A triumphant return....to France

I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am about my pending trip to Europe.

Until 2005, I was lucky enough to spend time in France (and by default many other countries) every year. Every summer, after visiting my American side of the family in California, I would head over to France to see my dad's side of the family. Through college I made sure to either have internships, or educational opportunities in Europe.

Unfortunately, now that I am out of grad school, I dont have the money (or the time) to be jetting off to Europe for weeks on end.

Anyway...I'm babbling. The point is, the boyfriend and I are planning a triumphant return. Paris, the Loire Valley castles, La Vallade (middle of nowhere countryside where my grams lives) and Wurzburg (where the boy has old family friends).

Oddly enough, I have never seen the casles of the Loire (and if I did, I was way too young to remember!) I am SO excited!!! I love history, and being able to see Amboise and Chambord will be glorious indeed.

We may even throw in a champagne tour...mmm

Oh, but I get ahead of myself...first buy plane tickets...

Thoughts on friendship, love and relationships

It's a frustrating thing, when you have to watch your friend make stupid decisions. Don't get me wrong, I've made those very decisions myself - trusting people I shouldn't have trusted, letting myself be walked over and cheated on in relationships.

What I dont understand, is why come to me for advice and to vent, if you wont heed the advice that I have to give. Now I'm one of those people who believes that being a friend does not mean agreeing with everything your friend says and does, but rather, it means being the one person who can say: "you are wrong."

The particular friend in question, is in a destructive relationship, that she needs to get out of. I understand that it is hard to break up with someone you love... but lately I've come to realize that love... is actually a rather unoriginal thing.

If you think about it, every relationship (love or not) ends, until you get married...and even then some of those end. But after every failed relationship comes another relationship and so on and so forth. We humans are stronger emotionally than we let ourselves believe. So yes, break ups hurt, but in time, you heal and you fall in love again.

And the cycle continues...

Some people say im cynical...or bitter because of my lack of belief in "the one". I disagree, I believe we have soulmates yes, but I dont believe that there is one person on the planet that we are meant to be with.

July

This month is starting out rather nicely on the social front...and quite stressful on the job front.

I just enjoyed a lovely 4th of July weekend on the Cape with my best friend. Her family owns a house there and they are all happy and merry people. Whenever I am in a down mood, the best thing I can possibly do is hang out with her. Unfortunately, we dont live in the same state, and neither of us have the time or the money to visit eachother more often, but getaways like these are always treasured.

As for work...ugh. I dont even know where to begin with how stressed I am about it. I've determined that I am in the wrong career. I'm thinking of trying to move into Corporate Social Responsibility...but its hard trying to decide when the right time to start looking is...

Blah...

Viva Espana

I've been in a soccer frenzy these days. I love soccer. It can't be helped, its the European half of me. However, I tend to get involved only in Eurocup and Worldcup as I find it too much of a commitment to follow my favorite leagues during the regular season.

As it is, the Eurocup 2008 final is on sunday!! AHHH!!!

I have to say, I was very upset that Turkey lost against Germany, they deserved to win. Not only have they been a better team in this competition, but I truly believe it would be been a momentous occasion for Turkey to WIN the EuroCup when so many Europeans dont think Turkey is "european" enough to join the EU.

Unfortunately the Germans beat them (snif snif). BUT the good news is that Spain made it to the finals, a solid team, they killed the Russians and hopefully they will do the same for Germany.

Its not that I have anything against Germany. Au contraire, I have many ties to the country and to its people, but truth be told, I identify more with Spain, people are much more laid back, and I like Fabregas' style.

The only team I dont like is Italy, and that goes back to the France/Italy rivalry...I still havent gotten over our World Cup loss, and I still worship Zidane, even if he did lose the damn cup.

And so it is. In honor of soccer, this sunday, I will first be watching a DC United - LA Galaxy game (my first MLS game!) and then promptly rushing to the nearest location showing the Eurocup final!

GO SPAIN!

Dreaming of San Fran

So lately I've been on this huge "move to the west coast" kick that I just can't seem to kick.

Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I have a wandering soul. I can't seem to settle anywhere and within about 2 years I get ansy and start planning my next step.

Well, its been over 2 years that I've been in DC and I'm SO ready to move. Now the long term plan has always been to hope over the pond, make a move to Europe and maybe even Asia. I'm blessed in that I have a boyfriend who is very supportive of my "need to be an expat" issue and has also been bitten by the travel bug.

Nevertheless, making the decision to move is a big one. I've now convinced myself that it must happen next year :) 2009 seems like a good year to move doesnt it?

San Francisco has always been one of my favorite cities. I've spent time there pretty much every summer of my life, but have never been lucky enough to live there. I think it would be a great place to spend a couple of years before moving to another country! Its near the beach, near mountains (for my boy who loves skiing) and near my family (which is gong to be a first for me, I've never lived near family)

So here I am...consumed by this NEED to move. I'm curious to see what happens. Until then, I'll just daydream of eating those yummy mini donuts on the wharf...oooh and the yummy french cafe in union square...

Charity: Water

So today, I've been reading up on Charity: Water. I watched an increadible PSA on this organization about a month ago that moved me quite deeply: http://www.charitywater.org/public_service/play.htm

I have always been deeply committed to development, especially having grown up in the Philippines and been exposed to income inequality the likes of which one does not see in the States, where I live now. I like to believe that we are all connected, in some way, and as such, it is our duty to do what we can to help those who have not been as lucky as I have been.

There are thousands upon thousands of non-profits and charities out there, but every once in a while, one stands out among the many. Charity: Water is one of them.

1.1 billion people in the world don't have access to clean water. Think about it.

Friday the 13th

I've been debating what to actually put in my blog for months now since I subscribed to it. I find that I have thoughts running through my head a mile a minute and this would be a great outlet for me to purge. Of course then I come up with a million and one reasons why I shouldnt have a blog, namely, my laziness, and the complete randomness of my thoughts.
But...today is the day I decided to start.

I've decided to keep this blog somewhat anonymous. Anyone who knows me would probably figure out right away who I am. As I am a rather private person, I might as well keep my name private.

When I started this blog, it was meant to focus mainly on my passion for travel. However, given the fact that I am rarely able to stick to one thought at a time, I think this blog with be a combination of travel, politics, shopping, personal finance and whatever else crosses my mind.

Enjoy!