What Every Woman Should Do Once

I bought this book on the ferry's gift shop from Vancouver to Nanaimo last year. The ferry ride was about 2 hours. As I browsed the gift shop, I came upon this little book and thought it was cute. Then I came home and forgot I even had it. As I was reorganizing my room, I came upon it again. And as I flipped through the pages, I realized I've done many of the things listed. So I thought I'd share it with you.

What Every Woman Should Do Once:

1. Skinny Dip - check
2. Insist on being called "Your Majesty" - check
3. Sleep under the stars - check
4. Start with dessert - check
5. Be a Diva for a night at a Karaoke Bar - working on it
6. Act out a page of the Kama Sutra - check
7. Call in Sick and spend the whole day shopping with your best friend - check
8. Own something leather other than coat or gloves - check
9. Date a guy you met on the internet - will try
10. Give someone famous your autograph - working on it
11. Write your acceptance speech for your Woman of the Year Award - working on it
12. Dying your hair blond and see if they really have more fun - thinking about it
13. Rent a convertible and go where the wind blows - planning on it
14. Have an anonymous encounter - check
15. Adopt a pet
16. Go Commando - check
17. Dance on top of a bar - I think I might already have, but the memories of that night are fuzzy.
18. Forget about what your mother would think - check
19. Try on engagement rings even when you're not in a relationship - check went to Tiffany's
20. Ask a man out - working on it
21. Buy a really racy piece of lingerie - LOL
22. Invest in high risk stock.
23. Send yourself a dozen roses.
24. Audition for a Broadway Musical or a Reality TV Show.
25. Go Skydiving
26. Bet it all on black in Vegas and let it ride.
27. Go on a carriage ride on Cetral Park.
28. Be the Boss - check
29. Try on really expensive clothes in a boutique you know you can't afford - check
30. Invent an interesting past
31. Talk in a foreign accent all day - check
32. Write a scathing letter to the editor.
33. Buy a round for everyone in the bar.
34. Smoke a cigar - check
35. Run for a worthy cause - working on it
36. Pamper yourself at an all day spa - check
37. Have a three martini lunch and go back to work refreshed.
38. Create your own Holiday and celebrate it every year - working on it
39. Go without electricity for one night - check
40. Wear fake eyelashes and give him come hither looks - working on it
41. Make a voodoo doll of your ex - a tempting idea
42. Learn to Tango - on my bucket list
43. Pretend you're a food critic at a trendy restaurant - check
44. Make snow angels - check
45. Blame everything on your evil twin - LOL check!
46. Eat fast food all day - check
47. Hire a personal shopper
48. Wear a feather boa and movie star glasses to the grocery store.
49. Borrow a motorcycle and take the driver' seat.
50. Invest in a piece of art - check
51. Flirt your way through a traffic jam.
52. Try an extreme sport - check
53. Taste every variety of margarita -working progress
54. Kiss a guy from every state (US) - 6 states down.
55. Throw a silk Pajama party and greet guests with champagne.
56. Go in two dates in one night - check
57. Volunteer at a homeless center - did volunteer but not at a homeless shelter
58. Take the credit and compliments and say thanks! - check
59. Start a campaign - check
60. Send a thank you letter to a mentor - check
61. Tell a man you love him first - I'm a working progress
62. Resist saying "I told you so," even when you are right - check
63. Head to the airport and fly anywhere.
64. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
65. Ask your boyfriend to paint your toenails in exchange for the remote.
66. Remember the a la mode - check

67. Earn the perfect shade of red lipstick - check
To date, I have done 30 on the list and a few that are in between. I'll revisit this post next year and see if I've added to my list of accomplishments.

Macau 2010

Macau, how to describe Macau? I first visited the place in 2008 and did the usual touristy things. We hired a van to take us on a city highlights tour, shopped for the usual local specialties (mostly the Macau egg tarts and cookies), took photos and then we crossed over to Hong Kong for some more shopping. Back in 2008, there weren't a lot of casino hotels operating. The only ones I could distinctly remember were the Wynn Hotel and the Grand Lisboa Tower. The Venetian Hotel & Casino along with countless other names were being constructed at the time. I expected a few other places to pop up, but I didn't expect to see a mushroom cloud of casino hotels within a two year period. Many recognizable Casino & Resort Hotels from Las Vegas dot Macau's skyline. Wynn,The Venetian, MGM, Four Seasons and a couple more have made their mark in Macau. Although, Macau is now being marketed as the Las Vegas of the East, it isn't up to par to the standard and glitz and glamour that Las Vegas is known for. For one, the night life in Macau is pretty lame. It's a family destination. And they harass anyone who looks under 18 about the restrictions of being an illegal minor. The language barrier is still pretty distinct. Many of the locals working the hotel grounds could barely speak English. However, there are many other nationalities who can speak good English working there as well. I'll give Macau customer service a C+ for effort.

