This might not be the typical expat blog, written by a German expat, living in the Philippines since 1999. It's different. In English and in German. Check it out! Enjoy reading!
Dies mag' nun wirklich nicht der typische Auswandererblog eines Deutschen auf den Philippinen sein. Er soll etwas anders sein. In Englisch und in Deutsch! Viel Spass beim Lesen!
You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?
There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!
Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!
Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!
A motorist who loses his temper and acts inappropriately, or even violently against another motorist, pedestrian or bystander has become an “event to watch” along the thoroughfares and streets. The action is known as “road rage” which can be quite ugly, showing a human flaring up in temper tantrums characterized by “unpleasant and disruptive behaviors or emotional outbursts.”
If recorded on video, it could be easily trending on social media. If allowed to go unchecked, it could overcome educated behavior on the streets. The uproar – or concern – reaches all sectors, even prodding the legislators to call for an investigation on the matter.
Two bills have already been filed to penalize road rage. Both are titled “The Anti Road Rage Act” – one filed in December 2019 and the other in August 2023.
Both bills define road rage as “aggressive, hostile, or violent behavior in traffic or on the road by a motorist,” such as: “Wild gesturing at the other concerned party or any of his/her passengers; cursing or using bad language or any form of verbal insults; any physical attack at another or an attempt thereof; reckless driving; any kind of threat or intimidation; any use of force against another person…”
A significant part of the bill seeks to provide the government authority to prosecute road rage suspects on behalf of victims, “in cases where victims are unable or unwilling to pursue legal action due to fear, intimidation, or other reasons.”
What the bills also seek to do is to impose hefty fines of from ₱50,000 to ₱250,000 and imprisonment of from six months to 12 years, in cases resulting to death, suspension of driver’s license, and for government employees, suspension from office.
The bills come to mind today after news of another road rage incident. According to police reports, a female motorist driving a sports utility vehicle (SUV) overtook a compact vehicle, suddenly stopped, and on reverse gear repeatedly hit the compact vehicle. The report said that the Land Transportation Office had already suspended the license of the driver.
Another viral road rage video which initiated a Senate investigation showed a former policeman who went down from his vehicle, hit a cyclist on the head with his hand, and cocked a handgun. The case was resolved at a police station with the victim not pressing charges.
Until a law is passed defining and penalizing road rage, the next one who loses his cool on the road will be slapped with a “traffic violation of Republic Act 4136, (Land Transportation and Traffic Code)” for reckless driving or for being an “improper person to operate a motor vehicle,” and have his or her driver’s license suspended. Meanwhile, the victim can file complaints for injury or damage to property against the perpetrator.
A law that puts that all together and penalizes the act of road rage itself can do much to temper the hot tempers on the road.
Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for. — Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the many contributions of women to our society. It’s also an important day for shedding light on gender equality and women’s rights. One of the best mediums to do so is through film, if only because it is accessible to many. Here are 10 movies that center around women and why they make the perfect watch for International Women’s Day.
Little Women (2019)
By now, Greta Gerwig is considered a household name for moviegoers after the success of her Barbie film last year. While Barbie makes for a good watch for empowering young women, Gerwig’s take on Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel Little Women works just as well. It’s a faithful take on the story with a star-studded cast including Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird, The Lovely Bones), Emma Watson (Harry Potter), and Florence Pugh ( Midsommar, Oppenheimer), to name a few. In the film, Ronan takes on the role of Jo March and shows much of what women had to deal with in the 1800s.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
If young men have Robin Williams’ Dead Poets Society, young women have Julia Roberts’ Mona Lisa Smile. The film centers around Katherine Ann Watson who teaches art history at the prestigious women’s university Wellesley College. It takes place in the 1950s, just as Western feminism was about to hit its second wave tackling gender norms and what it means to be a modern woman. As Katherine takes on her teaching role, she challenges her students to aim for something more than just marriage.
