Great News to Share: Booming Birth in Germany

(Photo Source: www.thelocal.de)

German birth rate climbs steadily
Published: 15 Feb 09 09:59 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090215-17441.html
Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed that Germans are having more children, saying that the tough economic situation is prompting growing numbers to seek security within the family.
In an interview with newspaper Bild am Sonntag, the minister said there has been a marked increase in births among women between the ages of 30 and 40.

In 2007, Germany registered 12,000 more births than in the previous year. The upward trend continued last year with 517,549 children born between January and September 2008 – an increase of 3,400, according to the newspaper. The Federal Statistics Office estimates that a total of 690,000 children were born in Germany last year.

Von der Leyen, who is to present a report on families in Germany on Monday, said her ministry had discovered that more German men had warmed to the idea of having kids.

In 2007, the minister, a mother of seven, introduced parental leave benefits for German fathers which allow them to stay at home on two-thirds of their salaries for a year. The measure was meant to raise Germany’s birth rate which has long been one of the lowest in Europe.

“The desire to have children is rising among men. The role of the father is changing today,” von der Leyen said.

The minister said the severe economic recession in Germany was leading to fewer abortions and divorces, adding that the family offered a safe refuge for many people.

“When the economy falters, the family becomes more important,” she said.

DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

Now, that is another explanation why we have booming
population back home...economy down at all times
but Pinays and Pinoys are producing themselves
like how do you say that in German...like rabbbbbits!

Love Potions... Happy Valentine's Day!

Amor Vincit Omnia!

"Ah, drink me up
That I may be
Within your cup
Like a mystery,
Like wine that it still
In ecstasy.

Glimmering still
In ecstasy
Commingled wines
Of you and me
In one fulfil
The mystery."

D.H. Lawrence

For all those madly in love with....Chocolates


(Photos: Chocolates from Colmar)
Chocolates conquer all!

Enjoy the Day!

Thoughtful Neighbors in Alemanya

Opening our front door this morning, I see this wine bag
on top of the morning paper. You see, my dear German
neighbors share their daily papers with us...this is
a practise of good neighborhood for you in Germany!
(Well, they even pay for the papers, shame on us!)
Well, don't expect your neighbors will do the same
nice things to you when you move to Alemanya. Not everyone
gets nice neighbors...you have to be nice yourself, too,
and not only when you celebrate birthdays.

Thanks Ursula and Wolfgang!
Really, a surprise! When do we drink the beautiful
French red wine together?

English Lesson in German Schools Starts Today

Today about 167 000 first-graders in German elementary schools
start learning English, two-hour lesson every week.
I incidentally heard kids reciting this poem in the radio
today:

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Four little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head.
Papa called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped her head.
Papa called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
One little monkey jumping on the bed,
He fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"Put those monkeys straight to bed!"




I remember learning this nursery rhyme:

Hickory, dickory duck
The mouse rup up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse run down
Hickory, dickory duck!



Well, time will tell if it more effective to
learn English with monkeys or with duck.

BTW...I read someone was commenting to this
duck...
hickory, dickory duck
you're all a bunch of F....!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Celebrating Chinese New Year

(photo source: google)

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Kung Hey Fat Choi!

Cross-posting an entry here to mark this especial event
which started on January 26...Chinese new year.
The year of the Ox.

Some snippets of information about Chinese New Year. It might interest you.

The 15-Day Celebration of Chinese New Year

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.
On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.
The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.
The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.
On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.
On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.
The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.
The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.
(Source: www.educ.uvic.ca)


