The US Trip...in a nutshell...

I know I haven't blogged much yet about our US Trip. You see, after coming from the vacation, I got so busy in preparing stuff for the start of classes of the kids. And the overwhelming work awaiting for me in my desk was something I have to attend to first as well. It has been a week since we arrived from Los Angeles and life has just started to get back to normal.

But I just have to blog because I want to. I want to remember all those happy memories we had while we were there. It was also to document the trip. It would be for my kids as well. I may not have the memory to recall everything in time so it is for me and our whole family to remember.

The 3 weeks travel was all worth it. It's a much deserved vacation of our family. It was pure bonding for me and the husband and most especially for our kids. We were yaya-less for 3 weeks and I am so proud that we survived it. The husband and I worked as a team.

I'm grateful that my kids were both healthy during our entire stay there. They were in perfect shape. Even our plane rides to and from LA was a breeze. It probably helped that they were bigger already this time and that they have travelled already before so they knew very well how to manage themselves on the plane. I don't even have to tell them to put on their seat belts.

From Manila to LAX, it was just 2 movies and sleeping that made their company. I was also surprised that it was easy for them to sleep on their plane seats. No fuss at all.

They immediately felt at home when we arrived in my sister-in-law's place. It wasn't a concern on them being homesick. The first few days were mostly road trips. They also survived those long trips to Arizona, Las Vegas, Reno, San Francisco and Los Angeles. And amazingly they were comfortable on their car seats, which they were not used to have here in Manila. 

Of course, theme parks were their favorites.   We went to Disneyland, Sea World and Legoland.  The husband and I also went to Universal Studios.  We didn't bring them there anymore since most of the rides are not appropriate for kids.  It was my time to enjoy the Jurassic Park, Mummy Return rides since the last time we were there, I wasn't able to ride on it cause I was pregnant with Bianca. 

My kids enjoyed all these theme parks.  It was a joy to see excitement on their eyes.  They can't contain their happiness.  We were all grateful to experience having a blast as a family.  That I cannot trade off. 

Shopping took place on our last week.  Went to few outlet stores and grabbed great deals.  But it was in Las Vegas where we enjoyed much about shopping too, especially me.  The husband gave me a great surprise! That's different story to tell. I enjoyed shopping for the kids too.  I am happy to find the brands that are not at all available in the country.  

We were so happy as well to reunite with my husband's family.  It was so nice to be with them again.  We missed them so much. 

Indeed, the whole trip was a success.  It was a total fun.  And most importantly, we did it as family. 

Regrets for not going to Sonoma Valley

From our last trip, we failed to go to the known earliest vineyards and wineries in California, which is the Sonoma valley. It was supposed to be part of our itinerary but we weren't able to do so because we got stuck in San Francisco for some shopping. Gee, replaced dining to shopping.  Should never do that again cause now, after coming across the outdora's blog, I regret not going and seeing the place. It would have been great to see some great attractions in there. It would also be great to actually try and dine in the famous restaurants there like Mission Inn's Sante Restaurant and El Dorado Kitchen.

Sonoma chefs are well known for their exclusive recipes. Visitors are actually looking forward to their specialities. For example, in Sante Restaurant which is an award-winning wine country premier dining restaurant, the Grilled Quail with Bing Cherry Compote by Chef Andrew Cain is the most sought after recipe from there. Most are saying that it is perfect for outdoor party especially during summer using a built-in outdoor barbeque grill or any cookware.  From El Dorado Kitchen which is located at the heart of Sonoma and known for its sophisticated ambiance and sumptuous California cuisine, their executive chef, Justin Everett is known to be making the Roasted Tomato, Padron Pepper Grilled Pizza. It's a perfect pizza using the Big Green Egg Smoker grill.  

Now, just talking about all of these recipes, makes me hungry and regret even more for not trying those out there.  Good thing, the recipes can also be found online and thank goodness, Outdora is sharing it to it's readers.  I would just probably find time  to prepare these fresh ingredients and try it myself from our own barbeque grill back home.  I hope to be able to match the taste at least.  Let's see. Wish me luck!

One week has passed...

