(http://blog.hellokitty.com/traveltheworld)

October 31, 2008 (Friday)

My sister with my nieces brought us to Anaheim where the happiest place on earth can be found. It’s none other than Disneyland. It took a few hours to get there because of the rush hour traffic. Then we settled in the Grand California Hotel with a rustic log cabin feel to it. We also had reservations at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. The theme as the name says is rainforest complete with jungle looking interior and animatronics animals with sounds. And an occasional thunder completes the effect.

“Our room.”

“The exterior looks like a Mayan temple. “

“Stuffed animals on display.”

“The aquarium is the main door for the restaurant.”

“In Downtown Disney……”

“Inside the Lego store.”

November 1, 2008 (Saturday)

Disneyland!!! Had an early start, we first head to Toontown and became honorary citizens of Toontown led by the Mayor Mickey Mouse. After that we buzzed from one ride to the other to get most of our time in the theme park. Dinner was at the Storytellers Cafe. To top our evening off. We watched the infamous fireworks display in the Main Street.

“All decked out for Halloween.”

“Main Street”

“The Castle”

“It’s a Small World After All.”

“Mayor Mickey honored us to be Toontown Citizens.”

“To infinity and beyond!”

“Sally and Jack Skeleton.”

“The Haunted Mansion is turned into Nightmare Before Christmas.”

“A ghostly apparition of Jack.”

“Caramel Apple…yummmmmm.”

“Bolt”

“The Main Street Parade”

“Beauty and the Beast”

“Lion King”

“The Princesses on Parade”

“Pooh Bear!”

“The writing on the floor of the restaurant”

“Fireworks show”

November 2, 2008 (Sunday)

Today is Elora’s birthday! Whooohoooo!!!! Next on our agenda is the California Adventure. It’s right across Disneyland. Still having a Halloween theme, some are bedecked with candy corns! Having my nieces as guides, we rushed through ride after ride. The best ride so far for me is the Toy Story Mania, an interactive ride where you can also play carnival games in 3D and compete with your fellow riders. This is the newest addition in the theme park so naturally the queue was quite long. I also like Turtle Talk With Crush, an interactive talk show with the turtle from Finding Nemo. He literally answers your question no matter how stupid it is! We had dinner at Ariel’s Grotto where we can rub shoulders with the Disney Princesses. Plus the food was really really good too!!! Sorry Ariel, I ate one of your friends!

“They have a Hollywood style backlot in the theme park.”

“Interactive test from Sorcerers Workshop.”

“Never expected that talking to a turtle can really be entertaining.”

“Chaaaaaa (bob your head while saying the word, it’s like yeah in Crush talk)”

“Monster Inc ride.”

“Muppet 3D Vision”

“Heimlich welcomes the guests.”

“And his here hiding in the grass.”

“California Scream’ and yeah that’s us in the car.”

“My score is on the left and Froggy’s is on the right. I still say we needed a rematch!”

“Paradise Pier”

“Ariel’s Grotto”

“An assortment of appetizers.”

“Filet of Redfish”

“Spinach and Ricotta Agnolotti”

“Cioppino” (Sebastian is that you?!)

“Assorted desserts”

“The birthday girl, Elora just turned 17!”

November 3, 2008 (Monday)

Time to go back to LA.

“The stained glass entrance to the hotel.”

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(http://blog.hellokitty.com/traveltheworld)

October 27, 2008 (Monday)

We decorated my sister’s home for Halloween. It was really interesting because this was the first time I had done something like it. I usually decorate for Christmas. So this was really a first for both me and Froggy.

“Trying to make it look like a haunted house.”

