Michi Photostory

Since the start of the year, I’ve been doing a lot of projects, I already shared some of my home pandemic projects like making photobooks, photo tiles, and canvas air, organizing my printed photos, and getting rid of my paper clutter. 

Now let me share my DIY vinyl decals for our fridge bottles. For the past few years, I’ve been replacing our water plastic bottles with a glass; we are using IKEA Vardagen Carafe Glass Water Bottle and I planned to buy IKEA Korken Glass Bottle to replace our small plastic bottles. Unfortunately, IKEA Philippines is not yet open and there is a travel ban so we can’t visit IKEA. 

I can’t remember where I bought these small plastic bottles, kung sa baking supply store ba or sa party supply store. All I can remember is, I bought these bottles per pack, 6 pieces in one box, more or less PHP200 per pack. We’ve been using these bottles as water bottles and to store our leftover drinks. 

Water bottles para kung ayaw mo maghugas ng baso at magrefill ng pitcher, you will get the small bottle. If I prepare juice in advance, I will put them in these bottles, one bottle per person. What nice about this, you can bring it in your work station or study table na hindi ka natatakot na baka masangga at matapon kasi may cover siya. Iwas sa alikabok din because you can cover the bottle after you drink. Sometimes we bring them when we have road trip din, we just put them in a cooler. 

As I’ve said before, I also used this to store our leftover drinks para hindi masikip sa fridge. For example, if we open juice, milk, chocolate drinks, or softdrinks, instead of putting the tetra pack or big bottle. we transfer it to small bottles to save space. If ever we have leftover coffee or tea na ayaw na namin inumin, we transfer it to a small bottle before putting it inside the fridge.

I still have 3 plastic bottles left that I haven’t used but I decided not to use them anymore and buy glass bottles instead. Luckily, I discovered these square juice glass bottles when I bought my herbs and spices jars. I was nervous because I will order it online, yung IKEA bottles nga sa hand-carry luggage namin nilagay para iwas basag. But I was glad that all the jars and bottles that I’ve ordered arrived in good condition. 

I already have a Cricut Maker so I made my own vinyl decals, I used frosted white glitter, matte, and glossy black vinyl stickers. I have a lot of fonts but I always end up with Butter and Garlic Font, favorite ko na siya. Hehehe! This was my project last January, hindi ko lang mashare kasi hindi ko naman nakukumpleto yung 12 bottles na may laman, most of the time 5-6 bottles lang nasa fridge namin but for this blog post sake, nilagyan ko lahat sila ng laman. hehehe!

Note: You can also use these bottles to store your herbs, spices, and condiments.

P.S. I have Blue Mason Jars din but it is too bulky so I'm happy that I found these glass bottles. 

When my son was in his toddler years, I always buy books to keep him busy. Suki ako ng Booksale and  nagpamember pa ko sa isang company so I can buy books at a discounted price. But when my son hit grade school years, I gave away his books and even his preschool books. 

But I'm not sure if they are using the books so two years ago, I went to SM department store to donate my son's book in exchange for shopping coupons. I planned to donate my son's book last year but COVID19 happened. 

How about you? Do you have a pile of papers? 

Five years ago, I was able to taste Chorizo Macao of Dayrit’s Burger and Roast Beef House. The taste is okay compared sa mga nakain ko na Chorizo before but my husband and son like this chorizo so I always buy a pack of this whenever we had a chance. This is perfect for breakfast and baon of my son. It is easy to prepare and cook, I just sliced this and fry it for few minutes.  

Then last year, when we visited Alba, we bought different packs of cold cuts for our charcuterie. I’m not really a fan of cold cuts since I don’t like eating raw foods and as I mentioned before, I don’t like chorizo. In my mind, the taste would be the same like the Chorizo Macao that I have tried. But I judge too soon, now, I finally understood that there are different kinds of Chorizo in the world. I may not like the taste of our chorizo but I like this Spanish Chorizo, it changed the way I see chorizo.

