Friday GourMed Brunch at Basilico, The Cove Rotana Resort

It's no secret that brunches are the thing to do on Fridays in Dubai.  With countless hotels and restaurants having their own tempting packages, cuisines and activities, you can practically try a different one each week and still want to see what the others have to offer.

But what if the brunch was in a different emirate?  Would you be willing to drive a long way to get there? And would it be worth it?

6 Reasons to Try Al Dawaar Revolving Restaurant & Lounge

When the people at Hyatt Regency Dubai told me a few months ago that their revolving restaurant was undergoing a makeover, naturally I was thrilled.  After all, Al Dawaar is one of my favorite fine dining places so I was excited to see how it would look like.  But of course I just knew it would be amazing. 

Fast forward to last Sunday, my family and I excitedly stepped into the hotel lobby of Deira's iconic hotel after receiving an invitation to try the dinner buffet at their newly renovated restaurant.  As soon as the doors opened on the 25th floor, I immediately saw the huge change.  Practically everything was different!  In a good way, of course.  I was impressed the entire time Ji Eun (Al Dawaar's Assistant Manager) showed us around as she explained the transformation it had gone through.

Visiting Vienna, Austria

I love Europe. There’s something about its cities and historical monuments and castles that excite me. Which is why, when I insisted to Hubby that our family take a vacation this year during the kids’ summer holidays, the only option I gave him was Europe. After all, Canada was good but the fares were just too much. And Philippines, well, it’s rainy season. Fortunately, he agreed and I set to work looking for packages from different agencies and researching on how to get a Schengen Visa.

The end result: we visited Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava in 8 days! That’s approximately 48 hours (more or less) in each city/country, so you can bet it was like an Amazing Race ☺

Mama's 75th Birthday (Part 4): Her Actual Birthday

Before anything else...HAPPY 76TH BIRTHDAY, MAMA! You're the best mother we could have ever asked for and we will always be thankful for the blessing that is you. We love you sobra, too much, super, to the max!

This post is already long overdue (one year, to be exact), so I had to blog about it today...otherwise I'd never hear the end of it from my family. So, here goes...

Mama’s 75th Birthday (Part 3): Desert Safari

Wanting our guests to experience Dubai as much as they could during their brief visit, my sister and I decided to take them on a desert safari the day before Mama’s actual birthday. After all, it’s one of Dubai’s famous activities to do when in town, right? Since they weren’t fussy and our group was a big one (11 adults + 1 kid), we availed of Yalla Banana’s Dhs55 per person deal online and called the company to schedule our group once we received the vouchers via e-mail.

Downtown Slide and More at the Burj Plaza

Bored at staying home almost everyday last week (because our nanny is in the Philippines for vacation and it's my turn to be the stay-at-home mom until she returns), I begged Hubby to take me and the girls out last Friday.  Although we needed to buy some groceries, I didn't want to just visit the mall and go to the supermarket; I wanted a change of scenery.

Fortunately, Caila remembered seeing a giant slide at Downtown Dubai when we passed by the area a week before and asked if we could go there.  I agreed, and we convinced Hubby that that would be the place we would go to that afternoon.

Sisters in Switzerland: Train Ride from Zürich to St. Moritz

The third day of our Switzerland trip was a Sunday, so in the morning, all the shops were still closed and Zürich was pretty quiet.  Plus, it was drizzling.  Still, my sister and I decided to go out because we wanted to find a church to say a prayer of thanks before leaving the city.  We came across this church, and although it wasn't a Catholic one, we still went in to talk to God because we didn't want to go too far and get lost.

Sisters in Switzerland: Mt. Titlis and Lucerne

Augh! I am so behind in my Switzerland posts.  Bear with me, please.  Life has just been really busy lately. Anyway, here's the continuation.  Just a friendly warning though: this is a photo-heavy post ☺.

The following morning after breakfast, Ate Ning and I headed to the pick-up point of Gray Line Tours that would take us around the tourist spots.

Originally, we wanted to go to Mt. Pilatus; but upon checking out the flyer and talking to the guide/driver, we changed our minds and decided to visit Mt. Titlis because it sounded more fun.  And I'm so glad we did because it was absolutely amazing!

Mama's 75th Birthday (Part 2): Family Dinner & Dubai Mall

After everyone had gotten enough sleep after the early morning surprise, we all sat down for a hearty late breakfast/early lunch.  Since they haven't tasted Mama's cooking for a long time, our guests from Canada made a special request for her to cook her delicious igado.  As Mama and I walked to the nearby supermarket earlier to buy the ingredients she needed, she kept asking me all sorts of questions as to how we had planned everything, and how thankful and happy she was that all her children and their families were finally all together with her.

