Planning Pajamas Birthday party

It's that time of the year again.. My daughter's birthday is approaching fast. I haven't yet planned or start any planning yet. This is all I know so far. We will have a party at home (save on $$). She wants to invite girls only. Understanbly she is growing everyday and acts like a woman more and more. I limit the friends list to 12. I think that's already more than what I think I can handle. But comparing to typical Asian's party we are small in size considering.

So today something in the mail sprung me into action. She got the invitation from her classmate to a birthday party on the same weekend that I was planning for her birthday. Well, the birthday is on Sunday so I think I can swing having her birthday on Sat. But guess I have to send out an invitation soon.

Ok.. So what's theme? I don't remember my mom put too much thought into my birthday. I don't even remember we celebrate at all. I mean she would say Happy Birthday but there were no big party or anything in that nature and I turned out just fine.

We agreed on Pajamas birthday party (but no sleepover). They are still too young to do sleepover anyway. I think I will shoot for 3-5pm timeframe.

Invitation... Hmm.. Hope I can find something in Target or Walmart so I don't have to put much work on it. If not, might go with eVite.. Hey! We have to help save the trees so this will help reduce paper waste, right? Will ask guests to come in their pajamas and bring their sleeping bag but no sleeping over. Well, I hope I won't confuse any parents and think they can plan their weekend getaway and leaving their kids with me.. No ma'am..

What to serve? Since the party time will be in between meal so I can opt out on serving dinner. I plan to have snack for them. Popcorn, pretzel, juice box, cookies, and fruits probably apple, grapes and watermelon. If I can get small cup I might also serve hot cocoa with marsh mellow.

What to do in the party? For girls, it's easy enough. They are not as active. So probably print out several coloring pages from online.. Then let them do one project that will be their favor. I plan for Pillow decoration.. Get white pillow case then let them put their artist hats to test. This will probably hold down the fort for a while. Next, I will need to find a short movie (anything less than about 30-40 minutes) and put in the movie so they can enjoy their popcorns and sleeping bad in front of the TV. Then time to say good bye..

So for the party favor, I got a few good ideas off the internet (of course, this is my live library). The party favor will include decorated pillow case by guest, toothbrush, travel size toothpaste, cocoa mix.

I think this plan sounds simple and manageable.. Will let you know how it actually turn out.

A day in Bangkok...

Well, not literally just a day in Bangkok. I couldn't just go back to Thailand and only spend a day in Bangkok. Most of you might ask why it took me so long to blog about Thailand. Truth be told, there are so many great places in Thailand that I'm at the lost and don't even know where to start.

Last year, we went back to Thailand to visit my family. This is something I try to do every two years. I would love to be able to do it every year. But tickets for 4 can run around $4000 so unless I win any lotto anytime soon this will have to be bi-annual trip. Each time when we go back I try to plan several small trips to visit many parts of Thailand.

Thailand is an amazing place to visit. We have different flavors to please various taste. There are beaches in the South, mountains in the North, city in Bangkok, old ruins in the Center. I can go on and on.. Plus you can't go to Thailand and not be overwhelmed by the varieties of food you can get. We are Thais and we love to eat. I'm not food expert I will leave that up to my friend on her blog (kelly-licious).

This trip is no different. I have a long list of things to do and buy, places to visit and food to eat. Of course, families to visit is on my list as well but that's a given. :)

As soon as we landed (right around midnight) and by the time we left the airport which was around 2AM, we headed to my family favorite chinese restaurant, Nguan Lee. It's one of this place that has no fancy deco just plain tables and chairs. Gotta put food on the first priority to have energy to do anything else. :)

I had planned a few places to go in Bangkok this trip. My husband has been there 3-4 times but it will take more than that to experience Thailand to the fullest.

We headed to Royal Thai Palace and Wat Pra Kaew (Temple of Emerald Budha). Being Thai and living in Bangkok for over 20 years, the last time I was there I was 10 years old. So a lots have changed. This was our second attempt to go there. Last time, we didn't know that he had to wear long pants. You can't wear short, flip flop, or sandal. And I believe for female you should dress properly to show respect to the place.

