November 19, 2005

Hop Hop Skipitty Hop...

"eeerrr... uuhhmmmnn.. hello? hello? is the mic on? ahhhh test mic.. 1,2,3..."

Ok ready...

I would like to inform you that this blog will be on vacation mode for 15 days.

Yes, you read that right. Before I celebrate my white chilly christmas here in Istanbul, dear husband and I are off to ( I dare you to read it loud...)


Krungthepmahanakornamornratanakosinmahintarayutthayamahadilokphop
nopparatrajathaniburiromudomrajaniwesmahasatharn
amornphimarnavatarnsathitsakkattiyavisanukamprasit.

In english it translates to...

The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.

Well, enough of the tongue twister and let's just call it by its more common name which is Krung Thep or Bangkok, Thailand.

Then we will be off to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia (truly Asia). To enjoy some good fun in the sun with some of our friends living over there.

If I have enough time, maybe I can sneak in Manila through Airasia and give some hugs and kisses to family and friends.

There's one more hurdle though. Just the looooong flight ahead. I need to deal with hubby's panic attacks. I think I can handle this one pretty well. I basically know the drill and nothing can stop me from getting that tan!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Posted by duke at 11/19/2005 12:35:00 AM       17 comments



November 16, 2005

Pride and Language

Since last week, I found myself busy doing so many things. I've been meeting lots of new people and even got to chat with two Pinays who were visiting Turkey en route to Greece on a cruise. I stumbled upon them while doing my laundry in the common room. It was nice to get to talk to someone in Filipino again. I'm glad I got to chat with those two ladies. They are based in San Francisco now and are living there for more than a decade but their Tagalog was impeccable! Really impressive. You wouldn't even think they are living in the US.

This is what I don't understand with some of our kababayans though. I've met quite a number of Filipinos who suddenly can't remember speaking tagalog just because they went on a short vacation to the US of A. Suddenly, they all start having that twang together with the normal tagalog words. I mean, how can that be possible? If you grew up hearing and talking Tagalog most of your life and then went on a short vacation abroad (meaning 2 - 3 months, or even a year) I don't think you will suddenly be at lost with Pinoy words and start talking Tagalog with a certain twang. One more bizaare thing I noticed, that this normally happens when Pinoys go to english speaking countries. I mean, I never hear a Pinoy speak English with a Japanese, Indian, or Chinese accent after spending his vacation days in those countries. I've met some Filipinos who suddenly acquired the Aussie twang just because they went on vacation to Australia, or the British accent ( to- mah- to as opposed with American to-may-to) just because they stayed there for a month.

Sadly, there are some Filipinos who are not really proud to speak Tagalog and would rather much prefer speaking in English. Yes, English is the most spread language and the more common language of people but it doesnt necessarily mean that we should forget Tagalog.It's part of who we are, our identity as Filipinos. We pride ourselves to be an english speaking nation (and sometimes) to a point where we shun our own language. Don't get me wrong though, I don't have anything against expressing oneself in English ( heck! I do it too!). There is also nothing wrong in knowing how to speak Tagalog and showing it.

If I remember it right, this line from a famous Pinoy commercial says it all...
--->magpakatotoo ka!

Posted by duke at 11/16/2005 12:51:00 AM       25 comments



November 11, 2005

An Eager Beaver's Christmas

I've been playing Christmas songs the whole week and eagerly excited to put up our Chrstmas tree. I would love to put up a freshly cut pine and savor the aroma of pinewood inside our flat but I'm such an eager beaver that I am settling for my reliable plastic tree bought in toys 'r us way back in Hong Kong. When you step out of our flat though, you won't feel any christmas atmosphere. It all looks like an ordinary chilly day. People go about with their daily lives as usual. The highlighted event of the year over here is Ramazan and it just ended with bayram during the first week of November.

I've been reading Philippine news and can feel Christmas in the air. Pictures of lanterns or parols for sale, santa items, etcetera etcetera are highlighted. Even the stories and articles in the lifestyle sections are starting to have a christmas theme. I'm getting excited.

I love Christmas not just for the gifts but mainly for that certain warmth in people I feel. Take out the commercial aspects of it and you will see how people tend to become more loving,caring, thoughtful, and forgiving this time of the year.

In some countries though, especially the ones who experience winter, this is also the period when suicide attempts soar high. From what I understand, this has something to do with depression and the cold weather doesn't help much in alleviating it. In warmer countries like the Philippines, even if majority of the population are not so well off, I don't think suicide attempts soar high during Christmas time and being a Scrooge is not fashionable. You see, it's all about family and shiny happy people way back home. Sure, people get depressed over money and other material stuff but when you have a family who shares the burden with you, it makes a whole lot of difference. It's easier to get over depression over material things than deep sadness caused by being alone, cold and rejected, unappreciated, and unloved.

Below is one of my favorite Christmas songs. This was originally sang by Big Crosby but I'm listening to Diana Krall's version now. I would like to share the lyrics with you and wish you all a Merry Holidays!

Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

Posted by duke at 11/11/2005 11:57:00 AM       21 comments



November 07, 2005

Why I Love My Husband So Much...

Why I Love My Husband So Much...

1. He never fails to kiss me goodbye and say I love you before he leaves for work.
2. He adores my cooking and would finish his plate all the time to show his appreciation.
3. He knows and feels when I am upset without me saying a word.
4. He never fails to make me smile,laugh or burst into giggles with his silly antics.
5. He brings me flowers on ordinary days (and it makes my day!).
6. He always warms my side of the bed before I sleep.
7. He never forgets to throw the trash.
8. He listens to Pinoys songs I love and loves them too!
9. He snores but when I wake him up to tell him it's bothering me, he tries his best NOT to.
10. He feels thinks he is half Filipino by heart ( yet he can't speak Tagalog).
11. He patiently teaches me the French language complete with textbooks and workbooks an hour everyday after his work.
12. He gives me warm hugs all the time!
13. He always saves the last cookie for me.
14. He shares washing the dishes with me.
15. He holds my hand all the time especially when crossing street.
16. He lets me do what I want to do and go where I want to go even on my own.
17. He dances with me at home even with no music playing.
18. He can calm me down when I am in a bad mood.
19. He calls me up just to say I love you.
20. He brings out the best in me.

Posted by duke at 11/07/2005 10:58:00 PM       23 comments



November 04, 2005

Artsy Fartsy

I'm not an artist. I do not have the special ability to create extraordinary things through my thoughts and interpret it in an artistic fashion. I am a fan of art though. I'm talking about the museum kind of arts. One of my most exciting trip last year was my visit to the Louvre in Paris. I, like many, wanted to see the actual works of famous artists and the vast collection of artifacts through the ages. Who wouldn't want to meet La Joconde and see that mysterious smile in person or examine the great Egyptian civilizations. I saw thousands of artworks ranging from the famous Da Vinci,Donatello, Michaelangelo, Leonardo,Rafael and Bernini of Italy to France's Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Matisse. There were also some contributions from the the Dutch painters Van Gogh and Rembrandt plus Germany's Albrecht and Hans. The list goes on and on. It would have taken me a week at least to admire all items at the Louvre and yet I only had a day to feast my eyes on these masterpieces.

I consider my taste in art quite simple and a little bit conservative. I like works that are easy to understand. I am open to any form of art though. I just don't like art that make me think too much or make me feel like I'm stupid for not understanding the whole point of it. This is the reason why I am more inclined to admire renaissance and old world arts. Those times when they paint and sculpt everything to the minute detail with such fine strokes. How they managed to express their emotions through colors, textures, and hues and how their art mirrored the beauty of life.

Recently, I went to Istanbul Modern with my husband. Since Turkey is well known for it's surviving old world feel, I was thinking it would be refreshing to see what's inside this musem. The first level was all about paintings by Turkish artists. It ranged from still life modern, and abstract painting. Hubby and I went through them telling each other what we like and don't like. We had fun trying to understand the logic behind some abstract paintings. After, we had lunch at the museum cafe and proceeded to go one floor below to continue our tour. The staircase leading down had a glass panel on the side which was covered with cracks that seemed to be a result of damage done by a bullet. It was filled with it. It looked like it was a bulletproof glass shotdowned by an armalite. Apparently, this was part of the exhibit. It had a "wow" factor but I must admit, I forgot what it meant.

The next thing that caught my attention was the library. Hundreds of books were hanged on the ceiling and served as a marker for the library. It was a nice and impressive artistic show but again, I forgot the logic behind it. All I remember were the poor books destroyed by a single hole in the middle where the string was attached and connected to the ceiling.

Then there was a photo exhibit. This one was interactive. Basically, anyone who wants to contribute to the exhibit can post their photos. All the pictures should be a photocopy. There is a photocopier near the exhibit were people lined with their family picture, mementos , or what have you's. After reproducing a copy, they put their contribution to the art on the board . It was a long board full of photos of people. It looked more like a big billboard of missing persons to me than a photo exhibit. I wanted to join the fun and put a little piece of me in the board but the line to the photocopier was long so I decided against it.

We then proceeded to the temporary exhibits. My husband and I felt at lost here. We just didn't understand most of the works of art. Either it was too deep and abstract or we were just so dense and shallow to understand them. There was a short video of a girl dancing in tribal beats wearing a flamenco dance costume and holding a sheepskin flask filled with blood. As she was dancing, the blood was coming out of the flask. This runs for about a minute and is on repeat mode. It was a "duh" moment for me and my husband after watching it. What in heavens name was that about? I really had no clue even after reading the briefing.

After three long hours of walking and our attempt to understand modern art, we left Istanbul Modern and decided to walk home. For some reason, holding hands while walking was simpler for us to understand and grasp than watching that video of the lady dancing. Enough of the artsy fartsy!

Posted by duke at 11/04/2005 12:34:00 AM       20 comments



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Location: Istanbul, Türkiye

A first time mom to baby A living as an expat in Istanbul, Turkey.

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