It's More Fun in the Philippines

When  winter makes us shiver with cold, and dark clouds seem to impede us from enjoying the day,  it is always nice to think of being in a warm place surrounded by the beauty of nature and the  heartwarming smiles of the Filipinos. Specially at this time of the year with the gaiety and cheers inspired by the Christmas holiday scenes, and the monsoon season out of the way, fun is almost to be guaranteed when you are in the Philippines. Here are some interesting photos about the Philippines.

White Christmas: It's More Fun In The Philippines! (Photo from DOT NY). #travel #ttot

PHOTO: "Here comes Santa Claus.." #Manila PHILIPPINES #Christmas #travel #ttot #Asia #fun (Photo from youlaughforme.blogspot.com)

PHOTO: Fantasy World, Lemery, Batangas, PHILIPPINES #odd #travel #Asia (Photo by James Singlador)

PHOTO: Piña (Pineapple) Silk Fabric is considered the Queen of the Philippine Fabric because of its sheer delicate beauty and is the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite. The world's largest and oldest producer is Kalibo, Aklan, and it was said that the practice of weaving from pineapple silk dated back to the Pre-Hispanic period. (Photo description: Models wear evening wear made from piña fabric from Fanny Serrano's Holiday 2012 collection during the designer's fashion show at Philippine Fashion Week in May this year. Photo by Roger Nazer Lactao, Jr) #art #fashion #couture #Philippines #Asia

Art: "Fruit Pickers Harvesting Under The Mango Tree (1939)" by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo Y Cueto, a master in chiaroscuro technique in his depictions of the Philippine rural scenes. His recurring subject is about the beauty of the #Philippines, the people and history. #Asia

PHOTO: Dreaming of the weekend at Snake Island, Palawan PHILIPPINES #travel #Asia #ttot #news (Photo by John K. Chua)

PHOTO: "Kapayapaan/Peace"- Sampaloc Lake, San Pablo City, Laguna PHILIPPINES #travel #Asia #ttot (Photo by Niko Lazo) 

Photo: Alemet, Ifugao, PHILIPPINES #travel #Asia #ttot (Photo credit: IRRI)

Five Legendary Wooden Bridges

Here are five legendary wooden bridges that are still functional.

1) Wind and rain bridge, China
This bridge is  perhaps the most emblematic in the tradition of building bridges within the ethnic group Dong, China.  The wood bridge that crosses the Linxi River is about 64 meters long. Built with embedded stones and wood, the bridge has five towers and eaves, and is the epicenter of a picturesque landscape: the meanders of the river, the trees of tea in the hills, and farmers working in their fields. The constructive technique is so surprising in that they are curiously held in place through centuries without the use of neither nails nor rivets.

  
2)  Ubein Bridge, Myanmar
Close to Amarapura, Myanmar lies the  U Bein bridge, the most extensive Teka bridge in the world, standing on pillars from the year 1849. In total, are 1.2 miles through the Taungthaman Lake, a walk used both for recreation and for activities such as fishing,  that attracts more and more tourism.

3) Medieval Bridge, Lucerne (Switzerland)
There are two medieval wooden bridges crossing the Reuss River in Lucerne. The Chapel (Kapellbrücke) bridge is the longest as well as the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, with 200 meters of length. It is on foot from the 14th century (although a part was rebuilt after a fire in 1993). In addition, the bridge provides for an artistic stroll since in the roof, there are numerous paintings that partly narrate the story of the city.

 4)  The bridge in continuous repair in Saphan Mon, Thailand
The bridge is located across the Lake from Sangkhlaburi and has 400 meters of extension. It is the longest and largest bridge in Thailand, and being of artisan construction requires continuous repair. For this reason, its appearance is continuously changing. It can only be crossed either on foot or by bicycle.

5) Kintai Bridge, Japan
It is one of the most important bridges in Japan. The bridge consists of five arches of wood on the banks of the Nishiki River, a national treasure built in 1673 as an  access to the Iwakuni Castle. Although what we see  today is a reconstruction (lack of maintenance from the wars and the typhoon caused havoc), the Kintai bridge is a perfect replica in line with the parameters of the construction in 1763.

The above bridges are all examples of how through his creativity, man has overcome the natural barriers of the rivers, in times in which the constructive limitations were accented.  Likewise, these are some of the colorful and curious  bridges of wood that we can still go through in different points of the planet.
Source:  Viajes Increíbles
Translation:  Tradukka

Creative Dollar Bill Origami

The origin of the art began as Chinese Paper Folding. The Japanese origin began in the 6th century when Buddhist monks from China carried paper to Japan. The first Japanese origami is dated from this period.

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes (Senbazuru) will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy beasts (others include the dragon and tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years.

