Being Prepared for the Unexpected with Children.

As many full-time moms around the country can attest, there is never a dull moment with children. One of the keys that veterans subscribe to is being prepared at all times. Of course, that is easier said than done. Fortunately, there are helpful tips that can enable moms to be prepared when the unexpected occurs.

Yue's first trip abroad - Hongkong, 2013.

Backup Bag Ready
Whether it is time to go shopping at a local store or visiting the grandparents who live a few hours away, a handy item to remember is to have a backup bag ready to go. A backup bag is ideal for those times when plans change or something is forgotten. A backup bag can hold those important items that are necessary. Consider having a jar of food for an infant. Toddlers can appreciate snacks and meals in plastic container. Bottles of water, formula and other beverage options can prove to be helpful when little ones get thirsty. A backup bag can contain diapers, wipes and even a small mat where a baby can be laid for changing time. Burp cloths, bibs, a few books, plastic spoons and so many other types of useful items can be ideal when something is forgotten. A stop at a grocery store or a meal at a restaurant may be in order, and a backup bag gives moms the flexibility that is necessary.

Insurance Cards Ready
No mother likes the thought that her baby, whether he or she is one month or 17 years old, needs to visit the emergency room. Although it is not a guarantee that such a trip will happen, moms need to be prepared. Make sure that a copy of an insurance card is conveniently located within a purse. A father can have an insurance card copy within his wallet. It may sound obvious, but many people do not keep vital information with them. If going out of town for a few days without the children, make sure that their hosts have the information that is necessary. Therefore, moms can be ready to take their children to an emergency room Houston residents trust in or another facility in the United States.

Being ready and prepared for unexpected events is certainly important in life. When moms have what they need, they can make great decisions and not get anxious. They are ready to face what may come.

Scary fun at Ocean Park Hong Kong Halloween Fest 2014!

Halloween is just around the corner, and Ocean Park - Hong Kong's unique, homegrown theme park - is now set to give its visitors a memorable, spook-tacular, scream-tastic experience.

Performers from Ocean Park Hong Kong.

At a media launch held two weeks ago, characters from Ocean Park Hong Kong flew all the way to Manila to give us a sneak peek of their Halloween attractions. Some of the attractions include:

H14 at Thrill Mountain, The Summit.

H14 presented by Modern Education.
Admission to this ultimate haunted attraction will be restricted to persons aged 16 or above, and requires online registration in advance. Those brave enough can take the challenge alone, or go in a group of up to six people. Different from the usual spooks, H14 is designed to challenge the limits of the senses and the fright tolerance of each guest, who must overcome their phobias to complete different tasks as they advance through a series of locked chambers. More hauntingly still, the experience of each guest is specifically customized based on personal information collected before entering the attraction.

Rigor Mortis Live at Cable Car Plaza, The Summit.

Rigor Mortis Live presented by Yahoo! Hong Kong.
Together with film director Juno Mak, this attraction brings to life scenes from his award-winning movie, Rigor Mortis. This attraction will have its guests walking through dark corridors while being chased by a masked vampire.

Horror-wood Studios at Waterfront Plaza.

Horror-wood Studios.
One of Ocean Park's 'transforming attractions', Horror-wood Studios is actually Phantom Studios during daytime. At 5pm, the lighting, music and even the set design will change to reveal a new adventure of terror, thereby transforming the attraction into Horror-wood Studios. After guests leave the attraction, they can review their journey as captured on camera. A selfie video camera is also available for rent – a first for haunted attractions worldwide – so guests can capture and take home their most frightful moments.

Forest of Doom at Thrill Mountain, The Summit.

Forest of Doom.
A second transforming attraction is themed on the forest, changing from Forest of Legends during the day to Forest of Doom in the evening. In both incarnations, guests can collect unique commemorative seals on a complementary Ghost Journal at different spots throughout the attraction.

Chinese Mad-icine Hall at The Abyss, The Summit.

Chinese Mad-icine Hall.