Chinese New Year
Gong xi fa cai !
Kung hsi fa tsai !
Best wishes and congratulations!
Best wishes for health and prosperity!
Have a good year!"
For thousands of years, the Chinese have celebrated a new year as a spring celebration. Chinese New Year is still sometimes called Spring Festival. It is held after the fall harvest and before the start of the spring planting season and brings hopes for a good harvest in the year to come.
The Chinese use a calendar based on the phases of the moon. A new moon is the beginning of a month. A full moon is the middle of a month. This is called a lunar calendar, and it is calculated by the time it takes the moon to travel around the earth. (By comparison, the Gregorian calendar which we use is based on the time it takes the earth to circle the sun). Chinese New Year is the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar. Each year the holiday falls sometime between January 21st and February 19th.
The Chinese name their years using 12 different animals to stand for each year. After 12 years, the cycle of animals begins again.
Calendar Date Zodiac Animal Chinese Year
February 9, 2005 Rooster 4703
January 29, 2006 Dog 4704
February 18, 2007 Boar 4705
February 7, 2008 Rat 4706
January 26, 2009 Ox 4707
February 10, 2010 Tiger 4708
Long ago there was a Chinese legend that said that a terrible monster or giant lived in the mountains and would come down at the end of the year and terrorize people and animals or even kill them all. It was discovered that the monster was frightened by loud noises, bright lights, and the color red. This is one of the reasons that the Chinese New Year has many loud firecrackers, bright fireworks and lanterns, and the color red is seen everywhere.
The Chinese New Year is sometimes just celebrated on the actual new year's day--or preparations for the holiday might be made for weeks before and the celebration might extend for many days after the actual new year's day. It ends with the Golden Dragon Parade.
Top of page
________________________________________
To prepare for the Chinese New Year, many families:
• Clean their places of business a week before the holiday. Families also clean their homes. This symbolizes sweeping out the old and welcoming in the new. Once the New Year celebration begins, it is thought to be bad luck to clean until the celebration is over because good luck arrives with the new year. If houses are cleaned, the good luck might get swept out or scrubbed away.
• Put away all their scissors and knives because they might cut their newly arrived luck.
• Decorate homes with fresh flowers and small trees for the new year celebration. Different trees and flowers have special meanings that bring good luck.
• Hang special pictures called Nian hua. These are banners that say "Good Luck".
• Hang paper scrolls on the wall that have special good luck poems written on them. These poems are always hung in pairs and are also on red paper. They are called spring couplets and offer good wishes for happiness, wealth, longevity, etc.
• Put a plate of oranges in the center of their table because this is considered to be good luck. The oranges are stacked in the shape of a pyramid. Red apples are also a symbol of good luck.
• Remember the tradition of the kitchen god because it is an important part of Chinese New Year. It is an old belief that the kitchen god is a spirit that lives in homes. The job of the kitchen god is to give a report back to the Jade Emperor (the king of the gods) about how the family has behaved for the past year. The kitchen god leaves the house on the 23rd day of the last month of the year. On this night, the family leaves a special meal for the kitchen god. They may have a small altar or picture of the kitchen god in their kitchen. Families place sweet treats near the altar so the kitchen god will say only sweet things about them. Sometimes they leave sticky foods for him to "stick" his mouth shut so he cannot tell the Jade Emperor anything bad. They offer a prayer and then burn the picture of the kitchen god to symbolize his departure and then set off firecrackers. The noise of the firecrackers makes the kitchen god leave. He returns on the first day of the new year.
• Buy new clothes for the new year.
• Get a haircut during this time because it is believed that this will bring good luck for the next 12 months.
• Hang different kinds of red decorations everywhere because red is a color of good luck.
• Make sure that all their debts are paid.
Top of page
________________________________________
On New Year's Eve, many families:
• Gather together with extended relatives.
• Have a big, special meal with special foods.
• Seal their windows to seal in good luck.
• Take a long bath because they do not wash on New Year's Day.
• Stay up all night.
• Let the children stay up as late as they can because it is believed that the longer the children stay up, the longer their parents will live.
• Set off fireworks to scare away evil spirits. The door guardians, Chi'in Ch'iung and Yu-chih Kung, make sure that the evil spirits leave and only good spirits enter.
• Welcome the kitchen god back into their home at midnight by setting off fireworks.
• Give gifts of good luck money in special red envelopes called Ya Sui Quain. This is called "suppressing age" money and is supposed to stop children from getting older.
• Visit temples to pray for their ancestors and to pray for good fortune.
• Send special New Year's cards to friends and relatives.
Top of page
________________________________________
On New Year's Day, many families:
• Break the seals around their doors and windows.
• Are careful about what they say and do and have the best of manners. This is because it is believed that what happens on New Year's Day will decide what the family's luck will be for the rest of the year.
• Wear new clothes.
• Do not wash or take baths so that good luck won't be washed away.
• Visit relatives and friends and bring gifts of plants, flowers, or food.
• Gamble because this is the only time that this is acceptable.
• Try not to break anything because this will bring bad luck.
• Eat special foods like candied lotus seed which stand for good luck to bring many children (especially sons) into the family, candied coconut which stands for togetherness, and candied melon which stands for good growth and good health. A food called Eight Precious Rice or Laba is often eaten. It is made up of sticky rice containing eight different things that represent jewels. Most of the foods eaten for this celebration have special meanings and stand for new year's wishes.
• Eat sweet dumplings that are shaped like shoes. Sometimes coins are hidden in the dumplings.
Top of page
________________________________________
On the days following New Year's Day, many families:
• Continue visiting relatives and friends.
• Attend Chinese opera.
• Visit temples to pray for peace and success.
• Light joss sticks for good luck.
• Burn incense for the birthday of the Jade Emperor who is the king of all the gods.
• Use fortune sticks to predict their future.
• Watch lion dancers which go up and down streets and scare away evil spirits.
• Participate in or watch the Golden Dragon Parade which is about 2 weeks after New Year's Day. During and after the parade, thousands of fireworks are set off. The parade has marching bands, people carrying banners with pictures of the animal which represents the new year, acrobats, and dancers. The dancers wear paper heads of lions, cats, roosters, monkeys, and clowns. There are many people walking on stilts. At the end of the parade is the dragon. The dragon is a symbol of strength and goodness. The appearance of the dragon is a way of wishing everyone peace, good fortune, and good luck for the coming year.
• Participate in or watch the Lantern Festival which takes place on the first full moon of the month. Many different kinds of lanterns shaped like animals are carried along the streets in long processions to scare away evil spirits.

