A Dream Wedding

Most girls dream of being a bride one day. I did too when I was young. And I must say, getting married is one of the best experience a woman can face in her lifetime. I don't even regret getting married because I married the person I love. We have been in this happy and sometimes challenging union for the past 15 years. Our union is nothing compared to the people I know who have been married for more than 50 years. And I too, would like to see myself growing old with the same man I married many moons ago.

I still dream of a wedding and this time, it will be for the second time with my husband. I keep teasing him that we should renew our vow and tie the knot in a place like paradise. I know it is a long shot to convince my pragmatic husband but I am already doing my research.

Our second union will be in a paradise here on Earth. I scoured the internet for great locations and have hits for fiji weddings, beach weddings, exotic weddings and a lot more. I am quite intrigued with Fiji.

I have heard that Fiji is such a beautiful, small island nation. The people are warm and friendly. The island is filled with lush vegetation and pristine, sandy beaches. I may have fear of the open seas but the calm and inviting ambiance of what I saw in Fiji's Namale Resort and Spa is enough to make me forget about my fears. If I am going to make a second memory of another love marriage then it will have to be in Fiji's Namale Resort and Spa. My husband will be captivated with the surroundings because he loves the beach area. And Fiji is the right place to be!

Fiji's number one resort, the Namale Resort and Spa has wedding packages and other offers as well to put fire in your romance and give your body and soul a time to relax too. The place boasts of dream houses, villas, bures and private areas where you can spend your honeymoon, reunion, gatherings and even location shooting with privacy. And all those in a place surrounded by clear waters and rich rain forest under the clear blue sky.

So, if you are dreaming of a perfect wedding, planning of a wedding or already married like I am, you can make a romantic memory in Fiji's Namale Resort and Spa.

Most Beautiful Lakes in the World

According to Yahoo Travel and as provided by Budget Travel, here are the most beautiful lakes in the world. And as a spoiler to my fellow Filipinos, our very own Taal Lake is listed. So nice!

Lake Malawi, Malawi - Africa's 3rd largest lake, measuring to 363 miles long and 50 miles wide. It is very rich in underwater stock and the water is crystal clear which is great for snorkeling.

Peyto Lake, Alberta, Canada - Lies in the midst of the Canadian Rockies. The waters of this Banff National Park lake are turquoise which is often associated with warm-weather waters of Bora Bora and Antigua.

Crater Lake, Oregon - This lake is a result of a massive volcanic eruption in the Cascade Range thousands of years ago. The water is a deep sapphire-blue hue and the lake is surrounded by towering evergreens and high cliffs.

Taal Lake, Philippines - Known for it's dangerous beauty because it is home to the small but very active Taal Volcano. It is also the deepest lake in the Philippines with a depth of 564 feet.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala - This lake rests at the foot of 3 conical volcanoes. The lake is home to a small Mayan village which line up its shores.

Loch Lomond, Scotland - The picturesque beauty of this lake is like a seeing a movie about the Victorian era with rolling hills and monastery and castle at the background. This lake is 24 miles in length and is dotted with small islands. Some islands are so small that they become submerge during high tide.

Lake Matheson, New Zealand -This lake is known as the mirror lake because of the reflection cast by the lake of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia - The 16 lakes with blue-green waters are connected by waterfalls and hidden by lush vegetation. The area will be ideal for a Jurassic movie sequel.

Lake Nakuru, Kenya - The blue water of this lake is photo-perfect when pink flamingos rest in the shallow waters.

Lady Liberty

I remember dreaming about setting foot at Staten Island where the Liberty Statue is situated. I was five years old when I listed it in one of the places I would see when I grow up. And I did!

I never thought I would actually visit New York and some of the famous landmarks of the beautiful state of the US of A. I am very happy and privileged to be an airline staff because I get to afford all the travels my family make.

New York is such a magnet. I am drawn to it despite the negative comments of some people who have been there. I still find the place easy to navigate and everything can be accessed by train or on foot.

I miss the place. I can't wait to visit the place again. I hope very soon!

To Travel Soon

I was supposed to go to San Francisco with my hubby and daughter today for the long Eid holidays but due to lack of time and not to mention funds and leave credits; I had to bail out.

I just dropped my hubby to the airport an hour ago for his flight and I really, really wanted to go. Sometimes I ask myself, why I am always stuck here when I can go? The answer always boils down to lack of leave credits. I wish I had many!

One might wonder why at this time of recession, we can still have the opportunity to travel. Answer to that is because we get discount airfare being airline staff. We only pay minimal fee for the ticket price. Also, we get rebate tickets from other airlines and avail of their cheap flights too.

There is a downside to being a staff too. We get very low priority in check-in because of our ticket cost. Most of the time, we even get bumped-off in preference to a paying customer. Well, I have had my share of bump-offs and I am certainly used to it.

