Acum  va voi povesti cum a fost ziua mea de ieri si noaptea trecuta. La 8 dimineata am pelcat de acasa, sa ma intalnesc cu Masea, la 9 fara un sfert. Normal ca am asteptat juma' de ora dupa el. Dar a avut o scuza acceptabila, asa ca se cam iarta. Ceea ce m-a surprins a fost ca, cand a ajuns, m-a pupat p obrajori si dupaaia mia trantit un pup pe gura. Am ramas prost (sau proasta?). Ok, nu am zis nimic, poate a fost din obusnuinta. Nu ne vazusem de mai bine de doua saptamani.... Lasa. Trecem peste. Mergem noi la vreo doi notari publici, sa isi legalizeze Masea nustiuce, dupa aia cutreiera facultatea, ca sa gasesti sala de inscrieri. Sa va mai zic ca am pierdut o ora intreaga cautand sala, ca sa aflam ca ii lipsesc 3 poze tip buletin, si foaia matricola de la sfarsitul liceului????? Ok, hai sa facem pozele. Le facem si pe alea, la un "sediu" digital, si da-i pana acasa la el, sa isi ia foaia matricola. Eu am ramas la emoista, ca sa imi povesteasca prin ce socuri strict confidentiale a trecut impreuna cu rockeritza manelista, la cheful din seara precedenta. A venit si Masea, cu o veste proasta: nu si-a gasit foaia matricola. Ce oameni!!!! Da-i pana la fostul lui liceu. Ce noroc pe capul lui ca nici macar nu luase foaia matricola de la scoala, si putea sa scrie o cerere ca sa i se elibereze si aia. Se pune el pe scris... Ma uimeste lipsa lui de stiinte gramaticale! Dar, na, fiecare cu pizda masii, scuzati-mi limbajul de data asta. Depune cererea, reveniti luni dupa ora 12 pentru a lua foaia. Ok. Iesim din liceu, imi mai arata clasele si locurile lui pe acolo, cand il vedem pe drumandbass. Astepta sa afle rezultatele la corigenta de la mate. Masea a p lecat, caci trebuia sa ajunga si pe la munca, si sper uimirea mea, iarasi mi-a trantit un pup pe gura. O limba chiar. Scuzati-mi limbajul inca o data. Ok. Nu prea aveam ce sa fac... Sa il refuz nu am putut, totusi e vorba de Maselutza' meu, cu care mi-am blestemat opt luni!! :)) Ehh, raman eu cu drumandbass, ascult manelele de rigoare dela colegii lui prea ciudati. Printre aia 40 de corigenti sau cati erau, eram singura fata acolo. Plus ca aratam ciudat. Mereu arat ciudat, dar infine. Normal ca se holbau toti la mine. Dar eram prae obosita, si prea somnoroasa ca sa ii bag in seama sau sa ma iau la cearta cu ei. I-am dat in plm. Iarasi, scuzati-mi limbajul nepotrivit. Pe la 2 aflam ca drumandbass nu a trecut. Off. Hai la directoare. Sa-i mai dea o sansa. Si ii da. Bravo coae! Ajung si eu acasa pe la 3... in sfarsit acasa!!!!! Ma pun, mananc ceva, vine maica-mea acasa, mai mananc ceva si ma bag la un dush. Dar din pacate, mi-era prea frig, de la oboseala, si dushul s-a transofrmat in mini-baie, care s-a transformat intr-o ora de somn in apa. Era sa ma innec, ca tot alunecam in jos, si in vis. Dar lasa asta. M-am trezit si eu, ca am visat ca am cazut in apa rece. Scuzati-mi si cacofoniile, dar mi-e lene. Ies, vorbesc cu emoista, si plec de acasa. Cu chiu, cu vai, ajung la ea, moarta de somn si oboseala, repet. Mai stam ce stam, si mergem la cumparaturi pentru chef. Luam cola, bere si tigari. Si gume! Si da-i si dute la grasmie vegetala, care