LITTLEMISSPINAY

I may have said this over and over again but I am really proud...

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:05:00 -0400

I may have said this over and over again but I am really proud of FILIPINO Products. Almost 90% of the things that I own and use are from the Philippines because I believe that by buying local products will help your own economy grow and progress. PH MADE-Its always worth buying for

What in the WORLD: Aguascalientes, MEXICO

Sun, 27 May 2012 16:23:00 -0400

Aguascalientes which literally means, HOT WATER is such a gorgeous town which has a combination of old spanish town meets the modern twist of Mexican culture.

We were all welcomed in the Palacio Municipal in this very colorful bandaritas/good food to welcome and immersed us to the Aguascalientes culture.

Right after Mexico City and almost 7 hours of Bus ride, we finally arrived in this beautiful town: AGUASCALIENTES. And one of the things that I am really interested to see before getting here is when I learned that Aguascalientes actually houses the GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF MEXICO. Wow, thats legit!

Inspiration: Red and Blue Door

Limestone Churhc here in Aguascalientes

Cultural Immersion: Striking a Pose with a Native Dancer

First Class at Palacio Municipal

Plaza de Toros San Marcos

Jumping at the GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF MEXICO!

Destination:MEXICO CITY!!!

Sun, 27 May 2012 16:02:31 -0400

Most of us would always refer to a place which we consider as our second home. For me, MEXICO is my second home away from the Philippines because of the similarity in culture, people, and overall ambience of the country.

I have been in this country many times already but whenever I come here , it always feel like the very first time I came here. I always look forward to the food, meeting good friends, and visiting churches wherever I go (because every Church here in Mexico always have a story to share).

And so for this year, I will be visiting Naucalpan, Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, Tlaxcala, and finally, MEXICO City.

I have been here for two weeks already and clearly so much delay for my updates but better late than never right?

MEXICO CITY (First Week)

I always look forward to staying with friends here in Mexico and whenever I come here, I always stay with my friend Armando whose family has been my very first host family here in Mexico.

with my good friend: ARMANDO

During our first day, both of them brought me to the International Fair happening in downtown Mexico city where there were a lot of booths from different countries; showcasing their food, national costume, customs, and products definitely makes one aware and curious on what other parts of the world has to offer. Now that I have seen all of those, I am very much interested to go to the Latin American countries and not to mention, Morocco, India,

Lamps from Morocco

Saleslady from BRASIL

from CUBA

serving cookies to the royalty!

with good groovy friends: Armando and Kat!

El Salvador Menu

Oh Mexico, you never failed to impress me everytime I come visit you. See you in three wekks

One of my favorite cities in the world- Mexico City! Check out...

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:57:46 -0400

One of my favorite cities in the world- Mexico City!

Check out the wonderful city where I am as of the moment:)

EUROPA!

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:48:00 -0400

6 Countries in almost two months month has been one of the most challenging, exciting, and unforgettable experiences that I have had in my life. Going to these countries has been very educational in such a way that I was really immersed with a completely different culture which I am extremely happy that I was able to witness and experience it myself. This experience as well put me in a situation wherein I was not just able to converse in a completely different language from what I am used to, I also invented languages for my own sanity and laugh together with some locals of these countries just to create a conversation (sadyang madaldal lang kasi talaga ako).

Looking back, I just cannot help but to smile with all the fond memories that I’ve had with the wonderful families that I have stayed with, new food that I tasted, hundreds of bread that I have tasted, and the thousands of pictures that I have taken in just two months.

I also realized how time really flies so fast especially when you are having the time of your life. Throughout this so called ‘European’ tour, I learned to be more patient, to be understanding in certain situations that I really cannot control, and to be VERY curious about every new idea, information, and cultural dimension experiences.

In this particular entry, I would like to share with you all on what it was like,

BELGIUM

(Hasselt, Brussels, Vise, and Gistel)

Oh Belgium, How I LOVE YOU SO!! If you are just a guy, I can totally proposed to you to be my lifetime partner- Gwapo ka na nga, Super pinapasaya mo pa ako because of your chocolates, WAFFLES, FRIES, and your beer is really unbelievable.

I am really grateful of the fact that I was able to see both the Flemish and French side of this country. They may talk differently but one thing in common with all of them, they are really amazing people and I have a special place in my heart for Belgians, I am very comfortable whenever they are around and they have this certain kajologans na ewan ko ba kung bakit ako nakakarelate din (oo nga, europeans silang maituturing pero super KALOG NILA).

I was in Belgium for three weeks and parang ang KULANG!! I seriously would like to stay longer but my so called hectic schedule did not allow me to do so. I love you, Belgium and I promise to come back if I get to have the chance again.