Mean Girls (2004)
No, we’re not referring to the new musical movie based on the same film. Mean Girls centers around Cady Heron (played by Lindsay Lohan) as she navigates her way around high school after being homeschooled for most of her life. After befriending two social outcasts, the newly–formed trio plots against the high school’s popular girls’ clique known as the Plastics by having Cady infiltrate their squad. But, as Cady finds herself climbing up the social ladder, she starts to find herself in too deep after ending up as the new leader of the clique. The film does a good job of balancing the humor and tackling the many issues young women are likely to face during their high school years, making it so fetch as the coming-of-age staple for many.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Audrey Hepburn’s role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s is referred to by many as the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl (a term used to refer to quirky female characters that serve only to provide support to the male leading role), but to call her character such would be a disservice. While her eccentric traits and unusual antics tick off the trope’s checklist, the film focuses more on Holly rather than leading man Paul Varjack (played by George Peppard). It shows how Holly goes through each roadblock in her life as she tries to let go of her impoverished past for one of glamour in New York City. As we follow her story, we get a glimpse of a woman defying the gender dynamics of the time and taking charge of her path. Perhaps the only flaw in this film sticking out like a sore thumb would be Mickey Rooney’s severely outdated and racist portrayal of a Japanese man.
Legally Blonde (2001)
Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon), a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend after he decides to date a law school student instead. Hoping to win him back, she enrolls in Harvard Law School. Unfortunately, many of her peers view her as nothing more than the “dumb blonde” stereotype. Despite this, she rises through the ranks to prove them wrong and ends up interning for one of the university’s most respected teachers. Watching Elle Woods go past the stereotypes lumped against her and ultimately making a name for herself makes this a powerful watch.
Gone Girl (2014)
David Fincher is a master of creating spine-chilling thriller films and Gone Girl is one of his best. Rosamund Pike assumes the role of Amy Dunne, the wife of writer Nick Dunne, played by Ben Affleck. On the night of their fifth anniversary, Amy goes missing, leading many to question if Nick had murdered her. As things unfold, we uncover more about their marriage through Amy’s point of view. It’s a compelling watch that keeps you glued to your seat. As we watch Amy power through and plot her next move, we get a sense of her struggles that are similar to what some married women face in their daily lives.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
The Devil Wears Prada makes for a beautiful watch for fresh grad women still looking for their place in the world. It revolves around Andy Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway) as she tries her best to be the assistant of a notorious editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep). Although things start rough for her, barely able to keep up with Miranda’s demands, she slowly learns the ropes and manages to adapt.
Birds of Prey (2020)
Birds of Prey makes for a fun watch as we follow DC’s Harley Quinn (fantastically played by Margot Robbie) in her newest adventure. Joining her on the adventure are other iconic DC heroines like Huntress and Black Canary. Together, they must protect a young pickpocket named Cass after she steals a precious diamond from the notorious crime lord Black Mask.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
Who said women can’t be badass? Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 stars Uma Thurman as The Bride, a former assassin part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad led by her former lover Bill. After deciding to settle down with a newfound lover, her wedding is sabotaged by her former assassin colleagues. She seeks them out one by one to wreak vengeance upon them. It’s Tarantino at his finest, delivering a (literally) bloody good action flick.
Lost in Translation (2003)
We end this list with a film by Sophia Coppola, an icon for women in cinema. Her accolades through the years have been many, having scored an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, to name a few. Lost in Translation follows Bill Murray as Bob Harris, a Hollywood star who arrives in Tokyo to film a series of Japanese commercials. He strikes up a friendship with Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johannson, the wife of a celebrity photographer. Together they pass time and bond, finding ways to enjoy their stay in Japan. What makes this film so touching is how much Coppola put herself into the story, as it invokes much of the fear and uncertainties she felt before her career took off. She also channeled much of the feelings she had felt in her strained relationship with her former husband Spike Jonze. Overall, a beautiful passion project that makes for a pleasant watch.
Sarah Geronimo made history becoming the first Pinay to receive the Global Force Award at the Billboard Women in Music Awards held in Inglewood, California, on March 6.
She shared the recognition with Italian singer-songwriter Annalisa and Brazilian singer-songwriter Luisa Sonza.
In her acceptance speech, Sarah said the recognition "signifies courage and hope."
"Courage to accept and embrace oneself. Courage to break boundaries and define standards. Courage to rise above all the setbacks and challenges that one artist or one person has to face,” the 35-year-old singer-songwriter added.
“And the hope that one day this recognition will bridge the Philippines and other nations to create change and positivity through the world to the power of music."
