I'm musing how Christopher is over 2, how fast he's growing. How fun and darling he is right now, and how attached and loving he is of mom...
Anyway, today, as I was cutting celery for snack (after washing them, of course), I notice him by my side, he said "Bite?" He always said that when he wanted to eat anything I was preparing, I looked at him, and said, "Sure, go ahead. Take it." He threw a little smile my way, and grabbed the celery from the kitchen counter, and went back to the living room while happily munching the green stalk.
My parents often said that I was very picky with my food. I only would eat chicken or beef (anything meat) and nothing else, or maybe with some rice. I would turn my head at the sight of vegetables, in fact, I used to detest vegetables.
I find it amazing that Chris is the same way, but the complete opposite. My son would munch on celery, cucumber and carrot and he'd spit out the beef, pork or chicken. Sometimes he'll eat turkey or fish, but it's SOMETIMES.
I didn't notice, but I have a naturally vegetarian baby (or would-be vegetarian)! He's a healthful eater because he would refuse eating French fries or chicken nuggets (I did offer him those--I'm assuming children love those things), and opt for low-sodium vegetable soup instead. I hope this phase will last a while :)
I also marvel on how tall he is, he almost reaches my hip (height-wise) and he's only 2 years old! (P.S. I'm 5'7) Everyone who sees him thinks that he's at least 3 or 4 years old but with a face of a baby, it's too cute, I sincerely think he kind of looks like Suri Cruise (male version of her, I guess it's because they have the same color skin and hair), but it's just my opinion. I don't understand how Tom Cruise baby seems part- Asian, but I digress.
Anyway, this entry is for my sweet boy, Christopher. Mommy loves you!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Unique Travel Destination IV: Australia
Hello!
It feels that it's been awhile since I've written about Travel destination (outside the glorious Portland Oregon), but since this is still the best time of the year to travel, I'll bite.
Once upon a time (years and years ago), a girl named Tracy (me) decided to travel to Australia with her friends, after much consideration, her parents decided to send her to Perth, Sydney then Melbourne for a 2-week-excursion. Oh what a fun time that was! She, her brother, her cousins and a couple of friends enjoyed lovely hotel accommodation, beautiful culture and places, not to mention great shopping.
Those were the days when money didn't come too much into the equation when traveling. Things are a little different, when you're an adult and responsible for your own finances. And if you've not even visited the Australia, surely you wonder which places you should visit first. I know that this doesn't seem too original, but I can't help it for obvious reason that these cities are just marvelous, I'd suggest: the BIG 3 (3 biggest cities in Lovely Australia):
Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
Beautiful Sydney harbors, numerous fun cruises (or you can charter your own boat) and who can ever forget about Sydney's Opera House (magnificent sights!), Sydney provides fun outdoor experience as well as nourish your artistic and cultural needs as a tourist. Simply said: When it comes to which city is Australia’s true global city, there’s no argument. It’s Sydney – with its sense of style, its love of sport and exuberant celebrations! Through the link, you can find and reserve tours, cruises and learn more about this cool place! But if you want to save money, go click this link: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Sydney/
Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia. Located around Port Phillips Bay in the country's south-east, Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria. The city is often referred to as Australia's "sporting and cultural capital" and it is home to many of the nation's most significant cultural and sporting events and institutions. Melbourne is a city with something for everyone. From chic fashion stores to buzzing lane cafés and trendy bars, botanic gardens to sports stadiums, elegant Victorian-era buildings to Manhattan-style skyscrapers, film and food festivals to galleries and opulent theaters, Melbourne has an activity and attraction that will interest you. With so much to experience, I must slip this in, if you want to save some money on your hotel accommodation, check out: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Melbourne/
Last but not least, Brisbane. I've not had the fortune to visit Brisbane (third biggest city in Australia) in the past, but I'd recommend it on the basis that I want to go there next and I'll be sure to check out http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Brisbane/. After all, this time around I'll be paying my way! :)
I digress. Here are some reasons why I want to go: Brisbane has a thriving live music scene, as well as museums and theaters, performing arts and creative arts within the city and suburbs. It is the birthplace of internationally acclaimed singers, music bands, authors, actors, artists, sculptors and fashion designers. And if you like outdoor travel, you'll love Brisbane's South Bank Parklands, the Roma Street Parkland (which has an outdoor amphitheater), the Brisbane City Botanic Garden (founded in 1855) then the Mount Coot-tha state forest that overlooks the city. And being the tourist that I am, I'd LOVE to dock by Portside Wharf, their newest tourist industry addition (reportedly spent 750 million to build!).