You can expect she was really teary-eyed while I was doing my best not to get too emotional (Syempre, nasa supermarket kami eh. Nakakahiya!).  Even when we arrived at home and while enjoying our delicious meal lovingly cooked by Mama, we could see her just looking at us smiling as if she still couldn't believe her eyes.  She said she felt like she was simply floating with happiness and joy.

Sisters in Switzerland: Strolling Around Zürich

With only 2 full days in Zürich, my sister and I immediately set out to explore the city by ourselves on our first afternoon.  The hotel staff had given us a map and mentioned some places for us to visit, but we decided to go wherever our feet (and available buses) would take us. Anyway, most of the people we had met earlier were friendly when we asked them directions, so we assured ourselves that if we got lost (which thankfully didn't happen), we could easily find our way simply by asking around.

We didn't completely ignore the hotel staff's suggestions, though.  Since he highly recommended going up to the church near the University, that's the first thing we did.  It had started to drizzle on our way but we continued and took our time.

#GPinCanada: Peace Arch Provincial Park and Derby Reach Park

After lunch one day when all our hosts were busy or had someplace to go to, Hubby used my brother’s car (and GPS, of course) and our family went to the Peace Arch Provincial Park in Surrey.

It was pretty tranquil, with trees, flowers, picnic areas, and a wide grass area that our girls enjoyed running around in.

#GPinCanada: McArthur Glen Designer Outlet, Tim Horton's, and Montana's

Aaaccckkk! It’s already June and there’s still so many things I haven’t blogged about! Well, I guess I better get started then, huh? So let’s begin with one of my pending posts about our Canada trip, shall we?

The day after our family day, Hubby and I took the four girls (2 nieces and 2 daughters) to McArthur Glen Designer Outlet which is located near Vancouver Airport. It was a pretty long drive and our nieces didn’t know the way, but thanks to Kuya’s GPS, Hubby managed to take us all the way there and back despite the heavy traffic.

#GPinCanada: Get-Together with Friends, Krause Berry Farm, and Me-n-Ed’s

Another highlight of our Canada visit last July was reuniting with old friends.

On Friday, we borrowed my brother’s car and, using his trusty GPS navigator, we managed to find the Ohoy’s (the couple’s term of endearment to each other ☺) home in Surrey without any problems. JB flew in from Calgary for the weekend and was playing with the Ohoy’s new baby when we arrived. Jason, Jean and their 2 girls (whom we saw at Whistler a few days back) followed a bit later because Jean got off work a bit late.

with good friends who migrated from Dubai

Hello from the Country of Finest Cheese, Chocolates, and Watches

Hi everyone!

Yes, you guessed it...I'm currently in Switzerland! Woohoo!

My sister and I flew in to Zurich on Friday morning and we'll be back in Dubai on Wednesday.  That means we're halfway through our trip already. Time sure flies when you're having fun...and we're definitely having a great time here!

So far, the best was yesterday when we joined a tour to Mount Titlis in Engelberg which is 10,000 feet above sea level. It was my first time to experience snow and see the alps so you can imagine I was like a little girl, all excited and happy. It was absolutely awesome!

The Swiss are so friendly and helpful, and the places we've gone to are so beautiful! It's no wonder Switzerland is one of the best places to visit.

Anyway, we'll be checking out of the hotel we've been staying at a bit later, and then we'll catch the train that will take us to St. Moritz where we'll spend the next half of our stay.  From the looks of it, there will be plenty of snow for us.

Do you wanna build a snowman? ☺

P.S. If you can't wait for my blog posts about this trip (and knowing me, it'll take a while), you can stay in the loop by liking my Facebook page (Glimpses of Pam), and foĺlowing me on Twitter and Instagram (@glimpsesofpam). Since we have free wifi where we stay, I've been able to tweet and post photos and videos from time to time. Yaaaay!

