WATCH: Amsterdam, Netherlands


Here is the video of my short trip to Amsterdam.


For more blogposts on Amsterdam, click the links below:

Amsterdam Part 1
Amsterdam Part 2

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Cebuano: The Language and The People

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Living in Norway for over 2 years, I have often encountered questions about the languages I speak. I usually answered I speak Norwegian, English and two Filipino languages. Then, people start asking if the second Filipino language is a dialect of the other. Given my mother tongue is Cebuano, the second language referred, I abruptly debunk the misconcept that it is a mere dialect. My most common explanation is that all Filipinos speak the Filipino language, but those who only learn to speak Filipino have difficult time understanding or communicating with one speaking Cebuano. Throughout the span of my childhood, I got to grasp the political and cultural differences of Filipinos speaking Filipino language or Tagalog as referred by most, and those coming from the Southern Philippines speaking Cebuano. The language in itself has become the boundary between the two groups of people. Due to their innate differences, misunderstandings result, not because of mere language confusion, but of cu...
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Padayon Lang: Just Continue ᜉᜇᜌᜓᜈ᜔ ᜎᜅ᜔

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There are words that stay with us long after the people who spoke them are gone. For me, one of those words is the Cebuano phrase: “Padayon lang.” These simple words describe my life motto. It is short, almost ordinary. It does not shine with poetry. Yet it has a quiet strength, the kind that you don’t just think about but actually feel deep inside. Literally, it means “just continue” or “keep going.” But in Cebuano life, padayon lang is less of a command and more of gentle encouragement, just a soft pat on the shoulder, a light that shows you the way in the dark. I first heard it as a child, when I struggled with school and say, “Padayon lang sa imong pagtuon.” Keep studying. It is not a word of triumph. It does not promise success. Unlike congratulations or I’m proud of you, padayon lang accepts that life is hard, that the road is tiring, and yet it reminds us that moving forward, even slowly, even step by step is still worth it. It is the Cebuano spirit of resilience, no...
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Vigelandsparken, Oslo Norway: Celebrating Human Spirit

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The world's largest collection of sculptures in a park is attracting one million people every year. The art pieces, which were made from bronze, granite and iron features the appreciation of the human spirit of Norway's most renowned sculptor Gustav Vigeland. Click the link below: http://vimeo.com/65900073 Visiting Vigelandsparken makes one realize things in life, inspired from the different sections of the park: the Main Gate, the Bridge, the Fountain, the Monolith and the Wheel of life. The main gate is very simple but elegant. It features a long pathway towards the main section of the park. It gives the visitor the feeling that life requires a pathway and direction where one should follow through. That direction is the person's purpose in his or her life, that will guide all his or her actions, no matter what situations the person will be experiencing and whoever the person will be meeting. The bridge is one of the most dramatic part of the park, which...
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Once upon a time... Summa Cum Laude

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It has been fifteen years since I completed nursing school. I culminated my student days as a Summa Cum Laude at Father Saturnino Urios University in the Philippines. It was a rare academic feat, but I managed to excel inspite of the difficulties I had back then. As I reminisce how it has been, I would like to point out the learnings I had through the years, and this will be the focus of this blogpost. Summa Cum Laude is the highest Latin honor one could get in the university. It does not just mean being the class valedictorian with the highest grade in the batch, but it means possessing a grade considered one of the highest throughout the school's history. In the Philippines, there are very few with Summa Cum Laude honors, and it is extremely rare in Nursing. Yes, I did that. Well, it was unexpected. I was actually expecting at least Cum Laude, the third highest Latin honor. However, some rules were changed, making it less difficult to get Cum Laude such that I was lit...
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The Misunderstood Cebuanos

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I tell to most of my friends that I actually do not speak Filipino as my mother language. Ofcourse, the most natural question I get is what language do I speak? I answer Cebuano and explain that it is the second most spoken of the Philippine language. It is not a dialect, and the people that speaks it are popularly known as Cebuanos. However, due to the cultural and linguistic diversity among groups in the Philippines, misunderstanding occur very often. And this blogspot is all about the often misunderstood Cebuanos. Fatalism, Realism and Resilience The Cebuano has undergone a lot of bad things in the past. Cebuanos in the southern island of Mindanao could be followers of Islam or belong to an indigenous group. Being part of another religious and cultural group could mean oppression by a larger group. The Spaniards and Americans tried to suppress any resistance in the group. When the country became independent, co-Filipinos in Manila oppressed and associated the Cebuano cu...
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When Laziness Strikes

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Why are we lazy sometimes? Is it because it is a natural tendency for humans to feel it. Alternatively, it is because we are easily affected by the things we see in our environment, such that we mimic the behaviors of others like inaction. This is the focus of my blogpost. In stress reactions, there is a phenomenon we call fight and flight response in which either our body and psyche will confront all stress-producing events, or opts not to deal with them at all. From this, we can say that human can be lazy when the things and tasks we must accomplish either no longer challenges us or simply overwhelming us. So, sudden change in the quality and quantity of to-do list can lead one to be lazy or the opposite enthusiastic response. Thus, to counteract laziness, it is crucial to adjust these lists of actions. Take it easy. Remove the most demanding and hope things become better, instead of getting worse. On the other hand, laziness can be an influence of the culture and environment. This...
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10 Sociocultural Differences Between Norway and the Philippines

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Soon, I would mark my sixth year of living in Norway. It is difficult to sum up the past six years in few words. A lot of things I have experienced, and many people I have encountered. At least, I could say I have learned a lot during this period. However, what makes it more challenging for me as an immigrant in Norway is the contrast in cultures and social norms between my home country, the Philippines and Norway. Both countries were ranked high in different survey of happiness, depending on how happiness is defined on these surveys. And this concept of happiness is reflected in the norms in both countries. In this blogpost, I would enumerate ten of these cultural differences. 1.         Love for nature I could say that both Philippines and Norway have been blessed with beautiful landscapes. Philippines is known for its beaches, while Norway has fjords giving way to beautiful unique sceneries not found in other countries. However...
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The actual direction of where our lives will go is something everyone wants to know. However, no matter how we try, we can never fathom everything on it. We pray and hope for better things to come. Sometimes, we simply take chances. What are chances? This is what I will tackle in this blogpost. This is quite reflective of where I am today in my life and will definitely serve as a guide in the future for decision-making and career planning. Hence, these are the three important assumptions about chances: Chances are options. People who seems depressed and hopeless simply run out of options in solving one's problem. Everything is perceived to be tough and impossible in these people's minds. On the contrary, these individuals really have options, but they are not willing to make the chance. This is because they do not have the courage to take responsibility of the possible outcomes their decisions would yield. Thus, it does not matter how many good options we have in finding sol...
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Conozco is a Spanish term for knowing. Conozco Pablo literally means "I know Pablo." Through my blogposts, one will understand my personal and social perspective. In the past two years of blogging, I have already written exactly 200 posts by now. There are several themes revolving around life, emotions, relationships, social issues and travel. Those topics maybe irrelevant from each other, but all articles are deeply associated with my experiences and from where I come from. Not long ago, I was struggling for a decent future and even with supporting my family's needs. I strongly believed that through doing good in school, I would be successful in life through hardwork and determination. From that dream I had and to where I stand now, I could say the distance I traveled was quite long enough. It took a lot of effort, luck and guts, but I am happy on what I have become - imperfect, changing for the better but satisfied. If I could make an analogy of my life in the ...
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