Getting ready for our London holiday

It has been 2 years since my last visit to London. Our Bunso hasn't been there, while Kuya's last visit was in 2009. He has been asking when we will be going to London because he wants to meet Stampy (Minecraft/Youtube star).

Prior to this trip, I had to apply for a U.K. Visa because I'm still using my Philippine passport for all our travels. Luckily, my husband and kids have Australian passports (the kids have dual citizenship).
I have to admit I am quite excited to be going back to London. It is, after all, one of my favorite cities. I never get tired of visiting the museums (V&A Museum is my favorite) and watching a play or a musical on West End. For this trip, I had planned to watch a remake of the play, Romeo & Juliet by Sir Kenneth Branagh.

Our itinerary for this trip includes a visit to a theme park, a castle and an ancient historic landmark. Unfortunately for me, I was not able to book a ticket to visit Highclere Castle, the location for the TV series, Downton Abbey. We have just finished booking our accommodation for the whole trip, and used Booking.com (for great deals) and Hotels.com (for reward nights).

Hallo, Deutschland!

We have officially moved to Germany!

EAT: Shi-Lin, Manila

Since we arrived in Manila, I think I've gained weight from eating my fave foodies! One of the things I miss eating is Xiao Long Bao or Steamed Soup Dumplings. Last time I had them is at Din Tai Fung in Bangkok, so when I found out that there's a restaurant in Manila serving good XLB, I just knew I had to try it.
We're staying at Oakwood Hotel in Ortigas, so it was good timing, as the restaurant can be found inside Podium Mall. The restaurant is Shi-Lin and they specialize in Taiwanese Cuisine. We ordered the following:
Xiao Long Bao
Taiwanese Tofu
Seafood Omelette
Hot & Sour Soup
Porkchop Fried Rice
Shrimp & PWonton Soup
House Tea

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My Collection: Envirosax Bag

Some people call it hoarding and some call it collecting stuff.

Whatever you wanna call it, this is the first collection I'm going to post here and no surprise that it's about bags - reusable bags, that is.

My first Envirosax purchase was at Sydney Airport. I was looking for an extra bag to store my duty free shopping in, and I saw it next to the cash counter. I bought it for AUD $7.50 back then.

On their website, it now retails for US $8.95 and if you want the 3-pc set, it's $24.95 while the 5-pc set is $39.95.

Here is my Envirosax collection:

Designs

Folded

How it looks like when carried

Filled with goodies

(see how a big box of Rice Krispies and a bag of Kettle Chips 

fits inside the bag with space to spare!)

I have lots of these bags coz I use some for the market, for shopping, one in the diaper bag and one inside the car. I also clean it regularly, to keep bacteria from breeding in the bags, especially the ones i use for food shopping.

Envirosax bags are chic, lightweight, portable & waterproof and each one holds the equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags thanks to reinforced seams. I'm personally not too keen on using plastic bags because it clog drains and cause flooding.

Another good reason why I buy Envirosax bags is because it donates a percentage of its web sales to the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Surfrider Foundation, both dedicated to the preservation of the environment.

Carry an Envirosax wherever you go and make a positive contribution to the environment we all share!

Some photos and information are from Envirosax

What's In A Name?

What does your name mean? Where did it come from?

Do you know or have you ever wondered how your name was chosen? In The Philippines, parents get creative when choosing names for their kids. I blogged about it here.

As for me, my name didn't just come from a baby book or by combining my parents' name. It was chosen by my Mama because she liked this actress, Yvonne de Carlo.

Isn't she a beauty? Look at those blue eyes and luscious lips!

Yvonne de Carlo is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Sephora (Moses' wife) in The Ten Commandments and as Lily Munster in the original Munsters series. Anyway, after deciding on the name, YVONNE, she then looked up the meaning in a baby book. 

Yvonne is of French origin, which is derived from the Germanic word "Iv", meaning "Yew" which is translated as beautiful girl. 

"People with this name are excited by change, adventure, and excitement. They are dynamic, visionary and versatile, able to make constructive use of freedom. They fight being restricted by rules and conventions. They tend to be optimistic, energetic, intelligent, and to make friends easily. They may be changeable, restless, untidy, and rebellious." (sheknows.com)

Thanks to my Mama for giving me such a beautiful name! Some people I know hate theirs, but I wouldn't change mine at all.

What about you? Do share what your name means and how it was chosen for you.