“Igooooorrrr”

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October 28, 2008 (Tuesday)

We started off the day by going to Pinkberry. It’s the “IT” frozen yogurt place. I did heard of it before but now I finally got a chance to try it out. Not bad for a healthy snack. Then we’re off to “Bossanova” for lunch. Where we had yummy steaks! After that, we went to the Kodak Theater and roamed around the shops in Hollywood and Highland mall. Had some pics taken too with the infamous Mann’s Chinese Theater. And finally, to what we had been waiting for. Pantanges theater where “Wicked” is being played. I do love the interior of the place. Too bad I left my camera in the car so I wasn’t able to take any photos. It was really grand inside. And my sister got us great seats too! The play is about Elphaba the Witch in the Wizard of Oz, the story is set just before Dorothy got blown in by the tornado. And why the people of Oz deemed her to be Wicked. We really enjoyed the play immensely, even Froggy admitted that it was good that it surpasses all the plays we watched so far. He was even humming some of the tunes after that. I do love a few of the songs like “Popular” where its upbeat and funny. The play was about two and a half hours long. But it didn’t seems so because we’re really engrossed with it. We even waited for the actors to come out and have out programs signed by them. By the time we’re done, it’s already pretty late. We then stopped by at “Pink Hotdog” it’s also one of the original the-place-to-go that even big celebs still seeks it’s yummy hotdogs til this day.

“Jayme having a Pinkberry moment.”

“Delicious skirt steaks at Bossanova.”

“Lamb Kebabs for the Frog.”

“The pizza monster”

“Mann’s Chinese Theater”

“Kodak Theater”

“Inside Hollywood and Highland mall”

“Still in Hollywood and Highland Mall.”

“Saw a Sanrio Store tucked inside the mall.”

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“Ooooohhhh Harry Potter!”

“Jayme trying on Emma Watson’s footprint in front of the Chinese Theater.”

“All Cheese!!!”

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“Wickedly the best!”

” Celebs like this place.”

> (http://blog.hellokitty.com/traveltheworld)

October 21, 2008 (Tuesday)

Early morning, we woke up in anticipation of our bus ride to the City that Never Sleeps, yup you got it…We’re going to good ol’ NY…

It took us 3 hours to arrive at the bustling city, but was made ever shorter by the cheerful banter of our bus driver who kept saying “Are we there yet” in every stop we made. It’s all gooood though coz’ we had a date to watch LION KING the musical, Minscoff Theater at 7pm.

Arriving 3 hours earlier from our check-in time (12pm), we had ours spare and frankly can’t wait to soaked up the sights and sounds of the City. We were greeted by a cacophony of endless music, blinding lights, and waves and waves of people from all races, ages, and walks of life.

We couldn’t wait to mix and mingle on our first day so that’s why we took the Grayline City Bus Tour which provided 3 separate tours around the city…Uptown, Downtown, and Brooklyn in a nice package of hop on and hop off.

We first took the Uptown route and boy did we had a grand tootin’ time…

We then watched Lion King, the theater was easy to find since its just a few blocks from where we are staying.  We even had a chance to see Vanessa Hudgeon and Zac Efron from High School Musical who where promoting their latest movie.  No wonder a sea of paparazzi where milling about near the theater.  The play was not bad, though after seeing Phantom I still think Phantom is better. (Sorry Lion King fans) Watchig the play is like watching the cartoon itself.  The coloful costumes made it stand out and made the play alive.  After the play, we walked around the area and found ourselves in Rockerfeller Center.

“Our hotel room in New York”

“Broadway”

“Minscoff Theater presents Lion King”

“Statue of Liberty Lego in Toys R Us.”

“A Lego skyscraper ain’t complete without King Kong.”

 ”Look who I found in New York!”

 ”Time Square”

 ”Billboards around Time Square”

“The Lion in Minscoff Theater”

“Rockefeller Center”

“A colorful shop window”

“Yattttttttaaaaa!!!! (Reenacting Hiro in Heroes)

October 22, 2008 (Wednesday)

On the 2nd day of our New Yorkin’ experience, we ate breakfast composed of cup noodles and canned spaghetti…er yum yum er…slimy yet satisfying (take note we already watched the LK musical that’s why it’s like that.) We wasted no time to take our downtown tour which featured the old and new in New York…

“Empire State Building”

“A hundred fifty years of Macy!”

