Sorry For Lack of Posting...

Traveling at the moment. Lots going on but will be posting today. It's Friday after all.

Kate and Will at Royal Marsden Hospital in London. 

Eternally yours, Roma

I knew that I wanted to travel to a major "bucket list" type destination this year. When the gloom and gray of August began to depress me in a major way, I decided it was time to bring out the big guns. Thus our mid-September trip to Rome.

Rome proved me wrong about quite a number of things. I thought mid-September would be cool enough to get just a bit of sun without crossing over into debilitating heat; I was wrong. I thought it would be hard to find a great, non-tourist menu meal; wrong again. I thought I wouldn't do any shopping, having not factored it into our four-day itinerary... hah! Finally, I'd heard a lot of complaints about how rude, chaotic, touristy and overcrowded the Eternal City could be, and thought I might hate it; again, I was wrong. 

I really loved this trip, and this city. I've realized that I'm no longer a big fan of big cities, and almost booked a trip to Cinque Terre instead. But Rome was so worth it.

I had booked our accommodations via AirBNB in Prati, a residential, middle-class district north of Vatican City and (by choice) a fair distance from the big tourist hotspots. Marlon and I got up at nine on the first morning and set out on a leisurely meander to the historic center. This long walk was when I first started to fall in love with the city.

To get to the Centro Storico (historic center), we had to walk a little over 4km and cross the Tiber River. 

One of the first, most vivid images of Rome I ever saw was in a Childcraft encyclopedia when I was about six or seven. (I still remember it was Volume 10, Places to Know.) It was the Castel Sant'Angelo, Hadrian's tomb turned papal residence and fortress, connected by an covered passageway to the Vatican. So I was thrilled to learn that we would be crossing the Tiber River at this historic landmark. I couldn't believe I was actually seeing this vivid image from my childhood—I was so excited, I actually ran towards it. And I don't run.

That morning walk was pretty awesome. I wish I wasn't so shy about taking photos of people, because I now really regret not taking more photos of the super fierce and molto chica locals we saw that morning.

The Romans struck me as positively petite (short, yes, but super skinny) and classically stylish. Think men in crisp, perfectly fitted suits in 35℃ heat, tanned women striding across uneven, gappy cobblestones in five-inch wedges, and aristocratic-looking grannies buying vegetables in sleek updos and linen dresses. I particularly recall an architectural, electric-pleated black linen dress that I would have killed for. If there was ever a time in my life when I seriously considered becoming a mugger, it was every time I saw a Roman dressed in some achingly covetable article of clothing. It was a crime of fashion, Your Honor!

Heck, in Rome even the doors are fierce. Check out these metal studs:

The doors may be fierce, yes. This cowardly lion, not so much. Lions seem to be a popular Roman motif; I lost count of how many lion door knockers I saw in those four days.

After a couple of hours of meandering (punctuated by some Sicilian-made gelati), we reached the Piazza della Rotonda...

... where the Pantheon is situated. Formerly a temple to the ancient Roman gods, the Pantheon became a tomb in the Renaissance period. Moving around the walls, we saw the burial places for the first and second kings of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele and Umberto, as well as the artist Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), one of the master painters of the Italian Renaissance. Today, the Pantheon serves as a church.

The most recent theory is that the oculus (read: hole) in the ceiling was built so that the Pantheon could serve as a kind of sundial. When we arrived, a brilliant ray of sunshine fell right at the entrance, making for some celestial studio lighting. Cue choir of seraphim.

Just off the Piazza della Rotonda, serendipity reared its lovely golden head in the form of the Oficina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Established in 13th-century Florence by Dominican Monks, this is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. Stepping into the store felt like sticking my nostrils into the Garden of Eden—it smelled absolutely divine.

Seeing my wide-eyed wonder, Marlon graciously authorized a splurge.  I was momentarily dazzled by the signature Santa Maria Novella scent, which Catherine de' Medici herself used. But in the end I was won over by the clean, powdery fresh scent of Pomegranate.

Next stop was the stunning Piazza Navona, famous for its Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini.

We missed two stunning fountains by Giacomo della Porta at the north and south ends. But we did see this very old Italian couple driving the cutest little car through the piazza!

After seeing the Roman arena at Nimes this summer, Marlon and I very nearly decided not to enter the great granddaddy of them all, the Colosseum.





Buti na lang nauntog kami. How could we go to Rome and not see it? Because the Nimes arena dwindled to Matchbox dimensions after seeing the real thing.

Guess who was really happy to have his gladiator fantasies come to life?

The Colosseum is where the sheer glory of the ancient Roman civilization will really grab you by the neck, lift you off your feet and throttle you. I'm not just talking about the architectural know-how needed for construction on such a massive scale. While our ancestors were hacking at roots with stones, the Romans were feeding the public's thirst for art and entertainment with complex sets, visual effects, even hydraulics (which is what the underground chambers beneath the floor of the arena were for) nearly 2,000 years ago.

Part of our Christian history lies in the Colosseum as well. A large cross commemorates the early Christians who were persecuted and martyred here, and by the Roman empire in general. Payback came centuries later when marble from the Colosseum "mysteriously" found its way into the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. #ohsnap

Fragments of pillars and ornamental blocks of marble lie strewn about the ruins of the Colosseum, like a giant's forgotten baubles. Even lying in pieces, the magnitude of this place and of this empire are impressive.

After closing time, we watched the sun drench the ancient stones in hues of yellow, pink and orange.

Then we crossed the Tiber to the district of Trastevere for dinner. The sunset sky simply cried out for us to stop on the bridge for a while. That's the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the distance.

In Trastevere, I had the most sinful pizza of my life. But that deserves another post.

