Travel Recollections

The last time I was in France was about 10 years ago. Yes it has been that long! My sister was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her friend somewhere in the south of France. We managed to arrange our schedule to meet up in Paris after the wedding so we could have a grand vacation. We stayed at the apartment of another friend of my sister in Paris which was located in the Bastille district of the French capital. But if you don't know anyone in Paris, this website listing the different Paris hotels will surely come in handy.





We visited all the famous tourist spots like The Eiffel Tower, The Sacre Coeur Basilica, The Notre Dame Cathedral. We even patiently waited in line to enter the Louvre Museum. This was way before the book by Dan Brown "The Da Vinci Code" and the movie for that matter was released. My favorite tourist activity in Paris is to take the scenic Seine River cruise and simply soak in the lovely ambiance of Parisian life. Just like the boat which Celine and Jesse took in the movie "Before Sunset".

The great thing about traveling in Europe is that everything is connected by a very efficient rail transportation system . So you can basically just avail of an Eurail pass, hop on a train to visit the different cities within France. For your accommodations, simply book online on this website which offers a wide variety of hotels located anywhere in France.







For example you can head to Nice (pronounced "Niece" not "nice") the capital of the French Riviera. The last time I visited this coastal city was in the early 80s when we were on our way to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Beautiful sun drenched beaches, charming cobblestone streets lined with cafes and historical museums are the main attractions of this southeastern French city. A vibrant nightlife also awaits your presence. At the end of the day, you can retire to one of the numerous hotels which you booked through this extensive website. Then you can truly say you had a nice time in Nice!

Shopping Cart Software

A few years ago, I took a short term course in web design in a computer school located in the Shaw Boulevard area. Our final 'thesis' was to design an interactive e-commerce web page from scratch. I remember spending sleepless nights and getting very frustrated trying to get my website to work.

I know that if I had this e-commerce software available to me back then, it would have been a big help in finalizing my project. Ashop Commerce provides a very vital tool in any online store, the shopping cart. Their website is well designed with comprehensive information about the mechanics in setting up an e-commerce store. Their tech support and customer service are always ready to answer all your enquiries. You can also use a trial version of their shopping cart software for 10 days to familiarize yourself with their product. They make it all seem so easy! It is a one stop solution for all your e-commerce needs.

By the way, I am ashamed to admit that I simply gave up and failed to submit my final project for that course. Another one of those tasks I've left pending because I lost interest. It's the story of my life, really.

Pasa Load

Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays are D's off days for this semester. The rest of the week he works from 7:30 AM to 6 PM. Great! And we got a wedding to plan!

OK maybe not.

No don't get me wrong, we are still getting married next year! I meant we don't really need to plan for it or so I keep telling myself. So far, we have decided to just find a priest who will be willing to marry us in some chapel or church without the frills of having bridesmaids, sponsors and whatever it is you need at these ceremonies. Only my parents and sister would be present. His parents (they are already too old to travel) and his siblings are all in the US of A. He hates the idea that he has to invite the whole university where he teaches to the wedding. Our 'reception' kuno would be at Teriyaki Boy. Then we check into the Linden Suites for our honeymoon.

I know people would say hmmm it is just one day why don't you splurge a little? Or worse, he must be poor he cannot afford an elaborate wedding. The thing is the less stress the better it is for me. I don't function well in stressful situations. I cry my eyes out. A bride with puffy eyes on her wedding day is not a good sign, I tell you! When I emailed my friend to consult her about the preparations, I read her reply twice, went on a brief panic mode then I forwarded the email to D so *he* would do everything. In other words, I 'pasa load' - I passed the load of planning the wedding to him. Teehee!

It is more important for me to plan for the marriage instead of the wedding. I rather spend on improving the little apartment we would call our conjugal home. And believe me, the place does need a LOT of improvement. The minute I stepped into D's place I was already thinking on how to renovate the whole apartment. After all, I would be working from home so it is imperative I make it as comfortable as possible. Since D works such long hours, the thought that I would be all alone for hours on end is already stressing me out, this early. D has been teasing me constantly that I might start to cry out of loneliness being stuck in that tiny place the whole day. Well, I just need to prove him wrong, won't I? Either that or I have an hour and a half to dry my tears the minute he texts me he is on his way home. Ehem!

Dangling Earrings (Batch 2)

I took pictures of the remaining set of my earrings at Linden Suites. I hanged them on the lamp located on the side table by the bed. Now if you want to contribute to my collection, you are very much welcome to do so! After all, Christmas is just around the corner and it is the season to give gifts! Ho ho ho =)

Advantage Term Life

Every year my sister receives a letter reminding her to register her car as well as renew her car insurance policy. We also had both our condo unit and our parents house insured in case of damages due to natural calamities and accidents. But we have never thought of buying life insurance.

