Visa-Free Countries for Philippine Passport Holder - P2

If you’re a Filipino and a holder of Philippine passport who likes traveling and exploring the beauty of the world, but hates the visa requirement to some countries, frown no more for you can still go to wonderful places without hassle-visa-appointments.

Below is the list of countries where Filipino Passport Holder can enter without a prior visa formalities requirement:

Countries in North America

Costa Rica Up to 30 days Country list (click Philippines)   +63-2-818-6740 / +63-2-816-7851

Haiti Up to 90 days Embassy of Haiti in US   embassy@haiti.org (US)

Saint Vincent Grenadines Up to 30 days Website   mail@embsvg.com (US)

COUNTRY IN EUROPE

Kosovo Unlimited for valid passport Site of embassy in the US   embassy.usa@ks-gov.net (US)

Visa-Free Countries for Philippine Passport Holder - P1

A Philippine passport is a travel document and is a Primary National ID issued to citizens of the Philippines. It is issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine diplomatic missions abroad, with certain exceptions. Besides facilitating international travel and conferring diplomatic assistance to Filipinos overseas, a Philippine passport is considered a primary form of identification in the Philippines, particularly because there is no national identity card system in the country.

The passport is a popular target for counterfeiters,  due largely to the relatively liberal visa requirements accorded to Philippine travelers to destinations such as Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other APEC and ASEAN member nations. Due to this, the Department of Foreign Affairs started issuing maroon machine-readable passports since September 17, 2007, and biometric passports since August 11, 2009. The green colored cover non-electronic passports are still acceptable until they expire. Philippine passports are printed at the Security Plant Complex of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Below is the list of countries where Philippine Passport Holder can enter the country that doesn’t require a visa:

Countries in Asia

Country   No. of days allowed          Official Webpage      Embassy Phone Numbers in the Philippines


Brunei Up to 14 days none  +63-2-816-2836 / +63-2-816-2837

Cambodia Up to 21 days Homepage    +63-2-818-9981 / +63-2-810-1896

Hong Kong Up to 14 days Visa requirement page (See Table)

Indonesia Up to 30 days Visa exemption page  +63-2-892-5061

Israel Up to 90 days Visa exemption PDF  +63-2-894-0441 / +63-2-894-0443

Laos Up to 30 days Exemption table  +63-2-852-5759 / +63-2-852-5979

Macau Up to 30 days Visa free countries webmaster@macau-embassy.org (US)

BASIC YOGA POSES - Part 3 of 3

The benefits of yoga are extensive. Not only does yoga affect the physical aspect of the body, it addresses the mind and spirit as well. Daily exercises are a great way to help relieve the stress of your day and can bring a sense of well-being to your life.

PART 3 OF 3: Basic Seated Pose Sequence: 15 step sequence of postures to use as a foundation in your basic yoga practice.

11. Roll the hips back to the floor and pull the left knee into Half Wind Relieving Pose

A. Interlace the fingers around the left knee. Tuck the chin into the chest with the head on the floor and pull the knee into the chest avoiding the ribcage to the left.
B. Press the low back, shoulders and back of the neck into the floor. Relax the legs, keep the elbows close to your sides.
C. Breathe and hold for 2-5 breaths.

BASIC YOGA POSES - Part 2 of 3

There are many different styles of yoga being taught and practiced today. Although all of the styles are based on the same physical postures (called poses), each has a particular emphasis. Here is a quick guide to the most popular types of yoga that can help you decode the schedule at your gym and figure out which class is right for you.

PART 2 OF 3: Basic Seated Pose Sequence: 15 step sequence of postures to use as a foundation in your basic yoga practice.

7. Inhale the arms up and exhale forward into Forward Bend

A. Bend the knees enough to hold onto the feet or ankles. Round the spine and press the head in towards the knees.
B. Press out though the heels and pull back on the toes. Relax the head, neck and shoulders.
C. Breathe and hold for 3-6 breaths.

BASIC YOGA POSES - Part 1 of 3

Yoga is a scientific system of physical and mental practices that originated in India more than three thousand years ago. Its purpose is to help each one of us achieve our highest potential and to experience enduring health and happiness. With Yoga, we can extend our healthy, productive years far beyond the accepted norm and, at the same time, improve the quality of our lives.

