2013 - FAVORITES {Happy New Year!}

2013 was a very ecstatic year. Lots of things happened, and I visited three countries (well, 2.. Hong Kong is a SAR of China) As every month ends, I always post a Favourites. But since a year will end, I figured to assemble all my favorite and most memorable moments of the whole year. Here they are: - Hong Kong, 2013 - A prominent trip to Disneyland. Couldn't remember much (this post was posted like 4-6 months after the trip), but there was also a heck of a lot of night market trips.  - Stockholm: The Vasa Museum -...

Read More

GET READY FOR A BIG, GIGANTIC, HUGE AND REALLY FAT SURPRISE!

I just planned something extraordinarily awesome (in my opinion) that involves a bit more people. It will make a VERY BIG change to this blog. Let's just say that the blog will be upgraded? I don't really know. I'm speaking my opinion here. Speaking of opinion, there will be a heck of a lot more opinions on this blog! *wink* Just hold your horses for January 19 #jan19! I should also post MORE teasers of this big surprise! Wait for those too! Know More On Stockholm's Arlanda Expre...

Read More

UPDATE: Blog Posts Resume On The 31st.

Sorry if you're bothered that I still don't have posts yet. I'm making them now, and all the free time I have is devoted to it, currently. I have a lot of posts for you people ;) See you on the 31st, where a blog post comes out! Spoil yourself. If you want to know what the blog post will be on the 31st, click here. ;)  Like the page for exclusive blog updates and (sometimes), behind the scenes and extra travel information...

Read More

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

First off, I'm really sorry that I haven't been posting in a while. My computer's experiencing some problems.... But still, I want to wish you and your family a merry, jolly and bliss-filled Christmas. It only comes once per year, so make the most out of it!  I love y'all, and thank you for 8,200 view...

Read More

PHOTO CONTEST ENTRY! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

ATTENTION: We need your help! <If you helped liked this picture, THANK YOU! Unfortunately, we didn't win, we came in second. But the contest is over now! Thank you again for giving my uncle some support!> My uncle is also a traveler, and a free trip would be an awesome Christmas gift, and one IS UP FOR GRABS! Fortunately, he entered a contest from Jalaman's Adventures Facebook page, and he has the chance to win a free trip. MECHANICS?...

Read More

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines -- Stockholm to Amsterdam (Experiences + Eats)

The airline we took for the whole flight is KLM Royal Dutch. First flight was a two hour long one, from Stockholm's Arlanda to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Thank God it wasn't a very turbulent flight.. I don't get motion sickness from planes, but I do get it from trains. <graphic>, I don't vomit though... Upon boarding, we didn't get a personal entertainment system (I think that's what they call the small TV in front of you), understandable...

Read More

The Arlanda Express

- Information on the Arlanda Express - Stockholm's Arlanda Airport is located away from Stockholm city itself. To get there, people need to take the Arlanda Express, a train going from Stockholm city to all of the Arlanda Airport terminals. The A. Express is really expensive, but if you're a true Stockholmer, you can use your SL card and use the Pendeltag (a with a circle on top) or the commuter train to go to Arlanda (change...

Read More

EATS: Espression Lavazza - Stockholm's Arlanda Airport

A quick snack before we board a 2 hour flight to Amsterdam (flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam experience will come out tomorrow!) was spent at Espression in Stockholm's Arlanda Airport. I had the Chocolate Covered Chocolate Muffin (diabetes!). It was good, but I expected more!! My mom had the Blueberry Muffin together with a Hot Chocolate. I didn't write anything down, so this is a really short post. ...

Read More

UPDATE| I'm At The Philippines Now!!

Ahh... the feeling you get when you go back to Asian soil. It just makes you giggle with excitement. So I'm already at the Philippines, after an exhausting 21 hour flight from Stockholm to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Taipei and Taipei to Manila. The next few blog posts will be about my experiences (and more EATS!) on the airlines, and with the actual process of travelling... So excited for the days to come! Be aware that everything I do may be not inclined with the actual date... I'm going to schedule them. Merry advance Christmas to a...

Read More

Philippine Slang

In celebration of our flight to the Philippines tomorrow, here's some basic Philippine slang or, salitang kalye (street-speak / lingo) Uno, Dos, Tres... Once you become accustomed to the Philippines, and you find yourself walking throughout its neighbourhood streets, buying something from a sari-sari store, you will question the prices. The shopkeeper would then tell you the price, commonly in Spanish. Ex. When you buy a candy costing PHP 2, the shopkeeper would most likely tell you that is costs "dos", not "dalawa" (Two in Filipino).  Yosi...

Read More

HAPPY LUCIA!!

