No, this was not taken using a security camera, lol! The husband took this shot. I wasn’t actually lucky with slot machines. I have never been lucky with it ever since I was playing with it. I like playing the roulette better especially the digital one where in you bet using a touch screen monitor. In there, you cannot see how much others are betting unlike the open roulette. There was one night in Las Vegas that I was lucky with it. I actually won a total of $150! Yey, that made me buy a long champ bag in the store! lol!

We welcomed with open arms the arrival of our new baby. We consider it actually as our “baby boy.” My husband was of course very excited. He has been planning to get this one since late last year but we have delayed it a bit. I always believe that it is sweeter when you have patience. We have finally decide on the name. It would be called “Reno.” It was the husband who chose that one. I can’t contradict him for that. He wants to remember the fondest memory we had while we were in US. We really had a great time in Reno, Nevada actually.

It was baptized already last sunday. We are enjoying this new baby so much. I’m now thinking to plan to have a quick getaway somewhere nearby, let’s see.

Nope, we are not in a beauty care products to look for the best wrinkle cream on the above picture, since a friend is asking me to get one that prevents premature aging. But we were in Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the newest hotel in Las Vegas, Aria. They have sumptuous and good-looking desserts available so of course, we didn’t take any chances but try out what they have to offer. Oh, it didn’t fail us. Though a slice of a cake would cost you around Php 500-600, yes just a slice, it was worth it though. We love the breads too!

Let me jump off my story about our US vacation with one of my favorite shows among the Theme Parks we have been to. We went to 4 Theme Parks. Universal Studios in Los Angeles, Disneyland in Anaheim, Sea World in San Diego and Lego Land in Carlsbad. My kids do remember clearly about Shamu, the adorable whale from San Diego. It was one of their favorites. As for me, aside from the show of Shamu, my favorite also in Sea World San Diego was the Pet’s Rule show. It was an amazing show of animals, from dogs, cats, pigs, birds, ducks. I have never seen like it before. The show was actually very witty and entertaining. Example was like the a golden retriever dog preparing their canine cuisine for a dinner date with a poodle dog. Amazing how those animals were trained to be able to do great tricks.

I am pretty sure the trainors are like providing dog gourmet treats. I wouldn’t be surprised if their dog breakfast would be a bunch of new york steaks or even some fillet mignons? lol!

It wasn’t only the dogs who performed. There were cats, a pig, some ducks and birds who were part of the show. Look at some of the pictures we took…

How much do you know about buying a property, real estate settlement, your rights and how much you can protect yourself from being victims of fraud. I was asking a friend who is a registered real estate agent in the US on How Much Are Closing Costs. Closing Costs are actually depending on the location of the property. Different states in the United States do have different tax policies. It is also dependent on what type of structure of the property are you buying. Is it single detached house, a townhouse or a condominium. Some sites do offer a way on how to compute for it by just inputting all the details of the property like address, number of units, and even considering the agent’s rate. My real estate friend also told me the importance of Title Insurance. So What Is Title Insurance? It is actually a protection of both parties, the lender and the owner of the property for any losses on their part that might result due to fraud, errors or liens against the property. I didn’t know that there is something like that until my friend told me all about these things. When we bought our property, we had the full trust to our agent. He guided us on every step to take so we just paid the appropriate amount. Good thing, it was a breeze Real Estate Settlement on our end. I guess the husband understands some of these details already. Now, should you be buying a property, it would really be best to know some information like the ones above.

Yes, I rode the bandwagon of friends who love their iPhone to bits! Yes, I finally got mine (after fretting about the network) before the US trip. In fact, rushed to Globe Telecoms in Greenhills to pick up my unit (white 3gs 32gb) on the day of our flight. The “toy” made my kids sit back on our long road trips. And used the iPhone of their dad too, it was a peaceful trip since they didn’t have to fight over it.

I’m loving it so far. Had to adjust it’s touch-screen feature but I’m getting the hang of it now. Not to mention that I’m having a blast with all the apps loaded into it, especially the games! I’m addicted to most actually!