(Source: www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=5279)

I found one entry which says one should wear new slippers or shoes so one could step on the toes of the people who are spreading 'Chismiss' rumours about you. This is cute! Hey, boot up!

Jan. 20, 2009, My Best Wishes to You Dear Mr. President Obama

(Photo Source: www.cbc.ca)

My best wishes to you, Mr. President!

Monday Night: Film Night "Australia"

Grey and rainy days followed the beautiful snowy weather
in our village and instead of our usual Thursday film
day (tickets are cheaper on Thursday), we went to Cologne
to see the original film version of Australia, an epic
film which lasts for about 170 minutes without
intermission. I could not recall if we had seen
a preview of the film but I remembered posters where
hanging in many German cinemas announcing film showing
starting on Christmas day on 2008.
I was imagining the film to be a story of the Aborigines,
British settlers and how thousand of British prisoners were
banished to this island. None of the latter would be
mentioned in this epic film though which enticed me
to "google" about the history of Australia after the film and
not just associate that beautiful country with penal colonies,
drinking men in the outback, Aborigines and Koalas.
About the penal colonies in Australia...here is a short
historical background taken from wikepedia:

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, large numbers of convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government.[1] One of the primary reasons for the British settlement of Australia was the establishment of a penal colony to alleviate pressure on their overburdened correctional facilities. Over the 80 years more than 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia.[2] The last convicts to be transported to Australia arrived in Western Australia in 1868.

I enjoyed the film, the epic visuals a term I got from
another review and the glimpses on the beliefs and rites
of the Aborigines. Magical moments inside this small cinema
looking at the huge screen feeling yourself to be right in
the film and in some scenes...ehem wishing yourself to be
in the place of Nicole Kidman as Sarah being trained by

a drover played by Hugh Jackmann. So what is a drover?
A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in search of better feed and/or water. Moving a small mob of quiet cattle is relatively easy, but moving several hundred head of wild station cattle over long distances is a completely different matter. (taken from wikepedia)

(photo source: www.squidoo.com)
As I was saying before, the viewers were given glimpses
into the beliefs of the Aborigines and I wanted to know more on this word walkabout
and I found one short info on this:

When Aboriginal Australians Go on Walkabout, they undertake a spiritual journey to a Belonging Place to renew their relationship with their Dreaming and the Landscape. The land is their life, their mother, their way, their nourishment, and their spiritual connectedness.
During the Dreamtime the Ancestral Spirits gave form to the land and established community relationships. Afterwards, in order to enliven the landscape with their powers, these Ancestral Spirits changed from humans into animals, stars, hills, trees, and other aspects of the landscape, empowering the Natural World with their numinous presence in forms that are most commonly referred to nowadays as Devas, Nature Spirits, and Elementals.
For the Aboriginals of Australia, their spirituality and the Sacred is deeply rooted in the Landscape and in their relationship to the environment which sustains them. There are many different Aboriginal Australia tribes who have their own Dreamtime folklore, customs, languages, and totems; but, there are also many commonalities they share such as: Animal Totems, strong kinship, and family structures.
Dreaming Tracks or Songlines distinguish all features of the land created by their Spirit Ancestors as they Journeyed and travelled across it. The story of the Aboriginals is in the land; the law is imprinted upon their Sacred Spaces. These Songlines are the footprints of their Spirit Ancestors as they sang Beingness into the landscape, setting the law.
(More on it, please see:
http://www.blessingscornucopia.com/Shamanism_Shaman_Shamanic_Journey_Healing_Aboriginal_Walkabout_Journeying.htm)


See the film and learn more about this beautiful
country later.

Eto na naman......English as Medium of Instruction

(Source of Photo: Copied from The History of the Burgis)

Taken from the Editorial of Daily Inquirer
on the debate about re-introducing English as medium
of instruction in Philippine schools.