After all those daydreaming, let's get back to reality. If you've recently set your eyes on either Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, or all three, the next step is to plan out your trip carefully so that you won't blow your budget. After all, when you're traveling, your priority is the travel. But you still want a good, enjoyable, safe place to spend your nights (or if you're a party-all-nighter, at least: a wonderful resting place) and have more than enough money left over to REALLY TRAVEL Down Under.
This is where very useful website like : http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/ is such a HUGE help(don't forget, after 'Australia,' insert/write the cities you want to visit. For example: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Sydney/ , http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Melbourne/, http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Brisbane/)
From those links (http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Sydney/, http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Melbourne/, http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Brisbane/ ), there's this convenient (simple) and efficient tool at your fingertips! You can go ahead browse different hotels/hostels/what-have-yous, you can compare prices, make great use of their discounts whether it's seasonal or year-long, check out the location (map out your travel destination from your hotel), you can even BOOK online.
All this service is FREE (thanks to http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/ ), and you'll SAVE MONEY on your hotel accommodation!
How can you go wrong from that? :) More money to enjoy Brisbane's night life, go out kayakking along Sydney Harbor, or sightseeing at beautiful streetscapes of Melbourne while indulging in retail therapy (oh ladies, you know who you are!).
Remember everyone, a well-planned travel will only result in MORE GOOD TIME!
So go ahead and plan ahead, check out: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/ get the best out of your money and HAVE FUN always doing so.
Until then,
Tracy
It feels that it's been awhile since I've written about Travel destination (outside the glorious Portland Oregon), but since this is still the best time of the year to travel, I'll bite.
Once upon a time (years and years ago), a girl named Tracy (me) decided to travel to Australia with her friends, after much consideration, her parents decided to send her to Perth, Sydney then Melbourne for a 2-week-excursion. Oh what a fun time that was! She, her brother, her cousins and a couple of friends enjoyed lovely hotel accommodation, beautiful culture and places, not to mention great shopping.
Those were the days when money didn't come too much into the equation when traveling. Things are a little different, when you're an adult and responsible for your own finances. And if you've not even visited the Australia, surely you wonder which places you should visit first. I know that this doesn't seem too original, but I can't help it for obvious reason that these cities are just marvelous, I'd suggest: the BIG 3 (3 biggest cities in Lovely Australia):
Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
Beautiful Sydney harbors, numerous fun cruises (or you can charter your own boat) and who can ever forget about Sydney's Opera House (magnificent sights!), Sydney provides fun outdoor experience as well as nourish your artistic and cultural needs as a tourist. Simply said: When it comes to which city is Australia’s true global city, there’s no argument. It’s Sydney – with its sense of style, its love of sport and exuberant celebrations! Through the link, you can find and reserve tours, cruises and learn more about this cool place! But if you want to save money, go click this link: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Sydney/
Melbourne is the second most populous city in Australia. Located around Port Phillips Bay in the country's south-east, Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria. The city is often referred to as Australia's "sporting and cultural capital" and it is home to many of the nation's most significant cultural and sporting events and institutions. Melbourne is a city with something for everyone. From chic fashion stores to buzzing lane cafés and trendy bars, botanic gardens to sports stadiums, elegant Victorian-era buildings to Manhattan-style skyscrapers, film and food festivals to galleries and opulent theaters, Melbourne has an activity and attraction that will interest you. With so much to experience, I must slip this in, if you want to save some money on your hotel accommodation, check out: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Melbourne/
Last but not least, Brisbane. I've not had the fortune to visit Brisbane (third biggest city in Australia) in the past, but I'd recommend it on the basis that I want to go there next and I'll be sure to check out http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Brisbane/. After all, this time around I'll be paying my way! :)
I digress. Here are some reasons why I want to go: Brisbane has a thriving live music scene, as well as museums and theaters, performing arts and creative arts within the city and suburbs. It is the birthplace of internationally acclaimed singers, music bands, authors, actors, artists, sculptors and fashion designers. And if you like outdoor travel, you'll love Brisbane's South Bank Parklands, the Roma Street Parkland (which has an outdoor amphitheater), the Brisbane City Botanic Garden (founded in 1855) then the Mount Coot-tha state forest that overlooks the city. And being the tourist that I am, I'd LOVE to dock by Portside Wharf, their newest tourist industry addition (reportedly spent 750 million to build!).
