the linos, inc.

barcelona: where everything is sunny and bright

2012-11-26T23:03:00.000+08:00

oh i love barcelona! the place is sooo beautiful and full of life. it would leave a certain effect on you, like, everything in life is easy and you actually need not to make plans. spontaneity at its best! where to go, where to eat, where to shop! so, so, so convenient. no rush. no time outs. you just simply live life. and no, i am super not exaggerating. the moment we landed, i immediately got impressed. who wouldnt? their airport is one of the best i have been to and you would instantly feel at home. for me kasi that is very important. knowing you feel safe lalo na you are in another country.

la rambla

right after settling to the hotel, we went out agad to explore the place. grabe, yung atmosphere parang may fiesta or something. we watched and listened to the music played by the street musicians. they really played good music and everyday different eh. like, spanish style then you will also chance upon those guys with didgeridoos and african drums. so fun to see the constant diversity and they were so good ha.

street musicians

bicycles!

the next day, we had our full day city tour. ang ganda and ang happy ng place! there were lots of things to see and of course, trivias about them. super enjoy visiting each place. ganda ng background plus the locals were hospitable. the whole time nga, i was thiking, well, siguro the reason why super at home kami kasi may spanish influence tayo diba so somehow we feel connected, like we belong so easy for us to blend.

sagrada famila

park güell

barcelona cathedral ceiling

along plaza catalunya

my darling daughter

in front of the montjuic castle

nomnom bread and pastries

the linos at barcelona, spain, october 2012

free time was spent shopping mostly for souvenirs and some clothes. cheaper sya eh compared here in stockholm. i say, much much cheaper ha. also, i love that everywhere you go, theres a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar for you to try. you wouldnt feel like, ah you cant eat there kasi it is too posh for you, baka expensive or something, no eh. you wouldnt feel that way.

barcelona really for me is a city that speaks about living simply and enjoying life to the fullest. no pretentions, no illusion of grandeur, no over the top expectations. we realllly had a grand time and we cant wait to go back.

laters! xx

day trip to brussels

2012-11-11T03:07:00.000+08:00

on our third day in paris, we decided to have a day trip at brussels. we then boarded thalys train and left paris nord at around nine in the morning and arrived at brussels midi station an hour and a half later.

brussels is the capital and largest city in belgium. it is also the capital of the 27 nation european union. french is the most widely spoken language alongside with dutch and german. the place is divided into two areas; the newer upper town and the lower town which is known to be the historic medieval core of the city

great view of the upper and lower town of the city of brussels, belgium

we met up with our private tour guide, michael eyns at the station. i saw his profile at tripadvisor. medyo pricey yung rate but again, we have a toddler with us and yun yung major consideration ko. comfort and safety and out of all the private tour guides that i found in google for this trip, i decided to get michael given all the good reviews and medyo magaan yung loob ko talaga. later on, my gut feel proved me right because his wife happened to be a kababayan. that i didnt know ha, that day na lang, when he asked us if from where kami, he blurted na lang that he is married to a filipina. awww. small, small world.

belgium royal palace

the city hall

some historic old own building near the city hall

across the town hall

busy area leading to various restos

the thing that i noticed, andaming structures na at first akala mo church. even their city hall you would think na church sya the first time. michael mentioned that compared before, less and less people are attending the mass na. in fact, the whole of belgium, most of the churches, closed na. some even used it for business, like, they converted it into a hotel. some talagang, tourist attraction na lang. ang sad no? i mean, nasasayangan ako kasi ang gaganda nung church eh.

saint michel and gudula cathedral

beautiful ceiling detail inside

nice no?

we toured around the whole city for four hours and it was nice naman. na wish ko tuloy na sana in our country, kasi diba, manila yung first stop talaga so sana aside from intramuros, we were able to restore pa sana some old structures from before. kasi sila, even those super old buildings na, the officials had an agreement with tenants and owners to keep the facades of the buildings. kahit super modern inside.

of course, belgium is known for super strong beers so michael took the husband to this place. at first i thought it was a secret place cos we had to pass by a really small eskinita. but apparently, the place itself, popular pala sya not just with tourists but with the locals. the place had this creepy feel at first kasi madilim with all the hanging stuff, pero it wasn't that bad naman.

hubby tasting kwak beer

with michael eyns, our private tour guide

inside the pub

this is what am talkin about... few minutes later, is jampacked! teehee.

while waiting for daddy to finish his kwaaak

side kwento. the stroller that we used that day was actually provided by michael. i asked him the night before if he could arrange for us to rent one kasi nga we left the stroller in stockholm. since we still had one more day left in paris, i asked him if he could sell it to me na lang. he called his wife and her wife just gave it to us. yay!

