Hawker Fair

The traffic was bad! It was worse than the evacuation traffic when we were fleeing from Ike! Who would have expected that? With a four-year-old and a 9-month-old baby in the car, it was not very pleasant. It took us two hours to reach Bear Creek Park. We were going to attend a gathering organized by the Malaysia-Singapore Association based in Houston. The theme of the gathering was Hawker Fair.

Needless to say, my mouth was watering, and my tummy growling, by the time we reached the park, and the designated pavilion. The aroma of the familiar food smell of home washed my fatigue away instantly. There was already a big crowd there, busy devouring all kinds of food found in Singapore and Malaysia. We bought our coupons, and I made my way to the Nasi Lemak store, and got myself some lunch. Then my husband got some Fried Noodles (Cha Kway Teow). Since we were late, most of the stalls were already stripped of their yummy food! However, the Nasi Lemak was so tasty I did not even mind that! I was even able to get myself a bowl of Laksa after sharing the Nasi Lemak with my four-year-old.

After settling my tummy, I started to look around. It was our first time at an activity organized by the Malaysia-Singapore Association for Malaysians and Singaporeans. I talked to one of the organizers, who was extremely helpful. He introduced us to some Singaporeans who lived near us. However, like typical Singaporeans, the majority of the fellow Singaporeans and Malaysians gathered there seemed a little unfriendly. Nobody came forward to introduce himself, or herself to us. Most of them already had friends they knew, and stuck to, throughout the gathering. I tried to strike up a conversation with some of the vendors, but got very little response. Guess not all Singaporeans living in the foreign country of U.S. were as desperate as me, to seek out another fellow Singaporean. I did get to know a couple of them at the gathering, and satisfied my craving of speaking "rojak" English!

I did enjoy myself at the Hawker Fair, despite it falling below my expectations, in terms of friendliness. However, I am determined to attend more activities, so that my half-American kids can get in touch with their mother's roots.

The World at A Glance

Sharon was excited! She just got her first job, after graduating from College. She was on the phone with her best friend from College, Carmen, who also just got a job. The girls were already planning their first vacation together! They talked about travelling around the world, and for their first trip, they would like to travel far!

Sharon was on the phone with Carmen again. Half a year had gone by, and both were still loving their jobs. It was time for them to plan for their vacation together. Sharon's brother-in-law went on business trips a lot, and told her he found one website really useful. Sharon and Carmen had selected a few places at random, just to check what was available and attractive out there. They clicked on Venice Hotels, and see what the site had to offer. They liked what they saw, but they wanted to look at more places, before they decided which part of the world they wanted to see first. Next, they looked under China Hotels, and were amazed when they realised how many places they could see, just in China alone. They spent some time looking at the other countries in Asia too, and came to a conclusion. They had to do it fast, if they wanted to see the world before they settled down. Then they looked at New Zealand Hotels, and fell in love with the beautiful country of New Zealand.

Their eyes were gleaming with enthusiasm as they got off the computer! What a world of discoveries was awaiting them! Life was good! Sharon and Carmen felt there were so many interesting places beckoning them, that it would take them a while to make up their minds which end of the world to start their exploring!

Diving Adventure

Fay had a successful career, great friends and family. She was 32, but still single. She did not feel the urge to settle down right away, but felt she might like to have her own family some day. She loved the sea, and took up scuba diving a couple of years ago. She still hung out with her fellow scuba diving 'classmates', whether out at sea, or on land. They had been talking about making a trip to Australia - a hot spot for scuba divers, and to spend most of the days scuba diving.

Fay volunteered to plan the trip. She had made several trips overseas, and had used the same website to reserve hotels, and check out sightseeing-spots. She browsed under Sheraton hotels, and looked at the different locations to check if there was one close to a beach with an interesting underwater world. She had great fun looking at the pictures of the hotels provided on the site. Then she checked Rydges Hotels, and marvelled at the great facilities offered by these hotels. Even though Fay would not need a conference room this time, she took note of the conference facilities, and made sure to remember to tell her boss about them. Her boss just might arrange a business meeting in Australia! Next, she looked at the hotels listed under Travelodge, and noted that they offered very cheap rates. The price was very appealing, but Fay still went on to check on another group of hotels, under Radisson Hotels. Fay finally decided she could not make the choice among all the fabulous hotels for the group by herself. She printed out the options, and called a meeting with her friends, to finalise plans for the trip.

Fay's friends were impressed with how efficient she was. They did not expect her to come up with such good options in so short a time. Fay smiled to herself as she recalled the effort she had put in - just letting her fingers do the walking - over her keyboard!

A French Honeymoon!

