Dear Logan,
Thanksgiving came and left. I couldn't believe we're heading into December really soon. We had a lovely Thanksgiving Dinner at Uncle Paul and Auntie Rachel's house last night. I think it has slowly become a tradition for us to spend Thanksgiving with them. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for my wonderful family and friends, and relatively good health for everyone.
As mentioned, we were at The Lamberts last night for their annual Thanksgiving dinner with friends, starting early at 2 p.m. They usually had their dinner super early, as friends came early, ate, talked, played, ate and then left. It's an all-afternoon event. Unfortunately, Daddy is on-call this whole week from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., so he pretty much worked the whole time we were at Uncle Paul and Auntie Rachel's house. Luckily, he could still be a part of the gathering, and had some delicious food. And, some of his co-workers were at the dinner, so if he had any work questions, he could ask them right there! The weather has become increasingly cold. It was super cold last night when we were out in the backyard and patio. Uncle Paul had to set up his two heat lamps outside, so that he could offer more room for his guests to congregate. There were so many people, it was difficult for everyone to be inside the house.
Guess what I did last night after your brother went to bed? I joined the Black Friday shopping madness at ToysRUs!!! I knew it would be crazy, but I figured this year since they're starting at 10 p.m.instead of 5 a.m., I could just go after your brother went to bed. And I guess many people thought the same way I did, as there were so many people. I got there 5 minutes before 10 p.m., and the line went all around the store. I saw many families with young children, and felt bad for the kids for being dragged out late at night to join the madness in such cold weather. When inside the store, I could barely go through some aisles because they were packed with people waiting in line for check out. The check-out lines curved all around the store. I managed to grab a few "good" deals, I think, for the kids. I got a bed tent for your brother, but it wasn't really his main present. It's just something I think he might enjoy. Guess how long it took for me to complete this whole shopping experience? I got into the store at around 10:36 p.m., and finished shopping in less than an hour. However, the check-out lines were CRAZY. I started waiting in line at around 11 p.m., and it took me 1 hr and 45 mins to arrive at the cashier. By the time I got home, it's already 1 a.m.
I would definitely not join this kind of madness again. This will be my first and last Black Friday in-store experience. I think I would rather pay a little more than to join all those enthusiastic shoppers. Besides, I didn't really have any "must have" items that I wanted. Today, I leisurely strolled around Target with Aidan, and I still managed to get some more "good deals". The shopping season has only just begun.
Love you,
Mommy
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, June 19, 2009
Final post in Macau.......at least for 2009
Dear Logan,
Tonight is our last night in Macau. In less than 12 hours, Mommy and big brother will be on the plane flying to Taipei, and then back to San Francisco. It's been a long, fun, memorable vacation for us. Mommy is really glad to make the decision to come back to Macau. It would be a perfect vacation if Daddy could have come with us. I bet Daddy can't wait to see us home!
It was a busy day today. Mommy had to buy some food to bring home, met up with relatives and family for a late lunch. Then we headed to Wynn Hotel, so that Auntie Mena could finally purchase that dream wallet from Gucci. Ouch, expensive! But it was subsidized by me and Ah Gung, because her birthday is coming up next week. Then we met up with Auntie Eliza and little Ethan for some fun at Hac Sa Playground. Your big brother got to ride the scooters again for half an hour, and run around the playground. He also got to ride little Ethan's Thomas the Train tricycle. Now that your brother is a little older (I think he's matured a little during this trip), Mommy could let him run around the playground by himself without following around. He knew where Mommy was, and would periodically check-in with me. I just needed to keep an eye on him from away. While doing so, Mommy was able to chat with Auntie Eliza, as Ethan played nearby.