anyways, here are some more of the photos we had during the trip.

cheeeeese

the flag is up which means the king is not around

tposing with he city mayor statue with his dog

at the galleria

lovely flowers at the town hall area

while looking for a place to eat

the linos at brussels, beliguim, october 2012

laters! xx

hotel review: hotel du cadran paris

2012-11-05T02:04:00.000+08:00

hotel du cadran is one of the hotels located at champ de mars. location-wise, nice sya talaga. near the eiffel tower and there are lots of restaurants around. medyo pricey but i guess, hotel rates within paris, medyo mahal talaga. to think na hindi naman sya 5-star hotel, boutique hotel type lang.

side view of the hotel

sophie with what she calls her yo-yo signature pose haha

the reviews online are good plus medyo partial ako with nice hotels lalo na kasama namin si sophie. as much as possible, kahit pa sabihin that we would sleep lang naman there since we'd be out most of the time, ayoko pa din mag settle with so-so hotel. ohmen. kaartehan plus kapraningan. you name it!

the hotel is nice naman. staff are friendly and accommodating. not so strict with check-in time lalo na if available na yung room, they would let you check in naman kahit 3pm pa talaga yung allowed time. you will not be asked to pay right away or give them a deposit.

the reception

the lobby

they also have a coffeeshop where you could find some yummmy-looking macarons and chocolates. may free taste eh, not big on macarons, really, pero they tasted good naman, in fairness.

the chocolate bar

at the cafe area

yummy macarons

the only thing that i didn't like, and talagang nakakainis was the elevator. suppeeeer slow. i kid you not! one time, when i had to go down, we were at the 5th floor kasi and i wanted to have sophie's feeding bottles washed, eh i didnt bring the dish washing paste with me, i waited super for the elevator pero ang tagal talaga so i took the stairs! grabe pagbaba ko, approaching 5th floor pa lang si elevator. hello?

also, i think common na sa mga hotels in paris yung small space talaga ng mga rooms even the restroom, isahan lang unless the other one would stay in the tub, haha. pero okay naman kasi super clean, modern and it didnt have the old kulob smell which is one of my pet peeves. tehee.

comfffy bed, tiny room hehe

the hallway

oh i love the breakfast area! with the food naman, well, the usual. bread, butter, jam, hard boiled egg, corn flakes, cheese, ham, nuttela and some various spreads. drinks naman, they have coffee, different juices, milk, water, chocolate drink. no fruits, though. aliw kasi they were not strict naman on takeouts. i made some sandwiches for baon in case magutom kami during the tour haha. yuhmeh! they didn't mind naman.

what to eaaaat? no rice? longganisa? tocino? lol.

the breakfast area

all in all, it was a good stay. the location did it for us so okay na sya talaga. price naman, well we had to pay 280eur per night for a superior room, good for 2 pax with breakfast. sabi nga ni sophie, ouchieee! ohwell. haha.

verdict: 4 stars out of 5

laters!xx

paris: bright lights, big city

2012-11-02T22:03:00.000+08:00

hey,hey! oh can i just say how happy i am to be given a chance to experience this whole europe adventure with my family? i am just super duper grateful. hay, before i get emotional pa, here goes my kwento.

our first stop was paris. we spent a good 4 days there. it was reaaaaly fun! of course given na yung medyo magastos talaga. as in pricey lahat. from coke to hotel rates. naman! my sis said, hello you are in europe, what do you expect? oo nga naman. lalo na we stayed at champ de mars area, super near the eiffel tower. as in dalawang tumbling lang, nandun ka na. hehe. i will make a separate post about the hotel where we stayed ha? para di lang magulo. nakakahiya naman, baka ma lost kayo dahil napaka unorganized na ng kwento ko.

with sophie in front of hotel de cadran

anyways, paris really is a beautiful place. yung feeling, iba eh. may certain high sya. imagine, from the plane pa lang, the moment we landed, everybody was cheering, some even clapped their hands with joy. nakakahawa. i swear naki-clap din kami, haha. and lahat yun ha, feeling ko, tourists just like us. good vibes agad.

the eiffel tower

giant wind mill

view from the seine river

paris side walk

sacré-cœur basilica in montmartre

gare saint lazare

at champs elysees

the eiffel tower at night

we availed of the full day tour because ayoko ma-hassle walking around with a toddler in tow. mahirap. so i wanted everything pre-arranged na. it was quite expensive but syempre for you to enjoy, you need to be comfy and you know, not to be stressed out thinking about logistics like, where to go and how to get there. and i think i made the best decision kasi if i didn't do that, i don't think we would be able to see and do as much as we did.