Kathy was excited! She and her college sweet-heart, Kazu, were going to be married in a couple of weeks! They were going to France for their honeymoon! Kathy had never been to France, and had dreamt about spending her honeymoon there. Her dream had come true! Kazu travelled to France a number of times on business trips, and so knew the place pretty well. He would have no problems with driving Kathy around to wherever she wished to go.

Kazu told Kathy she could choose whatever spot she wished to visit in France. He told her about a website on the Internet, where she could look up information about hotels and places of interest, and make reservations if she wanted to. Kathy decided they simply had to make a stop at Paris - the most romantic city in the world! She looked at the different hotels under Paris Hôtels [ NB special character on hôtels ô ], on the website Kazu had told her, and picked a hotel to her liking. The next place Kathy thought they should explore was Marseilles, another major city of France. She chose a tradtional hotel from the many listed under Marseilles Hôtels, and then went on to look at other hot spots being recommended on the site. The name Toulouse popped up, and Kathy immediately decided she and Kazu had to make a stop there. She liked the name, and browsed the section on Toulouse Hôtels. After going through a difficult elimination process, she finally reserved a room at one of the many hotels listed there. Bordeaux was the next city at which Kathy decided she and Kazu would spend their honeymoon. There were a lot of choices for accomodations under Bordeaux Hôtels, and Kathy reserved a room in one of them closest to a lot of places of interest.

Kathy sat back in her chair, and stretched herself! Ah! France, here we come - as a married couple! Kathy shut her eyes, and a smile of bliss spread across her face.

Hello! Germany!

Frank took German when he was in College. He did pretty good at the language. He had always wanted to visit Germany, but did not have a chance - till now! He worked in a German firm, and had opportunity to befriend some German colleagues in the company. They often talked to Frank about Germany. It made Frank want to visit Germany even more.

One of Frank's best friends from College had a few days of leave, and invited Frank to go on a trip with him. Frank suggested Germany, and his friend immediately agreed, having taken German in College too! They planned to go on a road trip. Frank was excited and did a search on the net and found a cool website, that would enable him to reserve hotels, and plan his road trip. Berlin would be one of the places they would stop to explore. He looked under Berlin Hotels, and reserved a hotel for him and his friend, at a very reasonable rate. For another destination, Frank reserved a hotel under Köln Hotels [ NB Special Characters ]. Frankfurt will be another stop on their road trip. Frank booked a hotel among the Frankfurt Hotels he found on the website. Munich is another place Frank and his friend would want to stop to explore. Frank found this hotel under Munich Hotels, and without hesitation, reserved a room for him and his friend.

Frank hoped his German would be able to help him get by in Germany. He hoped he would be able to read all the road signs and make simple conversation when he needed to do so. His German colleagues were delighted to hear about his road trip. They gave him a few pointers, and also recommended a few must-visit places in the cities he was going to visit.

Explore United Kingdom!

Derek and Shannon were newlyweds. They had been inseparable since their engagement. Derek had a business of his own, and had to travel overseas a lot. Shannon missed him very much when he traveled. Now, as his wife, she travelled with him, wherever his business took him. She quite enjoyed being married to him! She wanted to take advantage of the freedom to travel with Derek, before kids came on the scene.

She kind of became his personal travel assistant, making his travel arrangements for him, whenever the need arose. Derek had to visit some clients at a few places in England the following week. Shannon had to set up his travel plans in a hurry. She was used to doing stuff on the Internet, being a personal assistant to a Director of a firm before she quit. She went straight to this website, which offered benefits and cheap hotel rates to last-minute travellers. She booked a few hotels at the different places at which Derek's clients were stationed. She went through some Cheap Manchester Hotels, and chose the one she liked best, in terms of price, and hotel facilities. Then she looked up Cheap London Hotels, and reserved one for Derek and herself. Birmingham and Edinburgh were two other destinations Derek had to stop at, and Shannon gladly booked hotels under Cheap Birmingham Hotels, and Cheap Edinburgh Hotels, getting such unbelievably good rates, she couldn't wait to see Derek's approving face!

She also looked up places she would like to visit while Derek was at the business meetings, and places she would like to eat at, when Derek was free to join her. In Manchester, one of the places Shannon looked forward to visiting was the Piccadilly Gardens. In London, she hoped to shop till she dropped, and also walk around the beautiful parks there. In Birmingham, she was looking forward to feel the presence of Shakespeare, and listen to some good symphony music at the Symphony Hall. In Edinburgh, Derek could indulge in his favorite past time - golf! Shannon, who had just taken up golf, could practice her golf swings with the set of new clubs Derek got her for her birthday!

A Vacation at The Blue Inn

Jane had a few good friends she hung out with a lot. They were all in her Spanish class at College. They were looking forward to Summer because they had decided to take a vacation together. One of Jane's friends, May, had been to a place in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, with her family. They stayed at this charming nicaragua beach hotel called "The Blue Inn", and absolutely loved it!

