TOPAZ HORIZON

Okay, that last post was way too serious but something we must all take very seriously. I've already gotten the list of congressmen who authored/sponsored that Anti-Obscenity and Pornography Bill and I will post their names and photos soon! Do NOT vote for these Pharisees!

Now, back to regular programming...

As you know, I love to shop online. I just found this fabulous shop called Urban Original. O. M. G. That site is, for me, pornography. I just got so turned on by all the yummy shoes, I nearly fainted with pleasure. There are so many fabulous shoes and they're so cheap, too! I had too many moments where I had to stop and blink hard because I was getting dizzy with desire.

So anyway, I've picked out the ones I really want. I'm going through a prim-and-proper shoe phase. These days I kinda like my feet covered up. Must be because of all the Fall fashion in the magazines... or the fact that it's rainy season here and I walk to work now so I hate getting my feet wet! Anyway, these are my finalist babies. Help me choose!

So! Which ones? All?!? That would only cost me USD 93, plus shipping (yes, they ship to Manila!) so only about USD 130 (PHP 6K++) so the shoes come out as only PHP 1,200 each pair!!! Why, I do believe I'll take them all. What do you think???

P.S. I kinda also like the multi-color multi-strap crocodile heels. They're funky, although I just know my husband will think them horrendous. Should I include those, too?

*all images from Urban Original website. Please shop at their store!

UPDATE: The hubby thinks I need to replace my two phones because they're 3 and 4 years old. Yeah, my Sony Ericssons look really beat up but they still work perfectly and don't give me any trouble at all! Hmm, for the same amount: 5 pairs of shoes or 1 new phone? Man, I don't even know why there's a debate! Still, in a marriage, the budget's not mine and mine alone anymore. So, dear shoes, another time!

This is super fun! What if you had lived in the past? What would your yearbook photos look like? I found this incredibly fun site called Yearbook Yourself! that helped me find out what I'd have looked like way back in...


OMG. The hair! The hair! Thank God for modern hairstyling! The 1978 Afro had me laughing till forever! You know, my mama used to have an Afro. She rocked it, too, with metallic blue eyeshadow and fuschia lipstick. But that's because she's insanely gorgeous. I'll try to get a photo of her in that hairstyle. My mama's so stunning, she'll knock your socks off. Too bad I'm the spitting image of my dad! (Love you, Papa!) Ya, if my dad had been a woman of 31, this is how he'd look like:

Same huge ears, same long face, same smile, the exact same eyes. I have a nicer nose though. I'll try to get a photo of my dad, too. He looks... okay. Like me! Hahaha!

Hmmm... I think I look pretty cute in the cat's eye specs. What you think? Perhaps it's time for me to ditch the contacts and start wearing glasses again.

No, I'm not pregnant =D

I'm writing an article for Smart Parenting magazine and it's about popular baby names Filipinos give their kids. I thought Jennifer and Karen and Michael and Mark would be on top of the list but apparently yun yung trend with our parents. So, now that our generation is the one having babies, please help me!!!

1. What are the names of your kids? What are the names of your friends' kids? I need the names of kids 3 years old and below.

2. Also, saan galing ang mga pangalan nila? Did you name them after saints, favorite movie/book/TV characters, distinguished family member, etc?

3. What are your considerations for naming your kids? Example, dapat di ma-mispronounce (like my name!) or dapat madaling i-spell.

Yun lang! Pleeeeease help me! This article is due on Monday and now lang na-assign sa akin!!! Just give your answers sa comment box please. Ask your friends for help. I need at least 500 names to kinda see if there are trends. I'm calling the NSO non-stop! Help! Help! HELP!

THANKS!

Please watch the first few minutes of the video in this MTV VMAs link.

When she walked to the stage to her tune, "Baby, One More Time," my eyes all but fell out crying. My baby's baaaaack! And in a big way, too. Britney won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, and the biggest award of all--Video of the Year!