King’s English

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 01/11/2009

Filed Under: Education, Language, Government, Laws
WHEN Congress resumes on Jan. 19, the House of Representatives is expected to be engulfed in a war of words—or languages—over the passage of House Bill 5619, the proposed Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as the Medium of Instruction. Authored by Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, the bill seeks to junk the bilingual policy adopted by the old education department in 1974, during the Marcos era. The policy sought to make the “nation competent in the use of English and Filipino.” Gullas’ measure seeks “the reinstatement of English as medium of instruction” in Philippine basic education.
It is easy to sympathize with Gullas; apparently, there are many who are ruing the Filipinos’ loss of English proficiency and they blame this on the bilingual policy. But it is one thing to lament the loss of our English proficiency, and another to dictate that it be made the medium of instruction in our schools.
To be sure, the state should be in the business of looking for the best way to effectively transmit knowledge in its education system. But studies across the board show that the mother tongue is the best conveyor of instruction.
To some extent, the Gullas bill recognizes the above. It gives schools the option to use English, Filipino or the regional language as the teaching language from pre-school up to Grade 3. But from the intermediate grades up to high school, English will be the teaching language, except in Filipino as a course.
Just the same, the bill’s “English myopia” is hegemonic, and overlooks scientific evidence showing the mother tongue to be the best medium of instruction. For example, a study showed that non-native American children who were schooled for six years in their first language, before they were taught completely in English, scored in their Science and Mathematics—as well as English—tests higher than the average native English pupil. In contrast, non-native English students who began education completely in English learned the least English and scored lowest in their academic subjects.
All these findings should show that no science or reason propels the campaign for the reinstitution of English as instruction language in our schools—except for that uniquely Filipino science-—hiya or loss of face, the reverse of which is another uniquely Filipino science—yabang or conceit. Perhaps confronted by Melanie Marquez and other Philippine beauty queens and pretenders who, during question-and-answer portions, add to the rich vocabulary of English by their unwitting and very hilarious answers; and perhaps feeling guilty and embarrassed because their children speak their yaya’s “Barok” English, some lawmakers now like to efface the atrocious English around them, including their own, by mandating that everyone speak the King’s English. But this gesture is at best aristocratic pretension.
At the least, Gullas et al. are driven by other considerations in seeking to restore English, but these considerations hardly have anything to do with hastening learning or the absorption of lessons by our students. They may have more to do with their distaste of the Tagalog-based Filipino and their resistance to Manila imperialism. (Filipino promoters may protest that Filipino is democratic and is drawn from all the major regional languages, not just Tagalog, but they should recognize that the suspicion against it by the provinces remains widespread. In any case, even Filipino promoters quarrel among themselves on which word or coinage to incorporate in the new vocabulary, and their Babel-like quarrel may take another eon to resolve.)
Gullas et al. also want English proficiency because of the global scheme of things, such as the decided advantage of Filipino manpower abroad due to their English know-how and the relative prestige accorded to nations that speak English. But since Filipinos get the lower end of skills in global manpower, what level of English proficiency should they really have? To be sure, many Filipina maids abroad can speak English even better than their masters.
In the end, even if Filipinos had indeed reached the nadir of English proficiency, it has nothing to do with the bilingual policy or the rise of the regional languages. It has more to do with the poor system of instruction: defective textbooks, poor language instructionals, poor (or total lack of) facilities, incompetent teachers and education planners, corruption and mismanagement. We may have English as the sole medium of instruction at all levels of education, but the Filipinos will continue to speak and write the most dreadful English as long as the system of instruction keeps submitting a hideous report card.
(Source:philippine daily inquirer)

Learning a new language is always an enrichment for and not
selling one's soul.


Maging mayaman sa pag-iisip, mag-aral ng salitang banyaga at
huwag kalimutan ang wikang kinagisnan, and wikang kinalakihan at
ginagamit sa pagkakaunawaan natin mga Pilipina o Pilipino kahit
saan ka man tubo sa bansang Pilipinas. Ang pinakamahalaga ay
nagkakaunawaan tayo sa ating mga sariling wika at pananalita.

Something Different

While doing a mid-week clearing of old files
(actually I am telling myself that I should keep
my new year resolution, at least one of the few
listings I did...that is to sort out papers
as soon as I am up, even before the morning coffee
and discard stuffs I don't need), I found an
old email from Bing dating a more than a decade
away. I did not find courage to tear it and my
instant resolution keeping day turned into
a photo shoot with copies of old emails, letters
and press cuttings as model. Data compressing
deleting and re-saving could be done later...
another set of resolutions to keep.
Here's a copy of that Something Different...
and perhaps you have received it, too from
precious friends...
remember, Keep your old love letters.
Throw away your old bank statements.

Winter Wonderland Germany

Posting some photos to share with my blog visitors how
beautiful some areas under zero degree. Brrrrrrrrrrrrh!

If it had been three wise women instead of three wise men...

(Photo: ML)

I found this email which was sent to me by another
dear friend exactly ten years ago entitled:
Three Wise Women
Do you know what would have happened if it had
been Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men?

They would have asked for direction,
arrived on time,
helped deliver the baby,
cleaned the stable,
made a casserole
and brought practical gifts!

Happy Three Queens!

A Prosperous, Lucky, Love-Filled 2009!

To my dear friends and readers,
Thanks for the forwarded wishes and greetings.
My best wishes for you in 2009.
Cheers!

Pinay von Alemanya

Oh Holy Night! Have a Wonderful Christmas!

(Photo: ML)

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
(source: www.carols.org)

Have a wonderful Christmas!
Easy now on the sweets and spirits!

