CityScope: San Diego, California, USA

I have been to San Diego once when I was young, and my only memory of it is the long drive from Los Angeles, to visit the San Diego Zoo!! It was quite a memorable one as that was one of the first few zoos I've ever visited. But looking back at it now, I don't remember much of it really. As I have No memories whatsoever of other tourist attractions, San Diego landmarks, or even restaurants in San Diego.

Now that I can actually plan my own holiday, I usually do a lot of research prior to the trip. And one of the essential searches, just like anything, is to find out about the tourist spots. This includes must visits such as : San Diego Restaurants, parks, beaches, museums, events worth seeing.

Should you find yourself heading that part of the world, be sure to visit at least one of San Diego's beaches/shore area (Blacks Beach, La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Cove, Children's Pool, Pacific Beach, Windansea, Mission Beach, Mission Bay Beach, South Mission, Ocean). Or do try the City's reservoir for other outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, hiking, jetskiing, etc.

Likewise, do NOT miss the opportunity to sample local San Diego dining, as this experience is at par with other cities of the world. I can name drop a few restaurants but I will not give justice to all, thus so many cuisines offered, catering to all budget, or ambiance. Do let us know if you have any one particular favorite resto, and I shall add that to my must see/visit on my next trip to that sunny San Diego!!

Plan that special Valentines getaway with HOLIDAY-RENTALS.CO.UK

Are you a regular holiday planner like me? I checked out ideas on holiday-rentals.co.uk and found heaps of lovely places that I may visit soon!

Christmas is around the corner, and Valentine's day is just a few sleeps away. Before you know it, it's V Day! Why not start planning something NOW. To avoid the last minute rush.

A lot of us would like to spend this V Day with that special someone. Or, even if you don't have that one special someone, you could still organise a big weekend/or extended week away with family or friends. Why not spend it in romantic Italy? A restored charming villa Hold hands, sip wine overlooking the grand Lake Como... Or, take time out and enjoy sunny Carribean? Rent your own villa of love, and bask in the privacy of your own valentines home while relishing that perfect waterfront romance? Better yet, take the whole family to spend some lovely quality time to enjoy the vivacious city of Prague. A city that offers everything from great delicacies to nightlife to old city charm. After a long day, retreat to your own three bedroom apartment centrally located in the bustling city.

Whether any of these appeal to you or not, am sure you will find something to cater to your needs in planning that special Valentines getaway. Visit HOLIDAY RENTALS . Where you can find the best deals on apartments, villas, chateaux and all that will lead to that best holiday ever. Feels so close to home, while enjoying that much needed time away.

Plan NOW, re-live the ROMANCE, sweet sweet LIFE.

Shall we??....Dance?

How can I not love this movie? Richard Gere is just amazing... Those eyes... Untiring. To think that he is not that young, but he was able to pull this movie off. Really gracefully. And not just because it was a movie about dancing.

The movie talks about a mature man's journey to rediscovering himself and his passion. In the course of finding himself, he struggles but successfully ignites his love for his wife, and for life. In general.

Sometimes, in the journey of life we find ourself too immersed with the routine of life that we forget to enjoy the companionship of people close to us. This trap particularly catches people who are part of a couple. What is seemingly harmless in nature/goal being quite good even, can lead to something destructive.

The movie showed a really nice relationship (outcome) between husband (Richard Gere) and wife (Susan Sarandon). There was a scene wherein the detective asked Susan Sarandon's character about the essence of a marriage (or something along that line of thought)...And she answered, that it was really about one person committing to the other by being the prime witness to their life. And that no matter what happened, his life would matter to one person (the wife). Each thought, action, word that he says, does, thinks would not go unnoticed by the significant other. How lovely the thought is, to know that at least to one person you mean the world.

The movie also showed the bonding that happened between Richard Gere and J Lo. So much that they were able to create such passionate dance scenes, without having to portray an affair as such. In each of their "love" dance scenes, one could feel the intensity and passion without malice. It made me even love Richard all the more. Having the balls to stand against temptation especially at a crucial time in his life. I just wish this is the case in real life. But, no, only at the movies can you ask someone to dance with you passionately. And yet still keep that healthy distance.

THE BOOK OF LOVE

Lovely as a flower

Seemingly plain when you look at a flower in a bush

But when you pick it up from the bunch

It is your very own special one.

But when you pick it from its natural habitat

It does not bloom as well

As a flower needs it soil and water

Just leave it grounded and you will

Gaze at it from where its natural beauty lies.

