April 30: One Day Blog Silence

Saturday, when it rained

Would you like a 399kr(~P3470) postbox?

Temps reached 20 degrees Thursday, and Friday could have been hotter. Yesterday seemed just as fine. The Danes were only too excited to wear sandals and tank tops. Note to self: lock knits away.

On the way to Kbh I chatted with a Pinay au pair who sat beside me in the S-train. She said that she is from Negros and she arrived in December. Her employer is her tiyahin, who is married to a Dane. Au pairs can only stay for a year plus a six-month extension, but no longer than that, which explains why they're all so young.


Post all bills here

Mariel, Kristine and I had lunch at Samos for 39kr(~P340), possibly the cheapest buffet in town. Then we walked along Strøget for window shopping. It seemed that the whole of Copenhagen was out to get spring clothes or ice cream. I ended up buying my first ever article of clothing from Denmark: a dress from H&M which is nearly identical to a dress I have in Manila. Come to think of it, it also looks like the dress I wore for my old blog profile photo. Maybe that's why I couldn't let it go.

On the way to Nørreport, Kristine and I were hailed (Althusser comes to mind) by a Pinoy couple who were looking for canal tours. It had started drizzling at the time and we were probably quite obvious with Kristine's broken umbrella (nobody else was using one).


This bothered me. One the next shop's window, written in the same blue spraypaint was "Mohamad Djibouti". Hmm.

The reality of human trafficking

A PDI special report on a Filipina rescued from sex slavery in Ivory Coast. It makes my heart heavy.

Everything organic

In Denmark there is a wide selection of organic food at prices that are higher than regular food but not prohibitively so. Statskontrolleret økologisk is the mark given by the government to certify organic produce.

Class pics

I didn't want to post these at first, but then it might be interesting to some of you. Yes, it is unfortunate that I wore trainers to class both times. Now that I can see them side by side, I seem to have a penchant for brown and blue-gray and being in front!

Coming soon to a Learn-Danish-at-RUC brochure near you.

The attendance for Danish class is never complete, most especially on the day this was taken because of the International Club's Jylland trip. The weather wasn't cooperative, but then, that's Denmark for you.


On our last day in Publics, somebody had the guts to ask for a group shot (hmm, I wonder why). There's value in bringing your camera every day.

There is life ouside your apartment

Yes, I can relate to an Avenue Q song.

I can think of two explanations for the increase in blog posts. My lectures have ended (except for Danish, which ends mid-June) and I compensate for the decrease in social interaction by "talking" to my computer. Second, I am back to writing essays, which makes me easy prey to diversions.

Back to Avenue Q, Chari A. and Bobby G. are bringing it to Manila from August to September this year, according to this Metroblogging Manila post. Between that and High School Musical (the musical--for real, says Click the City) which should also be in August, what would you see? I think I'll wait for the reviews.

Still Life teaser 1

There's some English in the teaser, but even if it didn't I think it's still worth watching. This Katski Flores film is an entry to Cinemalaya 2007. So happy to see Ron Capinding here (because I haven't seen him for so long)! Katski and Ron are two of those actor-writer-directors who are excellent at what they do. I'm proud to have worked with them and having fun in the process.

Passing by

I was curious to know what was inside Complet, so I popped in a couple of hours after they opened and got two small pastries for free. I was asking how much the pastries were and it took a while for me to understand that it was free. Ah, it is possible to get lost in translation even in English.

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Two men from Jehovah's Witnesses rang my doorbell today. As soon as I saw them, I said "not again" quite audibly. You see, this is the third time. First was the pair of lovely girls I talked about in a previous post. Then the two Pinay JVs at the train station who discussed global warming with me while I waited for Mang Tony's biko and the Copenhagen Pinays.

I very politely told the men that I'm sorry and sincerely wished them a good day. Funny how lovely weather gets you in the mood to talk about God.

