october is coming. winter is coming. 8 days more and we'll be leaving spain to go switzerland again. i bought some winter clothing enable to survive the upcoming cold weather. it will be very exciting to experience winter and snow for the first time. i'm sure to beg my hubby for a 100 francs pay to experience whole winter of ski in mountain of alps. hahaha. the best place to ski is in gstaad, walking distance from our place in swiss. aside getting prepared from winter, i discovered pininterest.com where you can pin pictures and images you like and collect them in your personal boards. it is frequent that i got to see photos or images in website that i like and just save them on my computer. with pinterest.com, you get to see other people collections and may pin them to add on your page. i realized that i have so many interests to pin from architecture, fashion, home decors, style, jewelries, travel places, desired products and arts. list goes on and on. you can visit my website should you want to see what interests me - http://pinterest.com/carolynsf/ i'm also thinking that i should create my bucket list. things that i want to do or have in this lifetime. hmmm. :)

i'm having a hard time editing fonts, spacing in my blog. i don't know what's wrong or maybe it's just me because i'm using a netbook we bought here in switzerland. settings might just messed up.
before, when my friends who flew abroad talking about homesickness. i just keep on telling them that it will be fine and just enjoy the independent living outside. but now, i know the feeling. i miss everything about my home country. somehow, it makes me appreciate more of it even the everyday traffic and hot weather.
since we reside in town, i miss the fast phase of life where one step i can go to the mall, parlor, which everything is accessible. maybe because i was born in the center of pinas - manila.
i'm up to my 3 months stay here, but still i reminisce sleeping with my bed, have a morning chit chats with my family every breakfast. i miss my friends and i will miss their tour this year in korea and some of the events happening there.
hay...that's why i can't write more often. i can't bear talking about sadness being far away from home.

if you have been one of my blog followers, two or three years ago, i dreamed about living a life in europe. and now viola! i'm here! :) i've spent a month in spain, and then here in switzerland. it's refreshing to meet fellow pinoys here. when homesick is kicking in, i try to remind myself how lucky i am to travel places such as this place. welcome to GSTAAD, Switzerland! view from afar of the village me and hubby on our first morning at gstaad me with mountain as backdrop i can't wait for winter since gstaad/saanenland is famous for ski and snowboarding. it is also a tourist spot for wealthy people all over the world. i've heard michael jackson used to visit here and phil collins bought a house somewhere near. i see people roaming around the village carrying designer bags and clothing. and there's this shop where you can get free shoes left by rich owners/tourist. only here in swiss we got a free aerosole, dkny and prada shoes. yes, a nice and in mint condition prada shoes you can still wear like new. we also visit Brocante that opens every tuesday, a store which sells used items but still nice and in good working condition-from furnitures, bag, clothes, kitchenwares, etc. it's like an ukay-ukay in pinas but so far from quality. in there, you can buy sets of furnitures even matching kitchenwares and still in their boxes. hahaha. just early this morning, we bought a samsonite laptop bag (looks like new still with tag) in 3 chf equivalent to 150 pesos. where in this world you can steal such bargain item. they also sell vintage pieces that can add to your collection from jars, paintings, figurines, etc. during summer like this month, people here go hiking, paragliding, kayaking, cable car, biking and jogging. 1 hour from here, you can visit swiss shopping mecca in thun and lausanne. i admit that i had a culture shock moving from spain to switzerland. it's like black and white. from city to town. but i admire the quality of living here. everything seems so simple, laidback and serene. most jobs here are until 4pm, you see kids biking around, swiss people are very friendly although i can't hardly understand their german language, you see old couples holding hands walking and family spending time with their beautiful chalet matched with planted beautiful flowers on their terraces- it's like picnic or family outing everyday. i'll try to share more of my adventures and enjoy my stay here. :)

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i miss writing on my journal. i bought an esprit journal here in switzerland for 20 frc or 1000 pesos if converted in philippine peso. it is quite expensive since it was really small and simple. i blame myself for not buying a navi planner since that works for me best. haist, i'm thinking of using my small sketchpad instead as my journal so i can write and sketch at the same time. since my life has shifted upside down, i want to be reminded always of my goals so i may know where we're heading to. *my husband and i want to save so we can move into a place where we can grow together, career and personal wise. i always remind him that i feel this place is not for me. there's no office or corporate jobs, they prefer german speakers. also, everything is expensive and you need to drive hours so you can shop and buy goods. there's no school that i can study since most college students here flew to geneve for further studies. i just felt there's no growth here. i just want to stay positive that we can move to a place where we'll be happy to settle down and start our family. *have our own house at pinas *have a baby/babies *further studies so i can land a job i wanted *work.work.work *save.save.save *have our own house or flat here *vacation/travel plans together around europe (italy, amsterdam,germany, etc) *i want to shop *always be happy. more patience and love. haist, i miss my family in pinas. i miss the life there. i hope that sooner i may able to like it here. right now, i'm stay at home wife. the sweetness of doing nothing at all. :)

even now that i'm a housewife fulltime, slacker and nothing to do at all. i feel so restless....isn't ironic. don't you think?

