pica-pica

Sensei’s Little Presents

cathrem — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:36:35 +0000

I received these presents from my Nihongo sensei, Akiko Oosugi, before she left the company. I really do miss her and her bright and bubbly personality.

おつかれさまです、先生。いつもお世話になって、本当にありがとう。

Sensei's Little Presents

Manuel Quezon’s New Face

cathrem — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:45:14 +0000

Today’s lunch was just one of the usual lunch-at-work – lining up for food served in metal plates, waiting for minutes (or half an hour if not so lucky) to be served. Or so I thought it was. Not until Manuel L. Quezon came to my rescue from the dreadful boredom of the cafeteria. Yes! Manuel L. Quezon with his younger face being printed in the new P20 bill.

These new bank notes were released last third week of December 2010 just before Christmas. According to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) spokesperson Fe Dela Cruz, smaller denominations will be distributed first to banks, just in time for the aguinaldo during the season. They were expecting that all denominations will be distributed this month. The targeted amount to be circulated by 2011 is roughly P2 billion pesos.

New safety measures were added to the bank notes which includes patches that changes color at 45-degree angle, micro-prints, and security threads. Embossed printing was also added for the vision-impaired. Made of 80% cotton and 20% abaca and with anti-bacterial quality, bills of higher denominations are expected to last for 3 years.

Source:

ABS-CBNnews.com

Sinulog’s Past

cathrem — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:00:24 +0000

3.5M people were not fazed by the overwhelming rain last weekend in celebrating the Sinulog Festival. It was also said that this festival bridges the pagan past and the Christian belief of Cebuanos being depicted by dance. According to historians, Sinulog is a dance ritual offered to the miraculous image of Sto. Nino. Long before Magellan arrived in the Philippine shores, Filipinos have already celebrated this ritual to worship anitos and wooden idols. 44 years after, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in Cebu and started the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. One of his soldiers, Juan Camus, found an image of Sto. Nino side-by-side with some wooden idols in a box in one of the bombarded huts. It was only then that Filipinos celebrated the festival not for their anitos but in honor of the miraculous image of Sto. Nino. It was not until 1980 that the first ever Sinulog parade was organized by then Regional Director of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development (MYSD) David S. Odilao Jr.

(Miel and I spent the Sinulog weekend shopping in one of the malls here in Cebu. After eating out in The Old Spaghetti House, we came across this fun photo booth and took our pictures. )

2011 – Live, Laugh and Love

cathrem — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 02:39:46 +0000

Happy New Year everyone.

Here comes my New Year dialogue.

If there`s one thing that I learned in 2010, that is `getting back up and moving on` with people I hold so close to my heart.

This year, I thank the Lord for all of the blessings He gave me.

1. I knew who my true friends are.

2. I learned that I am more than who I think I am.

3. I realized that whenever I kept losing myself, my family is the very first who will never turn their back on me.

4. I found the `one`, the perfect match for me. The `brainwaves` and `bao` jokes we share just keeps me giggling all year round.

5. I found small and big opportunities this year. That I thank the Lord for.

And now, it`s time to welcome 2011 with a better outlook. Make a lot of friends, take care of relationships, live, laugh and love.

Friends and Food

cathrem — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:56:39 +0000

Had a lunch date with hubby and batchmates at Abuhan Tres, Asiatown IT Park.

The Remnants of the Battle