After that, we headed to our long-expected, fancy buffet at Four Seasons Hotel. The food was good, but not super, duper exceptionally good. If you like cold seafood, esp. lobsters, then it was great. But I think the hot food selection was so-so. I think the best parts were the freshly- prepared pasta section and the dessert section. Your brother even asked for a second helping of pasta after he finished one. He was actually very hungry. He also had two slices of pizza (first and last pizzas in Macau). I think either he was super hungry, or the food was super tasty for him. He didn't even play his game or ipod during the meal, up until the very end when he's done eating. He was actually feeding himself! Wow! He really enjoyed the meal. And then the desserts. One of the best dessert sections I've been to. They have quite a variety of different desserts, and most of them were pretty delicious. And, I think their service was top-notch. I think this is the best service I've ever had at a buffet. Waiters and waitresses were attentive and polite, without being overbearing. No wonder everyone said their service was good.
Is the buffet worth $404? Well, that depends on how many lobsters you can eat, and how much you like seafood. It was a nice meal for all of us, and I am glad I was able to enjoy that with my beloved family.
After that, Uncle Carlos headed to work, Ah Gung, Ah Po and your big brother went home. Auntie Mena and Mommy went over to New Lisboa Casino to try our luck. Mommy was a conservative gambler and I was prepared to lose MOP$500, and that was my maximum. Luckily, Mommy was able to win a little, a grand total of MOP$200, while playing Big/Small and War. Enough for brunch tomorrow!
I think Mommy is almost done packing. Just need to charge all of my electronics tonight, in preparation for our long flight back home. Also need to pack some minor stuff tomorrow morning. Aside from that, I think we're all set. I am SURE I will forget to pack some stuff. Luckily, nothing is irreplaceable (most of the time).
Ok, honey. Mommy won't be able to write to you for the next day or two. I'll write and visit you when I get back home. For now, take care and watch over all of us. Make sure Mommy and your brother have a safe trip back home.
Love you,
Mommy
Tonight is our last night in Macau. In less than 12 hours, Mommy and big brother will be on the plane flying to Taipei, and then back to San Francisco. It's been a long, fun, memorable vacation for us. Mommy is really glad to make the decision to come back to Macau. It would be a perfect vacation if Daddy could have come with us. I bet Daddy can't wait to see us home!
It was a busy day today. Mommy had to buy some food to bring home, met up with relatives and family for a late lunch. Then we headed to Wynn Hotel, so that Auntie Mena could finally purchase that dream wallet from Gucci. Ouch, expensive! But it was subsidized by me and Ah Gung, because her birthday is coming up next week. Then we met up with Auntie Eliza and little Ethan for some fun at Hac Sa Playground. Your big brother got to ride the scooters again for half an hour, and run around the playground. He also got to ride little Ethan's Thomas the Train tricycle. Now that your brother is a little older (I think he's matured a little during this trip), Mommy could let him run around the playground by himself without following around. He knew where Mommy was, and would periodically check-in with me. I just needed to keep an eye on him from away. While doing so, Mommy was able to chat with Auntie Eliza, as Ethan played nearby.
After that, we headed to our long-expected, fancy buffet at Four Seasons Hotel. The food was good, but not super, duper exceptionally good. If you like cold seafood, esp. lobsters, then it was great. But I think the hot food selection was so-so. I think the best parts were the freshly- prepared pasta section and the dessert section. Your brother even asked for a second helping of pasta after he finished one. He was actually very hungry. He also had two slices of pizza (first and last pizzas in Macau). I think either he was super hungry, or the food was super tasty for him. He didn't even play his game or ipod during the meal, up until the very end when he's done eating. He was actually feeding himself! Wow! He really enjoyed the meal. And then the desserts. One of the best dessert sections I've been to. They have quite a variety of different desserts, and most of them were pretty delicious. And, I think their service was top-notch. I think this is the best service I've ever had at a buffet. Waiters and waitresses were attentive and polite, without being overbearing. No wonder everyone said their service was good.
Is the buffet worth $404? Well, that depends on how many lobsters you can eat, and how much you like seafood. It was a nice meal for all of us, and I am glad I was able to enjoy that with my beloved family.
After that, Uncle Carlos headed to work, Ah Gung, Ah Po and your big brother went home. Auntie Mena and Mommy went over to New Lisboa Casino to try our luck. Mommy was a conservative gambler and I was prepared to lose MOP$500, and that was my maximum. Luckily, Mommy was able to win a little, a grand total of MOP$200, while playing Big/Small and War. Enough for brunch tomorrow!
