Food, Beach Bum & Mercedes Shopping

{Oh no I didn't make these two but I happlily ate one of them!!}

I know it has been a while since my last post so be prepared for a super long post here. After spending much needed time offline, I started to enjoy the life outside the blog a little too much thus less frequency on posts and interactions with all my bloggy fellows. Gotta miss blogging!! Recently, I occupied myself with super fun activities around my kitchen and refrigerator (okay being super sarcastic here) as some of you knew from my previous post that I start doing a weekly menu planning/cooking to help free sometime during weekdays. Not very fun but I know I appreciate all the hard work during the week when two hungry people (me and my little one) are starving by the time we get home. What a wonderful world when all I do is opening a fridge and find my treasures right there, ready to be heated and enjoyed!

{Clockwise: Korean Food at the restaurant, Homemade Italian Wedding Soup, Homemade Chicken and Pasta with Creamy Sauch and Homemade Blueberry Scones < not too impressed with the taste of this one though}

You probably saw a beach post previously and that may give you a hint. We are also planning our great getaways. On a more exciting note, it looks like I will certainly become an official beach bum because we have two AWESOME destinations on our travel map. One is kind of planned and another one is a total surprise. What?? Do you want to know where? Really? You do? Okay..okay.....we are going to..................................Phuket, Thaialnd and possibly Hawaii!!!!! Woooo Hoooooo!!!!!!!! Yippeeeeee!!!!! . This year already starts off with some exciting news. It is going to get better and better as the year progresses I am telling ya.


Beach Bum’s Destination – Paradise Found!


{Image from www.theracha.com}

Since the Hawaii trip will pretty much be planned and arranged for us, shall I start with a tropical destination far far away in Thailand? This past week I lost count as how many hours I spent searching and reading hotel / resort reviews on Tripadvisor. I am glued to Tripadvisor and Agoda as of late. If you are looking for a 4 or 5 star getaway in Phuket, ask Nelah because by this minute this girl pretty much knows the ins and outs of those 50+ hotels around Phuket.



Firstly Phuket was not on my map because I didn’t feel like hopping on another plane after a 24 hours flight. C’mon - after spending your life on a plane that long, the last thing you want is to hop on a plane - AGAIN. Knowing that it only takes an hour from BKK to Phuket is a bit comforting, but I would rather stick with the ground transportation and go with the traffic flow. The destination I originally looked at was “Hua Hin” which is a beach town about 2-3 hours away from Bangkok. Of course, the beach is far from perfect. Don’t expect anything glamorous..neither white sandy beach nor turquoise water to be seen in sight but you still can get an ambience. My plan was to take things easy and spend a few nights at a 5 star resort in a private pool villa to make up for the lack of beautiful beach, then drive back to spend the rest of time with family in Bangkok and of course go shopping..wahaha.


{Image from www.theracha.com} >> I am dying to go there even though I can't swim!!

However after hearing my husband’s much needed request (a.k.a. complaint) that he has always wanted to experience the famous Phuket beach for the 100th times and how I always spent every trip shopping my life away and blowing money on clothes, I felt guilty. I know my husband is so tired of following and carrying those 100 shopping bags around town. So upon his 101th request, dream came true. Phuket popped up on my map! Perhaps, he will be more willing to go shopping and carrying more bags after. With that said, my search started ALL OVER AGAIN!



Thanks to Tripadvisor and Agoda, you made my life MUCH easier. Can you believe how much information you could get just by reading those hopeful reviews of places you haven’t visited! Even though I was born and grew up in Thailand for 24 years, I must admit that I am not keen on traveling. I am a 100% pure bred city girl and do not have much adventurous experience exploring and traveling around the country so you are not going to hear a story of me trekking or anything like that. Doing an extensive research can be time consuming but it is so worth the hard work. I want to make sure our hard earned money is well spent especially when you are looking at a place that costs an arm and leg per night. Lord, have you checked out the prices of some of places? They are quite outrageous! I remember when I still lived in Thailand, I could not afford to go to one of these places because they were so darn expensive. Now that I make money in USD instead of THB currency, what a difference! Phuket is not really a destination for average/middle class Thais due to its hefty price tags on accommodations and such. It is sometimes cheaper to fly overseas! It is sad to know that some of the resorts / hotels are partially owned/operated by foreign investors who can afford to buy some remote and underdeveloped islands and transform them into 5 star facilities. I guess it is good that local people have jobs but the sad part is a big chuck of money goes directly to investors who are not Thais. That also left me wondering how many islands out there that that have not been exploited by tourism.


