Goddess, I Am.

I’ve 6 days to go before I jet off to Amsterdam, and I’m pretty much packed and ready to go. Excited, much? Tee hee.

I’ve also finished booking the various legs of my trip. Initially, I planned on just winging it. But since I was working with a rather limited time and budget, plus I already knew which among my very long list of cities to visit were my top priorities, I decided booking in advance was the more prudent way to go.

Ladies and gentlemen, my itinerary:

• February 1 – Flying out!
• February 2-5 – Amsterdam (+ Rotterdam day trip, hopefully)
• February 6-9 – Paris
• February 10-12 – Amsterdam
• February 13-16 – Rome
• February 17 – Bound for home

I made it a point to be in Amsterdam during both weekends that I’m there so I can spend time with my friends, the newlyweds Kaye and Bram, who work the rest of the week. In theory, I could actually go straight to Rome from Paris, but I couldn’t find good rates for trains and flights, while the bus just takes so bloody long. I was, however, lucky enough to score a reasonably-priced roundtrip ticket from Amsterdam to Rome on Alitalia, so there you go. This is working out great because I’m leaving my huge-assed suitcase in the de Beijers’ flat, so I can simply re-pack my small suitcase for Rome. No repeat outfits, yey!

I may still squeeze in a trip to Berlin to attend the Berlinale on February 9 through 11, but that’s still all up in the air right now because the one-way flight from Paris to Berlin is much too expensive. I can’t take the bus or train because they’ll take too long and I’ll only end up missing the premiere I’m meant to be attending, making that entire trip useless. If I can make it, though, I’ll be going back to Amsterdam via train from Berlin, which is quite shockingly cheap. Here’s hoping I’ll find a cheap last-minute deal on a Paris-Berlin flight.

Oh, and I’ll be traveling on a first class train from Amsterdam to Paris. It’s under Thalys‘s current promotion – a first class seat works out just a wee bit more than a second class one. I just got myself free wifi for the entire trip AND a gourmet meal for €5 more. How could I not, right? Especially when I’m going to be fed this. So yes, first class it is!

I had also sort of resigned myself to a spate of youth hostel stays and shared bathrooms, which made me feel more than a little queasy, knowing that I don’t exactly qualify for ‘youth’ anymore. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find decent single rooms in decent locations that were still well within my budget. You have absolutely no idea how relieved I am to have my own bathrooms – ensuite!  - both in Rome and Paris. Before that, I had visions of myself running through a freezing hall after I’ve had a shower in a shared grubby bathroom – hair dripping wet and all – just to get to my shared dormitory where my clothes would be. The horror! I probably would’ve turned into an icicle mid-run. So I hunkered down, combed TripAdvisor for alternatives, and thankfully found a few. I barely slept for two nights, mind you. But yes, it does pay to be obsessive sometimes.

As for tours, I’m not really fussed. Of course, there’s no way I’m going to miss seeing the usual suspects, and maybe a couple of museums, too. But other than that, I’ll probably just be taking a lot of walks and photos, exploring at my own pace, lost in my own thoughts. And writing – lots and lots of writing!

I’ve been sitting on something big for a while now, mainly because I did not want to say anything until I knew without a doubt that it was going to happen. But now, it looks like it is totally happening – if a brand-new visa sticker on my passport and confirmed travel bookings are any indication, that is.

Friends, I’m going to Europe!!! Aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!

It all started when Chin said she’ll get me an invite to the International Film Festival in Rotterdam for the world premiere of Mondomanila, a film by the illustrious Khavn De La Cruz. Before I knew it, I was buried in a flurry of paperwork, trying to get everything sorted out in time for the festival. And well, I did, and I didn’t. To make a long story short, I got my visa . . . but my validity dates were a bit later than everyone else’s, mainly because I was the only one who applied through the Dutch Consulate in Cebu. So right now, while Chin and the rest of the Philippine delegation are on their happy way to Amsterdam, I’m stuck here, waiting for the first of February to come (and missing the Mondomanila premiere in the process – bummer).

Anyway.

I will also be visiting my best friend Kaye and her husband Bram, and I get to crash in their place, Y-E-Y! And of course, how can I possibly go to Europe without side trips to Paris AND Rome??? Even the thought of having to sacrifice Venice and Florence couldn’t dampen my elation – there’s always next time, after all! I’m also hoping to get to Berlin in time for the Berlinale, too, where Pusong Wazak – another Khavn De La Cruz film – is premiering. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my budget will allow it.

