Achieving a Life With Financial Freedom

This is one of the things that millions of people around the world are dreaming of...to become debt-free and to have a financial freedom. If somebody has no debt at all out there, please raise your hand? You are probably one of the luckiest person in the world if you have no debt at all.

We are also aiming for a debt-free life. Why not? We are just very thankful that the big holes in our pockets were already sewed now. Our two little homes are already fully-paid but there are still little things that we need to work-out. One of our aims in five years is to become debt-free and have more financial freedom. That is also the reason why we need to tighten-up our belt sometimes to achieve this goal. We have to take seriously our budgeting and spending habit. It is very simple, always compare income versus expenses. Most importantly don't spend more than you earn. That is really a bad habit.

Since our first month of 2012 is just about to end, I still and always wish everyone a prosperous year. I hope that this year and all the years to come will be a wonderful one for all of us. Cheers!

The Prince Palace of Monaco

The last weekend of January is almost here. I hope everyone are having a great month of January 2012. I am so thankful that everything turns out great again this month. I have a lot of things to be thankful of and I believed that this year will be another wonderful year for me and my family.

Before I sign-off tonight let me share this image I took from Monaco. It's been almost a year now since our visit in this fabulous estate of Monaco. This is the Prince's Palace. It was under construction during our visit because that time the marriage of the Prince of Monaco to Charlene will be taking place in a few months. Now it is over and I heard over the news on a German television that Charlene is pregnant. That is quite a good news for them.

The Prince's Palace is considered to be the official residence of the Prince of Monaco. We did not see the Royal Highness during our visit..lol! Goodnight folks. Time for me to sign-off.

The Prince's Palace was built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress. This was taken last April 2011.
I was there!

The Louvre Pyramid and Museum in Paris

Paris! Paris! The dream city of many. I thought I can only see it in postcards, in television or in the internet. The dream and wish of visiting one of the fabulous and megacities in the world came into reality. I was in Paris twice already and I always love it there.

One of the sights we visited was the Louvre museum, one of the most largest museums in the world. It is also considered as the most visited art museum in the world. I was inside this museum but some hours of visit inside is still not enough to see everything. I am happy and contented to see the painting of Monalisa inside this museum.

The glass pyramid which is one of the entrances in the Louvre Museum. This was taken during my second visit last August 2010.

I was in Vegas

Watching television while writing here! sounds cool! I should be sleeping now. Before I do that let me share this image taken during my vacation in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was there almost three years ago. It's over but I am now enriched by the memories, travel experiences and the many images that I took from this so-called "sin city". I wish to be backed in Vegas next time....maybe this year..who knows? Goodnight folks. Have a fabulous weekend!

The entrance to the Ballys hotel and casino in Las Vegas Strip. I love walking around this place!

The Plaza Mayor in Madrid, Spain

I forgot to remind some kababayans and friends who are currently working and residing in Madrid that we will visiting Spain that time. I was just so busy before we left for our 8-days trip to Spain last December 2011. They just left a message in facebook after seeing the travel snapshots I posted in FB from Spain's capital city.

It was so far a wonderful holiday we had especially with all the things that we experienced and saw in the different places in this country particularly in Madrid. The image you see below is one of the famous squares in this city. This is the Plaza Mayor, located just a few blocks from another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol.

There was a Christmas market going on during our visit last December 2011. I love Madrid!! I love Spain!

Need Some Gadgets

Dinner is ready and I am done with it! Just a short update before I escape from here to take care of some things. It was actually about last night. I went to bed very late already because I was browsing some gadgets online including plastic switch plate covers. I need a new switch for my computer room because this is where I actually charge all my cameras and cellphones. Second it took me some hours to browse for cheap camera lens for my DSLR canon. I already found one but until now I am still thinking of buying or investing for it. It cost a bit fortune for me but once I decide it this week, I will really order it online. I just need this lens especially in taking far away distance photos. I will for sure give you an update once I buy and receive it. See you later folks!

The Ruins of Ephesus in Turkey

This is so far one of the best and preserved historical ruins I saw and experience. The ruins of Ephesus in Aegean part of Turkey is one of the major tourist attractions in this country. The archeological sites in Ephesus is huge and truly very impressing. It is located near Selcuk. We had a bus trip that time so we don't need to walk from from any hotels or places nearby. It is around 4 km walk from Selcuk. Our tourist guide who speaks German knows a lot about this site. Sad to say, I don't have much time listening to him because I was busy taking pictures. I bought a book about Ephesus and from it I knew was to read about the history of this former Greek city.

Below is the image of Kurets street in Ephesus, also called as Efes in Turkish. This was taken during our 8-days trip last September 2011.

The Kurets Street starts from Prytaneion, passes the Domitian square and goes until the Celsus library.

Giving Birth

Giving birth to a baby is never an easy experience. The mother has to undergo a lot of pain during the labor and delivery period. But after that, she will be able to experience a feeling of unexplainable happiness. And yes to become a Mother is one of the greatest gift of all. It is a fulfillment of becoming a woman. I am happy everytime I hear a friend or a relative giving birth to a child.

Sometimes we also have to think for special gifts especially during baby shower, Christening or birthday celebration. We are even thinking of giving an UppAbaby Vista stroller to a family member who gave birth lately. I believed this is already a wonderful present. To all mothers and soon to be mothers out there, congratulations to all of you. I want to especially thank my beloved Mother for bringing me here in this world. Life is always beautiful despite of trials and imperfections.

Have a lovely evening folks!

The Beautiful Cathedral of Seville, Spain

This is one of the biggest Cathedrals I entered in Europe. The cathedral in Seville, Spain is an amazing work of architecture. It is also bigger that the one in Cologne, Germany. Also called as The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), this cathedral is a is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville (Andalusia, Spain). It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third-largest church in the world.

It was truly a great experience seeing such wonder of human art and architecture.

exterior of Seville Cathedral

The cathedral was built to demonstrate Seville's wealth, as it had become a major trading center in the years after the Reconquista in 1248. In July 1401 it was decided to build a new temple, as the ancient Muslim mosque was in bad shape after a 1356 earthquake. According to the oral tradition of Seville, the decision of members of the chapter was: "Let a church so beautiful and so great that those who see it built will think we were mad". According to the minutes of that day, the new church should be: "a work such as good, which like no other." Construction began in 1402; it continued until 1506. Church workers gave half their salaries to pay for architects, builders and other expenses. wikipedia.

the beautiful interior of the Cathedral during our visit last December 7, 2011.

Architectural description:
Architect(s) Alonso Martínez, Pedro Dancart, Carles Galtés de Ruan, Alonso Rodríguez
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Gothic
Groundbreaking 1401

Specifications:

Length 135 metres (443 ft)
Width 100 metres (330 ft)
Width (nave) 15 metres (49 ft)
Height (max) 42 metres (138 ft)
Spire(s) 1
Spire height 105 metres (344 ft)

Driving on the Backroad

Another week is here! I am glad that we don't have snow in our place this winter. Sometimes it is snowing but once it reach the ground, it gets melted. It is perfect to drive on the so-called German Landstrasse or backroads when it is snow-free. Sometimes driving on the road can be very risky and dangerous. This is really true especially when it is snowing heavy and the road is full of snow. Glad to know that we have a 24-hour roadside assistance whenever emergency happens on the road. We have a car and towing insurance for any road emergency that may arise. As long as we are always careful when driving, I believed we are safe from any danger.

The image you see here is an example of a German backroad or Landstrasse. Keep safe when driving!