St. Peter's Basilica

I'ts a good thing we heeded the advice of Joycy's good friend, F, and booked a hotel within walking distance of the Vatican. At around 9:30am, we were already queueing at the right hand wing of St. Peter's Basilica. There were probably around a hundred people ahead of us but since the queue was moving quickly anyway, we didn't have to wait that long (under the heat of the glaring sun!).

To call the Basilica 'impressive' is an understatement. After all, it is considered to be the greatest of all Churches of Christendom (Banister Fletcher). =)

Palatine Hill & Spanish Steps

Although we had a great view of the Palatine Hill from the Colosseum, we still couldn't resist seeing it up close. We were already within hiking distance, so it made sense to see the place where supposedly the City of Rome was founded. I regret not joining the walking tour guide though - coz without knowing much about the area's history, the significance of the ancient remnants didn't immediately register.

the Colosseum

Rome has so much to offer, it's such a pity we only planned to stay for three days. We made a list of places we wanted to visit and the Colosseum was at the top of our list. =) I'm glad we decided to join a walking tour as we got a crash course on the Colosseum's history (my history teacher would have been so proud of my attentiveness! =P).

rome 2008 - fontana di trevi

the day we flew to rome, it was pouring hard in london and as usual, i forgot to bring an umbrella or a jacket. i couldn't wait to leave miserable london for bright and summery rome! ;) proof that one can never be satisfied, when we arrived in rome's ciampino airport, we were all complaining about the heat! =P we've got good reason though as we spent a couple of minutes outside, waiting for the bus that would take us to termini station. when we finally boarded the bus, we found out that its aircon wasn't working so we had to sweat it out for an hour! what could be worse than bathing in your own sweat? (seating beside other passengers who smelt like they didn't bathe for a month!) =P seriously, it wasn't that bad. all we really needed was to rest for a couple of hours in our hotel and afterwards, we felt refreshed! =)



we couldn't let day one pass by without seeing a famous landmark - the fontana di trevi. i was amazed when i first caught sight of the fountain - i didn't expect it to be so huge. i've seen pictures of it but i guess nothing could prepare you for the real thing. =) of course, we had to follow what the legend says - that we must throw a coin over our left shoulder to ensure our return to rome! =)



click here for more pictures! =)

day trip to macau

it was silly of us to think that we'd cover macau's attractions in 5 hours. after waking up late though, we had no choice but to cut down on the tourist spots we wanted to visit - and that meant not visiting a single casino (i know, what was i thinking!) :D i was a bit worried that we wouldn't be able to see much, but in 5 hours, we managed to walk through 'Largo do Senado', admire the ruins of Sao Paulo and rush to the other side of the city to gaze at Macau tower.

as soon as we arrived in macau, we immediately hailed a cab to take us to the famous Largo do Senado. i think we must have spent more than an hour admiring the elegant colonial buildings surrounding the square. it was a bit strange seeing such bright and wonderfully painted buildings but i have to admit, i was charmed by the sight of them! ;) Whilst searching for the ruins of Sao Paulo, we stumbled upon what's known as Macau's most beautiful Church, Sao Domingos. the hurch was built during the 17th century for Macau's Dominicans. i would have loved to explore the church more but since we were pressed for time, we had to make do with a few pictures and a quick glance of the church's interior.

the ruins of Sao Paulo is just a short walk from Sao Domingos. although the church's facade may be the only part left of this 17th century Jesuit Church, it was still quite imposing. mom and i rested for a couple of minutes at the steps whilst brother dear explored the area. check out our pics here.

aroung hongkong island

with my mom living in zamboanga, my brother working in manila and me in london, it was quite difficult for us to plan an out of country trip together. the last time i attempted to organize one, it ended up with my mom and brother arriving in singapore separately on different weekends. still, i'm not complaining, after all i got to see sentosa, singapore zoo and night safari thrice! =P

as soon as my boss agreed to my three week holiday, i invited my mom and brother to meet me in hk for a bit of shopping and sightseeing. luckily, two weeks before my trip, my brother went to HK on a business trip so he sort of knew his way around the city. i didn't have to worry about getting lost and i was able to to concentrate on more important things - i.e. shopping! =P i was also glad i didn't feel exhausted after my long flight. i just deposited my luggage at the hotel, had a quick shower and afterwards, we were off to mongkok!

on my first day, i got to eat my favorite prawn noodle soup, got addicted to egg tarts, went to see the light show and took the tram to Victoria Peak (not to mention bought an entire week's wear for the W at G2000 =P) not bad for our first day, huh? check out our pics here.

my sweet baby ;)

...now, if i could only find the time to play around with it, i'd be the happiest girl on earth! =D

hello world!

i'ts been a while since my last entry and to think i promised myself i'd blog more often this year. i really ought to stop making resolutions, i always end up forgetting about them anyway. ;) blogging used to be so easy for me but after being absent for almost 3 months, i feel a bit lost. i've always preferred doing things at a certain order which meant that i'd be upset if i skipped a task inadvertently. no, i'm not really obessive compulsive, i just want things done in a certain manner. ;) the point is, i wanted to fill in the gaps between feb and today, before posting any new entries. considering how lazy i've been (still am but working on it!) in this department, i don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. instead, i'll just give you the short cut version:

* it's been 4 months since we moved houses and although we get the occasional headaches attached to owning a property, W and i are still grateful that we found a house we could call our home. we've slowly tried to make our home comfortable which means we finally got our furnitures delivered (thank goodness as W was starting to have back pains from sitting on the floor!) we still have a couple of boxes lying around as we only got the items which we absolutely need (i.e. bed or wardrobe). at times, the mess really irritates me. i have to be practical though so i have no choice but to ignore it.

* i went on a three week holiday last march, spent a couple of days in HK with my mom and brother and then went home to Manila. we all had a fabulous time in HK and i wish we could travel together more often. perhaps one of these days, i'd finally get the time to post all of my HK photos.

* work has been quite stressful lately. don't get me wrong, i love my job but there are days when i feel so frustrated, i just want to pull my monitor and chuck it out of the window. but really, i love my job and although i feel like i wake up from a nightmare everytime my bberry rings in the middle of the night, i do enjoy the challenge. =D i have to learn how to balance my work and personal life though coz i noticed thati've been giving too much of myself lately. i forget to eat on time (i sometimes have lunch at around 3pm) because i'm too involved in what i'm doing and i also don't notice time passing by so i end up going home late.

i'ts almost 2am so i guess this is it for now! :) W is still working - maybe it's time for me to turn off the router eh?