I think Mommy is almost done packing. Just need to charge all of my electronics tonight, in preparation for our long flight back home. Also need to pack some minor stuff tomorrow morning. Aside from that, I think we're all set. I am SURE I will forget to pack some stuff. Luckily, nothing is irreplaceable (most of the time).
Ok, honey. Mommy won't be able to write to you for the next day or two. I'll write and visit you when I get back home. For now, take care and watch over all of us. Make sure Mommy and your brother have a safe trip back home.
Love you,
Mommy
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What a Mom will do for a Sale!
Hello Sweetheart,
Today is a day of shopping and food. Mommy was going to get up early today and head over to New Yaohan department store for their VIP sale day. Of course, I didn't really get up early. I don't think 9:45 a.m. is considered early anyways. At first I thought I would leave your brother home with Ah Gung and Ah Po, and then I would brave the crowd to buy some bedding for your brother. We ended up all going together, during lunchtime when billions of people were there. I heard there were 30 people waiting in line at 8 a.m., when the store doesn't open until 10:30 a.m. There were so many people in there, and I felt like I was shopping on the busiest floor. It definitely reminded me of Black Friday sales. However, Black Friday craziness started a lot earlier, but also ended a lot earlier. We actually went back to the department store after dinner, and there were still a lot of people in there at 9 p.m.
Today is a day of shopping and food. Mommy was going to get up early today and head over to New Yaohan department store for their VIP sale day. Of course, I didn't really get up early. I don't think 9:45 a.m. is considered early anyways. At first I thought I would leave your brother home with Ah Gung and Ah Po, and then I would brave the crowd to buy some bedding for your brother. We ended up all going together, during lunchtime when billions of people were there. I heard there were 30 people waiting in line at 8 a.m., when the store doesn't open until 10:30 a.m. There were so many people in there, and I felt like I was shopping on the busiest floor. It definitely reminded me of Black Friday sales. However, Black Friday craziness started a lot earlier, but also ended a lot earlier. We actually went back to the department store after dinner, and there were still a lot of people in there at 9 p.m.
The crazy crowd pushing and shoving
Mommy waiting in line to pay (Ah Gung brought me a snackie)!
So, when we got there, of course someone had to entertain your brother. Everytime we go to Yaohan, he kills time by going up and down the escalator. Even though there were a lot of people, it didn't stop him from doing that. However, when we first got there, Ah Gung was parking, and Mommy, Ah Po and your brother headed over to the Disney bedding section. Your poor brother was scared of the crowd, and I think he was definitely overwhelmed. He wanted me to hold him, while I was fighting with lots of people. I wanted to get a set of pillow cases/comforter/sheet of the movie CARS for your brother, but the Twin size sets were all sold out. I could get a raincheck but it won't be available for another 2 weeks. I would be gone by then, and it's not cheap anymore if I have to have it mailed to us. So, I got your brother a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse set (MOP$288) instead, but I got him another set of pillow cases/sheet of CARS (MOP$139).
The worst part was I had to wait in line for an hour to pay for the merchandise. Then with my receipt, I went back to pick up the stuff. Luckily, they had sufficient a/c on, if not, you know your mommy would just drench in sweat. While I was waiting in line, Ah Gung and Ah Po took your brother to the supermarket level and waited. The supermarket was packed as well, and you had to wait in line to get in. It was total craziness! Luckily, Ah Po was able to find a seat and could sit and wait for me.
At night, we went to this tiny, pretty unknown Portuguese restaurant in Taipa. They have pretty authentic Portuguese food. We ordered similar food as last time when we were at A Lorcha. We had a mixed salad, cabbage and mashed potato soup with Portugese sausages, Lamb Chops, Stir Fried Bacalhau with eggs and onions, and the Seafood rice. The mixed salad was the best salad I've ever had in Macau. I liked the Bacalhau the best, with just the right combination of all ingredients. A lot of places use too much eggs, and don't give you enough fish. This one is perfect! The soup for some reason tasted a little sour to me. The lamb chops were average, and the seafood rice was just as good as A Lorcha.