sta la 7 metri de usa lu emoista, si da-i si bea. Eu nu, dar restul da. Eu am baut un shot de tequila, mi s-a parut interesant felul in care il bei: iti pune Fler pe mana un pic de zeama de lamaie, lamaia ti-o tranteste in mana, si iti pune sare peste zeama. Lingi sarea, bagi lamaia in gura, o mesteci un picutz, si dai tequila pe gat. PE GAT! Eu, care nu sunt obisnuita cu chestia asta cu datul pe gat, am dat direeeect pe gat. Dar a fost ok, chiar bun. Chit ca dupa aceea mi-au ars gatu, si si toate intestinele timp de juma' de ora. Dar na. Dupa aceea...suc....A venit si Masea, a si plecat. Ne-am certat un pic, aici nu vreau sa intru in detalii, pentru ca ma enervez, dar nimic special. Certuri obisnuite intre iubiti. Vorba vine. Dupa aceea, un pahar de vin cu cola. Mai mult cola decat vin. Recunosc, NU IMI PLACE SA BEAU! Stam ce stam, tzutzu se imbata... Si ii e rau si toate alea... Apare Masea iarasi.... si revine in forta. Totul in regula intre noi. Confesiuni, chestii. Tzutzu vomita. Si ii e rau. Si cica a vomitat sange. :)) Tzutzule...ai baut vin rosu. Ai vomitat vin rosu. :D Ehh...toti s-au imbatat. Ok, nu toti. Dar majoritatea. Astia nu stiu sa se distreze. Pentru ei, disctractie inseamna: Mama ce m-am imbatat aseara! Si cam atat. Grasime vegetala avea dreptate. Si si eu. Nu trebuia sa tina chef la el acasa... S-au spart pahare...s-a facut circ... Ei...asta e. Masea si cu mine nu mai puteam de oboseala, si ne-am saturat de tot circul din casa, asa ca ne-am hotarat sa ne mutam sediul in masina lui un pic. Si asa am facut. Ne-am cuibarit noi acolo, si am luat somn direct, amandoi. Am dormit o ora si ceva amandoi, si dupa aia, eu m-am trezt, caci imi era frig si imi era pofta de tigara, si l-am lasat pe Masea sa isi continue visele in poala mea. Ce urat suna! :)) In bratele mele cred ca suna mai ok. Sa lasam asa. Dupa aceea, pe la vreo trei dimineata, urcam inapoi la grasime vegetala, sa gasim liniste..partiala. Charlie facea circ si atat. Cat am lipsit noi, a lut-o razna si a folosti un spray paralizant in ochii lui Fler ca sa isi canalizeze furia si antipatia fata de el. Mi-a picat naspa faza asta. Din fericire Fler dormea... si era ok. Am mai stat noi ce am stat, sa mai bea si Masea un pic de bere. Dar eu nu mai puteam de somn, asa ca ne-am hotarat sa dormim. Ca fara el nu voiam sa dorm, mi-era frica sa nu ma trezesc cu vre-unu langa mne, caruia ii e rau. Imi ajunsese mirosul de vomat. Infine...dormim pana la 6, ca belferii....:D Si ne trezim, adormim la loc, si NORMAL, charlie trebuia sa faca ceva ca sa ma enerveze. Ma impungea cu degetele in locuri nepotrivite. M-am trezit si m-am enervat foarte tare. :D Normal. Norocul lui ca eram prea obosita ca sa ii dau una. Fler stie cum e cand ma trezeste cineva in asa mod. El si-a luat un pumn in fata si s-a hotarat sa nu mai deranjeze in viata lui in timp ce dorm. Charlie a avut bafta. Dar oricum, m-am suparat pe el. Am mai stat un pic, inca ceva confesiuni, dulcegarii din partea lui Masea, care, recunosc, nu m-au lasat la fel de rece cum ma lasau de obicei, dar trecem peste. Si plecam si noi.... El la munca, eu acasa.