Thinking Me

Can I just say that I love to ponder about things. Things to do, things not to do. I like to make plans. I like to think about places that I want to visit. I want to think about the past, what I have done. And think about what I want to do tomorrow and plan for the future. I want to think about you. Think about me. Think about us, or the us that never was. I like to just think about politics, the world around us, the events that happen every day. Think about the environment and how I wish the future world would look like. Think about what to have for dinner later, or breakfast tomorrow, or lunch on Saturday. I want to think about how quick time passes. What is now. Has actually passed. Just now.

Think about that. Sometimes thinking so much will make you want not to think about anything at all. And just keep silent. Stare. Pretend to think. Or, maybe think about what YOU are thinking.

The many faces of Sydney, the city and the harbour that we love

Just a few photos I've taken of The City and The Harbour....

Ta Da List!!

If you are like me, who just LOVES making Lists of everything. Any topic, all topics, about each thing I can group or think of.... try TADA LIST. It is an online list maker that will satisfy your itchy hands to create endless lists of to do, to buy, to try, to eat, etc.

A few things that I am thinking of making lists on are as follows:
- Things to buy in MNL
- Things to do in MNL
- People to see in MNL
- What to bring back to SYD
- What must - eat in MNL
- Places to visit in MNL
- What to do in Singapore
- What I want to do in 2008
- New year's resolution
- Places I wish to go
- Movies to watch
- Books to read
- Etc Etc Etc

Angel, Sarah Mclachlan

Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There’s always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There’s vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lie
That you make up for all that you lack
It don’t make no difference
Escaping one last time
It’s easier to believe
in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

How I love thee Parieeh (Paris)

I have attended a presentation on Plaza Athenee a few days ago. We had a sales manager visit us at work to spend about half an hour acquainting and reacquianting ourselves with the love for Paris. The Frenchman/Presenter had this mesmerizing accent that really helped set the mood for a Presentacion de Francois. Oui.

Did you know that the Plaza Athenee courtyard turns into a private ice skating rink every December and January? Such a lovely sight! A lovely time to be in the city of love and lights.

I have also just recently watched again the movie "Devil wears Prada", and it shows of the wonderful Eiffel Suite, which belonged to the dashing gentleman that swept Anne Hathaway for just one blissful night... Simon Baker was the guy who played the role of that seemingly coy writer.

And of course who could forget Carrie Bradshaw's Sex and the City Paris escapade! Plaza Athenee has got a Sex and the City hotel package! That's what you call collaboration. Both the hotel and the show had mutual benefits by having each other.

Next time you find yourself at the Plaza Athenee during winter, try the private rink, and get on that Eiffel Suite! C'est La Vie!

It is Movember

This Movember, support November charity event. I first heard about this from a colleague who's growing a Mo this month. It is a very cool charity slash awareness campaign targeted to men. This encompasses men of all ages, of different backgrounds to participate in this month long shared activity. I've seen people on the streets strut their Mo's as well as newscaster/host on the telly. Such a fun way to raise awareness, if you ask me.

Which ever way we look at it, men are far less healthy than women. The average life expectancy for men is five years less than for women.

The obvious question is why?
The answer is because men lack awareness about the very real health issues they face, have a "she'll be right" attitude and are reluctant to see a doctor about an illness or to go for regular medical checks.

The aim of Movember is to change these attitudes, make male health fun by putting the Mo back on the face of fashion and in the process raise some serious funds for key male health issues, including:
Prostate Cancer: because every year in Australia 2,900 men die of prostate cancer - equivalent to the number of women who die from breast cancer annually. [ Find out more ].
Male Depression: because one in six men experience depression at any given time but most don't seek help.

Hotels Galore! Love relationship with the INTERNET!

I just love surfing the net for hotels! Not that I would actually push through with booking one. But who knows!?! The right price, the right time and it could be mine! I just get really excited seeing different rates, comparing endlessly searching for really uber uber cheap room rates. PLUS, the lovely pictures just take me to a whole new world...

My top two websites are WOTIF and LASTMINUTE. But, really anything that I come across would get for as long as its got a hotel name/hotel picture/price, would get at least a 1minute view from me.

The power of the net! One can plan a whole lifetime of trips in just a few clicks! One can almost travel, feel the wind and taste the sunshine without leaving one's chair. This would have been unthinkable centuries ago. And now, it is reality.... Hotel heaven... I guess I have to go back searching for more deals!

Liveable City

What do you do when you live in one of the world's most liveable cities in the world? Well, you just . . LIVE!

Browsing through a few sites show the Sydney ranks Top 9 based on the Mercer study, and The Economist. Criteria they base it on: low crime rate, highly industrialised infrastructure, political stability, school/housing/environment quality.

But what does that mean to me? Really, it means having a steady source of livelihood, decent if not pretty home, ability to enjoy the luxuries of life such as travel, access to clean and green parks, up to date technology, basically a comfortable life in a comfortable environment. That is, relative to the rest of the world.