Darfur is Dying

A serious game from mtvU.
Darfur is Dying

3rd World Farmer

First developed as a student project at the IT University of Copenhagen, 3rd World Farmer reduces it all to this: life is hard, but sometimes you can get lucky. Although this is the reality for many voiceless people in the world today, the link to action remains blurry for me. A noble endeavor nonetheless.

Opening today

Complet opens in Trekroner at kl.12 today. Finally, our little community has a commercial establishment. Though it's a corner store, not a supermarket, at least there's a place to run to in case of food emergency.



With more residences being constructed near the train station, the Trekroner of the future will look very different from how it was when I first arrived.

Computer literacy in depressed areas

Sugata Mitra's presentation at the Lift '07 conference, reporting what he found out when he left computers in rural areas in India. Skip one-third of the presentation to get to the main bits. "Primary education can happen on its own," Mitra concludes.

[via PFSK]

Spring Party

The Blue Tower residents generously hosted the Spring party. Popping balloons, saying "hej" to new and old faces, and dancing were the order of the night. As much as I hate flash, I had to use it.

What do Copenhageners look like?

Copenhagen Street Style has the answer. Yes, they really look like that.

Some of you may have noticed that I've been posting more often lately. The idea of splitting the blog into one personal blog with photos and videos, and one linklog has crossed my mind, but I think the thought of maintaining two blogs sounds too time-consuming. Hmm.

I've been disconnected again! Maybe it was because the Internet radio was on for 17 hours...

Louisiana Museum for Moderne Kunst

I miss painting.

Tucked away in an unexpected corner of Denmark (but not far from Helsingør, Louisiana is an inspiring backdrop for modern art. We saw the Made in China and the Cindy Sherman exhibits. I thought the former was well curated and the body of artwork diverse and insightful. The latter I found too exhibitionist and somewhat narcissist, like something a photogenic vain person would do. Haha! The permanent collection isn't huge, but there's a Liechtenstein, a couple of Picassos, a few Warhols and a number of Baselitzes. Didn't take pictures of the artwork, sorry. Just abiding by the rules.

The grounds of the museum lead all the way down to the water. There are outdoor sculptures and lots of space to have a picnic under the sun.

Belated Happy Earth Day!

I love Sheryl Crow's music. I love her green agenda. Now I love her politics, too.
The Huffington Post account of her and Laurie David encounter with Karl Rove on Earth day eve. OK, I'll be fair. Here's another account.

My little gift to the planet: unplugging anything appliance not in use and buying Mejse yogurt instead of Yoggi because the former is in a carton while the latter is in plastic packaging. No big deal, but hey, it's one step forward.

Oh, and check out "the latest in green gossip" at ecorazzi.com.

It's Google!

According to the new Millward Brown Optimor rankings, Google is the most powerful brand in the world, followed by GE, Microsoft, Coca Cola and China Mobile. Here's the full report. Don't miss the peso coin on the cover. (Clearly, I am spending too much time online!)

"A Good Provider is One Who Leaves"

New York Times article on OFWs (Overseas Fiipino Workers). Thanks to Indi for the heads-up.

Trouble loading the blog? If the embedded stuff are slowing your computer down, just let me know.

Kronborg Slot

(best seen Full Size-click on bottom left corner)

"To sleep, perchance to dream..."

Kronborg Castle aka Hamlet's castle in Helsingør (Elsinore). Nothing impressive on the inside, but the setting is inspiring because you can see Helsingborg, Sweden from across the Sound.

The legendary Holger Danske immortalized in Hans Christian Andersen's story sits in the Casemates. I doubt he will ever wake up.

Helsingør is a lovely little town. The weather was on our side but the the sun was too high, so the photos aren't perfect.

I love Shakespeare's Hamlet. But what Jiri said is true: you can't imagine how the story could have happened in a castle like that. Then again I prefer the Kenneth Branagh film version (with Branagh as the Prince of Denmark) shot at Blenheim Palace than the Franco Zeffirelli one (with Mel Gibson) shot at Blackness Castle and Dunnottar Castle in Scotland.

