January 13, 2015

Staycation:Canyon Cove

I’ve been meaning to visit Canyon Cove but because of the mixed reviews that I’ve read, I was hesitant to reserve a room. Last May, my husband’s team building was in Canyon Cove and he wanted to celebrate his birthday there.

He called the resort to reserve but unfortunately, there’s no more room available so we spent his birthday in Bellevue. We tried reserving after two months but we had the same fate so I celebrated my birthday in Crimson Hotel. By the way, you can also book Canyon Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas with Traveloka.

 Again after two months, my friend messaged me that she saw a promo in Metrodeal, P2999 only for overnight stay in Canyon Cove. I told her that I don’t have MetroDeal account and I can’t use my credit card yet. She said, siya na bahala. 

 Read: My Credit Card was Hacked

My friend bought two vouchers and we decided to use them last November, the problem is I have to reserve the voucher in IndochinaStrings and I’ve read a lot of bad reviews so I was really worried na baka masayang yung bili namin. Checking the calendar, I can’t see any weekend anymore for November and December. 

 Almost everyday ko yata siya check until I saw the available schedule for November 23 so I immediately told my friend about it and nagkasundo na kami na absent anak namin ng November 24. Lol I just followed the process in booking the Metrodeal voucher, I was worried pa nga because I reserved the room November 19, so baka di maprocess but after few hours I received our confirmation. Yehey, this is it! 

After my long introduction, sharing with you our staycation in Canyon Cove. We were there at 12NN so the lobby was crowded so pinatapos namin lahat ng nagcheck-out bago kami pumila. 

We just gave the confirmation letter, MetroDeal voucher, and valid ID, the staff handed me this gadget. Nung napapatagal na, iniisip ko kung gumagana ba talaga yun. Lol But I can’t complain because I’m aware that check-in time is 3PM and our room was ready before 2PM. 

Room and bathroom. 


Tooth care set, cotton buds, and sewing kit are available upon request.

We rested for a while and off we went to the swimming pool at 4PM. 

Then we had dinner at Island Cafe (Max’s Restaurant). Sorry, no food pictures because we’re all hungry. 

The following morning, we had an early walk before breakfast. 


We ate again in Island Cafe for breakfast. If I remember it right, the breakfast meal price is P200-P250. We ordered the corned beef omelet and longganisa. I did not like the longganisa but the corned beef is good. Yun 2 lang kasi available that day so no choice. 


Then we went back to the room to change clothes. My son experienced his first kayak, at first he was enjoying it but after 15 minutes, ayaw na. Napagod sa pagpaddle. Hahaha! Click here for the video


 Nagplay na lang sa sand. 


 After playing in the sand, they spent the rest of our staycation in the swimming pool.

Like 

 1. I like the place. Though you see some traces that the resort was already old, you can still appreciate it because the place is still beautiful. 
2. I like the pool and the beach. I prefer their beach compared to Calatagan and Laiya. 
3. I like the day bed in our room + terrace. 
4. Free wi-fi in the lobby. 

 Dislike 

 1. Safety deposit box is available but not working so I always bring our important stuff with me. 
2. No laundry bag available so make sure you bring your own for wet clothes. 
3. No bathtub in our room. 

 We had a great time in Canyon Cove so for sure we will revisit. 

 Read: 

 Day Trip Experience at Canyon Cove 
How to Book Metrodeal Voucher
Day Trip in Canyon Cove 
Kainan sa Dalampasigan

Posted by 42 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

January 10, 2015

Lunch at Tony Roma's

After our trip to COL Financial, we’re supposed to go to Bierra Paluto to claim my prize but it did not happen so we went straight to BGC to claim our free P1500 Jollibee GC from Brother. When my husband bought my Brother GS2700 sewing machine, the Brother has ongoing promo of free GC for every purchase of sewing machine and embroidery models. You can snail mail the warranty card and receipt or visit Brother head office. We chose the latter. 

We got the GC but the problem is we can’t see Jollibee store so we have no choice but to look for other restaurants. My husband suggested Tony Roma's since we haven’t tried it yet. 


Tony Roma’s is known for legendary ribs so we ordered the “The Roma Feast”, it includes Carolina Honey ribs served with BBQ chicken, grilled sausage, corn on the cob and cole slaw P1695. 

 While waiting, they serve complimentary bread and wipes. 

