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Dear Connect Readers & Followers,

Thank you very much for visiting and reading our Pinoy blogs for the past 2 and a half years. This time, we have moved on to a new and improved blogsite to serve you better. Now you will find the latest posts about Philippines at

New Remit2Home Blog – remit2homeblog.wordpress
http://remit2homeblog.wordpress.com/category/philippines/

Please stay connected. See you there!!!

June 2013 Trivia Time

The 221-year old Panay Church in Philippines

1. The largest bell in Asia hangs at the belfry of the 221-year old Panay Church in  Philippines. It is 7 feet in diameter and 7 feet in height, and weighs 10.4 tons. Its tolling can be heard as far as 8 km. away. It was casted from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople as a manifestation of faith and thanksgiving.
2. Mayonnaise is said to be the invention of the French chef of the Duke de Richelieu in 1756. While the Duke was defeating the British at Port Mahon, his chef was creating a victory feast that included a sauce made of cream and eggs. When the chef realized that there was no cream in the kitchen, he improvised, substituting olive oil for the cream. A new culinary masterpiece was born, and the chef named it “Mahonnaise” in honor of the Duke’s victory.
3. X-ray technology has shown there are 3 different versions of the Mona Lisa under the visible one.
4. During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush, (1897-1898) potatoes were practically worth their weight in gold. Potatoes were so valued for their vitamin C content that miners traded gold for potatoes.
5. The cicada, a fly found in Africa, spends 17 years of its life sleeping: and is awake for only two weeks during which it mates and then dies.

Golf in Philippines

Golf is a relatively easy sport that requires concentration and precision.  The object of golf is to hit the ball with a club and get the ball into the hole, in the least number of strokes.  Many people consider golf an easy game to learn, but not everyone is actually good at golf. Golf is played on a golf course, and the green area is known as the fairway. The typical course consists of 18 holes, although golfers can play a 9-hole course through twice to play a full game of 18 holes.

 

Ready to tee off

The modern game golf originated in 15th Century Scotland but the game’s ancient origins are unclear and much debated.  Some historians trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball. One theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century BC, and eventually evolved into the modern game.  In Philippines, Golf is thought to have been introduced to Manila in 1886 by British people working for the Manila Railway Company. The Brits built a 3-hole course in paddy fields south of Intramuros, and by 1901 there was a 9-hole golf course next to the railway station. This was the beginning of the Manila Golf Club.  Then the Philippine Open was launched.  The Philippine Open was held in Caloocan from 1913 (natives were barred from taking part till 1928) to 1934 and the first winners were all amateur players.  The locals got a big break in 1929 when a kind-hearted American, whose identity, was unfortunately never recorded in local golf history, elected to sponsor Montes for the Philippine Open that year. Thus, Filipino Larry Montes, who honed his skills while caddying at Muni Links, became the first professional champion and his win triggered an event that was to become a milestone and changed the face of Philippine Golf.

Today, Philippines is one of the most popular golf destinations in the world because the 7,107 islands boasts of several world class golf courses where some of the international tournaments are held.  Anyone can tee off and enjoy golf hot-spots in the country with beautiful scenery, lush greens, and seaside resort venues. There are so many marvelous courses ; that many people debate as to which one should be on the top of the list because the country’s natural and scenic landscapes are complemented by world class courses designed by some of the top famous designers.  Each golf course provides an incomparable experience at a great price. Whether it’s the weather, the rate, the people, or of course the golf courses, you will have one of the best experiences in playing golf in Philippines.

One of the many scenic Golf courses of Philippines

Some of the Best Golf Clubs In The Philippines

1)       Santa Elena Golf Club

2)       Canlubang Golf & CC

3)       Riviera Golf and Country Club

4)       Sun Valley

5)       Tagaytay Highlands International Midlands course

6)       Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club

7)       Rancho Palos Verdes – Davao

8)       Splendido Taal Residential Golf & Country Club

9)       Camp John Hay

10)    Manila Southwoods

11)    Sherwood Hills

12)    Manila Golf & Country Club

13)    Fairways & Bluewater Golf & Country Club

14)    Apo Golf & Country Club

15)    Wack wack Golf & Country Club

Sino Nga Ba Si Dr. Jose Rizal?

Si Dr. Jose Rizal ay ang pambansang bayani ng Pilipinas.  Sya ay ipanganak noong ika-19 ng Hunyo, 1861 ngunit sya ay namatay sa murang edad na 35 taon noong ika-30 ng Disyembre, 1896.  Bukod sa pagiging dakilang bayani, henyo, doktor,pintor, iskultor, manunulat, at iba pang mga natatanging talento at katalinuhan siya rin ay isang Pilipinong tunay nating maipagmamalaki sa buong mundo dahil sya ay nakibaka upang ang bansang Pilipinas ay maging malaya. Maliban dito, gaano nga ba natin kakilala ang ating pambansang bayani?