We ended our dinner with some McD ice-cream for your brother. I spotted a Haagan-daz next to Mc. D, so Ah Gung and I got some expensive ice-cream there instead. Then it's time to pick up Auntie Mena from school. We headed over to the department store again. Ah Gung and Ah Po bought two suitcases. It was a pretty good deal. I believe it was MOP$569 for one 20" and one 26". They got a raincheck and will pick up the merchandise later. Auntie Mena really wanted to buy a Mickey Mouse suitcase. She was THIS close to buying. If Ah Gung and Ah Po weren't there, I think she would have bought it. But Ah Po was really tired, so we left instead. Besides, your brother was so tired, he wasn't listening and was running around. He came home, took a shower and immediately went to bed.
It's been too much excitement. Tomorrow will be another calmer day before the weekend festivities start! I think Mommy will definitely sleep in again tomorrow, unless your brother decides to jump on me again. He likes to abuse me when I am sleeping.
Mommy will talk to you some more tomorrow. Take care, honey.
Love you,
Mommy
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Rainy Days and Mondays
Hello Honey,
Mommy had a quiet day today. It was pouring rain all morning and luckily, the rain stopped during lunch time. I brought your big brother out to lunch with a couple of friends. For some reason, your brother was very uncooperative today. He was a little emotional and didn't quite listen to me. Maybe he's spoiled, or it's been too much fun and activities going on the last few days. Today was a much quieter day. Tomorrow will also be a quieter day. When he's not out, he's attached to his laptop, gameboy and Ipod. I finally got him to read his Diego book tonight before going to bed. Because Uncle Carlos will be in Guangzhou the next few days, I have moved to stay in his room. That way, your brother and I could share a bigger bed. Not sure if this bed is more comfortable, he actually fell asleep within 15 mins tonight without much fussing.
Tomorrow, Mommy is going to a special sales event at a department store. I am trying to see if I could get some cheap(er) and good quality bedding for your brother. I am looking into getting him a Cars set. He's into that movie lately. I am just worried that he won't like it anymore by the time we move to our new house. Maybe something more generic is better, like cars and trucks, or animals, instead of cartoon characters? Well, we'll see what good deals I can find tomorrow. I heard people line up to get into the department store, just like Black Friday, but less crazy.
Gotta sleep a little earlier tonight so that I can actually get up. I've been sleeping late and don't get up until 11 or 12 lately. I think I am not even thinking or blogging straight. I don't think I am very coherent tonight. I am actually quite sleepy all day today.
Anyways, I'll talk to you some more tomorrow.
Love you,
Mommy
Mommy had a quiet day today. It was pouring rain all morning and luckily, the rain stopped during lunch time. I brought your big brother out to lunch with a couple of friends. For some reason, your brother was very uncooperative today. He was a little emotional and didn't quite listen to me. Maybe he's spoiled, or it's been too much fun and activities going on the last few days. Today was a much quieter day. Tomorrow will also be a quieter day. When he's not out, he's attached to his laptop, gameboy and Ipod. I finally got him to read his Diego book tonight before going to bed. Because Uncle Carlos will be in Guangzhou the next few days, I have moved to stay in his room. That way, your brother and I could share a bigger bed. Not sure if this bed is more comfortable, he actually fell asleep within 15 mins tonight without much fussing.
Tomorrow, Mommy is going to a special sales event at a department store. I am trying to see if I could get some cheap(er) and good quality bedding for your brother. I am looking into getting him a Cars set. He's into that movie lately. I am just worried that he won't like it anymore by the time we move to our new house. Maybe something more generic is better, like cars and trucks, or animals, instead of cartoon characters? Well, we'll see what good deals I can find tomorrow. I heard people line up to get into the department store, just like Black Friday, but less crazy.
Gotta sleep a little earlier tonight so that I can actually get up. I've been sleeping late and don't get up until 11 or 12 lately. I think I am not even thinking or blogging straight. I don't think I am very coherent tonight. I am actually quite sleepy all day today.
Anyways, I'll talk to you some more tomorrow.