Before I continue reading about the benefits of USAEyes, like  The USAEyes website complies with the Health On The Net code standard for trustworthy health information and that USAEyes has been cited in Newsweek, US News & World Report, CBS News, National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fox News, Associated Press, MSNBC, and Oprah which I reviewed from the site of USAEyes.org, let me share that we have spent one whole week already and we have gone to different cities already.  We landed in LA and went straight to Temecula.  2 days after,  we travelled to Arizona and stayed there for a night.   We then moved to Las Vegas and stayed there for 2 nights.  It's been hours of road trip but we are enjoying it so much because of the beautiful sceneries.  Proud that the kids can stand the long hours of travel just seated in their car seats.  We are now in Reno after staying 1 night in San Francisco.  We would then go back to Temecula next week and it would be theme parks week for our next adventure.  We would then have our last week dedicated for shopping.   I can't wait for that week.  And since we felt short changed with our travel in Las Vegas, we decided to book another 3 days there.  What is more exciting is that I would be spending my birthday there! This is definitely a good vacation. 

2 bags...

packed...2 more to go!

I thought we would just be bringing 3 luggage but decided to bring 4 instead so we could have more space to put shopping loots!

Woohoo! Excited!

We are flying to US tomorrow night. This is the much awaited vacation.

Will be back with lots of stories and pictures overload!

Beach, Beach, Beach...

Too bad, no beach for us this summer. But would really love to go to one soon...

You Should Spend Your Summer at the Beach

You're a free spirit who is always thinking of new ways to have fun. And you don't just love summer... you live for it. So, you really should blow off your responsibilities and head to the beach!

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Part of Itinerary...

Pathetic as you may say, but I am wishing that our trip to Los Angeles can include meeting a world renowned Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon. lol! Oh well, it is not that I am interested with those beverly hills liposuction but I just wanted to see the famous clinics of the popular Beverly Hills plastic surgery center. Rodeo Drive is one of the places we would visit in California. It is indeed part of our itinerary as I am still wishing I can bring home something from there (wink!) I am curious as well as to where is the exact location of this popular clinic. Based on my reviews and readings, they have built and maintained a very elegant office that is sure to be in standards of rodeo drive elegance.  It would be nice to peek at their state-of-the-art facilities which has been fully certified by government agencies.  You will be surprised to know that they are almost frequently featured on television and radio, even for magazines and newspapers.  And most of their patients are really not just from California but from all over the world.  

Their centers are known to provide excellent and beautiful designs.  They use materials that are very welcoming like stone, bamboo, glass, marble and steel.  I'm sure the inside would be a pleasing environment.  As I have read, they also have many fine pieces of art for showcase which they actually feature even on events or exhibits.  I have taken note of its address since it is just located at North Rodeo Drive in the Second Floor of The Terrance Level.  I would love to have a picture of myself in front of their office.  Something that I am just writing about would be something that I could see myself soon.  That would truly be wonderful. 

Counting the days...

It is just exactly a month from now, we are just counting the days. We are all excited. After a day of landing in LA, we would already proceed to Grand Canyon and then to one of my favorite destinations, Vegas! I am pretty sure it all about munching around for our stay there as we hop from one hotel to another for their buffet lunch or dinner. Aside from that, planning to watch few of the shows there like the one from Cirque de Soleil. It would be great to also try riding a Las Vegas limo. I know of a popular and highly recognized limo company in Las Vegas. They are known for very good customer service. They have variety of vehicles available for fleet. Whether you want a newer model or would you like to try their vintage class, they are the go to company for Las Vegas Limousines that even celebrities do use.  Wonder if we would have time to try this out.  On the other hand, I would just be happy to walk around Vegas as well.  I look forward to seeing new hotels and  I'm pretty sure I would be happy as well to see my favorite brands just around the corner.  I would try my best to be good while I'm there!  lol! 

Bound for the Beach...

is our drama next week. I am praying for good weather, very very nice weather actually. We haven't been to the beach for quite sometime so it would be a refreshing site. Also, it is our first time to the country so the husband and I are pretty excited. Good thing, english is still the common language there. Otherwise, we might even need help from services like Translia who can do translation to many languages from words to sentence, even brand name and those business card translation. Well, next time that we should plan a trip to say Santorini! (in my dreams! :P), I would definitely register for free with Translia so understanding some european languages could not be a problem!

Holidays for 2010...