{Image from www.theracha.com}

It is so obvious that I will have to significantly trim down on my shopping budget in order to stay at one of these paradises on earth (can you hear a big “sigh” from this shopaholic?). We have finally found a few potential hot spots for our getaway with breathtaking view. Paradise found~



The Racha (means the king in Thai language): this MUST be a paradise on earth. I have always..always..and always wanted to experience The Racha resort because the beach is breathtaking and stunning. Look at the powdery white sand and crystal clear turquoise water. Oh..heaven. You know how some photos have been heavily modified by Photoshop to the point that the real place looks nothing like photos. This place seems like a real deal. I looked at photos posted by travelers on Tripadvisor.com and they are equally stunning. LOVE!! Can’t wait to see with my own eyes.




{Images from www.theracha.com}

Villa Zolitude: this place is so ideal for someone with Tsunami phobia like myself. Why? Because it is up on a mountain and GORGEOUS!! The best of both worlds for beach and mountain lovers. My husband is giddy and so excited because he is more into mountain/jungle while I am a total beach bum. This place is just stunning in every direction you turn. I don’t mind that it is far away from the beaches because you can easily get to ones in about 15-20 minutes with local transportations right outside the resort gate. I love the fact that it is so secluded, peaceful and far away from hustle and bustle of busy nightlife hot spots. This is a spot where you really get to connect with nature and inhale full breath of fresh air. It seems like a pure relaxation. Look at a stunning scenery of greenery and mountain view, it is an ideal place for bird watching / sunset and sunrise viewing. What’s more? There is a private pool in each villa! Visit their website to see more stunning photos of each villa {here}. View additional amazing photos and floor plans of all Villas from this Thai traveler {here}.





Enough for a beach bum's life. I don't think I have ever shown you all what's in my garage so here is a one time chance to take a peek. Ready?



YEAH RIGHT!!! Wouldn't that be nice to have one of these babies in my garage?!? Thanks to my husband who is a car geek. He LOVES and never misses an annual Auto Show so this year he managed to go alone without me. So much for just looking, he brought home a few brochures from Mercedes and that was where the trouble began. He knows Mercedes is my dream car and kindly did some research for me on a particular model - how thoughtful. So we went on for a somewhat car browsing and testdrove "it" and we just loved "it" more and more. It seems like we have found a potential new hot ride but we gotta wait. Now I am weighting my option, 4-5 birkin bags for the price of one mercedes..wahaha. I would pick a hot ride in heartbeat though. Who knows Santa may deliver one for me at Christmas this year or nothing at all. Sniff..sniff. Life is full of surprises, isn't it?

Countdown to A Great Getaway Part I

There is something very fascinating about the beach to me in general. White sand....cool breeze....the sound of waves...water and sunny warm weather - picture perfect. I have always loved strolling along the beach with my barefoot and collecting sea shells. At night you spot thousands of stars acorss the sky. That translates a great sense of relaxation or what? If I had to choose between a mountain and a beach for vacation, I would choose a beach in a heartbeat. Does that mean I am a beach bum? Hope not.


{Nang Yuan Island in Surat Thani, Thailand: Photo Credit from www.lomprayah.com}

The most surprising fact though, I cannot swim ,or to say it correctly, too afraid to learn. The feeling of water entering my nose and ears are frightening. I remember I almost drowned in a public pool when I was young and that fear continues to haunt me. I can't get rid of it. So I will have to appreciate and enjoy from afar. Now, I know you are secretly planning a murder plot by taking me to the beach or on a cruise.

My parents took me and my brothers to the beach every summer break when we were young and that probably explains how my love for beach had developed. Thailand boasts ones of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I wish I visited more of them before I left my motherland. However I have to address that Tsunami did change many things. At some point when Tsunami devastated seaside villages down south of Thailand and many other countries along that attitude, my heart dropped and fear level escalated. It is hard to believe that once a paradise on earth could turn into a death zone in a blink of an eye. It swept away lives, memories and everything on the surface and left us with fears, tears and nightmares.


Flash back few years before Tsunami hit Thailand and Japan, my husband and I went to a few islands far far away in the middle of the ocean, two of them were Munnork Island in Rayong province and Nang Yuan Island in Surat Thani. Both are isolated in the middle of the ocean on the gulf of Thailand side (an opposite to Andaman site where popular destination such as Phuket and Krabi are situated). The view was out of this world breathtaking, serene, spectacular with white sand beach stretching as far as you could see and stunning turquoise clear water yet I woke up one night and found myself staring at the ocean thinking "what would happen if a massive wave hit" - I mean, what would happen. My answer was loud and clear because we were in the middle of the ocean.