On the Second Day Before Christmas...Stress, Stress, Stress

Cross Posting

Yes, I am feeling like a do all Goddess...computer man was here
yesterday (he dared to comment about my Christmas tree saying,
Obscene!)...when hubby was just about to enjoy his piece of
yummy chocolate cake...his computer did not work and so
back to his old Mother Board and to his blues!
Did not sleep the whole night...have to do last documentation
reporting for Finanzamt for the Verein and am I still on the
job of copying published activities. Called up Finanzamt
and no one was answering. Who is working anyway at this
time of the season...the news featured Germans on the buying
spree. Everyone wants to buy gifts, and I have not even
bought our supply of milk for the holidays.
Then our newly repaired Espresso machine (the repair costs
almost a new machine)is not really that functioning...
cold coffee, drops of brownish morsels are coming out
of the mini how do you call it....coffee-spout. Help! Mood of
hubby is now getting really all-time low. No computer,
no Espresso. Managgia! (is the spelling right?)
Even the chocolate cake does not seem to work magic anymore.

So, in between, have to unleash my frustrations and post
this blog I promised to complete before
the eve of Christmas...no, before Christmas Day.
Saw some emails...aha, some warring women are now sending
sweet Christmas wishes to each other. Must be in the air...
forgiving for the season and backbiting again next year?
Ah women!

The doorbell rings...post? I hope the parcel is for me
and I am not again a recipient of mailed gifts for my neighbors.

So back to sorting out paperwork and heating meals.
Domestic Goddess!

Tags: alltags, domestic, friendship, greetings, life, list, wish

Source:http://babaylanesworld.ning.com

December 18, International Migrants' Day Cross-posting Balikbayang Sinta

BALIKBAYANG SINTA

Iiwan mo lahat ng iyong minamahal; ito ang palaso na unang
Ipinawawalan ng busog ng pagkatapon…
…Dante Alighieri

Lumipad ka na patungong Roma at London
Balisang nakalingon sa ulap lulan ng naglaboy na panaginip
Lubog sa alaala ng kinabukasang unti-unting nalulunod

Lumipad ka na patungong Riyadh at Qatar
Sa pagkamulat kukurap-kurap sa pagtulog puso’y nagsisikip
Binabagabag ng sumpang naligaw sa salawahang paglalakbay

Lumipad ka na patungong Toronto at New York
Tinutugis ang biyayang mailap nabulusok sa patibong ng banyaga
Sa ulilang pugad anong maamong pag-asa ang nabulabog

Lumipad ka na patungong Chicago at San Francisco
Kumakaway ka pa tiwalang may katuparang babati ng “Mabuhay!”
Alinlangang luha’y naglambitin sa bahag-hari ng bawat yapos

Lumipad ka na patungong Hongkong at Tokyo
“Di kita malilimot” – pumaimbulog ang tukso ng nabitiwang paalam
Nabakling pakpak usok sa bagwis inalagwang talulot ng bituing nasunog

Lumipad ka na patungong Sydney at Taipeh
Ay naku, anong panganib ng gayumang sa pangarap nagkupkop
Ibon kang nagpumiglas alay mo’y talim ng paglayang nilalangit

Lumipad ka O sintang mahal, ngunit saang kandugan ka lalapag?

Bumabalik sa dalampasigang hulog ng iyong hinasang pagtitiis
Aking kaluluwang hiniwa`t ikinalat sa bawat sulok ng daigdig.

Piniling mga Tula ni
E. San Juan, Jr.

in BUKAS, MAY-NILAD!

10th Anniversary of Tatort-Straßen der Welt e.V.

Cologne based Tatort-Straßen der Welt e.V. celebrated its 10th
anniversary last November 23 at the Alten Wartesaal with about
300 invited guests and sponsors.

Dietmar Bär with ML


Fr. Shay Cullen with Lino

Guets of Honor included Fr. Shay Cullen, of PREDA
an organization which focusses primarily on children's rights and
rehabilitation of abused and traumatized children. He is a recipient
of many peace awards for his engagement for the cause of children.
His new book "Kein Kind ist Verloren" (No Child is Lost) was
launched in this celebratory evening.

Klaus J. Behrendt with ML

The 10th Year celebration program presented a short review of
the film Tatort Manila from the year 1998 which shows the story of
a young Filipino child victimized by a German paedophile.
Other documentation film included the visit of Tatort team
with Fr. Shay Cullen to children imprisoned in a Philippine
jail and a short visit to a mango farm interviewing farmers
whose produce are sold in Germany by Dwp Fairhandelshaus or
the so called Third-World shops.
Moderation of the evening program was done by Bettina Böttinger.


Ulrike Thoenniges, coordinator for the Verein.

Cross Posting:Time to Change i.e...sige tulog ka pa!

(Source of photo: upload.wikimedia.org)

Have you adjusted your watches before you went to bed last night?
I did and did not.

I did because hubby wanted to have a wake-up call early this
morning and so had to adjust one alarm clock one hour later for
the year's winter time which started this early morning at 3 am.

I did not because of my habit of not adjusting it for the simple
reason of wanting to have that feeling that I have one more hour
to go back to bed and snooze a bit more. Mag-inin pa...even hubby
knows this term and uses it when he is not in the mood
to get up despite the screaming alarm.

