TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES -

I had a blooper last weekend albeit non-life threatening when I was with my in laws celebrating my little niece’s 11th birthday. I was having a pleasant conversation with my mother in law and across us were 2 little girls eating their tarts with gusto [they are not directly related to us though]. Out of the blue I blurted out, “ The older sister is better looking than the younger. ” “ Well… but they are both nice girls… ” said my mother in law hesitantly. Notice my mother in law didn’t really respond to my statement? It took me sometime to realize that I, with my haste, actually made a slight faux pas. I should NOT have COMPARED the children with each other. I am not really certain if it’s a Dutch ingrained trait to not compare and judge against people with regard to their physical appearances, although I know for a fact that they don’t assess your intellectual capabilities against others, or perhaps my mother in law is just too decent? Alas, I can’t turn back the tide. The dark side t...

Delft is a small city in the region of South Holland nestled between Rotterdam and The Hague. It was founded on the 11th century and was granted the city charter in 1246. The city enjoyed royal prestige being the home residence of Prince William of Orange. Up to the 17th century, Delft was a flourishing and influential commercial center in the Netherlands. Delft, located in the southwestern part of the Netherlands. See the blue square on the map. Just a few minutes away from Rotterdam and The Hague, about an hour to Utrecht and Amsterdam. ROYAL HISTORY The Prinsenhof is the former residence of Prince William of Orange [William the Silent] from the House of Nassau who led the revolt of the Netherlands against Spain, in what was called, “ The Eighty Years of War ”. He was known as William the Silent because of his absolute discretion. He preferred to listen and rarely spoke, even on controversial matters. Het Prinsenhof [The Prince’s Court] On July 10, 1584, he was assassinated in his h...

I have wanted to write about this story approximately a month ago when the Dutchman and I took the picture [see below] of a slogan campaign run by the Dutch Railways, the NS [Nationale Spoorwegen], in 29 September 2005. Since I didn’t have enough time to research on the background of the said campaign and I prefer writing something that I am well informed about, I had the story plan sit at the back burner of my thoughts. But, here it is now… The Dutch had been known to the outside world as distinguished heroes during the WWII due to the acclaimed moving and thorough diary of Anne Frank and her family’s tiny secret safe house in Amsterdam, which is now a museum since 1960. The Anne Frank museum has drawn hundreds of thousands of curious visitors in Amsterdam each year. There is also another famous Jewish secret hiding place in Haarlem, 15 minutes from Amsterdam, the Corrie ten Boom house , now too a museum. I am quite sure there are many other secret rooms; private places where the il...

Three years is all you need to become a Dutch national if you are, a. married to a Dutch citizen and b. partner of a Dutch citizen [living together]. If I am not mistaken, most countries, if not all, require a five year stretch uninterrupted stay and hey catchy-catchy, you must be married. Well not in good ole liberal Netherlands. Anyway, my time has come. I now have to face the music and hand in the Dutch certificates that I have labored and realized in the past years to get this alleged Dutch citizenship. But complacency has struck me and it’s been long overdue for months already. On the other hand, there were experiences told and responses received about this plan of action. They were quite varied, some fascinating and others, well hilarious. On one camp, they shout gleefully, “ Freedom! ” without guilt. Oh is that so? On the next, all you hear are grumbles with downcast foreheads and eyebrows meeting together. I suppose someone just died. On the other camp was a mix of both but cha...

Autumn Autumn is unquestionably my favorite season, although I don’t like the cold weather that goes with it. Foto’s taken by Dutched Pinay at Oude Gracht and Twijnstraat aan de Werf in Utrecht. The trees, its leaves… they are simply beautiful, for the colors of green have exquisitely turned into numinous shades of yellow, orange and brown. It spawns so much unspoken character and impact, without much effort. And it brings forth a strong urge to convey something dramatic, something peculiar, something grand, and something that ends but later begins. Ah mystery, that’s probably why I am captivated with autumn… Winter I grew up equating snow to Christmas. All those engrossing Hollywood propaganda’s about winter has brought me to realize how fake TV really is. The only thing magical of winter is when it snows hard and when it stays thick, enough for you to make a snowman. Other than that, it’s all bloody ice cold hell! There is nothing delightful and beguiling with having to walk with two...

My meeting in Amsterdam yesterday was somewhere near Museumplein, where the renowned Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Coster Diamonds are all located. Unfortunately though, the company I met with had so much going on, all at the same time --- office renovation, moving in and out of furnitures, and the meeting rooms were full. So the guy I spoke to made a last minute decision to head off to their fallback hideout, which was not too far away anyway, in a café called, Caffe PC in PC Hooftstraat. PC Hooftstraat is hypothetically, the “in” flamboyant place of Amsterdam, the street to be seen and the street to people watch. The rich and famous, the celebrities, the socialites, and the nobles of the flatlands can be spotted sauntering the elegant shops in this narrow lane, all glamorously pimped up with their intimidating fastidious strides in tow, and of course with their hands full of their shopping prizes. A sample taste of the PC Hooftstraat collection are the following: Cartier, R...

Saturday is our boodschappen dag [grocery day], so while I was careening through Edah’s isle [a Dutch supermarket] with my shopping cart, I suddenly heard a familiar tune from the speakers. I stopped, unsure if it was what I thought on first instinct. I listened carefully and waited, until the familiar sound became unambiguous in my ears. And there, *brings a smile to my face* I knew it, I was right! “ Anak ” by Freddie Aguilar was playing on the Dutch radio station. Yeah, the Tagalog version. Did you know that this 1980 world wide hit song “ Anak ” was number 2 in the Netherlands Top 40 Charts for 12 weeks? I felt tingles of goose bumps and mix emotions hit through my system. Maybe because this is the first time I have ever heard a Filipino song aired on the Dutch radio; and what more, I didn’t expect it in public whilst shopping in Edah. You can say I was taken by surprise. The RCA Anak LP [long playing] Album, in English it means Child. Those days when DVD’s iPOD’s and MP3’s do n...

I don’t want to be a hypocrite or someone donning on rose colored glasses, so I will have to be honest, and I really hate to say this but... the Philippine Tourism is a BIG JOKE. I don’t see anything that I can be proud of to tilt that dusty, cobwebbed and fossilized patriotic hat. All I hear in the international travel forums are grievances and dissatisfaction about how inept tourism is handled in the country, which upon careful introspection are actually very valid. Serene Malapascua Island in Cebu, a perfect Lovers Place. Foto taken by Dutched Pinay. I would like to believe that our government officials are capable. I am sure many of them have graduated with citations and honors. Some have probably adorned their offices with their doctorate diplomas, earned from prestigious universities abroad. But like I always say, burn that diploma and enlist on the ride to educational forgetfulness if the skills are not used and put in action. Okay, for a moment, I may be quite harsh there… So, ...

Did you know that in the old history, the 31st of October was once a pagan festival? And later, it marked the ultimate day of religious faction and dissension? SAMHAIN FESTIVAL , circa 5th Century The Gaelic people [those immortal Highlanders on TV] in the northwest European Celtic territory [now Ireland and Northern France] practice this supranaturalistic belief of the AFTERLIFE. The 31st of October signifies the end of the Celtic calendar otherwise known as the conclusion of the merry “ light ” season [summer] and the beginning of the staid “ dark ” season [winter]. The Samhain likeness... The Gaelic Celts firmly believed that the incorporeal spirits of the people who died throughout that year would revisit and wander about seeking open individuals to dominate for the subsequent year. In order to chase and frighten away these unwanted ghosts, the villagers took to task of dressing up in spooky creature outfits. After which they come out to join the march in the streets whilst creatin...