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.


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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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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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My Five Embarrassing Moments in Oslo Part 1

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To be embarrassed is one of the awkward feelings one could have especially when you are new to a place. There are situations we do not expect or perhaps we have anticipated it, but we act as if everything will turn well, even though there is high probability it will not. Being new in Oslo, I experienced few moments that I would rather shrink due to shame or hide because I did not expect myself to be in that moment. This is the first three. 1. Second day in the convenient store The day after I arrived in Norway, ofcourse the first thing I wanted was to buy food in a grocery store. I was never acquainted that there was several stores about 100 meters away from my apartment, so I walked 15 minutes, just to buy some stuffs. I knew the location because the first bus route I took towards my place passed through it. Oh no! I do not understand almost everything in the grocery store. I was looking for something obvious I knew. Since I am Asian, I chose some ready-to-eat stuff like flake...
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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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Andres Bonifacio: 5 Modern Day Learnings and Reflections

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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...
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As a former educator myself, it is but natural for me to have an advocacy on the significance of education. To add, my personal experiences confirms how my education aided me in achieving things I have never even imagined before. However, I am quite aware how strange the concept of education to some. Even others think, it is not as crucial as the experiences we acquire after formal schooling. By saying education; it is not simply attending class and excelling in it because it refers to the state of ongoing learning aided by a structured environment and relevance of experience to inculcate the values of determination and workmanship. In this blogpost, I will highlight the core aspects of education that helps one, not just in his or her career but also in one's life. Education serves as springboard for other opportunities. This however does not say that education guarantees better life and higher achievements because more than education is the ability of an individual to efficient...
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This is perhaps the shortest vacation in the Philippines I ever had since I went to Norway. It was a very activity-filled six days of my life. However, there are things I got to experience again, as a Filipino, a part of myself I would never be ashamed of. In this blogpost, I would attempt encapsulate everything I learned from my relived Filipino experience. 1. Weather difference Arriving from Seoul, Korea from a short stopover, I never expected that the thoughts and memories I had before in the Philippines would come rushing to me, overwhelming my awareness to the point of mental exhaustion. One thing, I have noticed the drought has ected the country very much, such that the green grasses on the airport field turned into brown outgrowths of a dry topsoil. It was warmth. Surprisingly, my body adapted quickly with the air temperature. 2. Revisiting major historical areas This time I vowed to visit the Philippine capital, Manila's old town. I have been in the adjacent areas but n...
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