St. Lucy's Day (commonly shortened to "Lucia") is a church feast day . It is celebrated in honor of Lucia of Syracuse or Saint Lucy.  Lucia is always celebrated on the 13th of December. It is commonly celebrated in the areas of Scandinavia and in Italy.  Watch this video:  Video credits to Sweden (yes, it's their username) ...

Read More

5 More Days! {More Iconic Philippine Things}

We're boarding a flight to the Philippines on the 16th, and I'm so excited!  Here's a list of more iconic things you (and I) will find in the Philippines. Jollibee. Probably the most iconic food chain in the country. It sells everything from fried chicken, to burgers, to pasta, to breakfast... All sorts of stuff. I do like their Breakfast Burger Steak though (it's just basically a breakfast burger patty covered in gravy plus garlic rice). Street...

Read More

What I Expect When I Go Back To The Philippines?

This blog post will be a short "journal entry". So were boarding a flight on the 16th (I forgot the exact date) to go back to the Philippines for Christmas. There's so many things I expect. The Weather. Goodness. From a snowy wonderland here in Stockholm to a humid, tropical place near the equator. I feel that I'll sense this even in my first hour after landing. That's a 30 degree (Celsius) difference! The Food. (Extreme Emphasis on Rice)  As a Filipino, I really do enjoy eating rice. But the past months of living in Stockholm,...

Read More

EATS: Chopsticks Restaurant

Nothing like a nice buffet to finish off a rather cold Saturday.  The Chopsticks Restaurant is an Asian-inspired (mainly buffet) restaurant in Stockholm. It is located around Centralstation and the city center.  We had dinner here last night and we got the buffet!  TIP: If you're going to a buffet, take a small (additional emphasis on SMALL) sample of the things you would like to try. Try all of them if you wish, but...

Read More

MY FIRST SNOWFALL!

After five (seemingly short) months in Stockholm, I got to experience my FIRST NATURAL SNOWFALL EVER!!!! I have never experienced natural snow before, mainly because my home country is near the equator and has temperatures ranging from 29 to 36 Celsius.  This might be something small for some, but it is a momentous occasion for me.  ...

Read More

Swedish Traditions

Here's four traditions you might come across in Sweden: 1: Crayfish Parties. You might get invited to one when you have friends here. I don't personally like boiled crayfish, because you need to do so much stuff (like take away the shell/whatever, etc.) before you can eat just a certain amount of meat in one crayfish.  Crayfish {photo from Wikipedia} 2: Midsummer. In mid-June school is out. It is an occasion of large gatherings....

Read More

RANT: Where's My Snow?

I am really looking forward to my first snowfall, 'cause I haven't seen snow before. Natural snow, that is. This time in Stockholm today last year (well that was confusing), there has been snow. This year, there aren't I think it snowed in the south of Stockholm (I think in Farsta), but it hasn't appeared yet here near the city central. My dad tells me that snow is made by negative temperatures mixed with the moisture from the air. He tells me there's not enough moisture to result in snow. This might be crazy or irrelevant, but I think...

Read More

EATS: Swedish (?) Chocolate

Sidenote: The title has a question mark on it because I'm not 100% sure that everything here is purely Swedish. Food wise, Sweden has lots of stuff to offer. From microwavable meatballs to the ice cream you get in Gamla Stan, one thing unique (to me) is their chocolate. My definition of "unique" is things that I've never seen or heard before, so if this is in your country, and not exactly unique to Sweden, pardon. First is Milch-Nuss!...

Read More

EATS: Hot Beverages at Espresso House, Sabbatsberg

Before I start this blog post, I just wanted to thank Giulia, Patricia, Daniele and Gloria for spreading the word about my blog! Whether you've stayed in Stockholm for a long time, have just visited once, or will just visit, I assure you will Espresso House all around you. I wouldn't be surprised if they have one Espresso House per two kilometers. Fortunately, we live in a place near a park, a hospital, a supermarket, a train station and an Espresso...

Read More

NOVEMBER 2013 -- FAVORITES

Once again, a month just flew by, and a new one is figuratively just around the corner. So as tradition, here are my favorites for November 2013, Eats, Travels or Miscellaneous. Eats: All Star Sportsbar - Stockholm Aventyrsbanan Class Trip Munkedal, A Town Off Gothenburg Stockholm's Science and Technology Museum Eats Recipe: How Make Pizza Eats: Cookies from Subway Eats: Sandwiches From Subway All Star's Mega Snacks White Chocolate Macadamia...

Read More

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I don't know if your family celebrates thanksgiving or not, but I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to those who do. Everyone should be thankful for the blessings they got, I know I am. Remember, Christmas is right around the corner, so be joyful! Meanwhile, enjoy your turkey, stuffing and all the other good stuff you eat.  Picture from pbs.org...

