Guess what? It says “You belong in Paris.”

I swear I didn’t cheat. Hehe. I was even thinking that the result will say that I belong to NYC.

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris.
The art, the fashion, the wine!
Whether you’re enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park…
You’ll love living in the most chic place on earth.

Anyway, I have tons of things to do but the tasks are too plenty I don’t know where to start or how to begin. For now, I am enjoying the internet connection. It’s kinda fast today

On other news:

1. I have already paid my web hosting plan in full. My blogs are my life story so I just can’t throw them away just like that especially the senior ones. You know, the ones that have been running since 3 years ago.
2. I miss my blogger friends. They are not updating their blogs that much these past few weeks. That’s why I am also discouraged from writing new blog posts. But I plan to update Love is Paris more often. Hopefully, Ezine style of writing.
3. My pamangkins are growing up fast! They are becoming more and more talkative as days pass by. And would you believe that they refuse to call their other aunt (from their father’s side) “tita” because for them I am the ONLY tita they know? It’s so true. It makes us laugh. My two-year old nephew insists on calling her “lola” instead of tita. It’s so funny.

That’s all for now. Happy blogging!

Yes. I think Audrey Hepburn is right. Paris is always a good idea

happy blogging!

These are my instructions:

1. I want 3 pictures of Paris, France
2. In the background of each image, the Eiffel Tower should be clearly visible
3. I want her to hold a banner saying “Paris is waiting for you” with my whole name written on it

I paid $5 for it. I felt like it’s the best bargain I ever got in my entire life. LOL. The lady was very nice and friendly too. I don’t think that $5 is enough compensation for the trouble. How much is five dollars in Europe? Less than 3 euros? Can that amount buy her a cup of coffee? I doubt. So she was really a blessing to me. Maybe she just wanted to help fulfill my dream And before I forget, I met her in Fiverr.com. It’s a great website. You should check it out.

dear God, Paris is waiting for me!

Hello from Manila!

Today is my blog’s first year anniversary. I don’t really celebrate blog anniversaries but this one’s very close to my heart.

Love is Paris is the first step to achieving my most beautiful dream and this is what sets it apart from my other blogs.

I think it’s quite normal for people to have lots and lots of dreams. Most of which are inspired by friends, family, famous personalities and sometimes, even strangers. But we need to have a personal dream. Something that we didn’t get from other people. You know, a dream that you can call yours. Nobody inspired you to aim for it. It just happened.

This is what I feel for Paris, it’s between me and God.

Well, I don’t know which is bigger. My dream of becoming a writer or my dream of traveling to Paris in the future? Some days, I feel that God will help me achieve both dreams. Other days, I feel that God has a more beautiful dream for me. Something that may be different from the plans I made but definitely more amazing and more exciting.

Sometimes, I’d like to believe that I’ve already achieved the first because I’m writing for a living. But being a content provider does not mean that I am a writer in its true definition. I’m a writer but I’m not a writer writer. LOL. While I was reading Lolita, I had doubts if I can create a book as amazing as that. Maybe I can’t But hey, I’m happy being a blogger. Publishing a book is going to be a super bonus but for me blogging is already fulfilling.

About Paris, gosh, I have no means to make this happen. But hey, look at the photos! At least my name has already arrived the City of Love. I was literally jumping for joy when I received the images. They’re so beautiful. I’m sure you all agree. I can just imagine how squeaky clean those streets are. I think they are cleaner than my own room. LOL. You should see the pictures in their original size.

So all that is missing is my physical body because my heart, my soul, and my name are already there. I’m a Parisian by heart. I should have been born a French lady. Maybe in my next life time. But I’m a Catholic Christian. So there is no next life! There is, but that will be in heaven (or in hell?). I don’t believe in reincarnation. So it has to happen during this lifetime. I’ve got to go to France because Paris is waiting for me.

Happy first anniversary Love is Paris!

My name in Paris, France

When I was in college, our English professor gave us a surprise essay exam. We were given 30 minutes to finish a one-page article about our opinion on any topic. I decided to write about Lolita, a novel controversial for its erotic scenes and explicit description of sexual desires.

When it was first published in the 1950′s, people thought the subject was obscene and pornographic. However, it was later acknowledged as one of the best novels ever written and was even translated into different languages. The story is narrated by Humbert Humbert who is sexually obsessed with a 12-year old girl.