Just proves to all and sundry that everyone deserves a second chance and we can all rise from the deepest darkest pits of hell. Welcome back, Britney!

*image from mtv.com

Because of some outfit-for-the-day sites I've become addicted to, I've snapped myself in some of my clothes these past few days. The photos aren't as nice (gosh, what cameras do these people use?), and the clothes aren't as amazing (how can I ever be as stylish as these people?) but it's a start.

Preview magazine's editor-in-chief writes in a recent issue that every fashionista's mantra is shop till you drop. Well, I shop, and for hours on end too, but i need never drop because I do almost all my shopping online!

Online shopping is the best for people like me who hate dressing up just to go to the mall (though I do like dressing up for dinner and the movies), hate parking, hate crowds. At home, barefoot and comfy in my cotton dresses, I sit in front of the computer and shop away. I've bought designer dresses, unusual shoes, vintage bags, rare books and my lovely art prints from various shopping sites online from all over the world. I can even get hay and other goodies for my rabbits because there is absolutely no decent rabbit shop in this country. Anyway, I'll tell you more about my favorite sites in an another post and will include pics of the stuff I've bought.

So how is online shopping? Well, it's not as easy as mall shopping, I'll tell you that. You have to have an international credit card or PayPal. But a lot of sites don't accept cards with non-US billing addresses. Then when you do purchase, there's the waiting period that can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks! The shipping fees can be expensive, too (the trick is to buy in bulk). Shipping can be a problem since a lot of nice sites from the US don't ship to Manila. You have to have a US address. So most of the time, I only shop at the local Multiply and eBay, and occasionally, I'd shop at sites that do deliver worldwide but FedEx can be very expensive (but safe. I love FedEx!). So when I hear that a friend or a relative is coming home to visit, I immediately ask if it's okay to have my shopping delivered to them! And that, my friends, is the best way to curb your shopping expense since I only get to shop big time when someone comes over from the US of A.

But--be still, my beating heart!--my husband just told me about the MyUS.com website. It's a mail forwarding service that his friends use when they shop for sporting goods and gadgets. The stuff they get comes out much cheaper because all the prohibitive taxes our government imposes on imported goods are stripped away. They said they've been members of MyUS.com for years and they like it for its professional and discreet service and that the service delivers fast and for much less. In fact, Vince tells me he's signing up. Oh dear, if he signs up, I'll bombard him with my shopping! MyUS.com promises to receive my stuff, repack it and ship it to my doorstep. They'd even do the paperwork for the customs.

So the bottom line is I get to enjoy the shopping selection in the US, the prices they have (my goodness, their fabulous shoes are like $8-$12 only) and the huge discounts as if I'm a US resident!!! With MyUS.com, I can buy practically everything for much less--magazine subscriptions, shoes, clothes, books, furniture, gadgets, toys for the rabbits and me, medicines and beauty products, jewelry, stationery... OMG. I'm trembling as I type!

Now I know we all have a relative or a friend abroad so I'm pretty sure this post got your attention. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't bother them anymore with all our shipping needs? My goodness, and all that shopping we can do! I can't wait!

Part of my job is to attend events, product launches and give interviews. Also, to appear on TV or pop up on radio shows to impart my wisdom on celebrity matters (hahaha!). Anyway, the stuff here are a few weeks old so that hopefully, you didn't see me on TV making a fool of myself. I'm not the type to promote my appearances. I did that once and then all I got from friends and family were, "Who did your makeup? You looked like a tranny!", "You look really fat.", "Why can't you speak in straight English?" (this was on a Tagalog morning show), and my favorite: "On TV, you look drunk." So strange! I don't even drink alcohol (I'm allergic)!

But Mary Kay sent me this YouTube link and it's so embarrassing but in a I-can-laugh-at-me sorta way. I'm the talkative girl being made up. I'm sure the Mary Kay artist was silently wishing me to shut up hehehe. You have to watch until the end of the clip where I'm smiling and then I thought the photographer was done and then he asked me for another shot. I'm so FAKE!



