The Filipino New Years

Happy first day of 2014 people! How was your new years?

So to start the year off, I want to give y'all an insight (if you're not a Filipino) on what we Filipino people do on New Year's Eve. As always, these are superstitions that most of us follow.

Pancit. Photo from: vicenticos.com

• Eat Pancit. Pancit are just noodles. Filipinos call them differently, I think because of the type of pasta used and the meats and such served with the pasta. They believe that this represents having a longer life. 

• 12 Spherical Fruits. Watermelons, oranges, a cantaloupe, grapes, et patati et patata. I know that each fruit represents a month of the year, but I don't exactly know the significance of the "fruit" or the "round-shaped" element of it. 

• Polka-Dotty Attire. Some families have parties on the actual New Years' Eve (like our family always does) and count down for New Years Day. It's very, very common to see people wearing polka dots, signifying prosperity and wealth for the incoming year. The dots represents coins. 

• Aim High. Children commonly believe that you need to jump as high as you can in the exact minute of midnight, because they believe that it'll make them taller. 

• Get These Dang Spirits Away From Me. Again, at the stroke of midnight of the 31st, people normally roam their house screaming, and activating all sorts of noisemakers, blowing all kinds of whistles and so on... They believe that it drags all the negative spirits away from it's house.

• Boom. Finally, we Filipinos enjoy paputok (firecrackers). They should be activated either before, exactly or just after midnight and goes on until morning. Or if you're in a really festive neighbourhood, it might go on for the next week or two. No kidding. (They might also go off a week or even three weeks before!) 

Hope y'all have a prosperous and long life, so don't forget to eat your pancit and wear those polka dotted tee! :) 

PHILIPPINE'S BLOG POSTS WILL BEGIN TOMORROW! 

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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.

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U.N DAY 2013: United Nations Fact Game

In celebration of the United Nations day of 2013, I prepared an Interactive Game for you!

Instructions: Below are 10 statements, 8 of which show facts about the United Nations, 2 of which are just false and random. You guess which statements are false / wrong. Good luck!

Answers will be posted on Monday, 28 October.

1: The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations (currently) is from Sweden. His name is Jan Eliasson. 

2: The first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations was on 10 January 1947, held in New York City.

3: When the U.N was founded, there was 51 original member states. Examples of these original members were Australia, the Philippines and Mexico.

4: The U.N has six official languages, Arabic, French, English, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. 

5: The United Nations was founded in 1945, to replace the League of Nations, and to stop wars among countries.

6: The U.N has lots of specialized agencies, an example would be the Food and Agriculture Association (FAO), currently based in Rome. 

7: There have been eight secretary-generals currently (2013), since the founding of this organization. Only two of which from Asia. 

8: There are currently 195 member states of the United Nations, examples of which are Ghana, Thailand, Austria and Bolivia. 

9: The U.N headquarters is currently in New York City, with more main offices in Vienna, Geneva and Nairobi. 

10: The United Nations Security Council was established in 1946.

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Thoughts for Travelling PART 1: Stephanie Younan

So this is a new series on my blog. Something where I don't get to express my opinion, somebody else does, I just ask the questions. Welcome to Thoughts for Travelling, the series where I interview some of my closest friends and their travelling experiences.

PART 1: Stephanie Younan  -- First featured in "More Pastries from Hemkop" blog post, where she treated us before she went back to Canada.

1: What do you think about Sweden's tourist spots? What was your favorite one?

"Yeah. Söderköping was nice. I liked the view and their ice cream. It was just a very relaxing place. Gamla Stan isn't too bad either."

2: What is the best thing to eat here in Sweden?

" Definitely the ice cream from Söderköping was awesome, and so are the ones in Gamla Stan, because they make their ice cream cones fresh." 

3: What's the best travel tip you can share to us?

" Always arrive at your train station or airport or whatever an hour and a half early. It really makes a difference. Things go faster." 

4: Have you been to any other countries other than Sweden and your own (Canada)? How was your experiences?

"It depends. In Finland, it was cool to see their small markets and the police festival. In Milan, we stayed at a monastery and it was like heaven. Denmark was a little nicer than Sweden. New York is so busy. Everything there is just like... filled. Belgium was beautiful as well. None can compare to my love of Canada, though, because it is my home." 

5: When I say "travelling", what comes into your mind?

"First, I think of where we're going and how I imagine it. Will it be hot? cold? freezing? warm? Then, I think about what I can see. Will I see trees? buildings? ancient stuff? I then think about the plane ride next. Will it be bumpy? Will we get there smoothly? Then, I think about how much I wish my friends could be there to share my adventures with me." 

Thank you Stephanie for being a part of my blog! Good luck with yo' life!

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Next Part will be on Thursday, 24 October. Link will be posted here.
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Stockholm City Museum 
Bamboo City Asian Buffet (Chinese Food & Sushi)

  

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The Stockholm Tunnelbana (Stockholm Metro)

How we love good company. It's not just about having good friends, but how they treat you and the memories and experiences you share with them. Isn't that just delightful?