“The Flat Iron Building”

 ”A memorial for the fallen Twin Towers.  Tiles retrieved from ground zero are immortalized with dedications from children.”

 ”The Lady Liberty”

“The Brooklyn Bridge”

“United Nations Building”

“Had an NBC studio tour.”

“The Rock and the Frog.”

“A Sanrio Store in the Big Apple.”

” Like a kid in the candy store.”

“The Chrysler Building”

October 23, 2008 (Thursday)

On our last day in New York, we were left panting and breathing heavily as we toured the small but larger than life Island City, visiting it’s various museums. I was amazed at how my husband became the foremost expert of Dinosaurs exhibited at the American Museum Of Natural History (The setting for Night in the Museum) as he named each Dinos we saw. We then made our way via Central Park over the MET, and Cooper Hewitt Museum, and while on the way back to the hotel we encountered a very peculiar saucer like edifice in the area of Central Park. Froggy was frightened and elusive and for good reason because it was an exhibition of CHANEL Mobile Art which they featured for a limited time only at the Park. We then had to wait in line for an hour or so to get in (for free others have bought tickets online) and explore it’s bizarre but rather original art concept much to my Froggy’s chagrin…

“Central Park”

“Imagine a memorial for John Lennon in Strawberry Fields, Central Park.”

“An Obelisk that came all the way from Egypt.”

“Alice in Wonderland”

“The Bellevedere Castle”

“Knish Nosh with potato filling.”

“Birds who are interested in my Knish Nosh.”

“A futuristic art gallery by Chanel inside Central Park.”

“Freebies from the art gallery.”

“Dino in the Museum”

“Rex!  Fetch!!!”

“Dum Dum wants Gum Gum”

“Giant Squid Attack!”

“The Fashion District.”

“Parson’s School of Design”

“Our last night in Time Square.”

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(http://blog.hellokitty.com/traveltheworld)

It had been weeks since I last updated my blog, so this post can be a long one. O_o

October 14, 2008 (Tuesday)

We flew via US Airways to Philadelphia. My Aunt and Uncle picked us up from the airport and took almost an hour and a half before we reached Reading, PA. This is where my Aunt resides along with Uncle, my cousin Chris and his wife Yeng. It was a joyous reunion as they had not been able to make it on our wedding back home, they had planned to go but had to cancel last minute because of their work. By the way, they are vegetarian and they cooked up a scrumptious meal without any meat at all! Yum! Our room was ready too, they nicknamed it the honeymooner’s suite complete with amenities! It was the cutest thing that I saw. I loved how they made us feel so welcomed. ^^

“The first thing we saw once we got in the house.”

“Yummy ice cream cake.”

“Our attic honeymoon suite.”

October 15, 2008 (Wednesday)

The very next day, my Uncle drove us to Hershey, Pennsylvania. We all know that Hershey is one of the best known makers of chocolate. But little did people know that there is also a place called Hershey, where the chocolates are manufactured. We visited the Hershey Chocolate World. After that we went to Hershey Gardens located near the Hershey Hotel. (They are all HERSHEY, go figure) And then back home, where Yeng baked my favorite dish. Yummmmmmmmm!

“Kisses shaped lamp post signals that we are in Hershey!”

“Chris and Yeng strike a pose.”

“The smell of chocolate is in the air.”

“Chugging chocolate syrup.”

“Hershey Kisses”

“A chocoholic in action.”

“Hersheys Garden”

“Pumpkin decorations signals the coming of Halloween.”

“Lovely blooms greeted us in the garden.”

“Just oooohhh sooo pretty.”

“Whistling Kisses”

“A bathtub mini garden.”

“Trying to make a tune out of the panels.”

“Their version of the Japanese Garden.”

“Baked stuffed bell peppers!!! My favorite!!”

