10 things I love about living in NZ

Simple things, really. But these are the reasons that I'm starting to love moving here in New Zealand. :-)

1. The greenery. Lots and lots of it. It's always postcard-perfect!

Cows have plenty of grass to eat!

On the road going to Rotorua

View from the top of One Tree Hill

2. Playgrounds. They're everywhere! And the best part is that they're FREE! No entrance fees. Clean. Nice. Family-friendly.

Outside the mall

In parks

3. Parks. Every area has at least one. They're green. They're clean. They're free. :)

4. Museums. FREE entrance, too! Call me a cheapskate, but who doesn't like no-entrance-fees?! ;)

5. Bus schedules. Though sometimes late, I welcome this organized scheme of having specific bus stops and schedules.  Makes life a little less complicated.

This has become my BFF since we got here ;)

6. Clean toilets. Yeah, they call it "toilet" here, as opposed to how we call it "CR" or "restroom" back in the Philippines. When you're busting, you'd appreciate how public toilets here (whether at the park, inside malls, or just by the side street) are clean, and equipped with lots of toilet paper and clean water. I've seen some that are automated, too, with robot-like voices greeting you as you enter the loo. Hehehe ;)

7. Now talking about toilets, this is another thing that's lovely here: Parents' room. See, there's a Ladies room for the females, a Men's room for the males, and a Parents' room for the, yes you got it, Parents! How cool is that! ;)  It's a toilet ++. There's a cubicle with plenty of room for both parent and child, even a stroller could fit too! Then there's a play corner for kids. There are also curtained partitions for nursing moms. And guess what? Dads are welcome in this room too! :-) So moms don't have to worry about leaving our young children (even girls) with just Dad while we go on our shopping spree ;). When Dad's busting, he could just bring along all the kids inside the Parents' room, let them play by the corner, and have his time in the loo. :P

Play area for kids inside a Parents room

8. Foreigners. We all are. Well, most of us, that is. Asians, Indians, Persians, Europeans, British, Americans, Australians. Name it, they probably have at least one here. Makes it easier to be "one of them".

9. Cashless society. They call it EFTPOS. You have a card, swipe it, and you're ready to go. Everything's online. Even a dollar can be EFTPOSed.




10. Family time. Here, it's all about work-life balance. Family always comes first. You can file sick leave if your partner or child is sick. Malls close at 5 PM so that everyone's home by dinner time. Family bonding. Priceless!

Where in the world is Chatty?

Been wondering where I've been?

Always busy, that's me! The past couple of months have been the busiest of all. And with a blink of an eye,

Tadaa!!! We're here!!!

Did you guess it right? ;)

Yes, we've just packed all our bags, left on a plane (sing with me:  "packed my bags, I'm ready to go... 'coz I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again..."), and come to live in this beautiful place called New Zealand!

Wish us luck on our journey! It's gonna be the start of something wonderful! :)

Chic cafes at Molito: Designer Blooms Cafe and Le Petit Cheri

I found two chic cafes at the Molito Lifestyle Center in Alabang.  They're the perfect place to sit back, relax, and enjoy the afternoon, whether alone or with your girl friends.

First is the Designer Blooms Cafe.

I've always thought this little shop was just a flower shop, up until a friend suggested we meet up here.  I was in for a nice surprise!  It's not just your usual Designer Blooms flower shop! It's a flower shop and a cafe in one! Such a nice treat, indeed, with all the beautiful flowers surrounding you while you sip coffee or chat with a friend. 

 

Cute little nook

 

 

We spotted Matteo Guidicelli who bought a red rose. I wonder for whom? ^_^

Thumbs up for this great recommendation from the waiter! This lasagna is soooo delicious!!!

I love the colorful timers! Orange for mild, royal blue for medium, sky blue for strong.

Vases of different shapes, colors, and sizes

Little details that make the cafe so cute!

Next up, just a few meters away, is Le Petit Cheri.

The large windows make the cafe bright and airy.  The winding staircase makes one feel like a princess in a fairy tale. But the thing I like most are the large bookshelves with lots of nice books for young and old alike. The next time I'm back, I'll be sure to spend a little more time just to read. :)

My little princess loved going up and down this staircase

Books!

