Hans Christian Andersen

I still can't forget the first time I saw Danny Kaye's face light up as he was singing "I'm Hans Christian Andersen" in the musical named after the beloved and revered Danish weaver of children's tales. I am intrigued by the position of this statue. HCA holds a book in one hand and a cane in the other, his head turned to the left and slightly raised, seemingly interrupted by something or someone. Perhaps he was tapped on the shoulder by a friend or an acquaintance who wanted to say hello. Or maybe he was interrupted by an idea for his next story, a story that would capture the hearts and minds of the young and young at heart.  

Quick travel tip: When my friend and I went to Copenhagen, we stayed at Wakeup Copenhagen. It is very close to Tivoli Park (within walking distance) and the city center. It is also near a mall with cinemas.

Norway's Midnight Sun

This picture remains to be one of my favorites. I just  recently finished editing conference proceedings about social justice and the multicultural Asia-Pacific region. While doing so, I encountered this cliche which one of the participants kept saying, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Of course I had heard it said many times before, but then I had never really thought about its true meaning. 

When I looked at this picture just a few minutes ago, the explanation suddenly dawned on me. Looking at it made me realize that I am not particularly fond of the person in this picture (who happens to be my ex-husband of almost seven years now). There is nothing exciting about the low mountains in the background, nor the shrubbery in the foreground. Yet it only took the light of the setting sun suffusing the clouds around it to make this picture greater than the sum of its parts.

In life, there should be no room for nitpicking. Ugly things can be beautiful if hit by the light of the sun in just the right spot. 

Quick Travel Tip: To see the spectacular midnight sun, visit Norway from mid-May till the end of July. 

For more information about the midnight sun, please click here.

Baler: Beyond Coppola's Apocalypse Now Part 2

By now we were starving. It had taken us a little over five hours to get from Manila to Baler, and we had already gone on a tour of the city. We needed some nourishment and libations to sustain us for the rest of the day. My mom suggested that we go eat at Jerry Shan, an all-you-can-eat restaurant not that far from Mrs. Quezon's childhood home.

When we got there, the place was packed with patrons who seemed even hungrier than we were. We saw the long queue, which was disheartening. But we were already there, and we were so hungry. One of the servers found an unoccupied table for us. My dad who never queued to get food in his life, asked me and my mom to get some food for him. It was a bit of a challenge, holding two plates, but Pete, my husband helped a lot.

After lunch, we went back to the hotel.My parents and I had coffee, while Pete had a beer at Beach House, Costa Pacifica's restaurant. At around 2 pm, someone from the front desk informed us that my parents' room was ready. We stayed there for over an hour until we got the call that our room was ready as well.

The room I shared with my hubby.

I spent the rest of the day taking pictures.

People enjoying the cool breeze.

The beach wouldn't be complete without a boy digging.

Our hotel

Surfboards and people chillin'

Fish and chips

Cheeseburger and fries.

Read Part 1 here.