We Are Going 70s

Whew! The Halloween Costume Party invitations are pouring in. The latest one to arrive is from Hubby's scuba diving club. And they are giving a grand prize of one night stay at a splendid 5-star hotel to the couple in best costume.

I'd like to win of course. I need a weekend getaway to unwind. But Hubby just don't understand the fuss about the costumes. I hope that is going to change this year. I am not going to let him be himself for a change lol! He's been doing that for years - every Halloween party - so come on! I am not going to be the only one theatrical next week.

Last night after supper, I tried to pull off my convincing powers and managed to talk to him about his costume. He dreads the topic. Always do.  But I steered the conversation to his birth year the 70s. Think 70s stye fancy dress, Afro wig, flared trousers, groovy disco, the heavy rockers KIss, or simply be a crazy hippy guy. He thought  for awhile and when I was about to faint for waiting his answer, he agreed. I breathed out a long sigh of satisfaction and danced the footy jig hehehe.

So here I am looking online for some accessories and costume inspiration. I found two costumes and will let him choose later tonight. Have a look:

A groovy disco dancer costume.

Or 70s funky colored suit complete with platform shoes, yeehaa!

As for me, I hope looking for sexy costumes would be easy. I want something shiny inspired by the Dancing Queen.

Jack O' Lantern At Disneyland Paris

A giant pumpkin in the shape of -- no else but Mickey Mouse. =)

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Orange Tuesdays

Paris Flower Shop

Flowers on the sidewalk in Paris.

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Green Monday

Win Free Holiday Cards From Shutterfly: 3 Winners, 25 Cards Each

Ho! Ho! Ho! Good cheer to all my readers!!

Oh yes, I am in the holiday mood here because I am currently designing our family greeting cards. We are mailing 50 Christmas cards to families, friends, and colleagues by the end of this month . But they are not just simply generic holiday cards that you can buy from the bookstore. Ours are personalized, with photos and family monogram from the world's best loved personal publishing site, Shutterfly.

This is my first time to create with Shutterfly and I am amazed how quick and easy the process was. First, I uploaded selected family photos. Then I chose a template from their vast photo Christmas cards. I filled in the details - our family name and family members. I cropped the photos then drag and drop them. It didn't take a minute to come up with this:

 Really, the hardest part was choosing which design because all their holiday cards are absolutely elegant and stylish. I am thinking that since we are sending a bunch of greeting cards, why not make a special design for each group of people? I'll choose another template for family, another for friends, another for office mates, and maybe I might even order ahead some thank you cards because my Husband is big on this. Yes, Shutterfly not only provides greeting cards but also cards for all occasions, photo books, calendars, print, personalized home decor (i.e. blankets, eco-bag), and just about any cutesy you can imagine and personalize.

Now, you too can experience this good cheer from Shutterfly. As part of Shutterfly 2011 Holiday promotion, I am giving away 25 Christmas photo cards to lucky three readers.

Here's how you can win:

1. Subscribe to my blogs Coffee Pearls, and A View and Kero's Celebration via email. Only confirmed subscription will be entered the draw.

2. Optional: If you G+1 this post, I will add another point to your entry.

3. Leave the email you used to subscribe in the comment below and inform you are joining the Shutterfly 2011 Holiday Promotion.

This contest runs until Monday, October 31, 2011. Winners will be notified via email on November 1, 2011.

Good luck!

*In exchange for this blog post, I received 50 free holiday greeting cards with free shipping from Shutterfly.

Posh Vintage Bike

I saw this on display at Fendi store in Dubai Mall.

All decked in leather.

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Duck Pond

While waiting for our rented villa to be ready, we took a walk around Marriot's Village and this scenery greeted us. It was a welcome sight after a 6-hour flight from a super city.

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Hello, Goose!

There's a brook and several duck ponds around Marriott's Village so ducks and geese and even cats roam freely around the resort.

Here's Little C coaxed by his Dada to say hello to the geese. =) He enjoyed running around with cats and feeding the ducks but hesitant to touch the geese lol!

