Since we are leaving for Hong Kong this Monday, I made the helper clean the two luggages we will be using for the trip the other day so they were out in the hallway. Last night, I had the time of my life laughing as the little girl came rushing to our room with one of our rolling luggage full of her clothes shouting, “Let’s go, let’s go. I’m ready!”. Apparently, she packed all on her own the yaya said. She knew she was trooping to Hong Kong to visit Cinderella so she packed her stuff and even claimed that the red Samsonite Luggage is hers.

Now, it got me thinking, should I get her her own luggage? I have seen really nice kids luggage over the net and I am sure she’ll be delighted to own one of them. I wonder what type of luggage will suit her. Should I get her a something with wheels too? Or a backpack? Or better yet, get her those new luggage they call “spinner”, the newest version of the rolling luggage where one can easily maneuver through narrow aisles and crowded airports. We’ll see. I guess I need to check on a luggage buying guide first before deciding on what to get for Sophia. But I’m pretty sure she’ll love the idea of having her own luggage whenever we travel.

I took out our Delsey luggage set from the cabinet the other day and asked the helper to clean them in preparation for our upcoming trip two weeks from now. You see, we’ve had the same luggage for close to five years now and yet every piece is in tip top shape. That is what you get for investing in a good luggage. Money will never be put to waste.

Right now, since my little girl is big enough to have her own luggage, as she would insist, I am looking for a durable kids luggage suitable for her. Since we travel a lot, heavy duty luggage is a must so she can keep it for years. Never mind the extra dollars to spend as long as I am paying for the quality.

As I tried to surf the web for something to get her in time for our trip, I came across what she might like to have, very appropriate for her age - Disney Luggage. What do you think? I find them really cute and I am hoping to be durable too. You know how kids can be while on a trip, right? I guess I should give them a try. After all, the website where I saw them is known to be Northeast’s premier luggage and travel ware specialty retailer which of course sells only high quality luggage.

We never took Sophia to Baguio yet. Jon and I find that odd because for one, my in laws have a place there which we would frequent before with friends when we were still single. Baguio brings happy memories. We love hanging out near the fireplace and munching on Baguio’s yummy treats. I am sure the little girl will also love to visit the place as we can take her horseback riding at Wright Park and boat riding at Burnham Park.

I told Jon of my plans and he said that before we do, he should need to have the fireplace range fixed or better yet replaced first with newer Electric Fires as it has long been broken and malfunctioning. With the weather we have right now, I am pretty sure we need a reliable Electric Fire. I immediately searched the web for an electric fire retailer and I stumbled upon Hotprice, a leading UK retailer of Gas Fires and Electric Fires. They have all kinds and types of fireplace ranges from different manufacturers so I should look nowhere else. They even provide expert advice and service. Now, that is what I am looking for. I hope my order will get through soon so we can finally push through with our trip.

After seeing celebrity kids like Suri, Violet and Shiloh tote their Correlle baby dolls as shown here, I can’t help but want to get one for my little girl too. It’s the closest she’ll probably ever get to having celebrity status, HAHA. Seriously, ain’t they just the cutest? Sophia loves playing pretend too and I’m sure she’ll love to own one of these almost-for-real-dolls. I hope to find such in Hongkong next month.

I’m also planning to get Sophia these toys if available in Toys R Us HK:

V.Smile TV Learning System Pink

Barbie and Pup Styling Head

Bubble Mower XLT

LeapFrog Leapster Learning System: Metallic Pink/Purple (Rectangular)

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales Karaoke Machine

If me and my husband could have our honeymoon all over again, I would definitely appreciate a Hilton Head rental vacation. As I was browsing through their site this morning as per my friend’s recommendation, I can’t help but wish I could be treated to a weekend getaway in this wonderful ultimate island destination. It’s simply a must see place and I hope my husband and I can visit it soon.

I finally had our HK flights and accommodations re-booked.  We were supposed to leave today actually but since I got sick, I had to cancel as per my OB’s advise.  We are leaving  on August 4,5,6 and 6 instead.  This gives me ample time to recover and really get back in tip top shape don’t you think?

I can’t wait for the trip. But I am more excited for the little girl even if it’s going to be her 3rd time to visit Disneyland. I’m sure this is time she’ll even appreciate it more than her previous visits. First was when she was only 1.2 yo while the second was when she was 2.2 yo.

We’ll be staying at our all time favorite hotel in Causeway Bay (Parklane Hotel) of course for two nights and one night at a Disneyland Hotel.

I got a call from a friend this morning asking me about our Australia trip last October. She told me that she and her family have plans of visiting the land down under too for her daughter’s 3rh birthday instead of throwing a party. I have nothing but nice words to say about Australia as Jon, Sophia and I enjoyed our 8 day stay in Sydney and Goldcoast. We even plan on going back there in the near future as we think we have yet to see some more sights we failed to go to when we were there.

