Chiaroscuro at the Palazzo Vecchio

This picture was taken at the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence in May 2012. I just love the silhouette, and  how the light illuminates the background. If you ever find yourself in Florence, you just have to visit this wonderful place. For more information about the Palazzo Vecchio, click here.

Creative Thesis Blues

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with travel, whatsoever.

I know I haven't been able to write anything for over a week now. I have been busy with work, and like with most people, work comes first before leisure.

I was finally able to turn in part of the conference proceedings I was editing yesterday. After almost a month of working on it, I am finally free of it. Well, at least the first two parts. I'm still waiting for the last part to be emailed to me. I was also able to write a short article earlier today. Also for work. Now that I have some free time, I can now start rewriting my thesis. Yes, you heard me right. I'm going to rewrite my thesis.

I have written part of it, but as I was reading it, I felt that it wasn't representative of who I am now as a writer. It's a creative thesis, and I need to defend it by the end of the first semester of AY 2014-2015 (so wish me luck!) Since it's a creative thesis, I guess it's easier to rewrite than a standard academic research-based thesis. But, it's giving me headaches still. I wish I could just scrap the whole thing. Write another proposal, but honestly, I don't want to start all over again. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I can make it as decent and as publishable as possible. It may not win awards, (although, maybe that's what I should be aiming for hehe) but I hope, in the future, if ever it becomes a book, people will enjoy reading it.

I will try to work less in the coming days, so I can post something here. Thanks!

What happened today

Today I found a newspaper article about my stepson being found dead in Oslo in February 2008. After all these years, I still feel so sad whenever I think about it. With him died his dreams of becoming a professional football player. He was a very fun young man to have around; he was playful, and he treated everyone equally. He was born of Filipino parents in 1986 and was adopted when he was six months old by my ex-husband and his first wife. I guess having been raised in Norway made him really see people as people, and not in terms of their social standing. Here's to you, Jon. Hope you're having the grandest time there in heaven!

Golden Sphere at the Vatican

This sculpture is aptly named Sphere Within a Sphere by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. It can be found in the Courtyard of the Pinecone at the Vatican. I took this picture when I traveled to Italy in June 2012 with my best friend Emilie. Thinking about having your own Roman holiday? Well click here to read my tips about traveling to the Eternal City.

An Angel in New Mexico

I took this picture in 2007 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This sculpture of an angel can be found in front of the Saint Francis Cathedral. I hope I will get to visit this serene city once again.

Sights to See: The Loretto Chapel where you can find the "miraculous staircase" "sometimes called St. Joseph’s Staircase. The stairway confounds architects, engineers and master craftsmen. It makes over two complete 360-degree turns, stands 20’ tall and has no center support. It rests solely on its base and against the choir loft. The risers of the 33 steps are all of the same height. Made of an apparently extinct wood species, it was constructed with only square wooden pegs without glue or nails." (Click here for source)

Of course there is the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum which opened to the public in July 1997. It is located at 217 Johnson St, Santa Fe, NM. here visitors can find over 3,000 collections of art, 1,000 of which were by O'Keeffe herself.Subjects range from the artist’s iconic flowers and bleached desert skulls to nudes, landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes, and abstractions, dating from 1901 to 1984.

Costa Pacifica in Baler

I had a fun, relaxing stay at Costa Pacifica in Baler. One thing I love about what I do, is I can work as long as I have my laptop and an internet connection. Hehe. Paying just over $10 a month to have internet on my phone is soooo worth it. Can't wait to go to my next destination. Please watch out for my blog entry about my stay in Baler. I'm going to post some really cool pictures! Ciao!

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