A Homemaker’s Diary

We in Malaysia are enjoying the long weekend this week since 31st August falls on Friday and it is our 50th Independence Day. So for those in the States that their weekend starts on Saturday and end on Sunday, it is the time for short vacation trip, family events and most people even choose to commemorate their wedding day on this weekend itself. So you can expect the highways to be packed with traffic and places of attraction are full with children and their family members.

But for me, since I don’t have any obligation to be anywhere this weekend (thank God since I hate traveling during peak time), I spend my days at home reading storybooks. I always noticed that people in the US choose to spend their vacation either in Hawaii, Lake Tahoe or Palm Springs. It makes me wonder what makes those places so special.

After researching more on Lake Tahoe, I think I kind of fall in love with the serene, blue lake pictures. Wouldn’t it be so cool to relax in the vacation cabin with your favorite book while the rest of your family are taking a stroll on the scenic walking route. It will be a change from the hustle and bustle of busy city life, I bet!

Then there’s the famous Kauai beach trip. Kauai is the oldest island in the Hawaiian chain and located at the western-most part of the United States. This vacation rental spot of Hale Hokuu is just a mile from the sunny Poipu Beach. Here you will get the chance to snorkel, surf or just relax on the white sandy beach.

Oh, the top above picture is the vacation rental villa in Palm Springs. This 1930’s Californian villa estate is located in the exclusive area of Las Palmas. For those who are not aware, Las Palmas is Palm Springs’ finest area among the past and present movie stars. With the Wireless High Speed Internet connection provided, I know I can still blog and surf the Internet while enjoying the luxury of this desert villa.

Enough of the research, now I’m going back to my fictional dream of a lazy afternoon in Lake Tahoe, wink!

I was checking out the updated news on few friends who are studying overseas when I saw the pictures of a couple I know who went to France for their honeymoon. They are actually in the UK to further their graduate studies when they took the chance to tour around Europe, France included.

Wouldn’t it be nice if somehow in my lifetime I get the chance to walk down the Champs-Elysées, one of the most famous streets in the world and go up to Eiffel Tower, the Parisian landmark. Of course if you check out on the Internet there are a lot of other attractions in Paris, its vibrant night life and shopping avenue. If you are rich and famous, shopping for those luxury brands in Paris would only be something so common to do.

Anyway, if you are a broke traveler like me, getting a place to stay in Paris wouldn’t be that hard either. There are a lot of hotels in Paris. I found one that provides 2 star last minute accommodation in the Eiffel Tower area at rates from EUR48. The Alyss Hotel Paris is a family run hotel which is like minutes away from the Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mars.

Or if you are planning to go to Disneyland, you might want to find other Paris hotels nearby. With the last minute rate from EUR 34 you can get accommodation in the Disneyland area at Balladins Express Hotel Torcy. Located in the heart of Torcy, the hotel is like 10 minutes away from Disneyland resort Paris and 20 minutes from Paris.

If you are simply looking for more choices on Hôtels en Paris, do try to stay at Pavillon Henri IV Saint Germain en Laye. With the hotel with king’s name, you can expect to be treated like a royalty and savour the elegance and charm of a historic properties. The vast grounds of this property is where Louis XIV was born. It provides the commanding view over the Seine Valley as far as Paris. I would love to see how great all the pictures taken on the trip will be.

Till then, À bientôt! Hopefully my dream to be in Paris will soon come true!

OK, first of all for those who never heard of the name, Splenda is a company which come out with sugar substitute, the new age sweetener like in this picture. They have all kinds of no calorie sweetener which is good for those with sweet tooth but would like to watch on their weight..hehe! You can find the kit for baking, for your coffee and lemonade, and packed sweetener for those always on the go.

But my main point here is to introduce their new site which sells products for the kitchen and home. For example if you check the page on cooking and baking, you will notice that they have unique kitchen appliances like food processor (which I hope I can get one soon), waffle maker, blender, hand mixer and so much more that will make the chore of preparing ingredients to bake just a breeze. You know, if you ever tried to whip those mixture of butter and sugar with wooden spoon for 3 cakes, you will understand what I’m talking about.

If you want to surprise those blooming baker heart in your daughter, maybe giving her a stand mixer for a birthday gift will splurge more interest for her to churn out more bakery products at home. And don’t forget to sign up and join their mailing list in order for you to get info on new products, great ideas on recipes and healthy tips. You will be enjoying the splendid life with Splenda in no time.

With all these appliances, what is more fun than playing chef in the Splenda kitchen..haha! Now which appliances should I buy first?

There is new TV series premiering this September. If you like something like the O.C or any kind of series which revolves around life of socialite young adults growing up on New York’s Upper East Side, check out Gossip Girl.

Actually Gossip Girl is a blogger who writes about the latest news among those elite people. You know all kind of vicious rumors and who’s who and doing what kind of story. No one knows who she is but they rely on her blog for the updated scoop.

You can read about the pilot of Gossip Girl here. Or if you can’t wait to see the premiere check out the preview of the Gossip Girl here. I have watched it and I think I like it.

The once most notorious party girl, Serena van der Woodsen does not look that bitchy either. Maybe its her past reputation that makes her the talk of the people but I think from the preview, her friend Blair Waldorf is more believable to afraid of. Oh, I love the guy between them, Nate Archibald. He looks innocent and trapped against his own feeling for both of them.

If you feel you might like the drama of those rich and famous but not so old, elite Upper East Siders, don’t miss the coming premiere. Wouldn’t it be cool to know who is the real Gossip Girl? But I bet you will only know who she is by the end of the series..hehe!

Hubby has a new hobby (should it be considered as hobby anyway?). He bought Xbox 360 last month and now we have new entertainment in the bedroom. If he’s not shooting the alien in Gears of War, he’ll be jamming his guitar with Guitar Heroes. I tried my hand with Viva Piñata but then somehow this game frenzy fails to rub on me.

Maybe for those with the talent and ability to come out with the new games that will attract people like me, should consider taking Game Design study. Check out the programs they have at http://www.gamedesignprograms.com. The curriculum in the game design study will help equip you with game essentials like C++, Java®, 3ds Max® and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Not only that you will learn the technical aspect of game design, you will also be prepped on game research and planning, character development, storytelling and project management. The hard part for me will be the modeling programming. Oh God! Why can’t my brain comprehend programming language when it can learn other languages in the world…huhu!

So, my request for those game designers out there is to come out with some games that close to homemakers’ heart. I am still waiting for something like The Sims to be a part of the Xbox game lists. Enough with all this ongoing battle, let’s have some peace with our game console!