After all those daydreaming, let's get back to reality. If you've recently set your eyes on either Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, or all three, the next step is to plan out your trip carefully so that you won't blow your budget. After all, when you're traveling, your priority is the travel. But you still want a good, enjoyable, safe place to spend your nights (or if you're a party-all-nighter, at least: a wonderful resting place) and have more than enough money left over to REALLY TRAVEL Down Under.
This is where very useful website like : http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/ is such a HUGE help(don't forget, after 'Australia,' insert/write the cities you want to visit. For example: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Sydney/ , http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Melbourne/, http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Brisbane/)
From those links (http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Sydney/, http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Melbourne/, http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/Brisbane/ ), there's this convenient (simple) and efficient tool at your fingertips! You can go ahead browse different hotels/hostels/what-have-yous, you can compare prices, make great use of their discounts whether it's seasonal or year-long, check out the location (map out your travel destination from your hotel), you can even BOOK online.
All this service is FREE (thanks to http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/ ), and you'll SAVE MONEY on your hotel accommodation!
How can you go wrong from that? :) More money to enjoy Brisbane's night life, go out kayakking along Sydney Harbor, or sightseeing at beautiful streetscapes of Melbourne while indulging in retail therapy (oh ladies, you know who you are!).
Remember everyone, a well-planned travel will only result in MORE GOOD TIME!
So go ahead and plan ahead, check out: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.com.au/Australia/ get the best out of your money and HAVE FUN always doing so.
Until then,
Tracy
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Our Condo
So, I was browsing craigslist.org today to find out that the property management used our condo as model condo to attract potential buyers and renters!
Isn't that cool? It takes some convincing, but Michael finally agrees when he saw these pics:
The third pic is our living room, of course instead of potted flowers, we put our 27 inch TV there above the fireplace.
And instead of itty bitty loveseat (poor excuse of one), we put both huge sage sofa and loveseat (imagine the coziness).
Next is the kitchen. Nothing's changed much, and believe it or not, the floor actually looks nicer in real life. It's a big kitchen, we fit in a pretty big dining table.
Then the top one: our master bedroom. They actually decorate it better than we've ever done (we don't have the sheer curtain, having a boy who will smear chocolate all over it then pulls it down...just doesn't make sense to have curtains). And no night table because the little one pulled the cabinet off (long story--he's the little destroyer nowadays).
Anyway. Many people have moved out (the renters) because the inconvenience of parking (it's a hassle because people just park anywhere they like!) then upstairs neighbor. Living on the ground floor has its advantage of having a small gated yard, which is very cool because Chris LOVES it, but since it's not such a well-insulated place, we get to experience every noise our upstairs' neighbor makes!
Even worse, if you have someone who is extra noisy at night.
We're browsing around for a new place nowadays, some place we can stay for awhile without moving (we've only lived in our condo for a year), we want to find a place where Chris is going to have buddies and Michael gets to work on his truck (so a garage, storage and yard are necessary) then a nice/safe enough neighborhood that I can do my daily walk and exercise.
So far no luck, but maybe one day... :) Hopefully soon.
Monday, July 16, 2007
My Favorite Things
Currently, these are a few of my favorite things:
1) Trader's Joe's Pomegranate White Tea and Jasmine Green Tea
2) Browsing through really CRAFTY/creative websites such as:
http://designsponge.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.remakeables.com/
or
http://decor8.blogspot.com/
or
http://ohjoy.blogs.com/
or
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.etsy.com/
or
http://cherylthinktank.blogspot.com/
and
etc (I will be back to add more later on!)
Well, it's completely amazing to find communities filled with creative, fun, artsy individuals (not to mention crafty) and their creation actually inspire me to do things in a more personal/individualized way. I suppose I can put it like this: I'm more appreciative toward things that are handmade and original then mass-produced products now.
3) Christopher's growing and getting smarter each day. The boy starts to speak more and more and he's finally starting to get more comfortable in his own room after spending almost all of his life in the same room with mom (yes, I made the mistake of not putting him in another room after birth!)
4) Christopher's freshly decorated room! Michael did it this past weekend, and he also DEEP-cleaned our condo! I'm so happy for not having to do this task!