When our ordered came, I was not amazed with the presentation and looking at the food, it was not appetizing at all. I was praying hard that the taste is good because the price is not cheap. 

Well, it did not disappoint us. The meat was tender and flavorful, I enjoyed the ribs and sausage. I did not eat the chicken at nauumay pa ko sa nakain ko na chicken last Christmas. Hehehe!

It is ideal to be shared by two but we’re already three persons and we were not able to finish our meal considering that we did not order any rice. Though the food and service was good, it is not something that we will visit often because the price is quite steep for my budget. But good thing that they have on going promo that time, 25% off in any Fiesta Platter. P423.75 is still a big discount.

Before we went home, we checked the different store in BGC and I was happy because I saw this Deuter bag. I’ve been searching for backpack since June. I already checked Rustan’s in ATC but their Deuter bag is too small for my son. It was already the last piece so I bought it. Ayaw na din hubarin ng anak ko, lol. Pay na daw agad. 

 Tony Roma’s 
5th Avenue Corner 28th Street
Bonifacio Global City, 
Taguig City 1634 
Posted by 6 comments:
Labels: , ,

January 08, 2015

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

I’m not really fond of eating vegetables, you can say the I’m very picky with food but it doesn’t mean that I don’t eat vegetables. I eat vegetables pero di yata lalagpas ng 20 vegetables ang kinakain ko. Hehehe! 

 Anyway, asparagus is one of my favorite vegetable, expensive nga lang. But whenever I see this in the grocery na less than P100 ang bundle, I will surely buy it. Most of the time I just saute it with butter or olive oil + salt and pepper to taste. 

But for a change, I made Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus last New Year’s Eve. Bacon + Asparagus = yum yum yum. This is one thing that I always look forward if I will eat in Yakimix or Sambokojin.  

 This dish is so easy to make and few ingredients are needed. 

 Asparagus (cleaned and sliced into 3-4 inches) 
Olive oil 
Salt and Black Pepper 
Bacon 

 Preheat oven to 400F 
Drizzle some olive oil in your trimmed asparagus. 

Season with salt and pepper or you can remove salt if your bacon is salty.
I sliced the bacon in half. 
Gather few pieces of asparagus and wrapped it using bacon.  

Bake for 12 minutes or more depending on the thickness of your asparagus.



Posted by 11 comments:
Labels:

January 07, 2015

DIY Pajamas

As promised, I’ll be sharing with you my first-ever sewing project. I have zero knowledge of sewing machines so when I checked my Pinterest sewing board, I was looking for an easy sewing project for beginners like me.

 I saw this “easy sew pj pants” and was glad because there was a pattern already and step by step guide. So I printed the pattern even the blog post. Hehehe! My husband saw me checking the site and he said “pajama agad? Magpillow cover ka muna”.


I did not mind my husband because I don’t like pillow covers. After all, we have enough pillow covers at home and the fabric that I have doesn’t match our bedsheet so sayang lang. I want pajama because I know I can use it. Di rin naman masama mangarap lol. 
Since it was my first time to sew, the fabric that we bought was per kilo not per yard so it is like scrap fabric, P130 per kilo. While sewing, I have the sewing machine manual and the tutorial guide with me. 

 I just followed everything and after so many hours, I was able to finish my first ever pajama. I realized that it is not really easy to sew. It needs a lot of patience because I have to make the pattern, cut the fabric, sew the fabric and make sure that the line is straight.

 Despite the challenges, there was a sense of fulfillment because even though I had no sewing experience at all, I was able to make DIY pajamas. And because of my successful pajamas, I immediately make pajamas for my son. Since I don’t have a pattern, I used his pants and added 1 inch per side for allowance. 

It was another successful project but I had to rest because it took me half the day to finish our matching pajamas. 


As of this writing, I already made 5 pajamas. It is supposed to be 7 but the two pairs don’t fit my son and my husband's waistline. Hanggang legs lang naipapasok. Lol. Nagkamali ko ng pagcut ng fabric. Hehehe!.

I’m aware that the stitches were not perfect but in my son's eyes, it was a perfect pajama and he was really happy because I’ve made pajamas for him. We’re using the pj's and so far di pa naman nagkakalas kalas after labhan.
Posted by 27 comments:
Labels: , , ,

January 06, 2015

Lunch at Sizzlin’ Steak

I loved the long vacation last holiday but one thing I dislike is most of the private and government offices are closed so they required clients/customers to pay their bill on or before December 23 so payment will be posted. 