This Chorizo de Bilbao of Alba is made of pork, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and oregano. Just like other chorizos, it is so easy to cook. All you need to do is slice and fry in olive oil for 5-6 minutes. You can eat this as is like the "Chorizo Fritos" appetizer or with rice. You can also add this to your soups, pasta, paella, callos, pochero and cocido. 

This homemade Spanish sausage is a little bit pricey, it is PHP1250 per kilo or PHP125 per 100 grams. So the price depends on the weight of the pack, for 4 pieces, usually PHP600+ ang price. Whenever I cooked this, hindi siya tumatagal kasi nga favorite namin mag-ina. If may leftover, I add this to chicken afritada or fried rice. Mas malasa yung rice because of the chorizo oil. But my husband prefers the Chorizo Macao, to each his own. 

1. Slice the Chorizo de Bilbao

2. In medium heat, add 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.

3. Stir fry the Chorizo de Bilbao in 5-6 minutes

4. Serve. 

1. In medium heat, add the leftover Chorizo de Bilbao. 

2. Put the chorizo at the side of the pan.

3. Place the egg (season with salt) and stir until cook.

4. Add the leftover rice, stir the egg, rice, and chorizo.

5. Season with garlic salt and parsley.

6. Serve. 

I’ve mentioned before that my husband was planning for our Anniversary Getaway, he kept on checking different resorts that will allow kids. Then he found a resort in Calatagan, Batangas that accepts kids provided that we have a travel medical certificate issued by a government physician stating that we are not showing any symptoms and are not on the list of the probable suspect and confirmed COVID19 cases + Resident’s ID. My husband research how to avail this, he went to Barangay to get and pay for our RESIDENT CERTIFICATE. He mentioned that we need it to secure a travel medical certificate because it is a requirement sa resort. 

Then he kept on checking the resort if there is an available room and out of excitement he immediately booked a room nung nakita niya na may available na. He paid a 10% downpayment to secure the slot. Then two days before our trip, we went to the health center to get a travel medical certificate, only to find out that they are not giving any travel medical certificates for leisure. I don’t know when they changes this policy kasi ang dami ko na nakita na nakapagbeach and may mga nabigyan dati. I understand naman kung ayaw nila magbigay but I hope sinabi na ito nung kumuha pa lang kami ng Resident Certificate so we were able to plan. 

We’re so disappointed because we’re really looking forward to our beach getaway. Though we have another option which is the swab test but the problem is, the resort does not have its own swab testing, unlike sa resort sa San Juan, Batangas. We have to research pa kung saan kami pwede magpaswab test. And because of this, my husband immediately called the resort to cancel our reservation, kasi kung late na namin icancel, we need to pay full reservation kahit hindi kami makakapunta. 

This happened on the day of our wedding anniversary, nakakastress and nakakalungkot. Well, I have to accept the fact na lang na matatagalan pa bago nakatravel. I’m thankful na 10% percent lang yung non-refundable downpayment, unlike sa iba na 50% or Full Payment na ang bayad. And because of this nag-stress eating na lang kami. We went to Chef RV Manabat Cafe to order hot meals, cakes, and bread for our anniversary celebration.  

But after trying their food last December, I blamed myself for not buying the voucher. Sinayang ko yung chance, ngayon pa na may community quarantine and I’m not sure kung kailan maibabalik ang buffet nila. Huhuhu Just this month, we visited their restaurant during weekends and no buffet offering.

Would you believe that Alba Restaurante Español has been around since 1952? Wow, almost seven decades na but they only have few branches, you can find their restaurant in Bel-Air Makati, Tomas Morato, Estancia Mall, Prism Plaza, and Westgate Center. This restaurant was founded by Señor Anastacio de Alba who came from Avila, Spain. 

Last December, we were planning for our New Year’s potluck and I told my husband na bumili na lang kami. Ayaw ko na magluto, napagod na ko nung Christmas. Hehehe! He wanted lechon and I suggested Alba’s Cochinillo so he called the restaurant but at that time, they are not accepting orders pa. They are not sure and will inform us if they will accept orders. Fortunately, they called and we paid for our reservation. My husband picked up the cochinillo at the restaurant, we did not ask kung may delivery. 

