Day 3 in Hong Kong

With errands out of the way, our third day was spent scouring through all the shops that interested us.  We even lined up at two or three stores just so we can experience what all Hong Kong tourists go through.  The biggest challenge is finding a place to sit when one gets tired.  In our case, we find coffee shops to rest our aching feet.  This is at the agnes b. cafe in Harbour City.

Of course, a trip to Hong Kong would not be complete without meals with dim sum.  We found Canton Deli, also at Harbour City.  Love their shrimp dumplings.

 Because we have not gone out for a long time for drinks in Manila, we decided to have drinks after dinner.  It was just good timing because we left the "Do not disturb" sign on at the hotel and so our room was not made up by the time we got back at the hotel.  We had to ask housekeeping to send someone, and that is why we had the opportunity to have drinks and another late night stroll along Canton Road.

15th Anniversary in Hong Kong: Day 2

On our second day, we were determined to get all errands out of the way, but we of course  checked all bargains along the way. All designer stores were on sale including Gucci, Prada, YSL, Mulberry and Tod's.  Twist, which also sells designer handbags including Proenza Schouler, Bottega, Hermes, Balenciaga and other designer brands was also on sale offering up to 70% discount.

Photo Op at Harbour City at the YSL boutique.

All errands (bilins) were  in Causeway Bay, starting with SOGO Department Store and ending at the Ikea Store. We picked up our usual colored paper napkins but we  paid careful attention to the displays which will be very useful to us when we plan for own "small space".  From Causeway Bay, we went to Central to check out the sales.  Landmark had this magnificent Christmas display:

We made a stop at the Canteen at the Prince's Building for a snack  in the middle of checking out the stores.

Dinner was at Hip Katsu back in Tsim Sha Tsui where Eric had the steak bento box.

H&M was also on sale, but mostly winter clothes.

15th Anniversary in Hong Kong

Given that we cannot be very far from Manila and can only be away for at most a week,  we thought that Hong Kong is the best place to spend our 15th year Anniversary.  The weather would be perfect, I have a forced leave from work and  December is the best time to travel because of the Christmas bonus:-)

Because we decided too late, the only available outbound flight to Hong Kong on that particular date was at 5:45PM.  It seemed fine, but we didn't expect the flight to be delayed by almost an hour.  We got to spend a bit of time at the Miascor VIP lounge, free to Amex Platinum cardholders as well as Citibank Platinum cardholders, which fortunately had free snacks and wi-fi as well.

By the time we got to collect our luggages at the Hong Kong International Airport, it was already past 9:00PM.  Good thing the airport is such a nice place to be in and even the Airport Express has a way of relieving  stress.

It was a nice and comfortable ride to the Kowloon Station.

By the time we got to have our dinner, it was around 11:00PM.  We decided to have dinner at the Cafe at the Park, our hotel's coffee shop.

After dinner, we didn't want our first day to go to waste , so we had a late night stroll along Canton Road.

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We think that Canton Road is the best place to stay in Hong Kong.  Everything is right at your doorstep!

Ninang Again

Once again, I had the privilege of being ninang to a wedding --- this is my 5th so far.  I hope that it is not because I look old :-)

30 Pounds Down, 45 (!) Pounds to Go

My apologies but I don't know how to put the photos side by side (any tips JoeyZab and Sweet D?).  Just wanted you to have an idea of what I've been working on the past few months.  I'm still targeting 45 pounds more, but an additional 20 pounds  would really make me happy.

Edit:  Sweet D, thanks for this!!

I Love Saturdays

I always look forward to Saturdays because it is the only day I can sleep the longest, do whatever I like and sleep really late.  This particular Saturday was spent at  the dentist (guess why I like going to my dentist?), going to my favorite mall, eating my favorite Japanese food, and shopping!  I even got myself a Christmas gift:-)

Now looking forward to episodes of Season 3 of The Good Wife.

Christmas Wishlists

My closest friends at my former workplace and I have deviced the most practical approach to gift-giving  among ourselves. That is to come up with a list of gifts that we would like to receive on Christmas.  It really does take away some stress from getting the right gifts for them.  Over the years, I have come up with similar things that I wanted.  Proof that I am really easy to please and whatever I ask for, are used to the maximum.  Some of the things that I have asked for are:

1.  Home fragrance oil
2.  Tea light candles
3.  Table cloth
4.  Liquid hand soap
5.  Hand towels
6.  Kitchen towels
7.  Smart bro load
8.  USB flash disks (which I always badly need because of teaching and work)

I have another secret when it comes to gift-giving for kids.  They really do appreciate cash gifts because at a certain age, they already know what they want, and most times, they want something really expensive.  So, they save up everything they receive, and get to buy what they want. And it takes out all the stress and hassle :-)  Even my 5-year old niece in Canada appreciates it very much.

I really work hard to earn, and I would really feel bad if I had bought gifts that are not at all useful to the receiver...more so if they recycle the gift!  I know that it's just being practical, but I don't really think it's good.

Investments

I took my dear friend PZ's investment advice seriously.  She said that  gold is the best investment right now.  I know she meant the gold bars, but what's the fun in that???

Kai Japanese Restaurant

Kai is one of our favorite Japanese restaurants.  We forgot that we like prawn tempura more than the lobster tempura.  But their Sukiyaki is really good, not too sweet.  We're not sure if cooking it in paper has something to do with the taste.  We do love the place, it's very calm and peaceful.  And of course, it's in Greenbelt 5 :-)

Staycation at the Century Park Hotel

A few months ago, E and I spent a weekend at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.  The hotel had free wifi which we really enjoyed!  But there was really nothing else to do.  We did enjoy dining at the coffee shop and drinks at the lounge.  Relaxing, definitely.

It's Confirmed, I'm an Apple Fan!

The iPhone started it all for me... and then the Mac Book Air, and now, the iPad.  But among my gadgets, the iPhone is still the most value for money for me.  I use it as a phone (obviously), camera and of course to access the internet. 

The irony with this photo is that I used my HP Mini to upload the photo taken by our digital camera because none of the Apple devices had a card reader!

The C's of Canada

Mom and Dad finally made it to Canada to visit my brother N and his family just in time for Thanksgiving with Uncle  B's ( Dad's youngest brother) family in Ajax.  Good to know that we can now consider Canada as a second home for us.  My parents are having so much fun exploring Etobicoke (where my brother lives) and Ajax (where Uncle B lives.

Can't wait for my turn to visit!

My brother, Mom and Dad

The folks from Etobicoke with Auntie A of Ajax.  Auntie prepared the Thanksgiving Meal

The C 's of Canada:  My Dad's and Uncle B's families

My New Second Home

This is where I spend most of my time now.   So far, so good :-)

Linden Suites

The O family enjoyed a relaxing and enjoyable weekend at the Linden Suites. We rented three suites ( 2 2-bedroom suites and 1 1-bedroom suite) for all 18 of us. We cooked all our meals and literally just enjoyed each other's company for 24 hours. It was the perfect family bonding weekend.

Myron's

It's been a while since I've shared photos of our "dates", and now here's one. Even if Myron's is a steakplace, and generally unhealthy, they serve a healthy alternative: lean meat and lots of vegetables at just the right amount.

Day 3 in Singapore: Universal Studios

E and I sponsored and chaperoned the kids' visit to Universal Studios. While everyone started out at the Universal Studios for photo ops at the globe by the entrance and the Hershey Store, E and I , together with the kids stayed on at Universal.

Here's a photo of E's nuclear family -- parents and siblings:

And here we are at Universal's various attractions:

The highlight of the kids' visit: Battlestar Galactica!