Love you,
Mommy
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What a busy day!
Hello Logan,
Mommy had such a busy day today, with tons of walking exercise! Mommy's day started off with a 9:30 a.m. Chinese mass across the street. I missed the English mass yesterday, so we all went to the Sunday mass today. It was packed! Thank goodness for air-conditioning, if not, it would be unbearable (at least for me). After that, we all headed to a restaurant for some dim sum, as Grandaunt and uncle #6 are heading back to Guangzhou today. After dim sum, your big brother went to "Bunny Playground", which was the arcade he went to before, for some fun with auntie and grandaunt #7, Ah Gung and Ah Po. Mommy, on the other hand, went shopping with Auntie Mena.
Mommy and Auntie Mena headed to Wynn Hotel. Auntie Mena wanted to check out some expensive, name-brand purses and wallets. Now that she's out in the workforce, she needed at least one brand-name wallet or purse. Most of her co-workers have one, e.g. LV, Gucci, Prada and Burberry. When we're at Gucci, we had to wait in line to get inside! Incredible! They're monitoring the flow of people as to 'better serve' their customers during peak hours. Auntie Mena spotted a very nice wallet at Gucci and was contemplating whether to get it for her birthday (with subsidies from me and Ah Gung/Ah Po). Mommy checked out the "Fortune Tree" at Wynn. It wasn't anything spectacular. Just a multi-colored tree, coming up from the ground.
After Wynn, we went to The Venetian and The Shoppes at The Four Seasons. We were walking really, really fast, and only went into selected stores to check out their stuff. Mommy actually had to meet up with other friends for a playdate with your brother, and I was running REALLY late. Auntie didn't buy anything, but Mommy, on the other hand, bought myself a birthday present! I went into Agnes B and bought myself a purse/work purse. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it. It's purple, and big enough for me to use it as a diaper bag, or for work. It's not cheap, yet not super expensive either. I've never heard of Agnes B until I joined a tour to Japan last year. For some reason, Hong Kong shoppers were obsessed with this brand and they were very excited to find the store in Japan. For the longest time, I thought this was a Japanese brand, until today when I wiki it, it's actually French. Doh! So dumb! I figured I shouldn't buy anything American here, so European or Japanese (as I thought it was) would be a better deal.
After shopping, we hurried back home to pick up Aidan for our playdate. It was super late then. I am embarrassed to tell you that we were 1.5 hours late. Ouch! Sorry! It's shopping and traffic's fault. By the time we got to Hac Sa Beach, my friends were almost ready to go home. They've already been to the playground, beach and now we're going back to the playground. My friend brought a Winnie The Pooh Bubble machine. It was a great hit with all the kids there. It held Aidan's attention for a little while, and then he lost interests and started "exploring" the area. I guess because he couldn't press any button, or blow anything, the sheer joy of popping bubbles wasn't enough. We explored the area for a little while and then found this fantastic area for him to drive again.
By now, you should know how much your brother loves to drive. For MOP$5 (divide that by 8 for US$), he got to ride it for 15 minutes. We waited for 15 minutes for his turn, and then he got his RED motorcycle. I knew once is not enough for him, so I bought another ticket for him to play again. I couldn't believe my baby has grown so much. He didn't even need my help to navigate anymore. Such a bittersweet moment. Just like his previous driving, he stopped at all the traffic lights and waited for the light to turn Green. In the beginning, he stopped for so long that he was blocking traffic and was run over by other kids. Then, I think he started pointing to the lights and said "Green, Yellow, Red, Red, Yellow, Green", and then started moving. I was sitting away, so I couldn't hear exactly what he said, but with his finger pointing up and down, I think that's what he said. That was a lot quicker than his previous stops. At the end of the day, he was confident enough to even stand up. Today's weather was perfect for such a fun day.
He fell asleep on our ride home. I was hoping he would nap in the afternoon, while I was shopping, but no such luck. I carried him home and let him nap for a little longer before waking him up for dinner. He just fell asleep, close to midnight again. Tomorrow is going to be another fun day. We're doing Family Karaoke! Stay tuned!
