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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Bullying: A Part of Filipino Culture?

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Bullying became a hot topic in Norway today after a young teenager died of emaciation due to eating disorder that was primarily linked to anxiety from bullying at school. This was quite taboo in this Scandinavian country, given the nation is very keen on respecting socio-cultural differences and on protection against any form of discrimination. Discussions have been made on how to handle and prevent bullying and who takes the responsibility in these cases, whether the family, school or the State. Personally, I was not reacting in anyway as my mind says the concept is remote and almost impossible to happen in the Philippines. Perhaps, I was referring it to death, but not to bullying. However, after several days I was quite uneasy on the topic and further asked myself if I was ever bullied before and what it has caused me in the long-term basis. To my surprise, bullying was a crucial point in my childhood. My coping skills allowed me to hide in my consciousness what had happened...
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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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Noblesse Oblige: A Guiding Principle

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Some ideas refuse to disappear, even when the world changes around them. One of them is the French expression Noblesse Oblige. It simply means that privilege comes with responsibility. If life has given you education, opportunity, influence, or success, then you have a duty to use those gifts for something greater than yourself. It is an old idea, perhaps even an unfashionable one, but I think it still deserves a place in the modern world. I have thought about this a lot over the past few years. When I left the Philippines and moved to Norway, I did not arrive with privilege. Like many immigrants, I started almost from the beginning. I had to learn a new language, adapt to a different culture, rebuild my career, and prove myself again. Nothing was handed to me. Every step forward came through long shifts, sacrifices, studying after work, and refusing to give up when life became difficult. Today, I live a life that my younger self could only imagine. ...
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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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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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Filipino Body Language

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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,...
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In these challenging times when finding the right person to trust and to be with is hard, having a long-term relationship is significantly more difficult. Divorce rates are high throughout countries, which legally allows couples to do so. For those who are not even married, relationship does not simply last that long. Are there things needed for relationships to work? We have heard many stories about success and failure of long-term relationships, but there is a need to tackle this topic thoroughly. Firstly, let us define what long-term relationship is. The exact duration on when to consider a relationship long-term varies from one case to another. In this blog, we will be referring long-term relationship as a bond not dependent on time, rather depending on meeting essential conditions for it to exist. Since long-term relationships are not perfect, all these conditions may not be met but most of these must be achieved and fulfilled optimally. What are these, these are the fi...
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Picture not mine. August 24, 2005, Ninoy Aquino International Airport “Three years after, I thought I would be happy. It seems nothing changed after three years of living in the United States. Three years of busy monotonous life, “Adrian said to himself upon his arrival in Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Carrying his baggage full of his personal belongings and “pasalubongs” for his relatives Adrian Palacios, a twenty-six years old nurse was a picture of triumph and courage in his homecoming in the Philippines after his contract as a nurse in urban hospital in Texas for three years expired. With his favorite book entitled A Man Named Dave: A Story Of Triumph and Forgiveness by Dave Pelzer in his left hand, Adrian walked into the baggage area to get his things and walked through the lobby of the airport towards the gate. To the opposite the road where relatives of the passengers wait, Adrian's attention was diverted. He saw parents embracing their son who have jus...
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