I remember being misinformed about two years ago…someone said that there will be fireworks at the Eiffel Tower on New Year’s Eve…and so, my hubby and I braved the winter chill and camped near the beloved tower in anticipation of the fireworks display. Unfortunately, there was none. Hehe. But we weren’t too disappointed, though, because dear Eiffel was decked with a million lights that blinked to the tune of Auld Lang Syne (if my memory serves me right) at the stroke of midnight! It was definitely one of the most memorable New Year celebrations of my life. :) …continue reading Fireworks Display at the Eiffel Tower!

Posted: July 19th, 2009 under Paris.
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I write this post with fondness for years gone by. :)

Whenever I cannot sleep, which is more usual nowadays due to what they call “pregnancy insomnia”, I will myself to think of happy thoughts. And tonight, for some strange reason, I remember watching The Sound of Music over and over again with my cousins — Det and Khrisna. Oh, we watch Annie, too…but I like Sound of Music better because of the songs. I know those songs like the back of my hand…until this very day…I don’t know why!

Looking back, I am surprised at how much those songs have stuck with me through the years. Whenever I am trying to calm myself, even as an adult, I hum Edelweiss. And my bestfriend, Rhen, can attest that I have a little poster of the lyrics of My Favorite Things on my cubicle. I start singing it when people get on my nerves and I want to keep cool. I think I had that posted for 2-3 years, until they implemented 5S and we can no longer have personal effects in our cubicles. :(

But the Sound of Music Song that had always been a personal favorite is Climb Every Mountain. I hum that song in my head when I need to motivate myself for something important…like the Annual President’s Report that I have to write, the Board Presentation that I have to turn in every quarter, and all those other work-stuff that I had to do before. It has worked, I guess, as I have kept my job for seven years. Hihihi! But now that I am no longer working as hard…hahaha…I just enjoy Climb Every Mountain for nights such as tonight, when pregnancy insomnia kicks in and all of Paris is already asleep.

Bonne nuit, tout le monde! :)

Posted: July 1st, 2009 under Music.
Comments: 1

Today, of all days, is the best time to blog. Why? Because my “all-day sickness” has temporarily left me. It must be the baby back ribs I ate for dinner. :)

Oh let me share the good news: I AM PREGNANT! — for real! My family and friends can’t believe it, and neither can I at first. My husband was actually in denial for a few weeks, he said that my supposedly hard tummy must be a combination of gas and poop! What a meanie! But when all the pregnancy test kits showed double lines, he quietly took a seat in a corner and stared at me like I’m some sort of an alien. Did I tell you that men can have the most horrible reactions at the momentous events of your life?! Oh, but he has been a sweetheart after he recovered from the shock…he now cooks my meals, does the laundry, does the ironing, prepares my fruits, etc. Hihihi! If there’s anything I love about this phase in my life, it’s my princess-mode. :)

As I am writing this, my baby is 8 weeks and 4 days old. I think he or she must be the size of a cherry now. My little cherry, apparently, likes Filipino food. I crave for palabok, chicharon, siopao, sisig, lugaw, and all other pinoy food that are not found here in baguette country! And my timing is incredible…it’s either 2:00 in the morning, or when it’s raining really hard. I tried to substitute these cravings with the wonderful french cuisine that are within my armslength, but for some weird reason, I find them repulsive now. My usual french cuisine favorites no longer appeal to my tastebuds and I started to think that they smell funny! Everything smells funny when you are pregnant…even my husband! :) I hope my love for french food will come back when I give birth…if not, they will probably revoke my visa! :)

There’s a little story behind this pregnancy which I wanted to keep as a secret, but thought the better of it. To be honest, my husband and I are not really so bent on having a baby. We like the idea of having one, but with all the fertility issues that we are facing, we told ourselves that it’s ok if we don’t get to have one — we will just enjoy our lives together and tour the world, hehehe! We sort of agreed that we won’t storm heaven for a baby…we will just sort of leave it up to the high heavens if they grant us the grace. Our prayers had been like this ever since, although I’m sure our family are praying more fervently for us to have a kid…hahaha! Then one day, I came across the story of Saint Catherine Laboure and was delighted that the chapel where Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal appeared is here in Paris! I went there and was mesmerized by the message of our Lady:

“Come to the foot of the altar, it is there that graces will be showered on all those who ask with confidence and fervor”.

I don’t actually know how to be sure that I am praying with confidence or with fervor…but I thought I will just go there anyway. It will be good to have someone to talk to, even if she’s invisible, since I’m always alone at home and I’m almost forgetting how to talk! Hihihi.

So…I went there twice, hoping to be able to kneel on that altar, but every time I go there, they have some kind of an event going on and I cannot even get past the middle of the chapel. On my third visit, I was in luck! The chapel just opened and there were only 10 or so people inside. I went directly to the altar, kneeled, and told Our Lady a lot of things…and before I ended my prayer, I told her, almost just as an afterthought, that I am not sure if I have what it takes to be a mom (knowing that I can’t cook, cleaning is not one of my strengths, and I hate any form of complication), but if she thinks that I will do well, I pray that she intercede on my behalf and ask God to grant me the gift of life. I distinctly remember this moment because it was the first time that I have earnestly and sincerely asked for a child.