5) Kettle's (natural) chips, Salt & Vinegar flavor.
6) Chelsea Handler's new daily show "Chelsea Lately." It's crazy good, CRASS, funny, rude but still quite honest and totally cool/fun to watch! It's on pretty late, so it's good because this lady doesn't hold back. I love the "Female happy Ending" segment she had today on the premiere, and when she 'put a cap' on Steve-O's ass.
7) Dreaming of IKEA (they're opening one soon in town! Sure beats driving up to Seattle).
8) Watching "healthy" cooking shows, like: "Healthy Appetite: Ellie Krieger," or "Healthy Decadence," or "A Lyon in the Kitchen," "Sarah Snow: Fresh."
9) Target. Women's clothing department. CHEAP but quite stylish, I know I know, many will say: quality over quantity. My advice is this, sure, INVEST in quality clothing that's timeless, but if you want to indulge in trend/fad, go ahead head on to Target. I LOVE their GO designer lines, the new one being: Libertine.
In the past, I've been so into Isaac Mizrahi's line for Target.
My second choice for CHEAP trendy clothing is Walmart. Look at their "George" line, I usually just buy them on sale. From original price of $30, I often get them for either $3.50 or $3. Really. For those who are green-conscious, believe it or not, Walmart has been pushing green campaign, and they actually have AFFORDABLE (aka cheap) GREEN/environmentally friendly clothing. Crazy good!
Eh, that's it for now. I'm going to update as I find more and more my favorite things. After all, life is all about the lovely small things, silver lining(s) in the cloudy sky.
1) Trader's Joe's Pomegranate White Tea and Jasmine Green Tea
2) Browsing through really CRAFTY/creative websites such as:
http://designsponge.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.remakeables.com/
or
http://decor8.blogspot.com/
or
http://ohjoy.blogs.com/
or
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.etsy.com/
or
http://cherylthinktank.blogspot.com/
and
etc (I will be back to add more later on!)
Well, it's completely amazing to find communities filled with creative, fun, artsy individuals (not to mention crafty) and their creation actually inspire me to do things in a more personal/individualized way. I suppose I can put it like this: I'm more appreciative toward things that are handmade and original then mass-produced products now.
3) Christopher's growing and getting smarter each day. The boy starts to speak more and more and he's finally starting to get more comfortable in his own room after spending almost all of his life in the same room with mom (yes, I made the mistake of not putting him in another room after birth!)
4) Christopher's freshly decorated room! Michael did it this past weekend, and he also DEEP-cleaned our condo! I'm so happy for not having to do this task!
5) Kettle's (natural) chips, Salt & Vinegar flavor.
6) Chelsea Handler's new daily show "Chelsea Lately." It's crazy good, CRASS, funny, rude but still quite honest and totally cool/fun to watch! It's on pretty late, so it's good because this lady doesn't hold back. I love the "Female happy Ending" segment she had today on the premiere, and when she 'put a cap' on Steve-O's ass.
7) Dreaming of IKEA (they're opening one soon in town! Sure beats driving up to Seattle).
8) Watching "healthy" cooking shows, like: "Healthy Appetite: Ellie Krieger," or "Healthy Decadence," or "A Lyon in the Kitchen," "Sarah Snow: Fresh."
9) Target. Women's clothing department. CHEAP but quite stylish, I know I know, many will say: quality over quantity. My advice is this, sure, INVEST in quality clothing that's timeless, but if you want to indulge in trend/fad, go ahead head on to Target. I LOVE their GO designer lines, the new one being: Libertine.
In the past, I've been so into Isaac Mizrahi's line for Target.
My second choice for CHEAP trendy clothing is Walmart. Look at their "George" line, I usually just buy them on sale. From original price of $30, I often get them for either $3.50 or $3. Really. For those who are green-conscious, believe it or not, Walmart has been pushing green campaign, and they actually have AFFORDABLE (aka cheap) GREEN/environmentally friendly clothing. Crazy good!
Eh, that's it for now. I'm going to update as I find more and more my favorite things. After all, life is all about the lovely small things, silver lining(s) in the cloudy sky.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Go Vegan!
Oh no!
Michael should watch out because these days I've been studying how to cook "RAW." If you know what "raw" is, it's..actually "UNCOOKING" so nothing will be heated up, only fresh, raw, VEGAN ingredients mixed together and served as if it's "real food." But it IS real food, mind you. It sounds fresh and interesting.
