After years of renting, I finally got a townhouse in 2020 and my family moved in there in 2021, a few months before I returned from my Paris foreign assignment. I felt relieved to finally get a place in Manila that we could call our own and where my mom could have her mini garden…
Category: Fun Trips
Of People and Places
The late Jose Mordeno, Founder and then President of Speechpower, a communications company where I worked part time as a consultant for over 10 years would always mention in his speeches that “You cannot give what you do not have.” Mr. Mordeno was a brilliant, hardworking, charismatic man and in the past, I always looked…
These are a Few of my Favorite Things
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittensBright copper kettles and warm woolen mittensBrown paper packages tied up with stringsThese are a few of my favorite things I love this song. It warms the heart. And those things listed would really make most people smile. But, I have a different list, from various periods of my…
Spectacular Sagada
It was my first time to visit Sagada in June 2023. I was with my former high school classmates some of whom I haven’t seen for years, so it was sort of a reunion as much as it was a nature adventure and culture trip. Cel, Claire & Bryan, and Irma flew from Albay; Joy…
My Bangkok Trip (Jan. 2023)
I was in Bangkok for 5 days in January 2023. I felt that I needed some time off from work to rest my mind and just spend my days walking around the city where no one (except for two friends and colleagues from the Embassy) knows me. Here are my observations/notes: Bangkok Streetfood The streetfood…
Provins and Rambouillet Getaway
The past week gave me the time to go out of Paris to see some new sights, feel the warmth of the sun on my face and discover high-quality farm products. In fact, it was the search of fresh farm products that motivated the short get-away and it was only a plus that I discovered…
Beauteous Belgium
I visited Belgium on the 1st day of June in 2019. Arriving in Ghent from Paris by bus around 5AM, and leaving Brussels around 6PM, it was my shortest trip to a new country. It was my first time to join these cross-country bus tours from Paris, which I can say, both has good points…
Barcelona of My Dreams
November 2019. It was our dream to go to Spain, so weeks prior to our flight, my friends Allen and Tricia, and I exchanged ideas on the best place and dates for our visit. We considered Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and others, but finally chose Barcelona and the first three (3) days of November 2019 to…
Weekend Date in the Eternal City
I was in Rome, known as the Eternal City, but for two days in October 2019, but it left an indelible mark on me. Since the time was very short, rushing to the airport wearing my office clothes on a Friday night after work and returning to Paris on Sunday afternoon, I made sure to…
UK Visit: Sweeter the Second Time Around
Part I: England I visited England three months after my April 2019 visit. This time, I was more prepared. I applied for a leave from work longer than the four-day leave (including weekend) that I filed before. Also, I did not need to ride a cab from London to Fleet, Hampshire because my Ate and…
Beyond Routes 