Spider-Man: The Musical

Seriousness?!? Article from CNN.com

This raised my eyebrows, but with U2 and Julie Taymor, Spidey could make Broadway cool.

GIF from Film Peek

Waiting for Jacob

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Joined the International Club trip to Kronborg Castle and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (more on those in the next couple of days) yesterday. The organizer woke up late so we had an hour to ourselves. I chose to waste SD card space and walked around unfamiliar parts of the campus. Quite similar to the previous post.

Hidden Trekroner

Spring, do come in.

My output from two walks: one down Nordens Parvej and one around campus. Weeks of lovely weather punctuated by regular April weather: chilly, cloudy and windy. The flowers have arrived and so have the creepy crawlies. It's so nice to find beautiful little things in places that seem dull and boring.

Internet Radio, RIP?

The Copyright Review Board seems to be pushing through with its decision to charge internet broadcasters much more than they can afford to pay. This means that Live365, Accuradio and Pandora, among others could go out of business. That also includes some streaming stations off iTunes.

Why does it matter to me? More than listening to the different stations on offer (you can imagine my laptop keeps me sane in the absence of other entertainment devices), I wanted to study them. I was even planning to write my dissertation on internet radio next term. But with these developments, it seems that I have to move on.

I do have other interests that I could reconcile, as other researchers have done, like diaspora and new media. But everything is still unclear.

As for the battle of the netwaves, stay tuned. For US residents, click on the banner above to know how you can get involved.

Heroes and villains?

Interesting flash trailer. A united opposition would be nice.

A warning and an invitation

Mag-ingat sa mamboboso!

This sign posted near the mailboxes of my building makes me paranoid. The day after I first saw this, I saw a man's shadow pass by my back door and that scared me.

My front doors are completely covered; my back door is two-thirds covered, so if you live in the opposite building 20m away, you could see a few things inside my place. My windows are partially covered by a Philippine travel poster. Last week I got a potted flowering plant as a late birthday present from Xiangnan (currently our mohawk boy) and I kept it on the sill. But as I am no greenthumb, the plant is well on its way to plant heaven.

Voyeurs, my camera is waiting to see your faces.

On a lighter note, Xiangnan hosted a dinner for 25 people the other night. Here are the hungry ones in the dumpling production line.

Dance, singer girl

Feist:"1234"

She shouldn't be dancing(evidence here), but I'm a sucker for group dance videos.

This one with flying toast reminds me of one of my favorite MVs. But there's more! How about this walkalator scene. I must say Feist's music grows on me.


Lil Mama: "Lip Gloss"

Why oh why didn't I have lip gloss in high school? But maybe if I wasn't so awkward and sartorially challenged growing up, I would probably be a very different person.

So happy to be back online in the comfort of my room. I dread seeing this again:

Fødselsdag and Dannebrog

Apparently it's not just Queen Margrethe who's celebrating her birthday this month.

Though I throw away instantly most of the store catalogs that arrive in my mailbox, there are exceptions like these, as well as those of Strandberg, H&M (who would?) and Føtex.

The Danes love their flag, Dannebrog. There's mean absolutely no disrespect when they display it everywhere, especially for birthdays. You can see the red-and-white flaglets on birthday cakes and the design on table napkins, paper cups, ribbons, wrapping paper, gift tags and greeting cards.

I've been disconnected from the Internet at my place, so I'm blogging from the library. I hope they reconnect me soon!

Vaklooshes in Roskilde 2: Roskilde Museum

There are only two reasons for me to be in the town center: to buy groceries and to go to the student house. That's why it took me three months before I stepped inside the museum, founded in 1929.

It's cool to see my university and the festival being part of Roskilde's history. But the "RUC er bedst" (RUC is the best) t-shirt is too much school spirit for me.

Never been blogged like this before

My blog was blogged by the Scrapblog Blog! Adam Pash, this one's for you.

