Incredible Italy

When oh when will I get to Italy? The exotic country of love, filled with cultural and artistic attractions, Italy is a dream destination for travellers from all over the world and I am included. If there's one place I have to visit before life gets too hectic for me to enjoy the luxury of travel, Italy is my number one choice!

In order to truly enjoy the beauty and wonder of Italy, I would need at least a week. My main vacation spots would of course include Rome, which is the capital of Italy and romantic Venice. With my darling right alongside me, I do believe this would be the ultimate romantic vacation for us as a couple.

Romantic Venice

My buddy Emila just got back for her unforgettable Italy vacation. Well it was a business and pleasure kind of trip but I have no doubt that she truly enjoyed her stay. She's been so kind as to share her pictures with me and these are some of the attractions she visited and captured on her trip. Thanks a million Emila, love ya!

Rome - Collosseo, one of the greatest works of Roman architecture

Fontana de Trevi in Rome

Streets of Rome

Vatican City

After reading her posts and viewing her beautiful shots, all I can say is that Incredible is the best word to truly express the beauty and glory of Italy. If you need transportation to greet you at the airport, there's always Rome Car Hire or Turin Car Hire. Depending on where you land, don't forget to book proper airport transfer to get you get into the city and settled in your hotel before you embark on the most magical adventure of your life!

With beautiful scenery, warm friendly people, amazing sight-seeing spots not to mention delectable food, everything Italy promises a romantic magical vacation you will never forget. By the way, I love Italian food and it would be a dream come true for me to one day visit Italy and savour true authentic Italian cuisine at its best.

Dining al-fresco is always a pleasure

Gift shopping in Venice

Souvenir from Italy

Before I sign off, I'd like to share some Italy fun facts with you. How many of these did you already know?

The piano hails from Italy.
Cologne came from Italy.
Eyeglasses are an Italian invention.
The espresso machine hails from Italy.
Pasta is Italy's national dish.
Rome's nickname is "The Eternal City."

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MONICA
BILL
DAVID

Love Affair in Melbourne

When I am truly passionate about something, I'd go out of my way to make it mine. Anything from a favourite Film to DVD that I fancy, I won't rest until it's in my possession just like this Love Affair DVD, which I finally found in a store all the way in Melbourne!

Warren Beatty stars as ex-football star Mike Gambril who meets Terry McKay (Annette Bening) on a flight to Sydney. Already engaged to be married, these soul mates fell in love and plan a secret rendezvous several months later. Sadly, one of them is seriously injured on the way to the meeting; leaving the other waiting and wondering alone atop the Empire State Building.

After watching this ultra romantic movie for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it. I went on a massive hunt for a DVD copy. I visited almost every DVD store in my neighbourhood and even asked all my good friends to keep an eye out for this movie. But no store carried this movie on DVD and no friend came back to me with good news.

Eventually I found a store selling one copy but it was in VHS and who watches VHS anymore right? So I held out, refused to buy it and it was only years later when B and I visited our buddy Zeff in Melbourne that we finally found my Love Affair DVD!

Love Affair is now safely nestled in my DVD shelf and I've watched the movie more than 10 times ever since we found it on our Melbourne vacation. And every time I watch it, I am wistfully reminded of beautiful Melbourne and how it reunited me with my Love Affair so many years ago.

How about you? What's your all-time favourite love story?

Melbourne Memories

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MONICA
LADY JAVA
BILL

Goodbye Sweetie!

Well, the time has finally come for me to bid adieu to my pretty niece. My younger sister together with her hubby and adorable Isabella will be moving out of my parents' guest house today where they have been living for the past seven months. They are heading back to UK and I'll be saying my good-byes later tonight.

Almost everything in the guest-house is already packed and seeing the many boxes waiting to be sent for storage reminds me of the day I moved out from our last place. Thinking back, our moving day was quite chaotic. Firstly, the movers arrived an hour later than promised. By that time, B and I were both tired and annoyed from waiting so that put a damper on our moving excitement. Initially, our movers assured us that they could get everything to our new home in just two trips but ended up making three, which we were charged for. And the last straw was when our fridge arrived cracked and eventually stopped working after a few months of our move.