{Munnork Island in Rayong, Thailand: Photo credit from www.phudoilay.com}

I first learnt about Nang Yuan Island from my mentor in college who used to work there briefly. He said that he once spotted a few dolphins and that truly intrigued me to go (I didn't spot any when I went though). Nang Yuan Island is also a very popular destination and a paradise for divers. My husband reported some beautiful and unique sea creatures while I could only stay in a shallow area of the beach. I missed out the fun part!! Check out www.nangyuan.com. On a very important note, be sure to check Monsoon season before you plan your beach getaway for your safety.

Since I am on the subject of beaches, this post would be missing something without mentioning seaside resorts. There are countless places ranking from affordable to super high end accommodations where you can rest in different level of comfort and luxury.

We are in the process of planning an "ultimate luxury getaway" for our future trip. I have never splurged on such five star facilites before but I really want to experience it and will tag my parents along as well (if only I can talk my mom to it, she is a big time work aholic and doesn't like to relax). I browsed countless numbers of resorts in the past few weeks which you will see some being featured in the future posts. Planning for a vacation is always exciting!

Your Blog is Lovely and so are "YOU"

Recently, a sweet and beautiful Parveen of Handbags and Fashion Rags kindly gave me a Cute Blog award - Thank "YOU". I know I have to share and pass the love to a few more fellow bloggers to let them know how much I appreciate what they do by sharing bits and pieces of their lives/passion and how much I like their channel of thoughts and expressions.



For this award you:


1. Link back to the person who awarded you.
2. Answer the award questions.
3. Tell something about yourself that you haven't told anyone on your blog yet.
4. Award as many blogs as you think worthy of this award
5. Make sure to let those you gave this award to know that you awarded them.

The Award Questions:

1. What is your go to make-up brand?
I am not a make-up junkie and I don't use much makeup during the week but MAC has to be my most favorite one as of late. I LOVE..LOVE..LOVE their foundation. I just couldn't find a shade that match my skintone in any other brands. Recently I went out to try Chanel and Dior but didn't have any luck with neither ones so I am returning to MAC.


2. What was your favourite fashion trend of 2011?
Okay what was the 2011 trend anyway? Did that say much about me? I am not a trend follower and I pretty much buy what I like. I am not someone who read the magazine or watch fashion show so I don't normally know the trend. If I like what I see, then I will buy.
3. What is your favourite dessert?
I am a cupcake fanatic as of late.
4. Favourite colour?
Red
5. What is your middle name?
I don't have one. Weired or what?
6. What's the last song you listened to?
"Like I do now" by Chris Botti
7. Cats or dogs?
Cats, simply becuase I have two.

Random fact I haven't told anyone: I am a (partial) potato couch in the evening. Okay let's admit it. What else is more relaxing than sitting in front of TV after a day at work.

Award As Many People Who You Think Are Worthy Of This Award: these are blogs I regularly read so don't you dare stop blogging!
Handbags and Fashion Rags
Squeeze the Pugs
A Very Sweet Blog
Jo's Jumbled Jardinière
Statements in Fashion
Simplyvonne
CocoBella Ballerina
Chocolate, Cookies and CandiesStyle of Sam On another note, Kat of Katattack2000 featured me at her blog {over here}

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This week I spent WAY far too many hours in the kitchen, it felt like an eternity. Gosh I hate cooking!! I wish I am passionate about cooking like some people who spent countless of hours experimenting and having fun with new recipes but unfortunately I am not THAT passionate. I think if I had more free time, I may enjoy cooking more. It is challenging when you feel too tired by the end of the day, the fun just goes out the window. One of my goals this year is to try to bring back the "fun" in the kitchen, try new recipes and eat more at home. I can't tell you how much money we could have saved if we didn't eat at the restaurants so often. This weekend I made a major change and decided to do something different that hopefully will work in a long run. I implemented a weekly menu planning, cook and prep ahead of the game so that there will be less work during weekdays.