It was our first time buying cochinillo so maliit pala talaga siya. I remember, marami naawa when I posted this on my social media. Life is short for the suckling pig because it is being roasted between the ages of two and six weeks. After I’ve learned this, napaisip ako, next time I will just buy per kilo ng lechon or lechon belly. But the taste of cochinillo is really good, it is crispy, tender, and flavorful. One whole is PHP6000 and it is good for 12 people. 

I went with my husband when we paid for the reservation and while at the restaurant, I saw the different cold cuts and cheese. Wow, this is perfect for our New Year’s Eve because I don’t want to cook, so I bought a few packs for our DIY Charcuterie. I purchased Salchichon, Pamplona, Jamon Serrano, Tocino, Chorizo de Bilbao and Los Molinos Tempranillo (Wine). My charcuterie was a hit so now we know where to buy our cold cuts. 

Chorizo de Bilbao PHP125 per 100 grams 

Pamplona P160 per 100 grams 

Salchichon P160 per 100 grams 

Butifarra PHP110 per 100 grams 

Jamon Serrano PHP330 per 100 grams 

Tocino PHP130 per 100 grams 

My son and I like the Chorizo de Bilbao, I sliced and sauteed this in olive oil. Sometimes, I add this to Chicken Afritada. We liked the Salchichon and Pamplona too, meron na kami instant yummy sandwich, I just need bread, meat, and mozzarella cheese then toast it in the oven toaster. The Jamon Serrano and Tocino are too salty for our taste but we still eat this kasi sayang but I have no plans to repurchase. During our last visit to Alba, I bought a few packs of cold cuts, and this time I added Butifarra, I will just update this post once we tried it. 

We’ve been planning for our wedding anniversary getaway or food trip but I guess it is still impossible for now. The day before Valentine’s day we went to Landers for grocery, this was the third time that I went to the grocery since the community quarantine started. Then after our grocery, my husband and I went to Alba for lunch, instant date na rin for our anniversary. 

We don’t have any reservations but we’re glad that they were able to accommodate us. We’ve seen other tables with “Reserved” signs so mukhang marami na kumakain sa labas. You need to scan the QR code and answer the health declaration form, I was having a hard time doing this because the form is not appearing on my phone after I scanned it. Good thing that my husband has two phones so I used his other phone para makapagscan ako ng QR code.

Upon seated, they gave us the menu, it was so thick that we just scanned it and order the house specialty Paella Valenciana PHP580 and Lengua Sevillana PHP500, the meal is good for 2-3 persons and the cooking time is 30 minutes. While waiting, they served complimentary bread. I really appreciate this kind of gesture because we have something to eat while waiting for our meal. 

They served our meal on time and we were so delighted with our order like I’ve said before I’m not fond of paella but after tasting the Paella Valenciana of Alba, nagbago na pananaw ko sa buhay. Hehehe! I like their paella, it is already a complete meal. I’m planning to buy this again kapag may occasions. I love Lengua and their lengua sevillana did not disappoint me, in fact, favorite ko na agad. 

We tried to finish our food pero hindi kaya so may take-out pa kami sa anak ko. Nagustuhan din niya yung paella and lengua, sorry na lang siya hindi niya natikman yung Tarta de Queso PHP160. Parang nagsisi pa kami na isa lang order namin dessert, bitin sa amin ni hubby kasi nagshare lang kami. Hehehe I’m not sure if they are selling whole cake, I’ll check na lang when we dine in again. 

Lengua Sevillana - Stewed ox-tongue with mushroom & olives in rich sherry brown sauce 

Paella Valenciana - Valenciana rice dish with chicken, pork, seafood & vegetables

Tarta de Queso Alba’s- classic cheesecake 

Ever since I discovered Alba, it became my go-to restaurant if ever we are in the Alabang area because I like the food and service. So last December, after our grocery trip, off we went to Alba, and luckily, there is still an available table for us kasi nakareserved na talaga yung mga tables. It was our first time upstairs and medyo masikip pero okay siya kung irereserve mo lahat ng tables for intimate gathering.