She ended, "Muli ako po si Sarah Geronimo, isang Filipina. Maraming salamat. Mabuhay ang OPM.” Other awardees:
If you give up, you are ‘throwing in the towel.’ Especially in boxing events, fighters are said to throw in the white towel if they can’t fight anymore and have to give up. Well, this ‘job’ is usually done by the fighter’s team and not the boxer itself. So very recently, Deontay Wilder’s team had to throw in the towel when Deontay was fighting Tyson Fury.
In this fight, Deontay Wilder was outclassed from start to finish (well, for as long as it lasted) and to prevent even more damage, his team decided they had seen enough and threw in the towel to stop the fight.
So, in German, we do have a very similar saying that goes like “Das Handtuch werfen.” But wait a minute, doesn’t German saying Nr. 8 say “Die Flinte ins Korn werfen?” You are right. Of course, it does.
This “Die Flinte ins Korn werfen” is actually yet another nice German saying to say the same. The German expression “die Flinte ins Korn werfen” originates from wartime and refers to soldiers who preferred to surrender rather than fight in a hopeless battle and literally threw away their weapons (into the cornfield, if there was one obviously). Example:
A:Ich schaff das nie. Die anderen sind alle viel besser als ich. Ich werde an diesem Turnier gar nicht erst teilnehmen!
B: Jetzt hör aber auf. Du kannst doch die Flinte nicht einfach so ins Korn werfen! Du schaffst das schon!
Translation:
A: I’ll never make it. The others are all much better than me. I’m not even gonna be in this tournament! You can’t throw in the towel like that. You can do it.
Tim Cone speaks to the Inquirer Sports Staff. (MARLO CUETO)
Hey there sports fan,
Last Monday, the Inquirer Sports Staff hosted a testimonial dinner for Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who is also the head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.
Inside the posh Casa Buenas at Resort Drive in Pasay City, Cone spent a lot of time talking about his coaching career and the childhood he had growing up here in the Philippines (the guy is a certified probinsyano, settling first in Baler). He flew here when he was eight and in one of the legs of his journey from the United States (the flight from Waikiki to Manila), the jet had to return to the airport because one of its engines caught fire.
"You looked out the window and because the plane was tossing out gasoline, you could see these fireballs coming out of the engine," he recalled.
It would have been a distressing experience for anyone on that flight. But for an eight-year-old kid who got to witness an emergency landing at runway filled with screaming firetrucks, "it was quite an adventure."
Cone hopped from one province to another, flying back to the States only for college. After five years in the US, he "flew back home." Home, being the Philippines, where he still lived outside Manila for a while until work brought him back to the Big City.
If you are a Filipino under the age of 50, Tim Cone has lived in the country longer than you have.
The Inquirer awarded Cone with the Best Performance by a Coach trophy. The Guyito, the Inquirer Sports Awards trophy's nickname, was for his coaching stint in the Asian Games men's basketball championship last year, where the Philippines won its first gold in over six decades.
Cone also received the Best Performance by a Team trophy in behalf of Gilas Pilipinas and talked about the team in depth, including its immediate future. Do you know in what country Gilas Pilipinas will play next? Clue: The country will be hosting an Olympic-qualifying tournament. The answer at the end of this email.
We'll have more on the Inquirer Sports Awards and Tim Cone next week.
Capital1 celebrates its breakthrough victory. (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)
Meanwhile...
Volleyball continues to dominate the sporting conversation nowadays, what with the PVL All-Filipino Conference and the UAAP volleyball tournaments in full swing.
Here are a few stories we feel you should read:
You get a sense that La Salle isn't going to be contented until it gets a chance to get back at UST. The Lady Spikers have been using that defeat to the Tigresses to fuel their current run.
National U continues to look for its identity in the UAAP.
And Capital1 finally barges into the win column, but coach Roger Gorayeb says for now, winning isn't the only goal.
What we're up to next:
We will announce the winners of the Inquirer Sports Awards soon, along with features on Tim Cone. More volleyball coverage, too, as the PVL All-FIlipino and the UAAP tournaments chug along. Blackwater is currently on a hot start in the PBA Philippine Cup and we will be on ground to see how long that run lasts.
