WATCH: Seoul-Incheon, South Korea


Here is my video on my short trip to South Korea.


For more blogposts on Seoul, click the links below.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular This Week

Bangkok, Thailand: Land of Smiles - Day 2

Image
After a very tiring but fulfilling day in the Land of Smiles, we were now ready to take the second and the last day of our short stop in Bangkok. Gaining a good grasp of the Bangkok public transport systen, we tried to avoid taking the taxi to save money and avoid traffic due to the yuletide season. From our hotel, we took the City Airport Link and BTS to the Central Pier of Chao Phraya Boat Express. Using the Orange Line, we took the boat to Tha Tien boat station. The station has some small stalls where one can buy some travel souvenirs. Items are sold starting from 200 baht (50 NOK). After a short walk, we were able to reach the the walls of Grand Palace, our first stop of the day. One must be warned not to take any entrance aside from the major entrance to avoid extra expenses from tour agent,who are taking advantage. There is a strict dress code, so one must avoid exposing too much skin when entering the premise. Since Grand Palace is a major tourist attracti
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

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

14 Types of Travelers - Determine Your Type

Image
Almost everyone wants to travel. Wherever or whatever the purpose may it be, the most important is to break free from the daily routine we have. Due to individual differences and intentions, there exists a number of various types of travelers. In several websites, one could find several ways to categorize these travelers, however, there is a problem in trying to see the uniqueness of each type. Some types as stated in other sources are actual sub-categories of the another. Due to this, I came up of my classification, based on responses to common question pertaining to one's travel personality. Below you can follow through the questions and their expected responses. After that you can share to me what type of traveler are you. From the diagram above, here are the 14 types of travelers: 1.      Budget Traveler - a traveler who does not care about where he or she goes as long as it is within his or her budget 2.      Planer – a traveler who is very obsess of details and
Read more

Skagen, Denmark: Sun, Sand and Snow

Image
Being the Danish nation’s northernmost town, Skagen is known for the Skagen Odde peninsula located in the North Jutland Island. The town also houses the world largest fish oil factory. The sand and fish port factors make vacations to Skagen peninsula a very unique experience. This has been made more special during my visit in the winter season in February when spring pauses occur. Thus, my short trip became a combination of sun, snow and sand in Skagen. Skagen Fyr The Skagen Lighthouse was a reconstruction of the White Lighthouse, which is primarily used for exhibitions nowadays. This lighthouse has been useful in preventing invasion of the Danish capital Copenhagen by Western countries like the Great Britain. Grenen   This is Denmark’s northernmost tip where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. Grenen literally means the branch, showcases a very beautiful landscape and sea horizon. Sandormen It is a wagon pulled by a tractor carrying peop
Read more

Debt of Gratitude: A Filipino Social Phenomenon

Image
"Scratch my back and I will scratch yours." - This describes the prevailing Filipino social phenomenon of debt of gratitude. It is an attempt of one to repay the other, who in the past had done something good or beneficial to him or her. This has been magnified by other social phenomena such as the continued emigration of Filipino workers outside the Philippines, such that remittances are actually in the form of payment to their families, as an expression of long-lasting debt of gratitude. This is just an example of how this phenomenon has shaped the Filipino society and culture. In this blogpost, an in-depth analysis will be made to showcase the advantages and disadvantages of this phenomena, as various concepts and ideas revolving around it are enumerated throughout the discussion. 1. It exists in any type of relationship; familial, working, spiritual and others. Because of man's social nature, there will be periods of self-sufficiency and vulnerability. During time
Read more

7 Reasons Why Many Filipinos are Good Singers

Image
One thing that makes me proud of being Filipino is that there are many good singers in our country. I am not saying that the Philippines has the best singers in the world, but it is obvious that many Filipinos have showed to the world the God-given talent they have. 1. Parents encourage their children to develop their singing talents Children singing old songs and acting as if the song fits them well. Love songs, rock, whatever genre songs maybe Filipino children can sing that. Some even report that children learn humming a melody before able to speak well. Ofcourse, parents are very crucial in the development of this talents. If a talent has been acknowledged at an early age, this provides time for child to improve his or her talent in singing. Watch the newly-launced TV show Voice Kids Philippines. 2. Competition helps produce more good singers The most-watched Television shows in the Philippines are singing competition. Most artists are discovered in these platform
Read more

Cebuano: The Language and The People

Image
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
Read more

The Crossing Point

Image
This is it. The point where everything is decided on which way one would go further in the future. Ofcourse, one is hoping things are going to be what is the best for all, but the chances for the opposite side is also significant. This is the crossing point of one's life. Everything after this will change according to what happens in this point. Everyone surrounding one will change depending on the way events will unfold. The moment everything is known, this will just go as it is. As planned in either ways, things will go as it should be. However, everything is still related to this point. Ambivalence grows further When one knows something will change. One would normally not want things to change from the status quo. Everyone wants to do the same thing as before, not expecting any surprises along the way. Some people cope better after-the-fact than others, but no one is ever prepared to handle the period before the change. The calm before the storm or the gut feeling before the s
Read more

Crab Mentality among Filipinos

Image
Many times people get accused of possessing the Filipino negative trait of crab mentality. It is  a state wherein people act like crabs when put inside a basket or a container, pull each other down for them to get out from it. One must further dissect the magnitude of the problem and reasons behind it to distinguish ways on how to deal with it and perhaps minimize it. One of my Facebook friend said that crab mentality among Filipinos is already a disease. The way she said it, it seems crab mentality can no longer be cured and is highly contagious. It is quite true because based on my observation, we can notice crab mentality everywhere. One time I made a comment in Youtube about one issue that lead some Filipino netizens to react. I was expecting they will provide further valuable insights about what I said. I have no problem with others disagreeing with my thoughts, given that everyone is entitled with their own thoughts. Suprisingly, one of those who commented, criticized my u
Read more