Plan your travel vacations ahead...

3-Day Super Sale Across Asia Pacific

Are you planning for another get-away with the family? With all the seat sales from different airlines today, it's really time to plan for your next travel. Check out Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific. There are over a million hotel rooms at super sale price. Most hotels located at Asia Pacific. Rates are starting as low as $30/night. Travel period is from December 09 to April 10.

The promo would only run from Oct 27 - Oct 29 so better hurry in making your reservations at Accor Hotel Asia. The country list include Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, HK, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Bali. The Accor '3-day Super Sale' coincides with record-low air fares across the Asia Pacific region, allowing travelers to enjoy some of the world's most exciting cities at bargain rates.  HongKong for example is just 650HKD/night!  That's unbelievable price!  Makes me want to book another trip to HongKong.  But the Singapore price is also amazing at 98SGD only!  And I so want to go to Bali, Fiji and China.  The prices are also at an incredibly low rates for good and reasonable accommodations. Go ahead and book now!

Back from HK...

since last night but I am still wishing we are still there!!!! yep, 4 days was really not enough. I feel like it has passed so quickly. The kids had a blast. But I was so tired tending to the two girls (parang mga boys!  hehehe).  Thanks for the very helpful and responsible husband. I tried to quickly move around Harbour City for like 1.5 hrs only while I left the kids with him in our room in Marco Polo Gateway. I was hoping I could still go to Ikea in Causeway bay as I would like to see if they do have those tables in Toronto like the tulip oval table which I want to put in our lawn but didn't really got the chance to go there anymore.  Shopping was not really a priority for this trip anyway but I was able to sneak in some purchases still.  Well, mostly for the kids.  I barely got something for myself but I managed to bring home one atleast.  Still downloading our pictures and need to find time now to post our vacation story.  Tons of work is also waiting on my desk! Yes, after being gone for just 4 days!!!  Arg, this is what I hate after coming from a vacation, getting back yourself to the groove again.  Wish me luck tomorrow!

Things I did yesterday...

I was so glad that it was a holiday yesterday. I was able to finish a lot of things which include the following:

1. Finish answering all emails from clients.
2. Finish all pending checklists for clients.
3. Buy food to leave for the maids.
4. Clear up memory cards of both cameras.
5. Finish packing the luggages to bring for the trip tomorrow.

I am busy today as I still have meetings till evening so I was so happy that I was able to prepare things already for the trip. Now, I am ready to relax and enjoy the vacation after tonight! Leaving the house early tomorrow morning to catch first flight to HongKong!

One day to go!!!

Those were the words of my daughters when they woke up this morning! We are leaving on wednesday morning for a quick trip to HongKong. Would spend 2 nights in Disneyland and then move to the city afterwards. I'm kinda worried about the weather. I hope it would cooperate on us. I checked the weather forecast in Hong Kong and it says that its generally Sunny with isolated rainshowers. Hoping for a nice weather while in Disneyland atleast.

El Nido anyone?

2 nights to go...

literally and the much-awaited MBAP outing will happen already in Tagaytay Highlands. I was suprised when I opened my yahoo account this morning with a number of emails regarding the plans for Saturday. I hope all our plans would push through and that the weather would cooperate on us. We have saved for this a long time and so we want a definite success of this get-away. You wouldn't want to know how much we are spending for this trip even if its just a day tour. Thanks to our writing abilities and the hot-mommas can afford to throw in a fab-getaway for our families. We even have a line-up activities for the daddies!  In line with this, the husband is thinking on what car to bring since it would be in TH. The steep road going there would probably need an able car. Good thing, we do not have a problem with our able CRV. We had the Air conditioning compressor fixed already last week. Although, we are going in a colder weather than Manila, it would be very hard to travel especially with kids without an A/C inside the car. And my hair, gosh, it cannot stand the wind!  lol!  We didn't go wrong in finding the complete parts and accessories from an auto airconditioning company online that offers free shipping and warranty.

Ssshhh!

I'm cooking up something. My feet is itching...hehehe. So what else could i be planning? A yearly quick get-away for me and the husband. I'm planning for another out of the country this year.   I hope this would push through as our super-delayed post celebrations for our wedding anniversary on Monday, May 4 and our bdays by June.  So would probably go on a July, just like last year when we went to Singapore.  This is different from the HongKong trip with the kids this October.  