Netherlands

If I am going to propose to Belgium as lifetime partner, Netherlands on the other hand naman can be the place where I plan to settle for a lifetime. O dba, ang arte lang. But in all seriousness, Netherlands is my favorite country in the entire European Continent. Well, maybe for now at the very least. The reason being is that, I stayed here for six weeks and I got to know on a more personal level on who the Dutch people really are. However, this year I came back to the Netherlands to visit my relatives and it was a good time to relax and chill away from my hectic lifestyle in my so-called “work life”.

Denmark

When my friend Ponch won the CNN/Youtube Debate in 2009, he was sent to Copenhagen, Denmark to attend a world summit by the United Nations, he told me stories about Denmark that made me so much excited to go to Denmark in the future. Akalain mo yun, that was in 2009, and the future that I was actually referring to was actually 3 years after. God is so good talaga to bring me to this country. Other than that, another interesting fact about Denmark is the fact that it is actually the WORLD’s HAPPIEST Country. Akalain mo yun, tinalo ang Pilipinas? Oh well, ganon e, sila na talaga ang PINAKAMASAYA sa buong mundo. And if you think about it, Filipina in the Happiest Country, geez..it is indeed GENUINE HAPPINESS!!

And one more thing about Denmark is the fact that they house LITTLE MERMAID. Grabe, pinagkakaguluhan talaga sya ng buong mundo, so ako naman, nakigulo narin.:)

Up to this date, if Belgium has the BEST Chocolate according to my self-created standard in terms of food, Denmark on the other hand has the best BREAD. I always look forward to breakfast when I was in Denmark because of how soft,rich, and tasty it is. In other words, Bongga sya! I hope to be back in this beautiful country.:)

Norway

Of all these countries, Norway is the country that I was most curious about. I heard a lot of stories saying that, this is the MOST EXPENSIVE COUNTRY in Europe. Talaga? So i made my research about it, wow ang mahal pala talaga!!! So , todo tipid talaga ako sa Norway, yung tipong wala akong ginastos for the entire week. O ha, impressive? But on a much lighter note, this is such an interesting country even after what has happened to this country last year, people here still tries to move on and remain fabulous.

In my previous posts, I mentioned that I have been to 6 Historical places in 6 Hours and also, been to the Noble Peace Prize Center and The Mini Bottle Museum which are all unbelievable and very impressive!

and finally, FINLAND!!

For the last stop, I have to be very honest to say that I was worried about what to expect in Finland. I have heard that Finnish people are very shy, timid, and very conservative. I just do not know what to expect in other words. I may have researched so many things but at the end of the day, it is your experience that matters most. You may have researched, learned a little bit, but the real deal is when you get there and immersed yourself with a totally different culture.

Most of the time, first impression does not define on what your real and personal experiences will be like because most often than not, our first impressions are really wrong.

I just loved every single day that I had in Finland; some of the Finnish people that I met in that area may not laugh at my corny jokes every now and then, but what I realized is that, as long as you are able to communicate properly, having good intentions towards people, and just be very open minded about different things in a completely different country makes a lot of difference when it comes to overall experience.

***

It has truly been an AMAZING 59 days in Europe and I seriously could not ask anything more than that. I just wish in the future that I will be able to discover more of Europe by visiting other parts of Europe. Until next time, Ciao for now Europa!

Brugges, Belgium

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:22:00 -0400

Brugges, Belgium

Mother's Day Special

Sat, 12 May 2012 17:06:00 -0400

Around 25 years ago, my mother brought into this world a little girl with a big round cheeks and lets just say, at first without a hair whom my dad and her both named Hygeia or Chickee.

Some of you may know already that I am the youngest and the ONLY Daughter in my family and having said that, this has given me the opportunity to have a close relationship with my mother. Growing up, I have been used to see my mother work from day until night as an employee of a bank and on top of that, she has her own sidelines too ( I saw her selling mangoes from their farm and bring them all the way to the city, just to earn an extra income). However its not just by doing all these work that I admire about her, its her time well spent to each and everyone in our family that really impressed me the most.

At the age of 16, I technically moved out of our house and study in a different island miles away from home. She then taught me how to be independent by having this experience but at the same time, she never fails to call me EVERYDAY. (Wala pang UNLIMITED TEXT AND CALL ng Globe that time), and up to this day I am truly impressed on how she did all of that and trying to fit me into her hectic schedule everyday.

And now that I am literally MILES away from home that could not be reached by Globe’s Unlimited Text and Call, she still talks, texts me every single day and that is one of the things that I look forward everyday and on top of that, always likes and comments in every picture that I post in facebook.

I really love my mother even though we have our own misunderstandings from time to time but the end of the day, she still supports and loves me unconditionally. I really appreciate the effort that my mom has put into in order to give me a good life.