Pe drum... imi iau o cafea tare, prea fierbinte si imi ard limba ca dracu. Si acum ma doare. E ingrozitor sa iti arzi limba cu cafea, exact atunci cand ti-e o pofta imensa de  cafea. Si nu poti sa bei. Ironie. Am ajuns acasa pe la 7 si un sfert... taica-miu isi facea de lucru prin baie. Si cam atat. Am ajuns in fata calculatorului. Caci voiam sa scriu. Ma apuca! :))

Acum mi-am facut un ochi, cu bacon prajit, crocant si o portie de rosii cu sare, proaspete, bune! Si m-am saturat. Mi-a picat foarte bine. Mi-a iesit exact cum voiam sa iasa. Si am si mancat ca o domnisoara. Si am lasat curatenie! E o premiera.

Dar acum, ma duc si eu la nani, caci plec la tara dupa aceea. Pana maine. Trebuia sa ma duc la Maselutza, dar as fi prea nesimtita fata de maica-mea. M-a rigat frumos sa ma duc azi cu ea, si ma lasa la chef. Daca nu ma duc...ar fi culmea nesimtirii. Oricum, nici nu ma lasa. Era vorba sa il ajut la aplicatiile pentru facultate, caci v-am mai zis, lipsa cunostinte gramaticale! Si la zugravit. As fi facut-o cu placere, dar oarecum ma simt si ciudat in legatura cu el. S-a schimbat ceva. La mine. Nu stiu sa va explic, si nici nu vreau. Astea-s sentimente si convingeri prea personale, pentru ochii (mintea mea) mei exclusiv. Ar fi fost amuzant sa ma duc. Dupa aceea ar fi dormit el la mine, ca eu as ramane singura acasa. Dar din moment ce lucruri au evoluat cum au evoluat cu maica-mea... nu se poate. Dar ma revansez eu cumva. Urmeaza ultima saptamana de vacanta!!!! Ceea ce e si naspa, si e si cul. Pentru mine cel putin. Vreau sa ma bucur de ea cat pot eu de mult.

Mi-e dor de italian. Pe bune. I-am lasat iarasi un roman de offlines, in care i-am povestit si lui totul. Inclusiv Masea. Sper sa inteleaga. Sunt aiurita deja. Trebuie sa ma odihnesc odata ca lumea. Ma trezesc pe la doua. Ne vedem atunci! Poate mai scriu ceva inainte sa plec la tara. In caz ca nu, weekend placut tuturor!!!

||urmeaza ceva fictiv. Mi-e dor de povestirile mele absurde. Dupa ce vin de la tara. Promit!! :-s||

1.  The Tropics

It has to be in a 5 star resort, situated near a white sandy beach with crystal clear water. I think I'm a sucker for luxury. I have to be spoilt rotten.. with lots of food, drink and sunbathing. Loose and colourful beach clothes/swimwear. Tens of hours of sleep. Unlimited room service. And a lovely sunset. I think the best part about holidays like this is that it actually gives you the chance to do serious relaxation. Like snorkeling in the sea with the fish or reading a book by the beach.

2. The Urban City

Shopping in a urban setting, particularly in one of the major Asian cities, is one of the best holidays any girl could ever dream of. Especially me! The variety of bags, shoes and dresses.. the big brands, the cheapie bargains. It's just one of those things that makes me go crazy with joy. The atmosphere and food. The hotels and taxis. The late nights and busy malls. The people around me rushing about. The city, full of life and bustling with activity. Well of course, I'd need good company and a couple of credit cards on a holiday such as this one.

If you think the time has come for you to make a change, a change that involves working and moving to another country, then it is best that you be prepared because working abroad can be a very intimidating time. Many people asks me how to work in Europe especially now when people are more aware of the possibilities.

Although the idea of working in Europe

Choose where you want to go. It helps tremendously if you know someone who lives abroad. They can help you with contacts and accommodations while you look for work.

You may or may not get that job immediately so be sure you have that extra cash to tide you over for rent and food till you do. The worst that could happen, if you cannot find that job and the money runs out, then you can say you have had a short holiday.

If you are not fussy about the type of work you want to do in Europe, then you have plenty of options. If you have no experience (although better chance of securing that job if you do) then you can consider these:

• Work in a bar/pub/restaurant - if possible apply directly to the manager. Apply to several places, you stand a better chance of getting a job that way
• Admin - these are pretty easy to come by, go to their recruitment agencies
• Sales - shops, streets, resorts, hotels
• Freelance - check out their local newspaper

Granted it's not your dream job, but it will put some cash in your pockets while you explore the country firsthand.

Once you get that job be sure to get contacts. Let your new found friends, colleagues and boss know of you skills. You will be surprised at the doors that could open once the know. Most of the jobs I did came from recommendations from people I hardly know.

People are generally curious about other countries and telling them about yourself can make interesting conversations. They will remember you and can easily give you tips on job openings that you would not otherwise know.