Si Rizal ay ika-pito sa labin-isang mga anak nina Mr. & Mrs.  Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro at Teodora Morales Alonso y Quintos.  Ang kanyang mga ninuno ay may lahing Intsik, Hapon, at Espanyol.  Siya ay nag-aral sa Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Ateneo Municipal de Manila, at University of Santo Tomas.  Bukod dito, lihim rin na pumunta si Rizal sa Epanya upang mag-aral ng medisina sa Universidad Central de Madrid.  Sya rin ay dumalo sa ilang mga medikal na pag-aaral at pananaliksik sa University of Paris at sa University of Heidelberg sa Germany.  Sa edad na 25 taong gulang, ginamit ni Rizal ang ophthalmoscope sa  Heidelberg kung saan ito rin ang kanyang ginamit para magamot ang mata ng kanyang ina.

Iilan sa mga paboritong pagkain ni Rizal ay pansit, mangga at lansones.  Kadalasan, ang kanyang almusal ay mainit na tsokolate, kanin at tuyo.   Sya ay mahilig din sa paksiw at sinigang.  Sya ay hindi umiinom ng alak at ang kanyang inuming tubig ay laging malamig at may kasamang yelo.

 

Si Rizal ay naugnay din hindi lamang sa iisa kungdi sa siyam na magagandang dilag.  Sila ay sina Segunda Katigbak, Leonor Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera, Consuelo Ortiga, O-Sei San, Gertrude Beckette, Nelly Boustead, Suzanne Jacoby, at ang pinakahuli at kanyang naging asawa ay si Josephine Bracken.  Sila ay nagkaroon ng isang anak.  Ang pangalan nito ay Francísco Rizal y Bracken.  Ngunit ang sanggol ay kaagad na nalagutan ng hininga iilang oras lamang matapos ipanganak.

 

Dahil sa kasong rebelyon, si Rizal ay itinakdang barilin sa pamamagitan ng Firing Squad noong December 30, 1896. Bago sya binaril ng mga sundalo, tinignan ng Heneral ang pulso ni Rizal at sya ay nagitla dahil ang pulso ni Rizal ay normal, walang kaba, walang takot sa araw na nakatakda.  Ang huling mga salita ni Rizal bago sya nalagutan ng hininga ay: “Consummatum est” (It is Finished).  Sya ay palihim na inilibing sa Paco Cemetery at walang marka o pangalan ang kanyang libingan.  Ang kanyang kapatid na si Narcisa ang syang naghanap ng kanyang huling hantungan, at ito’y nilagyan ng markang RPJ (kabaliktaran ng kanyang inisyal na JPR). Pagkamatay ni Rizal, si Josephine Bracken na kanyang asawa ay naging myembro rin ng rebolusyon.  Sa bandang huli, sya ay umalis papuntang Hong Kong, nakapag-asawang muli, at namatay sa sakit sa baga.

 

Bilang paggunita sa ating pambansang bayani,  ang ika-30 ng Disyembre ay naging isang opisyal na Public holiday sa bansa.  Merong ding mga bansa sa mundo kung saan merong mga monumentong itinayo para sa  kanyang karangalan. Matatagpuan ang mga ito sa Espanya, Japan, Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, China, USA, Hawaii, Mexico, Peru, Czech Republic,  Canada.

Itlog na Maalat (Salted Eggs)

Itlog na Maalat or Salted Eggs

In Philippines, salted egg is a preserved food product made by soaking duck or chicken eggs in brine, or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. From the salt curing process, the salted duck eggs have a briny aroma, a very liquid egg white and a firm-textured, round yolk that is bright orange-red in colour.

Salted eggs are normally boiled before being peeled and eaten. They can be used as a condiment, as a garnish to other dishes,  and for fillings.  They are best enjoyed during breakfast along with fresh slices of onions, tomatoes, and steamed white rice.  The egg white has a sharp, salty taste while the orange red yolk is rich, fatty, and less salty which Filipinos enjoy very much.

Ingredients:

6-duck eggs (chicken eggs optional)

1-cup sea salt

4-cups water

How to Prepare:

1. Wash duck eggs with lukewarm water to remove any dirt.
2. Pour 4-cups of water and 1-cup of sea salt into a small sauce pan. Heat salt and water mixture until the sea salt dissolves completely.  It is now called a brine.
3. Set the brine aside until it has cooled down.
4. Place eggs in container then pour the brine until it completely covers the eggs and seal air-tight.
5. Keep container in a dark place like the corner of your cupboard and let it sit between 21 to 30 days.
6. After the “incubation” period, remove the eggs from the brine and give them a quick wash under cold water.
7. Then boil the eggs just like regular hard boiled eggs.
8. Once the eggs are hard boiled, let them cool for a while before placing inside the refrigerator. Traditionally, Philippine commercial salted eggs are dyed red to distinguish the salted eggs from the regular eggs.
9. Consume the salted eggs within 15 days of refrigeration.