{Clockwise: Turkey meatballs before dumping them into pasta sauce, Turkey meatballs in pasta sauch, Turkey Chill and Chicken Noodle Soup}

Don't ask me how many times I failed at doing weekly menu planning in the past. Way too many. I think part of it is that I picked out dishes that were way too many steps, too complicated, the results were not too impressive and too time consuming...thus not practical, thus no motivation, thus I failed accordingly. I HATE..HATE...HATE those recipes which requires a long list of ingredients. I usually lose motivation if the list goes beyond 5 lines, really. So my new game plan is to stick with something that our family will like, guarantee to be tasty, quick, and can be prepared in advance. One day in a distant future, I would love to make a family cookbook that consists of the our favorite dishes/recipes and pass on to my daugther. On a surprising note (that is not too surprising to my husband), I ALWAYS maange to tweak the recipes even when I make it the first time. Call me a weirdo but I don't normally follow the recipes for some crazy reason. At times, I feel some ingredients are not an absolute necessites or it has too much salt or seem too unhealthy or this or that. Of course my food is not always edible because I am not a pro but hey 98% of the time it comes out pretty darn good.

1st Revelation of 2012: I am such a nerd!

Glasses are my best friend, not really. When you are too chicken to go through the Lasik procedures like this girl does, contacts and glasses are pretty much your last resources. I have been wearing both contacts and glasses for YEARS. As a matter of fact, I used to wear contacts on a daily basis up to the point where I experienced the peak dry eyes stage and decided to swap to glasses to minimize the effect of Sahara dessert in my eyeballs. Since then glasses became my must-have accessories every awaken moment.

Glasses wearers know the pain of paying hundreds of $$$ for frame and lens at the doctor’s office or any retailers. Getting a pair of prescription glasses feels like you have been robbed. So when GlassesUSA.com contacted me awhile back, I was quite excited to learn that we had an alternate option. My husband and I are due for our eye check-up this year, thus new lens/frames = more $$$$$..cha ching..cha ching. We may give them a try later this year and will report back of the experience.

My main concern about ordering eyeglasses online would be a fitting issue since we
can’t actually try them on and get them adjusted on site. However, GlassesUSA website states that any retailers will do it for a small fee or we can simply send them back to them to get adjusted. Since their prices are much lower than most
places, it would not hurt to pay a small fee to get glasses adjusted in my opinion.

Of course, you want to buy cheap eyeglasses but it is also important that the frame suit your facial shape. Can you try them on? Yes..yes and yes! - I had so much fun with this virtual mirror which allows you to upload your photo and try on different frames right in front of your computer and take all the time you
want with as many frames as you desire to find Mr. Right.


Are you ready to spot me in a nerdy version? Here goes………..

***DEALS..DEALS..DEALS: GlassesUSA New Year Sale is offering 20% off any pair of eyeglasses & free US shipping with code "New2012" OR take 10% of any order of priscription glasses with code "Blog10"

Disclaimer: this is a paid sponsored post. GlassesUSA compensated me in the monetary form to write this post and share about affordable option for purchasing eyeglasses.

Bangkok Trip Recap

{On a long haul flight 24 freaking hours that felt like an eternity including a layover in Narita}

It has been almost a year since our first family trip of three to my motherland. It was a nerve wracking one, it was a trip of a lifetime and it sure felt like a lifetime on the plane. I remember my husband and I were so unsure whether we made a right or wrong decision to bring a freshly turned two years old on such a long trip, not knowing what to expect. It literally took "months" of researching, buying things and preparing for that trip. Traveling with a small kid takes travel to a whole new meaning. Although she did fairly well for her tender age, we were extremely exhausted trying to keep her entertainted and felt as comfortable as it could be. I knew we swore we would never do it again but HECK we are ready to go back! (try to focus on the time we step our feet outside the airplane and pretend the plane ride part never exists). At the end of the day, we knew it was worthwhile when I saw smiles on my family members' faces and the bond they created on such a short period of time. We were glad we made it happen.


{In her pajamas}
{The morning after}

As I was browing through photos in the computer, to my amazement I did not realize that I took quite a handful of food photos. I must really miss the food there or something to the point that I had to take photos in order to remind me how tasteful they are. Food is so incredibly comforting and has such healing power. It brings back memories and good times. I have always loved my dad's homecook meal and I could care less about eating out at restaurants when we visit. I believe everyone's food has such unique taste that is hard to duplicate. It is something that feeds both our body and soul. Crazy but true, every time before we visit I make my "food" wishlist upon traveling to make sure I accomplish my food tour mission.







1) Homemade Chicken Curry with Thai Eggplant (OMG - my favorite of all) 2) Steamed shrimp and pork dumplings/buns 3) Thai Hot and Sour soup with prawns and omelette 4) Noodle with pork in gravy sauch or Rad-na 5) Thai dessert wrapped in banana leave - slap me in the face because I forgot what it is called 6) Tamarine - it was the first time I tried this young/raw tamarine, very intersting but it is supposed to be good for your health.