Not for the faint of heart, this 'intense scare' attraction  features floating organs, a maze of corpses, and a mad doctor ready to experiment on his guests.

Doraemon Halloween Party!

Doraemon Halloween Party.
Asia's first Doraemon-themed Halloween attraction, Doraemon Halloween Party is catered to families for some good, clean, child-friendly fun. Doraemon & friends will showcase their new Halloween looks in Asia for the first time at Whiskers Harbour, where they can interact with the visitors.

Halloween fun!

Guests will be able to visit the Doraemon House of Gadgets, featuring his favourite gadgets such as the “Time Machine” and “Anywhere Door”, and take photos with various Doraemon decorations and meet-and-greet the gang of characters. Doraemon fans will also love the Doraemon-themed food and drinks, and merchandise.

During Halloween Fest, guests can enjoy fun and scares all day and night for the price of one regular ticket. As an added treat, Philippine Airlines passengers with valid boarding passes will enjoy a 12-percent discount on Ocean Park admission tickets. This promo will run until December 31, 2014. In addition, Ocean Park visitors can get a 10- to 15-percent discount on admission to 21 other theme parks worldwide, including our very own Enchanted Kingdom.

Hong Kong Holiday | The Lucky Nugget.

Deep inside the Grizzly Gulch - the western-themed attraction in Hong Kong Disneyland - lies the quaint and quirky saloon called The Lucky Nugget.

The Lucky Nugget.

It's a quick service restaurant that serves snacks and refreshments.

You can choose to seat inside the saloon, or enjoy the outdoors on these picnic tables.

Their menu includes crispy battered fish fillets, shrimp and chips, salads, and the mango panna cotta that we all know and love.

The menu.

Prices start at HK$22 (Php 126) for their ala carte french fries, with the HK$70 shrimp and chips combo (Php 401) being the priciest item on their menu. Combo meals include a bottle of cola - your choice between regular Coke, Coke Zero, and Sprite.

Shrimp or chicken? You choose. :)

Cute character salad.

Mango Panna Cotta. And fruits, too!

We stopped by for a quick snack, and to give our bodies a few minutes of rest from all that walking around and taking pictures.

Photo op at The Old Jail.

The majestic geysers of Grizzly Gulch.

We all had Chicken Nuggets and Chips, one combo meal each.

Chicken Nuggets and Chips.

The food may look very simple, but they're incredibly tasty, especially when dipped in sauce. The batter is light and crisp, and the fries have very little grease.

Now the best part of our Grizzly Gulch stopover? We bumped into Mickey and Minnie while on our way to Main Street! We were actually the first in line for the photo op! :)

Yee-haw, it's Mickey and Minnie! :)

The Lucky Nugget
Grizzly Gulch, Disneyland Resort
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
+852 2162 5010

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

Hong Kong Holiday | Dinner at Plaza Inn.

Aside from the usual fun rides and attractions, Hong Kong Disneyland is also home to several restaurants and snack shops that serve Western food, traditional Chinese cuisine, and other Asian dishes. Out of all these dining places, my most favorite would have to be the Plaza Inn.

Plaza Inn Restaurant.

Located inside the theme park along Main Street USA, the restaurant looks like a traditional European home on the outside. The inside, however, is a totally different story.

Totally reminds me of Bruce Lee, and all those Hong Kong box office movies.

The interiors, the fixtures, the lighting... heck, even the background music inside the restaurant screams 'Asian'. The atmosphere totally reminds me of Bruce Lee, and all those Hong Kong box office movies. (Think Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and the like.) Not surprising, since this restaurant is actually inspired by the movie 'Mulan'.

Sakura, kawaii! :)

Of course, the utensils and cutlery have the 'Asian' feel, too. There's nothing more 'Oriental' than cherry blossoms, and almost all of the dinnerware in this restaurant were adorned with it.

Crab meat soup.

Now, let's move on to our dinner. For starters, we had Crab Meat and Buddha's Delight Soup. Buddha's delight is a kind of edible mushroom commonly used in Cantonese cuisine. This soup is very flavorful, with a consistency lighter than most Chinese soups.