October 16, 2008 (Thursday)

Next on our itinerary is Shady Maple, a smorgasbord of food cooked by Amish people. Of course we cruised by in style because my cousin hired a limo. After the very satisfying lunch we stopped by at the Kitchen Kettle Village. A small village of shops mostly handcrafted or made by the Amish community. The next stop is Sight’s and Sound the Millennium Theater where we watched the musical play “In the Beginning”

“Authentic Amish food buffet.”

“An Amish girl selling corn wreaths.”

“The view from the Kitchen Kettle Village.”

“Kitchen Kettle Village, Intercourse, Pennsylvania.”

“The village is lined with shops selling local goods.”

“A frog in a witch costume pumpkin.”

“Hand crafted mail boxes.”

“Froggy trying to milk a simulation milking cow.”

“Produce for sale.”

“I’ve never seen these many types of corn before.”

“Riding in style.”

“The Millenium Theater by Sights and Sound.”

“Display of the In the Beginning play.”

“We got good seats!”

October 17, 2008 (Friday)

We visited my cousins at their workplace. Chris works in Health South Rehab Center as a Executive Data Analyst and Yeng works at the Babies-N-Motion Children Center as the Director there. Then my Uncle and Aunt brought us to the Olive Garden for lunch then to Marshalls! I am really addicted to this place. Isn’t it obvious!

“Chris in his work place.”

“The mansion where Health South used to be, now it’s abandoned and kinda makes me think of a haunted house. Creepy!”

“Where Yeng works.”

“In the nursery.”

“Yeng’s adorable little charges.”

“Good Italian food. Loved the baked stuffed mushrooms. Drool!”

October 18, 2008 (Saturday)

My Uncle and his family are 7th Day Adventist. Saturday is considered their Sabbath, so we went to church that day. It so happens that every once a month they have a pot luck among the church goes. Being 7th Day Adventist means going vegetarian. There was a really good spread of vegetarian food and some you might think “Is this Vegetarian?!” Because it tasted so good that you won’t think that its all veggies. After the very filling lunch, my Uncle drove us to the Reading Public Museum Park. Lovely place to be. Lots of greens and some duckies swimming in shallow water. Next stop is Vanity Fair Outlet. A humongous outlet store that carries a lot of branded stuff for cheaper price. Though in my opinion Marshals still is the best. ^^ It took us hours to walk through the whole lot. Time flew and before we knew it, it was dinner time already, my cousin picked us up to eat at Jumbo China Buffet. As usual, the frog and I overate again.

“Whatcha lookin’ at? Quack!!!”

“Ducks-R-Us”

“Feedin’ bread to the lil’ duckies.”

“Loved this photo of my cousins.”

“My Frog is fascinated with this squirrel.”

“Tree hugger.”

“Just one of the beautiful tranquil sights in the Museum Park.”

October 19, 2008 (Sunday)

We woke up pretty early to take a bus ride to Atlantic City. I was feeling a bit under the weather because of the cold temperature in Pennsylvania. And the gusty winds in Atlantic City didn’t help much. Despite it, I still enjoyed walking down the famous Boardwalk which was inspired by the Monopoly game board. Some casinos where also a big attraction to tourists like the Trump’s Taj Mahal, Ceasars Palace, Bally Casino, Wild Wild West and more. We were also fortunate enough to witness a Senior pageant on parade.

“The Boardwalk”

“The Ripley’s Belive or Not is also one of the main attractions here.”

“Lunch at Mario’s Pizza. Had Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, Onion Rings, Fried Stuffed Peppers and Fried Broccoli.”

“Auntie and Uncle ordered a huge vegetarian pizza.”

“Permanent resident of Boardwalk, Atlantic City.”

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“The Beach.”

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“Parade of Senior beauties.”

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“A message from my sweet Froggy.”

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“Check this out! Colorful painted hermit crabs for sale.”

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“A memorial for the war heroes.”

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“Multi-colored buildings.”

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“Inside the Wild Wild West casino.”

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October 20, 2008 (Monday)

Went another round at the Vanity Fair Outlet. Then off to visit my Aunt who works part time in Kutztown University. The University is so big that it has about 30,0oo plus students.

