insect repellent lotion. 

Check-out time is 12NN but we left early so we can eat lunch at KM 90 Eco Park and Restaurant.




Gina’s Garden and Farm 
Km102 New little Baguio,
Sitio Kamagong, Real, Quezon
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June 18, 2021

Quarantined Father’s Day Celebration

We have so many celebrations this month of June, we just celebrated my son’s graduation, and my husband’s birthday, and two days from now we’re going to celebrate Father’s Day. Just like last year, it is another Quarantined Father’s Day Celebration. To be honest, it is totally fine with us or I don’t know if we are already used to celebrating special occasions at home. The key is accepting that this is the new normal.

Like I’ve said before, it is hard to craft if my husband is working from home because he can already see what I’m doing so there is no more surprise. So again, I’m rushing this project while my husband is out but I have to remind myself not to share this blog post on my social media before Sunday so he won’t see it. Hehehe! I’m just sharing this project just in case you are looking for Father’s Day Gift Ideas.

Since I have very limited time, I don’t have the luxury to design from scratch so I used this Father’s Day Greeting Quotes that I downloaded from Creative Fabrica. I love using SVG files because you can do a lot of projects, whether you want to create digital or physical projects. You can make greeting cards, gift tags, stickers, photo overlays, personalized shirts, mugs, or pillowcases. Your imagination is the limit. 


Anyway, after celebrating graduation and birthday, my husband doesn’t want to have a cake so I don’t need to make a cake topper but I created some Father’s Day Sticks that I can use as a cupcake topper or for a charcuterie board. I chose some phrases that I like, changed the color, and uploaded them to Cricut Design Space for “Print and Cut”. I can’t decide yet if I will use a black or white background so I did not put any stick yet. 

Thank You Dad
Best Dad
Happy Father's Day
My Dad, My Hero
Super Dad
I Love My Dad



When I made my Easy Iron On Pillow Cases, I already cut this “Best Dad Ever” HTV but until now I don’t know if I will put it on the shirt, pillowcase, or wood materials. What do you think? 


And of course, using the SVG files I made some greeting cards. Last time, I only designed one card but for a change, I designed two, one for me and one for my son. I used Photoshop to design the card, and downloaded and printed this on specialty cardstock. 


This is my last-minute project. Good thing that I love DIY projects so even though I am stuck at home because of the global pandemic, I can still do some projects for special occasions. In addition, I don’t need to spend a lot of money because I can personalize my own gifts. 

Here is an update on our Quarantined Father’s Day Celebration. Last Mother’s Day, I prepared our own meals but for Father’s Day, I suggested to my husband na mag-order na lang kami. So I sent him the Phoenix Court Set Meals of The Bellevue Manila for PHP2,500. The meal is good for 3 to 4 people but for our family, parang pwede nga for 6 persons. They have different sets and we chose Set 2 which consists of 

Broccoli Millanes 
Pan-Fried Fish with Teriyaki Sauce 
Fried Chicken with Mushroom Gravy 
Pork Stew with Vegetables 
Beef Salpicao 
Yang Chow Fried Rice 


Last Friday, before my husband went home he dropped by at The Bellevue Manila to reserve and buy ensaymada but the guard informed him na call lang daw. So my husband called the hotel to reserve but unfortunately, fully booked na for lunch so we settled for Dinner Bookings. Pwede delivery but we chose pick-up (5PM) since we live outside Metro Manila. 


As I’ve said before, my husband doesn’t like to have a cake for Father’s Day so I suggested Ensaymada, we love the ensaymada of Pastry Corner ever since we tried it during our staycation in The Bellevue Manila several years ago. Effort nga lang bumili kasi kelangan mo sadyain sa hotel and lalo na ngayon, hindi pwede pumasok sa hotel. You need to call to order and pick up or deliver lang. 



It’s been a long since we ate their Ube Ensaymada and Leche Flan Ensaymada PHP95. I only bought 3 pieces of each bread because as far as I can remember, mabilis yung expiration but now, wala nakalagay na expiration date. You can also order Plain Ensaymada, Chocolate Ensaymada or Malolos Ensaymada. Anyway, we are all satisfied with our order, sulit yung bundle meals nila.  
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