I don't know the term for adjustment of time to the normal
time...in summer we call it Day-light saving time, right? Or is
it only a term in Da Philippines? How about in winter? Do we call
it Night-light saving time or Night-Life Saving Time?

Minsan, naalala ko pa in my early years in Alemanya...we were told
by our language teachers to adjust our watches one hour ahead so
as not to miss our final language examination in German. I did not
only adjust my watch on Saturday night but also did not sleep at all
on Sunday night due to my anxiety of getting up late and not
making it to the final examination. Stressy time talaga sa Alemanya.
Despite the warnings, there were a couple of North African
students who came in panting for breath just in time to get the
exam papers. Stressy life for foreigners in Germany.

Minsan, naalala ko pa din that we (hubby and I) were running like
crazy couple to the train station and missed our connection. Aha,
sisihan walang katapusan. We were blaming each other no end like
thespians in an open air theater at the platform of this train station
until we saw that our watches were on summer time module. Aha...
we realized both our over reaction and moments later, our marital
inter-communication was smoothly repaired.

I still have three other watches to adjust...will do it one watch
everyday until my system gets adjusted to what it is called winter
time...time to hibernate, time to make In-in, Winterschlaf and get
ready for Spring and Summertime. Uhuummmm...idlip pa.

If you have some interesting anecdotes about time adjustment, do
share with us. Kung may naalala kayong karanasan tungkol sa
pagpapalit ng oras sa Europa, paki share lang.

Pinay von Alemania

Reunion in Frankfurt with Chocolates from the Big Apple

Her email surprised me one morning as I have not received anything
from her since decades so I did not even know who the sender was.
She got my email add through her brother who forwards me all
sorts of information from health tips to activities of his
fraternity brothers who have attended this state university
some light years away. How my email landed in his loop is another
matter but I am beginning to enjoy the exchange of the mails in
that particular men's Egroup.
Cora resides in New York since the late 70s and works as a medical
technologist. She wrote that she would be joining a tour group
which will visit Central Europe passing through Frankfurt,
Berlin, Weimar, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Munich
including the romantic area of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and
definitely a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian
Alps of Germany, a two-week tour with folklore shows and
cultural programs to be paid extra.
Oh a fine time to come to Europe, I teased her in my
email, when everyone seems to be getting scared of a looming
recession in America.
We had lunch in this German restaurant Sachsenhäuser Warte
which she saw when she arrived in Frankfurt a day before
but thought it was a church and did not dare to look for
food in there. So in between servings of
squash cream soup which my New Yorker friend found so
delicious and main dish of German meat with potatoes,
we exchanged stories and anecdotes from life in the
province to living abroad.
Asking her again on her travel plan despite the present
financial crisis, Cora answered that she had long planned
her second travel to Europe and that is she....well
happily divorced. Our next rounds of laughters followed
just before we ordered our dessert of Apfelstrudel mit
vanilla sauce.


The best part of this reunion with my friend from the
Big Apple is the Pasalubong she brought for me, all the
cherished chocolates of my childhood, and she
even paid for our lunch. Thank you Cora!



In return, I could only tell her that sorry, you could not
bring some foodstuffs from here to the Land of Milk and Honey
except goodies from the Duty Free Shop.

Golden Cologne Autumn 2008

Source: Photo: Schawaiger, Koeln express
Just updating but photos are not from my own camera but
chanced upon photos. Despite the depressing news on financial
melt-down coming from Wall Street and about a looming
possibility of world recession, nature has given us some
golden moments to reflect:
...on the status of our savings!
Gold or bust
property vs liquidity
friendship vs cash generating time
family vs personal need
work vs engagement
work vs voluntary activities
giving vs expecting
stocks vs savings
and so on.
Enjoy the photos:

(photo: Zik taken from koeln express)

News Sharing: "Tag der offenen Moschee"

(photo taken from internet: bacolod mosque, philippines)

Holiday today in Germany, celebrating Re-unification Day. When
East Germany merges with West Germany... no more walls.
Now we share many things in common...taxes to pay, for example.

Today is also the traditional day of Open House for mosques
in Germany. Information about Moslem religion and other
programs regarding beliefs of our Moslem sisters and brothers
are part of this yearly celebration in Germany in postering
religious tolerance and understanding.

See the posted info taken from another site regarding this
"Tag der offenen Moschee"

Islam-Verbände laden zum Tag der offenen Moschee am 3. Oktober

Evangelischer Pressedienst 26 September 2008

Köln. Die Moscheegemeinden in Deutschland öffnen am Tag der
deutschen Einheit wieder ihre Türen. Der diesjährige "Tag
der offenen Moschee" am 3. Oktober steht unter dem Motto
"Moscheen - Orte der Besinnung und des Feierns", wie der
Koordinationsrat der Muslime am Donnerstag in Köln ankündigte.
Islamische Gemeinden und Verbände laden seit 1997 zum Tag
der offenen Moschee ein.
Der Koordinationsrat mit seinen Mitgliedsverbänden DITIB,
Islamrat, Verband Islamischer Kulturzentren und Zentralrat
der Muslime ist zum zweiten Mal der Veranstalter.

