WATCH: Prague and Brno in Czechia


Here is the video of my short trip in Prague and Brno in Czech Republic.


To read for more about Prague and Brno, click below:

Prague Part 1
Prague Part 2
Brno 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular This Week

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

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

North Jutlandic Island, Denmark: A Unique Experience

Image
Traversing the North sea towards the Northern region of Denmark from the Norwegian southern coast is fantastic experience. One get to distinguish the common maritime interests of the Scandinavian countries, especially between Norway and Denmark. These two nations have shared history in the past several centuries, both good and bad, such that only the North Sea became an important witness of this rich cultural and historical exchange.  The North Jutlandic Island was connected to the rest of the Danish mainland before the 18th century, but due to the strong currents of the North sea, the Agger Channel was created, separating the island from the rest of the Danish northern landmass region. These geographical and historical backgrounds has encouraged me to embark in the journey to, from and between the important cities of North Jutlandic Island in Denmark. This will be the focus of this blogpost.  Frederikshavn Kirke This church is one of the biggest in Denmark in ...
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

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

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

Unique Filipino Way of Communication

Image
The communication process is characterized by five elements: message, sender, channel, receiver and feedback. The process itself describes how we convey ideas to others, but it does not provide one an explanation how culture affects the process. The complexity of the culture makes it difficult to communicate to another.  In this article, I will present information on how unique Filipinos are in communicating with another. Message Filipinos create messages in several ways. Given that we use several languages at the same time, sometimes messages are formed in creative ways. Do not be surprised when we make fun of our language and use different forms to convey a message. You will see the Filipino creativity when we send text messages. A dot means a lot or the selection of words in a sentence must connote the feeling of the person making the message. So be careful because all words are interpreted in the context of how it was used. Complete sentences seem to mean formality o...
Read more

Solve: Why Math is Hard?

Image
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,...
Read more

Why Education is Important?

Image
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...
Read more

Bullying: A Part of Filipino Culture?

Image
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...
Read more