Disneyland Hong Kong..... Fantasy land!!

Can you imagine being a child again? Without fear and worry? Can you imagine believing in magic carpets, mermaids & Santa? That was me!!!!



Last year we celebrated my daughters birthday at Disneyland Hong Kong. She had a blast… it was the best birthday ever!!! But Me…. I had the best time of my life…. I wanted to run around like a little child and believe in Santa again.



We took a bus to the Disneyland Resort, and as we entered … stood Santa. Oh my God.. I cannot tell you how real he looked… I had to run and hug him.



The place itself is magical. All the staff members are friendly and accommodating. My daughter was given a badge that stated ‘its my birthday’… so she was obviously on top of the world. She felt like a princess is what she said! Her eyes sparkled with delight as she got to meet & greet the Disney characters… specially all the princesses. They stopped to write a birthday message and autograph her book. Each character spent time talking to her… and made her day!!



We then went onwards to the Disneyland Park. Its just amazing.. Its like stepping into another world… of magic & happiness. Everyone around you… has a huge smile!!







Here are a few pictures of how the park is decorated.

The shows that take place ... all day long!!

The rides are fascinating. My younger daughter loved Dumbo the Elephnat, while my older one loved the Tea cup ride, my husband and brother had be dragged from the Techno / Space age rides… Me on the other hand… was living in fantasyland!!!

The parade was fantastic. Here is a picture of Mickey. My kids followed the parade, holding on to the rope…. Till the very end!!

By day … this is how Cinderella’s castle looked…





And by night… it was absolutely stunning. And when the fireworks started… my heart just skipped a beat!!!

And after a long night, when we went back to the hotel… there was so much to see!!! This is a picture of the goodies in the toilet!!!

I switched on the TV and it played all the Disney cartoons and movies… Sorry!! I just had to stay awake!

We left Disney via train to the airport… and the windows were Mickey shaped… and it had loads of momentos… We just did not want ot get off!!

I’ve promised to take my younger kid to Disney in Oralando for her 6th birthday!! I’ll go back to Disneyland for sure… I loved the experience… and the simplicity of live!!

Hotel rooms

I love going away on my own for a few days... away from home, hubby & kids!! I enjoy the peace... the bliss of reading a book and sipping my coffee... hearing the birds chirp... and listening to the far way waters and waves of the sea.. 

One such gorgeous hotel is the Ras Al Khaimah Hilton... This is my favourite getaway from Dubai... Its kid friendly as well... and the hotel room is simply gorgeous... 

This time around, Ididn't stay at the main hotel... I stayed at the chalets... and the rooms were simply gorgeous....



A little box for your jewellery...

The tiles as you enter....

The serene bathroom... I love those mirrors...

I love hotel rooms... for so many reasons... Always so neat, clean and clutter free... You can leave the room in a mess, but its all made up perfectly when you return back... *smiles*...

Specially when you travel on your own...



I have the TV to myself... I never switch it on... but its there to my disposal... *grins*... and its MINE...

The sofas are always empty... the tables are clear... ALWAYS...

Oh.. and in this room, the lights stole my heart... specially this one... that was hanging low in the middle of the two beds... What a lovely idea...

This is the ceiling lamp... gorgeous .... isn't it??

Don't you like the headboards.... ?? Can you see the low lamp?? Lovely.. isn't it??

*sigh*... now back to reality... I'm writing this post after clearing the entire home... my back, shoulder and neck hurts... but its the closest it can get to a hotel room... *sigh*... but it won't remain this way tomorrow... 

The joys of being a 'mom'... The total miracle called life.... *smiles*... But thats the fun.. isn't it ...

Hope you guys had a lovely May.. and are all gearing up for June... What would I do.. without you?? *smiles*... Thanks for popping by to say hello... *hugs*

Picking out (basement) paint colors

Hey there! How the heck are ya? I’ve been really excited to tell you about the paint colors in the basement – really excited. I don’t know why exactly, I guess maybe because it’s a whole new floor to decorate. (About the best. thing. ever. for someone like me.) But it’s also that I’m going a direction with colors that I’ve never gone before. And it’s got me giddy. I finally finished the

Fourteen years…

I married my sweet man on this day 14 years ago.

Knew him a few years before that.  He had just been transferred to Toronto from New York where he was born.

Funny how things happen.

(It looks like his suit is full of lint – must be from when I had scanned it years ago!)

He looks so cute in his Harry Potter glasses – such a trendsetter as this was years before the Harry phenomenon. :)

He is a wonderful father and I just adore watching him with our daughter.  He spoils her to death and they have such a special bond.

Happy Anniversary babe! (I know you read my blog!)

Thanks for putting up with my craziness all these years!

Buddha, the Enlightened one...