And let me end this entry by citing a verse from the bible that fits perfectly on how my mother has really made an impact into my life

PROVERBS 31

Her husband has full confidence in her  and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,  all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax  and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,  bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still night;  she provides food for her family  and portions for her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;  out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;  her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,  and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff  and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor  and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;  for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;  she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,  where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,  and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;  she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,  and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household  and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28Her children arise and call her blessed;  her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things,  but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;  but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,  and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

HAPPY MOTHER’S Day Mom!!! I love you

Lets Talk!

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:41:00 -0400

I remember back then in college when my favorite professor in Filipino, Alan Ungriano, said that language is what makes all of us closer to the world. And having him in my 7 am class sounds a little bit of a cliche specially it happened when I was in my senior year in college. He also mentioned on how much he regret the fact that when he was in college, he did not take his Spanish Class seriously.

(Image from Google)

I was not far behind from that because when I was in college, I took French classes but to tell you all honestly, I took it because of two reasons: 1. my dad encouraged me to do so and the second one is : French class fits perfectly in my ” busy” senior life schedule .

Image from Google

Now that I have been traveling together with 121 people from 21 countries, you can just imagine on how fascinated I am with the different languages that are used in this group on a daily basis. There’s French, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Tagalog, Mandarin, etc.. And of all of them, I am really much interested to learn SPANISH AND FRENCH. Why? because for me, I think that Spanish is a widely spoken language all over the world and French is the language that I find very romantic and very much used in international organizations and multinational companies worldwide.

(Motivation)

And so as I am about to go home soon, I have been researching on various language centers in Manila and here are the schools that I found:

1. ASIAN CENTER for Foreign Langauges

Office Address: 2502-B West Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Centre (Tektite Tower) Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines Tel. (632) 6877-342 / 6330722 / 637-3384(telefax)

2. INSTITUTO CERVANTES

The Instituto Cervantes in Manila can be located at:

855 T.M. Kalaw St. 1000 Ermita, Manila Filipinas Tel.: (632) 526-1482 Fax.: (632) 526-1449 cenmni@cervantes.es

3.Alliance Française de Manille

209 Nicanor Garcia Street, Bel-Air II, Makati City, Philippines

Tel.: +63 2 895 7585 / +63 2 895 7441 Fax.:+63 2 899 3654 Email: info@alliance.ph Website: www.alliance.ph

4.Center for Language and Lifelong Learning

De La Salle University-Manila
Center for Language Learning
Rm. 1503 Br. Andrew Gonzalez Hall
2269 Taft Avenue,
Malate, Manila 1004 Philippines
Tel. no.: (632) 5244611 loc. 403

Secretaries’ email addresses:
angb@dlsu.edu.ph,riveral@dlsu.edu.ph

What I realized while writing all these language centers in Manila is that, there really is no age limit in learning a new skill, language, and field of study..You just really have to be motivated, curious, and interested in order to keep you going.

If there is one thing that I really value in this world in order to have order and understanding among different cultures is the power to communicate. Without language (whether it be a sign, body, and verbal language), it is really hard to understand and to be understood. All these time, what Mr.Ungriano once said to all of us in that class was indeed right because I may have once regret not taking my French class seriously, but I have realized that language is indeed very important and should not be taken for granted.

Hi! This is Rina, my team and I are working on a website called EntrepsBuildPH and I want to ask if it's okay if we can use your article as one of our content? Please reply in this thread your email address. Thank you!

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:00 -0400

Hello Rina,

How are you?Thanks for sending a message.

Anyway, I am wondering on which article would you like to use from my blog?:)thanks

One day..One day…

Sat, 05 May 2012 03:35:07 -0400

One day..One day…

Cultural Food Dimension: Finnish Food

Thu, 03 May 2012 05:22:00 -0400

When I arrived in Finland two weeks ago and try to check the local information for the nearest kiosk or convenience store, I was surprised with the long words that they came up with food, directions, etc. So for some cultural Dimension ala Finnish Style, here are some of my favorites that I cannot even pronounce up until now. The reason for it is that, it is just too long to say and difficult to pronounce. Here are some examples for it..

1. BREAD in English, Tinapay in Tagalog, RUISPLAT in Finnish..O dba, unkabogable ang pangalan ng tinapay nila?:)

2. Milk in English, Gatas in Tagalog, and TUKKUTORI in Finnish.. Seriously? it has to be this long?

3.Honey in English,Pulot-pukyutan in tagalog, and Kultakenno in Finnish.

(O dba, lumevel up lang ng konte ang tagalog knowledge ko?)

