The first month of 2021 is almost over and I don’t want to miss writing about my reflection on 2020. No one could argue that 2020 has been a devastating year to many, not just to the people who lost their livelihood, but most especially to those who lost their loved ones. My heart goes out to you all!
Considering the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone’s worry about their safety, and many are opting for a staycation. So, when I got my US citizenship (Yay for that😊), my family decided to have a quick weekend celebration. We couldn’t think of a better place near us than the Grandscape at The Colony. The first time I visited a couple of months back, I felt that the kids would definitely love this place.
Grandscape is a new kind of destination that offers unique experiences for the whole family – from its outdoor entertainment to adrenalin-pumping karting, dining, and shopping – you are in for a great time!
Although our house is only a 20 to 30-minute drive, we wanted to stay overnight at a hotel to get the whole experience of “travel” and make it a special occasion (plus we wanted to celebrate with a little bubbly and not have to drive home). The Hampton Inn & Suites – The Colony didn’t disappoint.
Hampton Inn & Suites The Colony is just a few minutes walk/ drive to Grandscape. It offers convenience and comfort for the family, and as usual, Hilton properties always deliver value, consistency, and service to their customers. Read More
I have lived in Plano for 12 years now, and I have seen this city grow. The restaurant and shopping scenes have grown tremendously, not just in sheer numbers but also the broad selection, and I love it!
To those who are thinking of traveling outside the U.S., please take a look below at the list of countries that opened up their borders to welcome U.S. travelers.
With its ever-changing international travel restrictions, we advise you to please always check with the U.S. Embassy and your destination tourism website for updates before finalizing travel plans. And, you are always welcome to send us an email to help you navigate through this strange new world.
Hawaii is finally reopening (without the need for the 14-day quarantine). Yay!!! However, before we all get too excited planning a dream Hawaiian adventure, let me give you the important information you need to know.
As a person who grew up in the Philippines, a relatively “homogenous” population, you would think that discrimination based on skin color would be unknown to me. Yet I have seen it even in my home country. By sheer virtue of my lighter skin complexion, I was given more and better opportunities, and I am sure it allowed me to get away with some mistakes unscathed. It is a very real thing that power and privilege had, and it still has a specific “look” in the Philippines and many other countries, a look that is merely based on the color of your skin, the shape of your nose, or your natural hair.
If you have followed me in the past years, then you know that I married a white South African, someone who witnessed and experienced racism from the day he was born. He is from a country where racism was not only legal in its apartheid system but incestuously embedded in all aspects of life. As a “white” South African, he got all the “white” privileges. Why “white” you may ask…. simply put even within “white” there was a caste system too – The Afrikaans (Dutch descendants) on top, followed by the British… Northern Europeans (Germans, French, Scandanavians), then the Mediterranean Europeans (Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks); my husband being from the last caste as his parents were Portuguese immigrants. Thanks to spending most of his school life in private “Catholic” schools, which legally could be attended by people of color, apartheid didn’t stop him from having friends of color growing up (although it did implement another form of discrimination … religion; Cape Town is home to a large Muslim community, and Muslim students were forced to participate in Christian activities). Read More