Anyway, back to my friend, she was asking if I knew of some discounted hotels where they can book so as to be able to save on accommodation. She is specifically interested with hotels around Sydney to be able to visit Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife Park, Bondi Beach and have a cruise at Darling Harbour and accommodation in Melbourne to visit some old friends. I told her all about this great website that has been a great help to me when I was planning for our trip - Hotel Club where she can score cheap secure hotel reservations online and she said she’ll check it when she gets home. I’m sure she’ll be as delighted as me with what Hotel Club has to offer as it is a leading full service provider of online hotel reservation services, offering great service and discounted hotel rates. I even told her to squeeze in and check out Gold Coast too as we had so much fun there. We were able to visit Dreamworld and Movieworld to our daughter’s delight. Not to mention, we also had fun at Surfer’s Paradise.

Oh, remembering about our trip makes me want to go back and see the beautiful country again. I hope soon!

I have been hearing a lot about timeshare from friends and colleagues. Most have nice things to say while others weren’t so happy about it. I got curious. What really is a timeshare anyway? All I know is if one is up for traveling all the time, it is one good investment as one can save a lot on accommodations and sometimes, you’ll even get free flights. I like taking vacations, I mean who doesn’t right? If that’s the case, then why does others regard it as not a good investment and totally a waste of time?

I researched and these are what I came up with. To begin with, what are timeshares exactly? According to Wikipedia, a timeshare is a property or the right to use a property, typically a resort condominium unit, in which multiple parties have rights, such as the right-to-use. Same is said in this site that is put up solely to provide the latest Timeshare Industry news and services in order to help consumers who are timeshare holders seek answers covering all aspects about the latest resorts, offers, laws and more Timeshare has to offer. It is also in this site that I learned why consumers were unhappy and are even resorting to selling their timeshare. Timeshare.resolved was very helpful for someone seeking information on timeshare like me so whether you are planning on purchasing a timeshare or selling the one you have, visit them for a sound advice you’ll probably never get from anyone.

By lunchtime, and after everybody who took a plunge to the beach finish taking their baths, we trooped to D Talipapa for a sumptuous meal. Here’s Sophia having her first ever tricycle ride, on our way to D Talipapa.

We had fresh crabs, prawns, squids and lobsters! Oh so yummy!!! I couldn’t resist but eat with my hands as I gobble up the yummy seafoods we ordered. I just wished that the resto we went to had faucets ready for its customers like me rather than having to go to the bathroom and use the bathroom faucets instead when we wash our hands. Anyway, here’s my and Jon’s picture while waiting for our order.

And here’s me at D Mall holding a shake from Jonah’s. Do I look pregnant? Not at all, diba?

Right after Sophia took a short nap, it was time for swimming again. This time it was a bit hot already so I made Sophia wear the new swimsuit I bought for her.

Here’s us with my mom.

More of the little girl enjoying the sun and the sand.

We left for Bora last Friday via Seair as recommended by a friend because according to him, they have the fastest flights to Bora. And true enough, in 35 minutes, we were in Caticlan Airport. Planes were small, 35 seater only but surprisingly, the plane ride was not bumpy even with the bad weather. We were actually contemplating on re-booking the trip because of the bad weather but we decided to push through with it the last minute. And this was a good thing as when we reached Bora, it wasn’t really raining, just a little drizzle here and there but it was very windy. I was told that the weather Thursday and Friday morning was worst though.

We arrived Caticlan airport Friday afternoon and was picked up by van for the port. Here, Sophia had her first ever boat ride which she enjoyed to a hilt.

We were then picked up by a small jeepney and was transported to True Home Hotel in Station 1. The boys - Jon, my twin bros and my dad went swimming right away while I, with my mom went around. Sophia was taking a nap with yaya in our room. By dinner, we ate at the hotel. Here’s Sophia before going to bed playing with her leappad.

The next day, Sophia woke up so early and the first words that came out of her mouth were, “Mom, let’s go swimming!” At 6:30am, no way! I told her we have to eat breakfast first and she gladly obliged. Right after breakfast, the gang went swimming. Since it was still early and a bit windy, I made Sophia wear her wetsuit, a thermal swimsuit she uses for her swimming lessons as approved by her teacher. This way, I wasn’t worried that she’ll get cold at all even if it was quite windy.

Here’s the little girl, yaya, my cousins and the dad having fun in the sand.

Where am I, you ask? Sitting in one of those beach chairs making chika with a friend I saw there. Several vendors kept offering us goodies from necklaces to wood carvings and even some nice vintage sunglasses lookalikes. I managed to buy necklaces and bracelets for Sophia and me after so much haggling.

Suddenly, it was already lunchtime. We headed to D Talipapa after. Kwento and more pics to follow.