#GPinCanada: Road Trip to Seattle, USA

Surprise! Yes, I’m still alive ☺

I’m sorry for being quiet here for more than a month, but I guess the only reasons I can give are a mix of blogger’s block and laziness. Yes, I know that I still have the rest of our Canada vacation pending and everything else that happened since then until now so I can’t say that I didn’t have anything to blog about… but whenever I was in front of the computer, I just couldn’t think of any words to type or how to construct a post. I would type a few sentences and lines, delete, re-type, and delete again (repeat 10 times!), and then finally just give up with the hopes that I would be able to organize my thoughts later. It was frustrating, I tell you. But last night as I lay awake until 4am (augh, insomnia!), I decided that whatever happens, I have to start blogging again.

To tell you the truth, I missed blogging. This has been my online diary for the past few years, and I’ve been keeping it to store all my memories in. So if I stopped, if I kept procrastinating, if I let my blogger’s block win, I would forget all the special moments I wanted to remember. And of course, I wouldn’t want that to happen.

Which is why I’m back. Not with a bang, though. I’ll try to blog regularly, but what with the holidays coming up and so many activities, events, and celebrations to attend to (plus spending quality time with the family), I can’t promise. With any luck, I’m hoping to update this blog at least every week. Fingers crossed!

So, let’s continue with our trip to the north, shall we? ☺

#GPinCanada: Visiting Vancouver

Hi everyone! I’m sorry it took me so long to blog about the next part of our trip. I’ve just been really busy lately (with work, Kids for Christ activities, life in general), and sorting out, re-sizing, and watermarking pictures are just time-consuming. Really, if this didn’t happen to us, it would make blogging about our trip more easier. Oh well. Please just bear with me. You guys understand, right? ☺

Add to this the fact that our nanny left last Friday for a month’s vacation, so Hubby and I are going on leave from work to take care of Caila and Sophie. Hubby is the stay-at-home dad now. After 2 weeks, it’s my turn to be the stay-at-home mom. It’s an adjustment, but we’ll manage. At least it gives us more time to spend with the kids. And since they’re closer to me, these first couple of weeks will give them more chances to bond with their daddy.

Anyway, to continue with our first family vacation out of the UAE back in July, our 4th day in Canada was spent in Vancouver doing the usual tourist stuff: go to the popular places and take pictures ☺However, our girls weren't in the mood so most of the ones you'll see here are just of me and Hubby, or they'll be in the picture but they won't be smiling.

#GPinCanada: Whistler, Mountains, and Lakes

For our third full day in Canada, while Ate Mel went to work and my nieces went off to attend their respective summer classes, my brother took us, along with my cousin Ate Evelyn and her son Salman, to Whistler. The ride was pretty long, and although the views were pretty, the twists and curves of the road made it difficult to enjoy. We were halfway there when the kids suddenly barfed, so we had to stop at a shoulder to clean up the mess, change Sophie’s clothes, and change seating arrangements (the 2 kids with me in the middle, and Ate Evelyn and Salman at the back).

Finally, an hour and a half later (and almost 3 hours after we left Langley), we finally reached Whistler, which is famous for having hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games back in 2010

#GPinCanada: Alouette Lake

On the first Sunday of our vacation, we went to Alouette Lake at Golden Ears Provincial Park where Kuya Boy, Ate Mel, and their group of friends from their church had scheduled a get-together there. Since there were 8 of us and we couldn’t all fit in one car without breaking the law, Hubby drove my brother’s new SUV (making use of his international driving licence for the first time) while Kuya drove their sedan.

As we headed towards the Lake, we went through the Golden Ears bridge

Friday Brunch at Al Dawaar, Hyatt Regency

Our Mom and Dad from Germany are currently in town. Their last visit was 4 years ago, and this time they brought along Mom’s relatives, so we took them around the city again to show the different sights. One of the places we took them to last Friday was Al Dawaar in Hyatt Regency for brunch. It will be Hubby’s and my 7th anniversary later this month, and since they’ve never been there before, we decided to treat them there as an early celebration.

We were served appetizing bread and butter almost as soon as we sat down at our table, which Caila and Sophie just couldn’t get enough of. However, we made sure not to stuff ourselves too much of the bread so that we had room in our tummies for real food. We all had a light breakfast earlier (the night before, I told them not to eat too much), so we enjoyed practically everything that was served on the spread, especially the dessert!

Flowers in the Sandpit

Caila had another assignment to do this weekend that involved us having to go out: taking pictures of flowers in Dubai. Problem was there weren’t that many in our neighbourhood, and no way were we going to the Miracle Garden and walk around in this hot weather.

Fortunately, when we visited my sister yesterday, we saw several blossoms in the area where she lives, much to the delight of our eldest who kept running and pointing out the flowers she wanted me to take pictures of.