Orlando Trip

As promised, here are some pictures of my Orlando trip last week. It was a busy 3-days business trip with meetings and dinners arranged for us.

My flight to Orlando on Monday morning at 7:30 am.
This is the hotel room that I stayed - Ritz Carlton at the Grand Lakes.
Beautiful and spacious bathroom with bathrobe and slippers.
Working desk with internet connection at $9.95 per day. You would think they will give you free internet service, eh..??
Sorry, can't really see my tired face. Did it on purpose.
This is the view from my room. Nice..??
The grand piano in front of the Grand Ballroom.
Swimming pool that closed at 11:00 pm everynight.
Sangria, anyone..??

Unfortunately, there's no shuttle service from the hotel to Disney World. Only to Animal Kingdom and Sea World. Doesn't make sense at all. I had purchased a ticket to Disney World earlier online before my trip but oh well, I'm not going to pay $70 for a town car to take me there from the hotel. Fuggedaboudit!

Unforgetable Trip

As told in my previous post, I just came back from my Orlando business & vacation trip last week and I have to admit that I truly enjoyed my 3-days stay there. Besides the busy schedule we had during the day at the meeting, we had a chance to go out one night and explore Orlando.

Monday, we had meeting all day and by dinner time, everyone was exhausted from the early morning flight, so we didn't do much that night. On Tuesday right after the day long meeting, a group of 4 of us took the opportunity to enjoy a knight's tale and experience one of Florida's most unique dinner attractions. It took us a journey back to the 11th century when the splendor, the pageantry and the romance of a time long remembered come to life in a re-created Medieval Times Castle. The 4-course dinner was sumpstous and plenty to eat.

We realised that there are so many things to do in Orlando, one particular is a visit to the Kennedy Space Center. We never had a chance to visit the space center but I definitely will spend some time there on my next visit.

If you are planning a trip to Orlando or any destination within the United States, get an online travel guides from Trusted Tours & Attractions.

Oh by the way, remember to sign up their newsletter for a chance to win a $150 iTunes gift card Offer ends July 31st, 2008.

Lesson Learned Part 1001

NEVER leave scissor laying around un-attended. Especially when you have kids at home.

This was done in a short period of time - barely 20 minutes, alone in the den.
A pair of scissor and some paper will do all the mess for you.
And when you are mad at her, she thought it was funny. This child need some serious spanking.



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She's definitely a Harley girl. Bought her a new helmet. $40. And she's a happy camper.

What do you think..???
Like the color and design...???
Ready for a ride....
.... to Circuit City.
How...???
Ada gaya...???
After the ride, we went to the pool....
... and swam for a couple of hours.
And that night, she came down with a fever. Poor child.

3D/2N Washington DC - Day 3 (final)

Our last day in Washington DC went very well in the morning. We had a quick breakfast at Au Bon Pain, next to the hotel.

Au Bon Pain is a very upscale French bakery selling all types of pastries, muffins, cakes, tarts, bagels and donuts.
They have a wide selection of coffee to choose from.
Robert had a Ham Croissant.
The girls and I shared a big Chocolate Chips Muffin.
Their coffee isn't bad at all.


After breakfast, we checked-out of the hotel and headed home.

The Pentagon - picture taken on the way back to Virginia.
Some kind of weird sculpture.


Right we passed The Pentagon City, Annabel was asking to go to the bathroom. We took the next exit and had to drive a mile before we hit the gas station.

Before we had a chance to reach the gas station, Robert drove into a big hole and had a tyre puncture.
Luckily we had a spare tyre in the trunk.
MsE wasn't really sure what was going on as she had just woken up from her nap.
After a quick change of the tyre...
we drove to nearest Pep Boys in Federicksburg to get a new tyre.
That's 2-hours wasted...
and $92 poorer.

We didn't get home till 4:00 pm and the next morning, I had to wake up at 4:00 am to get to the airport for my trip to Orlando.

The Benefit of Coffee

I love coffee especially the strong one and used to drink at least 2 cups in the morning before I start work. Lots of people have a wrong perception about coffee which they think coffee wll do more harm to you than good. It's proven wrong by researcher and they found that coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the American diet. Black tea is the second.

There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities. Therefore, I encourage you to click on the video below and learn more about the Benefits of coffee.

Foggy Mirror

Instead of paying a lot to buy a product to apply to your bathroom mirror that will prevent it from fogging, clean it with a small amount of shaving cream. It will do the very same job.

High Speed Internet

Our high-speed internet is ridiculously slow sometime. It's always frustrating when I try to upload pictures from my camera to the computer and it took forever for me to do so.

