Souvenirs As Collection

When we travel, we would always love to have a souvenir to remind us of the great memories and experiences we acquired from our trip. For some, taking pictures in these places is good enough. Then there are those who buy something, anything to add to whatever collection they already have or are starting like paintings or home decor.
In my case, I collect keychains from various trips I had when I was younger, I even bought one when I visited Enchanted Kingdom for the first time.. I wish to organize that collection because it seems so messy at present. I also have keychains from trips that I myself did not go on. They were just gifts from my family. And I have keychains that were giveaways from companies or events. When I went on the Royal Caribbean cruise last March, I made sure I bought keychains from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and even from the cruise ship itself. I just need a good box to place all of them in.

Speaking of souvenirs, if you happen to go to Las Vegas, what better keepsakes to have than those that are casino-themed? The Victorian Casino Antiques would be wonderful for the really serious collectors of specialised or vintage items and for those that are well-traveled as well. 

Take for example this amazing painting of anything pertaining to Las Vegas. It even has real playing cards and chips on it!

image from icollector.com

Thinking of where to get awesome pieces such as this? Victorian Casino Auction offers a variety of collectors' items. One could also have the option of not being physically present during the auction since they have online auctions. Cool huh? 

I cannot seem to find any keychain on the site and since I love Disney, I would choose something small but memorable:

a vintage signed napier Mickey Mouse brooch

How about you? What kind of souvenir do you buy when you travel?

Snippets Of My Extraordinary Royal Caribbean Vacation: Shows On Board

When you're on board a cruise ship, there's never a shortage of entertainment for the guests. They would make sure that you don't get bored. Like I said before, they have a cruise compass, a sort of newsletter, a schedule of activities, they give out at the end of the day so you could plan your activities for the following day.

Here are some (three actually) shows I was able to catch. Glad there was an activity center for kids called Adventure Ocean where our Elle listened to stories and made crafts so I could have some time alone exploring and observing.

First was the Rock 'n' Roll Reunion Party with the Cruise Director's staff. They were teaching the guests how to dance the Jive with "pat/pat, clap/clap, shuffle/shuffle, mashed potato/mashed potato, hitchhike/hitchhike."


And then an Aerial Vignette, like an acrobatic show by aerialists. Below, there was a singer crooning the song A Whiter Shade of Pale.


The last one is a Farewell Variety Showtime, which featured an acrobatic (uber good-looking) couple performing stunts. They are Alan and Yulia Reva. :-)

I'm glad I convinced my hubby to watch it with me. It's really great to see live programs. And it was our last night on the Legend of the Seas. Here's a video of them in action.

If you get to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise, as much as possible, attend seminars, learn something new, join contests, dance with others and enjoy all the programs! 

A Liebster Award For Me

What a super duper long overdue post this is! So Sorry, Sarah! And thanks so much for the award. I am honored.

The Liebster Blog award is given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.
These are the rules:
01) Each person must list 11 things about themselves.
02) Answer the 11 questions that the tagger has set for you PLUS you MUST create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award.
03) Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post.
04) Go to their page and inform them of the nomination.
05) Absolutely NO tags back. Remember to ONLY tag bloggers with less than 200 followers.

Honestly, I don't know what 11 things I should write about my boring self. And, I still have no idea who to tag. Anyway, here are some things about me you might be interested to know.

1. I am corny and I laugh at the corniest joke, and I think my children like that!
2. I love the feeling of my children resting their heads on the crook of my neck. :-)
3. I always carry a list of things to do inside my head. 
4. I am very shy, but I have joined singing contests and declamation contests in Elementary and High School.
5. I am not adept at using the cutter and scissors. I cannot cut a straight line. Crafting goes out the window for me!
6. I still get happy looking at pastel colors and cute hearts, stars and dots.
7. I think that a healthy diet includes trade-offs of food. For example, when I had more sweets than is OK for me today, I won't eat sweets tomorrow.
8. Driving still scares me.
9. I could be a bit OC since I feel so uneasy when my choice of hangers are not used, when the covers of containers are not closed well, and when the spoons and forks don't match.
10. I feel uneasy and tend to make mistakes when someone's looking over my shoulders while I cook.
11. Whenever I see dried leaves, I have an urge to step on them to see if they're "crunchy". Weird huh?

