Spot the Difference

Look closer. What's happening around here? I got a vibrant energy tempting this guy beside me. He never had an eye to the camera lens infront of him not even noticing it. Know why? It is because of The People vs. Larry Flynt. That is the title of the 10-year old film we watched as I took this shot.










"Larry Flynt is the hedonistically obnoxious, but indomitable, publisher of Hustler magazine. The film recounts his struggle to make an honest living publishing his girlie magazine and how it changes into a battle to protect the freedom of speech for all people." - Kenneth Chisholm, IMDb.

Ummmh... The story is based on the biography of Larry Flynt. Well, I did'nt write this post to promote the magazine's pornography neither inviting people to buy copies of it. It's only I mentioned it since that was the relevance of time of these pictures.

This is how we watched film at home. "Touched me Not". Can you spot the difference? Hehehe! Actually only my hubby is a real viewer. When he is interested with the story about the film, he will gonna spend time to it. Not like me. I can watched the film while talking and busy with something. This is shown through our shots. But then, I can be silent too sometimes and focused if I really like the film.

Actually, it's my birthday 4 days from now. My first birthday here in Holland. Let's see how it will be. I'm not a party person so I think we will just make it simple together with hubby. After all, it's just remind me that I'm getting old :-) Hehehe! Tomorrow we will be going to Dirksland, still part of the province South Holland but close to the province Zeeland. So, it's a time for beach actually with family members. I have no plan to plunge to the water...sightseeing for sure and entertwining with the wind :-)...Nice weekend huh!

Heatwave strikes!

"In the Netherlands, the Nijmegen 4-Day March was canceled after two participants died in the heat. Some 300 people taking part in the popular walk became ill Tuesday, July 18, in temperatures that reached 35 degrees and 30 were hospitalized."- (Read news.bostonherald.com

This was a sad story for this week in this hottest time of the year. This is my first encounter of a prolonged excessively hot weather here. This is really an extreme weather experience. I'm complaining for a cooled winter-spring season and here I am complaining again. It's a hot and dry spell month that only water and ice can help. I'm wishing for rain :-0 ! Waah! I think I'm now best integrated at complaining things :-0)

As we can remember the summer of 2003 was one of the hottest ever in Europe; this led to a health crisis in certain countries as well as considerable impact on crops. As many as 50,000 people died from the 2003 European heat wave in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, United Kingdom and Italy. European Heat Wave of 2003.

Severe heat waves can lead to deaths from hyperthermia, especially among elderly people. Heat waves are the most lethal type of weather phenomenon, overall. One public health measure taken during heat waves is the setting-up of air-conditioned public cooling centers. If accompanied by drought which dries out vegetation, heat waves can lead to wildfires. A heat wave is defined as at least three consecutive days with temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) or more in a place which is beyond normal temperature. However, in countries such as Australia where 30 °C is considered mild on a summer day. In the Philippines is always normal at 27C-36C but with an abundant rainfall and average humidity of 82% , the moisture content of the atmosphere give a balance climate.

During this time, a frequent cold bath maybe three x a day or more would be the safest breaking tip and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. If going outdoors, wear lightweight dresses...ooops! Right, that's a valid reason even not to wear anything! :-) hehehe! and use body deodorant to be more environmentally-friendly :-).

Well, there are many ways to cool down body temperature. A deep in the sea, or in man-made beaches, or in the bath tubs, swimming pools or in lakes. I'm not quite sure if there are lakes here...pretty sure of canals :-). Water tube pools are also sell in the shops at discounted prices.

I never had a thought about weather in the Philippines. I'm not affected unlike here that sometimes my decision is lobbyied by it. On what to wear, on what to eat or drink, if I'm gonna walk, take a bike or bus. And even to decide if it's a hot or cold bath. Uhhhmmm... simple things but I'm quite a decision-maker huh!

Today, I managed to bike for about 14 kms. It's in the middle of 28C-29C. I never think of the sun but I think about the sun lotion and a lip balm...a little bit related but I'm not damned worried. Well, this is the only excess blessing that I can't share of instead I help lessening it since I can't prevent it. I am not alarmed but I'm sad for those who suffered much of this sweltering heat. I can still manage without gasping out of breath and decently keeping my tongue in :-) As the heat strikes...I am ready to cool it down :-)..just locked-up myself in a cold shower bath and start undress :-)

Life in Holland seven months ago...

I was silent for awhile and not posted something here. I am quite busy for my biking adventure. No wonder if my brown skin is now a "yummy-brownish cake" :-). I am also frequent in the kitchen satisfying and spoiling my stomach delights. I am looking back of how I am now of being in my new home. I am now more than a half year here...still very fresh from thoughts of my native home seven months ago...

Foto last June 30 at the picnic park.