If I’m honest, I would say that the past few months have been a huge strain on me. Work, home, and pretty much life in general have all been kicking my ass at practically every turn, and well, it’s been hard. It was all I could do not to lose faith, not to shatter into a million unrecognizable fragments of myself. I really am not as frivolous as most people think, but if I can be frivolous just once in my entire life, this is it. I’ve worked long and hard enough for it, after all. I have made my sacrifices – too many of them, in fact – so how can I not deserve this?

I’ve been raised to recognize opportunities, and take them as they come. And if – for once – I make a couple of my dreams come true in the process, well, that’s just fan-fucking-tastic, isn’t it?

So expect a bevy of new posts and photos by the dozens. For sure, I’ll have truckloads of new stories to tell, and I’ll be snapping away like nobody’s business (though I’ll try to draw the line on decorative switch plate covers, tee hee).

This is definitely shaping up to be a very good year.

P.S. Pardon the bad photo quality. I took this with my phone because my camera’s memory card has gone a’missing!

For over a year now, I’ve had this strange obsession with capes. By cape, I mean the ones worn by British schoolchildren back in the 40s and 50s, not the ones that look like mexican blankets like so:

Many a time, I have come this close to buying one, but what’s left of my practical self always gets the better of me. However, said practicality apparently flies out the window when confronted with a simple black cape on sale in my local Forever 21, thus:

I have no idea when and where to wear it. I refuse to do so in this country, even with all the rain and the cold weather we’ve been having. It just seems…wrong and incredibly inappropriate. So why did I buy it then? Because I know one way or the other, I will get to wear this lovely thing one day. Never mind if that “one day” might turn out to be months or even years from now.

The important thing is I have a cape hanging in my closet. And I am happy because I have a cape, period.

(Now, excuse me while I look for one in taupe. Just because I like the sound of that – taupe.)

Photo from my Sabah, Malaysia trip back in May 2011.

I have mixed feelings about the year that was. My blessings were plenty, oh yes, and I’m eternally grateful. But then, there was also a smattering of heartaches and more than a handful of frustrations that came my way. Goals, plans, and promises were made, while some of the exact same goals, plans, and promises were broken, too.

In retrospect, my 2011 was equal parts sadness and joy, misery and bliss. It was a year of hard work, of discoveries both good and bad, of laughter and tears (many times in the same breath). Was it a good year then? If you ask me, it was! But then, I believe all my years are good, regardless of how bad one or two may be, just as long as they’re not wasted and I learned a thing or two along the way. So really, I’m no expert.

But boy, did I learn! I learned about sacrifice and limits, about faith and taking the reins, and weirdly enough, about Mongolians and Hydraulic Power Units, to name just a few. And that’s the most important thing above all, I believe. Learning and growing constantly and without fail.

This year, it’s all about the Kierkegaardian leap for me, the proverbial leap of faith. I intend to go places, take chances, leap, and leap again.

The world may end this year, or it may not – who knows? Either way, why not make the most out of it, right? I know I will.

In no particular order:

1. The prospect of travel.
The Husband and I are off to Hong Kong again in a month! I had my heart set on Peru for the longest time, but now that I’ve finally let it go (for now), I am able to give in to the sheer excitement of traveling again. Never mind that this will be my third time in Hong Kong. Methinks one can never go to Hong Kong enough, after all.

2. Our cat.
He’s a lazy shite, and sometimes, he annoys me to no end, but I love my little boy.

‘Tis not a cat. ‘Tis a stoat.

3. Online [window] shopping.
Because it’s FUN. Regardless if I’m ogling shoes, or random things like red envelope’s cufflinks and Groupon deals.

4. My shoes.
Forever and always. Current favorite:

Jeffrey Campbell Lita in blue distressed leather

5. Awesome stories on my iPad.
Right now, it’s A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s a slow and ponderous read, yes, but definitely one of the most exciting stories ever. I blame Meream for getting me into this.

On a side note, I love reading really, really long series. Probably because I get so attached to characters that I never want to let them go too quickly.

I like writing random, happy stuff like this. Maybe I should do this more often.