Is your city liveable? What does that mean to YOU?

I he<3rt POLYVORE!

Want to make use of your creativity? Or, just plain bored and wanting to waste time coming up with a fashion layout? POLYVORE! I've recently discovered this website, and have been hooked on it ever since! It just allows me to use my ideas and my taste to actually produce something that may very well have been taken out of a fashion magazine! Brilliant mind behind that. It's every young girls dream. Just really being able to mix and match clothes, accessories and background... It's magic! It also makes use of real life clothing pieces. Belts, bags, dresses, tops, shorts, pants, skirts, rings, sunnies, bling-blings and all that one can really buy! The items showcased would feature a link to the online store where one can purchase. Instantly! How cool is that?! All without having to leave the comfort of your seat. Ah, technology!! Who knows what those geniuses will come up with next? I can't hardly wait!!

Chocolat The Movie

Watched Chocolat on friday night, after a very long and crazy day at work where I had no lunch break, and stayed back at work for two hours.. Hmp. When I got home, I played the movie. It was a perfect contrast to my day. The movie suited my mood. Perfect calm and slow paced movie for the evening. Perhaps, if I watched it on any other night, I would have turned it off after five minutes. But, it was perfectly all right that night.

Chocolat the movie, was about a young mom, Vianne opening a Chocolatiere in a small and traditional French town. New as she was, she was frowned upon because she was everything that the local town's people were not. She had a child, and no husband. She does not go to sunday church, and does not practice fasting. Timely, she and her daughter arrived the French town during the lenten season, when everyone in the village was expected to abstain from eating "unnecesarily" or were expected to give up something for lent. It was also believed that having chocolate would awaken the passion within. This posed a challenge for the villagers, as they passed the Chocolatiere quite often. In the beginning, a lot of the villagers would resist the temptation because they fear that it will be an unacceptable behaviour. The persistence of the lady chocolatier to be able to reach out to the townspeople's desire, instinct and truth would succeed in the end.

The movie is about unleashing the one's passion and inner truth. The inner truth which was not always the most acceptable thing in society. The truth that would allow one to think for oneself, and realise the need to just let go, and do what they know is right for them.

Shadows in the Sun

There's something about the movie, I cannot point my finger at it. Could be the romantic setting that's in Italy. Or,could be Joshua Jackson? This is one movie that's slow paced, for a calm evening.




Throughout the movie, you can hear yourself think, and just take in the story. Quite a simple story. Boy searches for old man. Meets old man's daughter. Falls in love. Conflict with old man. Peace with old man. Conflict with the lady. Peace with the lady. Happy ending.




Amidst the seemingly simple story line, one can relate. Be it because of the longing to be in a nice and serene place. Or, looking for something and finding oneself. Along the way, we meet persons in life that touch us and make a difference. People we engage good deep meaningful conversations with. And we will never be the same person we were before that fateful day.




Sometimes the person that motivates us, can be that one person that can discourage us as well.




And, vice versa.

A Good Year for you?

There comes a time in one's life when work eats every single waking moment, breath and energy. And it is no longer healthy. Being one who thrives on pressure and a fast paced atmosphere, this can be addicting. Food for the body. But can make the soul weak.

Watching A Good Year, would touch you right on the spot and hopefully make you think about taking life slower. Enjoy the ride and appreciate people. Make use of gadgets less, and spend more time to be one with nature, listening to the sound of silence and take in the vast magic of the beautiful surround.

Taking in the movie's great big pretty scene...Peace and serenity is not just literally a place, but a state of mind. You can achieve this without travelling the distance, but just taking the time off each day to reconnect with your inner self that longs for solitude.

And, all this happens with the help of a pretty love character and great wine.

SHANGRILA BARR AL JISSAH MUSCAT OMAN

Pamper your senses at the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah. A resort that plays with your inner romantic side. Lovely desert and water views. Excellent princely service. Leading to a magnificent memorable stay.

The resort comprises of three hotels : The Oasis, The Town and The Castle. All encouraging one to indulge the senses. The resort houses the CHI spa. Which has twelve treatment villas, that can be your private sanctuary as you journey to lala land.

Dine like royalty at:

Restaurants

Al Tanoor

Bait Al Bahr

Capri Court

Samba

Shahrazad

Sultanah

Surf Café

Tapas & Sablah

Lounges & Bars

Beach Bars

Lobby Lounges

Mokha Café

Piano Lounge

Pool Bars

Silver Lounge

The Long Bar & Xyro

Enter Site : SHANGRILA BARR AL JISSAH MUSCAT OMAN

ESPERANZA CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO

Cooking Class, Spanish lessons, Painting lessons, Tennis, Spa, Yoga, Pilates, Tequila Tasting, Wine Appreciation, Mexican Culture Salsa Beach and Music. All in one place. How lucky can you get? All these in an Ocean setting. Luxury dining, living and the whole Mexicana lifestyle. Interesting place to be at any time of the year.