 I already made my credit card payment before the holiday except for our amortization. As usual, late na naman ang Pag-ibig bill. Good thing we also received text alert so we were able to make payment before due date. We went to Festival Mall just to pay our amortization last Dec. 26, kahit sobrang nakakatamad. 

Since it was lunch time we ate at Sizzlin' Steak. I had my first sizzling experience at Pepper Lunch so I want to try new restaurant. We were the first customers at mga puyat pa siguro mga tao. Hehehe! 

 Upon seated, staff gave us the menu and he informed us about the group meal. So we ordered the Meal for 2 at P499.

 Choose 2 | Beef Pepper Rice, Pork Pepper Rice, Chicken Steak, or Burger Steak Set 

 Choose 2 | Ice cream or soup | Banna Dark Choocolate Ice cream, Blueberry Ice cream, Egg drop soup or Creamy Corn Soup.

 Get 2 Iced Tea. 

We chose Beef Pepper Rice, Pork Pepper Rice, Egg drop soup and Banana Dark Chocolate. 

Just like Pepper Lunch, the food was served in sizzling plate, so you have to flip, turn and mix your own food. The food serving was big enough for me so I shared it with my son. There are available sauces that you can mix with your food but since I’m not fond of sauces, I did not put anything so medyo matabang. Lol. 

The food is good naman, the only thing I dislike is ang tagal niya lumamig. I can’t enjoy my food sa init. So if you are really hungry, I don’t recommend this kasi ang tagal bago makain or it is just me because my husband already finished his meal while we’re just starting to eat. Hehehe!

I was expecting slice of bananas in Banana Dark Chocolate but they put banana chips instead. Anyway, the food was filling enough and the service was good too.
Posted by 2 comments:
Labels: ,

January 05, 2015

The Day I Learned to Sew

I posted three years ago “5 Things You Want to Do Before You Get Old” and learning to sew is one of my list.  I wanted to have sewing skill because it is really hard to look for tailoring shop here in our place especially if my son needs costume for school. There are several shops but not all are willing to accept a rush order.

 Few years ago, I was checking TESDA site to see if they offer sewing class and if they have branch near our place. But I could not find anything or I just don’t know how. Lol 

 Last Christmas, my husband gifted me a Brother GS2700 sewing machine. (P12,995 + P1500 Jollibee Gift Certificate) Whoa! I have zero sewing machine skills and I don’t even know how to put a thread in the needle. As in, I have zero knowledge in operating sewing machine. I wanted to learn how to sew but I was not expecting that I will have sewing machine first without attending any sewing class. We don’t have sewing class in school, all I can remember is we had a sewing project in Home Economics that we need to submit. 
Back to the sewing machine, since I don’t know how to operate it, my husband set it up for me because the staff in Automatic Center had no idea too. He need to try it for warranty. Napaandar naman niya. 

 Brother GS2700 Features: 
• LED Light
• Automatic needle threader
• Automatic one step button hole
• Quick Set bobbin
• Stitch length/width adjustment
• Instructional DVD included 

 Two days after Christmas, 

Hubby: “Hon, gamitin mo naman gift ko” 
Me: Agad-agad, di nga ko marunong 

 Hmmm, sayang naman ang sewing machine and pati frabric meron na rin so after our breakfast, I checked my Pinterest Sewing Board. O di ba, I have sewing board talaga kahit wala ko alam. I looked for easy sewing projects that I could try. I printed a Pajama pattern and connect everything but I have to stop because we’re going to Night Sky Cinema. 

The following day, I started reading the manual so I will have an idea on how to operate the machine. I need to learn how to prepare the bobbin thread, upper threading and the different stitches. I was forced to learn this skill. Lol My first project was DIY pajama and I did it.

 Read: DIY Pajama

 Good thing there was DVD tutorial too so at least I have basic knowledge on how to operate it. There are sample projects in their DVD which is tote bag and drawstring pouch that I can try.
"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try"
I’m happy because I’m learning a new skill and I hope this year 2015 I can enroll myself in sewing class. I need to know the types of fabric, sewing terms, and even the tools that I need. Marami pa ko kakainin na sinulid.
Posted by 30 comments:
Labels: , ,

January 04, 2015

Merienda at Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen

Two weeks ago we were in Solenad, if I remember it right I was looking for an aqua blue shirt for my son for the Olaf Party but couldn’t find anything. It was time for merienda and we saw Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen and decided to try it.

