Lovers find their way to you in Paris

Paris is so conducive to romance. Just take a look at the picture accompanying this text.

“Shoot! This post actually has words!”

Don’t worry, I’d understand if you noticed the photo first. I think it’s really provocative.

However, that image is just one of the many that you can see in what’s been hailed as the most romantic city in the world.

And even though such sculptures are good, nothing beats the sight of real couples.

Video

The video below is a collection of photos and videos that I took during my Paris visit in November last year.

The photos and videos in the collection were taken randomly. I didn’t actively seek couples in Paris.

It’s not hard to find lovers in Paris. You’ll see them all over the place. They’ll find their way to you.

Yeah, the video contains images of real people.

But of course, it’s not provocative like the sculpture of the couple whose picture appears on this post.

I always strive to make my blog as family friendly and as wholesome as possible, even in the Month of Love.

Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year fall on the same day in 2010

In Shanghai, China. Pic taken in April 2009, two months after the Chinese New Year

Both Valentine’s Day and the first day of the Chinese New Year will be celebrated on February 14.

I do recognize that not everyone cares about Valentine’s Day and not all people are Chinese.

But I’m sure there are many people who are really looking forward to celebrating the Day of Love.

And more than a billion of this planet’s inhabitants are Chinese. Add to that number those who are not Chinese, but follow some Chinese traditions.

Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China

How would people who have both characteristics spend that day? Especially the ones in China itself?

I can already see lots of fireworks.

February: Month of Love

Personally I think of February as the shortest month of the year, but majority of the people seem to regard it as the month of love.

Therefore I would like to welcome the month of love by posting a video that I took in November last year in Paris, arguably the most romantic city in the world (I googled “most romantic city in the world” and most of the results showed Paris).

Palace pictures are okay despite restrictions

It’s probably the most inaccessible landmark in Manila compared to other attractions in the city.

No, it’s not because the roads leading to that place are unpaved or something. After all, it’s in Manila, the premier city and capital of the Philippines. The roads are okay.

I consider it the most inaccessible landmark because of the strict security measures one has to go through to be allowed to step foot on it.

Yes, it’s the official residence of the President of the Philippines: Malacanang Palace.

Palace virgin

Last week I visited Malacanang for the first time.

Obviously, the presidential palace isn’t an ordinary place.

I think of it as the house of the Filipino people, the home of the person we choose to lead us.

And because it’s not just any other place, visitors can’t just wear anything that they want to wear. The minimum: semi-formal attire. Strictly no jeans!

I find the dress code okay, because it’s not very often that I get the chance to wear a necktie and not look overdressed.

At the Palace, neckties are an ordinary sight.

Restrictions

Since it’s the official residence of the most powerful person in the Philippines, my movements were restricted.

I couldn’t just go wherever I wanted to go.

I also couldn’t take pictures of everything. Some areas were off-limits to picture-taking <sniff>.

But despite the limited chances for picture-taking, I’m happy with my Malacanang photos.

I think they’re quite good, even if they were taken in a hurry.

Pieces of the Philippines in Paris

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw “pieces” of the Philippines during my one-day stay in Paris in November last year.

I didn’t expect to see anything that would remind me of the Philippines while I was there, for Paris and Manila are about 10,750 kilometers away from each other.

The “discoveries” were serendipitous. After all, I didn’t look for them. I just saw them by chance.

Eiffel Tower

The first piece was on Eiffel Tower itself.

Up to now I’m not 100 percent sure what it was all about, but it showed a picture of a bridge in the Philippines that was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the brains behind the iconic French tower that bears his name.

It says: “1890 – Santa Cruz de la Laguna bridge, Manila”

The Wikipedia article about Gustave Eiffel did list the Quezon Bridge in Manila as one of the many works of Eiffel.

However, I couldn’t find anything saying that the Santa Cruz de la Laguna Bridge and Quezon Bridge are the same thing, with different names.

But what are the chances that Eiffel built two bridges in Manila? I’m guessing that it’s the same bridge.

Pictures

I found the second piece in an area along the Seine River, while on my way from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre.

There was a photo exhibit in the place, where I saw pictures taken by a certain Jake Verzosa.