We have miles expiring by September from our Mabuhay Miles memberships and also a complimentary accommodation to any two asian destinations which needs to be used up also by August from our timesharing membership. So I have an excuse to travel! Yipee! Its such a great deal since we have free accommodation and would just have to get one round-trip travel ticket since the miles expiring can cover one more ticket. I really really hope the husband would agree since I'm firming up things today so will present it to him later. Would just need to decide which of the two destinations are we taking.  

Thanks to PAL real deal promo and to an able customer service officer whom I called over the phone, I was able to get flight confirmations to both and also allowed me to even pay it in their office until tomorrow.  

Will post next time as to where exactly we are going once tickets and vouchers are with me already!

Long Holidays of 2009

Snagged and reposted from Thea to serve as a reminder to me on planning some vacation holidays.

There will be 10 long holidays in 2009.

Last Christmas eve, Arroyo signed Proclamation 1699 that lays out the holiday schedule this year.

First on the holiday list is a three-day weekend before the Easter break.

The observance of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) on April 9 (Thursday) was moved to the nearest Monday which is April 6.

This will be followed by the Easter holidays from April 9 (Maundy Thursday) until April 12 (Easter Sunday).

The other regular holidays are:

Labor Day-May 1(Friday);
Independence Day- June 12 (Friday);
National Heroes Day- August 31 (Monday);
Bonifacio Day - November 30 (Monday);
Christmas Day- December 25 (Friday); and,
Rizal Day- December 30 (Wednesday).

Arroyo declared the following as Special Non-Working Days:

Ninoy Aquino Day - August 21 (Friday);
All Saints Day - November 1 (Sunday) and All Soul’s Day - November 2 (Monday);
Christmas Eve - December 24 (Thursday); and,
New Year’s Eve - December 31 (Thursday).

The president has long been implementing holiday economics to boost domestic tourism and allow Filipinos to have more time with their families.

Holiday economics entails the transfer of some holidays to a Monday or a Friday so that Filipinos may enjoy longer weekends.

Businessmen earlier complained over the recent two-week Christmas-New Year break.

However, Malacañang maintained consultations were made with all sectors concerned, including the business community, before issuing this year’s holiday list. — With a report from Nadia Trinidad, ABS-CBN News

as of 01/07/2009 8:50 PM

HK Snapshots

Arrived in HK October 14 at 10am and took the train to the city...

Went to Macau after lunch and visited St. Paul's Ruins...

Went to Venetian Hotel in the evening...

Went shopping in Tsim Tsa Tsui and CausewayBay on our 2nd day...

Went to Disneyland on our 3rd day...

Stayed in Disney Hollywood Hotel...

Met and greeted Mickey Mouse on our 4th day...

Back to Manila on a flight at 10pm, Oct 17...

Casino in Macau?

I saw some pictures of Venetian Hotel in Macau and boy oh boy, I'm drooling and can't wait to see it myself when we go there 2 weeks from now. We intend to take the ferry going to Macau on the first day that we would arrive in Hong Kong. My cousins would like to check the casinos there. I am not sure if we would play as I dont have luck even for a simple slot machine. But one of my cousins who will be with us enjoys playing online Casino like the one from Casino De. Well, he is kinda addicted with it and he says that he's been lucky in winning in playing some black jacks. He recommends this site among other online site because it offers great playing techniques and bonuses.  But for me, I am so bad with card games. Dicky usually has poker nights with friends and I still haven't memorized the game even. I always end up asking question from him whenever we play together. Funny because I was competing with him but then I was asking him.  For the trip to Macau, I'm also excited to hop the free shuttle to bring us from one hotel to another.  I'm sure it would be one fun trip.  We intend to do some sight seeing and some window shopping as well (promise!), just window shopping, but definitely no casino playing!

I'm still...

here, just to let you know.

I have not neglected this site, ok, c'mon...I know I got pretty busy but I totally can't leave this blogspot account.

Still figuring out on how to change this in custom domain. I just don't get enough time to sit and test everything in beta.

Just came from Singapore last week and I have tons of pictures and loots as well.

But I also have tons of work to do...

One at a time, please!