Why is it more fun in the Philippines?

It is more fun in the Philippines because we really have strong family ties. 'I’d rather lock myself up in my room than bond with my family the whole day,' that would probably be my answer if you ask me five years ago what I like to do during Sundays. I can relate to one of the cute commercials of Mcdonald’s in 2010 entitled “Tween.”

I didn’t want my parents to be too much involved in the things I do back then, just like him. Well, I kind of regret it but I probably think that it is part of growing up. (Maybe? Hehehe!) But nowadays, most people, including me, consider Sunday as a sacred day intended for family only. Although there is no specific itinerary for Sundays, I just find it really fulfilling being with them and enjoying ourselves even if we simply watch television or talk about things. It does not matter where we are or what we do, it is all about spending time with the people you love which makes the experience extraordinary.

When I watch documentaries and commercials of OFWs, it proves how important family ties are to Filipinos. They would try their very best just to be able to fly to the Philippines in time for birthdays, anniversaries and most especially Christmas. These events are more enjoyed if it is shared with the people you love. I would like to share the latest commercial of Coke which is really moving. It does not highlight the product, rather the feeling of genuine happiness when the grandfather was able to see his granddaughter’s newborn. Bottomline: this is such an awesome video! I hope you like it! J

-Meg Rementina

Lou's opinion on campaign

This campaign. It's more fun in the Philippines. 

It's more fun and it's not at the same time. Plagiarism, right to bash … Some critics flared up. But I still didn't have the chance to listen to someone saying the Philippines are reduced to fun through this campaign. 

Los Angeles, Hong Kong Disneyland and dolphin parks in Florida, those places are at different side of Earth but they have the same selling argument. Fun. And they all sell the same fun.

Philippines are not representative of this globalized fun and that's why this campaign is more fun in the Philippines. 

But who will dare to emphasize, to invest money on a unique culture, a mix of rich influences, something Filipinos can be proud of as a selling argument ?  

More Fun in the Philippines... Is It?

I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of “It’s more fun in the Philippines”. I’m one with the critics saying that it’s not reflective of who we really are. But then again, can a slogan condense our culture? Can seven words really describe what we’re about? Not really. Fact is, it’s a campaign. It is designed just to gain Philippine tourism.

People say that we have a lot of problems and we can’t just go around saying that it’s more fun here, we’re oblivious. Well, you don’t see Incredible India showing us the number of people who get into motorcycle accidents everyday, nor do we see Malaysia Truly Asia showing us their alleged terrorist-training facilities. Now, would you want people to see people starving or do you want to see “the beautiful side” of the Philippines?

We’re not turning our backs on them, no, but let’s take what we can get and make the best of it. Have some pride, people. Love our country for what it is, don’t look for Switzerland in here.

-Jiggy

It just is

All day all week! (image taken from designpinoy.com)

         
           It is more fun in the Philippines because i grew up in it. I grew up here understanding the whats, the whos, wheres, whens, whys and hows of our culture. Doing it elsewhere may also be fun, but I'd always stick to something original to my heart. You just learn to love what you are :D

- Raymond Yam

A Yammy Holiday

We Yams visit our relatives and spend our Christmas in Baguio every year. It is a very beautiful place to spend the holidays because of the weather mostly and the activities.



My dad fancies staying in the BCC (Baguio Country Club) cottages rather than the hotel because it feels rather homey for him. This is where we stayed in:

Yes, we stayed there... camp hor... a fitting name

The fireplace adds to the "being tamad" for the holidays

getting my fatness on

 Christmas is seriously notorious for its weight gaining schemes and it truly worked on me. I've actually gained 2 years in my body age (used a really fancy weighing scale that computes all sorts of things)



However, one thing we've noticed that the addition of new so-called "Christmas Village" in front of their hotel. One bad note was that it was exactly beside our cottage (hence the nice view of the picture) so that meant my family's ears were blasted with Christmas chipmunk songs non-stop for the past few days. It stopped because i think some of the other cottage residents complained, good for us!

members get in for free but non-members pay 30 to get it :(

Note the fake snow effect

not very roomy for non-elves

These are my siblings, we are arranged randomly but coincidentally by age! my brother Ryan, is at the leftmost then my sister, Kat, at the center.

