Life Holds Special Magic To Those Who Dare To Dream ...

Daydreaming about island-hoping in my beloved Philippines - the dilema is there are 7,107 islands to choose from (plus or minus depending on low or high tides)!

London a city of two tales!

This was definitely one of my most memorable volunteering!

What my six year old reading partner taught me was that London is truly a city of two tales and our schools (comprehensives vs independent schools) represents each end of the spectrum!

Enormous disparity!

Don't Gain The World & Lose Your Soul-Wisdom Is Better Than Slave & Gold

Please continue to help the less fortunate especially in this era of austerity!

Supporting since 2000

HIYAS

Ethnic inspired handmade jewellery with a twist - I recycle old jewelleries and make something beautiful!

What you need...

Memory Wire

Glass Beads

Pliers



How to make...

(1) Choose a selection of beads and lay them in order, mixing colours and shapes

(2) String the memory wire with beads, pinching each end to hold the beads in place

(3) Use pliers to curl each end of the wire to secure



Tip...

Try different colours and bead assortments to wear with your favourite outfit

It's the thought that counts!

http://www.hiyas.co.uk/

hiyas.ecojewelleries@gmail.com

Twittering is personalised e-learning !!!

In case you were wondering where I was last week - I have decided to do a week on week off of blogging. So this week I finally succumbed to twittering which I found very liberating. We are not only in the age of mobile e-learning, twitter allows us to personalised how, what, when and where we learn too (still trying to figure out what this means for traditional academia)!

So I am currently following a number of tweets which covers everything from travelling to comedy. I particularly enjoy the nature articles and photos from National Geographic, the 'Big Society' agenda by the coalition, the infamous Mr Stephen Fry, and keeping loyal to my HR roots the CIPD and yes the Jigga (Jay-Z) is twittering too!

Warning to some of you parents out there, my little boy who is three years and 2 months is self taught in the use of iphone and all the applications so be careful what you install and always use in moderation! So twitter away!

Artistic Flair

These pictures were trip down memory lane for me when Frederick was just two years old (Summer 2009). He really enjoyed this but what was even more amazing was that his work was actually displayed in Lavanta Gallery in aid of the charity 'Help a London Child' (founded in 1975 by Lord Attenborough CBE). He never stopped scribbling!

Fred in His Usual Left Handed Artistic Fair

Lavanta Gallery Display for 'Help a London Child ' Charity

http://www.lavantagalleria.co.uk/



Finale

Carrot Cake

I love the smell of cake baking in my kitchen and my little boy loves getting messy too! Today I would like to share with you the easiest carrot cake recipe you will ever find online (thank you grandma)!

Ingredients
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of self raising flour
3 medium sized carrots (finely grated)
1 cup of sunflower oil
2 teaspoon of cinammon essence
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 teaspoon of baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup of raisins

Process
Set your oven to gas mark 4 (to warm up)
Mix sunflower oil and sugar
Add eggs (one at a time)
Add grated carrots
Add self raising flour
Add baking powder
Add essence (cinammon and vanilla)
Add raisins
Mix gently but thoroughly and pour in a baking pan
Leave in the oven for one hour

ENJOY (and don't forget the TEA)!

Be Inspired

The most interactive animal sanctuary in London (Syon Park). If you want to know why snakes stick their tongue, why tarantula is hairy, why chinchila's are so soft, why parrots are chatty and why some owls have orange eyes please support this unique establishment!

www.tropicalzoo.org

Plants Have The Power to Calm, Heal and Delight Through the Senses

If you have or are thinking of growing herbs they really thrive in well-drained sandier soils and plenty of sunshine. I always found the kitchen window to be a perfect location. Give your herbs your tender loving care and they will reward you ten times over. 

The Anglo Filipino Relations

I woke up this morning feeling positive and energised - so here is the outcome. I researched and wrote this article in 2001 while I was volunteering!

The Anglo-Filipino alliance dated back during the Spanish conquest and settlement in the third quarter of the 16th century. The four hundred years of Spanish administration fuelled considerable number of revolutions, which resulted to the proclamation of the Philippine Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Meanwhile, the four centuries of Anglo-Filipino relations dated back from 1577 and at present Filipinos are making considerable contributions in British society. The following are the main historical events, which highlight the Anglo-Filipino relationship.

1577 Sir Francis Drake sailed from England to the western coast of South America despoiling Spanish shipping from Valparaiso to Panama. He sailed across the Pacific and touched the coast of Mindanao and eventually explored the southern part of the archipelago.

1587 Another explorer which followed Drake was Thomas Cavendish. His interest was mainly the coast of South America primarily due to its growing trade industry. The Spanish Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade was the origin of the global maritime industry. Cavendish and his men successfully apprehended 'Santa Ana' and 'Nuestra Senora de Cavadonga which were the Galleons who traded off the coast of Samar. In addition to this, the region of Iloilo was later on invaded due to its growing galleon trades. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, both English and Dutch explorers controlled the oceans and preyed on the Spanish Galleons who transported goods from Asia to Europe via Manila.

1762 English admiral Cornish and General Draper together with 5,000 British and Indian soldiers conquered the walled city of Manila and successfully gained authority. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris gave way to the Spanish settlement in the Philippines after paying $4,000,000.00 to the English. The 19th century was the marking point whereby England became the Philippine's biggest trading partner outside Spain.

