Where I'm From, Everyone's a HERO

Much have been said and written about the great calamities that were Ondoy and Pepeng. They claimed homes, hard-earned possessions and sadly, loved ones. Indeed it was a harrowing experience that will forever be etched in the lives not only of those affected but of the Filipino people as a whole.

But despite of it all, what ultimately marked in our lives are the spirit of resiliency and "bayanihan" that Filipinos showed in midst of calamity. All of a sudden "bayanihan" showed up in people selflessly reaching out a helping hand, rescuing others even if their own lives were put into danger, welcoming the homeless in their homes, sharing precious time for reliefs operation, pitching in some cash even if it were the last in their pockets. The list could go on and on. In our own little way we provided comfort for those people who have lost so much.

Filipinos are people with strength. We've been through countless calamities and adversities but we always have this fire inside us to courageously rise and rebuild our lives and homes and definitely it is always a massive task if we have nothing left to rebuild in the first place. But our faith and hope have never failed us. We know and believe that we can victoriously rise with a big smile in our face.

Each one of us is a natural hero. Indeed it is true and I proudly say from this nook of the earth where I am now, "Where I am from, everyone is a hero".

Summer Bustles

After our much-anticipated French holiday in Spring, we were back to normal. The normal work-home cycle, that is.

I don't know about you but for me it seems that the days passed by so fast that summer is almost over. Just what exactly I've been doing these past three months?

Dusseldorf, Germany

At the start of the season, I was sent to Dusseldorf in Germany for a 5-day training course. It was a welcome break especially for me who has been in the same project for over a year.

I did my "mandatory" city tour in the afternoons every after the training sessions and hunt for some interesting restaurants for dinner while taking random photos along the way.

Historical Townhall

Little Dog: "Now, who's the boss?"

long stretch of pubs and restaurants

Iconic Rheinturm Düsseldorf - view from Altstadt

Konigsallee

Revisiting Paris

Immediately the following week, I flew to Paris for another course. That was a course worthy of note as the French instructor was more enthusiastic about driving us around the city than teaching in the classroom. Ssshhhh!!!

That trip was altogether different from my first visit as I managed to see the city from the point of view of a joyrider with a French driver along. Gone are the METRO rides wherein you end up missing some wonderful Parisian panorama not usually written in the guidebooks. This time, he pointed out and explained the remarkable distinction of each arrondissements with some tidbits of trivia in between.

Grand Palais

North facade of Les Invalides

Arch de La Defense - Built for the 200th anniversary of the French revolution in 1789

"Le Pouce" (The Thumb) in La Defense

Having missed the opportunity to go inside the Louvre Museum on the first visit, I dragged my Russian colleague/classmate to go inside and started my quest for a shot of the Mona Lisa. Luckily, the museum was open until 10 in the evening that day. We managed to spend 4 hours wandering around the Richelieu wing of the magnificent palace where the grand gallery and Napoleon III's apartment are located.

The Pyramid from within

La Gioconda by Leonardo da Vinci

Napoleon III Apartments

England - Back to Base

In August, my aunt’s family from Amsterdam came over and spent a week with us. I took three days off from work to join them in visiting the usual famed tourist spot nearby. We spent a day in Windsor and did some shopping in Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth Harbour.

Windsor Castle

The Crooked House in Windsor

Visiting family at Gunwharf Quays

Finally...PARIS!

I think it is everyone's dream to go to Paris.

For me, it is the most popular destination in Europe. A European trip is never complete without catching a glimpse of the famed City of Lights. Even films and novels would usually choose Paris when they require a romantic and sophisticated setting.

So, after a series of hassles and frustrations brought about by Zach's visa application (UK being out of Schengen Territories), we finally got to see Paris last April.

We took the Eurostar from London and if not for our Brussels side trip, we could have been in the Paris city centre in a matter of two hours. The train offers comfort and convenience by avoiding the endless hassles of airports and aircrafts SOP. Passport and visa checks are done before boarding the train and passengers can literally jump off of the train upon arriving in Paris Nord Station and head on to their destinations.

As for us, we had enough time to find our hotel, rest a bit, freshen up and set off to our sightseeing. Without a doubt, Eiffel Tower was first on our list. Having bought a guidebook and studied the Paris Metro map weeks before our trip, getting around the romantic city was a breeze.

Eiffel Tower

I was in awe the moment I saw the massive Eiffel Tower. After admiring the metal structure from underneath, we proceeded to queue for the ticket booth and then head on for another queue for the elevator. We were at the top of the tower after a mere 10-minute wait. It was on another visit two days later that we realized we were absolutely right on going there that early evening as most tourists tend to go there on mornings. The zigzagging queue of people wanting to go up that day was just unbelievable.

Eiffel Tower - The French Icon

The view of the city from the tower was fantastic and I considered myself truly blessed at that time seeing it. We stayed and waited for the illumination of the tower which starts at sunset. The illumination started with a 10-minute glimmering light show and the said show is done on the first 5 minutes of every hour until 1 AM.

view of Paris taken from the Eiffel Tower

View of Place de Varsovie. The cluster of skycrapers is in Paris' Business District - La Défense

Parisian Sunset

Eiffel Tower at night

Instead of taking the Metro back to our hotel, we took the bus so we can see much of the city at night. Lucky enough, the bus line going towards our hotel's direction is passing along the prestigious Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Montmartre

Mother Nature was so kind to us that she gave us a warm and sunny day the following day despite the rainy forecast. We headed to Montmartre, a hilly district north of Paris. It is known for the Sacre Coeur Basilica located at the peak of the hill. Montmartre also offers a magnificent view of the city. We had a short tour of the cathedral and stayed a bit to say our prayers.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

Just a few steps from the cathedral is the Place du Tertre (a tip from Elanie). It was previously the main square of the Montmartre village and has been and still is an open-air studio for many artists. It was once a hub to great artists like Renoir, Picasso, Cezanne, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec (all these names I just used to hear in Humanities class) as they had kept studios and homes in the adjacent streets. You can find landscape and portrait artists and caricaturists who are more than willing to draw your likeness on the spot.

