The birthday post

I am about to face another year in my life in just a few moment. And here are the goals for the past year that I have accomplished and I haven’t.

At 21…

1. I had finished college.

2. I got published thrice, in a nationwide magazine.

3. I had landed a job after graduation.

4. I had landed a job abroad before the year 2010 ended.

5. I ‘managed’ to be independent while I live alone and far away from my family.

6. I had ‘learned’ to sleep alone (but still with the lights on)

7. I had ‘learned’ to do my laundry (with the help of washing machine)

8. My current net worth amounts to more than 7 times of my previous salary.

9. I am travelling around the world. I get to work and see the world all at once. J

10. I had ‘learned’ to eat eggplant.

At 21…

1. I haven’t gotten a permanent savings account! I kept on opening and closing, opening and closing an account. As I go home this month, I have to have a permanent savings account. Really!

2. I wasn’t able to finish 12 books in 12 months. Boo!

3. I did not spend Christmas and New Year with my family and le boyfriend. L But I’m spending the holy week with them anyway!

4. There are still credits to pay!!!

5. I stopped exercising.

Now, as I turn 22, here’s my bucket list that I will turn into reality.

1. Increase my savings amounting to six-digits! Yes, let’s get it on! Goodbye shopping! Partly! :P

2. Buy my own car, with my own money.

3. Drive my own car, which means getting a driver’s license.

4. Think of a business, and save capital for it.

5. Find a good career fallback after December 2012.

6. To visit US and UK J

7. To buy two books every payday and to finish reading it all in a year.

8. To extend help in whatever form it may be

9. To increase domestic travels! Explore Philippines!

10. To be a better person.

The last one sounds poetic, yes, but don’t scratch it. Who wants to get worse every year of his life eh?

I am truly blessed for the past year and I believe that without God’s guidance, I couldn’t have been to where I am right now to begin with. So to Him, I offer all my praise and worship.

I have only one birthday wish, please always keep my family and my love ones safe, healthy, away from any sickness, accidents, and misfortune. Please fill their hearts with love, peace, and happiness. For that, I am truly grateful.

I am now 22, cheers! J

Travelog: In search of the Marcos' Swiss account

Nice layover in a very nice place! I was given 50 hrs layover in Geneve, Switzerland and I'm flying with a Filipina so I was very happy!

Whenever I ask my colleagues what to do in Geneve, they look at me, no, they just stare at me blankly. I know there's nothing interesting to do in Geneve like there's no Eiffel tower to visit nor world-famous landmarks plus it's super expensive there. But I like the idea that there's nothing much to do there because the city is so peaceful quiet and calm as if it was resigned from the world. You can enjoy the place on its own.

We arrived at 4:oo in the afternoon in Geneve and we just changed clothes and my colleague and I went out to chill. It was her third time to Geneve so she knows the place well. Walking across the bridge was scary, as I was taking picture, I felt it shaking! It was scary and fun! Hee!

Maxine and I had our early dinner at the golden arches, enjoyed their salad, chicken wrap and potato wedges. Yum! Then we continued walking around the old town. It was getting dark and I've noticed that the shops close too early, like 7pm! Max also told me that during weekends, all the shops are closed and you can count the people who are out in the streets. It sounds like they are home-buddies eh?

We decided to grab some booze in a mini market and drink at the hotel room and oh boy, I missed beer! I miss beer! Yes, I miss beer! :P

The epic Saint Omer! Wow!

Yes, we're drunk!

After our drinking session and exchange of funny stories, my head was glued on the pillow as soon as Max went to her room. I was beaten, tired, knocked out!

The next day,was the tour day. The weather was perfect, as if it was warmed up for us. It was sunny and cold at the same time.

Before we get to abuse our legs for walking :P, max suggested to eat at Le Relais de Venise – L'Entrecôte. It's the famous steak house which started in Paris. See, I'm not a steak person but when I saw that there's a line, yes, a line of people waiting to get in the steak house, I was curious and hungry as well and gave it a try! My stomach was in for it!

The best vinegrette salad dressing ever! Yummy lettuce and walnut salad!

Oh my, it's heaven in a bun! Crispy sides of the bread but the inside is tender and yum! One bite, and I'm in love with Entrecote!

My steak, medium well done, with the fries, in delicious chicken liver sauce. And oh, did I say that the fries was the best fries I've ever tasted?

I didn't regret spending too much in food because it was worth it! Yes, it was expensive and worth it! We were so full what we ate was enough for dinner. Lol!

