Only In The Philippines

Cheysser, a 19-year old 100% Filipina presently residing in Guam has a contest for her followers in the Philippines. Who's joining? ME! You can too. Head on to her blog to read the rules and details...

* 5 Things That I Enjoy About Being a Filipina/Filipino

1. WEATHER - we have a warm tropical climate that we all enjoy and that foreign tourists enjoy. Need I say more? Well, we only have two seasons: wet or dry. Take a pick.



2. THE PEOPLE - the country is marked by a true blend of cultures; truly in the Philippines, East meets West. The history of American rule and contact with merchants and traders culminated in a unique blend of East and West, both in the appearance and culture of the Filipinos, or people of the Philippines. The Chinese influenced how we all do business here. The Spanish colonization brought about traditions such as fiesta and siesta. Hospitality, a trait displayed by every Filipino, makes these people legendary in Southeast Asia. Seldom can you find such hospitable people who enjoy the company of their Western visitors. Perhaps due to their long association with Spain, Filipinos are emotional and passionate about life in a way that seems more Latin than Asian. (taken from the Department of Tourism site)


3. BAYANIHAN - Filipinos are innately helpful and I enjoy that in so many ways. You need not worry when you move to a new house, any one of your friends would be more than willing to help you out. In provinces where houses are not made of concrete, neighbors and friends literally help you out move a house from one place to another.


4. GREAT HIDEAWAYS - the Philippines has amazing beaches, dive sites, wildlife and heritage sites. I have gone to beaches in Davao, Cebu, Boracay Island, Bohol, Batangas, Mindoro, General Santos City, Sarangani (and next week in Palawan yay to that). Divesites abound as well and I could only marvel at the beauty that is offered by the deep blue sea. We have loads of rare and exotic fauna and flora in the country as well. As the country has been a colony of a number of other countries, heritage sites (war ruins, old churches, monuments and old mummy burial sites)



5. JEEPNEY - TRIVIA: The exotic jeepney is a post-war creation inspired by the GI jeeps that the American soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s. Enterprising Filipinos salvaged the surplus engines and came out unique vehicles of art. And aside from the jeepney, quick transport vehicles such as tricycles (motorcycles with sidecar), padyak (bicycle with sidecar), habalhabal (extended motorcycle famous in provinces and mountains) and the multicab (smaller not so ornate version of the jeepneys).


* Talk about one Filipino celebrity that you admire
LEA SALONGA - is a multi-awarded Filipina singer and actress who is best known for originating the role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. In the field of musical theatre, she is recognized for having won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Theatre World Awards, the first to win various international awards for a single role. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway.



PHILIPPINE TRIVIA:

1. Cebu is the oldest Philippine city.
2. The word "boondocks," which is now a part of the English language, dictionary, and vocabulary, comes from the Tagalog word "bundok," meaning "mountain."
3. The Philippines became the first Asian country to win FIVE major international beauty pageant crowns — two for Miss Universe, in 1969 and 1973, and three for Miss International, in 1965, 1970, and 1979.
4. The antibiotic erythromycin — used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, middle ear infections, and skin infections — was created by Filipino scientist Abelardo Aguilar, and has earned American drug giant Eli Lilly billions of dollars. Neither Aguilar nor the Philippine government received royalties.
5. Of the eight species of marine turtles worldwide, five are reported to be found in the Philippines: the Green Turtle, Hawkbill, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, and Loggerhead.
6. The Basilica of San Sebastian is the only steel church in Asia and was the second building to be made out of steel, next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
7. The largest bell in Asia hangs at the belfry of the 221-year old Panay Church. It is 7 feet in diameter and 7 feet in height, and weighs 10.4 tons. Its tolling can be heard as far as 8 km. away. It was casted from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople as a manifestation of faith and thanksgiving.
8. The longest possible eclipse of the Sun is 7 min. 31 sec. The longest eclipse in recent times took place west of the Philippines on June 20, 1995, lasting for 7 min. 8 sec.
9. Camiguin province holds the distinction of having the most number of volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on earth. It is also the only place in the Philippines which has more volcanoes (7) than towns (5).
10. Tagala - the Philippines first Filipino-Spanish dictionary which was printed in 1613, 25 years older than the first book printed in the United States.

Pictures Taken From My Travels Around The Country (as this is quite a long post already, I'll only post 3 pictures)

With my mom at the Luneta (Rizal Park) back in 2006

Retracing the final steps of the national hero, Jose Rizal, before he was executed by a firing squad in Fort Santiago

In Crystal Cave, a natural cave in an island in Boracay


And this is how a simple Filipina looks like (hehehe! c'mon now, this is my blog anyway - *grins*) RED, YELLOW, BLUE - colors of the flag! (and oh yes, Filipinos do love pictures and taking pictures and keeping pictures...)




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