Below is a behind-the-scenes look of me and Nikki, associate fashion and beauty editor, on a guest stint on "The Sweet Life." We were talking about how to look good in anything, courtesy of tips from Hollywood stars. I'm wearing my silk Jill Stuart dress and beige Nine West pumps. Just sayin'! Look at hosts Lucy Torres and Wilma Doesnt. They are soooo thin! And pretty. Sigh!

Seriously though, guesting on TV is no joke. Aside from the absolute certainty that I am going to make a big blunder (I curse like a sailor and I have a tendency to spill secrets), there's the more distressing problem of waiting and waiting and waiting...

We were asked to arrive at 9 PM but the taping didn't start till 12 midnight. Then we were on that set for about 5 minutes. With editing, the clip on TV will run for a mere 2 or 3 minutes. But you waited a few hours just to have that done! It's not their fault. That's how TV really is. That's why I like live TV more. Sure, you have this HUGE opportunity to make a terrible mistake but at least the whole ordeal is over and done with in 15 minutes!

I love this Discovery Channel commercial. As regular readers of Topaz Horizon know, I'm a huge fan of this beautiful planet. So when Discovery Channel played this and I saw it, I got all misty-eyed. I always shout to the hubby when it's playing, "Baby, the boom-de-yaya ad is on!" And then I just sit in front of the TV and bask in the love of my fellow men for Planet Earth.



Nope, it never gets old.

At OK!, we have a running joke that Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is the twin of Tweety Bird. Whenever we have a feature on stars with striking resemblances, we always want to put Shiloh and Tweety in but of course we can't because that would be, uh, mean hehe. So you can just imagine my delight when I found this on YouTube:

I went to a medical spa recently where all my measurements got taken. Here's what took place:

Spa: Ma'am Frances, for your height of 5'4", you're underweight at 105 lbs. But your body is 20% fat. Although normal range is 20-22% for women, better if you're about 15-18%. So you're underweight but fat.

Me: I'm fat? But I need to gain weight?

Spa: Yes, ma'am. You need 10 to 15 lbs pa po. But see this flab on your upper arms and belly? That's fat. So you know that saying skin-and-bones? You're skin-fat-and-bones. It should be skin-muscle-and-bones.

Me: I'm fat.

Spa: Well, looking at you, obviously you're not. You're very very slim. You need to get rid of your fat first with cardio exercises and less fat in your diet. More protein. Then when your fat is lessened, you can start building up your muscles. Again, you need to gain 10 to 15 lbs of pure muscle. Less fat, more muscle.

Me: I'm fat!

Later at home I wail to my husband as he washed the dishes.

Me: Apparently I'm within normal range at 20% fat but instead of that comforting me, she goes, "Better if you're about 15-18%" range.

Vince: Michael Jordan was famously 9% body fat.

Later, I gripe to a friend, Ruby, who replies giddily, "Oh, I'm only 12% body fat!"

Sigh. These days, I stare at my thin self in the mirror with utmost dissatisfaction. Better start hitting the gym and stop eating all the junk I love. *sniff* *sob*

I've gone through my entire blog and decided to link up the people who actually read this blog. Oh, what a tedious thing to do. But I'm glad I did it because it's like the least I can do for the people who read my silliness.

Of course a lot of readers who left comments don't have blogs so I felt a bit bad about that. Also, I left out some blogs that haven't been updated (yes, I checked each and every commenter and their blog!). It's kinda unfair to link up people's sites and when you click on them, the dates are so long ago. It's not fun, no sirree.

So there! Leave me a comment (a real one, okay!) and I'll link you up! Hope you can link me up, too =D

Don't worry. No real spoilers here, but I'm not exactly discreet either. So read at your own risk!

I just finished the last book of the Twilight Saga and I must say the following:

1. Many events in the book took me quite by surprise, which is good. It's always a good thing when a writer can be unpredictable.