Love you,
Mommy
Mommy had such a busy day today, with tons of walking exercise! Mommy's day started off with a 9:30 a.m. Chinese mass across the street. I missed the English mass yesterday, so we all went to the Sunday mass today. It was packed! Thank goodness for air-conditioning, if not, it would be unbearable (at least for me). After that, we all headed to a restaurant for some dim sum, as Grandaunt and uncle #6 are heading back to Guangzhou today. After dim sum, your big brother went to "Bunny Playground", which was the arcade he went to before, for some fun with auntie and grandaunt #7, Ah Gung and Ah Po. Mommy, on the other hand, went shopping with Auntie Mena.
Mommy and Auntie Mena headed to Wynn Hotel. Auntie Mena wanted to check out some expensive, name-brand purses and wallets. Now that she's out in the workforce, she needed at least one brand-name wallet or purse. Most of her co-workers have one, e.g. LV, Gucci, Prada and Burberry. When we're at Gucci, we had to wait in line to get inside! Incredible! They're monitoring the flow of people as to 'better serve' their customers during peak hours. Auntie Mena spotted a very nice wallet at Gucci and was contemplating whether to get it for her birthday (with subsidies from me and Ah Gung/Ah Po). Mommy checked out the "Fortune Tree" at Wynn. It wasn't anything spectacular. Just a multi-colored tree, coming up from the ground.
After Wynn, we went to The Venetian and The Shoppes at The Four Seasons. We were walking really, really fast, and only went into selected stores to check out their stuff. Mommy actually had to meet up with other friends for a playdate with your brother, and I was running REALLY late. Auntie didn't buy anything, but Mommy, on the other hand, bought myself a birthday present! I went into Agnes B and bought myself a purse/work purse. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it. It's purple, and big enough for me to use it as a diaper bag, or for work. It's not cheap, yet not super expensive either. I've never heard of Agnes B until I joined a tour to Japan last year. For some reason, Hong Kong shoppers were obsessed with this brand and they were very excited to find the store in Japan. For the longest time, I thought this was a Japanese brand, until today when I wiki it, it's actually French. Doh! So dumb! I figured I shouldn't buy anything American here, so European or Japanese (as I thought it was) would be a better deal.
After shopping, we hurried back home to pick up Aidan for our playdate. It was super late then. I am embarrassed to tell you that we were 1.5 hours late. Ouch! Sorry! It's shopping and traffic's fault. By the time we got to Hac Sa Beach, my friends were almost ready to go home. They've already been to the playground, beach and now we're going back to the playground. My friend brought a Winnie The Pooh Bubble machine. It was a great hit with all the kids there. It held Aidan's attention for a little while, and then he lost interests and started "exploring" the area. I guess because he couldn't press any button, or blow anything, the sheer joy of popping bubbles wasn't enough. We explored the area for a little while and then found this fantastic area for him to drive again.
By now, you should know how much your brother loves to drive. For MOP$5 (divide that by 8 for US$), he got to ride it for 15 minutes. We waited for 15 minutes for his turn, and then he got his RED motorcycle. I knew once is not enough for him, so I bought another ticket for him to play again. I couldn't believe my baby has grown so much. He didn't even need my help to navigate anymore. Such a bittersweet moment. Just like his previous driving, he stopped at all the traffic lights and waited for the light to turn Green. In the beginning, he stopped for so long that he was blocking traffic and was run over by other kids. Then, I think he started pointing to the lights and said "Green, Yellow, Red, Red, Yellow, Green", and then started moving. I was sitting away, so I couldn't hear exactly what he said, but with his finger pointing up and down, I think that's what he said. That was a lot quicker than his previous stops. At the end of the day, he was confident enough to even stand up. Today's weather was perfect for such a fun day.
He fell asleep on our ride home. I was hoping he would nap in the afternoon, while I was shopping, but no such luck. I carried him home and let him nap for a little longer before waking him up for dinner. He just fell asleep, close to midnight again. Tomorrow is going to be another fun day. We're doing Family Karaoke! Stay tuned!
Love you,
Mommy
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