We are thinking of changing our high-speed internet service to Charter internet with speeds as fast as up to 5Mbps for only 14.99/month. I'm going to give it a try since it has a 30 days risk free cancellation and I will also receive a $25 Shell Gift Card when I purchase the order online. Sounds like a great deal.

No More Limp Celery

If you completely wrap your Celery in aluminum foil (with no ends hanging out), it will remain crisp for weeks and weeks, no kidding. You can wrap it as is from the store or cut/clean it before you wrap it - works the same. Give it a try!

Stylish Eyeglasses

Looking for a stylish prescription eyeglasses? ZenniOptical.com has a huge selection of frames and lens from as low as $8. They are high quality, rimless, stainless steel, memory titanium frames available for you to choose.

How do you like the eyeglasses below? When I first saw it, I immediately fell in love with it. I think it will look good on everyone.



For more information on prescription eyeglasses, click on Zenni on Fox.

3D/2N Washington DC - Day 2

Apologies for not posting for 4 days. Aha, that's a record breaking for not posting that long, eh..???

The long Orlando trip was killing me and I didn't get home till late last night. However, I have taken some pictures to share with you all - in my next post perhaps but at the meantime, enjoy the 2nd Day pictures of our outdated Washington DC trip.

PS. I have read all the comments in my previous post (thank you) and haven't had a chance to reply but bear with me, I just need a couple of days to get back to my routine.


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On Day 2, we were supposed to go up to the Washington Monument but we left our tickets at home. What a bummer!

Since we weren't going to the monument, we spent our morning in the hotel. At 11:00 am, we took the girls to the Washington DC Zoo.

We took the metro, two blocks away from our hotel.
Just two stop - from Farragut North to Woodley Park-Zoo (left)
It was a perfect day to walk in the zoo - more animals to see compared to our Richmond zoo.
Zebra was our 1st stop.
Then Panda and I believe this is Tian Tian.
Double-stroller for rent at $11 per day.
Tian Tian and Mei Xiang - the most popular Panda in USA.
MsE with the baby Panda born a couple years ago.
Since the girls love to see the Pandas, we spent some time here taking pictures and walking around.
This is the home for Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and the baby.
Next was the Fishing Cat. That's a beauty.
The lazy Hippo.
Gorilla and he's huge, bigger than my girls.
Our friend, Orang Utan.
This is Robert's favourite animal - The King of the Jungle.


Day 3 was a frustrating day for us. A misfortune (not a bad one) happened to us on the way home and it took us more than 4 hours to get home instead of the norm 1 1/2 hours.

3D/2N Washington DC - Day 1

We left our house on Friday at 10:00 am and enroute, we stopped at IKEA at Potomac Mill to shop around and grab a quick meatballs lunch.

The journey on the interstate highway wasn't crowded at all.
We reached IKEA just about time to have lunch.
The girls had Mac & Cheese; Robert and I shared 20 meatballs...
and a piece of Swedish Almond Pie. I like it but it was just okay for Robert.
After lunch, we drove to the hotel - The Quincy on 18th L Street.
The Quincy is a modernized boutique hotel with a huge room and dark cherry wood furnitures.
Four of us slept on this super comfortable pillow-top bed for two-nights.
Free Wi-Fi for hotel guests during the entire stay.
A small kitchenette equiped with a refrigarator and a microwave.
A pretty small bathroom that barely can fit Robert and an in there. Now, don't think 'dirty'.
Love this over-sized floor mirror and MsE had ran in it a couple of times.

We took a little nap in the room and by 5:30 pm, our tummy were growling and decided to head out to hunt for food.

We walked pass Singapore Bistro and thought of Kak Elle. Hehehe.
Then Malaysian Kopitiam and missed home desparately.
Finally, we had our dinner at Penang Restaurant which we always frequent every time we visited DC.
Surprisingly, I wasn't really impressed with their food that night. Seafood Yee Mee for the girls but both of them didn't like it.
The nasi lemak wasn't as good as it used to be. They probably have changed cook/chef since the last time we had dinner there.
The Pandan Chicken was good and Robert ate it all within second.
By 8:00 pm, we were at the Washington Monument waiting for the fireworks.
The fireworks started as soon as it gets dark at 9:10 pm.
It went on....
and on....
and one for 20 minutes.

Enjoy the video and come back for our 3D/2N Washington DC - Day 2.

Power Steering

Working on the car is one of Robert's favourite things to do during the weekend. He has been working on putting new tires for our car last two weeks and was looking into changing the steering box too. He would rather get all the parts and pay the wholesale price instead of sending it to the dealer who charge him an arm and a leg. If you are looking for a power steering, go to powersteeringpros.com. They have high quality parts with affordable prices.

