our very FIRST family vacation

DESTINATION…
manila

DURATION…
4 days, 3 nights

PACKING…
was hard cos i wasn’t sure where to start! i knew what to pack for hubs & myself but for 2 kids?!? now i know what mommies go thru when they pack for everyone. i brought everything extra for the kids, just in case.

AIR TRAVEL…
was great. i thank GOD that the kids were alright with the take off & didn’t fuss in the air. i was a bit concerned beforehand but lil han surprised me when he dozed off after we've all settled comfortably in our seats, before take off i.e.

BUS RIDE…
from clark international airport to metro manila went smoothly except for the heavy traffic flow. we arrived on a saturday, hence the jam. it'd normally take 2 hours or less to get there from the airport but the plus side was that we got to see the outskirts of the city.

ACCOMODATION...
edsa shangri-la. beautiful hotel. very cozy. scrumptious breakfast. need i say more :o)

SHOPPING...
was my main intention. haha! i was told by many that manila is a shopping paradise. i shopped mostly for the boys & YES, i definitely see more choices & greater bargains there! we managed to experience the last day of sale in asia's largest mall, a.k.a. the mega mall manila.

the best part about this shopping centre is that there are strollers for rent. we rented one for P180 (approximately RM13.23) to last the whole day. i carried lil han while big bro an sat contentedly in the stroller when he's tired from walking.

i for one love shoes & bags & i got to see so many - it's crazy! i'll have to go shopping for ME on our next trip. yup, there'll be a next trip. i'll make it a MUST :o)

of course not all is perfect. the kids did get cranky & lil han wanted ne-nen all the time! so he was hanging onto me 24-7! i'd really have to put us in the marsupial category - i'm mama kanga & lil han is baby roo.

we headed to greenhills on the second day of our travel. i absolutely enjoyed this place. it's a flea market-cum-shopping mall under one roof, selling all sorts. i love flea markets! hubs & nico, my BIL babysat the boys so that faridah, my soon-to-be SIL & myself can go bargain hunting. i'll give her 2 thumbs up for being a hard bargainer.

PICTURES...
were hardly taken since lil han was extremely attached to me. hubs managed to snap a few, so here goes...

lil han twisting away in bathroom slippers

outside the hotel - an made sure daddy took a picture of him with the water jetting upwards

big bro an sure likes fountains - big & small

outside teriyaki boy, waiting for our table

NICE BREAK...
for all of us. i'm grateful...

déjà vu

i sent big bro an to school yesterday. as we reached the school gate, he turned to look at me & spoke in a small voice…

an: mommy, where are my books? feeling the weight of his bag.
me: you need your books for school?
an: nodded his head with a shy smile.
me: looked at him in the eye & couldn’t help but smile too. we ended up having a good laugh.

so i reversed & we went back to get his books. thank goodness his school is just LITERALLY around the block.

the reason why his books were left at home was cos he’d to revise them for the coming assessments. normally their books are kept in school, therefore i wasn't aware of his missing books earlier on. as i put them into his bag, he proceeded to ask me…

an: is my water bottle in the bag?
me: yes.
an: is my container in the bag?
me: yes.
an: what’s in my container?
me: don't know. ah ma prepared something for you. you’ll have to wait & see in school.

the part about him forgetting his books & his need to get his books before school made me recall my childhood days (miss it!). there were days when i accidently left a text/work book at home & how i've asked dad to turn back so that i could go home to get it. i’d feel really bad then & i’m sure an was feeling the same when he forgot his books.

i’m pround of him, proud that he is being a responsible student, young as he is :o)

picturesque sunset @ tanjung aru beach

sunday, 10 september 2006, the famous 4 headed to tanjung aru beach for the grand viewing of a magnificent sunset. we got front row seats as well!

an loves the sunset & it's one of the lil miracles in life that i know i tend to forget/overlook. he gets excited over it & asks a zillion questions as to the whys & hows of a sunset plus he can be so mechanical about it! he's 4 & very inquisitive!

this picture was taken by hubs. not a bad shot!

love the colours of the sky!

one…two…LIFT!

despite having a busy schedule, i relax by taking pictures of my boys in their most carefree state. i learn to liberate myself more by watching them. why take life so seriously? a question i constantly ask myself.

thanks to my SIL, i did find the next best thing, i.e. work that gives me access to weekends/public hols with my truckers. whoopee! no more working on saturdays, sundays (occasionally) & public hols! i say AMEN to that! so nope, i won’t be officially a SAHM but i’ll certainly have more time with big bro an & lil han.

dad’s youngest sis, we call her se ko (youngest aunty) came down from kota belud last friday with heaps of fresh goodies including coconuts. lil han couldn’t resist them & observed the coconuts from every angle. he kept saying, “kick the ball. kick the ball.” he’d normally say that when he’s about to kick one. we’d to explain to him that coconuts aren’t balls & he’s not to kick them ever. big ouch there!

here's han trying to be hercules. he must be thinking that coconuts are extraordinary balls – they’re hard & positively HEAVY!