It was a typical weather in Thailand.. HOT.. So I knew that we won't be spending too much time in there. We picked up a headset for self-guided. I'm not a history buff so I will take any help I can get. The visit was long enough to wear everyone out. One thing to keep in mind when going to Thailand. Whatever you plan to do, plan to accomplish maybe even less as heat will get to you sooner than you think.

The next stop on our list is 'Muang Boran - Ancient City'. It's located just outside Bangkok. You probably couldn't tell where Bangkok ends and where another province begins. It's all blended in together these days with all the people moves to our capital city. To get there, the best advice I could get is to hire a taxi or mini van. There is no easy public transportation.

Plus when you are in there the place is so huge, you can't really walk from one to another. You can rent a bike. It will be a nice exercise giving it isn't a hot day (which is highly unlikely for that to happen here). My sister arranged the van to pick us up and we headed there. It was nice to learn about different histories in different parts of my country. This is like an overview of what we have to offer in Thailand regarding our historical locations, architectures and many more. The owner does put a lot of thought into building this place.

They also created an environment that takes you back to the traditional Thai lifestyle. It's a quick way to learn more about Thai culture in one trip. We had lunch at the shop that sits by the canal. One of my favorite dish - Boat noodle (Kuay-Taew-Ruer).

There are several other places that we didn't have time to visit this trip. Plus I don't want to temple out my husband by visiting all the temples in one trip. I think to really enjoy and appreciate what we have to offer, we need to take our time and not just rush through the place just to get it done. That being said, it's easier said than done when you had 2 young children with you that kicking and screaming for the A/C. :)

My Top Ten weekend trips...

One of the nice thing about moving from South Florida to Atlanta is the opportunity to have a day trip to several places that within a driving distance from where we live. It takes a minimum of 7-8 hours to get out of Florida from where we lived. I know that Florida is a destination by itself.. But I think each State has different flavor that you have to experience.

So as soon as I moved here, I started a list of places where I would go for a weekend trip or even a day trip. And as everyone on this planet, things don't normally work according to our liking. Of those lists, I think I have accomplished probably less than 10%. But traveling is a lifelong passion so I remind myself that I have my whole life to do it.

Here is my top ten. What's on your list?

1) Biltmore Estate, NC - I would love to see this estate especially during the Christmas holiday. Plus seeing how the rich lives might inspire me or maybe make me feel even worse. Oh! well..I have to try to be able to tell, right?

2) Chattanooga, TN - We have visited it last year for a Thomas train ride. But we didn't make it to the Aquarium yet. So this will be on the revisit list sometimes this Spring.

3) Helen, GA - You can't compare the Octoberfest in German to this one but without paying for the ticket and hotel I guess this low budget destination will do. I have been there once about 10 years ago and didn't remember much. As some of you might know, I have suffered from SMS (Short Memory Syndrome) so that's why I need to blog.

4) Savannah, GA - I have heard so much about Savannah so I will be cheating myself if I didn't get to go there one of this weekend.

5) Gatlinburg and the Smokey Mountain, TN - We are not the outdoor type person. That's being said, I love to go there and maybe hike in one of the trail. But I think I will have to tag along a lot of friends on this trip as we are not the outdoor type person.

6) New Orleans, LA - With so much history and characters, I can't pass up to put New Orleans on my list. Plus how can I resist the chance to taste the gumbo.

7) Destin, FL - Like I said the nice thing about living in Atlanta is you can get Snow, Beach and anything between. I can't say that I'm the beach person but I love going to the beach just to breath in the fresh air. Unfortunately, of all 10 plus years that we have lived in Florida, I can count on one hand we went to the beach. Go figure!

8) Blue Ridge Mountain, GA - with just about an hour drive from our house it seems to be perfect vacation if we want to do absolutely nothing. I have my eye on one of the cabin that is absolutely gorgeous. This deserves another post of its own.

9) Myrtle Beach, SC - Ok.. I actually don't know how long of the drive this one is. But I'm pretty sure we can make a good long weekend out of it. Plus my husband was (is) an avid golfer as he would love to think. He plays about 1-2 times every 2-3 years. :) But he enjoys it and he is pretty good at it. So we can't not go there when we live so close.