What's cooking? i mean chillin.

Here, this is the first time I've seen a really ginormous fake snowman, it really catches my eye cause its in front of the hotel. fancy!

My attempt at being artsy with a camera

After Christmas my siblings and i spend the other holiday (the 30th) in my tito's farm in Lipa, Batangas and i saw this cow chilling in the middle of the pathway while it was surrounded by a lot of birds and it seemed like it was their queen (birds flew cause i tried to get near, the camera didn't have zoom in it)

Happy Holidays! hope you gained as much fat as i did :)

- Raymond

Of Small Families and Christmas Eve

I come from a small tight-knit family, and I like it that way. I'm an only-child and have only two cousins. My mom only has one brother as well, so it's gonna be a really small family. Admittedly, I'm closer to the mother's side of the family; well, most of my relatives from my father's side are abroad now anyway.

This is my christmas eve. We spend the night eating and then opening presents, nothing fancy. To a close family like ours, christmas is just like your average sunday, with gifts of course. A benefit of having a small family is always seeing each other, so that's a good thing. More on that later.

Let me introduce you to a few of my family members.

This is my dad. He has a prune on his face. Just kidding, it's a mole. I owe a lot to him. He's been slaving his butt off working in the casino for the past 15 years or so to provide me good education.  He grew up in a big family and he didn't always got what he wanted. He lived on hand-me-downs from his older siblings. Now, he's giving me what he never had when he was a kid. Thank you for everything. I love you dad.

This is my mom with her brother.

My mom spoils me a lot, being the "unico hijo". I don't mind being spoiled, but she needs to learn to spoil herself sometimes too. She deserves it. My mom is a picture of success to me; she graduated college, starting work as a fastfood manager, now she's an executive in one of our country's top banks. She inspires me to work hard for my future, as she did. I admit I'm glorifying her a bit too much, but hey, I'm proud to be called a "mama's boy".

My ninong is the cool uncle. He works hard and plays hard. He taught me how to drink. See? In Filipino culture, he's the "taga-binyag". A wacky scatterbrained character, he works his way through life with his impeccable wit and style. Even though he's a clumsy guy, he's hella smart too. He's living proof that funny people are smart.

Here's my lolo. He's the last of my grandparents. He's 77 and still drives a sweet ride, he's a "groovy lolo". I love him. I lived with him and my lola for two years when i was a kid, because my nursery was just near their house. This brought me really close to them. Now, I take care of him by visiting him at home ever so often. I dread the day that he'd pass away. *knock on wood*

These are my cousins along with their mom. They're kids, I'm 20 years old. Notice the very slight age gap.

Christmas eve for us is a very standard affair.

There's presents...

and of course, food over conversation.

One thing special about christmas eve with the family though is tradition. We have those little quirks every family has for christmas. We have a christmas centerpiece, a Child Jesus in a basket.

He has been the centerpiece of our christmas arrangements for 15 years now. I remember my lola telling me that I used to put a blanket on him because I said that he might feel cold. He lies amongst the gifts, also symbolic of our gifts as offerings to the Child. He also serves as a reminder why were celebrating the occasion.

More than the Child Jesus centerpiece, something is closer to my heart as a christmas tradition. Every year, without fail, we take a family picture by the stairs in my great-grandmother's house, where we always spend christmas eve. This makes me feel that sense of true "family-ness". This is my family. We are small but tight-knit. We don't have lavish family gatherings for christmas with catered food, bright lights and waiters serving champagne, we have ourselves. Our small family. A small family filled with love and affection. Love and affection that is shared by ten people. My mom, my dad, my lolo, my ninong, my tita, my two cousins, and my two grand-aunts.

So, what makes my christmas eve stand out from every other christmas eve here in the Philippines? The answer is, it doesn't. It's a typical Filipino celebration, but what makes it special is that I spend it with the people I love most, with the people from my small, tight-knit family.

Happy Holidays. :)

-Jiggy

Meg's

The complete blog post is entitled "Meg's Photo Blog Post" (a PDF file) on my Dropbox.
You can download it HERE.

The photos can be viewed HERE.


Happy new year everyone!! :)