Fix Stale Crackers

Soup is on the table; you reach for the box of crackers; UGH!
They're stale! Don't despair. Spread them out in a Pyrex dish on HIGH for 2-3 minutes depending on strength of your oven. No more stale crackers.

Career in Information Technology

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This exciting Information Technology Program can help you break into the IT career field or assist you in advancing your current career with training in network design and administration, as well as in wireless technologies. With the Cisco IT Training program, you can gain the experience you need to create large-scale network design, as well as manage and execute projects.

You can learn computer and local area network setup, configuration, upgrade, diagnosis and repair, as well as wireless technologies training. Graduates of this exciting Information Technology training can be prepared for entry-level positions in a variety of careers, including:

Computer Support Specialist
Information Systems Manager
Local Area Network Engineer
Systems Administrator

No Lost Buttons

When I buy a garment that has extra buttons attached, instead of putting them away and forgetting where I put them, I sew them to an inside seam allowance of the garment. Then they are always with the garment. No hunting for them when you need to replace a lost button.

Flirting Game

What is flirting game, you may ask? It's super fun online game that I can guarantee you will like the very first time you play the game. VO5, the popular brand shampoo that I'm using now, is having an online flirting game called Extreme Style by VO5 Ultimate Flirting Championship.

You must be curious how the game works. It's a simple and fun game, all about getting the victory hair. Victory hair starts when one gorgeous girl meet with a handsome man, say for instance in a bar having a drink and some fun, both with very sexy styled hair. Out of a sudden, magic happens and in the process their hair gets all messed up. That's victory hair.

I have played the game and it's fun. Let me tell you the worst pick-up line I ever heard is "Hey babe, you're hot." Anyway, click on the widget and give it a try. Or grab the widget and put in your blog so others would know about this funny online game.

We are in DC

Fireworks in DC last night was AWESOME. More pictures and video to follow.

Glenn Beck

I have been a great fan of Glenn Beck, a conservative political commentator for a while now and I have to say he is a brilliant man.

One of his recent video about Food vs Fuel caught my attention and I have been relating the topic to Robert about the cost of food prices go up sky-rocketing. The cost of food and fuel prices are basically related to ethanol and it looks like people now are filing their gas tank instead of their hungry stomach. It's a great video which I personally think everyone should watch it.

Oh by the way, Glenn Beck is having his summer political tour right now and the Dallas show will be on at 17th July. This show will be broadcasted nationally to select movie theaters nationwide.

The Dentist with Doggie Mask

A child's first visit to the dentist typically happens at about age 3 - two years later than is recommended, reports the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Experts say that getting an early start on dental care can be the most effective way to make sure a child's teeth have a healthy start.

Emma's first visit to the dentist this morning was very low-key and comfortable.

They have the whole place so kids friendly. Look at all the stuffed animals up the cabinets.

She did very well on her first dental visit.


To make sure everything looks healthy, the dental hygienist brushed and checked both girls' teeth and gums.

Dr Wood, the dentist with doggie mask.

The girls like him so much and they call him Dr Doggie. Ha ha!

Treats from the basket for the children.

They even got a balloon too....

and a goodie bag with stickers, pencil and toothbrush.

No cavaties for the girls which Robert and I were overjoyed to hear but unfortunately Annabel has a severe broken molar and it was beyond repair. It has to be extracted and put a temporary gap in between while waiting for her permanent molar when she turns twelve. Yikes!


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We submitted Annabel's & Robert's passport applications at the local post office on Jun 21st, the immigration processed the passports on Jun 26th and we received the new passports by mail on Jun 30th. All it took was just a short one week. Only in America, baby!

Her passport only valid for 5 years.

Robert's is for 10 years till 2018. Woohoo!

Look at...
all these...
colorful pages inside the passport.

We are extremely happy with the efficiency of the post office personnel and are very pleased with the super fast processing time by the immigration office. I tell you, only in America, baby!

Luminox Watches

Robert's birthday is coming up soon. Every year this time around, I would be pulling my hair trying to think what to get him for his birthday. He basically has everything that he needs. He has enough t-shirt to wear and cologne is a waste of money as he doesn't wear them.

The only thing I could think of is to get him a Luminox watch. He has been going to work without his watch for almost a year now, since his old watch I bought him for Christmas three years ago stop working. I'm sure he is going to love his birthday present as he told me Luminox watches are very good quality watches and he always wanted to own one.

Saving 12 bucks

Time is hard now and with food & gas prices soaring each day, we have to scale back all unnecessary expenses. No more eating out in a fancy restaurant. A temporary call-off on part-time maid. Food shopping as and when needed.

To further cut expenses, Robert's haircut was done at home by the CatCat hairstylist.