seeing paris the first time, enjoying the sights with family, learning its history is truly a blessing. i wouldn't have it any other way. the trip really made me appreciate what i have now and how blessed i am considering what i have been through.

all smiles at the eiffel tower

daddy with soph

my greatest joy

mother's love

the linos at paris, france, october 2012

i always thought of paris as a city filled with history and rich in culture. the very reason why it is considered as one of the most visited cities in the world. so the expectation talaga, sobra. of course, you are spending - okay, "investing" a lot of money on the trip so whatever expectations you have, parang in a way you try to make the most out of everything. it's not as if we could just go there any time we want. so the experience itself, i guess, enough na to say that it was worth every cent we spent. and the fact that i have my family with me, nothing can beat that.

laters! xx

wishlist

2012-11-01T06:34:00.000+08:00

oh i am just super happy i got most of the things i wished for last year and more. super fun to come up with the list and more fun making and seeing them happen.

this year is no different. i have a pretty long list of material stuff i want to have but really no pressure of having them naman so soon. slowly but surely. diba nga, no expectations naman ako last year and super malabo talaga to have those stuff that I wanted but the universe had other plans pala. happy, happy!

anyways, here na my list. again ha, please don’t think na napaka materialistic kong tao. No naman. slight lang. nyahahaha. kidding aside, no talaga. i just want this to be a happy post kasi. okidoki? so ayan, let’s do thiiiis!

rimowa luggages

rimowa topas titan range set

yes! may s talaga. i want not just one. i want a set of rimowas. haha. okaaaay, maarte ako talaga. i have been using my red elle luggage set for so long and ayaw ko na sya. looks okay pa rin naman kaso lang ayoko na nung style. i would be travelling a lot next year and I would love to have a rimowa with me. feelingera lang, sorry naman. kahit pa isa isa lang, keri na. hehe.

lv wallet and pouch

pouch in damier ebene canvas

the hubby gifted me with an LV bag so i want a matching wallet and pouch to go with it. bwahaha. hay nako. i really don’t like this kind of feeling which is why I try not to own a designer bag. prone ako to get hooked with stuff and mahilig ako talaga to match things together, so ayan na. nuninuninu. goodluck sa aken diba. my gulay! priorities, priorities!

ipad mini

white ipad mini

i am uing an ipad 3 and hubby naman shares his ipad 2 with soph so i am thinking of getting an ipad mini for the hubby para masolo na ni soph the other ipad. That or the hubby can have my ipad 3 so i can have the mini. weeeeee! wahaha. yun talaga yun, actually. but since he hubby wants the ipad mini as christmas present i guess hihiram na lang ako sa kanya. haha. waley lang. pa experience lang. hihi.

iphone 5

who doesn't love this gorgeous thing?

oh it looks pretty. i waaaant one pero happy naman ako with my 4S so okay lang. saka, naman, i have a very strong feeling kasi this would be the assigned phone for my new assignment eh so hindi sya malabo mangyari. assuming forever!

canon powershot elph 110 16 megapixel digital camera

i loveeee it! must be the color. lol.

owem! i am sooo unhappy with the europe photos that we have. i wanna blame the weather kasi nga madilim most of the time eh pag outdoors, you really have to have great lights para bonggels the photos kasi nakakaganda sya talaga kaso feeling ko, the camera that we have failed me, super. okay na rin naman kesa wala. haha. so now, i am keen on getting this powershot cam from canon or any equivalent. hindi ako masyado fan ng slr, too big and too heavy for me, saka wala ako angle eh so okay na ako with compact one. basta bongga ang pixels!

customized king size bed

looks super comffffy!

i have been contemplating on getting one but hubby said no muna since wala naman ako sa house and mag isa lang sya na hihiga dun if ever. hehe. sophie kasi sleeps in her own room na so feeling ni husband, getting a king size bed now, given that I am away is no use. i really really wanted to have a new bed. nothing wrong naman with our bed now, except that, queen size sya. i actually found na the one who does bed customization and we agreed na with the design and all but last minute I backed out because hubby said no nga. ohwell.

a matching diamond stud earrings for me and the bebe

stunninggg!

ito talaga, i am dying to have! I will really save up for these next year. period.

my gosh. andami ko pa gusto idagdag. haha. the thing is, ang hirap naman masyado idagdag lahat, baka masira priorities ko, wala matupad kahit isa sa mga wish. i need to focus. note to self: know what is more important! naks!

