Mickey Mouse Ruler from the 80s and a 20-year old McDonald's Pencil Box

I'm slowly regaining my strength, so decluttering continues. I found a few vintage stuff from one of the boxes I sorted on my Mom's birthday. Never knew I'd see a souvenir from the first time when we went to Disneyland in 1980. 

I was only 4 years old back then, but I remember a few things from that trip. I remember I didn't like walking and I preferred to be in the stroller. That or Kuya would carry me, hahaha. I also always felt cold. The most fun moment for me was when we went through the "It's a Small World" ride. 

Mom bought this super cute ruler. I remember playing with it when I was a child. Never really used it as a ruler. It's just been used for display and eventually was kept in a cabinet. It has some damage now, but it's still cute. I cleaned it up and just put it in my ruler drawer for now since everything's messy in my craft room. I probably need to spend a day organizing it.

Also found two McDonald's pencil cases. I couldn't find the exact date it was released. Probably from the 90s since Hamburglar disappeared from commercials in 2002/2003. I'm also not sure when "Love ko to" was introduced by McDonald's Philippines. The slogan though was used in the 2000s, so the pencil box may have been from 2000-2005 before Hamburglar was phased out. Found a few posts selling the pencil box and Sweetie said he wanted to collate all "vintage" stuff, so I turned it over to him. 

It's interesting to read up on old stuff, so I might do more of this for Throwback Thursdays :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: Experienced Disneyland at 2'C

Disney has been losing money according to reports. Losses mainly due to their streaming platform, Disney+, and movies that didn't reach box office targets. I hope this doesn't affect their park. It reminded me of the last time we visited Disney in Japan. I always wanted to bring my family there since I have happy memories of Disney from my childhood. 

It was dead winter when we went to Japan. Uncle Fumio warned us that since it was the holiday season sometimes Disney would limit the number of people who'd come in. He was so surprised we were up and out before his advised time, haha. 

We had to get some coffee before we started going around because it was too cold for me. We got in around 6:30 am and we had some breakfast first to warm us up. By the time we were finished it got a bit warmer (5'C) and we headed to the Star Wars ride (priorities!). Hearing the main theme of Star Wars always gives me the happy shivers. 

It grew a bit warmer by noon. We rode just a few rides since the lines were very long! It was, after all, the New Year holiday week in Japan. Most memorable for me was the parade. It brought me back to the times I got to visit Disney when I was a child. And the fireworks were really amazing. 

Just one tip, don't go during winter, haha. It totally slipped my mind because the tickets were really affordable for that time! Well, whatever we saved we spent on winter clothes. Disney is one place you should experience at least once in a lifetime. Well, twice. One, when you're a child. And two, when you bring your child to experience it too. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Looking for a Mate? You Won't Find it in Hongkong

Yup, that's what our tour guide, Henry, said. Funny, I was SMSing with Jomar and talking about whether there were any prospects in Hongkong when Henry announced that teenie bit over the bus' PA system. Henry said that their government even has a special program encouraging couples to get married and have children in Hongkong. I guess coz the cost of living is really high there and people just have to get by with their salaries. Oh well, living in the Philippines is still the best.

So last weekend, after ten years of planning, me and my amigas from high school (Mercy and Chare) and Miggy went to see the sights in Hongkong.

Day 1

Hongkong Day 1

• Late lunch at McDonald's
• Chinese lauriat dinner - not that good, locally cooked Chinese food's better (especially at Good Earth!)
• Victoria Peak - enjoyed the 45 degress tram ride up the mountain tremendously
• Wax Museum - photos, photos and photos with fave movie stars, sports celebrities and politicians
• Night Market - found it a bit expensive, got some pajamas and pasalubongs, Divisoria is still the best shopping place!

Day 2

Hongkong Day 2

• Harbour View - never let your tour guide take your photo! We were all surprised when the tour guide sold to us plated photos at HK$150 each! We found out a day after it only cost HK$75! Argh!
• Shopping at TSL Jewelry and a pasalubong shop - the stuff at TSL Jewelry were really nice and very, very expensive. The three of us got pendants (to match our pajamas haha).
• Hongkong Disneyland - seeing Mickey surfing with open arms brought back childhood memories. I've been to Disneyworld in the US twice and Disneyland in Japan and that's why I saved up to bring Miggy there while he's still a kid. My amigas and I felt like kids again and even shared a huge cotton candy while walking through Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. Bring at least US$100 to buy a shirt and some stuff at Disney.

Day 3

Hongkong Day 3

• Kowloon Park - too bad the aviary and bird lake were closed coz they had a bird flu scare a few weeks ago. We still enjoyed the park though and were surprised there were many Pinoy groups meeting up in the area. The maze was fascinating and the old women doing dance exercises were cool.
• Hongkong Space Museum - we wanted to go to the Science Museum but the entrance fee cost 150% more, since we were kinda broke we settled for the Space Museum haha. It was interesting, but nothing compares to the museums in Washington, DC.
• Harbour View and Avenue of Stars - we walked and walked and walked and walked and recognized a handful of "stars" in the walk.
• Toys R Us - the mall was just really too big. Unfortunately we didn't find it.

Do's and Don'ts

1. Don't believe everything your tour guide tells you. We were happy until he started selling us those souvenir items in the bus. I think they took advantage of our "yes to everything" nature (hey it's our culture!). One family who had 17 members joining the tour spent a lot of money for the plates.

2. Do buy at the Night Market. The tour guide kept saying that their store sold cheaper pasalubongs. It wasn't.

3. Don't buy where your tour guide tells you to buy. The tour guide said their store sold cheaper Disney items. Definitely not!

4. Do understand that it's their culture to be a bit masungit. They're not naturally malambing like us Pinoys.

5. Do follow your friends advise. When they say it's cold, it's really cold.

My friend Mercy has been handling all my travel arrangements for years already. She also does it for my other friends and my Mom's friends. If you're going to travel, call Mercy.