Precious~

Many things happened in a short span of two weeks - be it the celebration of life or the unexpected death of a family member. All these events in life greatly remind me that life is too precious to ignore or to play with. I used to be one of those many people who take things for granted and have to learn it the hard way by losing the loved forever. That is not the way it should be - when is too late and there are many things we regret doing or not doing. Life is more fragile than we ever realize.














{A decoration by mama}

While we celebrated my daughter's 3rd birthday this month, another family member passed. I didn't learn of the news until a day later. An uncle who lived in Thailand passed away at home unexpectedly due to a bee sting allergy. He was in his early 60's, a few years younger than my dad. My mother did't handle it very well. She is very closed and attached to his older brother whom became like her father. After my maternal grandmother passed away, my uncle had been my mom's pillar of emotional support. Now that a pillar collasped, it left her nothing. I could feel her pain through her voice. I was not closed to him because he lived outside Bangkok and we never spent a lot of time together as I was growing up, but hearing such news sent chills down my spine. He passed away on the same day as my dauther's birthday. I paused and thought, each day has different meanings for each person. While we were having fun and celebrating the life, another person was in great pain and lost his life. It is a contrast...it is like a black and white picture.

Enough for the sad part, we threw our little girl a small birthday party and invited only family members for the 3rd year. I have never been into the idea of having an extravaganza birthday party for kids because I feel that it is too much. I want my daugther to grow up and understand the core value of family, that the birthday is not about having a big party, not about getting presents, not about having 50 friends over but it is about celebrating the day with people who love her dearly and will be there for her. Someone once told me that birthday should remind us of how our mothers went through the great pain in order to give us lives. I couldn't agree with that anymore now that I am a mother. When her birthday rolls around year after year, I couldn't help but think about the day she was born. The pain was almost unbearable but it was such a joyful pain you never want to forget.


Onto bithday decorations, I did it all by myself. Lord, I didn't get to go to bed until almost midnight!! Boy was I glad we decided to order food and cake instead of getting the pot and pan out to cook. I couldn't imagine dragging my a** up in the morning after a few hours of sleep to whip up some good old homecook meal. That would have been a bad idea. Everything turned out great. Good food, yummy cake and memorable and blissful day. Cheers to a big 3 years old. I love you more than any words can describe.

Dior, Clarins, Too Faced and more..

Ever since new year began, I started out wtih many text heavy posts in a row. How about photo heavy post? Let the photos explain it all.

1-3: A handful selection of handmade accessories and the ones I bought in the past. MIx and match them into something new and exciting. Make old new all over again.

4-6: A surprise Christmas goodies all the way from a very sweet Peh Sun of Squeeze the Pug. Made it just in time for Christmas. She noticed that I have been on "Dior kick" as of late and like smokey eye look. This lady is beyond thoughtful and has become an amazing friend whom I thought she must be my soul sister. Crazy but it is true.

7-8: A few goodies bought form Sephora a month ago. Clarins HydraQuench cream & Too Faced > Reviews will soon come.

9: My favorite weekend breakast - Steelcut oatmeal with banana, walnut and cranberries.

A Love Letter to Mothers-to-be~*

This post is especially dedicated to my two best friends “Ms. D” and “Ms. P”, who soon will start their journey in the wonder world of motherhood.



Ms. D, I know that you have been waiting for this moment forever to bring a child into this world. I could feel your anticipation, excitement and frustration.



Ms. P, while you say you were not ready to become a mother when we last talked somehow I sensed that your inner self was whispering softly that you were anxious to know what it is like to be one. Now that it is official you are a preggo, there is no turning back.


{Image via weheartit}

You two are very special to me. I couldn’t be more excited for you to begin your own adventure and share with me the up and down times. Your life is about to change in a way you have never imagined. I am not going to lie or sugarcoat that every moment in motherhood is fabulous, awesome, wonderful and ecetra..ecetra. It is going to be challenging, frustrating, tiring and exhausting but at the end of the day when you look at that previous little face sleeping peacefully – you will find peace, love and an answer to life in a way you have never experienced with anything in the world.



There will be times when you scream like a maniac…pull your hair…have such intense anger...feel so darn tired all the time…hate and want to divorce your husband…be on the edge of marriage a few times...act like a mean bitch…feel as if a germaphobic…can’t manage your time…feel like you forever lose an independence...are extremely sleep deprived…feel that you may die young from stresses…can’t balance your life as a mom vs a career woman…feel like you fail…cry out loud…feel depressed…are worried about every little thing…not knowing if you are doing the right thing…feel like a fool…have mommy’s guilts…have moments you regret…wish you could turn back time to fix those moments.