Der Tag der Begegnung schaffe eine Plattform für den
interreligiösen Dialog und biete Moscheebesuchern die
Möglichkeit, den Islam und die Moscheen kennenzulernen, hieß es.
Zum Programm gehören Moscheeführungen, Podiumsdiskussionen
und Ausstellungen. Die Internetplattform "Moscheesuche.de"
listet rund 1.270 eingetragene Moscheen in Deutschland auf.

Bei einer Auftaktveranstaltung am Montag erhält der
Koordinationsrat auch einen neuen Sprecher. Der Vorsitz
wechselt alle sechs Monate.
Am Montag geht er turnusgemäß von Ali Kizilkaya vom Islamrat
auf den Verband der Islamischen Kulturzentren über (see
the article below.)

Posted September 26th, 2008 by hd
Source: http://europenews.dk/de


October 3, want to greet a very nice and beautiful friend of mine
who is celebrating her birthday today. Luzviminda, the reunification
of many beautiful things in that three islands...Have a wonderful
birthday and treat us next time to ice cream and your legendary
chocolate cake.
Cheers!

Photokina in Cologne World of Imaging 23-28.September 2008

Photo taken from:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/2585850923_834a79ea59.jpg

German Information taken from photokina.de

Die Messe
photokina 2008

Weltweit einzigartig und erfolgreich!

Innovations- und Trendforum, globale Business- und
Kommunikationsplattform der gesamten Imaging-Branche,
das ist die photokina!

Als internationale Leitmesse der Branche stellt sie das Bild in
den Mittelpunkt und zeigt, wie grenzüberschreitende Vernetzung
verschiedener Produkte und Technologien die Dynamik und das
Wachstum dieses Marktes bestimmen. Bilder sowie
Bildtechnologien entscheiden heute über die Qualität der
modernen Kommunikation,ohne sie ist eine aktuelle und
zukünftige Technologie nicht vorstellbar.

Die photokina ist die weltweit einzige Veranstaltung, die alle
Bildmedien, Bildtechniken und Bildmärkte so umfassend und in
ihrer ganzen Vielfalt darstellt – für Professionals und Consumer.
Damit verfügt Sie über eine einmalige Kompetenz, die ihr den
Status als „Total Solution Provider“ für alle Bildanwender verleiht.

http://www.photokina.de/diemesse/

One day in a demo...

Verdamp lang her...it has been such a long long time sings BAP
in the local Kolsch dialect. The rock band from Cologne City
performed with other artists and musicians in this weekend
of opposition to the scheduled international conference of
Pro-Koeln. The conference was declared to be Verboten-illegal
due to the massive protests and blockades to the site
of the conference of the ultra-right groups. The weekend
protest was organized by several groups,labour unions,political
parties, religious groups and institutions with the theme
Arsch Huh 2008,
Koeln stellt sich quer.
(Rough translate: Ass up, Cologne opposes!)
A demo-concert by concerned rock bands, artists and
social activists accompanied the weekend protest movement while
other more daring oppositionists have been blockading
roads and routes of the ultra-right groupings.

Today, we remember the notorious day when Marcos
declared Martial Law in the Philippines....36 years ago.
As a small reminder of that notorious day, I am
posting here a short video of this concert demo of
Arsch Huh 2008, Cologne City Says No!
No to intolerance, no to racism!
Yes to a multi-cultural society!
Yes to freedom of religion!

To join a demo in Germany is really a treat, I should say.
But don't come in total black with sunglasses and hood...
you are making yourself a target for the secret cameras
of the staff of Germany is looking for the super stars of
demo...get it?

Here's the video with music from BAP, Verdamp Lang her.
Enjoy it and imagine yourself living in
a multi-cultural society...church here, temple,
mosque,synagogue, Wats, sanctuary and beer gardens.

"Arsch huh 2008 Köln stellt sich quer"

A gathering of anti-racism organizations and institutions
against Pro-Koeln conference in Cologne.
Konzert-Demo with BAP, Brings, Hoehnern u.a.

See:www.koeln.de

Mit BAP, Gentleman, Brings, Klee, Höhnern und allen anderen
Köln stellt sich quer: Das Programm "Arsch huh 2008"

Der sogenannte "Anti-Islamisierungs-Kongress" europäischer
Rechtspopulisten trifft in Köln auf breiten Widerstand.
40.000 Gegendemonstranten werden erwartet. Wie beim ersten
"Arsch-Huh-"Konzert mobilisieren
jetzt auch wieder Kölns Musiker gegen Rechts. Hier das Programm
für den kommenden Samstag.

