DEAR GOD,

Let’s be clear. You are not gonna take my life back until I’m done enjoying the cities listed below. You hold your end of the rope and I promise to be good less evil. I swear, aright? Some of my reasons are pretty lame. But I’m sure you’ll understand. Thanks, Papa God. You’re the best.

20. VENICE, Italy

It was my first time to touch an encyclopedia volume and the first picture I saw was that of Venice and the gondolas swaying on its flooded streets. I was 7 years old. Right then, I told myself that I just had to visit Venice. You see, I was born ambitious a romantic

But really, I won’t visit Venice alone. Someone has to go there with me. And it’s not gonna be my mother.

19. FLORENCE, Italy

I have no idea what’s in Florence and I’m too lazy to research right now. But three of my friends who have embarked on a European tour have been raving about it. Ahem Ayn ahem Tey ahem Rico ahem. So I don’t know, but since they love it so much, I might as well see for myself.

18. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil

I think Mardi Gras is such a fun event and no one celebrates this in a more grandiose and more astonishing manner than the Brazilians.

I’m not a Christian but it wouldn’t hurt to be face-to-face with Jesus Christ the Redeemer, would it? After all, it’s crazy enormous. Crazy enormous.

17. VIENNA, Austria

Why Vienna? Ayn claims that countless godlike hot men walk the streets of Vienna. Fine. Dahil dun, sige, isiksik sa list. Haha.

16. NEW YORK, United States

Well, technically, not really the city but the United Nations Headquarters in New York (which is an international territory). I’ve always dreamt of becoming the country’s ambassador to the UN. If God won’t allow that, then He could at least let me enter that building…

…Or give me a luxurious life in New York. (Dear God, the keyword there is luxurious. If not, forget it. Haha.) I want a fab, fab, fab NY life. I so deserve that.

15. CAPE TOWN, South Africa

Nothing can better explain why Cape Town is worth paying a visit than this satellite picture of the peninsula:

14. LONDON, United Kingdom

I have a number of friends and relatives living in London and it would be so bad and inconsiderate of me if I won’t squeeze London into this list. Hehe.

But seriously, I’ve always wanted to go to London. I’m not really sure why.

13. COPENHAGEN, Denmark

Speaking of unsure, I don’t know why I’ve always wanted to see Copenhagen, either. A friend of mine told me it’s so boring there but I couldn’t care less. I just find it so appealing. Maybe it’s the traditional atmosphere. Maybe it’s the geographic location. Or maybe it’s Prince Frederik. Hmm. Yeah, maybe it’s just the prince. Haha.

12. CAIRO, Egypt

It’s not a secret that the ancient Egyptian civilisation has always had a special place in my heart. All I want is a chance to go inside the Egyptian Museum and wallow in history. Lay eyes on all 120,000 artifacts on display. (There goes the geeky me again.) And while in Egypt, yeah, visit those pyramids.

11. MOSCOW, Russia

The most expensive city with the most dollar billionaires. Something tells me I just might meet someone worthy there. Hahaha. (What? It’s not bad to dream!)

And oh, the Red Square, too.

10. LOS ANGELES, United States

Oh well, as Madonna put it: “Everybody comes to Hollywood; they wanna make it in the neighborhood.” Haha. As a Film grad, one of my dreams is to make it in Hollywood.

So Dear God, if becoming a diplomat is not part of your plan for me, then your golden plan had better include me working in Hollywood. With creative input. Preferably something that allows me to work closely with the stars. No, I’m not demanding.

9. JERICHO, West Bank

Believed to be the oldest still-inhabited city in the world, the city of Jericho was introduced to me when I was 7 by the Book of Joshua. Haha. (I read the Bible a lot. Believe me.)

My friend Luke (son of a diplomat based in Israel) was there a few years back and he told me he enjoyed the whole experience. There was not much to see there (except the Judean Mountains), he bragged, but there was an unexplainable feeling of joy when he set foot on Jericho.

The Siege of Jericho (you know, Joshua and his men blowing ram’s horns and the city’s walls collapse afterwards) is one of my fave biblical tales. And I just want to be in that setting.

And so that the next time I read Joshua’s story to my nephew and his friends, I could add “Oh by the way, I’ve been there.” Nyahaha.

This is the part where I stop and you curse me. Hehe. I’m now seeing two cracks on my lenses so I better look away from the monitor right now. But hey, I dare you to guess my top 8 cities. Hahaha.

images courtesy of european-city-parks.com, hotelcavalierefirenze.it, seeyouinbrazil.com, destination360.com, wikimedia.org, edburrell.com, pointcdlickhome.com, nytimes.com, howardbloom.net

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