In life, it is necessary to learn how to relax after a period of activity. People spend approximately one third of their time in sleep, trying to recoup the energy and vitality they expended during the day. Unfortunately, many never achieve this objective because they haven't learned the essentials of relaxation. Relaxation practices in Yoga are different than sleeping, but their benefits are similar, and the principles of deep relaxation can be applied with equal effectiveness to our sleeping hours as well as our waking ones. When properly done, deep relaxation can become a powerful meditation practice that helps to anchor and stabilize the mind's awareness in a pool of deep tranquility and peace.

HOMEMADE ITLOG NA MAALAT

Ingredients:

• 12 duck eggs (or chicken eggs)
• 1 cup sea salt (or rock salt)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 star anise
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

CHRISTMAS PINOY BIBINGKA

No Filipino Christmas is ever without bibingka. They are inexorably associated with misa de gallo, the dawn mass on the nine days before Christmas. While they are more common as street food, they are so popular (even among tourists) that even five-star hotels serve them–using the traditional cookware–during the holiday season.

Bibingka, above, is a rice cake similar to the Western pancake in appearance. In taste, texture and way of cooking, however, they are very much different from each other. Bibingka is made from galapong, baked in a special clay pot, lined with a piece of banana leaf, with live coals on top and underneath. It is topped with slices of kesong puti (white cheese) and itlog na maalat (salted duck eggs). The newly-cooked bibingka is spread with butter and sometimes sprinkled with sugar then served with niyog (grated coconut). Galapong is glutinous rice soaked in water then ground with the water to form either a batter or a dough, depending on what the cooked dish is supposed to be.

Ingredients

4 eggs, well beaten

2 cups coconut milk

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted margarine

2 cups rice flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup coco cream, 1/4 cup sugar for topping

HEALTHY RAMADAN

Have a light meal:
Do not stuff yourself with food and drinks during or between Iftar and Suhoor. This contradicts the spirit of Ramadan and defeats the whole object of fasting. Health problems can emerge as a result of excess food intake which can 'clog' your digestive system.

At Iftar it is advisable to have a very light meal first — like dates and juices or soup and reserve the main meal for later after the Maghrib prayers perhaps or even after Taraweeh (special night prayers). The body's immediate need is to get water and an easily available energy source in the form of glucose for every living cell, particularly the brain.

What to eat:

• Due to the long hours of fasting, we should consume slow digesting foods including fibre-containing foods (which last up to 8 hours) rather than fast-digesting foods (which last for only 3-4 hours).
   
• Slow digesting foods contain grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc (called complex carbohydrates).

• Fibre-containing foods are bran, whole wheat, grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, spinach, the leaves of beetroot (iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, and prunes, almonds, etc.

 

800-YEAR OLD OLIVE TREE IN ABU DHABI



Image Credit: Abdel-Krim Kallouche/Gulf News

Olive trees such as this particular specimen, part of the Olea Europaea species, are not common to the UAE, but grow wild in other parts of the Middle East.



This native of the Mediterranean region is not a common sight in the UAE. But an 800-year-old specimen has managed to make its way to the capital from Lebanon. The olive tree, which was originally brought here to beautify the surroundings, has now gone on to occupy the pride of place at the entrance of the future Rawdhat residential district in Abu Dhabi. Looking at the tree's journey to the capital.

Abu Dhabi: On the side of a busy highway in the capital, a lone tree with silvery grey leaves stands guard. The olive tree, a native of the eastern Mediterranean coast, has been in the UAE for only nine months. But it is already spreading its roots in its new home, and drawing the attention of everyone who passes by it.

BIRTHDAY PRAYER

Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today
by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.

Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to you.
Amen.

Thank you God for the wonderful blessings, friends and acquaintances who love and like me, and my family who are always there for me. To everyone, thank you very much for being around to be my mentor and true friend in life. Maraming Salamat po!!!
~ Isabel Saguinsin II

PICTURE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

We don't know why John Paul II wanted to hide this picture for years. The Vatican published this picture recently, for first time.This picture was taken by one of his security guards just when the Pope was attacked and was falling down in his Papamobil. You can see the pain in his face.