 I have been lately so busy with work, entertaining guests, cooking and gardening, that I have had no time to paint or sew or make something arty...No regrets, as I am having fun doing other stuff. So for today’s post, sharing some pictures of one of my favorite spiritual teachers'...The Buddha. "Buddha" meaning "The Awakened one" or "the Enlightened one". Just as many others, I was introduced to the story of Buddha and some of his learnings, very early via the evergreen Amar Chitra comics.



And then I saw the Hindi movie Ashoka...the 1st scene, where Emperor Chandragupta Maurya abdicating his throne, becomes a Buddhist monk...and as he is leaving with the rest of the monks, throws his diamond encrusted sword into a deep valley and explains to young Ashoka, that the Sword can protect or kill. If it is used to protect, it will lead him towards Salvation, else the power of the sword would be such, that  it could destroy him with greed, want and all those material pleasures...but  young Ashoka is so fascinated with the sword that he reaches out and catches the sword, ....and later he conquers kingdom after kingdom, finally the Kalinga war makes him understand the futility of war, power and wealth...He too, renounces his throne and embraces Buddhism

I loved this movie!!

Some pictures of the enlightened one at my home and garden....



In the Patio...the Buddha amongst the ferns...

My gorgeous Buddha from the store"Dhoop" in Bombay. The shawl and the lower covering depicts the entire life of Buddha and the milestones that leads him to the path of Salvation...The diya holder is actually a metal shoe rom Jaisalmer

Another Buddha...this is more South Asian in profile...

A mixed media mural of Siddhartha ...reproduced from the Ajanta caves murals...

In the garden...

A Thangka from Nepal...

Hope you liked the post...Adios until next wednesday...

~Anpu

Bringing Summer Style Into Our House

 

Just some quick snapshots of simple ways I’ve started to bring some summer style into our house . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with this post, my sweet readers, I’m signing off so I can get ready to have these babies later this week.  Can you believe it’s here?  If you could see me, you would know it’s time!  Thanks for all of your encouragement and prayers.  I’ll be checking in when I can with pictures of the newest additions to our family.  I can’t wait to see them!

 

Blogfest 2012 – Day 1

Well, hello stranger!

So it seems that I have been too busy learning/being inspired at Blogfest 2012 and BlogPodium this past week that I haven’t found time to blog!

But I’m back, inspired and have lots to share!

Last week was Blogfest 2012 in NYC hosted by Kravet. I attended in 2011 and you can read my posts here. It was much of the same – hearing from the EIC’s of the top magazines in the US and from top designers, attending ICFF, visiting show homes and attending parties hosted by top brands.

There were 168 bloggers mostly from the US but a few of us from Canada and a couple other countries. It sold out in a few hours and there were 100 people on a waitlist!

I actually arrived on the Sunday before Blogfest, went shopping with Christine & Christine and then met up with some other talented bloggers for bevvies at Dublin6:

ICFF

On Monday, we went to ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) which is similar to IDS here in Toronto but with more international representation (or so it appeared to me.)

I’ll be back with a post on textiles and wallpaper from the show as that was what I was drawn to and snapped a ton of photos of. 

A few other products/booths caught my eye:

I love Lindsey Adelman lighting and it was so cool to see artisans from her studio creating lighting on site.

Native Trails create beautiful apron front sinks made of reclaimed copper hand-hammered by artisans – so unique and beautiful!  Here’s a better photo from their site:

Kohler partnered with designer and colour enthusiast Jonathan Adler to create four special edition Kohler colours available on select enameled cast iron kitchen and bathroom sinks.  The apron front sink in turquoise or navy is calling my name.

Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2012

Margaret Russell, EIC of  Architectural Digest, kicked off Blogfest at the 40th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

Meeting Thom Filicia at Kips Bay was a treat.  He was such a sport when one of us said “Let’s all pile on the sofa for a photo.”  You’re not supposed to sit on the furniture at these show houses!  Also in the photo, Erica, Roslyn, Beth and Kimberly. Love all of these girls!

This is a vignette in the room Thom designed (yes we are on a first name basis.) Recognize the fabric? I used it on a custom designed ottoman which you can see at the end of this post. Interesting to see it used on drapes.  (BTW Toronto peeps – Elte carries his furniture line.)  Heather wrote about the room here if you would like to see more.

Meeting the lovely Erin from House of Turquoise (on the left) was a real pleasure as I have been reading her blog for years.

via Houzz

I think this was my favourite room in the show house.  Although I don’t often advise clients to upholster a sofa in a graphic print, I couldn’t help but linger in this room and admire the sofa.  Designer Scott Sanders used a custom Scalamandre fabric.

And there was a party and after party but I won’t bore you with those photos!

I’ll be back with a recap of Days 2 and 3 later this week!

Have a great week!