UnDiplomatic Wife

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ALSA LASA Artisanal Sourdough in Salcedo Village

February 9, 2023

Where to get high quality, homemade sourdough bread in Salcedo Village. During the pandemic I started making our own sourdough bread as a way to relax and pass the time while creating healthier bread . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila food & drink

Our Favorite Chocolate Cake TILDE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE

April 30, 2022

Filipinos are known for their sweet tooth. In fact expats or foreigners usually complain that our bread and spaghetti are sweet. So it's not surprising that there are a lot places to buy delicious . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila food & drink

ONLINE DUMPSTER DIVING MANILA

November 16, 2021

During the pandemic & with FB's new rules where you cannot even mention brand names because it's a copyright infringement, it's just easier to give some stuff away. This is perfect if you are in a . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila good to know

Where to Sell Your Decluttered Items

November 16, 2021

Because of the pandemic, it's not safe to hold garage sales, so many of you might prefer to post your stuff for sale online. Here are the different options and what I think of them! Whenever . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila good to know

FREE Pick Up of All Your Clutter HUMBLE SUSTAINABILITY

November 14, 2021

The folks at Humble Sustainability are passionate about circular living. They will take absolutely anything you are decluttering, so that they can reuse, upcycle & recycle them! It doesn’t matter . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila good to know

Where to Bring Your Clean & Dry Plastic Discards THE PLAF

November 13, 2021

I talked extensively about how you can ecobrick your clean & dry plastic discards & where to bring them if you have no time to ecobrick before. THE PLAF Instagram • . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila good to know

Where to Buy a Lint Shaver

June 23, 2021

Lots of you messaged me asking about this IG story I posted when I removed all the lint & dirt from DiploBaby's socks. It is called many diferent things & you can just CLICK ON THE LINKS . . .

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Leave a Comment · Diplo Tips, manila shopping

Where to Buy WMF Profi Resist Pan that Can be Shipped to Manila

June 17, 2021

I searched a while before finally settling on a non-stick pan. I avoid Teflon because I hate the idea of eating toxic teflon bits because they usually peel after a few years. I also love #BUYMEONCE . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila shopping

EVA talks: It’s Okay Not To Be Okay

March 14, 2021

UPDATE: If you missed the live webcast go #TeamReplay & watch it HERE! It's short & sweet I promise! Hi everyone, so happy to announced that I'll be the guest speaker in EVA Digital . . .

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Leave a Comment · Interviews, manila good to know

Where to Get White Pots with Drain Plates in the Philippines

March 3, 2021

I love hearing from so many of you that you started using white pots after seeing them in my DiploHome and #JungalowStyle stories on IG! I posted before that my favorite brand of white pots are . . .

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Leave a Comment · manila shopping

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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Recent Posts

Tool-Free Bidet Install Hack

Glass Restaurant Rovaniemi

Glass Resort Finland

GENEVA FINDS: Victorinox Souvenirs

Patisserie Sofia Geneva

DISCLOSURE

I am an Amazon affiliate, but all opinions are my own. The content of all my blog and social media posts are products and experiences that I truly enjoy and I only work with brands that fit my life and style.

GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

One of the things people love about the Philippine One of the things people love about the Philippines is the warmth & heartfelt friendships of the Filipino people.

And was reminded about that when @pattylaurel & her wonderful family took the time to meet up with us on their last day in Geneva.

Though we’ve only seen each other in person once before… lifetimes ago when I was handling marketing for @beautybarph and she was our gracious model for Dashing Diva, hanging out with them felts so warm & natural. 

Even @diplobaby was so happy to have such quick friends and playmates.

Thank you Patty for letting me use your photos. You & @patrickfilart take such amazing ones! Perfect combo of influencer & IG husband 🤪🤪🤪

And thank you for bringing the warmth of the Philippines 🇵🇭 & the Filipino people with you. ✨🤍✨ sobrang saya!

We had such a beautiful day together… the kids (and us) didn’t want it to end so we went from playground/dinner to a walk about in our neighborhood Château & even to the house! 😂

Thank you for the epic day Patty, Patrick, Theo & Astrid. Till we meet again! More adventures in Switzerland I hope!

#udwingeneva #pattylaurel #diplofriends #diplobaby #diplofamily
TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL One of the things we miss TOOL FREE BIDET INSTALL

One of the things we miss about living in the Philippines & Indonesia is having a bidet in our bathrooms.

Here we have a MUJI TABO & TOTO PORTABLE BIDETS (dm for link if you want), but nothing beats the water pressure & convenience of a handheld bidet that’s connected to your plumbing IMO.

When I was in @jumbo.schweiz recently I saw a bidet that can be installed with the sink.

It only works if your sink is near your toilet so sadly it won’t work on our master’s bathroom.

I wasn’t sure our faucet was the correct size but I took a risk for CHF20.

Today I finally had the time to install it. I was # #mariomama again LOL!

The only time you might need a tool (pliers) is if you can’t loosen the AERATOR to remove it from your faucet.

HOW TO INSTALL HOLDER WITHOUT DRILLING

As a renter, I want to avoid making holes in the walls whenever I can. Even if I weren’t a renter I don’t recommend putting holes on tiles coz they might crack.