Apa macam..?? No bad eh, considering no professional training on hairstyling at all.

Wish I could have my hair cut at home, that would save us a lot more than 12 bucks but I just don't trust Robert's skill and forget about the girls. I might end up wearing a wig for the next couple of months!


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As told in my previous post, we are getting very excited about our upcoming DC trip for the fireworks on 4th of July. Anyone out there making the same plan like ours? Care to meet up for lunch or dinner in the nation capital? We already bought tickets to the Washington Monuments and plan to take the girls to the zoo thereafter.

Again, blogging will be at minimal for this weekend and early next week as I will be heading to Orlando for 3 days on Monday 7th to 9th.


2002 - Annabel was 6 months old - her 1st 4th of July.
2003 - Annabel was 1 1/2 years old.
2004 - she was 2 1/2.
2005 - I was 8 months pregnant with Emma and Annabel was 3 1/2 years old.
2006 - Annabel was 4 1/2 and Emma was 10-months old.
2007 - This was last year.

Here is a cute picture of Miss Senget on her first 4th of July in DC.




Now, do you want to see a funny picture? Scroll down....
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Haha! You all have a Happy 4th of July!

Car Rental

Renting a car is not just for business purposes anymore. More people or families are renting cars for a number of reasons ranging from car repairs, vacations or special occasions.

Like early last year when Robert had a car accident, he had to rent a car from a car rental to go to work and manage other daily activities. Since public transportation is not viable in our area, renting a car is the best option for us.

Renting a car for a vacation trip is also a good idea if you want to save wear and tear on your car, if you have an SUV like us and want to rent a car with better gas mileage to save a few bucks on the trip. I always like the idea of pampering myself on vacation by renting a covertible and cruise around the places we visit. If you rent for vacation, look early and wide to get the best deals.

Saturday & Sunday

Saturday morning was spent mostly on cleaning the house which was long overdue. I usually do a thorough cleaning from top floor to the bottom floor once a month (I know I'm a lazy bone and comments is not necessary) and I couldn't remember when was the last time I cleaned the house. I was being spoilted by getting a part-time maid to clean our house for the past two months, and now we can no longer afford to pay our maid. It's a sign of hard time, I know.

See, Robert and I had a discussion few days ago how we would like to set Saturday as our long overdue cleaning day for the house and our two cars, Honda & Toyota (yup, Japanese's cars rock!!!).



So, our plan was:

1. Get up in the morning, I, clean the house; Robert & the girls wash the cars.
2. Then out for a quick lunch before Robert and MsA catch a 1:00 pm matinee while me and Miss E would go home for a nap.
3. Movie finishes at 3:00 pm and by 4:00 pm, we should have 2-hours swim at the pool before dinner time.

Perfect planning.

But with little ones playing outside...
... and splashing water all over....
... it took Daddy an extra 1/2 hour to finish the job.
And another 20 minutes when Daddy decided to have some fun too.


Back in the house, when you live in a quad-level house with 4 bedrooms, a living, a dining, greasy kitchen, 2 1/2 baths, a huge den and not forgetting the utility room - a total of 2,400 sq ft of living space, there are so much more to clean than you ever thought.

It took me forever to dust, sweep, mop, and clean all the bathrooms and toilets all by myself. My little 7-years old washer was working non-stop on four loads of laundry, bedsheets, pillow cases and comforters.

The day went pretty well. Robert and MsA enjoyed the movie "Kung Fu Panda" so much that she came home eating everything from Loh Mein to peanuts with chopstick. Two-hours swim at the pool was awesome as it wasn't really crowded at all. Don't know where all the neighborhood's kids went but it was nice to have the pool all by ourselves.

Dinner: Chinese take-out; General Tso Chicken for Robert, Orange Chicken for myself and the girls share a small Loh Mein.

That was Saturday for us.



Sunday, we had fun playing Rummikub with the girls in the morning while watching CBS Sunday Morning.

MsE lost the game and threw a fit. No, she doesn't play well in games which we definitely need to have a long talk with her.

Then I ran out to the store to get some groceries - $70 gone for barely a handful of groceries.

Again, pool was very quiet and we had a couple hours swim.

Dinner: Ground Sirlion Burger with fruits.

These are the best patties in town and I highly recommend Ground Sirlion to anyone who would like to have a juicy home-made hamburger.
I like my burger well done with slight burn on the edge.
Pure burger patties with no filings at all - MMM MMMMM GOOD!


Now we can't wait for next weekend (Fourth of July weekend) in Washington DC to watch fireworks. We will leave on Friday morning and spent two nights in the nation capital, so posting will be at minimal but I sure will take plenty of pictures to share.