grabe, i cant wait for 2013! here’s wishing everyone a wonderful year ahead. now pa lang, let us claim na abundant blessings from God.

laters! xx

autumn

2012-10-14T01:22:00.000+08:00

"every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree" - emily bronte

see you on the other side

2012-10-04T21:54:00.000+08:00

sophie with lolo, february 18, 2012

i will make sure that sophie will remember you. that she grows up knowing how much you loved her and how much you cared for her. we will forever think of you. we love you and we will never stop loving you. xx

roberto v. bobadilla

june 8, 1949 - september 6, 2012

italy on my mind (part three)

2012-09-04T20:37:00.000+08:00

here goes the third installment of my italy post. yayyy!

of all the places in italy that we’ve been to, i must say, it was venice that i loved the most. i kid you not, the place was really beautiful, unique and had the most fantastic architecture.

you can see talaga how each building had become a work of art, with their beauty enhanced when reflected on the canals that cross the city. its magical scenery wass fascinating, like, it evoked the feeling of entering the setting of a real life fairy tale. i swear i had that feeling! and knowing that totoong nag e-exist yung place was really something.

welcome to venezia!

loving the clear blue sky!

venezia canal grande

loving it to bits!

it was super hot but i was that impressed with the place, i didn’t care. haha. we explored the area then looked for this spot where we could start our gondola ride. ohmen. i was a bit apprehensive at first but i reallyyy wanted to experience how it was like so i just jumped on board the gondola! first five minutes wasn’t fun for me as i was nervous and all that crap until I finally got the hang of it and started camwhoring with friends. and, nope! am not gonna post any photos of myself yet. that will have to wait until my next post. abangan nyo yan.

canal de venezia

gondola!

we went around the area some more and after forty eight years and intagram flooding , nagutom din kami and decided to eat. hephep, no foodie photos and kwentos. nakakawala ng momentum eh. bwahaha. after making our tummies happy, we headed out again trying to get to san marco. super photo ops while walking, happy na happy lang ako talaga. never mind if i got two shades darker. naks! ako na ang mestiza. haha.

piazza san marco

palazzo ducale (doge's palace)

breathtaking venezia

ohbeautiful san marco! mygosh. ang sarap magpictorial lang the whole day. the place was indeed an eyecandy for me. everywhere i look, i was just taken away by the lovely structures and sights. i am not over reacting ha? i mean, from the very start, may disclaimer na ako that hindi ako big on appreciating arts and structures and everything europe-ish. hindi pala ganon. i was really wowed by the experience.

here are the rest of the photos that i took. indulge!

oh sooo lovely!

doge's palace

gondolas!

san marco basilica

beautiful venezia

700 year canal

lovely venetian windows

at burano, san rocco

tap water, anyone?

i super duper hope nadala ko kayo sa place by looking at the photos. anlakas maka good-vibes, diba? alrighty, got to go now! kwento soon!

laters! xx

italy on my mind (part two)

2012-09-03T22:40:00.011+08:00

okay, here na is the second installment of my italy post. naks, there’s like that? haha. pagbigyan nyo na ako, on the roll eh. pag hindi ko nakwento today, baka ma busy na naman ako, hindi ko na ma post.

you guys ready? alright, let's do this!

our next stop was verona. we had to travel via train from milano centrale to verona for two hours. we tried the ordinary one, nasiraan pa one station away from our destination so imagine, paka init. grabe, laglag na petals ko and super starving when we reached the station. we had to take the bus from the station to the city where most of the tourist spots are located. We were lucky kasi the girl na napagtanungan namin was kind enough to tell us where to go.

we had super late lunch before we started exploring the place. the food review will be on a separate post so relaks lang kayo, haha. no foodie photos just yet. anyway, here are some of the photos i took. sobrang aliw looking at the structures, they have this wow appeal to think that hindi naman ako into those things but like what I have been saying with my previous posts, iba pa din when you see it in person. mala-love mo sya and you will be amazed na totoo sya talaga.

arena di verona

upclose

eyecandy, right?

view form the side

view from another side

beautiful, isn't it?

view near the entrance

i super liked the eskinitas leading us to casa giulietta (balcony of juliet). i have seen the letters to juliet movie and hindi ko ma recall na may establishments like stores and all papunta sa place. parang old colorful houses lang and yung tunnel like place papasok. so we just walked and walked, enjoying the eskinita na parang feel na feel ko talaga yung walk ko because the structures really are just sooo pretty. i love how they put in the hanging plants on the balconies, the color of the stalls and walls, really really pretty. plus the doors and the accents, lovely sya talaga.