4.Donut in English ; Donut parin in tagaog; pero Munki in Finnish

(How did that Happen??? Ang Donut naging MONKEY?:)

5. Butter in English; Mantikilya in Tagalog ; and Oivariini in Finnish.

Food Dimension is truly one of kind if one is going to compare it in three different cultures..But whatever the name would be, Its still food at the end of the day and it makes people HAPPY

Happy Eating!

May Day:Finland

Tue, 01 May 2012 14:37:22 -0400

May 1st is just a typical national holiday back home where most Filipinos either stay home , spend this day traveling ,visiting the nearby beach or for some of my beloved countrymen, Rally on the streets to lobby higher wages,etc.

But to my surprise, this is one of the most celebrated national holiday here in Finland.

As we are preparing to work on May 1st ( oo, kahit May 1 may trabaho ako) but nevertheless, we were told that if we want to see the real Finnish party, then we have to leave our office and go to the main market to see the real action.

On a normal day here in Finland, it is normally quiet wherever you go and Finnish people in general are very shy (tipong mahiyaan a.k.a Maria Clara ng Pilipinas) but this day is different, I have seen a different scenario here in Finland all of a sudden because almost everyone has a bottle or can of beer in their hands, are in construction pants full of patches or messages, black and white Sailor hats, laughing here and there, and are just chilling out and enjoying the warm weather.

This has truly been an eye opener to me when it comes to Finnish May Day celebration! It’s fun, very exciting, and not your typical Finnish culture.

Photo

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:16:38 -0400

..And he did it once again!!! Congratulations Alfonso Orioste...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:47:07 -0400

..And he did it once again!!! Congratulations Alfonso Orioste Jr. and his team (Gian Miranda and Janeca Naboya) for winning in the INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION video contest out of 250 entries around the world!! Enjoy Switzerland boy!

I am such a proud ‘amiga’:)

Photo

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:39:08 -0400

Take me back to Stockholm, Sweden

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:12:00 -0400

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

Sweden’s capital is one of the most beautiful major cities in the world, a mirage of saffron- and terracotta-coloured buildings shimmering between blue water and bluer skies all summer, or covered with snow and dotted with lights in winter. It’s also a vibrant, modern city, famous for producing sleek designs, edgy fashion and world-class nightclubs.

Surrounding all of this is every Stockholmer’s pride and joy - the 24, 000 or so rocky islands that make up the archipelago (skärgård).

Stockholmers themselves are almost uniformly polite and friendly, making travel both easy and rewarding. Around 16% of greater Stockholm’s 1.2 million people are immigrants, which creates a much more multicultural and diverse cityscape than many travellers might expect. It’s certainly not all meatballs, ABBA and Ikea these days!

Source:Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sweden/stockholm#ixzz1t2vM4N1n

1,2,3

Starting from my first Nordic Country experience: Denmark, to the controversial Norway, I am finally in my third Scandinavian country—SWEDEN!!

I have been looking forward to this Country, most especially to this city—STOCKHOLM!

Other than the interesting places, facts, and history of this country…What really excites me the most is to see first hand what this city has to offer. I have been fascinated with how our Swedes in our group dresses up and the stories that they share about their culture and their food.

By the time we got here from Oslo, Norway which is around 5 hour bus ride, we were welcome with the wonderful architecture, buildings, and bridges of this city. Stores H&M’s and IKEA are almost in every street corner. (Well its like Jollibee in the Philippines ang peg ng mga to). If you see H&M in the area, except that by the time you turn your head either in a different direction or just straight ahead, expect that there is IKEA and stalls for Swedish Meatballs.

I also noticed from my short stay in this city that there are a lot of immigrants (like obviously and clearly, you can see it from the color of their skin and from their physical feature in general. Im really glad that Stockholm embraces this kind of progress socially-Multiculturalism!

Images from:Lonely Planet

If there is something that I really admire with the countries that I have visited so far, that is their social system, health care, and their national policy of welcoming immigrants from all over the world.

Instead of an expected one week of stay in Stockholm, I was asked to go to Finland to do some support to our Seinajoki team. My stay in this beautiful city may have been shortened from what I expected but nevertheless, I am still happy that I was able to see this amazing city.

www.thefancy.com

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:08:49 -0400

www.thefancy.com

"Understand that life is a long-distance race. Pace yourself…There will only be those who reach the..."

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:11:29 -0400

““Understand that life is a long-distance race. Pace yourself…There will only be those who reach the finish line and those who do not.””

- Oscar Lopez

Photo

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:10:27 -0400

Best JOB in the world is to become a Mom. To my Mom, Thank you...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:23:27 -0400

Best JOB in the world is to become a Mom.

To my Mom, Thank you so much for everything that you do!