May 2013 Trivia Time

1. Three of the worlds’ top ten largest malls are located in the Philippines; SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, 4.74 million sq ft, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City with an area of 4.67million sq ft and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City with an area of 3.75 million sq ft.  SM City NorthEdsa is the world’s 2nd largest mall.

SM City NorthEdsa is the world’s 2nd largest mall

2. Philippines is considered the “text capital of the world.” Every day, 35 million mobile subscribers in the country are sending about 450 million short text messages (SMS). This is more than the total number of daily text messages sent in the United States and Europe together.

3. In parts of Germany and Poland, when a couple marries, guests break a whole lot of porcelain and leave it to the couple to clean up. They do this right in front of the bride’s home, usually the night before the wedding. It’s called “Polterabend” and it’s meant to symbolize the struggles the new couple will face as they build a home together, with an emphasis on working together through those struggles.
4. Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest lake in the world, and holds as much water as all the five Great Lakes of the U.S. combined!
5. Philippines is considered to be the largest producer of coconuts.

– Send money to your loved ones in Philippines via Remit2Home Online Money Transfers

Cycling in Philippines

Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and since then they were employed for many reasons such as for transport, recreation, work, sport, shows, and for exercise.  The number of cycles is estimated at around one billion worldwide, twice as many as automobiles.  Persons engaged in cycling are referred to as “cyclists”, or “bicyclists”.  In USA, people use bikes for slimming and for burning down calories. Cycles are very popular in some countries like China, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Japan & Norway because people use the bicycles for transportation needs on short trips as an alternative to automobilles, for going to work, transport of goods, and for recreation purposes.

In Philippines, cycling is also called as biking.  Filipinos use cycles mainly for recreation, for exercise, for transport, and of course, for sports.  As a sport, the Filipino people love cycling and they organize local cycling events each year.  In 1955, The Le Tour de Filipinas was organized and won by Antonio Arzala, a Filipino cyclist.  It is a professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Luzon, Philippines held annually as part of the UCI Asia Tour, the first and only local road race sanctioned by the Swiss-based Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

 

Le Tour De Filipinas is held in April every year.  While the course changes every year, the tour traditionally ends at Rizal Park, Manila. Its previous names included the Tour of Luzon, Marlboro Tour, Tour of CALABARZON, Tour Pilipinas and Padyak Pinoy, before carrying the current name. The 2013 edition of the race was won by Iranian cyclist, Ghader Mizbani held last April 13-16, 2013.  Mr. Bert Lina, considered as the messiah of Philippine cycling, conceived the Le Tour as a vehicle for sports tourism and welcomed international entries. It was also his way of upgrading the quality of cycling in the country and challenging Filipino riders to defend the home turf.

 

– Send money to your loved ones in Philippines via Remit2Home Online Money Transfers

Bakit Mahilig sa Text ang Mga Pinoy?

Bakit mahilig sa text ang mga Pinoy?  Bakit kaya tinaguraing text Capital of the world ang bansang Pilipinas?  Ang Text messaging o SMS ay isang napakalaking bagay sa mga Pilipino.  Ito ang pangunahing paraan upang magkaroon ng komunikasyon ang bawat isa sa napakamurang halaga lamang kumpara sa phone call at sympre pa, mas naipapadama ng mga texters ang kanilang saloobin sa pamamagitan ng mga letra na hindi nila kayang gawin kung personal na tatawag talaga.  Bukod sa matipid, ang text ay kaagad na nase-save sa sim card kung kaya’t ang mga mahahalagang mensahe ay tumatagal hangga’t hindi binubura ng texter.  Ang text ay malinaw na nakakarating kahit anumang klase ng panahon, kahit mahina ang signal, at kahit huli man dumating ay tyak na maipaparating ang mensahe sa pinapadalhan.  Buokod pa dito, ang iisang text ay pwedeng ipadala sa maraming tao o sa grupo sa napakamurang halaga lamang.