I wish you the best of luck and I know whatever the outcome, you WILL enjoy your trip working abroad.

I hope this can be of use to you and answers some of your questions on how to work in Europe.

We were standing in front of Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau when he reached into my backpack. I asked him what he was after because I knew he already had his camera. He reaches around me and I see the little red box. "Oh my god!" I look at him in shock... and giggling with nervous excitement. "So, will you?" says the many of many words. "Of course... you know I will." Giggles and kisses. And it was done.

There is so much to say about the trip and I don't even know where to go from engagement. It all feels a bit anti-climactic. I now say that everyone must go on at least one cruise in their lifetime... and after that one you will long for another. I have never been treated so well, eaten so well, or lived so well. Nothing beats the fresh sea air on your face and the sight of whales frolicking in the waves. It's an experience you will never forget!

I'm a spring child, although I think I was really supposed to be a fall baby. Spring I do not like, let me say it again - I DO NOT LIKE SPRING! I do however LOVE fall. My boyfriend is a fall baby and I guess that's why we get along so well. I hate snow and anything that has to do with the cold. I'm alright with summer as long as it has a steady breeze blowing and rains here and there a few times a week. Fall however is mine - all mine.

Even the holidays - There's Halloween - my ultimate favorite and Thanksgiving - the time of being thankful and eating. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, yorkshire puddings, pumpkin pie, yams smothered in marshmallows, buttered rolls, and sweet potato pie. Yum! I'm starting to get hungry just thinking about it. Now don't get me wrong, Christmas is great too - the gifts and basically the same foods you had for Thanksgiving, but with Thanksgiving you also get that great romantic fall weather.

Last night I finally got one of my list articles in order and tracked down the magazine's email address and sent it off to them. Keep your fingers crossed, I really want to sell this article. It didn't really take all that long to write, but the editing process was a bit rough. It started out with 16 items on the list, and by the time it was completed, it had only 9 items. 

All Rights Reserved! © 2008 December M. Raynes

Last weekend, one of Alex's friends from work stayed with us.  He would've been stranded at his house all weekend (his vehicle-operating roommate was on vacation), so Alex offered him our guest room.  I felt bad that we're sort of homebodys and there wasn't much exciting to do!  We spent many hours playing Rock Band, though, and I have to say I'm becoming a better fake drummer every day.

On Saturday, our friends Cody & Phil from back home came over for dinner.  Cody goes to school in NoVA, and Phil was out visiting him over the long weekend.  We grilled out and had more food than all of us possibly could've eaten - despite the fact that I forgot to serve the chips and potato salad!  It was wonderful to see both of them again and re-connect with what we're all doing these days.

Monday was a glorious, work-free day.  We went to Old Town to take advantage of some Labor Day sales.  I was particularly excited about Crate & Barrel's advertised 70% off.  Though nothing I got actually ended up being on sale (a new toilet bowl brush, cutting board, and hamper), I was glad that I finally got to use the gift card given to us at our wedding.  Of course, a trip to Old Town wouldn't be complete without eating at La Madeline and shopping at Ann Taylor LOFT.  Loft was having quite the sale themselves, and I got a couple of shirts for $17.  A bargain, if you ask me!  (Which you obviously did.)  Monday evening was spent with friends.  Maery Beth & Jason Turner hosted a cook-out for friends & neighbors.  I had a wonderful time relaxing, eating good food, and talking with friends!

Tuesday was spent doing catch-up from the weekend: laundry, cleaning up the first floor, ironing, and doing dishes.  We had the second fencing contractor out to give us an estimate.  Though his initial estimate was almost double the other company's (!), he decided to match their price.  I had been hoping that one or the other would be lower, and that would make our decision for us, but no such luck!  I suspect that if we do decided to install the fence, we'll go with the second company.  The man seemed very dedicated to his work and told me about a couple of features that his price included that his competitor's didn't.  We haven't made the final decision on whether to put one in or not - it's the price of the fence plus the price of a lawnmower.  Yet it would be so nice to have a contained backyard, with Oscar and with new job possibilities... more on that later.