2. That said, just because a writer can surprise you doesn't mean the surprises are all pleasant. I didn't like a lot of things. A horrid name, for example. Ugh, I just can't get over that name.

3. While we were treated to a stylistic tool in the third book (Jacob's POV), to use that same tool in a huge chunk of BD was a little too late, a little too convenient, a little too lazy. I must admit, though, Jacob's part was the best read. Bella had become increasingly boring since the second book so the story told in another way and another voice was strangely a relief.

4. I miss, truly miss, Bella and Edward's love story. In this book, it wasn't really about their love story as much as it was about a family story. Make no mistake--Edward and Bella are even more deeply in love here than ever. But I guess marriage does that to any couple (including me and Vince. Sigh!): the focus isn't entirely on each other anymore; you include others into the circle. Not a bad thing really but... I just really want to say I miss that consuming, one-of-a-kind, maddeningly young, deeply private love story that is Bella and Edward.

5. I think I get the cover now. WOW! That was totally unexpected. But, like I said, that cover says it all--Bella has an entirely new passion and focus in BD. And never ever did I think that Stephenie would pounce that on us!

6. Last but not the least, Team Edward HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!

Okay, I'll stop there. But darnit, I want to discuss this book already! Everyone I know are still reading it, are done but are currently catching up on sleep they lost because of the midnight release and the subsequent marathon reading, or there's someone not done reading it yet in a gathering of those who've finished it so we all can't talk about it anyway! Anyone out there done with it? Comment!!!

*book cover image from Stephenie Meyer's site. Team Edward button from Cafe Press. Click on the button to pledge allegiance to the most swoon-worthy vampire in the world: Edward!


UPDATE: Okay, I've slept already. I've digested the book. And now, even with all the negative things I said above, I think that I actually really liked Breaking Dawn! I still don't like that name though...

As you all know by now, I am a shoe freak. So when I stumbled upon Sea of Shoes via another blog I haunt (Chuvaness.com), I just became addicted to this absolutely gorgeous family.

Here's the author of the blog. Her name's Jane Aldridge. She's wearing a Carolina Herrera dress with Balenciaga ankle boots (btw, good news: Balenciaga opens today at Greenbelt 5 in Makati!). She's not a fashion model, I think, which makes that great because I really can't be inspired by incredibly thin people who look hungry (though she and I are quite slim, too). I love how she can pair any shoe with absolutely anything in her closet... or how she can make anything look glamorous (exhibit A: the messy hair, exhibit B: the bathroom of her sister that they're demolishing).

This is her sister. Soooo adorable. I love her lipstick. I can't wear lipstick; I'm more of a lip gloss girl (my favorites this month are a frosty pink from Shu Uemura and a sugary gold from Mary Kay). Anyway, this cutie is wearing a pair of peep-toe lace-up Dolce & Gabbana heels with a mini dress from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

And this is their mother. Well, now we know where the girls got their good looks! (The dog looks cute, too, hehe) She wore her Chloe triple strap patent boots with Levi's and an American Apparel shirt. So chic! I wanted to buy those same Chloe boots in Selfridges in London and even Vince encouraged me to buy them but I just couldn't get past that price tag--a whopping GBP 365 (or PHP 31,915). Damn!

If, however, I suddenly have a lot of money, I think I can buy these Chloe lovers from this other blogger. Her blog, A Woman and Her Shoes, is another new favorite. It's almost like porn actually since I get really high looking at all the delectable pairs in her blog.

Ah, shoes! Gosh, I love Jane's blog so much, maybe I'll do something similar. But since I have very limited resources and very few clothes and no sense of style at all... well, maybe it's not a very good idea for me after all. Insert tragic sigh here!

OMG. You've got to watch this video of Michael Jackson and Britney Spears singing "The Way You Make Me Feel"!!! Two superstars on stage, singing live, feeding off each other's energy--it's electrifying.

