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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular This Week

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

2025: Progress Sans Perfect Results

Image
When I look back on the year, I understand that it was not about perfect numbers or completing every goal. It was a year of adjustment, balance, and quiet growth. Some changes were planned, others were forced by life and work. A few goals were achieved, many were not, but almost all of them taught me something important. This reflection is not about success or failure, but about learning; learning my limits, my priorities, and how personal growth often happens slowly. Reading Less, Learning More Reading was one area where this became clear. I wanted to read 21 books in 2025, but I finished only 12. At first, this felt disappointing. Over time, I realized that the quality of what I read mattered more than the number. Books like Sapiens, Think Again, Factfulness, and Stolen Focus were not easy or fast reads. They required focus and patience, and they stayed with me long after I finished them. Instead of reading many light books, I chose fewer books with deeper ideas about his...
Read more

Welfare State like Norway - Philippines?

Image
It has been several months that I have been living in Norway, a rich welfare state. I have seen Norway is indeed blessed with natural resources like fish, oil and with other industries. On the other hand, the Philippines has no significant oil deposits, but has a massive supply of minerals, marine and agricultural products. I could not refrain myself but compare this two resource-rich countries. What most interests me with Norway is that it is a welfare state. This concept of equal distribution of wealth among people, I hope that exists in the Philippines, even at a lesser extent. It made me ask myself if it is possible. If so, how will it change the Filipino society. A country of 100 million Filipinos. The richest Filipinos are one of the richest in the world, while poverty rates are steady at a high level in decades. We Filipinos blame it to many things and worse, majority of us just accept the fact that nothing can be done in our lifetime about this deplorable situation. How...
Read more

What Make Filipinos Happy?

Image
According to the recent Happiness Index and Positive Experience Index (2015), Filipinos are considered one of the happiest in the world. There are many empirical evidence supporting this, including the magnitude of resilence and effectiveness of Filipinos in coping with several calamities and personal challenges. There are ofcourse scepticism on these researches, given that happiness could not even be measured objectively, and even more difficult to be compared. Happiness is indeed subjective, such that it is experienced differently among various persons with unique backgrounds and histories. Therefore, it is a challenge to make a summary or list of what makes one happy for a certain group of people, such as Filipinos. However, there are similarities among Filipinos that one could deduce effectively to answer what makes Filipinos happy. This is the focus of this blogpost. Family counts first. Family is most powerful source of motivation and happiness for Filipinos. More importantly,...
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

The Threat of Being Unemployed: Done

Image
It was quite unfortunate that just few weeks ago when all of us in the nursing home I worked for got a bad news that my ward will be closed by the Oslo municipality.  The main reason was based on statistics of the slight decline of those who are over 80 years old,  which they attribute to the Second World War. That was a brilliant alibi of the city government and its agencies to cover up political intentions, which in philosophy is a valid socialist measure. However, the news threatened us to be unemployed for a time, given that the process of determining who are to lose their jobs have been started just few weeks ago. Personally, I was very worried, but I handled the situation well. I know that everything depends on a stable job, which includes my papers in Norway. I was uncertain if I would be "saved", given that I have just started less than a year ago. In short, I am one of the few with the shortest work experience in the nursing home. The only thing that could save me i...
Read more

14000 Days In: Finding Balance, Meaning, and Inner Peace

Image
The 21st of January 2026 marks the end of the 14th chapter of my life, which also means that another 1,000 days have passed 😂. This chapter was not only about time moving forward, but also about personal reflection, adjustment, and maturity. During this period, I searched for meaning in life, questioned my values, and learned more about the importance of human connections. It was a phase that helped me better understand who I am and how I relate to others and the world around me. Learning from Past Challenges The 13th chapter of my life left a lasting impact on me and strongly shaped the one that followed. The pandemic changed daily life, work routines, and social relationships in ways I had never experienced before. During this time, I also chose to let go of unhealthy habits and distanced myself from certain people. The sudden death of my father was the most difficult experience, forcing me to confront loss, grief, and uncertainty. These events made the 14th chapter a pe...
Read more

10 Sociocultural Differences Between Norway and the Philippines

Image
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...
Read more

Six Types of Management Conflicts in Colors

Image
It is quite common that conflicts arise in a workplace especially between managers and their subordinates. The type of organization does not matter because this relationship basically requires good communication, respect and understanding of one's limitations. However, these elements may not be present at all times especially when the management style used by a leader and the desired way of managing by the subordinate may not coincide. This is the focus of this blogpost. For the sake of elaboration, this blogpost will use three common leadership styles, namely democratic, laissez-faire (little or no control), or autocratic (strict or full control). There are no better styles, as each of them are useful depending on the situation or goal. However, each style in this blogpost is designated a color to distinguish them. The same is done to determine the desired style by the subordinate. The colors are mixed and matched to describe the interaction between two factors, resulting to a po...
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