who wouldn't love this eskinita?

balcony with hanging plants

see what i mean?

green door

going back to casa giulietta, naku super dami ng tao. the front area was actually under renovation, okay sya but I feel na medyo napabayaan yung labas, like the smell sa may gate, and medyo madumi but inside the casa, okay naman, yun lang may entrance fee, pero syempre, keri na at least you get to have a souvenir shot sa balcony. juliet na juliet ang peg. but you know what, eto ha, personal opinion ko lang, i think they could have preserved it better eh, kasi yung movie parang ang ganda ganda and well maintained yung place. a little disappointing na parang edited pala or something kasi sobra ako excited so medyo na off ako slight haha. it was okay nonetheless, I mean, what did it for me was really the eskinita.

balcony of juliet

huge 3 story house

vandalized door with love!

letters to juliet.. chewing gums? really?

awww! locks of love

another interesting stuff pala, there was this statue of juliet outside, tapos people are lining up to have their photo taken na hawak the right boobie of juliet for goodluck daw. i didnt try it, though. diko alam eh, i googled it after, kaya naman pala nagkakagulo sila. hehe.

also, there was this show sa center leading to the day market, magic eh. grabe lang kasi naka hang sya talaga sa air. super nagulat ako and nakilapit lapit by checking kung may daya or wala eh pero wala talaga, super creepy! anyhow, it was another source of entertainment for all of us who witnessed it so, sulit na sya haha.

amazeballs!

diba???

ayayay! enough of the kwentos. here are the rest of the photos which includes torre dei lamberti which looms over piazza delle erbe that used to be the towns forum during the time of the roman empire. it is considered as one of the most historic and picturesque squares in italy. you will get to see different sculptures and historic buildings in this area. day market can also be found here.

lamberti tower

pretty!

another shot of torre dei lamberti

day market

the busy area, piazza delle erbe

thats it for now ha? please visit again for the third installment. i will share the best part of the trip, visiting venice, the gondola ride experience and more. promise, nice photos and dami kwentos.

laters! xx

italy on my mind

2012-09-03T00:21:00.008+08:00

hey,hey! i just got back from italy and i owe you guys kwento about the trip. my goodness! it was a super fun filled week! but wait, disclaimer muna ha? baka mapahaba and it could get pretty boring and dragging at some point lalo na it was more of self indulgence lang but i promise to make you aliw naman so please bear with me.

first off - milan. milan is the second largest city in italy (northern part) and the capital of lombardy region. also, believed to be the second most expensive next to bolzano. one can travel here provided that you have a valid schengen visa.

we landed at linate airport a little past ten in the morning via luftansa airlines. the flight was okay, it was a good three hour plane ride from arlanda. i was with malou and jenny. i have known malou from ericsson and she is friends with jenny, na friend ko na rin ngayun. we didnt arrange any airport pick up because obviously, european countries are known for being partial to public transport so might as well go and experience it. so yun, from linate we took the bus going to the hotel.

the first day was spent eating, shopping and more shopping. it was crazy. on sale halos lahat and you will be tempted to buy talaga. i didnt plan on buying anything but i couldnt resist the urge eh. hehe. well, it was kind of a controlled shopping spree for me. dont ask about my friends. they really spent a lot. haha.

second day we went to duomo to hear the mass. i was wearing a mini skirt and i was not allowed to enter the church! flop! sorry, my bad! but it wasnt a super mini skirt naman. decent looking sya, but, you know, it was still a mini skirt. so ayun, i had to wrap my legs with jenny's pashmina and they allowed me to get in. the cathedral was beautiful. it was huge and really really nice.

duomo di milan

ceiling

galleria vittorio emmanuele ii

super nice no?

super nice structure

a lot of restos inside

adjacent to the cathedral, you will find the gallery where big and branded stores are located. my friend bought some LV while i intentionally avoided the store. promise, kahit sobrang init sa labas, tiniis ko. and i guess, after all that happened in my life the past year, finally, na outgrew ko na my need for an LV or any other signature stuff for that matter unless given to me for free haha. kainez. i justify talaga.

we also went around to check on the teatro alla scala, the park and some other structures worthy to be photographed. here are some of them:

view in front of the cathedral

in front of the galleria

at the piazza

some building across the galleria

near via manzoni and via montenapoleone, chic shopping area in milan

at the park

we chanced upon the hop on hop off bus in the area

more on my next post --- to die for food, the eurotrain experience, getting familiar with the centrale stazione, tips, instagram shots plus verona and venice kwentos and super daming photos. so definitely to be continued ito. will post part two tomorrow.