May gathered Jane and the others around her laptop one day, and showed them pictures of the wonderful San Juan del Sur Beach Hotel they were going to stay at, during their trip in the Summer. The place looked gorgeous! The would-be vacationers wished Summer would come sooner!

Jane and her friends had fallen in love with La Posada Azul, the elegant San Juan Del Sur hotel, just by looking at the pictures. They dreamt about lazing around at the inn, soaking up the sun at the beach, surfing, swimming, and just enjoying a few days of peace and quiet at the fishing village!

Santorini - A Wedding Present

Mark and Jan's son was getting married! They were very excited! This was the first wedding in the family. Mark and Jan wanted to give their son and future daughter-in-law a very special wedding gift. They thought hard and long about it, and still could not agree upon one gift.

One day, Mark was surfing the web, and came upon a website, introducing this wonderful island in Greece. The name of the island sounded like some refreshing drink - Santorini! As he read more about this Greek island, he got more excited! He called Jan to join him. As Jan read about more Santorini, a smile stole upon her face. She turned to look at Mark, and both knew at once they had found the perfect wedding present for their son!

Mark and Jan looked on the travel site further, and made reservations for a hotel at Santorini for the soon-to-be-married couple.

When the engaged couple received the wedding present, they could not hide their joy! Honeymoon on a Greek island? How romantic could it get? Mark and Jan shared with them the website where they had arranged the trip, and the couple was impressed, and decided that they would look it up when they plan future trips.

A Trip to The Hospital

This is my second trip to the Christus St. John Hospital when I came home with a baby! My toddler has a baby brother now!

I did not really enjoy the delivery, but in a way, I enjoyed the stay at the hospital. Perhaps, subconsciously, I knew when I left the hospital, I would be very much on my own, to care for a toddler and a new-born! At the hosptital, I had the expert help of the attentive nurses, for my baby, and myself. I even enjoyed the food served at the hospital (probably more so because I did not have to prepare it myself).

The staff at the hospital had really made a good impression on me though. When I had my first-born, I left the hospital in a lot of pain, but with a lot of good things to say about the nurses who attended to my needs, both day and night. This time, I left the hospital with my son's baby brother, not in as much pain, but with as much appreciation for the nurses' kind attention towards me as the last time.

A Break for Harry's family

Harry was a busy business man. He travelled a lot, and did not get to spend time with his family as much as he would like. He felt guilty that his wife almost had to single-handedly take care of his two children, who were still under the age of ten. He wished he did not have to travel so much!

He had some vacation time finally! He wanted to do something special with his wife and children. He thought taking them to another country, away from the mundane everyday life, would be a good idea. He searched on the net, and found some really interesting destinations at which he thought he and his family would really enjoy spending some time.

He wanted to spring a surprise on his wife and children. He did not want them to know where they were heading to, until they were at the airport. He just told them what kind of clothes they should take with them, and what the weather would be like when they got to the destination. Harry had finally decided to bring his family to New Zealand, a place where nature was still very much appreciated, and alive! He looked on the site for information about hotels. He looked at Hotels in Auckland, Hotels in Wellington, and Hotels in Christchurch, and booked hotels at different places he thought he and his family would visit.

Harry felt very satisfied after he had done all his planning and reservations. Being such a busy man, the site he found helped him a lot by enabling him to do everything he needed to do for the trip, without any hassle!

A Shopping Vacation

Mary is a single woman - young, successful in her job, and not in any serious relationship at the moment. She enjoys shopping, watching the movies, and travelling, with her female friends. She thinks she's living the perfect life now! She doesn't feel tied down to anybody, or anything! She feels free, and happy.

Right now, she's in the process of planning her next vacation overseas with her group of friends. They have already agreed on the destination. They are now gathered in Mary's apartment, armed with brochures, and all kinds of munchies and drinks. One of Mary's friends, Angie, got on line, and is browsing this website, where she's getting great information about travelling in London. Mary and her friends have one common interest - shopping, and they plan to make this the focal point of their stay in London. Now, Mary and her friends are all gathered around Angie and the computer, and they all have fun looking for a hotel, which will provide them easy access to shopping places. They look under London Hotels, Kensington Hotels, Knightsbridge Hotels, and Oxford Street Hotels. There are lots of pictures that help the girls to decide where they want to stay, and how much they can afford. It's a lot of fun for the girls, just looking at the colorful pictures, and other useful information supplied by the website.

The girls find out that they can do some interesting sight-seeing, as well as do some "serious" shopping, staying at certain hotels. They look forward to a wonderful vacation!