Last night Bible Study was at my house.  I love hosting, but boy - it felt cramped!  Next time I think I'll have to scoot back the couch to make room for additional dining room chairs in the living room!  Our discussion seemed more weighty and delved deeper than it normally does, at least in my opinion.  I have a burden to be transparent with these wonderful women, and last night that seemed to come to a head.  I know that personally I need more accountability and revalation of my sins.  Hopefully very soon I will have an accountability partner - someone who can really get in my face and love me to the point of hurting my feelings!  I feel somewhat like a caterpillar wanting to emerge from her coccoun, to employ an old cliche.  Nevertheless, I yearn for change in my own heart more than I have for months.  Now there's cause for a smiley-face sticker for God!

It was absoluetly lovely!  It slept 6 people, so was rather roomy for just the 3 of us!  Based in Trimingham near Cromer, it was very secluded in woodlands and was just lovely!

The weather was not great, it rained a few days, but that was fine, as we went there to chill out, not to rush around trying to see loads!  So I managed to do a fair bit of my cross stitch, did some reading and knitting as well, and just spent time as a family!  Bliss!

Luke had his first swim!  He was not too sure about it, but he never screamed even when Si dunked him under the water!  We took him twice and I am sure over time he will get better, but he seemed to enjoy himself this time!  Roll on the swimming lessons!

My family drove down on the Thurs to spend the day with us, which was lovely, although it did rain all day, which was not great!

Overall it was lovely to just get away!

#1. while waiting for my delayed flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong. my sisters patiently waited with me but secretly, they wanted to go home.

#2. I had voucher from Cathay due to the late flight. We bought so much Burger Kings that we couldn't finish it. We had like 4 ice cream sundaes, one mushroom swiss burger and chicken wings

#3. My sloppy eater sister

#4. Uncle Mu driving us around. I remember them quarreling all the time in the car. Annoying, but I'm missing it now.

#5. Our trip to the dentist.

#6. Us shopping on the day before I was scheduled to leave.

#7. My RM10 manicure.

#8. Sisters doing what they do best.

#9. My aunty whom took care of me and brought me shopping and fattened me up :)

#10. Late night suppers consisted of jap snacks, pods and oreos together with Godiva hot chocolate.

Aww I miss my sisters and my Shanghai trip! I wanna go to Shanghai again. Grr.

Hope my next holiday is as good as my last one!

Who's he I hear you ask (go on... ask.... :D ) Well, none other than the feast from the Middle East (he is a big donut for those who don't know him)! It's also nice to hear that he is up and got himself going into some promising ventures as well as back posting on the blog!

I stayed with MA while holidaying in Dubai (because that's what Indian people do - Indians as in popadoms as opposed to flying eagle); he wonders in his latest post about my thoughts on the sleeping arrangements at his place....

Considering I always draw the short straw when we have guests over at our place (and hence end up on a "bed made of a couple of blankets" on the floor), a sofa bed was quite the luxury! Although, when I am tired, I have slept standing up on the train as well.

It's good to see the big guy up and blogging again - Dubai is an environment where you can see and get a lot of material to blog about... hopefully MA can post more frequently with entertaining and insightful stuff....

Over to you then!....

We spent a little time this morning traipsing around a couple of supermarkets to buy bits of pasta, gnocchi, alcohol and biscuits to take home. Once that task was complete, we headed to the pool for a swim, and then to the beach for the rest of the day.

Poor Marley did her usual trick of falling asleep and missing out on a few hours, only this time, she fell asleep in my arms in the sea!
Alex and Evie went off to get us all some dinner, and came back armed with fresh crusty rolls, salami, emmental and prosciutto to make our own sandwich. We discovered (typically that it was our last day) how much more delicious and less expensive they were too!
We saved one for sleepyhead Marley, and woke her up to a Hello Kitty ice cream from the moving beach ice-cream stall.

The kids made a huge sand castle village, and Evie and Alex dug up a massive hole, in which Evie was buried stood up! Alex struggled to get her out!

As the day wore on, some German kids came along and made a new sand castle village next to ours. Evie and Marley dished out enough evil looks to start off another world war!
We played in the sea a little for the last time, and spent ages trying to deflate Craig the Croc, the lilo (which we ended up popping), and the kids' rubber rings, before trotting back a little less laden down with beach equipment, to get ready for tea.

After showers, we headed out to a far posher restaurant than usual. One that had been blessed with the touch of an interior designer, and fitted with huge floor lamps, and trendy unisex toilets. One that did AMAZING pizza at still really good prices, yet one that we soon discovered sneakily charged a 2 Euro per person cover charge! Naughty!