Roast meat platter.

For the main course, we had this Roast Meat Platter composed of roast chicken, roast beef, and roast duck. All three were cooked to perfection. The meat was (were) juicy and tender, and seasoned just right. It's the perfect viand to that bowl of steamed rice.

Yum!

For drinks, we were served a pot of tea. I reckon this is the Chrysanthemum Honey with Lemon, a traditional Chinese beverage. For someone who hardly drinks tea (save for the usual iced tea at fast food chains and restaurants), I find this beverage quite nice and refreshing. And it sure is nice to try something different from the usual coffee and carbonated drinks.

Tea time!

All in all, dining at the Plaza Inn was quite a memorable experience. Although not the most budget-friendly restaurant inside the theme park, this restaurant gives the value for money in terms of taste, presentation, service, and ambiance.

If you're planning to dine at this restaurant when you visit Hong Kong Disneyland, I suggest you arrive around 5 or 6 pm. It gets a little crazy during dinner time at this restaurant, as most people tend to linger in this area at night. You see, the Main Street - where the Plaza Inn is located - offers the best view for the fireworks display, which happens every night at 9pm.

Plaza Inn Restaurant
Main Street USA, Disneyland Resort
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
+852 2162 5010

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

Hong Kong Holiday | Chef Mickey + Hollywood & Dine.

In my previous post, I mentioned that there are several restaurants in Disney's Hollywood Hotel. There are five in total - Chef Mickey, which offers international buffet; Hollywood & Dine, a quick service restaurant; Sunset Terrace, located outdoors for the perfect barbecue dining experience; Studio Lounge, which serves cocktails anytime of the day; and the Piano Pool Bar, a snack bar located poolside.

Out of these five restaurants, we were able to visit two - Chef Mickey and Hollywood & Dine. Let me walk you through Hollywood & Dine first. It's located on the far end of the hotel, right beside the game room.

Hollywood & Dine.

One look at the restaurant, and I was instantly reminded of the diner depicted in Archie comics. You know, that place where Archie takes Betty (or Veronica) for burgers and milkshake.

Reminds me of the diner in Archie comics.

The restaurant features open display cases which allows guests to see exactly what's on the menu.

That's my brother, having a hard time choosing what to order. Haha. :)

They have a selection of sandwiches, fruits, salads, pasta, and pastries, while their beverage selection includes coffee, bottled fruit juices, and bottled water.

Sandwich selection.

Dessert cups.

Pasta and noodles.

But no matter how yummy the menu looks, we all wanted something more filling than these snacks. After all, it was almost 3 in the afternoon, and our last meal was the empanadas served on the plane. In short, we were famished, and we wanted a meal with rice. Haha!

So off we went to the other restaurant, Chef Mickey, with hopes to satiate our hunger with a hearty meal.

Chef Mickey!

Popular for its Mickey Mouse pancakes and meet and greet sessions with Mickey Mouse, Chef Mickey boasts of an international buffet that features Asian specialties, Western dishes, and local Cantonese courses. They also have a selection of European breads and pastries, plus pizza baked in a traditional wood-fired oven.

Mickey, Mickey everywhere!

Unfortunately,  we weren't able to try their buffet. It was a Friday when we arrived, and lunch buffet is served only during Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. We had no choice but to make do with their a la carte menu. I wasn't able to snap a photo of the menu board (out of famine, I guess - haha!), so I'll just show you what we had for lunch (super late lunch) on the first day of our trip.

Utensils for the kids.

Waiting for the entree.

Bread and butter.

House blend iced tea.

Vegetable soup (this one tastes bland, though).

Yes, rice! One heaping bowl of it!

Braised beef, good for sharing with the little man. :)

Berries and cream for dessert.

Now if you're thinking of giving their buffet a try, do take note of the schedule and be sure to make prior reservations. It can get rowdy and crowdy because of the meet and greet session with Chef Mickey. Buffet prices start from HK$217 (around Php1247) for adults and HK$158 (around Php900) for kids ages 3-11. Kids below 3 years old eat for free.