Really makes you long for the good ol' days when real singing sensations entertained us. Not the crap we get these days. Well, at least Britney's back in the studio recording an album again. I really liked Blackout, and the critics hailed it, too, as one of her best. Sad that she wasn't able to promote it because her life was in such turmoil last year. But she's much better now, healthier, hitting the gym trying to get back her old shape. And she'll also be part of Madonna's big tour next month. And her video for "Piece of Me" just got nominated for the MTV VMAs. People really still believe in Britney!

Now if only Michael will also come back...

Anyway, here's another video that I love. At least Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Missy Eliot's still in the scene. That's quite a comforting thought really!

Aside from the occasional wedding and funeral and christening, of course. If you know me or if you've read this blog for a while, you'd know I have this huge faith in God. I'm a Born-Again Christian, grew up in a Baptist church, and I completely believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior and that my life is meaningless without Him.

So why did I stop attending church? Oh, there are tons of reasons. Here's a good list I found from The Accidental Missionary:
10. I was only going to church to please others.
9 I want to spend more time with my friends.
8. I disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues.
7. I didn’t feel connected with the people in my church.
6. I became too busy.
5. I moved too far away.
4. My work responsibilities prevented me from attending.
3. I started college and stopped church.
2. Church members seemed too judgmental or hypocritical.
1. I simply wanted a break from church.

And then the blog's author surmises, "Why do they want a break? I think maybe #2 causes #1."

And that's why I ultimately left. Left the family I loved, the friends I grew up with, the church that formed my beliefs and my morals. Well, I didn't become un-Christian, mind you, I just left the church physically because it just got too confusing for me. It's like what Gandhi supposedly said, "I would become a Christian if it were not for Christians." I felt back then that I was surrounded by judgmental hypocrites and I wanted to scream my head off because I was so lost in a place where I should feel found.

So I wandered off. Shopped around for different churches and checked out a few "life-changing" seminars. Studied a bit of Buddhism and even found that very attractive. Except that I just couldn't shake off my one true love: Jesus Christ. I fell in love with Christ before and I asked Him into my heart and there is no way I'm asking Him to ever leave. Never!

Anyway, now that I've had time away and apart to live how I want, explore the world I was protected from, meet many kinds of people I never would've known had I stayed in my cloistered existence... well, I can't say I regret these past 6 years. Nope, not at all. I loved every minute of it! I've had tons of fun. I've grown a deeper understanding of myself, my fellow men, and of God.

And I guess I understand now that what I thought was judgmental and hypocritical behavior before was perhaps also growing pains, the same thing I had to go through. I guess if there's anything I love about getting older, it's getting more compassionate and understanding. Wisdom only comes with age. So yes, I will welcome the years.

Ah, but it's been 6 years, my friends. And I'm starving.

*song is I'm Going Home by Chris Daughtry; video features clips from Spirit, created by horselover1166

In Facebook, an old classmate from Assumption Antipolo posted this photo last week:


That's me on the top row, third student from left (click photo to enlarge). I am 6 or 7 years old here and I have no front teeth!

Since Facebook allows you to tag people in photos, all of us who were tagged here left comments on the pic and that's also how we found each other again. I got such a huge kick getting updates from long lost friends--most of them are married, with kids or are pregnant, and juggling a career, too. We've been emailing each other (and that's a lot of mail that I've been cheerfully busy with!) and I just get soooo happy reading about them and setting up appointments to meet soon. Their lives sound so fascinating and it boggles me that they find my life exciting, too.

Okay, I love my life. I keep telling Vince that the life I have now is beyond my wildest imagination (and Vince would always chuckle back, "You didn't imagine much then!"). After growing up poor, to be able to buy my shoes and bags and dresses, eat at nice places, buy my medicines (I'm a health nut), live in a lovely home, travel, help my parents financially, and do all these and more without going into debt... this life is totally insane for me.