Time flew so fast and I am looking back how the past months grow inside me. There are many things changed. Many things happened aside from being planned and many that are less expected. Every moment of my days are having different emotions...it can be feeling of happiness, sadness, excitement, surprise, dissapointments, tears of joy, fear and worries.

All of these were rolled for the past few times and maybe for the times ahead. However, I would list down here any things that happened, my experiences and observations up to unexpected circumstances:

( Noted not by chronological order but as per remembered only.)

1. I got married of course! This is first in mind. ( I left Philippines having a single status...I'll come back "double" :-)
2. I had touched snow :-) ...and ever had my first white Christmas.
3. Watched the movie Da Vince Code here...Ice Age 2...March of the Penguins...Narnia...The Promise...Memoirs of the Geisha and the latest was Pirates of the Carribean 2 and classic dvd films.
4. Having a new loving whiteblond family here. ( I'm the only J Lo skinned...hehehe!)
5. I encountered 48km/hr wind right in my side...
6. People talked, laughed, joked but I don't understand...
7. Sleep with a man all night long...
8. My first ever attendance of my man's family reunion :-) and met around 30+ family guest. Now I can imagine how my husband's feeling before when surrounded by my family in the Philippines.
9. Always burned by hot water in the tap.
10. Learned and speak beetje (little) Dutch. This adds to my English, Visayan, Tagalog, and Hiligaynon language archive. Thanks that I already forgot my Spanish lessons not to add...
11. Attended Dutch church service with an english translator headfone.
12. Attended the Philippine Independence celebration here...wow! estimated 5,000 Filipinos. I wonder where they came from this part of the lowlands.
13. I witnessed how fast the weather switched from time to time...
14. I eat a lot of potatoes...
15. I exposed myself to the sunrays often...forgetting about umbrella.
16. I bike.
17. My transport: Train is my fastest confidante, tram (city train) and metro (like MRT) are just a hand away, bus is my constant deliverer, bike is my closest friend and car with a loving chauffer is my intimate date :-)
18. I meet few Filipino friends.
19. Many times got lost. I was like in a maze inside of the centrum & even inside the toilette room. Finding my way-out. Hehehe!
20. Attend Filipino church service.
21. I realized how wonderful spring is.
22. Saw naked bodies.
23. Get wired of long distance calls.
24. Started to blog and do trial and error method...digging up the cyberworld. I'm not a techie person...no idea of htmls :-)
25. Studied Dutch language in Leiden. Applied for masteral study in Leiden University. I'm admitted but setting the plan aside.
26. We wandered in Paris...got closed with Monalisa, Marie Antoinette,Voltaire and Rousseau.
27. Heard French language from actual speakers. Hahaha! It's like bees buzzing in my ear.
28. Knew the difference of snow from snowflakes and hale.
29. Got in touched with the historical museums, Mesdag and Vermeer are famous Dutch painters.
30. Seeked job, vrijwilligers werk (volunteer work) but not succeeded.
31. Sometimes I become a photographer...once in a while a painter...most of the time a schoonmaaker (cleaning aid) :-)...
32. See many ducks and birds as my constant neighbors :-)
33. Experimenting in the kitchen. I cook for the past 7 months, today and tomorrow.
34. Always hear the magic words "alstublief" (please), "tot ziens" (goodbye), "dag" (good day), "dank u wel" (thanks), "leuk" (nice), "lekker" (good/delicious), "gezellig" (cozy), and many more.
35. See tulips...just name it and I can have it :-).
36. Studied Dutch in Mondriaan School in my city and met classmates from the United Nations :-)
37. Visited many cities in Holland...forget to count the windmills, canals, sheeps and cows :-)
38. I am enrolled for a summer Dutch lesson...my loving schoonmoeder (mother in-law) is my teacher :-) Hi mom W !
39. I am looking forward to autumn.
40. Chocolates are just in the corner but I don't have a sweet tooth for it.
41. A coffee enthusiast...uhmmm...I always smell it.
42. Had upside-down mood swings.
43. Always shivered when it is freezing cold. Turned like Voltes 5 with all the heavy outfits :-)
44. I miss my family and friends in Davao. I miss mountains and hills too.
45. Cheered for the Nederland football team...inffected by the "orange virus" but not immuned :-)
46. I am fond of dogs and glad to see them around. I am considering to have one but not practical in a 13th high building.
47. I am jobless but busy ;-)
48. There are still many things I forget to mentioned though, just small things but new. I think one thing more, is being a wife now.

Well, all these things have different accompanied feelings and reactions. Some are just easy and light, others are difficult yet compelling. Many things to learn and adjust from things that you are used to, to the things that are new. It is exciting to learn and fun to realize mistakes and bloopers :-).

I took this foto around 5:00am in our front view. An inspiring sunrise...