Without checking the menu, I already knew what to order kasi nga favorite namin yung Lengua Sevillana and I am a creature of habit kaya lagi same order ko. Hehehe! So for our family of three, we ordered Lengua Sevillana PHP650, Plain Rice PHP60, and Solomillo a la Pobre PHP700 + Service Charge. 

Solomillo a la Pobre - Classic grilled beef tenderloin with olive oil garlic sauce. 

The Lengua Sevillana is good for sharing but the Solomillo a la Pobre is good for one person lang pero hinati namin sa tatlo so we can all try the steak. hehehe! After trying this one, may bago na ko favorite. Hehehe! At least, nadagdagan na yung options ko. We’re supposed to order Tarta de Queso Alba’s para matikman ng anak ko kaso busog na kami.

In fact, as early as January, I was searching for accommodation and planning for our Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe trip. We were planning to visit a travel expo so we can score a cheap flight to Japan but all plans were canceled and until now, traveling is still unachievable. I don’t know when everything would be back to normal. I don’t know if we can still use this Japan Tourist Visa because, since last year, tourist visas are suspended. 

Whether we can use this or not, I will just post this to remind me na minsan sa aking buhay nagkaroon ako ng Multiple-Entry Visa. Hehehe! Last October 2019, we visited World Travel Expo and we availed the Japan Visa Processing promo for PHP600 from PHP1,200. It was a good deal already compared to our first Japan Tourist Visa application.  

Japan Visa is free but you cannot apply directly to Japan Embassy, so you need to look for a travel agency to process your visa application. The processing fee depends on the agency that you will choose. You can check the list of authorized travel agencies here. For our first application, sinabay kami ni hubby sa pag-apply niya ng Japan Business Visa through their company accredited travel agency. Unfortunately, their agency is not part of the authorized agency of the Japan Embassy so nadoble tuloy bayad namin because we paid 2 travel agencies, more story on this blog. 

Anyway, we realized that it is so easy to apply for Japan Visa as long as you have complete requirements but of course, the visa is still subject to their approval. Here is the list of visa requirements for a Japan Tourist Visa from H.I.S. Travel Agency. They sent the list of requirements and forms that we need (via email). We just printed and filled out the forms. 

Philippine Passport 

Visa Application Form (A4 Size Paper) Download the application here 

2x2 Photo with White Background 

Original PSA Birth Certificate 

Original PSA Marriage Certificate 

Daily Itinerary in Japan (A4 Size Paper) 

Original Bank Certificate 

Photocopy of Income Tax Return, Form 2316 or 1701 

HIS Authorization Letter (A4 Size, signed per applicant) 

Request for Multiple Entry (optional, not guaranteed) 

Note: 

A. Since I’m a housewife, the staff asked me to write a letter of explanation why I don’t have an ITR or Income Tax Return. 

B.They asked my husband to sign the Letter of Guarantee for me and my son. 

C. This was our second Japan Tourist Visa application but they still require us to submit the original PSA birth certificate and marriage certificate. Ganun daw talaga if you are applying as a family. 

D. They require us to submit the passport where our Japan Visas were issued. So we submitted our old and new passports.

E. This time, we submit a letter of request for a Multiple Entry Visa, this was part of the forms that were sent to us so print lang din namin. We did not do this during our first application, hindi rin kami aware na pwede pala magrequest. 

January 6, 2020 - submitted our application at H.I.S Travel Agency 

January 7, 2020 - visa approved; Multiple Entry for 5 years 

January 8, 2020 - passport our ready for pick-up 

Photo PHP255 (PHP85 per person) 

PSA PHP720 (3 Birth Certificate and 1 Marriage Certificate) 

Japan Visa Processing PHP1800 (P600 per head) 

Bank Certificate Free (use our voucher) 

We spent PHP2,275 for something that we haven’t used but I’m hoping and praying na in the future, we can still use this. May 4 years pa naman na natitira. Hehehe!