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


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular This Week

Once upon a time... Summa Cum Laude

Image
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...
Read more

Filipino Body Language

Image
Non-verbal communication is an essential part in a society, as well as understanding the values the community believe in. This reflects a good overview of how communication and tradition have evolved through time. These expressions are never constant, such that meaning changes from time to time, and is greatly affected by the events or the kind of environment one belongs in. Filipinos, being a society with mixed Asian and Western influences have unique facial and body expressions. These are the focus of this blogpost. 1. Silent stare Stares could mean evil look for Filipinos. It may indicate sarcasm or manipulation. It is considered rude to this, especially when in a conversation because it may also indicate disinterest or disrespect. 2. Lip/Eye pointing This is quiet funny gesture common not just in the rural areas, but also in urban communities. It is quiet hard to explain the direction in verbal language, so it is better to point them vaguely, interestingly with the use of lips,...
Read more

True? Ignorance is Bliss

Image
There are things and situations that could potentially affect us but are either intentionally made unaware from us or by chance we get not to know them. These somehow could may help us in a way, but the fact that these are still attempts to hide the truth creates a pressing dilemma. Is it better to remain ignorant on hard truth or is it better to know everything, including all that could potentially harm us. What are the implications is the focus of this blogpost. Out of sight. Out of mind . What we see, know and we experience are the grearest source of stress. It is generally impossible to control what we perceive that could lead for us to feel stressful or anxious. Furthermore, this stress is itself the major influence on how individuals act and decide. This is because people avoid all measures that could lead to stress and ofcourse would prefer to take the alternatives that provide opportunities and benefits. It is therefore somehow advantageous if one got not to know things that ...
Read more

Ending the Year of New Beginnings

Image
2014 was a year characterized by bold turns in my life. It was a year that I ventured out from my comfort zone. This was a year of humble achievements and hopes for a better 2015. New Plans Since my options were few at the start of the year, I adjusted my plans accordingly. It takes a courage heart to do so but as I gain more experience and resources, I reviewed my previous goals and set my personal objectives high again. There were times I doubted myself if I could achieve something, especially those which are out of my control. But at the end, I found no reason to get distracted such that presently I can say I have almost the same level of optimism with that before I came to Norway. New Jobs The year started with my own search of a new job. It was not easy and very frustrating. I was used to being ask to work before, rather than me finding work for me. It was nearly depressing but I coped well. I just need to accept that not everytime one can get what he or she wants. However, in...
Read more

Andres Bonifacio: 5 Modern Day Learnings and Reflections

Image
Today (November 30) marks the birth anniversary of the known Filipino hero Andres Bonifacio. Many including me are used to hearing Bonifacio's name but never really got to deepen the appreciation and knowledge about him. There were controversies and unresolved issues regarding the motivation, personality and death of Bonifacio; but in this blogpost, the focus would rather be on the learnings we could possibly derive from the story of Bonifacio and how we could reflect on it when applied on our own respective lives. Family and friends first At the age of 14, Bonifacio needed to stop going to private school to support his five other siblings because both their parents died of illness in a duration of a year. Because of this, he earned a living for his family until his siblings had been regularly employed thereafter. On the other hand, by mere impression, Bonifacio treated Rizal as a friend or as an important person of the Filipino revolution. Motivated by this, Bonifacio with his c...
Read more

Overseas Filipino Workers: 20 Best Places to Live (Based on Statistics)

Image
Being an OFW (Overseas Filipino worker) myself, I have been confronted with the question before on which country is the best place to live and work. Of course, the ultimate answer would be the United States of America, because most Filipinos would want to migrate on the most powerful nation in the world. However, I was personally not contented with that popular answer and I want to find out based on government statistics and a data-based interpretation. This is not perhaps to justify my choice to live in Norway, which happens to be ranked number 2 in the list.  To answer my question, I made used of the data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas or the Central Bank of the Philippines on the remittances of OFWs grouped according to countries. My assumption is that the amount of remittance per OFW would reflect indirectly the income they are earning in the country. Of course, this assumption is limited to the fact that every person varies in the amount of remittances and there...
Read more

Emotionless

Image
Emotions affect the way one think, which in turn affects all the things that happen to someone. I have always believed on this. Since I was very young, I developed gradually the process of becoming "emotionless". Is this possible? How could this affect one and decisions in life? Subjectivity is a term that relates to emotions. When we become so happy, we feel too elated that we want the feeling to linger more. Some even think that being happy may cause one to worry for something sad that may happen afterwards. I was once part of these few people, who believed on the temporary nature of happiness. Now, no more I believe on this, for becoming successful involves one to believe that life of abundance is possible. This can only be achieved if one focuses on goals in life and repeats this continuously in the mind, regardless on, whether it may be possible or not. Unfortunately, extreme focus is not an easy task. This involves one to be very objective on things, leading to ...
Read more

Vigelandsparken, Oslo Norway: Celebrating Human Spirit

Image
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...
Read more

3 Qualities of Mob Rule

Image
While browsing my Facebook newsfeed, I came to realize how our country - the Philippines is plagued with not just prevalent corruption, but also with direct and indirect mob rule. People who seems to have control and followership tends to use extra-judicial means to assert control or push for decisions and situations for either their personal advantage or the organization they represent. In this blogpost, I will not single out any organization or issue to help people understand the characteristics of mob rule. This is to provide awareness that mob rule and democracy are concepts on the opposite sides of the continuum. I allow my readers to use the knowledge they get to evaluate situations either current or past, whether these situations fits to the criteria of mob rule. A controlling authority attempting to utilize extra-judicial means The authority maybe an individual, a group or a large institution with objectives they need to pursue and meet for their own growth, survival or adva...
Read more

Padayon Lang: Just Continue ᜉᜇᜌᜓᜈ᜔ ᜎᜅ᜔

Image
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...
Read more