Take a look at the above picture. You can see Mother Mary holding John Paul II in Her arms when he was shot in 1981.This happened on May 13, 1981. Pope John Paul II was shot as he arrived in St. Peter's Square to speak to the people who had gathered there. When he was shot, he was holding the rosary, which he always carried. When he fell to the ground, out of nowhere, a woman rushed to his side and embraced him. That pic is shown above. The picture is said to have been taken by one of the gathered people who was busy taking Pope's pics with his camera. The woman vanished as quickly as she appeared.

WAKA WAKA (THIS TIME FOR AFRICA / ESTO ES AFRICA)

by Shakira with Freshlyground, Music Lyrics and Video



Waka Waka is the official song for the FIFA World Cup 2010 which will take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa.

Shakira samples an African song, Zangalewa, and keeps the African voices in the chorus.

Shakira will participate in June 2010, at the opening concert of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa with other artists like Alicia Keys, John Legend and the Black Eyed Peas. The song Time for Africa / Esto es África (Waka Waka) has been recorded specially for the occasion with South African group Freshlyground and will be the official anthem of the competition. As in 2006, Shakira also participate in the tournament’s final concert.



The Waka Waka Shakira music video premiered on June 6, 2010



"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring South African band Freshlyground. It was the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, along with its Spanish language version, titled "Waka Waka (Esto es África)". Released on May 11 for digital download, the song received generally positive critical reception, and became a worldwide hit.

It was later included on Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album which was released on May 31, 2010. The K-Mix version of the song was also included on Shakira's seventh studio album, Sale el Sol. "Waka Waka" was performed by Shakira and Freshlyground at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off concert in Soweto on June 10, 2010, and at the final on July 11, 2010.

NEW HAIRSTYLES TO TRY - Part 2

Every new year millions of women vow to make life-changing resolutions: lose weight, improve relationships, give up a bad habit. Why not promise yourself that you'll get out of the hairstyle rut and go with something updated and fun?


HERE ARE OUR NEXT 5 OF TOP 10 FAVORITE HAIRSTYLES TO TRY:

MEDIUM-LENGTH HAIR– Although short or long hairstyles get the most celebrity attention, it's these medium-length hairstyles that many mature women opt for. See our favorites.

With its shoulder-sweeping length and gentle waves, Salma Hayek's thick dark mane looks very ladylike.

If you have a casual lifestyle and want the effortless look of layered hair, try a cut like Jodie Foster's long layers. Here, she wears it full and styled for a formal event, but with less volume this haircut is perfect for everyday life as well.

A center part, like on Mariska Hargitay, is youthful and flattering, especially when accompanied by a soft shoulder-length cut.

Long Hair –Shave years off your age by growing your hair out into a sexy longer hairstyle.  We can't all look like Christie Brinkley, but we can copy her hair.

How to keep long hair looking relevant and fresh well into midlife? Make sure your color and style are both current and not a blast from the past. Here, Sandra Bullock competes with girls half her age with glossy, long, healthy-looking locks.

NEW HAIRSTYLES TO TRY - Part 1

Choosing the right hair style is part technique and part art. The first step in finding the right hair style always comes down to determining facial structure.


Each face has its own unique structure. The shape of your face and head has a major role to play in the type of hair style you can wear best.

Additionally the shape and type of hair cut makes the difference between having an easy hair style and a style that becomes difficult to manage. Take your texture into consideration. For example, fine hair might require layers but thick hair could get out of controls with too many layers.

Knowing the shape of your face before you head to the salon will help you choose the right hair style and will help you to communicate better with your stylist.

HERE ARE OUR FAVORITE 10 HAIRSTYLES FOR GROWN-UPS:

BOB – This always-chic style can vary in length and even encompass curly locks like Meg Ryan's; it's a great style to try if you're tired of dealing with layers.
 

Helen Mirren shows off her classy silver hair in a simple, but elegant bob with bangs. This cut allows for so much versatility: in the days following this photo, Helen was pictured with her hair curled, waved and pulled back.



Bangs – Who needs injectables when you can cover up forehead wrinkles with flirty bangs?

Create a casual, but polished updo with a low ponytail paired with bangs (a high ponytail with bangs is too retro.) Angela Bassett's choppy bangs are a nice variation, too.

Make the most of fine hair with a soft, feathery fringe to highlight your eyes like Kristin Scott Thomas has done. Bangs like these work with all lengths of hair and are much more flattering than severe heavy bangs.