(1) Not doing any touristy stuff
(2) Eating out is a once a week reward and a break from all the cooking we do at home throughout the week
(3) We are back to our weekly schedule of cleaning and de-cluttering the home
(4) Staying in is the first option during the weekend not unless we need to go somewhere
(5) Going back to our regular eating habits in the home: more fish, veggies and fruits; less meat and sweets.
(6) Being wrapped up with work during weekdays
So there. That is exactly the kind of lifestyle we have sans special visits from family and friends from overseas. Not many know and it is not obvious (because I always blog about our gimiks--but then why would I always blog about what we do at home, right?) that we love spending our free time at home. The only reason why we have a social life is because we have relatives and friends that we love to spend time with once in a while. However, if there are no invitations from loved ones, we do spend our free time just hanging out at home, cooking or baking, doing TV series/movie marathons or playing games.
My mom's vacation was one of the most relaxed vacations ever. She came here not to do touristy stuff but just to spend time with her family. Before she came to visit, she told me that she didn't want to go anywhere much. With that in mind, I told her I'll share my love for food, leisure and theatre with her when she visits. And that's what we did.
We took her to the Good Food and Wine Show and watched a cooking demo of two of the most famous Australian chefs. We took her to restaurants that served great food. I took her to Yum Cha so she can have a taste of the most delicious roast duck I've ever tasted. We took her to a farmer's market and together we got to know the local producers in our area.
I took her to the Capitol Theatre to see one of my favorite musicals, "Wicked". She enjoyed it immensely.
For the first time, my mom met up with a friend here, my Tita Beth. My mom and I enjoyed the company of Tita Beth as we played tourist guides for a day.
She was here for seven weeks and time passed by so quickly. Now, we just look forward to seeing each other again in a few months (we hope).