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“There’s even a couple of tanks inside the University.”

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 (http://blog.hellokitty.com/traveltheworld)

October 11, 2008 (Saturday)

Still here in sunny Florida.  Enjoying the great weather and of course the shopping!  We hit another Marshall’s branch.  That took us awhile, was able to get some good stuff too!  Then to Michaels where I got more of the great DIY jewelry pieces.  I find that they have a lot more selections than where I live in so naturally I got some to bring home.  After a quick lunch at my cousin’s home we then went to City Place.  It’s really a nice place unlike a mall where everything is enclosed.  Here they have all the stores out in the open.  I really don’t know how to explain so I guess the pictures will tell you more.  By night time, everything is lit up and festive looking.  Then we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.  There was a long queue but my cousin was able to get us a table. Yummy food!

Tonight, it’s ladies night.  Plus, a celebration of the pink month of October for breast cancer. Inside one of the theater, they made a make shift convention of sorts for charitable institutions and other businesses to promote breast cancer awareness.  Even the firefighters went along with it, selling their own calendars as fundraiser for their cause.  And boy!  They are cute and macho to boot!!!  Pink drinks are also given out for free!  Got a little tipsy from it though.  A live band even played outdoors while people start dancing and partying.

“Even the Ninja Turtle shops at Marshalls.”

“Just a small part of City Place.”

“A street lined with shops.”

“The Harriet Himmel Theater”

“This is what it looks like in the theater.”

“Look behind the fountain, that’s The Cheesecake Factory.”

“Shrimp Pasta for me and Froggy”

“Penne Marinara for Irene.”

“A chicken sandwich for Achi Lina.”

“A burger in sourdough bread for Ahia Jimmy.”

“City Place at night.”

 ”Look who’s obsessive compulsive.”

“Creamy Pistachio ice cream at Momma Che Buonno.”

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(http://blog.hellokitty.com/traveltheworld)

October 9, 2008 (Thursday)

It’s a bright sunny day here in Florida. The weather is great and just a lovely day out. Or should I say a lovely day to shop!!!! Achi Lina brought us to this amazing store called Marshalls. They carry brand names that are low in prices. If you are into branded stuff but doesn’t have the budget for it. This is the place to go. That is if you don’t mind having last seasons fashion then you’ll sure find yourself in retail heaven. I got myself a nice pair of Aigner patent wedge shoes that is sooooo adorable. Then she also brought us to Costco, and TJ Maxx (it’s like Marshalls). So if your in the States. Better try to go to these shops, you’ll definetly have some stuff to take home. Dinner time came, and my cousin and his family brought us to this restaurant called ECHO. It’s an Asian fusion resto. We fell in love with the sushi. My Frog always told me that the sushi I made are the best. But after sampling the delectable sushi concoction in ECHO. My husband said I lost this one hands down. *sob*sob* Better experiment some new flavors.

“Royal Palm Beach, that’s where my cousin and his family lives.”

“T.J. Maxx, a must see shop. Also do look for Marshalls.”

“Echo’s free yummy appetizer!!! Just pop those little beans and leave the pod behind.”

“Thai Curry Chicken”

“Sauteed vegetable with tofu and Echo’s fried rice.”

“One of the yummiest sushi I’d ever had!!!”

“Cute little pumpkins ready for Halloween.”

October 10, 2008 (Friday)

It’s another day that means more shopping opportunity hehehehe. I guess we are trying to take advantage of the sales and the lower tax rate of 6.5% than the 8.25% tax in LA. This morning we went to Barnes & Nobles in Wellington Green Mall. It opened its doors at 9am. They do have some good stuff though we have to restrain ourselves because we don’t want to lug around a lot of things while traveling. And this is coming from 2 nerds who just adore books! *sigh* If only we were allowed to bring more kilos. Once in the bookstore, the hour passed by without us knowing. That’s how engrossed we could be. We hit the other shops like JC Penny, Dillards, Macy and Nordstrom. But after going to Marshalls, everything seems unappetizing. In one random shop, we saw these miniature houses. They were so fun to look at because of the details in it. The mall also has a Sanrio Store. And they were on sale too!!! Got some to bring home. Wheeeeeee…..