I want you to know that I have been there. I have done those things and I want you to know it is absolutely normal to act, to feel or to be ones on those things mentioned above. It is okay.



No matter how much we read..no matter how much we prepare – there will be times when things are out of controls. We will no longer be a center of a universe. People will no longer care much about you and the first thing they ask "how is the baby?" and more questions about baby and perhaps how you survive motherhood and sleepless nights. No fret my dear, you will always have me by your side and will always give ypu the same amount of love & attention.



Motherhood is all about learning from trials and errors. No one knows it all.



Having a child does not only change your life, it changes lives of people around you. It is a family’s business. The birth of a child brings joy to older generations which in turn can bring some stresses and pressures. You may find yourself being more irritated than usual especially if you live close to your relatives. Hang in there. Just try to remember they have good intention.


...Motherhood makes you cry over things that you didn’t previously have any concern before…motherhood brings out the best and worst in every woman...motherhood brings out both emotional and physical strengths you have never realized you have….motherhood shows you what an unconditional love truly means...

Wishing you an enjoyable, healthy, stress-free, pain-free, tantrum-free pregnancy...

With love,

Nelah

Meet My "Maid"~*

I know you all are thrilled and extremely curious to meet my “live in” maid so I am doing this post to make a proper introduction of her. My husband is OVER THE MOON, I think he likes this Christmas present more than I do. In a way, I believe he got this for himself so that he does not have to clean anymore. Asking him to clean the house is such an extremely..extremely ..extremly unpleasant and tiring thing to do. I have no idea how many times I almost bring him to court for a divorce because of this reason.


{image via weheartit}

Without further ado, meet our newest addition to the family – a Robot Maid. You read it right, people. “Neato” – a robotic vacumn that always works hard and will never complain. My husband loves it so much that he thinks it should have a name so he decided to call it “D2R2” and sometimes “Betty”.


{She is beautiful, isn't she?}

Okay I was SUPER skeptical and not sure how to react when I unwrapped the present and saw this thing. You know how men are such a tech geek when it comes to high-tech toys, they are as excited as seeing a naked woman. As a woman, seeing this weird looking thing in a box did not excite me much but OH MY GOD…OH MY GOD…my reaction was completely different when I witnessed how this little gadget did its magic. PRETTY AMAZING – I must say!! The world of vacumn cleaning has taken on a new delightful meaning ever since.



{Evil hairball bitches!! Look at their facial expression - it portrays bad..bad attitude}

Vacumning is not a difficult task but having TWO cats and an active little child is another story. Cat lovers know exactly what it is like to go after and clean up cat hair. Our house gets dirty really quick and needs to be vacumned on a daily basis which can be dainting, given that my husband and I both work full time and we have an energetic two year old little girl to keep up with. As soon as you clean up, new spots of cat hair / dirts show up in no time. It is a never-ending job, really. Do you want to know how many vacumn cleaners do we have in our household? – “Two”. A pricey Kirby Sentria which is as loud as having a construction site next door and a pet hair vacumn cleaner. I do not want to sound like a lazy bum here but juggling that huge and heavy Kirby vacumn cleaner out to clean everytime is not ideal. Now all we have to do is hitting a “start” button and let Betty do her job, while we go on and do other chores around the house.



You all have probably seen “Roomba” - the first ground breaking hi-tech cleaning robot that came out a few years ago. Neato is its rival which has better reviews and supposedly has superior performance. My husband first ordered a Roomba but decided to return it because he found that Neato had better reviews. This vacumn cleaning robot is NOT meant to take place of an old fashioned vacumn cleaning method because it will not clean 100% (but I would say it covers 90% - 95% of the surface). You still have to use your vacumn cleaner but MUCH less frequently. In order to help this robot does its job more efficiently, it is important to prep the area by picking up stuff off the floor. Once you hit a start button, it quicly scans the room and starts cleaning along the edge then inner areas and throghout the house. My husband got a great deal on this before Christmas. Regular price is $399 but he got it for $299 with a free cordless wet/dry dirt devil vacumn. We are talking about deal here, people!



Pros

- Work great in hard-to-reach areas such as under the bed, cabinets, table, chairs which most vacumn cleaner can not reach. I am amazed to see the amount of dust/dirt and etc. it picks up under the bed.

- It does an excellent job cleaning and picking up pet hair / dirt / dust and small particles

- It doesn't hit the wall or objects in the house. It goes from room to room until everywhere is cleaned. Amazing how it remembers its path.