Though dissapointments strike at unexpected moment, I tried to count my blessings and be thankful to God for families and friends. I think it's still healthy to dwell in tears for a moment even fetching buckets of it. It's good to feel own's weaknesses a way to find your strenght.

Another foto took just a minute after the above shot. I always thank God for this promising sunrise.

I have a loving partner though our relationship is not exempted from tests and misunderstandings (thanks for his patience :-) hi, honey! ). There are so much in life...more chances to commit mistakes and room for improvement. I have still many things to learn since my life is just starting. I had good memories for my past 27 years and I would like to keep it. This is my destined choice. I have to live with changes, just try to do good turns and have fun out of it.

Once upon a time, I became a GIANT...

"I was like walking in an old city of civilization...like a victorious warrior conquering The Kingdom of Netherlands..."

At the back is the St. John's Basilica construction started in 1380. I sat down but still taller than the trees...

Welcome to the mini-wonderland of Madurodam, a miniature city located between Scheveningen and The Hague of Netherlands. It is a model of a Dutch town on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical Dutch buildings and landmarks, as are found at various locations in the country. This major Dutch tourist attraction was built in 1952 and has been visited by tens of millions of visitors since then. The miniature city was named after George Maduro, a student from Curaçao who died at Dachau concentration camp in 1945 and whose parents donated the money to start the Madurodam project.
Read more of Madurodam.

Photo 1: The Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam where a number of navigation vessels and luxury ferry boats passes.
Photo 2: We are standing in front of the glassy Head Office of the Nationale-Nederlanden building, an Insurance Company which is 93x150 meters high in real size.




Photo 1: The Dutch Parliament buildings in the Binnenhof, Den Haag (The Hague). You will see of miniature human and horses figure during "Prinjesdag". A ceremony every once a year, the Queen gives a speech setting out government policies for the coming year.
Photo 2: A complete landscape shot of the miniature city.

Click slideshow for more Madurodam pictures from community webshots.

If you have a short time to visit Holland, this incredible place will give you the walking tour of your life - a whole country in a couple of hours. Shorter if you walk fast and avoid the amazing details of the buildings, moving walkways of mini-people going in and out of a church, moving trucks, airplanes on the Schiphol (airport) runway, raising bridges and boats galore! Fishes in the build canals and seas are also quite accomodating to show themselves in the surface. If you have a spare time of about 120 minutes, you got the chance to view the entire country :-)

The workmanship that goes into each piece is incredible, such perfect detail from the small specially grown trees to the dozens of train sets that whizz round the whole park. The moving planes, bridges, boats, cars and merry tunes of street organs will give the atmosphere of being in the city.

All replicas, railways and decorations get build here. Also the trees and plants are grown on scale. On some buildings was worked for more then over four years. First they make precocious pictures from the original building. In the beginning, everything was made from wood, and nowadays also from brass and synthetic material. The replicas are very expensive; like the rebuilding of the Saint John's Basilica will cost more than 450.000 Euro...


Photo 1: Me with the miniature background of Mauritshuis.
Photo 2: Me at the real location of Mauritshuis and standing next is the Prime Minister's chamber in Den Haag. (nice replica huh!)

Well, since it is the "smallest city" of Holland, Princess Beatrix at 14 was appointed first mayoress at its opening. She fulfilled this position until she was crowned Queen in 1980.

Fast Facts:

• Surface area........................18,000 sq. meters
• Inhabitants..................................16,000
• Cars & trucks..................................4,542
• Trains..............................................12
• trams...................................................2
• Railway & tram lines.....................4,000 meters
• Aircraft............................................32
• Traffic control power.........................4 meters
• Number of suitcases on baggage system.....500
• Miniature trees..................................5,236
• Flower Bulbs.....................................30,000
• Lights in the town..............................50,000
• Sleepers (railway)..............................80,000
• Ships.............................................58

All of these are in the park...We hardly finished and see all things since the sun was an oven heating of 29 degrees. Really hot! We can't help it but to rise up our ever sunshield umbrella or else my honey will end up a like a fried upside down egg :-)

Trivia: Do you know that I was completely amazed when I arrived at the park? I thought that Madurodam is a dam or reservoir of waters...like the Angat dam , La Mesa Dam and Wawa Dam in the Philippines. I expected to see dikes, polders, lakes and seas :-)

Photo 1: Angat Dam Photo 2: La Mesa Dam

The Wawa Dam

Hahaha! I was really clueless :-) Now, I know that sometimes what we think is really far from what we get :-) Well, a day in that man-made city was just an extra point actually. We had just spent time with hubby 'coz it was our engagement anniversary...:-) What a treat !

"...that once upon a time, we were like giants carefully walking while exploring around the lovely miniature creations."