And more books!

 

Dr. Seuss books are always a delight!

The macaron: just a little bit too sweet for my (not-so-sweet) tooth.

The bill came in this cute tray!

I love nutella, but maybe it'll still take me over a year to finish this XXL-sized one! :P

Picture wall

So, the next time you're in the South, why not try these out? I assure you of a wonderful time!  Enjoy! :)

The Puzzle Mansion: home of the world's largest collection of jigsaw puzzles!

As you may know by now, one of my favorite places to visit is Tagaytay. This time, on a day trip there, we decided to see something new.  The Puzzle Mansion! It recently (Nov 2012) bagged the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of jigsaw puzzles! Wow!!! It's truly amazing! You won't regret visiting this wondrous place! :)

THE Puzzle Queen herself, Ms. Gina Lacuna, gave us a tour of the museum. Her stories about her puzzles are just so amusing! And I love all her trivia! :)

That's Ms. Gina showing off her Eiffel Tower wooden puzzle. We had fun trying to find the objects that Ms. Gina asked us to locate in the puzzle. :)  Try to find the word "Paris", the bottle of wine, the small Eiffel tower, and the girl dancing with one of her feet up.

This is our group during the tour. We were about 20-30 in the group.

Inside is a collection of so many puzzles (more than 1,000) in different forms, shapes, and sizes! 

There are also those of some famous personalities, like our very own president Noynoy Aquino, the late Pope John Paul II, and the beautiful Mona Lisa! 

Some came in the shape of a ball. Fascinating!

These have some parts popping out!

These are puzzles too! In the form of crystals and wood in 3D.

These are amazing! They're 4D puzzles. As the Puzzle Queen puts it, they're "puzzles within a puzzle."

Here is Ms. Gina showing us her very first puzzle some 26 or 27 years ago. She said she made it for her son. How sweet is that! :)

The Guernica by Pablo Picasso. If this were a painting, it would cost billions! But I'm sure Ms. Gina's effort in putting together this puzzle gives her so much more feeling of pride and accomplishment.... something that money can't buy! ;)

Ms. Gina talks about the "Las Hilanderas." She said this is the hardest puzzle she has done so far.

Here Ms. Gina shows us the puzzle that she is currently working on.  It's a 32,000-pc puzzle, which she hopes to finish by July 2013.

That's the puzzle she's working on now, by the lobby near the souvenir shop, and the part that she has finished so far. It's just about 1/8 of the entire puzzle!

Amoroma: Italian Restaurant in Tagaytay

I'm a fan of Italian food. Bring me to an Italian restaurant, and I'm floating on air! Bring me to Amoroma, the restaurant that serves authentic Italian food in Tagaytay, and I'm in Heaven! :)

Being just 30 minutes away from home, I always enjoy day trips to Tagaytay.  No traffic, nice & cool weather, great views, and good food! So, during our recent trip to Tagaytay, I thought of trying out something new (we're always either at Taal Vista hotel or Josephine's or Leslie's).  I'm thankful one of my Google searches led me to Amoroma. 

This cozy room and the smell of fresh dough was a pleasant welcome.  The tablecloths are very apt for an Italian resto.

There's a big glass refrigerator that contains wine bottles, pasta, fresh vegetables, and various sausages.

While waiting for our orders, little C enjoyed watching the chefs cook pizza.

First on our table:  Bread basket and dips. I loved the smell of the fresh focaccia bread, and the crunch as I bite into it.

C loved dipping the bread into this: Balsamic, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Paremesan cheese. yum!!!

Hubby chose this pizza with Italian sausage and red onion.

The pizza was perfect with chili oil!

I so loved this pasta dish!!! This is the Tortelli ai Formaggi: cheese stuffed pasta in classic Pomodoro e Basilico sauce. Delizioso!!!

So full after that delicious lunch!!! It was truly a feast for our tummies!!!

But, wait, there's more! Now, a feast for our eyes! Look at this ceiling by the staircase going to the back door (we parked our car at the back of the resto).

And what cute angels!

I'll be sure to come back for more Italian goodness!!! :)