That's Esperanza in a nutshell.

Enter Site : ESPERANZA CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO

AMANPULO PALAWAN PHILIPPINES

Photo says it all. Peaceful island...

Enter Site : AMANRESORTS

TURTLE ISLAND FIJI

Your very own Blue Lagoon.. Turtle Island, Fiji.. a vision of paradise..

Enjoy your own Bure, spectacular sunset dinner afloat, engage in the rich Fijian culture of food, music and ambiance, delight in the hospitality of your own Bure Mama..

Enjoy nature, explore the island on a horseback, snorkel, swim, windsurf, kayak..

Enjoy a picnic in one of the world's most marvelous islands, enjoy every grain of sand on this island..

Share the experience with your loved one..

Enter Site : TURTLE ISLAND FIJI

PALACE OF THE LOST CITY SUN CITY SOUTH AFRICA

Fancy to play golf in Africa? And then go on a Safari?

Or simply, just want to enjoy the luxury fit for a king, or a queen??

WHERE IN THE WORLD:

-can you find your own Game reserve within your resort, Pilanesburg Game Reserve

-can you enjoy the water, the sun, and the waves, but at the Valley of the Waves

-try: hot air ballooning over the Pilanesburg National Park, parasail, ride an elephant, drumming the traditional African way

-have: a spa, scrumptious African meal

-watch: from a beautiful amphitheatre live performance

-see and do all this, have fun, and yet be at peace knowing that you are amidst an ecological environment

Truly a fairy tale palace, in the middle of the African Jungle!

Enter Site : PALACE OF THE LOST CITY SUN CITY SOUTH AFRICA

JUMEIRAH MADINAT DUBAI UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

There has always been something magical about the Jumeirah Madinat. Feel the European charm with the best of the Eastern spice. West coming to the East. The sister of the Burj al Arab, that exudes an equally gorgeous atmosphere.

Luxury rooms, suites, summer houses all intricately done with the sensational Arabian Gulf appeal.

Private enclave built within a resort style "mini-city". A sanctuary so close to the ocean. Yet so close to town. Best of everything.

Enter Site : MADINAT JUMEIRAH

LAKE LOUISE BANFF CANADA

Lake Louise, Banff Canada. Whichever time of the year one goes, one will be amazed at the glorious scenery! Whether it be the beautiful clear lake, or the snow white blanket. It leaves you with a lasting picture perfect memory.

Luxury Accommodation:

Fairmont Chateau

Moraine Lake Lodge

Fox Hotel and Suites Banff

What to do:

Indulge in spa and massage

Mountain Spa

Fairmont

Boat Trip

Caving

Hiking

Fishing

Horseback riding

Rafting

Hot Springs

Sledding/Dogsledding

Sleighing

Snowmobiling

Hockey

Skiing

Caving

Dining

Shopping

Etc.

Dining

Tony Roma's Steak House

Saltlik Steakhouse

Maple Leaf Grille and Spirits

The Grizzly House

Fairview Dining Room at the Fairmont Chateau

Cafe Soleil

Suginoya

Chaya

Castello Ristorante at Fairmont Banff Springs

Fuze Finer Dining

ANTULANG, DUMAGUETE, PHILIPPINES

The name does give quite a funny sound to it, especially if you are a local.

But the whole place is mesmerizingly unique, as it's name is different. Where else would one find themselves on a cliff's edge and still manage to dream a tranquil setting.

Sunset Cruise. Magical Dive. Calming Sea. Gentle white sand. Warm Smiles.

Activities are endless. Whether you are adventure seeking or soul searching. This is for you.

Accommodation for all. Whether you are on a budget or on a no-budget. This is for you.

To experience Antulang, is to fully experience oneself. One's senses.

ANTULANG

Dumaguete City Booking OfficeTel: (63) (35) 225-8899, 422-2600Fax: (63) (35) 422-2461Mobile: (63) 917-700-2766 or (63) 920-947-6373Email Address: info@antulang.comContact: Anale or Monique

Manila Sales Office:Skyteam Travel & ToursUnit 1015 Cityland Shaw TowerShaw Blvd. corner St. Francis StreetTelefax: (63) (2) 914-5526Mobile: (63) 917-815-2108Email Address:
skyteam@antulang.com
Contact: PearlFront Desk, Antulang Beach Resort:Tel: (63) (35) 427-0112, 427-0113Fax: (63) (35) 427-0115Mobile: (63) 920-947-6368Contact: Bernice