some polka dots i spotted...

In my family, we try to wear polka dots every New Year's eve. They say it's for luck. Oddly, it isn't a lucky new year that we're wishing for, but a happy one.

And it turns out, for us to have a happy new year, all we need to do is be thankful.

My new year's resolution is to be thankful for at least one good thing in my life every day.

After all, even though every day may not be good, there's always something good in every day.

What about you? What is your new year's resolution?

Photo from americanhoney, annnniegirl and heritage.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted... series.

happy new year!

Straight from this Kate Spade book, Things We Love, I am wishing you a year filled with just that!

May you have a year filled with celebrations...

The courage to chase your dream...

Everydays filled with the little things that delight you - like stripes and lots of kisses!

Curiosity and destinations to be curious about...

And a whole lot of sparkle!

Have a wonderful New Year everyone!

Photos from heritage.

Mommy Mondays: a new holiday eve tradition

What do you do while waiting for the Christmas or New Year's eve festivities to begin? What do you and your kids do during that time after dinner on December 24 & 31, before Noche Buena or the New Year fireworks?

During previous Christmases, I'd be frantically wrapping gifts in time for gift-giving on Christmas eve. But this year, since I had wrapped all my gifts and put them under our tree early here, I realized we didn't have a customary activity for this window of time. With nothing to do, Isabella and I googled the right lyrics to Christmas carols and didn't bungle them up like we did here. :)

After we had sung all the Christmas carols, Isabella started searching for the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne. The lyrics she googled was just of the chorus so I jumped up from my bed and popped in our DVD of the movie, New Year's Eve, and played the part where Lea Michelle started singing Auld Lang Syne. We sang along since it had subtitles.

The movie kept playing after and when it reached the closing credits where the cast partied to the song Raise Your Glass, we both started dancing. While Zac Efron danced perfectly with Michelle Pfeiffer who crazily danced in-character, we also went crazy, dancing in front of the TV and laughing at how crazily we were dancing. We even replayed the part a couple of times and kept dancing!

We both don't like to dance (Isabella prefers choreographed routines and I have two left feet here), but we had a blast dancing freestyle together while waiting for the Christmas eve festivities to begin.

I think we stumbled upon (literally too, 'coz that's how I look dancing) a fun new tradition. I'm playing the New Year's Eve DVD again tonight and will go crazy dancing again with Isabella.

Don't be fancy, just get dancey

Why so serious?

So raise your glass if you are wrong

In all the right ways

All my underdogs, we will never be, never be

Anything but loud and nitty gritty, dirty little freaks

So won't you come on and come on and

Raise. Your. Glass.

Just come on and come on and

Raise. Your. Glass.

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

Photo from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Mommy Mondays series. Click here and here for previous New Year posts.

wine etiquette

The thing about your birthday falling so close to New Year's is that it's too early to make new resolutions. So since you already know about my resolutions towards a new me here, let me instead share some new things I learned recently.

I expect a couple of celebrations this week that will put these 8 wine etiquette tips to good use.

Tip #1: Here are the rules to filling wine glasses. Fill red wine glasses 1/3 full, white wine glasses 1/2 full and sparkling wine 3/4 full. I know it's nerdy, but I love this rule!

Tip #2: Twist the bottle at the end of pouring a glass of wine - to prevent drips (and to give it a flourish!).

Tip #3: When clinking glasses, make eye contact with the other person. Or you'll risk seven years of bad luck, according to French superstition. You should also clink glasses individually with each person at the table without crossing anyone's arms.

Tip #4: If someone is toasting you (your wedding, your birthday, your general awesomeness), don't take a sip. Just smile and look humble. And to think, I always thought the toast wouldn't come true if everyone, including the celebrant, didn't take a sip!

 

Tip #5: Always hold your wine glass by the stem. Many people mistakenly think you only need to hold white wine by the stem (so you don't warm up the wine), but experts say you should hold red wine by the stem too, so you can see its color and clarity, as well as to avoid smudging the glass with your fingerprints. Otherwise, wine snobs might call you a "bowl grabber"!

 

Tip #6: Remember this tip on remembering that your drink is to your right on the dinnertable? Well, when you have both water and wine, your wine glass goes to the right of your water glass.

Tip #7: While taking a sip, you should politely look into your glass. (And not at another person, if you're in the middle of a conversation.) And here I thought not looking at the person you're talking to would be rude.

Tip #8: If you're the party host, it is your duty to make sure glasses stay filled. Wine expert John Thoreen says, "My eyes go to empty glasses immediately. It's a real radar thing for me."

Or happily forget all of the above, and just eat, drink and be merry!

Here's to a delightful dinner with wine tonight!

Tips are from one of my favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo. Photos from annnniegirl and acupofjo.

happy mushu year!

We celebrated Noah's 7th birthday last week in Hongkong Disneyland. And throughout the park, Mushu from Mulan made several appearances.

From the Chinese lanterns on Main Street...

To the trimmings on one of the pagodas in Fantasy Garden where Noah got a photo with Pluto...

To a character appearance back on Main Street later that day!

It's Mushu's year this year! Happy Mushu year!

Photos are my own.

Click here for another post about our recent adventure in Hongkong Disneyland - including a preview of the newly-opened Toy Story Land!

new year's resolutions

What are your New Year's resolutions?

Will they be as simple yet important as what your mother always reminds you to do?

Or will they be as profound and insightful as William Henry Channing's symphony?

Wishing you a blissful new year! May your 2012 be filled with graciousness, contentment, refinement, elegance & wealth and big events & little adventures worth celebrating!

Photos from i'mjustsaying and sparklesandpretending.

happy new year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Photo from annniegirl.

Click here for previous posts with moving photos.