We stayed at the Venetian Hotel. We were very lucky since our party was upgraded from regular rooms to Presidential Suites. And they were nice rooms indeed. There was a nice hallway that led from the entrance foyer into the living room, a breakfast bar complete with our own espresso machine and its pods, a private bedroom, 2 bathrooms equipped with jacuzzis, his & her sinks, a big shower room, a private duvet & toilette, a large dressing table, 2 studies and a fantastic view. It cost $US300/night to stay there. There's shopping and food courts on the 3rd level, a Cirque du Soleil show along with countless conference rooms, a large casino area and a a large lounging pool on the 4th floor. There were countless restaurants, bars, a Starbucks Coffee Shop and several other familiar brands within this massive complex. Its shops also connect to the Four Seasons Hotel.














What I like about Macau are the old Portuguese buildings, the colonial foods that still remain, the beautiful cobble stoned streets and other small European details that dot the landscape. It's a juxtaposed city on three levels. One: You see European-looking post boxes scattered around the streets which look out of place against a very Chinese-influenced landscape. Two: The old Chinese temples, stores and street signs are written in both Chinese and Portuguese (but nobody speaks Portuguese any longer). And three: The very modern landscape of new hotels and casinos which are connected by an equally modern bridge sitting next to the old Macau business district which houses the traditional Chinese apothecaries, cookie makers, tart makers, incense makers, etc. All these remain almost exactly as it did, fifty years ago. And yet the modern metropolis are only a block away.






Due to the rapid rise of hotel casinos in Macau, it became a popular destination for Asians. It's only an hour and a half flight from many South East Asian countries. It's a quick and easy flight, and its a cheaper alternative to Hong Kong. And if you're unsatisfied with the shopping options in Macau, its an easy and fast trip to Hong Kong. About 45 minutes by fastcraft boats, to be exact. One of the more popular tourist destination in Macau is the Macau Tower. It's known for its viewing deck and the adventurous activities one can do, like bungee jumping, sky jumping, walking on the tower's ledge and some shopping.
BUNGEE JUMPING VIDEO

Diving Malapascua 2010 w/ Evolution Divers

This is my second time visiting Malapascua. The first time was in 2006. My friends and I signed up with Thresher Shark Divers - a horrible experience! We were scheduled to do 4 diving days with them, but the service was so terrible, the accommodations so shoddy, we unanimously decided to drop our arrangements with them and seek another dive operator. So we went with Dan's Divers. It's an American owned dive shop but run by Filipinos. We decided to give them some business since they didn't have any customers. The experience with Dan's Divers turned out to be a good one. We vowed to return to Malapascua and dive with them again. Four years later, as our dive group became bigger and friendships became closer, we decided to give Malapascua another shot. Most of the divers on this expedition were Malapascua virgins. Everyone was excited to see the thresher sharks and the giant mantas.

As usual, our friend Lil who is the "older sister" of the group organized and negotiated in behalf of everyone. We paid P1,000/dive and did 14 dives. This time, we chose a newly opened dive shop called Evolution Divers. It's run by 2 partners Matt Reed and David Joyce. They run a good operation.



The reason why divers flock to Malapascua is due to the thresher sharks whom are known to inhabit Monad Shoal. It is a mystery as to why they continuously return and flock to this particular site. Scientists are now researching the reasons behind it. In addition to the thresher sharks, giant mantas and devil rays that are regularly seen in the area, Malapascua Island offers world class macro diving. We saw all that we wanted to see and a whole lot more.



Evolution Divers took us to 8 dive sites. And all 10 dives were amazing. The sites were Monad Shoal, Lapus-lapus, Bantigue Bay, Mandarin, The lighthouse, Gato Island Cave, Gato Island Snake & Seahorse Sanctuary.




























Malapascua Island may not be a beach party destination like Ibiza or Boracay, but it has a quaint and charming, laid back vibe to it. It has many restaurants that serve all kinds of cuisine and its equipped with wifi internet, good draft beers and fresh seafood. Evolution Divers' bar was a cute Irish joint that served imported beers from Ireland and other best-selling cocktails. They also serve sandwiches and other quick orders.