Read More

RANT: "En Eller Et?" -- The Swedish Language and Its Lack of Rules

So many certain things can be frustrating while travelling to different places. Here's another topic I want to share, and it's one of the more "narrowed down" topics of learning how to speak Swedish. Image courtesy of Wikipedia {wikipedia.org}  ***  Swedish is a relatively easy language to learn. As with every language though, there are some rules to follow. THIS is just one thing that the Swedish language lacks.  If...

Read More

Reflection: 5 Months in Stockholm

First of all, I just want to apologize that I haven't posted in the couple of days.... I too am aware of that. *** Okay, so today {25 November '13} is the official 5 months since living here in Stockholm. There have been (what seemed) a thousand highs and awesome experiences that I have encountered here... Now, I want to reflect on some of them.  Best Travelling Highlight would be Gamla Stan and the Vasa Museum. Two of the most iconic...

Read More

RANT | Why Is Stockholm So Expensive?

I decided to do another rant, because I think when you go to Stockholm, this is the most obvious thing you will notice (besides the beauty of Gamla Stan)... It's so expensive. So why IS Stockholm so expensive? Of course you come here, you will admire the beauty of the surroundings and the old-style architecture, but you will pay hefty fees even if you want to go to McDonalds. The cheapest thing you can buy at McDonalds is a plain ice cream in a cone, worth SEK 9 (about US$ 1.5). The ice cream isn't as big as my hand. Trust me.... I'm thirteen. YOU...

Read More

EATS: Subway's Sandwiches

Before this happened, me and some of my friends ate cookies from Subway. Click Here to read it. Last Sunday, me and my friends wanted to grab some lunch from Subway, so we did! Subway Melt {Zoom} Subway Melt Gloria and I chose the Subway Melt, and just bought a footlong to share (SEK 50). It was really awesome that they can customize what vegetables or sauce you can put on. We chose every vegetable except onions and tomatoes.  The...

Read More

UPDATE | Eats Barrage!

As you may notice, the posts for the past few days (or the past week, actually) were all EATS. Sorry... I don't have enough content to post TRAVELS... However, rest assured that THERE WILL BE LOTS OF TRAVEL POSTS DURING CHRISTMAS! My family and I will go to the Philippines, and I'm sure that I can write at least twenty posts both Eats, Travels and Misc. Again, I apologize if you think that the barrage of "Eats" the past week has been getting out of hand. BTW, I think there will be two more Eats posts... MEANWHILE... Below are some links...

Read More

RANT | The Ratchet Closing Times of Swedish Stores

There might be some things you'll be concerned or enraged about while your travelling, and I'm about to share mine. It's not a "rant" kind of rant.... I just don't know why. So recently, my family and I chose to go out this evening to get a cup of hot chocolate in a coffee shop near our house. And guess what? It was closed. The thing about this is... it was six in the evening. I mean, what kind of establishment closes at 6? Something worth talking about: If you're going to Stockholm, GET YOUR SHOPPING DONE EARLY. Some people might describe "early"...

Read More

EATS: All Star Sportsbar - Stockholm

Just after our experience at Pizza Hut (Click Here To View), we decided to grab another bite to eat. As we were walking, we saw a sports-bar that was quite reputable, so we decided to go in there. ALL STAR BAR - The Fabulous Sports-Bar After we ordered some drinks (which was Sprite for me and my sister and wine for the parents), we were given some complimentary popcorn. It was very enjoying munching on the popcorn while watching two guys play...

Read More

EATS: Pizza Hut @ Klarabergsgatan, Stockholm

It was my mom's friend's birthday a couple of days ago, and my mom decided to "treat" her by going to Pizza Hut. Since everything is an opportunity, I decided to blog about it.  The things we ordered were Chicken Wings (for my mom's friend's son), a "Super Supreme" and a "Meatlovers" medium sized pizza. The Meatlovers pizza was very good, but the crust was a bit soggy. It was filled with meat and the cheese was melted perfectly, that when...

Read More

EATS: Subway's Cookies

After we ended class a few days ago, I was so exhausted because of P.E... I needed energy, I need sugar! What I thought was for me to get a cookie in a Subway restaurant near the Skanstull station, so I went and bought some with my friends Gloria and Shriya. White Chocolate Macadamia I interviewed Shriya on my Thoughts for Travelling segment. CLICK HERE to go to it. Gloria's interview will come up tomorrow! We bought three cookies...

Read More

Thoughts For Travelling PART 5: Gloria Zhang

Thoughts for Travelling is a segment of my blog where I interview some of my good friends about their thoughts about travelling and experiences. PART 4: Gloria Zhang -- My first friend here in Sweden, Gloria is from China who plays badminton and does gymnastics in her spare time. You might recognize her from numerous of my posts.    Santorini 1: Where did you go this fall break and what did you do?  "I went to the Acropolis...

Read More