We met with Anika, Orka and their daughter Matilda in Huddinge for a nice Saturday. The plan is to help them with gardening and to have a wonderful dinner together.

We decided to use the Stockholm Metro (or the Tunnelbana) to get there. I always think that we are geographically blessed because our house is just a two-four minute walk from the Odenplan subway station (on the green line). My school is also on the green line, at the Skanstull station.

One of the many entrances of the Odenplan station 

Odenplan after the ticket-gates. 

So we plan to go to Ragsved (note that the "a" should have a little circle on top of it) and walk about a kilometer or two to the house. Most of the Tunnelbana we use is underground, but the route from Gullmarsplan to Ragsved is amazing. Everything is above ground and the scenery was very natural. 

Whilst on the subway, the train stopped at the Globen station and it has a view of the globe. See that mini-globe above the larger one? Well you can ride on that and get an awesome view of the whole Stockholm. I want to go there some day.

Arrived at Ragsved! 

By the way, here's something that may catch your attention. This is a video I took just after we left the Gamla Stan station to Slussen. What an amazing view. I see this everyday. Very stunning. 

Sorry for the quality of this video. Filmed from an iPhone. Watch in H.D. 

I saw my school from Skanstull - Gullmarsplan! 

SHOUTOUTS: Matilda Jackobson | Joylene Love D. Suarez 

Want Something Random? Click here. 

READ MORE: Travel To The Philippines - TOURIST SPOTS {Part 1} 

READ MORE: Travel To The Philippines - FOOD AND DRINK {Part 2} 

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TRAVEL ADVICE for Sweden

Going to Sweden? Here are some useful travel tips for you to know!

1] Avoid sit down restaurants if you're budget travelling. Really expensive. A source tells me that one meal here does not cost less than USD 20. Try going to stalls that often have sausages, Thai food and ice cream. You can buy some stuff with half (or more than half) the price. 

2] Do sample some of its local cuisine. Try dammsugare (literally translated as a vacuum cleaner), kanelbulle, traditional meatballs or any of those cheap supermarket pastries. 

Sidenote: Read one of my many "Pastries from Hemkop" blog posts here. Tack!

3] Join a fika! A fika is a very traditional Swedish act where you and your friends sit down, have a coffee, maybe some dammsugare on the side and chat. Very, very Swedish indeed, ja? 

4] Go to the Vasa Museum and Skansen. The Vasa Ship sank in 1628, on its maiden or first voyage. Go to Skansen if you want to take a look at the Old Fashioned Nordic Lifestyle. Click here for my blog post about the Vasa Museum or here for our Skansen trip. 

5] If you will be staying in Sweden for a long time, you will eat something out of a tube. I think there's some cheese in a tube, caviar and other crazy stuff. Trust me. Not that appetizing, but you will do that if you will be staying for more than a month. 

6] Keep it "lagom". Loosely translated, "lagom" means not too much, not too little, but just right or in moderation. Clothes? Keep it "lagom". Food in a buffet? Keep it "lagom". Budget? Keep it "lagom". 

7] Enjoy their natural offerings. By that, I mean nature. Just enjoy what should be enjoyed in Sweden's natural world. Just don't cut trees, pollute or any kind of bad stuff that destroy the environment. I think it's illegal (if not, it should be). 

So I leave you with this funny but meaningful Swedish proverb: 
"Smaken ar som baken - delad"

My interpretation of this quote is that people can't always agree with each other on one topic. It is okay to disagree, as long as it can be resolved in an orderly manner. 
If you want the English translation of the proverb, here it is: 

"Taste is like a butt -- divided".

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Travel Tips

Here are some tips if your going away to a vacation to a different country.

1: Make a checklist of the necessary items you want to bring. Some necessary items may be toiletries, medication, sunscreen and whatever your heart desires.

2: Book airfare and accommodations two months before your trip. This is especially useful if you're going to a country with major festivities, as the prices may even double in airfare and hotels.

3: Budget travelling? Buy your food at a local supermarket. Still want to taste the cuisine of the country you're going to? Buy street food from hawkers and stalls.

4: Group travelling? Assign one of you to be a treasurer. All the people in the group must then contribute an amount of money and put it in a pouch courtesy of the treasurer. Every expense must be paid using the money inside the pouch, such as entrance fees, food and souvenirs.

5: Use all your money. If you're going to a country that does not accept your own currency, it is advisable to spend all your money there. You don't want to get ripped-off by the exchange rates twice, don't you?

6: If you think flights are crazy boring, bring something that you can enjoy doing whilst in a flight. Enjoy reading? Bring a book. Enjoy playing games? Fully charge your phone or bring an iPad or whatever. Enjoy sleeping? Bring a neck-pillow.

If you enjoyed reading this post, I'll be sure to make a Part 2!

READ MORE: How To Make The Most Of Your Travel Money {from nomadicmatt.com}

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