laters! xx

i need a hug

2012-08-20T04:39:00.009+08:00

seriously.

birthday blues and surprises

2012-08-19T02:05:00.000+08:00

yep, i am still alive! and no, i will not bore you with excuses as to why i have not been blogging. thank you very much. but hey, at least i am back and i will try my best to make bawi starting with this post. naks, parang totoo haha!

anywayyy, nako, the past two weeks, i felt really, really sad, as in, i was crying myself to sleep and you know, all those flooding back home, the whole thing with my family, i was literally lutang and couldn't get my act together. i was super sensitive, ganyan, basta. super drama queen ang peg ko and i was really feeling so low eh magbirthday pa naman ako. then it hit me. shoot. owem, talk about birthday blues. sakto. mismo.

i started getting birthday greetings a couple of days prior, o diba, how sweet of facebook to remind my friends about my birthday. ang tell you what, i really got aliw and somehow, na lessen yung sadness. though, thinking about my family again, especially sophie and the hubby not being with me, of course, super hard but i guess all the well wishes i got from friends, very heart warming and i was overwhelmed and na feel ko naman that i am loved and missed by many. Awww moment talaga.

left to right: coffee from malou, ice cream fika, cake baked with love by tinay, tea at jeejean's

i didnt expect anything that day, i mean, most of my colleagues just got back from summer break and i have only been working with them for two months so, no expectation talaga at all. plus, they were not really big on birthdays, unlike back home as in effort talaga when they throw you a party. so imagine na lang my surprise when they invited me and the rest of the guys for some ice cream fika to celebrate my special day. promise, i felt like crying. . it was actually awkward at first, kasi they were not naman like, you know, like us na super gulo, ganyan, complete with all the teasing, etc. pero when everyone got their share of the ice cream na, they rendered me the swedish birthday song that ended with hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! which i swear, was really my secret wish. kung hindi lang nakakahiya, umiyak na ako.promise, i was this close of tearing up.

and just when i thought that that was it, after work naman, i was surprised to find out that my filipino friends prepared something for me. syempre, i was super touched and of course, grateful that they took time to celebrate with me. well, they were the ones who started teasing me about my having birthday blues so nag effort sila talaga to make sure that ii will have fun. which i did.

and oh, how can i forget, i also had my celebration back home. my friends decided to spend some time with my dearest daughter by taking her to jollibee. speechless pa rin ako until now. thank you guys for doing this for me. i feel so lucky and sooo blessed for having you all in my life. sobrang na touch ako.

sophie with the fingurls and friends from work

again, thak you everyone for making me feel loved. you guys are awesome. laters! xx

sophie's second journal

2012-08-14T03:35:00.000+08:00

oh i am flooding you with sophie posts haha. i miss her super duper and getting assesment reports and journals from her school makes me miss her even more! here is the second journal sent by her teacher which made my day talaga.

keep it up, sweetie! daddy and i are super proud of you. lots and lots of love from us.

little ms. school girl

2012-08-10T02:56:00.007+08:00

look who's enjoying school so much?

her gigil enough-with-the-photos signature pose

i really really miss you, pumpkin! i think about you everyday. mommy can't wait to see you. iloveyou.

Word!

2012-08-08T21:17:00.001+08:00

fifty shades of what?

2012-07-18T20:13:00.002+08:00

oh i have tons of pictures to post and so many kwentos to share but the weather here is making me super tamad to blog. i really just wanna stay in bed and cuddle. and oh, speaking of bed and cuddle haha, saw this stuff posted in facebook and i couldn't stop lol-ing like crazy. ahaha.

laters! xx

sophie's first journal

2012-07-09T01:10:00.003+08:00

our little girl started going to school already and we received na her first journal. sobrang nakaka happy yung feeling. ganito pala yung pakiramdam. gosh, for the first time speechless ako. grabe, i feel like crying tuloy. huhu.

anyway, anak, gusto ko mag cartwheel sa tuwa, grabe! you are sooo smart and charming and adorable and cute and pretty and funny and witty. ikaw na. haha. oh i can't stop smiling! you know what, para kaming ewan ng daddy mo when we talk about you and your new antics, i swear, two weeks in school and yet you now say and do things so confidently! we are super proud of you and we love you more than anything in this world!