To get fresh raw vegan products and recipes, I'm going to endorse this lovely lady, Ani (she seems lovely, she even has her own show on youtube.com), as seen in her website:
http://aniphyo.com/
This is what I'm thinking of actually making.. "Donut Holes" (from her site as well):
Donut Holes
1 cup almonds, dry
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup dried pineapple, chop
1 cup pitted dates
5 Tablespoons dried shredded coconut
Just make them into tiny balls, and voila! It's ready to eat! Cool, huh? She makes everything so easy! I always thought eating vegan/raw is a complete hassle, so I was wrong. Unfortunately for Chris, some of the raw food, I may not be too comfortable in sharing with him just yet (although I don't mind him eating vegan, that baby just doesn't like fast food. He prefers veggies to beef-I'm sure this phase will pass when he's old enough to think broccoli is his 'enemy.').
Anyway, I'm going to drop a note for lovely Michelle: I finally get your e-mail today, and I've replied as well! Thanks for sharing, hun, I hope everything will work out great for you (read my reply!).
Bye bye for now everyone.
Love,
Tracy
Michael should watch out because these days I've been studying how to cook "RAW." If you know what "raw" is, it's..actually "UNCOOKING" so nothing will be heated up, only fresh, raw, VEGAN ingredients mixed together and served as if it's "real food." But it IS real food, mind you. It sounds fresh and interesting.
To get fresh raw vegan products and recipes, I'm going to endorse this lovely lady, Ani (she seems lovely, she even has her own show on youtube.com), as seen in her website:
http://aniphyo.com/
This is what I'm thinking of actually making.. "Donut Holes" (from her site as well):
Donut Holes
1 cup almonds, dry
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup dried pineapple, chop
1 cup pitted dates
5 Tablespoons dried shredded coconut
Just make them into tiny balls, and voila! It's ready to eat! Cool, huh? She makes everything so easy! I always thought eating vegan/raw is a complete hassle, so I was wrong. Unfortunately for Chris, some of the raw food, I may not be too comfortable in sharing with him just yet (although I don't mind him eating vegan, that baby just doesn't like fast food. He prefers veggies to beef-I'm sure this phase will pass when he's old enough to think broccoli is his 'enemy.').
Anyway, I'm going to drop a note for lovely Michelle: I finally get your e-mail today, and I've replied as well! Thanks for sharing, hun, I hope everything will work out great for you (read my reply!).
Bye bye for now everyone.
Love,
Tracy
Thursday, July 12, 2007
We've Survived!
After bearing 2 days with no AC in triple digits temperature, we've survived! No one was dehydrated, we drank and drank as much water and juice. We ate lots of watermelon, pineapple, apple.
Sure, we felt quite lethargic to run around during the weather, so, Michael was creative in buying 2 water guns, water balloons, and "gazillion" bubble to distract and please little Chris. I must say that it worked very well.
After I slathered SPF 45 sunblock on his little body, Chris was free to venture NUDE into the yard today (Michael thought Chris would prefer nudity--riiiight). Chris then proceeded to shoot water at me and we ended up going to water war in which (as usual) the adult would be the loser. So eventually I just doused him with cold water from a bucket, and he happily danced around as he asked me to blow some of the "gazillion bubbles." I kept blowing bubbles until my jaws hurt then Michael took over for me.
We all took a nap and everyone woke up around 8. I made Michael BBQ some pork for dinner (it's way too hot to cook inside the house), and I fixed mustard potato salad. Chris didn't like the salad, but at least, he ate some BBQ pork.
Tomorrow/today, it'll be 92 degrees. So it's not all bad.
P.S. Michael is going on a new job interview, I'm keeping my fingers crossed he'll get it, because this is such an awesome position for him to have. And if he got it, he's pretty sure he's never going to move to another company (great benefits, pay, etc--way too good to be true, imho).
Wish us luck, peeps.
Night night for now!
Love,
Me.
Sure, we felt quite lethargic to run around during the weather, so, Michael was creative in buying 2 water guns, water balloons, and "gazillion" bubble to distract and please little Chris. I must say that it worked very well.
After I slathered SPF 45 sunblock on his little body, Chris was free to venture NUDE into the yard today (Michael thought Chris would prefer nudity--riiiight). Chris then proceeded to shoot water at me and we ended up going to water war in which (as usual) the adult would be the loser. So eventually I just doused him with cold water from a bucket, and he happily danced around as he asked me to blow some of the "gazillion bubbles." I kept blowing bubbles until my jaws hurt then Michael took over for me.
