Intercontinental and Accor Super Hotel Sale across Asia/Oceania

I always jump to a good hotel sale! And these two are no exception. My last two getaways I booked through my Priority Membership with IHG. And loved that time spent away.

Although the Intercontinental ones are not in Oz, I just had to share it to my family and friends in the Philippines as they are really really great deals! Imagine 7400 php to stay in a junior suite at the Intercontinental Manila. Not bad, considering all the amenities that come with it! I wish I was in Manila!!

I am sort of looking at the Accor super sale instead, since they do have a lot of properties domestic to me. I still have one two days to decide!! There are even specials for as low as USD 38 for Thailand!

Here is the link to the Intercontinental Great Asia sale. Booking period ends 27 February 2009, friday.

Here is the link to the Accor Super sale. Booking period ends 26 February 2009, thursday.

Hurry and spread the word, it's not too late!

Random Survey

Interesting Random Questions, For the Bored

What room are you in?: living
Are you using a laptop or desktop?: laptop
What's your hair color?: brown
Eye color?: brown
Favorite sport?: nil
How many trophies/ribbons/crown/awards do you have?: 7
How much money do you have to yourself in cash?: aud30
How old are you?: 31
What's your name?: marie
Are your nails painted at the moment? If so, what color?: nope
Are you female or male?: female
What color shirt are you wearing?: hot pink
How tall are you?: 5'3"
Are you wearing socks?: nope
Close ur eyes, shake ur head, then open ur eyes what's the 1st thing you c?: screen
Is there a music player in the room your in? (besides your computer?): nope
How many things are taped or pinned to your bedroom wall?: 1
How many lightbulbs all together are in the room your in?: 1
What are you sitting on right now?: couch
Is anybody you know right now pregnant?: yes
Has anybody you know died in the past month?: nope
Do you have to go to the restroom right now?: nope
What activities/sports/school clubs are you in?: none
How many garments are you wearing?: 3
How old are you?: 31
What is the nearest thing to you that is red?: ice cream tub
How many schools have you been to so far in your life?: 7
What was your favorite birthday party?: dont remember
Is your hair curly or straight?: curly and straight!
What color is the phone that is right next to you or nearest to you?: black

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Survey found on Bzoink

Adventure trip

I haven’t really tried camping out, as far as I remember. However, I do have photos of camping when I was younger (back when I did not have a choice but to tag along with my family!). As I am a grown up now, I realize that my parents were a lot more adventurous when they were my age. They have gone backpacking around Europe, taking overnight trains, using station lockers, camping at the beach, etc. I wish I could be as adventurous as them. Should we plan something such as Alaska Travel, I may end up scouting for nice hotels, while they wouldn’t mind camping somewhere like Denali Park. I guess, if and when that Travel Alaska trip happens, I would ask one of my siblings to stay with me at some hotel! I know there are a number of options available when traveling to this scenic state of Alaska. Perhaps I may want to try some unconventional type of accommodation for once. Truly in a cold place as that there couldn’t be any insects or whatever. There, I have just said it. One of the main reasons I am not up for camping is because of my fear of these unsightly small creatures!

Manic Monday # 156

First time I am engaging in this one! :)

What's one of the simple pleasures in your life?

Watching movies with Hubby (either at home or at the cinema)

What do you like to snack on when you watch a movie?

Chocolate/Pods

If you were a Survivor contestant, what would be your luxury item?

Fluffy bed

Shady weather

So much for what started out to be a sunny Monday, it is now getting all cloudy and gloomy again. It has pretty much been like this depressing weather for the past two and a half weeks. Well, I guess better to have had a bit of a sunny few hours than not have it at all. I’m waiting for better summer weather for the next few weeks just so I could use my serengetti sunnies or even just my other old pair. Having come across this new website of affordable but branded optical wear, I grab the chance to wear them on sunny days. However, it looks like I won’t really get to wear them for a while due to this predictably gloomy weather!

Should we go see South Coast?

Most of hubby and mine's travels are to the northern part of NSW. For some reason we are usually heading north. So this Easter Break, I am thinking if we should maybe head South. The last time we were down was last year when we went to Bulli (see photos from our weekend in Bulli). Tourism NSW comes up with really nice adverts such as the photo, and I am now inclined to go maybe to Jervis Bay or something. It would have been nice to go to the PaperBark Camp, very pretty nestled in the woods sort of thing (I blogged about it here) however 1. It is quite on the expensive end 2. We will need to have a car if and when we visit. (Hubby is intending to get his license soon! Yipee!). So, anyway, we may just settle for beach front again, which really cannot be 'that' bad! I still have 2 months to think of a place where we could relax and ponder about the true meaning of Easter.