My grandmother who is based in California is already a retired corporate employee last year. She is now in control of what she want’s do to in life. She basically went home last year to have her grand vacation in Manila. Just last week, I learned that they are making some improvements in their home. Apparently, she got already her Lump Sum Pensions. She told us that she availed of something like Pension Loan, which allowed her to turn her retirement asset into a working cash so she can already do the things that she wants in life now that she is no longer working. It actually makes sense rather than just waiting for your monthly allowance where in you cannot do much because of the limited resources. She is now enjoying life most. She’s happy and healthy. So instead of waiting for a longer period to save up for her dream vacation or improving their home, she can better do things already currently while she still has the capacity to do so. In fact, she actually sold only a specific portion of her lump sum pension and still retained a majority for her needs later in life. I heard there are some who are doing it also here in the country. But the privileges they have in the US makes one individual ask the question: Can I Cash In My Pension Early? It is definitely possible. I’m happy for my grandmother.

I just love the lovely furniture I saw from my in-laws place while we were vacationing in their homes. Round Dining Table is actually not their popular choice as they usually choose to have those rectangular ones that can sit 8-10 people. I am surprised to learn the cost of Dining Room Furniture there so as the China Cabinets . I was informed that there’s a popular online store for dining tables as well. They have nice selections of different dining sets ranging from formal, casual, contemporary, round or rectangular tables. They also offer kitchen tables. The store even offers some special deals like savings from 45-75% off from retail stores. They also offer free shipping. What a great convenience. 

Most of their pieces are made out of high quality oak, birch, maple or ash burl material so you are guaranteed for its quality that can stand many years.  I particularly like those tables that are expandable and even include additional table leaves.  They furniture come in different colors as well.  They have clean black, black espresso, antique oak and my favorite dark cherry brown.  Wish these are all available back home.

Yes, it’s my day today. My birthday actually. I thank my parents for bringing me on this world (and to my mom for taking proper prenatal vitamins when I was still in her womb, lol!) I am thankful for my life. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for my family. God is so good. Today, it is extra special as I am celebrating it with my whole family in a special vacation treat for all of us. We are just having a great time and I, particularly is having a blast. We are currently in Las Vegas. Celebrating my birthday here  Had buffet lunch in Ceasar’s Palace.  Staying for another two nights before we prepare to come home to Manila. This is one great vacation. 

this…

I need safe diet pills that work! I really need one that works! lol! Otherwise, I would lose on the double challenge I have with the husband. The challenge is not to gain back the pounds we lost before we left for the trip. That’s going to be hard on both our parts since we have been feasting since we arrived. We are always choosing to eat in buffet restaurants. How could we ever not gain extra pounds? It’s going to be a very hard challenge.

And oh, that double chocolate tower above was our dessert after eating our lunch in Black Angus Steakhouse.  Yummy to the max!

Oh, woke up with extreme headache today because of lack of sleep for the past few days. But I need to keep going as we are scheduled to do some memorial day shopping today in Cabazon outlet. I am hoping there would be lesser people now since it is already the last day of the weekend sale. Phoned already the two brands I want as I have specific items I have in mind. Too bad, the bag styles I am looking for are not available. Nevertheless, I am still hoping to check some other great deals.

Look how we look now…

I am now reviewing all about alli diet pills since we have been feasting on buffets lately. We have been to number of buffets from this trip and I already feel bloated. We have been hotel hopping in Las Vegas and trying all those buffets from different hotels. I think the husband really need to go back to South Beach Diet again. I wonder if the promises of these diet pills hold true. I need to review some more. Any feedbacks?

This lollipop test holds true for me…

You Are Loving

You are the type of person who cares a lot. You just can’t turn off your emotions. You think it’s better to tolerate than hate – and you put this philosophy into practice.  You always have a kind word or a caring act to share with a friend. Giving makes you feel fantastic. You believe that human relationships are what makes life worth living.

I wonder where I could get some pink ties? I need to get about 10 pieces for a client. I have been to stores already that sells neckties off-the-rack but they don’t have the perfect color swatch of the pink I am looking for. I found the right color in one store but they’ve got one piece of it only. Can’t even order as they don’t accept made-to-order ties. I hope my supplier back home can already accept orders for neckties. She actually stopped producing MTO ones since her seamstress got into an accident. Should someone knows where to get it, will appreciate receiving leads.

I will be celebrating my 26th birthday, lol! It will indeed be a memorable bday celebration for me as our family will be in Las Vegas that time. That would be our 2nd just for this trip. No major birthday present as I would probably would just like to get a new fitness equipment when we go back home. It would be definitely a better option for the husband and I to use to shed off those extra pounds we have gained so far. Hope I can resist all temptations in Las Vegas! lol!