After that very filling brunch, Max and I explored the town.

Bought some Swiss souvenirs

And lots of Swiss chocolates!

The conclusion: I haven't found Marcos' swiss account! But I have found how beautiful Geneve is!

Travelog: Bienvenue Paris!

My first Europe trip :)

Full load flight going to Charles de Gaulle airport and one of the managers of the airline was on board! Define pressure! Hee!

Upon check-in at the hotel, the crew had no plans of going out as a group, everyone has their own plans of enjoying the layover. It's a good thing I'm flying with Mona because if not I could have been the Asian version of the estranged tourist in Paris from the movie 'Taken' and unfortunately, I know my Father loves me so much but he's not as iron tough as Liam Neeson in the movie to find and save me. :)

I got knocked out when I landed at the hotel bed. We left Jeddah around 11 in the evening and I couldn't sleep before the flight perhaps because of excitement, haha! We arrved at Paris around 6:30 in the morning and it was frikkin' cold!

The view of the iron lady from my room, nice eh?

I slept until noon and woke up to fix myself and I tagged Mona along. We didn't have an itinerary for a day and a half and we just opted to go wherever our feet will bring us to but we asked the hotel concierge for a map anyway.

Love that everything is near the hotel- the metro, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs elysee, and if you really want to walk and savor Paris, you could walk all the way to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre!

Arc de Triomphe which stands at the middle of the busy street.

Too bad my friend is not a good photgrapher, hee!

I am in love with my new camera. I was like that (see picture above) far from the arc but it captures the details of the arc very well! Power shots!

The arc honors those who died and fought for France during the French revolution.

Beneath the arc lies the tomb of the unknown heroes.

We took the metro on our way to Eiffel Tower because we could have lost our legs if we walked around the city the whole day. :)

The Iron lady stands tall and still

By the Seine River

After the long walk, we ate chocolate crepes while resting our dead tired legs. Just sitting by the bench while eating and looking up on the Eiffel tower is love. It's somehing I've been just dreaming before and now it's right in front of me. God, thank you for I am blessed.

We continued walking, rode the metro, and reached the Musee de Louvre. I wanted to actually see the museum (because of Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo) but they said whole day isn't enough to finish the tour. Also, Mona wanted me to tour to other places so I decided to skip it because it won't be my last trip to Paris. We just strolled around the museum, and even if I tried getting in, the line was crazy! Here are some sneak peaks anyway!

Our next stop is the Notre dame de Paris or most known as Notre Dame Cathedral, the home of the fictional character Quasimodo. Not only that, it's the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris.

Playing with pigeons outside :)

The Notre Dame

I didn't expect I was going to be emotional when I went inside the cathedral. The music. The French Gothic architecture. The stained glass. The holy spirit. God, I felt divine and I cried.

It's when a painting or any work of art,

so beautiful it overwhelms the viewer.

It's a form of shock. Almost fainting from joy.

People feel rapid heart palpitation.

They get dizzy. Looking at great art makes you

forget your own name, forget even where you're at.

Amnesia. Panic. Heart attack. Collapse.

Stendhal syndrome- Diary, Chuck Palahinuk

Okay. I did not faint nor collapse. But I was in awe and I cried inside and Mona was comforting me until we got out of the Cathedral. I will always go there whenever I have Paris flight.

Another place that I loved is the Sacre Couer (Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral). It's a breath of fresh air from the busy streets of the city of love. The cathedral is located uphill, you either take the steps or wait for the train-like vehicle to take you all the way up. You can see the whole city and the skyline of Paris when you reached the top. Parisiens are lounging at the stairs with their friends and amores and artists are singing their hearts out fillig the air with romance.

I was dead tired when we reached the hotel at night. I slept the moment my back felt the soft bed and I woke up late the next day. I just shopped Longchamp bags before we left and got my detax. Hooray for that!

I fell in love with Paris! But I know that the second time would be lovelier!

See you soon, city of lights!

Travelog: Namaste India!

For the first week of the love month, I’ve been to Lucknow, India.

Lucknow is a small and humble province in India but not too much away from civilization. However, as compared from its tourist capital in Delhi, only a few people here can speak English, yes they all speak Hindi, making conversations with the locals a bit of problem.

If you plan to travel here, just take the tour from the hotel because exploring the town on your own can be difficult, like what happened to us. J

We stayed at Vivanta by Taj, 30-minute drive from the airport and the hotel was nice.