i just feel like writing today. the rain is pouring outside and it's kinda gloomy. i plan to jog but the weather shifted from sunny to gloomy here in switzerland. oh i did miss my blog background song. it makes everything soothing, relaxing and serene. my husband gave me a netbook so i have something to keep busy. life away from home is kinda sad and boring at first, like now, everything around is new. i have to adjust and adapt on the life i have now. at first, when we were in spain, i enjoyed the weather but there are times that i want to go back home, back in pinas. where everything is familiar and comfortable. that i do not have to learn or adapt myself. but i know i'm stronger than that. i can blend. i can adapt. i can learn. i can conquer a new ground. i feel better every single day. i can chat with my family since they are online too most of the time. i can watch what's happening in pinas anytime i want to thru internet. sometimes i'm amazed with the things that's happening to me and how i handle it. it's not easy to adjust to a new ground, to a new status, to a new role of being a wife. i have to shift my gear 360 degrees from where i am before. but looking back, that's how i wanted it. i'm an explorer and want to do things the unconventional way. for the longest time that i'm in my comfort zone- this is my breakthrough. stay in touch...

I miss Pinas.. I miss the people, my family and friends. I miss the food. I miss the usual talk and tsika. I miss the summer all year round. I miss my room no matter how small it is. I miss the mall. I miss the usual things I do when i'm bored- having a facial, pedicure and spa. I miss working. Lots of things I'm missing. I know it's just a phase...it's just a month i'm away, yet this is the longest time i'm away from home... in the meantime: hello, europa. i hope i'll enjoy my life here as day goes by :)

May 9, my husband and I finally arrived at Spain and by June we came here in Switzerland. What I like about Spain is the architecture, the famous Sagrada Familia we also visited in Barcelona. The structures made by Gaudi and the buildings along Ramblas Barcelona. I like the serenity and the weather since we arrived summer. Here in Switzerland, I fell in love with the green, peace and serenity of the place. It´s like living a simple life away from the hustle of busy streets in the city. I hear the birds chirping, the view of the mountains and the simplicity over all. But of course, I miss Manila. I miss seeing my family, waking up early morning chit chatting with my mom, aunt and relatives there. Sometimes I feel like going home. It must be the word 'homesick' that everyone feels once they set their foot on new ground and unfamiliar place. Whenever, I felt that I just pray and leave it up to Heaven. I can't imagine that my life turned around 360 degrees in just one snap. Maybe it's my destiny. I all leave it up to Him. I also miss working. I hope soon that I may find work that I like and save for our family. It´s really different now. Day by day I'm absorbing the fact that I'm now a housewife. hahaha. I miss blogging. I know that blogging can help me to adjust and survive this emotional battle in living a new ground. It relieves and absorb the thoughts of sadness and sickness being away from home. Just need to hang on... Life must go on...:)

The effect of 2011? A more advanced technology in blogging using just a mobile phone. Thanks to my husband for allowing me to take full custody of his iphone 4. I am really enjoying navigating everything he has installed. He's really a techie guru in everything that relates to mac or apple gadgets. While i on the otherhand was a nomad and no patience in fixing things related to softwares. Im happy with the programs i have installed. Downloaded plants vs zombies which i think im a game addict. Scrapbooking and word notes that functions as a notepad. Word lense that i heard from radio that easily translates any language. I was amazed that i can now translate spanish words to english by just using my mobile camera lens. I have now a password lock journal that serves as a diary and budgetting program that track my spending and savings task. And now i can blog with comfort of my mobile phone. Wow! Amazing 2011! I wonder what people may invent sooner. :-)

one day to go, goodbye 2010..hello 2011.

looking back, i had the best of my 2010. most of my goals and dreams came to life. now i have to believe in law of attraction. you try to envision what you want to accomplish or do for a certain period of time and it does happen. it's like you attract good things with positive thinking that it will come to you as you expect it.

this year, my Navi planner really helped me to achieved my goals. actually, most of the resolutions i listed did happened - with career, love and personal matter.

now, i have to do my resolution for 2011. (need to buy a new Navi planner for next year)

-money matters. i know saving will be tough but my resolution is to have a financial goal with my husband for next year.
-try to keep calm, poised and work hard on my marriage. i know that i'm still on adjustment period so i better learn how to act like a wife now. hehehe.
-exercise. eat healthy. need i say more? i'm not getting any younger. i should get back to jogging or try a new sport.
-getting ready on my new life, new place. since it will be 3 months before i can follow my husband in spain. i'll take this time to prepare for my basic needs - dispatch the things i won't need and buy things i can bring, work on our needed documents, etc. etc.
-focus on my creative side. sometimes i got lazy to draw, create arts and crafts like bead works which i intended to do a long time ago. maybe because i have a full time job that my rest days were spent sleeping. hehehe. but since i got tired in working lately, i need this hobby to make me feel relax.

i'm so thankful and blessed this year. really, i'm so excited on what 2011 will bring to me because i have now my husband, i have now my own family.

happy new year to all