Padre Pio is my spiritual giant. He is my one and only favorite saint! :)

I came across Padre Pio’s life story one stormy night in Manila, Philippines. They have just suspended classes in all levels the next day, and since I work in a school, that means I have a free day too! Yey! So I decided to curl on my bed and devour a new book I was reserving for the weekend, which apparently, mentioned Padre Pio several times. Too many times, actually, that I decided to make a little research on who this man was. From then on, I have never forgotten this holy man, nor his story, nor what he has done in my life. …continue reading Italy: The Padre Pio I Know

Posted: September 16th, 2009 under Italy.
Comments: 15

Since I blogged about the names I thought for the little cherry that’s growing in my tummy, I have received countless inquiries on where I got those names. I didn’t know that people would actually be interested…hehe. You people are incredible! I love you!

Ok…let me see. How did I ever come up with those names?

The letter “M” is probably a no brainer…my name’s Monette and my hubby’s name is Michael…so naturally, I want my kid’s name to start with the same letter. Hehe. Easy, right? :) …continue reading Baby Names

Posted: July 19th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 6

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.
Comments: none

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”. …continue reading A New Chapter Begins

Posted: June 27th, 2009 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 14