Ang SMS ay ginamit para sa promotional gimmick sa bansa noong taon 1995 ngunit agad na naging popular sa mga Pinoy.  Noong 1998, ang mga Telecom companies sa bansa ay naglunsad ng SMS service kung saan pwedeng magpadala ng mensahe ang mga subscribers ng libre lamang sa alinmang network sa bansa, ang mahalaga, meron kang cellphone, marunong kang magbasa at mag-compose ng mensahe.  Ang serbisyong ito ay naging isang napakalaking bagay sa sambayanan.  Dulot na rin ng kahirapan at sobrang mahal ng presyo ng lokal na tawag ang mga pinoy ay nagsimulang gamitin ang sms para sa araw araw na komunikasyon.  Sa kalaunan, ang mga Pilipino ay hindi na ginagamit ang kanilang mga cellphone sa pagtawag ngunit ito ay kanilang ginagamit sa pag-tetext.  Dahil sa dami ng nagpapalitan ng text sa buong bansa, nagkaroon ng bayad ang pagpapadala ng sms sa napakamurang halaga lamang.  Dahil sa text, ang mga mamamayan ay nakakausap at nakokontak ang kanilang mga kaibigan at mahal sa buhay sa alinmang panig ng bansa sa tulong ng sms.  Ika nga, ang sms ay bahagi na nang buhay Pilipino.

Messages sent per mobile subscriber per month

Ayon sa ulat, mahigit sa limang milyong pinoy ang nagkaroon ng cellphone noong 2001 at naging uso ang text sa bansa.  Noong 2009, mahigit sa 72 milyong pinoy ang merong celphone at mahigit sa 1.39 bilyong sms ang napapadala araw araw.  Dahil sa dami ng text messages ang ipinapadala araw araw, naging sikat ang Pilipinas bilang Text capital of the world mula 1990 hanggang sa pagpasok ng taong 2000.

Dahil sa pag-uso ng text o sms sa bansa, nagkaroon ng sariling paraan ng pag-tetext ang mga pinoy o ang tinatawag nating pinoy text codes na maiintindihan lamang ng mga kababayan.  Mapa english man o tagalog o bisaya na text ay kayang paliitin ng texter.  Naging uso ang ganitong paraan ng pag tetext upang masasabi lahat ng mensahe sa isang text lamang.  Ito ay upang makatipid sa pag-tetext lalo na at ang ordinaryong cellphone ay meron lamang 160 characters.  Kung kaya, kailangang maiksi ang mga salita, shortcut, at upang mapadali ang pagpadala ng mensahe.  Bukod sa pagtitipid, kailangang paliitin at putulin ang mga salita dahil napakahaba ang mga lokal na salitang pinoy.  Yan ang pinoy texters, napakagaling at mabilis pa sa kisapmata kung magpadala ng text kung kaya’t umabot ng isang bilyon ang mga napapadalang text araw araw sa buong bansa.  Ngunit minsan, nakakaloka at nakakairita dahil sa sobrang iksi ng mga salita ay hindi na kayang intindihin ang ibig sabihin ng ordinaryong mensahe, mas lalo na yong mga taong hindi sanay sa pinoy text ay mababaliw sa pagbabasa.

Pinoy Text Lingo

 Text Message – 3ow, mZtah n?

Tagalog & English (Taglish) – Hello, kumusta na?

English – Hello, how are you?

———-

 Text Message –  wr u?

Tagalog – Nasaan ka?

English – Where are you?

———-

Text Message – d2 mE haus

Tagalog & English (Taglish) – dito ako house

English – I am here in the house

———-

Text Message – gus2 q m2log

Tagalog – Gusto ko matulog

English – I want to sleep

– Send money to your loved ones in Philippines via Remit2Home Online Money Transfers

Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omellete)

‘Tortang Talong’ is a simple but tasty, budget friendly Filipino dish.  It is made of grilled eggplant and then dipped in eggs mixture and deep fried.  It is always accompanied by white rice and can be enjoyed during breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Tasty Filipino Dish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 talong (eggplants), average size
• 2 to 3 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• oil, for frying

Cooking Procedure:

1. Grill the eggplants until tender (the skin is charred and blister appear)
2. Once cool, peel off the skins of the eggplant and retain the crown and the stem. Gently flatten its meat by  using the back of a fork. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper, put the chopped garlic and onions, and mix well.
4. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Dip each eggplant, one at a time into the egg mixture. Gently bring the bowl near the skillet and tip, lowering the eggplant onto the heated oil.
5. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and brown the other side. Keep warm and serve.
6. Serve it with steamed white rice and sweet chili sauce.

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April 2013 Trivia Time

1. The exotic Philippine jeepney is a post-war creation inspired by the GI jeeps that the American soldiers brought to the country in the 1940s. Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and flamboyant decorations, which have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture and art.
   

   Known for their crowded seating and flamboyant decorations, which have become an ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture and art.

2. Glas isn’t solid, but liquid.
3. In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans.
4. Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from stop producing tears. Try it next time you chop onions!
5. The tiny Water Bear (Tardigrade) can survive environments extreme enough to kill any other animal – with temperatures as low as -273°C close to Absolute Zero to as high as 151°C.  Tardigrades (commonly known as water bears or moss piglets) are small, water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs. 

– Send money to your loved ones in Philippines via Remit2Home Online Money Transfers