In truth, I never had the chance to read Lolita. At the time, I had no access to classic novels and great works of literature and poetry. But I received a nice grade for that essay even if  I just wrote it based on what I’ve heard from people who’ve actually read it. Anyway, I now have a copy of the book and here is what I found on the second chapter:

I was born in 1910, in Paris. My father was a gentle, easy-going person, a salad of racial genes: a Swiss citizen, of mixed French and Austrian descent, with a dash of the Danube in his veins.

The narrator is from Paris! Now I believe I am meant to read this book I already know the entire story and I’ve read plenty of reviews but I am excited to finish all my tasks so I can start reading it. Here’s our little secret. I wrote in my essay that Anna Kournikova, the Russian tennis star, refused to be called Lolita because of this novel. It’s a lie. I was just trying to make my essay longer because we were required to fill a long yellow paper with words and sentences.

This is an interesting thing Vladimir Nabokov, the author, said:

I am probably responsible for the odd fact that people don’t seem to name their daughters Lolita any more.

Really? Well, I think Lolita is a cute name. Same as Lilian, Marie, and Kelly

After the disastrous events that took place in their country – earthquake, tsunami, and radiation fears – the number of foreign visitors was cut in half and the strong currency of Japanese Yen did not help the situation. Now, in a desperate attempt to attract tourists back to a land threatened by a nuclear disaster, JTA plans to create a website where interested bloggers can send their application for free plane tickets.

Applicants will have to write the details of their travel plan and explain what they expect to get from the trip. Chosen candidates will be given free airplane tickets but they will have to pay for their meals, hotel accommodation, and they must have their own pocket money for the journey.

What’s the catch?

Successful applicants will be required to write a review about their adventures and pleasant experiences in Japan and post it on their blogs and other social media sites. Of course, the review must be written in a positive tone and should give an impression that Japan is a great place to visit. It was not mentioned in the report but I supposed they will also require bloggers to upload pictures of the wonderful tourist spots in the Land of the Rising Sun.

As of this writing, a request for one billion yen to fund the campaign has been submitted to law makers and once approved, would-be visitors may start signing up on April, 2012. Well, if you are a blogger and you want to participate in this campaign, consider to work on your traffic and online visibility as early as now. The agency is looking for highly-influential bloggers who can help them spread the word that Japan is still a safe country to visit.

So the bottom line is you have to be an I.N.F.L.U.E.N.T.I.AL. blogger to be chosen. There would be 10,000 slots available. How many influential bloggers are there in the internet? I think they are targeting for American and European bloggers who have the money. You have to pay for everything else, remember? But who knows? You might just get lucky

Keep my commands and live my teaching as the APPLE of your eye; Bind them on your fingers, write them on the TABLET of your heart. (Proverbs 7:2-3 – New American Bible)

God invents the inventors. He installs the original software called the soul together with applications such as the intellect and the will. He also provides the hardware called the body to run hand in hand with the soul. The amazing compatibility between the intellect and the brain, or the will and the heart, can only be made possible by Divine Wisdom. He is the Great Internet to whom all creatures are connected. Let’s give Him more than just our “like,” but our whole profile, our whole self (Mat. 22:37.)

You can’t answer “both.”

You have to choose between the two.

That’s a tough question, huh?

My brother asked that to me a few months ago and without thinking much, I chose “home.” I feel that life would be very very sad if I had no place to call home. For me, home means family and house has a different meaning. I know I would die of starvation without food but I experienced the first difficult months of living “away” from my family and I couldn’t eat. No matter how delicious and salivating the dishes were, I couldn’t convince myself to taste them.

Anyway,  I read the story of Bert Anthony Sienes, player of Team Philippines for the Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup. The story is heart-warming and very inspiring specially when I read that Bert’s mother never gave up on searching for his son. After 10 years of separation, Bert was reunited with his family through football. He is currently in Paris to make not just his family but the entire Philippines proud. You can read the whole story in this link - A decade lost, a lifetime gained.

Homeless World Cup is an annual football tournament that aims to fight off homelessness through football. The competition is ongoing from August 21-28, 2011 and is being held at Champs de Mars, Paris, France. Different countries from all over the world are participating. You can do your part too. Take action by giving donations or by becoming a volunteer.

A ball can change the world. The question is, are you in? Check out the official website of Homeless World Cup and choose among the simple things that you can do to help beat homelessness.