Victory Liner's deluxe trip revisited

The last time I went on a Victory Liner deluxe trip was in 2011, and at that time I did not feel that there was anything special with it because the extra stuff - in-bus toilet, stewardess, etc were not there.  Well, things were different this time around.  We had a stewardess on board, and she performed her role admirably.  She  assisted those who would like to go to the toilet, passed on newspapers and tablets for wi-fi access, and handed us our snacks.

We decided to take the deluxe trip because we needed the extra leg room for the kids.  And in this instance we were satisfied with both the service and the trip itself.  However, if you need to stretch out every couple of hours (something that's not convenient in the deluxe trip), the aircon bus is a great deal.  Visit the Victory Liner website for costs and schedule.

(note: this is not a paid advertisement)

It feels like going through a Time Machine

We are currently planning on going back to the Philippines for holiday.  The last time we went was in December 2010 which we were looking forward to but we were not able to maximize our time because my wife was 3 months pregnant at that time so she cannot get around much, and we somehow forgot that life speeds up in a fevered pitch during the Christmas season as it's parties and events left and right in the Philippines, which made it difficult to organize time with friends.

Michael Crichton's Congo: it's about the tent. And the gorilla.

In our camping trip last December, one of our friends propped a pop-up tent beside their main one, the kind which wasn't one of those flimsy things that kids play with at home.  The sight of the tent putting itself up reminded me of Congo, a movie I watched many years ago.  I was amazed at the pop-up tents they had and the image somehow stuck.  The other thing I remember about the movie is, of course, Amy the talking gorilla.
I figured it must have been a really good movie if I can remember bits of it.  I resolved then to find and read  the book it was adapted from, as I realized that the movie would be more difficult to find.

March is NZ Book Month

Fiction or non-fiction, a book has the power to change your life. Join us in March for New Zealand Book Month - an annual campaign to encourage us all to celebrate books and reading.

Download your $5-off voucher 
From Monday, 4 March 2013 you'll be able to download a voucher that will give you $5-off a book valued at $10 or more.

Find a NZ Book Month event
There's lots going on across the country - find out what's happening in your area.

Learn more about NZ Book Month

(photo credit: Title Wave)

Fun fun time at Chipmunks

(This is not a sponsored post.  It's always a fun visit at Chipmunk's so I'd like to recommend the place)

We usually go to Chipmunk's when Jo-Lo gets invited to birthday parties.  For busy parents, Chipmunk's is a great place to celebrate kids' birthdays because you've got a nice venue with all sorts of playthings the kids absolutely love, you order the food from them, and you get to use a private area for a couple of hours for your party, and then it's off to the playgrounds for the rest of the stay.  It's relatively fuss-free compared with a party done at home.

For the party logistics itself though, one cannot help but compare it with what we have back in the Philippines.  The popular spots are either McDonald's or Jollibee where we get to have a host for the party, some parlor games for the kids, and even a dancing mascot!



Well, Chipmunk's does have a mascot too but he doesn't dance :-)

That difference, however, is offset by the cool obstacle courses, giant slide, plagyround for under 5s, and rides.  The crew are also a nice bunch.

It's a nice place for parents as well because the kids can have free rein of the place and the grown-ups can sit nearby and enjoy a cup of coffee.