Link to Friday Five

Vaklooshes in Roskilde 1: Stop and smell the flowers

Lifelong Learning lasses pay a visit to our little town (it's a quiet village/every day/like the one before--how's that for a Disney Princess moment?). Indi, you should be here. Tarush!

Viva il padre

Dear papa,

Happy birthday! I have a lot to thank you for, including helping me come to Rome. This is Sta. Maria dela Paz and San Eugenio (I think you know the significance of these places). :)

Ciao, Roma!

Hard to duplicate the experience, but I've tried to string together some of the sights and sounds so that you can get a feel of the atmosphere.

Two options for viewing the photos below. Either way, the historical context is trivialized: first by the photoshow speed, then by the scrapblog template. But these are sacrifices intended to keep you from getting bored because of the number of photos. :)

For a better look (and place names), check out my Flickr page.

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Tamad-get #1

(Gadget appropriated by lazy domestic diva)

I will probably regret posting this (I can already see myself labeling this as One of the Most Stupid Things I Ever Posted), but I can't help it:

In the absence of a vacuum cleaner, a blowdryer (though it works the other way around) will do just as fine. Same principle as the leaf blower gardeners use. Shoo your dust and dirt away. This, of course, does not apply to carpets.

The gelato diary

[updated 10:29am-inserted scrapblog show]



Seven consecutive days of ice cream. (It could have been eight if I bought some at the airport before we left, but I thought, nah, seven should be enough). Not all authentic gelato, but still a treat.

Sunday: stracciatella (chocolate chip) and pistaschio from Metropolitan near Piazza del Popolo
Monday: cherry and nocciola (hazelnut)near Fontana di Trevi
Tuesday: chocolate flavor, after-dinner dessert at the residence
Wednesday: chocolate flavor, complimentary dessert from Domiziano
Thursday: frutto di bosco (wild berries), caramel cream and coconut from Blue Ice Cream near Piazza Navona
Friday: strawberry flavor, after-lunch dessert from Lo Stregone, near Pont S. Angelo
Saturday: after-Easter vigil Cornetto from the shop on Regina Margherita

I didn't expect it to be a daily thing (otherwise I'd take pictures of them every day). A lucky coincidence, I guess?

I'm trying out scrapblog.com. Let me know if you like this better than the photoshows.

UNIV 2007

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It's no joke bringing over a thousand students to Rome.

Eight student papers. Four guest speakers: an Italian professor who talked about American TV series, an Armenian writer who spoke about the story of her family and her novel that became a bestseller in Italy, a Spanish screenwriter who showed us how to create compelling characters, and the actor who played Barabbas in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

This is me with the English delegation.

Roman holy days

[updated 8:52] More photos here.

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It was Easter after all. Walking the streets of Rome, you'd find a church in every other street, so there's no excuse not to pop in for a visit.

We also found ourselves in the presence of the Pontiff a number of times. The closest I got to the Pope was five feet from him, when he entered St. Peter's Square for the Mass on the second death anniversary of John Paul II. I didn't have a camera then, but I made sure I had one during the general audience. We also saw him on Palm Sunday and heard (but couldn't see) him when he was celebrating inside the basilica. On Easter Sunday, we skirted the square for his blessing (lugging our stuff around, ready to go to the airport). I've never heard so much Latin in my life.

This recent NYT article on Benedict XVI is a good read.

Sweet parody

Just had to squeeze this in. Can I just say that I can't get enough of Alanis Morrissette's cover of "My Humps"?

The Eternal City

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The bumpy Air One flight from London City airport to Rome Fiumicino did not give me a clue of what was ahead. A group of us from England (around 20 in all) were to be together over the next week, taking in the sights and sounds of the Italian capital. We stayed at I Gigli della Montagna, a hotel run by nuns north of the center. I shared a room with Virginia and Jayne, both of whom I had known from my autumn stay in London.

Roma. I've never seen a lovelier city.

More photos to come. No time to color-correct, just had to trim down 600+ photos to 200 to fit Flickr (will upload soon), then just selected even fewer still for the blog posts. Grazie to everyone who left comments the other week. :)