After walking around and looking over the shoulders of artists doing their craft, Zach and I headed for the restaurants and indulge ourselves to a variety of crepes before hitting the roads again for our next destination.

Louvre

Next on our must-see list was the Louvre Palace located at the centre of Paris. It used to be a royal palace and presently, it houses the Louvre Museum and a number of government offices. The Pyramid is simply marvelous and it served as an entrance for the museum. The pyramid and the fountains in the courtyard provide a welcoming break for tired tourists to stop, rest for a while and admire the great architecture that is the Louvre.

Zach and the Louvre Pyramid designed by I.M. Pei
The solid is for the dead, but the transparent is for the living - I.M. Pei

Us, the Louvre Palace, the Grand Pyramid and one of the three Mini Pei Pyramids

at the Cour Carree in Louvre

Being on a tight itinerary and due to long queues to the museum, we decided not to go inside and continued to walk to the adjoining Jardin des Tuileries stopping for an ice cream and some snapshots from time to time.

one of the many interesting sculptures in Jardin de Tuileries

Place de la Concorde and La Madeleine

The west of the garden leads to Place de la Concorde. It is the largest square in Paris and once served as guillotine site during the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined there in front of cheering crowds.

Hittorf's Fountain in Place de la Concorde

(I clearly remembered that this is where Anne Hathaway throws her phone in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada")

From there, despite aching feet, we continued walking along Rue Royal where La Madeleine stands at the end of the road. It is now used as a Catholic Church and the architecture of which was inspired by Roman Temples.

Église de la Madeleine

Île de la Cité

Île de la Cité is a natural island in the Seine River and is considered to be the heart of Paris and it was where the medieval city was established. The medieval structures that still exist in Île de la Cité are the Cathedral de Notre Dame de Paris, La Conciergerie and the Sainte Chapelle.

Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral and is the cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in the world.

To avoid monotony as in standard Gothic practice, assymetrical elements are introduced. Thus, the slightly different shapes of the three main portals.

La Conciergerie is a former palace and prison. One famous prisoner is Marie Antoinette. It was in La Conciergerie where she awaited execution in 1793.

Pont Neuf which means New Bridge is actually the oldest bridge in Paris. Zach and I spend some minutes resting in one of the bridge's bastion due to my aching feet (which definitely requires another post. hehe!) observing tourists passing by and later identifying the buildings surrounding the area. We decided to have a coffee break in one of the cafes nearby before heading to our final destination for the day.

Arc de Triomphe

One of the famous monuments in Paris is Arc de Triomphe. This triumphal arc honours those who fought for France. It stands at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, a big roundabout with 12 avenues, one of which is the Champs-Élysées. Underneath the arch is the tomb of the unknown soldiers who died from during the World War I.

taking a quick snapshot of Arc de Triomphe amidst the busy motor traffic

Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

Pinoy Accent ???

I was on the phone moments ago speaking to a vehicle dealer and out of nowhere he told me that he recognized my accent. He straightaway asked me if I am from the Philippines!!!

It turned out his wife is a Filipina from Cavite. Then, we exchanged pleasantries about the Philippines and how he loves the islands and that he was already on the process of buying a house there. As soon as we hung up, it made me think about Filipino accent.

I have nothing against our kababayan who sort of tried really hard in adapting the British accent. I know that most of the time we get the hang of it without realizing it. But for me, I have never tried to copy the accent as I know it would sound funny to native speakers here.

I remember the time when I was stranded in Munich due to a cancelled flight and I happen to share a meal and interesting conversation in the hotel bar with a British gentleman. After a couple of hours into the conversation, he asked me where I got my American accent and if it was because I was educated in the US or because of watching American films. I was surprised and told him that as far as I know I am speaking with my own Filipino accent.

But how does the Filipino accent sound? It really intrigued me.

A New Obsession?

These past weeks, I realized that my life seem to revolved around baking that I would turn down out-of-town trips invitation and preferred to stay home and bake. It all started when I had a good purchase of a set of silicone baking pans in Costco. Excited to try it all, I rummaged around for my mother's all-time cake recipes and tried new ones found in the internet. I got so obsessed that I was even thinking of starting a baking blog. Haha!

Baking is not something new for me as I grew up seeing my mother bake. All the time! I even took Culinary Arts classes for two years as part of our high school curriculum but those were not enough to stir up the interest in me.

Until, recently.

Each week I make it a point to bake something. I started out making cookies and brownies since I only had to mix everything and beat as much as I like and they are not that prone to flatness and failure. Then, I moved on to chocolate and butter cakes and eventually angel cake, sponge cake and pies. Well, not all of them turned out pretty but at least they were edible and most importantly, Zach enjoyed them.

Apple Pie - ready for the upper crust and then straight to the oven

My own version of the Australian dessert Pavlova

After weeks and weeks of sweet treats, my ever health-conscious hubby, all of a sudden, got conscious about his high sugar and carbo intakes and have been spending extra time in the gym to burn them off. It might be his way of letting me know to slow down on my baking as he was always the one finishing them off to make way for my next treat. Haha!

I don't know if this new obsession of mine is here to stay (especially now that I have my mind set on our upoming holiday) or it may be just like my "make-up mania" last year that caused me to splurge on make-up, mascara and brushes that ended up stored in my drawers - now unused.