that old town in stockholm called gamla stan

2012-07-07T03:51:00.010+08:00

gamla stan is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in europe. this is also considered as one of the best attractions in stockholm. here you can see different museums, studios, retaurants and places to shop. this is where you can find stockton cathedral, stock exchange and the swedish royal palace. a really beautiful town with wonderful facades.

pretty, yes?

financial establishment

over looking the cathedral

see the dark clouds?

the one in the middle is the prime ministers place..

old building

of course, the obligatory tourist shot haha!

hindi nag cooperate ang weather eh, wasn't able to see tuloy the royal palace. i also wanted to see the cathedral up close. i will definitely come back to explore the place. iba lang the atmosphere and all and the photos didn't even do justice to how the place really looked like in person. sobrang ganda and i must say, this is definitely one of the best in stockholm.

laters! xx

beautiful city of helsinki

2012-07-03T01:29:00.075+08:00

to jumpstart my european tour hehe, i decided to go with my officemate to spend swedish midsummer holiday at helsinki, finland. here are some of the photos I have captured after touring the city which only took us half day to finish. but of course excluding the suomenlinna island tour, which unfortunately didnt push through because it started raining in the afternoon.

helsinki cathedral

central station

really nice restaurant

central park

national museum

f

finlandia auditorium

the train which goes around the city

posh sidewalk with LV, Gucci and other signature brand stores

all greens, i like!

yay, mcdonalds!

at the park

uh-oh, here comes the rain!

gosh, i was really impressed with the building structures. i was never big on old style buildings ha, but seeing them up close, as in, napa-wow ako talaga. they were really beautiful. plus you can see the greens around and it blended perfectly with the place.

i fell inlove with the cathedral. really pretty and the location, elevated sya and even if you were on the other side of the city, you could still see it. sobrang majestic lang, as in. wasnt able to get inside, closed na kasi sya and most of the establishments, close. open lang on weekdays, like malls, ganyan. sabi ko nga, next time we go, i will make sure not on a weekend.

syempre i wanted to post some of my feeling tourist photos haha. pagbigyan nyo na ako, hindi naman everyday may chance na makapag scarf ako. haha.

some art exhibit

right in from of the central park

my favorite shot lol.

i really had a great time. feel na feel ko lang talaga haha. anyway, if you guys wanna see the rest of the photos, i have posted them na at facebook. alrighty, laters! xx

kwento and more

2012-07-02T05:18:00.000+08:00

hello, hello! am gonna make kwento sana about my life here pero obviously, you guys are more ineterested with the photos haha. pero syempre, fun din naman to share my experience diba? so let me make kwento na, promise, you will get aliw with my kwento.

let me start with the foodie. the regular staple here is potato and salad. also, salmon. my gosh, this is a salmon country. sa mahal ng cost of living, the only thing that is cheap is salmon. i swear! anyway, not much on rice but of course even if hindi sila big on rice, they have it naman at the supermarket so medyo hindi ko sya namimiss. during the first two weeks, i tried the canteen food. as in buffet, complete set, i enjoyed it, i actually liked it pero naman, paulit ulit so i easily got sawa. so i started doing what i love most. i cooked my own food that includes my baon for lunch. yeeeha!

instagram photo: spam, toast and egg with coffee for brekky!

instagram photo: yummy afritada for lunch!

instagram photo: creamy chicken macaroni soup for dinner!

dibaaaaa? parang nasa bahay lang. haha. but mind you, the spam and vienna sausage, i brought all the way from pinas, and the afritada, i made the tomato sauce from scartch. haha. yes, ang galing ko lang. haha. di ko yata kasi kaya to have canned goods for three consecutive days, to think na sa dinner lang ha so i had to prepare real food talaga.

and oh, the drinks. what about that? okay, they sooo love sparkling water here. ewan ko ba, ako hindi ko talaga gusto. well, it could be the jologs in me that is why hanggang tap water lang ako. haha. dito talaga, they do not have regular bottled water, bihira eh, maybe because the tap water is super safe to drink and hindi mo na kelangan ng ice because malamig na sya. syempre, at first, i tried looking for a regular bottled water, i thought i found one, pag uwi ko, when i tasted it, sparkling water pala. haha! sabi kasi ng label, naturelle, wahahaha. yun pala unflavored sparkling water. deyyyym, sayang much?! then of course, there is soda whch they refer to as cola, coke ako ng coke eh, haha. super daming mixed juices, and wines pero bilang boring akong tao, coke and water lang, okay na ako. not big on milk as well, so, not really a problem ang inumin.

hay naku, everything here, basta food, even fruits and veggies, mahalia jackson. if super convert ako forever, magugutom ako eh. better if you prepare your own food pero such a challenge to find yung exact ingredient because hindi lahat available.