After that day, I went on with my daily routine, half forgetting that I said that prayer. More than a month after that visit, I found myself holding a positive pregnancy test kit in the bathroom with all the blood draining from my face. Don’t get me wrong…I am happy, but I was floored! My prayer was actually answered?! And I get to be a mom?! Oh la la…I must have some hidden cooking talents somewhere! Now, I’ve just got to find it! Hihihi!

So now, I am on this journey…and while it is not easy (queasy feeling, no appetite, sleepy, lethargic, and moody), I am thankful for the experience. It’s amazing how my nose gets bigger everyday…I actually thought it will look the same until the day I die!

And surprise, surprise…I am actually getting caught up with everybody’s excitement on my pregnancy. I spent the whole evening yesterday searching for baby names and have narrowed it down to two:

If it’s a boy, we will name him Mathieu Lyle

If it’s a girl, we will call her Maggie Lavergne

I guess the countdown begins for Feb 6, 2010! God is truly amazing! :)

Posted: June 27th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 11

Whenever a crowd is gathered along Champs Elysées, I know there has got to be some kind of a performance taking place! Lunch time today, I saw a crowd near the Charles de Gaulle – Etoile metro and I hurried to see what they were watching. I can hear loud music as I got near…then I saw some feet in the air — uh-oh, this I must see!

I elbowed my way through the thick crowd of people and baguettes (it was lunch time), and watched some serious street dancing! My goodness, these people can actually toss themselves so high up in the air — I can’t believe it! I had to catch my breath whenever they do their stunts, then when they land safely on the ground, we all clap our hands out of relief, I guess. Too bad I wasn’t able to get pictures of them air-borne…my cell phone camera just wasn’t quick enough. :) The show lasted for a good 15 or 20 minutes, after which a hat was passed among the crowd so we can make a donation. I happily dropped some coins, and was also able to shake hands with some of the performers — totally oblivious of the swine flue alert…hehehe! :)

I hopped and skipped on my way to the bank…15 minutes late for my rendezvous. But at least, I was able to get some pictures for my blog:

Posted: May 20th, 2009 under Paris.
Comments: 1

Ah, finally…a time to blog! :)

I was so busy with work that I literally forgot that I have my very own space in cyberworld. But now that I’ve complied with all my deadlines, I can blog guilt-free!Yey!

Aside from work, there is something that really keeps me busy here…and that is learning French! I have heard so many things about the French people before I came here — the most common being, “The French are such snobs, if you speak English they won’t even look at you!”. But guess what, when I got here, my first impression was that the French are the most courteous people I’ve ever met! My neighbors greet me “bonjour” when I pass by them, the baker always says, “au revoir, bonne journée” when he hands me my pain au chocolat, and yeah, “s’il vous plaît” is in almost every sentence I hear. And about them being snobs, think of a reverse scenario…a French goes to an English-speaking country and starts asking directions in French…see what I mean? :)

I promised myself I’ll learn the French language for two reasons: first, out of respect for the French people because I am living in their country; second, because I want to be a multilingual Executive Assistant — and hopefully work for UNESCO or something like that. :wink:

Learning this language has been quite a journey for me. My solid foundation on the French basics courtesy of Alliance Française de Manille did wonders for me as a beginner. It pays to have a really good teacher in your foundation class, I tell you. I remember that my foundation course emphasized proper pronunciation, and learning how to say French words correctly gave me the motivation and confidence to say simple French sentences without turning red. :)

And then I moved on to studying on my own and bought Rocket French online for $99.  They also have this free 6-day trial, 60-day money back guarantee, and it has, by far, the best reviews online so I didn’t think twice of asking my hubby to buy it for me. Hehe. I never did regret getting it. Rocket French is interactive, has fun games that facilitates learning, and it has audio features that helped me polish my pronunciation. It has worksheets, too, so you can actually test how much you’ve learned after each lesson. It was absolutely the best complement to my foundation courses at Alliance Française de Manille.

And my all-time favorite way to learn French is through Michel Thomas! This man is incredible! Our friend, Marc, gave us the French with Michel Thomas Foundation Course and I literally listen to it over and over again. I fall asleep with Michel Thomas in the background. I love it soooo much because within 30-minutes of listening to it, you will be able to form French sentences in your head quite easily, promise! He teaches you French in baby steps then builds up on it and surprise, surprise, you are able to form really long French sentences — on your own! Oh, I can go on and on about the Michel Thomas Learning Method because it has really helped me learn French faster than I could ever imagine. In fact, on my birthday, I think I will ask for the Michel Thomas Advance Course audio-book. :)

So there…so far, this has been my love affair with the French language. I hope that I would someday speak like a native. Hehehe! Just to have a little fun, I plan not to show up in my favorite bakery here for a couple of weeks…then, go back and surprise the friendly French baker who goes out of his way to accommodate my halting French. I will say 3-5 sentences in straight French, without blinking, and see if he gives me a free pain au chocolat. Bonne chance à moi!

Posted: May 20th, 2009 under Paris.
Comments: 12