- Great suction power. Never realized how dirty my carpet is..haha.

- It goes on different surfaces seamlessly – from carpet to tile to woodfloor and does not get stuck under the dining table where there are many chair legs in its way. It manages to get in between and around to clean. Even on certain raised surface, it does not get strucked. Very entaining to watch how it works.

- Noise level is very bearable, not nearly loud as our vacumn cleaner. You can still watch TV.

- Save time and sanity. Once we hit start, you can forget about it. It goes on to do its job and even goes back to a base on its own to recharge when battery is low or the job is done. If the job is not done but battery is low it will go back to its base, recharge, comes back to finish where it left off. HOLY COW!! All you have to do is empty the container! AMEN! It does not need supervision.

- Keep the cats entertained, they love following it around the house – lol



Cons

- Due to its shape and size, you can not expect it to clean and reach corner thoroughly

- I really wish it has a voice or speaks to notify when the container needs to be emptied



Verdict: LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, thanks Santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Now, I want another one that mobs and sanitizes the floor. That will be PERFECTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Disclaimer: We are NOT affiliated with the company in any way and do NOT get compensated by doing this review. The product was purchased with 100% of our money. My opinion is based on my personal experience with the product and 100% of my own.

Break free from blogging: Goodbye to stress & followers

As a new year has just begun, everything seems like a brand new start and things are refreshing, positive and bright. You previsouly saw my goals, commitments and resolutions for 2012 which reflect my personal life. Onto a blogging side, I would also like to give this blog a fresh prespective in order to get my blog off the right foot.

I almost stopped blogging in December - I really did. Some of you may notice that my blog posts were quite sporadic during that period. I had a down time with blogging, took a step back and thought through many things. It was silly - I felt this blog was not good enough. "What is enough?" "When is enough?" Those were the questions I repeatedly asked myself out load during my blog lilfe crisis. While many blogger friends said "blogging should be fun". I found that many people who said that couldn't even have fun with their blogs but they simply didn't want to admit or say it out loud. They too "struggle" at times. It is easy to get caught in the rhytm of blogging and an idea of growing/improving blog that will attract more readers/traffic had cultivated in my mind.

That was EXACTLY what really stressed me out in this whole blogging thing in the past few months.

I wanted to have more followers. I wanted to receive more comments/feedback. I wanted to keep a number of my total pageviews above certain numbers. I wanted to connect with more people. The more I tried, the less desireable results I saw. I got fed up, my excitements/joys slowly died down because things did not go the way I hoped it to be.

I simply wanted and expected too much. High expectation was what stressed me out when things didn't go the way I wanted it to go.

I love blogging, I really do. I started this blog as a way to rebalance my life as a new mom 1 1/2 year ago. Funnily, now I have to find a balance in blogging instead. Having too much of something is never good, it never will be.

I stepped back and redefined this blog. My goals and mindset on blogging are always changing and at times I felt I had no direction at all. So now I am making a few major changes and start a new set of prespectives in blogging, I.....

*Removed  "followers" gadget from my page. It had been a distraction for the longest time so I eventually got rid of it. A number of followers mean so much to many bloggers including me. There were days I elated when I had more followers and of course days I felt down when people stopped following. It simply left me with these questions - "why?" and "was my blog not good enough"? Now that "followers" gadget is gone. I no longer care who follow me/stop following me altogether. I'll only use a total pageview as an encouraging indicator.

*Let go of all the expectations and a sense of obligation to blog. I shall blog whenever I feel like blogging. No more feeling of "I feel bad when people click to visit but don't see anything new" or "great, my total pageviews drop significantly because I didn't do a new post" or "five people stopped following me when I hadn't blogged for a few days. You may not see my posts as frequently as the way it has been. A sense of anticipation is sometimes better than knowing exactly what is next or when is next.

*No longer go out to discover new blogs and comment. If they find me, they do. If they don't, they don't. I am not going to go above and beyond to put myself out there. I'll be right here in my small and quiet corner of blogsphere, do what I love to do and share with those who want to hear and connect.

*Stop reading "how to improve your blog", "how to make a better post", "how to attract more audiences" altogether. Those efforts can easily turn blogging into "chore/work/stress", it really can. I have a fulltime job in real life, I am not quite ready to take on a second job at the moment. Whenever the time feels right and I feel ready, it may be different but for now it is strictly a  hobby and should feel like "hobby" with no obligations."hobby" with no obligations.