You see, I've been very selfish these past years, focusing entirely on myself. It's a survival thing, I think. I wasn't very happy in my youth so I've worked very very hard the last decade or so to get to this point where I am happy. But in the last year, I've begun looking outward.

Maybe because I'm so happy and settled down? Maybe because I'm older and finally wiser? Maybe because I finally listened to God's prodding and stopped focusing on me? I don't know. All I know is there is a hunger in me to be generous, to give, to love, to reconnect, to ask forgiveness and to forgive. After all, I wouldn't be where I am today if other people hadn't been so generous with me. Vince's parents gave us our home, my bosses at work have rewarded my service, my staff gives so much time to the magazine so I wouldn't need to, my friends and sisters-in-law and family made my wedding utterly exquisite, my husband continues to spoil me rotten by providing me my needs and my wants. I am so blessed because people around me, despite my selfishness, have poured out their lives and emptied their pockets just so I can be happy. God is too good to me and that humbles me a lot, you know?

Life really isn't about oneself; it's about sharing your life with others. I have finally found meaning in generosity.

And she writes, too!

Gosh. It sucks to have someone else on cyberspace who's just like you.

I haven't read her stories yet but she seems to be prolific. Now I'm envious. I haven't written any stories since 2001. And I call myself a writer, ha! Well, I do write articles and I do edit a magazine but there's an awfully annoying part of me that tells me I'm no good because I haven't written a story for so long.

Anyway, back to the other Topaz Horizon. I'll disappear for a bit so I can read her stuff. Syempre, I assume she's a she. I wonder if she's also a November girl. That's why I named my blog that because I love my gemstone, topaz--the smoky or yellow ones, not those common blue ones. I'm always in search for rings, pendants, earrings that are yellow topazes. They are quite rare!

Hmmm, I wonder if she knows about my blog... Gee, I really feel like we're connected somehow. I mean, we came up with the same name! We must think alike, eh? I'm sooo curious but I'm scared to contact her. What do you think?

Ria and Zemirah, who are both from Quezon City!

They correctly guessed that the bestselling book that featured Platform 9 and 3/4 in this photo was HARRY POTTER!

Every time I have a contest, I have a different criteria for choosing winners (so that I don't get bored and to encourage my readers to join each time). For this contest, my reasons for choosing the winners are simply because I liked their blogs!

Check out Ria's blog here. And Zemirah's blog here.

Both these lovely girls (and readers of my nutty blog) will receive a beautiful Sun Lustre bronzer from Body Shop's latest makeup collection, the Sun-Kissed Makeup Line. Each bronzer is saucer-sized and comes in an exquisite golden case. It's worth $25 each so, to the two of you, super congrats!

Ria and Zemirah, I will email you with the details on the prize. By the way, Ria, you get the Radiant Blush, and Zemirah, you get Bronze Gleam. Congratulations and thank you for reading my blog!

To the other readers who joined my contest, thank you also. I also loved your side comments and I'm so happy I got all correct answers this time!

*product photo from Body Shop website.

So, finally! Here’s my kwento on our London honeymoon a couple of weeks ago.

London is a very old city and it’s bursting with culture. It’s really fascinating to watch actually. You see centuries-old buildings with ultra-modern ones, elegantly dressed people with trendy/trashy ones. You see many many kinds of people from all over the world—lots of Europeans, Indians and Pakistanis, lots of beautiful black people (hindi yung mga nakakatakot na hiphop ones but these amazingly graceful and deeply black creatures!), but not very many Asians—sad.



Anyway, the British Museum was nearest our hotel so we visited it first. That museum is huge. Kulang ang isang araw para ikutin ito. It’s just filled with all these artifacts from all over the world nung sinaunang panahon. Our super favorite was the Lion Hunt stone reliefs from ancient Aramea. It was an incredibly large, incredibly detailed record of a king and his court on a lion hunt.