Working in the airline industry is probably the best for people who is on the go and likes to see the world like we do. We get many travel advisory from other countries and offers on various destinations guide. We may not be paid well as compared to other companies but combining all the free and discounted ticket fares and special airline staff rates on most destinations and hotels, I think it is really worth it!

So, I may just travel again this January to New York. I have always dreamed of seeing snow so that time will be the best time to travel during the cold season. Anyway, I love cold weather! Big Apple, here I come!

I Love Rome - Part 3

More pics on our wonderful trip to the eternal city of Rome.

I Love Rome - Part 2

Here are more snaps taken on the lovely and historical city of Rome. Enjoy!

Bienvenuto Italia! Milan - Part 1

Bienvenuto Milan! Here are some snaps taken during our recent trip to Milan, the fashion capital of the world!

The plaza at Duomo.



The Duomo - the 2nd largest cathedral after the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican.





See the vast nave and pillars. Simply breath-taking!


Going around Milan by train...

Back Home

We're all back! It takes so much to say this but, "it's good to be home." The trip to Munich, Germany and Milan and Rome in Italy is worth taking and every money spent because we have had a good time.

Munich, Germany is such an amazing place to visit. I love the weather prior to the change of season. It was cool and breezy even at noon but quite cold at night as the temperature dipped to 15 degrees Celsius which for us was already cold (considering the weather here in Dubai, anything below 18 degrees Celsius is considered cold!). We joined the Hop-On Hop-Off city tour bus so we saw much of what Munich has to offer in a day. I'll be posting pictures here later.

Our stay at Milan was just 2 days and had limited time to roam around. We went to the Duomo (Mariae Nascenti church) and the Vitorio Emanuele Galeria which housed the luxurious boutiques. We posed at some of the statues around the area like Leonardo Da Vinci's and Parini's.

Roma...the glorious city of Italia. I love this place a lot. We walked around to reach the various scenic and famous tourist spots of Rome. The weather was hot and humid just like that of Dubai. I had an instant tan!

All in all, the vacation was great and we will surely be back in Europe. We are eyeing Greece before our visa expires this November... or Venice...or Vienna...or Amsterdam. We're still undecided as we will plan this when the long Eid holidays come. Ciao!

Tri Noma Mall

Malls are like second homes to me . I remember having a big fit at the height of my pregnancy just because my dear hubby wouldn't take me to the mall. Guess what I did? I ran away! What can i do? I am a mall rat! Malls are big magnets set in the centre of the universe. They just draw me closer and closer to where they are. To prove my point, we have always lived near or at least, walking distance to the malls. Another point to prove I am a mall rat was I was still fresh from having a terrible case of jet lag and lack of sleep and had a short nap but the next day, I went straight to the mall. Yup! The mall, but this one is not just the mall, it is THE mall. It's Tri Noma. It's quite near where I stay so we headed off to my new hang out in town - the Tri Noma.

Such an odd name for a very nice, big and slightly posh mall in the heart of Quezon City. I remember the spot where Tri Noma is as a barren land intended to be used I guess for the Metro Rail depot. I was surprised to see a "2nd home" imposing its presence to me. It's not a very far drive from where I stay. In fact, it was just a mere minutes from Caloocan to there.

I liked the location a lot. We got lost around the mall because I was too busy to check out the boutiques inside to even notice the sign boards. I must have asked several folks in the concierge on where to locate this and that.

The mall has a centre plaza where people could just sit on the mini-steps. I think they use that area for programs or events. It boasts of posh boutiques and shops like Aldo, Fruits and Passion (yes!!!), Debenhams (uh-ha! That Debenhams from UK!), Guess, Promod (one of my fave fashion store), Mango, and Lacoste. There is Landmark Department Store which sells nice merchandise at very reasonable prices (just don't think of the VAT!). There were more available spaces soon to be open for the public. There are cinemas, fast food outlets, fine restaurants and coffee shops and a nice garden on top near the ubiquitous Starbucks. We had a snack at Cafe Breton (specializing on nice French Crepes) and was surprised to see "fog" coming out of the garden! They even simulated a steam-like fog so you get to feel how close you are in nature while dining al fresco! Haven't seen that anywhere in the malls in Dubai and other malls I have been to in other countries. This was a first for me.

I say, this mall is one of a kind. I like the way it looked so simple but elegant at the same time and it has most of the shops I always frequent to back here in Dubai.

Here are some snaps of the place! I was unable to take so much pictures since I was shopping around ;) Enjoy...and shop `til you drop. Literally!

Below is the atrium area of the mall with a great fountain display.

My princess posing in front of the atrium of Tri Noma.

This is the 2nd level of the mall. Notice the big pink bag? Inside are my loots!

For more pictures of Tri Noma, please click on this link. Thanks Joel for letting me use your personal pic of the very awesome Tri Noma Mall!