weekend

We were in Canberra over the weekend and stayed at a friend’s house. They had a small front yard that had some landscape lights on the side of the footpath. They could also put some on the backyard which would look lovely turned on in the summer evenings. Too bad though they are looking to move to another place soon. Before the drive home, we passed by the Australian War Memorial and i accidentally left my sunnies in the toilets and when I came back for it, it was gone and it wasn’t turned in to the lost and found. Even though they were just cheap sunglasses, it still bothers me because I have had that pair for the past 3 years. Oh well, time to look for new ones.

safe flight

Baby girl’s birthday is just around the corner and we still don’t have any plans for it. Initially, I considered having a small get-together at a park but am finding it very hard to prepare for, what with all the food and stuff to bring to the park. Not to mention I either have to cook (which I really don’t have any plans to) or I would have to order so we have something to feed the guests hehe. Another idea is to just go away for the weekend, since baby girl will most likely not have a care how we celebrate her 1st birthday nor will she likely remember what we did. So now I’m sort of in research mode on where we can go. Dual purpose too as MIL will be here by then.

On another note although we definitely won’t be flying anywhere, I came across this product for kids. I think it is a great idea to have this when flying with babies/toddlers. It’s CARES which stands for Child Aviation Restraint System. It’s a harness-type safety device designed for children who weigh between 22-44 lbs (10-20kgs, generally 1-4/5 years old) and are sitting in their own airplane seats. It has been certified by Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore with certifications in other countries in process. I think this would be great to have on our next vacation (maybe even to the US for Disney vacations for the kids, cross fingers!). For more information on CARES you can go to their website at http://www.kidsflysafe.com or thru CARES Australia at http://www.caresaustralia.com.au/.

another canberra weekend

Despite being tired from doing house inspections in hot weather, we decided to push through with plans to go to Canberra. After multiple stopovers  (including one at the weereewaa lookout) to rest we finally made it to the Bauis’ home, good thing they were kind enough to put us up for the weekend so we didn’t have to look for extended stay hotels.

The following day we visited the Parliament House some of the areas outside were blocked off to prepare for the following days Australia day celebrations. Dinner was at the Molinas who treated us with a delicious steak dinner and wonderful conversation.

Australia day was spent checking out Cockington Green before driving back to Sydney.

blue mountains

Last boxing day, we decided to go to scenic world in blue mountains. We purchased a scenic pass that includes a return skyway and return valley (either via cableway or railway). The view was fantastic and we’re sure to go back again sometime maybe for a little hike.

canberra weekend pt2

The following day was reserved for Questacon and it didn’t disappoint. E had tons of fun and didn’t want to leave. On the drive back to Sydney as expected E slept like a log.

canberra weekend pt1

A couple weeks ago we drove to Canberra for the weekend at the invitation of the Molinas. They had planned an early Christmas get-together with their friends there and invited us. As we had been wanting to go for a while now, we didn’t pass up on the invite. Before we went to their home we visited the Australian War Memorial. E had a great time looking at the various items on display. After picking up some food, off we went to the Molinas. It was a fun christmas get together, complete with great company, good food, nice gifts and plenty of laughter.

Driving to Canberra	Car seat fun
Happy passenger
Australian War Memorial
requisite peace sign pose
liking the diorama
party at the molinas
putting to use tita carlene’s christmas gift
gift giving
games
kids turn

With all the pics that we’re accumulating, its a good thing we have external hard drives for storage.

happy news

We learned the other week that my BIL will be sent to Australia on assignment for a few months. After a quick client interview everything was a go. He’ll be flying to Melbourne at the start of the week and we’re really happy for him as he’s been wanting this for a time now. This would mean too that we’ll have family for Christmas, either we would go to him (vacation for us?!!) or he would come up to Sydney for a visit. With more trips for my BIL maybe it’s time to buy new traveling bags, a samsonite luggage perhaps? See you soon Gar!

new toy

Along with getting a car, this is one gadget that we think we really need to get around. Though having a map will suffice, we thought it better to have a GPS to make life easier. No more trying to figure out how to go from point A to point B, with just a few clicks our little friend will tell us which way to go. Hopefully, the car can be released this weekend .. am soooo looking forward to the road trips to come!

world’s largest shopping mall

My brother and I were chatting on earlier and we happened to talk about vivo city – the largest mall in singapore. He was asking me if it was bigger than SM’s mall of asia (moa) which led me to searching the net for the world’s largest shopping mall. And according to forbes.com (Jan 2007) the Philippines is home to 3 out of 10 of the largest shopping malls in the world.

The world’s 10 largest shopping malls based on gross leasable area* are:

1. South China Mall – Donggian, China. Opened 2005. GLA: 7.1 million square feet.
2. Golden Resources Shopping Mall – Beijing, China. Opened 2004. GLA: 6 million square feet.
3. SM Mall Of Asia – Pasay City, Philippines. Opened 2006. GLA: 4.2 million square feet.
4. West Edmonton Mall – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened 1981. GLA: 3.8 million square feet.
5. SM Megamall – Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Opened 1991. GLA: 3.6 million square feet.
6. Berjaya Times Square – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Opened 2005. GLA: 3.4 million square feet.
7. Beijing Mall – Beijing, China. Opened 2005. GLA: 3.4 million square feet.
8. Zhenjia Plaza – Guangzhou, China. Opened 2005. GLA: 3 million square feet.
9. SM City North Edsa – Quezon City, Philippines. Opened 1985. GLA: 3 million square feet.
10. King Of Prussia Mall – Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA. Opened 1962. GLA: 2.8 milliom square feet.

*Gross Leasable Area –the number of square feet the property has for revenue-generating activities like retail, dining and amusements.

visits redux

My mom was in town for two weeks and we enjoyed her company and all the homemade dishes that she made for us. We took her one Saturday to Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia, just across the border from Singapore and about 30 minutes travel by bus from our place. Though it took longer because we spent probably more than 30 minutes queing to pass thru Malaysian immigration. We spent the afternoon at City Square, a shopping mall about 5-10 minutes walk from the Malaysian border. There were good buys as most of the stores are on sale but I really didn’t think that if I were to shop for a lot of things that I would be getting a much cheaper price than getting them in Singapore. But then again, maybe it’s because we went to a mall that was near the border?

Next week, it will be my mother-in-law’s (MIL) turn to visit. She’ll be here for about three weeks. We won’t be lacking in company though as this February it’s a full house for us. On the 16th, Ton‘s parents will also be coming for a visit. And on the 21st, Ichi’s sister will be arriving from Myanmar, she’ll be stopping by before she flies back to Manila with MIL for her annual vacation.

So it looks like a busy Feb for us where we’ll also be celebrating Chinese New Year.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

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