Travel Dilemma

So many times when booking my passengers’ overseas and domestic trips, we talk about the dilemma of booking an accommodation (in some cases cheap hotels in Amsterdam) versus staying with family and saving.

I know some people would rather save up on hotel expenses in order to have more shopping money. However, some people, which in my case I tend to prefer at times, would rather book a hotel than bother close (or otherwise) relatives. It can be overwhelming being a visitor to someone’s home. No matter how close you are, sometimes you just want to lie in bed without dinner (due to exhaustion or what) and sleep.

I’ve got a good friend currently based in Holland, and she was asking me to stay with her when I do visit. I guess, I could stay for a night, and then still book at some hotel in Amsterdam for the rest of my stay. We could still meet up during the day or evening, but at least she won’t have to feel obliged if she had other plans. Who knows I could probably even schedule some ocular inspections at luxury hotels Amsterdam and get free room nights there! Oh the joys of being a travel agent. I can dream right!

Again

Officially, I'll be studying again starting this monday! It will be a postgrad course relating to Law and Migration in Australia. So, that means back to reading books, case studies, a lot of research, etc! I am excited as this would open up another possible career for me. (Well, that AND travel). Within the next few years a close friend and I are hoping to help people give Australia a chance, possibly to live here. (Read when I found out about getting offered a space in the program)

We'd be studying part time, in an intensive face to face program (a few weekend seminars), as well as a portion of online courses. I tried to navigate the online student area last night and I was fumbling!! :X As much I don't consider myself a very techie person, I might have to ask hubby later on until I get comfortable enough to navigate the forums, presentations, etc! I'm sure I will learn and feel confident in this later on. For now, I am just looking forward to learning something new, Again!

Appalling news : Victoria bushfires

How sad it is about the recent news on the Victoria bushfires that's been going on for a while now, particularly the ones the past week. I've even seen on the news that the Victorian premier and Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd caught on camera getting very emotional about this situation. Imagine at the moment total death toll is at 134 lives, and it still meant to rise and hit about 200. More than 750 homes raised to the ground. Crazy! And, to think a few of the fires apparently have been lit up by some psycho arsonist/s!

Day in, Day out this is the body of the news. It is very depressing, and really one would be moved to tears and emotion watching these stories. People losing loved ones, pets, their homes, memories, things of sentimental value, businesses, etc. People affected ask where do they start from here? How do they start building their lives again. Unimaginable. Imagine running for your life, away from raging fire. Exasperating.

I can only pray for these people, for strength, to get up and rebuild their lives. If you would want to give donation to help these people, red cross australia organises this through their website. Information is found here.

Santorini's Gem : Perivolas

I would love to stay at a traditional styled Greek hotel, particularly at Oia Santorini’s Perivolas Hotel. With great views of the caldera, one just cannot take in all at once, of this breathtaking view. Apparently they’ve preserved the original structures’ white washed walls, and that’s why the authenticity of the place. The ambiance of the rooms and suites are absolutely minimalist, that adds to the charm of the property. Perivolas has a wellness area, a stunning infinity pool, room service, transfers desk, travel desk. How I wish I can travel for a living!

Shopping day

Today was shopping day for me and hubby, and I think it’s one of those few days that we actually both bought stuff we wanted. Usually it is just him who gets to purchase, and I, being the stingy one opts to window shop. Today also is the longest shopping day that we did not even have a tiny bit of argument about waiting while the other shopped! Have reached the point where we need a Debt Consolidation Loan to get through this recession? Not really. We have swiped our cards a fair bit, but we know our limits and how much we can afford. Maybe when we decide to purchase a car, a debt consolidation loan would be handy! For now, I have already paid our credit card bill so until our next shopping spree day!

Our new baby

Okay, it's not really mine. But this now means hubby and I are able to surf the net on the couch together! Hehe! We bought a very portable Dell Inspiron Notebook. It's only 8.9" and is I think 1 kg. Very handy for those out of town trips as well. It's only for browsing and surfing the net as the hard drive memory is only 16 GB. We have an external hard drive to store our files anyway so that is not an issue. We wanted the white one, but they did not have it in stock so we settled with black.

What new gadget have you bought recently? I am not really a very techie person, but since I am married to one my tech knowledge is increasing over time!

