That is the name of the website which every vacation savvy person should consider singing up with.  As a registered user of WeNeedaVacation.com, people who has “travel” for their middle name will be able to create, plan, and save vacations.  Many of us are already familiar with on-line social networking and WeNeedaVacation.com is exactly like that but with vacation planning as it’s primary service.

Here are just a few of the cool and fun things you can do when you sign up with WeNeedaVacation.com:

1.   Perform a power search to find the vacation rental you want and the date you’ll be needing it.  Say for examble Martha’s Vineyard vacation rentals.  

2.  Save the criteria for each vacation you wish to take and your favorite rentals as well.  

3.  Rate your favorites and add notes to them. 

4.  Share you vacation experiences with family and friends.

Isn’t it awesome?  Where was this site years ago?!  So go ahead, start mapping your vacations now. ;)  

Para sa temang “Tatak Pinoy” ng LP, hiniram ko ang isa kong akda sa aking food blog noong nakaraang Abril.  Mga pagkaing pasalubong sa amin ng mga kamag-anak naming bumisita mula sa Pilipinas.

For this week’s “Tatak Pinoy” (The Filipino Seal) theme of Litratong Pinoy, I decided to “borrow” an April 2008 entry from my food blog.  These are all food gifts from relatives who came to visit us from the Philippines.

Kastilang sardinas :D (Spanish sardines)

Dried Mangoes

Choc-Nut! Ang aking paborito! - tsokolateng gawa sa mani at gatas (My favorite! - peanut milk chocolate)

malutong na bawang tsips (crispy garlic chips)

mani na may malutong na bawang tsips (peanuts with crispy garlic chips)

Langit sa aking hapag kainan. Hahaha!  (Heaven on my kitchen table.)

Mga gawang kamay naman ang isa ko pang lahok sa LP.  Maligayang araw ng Huwebes sa inyo!

(My other LP entry is a showcase of handmade Phiippine productts.  Happy Thursday to all of you! :))

How many of us reluctantly say “cheese” or does not at all during photo ops because of lack of confidence to show off THE “pearly whites”?  I do smile, of course, even if my teeth are far less than perfect.  I just look better in photos when I smile.  Hahaha!

I’ve been through it all: braces, retainers, fillings, extractions, even root canal.  If only I could afford it, I’ll pull out all the stops for stronger, whiter and more beautiful teeth.  I will even fly to California for treatments at a Beverly Hills cosmetic dental clinic, one that is run Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, DDS.

Dr. Maddahi’s clinic is more like a dental spa.  He makes use of a painless system that uses air instead of metal to drill teeth.  Oh, I’d all for painless anytime!  His clinic has very advanced computer systems that both help treat and teach a patient about his teeth.  There’s even a tea ceremony!

For now, I’ll have to include dental makeover with no less than Mr. Maddahi in my wish list…which, hopefully, I will get. :) 

We were at Borders last Sunday.  Everytime we go to Borders, buying something from Seattle’s Best Coffee is inevitable. :D  Anything to keep Abby happy so I can do some, er, reading.  Hahaha!  She had a caffeine free Vanila Bean kiddie blended drink. ;)  Kept her quiet and seated on a chair for about, uhm, 5 minutes.

Hubby and I each had a 16 oz. (or was it 20?) Chocolate Coffee Crunch, my other WW entry. 

More WW particicpants here. 

Not everyone is gifted with soft, smooth, supple and flawless skin.  This is precisely why supermarkets and drugstores have been deluged by a wide variety of skincare products.  Almost all of these products claim to be effective and unique and promise dramatic results that will lead to beautiful skin.  Unfortunately, a lot of these products fall short on their promise(s).

But don’t fret.  There is a brand, which might just change all that.  Sia Botanics. 

These days, most people are going for all things natural and organic.  And Sia Botanics is a high performance, natural skincare company.  Most of their products are natural and at least 70% organic.  Take for example their Pumpkin Clarifying Treatment.  It is made from real pumpkin and glycolic acids. After only one use, a fresh glowing reflection is revealed.  Imagine what weekly regular use can do for the skin! 

Another product that I find iteresting is the Life Serum.  It is power packed with all the essential nutrients needed to fight back against the march of time. Talk about “fountain of youth in a tiny bottle”! 

If you’re one of the millions of people who take skincare seriously, I suggest you sign up for Sia Botanics Fanatics.  There’s a buzz that the first 100 people to make a purchase and sign-up will receive a surprise 20% off coupon via email.   

Sia Botanics. Sia Skincare. Sia Difference.

Gracie passed on to me this beautiful flame of friendship.  Thank you so much, Gracie!

I am passing on this flame to Meeya, Tin, Thess, Nell, Feng, Em, and Abby.

I’ve got a ton of memorable family vacations tucked safely in my heart and in my mind.  Growing up, my mom and dad made sure we went on vacation every summer and practically every time the chance presented itself.  Even after my dad passed away, we continued to enjoy precious family time through countless vacations.  The fun didn’t stop after my brother and I got married and had our own families.  In fact, vacations just got all the more fun and memorable, whenever all 10 of us (my  mom, my brother’s family of six and my family of three) went on one of our getaways.

Both my brother and I made a promise to ourselves that as much as we can, we’ll enjoy precious family time with our respective families, the best way we know how.  At least as much as we did with our mom and dad when we were kids.  That’s quite a benchmark, I tell you. 

While my idea of a fantabulous vacation has everything to do with Europe (so sue me!), I have to admit that I’d like to see as much of the US as we possibly can.  We’re here already anyway!  The possibilities are endless really.  In the East Coast, we can go on a Washington dc sightseeing tour, fall in love with New York, possibly see Oprah in Chicago, and be wildly crazy with Disney in Orlando!  And since my good friend moved to Atlanta a couple of days ago, I’ve been looking at possible things to do in Atlanta should we get the chance to visit them.  There’s just as many possibilities in the West Coast, too, which reminds me, we’re off to California next week.  Yey!

If you’re intent on mapping memorable US vacations with your family, too, you can start planning by checking out the “online travel guides” of Trusted Tours and Attractions.  And while there, sign-up for the newsletter for a chance to win a GPS.  It will sure come in handy when you’re touring the different states.