*Stop following many blogs which I followed in the past. I followed those blogs because they followed me but I never ONCE read their blogs. Now I only keep a handful of blogs which I have frequent interaction with the blog owners who in turn want to interact with me /or have become special blogging friends. There are many blogs which I visit often but never follow them. I feel that many readers of this blog may not even have blogs so they can't follow or simply do not feel like they "have to" follow. We have a freedom to choose. There is no obligation, and should never be. It is not about the quantity, it is about the quality.

Now for the things I will continue to do with this blog. I have always been TRUE to myself from the very begining. I do not copy or try to be someone else. Every post on this blog reflects who I am and what my mind wants to speak out. I am not a fashion blogger, not a mommy blogger, not a beauty guru. I am a jack of all trades, I blog about random subjects I am passionate about or feel like sharing..rambling..venting..complaning..raving and believing in. I never blog to please anyone. I do not feel like my posts have to always be informative or offer any values to readers. I do not try to teach anyone in particular. Sometimes it offers no knowledge, no additional value but it gives me joy and that's what matters. It is about my journey in discovering/experimenting things I love or dislike with life, fashion, trend, hobbies, handbags, designer labels, travel, life in the States vs Thailand career, finance, photography, motherhood and ecetra..ecetra. Most of all, I want to connect with people who share or have the same or similar interests with me. I think I have accomplished this goal because I have found some really amazing blogger friends who make this journey more more "enjoyable".

This post reflects everything I had been wanted to share and I couldn't be happier that these changes are in effect. Cheers to a freedom to blog.

A Brand New Start~*

Every year when the first day of the year begins, it always is a good time to reset ourselves and things in life and account it for a brand new start. As a matter of fact, I feel that we do not have to wait until Jan 1st to begin or change. Everyday is a new day and can be a fresh start but Jan 1st always seems very special.

You will not beleive what I did to give 2011 a farewell goodbye, I literally cleaned the house non-stop this weekend until midnight on Dec 31st, 2011. You know once you get into the groove and you just can't stop. That's right!!!! Not exactly the fun way to celebrate but when would be a better time, right? I have been so FAR behind the housecleaning projects along with decorations and so on every since we settled in since 2007. Then a year later I got pregnant and decided to put everything on hold, and the rest was a history. Our house is out of wack. I know I have always blamed on the challenge of not being able to keep up due to the fact that there is a tot in town but it gotta gets done somehow before my house is being featured on "Clean my house" TV show on TLC channel!! Right now everything is on the brighter side, I couldn't be happier.

My other HUGE milestone today was to be able to move my little girl who soon to be 3 years old to her OWN bedroom. Okay - okay I admit that I have a severe seperation anxiety and people/children experts proably think I am crazy and I already ruin my daugther's life by keeping her in the same room since she was born. My husband and I had this debate for almost three years and he always insisted that the little one slept in her own room so that she could develop a sense of independencey..blah..blah..blah. I don't really see the point people are talking about because I slept with my parents for quite a while and I grew up just fine. I dont' have any self-esteem issue or became entirely dependent on anyone. To me, I feel it is a "bond" and it is about a child's readiness and willingness. In a way, I admit that I wish I could keep this moment forever , soak it all it and I didn't want her to grow up too fast. It may be silly to think that way. Today, I did it - not feeling pressured by anyone. I couldn't feel any more confident when I saw the look on my daugther's face. About a month ago, I went to visit my friend's house whom her daugther goes to the same daycare (they are about the same age). We were invited to see her cute little bedroom and I could see how excited my daughter was when she saw her little friend's room. Right at that moment, I was so sure that she's ready and I should encourage her to grow and respect her wants and needs as a little person. She is no longer a baby...no longer a baby (I have to keep repeating this over and over). Hallelujah - 1/1/2012 marks a very special day in my history book. It represents a new milestone for both mother and daugther, with my husband delightfully dancing in the background. He sat in her room, soaked it in and said "I painted this room almost 3 years ago - it was a little late but so glad this happened" - bahaha

{Cardigan: Old Navy / Dress: from Bangkok / Boots: Steve Madden - Candence}

My New Year's Resolutions this year are simple - focus on home improvement projects & keep our finance in check. That doesn't mean you will not spot any eye or arm candies on this blog, folks. I still have 364 days to mess up and ruin my financial vows.

Thank you to my wonderful and loving mother in law, she must be the best cook in the world. She loves to cook and we LOVE to eat. We stick with a tradition - Black-eyed pea, Sauteed cabbage with bacon, Rosemary porkloin, Butternut squash soup and ended with some ice cream. YUMMMMMM.
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