For our next move, I am definitely going to engage professional movers who know the business inside out. I hope to find a moving company here that is similar to Humboldt Boston movers who make it their business to reduce relocation stress for all their customers.

Moving can be a stressful experience and Humboldt offers a comprehensive range of services and value-adds to ensure a stress-free moving day for you. The only thing you have to worry about on your moving day is getting to your new home before the movers arrive. Other than that, rest assured your belongings will be handled with proper care and will arrive at your new home in one piece!

Anyway I can't wait to see Issy tonight. We have a very special farewell gift for her and I know she will love it. Goodbye Issy! We will miss you lots and we wish you and Mommy and Daddy a safe and pleasant flight.

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DAVID
MARVIC
BILL

Sleepwear Shopping

For your slumber to be totally restful, you first need to FEEL comfortable. Everyone wants to feel as relaxed as possible while they sleep and proper sleepwear is a must if you desire a comfortable night of rest.

Sleepwear shopping is something that I like. Even night owls like me have to sleep and though my sleeping hours are erratic, I like to wrap myself in silky-soft nightshirts or pajamas before my head hits the pillow. The comfier the sleepwear, the faster I drift off to dream world.

B on the other hand, hates wearing pajamas and prefers a cool pair of sleep shorts any time. He claims our weather is simply too hot for him to wear pajama pants especially on hot nights. That's true but I still love seeing him in pajamas. I once bought him an expensive silk pair and since it was a gift, he had no choice but to wear it for my viewing pleasure. He wore his gift at least three times before I found the pajama hidden way at the back of his closet under a pile of clothes!

If your man is a pajama-wearing guy, don't forget to check out the latest sleepwear items on sale at HisRoom. It's a nice classy site to visit and there are many popular brands like Calvin Klein, Armani, DKNY and Hanes for everything menswear including mens underwear, sportswear, swimwear, 2xist underwear, Hanro underwear and active wear. Happy shopping!

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BLUEDREAMER
MONICA
BILL

MM - American Idol Top 7 **

I realized that I've never featured Tim Urban for my American Idol Music Monday segment. And since he was eliminated last week, I am picking Tim as my fave performance for last week's Inspirational theme.

I'm a little bias because Tim sang a song from my fave band Goo Goo Dolls so to me, he sounded pretty decent and definitely this is one of his Better Days and performances. Do take a peek and Happy Music Monday!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MARIUCA LOVES

News from the Hospital

Good morning! It's Sunday and I'm feeling good because my baby is coming home today! I always miss him when he's not around so I'm looking forward to B's arrival later tonight.

Yesterday was an exhausting day. I spent the whole day at Subang Jaya Medical Centre visiting my mom who has been admitted for a nerve-related condition. She's currently undergoing physiotherapy and is supposed to remain in the hospital for a week. Fortunately, the condition appears to be manageable and we hope it will not lead to severe effects like paralysis.

Thank you to everyone who sent their well wishes my way and I'm happy to report that it's looking positive for my mom. I did ask her about the financial aspect of the hospital stay seeing that a week in SJMC will undoubtedly cost my parents a bomb! Thank goodness she is covered (at least partially) by her health insurance so I'm hoping the final bill will not give my Dad a heart attack when he sees it!

Insurance plays a vital role in my life too. As a freelance copywriter, I am responsible to pay for my own health insurance. So every month, I have to prepare a certain amount of money for this purpose. My premiums are paid on a monthly basis but lately I've been thinking of making things easier with an annual payment. That way I don't have to worry about forgetting my monthly premium by getting it out of the way with an annual payment. So peeps, please remind me to call my insurance agent one of these days!

For my US friends and your other insurance needs such as Business Insurance, Business Insurance by state, Auto Insurance, Life Insurance and more, you may want to check out Local Insurance. As the Web's Largest Network of Local Insurance Agents, LocalInsurance.com is managed by a team of insurance experts who provide regional insurance resources for those in need.

Aside from basic service, you can also find out all the insurance information you need in your area; specifically the insurance laws and requirements for your respective states. By connecting you directly with professional insurance agents in your state of residence, you will be accorded with efficient personalized service to help you shop for the best insurance rates whilst tailoring your insurance policy to meet all your needs. Sounds great? Happy surfing and happy Sunday too!

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LADY JAVA
ELAI
DEBBS