10) Charleston, SC - Yet another beach destination on my list and I said I am not the beach person. I think when you think about vacation you automatically think about beach as your top destination. I'm no different than anyone else. Plus not having to fly is a major attraction for a family of 4 any day.

Daydream...Hawaii cruising

Hawaii has been one of the destination that I have been daydreaming about for years. I don't know what with it. Might be all those travel shows and articles that talk about how beautiful it is or might be just something that might help me feel more like my homeland a little bit more. Thailand is a tropical country and where I grew up was in the South that we have beaches everywhere. So in the sense, Hawaii has that and more.

Thanks to the highspeed highway for the 21st century that allow me to daydreaming more effectively with photo and articles. There are too many things to do with so little money so I don't even know where to start on planning when I go to Hawaii.

So my first choice is Hawaii Cruise with NCL America. I know.. cruising won't give you justice what each island has to offer. But I consider this as the sample trip so that I will get a chance to explore Hawaii. And if God provides, I will have a chance to revisit each island again.

NCL America is the only cruise line that can cruise Hawaii islands without having to visit another island outside the State since they are registered as American ships. There are always negative and positive reviews about the ships. But I believe that you make your own fun for your trip. If you go on vacation with the negative attitude and expect everything to be perfect then why bother, mind as well stay at home and watch Travel channels.

Currently, there are 3 ships that cruise around Hawaii islands but I believe NCL America will retire one of the ship this Feb. Well, I sure hope that they will keep the other two ships till I can save enough money. :)

This cruise is actually the first one I considered for our vacation this year. But after looking at the price and tickets (since we can't possibly drive from GA to HI, we will have to fly), I think this will be more long term project and need more funding.

Wait for me Hawaii.. I shall see you some days soon.

Hong Kong - Here we come!!

We stayed in Hong Kong for 2 nights. The hotel is in a very convenient location by the subway. It's not on the Hong Kong Island but instead on the Kowloon side which made it more affordable. I think we stayed in the Mong Kok area but need to confirm that. Will update later on the hotel name and all. :)

We didn't waste anytime. After a full day in Macau, we arrived in Hong Kong for dinner then headed to the hotel to check in. After a quick fresh up, I left my hubby in the hotel as he was in no shape to walk anymore and went out to explore with my mom and my sister and her hubby in the Ladies Market. If you don't like crowd space, then don't bother coming to Hong Kong. Growing up in Bangkok, I'm used to crowd but I have to say I have never seen that many people in one location and it was almost 11PM at that time.

Street food vendors were everywhere. And the food was good. It was perfect to keep us going late into the night.

The next morning after the quick breakfast we headed to Lantau Island for 2 attractions on the itenerary.

First stop is the Ngong Ping 360. It's the cable car that runs from the bottom of the mountain over the bay to the top of the moutain (not sure how long that is). The ride by itself was just amazing. The day we went was a bit cloudy but we were still able to see the airport and enjoy the 360 view. At the top we got to walk around the Ngong Ping village. It was very quaint village. We enjoyed the show there along with Starbucks. Well, you know that your destination has made it when there is Starbucks there.

Next was our most challenging attraction. It's the Big Budha or what they called Po Lin Monastry. Well, having two kids we weren't sure if we want to do this. But again, how many times we will get to come here and see Big Budha. So off we went, my hubby got my son on his front with the Bjorn. Mind you that he was almost 3 by that time. So it wasn't easy. Again, don't ask me how many steps. I'm sure you can find out from Hong Kong Tourism website or Google.

Back to the Hong Kong Island, we made a quick stop (well, not so quick when you have 25 people in your group) at the Repulse Bay. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong. (hmm.. with Hong Kong as an island wonder how many beaches do they have) Too bad, we didn't get to dip into the ocean to taste the Hong Kong water. :) Oh! and I almost forgot our quickest stop ever to the Victoria Peak. It was one of those foggy days so we couldn't see out much to begin with and some of the kids were fast asleep. So we did the got out, took picture and got back on the road.