Yup, part of the Eiffel Tower is visible from that spot

I took pictures of Verzosa’s pictures (hmmm, it’s like photocopying the photocopy of something), but I don’t think I can post them here.

Anyway, what really matters is the thought that home is really just around the corner, even if I’m in a city that seems to be light-years away from it.

Accident snarls traffic

I was on my way home after paying the annual community tax when I chanced upon an accident involving, apparently, a motorcycle and a taxi.

The motorcycle on the street and the taxi with a flat tire caused a traffic jam in the area.

Traffic jams are a rare occurrence in that part of the city, and when one happens, the culprit is most likely an accident.

I don’t know if someone got hurt, but hopefully no one was injured.

But knowing Filipino drivers, I guess there was a heated exchange of unsavory words between the drivers of the vehicles involved.

In the end, both of them were right.

I used my cellphone camera to take the video below. The quality is not that good:

From the Great Wall to the Berlin Wall

From the Great Wall...

I would like to start the new year right by being thankful for the old one, 2009. 

Last year I met new friends, put an end to something that I should have ended years ago <wink> and stepped foot on places that I never thought I’d actually see in person.

Friends

In 2009, I gained friends from various parts of the world, thanks to the journalism workshops that I attended in Macau, China in May and Bonn, Germany from mid-November to early December.

End

Now I no longer have any unfinished business. Closure is a good thing.

Places

In April I set foot on the Great Wall, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

After only seven months, I saw vestiges of the Berlin Wall, probably the most concrete symbol of the Cold War.

... to the Berlin Wall

I feel so blessed.

Personal decade-ender: 2000 to 2009 in review

1996-2005. I still get hurt whenever I see her last pics

It feels good to look back and remember the things I’ve experienced in the past decade.

Yes, decade! Time flies really fast.

It seems it’s telling me not to waste even a second of my life, for once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

On this blog post I outline the most memorable events in my life in the last 10 years.

At my sister's wedding

2000: The first time I used email

2001: Earned my journalism degree and became a newspaper reporter

2002: My first banner story in the newspaper was published

2003: Left the newspaper and transferred to my present job

2004: Became a night shift worker, been one ever since

2005: Our dog of nine years died; My first trip abroad (Bangkok, Thailand)

2006: Toured Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the entire family

2007: Visited Hong Kong

2008: My sister got married; Went to Saigon, Vietnam twice; Went to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009: Celebrated my 30th birthday with my mom in Beijing and Shanghai, China; Took part in a three-week online journalism course held in Macau; Flew to Germany for an advanced online journalism workshop; Visited Paris, France

Now I’m wondering what would happen to me in the next 10 years. Ack, I’ll be 40 years old in 2019!

I hope I age gracefully.

Do you know the meaning of your name?

I know the meaning of mine.

My name “LJUBOMIR” is a Croatian and Serbian name, according to the website Behind the Name.

It is Љубомир in Serbian (probably this is written in Cyrillic, but I’m not sure).

LJUBOMIR is the Croatian and Serbian form of “LUBOMIR,” which in turn is the Polish form of “LUBOMÍR,” a Czech name.

Whew.

The same website says LUBOMÍR “means love and peace from the Slavic elements ‘lyub’ (love) and ‘mir’ (peace).”

LJUBOMIR = love and peace

It may also mean “great love.”

Behind the Name says the Old Slavic “mer” means “great.”

Two-time visitor celebrates Macau handover 10th anniversary

Portuguese man and Chinese woman behind me. A symbol of the fusion of Portuguese and Chinese cultures in Macau

This month Macau celebrated the 10th year of the transfer of the territory’s sovereignty from Portuguese to Chinese hands.

I have many fond memories of Macau because I’ve been there twice: first in 2007 for about three hours, and then this year for three weeks.

I was not there during the festivities, but I’d like to take part in the celebration by enumerating the top 10 attractions that visitors ought to see when they’re in Macau.

1. Senado Square

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2. Ruins of St. Paul’s

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3. Macau Tower

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4. Casinos

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5. Venetian Hotel

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6. Guia Lighthouse

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7. A Ma Temple

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8. Kun Lam Statue

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9. Red Market

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10. Hac Sa Beach