“My cousin’s home.”

“A bookworms candy store!”

“Miniatures for sale! Froggy not included.”

“Miniature Village”

“A closer look.”

“Waffles anyone?”

“Sanrio Store in Wellington Green Mall.”

“Hello Kitty goodies!!! (Metal Bookmark, A Hello Kitty bobbing head frog suit and a Hello Kitty Pajama Pants.”

October 2, 2008

Boarded the plane around 10pm bound for Los Angeles.  The 12 hours long plane ride was okay.  But because of my personal pillow, Froggy he he he it got more comfy.  Though the lack of inflight movie was a let down.  There’s video playing but the audio was shot.  So unless you know how to lip read, I think you can enjoy the movie.  Spending long hours in a plane with nothing to do is really boring.  We tried taking naps instead.  Will blog more once we got back from Las Vegas.  ;D

“We’re off to Los Angeles!”

“Inflight food is alright.  Here we have Seafood noodles and Chicken Caldereta for dinner.”

“And here’s breakfast with Ham egg delight and Beef Tapa with rice.”

“After hours spent in the plane, this is really a sight for sore eyes.”

“We’re almost there!!!!!”

“Picking my husband up from the baggage carousel. He he he.”

Finally! I’ve finished the 4th book! I was a bit peeved that I wasn’t able to finish it earlier because of all the distractions. Like just the other day when I was suppose to read the book, then the lights went out. And it took some time before the lights came back. >_> Then there’s work, and then the play. So basically, I don’t have much time to squeeze in some reading. Tomorrow I can finally hand the 4th installment to my sister to read, she finish booked 3 yesterday.

Made some sushi earlier for our Dice Game in my Mom’s home. It always take a lot of time to make sushi so when I do make em’, I make lots! Got some help from my very sic Frog, my niece and the help who likes eating sushi too! ^^

“Making California-Maki”

“My niece helping me roll some Futo-Maki.”

“Haven’t perfected the California Maki yet.”

“Something different, Kimchi Sushi.”

“It took me almost 2 hours to make this little babies, Tamago. The center one are Tamago with Nori.”

We do the Dice Game annually. Usually with my family and my sister’s friends. So this year, our latest addition to the growing players is my Froggy. We had decided to do pot luck hence the sushi as my contribution. The prizes are usually food, and money. Before it used to be things and other stuff. But came the later years, they decided that money prizes are more practical. We didn’t get to win much this year but good enough that we were able to get back what we paid for. Not bad eh?

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Cooking is my quality time with my husband.  So if his home early, you’ll see us in the kitchen slavin’ away for our dinner.  Though we’re no gourmet cooks. Tonight’s dinner is composed of salty fish rice, garlic button mushrooms and some left overs that needs to be consumed.  Nothing fancy right?

“My Hello Kitty apron makes me feel like a chef.”

 On another note.  The Mooncake festival is almost here. Who can forget those dice games!!!  Aside from that, the Mooncake is also a sweet treat.  Ma is already baking up a storm with her delicious Mooncakes.  She does this yearly and give it to family, friends and relatives.  Yummmmmm.  Gave me a small box of mini mooncakes with special snowy white skin which is made from glutenous rice.  She usually experiment with different flavors.  The ones I got were Taro, Jackfruit, Green Tea and Green Beans.

“Oooops, there’s suppose to be 4 in a box.  Can’t resist and ate the Green Tea :P.”

“See how small it is, this is the Taro flavor.  Personally, I like the Green Tea and the Jackfruit better.”

 Tomorrow is the start of the Manila International Bookfair in SMX.  This geek is definitely going dragging her geeky frog with her.  Or is it the other way around?