Number of the Week: 34
Number of years Tim Cone has been coaching in the PBA.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“[W]e need to be one-point warriors so we fought for every point.”
—Xyza Gula, on UST's philosophy that has allowed the team to fight back from deep deficits..
The answer to our trivia question? Latvia. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.
Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read.
See you next Friday!
Francis
Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).
‘A Glimpse of Forever’ lead star Jasmine Curtis- Smith.
Charmie Joy Pagulong - The Philippine Star
March 8, 2024 | 12:00am
As International Women’s Day is being celebrated today, and with the month of March as Women’s History Month, the cast members of Viva Films and director Jason Paul Laxamana’s film “A Glimpse of Forever” cited the contribution of women in society and shared their empowering messages to all the women out there.
“To all the women out there, keep empowering yourself, keep on strengthening yourself and make sure that everyone around feels that energy and you vibrate that energy to everyone,” remarked Jasmine Curtis-Smith, who plays Glenda in the movie, during the red carpet premiere night held Monday at SM Cinema Megamall.
“Not only all the women but also sa lahat ng tao because that’s the real strength of a woman — she can empower everyone,” she added.
“Jasmine said it all,” chimed in Diego Loyzaga, who is Kokoy in the film. “But to all the strong, independent mommies out there, exactly like my mom (Teresa Loyzaga) who raised a boy by herself, more power to you.”
Jerome Ponce (as Dante) shared, “Always remember, kung walang babae, walang lalaki. It’s the same. We thanked all the women in our lives and the women in the lives of the people around us. They are the ones who took good care of us, part of our lives, our inspiration and all.” (See related story on C-3.)
Anne Curtis made a surprise appearance during the premiere night to show support for her younger sister Jasmine.
The romance-drama film melded with sci-fi element tells the story of Glenda who finds companionship and comfort in a virtual dating studio called ForeVR after getting frustrated with her fiancé.
She befriends one of the virtual guys, Kokoy a.k.a. “The Boy Next Door.” But Dante, the guy behind “The Boy Next Door” character and a failed theater actor, who suffers from severe social anxiety, starts to fall for Glenda and the latter also can’t deny their connection.
Given that the motion capture actors are not allowed to reveal their identities to ForeVR clients and Glenda being in a relationship, can their connection cross over to the real world?
(“A Glimpse of Forever” is now showing in cinemas nationwide).
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Thursday that El Niño is gradually weakening and that La Niña may possibly develop this year.
El Niño, a climate pattern associated with extreme heat and drought, is expected to persist from March to May.
“While El Niño is weakening, its effects are still expected in the coming months especially as we’re moving to the drier and warmer months of March, April and May,” PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel Servando said in Filipino during a briefing.
“We advise our fellow countrymen to prepare for the effects of hot and humid weather intensified by El Niño,” he added.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the ongoing El Niño has caused over P1 billion in damage to the agricultural sector.
In an update this week, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the 2023-2024 El Niño was one of the five strongest on record.
2023 was the world’s warmest year on record, by far. The WMO said that El Niño contributed to these record temperatures, but heat-trapping gases “are unequivocally the main culprit.”
Conditions are expected to transition to neutral from April to June.
Wednesday a La Niña Watch, indicating a more than 55% chance of the cooling climate pattern developing in the next six months.
“A La Niña Watch doesn’t always mean that La Niña will occur. There's still a high possibility that it remains uncertain,” said Ana Liza Solis, who heads PAGASA’s climate monitoring and prediction section.
PAGASA stressed that historically, pre-developing La Niña events are characterized by below-normal rainfall. The weather bureau said this suggests a possible slight delay in the onset of the rainy season “likely with the confirmed effects of the ongoing El Niño.”
“The southwest monsoon is weaker during the pre-developing La Niña phase. Historically, there is a higher possibility of more rainfall during La Niña episodes in the last quarter of the year,” Solis said in Filipino.
La Niña refers to the cooling of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.
Join us on this day as we explore Boracay island in the Philippines! This has been long awaited and requested so we are so glad we finally get to experience it. First on our stop we show you the beautiful famous white sand beach. Afterwards we grab a drink and bargain got a ride to Puka shell beach where we bought some delicious banana cue from locals. We ended the day on a clear bottom kayak which was something to remember! Is this island paradise? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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