Check out my room. It feels majestic with those colorful pillows and curtains!

Oh, and did I say that the people at Vivanta were so warm and welcoming? Like everything they say came from their hearts and not because they were obliged to do so!

Before we went out for dinner, we saw a pictorial of an Indian wedding. The groom’s outfit was extravagant with all the accessories and colorful clothing. I wasn’t able to see the bride but my colleague told me that the bride was wearing a beautiful silk saree that night.

Sorry for a not so clear picture J

For our first night, the whole crew went out to eat, wherelse but in an Indian restaurant. We wouldn’t have been to India if we will not try their spicy Indian foods. We went to Barbeque nation, starved, tired, and ready to eat those chilis. J

Here’s a picture of us having a gastronomic fun.

The food was okay. What I liked most is the barbecued chicken and shrimp, twas both crunchy but tender inside and the spiciness is just right. I also liked chicken briyani and I’ve never eaten chicken briyani anywhere in KSA. But the most favorite that night even the whole crew loved it is the vanilla ice cream. I don’t know if there’s something special with the ice cream or we just ate too much spicy, but it is really friggin’ good. J

After we pigged out we roam around a nearby mall and here we found, sarees, sarees, and sarees!

The next day my Egyptian friend Mona and I went out to explore Lucknow. We just grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and we’re off to go. But it took me some time to finish the most delicious yoghurt my taste buds have ever savored. I’d love to go to India again to buy some of it.

After that, we went to the zoo because Mona wanted to ride an elephant. Elephants in India are considered sacred and holy. Unfortunately, we did not see any and there’s like nothing too interesting in the zoo. Good thing I’ve seen elephants before in Manila. J

The main means of transportation in India is the ‘tuk-tuk’. It’s a small three-wheeled cart and also a three-wheeled cabin.

It’s the same as the tricyle in our country.

There is another one but I forgot to ask what it’s called. It’s like the same as pedicab in Manila except for the the seating cabin is attached at the back of the bicycle and the driver has to pull all the weight for us. It’s really hard work considering that it’s only worth measly rupees. By the way the currency in India is of the same worth as ours in peso. So back to the pedicab, it’s like kalesa for us without the horse.

Well, Mona and I wanted to go to a bazaar where we could buy some souvenir and other Indian stuff. We were talking to almost everyone but they could not speak English. That’s why it could have been better if we took the hotel tour. After some hard negotiation, an Indian man agreed to bring us to a bazaar because he quite understood the 'bazaar' word. And so we took his pedicab and geez, it’s the most dangerous ride I’ve ever been. I swear I could have died on that ride, no seatbelts, no safety or anything. And the traffic in India was mad, each vehicle is trying to cross over every street not paying attention on the traffic lights. Oh, good thing nothing bad happened to us. But, the Indian man did not bring us to a market or a souk or a place like Divisoria. Yes he cheated on us and he brought us to a boutique full of clothes. We could have been not mad if he brought us to a store full of sarees but no, it’s all yards of linens ready to be sewn. And then I just remembered a friend of mine telling me a story that when she went to India, but not Lucknow, the cab driver brought them to a store of his friend and asked them to buy anything from it. It’s like they bring tourist to their friend’s store and they will get commission in return.

Disappointed, we hailed a tuk-tuk and asked to bring us to Imam Bara. Imam bara is a shrine built for employment in Lucknow. It's one of the grandest building in the town. The entrance at the historic site was nice. I always marvel at ancient buildings or anything that were preserved for its historical value. It’s like you’ll be able to relive the prehistoric era when you experience or visit ancient sites.

Mona and I went inside the building that was behind me in the picture above. It is the Indian’s ancestral and cultural heritage. Upon entering, one should remove their shoes as a symbol of respect. It is quite weird because the weather was sunny and bright but when we removed our shoes, the floor of the temple was very cold. There was nothing very special inside the mosque, just some old pictures of their past. But the architecture was beautiful. People before were so artsy and good in architecture even without technology.

We only had a short tour because of our short layover. After that we just bought some souvenir outside the site (yes, we found something to buy, hee) and then we went back to the hotel.

For just 24 hours I’ve almost visited the popular spots in Lucknow. I could say that I quite enjoyed the town, the food and the people but I’m not interested to come back again. Perhaps Delhi will be on my next list because I’d like to see the Taj Mahal and buy authentic pashmina! J

Namaste, India!