Went to 4 theme parks this week. We went to Universal Studios, Disneyland, Sea World and Legoland. It was all fun. Though we didn’t bring the kids in Universal Studios so it was just a date for me and the husband. We drove on our own going there so it was also a great experience. We loved riding on those scary rides. Anyway, it was safe and heard that these theme parks are even deploying their staff for some bpi training. My favorites, Jurassic Park in Universal Studios and Indiana Jones in Disneyland. We failed to ride the Atlantis in Sea World as we didn’t have much time. Legoland was all fun too especially the miniature of the US cities. Their roller coaster ride called accelerator was also much fun. Will blog more about these theme parks individually once I downloaded the thousands pictures we’ve got.

The best experience I had from this trip was to experience and play in the snow in Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe! The husband drove from Las Vegas to Reno at -4 degrees celsius! Then we went to Lake Tahoe (just an hour from Reno) and was at 0 degrees celsius at that time. Of course, aside from pictures, all our happy moments were captured using the camcorder. It is one of a kind experience for us already since it was our family’s first time.

Did you know that credit reports are so important here in the US? Didn’t realize on that until my BIL told me about it. They usually should get a high credit scores from 3 bureaus. Financial institutions do weigh the value of the credit scores of a US Citizen before granting a loan. It’s like their financial background. Wonder if banks and other financial institutions in the Philippines do the same thing? I think it would be a good value to assess one’s capacity to pay.

It’s our 3rd and last week already for this vacation and this week is somehow dedicated to shopping already. It was all road trips and sight seeing on our first week and 2nd week was dedicated for theme parks. Hope this week would be fruitful for great finds since Memorial Day Weekend is also coming up. I am not sure if the deals would be as good as those during Cyber Monday but really hoping to snag some nice buys. Though I am no longer expecting to bring home a “new baby” since this trip has really been expensive. But who knows? Something might just fall off from the heavens since my birthday is upcoming this Tuesday. Crossing-fingers but I don’t want to expect much!

You may call them my fashionable jet setter kids…

Left Manila last May 13 at 10pm and we safely arrived in Los Angeles Airport at 8pm, May 13 (LA time). Purposely, I had the girls wore skirts so it would be a lot easier when they need to go to the lavatory. You know how tight it is to be in there. Asked them to wear those easy slip on shoes as well so it was also easy to remove their shoes during check-ups/screening in the airport. Notice that I also wore a dress instead.  It was indeed a breeze to move around and to manage the kids with their wardrobe.  I just brought with me some leggings for them to wear whenever they feel cold.  I think we would make it  a habit when travelling.

Every fantasy you have ever had could be fulfilled with fun games like Heist Online, or Jewel Quest, where you have the opportunity to be the craven looter or the police officer you’ve always wanted to be! Online games allow you to live a rich fantasy life, and meet new people from across the globe who share your interests. For these reasons, online gaming has become exponentially more popular each year.

 Allow yourself to spend a few hours on a planet where aliens use humans as fuel and you are the only one who can save the race. Envision yourself as a brain-hungry zombie that wants to consume the remaining population of healthy people. You could be the zombie one day, and the zombie hunter the next, playing great games like Plants vs. Zombies! Online games are so much fun that you may never want to leave home, again!

If you enjoy action-packed films like Sherlock Holmes, then you will love games like Midnight Mysteries — The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy. Whatever your interests are, there are games that will enchant you on great online game sites. Even the nerdiest types can find games like BookWorm Deluxe to keep them entertained on those long, boring summer days.

More typical games, like Vegas Solitaire, can provide everyone a new venue for an old pleasure. Play the classics like Chess, Mah Jong, and word scramble games, without ever leaving home. The greatest part of playing games online is that you needn’t invite over a houseful of friends to enjoy a variety of players: you can simply log-on and play your favorite games with strangers. Or, if you prefer, you can arrange to meet your friends on a website to play games together. So, whether you enjoy new games, or the classics your grandparents know, you can find entertainment and fun online!

I’m officially done packing our stuff for the trip.  I had to finish still some pending emails to answer and I also cleaned up my mess in my home office.  I told the maids to polish my office furniture also my while I am gone.  I also told them to clean up all kitchen cabinets.  It would be a lot of work for them as well as I told them to do general cleaning.

Whew! We are finally leaving! I almost can’t believe it! Have waited for this so long really. We are all excited.