Once our bellies were full, we headed off to play crazy golf, where Alex became so intent on making me lose, he flashed my bum to a few old Italian men in an effort to put me off and distract me from my shot!
After getting confused with our score cards (due to the litre of wine we'd sunk with our meal), we abandoned them and just had fun with it instead.

The kids managed to get into the fun-park next door on our last 6 Euros, which should've been 8, but Alex had a word - bless him, and I headed back to the hotel on my own to start the mammoth packing task which lay ahead.

Our penultimate day began with the usual breakfast downstairs, and then plenty of time in the pool, which despite feeling freezing upon entry, soon ended up being a welcome break from the blazing hot sun.

We then spent some time on the loungers on the hotel's private beach for a change, instead of being right next to the sea as we have done since we've been here. The kids soon got tired, so I offered to cart Marley up to the room so she could have a comfy nap. Just before we went, I saw a little cute lizard darting across the sand - it was adorable! I hoped it would climb into my bag so I could bring it home!
Whilst Marley DIDN'T nap back at the room due to being so busy playing, I lounged on the lilo on the terrace, which is the best sun trap ever.

I read a couple of chapters of The Acid House by Irvine Welch, before Marley got fed up and wanted to go and see Daddy and Evie, who had been napping on the private beach!

Once everyone was together, we left our stuff on the loungers and the 4 of us ran down to the sea to all jump in together. Something we'd not managed to do yet! It was great fun, even though Alex and Marley both tried to drown me on several occasions.

We got ready for tea, and headed down to the central section where all the main shops, bars and restaurants were.
Evie wanted something from the Hello Kitty shop that she'd spotted a few nights ago, and had harped on about ever since, but when we got there, she couldn't find it, and we even asked the shop assistant, but it wasn't there anymore! She was heartbroken!
We did manage to apease things by getting her and Marley a new punky Bratz doll each which they both love.

For tea we found a really busy restaurant, which is always a good sign, and I opted for a Vesuvia pizza, which was ham, mushrooms, artichokes and egg, and was by far the best ever so far!

A long walk back and a quick beer at the hotel bar. I will be so sad to have our last night tomorrow!

I'm so looking forward to being away for a bit. I am hyper and jumpy with a constant unsettled, nervy feeling in my tummy. A break might help to sort me out. (Although I have been giggling a lot today, which has been fun.)

Oh, and I'm 26 on Monday. I usually hate my birthday and just want it to be over, but maybe this year will be different.

Y'all have fun while I'm away! ;)

Today for some strange reason, has felt almost like it was the end of our holiday, despite the fact that we have 2 full days left!
We managed to get up for breakfast, as we have done every day, which I am actually glad about, as it's filled us up, sometimes even until tea time! We had bacon, eggs, ham, cheese, crusty rolls, jam tarts and coffee.
The kids had their usual chocolate spread on bread.

Poor Evie is suffering with a pretty bad cold and a nasty cough, so we took a trip to the nearest pharmacy in Piazza Torino to get her some cough medicine.
The pharmacist explained how much to administer by drawing a really bad picture of a big spoon and a little spoon and writing a 1 next to the little one. I managed to work it out with my bits of Italian and her bad artwork!

We then went to the beach for a few hours after buying a huge blow up crocodile, which we've nicknamed Craig. Not after my sister's boyfriend, it just fitted right. Cr and Cr.
After playing in the freezing cold swimming pool with Craig, we headed out to the sea with him.

We had panini con formaggio e prosciutto (cheese and ham paninis) from the beach hut, Evie had a hot dog, Marley had a toastie, and then we chilled out again on the sand. Evie didn't seem to improve, so we decided she probably needed to play in the shade for a while, so we headed back to the room for the rest of the afternoon.

Alex and I tried to brave the heat on the sun-trap terrace, but kept having to go inside and blast ourselves under a cold shower to cool down. It was unbelievably hot.

Tonight we decided to go local for tea, and we picked a relatively cheap place where I just fancied having chicken and chips. It was pants. The litre of wine and the bruschetta starter were great though.

Then a bit later, Evie punched Alex in the nuts and really highlighted a great day in which we'd also seen Marley throwing a massive tired tantrum, due to not having a nap, and then later a very whingy bedtime.