So I used the strongest @tesa_de  double sided tape on the bidet holder. You can see how I did it step by step on the video. Be sure to use Teflon scissors so they don’t get damaged by the adhesive. Clear monster tape will also work well for this.

*** Amazon affiliate links on my bio under BIDET HACKS ****

WHY CANT YOU INSTALL IT IN YOUR TOILET

The toilets here are all built in. There are no exposed tubes to connect bidets to like in Asia. 

That’s why this hack is a God send! No plumbing experience or tools needed! YAY!

WHERE TO BUY

https://undiplomaticwife.com/bidet-install-hack/

Feel free to dm me if you have any questions!

#DiploHome #diplohomegeneva #diy #bidet #bidetlife #expatlife #expatliving #genevaexpats #genevaexpat #genevaexpatwomen #expatinswitzerland
HUMIDIFIER HACK Did you know that each home shoul HUMIDIFIER HACK

Did you know that each home should have humidifiers whether it’s in winter or summer?

Yes! It should be in
- closets
- caves
- storage lockers
- basements
- attics
- bathrooms
- any other area that doesn’t have through air or air conditioner 

To prevent molds from damaging your property!

Here’s the hack: Don’t throw the container because you can buy refills. 

DM me on where to buy wherever you are!

#diplohome #homehacks
WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAG WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO GO TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE?

The concern going to Rovaniemi is that it’s too cold 🥶 I’ve heard of people going in winter & didn’t enjoy it coz they felt like frozen popsicles. You have 2 options:

1. Go in SPRING like us so prices are lower, no long lines/crowds & no need for super thick snow suits, but low chance of seeing Aurora Borealis & some places might be closed/melted. 

3. A friend who lived in Scandinavia told us for Aurora Borealis, the best time is SEPTEMBER coz it’s not too cold yet. Though some resorts might only be opening in OCTOBER like @glass_resort.

FOR US:

❄️ End of first week of April: We didn’t really know  that we picked the perfect time. We were there for only 3 days & 2 nights because that was all our budget would allow. The lows were -3/5 C but the week before it was literally -18C YIKES! 🥶

❄️ At lows of -3/5 and 0-3 highs it’s manageable layering our @uniqloeurope Ultra Light Down Jackets. We didn’t end up using our waterproof snow jackets.

 ❄️ bring waterproof shoes/boots so you don’t get sick if melted snow gets in. 

❄️ If you will touch snow/have snowball fights, waterproof gloves are a must

❄️ Ask hotel if sleds are free to borrow

❄️ Bring SPF coz snow reflects sun

❄️ As you can see in the reel on our first day it was winter wonderland. The day after things started melting. On our last day things were starting to puddle. After I imagine rivers!

❄️ there was this gigantic snowman & I was too tired to take a pic. It disappeared the next day to my disappointment.

❄️ The SNOWMAN WORLD was already closed when we arrived. It would have been so cool to see the ice resto/bar, slides & disco!

❄️ We found out that the day we were leaving was also the last full day of our hotel. So though Santa Claus Office is open 365 days a year, check with the hotels to see which ones are open.

☀️ Summer activities are different. For example the huskies pull sleds with wheels.

🌈 BONUS TIP: If you pick a resort inside @santaclausvillage_rovaniemi, 3 days is enough. Because of the perfect location of @glass_resort we were able to make SO many wonderful memories in such a short time.

#udwinsantaclausvillage
PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife + OUR FIRST TIME TO PARTIES & PLUMBING #diplolife

+ OUR FIRST TIME TO HOST AMBASSADORS IN OUR SWISS #DIPLOHOME
(Except for my FIL of course)

This has to have been the most hectic weekend in recent memory here. Each day @diplobaby had a kid’s party to attend. (Thankfully here you leave the child for 2-2.5hrs & parents can do errands while waiting)

TD & I also had commitments for both days. We were hosting a lunch, attending a lunch/ playdate with #diplofriends & meeting up with a fellow Pinoy @remfelrem who has just arrived in Switzerland. 

Last Saturday, TD and I were hosting a lunch for his boss & also a little farewell for the boss of the other mission. And as you guys know we were really stressed with a clogged kitchen sink drain. Not the most convenient or sweet smelling when you are having people over.

So thankfully with the help of a friend I got tips on how to dismantle the pipes to clean them. Guess what? It was still clogged in the pipes inside the wall!

Cleaning the pipes under the sink might NOT HAVE RESOLVED the problem, but at least our home did not smell! Also I learned to do something new! Win-win! 

TD told @diplobaby that I’m #MarioMama (from Mario Bros) 😂🪠

And I am quite relieved that TD & I managed to pull off a lunch in our little home with not just one, but TWO Ambassadors. Having one’s boss is always somewhat nerve-racking right??? I’m so happy we finally did it! 

We had pork adobo with mango, tomato & cilantro salad. And our fave spaghetti bolognese. I bought small cakes from our favorite boulangerie in the little French town next door. 

P.S. 
For those of you were asking if we finally had to call a professional for our kitchen sink. In a way yes we did. After all our best efforts, we finally had to ask for help. We feel so lucky to have such a lovely landlord who came and had the knowledge to remove the clog from the pipes that were built into the wall. We are ever so grateful to him for coming on his weekend.

This is #diplolife guys… PARTIES AND PLUMBING! LOL!!!

#UDWinGeneva #undiplomaticwife #diplofamily #thediplomat #thediplomaticwife
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