Cutty

Vic's birthday and mine are a month apart. We rarely hold parties for ourselves. It's usually a special dinner with the kids and a big meal shared with our extended families.  However, I plan to make it a tradition to travel to celebrate our birthdays. Last year was Tokyo. This year, we decided to go to Hong Kong. We missed the place.  This year we decided to go about it differently. We didn't stay in our usual Marco Polo hotel. We explored parts of the city that aren't  familiar to us.  Hotel Pravo I like this hotel because it is in the center of TST. It is 2 blocks away from Harbour City  and 2 blocks away from Nathan Rd. It is surrounded by small restaurants that locals frequent. It is also quite accessible by MTR. TST and East TST MTR lines are just a block away.  The interiors are very modern. You'll be greeted by a dark reception area and hallways. However, the rooms are well-lighted despite the black and white  ...

It looks like our trip to Korea isn't pushing through.  I was expecting it.  My SIL's back problem makes her unable to take long flights.  I am not too disappointed with the situation.  I like shopping in Hong Kong and my kids get to visit Disney again.  I'm sure they'll go gaga over Toy Story Land.  I'm happy as long as there's H&M and a hotel along Canton Road. Johann, on the other hand, was quite disappointed because he wont get to see the snow.  They're studying South Korea in school right now.  He was quite excited to see the place in person.  Oh well. Javi doesn't mind, as usual.  As long as there's Toys FOR Us, he'll be happy.  We just have to pack lots of chicken nuggets. I hope Bettina can still wear her winter clothes and boots.  They are currently crossing the Pacific Ocean.  My winter clothes wont go to waste either.  There's still Sapporo for THREE. As for Vic, I wonder what toy he'll get this...

Buti pa si Mama papunta na ng HK. Gusto kong sumama pero di pwede talaga . Gusto kong mag-shopping na parang andami kong pera. Hehehehe =P Antayin ko na lang mag July. Meron kaming 5hour lay-over. Pwedeng pumuslit puntang Canton Road at mag dimsum.

Before the year ended, our family flew to one of my favorite shopping destinations. After making the first shopping stop at Toys R Us, the appeal of the city lost its luster to the kids. They were once again invigorated when we made our way to... where Johann and Javi met their latest favorites... Though we didn't get to see any of Disney Cars' characters in Disneyland, we found them at the Venetian in Macau... The trip was extra special, specifically to Javi, because he got to ride almost all forms of transportation (bus, boat, plane and train) for the first time. Unfortunately, he was asleep when we rode the train back to the city. It was a good thing that Johann was awake to remember the ride. The kids witnessed the dragon dance along Canton road... listened to the bagpipers in the airport... and had their picture taken with one of our known lady lawmakers... I am more particularly proud of my eldest because he has proven to be quite a young traveler. He wanted to...

This week, I hit the ground running. Even if yesterday was a holiday, I accomplished a lot. It was Divi in the morning for Christmas tree shopping and a 3-hour TATLO meeting in the afternoon. With around 60 days before the festival, we are starting to feel agitated. Really, there are so many things to do but, so little time. Over the weekend, it was decided that we will end the year and welcome the new one in HK. Vic and I will bring the Johann and Javi. Then Vic wanted to bring ever-loyal Ate Gera with us. So, here I am, getting frantic over getting her passport ready before we leave. I can't do that just yet because she needs her mother's maiden middle name to file for a DFA appointment. Before that, I'd have to get her Birth Certificate and some valid IDs. To top all that, she is only 17, so I'd have to get her a DSWD travel clearance. May I just scream? Aaaarrrgggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Now, I am off to the bank before it opens. Then, to the post office for t...

Vic and I spent last weekend in Hong Kong for our much needed break. As parents of three kids aged three and below, we need to find time to be together as a couple. * We left the kids with my parents. I went to HK with a list in mind. I was set on buying a bag (again), or a watch plus some clothes and shoes for the kids. I already had a list of stores I am planning to visit. I wanted to go to Macau because the big hotels weren't there when I last visited the place. I wanted to go the Peak also. But, Vic didn't want to. He just waited while I shopped. Sometimes, we went our separate ways so he can get his toys. Nakakahiya , we didn't do anything touristy in this trip. It was basically a shopping trip. Okay lang . We didn't get to do much of that last time. I was deprived of shopping last time I was in HK . So, pardon me if I don't have any pictures to show you. Day 1: As soon as we've checked in, we had some money changed to the local currency, had...

I just heard about PAL's Real Deals yesterday. A Round-trip flight to the US is just $418 starting this September. Since this round-trip fare doesn't cover our trip in August, we'd just have to settle for the one-way promo fares. One way to the US/Canada is $303. All fares don't include taxes and surcharges. Even so, the promo would still allow us to save around $200 per person. There's a catch, though. We'd have to purchase the tickets online from April 27 to 28. I hope PAL's site can keep up with the volume. Lagi pa naman nagha -hang yun site. I also hope they don't run out of seats. ------------------- My mother called me up this morning to say that they got a promo from PAL. A pair of travellers to HK will cost only $142 per person. For three people, each person would only have to shell out $112. I am tempted to join them since they "need" a third person. I want to go to the places I failed to visit when I was there last...

This is the last day of our trip. We decided to have breakfast in our room that morning. It would give us more time to prepare for our departure that day. We had lots of left-over bread from last night. It went down well with jerky from Bee Cheng Hiang. Our first stop was LV. Unfortunately, it was still closed at 10AM. We decided to hit the nearest outlet of Bee Cheng Hiang again to replenish the stock that we finished off. We got extra to bring home with us. Hopefully, LV would be open by then already. We had to wait some more. It was so silly, people scampered around the main entrance as the doors were about to open. I was one of those silly people. I did not want to wait in line since we do have time. We needed to go back to the hotel to finish packing by 1145 so we can check out by 12. The LV boutique along Canton Road stood out in its metallic "Damier" walls. It shone brightly in broad daylight. I was amazed to see that the store had three levels. All level...

By this time, I haven't gotten myself anything of value. All I've gotten on the first day were pasalubong items for the people back home. This day was solely for shopping. I hoped to squeeze in some time for outlet shopping in Citygate. That morning, after breakfast, Vic, Vic's dad, Johann and I went to Mongkok to get Vic his new toy. He has this sudden interest in photography so our current point-and-shoot camera would not suffice. He's been scouting for one with a good price back in Manila so he knows if HK offers a better price. He indeed got a better one from Broadway, complete with a memory stick, tripod and bag. With his craving for an SLR satisfied already, we are off to my hunt for great bargains. Since it was only my second time in HK, I did not know where to go. Besides, the place where we can go to is limited to stroller-friendly areas. The shops in Mongkok were filled with items for winter so I didn't end up with a lot of pieces. I got several ...

With a few days before Christmas, everyone is out and about. Traffic is so terrible. People spend so much time on the road instead of looking for gifts in the mall. I'm relieved that I have only a few parties to go to. However, there are still so many things to do.... I need to get gifts for the last few IMPORTANT people in my list. I am not worried about the less important ones. My first gift idea for Vic didn't work out. I am scouting for another one. I need to start packing for the HK trip. Johann still needs bottoms fit for winter travel. I need carrots and cream cheese. I need to prepare my documents for the ACS Tokyo trip...that is, kung makakasama ako. I need to get Johann and Javi their Christmas outfit. I need to make a list of chores for the househelp who'll be left behind when we leave for HK. I need to figure out what to wear for Bonnie's Filipiniana wedding.