Mane and Tale

Ask a bunch of women and next to their figure, hair would be the next obsession. At least at work, in my team we are a bunch of females who desire pretty hair (whether it be style, texture, or colour!). The three most youngest ones are the ones always obsessing about getting the perfect hair colour and style, while the older ones such as myself, are happy with having perfectly healthy hair. One was so into her hair that one bad hair day, she went to the beauty parlor on her lunch break just to get her hair ironed out and straightened to perfection! When she got back it was the talk of my team, as this lady’s hair was already thinning out and so we were giving her tips on how to keep her hair healthy. Especially now that it’s summer, with the sun’s heat and dry air in the atmosphere, it is just essential to keep one’s mane looking good and healthy. I’ve discovered bc bonacure from a website that offers this product at really discounted price, with a range of other product selection. I heard they even do efficient and speedy delivery service so I am sure that it will reach me sooner rather than later in this summer season.

Getting these

.. For my birthday in about a week and a bit. (Wishful thinking)..

- Another getaway trip
- Shopping Spree Moolahs
- New flowers for my vase
- Comfy throw pillows for the couch
- Chocolate Yummies
- More movie vouchers
- Haircut
- Pinoy Dvds
- New Books
- Peace
- A special wish

Those were the days

I remember a few years ago when hubby was still in Manila, and I was still studying. At the university library they blocked a lot of web based chat sites and we were looking for Free Online Chat that we could use. During those times internet phone technology was still in it's early stages, and my mobile network did not support those sort of things. How I wish they already had those in place back then so that my phone bill did not rack up hundreds of dollars! But oh well, I'm just really glad he is here with me now. The joys of olden days long distance relationships!

The heat is on!

For the past couple of weeks we've been having really warm to hot weather. As in hot spell. Last week we went to the beach for a few nights and on both days it was so packed. We did not sunbathe, but stayed under our new beach umbrella. We still got burnt tho. Especially me! Hubby just turned reddish brown, to think he already has man-ly dark skin he still got burnt! It was nice that we had our umbrella. We were discussing that we cannot imagine our previous beach lives without this. Now, obviously it will be a staple in our beach hopping days! See the photo below of Coogee beach with hundreds of people!!

My current floral obssession

Since about November, I have been into fresh flowers. I have been keeping a fresh bunch at my vase at home, and so far it has never been empty. In December it was the Christmas bush, and in January I had a bunch of gerberas and lilies, now I am just about to discard my lavender. In high school I thought I was just interested in everything floral such as : pencil cases, binders, organizers, bags. I never really got to cultivate my love for flowers until I had my own home. I realized that flowers can make a big difference in enlivening a room. Flowers give that sense of calmness and joy, that’s why it is given to a loved one when welcoming a new family member, in times of grief, at weddings, at concerts, during courtship, etcetera. Depending on the type of flower, there are various meanings attached to it and depending on the occasion. Going back to decorating my home, I guess at the moment I am just really trying to channel my energy to nurturing a plant since I don’t have my own bub yet. Perhaps I would not even mind trying my skills later on when we have our own place, to try and see if I’ve got a green thumb, by keeping a garden. I am just dreaming on, I should first try to make my current African violent plant sprout some flowers again! Still so much to learn!

How exciting can it get!

I have never really been a sports fan, but watching the recent Australian Open kept me on my toes! First, Dokic's games, then Serena's, then now Nadal's(hottie)! In the beginning of each game, since I don't really know the history behind them, I don't root for a particular player. I just watch. Then thirty minutes into the game I decide who I am rooting for!! Now, watching the men's finals, three hours after the first set, I just get excited every point made by my player! Especially this finals game, such a tight competition between Nadal and Federer! One wins every other game, and then so many deuces, ties, etc. I am thinking of playing tennis (I did so ages ago!), but when I was talking to hubby earlier he said it might be just one of those hype things. So.... Hmm. Oh well, back to watching the last few hours/minutes of the Open!! I think it would be Rafel Nadal. Let's wait and see.

Remember when I used to hide chocolate eggs

As early as now, I am thinking of Easter Celebration Ideas. Really, come to think of it, Easter holiday is not that far away (only about 2 months and a bit). I am wondering how we are celebrating it this year. Last year my family was here and we spent it at the Sydney Royal Easter show. I don't think we are going there this time. One of the best easter celebrations I had attended was in Denmark a number of years ago. We arrived Copenhagen just in time for Easter and the children went on an easter egg hunt around the church courtyard. I guess this does not really beat my favorite Easter moments when I was younger. I used to be assigned to hide easter eggs around the house. It was a combination of real eggs, as well as chocolate eggs. My siblings enjoyed looking for them around the house, but not as much as hiding them! I remember still finding eggs a few weeks after the celebration though! I am such a good keeper, I do not even remember where I hid them!