Family Travel

• Spent the long weekend with Andrea and Victor in Boston for some good ol' shopping. I have to admit, i did do a bulk of the shopping lol and i didnt even get what i set out to get (Burberry trench).

• Tried Legal Seafoods for the first time. This is the company that has the best clam chowder i've ever tasted and is also responsible for serving every President clam chowder somepoint during their inauguration.

• Went to Wrentham Factory outlets for some serious shopping damage, even though we were supposed to play golf that day..good thing we didn't..it snowed at the outlets!

• Spent Easter Sunday at Andrea's brother-in-laws place. Susanna and Vinnie and their 3 adorable kids were gracious to let these 2 Canadians into their place for Easter and they have the smartest kids! We couldn't leave at the end of the afternoon because the kids wouldnt let me lol!

So another couple Torontonians came to visit us in England, this time over the Xmas and New Years holidays so this was going to be a blast! (Since this is a late post, im not quite sure I remember much, so the point form will be even shorter..)

• First day, I took Tim to get a haircut at Mopps Barber shop, the local haircut place where I get my hair did. Yeah, they just wanted to say 'ooh, i got my haircut at a local English barber..' lol

• Took them to a restaurant called Dans Le Noir, which was a very surreal and interesting experience. Basically, its a restaurant where the waiters are blind and you eat in complete pitch blackness. You try to figure out what you're eating and basically eat like you're blind. Umm..someone had to 'compose themselves' straight away because the lack of sight was a bit initially overwhelming..ahem

• We also went to check out Absolut Ice Bar in London. Very cool bar where you book 40 minute timeslots in a bar where everything is completely made of ice! bar, glasses, walls, tables, very quirky thing to do and something that had to be done once.

• NOBIS!! Received a load of gear from Meemers from the place she currently designs hats for. Awesome stuff, go check out their site . But look out for BOOBIS coming soon! lol

• The Hills! Lots of sing-alongs..'nuff said.

• Took them to Windsor castle (but it was closed!!).

• Had LOTS of Bulmer's pear ciders and even Meemerz got drunk at least 3 nights in a row...and she doesn't even drink lol! I guess when you're on vacation and everyone else is drinking...just go on!
  

This year, Michelle and i spent the Christmas holidays in London (unfortunately we had no more time off work to head back to T.O.!) and as always, it was a festive fun time with family and friends.

Christmas Eve

• We all went to Tottenham to our Tita's place and they cooked up a feast! All the family from London was there and despite getting lost a couple times on the way there, it was a very very festive celebration (check the Santa hats!) and lots and lots of food!

• We got some gifts too! Harrod's travel case for me and a cool keychain from there also.
  

Christmas Day

• Cooked up a nice lil feast of our own - 5.5 kg turkey (3-4 hours), mashed potatoes, etc.. - spent it in our flat with Timbo, Meemo and Cigdem and a lot of wine and ciders haha!!

• First time for me carving up a turkey! Let's just say it would've been a bit easier with a sharper nice but in the end it turned out really good!

• We bought and played The Game of Life as an activity and even though it says for 8 yrs +, there were way more instructions to read and understand (while having a few drinks) than we could all remember lol! My 'career' path was as an athlete with a mountain retreat home (yea, how could i afford that?). Michelle was a doctor with some other big house...but we all lost to Cigdem who almost doubled the next person in total life earnings!

So this past weekend we went to cork, ireland to visit Kuya Boris and his family (Ate Nancy and their 2-yr old daughter Mia..such a cuuuuutie!!). Cork was about an hour flight away from Heathrow and we flew Aer Lingus again since they 'fly 22 times a day from Heathrow'..

• What a GREAT family and extremely hospitable to us, whom they've seen only twice! When we visited the Philippines a couple Xmases ago, we hung out with his younger sister and had fun times in Boracay. They've been in Cork almost 8 years now and have built such an amazing life there..

• They took us out at night to go check out the Cork nightlife (how cool parents are they?) and we checked out a couple pubs/clubs. Suffice to say, we were the only asians in both places but the Cork citizens were so nice and not one ounce of attitude but just pure fun/happiness all around. The last place we stayed at played a variety of music, reminded me of the Peel Pub (lol) and Kuya Boris almost lost the car keys (which luckily the security found and was holding!)

• Checked out the town of Kinsale and Charles Fort - that day was freeeezing!

• I went to Cork, Ireland and bought a pair of England football shorts.

• Mia is such a cutie and good girl. She's just learning words and calls both mommy and daddy , 'daddy' hahah! She loves dogs, Hi-Five and Pingu the Penguin lol! (seriously, seeing her small frame standing directly in front of a 32" TV , while watching a Pingu DVD, was hilarious).

• I just can't mention enough how much they went out of their way to show us a good time and treat us like we've known each other forever. That's what i call family. Now come visit us in Toronto so we can return the favour!
  

• Had a great time at their wedding, at the Westin Prince! Once again, it was good to see different friends and then the same ol friends a bit tipsy by the end of the night!

• Steve- classic! Wearing his bowtie around his head like a headband lol!

• Had quite a bit of gin and tonic and even got Will to drink one! And a girl even took him by the tie later that night..go Will!!