Chef Mickey
Disney Hollywood Hotel
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
+852 35100 5000

I have a few more food posts from our Hong Kong trip. Will be sharing them in my Foodie Goodie posts in the weeks to come. :)

Hong Kong Holiday | Disney Hollywood Hotel.

It's been three months since our Hong Kong trip, I know. But you know what they say, better late than never! And since it's almost summer - the best time of the year to leave the country and go on a vacay - I thought it would be nice if I could share with you our experience at Disney Hollywood Hotel.

Disney Hollywood Hotel.

We stayed there for two nights and three days, as part of the vacation package that we availed thru Cathay Pacific. The package includes airfare, hotel accommodation, return airport/hotel transfer, plus 2-day tickets to Hong Kong Disneyland.

The little man enjoying his first plane ride.

Airplane food for adults. Kids are served a different meal.

Touchdown, Hong Kong!

One of the two hotels located at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Disney Hollywood Hotel gives off a vintage vibe with its 1930s Hollywood theme.

Here's the check-in counter at the lobby.

And the waiting area, occupied mostly by kids.

Kick Buttowski was airing when we arrived.

A better view of the lobby. That's my brother, niece, and sis-in-law on the right.

Mum with the grandkids.

The hotel has 600 guestrooms in total, categorized according to view. There's 'Park View' which overlooks, well, the park; 'Garden View' which overlooks the landscaped garden; and 'Sea View' which gives you a view of the stretching sea. We stayed at one of the Garden View rooms and here's the view from our window.

Trees and mountains...

And a little bit of the sea.

The rooms are designed for a family of four. They come with either a king-sized bed or two double beds. Our room, which I shared with my son, my sister, and my brother-in-law, had the latter. My Mum, brother, sister-in-law, and niece were checked-in at the room beside ours and they had the same double beds as well.

Two double beds.

The little man feeling at home. :)

There's a flat-screen LCD TV inside the room, with so many Disney Channels. My son kept on flipping through them, not knowing which one to watch. Haha!

Finally settled with this channel that airs Little Einsteins.

There's also a corner lounge, which would have been a great spot to get some writing done. I didn't bring my laptop though, as I had no intention of working while in Hong Kong. It's a vacation, for crying out loud! :)

Corner lounge, pardon our mess. :)

There's no fridge inside the room, but the mini bar comes with complimentary coffee and tea, plus an electric kettle. We got a few bottles of water, too. Wasn't able to take photos though, as we chugged them as soon as we got inside the room. Lol.

Great for night-caps.

The bathroom looks very posh with its black and white color scheme. Not as spacious as I expected, but it has a bath tub complete with water heater. I have one gripe, though. There's no bidet, which I found very uncomfortable, considering I'm used to bidets and dippers all my life. Woe is me, haha.

Towels, toilet paper, check.

Yes, I brought home that Mickey Mouse tumbler.

Now if you're asking about internet access, yes, there's wifi inside the room! And it was fast enough for me to download my Kdramas, and upload photos on my social media sites.

Disney Hollywood Hotel has lots of amenities to keep the kids (and adults, even) entertained. They have a huge outdoor pool, an outdoor playground, a game room, a gift shop, and several restaurants. But since we stayed at Disneyland for the most part of our trip (after all, we came there to celebrate my son's fifth birthday), I only saw the game room in passing and wasn't able to visit the pool or the playground. Luckily, we were able to dine at Chef Mickey, one of the restaurants inside the hotel. I'll talk about the food and the dining experience in a different post. :)

Ah, Hollywood Hotel. Bogoshippo!

If you're thinking of going to Disneyland this summer, you might want to consider getting the same package that we availed. (Thank you, Mum for funding this trip!) Prices start at $277 (around Php 12374); child package rate applies to kids ages 2-11.

Disney Hollywood Hotel
Lantau Island, Hong Kong
+852 35100 5000