Then we went to visit the Greeks and Romans rooms. Sad to say but Vince and I got bored after a while. I mean, after seeing pots upon pots and statue upon statue, our eyes kinda glazed over. So our lofty conceit of us thinking we are scholars just went down the drain. Darn.



We did get a kick out of seeing Dum-Dum in all his stone glory. If you saw Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum, you’d know why we giggled excitedly, “Look, it’s Dum-Dum! He wants gum-gum!” Yeah, I know we’re inane. Seriously, though, seeing a real Easter Island monolithic statue is quite impressive. You look at him, serenely gazing off into the distance, and you begin to wonder what he’s looking at, why he was made, and all those existentialist frou-frou you don’t think about on a normal day living your inane life.

We trooped over to the Ancient Egypt rooms next and there were even more statues and stuff. And then we saw the mummies. Friends, I hate to admit this but my stomach turned over. This was my first time to see dead people. I mean, I’ve been to wakes and funerals, of course, but this is different. These were people dug up from their graves and their wrappings actually still looked moist. I know that’s impossible but I was so horrified kasi lahat ng scary movies na nakita ko talagang binalikan ako and I was scared. Sorry, no photos of the mummies. I obviously didn’t want any souvenirs of those scary things but here’s Vince enjoying the sights.




For even more dead people, we went to Westminster Abbey. Here in this photo, I am trying to decide if the Abbey was worth the GBP 12 entrance fee. Syempre, dahil dalawa kami ni Vince eh di ang equivalent nun PHP 2,000, just to see a church! But the guide book said it was definitely worth it, so in we went. At first, medyo nadismaya ako kasi parang Manila Cathedral o San Agustin Church siya. You know, high ceilings, big windows, altar, fantastic architecture and design elements, etc. I’m not putting down our churches, ha. In fact, ang San Agustin ang isa sa mga paborito kong lugar sa Maynila. What I meant was parang kung parehas lang pala ng mga simbahan natin, baket pa ako nagbayad ng mahal?!

Hay, buti na lang mali ako. My dismay went pffft once we started on the audio tour (it’s so cool—there are these portable things that look like phones and as you go around the Abbey, you get a history per section, when you’re ready. Pwede mo pa i-replay! But the best part? It’s voiced by Jeremy Irons! How frikkin’ cool is that!). Sayang nga lang kasi bawal mag-take ng pictures.

Anyway, I’m a sucker for English history so when I saw where past kings and queens were buried, that was so far out. The tombs of Queens Elizabeth I and Mary I did make me somber. Their history as sisters, rivals, and queens is so significant to the world that being at their tombs—well, it just took my breath away. Andun din yung oak coronation chair. Lahat ng monarchs ng England dun umupo. It looked really crappy already but that’s because it’s centuries old!

What really got Vince and me excited was Poet’s Corner. Here we found the tombs and memorials of great writers Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Keats, William Blake, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and more. We were so astounded! It just humbles you, ya know? Here, at our feet, lie the most celebrated minds of our time and they’ve passed on yet they remain immortal. You can’t help but take stock of your own life and what you’ve done with it.

Anyway, for those graves alone, the Westminster Abbey’s fee was worth it. Although medyo quiet and subdued kami ni Vince after the tour hehe. So wag niyo pupuntahan ito kung di niyo gusto malungkot.



While I liked the Abbey, my favorite museum was the National Gallery. Sadly, cameras aren’t allowed here either. So all we ever got was this shot of Vince squinting at me from outside the museum. In this particular museum I saw with my very own eyes paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Da Vinci, Manet, Titian, Ingres, Degas, Holbein, Velasquez, Vermeer, El Greco, Poussin, Rembrandt and more. I briefly studied Renaissance Art in college and it was one of the happiest things I’ve ever done so I’ve dabbled in the study of European art since then. Now seeing some of the art I pored over when I was young… I was just struck dumb. I even got teary-eyed. Iba pala talaga kung kaharap mo na yung mga famous paintings na ito. Nakakalula.



*continue reading… Contest ahead!