Here are Sarah's 11 questions for me to answer:

1. What do you love most about blogging ? I love blogging because I simply love writing, composing, weaving words and it exercises my mind.
2. What was the first song or tune that you sang ? Hmmm... Maybe one of the Chinese songs my mom used to sing as lullaby.
3. What was the first gift that you had ever received ? I remember my bald baby doll with eyes that close when she lies down, which, in hindsight, looked scary.
4. What is one historical story in your family that you are most proud of? When the Japanese invaded Philippines (very historical!), my maternal grandpa was captured and was set to be executed, knowing how to write in Chinese saved his life.
5. When did you first learn to go home on your own? I think in Grade 4, I walked to my maternal grandfather's house in Manila, because my school was in Manila, but I live in QC and I don't think I would reach our home just by walking. But I learned to ride the jeepney in high school from our home to school.
6. When did you first learn to live on your own ? I haven't lived on my own, actually.
7. Who is your favorite author and why? Aside from God, it's Dr. Seuss because I like how he plays with words and rhymes.
8. What is (are) your favorite movie(s) that touched on history or based on real life events ? Hmm... I'm not big on historical movies but I like The Man In The Iron Mask.
9. What do you do when you experience writer's block? I browse through my photos, read other people's blogs and read books to get inspiration.
10. What book or story that you will never get tired of reading? I will never get tired of reading Snoopy comics and Archie comics. :-)
11. What difficult decision had you done in your life that was worth it? When I decided to breastfeed, it was difficult because I haven't really done it before. I knew it would be tempting to give up, since my parents don't agree with my decision, so I just take one day at a time until I weaned after 18 months. It was worth it because my youngest is smart and healthy.

11 questions that I would ask people I am tagging are:

1. What challenges do you face each day?
2. How do you overcome them?
3. What do you do to stay motivated in completing a project?
4. What is your favorite blog/website and why?
5. Can you describe the most amazing thing you have seen in your life?
6. What is the most touching moment of your life?
7. What can you do to make the world a better place?
8. How do you converse with someone who has an opinion different from yours?
9. What memory makes you smile from ear to ear?
10. What is the hardest word you have encountered and what does it mean?
11. How do you celebrate your birthday?

I don't have anyone in mind to tag yet. If you are interested to answer my questions, please leave a comment. :-)

Uneven floors? Need movable cabinets? Leveling casters are the answer!

Leveling casters are the solution to the age-old problem that industry still has with the need for flexible movement with a secure setting, and the ability to stop a caster in a particular location. Once the leveling foot is set in place, the caster is stable with no possibility of vibration. 
Accesscasters.com offers leveling casters that are the top in the field. They are used to move medical work stations, computers, communication infrastructure such as switchboards, woodworking and printing machinery, furniture as well as automation and assembly equipment. They are suitable to any manufacturing environment including laboratory facilities and clean rooms. The 80 series of adjustable leveling casters can be purchased in three sizes and are available with two sizes of plates. They also have: 
• Wheels with engineered plastic nylon that is strong and durable 
• Die cast steel inserted frame with aluminum alloy suitable for heavy applications 
• Chemically compounded rubber leveling pad 
• Easy change-over from stationary to mobile and back 
• Top plate made by drop forging Accesscasters.com offers leveling casters that have nylon wheels with plain bearings. 
The overall load capacity is 550 and it comes with the fastening bolt and nuts. There is a Nylon Wheel leveling caster for a larger load capacity of 700 pounds. Level casters remove the major effects of uneven floors. Everything stays level and easy to move. Level casters are an inexpensive way to shift equipment when necessary and avoid buying new. There are three sizes from which to choose, so there will be one to suit each requirement.

Snippets Of My Extraordinary Royal Caribbean Vacation: Inside Legend Of The Seas

Our ship is called the Legend of the Seas. For one day, our itinerary was just sailing, that meant we got to stay on board the whole day. It would have been great to take advantage of the many activities and sales that were happening on the ship. There were bingo games, mini tournaments, sports activities, swimming, arcade, dancing, spa, casino, jewelry sale. There were daycare and activity centers where the kids could enjoy. When you get to go on a Royal Caribbean Vacation, read their cruise compass to get the dibs on programs and activities that were happening at particular times. There was even a Sexiest Man in the World contest!

I'm going to show you some photos of the inside of the ship.

arcade room

lounging on the deck

what is this called? uppermost part of the ship

wall-climbing

mini golf

sculpture of the ship

fast-moving elevator with view