Advantage Term Life is a company that sells a wide range of comprehensive life insurance. These include term insurance, whole life and employee benefit package. They offer a reliable insurance quoting service where you can compare the different policies and the coverage it offers to make it easier to decide the best option. Everything you ever needed to know about life insurance policies is conveniently located on their website. Click away and get insured!

Smorty

To get the ball rolling (special thanks to Girlie!), the first site I signed up with is Smorty. Its name sounds like a delightful candy, oh wait ok so that's Smartie! But I digress!



Smorty is a service that links advertisers with bloggers. Advertisers pay bloggers to write their opinions about products, services and websites. It only takes a few minutes to compose an entry with a link back to the advertiser prominently displayed in your post. After all, don't we always have an opinion about something?

Its features include the opportunity to earn more money by writing your opinions in multiple blogs, the choice to select only products that interest you and you get paid to blog, weekly through Paypal. For advertisers it is a chance to increase your search-engine rankings and targeted traffic by blog advertising.

Their brightly designed website is comprehensive and very easy to navigate. Take a few minutes to read all the relevant information and tools at your disposal. Sign up as either an advertiser or a blogger, wait a few days for your blog to be approved then voila, you are all set to get paid for blogging.

Quick Update

Last month was pretty hectic. I came back from Bohol and Cebu. We celebrated my sister's birthday. The very next day I developed severe abdominal cramps which got me bedridden for a week. Then I was off to watch foreign films at the Spanish Film Festival. My computer broke down permanently and this 'event' had me frantic in deciding what to do next. Until I finally bought a new PC and couldn't be happier with my purchase. I celebrated my 39th birthday on the day the Glorietta explosion occurred. Then my sister and I checked into the Linden Suites for an overnight stay. I managed to watch only 1 movie at Cine Europa. I still have movie reviews to write, emails to reply to and tons of bills to pay.

D had 2 weeks off work due to the semester break so it was bonding time. A time well spent since we have made several concrete plans about our future. Exciting plans which I admit give me butterflies in my stomach and has my head spinning with numerous thoughts and ideas. Yet at the same time, I am freaking out if I am up to the daunting task ahead. I make it sound like doomsday but just imagine after spending 39 years of my life in the lap of independence and luxury, I am going to embark on a journey where I alter my last name, adjust to new surroundings, adapt to a completely different lifestyle and make decisions which would affect the rest of my life. But how hard can it be, right? After all since I was 3 years old I have been on this nomadic path of always adjusting to everything from locale, culture, climate, cuisine, residences and even friends, I guess it is time to dig in and grow roots!

The main point of this entry is to announce my intention to write sponsored posts on this blog because I need to build a nest egg. And yes I am getting married next year! Wish me luck, for both! =)

Meme Time

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night?
D, as usual!

2. What were you doing at 0800?
I'm not a morning person so I was still asleep

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Washing the dishes

4. What happened to you in 2006?
Ah I turned 38

5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
"ok you can pull the USB thumb drive out na"

6. How many beverages did you have today?
2 - coffee and water

7. What color is your hairbrush?
I use a light blue comb

8. What was the last thing you paid for?
the car wash for my sister's car at the parking lot of the Shangri-la Plaza

9. Where were you last night?
Home

10. What color is your front door?
Brown

11. Where do you keep your change?
Coin purse which I have to search for deep within my bag everytime I pay for anything

12. What’s the weather like today?
Pleasant enough, no sun, not too humid.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
Mint chocolate which I haven't had in ages!

14. What excites you?
film festivals, out of town trips, special occasions and my dates with D

15. Do you want to cut your hair?
Yes, my hair needs a trim but the thing is my stylist has been assigned to another branch (all the way in SM North of all places) so I've been hesitant to try someone else

16. Are you over the age of 25?
Definitely

17. Do you talk a lot?
It depends on the company but not really.

18. Do you watch the O.C.?
Nope

19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
A friend of my sister but I don't really know him

20. Do you make up your own words?
Sometimes, yes

21. Are you a jealous person?
No

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’.
Ash

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.
Karl but he was just some guy I went out with just once

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?
My sister

25. What does the last text message you received say?
"Ok hon c u l8r ingats ha, i love you!"

26. Do you chew on your straw?
No

27. Do you have curly hair?
More like wavy hair

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
Baguio but nothing definite yet

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
No one

30. What was the last thing you ate?
Lunch - rice, kaldereta with clear veggie soup

31. Will you get married in the future?
Yes, next year. Gosh!!!

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?
"The Lives of Others" a German film and the only film I caught at the recently concluded Cine Europa at the Shang Cineplex

33. Is there anyone you like right now?
D

34. When was the last time you did the dishes?
I did it before I answered this meme

35. Are you currently depressed?
Not at all

36. Did you cry today?
No, do I have to??

37. Why did you answer and post this?
I decided to post this meme to prove I am not neglecting this blog, gone missing or abducted by aliens. Things have been hectic, period!