We ended today with a trip to the fisherman village for the fresh and incredible dinner. This is not your typical restaurant. You had to walk through the real market to go to the restaurant. Food was just beyond word. Especially, for me coming from the US where seafood is more of the luxury item than the norm. So I just ate like there will be no tomorrow.

Some fish I don't even know that it exists. I think if I show those pictures I might get marked as adult site so let your imagination runs wild on this one. For now, just see the end result from those fish. Doesn't it make your mouth watering right now?

The night didn't actually end there. After the tour bus dropped some of us at the hotel, we asked them to take us to Nathan Road. Yet another shopping street. My hubby was in search of new cell phone and figured Hong Kong would be a good place to try. But we didn't buy any from there. I just didn't feel comfortable buying electronic that we couldn't get service easily.

Our last day was a free for all day. My sister went to IKEA to check out their home product. My cousins and her daughter went to Disney Land. Well, I have both of those in the US so no need to see it again. So we decided to explore the Hong Kong island. We took the MTR to the Ocean Terminal station and we actually got off a bit earlier so that we could walk by the Harbour and check out the Pennisula Hotel. Well, can't stay there so at least I figured we could take a picture. :P

Walking around Hong Kong made me appreciate the way we live here with all the space and less congestion. It was literally going by the flow thing. Ever seen the Visa debit card commercial that one person starts using cash and then the whole thing stops like a domino. I felt like that when walking on the sidewalk there.

Hong Kong is everything I expected and more. A cosmopolitan city with a taste of their old tradition. The city was so vibrant and the food was so yummy. Hong Kong is such a small country but packed with all the flavor you want. Shopping, Eating, Sighseeing, Gambling (in Macau just a short ferry ride)... It's great for a traveler who doesn't feel comfortable outside the comfort zone since Hong Kong people can pretty much speak English. So navigate through the city or shopping is a breeze.

I sure hope that we will get a chance to go back there again!!

Our Trip to Macua and Hong Kong

This year we will not be going back to Thailand since we just went there last year (Feb 2007). But it seems like a lifetime ago that I went back. With a family of 4, it's very difficult (financially mostly) to make a trip every year. I would love for my kids to be able to go back every year to see my mom, my sister, my brothers and their cousins (2 so far and 1 on the way). All my family members are in Thailand so that's why I make it my goal that we will be going back at least once every two years.

Last year trip was a blast. We made a plan to have a small trip within that trip to also visit Hong Kong and Macau. My sister and my brother took care of all the arrangement with the tour company from Thailand. It was probably the good idea for us since it was like a family reunion trip with all ages range from 60 something to about 6 months old. So having a tour guide that provides transportation, accomodation and food made the trip more manageable.

We spent our first night in Macau. With the jet lag and small kids, we didn't go explore too much. I think it's one of the place for more adults than kids. Also one thing that hinder my fun is smoker!! They are everywhere... In the restaurant, public place... So needless to say, I don't plan to go back to Macau again anytime soon.

Don't get me wrong. There are other stuffs to see around Macua as well. There are several nice architechtures from the old day during Portugal influence.

Ruinas de Sao Paulo is the old ruin of St. Paul church. It has some history behind it but when you traveled with 2 young kids with less than 5 hours sleep then the history went out the window. So just search online to get more info for any history bluffs who want to know more.

Then there was also Largo do Senado (in which we visited at night). It was at the square with a lot of historic building. We went there during Chinese New Year so we got the good advantage of the decoration. The Chinese New Year is probably one of the most celebrated for Chinese people.

And you can't talk about Macau without mentioning Casino. Macau is considered the Vegas of Asia. The casino here is as fancy and as big as in Vegas. But I think the people who come here are different. Vegas has both true gamblers and tourists. But in Macau it seems to be serious business here. We didn't get into the casino because I can't tolerate the smoke. But we did walk along the street to take in all the lights and unique structures. Everything in Macau is built based on the belief of Feng Shui. There are stories about how each building is designed in order to utilize the belief to bring in the most money.

By the way, traveling with tour guide has one downside. We tend to not paying attention on where you stay and where you eat or even where you go. After some digging, I just remember the name of the hotel that we stayed in Macau. It's the Golden Dragon Casino. It's right in front of the Fisherman Wharf. Very nice area...