Source: Gopshop

The Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of world peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. Her story is told in the the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Several temples, including some in Tokyo and Hiroshima, have eternal flames for World Peace. At these temples, school groups or individuals often donate Senbazuru to add to the prayer for peace. The cranes are left exposed to the elements, slowly dissolving and becoming tattered as the wish is released. (Source)

The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without the use of gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one piece of square paper.  Dollar Bill Origami (or money origami) is a type of origami that uses money instead of paper.  Enjoy this collection of creative dollar bill origami  from Crazy Pics Blog.

Amazing Waterfalls in the World

Here are some beautiful waterfalls from around the world as published in facebook. Truly some wonderful gifts of nature!

Mikaduki Falls, Tamura | Fukushima, Japan

Emerald Pool, The Alps, Austria

Iguazu: Waterfalls Valley

Waterfall Castle, Poland

Waterfall Island, Alto Parana, Paraguay

 4-Tiered Waterfall in Australia 

Detian Waterfalls shared by China & Vietnam

Madakaripura Waterfall (East Java, Indonesia)

Waterfall, Orbaneja del Castillo, Spain

Colombian Coffee Triangle

Triple Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana

Robot Chefs Of China

What would you rather do? pay for an employee to work for you or just have a robot that is cheap and only uses electricity?

In China, there has been a new trend in the use of Robot  Chefs. The NoodleBots are chefs programmed to cut noodles which are popularly consumed in Asian  countries.  The NoodleBot is sold at 2,330 US$  and  was invented by Cui Runquan, a  36  yrs old  farmer from the province of Hebei, China.  Cui  created his first robot in 2007 and received the patent of his invention with its brand name called Chef Cui, in 2008. The most recent version of the robot measures one  meter tall and can slice 160 pieces of noodles per  minute, which makes it three times more efficient than any human chef.

The NoodleBots make a certain type of fine noodles called "xiao mian".  It is of Shanxi origin,  The electrical appliance takes a piece of dough in one hand and uses a knife to cut it and then tosses it inside the boiling water. 

The robots can help the restaurant owners to save on the cost of an employee, said Duan Wanhu, administrator of the Tianxiang Food Machiner Factory, a company that manufactures the robots in China.  "Likewise is the issue on hygiene, Duan also mentioned.  "The human chefs perspire in summer and the perspiration falls on the noodles.  The robots do not perspire".

The factory started to manufacture the robot two years ago.  Now they make approximately 20 Noodlebots per day. Source of information:  El País

The Man by the Window

Source of image:  Freaking news.com

A great note for all to read; it will take just 30 seconds to read this and change your thinking.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live, for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm-in-arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy."Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

 Adapted from the story by Harry Buschman
Taken from: Moral Stories

The Power of Music

On occasion of the 130th anniversary of the founding of Banco Sabadell through the campaign "Som Sabadell" (We are Sabadell), this flashmob was arranged with the participation of 100 people from the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, the Lieder, Amics de l'Òpera and Coral Belles Arts choirs.  Music is from Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

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Al Ain Paradise, World's Most Hanging Flower Baskets

Al Ain Paradise, is a public garden holding the world record for the most hanging flower baskets (2,968) and represents the latest in landscaping and irrigation technology. It was awarded the Guinness World Records achievement on the 20th of March 2010. It is located at Zakher Area of Sweifi District, a 15-minute drive from Al Ain Town Center, in UAE. The gardens originally opened in 2010 in a 7,000 square-meter space on Nahyan Al Awal Street at the Zakher roundabout.  But it has increased to 21,000 square-meters.

 

Vertical landscaping is always a challenge, especially in this climate where proper controlled irrigation is vital for the living plants.

In addition to the display of living plants, which have to survive a season lasting seven months, there is a model of the Eiffel Tower and several intriguing sculptures.

The heart arches represent the three municipalities of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region).

Source of images: Gulf News.com  and Al Ain Enthusiast
Source of information:  The National

Palawan Island Nº1 Getaway In The World

By: Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:25 am | Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 

The fun in the Philippines is definitely starting to pick up with a private getaway island in Palawan province taking the top spot in the British edition of Vogue Magazine’s 100 best holiday destinations in the world.

In a statement, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said Philippine tourism would surely benefit from the worldwide recognition.
“What is remarkable is that the entire resort is a testament to the unique artistry and skills of Filipino designers and artisans,” Jimenez said.

“The use of local materials and traditional techniques serves as good advertising for Filipino craftsmanship and world-class products,” he added.

The resort is owned by British property developer Charles McCulloch and his wife, Carrie.

The United Kingdom remains to be one of the Philippines’ biggest tourism markets, registering over 104,400 tourist arrivals last year, which the DOT noted was a record.