WATCH: Berlin, Germany


Here is my video of my short trip to Berlin, Germany.



For more blogposts about Berlin, click below.

Berlin Part 1
Berlin 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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The Best Way to Escape

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Have you ever felt you wanted to go away from a difficult situation? Or perhaps deal with a person who makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable that you just want to evade and prefer not to see the person? Everyone has experienced this perhaps. However, one could ask which way is the best way to escape. Here I will present three posible scenarios, one can choose. 1. Avoid the situation and talk no more about the person This is the most common. People try to forget everything but it is difficult and in reality impossible. One can try to dump all associated memories and bad feelings in his or her unconciousness but everyone knows this way of escape just make delays in confronting a problem. This does not take away the fact that it is certain that the problem will arise some other time in the future. For an instance, when one engages a quarrel with another and can no longer endure the tension, one perhaps try to hide himself or herself from the comfort zone, hoping things wil...
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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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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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No One is Indispensable, BUT...

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The phrase "No one is indispensable" is a common saying that implies that anyone can be replaced, and that nothing in life is permanent. While there is some truth to this statement, I believe that it is important to approach this idea with more compassion. This is the focus of this blogpost. While it is true that others may be able to do what we do, and even do it better, and that we are all transient beings in this world, it is also true that each person has unique qualities that make them who they are. These qualities include our strengths, weaknesses, personalities, and life experiences. One sociological theory that can be applied to an individual's indispensability is functionalism. Functionalism emphasizes the importance of social structures and institutions in maintaining the stability and well-being of society. From a functionalist perspective, the phrase "no one is indispensable" suggests that society is greater than any one individual, and t...
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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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10 Things Every Filipino Must Learn

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I am a proud Filipino but there are some aspects of the Filipino culture that needs to be improved. These improvements are impossible if   everybody thinks there is no need for them, so I start with my contribution by recognizing these in this blogpost. 1. Learn to wait. No Filipino can wait. We all find ways to be ahead of the others. We are known for this. We simply can not wait as if there is no other chance to do a certain thing. As a result, chaos results, which is reflected in the systems we have either in large-scale government services or in ourselves as well. 2. Learn to think before talking. Feed a Filipino an attractive title of an article or news, he or she is able to form opinions even without knowing and understanding the story. I call this "Facebook mentality of hastiness." As a result, most non-Filipinos do not take us seriously, because we are more noisy than smart. 3. Learn to respect differences and opinions. Every Filipino thinks everyone should conf...
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Listen to your Instincts

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Has there been a time when you are confronted with a major crossroad in your life? In this time, you lose control and everything you learned seems to be insufficient for you to come up with a solution or action. It is also in this period when you feel uncertain on things you experience for what it means or what its worth for you. Then, it is the time to trust your instincts. However, what is an instinct? Do we actually can trust it? Literally speaking, instinct is an innate pattern of behavior every human being has in response to certain stimuli. By saying innate, instinct itself is inborn such that everybody has it. For example, when we are confronted with danger, we simply either fight back or stay away from it. In doing so, we do not use our rational thought but basically respond through our senses and react accordingly. It may sound being instinctive associates with being animalistic or primitive. Every human being is endowed with the ability to comprehend to solve problems ...
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Theory of New Language Learning Part One

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Learning a new language is very difficult. It can take a lot of time and it is characterized with so many frustrations and disappointments, especially when new language learning becomes a requirement for work and education. However, the question remains that there is a process that one could follow through for him to her to learn a new language. This will be tackled in a series of articles. The information below were derived from experience and was not subject to any test. Nonetheless, I will be presenting my own personal theory of learning new language. Personally, I speak Cebuano, the second most spoken language in the Philippines. Throughout school, I was able to learn Filipino, the national language, but I encountered problems learning English even though the language was widely-used in the country. Slowly, I improved until I got C2 in listening in reading, while C1 in writing and speaking. The improvement is something I did not imagine before. Presently, I am struggling to...
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Solve: Why Math is Hard?

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Before I became a nurse, teacher, licensed real estate appraiser, I became first as a mathematics lover. Some consider me a geek then, but I was not, I just simply love the logic of mathematics. Now, I can say my mathematics skills have deteriorated significantly, when I am confronted with numbers, I do not leave my chair not until I somehow figure out what could be the problem. So, why then mathematics is difficult to many of us? Is there something can be done? Mathematics is much more than counting and simple arithmetic. It is a cumulative science in which new results are built upon and depend on earlier results. Humans have accumulated a huge amount of mathematical knowledge – far    more than a person can learn in a lifetime, even if the person spent all of their time studying mathematics. This history perhaps will give us the impression the necessity of mathematics. We may not appreciate the subject, but it useful because without it, the world will end up in chaos,...
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