instagram photo: baked penne

instagram photo: tuna and liver spread with cheese sandwich

i am loving the fact that i am eating healthy now. i mean, i have my cheat days, like, i will eat talaga my super comfort food, you know, i will make sinigang and will eat like a king pero i only get to do that on weekends eh. with my baon naman, mostly, grilled, veggies, ganyan. ohwell, good for me, right?

okay, i think that was it for the food, up next, walking and more walking haha. stay tuned. laters! xx

what am wearing post

2012-06-28T00:45:00.000+08:00

lol. haha. i just had to post this. my airport outfit!

coat, flats and big bag from h&m, inner shirt from american eagle, pants and sling bag from f&x

harhar! see, i look slim here and i love it! laters! xx

a walk along kungsholms strand

2012-06-25T00:28:00.006+08:00

i was asked by my chinese colleague, li yan, if i wanted to go with her for a walk and i was super glad i went with her talaga. you see, sobrang ganda ng weather at the time and na appreciate ko lalo the view plus i had the chance pa to see the other side of the place where we live.

i sooo love the view!

nice,nice!

diba? sooo beautiful. you can see how different yung building structures and all. you get to appreciate the beauty of the view lalo na if the sun is up. really fantastic. had a great time sight seeing, didn't even notice, one hour na pala kami naglalakad.

looking forward to see more of stockholm. laters! xx

fjäderholmarna island

2012-06-17T19:27:00.014+08:00

since evening sun was up and nothing to do much at home, we decided to explore stockholm by going to this island where they say, archipelago begins. we boarded this boat along with fellow tourists and locals alike with cameras on hand ready to click away. naks, tourist talaga, haha.

with my colleague, eva

the boat, 110sek roundtrip

we spent a good twenty five minutes to get to the island and i must say that it was one of the most exciting places to visit in stockholm. there you'll get to appreciate swedish handicrafts, get to try different cosy restaurants and see the city from the boat whilst admiring one of the world's most beautiful sea appoaches.

made this my cover photo in facebook. nice, right?

it was around 8pm and the sun was still up.

fountain

really nice no sabi ko nga, pang postcards eh. haha. well, coming from me na wala namang artistic bone in my body except of course sa normal na kaartehan ko lang, na appreciate ko the scenery talaga. the building structures, everything.

here are some more random shots from my camera:

some dried fish heads hanging on the wall

daisies!

smoked prawn and some champagne.. i had coke and carrot cake lol.

thanh le and eva

moi!

oh it was fun. a bit tiring with all the walking, train hopping and the boat ride but all worth it nonetheless. laters! xx

tunnelbana

2012-06-17T03:25:00.023+08:00

yes, that is what they call stockholm's metro system. tunnelbana or t-bana to some. this is how i actually get to work everyday. you see, my place is like, ten-minute-walk away from the station. i take the train from fridhemsplan and get off to kista where the office located.

fridhemsplan station (st. goran side)

when you get inside the station, you still have a good five-minute walk to reach the platform, gosh, walkathon ever ito. first thru stairs going down then few more steps that will lead you to the entrance followed by this loooong escalator down. first time talaga for me, i know i tend to over-react sometimes but believe me, nakakaloka ang escalator na ito.

looong way dowwwwn

how it looks like on your way up

well maintained and kept. no unusual smell whatsoever.

each station has an artwork design which is really nice. not too crowded as well unlike in manila na kelangan karirin mo ang pagsakay sa mrt or lrt. here, since meron syang schedule, so you will know most likely if aabot ka or hindi which is good. no need for you din na makipag siksikan because sure ka naman that in a few minutes, may parating na ulit na another train.

am taking the blue line

1 minute, hjulsta bound (sorry, blurry photo)

here you go, hjulsta bound

i am always seated facing the train direction kasi nahihilo ako

i do take the train going to alkalla since it will pass through kista where most of the passengers get off. i think mga 10-15 minutes sya from fridhemsplan to kista. the station is connected to kista galleria mall which so reminds me of shangri-la plaza. usually sarado pa mga stalls but some coffee shop open na, those inside mga nakikidaan lang just like me. haha.

walkathon pa rin from kista galleria going to the office but i am not complaining. i don't ususally do this back home but i welcome the change kasi wala naman ako choice haha. besides, i wanted to lose some pounds and this would help me a lot kaya keribel lang. anyway, got to go! kwento soon! laters, xx

i miss home...

2012-06-16T05:11:00.002+08:00

sunset at fjäderholmarna island