Funky maternity wear

Recently we attended a friend's baby's full moon. I visited her shortly after she gave birth and she was telling me that she didn't really buy many maternity clothes when she was pregnant as she found them quite expensive. Instead, she chose to wear normal clothes that were slightly stretchy such as yoga pants and lycra tops which she managed to get her sister to buy whenever she traveled to Austraila and US where they were a plenty. I thought that it was a really good idea and I should do that in the future too! At least they can be worn again after that!

Buying Land on Holiday

Travel is quite an amazing thing. Sometimes you really never know what might turn up on your travels or what opportunities might knock on your door. A friend who recently went to the US came back with not just lots of photographs and a bag full of dirty laundry but is now a proud owner of a piece of land there! He said while he was going around the place, he came across a piece of Georgia land for sale which was sold at a surprisingly affordable price for a great location! Without hesitating further, he decided to buy it and is now holding onto it in the hope that the nearby developer will approach him in their next land expansion programme. What an opportunity!

Hot or Cold

DO you enjoy listening to travel stories? I do, especially when it helps me with my next destination. Recently, a friend who had returned from a short holiday in the UK was complaining about their plumbing fixtures. She said she could not understand why they had separate taps for hot and cold water without any mixer. In the freezing weather, she found the cold water too cold to use but when she turned on the hot water, it gradually became too hot for her to use as well and she was not able to mix it unless she filled up the sink with a combination from both taps! That element used to puzzle me too and the only explanation I could come up with was that these were probably older fixtures before there were mixers!

Bali with A Baby

The bf's brother and wife are really amazing people. When she was 8 months pregnant, they went off to a beach resort for a short holiday before baby came along. And when their newborn was less than a month old, they took off to Bali! What amazed me most was that they were willing to carry along all the stuff she needed which included a heavy and bulky rocker equipped with a sleep wedge to help their newborn daughter's reflux problem. The brother was the pack horse and needless to say, their childrens' clothes and equipment took up all the luggage space! I guess this are truly modern parents who do not let children or inconvenience stop them from traveling. I wonder if I can do the same!

Western Work Culture

I had the opportunity to work a little when I was in Australia and what I noticed about their working style then was their good work-life balance and succession plan for their leaders. They were not selfish about keeping knowledge or grooming younger people for higher level positions. I also thought it was really good how they didn't bring work into their homes or weekends. I think the work culture here has a lot to learn from them.

Lose Weight

I have about 10 more months to my wedding and I'm really worried as I have put on some weight recently with the Chinese New Year festivities. Now I'm really stressed about how to lose weight. Sometimes I wish I was still in Australia. During my student days then, I never used to have problem with keeping weight down as I used to walk everywhere and anywhere, partly to save the expensive tram fare. Sigh, I'd better start going on a diet soon!

Earning Extras

Don't you sometimes wish you could take a break from your daily work grind? I do get that every now and then. However, previously when I was working in a mall, I used to feel that a lot less as there was always so much to do and look at in the malll during my lunch time. There were even opportunities for me to earn a bit of money on the side like the time I did a taste test for a market research nearby. I was paid RM30 for my efforts which went very useful towards my travel fund! :) I do sometimes miss my mall days.

Valentine's Getaway

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Have you planned anything for your significant one yet? For something different and special this year, how about whisking her or him away on a special little holiday to enjoy each other's companionship on this romantic day of the year. If you are at a loss at where to go or worried about how much a little getaway will cost, don't fret! Simply click here to find the best deals on last minute specials from cruises to vacations. So be spontaneous for once and click here!

Holiday for Less

I once read a travel article about how some people save on accommodation when they travel by booking holiday homes instead of hotels. One of my relatives actually did this when they went to San Diego for their annual holiday. He did some research online and found some San Diego Real Estate available at prices were were much lower than hotel rates. They also found that it provided them more flexibility as the houses usually came with many bedrooms for his large family and a kitchen where they could cook simple meals. That way, they actually managed to save quite a bit on food as well as fresh food as easily available and much cheaper than eating out. The San Diego Beach House he rented came with lots of flexibility in rates and prices and he found lots of other San Diego weekly rentals available while he was searching for his holiday home. I think it's a good idea to look for those sometimes for a change instead of the impersonal and expensive hotels.

Plush Hotels

I kind of miss my previous jobs at time. We used to stay in really nice hotels then whenever we travelled. They were always the best hotels available and always came with beautiful bathroom vanities and plush comfortable beds. It was just a pity that we usually don't get to enjoy the luxury of the hotel rooms as we usually have to work and be out of the area. I know if I were to travel on my own, I wouldn't be able to afford such hotels. It was pretty good living vicariously through the company!