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Get More Of Your Money With TRACFONE Plans

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hear this: a mobile phone monthly plan for only $9.99.

You read it right, we found the least expensive way to own and use a mobile phone in America. We introduce TRACFONE where you can avail low cost phone just perfect for the whole family to keep in touch and Get into Everywhereness . You can choose from the likes of Motorola, LG, Nokia and other popular name brands including Bluetooth enabled smartphones.

With no contracts and no credit checks, you can go straight to choose from their monthly plans which ranges from $30 with 200 minutes to $9.99 with 50 minutes. Yes, of course the Senior Value Cell Phone for elderly is also available and our family is a big fan. It is an absolute necessity for my grandparents as there are fewer pay phones around these days. They could be enjoying a walk in the park but they are in their middle 80s with frail health so you'll never know if the weather changes and they suddenly feel cold. If they have their cell phone, they can dial to call us in any case of emergency.

Moreover, TRACFONE allows you to make international calls for the same price as your local calls. Now you can Get into Everywhereness .

With the trying times these days and bleak economy, we try very hard to get the most out of our money. We all need a mobile phone - your kid, your baby sitter, your teen, your granny, your widowed aunt, your old gentle neighbor, - we all need something basic to keep in touch with each other. With TRACFONE we can keep in touch in the most inexpensive way.

For more information on TRACFONE offers, watch this:

Tracfone Can Be Everywhere...

Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet

My favorite fish!! I added garlic crispsand plentry of freshly ground pepper for extra zing.

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Pink Placemats

The checkered placemats in old rose hue makes the dining table even more country chic.

Celebrating with a glass of  Pinot Noir

The ducks distract Little C from his mac n' cheese ((^_^))

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Join BC Bloggers

It's time to make new friends in the blogosphere! From today, I am joining BC Bloggers, a place where we can meet new bloggers and exchange backlinks. It is hosted by http://www.mommydiary.net/ with very easy and simple rules. If you want to do your blog a favor like widening your reach, join us now!

Click the button for more info:

Horse and Carriage Ride Around Paris

We spotted this white horse at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. One of the popular things to do here among sweethearts is a Private Horse & Carriage Tour around the City of Love. If you opt for the Royal Tour, it comes with a complimentary bottle of champagne.

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Beware The Bridal Fat Trap

Does marriage makes us fat?

That's the question today over our morning coffee. My two best girlfriends married their long time partners in last and they don't have children yet, but they are both complaining of gain weight. There has been numerous studies which claim that because of the loved-up feeling, marriage does make us eat -- rather well.

And another study revealed yesterday from an Australian university claims that because of the bridal bootcamps which ultimately puts pressure for brides to be thinner - and ensure looking good on their wedding day, married women afterwards tend to gain more weight. Whatever pounds they lost before the wedding, comes back because of the yo-yoign weight.

So beware of the bridal fat trap. Remember that your groom is marrying you because he loves you inside and out. Not because you are the fairest of them all in a Vera Wang wedding dress. Planning a wedding is stressful enough, and if that doesn't make you shed weight, don't do anything drastic yet but opt for protein shakes for weight loss .

That is a lot more safer and sure keeps the extra pounds at bay.

Orange Bedroom Chair

We rented a 2-bedroom villa in the French countryside during a recent holiday to France. This one corner of the master's bedroom. The resort is called Marriott's Village, a member of the Marriott Vacation Club.

The resort was designed to replicate the old French village and countryside.

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Tuesday Travels: Carnival Of Venice

It's OctoberFest in Tuesday Travels! Each week, we are to share the international festivals we dream to attend.

For my first entry, I will share the one thing that will make me want to revisit Venice, Italy - the annual Carnival of Venice.

It is more popularly known as Venetian Carnival Masks and it starts 40 days before easter and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday.

Carnival started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes. During the 1970s,, the Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centerpiece of their efforts. Today, approximately 30,000 visitors come to Venice each day for Carnivals. One of the most important events is the contest for the best mask, placed at the last weekend of the Carnival. A jury of international costume and fashion designers votes for "La Maschera piu bella".

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