travel as a necessity

Am struggling to get the groove back around here while battling jetlag, exhaustion, and anxiety that my growing to-do lists will be the death of me. I have a lot of things to share with you but I simply don't know where to start. I'm in a rut, I'm afraid.

Then I thought of the mother who sat beside us in the plane enroute to Singapore from San Francisco. She was with her 7-month old baby girl and was having such a hard time. My heart went out to her and I can totally see myself in her when I was traveling with Mischka as an infant (at 6 months to Bali for a business trip). She told me, she will never do it again. Traveling across the globe with an infant in tow. 

I can totally empathize with her. I dare not negate her though, as I know there will be no room for regrets when they get to India, their destination. It's tough. But traveling is rewarding and oftentimes life-altering. And I can see that in my 2yo daughter whose number of stamps in her passport is not commensurate to the amount of independence and confidence she gains when traveling. It's like one stamp equals 100 doses of independence and 10 times more confidence. Travel changes you and goes the same with kids too.

Exploratorium, San Francisco

I'm not suggesting you throw in all your savings  to see the world. You might not even need a passport as there's so much to see just around our country. But if you can save for a designer handbag, why not save for something that you will forever keep? Mischka and I have never traveled business class and we hardly stay in fancy hotels, but travel to us is a necessity more than it is a luxury. Our itchy feet and unwavering wanderlust always need a fix. So we travel as much as our work schedules and bank account will allow. 

We urge you to do the same. Pack your bags, take you kids and make sure to leave the yayas/nannies behind.

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights, it is a change that goes, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." -- Miriam Beard, Writer   

Hello from the Bay Area

Hello friends! Nice to be back blogging again although this one's gonna be short (and sweet). We've settled quite nicely. Weather's pleasant to chilly some days. Nights are freezing. But that does not stop us from midnight runs to Safeway.  

It's our first time to spend Christmas in San Francisco. Our body clocks have not fully adjusted but otherwise it's been lovely. 

We took a break from the crazy Christmas shopping and drove down to Monterey for the aquarium. Tomorrow, the Exploratorium is in order. That is, if we don't lose half of the day in bed. It's 3AM here and we're all just getting ready to hit the sack. 

Leaving you with some snippets from the little miss' daily activities. Whatever we're doing, wherever we're going, she's always just so gung-ho. We can't imagine how elated she would be when she steps foot on the happiest place on earth in the next few weeks. 

Toddler Travel 101 {The Absolute Essentials}

I get asked about toddler travel a lot around here that its high time I post something about it. Sorry it took awhile mummies. Keeping a blog is a lot of fun but is far from effortless. And besides I hate to disappoint my small yet lovely audience. I always like to keep it light, visually appealing, and hopefully inspiring for you. So for toddler travel matters, lets shelf them up here in Toddler Travel 101. 

Topping the agenda is what-to-pack. Let's start off with the absolute essentials. Sharing with you what goes in our hand carry irregardless of destination. May it be a short road trip or a long haul flight, these are the pieces we pack.

1. A light hooded jacket. 2. Pull-up diapers. 3. A light blanket. 4. Two sets of basic clothing. 5. Her beloved cow. 6. Favorite reads. 7. Water jug. 8. Snack dispenser with cereals and Goldfish (no fail favorite!). 9. Jammies. 10. Sunscreen. 11. Hat. 12. First Aid Kit. 13. Wipes. 

14. Feeding utensils.  

The rest that goes into the luggage heavily depends on destination and activities in-stored for the little munchkin. And such we'll tackle further in the next Toddler Travel 101 posts.  

I'm thinking, did I miss anything? (Milk, of course is a given.)

You have any toddler travel tips? You're more than welcome to share here! 

Mischmash Travels {Haji Lane, Singapore}

Back in our old Singapore days, when creativity runs dry, I come to Haji Lane for some fix. Haji Lane is a small alley of charming shophouses hidden in the Muslim quarter of Singapore. It is a shopping refuge for those who are tired of the ginormous malls of Orchard.

In this narrow lane, you'll find small cafes, specialty stores, vintage shops, restaurants serving exotic cuisines, a bike shop, even a yoga studio! 

Last week, Le Misch and I braved the gloomy skies and went to Haji Lane to bring over some new clutches to one of our stockists, Pluck. 

Pluck is a travel guide's favorite and is always topping the list of shops to visit in Haji. It has a darling ice cream parlor and a cafe where Mischka and I like to hang out and have coffee (no, I don't make her drink coffee, she's just obsessed with preparing it).

Other shops to check out include Salad for interesting home accessories; Cafetables, a furniture shop with a cafe on the second floor; Blogshop for up and coming local designers; Cafe le Claire for Middle Eastern fare, to name a few. 

Most of the shops open late in the morning and are closed on Mondays. Haji Lane is a must-visit whenever you find your self in the little red dot on the map that is Singapore!

Playing Tourist

We'll be playing tourist in Singapore for a good couple of days. I don't know how that feels anymore as the last time we were there, we called that place home. Maybe it's nice to go around, soak up the sights, appreciate the efficiency of everything, and just breathe clean air without ever have to worry about what to cook for dinner and the pile of laundry accumulating by the minute. We'll see. 

We each have lists of musts-dos. Mischka's and mine fit in yellow stickies while the hubby needs an Excel file and a secretary to manage his must-dos. Hah! He's speaking at the Planet of the Apps Conference and I just love teasing him about it! Planet of the Apps??!! Isn't that hilarious? 

Anyhoo, we're off in a jiffy. The blog giveaway is still on-going! I happen to have a nothing short of fabulous clutch to give away. It's a MUST-join! 

Weekend Tidbits

We just came from our little patch of heaven on earth. Goes without saying, although, we're all feeling some symptoms of vacation withdrawal, refreshed and rejuvenated- we all are. As hubby would say, he wanted to get away to 'reset/reboot.' And so reset and rebooted we did. 

3 full days with just the 3 of us is pure bliss. Not to say it's easy. With a feisty toddler who would run to the waters all by herself- read: no trace of fear whatsoever and a midnight trip to the resort clinic due to severe ear pains-read: you guessed right, too much swimming, it isn't always a walk in the park (or the beach, at that!). It's moments like these though that bind us even closer together. That, and the total Shangri-La Boracay experience.

Our weekend that was. Hope yours was as relaxing and refreshing as a tall glass of watermelon shake!