We all took a nap and everyone woke up around 8. I made Michael BBQ some pork for dinner (it's way too hot to cook inside the house), and I fixed mustard potato salad. Chris didn't like the salad, but at least, he ate some BBQ pork.
Tomorrow/today, it'll be 92 degrees. So it's not all bad.
P.S. Michael is going on a new job interview, I'm keeping my fingers crossed he'll get it, because this is such an awesome position for him to have. And if he got it, he's pretty sure he's never going to move to another company (great benefits, pay, etc--way too good to be true, imho).
Wish us luck, peeps.
Night night for now!
Love,
Me.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Today is going to be triple digits Yo!
That's right, it's supposed to be miserable today. We're preparing for the triple digits temperature day(s). I heard from the news it'll reach 93 F by noon, therefore, if my calculation isn't mistaken, we need to be closing the house off around 9 in the morning.
To make things worse, we have no AC in the house. So I'm a little sad about that. Every year it's the same, we resolve the buy AC then we completely forget all about it until the day when it's triple digit temperature.
Ay yi yi.
For now, I'm planning to have our bathtub as private swimming pool for little Chris. Speaking of little Chris, he's getting more adorable and clever every day, not to mention mischievous. He loves to go potty outside in the yard. Ah. The joy of being parents. Michael said that I'm teaching him like I'm teaching a little puppy.
Anyhow.
It's going to be extra hot today and tomorrow, and you know what's really HOT? This new restaurant that's just opened (Nice segue, eh?). The gourmet kind that's also kid-friendly. I will post more about it with link on the my next post. For now, I'm going back to bed.
Bye bye.
To make things worse, we have no AC in the house. So I'm a little sad about that. Every year it's the same, we resolve the buy AC then we completely forget all about it until the day when it's triple digit temperature.
Ay yi yi.
For now, I'm planning to have our bathtub as private swimming pool for little Chris. Speaking of little Chris, he's getting more adorable and clever every day, not to mention mischievous. He loves to go potty outside in the yard. Ah. The joy of being parents. Michael said that I'm teaching him like I'm teaching a little puppy.
Anyhow.
It's going to be extra hot today and tomorrow, and you know what's really HOT? This new restaurant that's just opened (Nice segue, eh?). The gourmet kind that's also kid-friendly. I will post more about it with link on the my next post. For now, I'm going back to bed.
Bye bye.
Friday, July 6, 2007
A Dear Michelle Letter
Hola Chica'!
How are you enjoying your stay so far?
By the way, do you have Skype?
I'm online there, my screenname is: Tracy_KS
If you have an account there (it's free!) We may even get to talk!! Whoo hoo!
That is if you have like a mike and stuff at your dear DJ's house!
By the by, are Chris and Freya over there too?
Love,
Tracy
How are you enjoying your stay so far?
By the way, do you have Skype?
I'm online there, my screenname is: Tracy_KS
If you have an account there (it's free!) We may even get to talk!! Whoo hoo!
That is if you have like a mike and stuff at your dear DJ's house!
By the by, are Chris and Freya over there too?
Love,
Tracy
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy Birthday America and Welcome to America!
This is an extra special post by moi for dear Michelle.
Welcome to America!!
Finally after completely forgetting the url for the fan forum, I braved myself against all possible virus infections to my darling computer to check out Michelle's message, it turns out that she's coming to US to see her darling fiancee, Daniel.
At least we'll get to chat on the (almost) same time line. Right? Right?
Oy vey, have fun enjoying your boy, darling!
Another special thing is, ohmygod, it's 4th of July! You know that it's time for BBQ, fireworks and booze. Well, angelic me won't be drinking, but I'll probably be indulging in some food goodness.
Anyhow, happy birthday US of A!
Welcome to America!!
Finally after completely forgetting the url for the fan forum, I braved myself against all possible virus infections to my darling computer to check out Michelle's message, it turns out that she's coming to US to see her darling fiancee, Daniel.
At least we'll get to chat on the (almost) same time line. Right? Right?
Oy vey, have fun enjoying your boy, darling!
Another special thing is, ohmygod, it's 4th of July! You know that it's time for BBQ, fireworks and booze. Well, angelic me won't be drinking, but I'll probably be indulging in some food goodness.