 I was browsing the menu and saw Poutine, I learned Poutine when I watched one Kris TV episode, and because I was curious I ordered it. Additional P35 for the bacon. We asked the staff “what is the best seller in their pizza?” He gave three choices and I just chose the Pizza Bianca. 

While waiting they served complimentary bread + two dips which my son ate immediately. 

The Pizza Bianca at P275 was just ok for us. Cream + Mozzarella + Mushroom + Bacon 

I tried the Poutine and it was good for me. It was a combination of fries + gravy + bacon and cheese. The serving was too big for me so I asked for help for my husband but he didn’t like it. Mas type pa daw niya Mcdo Fries. lol 

A few days after our experience, I saw some pictures on IG of some bloggers and fave nila ang Poutine and Risotto. Well, kanya kanya lang siguro panlasa. The price was reasonable, the service was good and the food satisfied our hungry tummy.

Mama Lou’s Italian Kitchen
Solenad 2, Nuvali
Sta Rosa, Laguna
Posted by 11 comments:
Labels: , , ,

January 03, 2015

Highlights of Year 2014

As always, I’m late again in posting my year-end post because I was so lazy last December 31 and decided to rest in blogging. But it is not too late yet, I really wanted to post my “Highlights of 2014”. 

 It is really nice to reflect on what happened in 365 days. It is one way to see that despite challenges and difficulties in life, God has been good to our family and there are so many things that we should be thankful.

So what happened last 2014 

 January 

 January was a busy month for me because I was preparing for my mom’s arrival. Preparing means looking for a place where we could have a family outing. At the same time, I was finishing our Singapore and Malaysia itinerary. 

 I was also busy school-hopping because we decided to transfer my son to a big school. Choosing school wasn’t easy because I have to consider a lot of things such as tuition, distance, and the environment.  

 February

 February was exciting because we started traveling again. We started our first week of February in Sitio de Amor, we just have a day trip. 

Then the following week, we spent our weekend up North. We went to Zoobic Safari, stayed at Camayan Beach Resort and visited Ocean Adventure. 

 Third week of February was our wedding anniversary celebration. We started our trip in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and moved to Singapore. We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary in Singapore again, the last time we were here was 7 yrs ago. 
March 

 March was my son’s Moving Up and it was his last day to be with his friends, classmates and teachers because we already enrolled him in new a school. After Moving Up, we went straight to Mind Museum. 

 April 

 We had a day trip to Stilts Calatagan together with my friends from school.

I also enrolled my son in Summer Class because learning doesn’t stop during the summer break. 

 We had our Bataan Road Trip too and had day trip in Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.  

May

 I went back to my son’s new school to buy uniform, books and school supplies. May is also Mother’s Day, we just had a simple celebration at D’ Banquet.

 June

 First week of June is my son’s orientation week. Then we had last minute summer vacation in Bellevue in celebration of my husband’s birthday. Started our new journey in his new school. 
July 

 After so many years, we were able to convince my son to go to dentist. We watched Transformers Age of Extinction in SM Aura and my son had his first school activity in school which is Nutrition month.  

 August 

 My husband and son watched “Planes: Fire and Rescue”  as part of the school activity. I celebrated my birthday in Crimson Hotel.  I watched my son's performance in Buwan ng Wika. 
September 

 My son tried the Kumon Free Trial  

 October 

 We had an advance celebration of my son’s 6th birthday at home. The theme this year was Mario. We spent his birthday in their school Field trip at Subic. We revisited Ocean adventure. My son had costume parade in school and we joined World Psoriasis Day. 

 November 

 We revisited Zoobic Safari and stayed in Zoobic Lodge. We had a staycation in Canyon Cove which reminds me that I haven’t shared our experience yet. 


 My son had Speech Contest in school.

 December 

 We’re so busy with our advent calendar activity. We had our first experience at Night Sky Cinema in Nuvali.  

 I hope the year 2015 will be a good year for our family. I always wish for good health. 

Highlights of 2011
Highlights of 2012
Highlights of 2013 
Posted by 13 comments:
Labels: ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Klook.com