Diaper Bags: Must-Have Accessory for New Moms

New mothers! You deserve to look as fashionable as other women even if you are lugging around diapers, bottles, bibs and rattles. Using a designer-inspired tote for baby things make you feel more put together. This can mean a lot to a new mother who may be feeling frumpy, dumpy and not at her best.

Diaper bags are always an excellent way to carry all the essential products of infants and babies. Diaper bags come in several sizes, designs, colors, shapes, and types. They are large and roomy with convenient pockets and compartments to store things and carry with ease.

Designer diaper bags are the perfect choice for moms with style. They make you feel like you are carrying a designer hand bag with all the necessities of a diaper bag. Designer baby bags are all the rage - they are fashionable & luxurious.

Check out some stylish diaper totes:

Monique Diaper Bag

Keep all your precious baby's paraphernalia organized and within easy reach with this classy and stylish Monique Diaper Bag. It features a decorative magnetic clip that keeps the top flap closed. The roomy interior features many storage pockets for all those smaller baby essentials while the two outer pockets are perfect for the phone or the bottle. This bright and beautiful bag is perfect for the classy mom who enjoys up to date style with all the practicalities!

Giraffe Tote Diaper Bag

With its trendy giraffe print, this tote diaper bag is for the sophisticated mom on the go. Its multiple pockets and accessories including a large changing mat, a wipes case, and an insulated bottle holder, mom will always have whatever she needs for herself and her little one!

Diaper bags give you the ability to be mobile with your baby. Make sure you choose the best one for your needs so that you can get out and about with your little one! So, get some comfy and versatile diaper bags from online stores like aBaby.com at reflective rates and with great discount.

A few thoughts on dreams

Parang kailan lang, ang mga pangarap ko'y kay hirap abutin...

These lyrics from Florante's Handog leaped out at me from a video posted by Will, from the current Glee Club, on my Facebook wall this evening.

Bigla kong naalala na noong kaedad ko sina Will, pangarap kong tumira sa Europa. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko gagawin, pero lagi kong iniisip na sana, balang araw, makabalik ako at makatira dito.

So ang ibig sabihin, dahil nandito ako ngayon, nagkatotoo ang pangarap ko.

Kiddies in Prague, 2001. Slight digression: why did I think I was fat?

I sometimes lose sight of the fact that I'm living a dream fulfilled: when it's cold, rainy and gray for what seems like the umpteenth day in a row; when I see other people living in fantastic locations; or when I'm slogging through a ten-page immigration document written entirely in Dutch.

How easy it is to forget that my dream came true. So when I do remember, the realization can hit so hard it sometimes brings tears to my eyes.

Though it may seem like it to people who don't know me or Marlon very well, it may seem like I got to Europe by latching on to a jet-setting expat type (or an expat-to-be) with a career that would take him around the world. But I'll tell you something not a lot of people know.

When Marlon and I first started dating, the plan was very different. I was dead set on living in Europe (how, neither of us knew... but I was going to do it!) and Marlon needed to follow me, somehow. That was why he took his overseas job with a multinational company in the first place: because he thought it would give him the best chance of following me wherever I decided to end up.

This is the first step that the man of my dreams took in making my dreams come true. He believed in me. He saw me as a person who could, and would, achieve some whacked-out dream like that. Never mind that I had zero plans. Never mind that every time I thought about what I wanted, I wanted it so bad and felt so far from having it that I easily wound up bawling every time. He simply believed in me.

Over the course of the next four years, he took another simple but very difficult step. I can sum it up in four words: he stuck it out. I mostly mean the long-distance thing, but there are other, bigger things that nearly blew us both in separate directions. But he just hung in there. And because he did, so did I.

Then, last year, when I started getting itchy feet and questioning our life in Singapore, he did one last thing that bridged the gap from there to here. He listened. It wasn't easy for him to consider such a big change, with the career he had built and the comfort we enjoyed. But he listened, and that single act encompasses so wonderful things. Being someone I felt I could talk to about anything, enough for me to open up in the first place, is one. Sharing my sense of adventure and love for travel, valuing what we agreed our marriage would be, and not being bound to money or comfort, were others.

And this is why I—why we—are here.

Thanks to PKF for the photo!

There are as many dreams as there are ways of making them come true. All I'm saying, really is that this life, and the man I'm living it with, has been one of mine.

Tweets Away

Kim Kardashian has 10 million Twitter followers y'all. I'm shocked. 

Wow. I'm convinced that at least 1/2 of those are people just making fun of her. 

Right? Has to be. I"m sure she's lovely, just saying.

Betsey Johnson Spring RTW

I cant tell you how much I love and adore this collection.. Betsy is just so cute and bubbly and it really shows..

There was nothing vexed about Johnson's take on sex this season—she got her inspiration from burlesque; the invitation to her show featured an illustration of tits and ass; and the collection itself was presented with her usual crazy exuberance. But it was the lack of vexed-ness that made the show interesting, because what Johnson posited was a kind of power-slut look. 

-Style.com

From what I can see, the show was opened by a woman (Lulu, who is Betsey's daughter!) with a lovely curvy figure, something we rarely see in the fashion world, and this woman is all smiles cuz she knows she looks awesome. She also makes an appearance later on, mind you, both times in figure hugging dresses that show off what a real woman's body is and should be like.

Love the lingerie inspired clothes, the progression of the colors. The looks are styled to perfection, with statement neck pieces, a few lacy gloves and very cute shoes..  But my two favorite outfits have to be the animal print trousers with the lacy lingerie corset and cardie (well I'm a sucker for animal prints) and the other is the fitted black dress with the spinal cord and rib cage, cuz its just so cutely Gothic.. 

What's your favorite?

Did anyone else also notice that all the girls had a tiny red heart? on their left chest area?