How much can you buy with USD18?...Alot!

This is a trick learn in order to save money on diapers!! Most parents have been telling us how much is spent each month just on disposables...Lucky us, Target (supermarket) is offering some good deals on Pampers. And if you are slick to combine these discounts with other manufacturers coupons, you could save big $$...So, i took the advice of a friend (expert coupon collector) and spent this whole week collecting coupons and bidding them on Ebay....It's my first time doing such, and was getting a little nervous when i realized i was spending almost 25bucks just on coupons alone! (These coupons are actually free and can be collected from newspapers, but since i needed many, it's easier to bid them off Ebay, and boy were they HOT items) So, i was getting worried, What if my coupons didn't work at Target? What if i get caught using too many coupons for my purchase? What if they arrived late after the promotion ended? Anyway, we waited almost a whole week, for all of the coupons to arrive by mail, there were 5 different kinds, when we got all our bullets ready, we headed for Target.

My heart was beating really fast at the check-out, (the trick was to get a young naive cashier, who doesn't know much about coupons policy) and we were lucky. She scanned all the items in our cart, and the total came out to USD268. ( We bought 15pks diapers, 25pks wipes & baby toiletries) And then, slowly, i took out my coupons, and she took more than 60 coupons...guess how much the total was? USD 18 was it a Good Bargain!! I quickly paid her cash and left asap...Total savings after deduction of coupons bids = USD 225

Fruits of Summer

There is an island about 15min drive from our home called Sauvie Island (soh-wee) populated with acres of farmland and vegetation. We heard the strawberries were in season for U-pick, and didn't want to miss the chance, because they don't usually last very long (4weeks maybe). So, we got our coupons (yeah, everything here works with coupons for a little discount) and headed to the farm. Not only were the strawberries ready, the rasberries were also available for U-pick. Greedily, we picked almost 10lbs of berries, and headed for check-out. To our pleasant suprise, they cost us merely USD3!!

We took some to our friends TC & Adeline to try. These were the Mt Hood strawberries which were high in sugar content, small in size but super sweet. Too bad, these guys don't last very long after being picked, they become mushy and start leaking juices. So, after getting them home, we cleaned them, had some fresh ones, and saved the rest in the freezer for 'smoothies'...hehe...maybe they can last until my mum comes in Sept??

Up Close & Personal

Hmmm...i wonder what my mum will say about this blog exposing hehe, that's why i'm putting this photos up on small scale for some friends wondering how i look now... That's me pregy at 6mths, getting fat but ppl still tell me i look great all the time...(eh dun hurt my feelings la..sensitive la...haha...)



No connection to the above title, just want to intro my super yummylicious high cholesterol seafood porridge...hmmm....made with 3lbs of prawns, clams and cod fish!! We ate the whole pot kekekeh...

Lavender Valley & Lost Lake Trail

Last weekend, we drove to Hood River to visit Lavender Valley. Our main goal was to harvest some lavender (haven't done it before) for making potpurri and relaxing pillows. Unfortunately, when we arrived the lady told us the flowers were not ready for harvest until July. She recommended that we return to the valley in July when all the other fruits are also in season...well, sounds like a good plan and i can't wait to pick cherries again!


We continued our drive to the Lost Lake Park (30min fr the valley) recommended by our friend HW some time back. This is actually the second time we attempt this trail, the first time we went in Nov, it was closed in winter. This time we successfully got into the campsite. There were many trails to choose from and a map to guide us into the park. Of course, we opted for the easy trail which is actually a 3.2miles walk around the lake. The weather and view was beautiful, and you can see in most photos, Mt Hood became our background attraction ;) And Wye still had his tan from Hawaii.


Although it was pretty much shady between the trees, with guided paths most of the way and nice scenery along, this 'easy' trail did take us more than 2hrs to complete. When we were 1/3 of the way, i was beginning to think ....ooo Gosh..this is a very big lake to cover....how about turning back?? But with some encouragement and silly jokes told by Wye we made it around. We were leisurely enjoying the beauty of nature, and sat a few times to rest ( hehe everyone thought i needed to)....and took some silly photos!!




I thought the trip was fun, and good for me. We headed back to Columbia Outlet for some shopping and our day ended with a nice filling dinner back at Wong King's 82nd St...

Hawaii Babymoon 2007

We had a fantastic, 5 days vacation to Oahu, Hawaii during the Memorial Day weekend. Since we didn't really have a honeymoon after our wedding ceremony last November, Wye decided to call this our 'babymoon' hehe..probably our last vacation with just 2 of us. I'm a week shy of being 6mths now, so i'm getting quite big for the photos...hehe

We arrived on a Friday which was a good day as most of the hotels by the beach in Waikiki had open stage performances and dance, and it was busy and festive. We spent the rest of the day just walking along the beaches, enjoying the beautiful sunset and sea breeze.


The next morning, we took the bus to the US Pearl Harbour Memorial, where it all happened on Dec 7th 1941. As it was Memorial Day, you could imagine how crowded the place was, and security was tight, we were not allowed any bags in. The memorial was built on top of the sunken USS Missouri battle ship, and there was a boat to take us out to the actual spot for Free. There were some other museums and the bowfin warship which required an admittance fee, so we didn't go...hehe..anyway we were in a tight schedule for the other half of the day.


A friend of Wye recommended that we attend a Luau ( Hawaii ceremony of welcoming guests). It was pretty expensive USD98/person for a half day event, lei (flower ring)making, performances, hula dance, cocktails and dinner. But i guess, a trip to Hawaii is not complete without on of these excellent performances. We were taught how to weave our own flowers, got some souveniers for games which included a Kokuina necklace, and had 'poi' and 'lomi-lomi' for dinner.


On Sunday we decided to take a short trip to Honolulu downtown district. We climbed up the Aloha Tower marketplace for a nice view of the piers. There were a few cruise ships and yatchs docked by the harbour, and it was luxurious. How envious!!


The Chinatown in Honolulu was just about the same as any other, busy, with grocery shops and restaurants, so we decided not to spend time there. We then headed back to our hotel room at the Hyatt Regency where we had a bottle of champagne ( which was complimentary as i told the front desk we're on honeymoon...hehe) Of course, Wye had the courtesy to finish the whole bottle, no alcohol for me ;(


The next morning, our 4th day, we decided between Diamond Head Crater and Hanauma Bay. We chose the latter to spend our lovely day. Diamond Head Crater is actually the world's biggest crater from an erupted volcano years ago, and a recommended hike. Unfortunately due my physical condition, (the hike required headlamps into the cave and steep steps to the peak), we decided against it. The bus ride to the bay was about 1/2hr for USD2. It was a spectacular view from the top when we arrive, as you can see from the photo below. Hanauma Bay is one of the most popular places in Oahu for snorkeling. We quickly saw our introductory video at the information center before rushing off to the beach. Wye and I could already see the little fishes and reefs just off the beach with 1-2foot of water. It was great to spend the afternoon picnicking and sun-bathing. We got acquainted with 2 Malaysians from Oklahoma and ended up sitting together.




The last day finally came, sad to leave our holiday behind. Wye decided to spend the entire day, just sitting at Waikiki beach one last time ( of course he took hundreds of photos of girls in bikini and guys on surf-boards...ahem) We took the late night flight back to Portland and arrive the following morning....sigh..it was a nice needed vacation ;)