09.00 Uhr Versammeln sich die Demonstranten auf dem Roncalli Platz

09:30 Uhr Auftritt Tommy Engel Band mit Lammers und Steffen
und als Zugabe Das Trio Otta, Schlimbach, Schiffer

10:05 Uhr Kundgebung mit politischen Redebeiträgen -
Zwischenmoderation Heinrich Pachl

11:00 Uhr Umzug der Demonstranten zum Bühnenstandort
Gürzenichstraße - Quatermarkt

11:30 Uhr Höhner
ökomenisches Friedensgebet
Redebeitrag
Zeltinger Band
Nikitakis
Redebeitrag
KLEE
Redebeitrag
Wilfried Schmickler
Redebeitrag
Köster, Hocker & Friends
Anke Schweitzer & Rolf Lammers
Redebeitrag
Brings
Gentleman
Redebeitrag
BAP
Arsch Huh - Alle zusammen

September 14 and the Mooncake

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival or Happy Mooncake Festival!
This is not a posting on how to make these calorie bombs or
mooncakes but the photographed pinyin or yue bing
(moon biscuit) cake is prepared to be eaten
during our brunch this Sunday morning.
Well, not really prepared but as our original plan
to eat out turned into eating in, I have to look for
something eatable to go with our Espresso Casa Gusto
Cremoso meaning, Espresso if I see spilled milk
inside the fridge (placing milk carton is always a tricky
business in my kitchen) or Cappuccino if we could
splurge on this breakfast item.
Meanwhile, the mooncake is waiting on the breakfast
table as hubby gets back to bed while I check
my emails and found greetings sent by Chinese women
in one of my egroups:

祝大家中秋節快樂!

Could you guess the meaning?

In case you wish to know more about this mooncake
eating festival and Mid-summer Festival...here's
a short info taken from chinesefood.about.com.

The Moon festival (also called the Mooncake or
Mid-Autumn festival)falls on September 14th in the year 2008.
What is the Moon festival?
Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar
calendar,when the moon is at its maximum brightness for the
entire year,the Chinese celebrate "zhong qiu jie." Children are told
the story of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes
out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. The legend
surrounding the "lady living in the moon" dates back to ancient
times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky.
The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine
extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, Goddess of Western
Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal.
However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was banished
to the moon as a result. Legend says that her beauty is greatest
on the day of the Moon festival.

Hey, I just want to eat a mooncake!

祝大家中秋節快樂!

Back to Alemania and Mamma Mia!

 
Ciao!
The week of returning to the nest and Mamma Mia!
What I did the first thing in the morning was to
check the weighing scale and NO, would not, couldn't
say how much I am weighing now. Bad news for those women
who have been impressed by how fast I have lost weight just
by one week of Heilfasten. No... in the land of first and second
plates every meal, Heilfasten is not working at all! But honestly
I have been enjoying every serving during and after our
camping, been noting all the recipes on how to do simple pastas
by just having simple olive oil to top pastas and green leaves,
Sapori as Glen said everytime we had our plates of Italian
pastas in all sizes and names.

Will make a flashback of my sinful days in Bella Italia but
first explanation on the photo above with Meryl Streep
and Pierce Brosnan. This is my first film
this month of August this year after more than two months
of sojourn in Italia teaching or rather trying to teach
Filipino kids the national language of their roots and some values
and traditions like they should obey me as their camping teacher
without questioning my declared authority. It did not work!

Back to the photo from this musical film Mamma Mia...well, hubby
was ready for anything that night so I dared him to join me in this
film, and what a delightful evening we had or at least I had while
humming the winner takes it all. Imagine the scene where the cool
Agent 007 hangs Chinese lanterns and feeling totally helpless in
the presence of a singing ex-girlfriend, Donna (Meryl Streep).
Hubby was enjoying a musical film for the first time!
Anyway, I told him that I would come back to see the film
with my what you called in German "Gleichgesinnten" meaning
like-minded,kindred spirit but not necessarily sharing my
post Bella Italia sojourn, Mamma Mia!...obesity, ugh!
Here's the Tartufo Queen after days of Italian pasti
and tiramisi...I don't know if there's such a word.

How to Grind without Getting Cramps

Here's a good piece of entertainment for you.
To get the most benefit from watching it, get
yourself ready for real moving. Enjoy it!

Hmmmmm! After one and half hour of waiting for youtube
to finish my download, the video is again choppy!
Are there millions of youtubers out there uploading
videos or my modem needs replacement.

Will have to re-upload the video.

In the meantime, I'm getting cramps waiting for signal
from youtube.

Updates No. 2

Hey! Have to do a redo of the video posting.
I have no idea why it gets so choppy.
Wait please for the next posting. Sorry
about this.

Updates, Ngayon at Kailan Man

Ciao!
I am back and ready to spend sleepless nights to do postings
after more than two months of summery hibernation in the
land of fattening pastas and deliriously delicious ice creams.
Meanwhile, let me share this impromptu rendition of
Ngayon at Kailanman from the winner of the Sobre
La Habanera y La Musica Tradicional competition held
in Spain, the University of the East Chorale Group.
Enjoy it!
This is the reloaded video. Hope it works now.