Hopefully we'll all be a bit chirpier tomorrow, especially as it will be our 2nd to last day!

... and I finally touch d starfish, alive! Not the one preserved in the laboratory.

and... they called Laut as Laot! LOL.

Fish spa anyone?

Another huuugggeeee mall, Greenhill. languh tul batis nih bajalan ha,ha

The last damned supper dinner at Japanese's.

Day 4

Salmonella attack! Dang! Went to SM Clark Mall before heading to the airport.

Overall, I had fun except for the day 4 where I was attacked with salmonella. Food poisoning sucks. Probably I had too much raw food the day before. LOL.

Another glorious scorcher of a day, and I am sat here on the bed, sunburned, despite the Factor 30!

We've had a lovely relaxing day, chilling out on our terrace in the morning, and then going to buy a lilo (finally!) and some new Crocs for the kids, then dinner at a beach hut (mmmm.....panini vegetariano per mio!) whilst Evie and Marley played in the park next to our seats.

We wrote our postcards which we purchased from Venice yesterday, and went to buy stamps to post them. I managed to say "Avete francobolli per cartolini per la Gran Bretagne" (which means "do you have stamps to post postcards to Britain?"), and I answered the lady's "Si, quanto?" with; "Quatro per favore". I was so proud of myself!
I do wish my Italian was better though. I can only say and understand a few things, especially the "Sono gemeli?" we get asked all the time, which is if the kids are twins.

After a lovely dinner, we spent the whole afternoon at the beach, swimming in the sea, lounging on the sand, and generally just enjoying it. I don't want this holiday to ever end!

Tonight we've had a lovely meal out, along with a litro de vino rosso, and walked up to the other end of the street, only stopping for a 10 Euro (EEEK!) couple of beers in a bar, and a 1 Euro ice cream. I had tiramisu flavour, and Alex opted for fico flavour, but he didn't even know what it was! I've just looked it up and discovered it meant "fig" flavour. Ugh!

Thank goodness for my life-saving Italian dictionary which I remembered to bring with me this time. It prevented me from ordering a tuna sandwich today, "tonno" sounded so appealing that I almost just risked it and got it anyway. It was only because I thought it could be "tongue" that I thought to refer. I'm so glad I did!

10. Sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace while planning my scrumptious Christmas cookie recipes

9. Playing Christmas music that I haven’t been able to hear all year long and having it remind me of my younger days as a child with Nat King Cole playing in the background on Christmas Eve

8. Walking in new fallen snow, in the early evening moonlight when all is so still and silent you can hear the soft snow crunch under your shoes and the glistening holiday lights guide your way.

7. Searching for and finally finding just the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones, and then in turn receiving gifts that are equally as lovely

6. Going for a sleigh ride in a “one horse open sleigh” with sleigh bells ringing in and the crisp winter air tickles your nose

5. Picking out the perfect Christmas tree and taking it home, welcoming it into the living room and decorating it for all to enjoy

4. Watching Christmas movies, old time favorites that you enjoyed as a child and now as an adult you find that they still entertain you every time that you see them

3. Spending time with friends and family at Holiday gatherings during the entire Christmas season

2. Giving thanks for all the fortune that I’ve received throughout the previous year, and years throughout my life

1. To celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ

By Kimberly D

6.30 AM - Awie bangun kejutkan aku & Iwan dari tidur...

6.45 AM - Awie Mula menggerakkan keretanya dan kami memulakan perjalanan....

7.00 AM - Sampai Ke Teluk Chempedak Kuantan, Masih ramai orang di sana sama cam kami nak melihat  matahari naik..

7.15 AM - Meneruskan perjalannan terus ke puncak dan menempuhi belukar dan sedikit pendakian...

7.20 AM - Akhirnya sampai ke destinasi dan lihatlah view ini.... Cantik kan

Dah puas tengok view TC waktu pagi tue..  Ni pulak pic kami berposing plak...

Habis sahaja melihat view TC pagi itu terus kami pergi bekfes kat warung mamak di Bandar... Then aku & Awie terus beransur pulang ke kampung kami di Chini... Lama dah aku tak balik... Ok itu saja yang aku share ngan korang semua... Jumpa lagi k.