Anyhow, happy birthday US of A!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Unique Europe TraveL Destination: Vienna, Austria (part 2)
Of course, as budget travelers, we don't want to blow all of our money on hotel accommodation alone, especially if you're planning to not only travel to one Europe destination, but also a few of them. If it's up to me, I'll be splurging on cuisine, museums, theater, etc, because most of the time I'll be OUTSIDE my hotel room in Vienna.
Again, since I'm a big believer of CHEAP travel that is also GREAT (no complication, no muss, awesome accommodation and all in AWESOME price), I definitely suggest you to visit: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/Austria/Vienna/
Ok. I may not be inside my hotel room all of the time, but when I do, I want to make sure that I can afford the BEST possible hotel room I can!
This website provides very detailed, accurate and effective information from every type of hotels (you can even read about the hotels you're interested in staying in, so you'll have a good idea what type of place you'll be staying at). Yes, from 1 star to 5 stars, and believe it or not, VERY affordable (in fact: it's LOWEST rates guaranteed-and you paid on arrival to the location) and after all that, they also have other (cheap) hotel accommodation in other parts of Europe for you to browse or book. Believe me, you will thank me after you visit this website. I'm saving you money!
Http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/Austria/Vienna/ also provides specials (the one-time deals and the year-long deals). So don't blow all your money on hotels when you can save so much, go ahead, book away and plan it out before going to Vienna. Go ahead and browse the website, after all, a better planned trip is a better trip!
Have a safe, wonderful travel in Vienna!
Again, since I'm a big believer of CHEAP travel that is also GREAT (no complication, no muss, awesome accommodation and all in AWESOME price), I definitely suggest you to visit: http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/Austria/Vienna/
Ok. I may not be inside my hotel room all of the time, but when I do, I want to make sure that I can afford the BEST possible hotel room I can!
This website provides very detailed, accurate and effective information from every type of hotels (you can even read about the hotels you're interested in staying in, so you'll have a good idea what type of place you'll be staying at). Yes, from 1 star to 5 stars, and believe it or not, VERY affordable (in fact: it's LOWEST rates guaranteed-and you paid on arrival to the location) and after all that, they also have other (cheap) hotel accommodation in other parts of Europe for you to browse or book. Believe me, you will thank me after you visit this website. I'm saving you money!
Http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/Austria/Vienna/ also provides specials (the one-time deals and the year-long deals). So don't blow all your money on hotels when you can save so much, go ahead, book away and plan it out before going to Vienna. Go ahead and browse the website, after all, a better planned trip is a better trip!
Have a safe, wonderful travel in Vienna!
Unique Europe TraveL Destination: Vienna, Austria (part 1)
Vienna is the place where the spirit of Austria's biggest history is still alive. Vienna is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city; with a population of about 1.7 million (2.2 million within the metropolitan area), and is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political center. Vienna lies in the very east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
If you're visiting Europe don't forget to stop by this bustling cultural center. Being somewhat of a piano enthusiast, two of my most favorite pianists and composers were born in Vienna (Beethoven and Mozart). Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Lipizzaner horses at the spanische Hofreitschule and the Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.
If you're visiting Europe don't forget to stop by this bustling cultural center. Being somewhat of a piano enthusiast, two of my most favorite pianists and composers were born in Vienna (Beethoven and Mozart). Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Lipizzaner horses at the spanische Hofreitschule and the Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.
There are also more than 100 art museums, which together attract over eight million visitors per year [1]. The most popular ones are Albertina, Belvedere, Leopold Museum in the Museumsquartier, KunstHausWien, BA-CA Kunstforum, the twin Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum, and the Technisches Museum Wien, each of which receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year [8].
There are many popular sites associated with composers who lived in Vienna including Beethoven's various residences and grave at Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) which is the largest cemetery in Vienna and the burial site of many famous people. Mozart has a memorial grave at the Hapsburg gardens and at St. Marx cemetery (where his grave was lost). Vienna's many churches also draw large crowds, the most famous of which are St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Deutschordenskirche, the Jesuitenkirche, the Karlskirche, the Peterskirche, Maria am Gestade, the Minoritenkirche, the Ruprechtskirche, the Schottenkirche and the Votivkirche.
Modern attractions include the Hundertwasserhaus, the United Nations headquarters and the view from the Donauturm.
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