Spanish - Filipinos

1808 The first trading house was established in the city of Manila. Spain, which ruled the Philippines through Mexico, administered and traded directly with the country after Mexico proclaimed independence in 1820. In 1837 the port of Manila was officially opened for foreign trade and was later on followed by Pangasinan, Iloilo and Zamboanga in 1855 and Cebu in 1863. John Foreman, an English chronicler, stated that by 1858 there were fifteen establishments whereby seven belonged to the English, three were from the Americans, and the rest were from other foreign nationals.

1841 English adventurer James Brookes sailed to the coast of Borneo. After several violent encounters, the sultan of was forced to surrender the Island of Sarawak. He was later on given the title as the White Rajah of Sarawak. Bookes visited Zamboanga which resulted to a treaty with the sultan of Sulu. His ambition was to gain power over the Dutch possession of the South and the Spanish possession of the North, which included Sulu and Mindanao. In 1887, North Borneo was ceded to the English. Meanwhile, East India and the province of Sabah, owned by the Sultan of Sulu, were leased to the same group by the Sultan.

1850 Robert McMicking, another British chronicler, stated that The import trade of Manila was almost entirely in the hands of the British merchants which were established in the city. Record shows that British exports to the Philippines ranged from long-cloths, drills, cambric, printed and white twills, lace, cotton velvet, sewing thread, chintz, ginghams, iron, lead, canvas, spelter, steel, cutlery, ironmonger, glassware and Indian beer. Britain was the biggest importer of Philippine goods followed by continental Europe. Top of the import list included sugar, sapan wood, hemp, cigars, hide, tortoise shell, indigo, coffee, pearl, ebony, and cordage.

1857 Hong Kong based correspondent, CW Andrews visited the Philippines and published accounts of life in Manila during this period. He travelled along the provinces of Luzon and illustrated scenes of the Filipino's daily life.

1869 Fr Faustino Villafranca was the first Filipino to write about his experiences while travelling in Europe. He later on wrote a book entitled 'Desde Manila a Europa' which included famous sights he visited while he was in London. His London experience was during the Industrial Age and included the Thames Tunnel, the London Underground, and Crystal Palace - which was moved from it's original site in Hyde Park to South London.

1880 The first cable linking Manila with the rest of the world via Hong Kong was laid by Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraphic company Ltd. The company was later on renamed Cable and Wireless but had undergone privatisation in the 1980's and finally renamed Mercury Telecommunications.

1886 Juan Luna, who emerged to be the Philippines' most famous artist visited Britain during this period. His portfolio included sketches of Brighton particularly its famous beach, English facial types, scenes from Richmond and Kew, figures from Parthenon friezes and Egyptian statuary in the British Museum.

1887 Jose Rizal, the Philippine National Hero, visited the British Museum Library while working on his research. He stayed in Primrose Hill where a commemorative blue plaque is now in place. 1887 was the period where Msssrs Het, Mayler and Co (London) was contracted by Manila Railway Company to build the railway system for the country. The rails, locomotives, coaches, wagons, and ironwork for bridges were all from England.

1898 James Earle Stevens, a Manila representative for the American firm Henry Peabody & Co (Boston and New York) in 1894 wrote in his book (Yesterdays In The Philippines) the following lines:

'In one of my shopping expeditions for photographic materials, I was introduced to the Botica Ingles or EnglishChemist's shop, which seems to be the largest variety store in town. Here it is possible to buy anything from a glass of soda to a full fledge lawnmower, items also ranged from toothbrushes to photographic cameras'.

1964 Davis Medalla and Paul Keeler set up Signals, which became one of the biggest venues of modern and contemporary art in London. Medalla introduced Takis, Jesus Rafael Soto, Vasarely and other contemporary artists and experimenters to London audiences. Signals became a lively forum of artistic political and social ideas. In addition, articles by Dore Ashton, Lewis Mumford, Pablo Neruda, the crystallographer JD Bernal and the Philosopher-Physicist Heisenberg were published in the journal.

1989 Theatre impresario and producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh imported Filipino artists to perform in the now legendary musical Miss Saigon-which opened up the West End theatres and other theatres within Europe to talented Filipino performers.

Today Britain is the Philippines' fourth largest trading partner after the US and Japan, and remains the biggest among the European countries. By 1987 several British corporations established sites in Manila. Among these companies are Unilever, Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ), Glaxo Wellcome, Beecham, Sun Alliance, Standard Chartered Bank, Shell, Allied Thread, Boots, and Cable and Wireless. These companies make up for thousands of Filipino employment.

Large scale immigration to Britain started in the 1970s when skilled and semi-skilled labour force was recruited from the Philippines. Areas of recruitment included hotels, restaurants, private residences, and hospitals. The recent recruitment of Filipino nurses to assist the National Health Service increased the number of Filipino migrant workers in Britain. There are now around 100,000 Filipinos in the UK with a possible further increase due to the increasing number of second and third generation Filipinos. The majority of this statistics are concentrated in the multicultural city of London.

Some Filipino immigrants have successfully established themselves in businesses such as shipping, travel, remittances, and food stores. Others particularly the second generation British Filipinos have entered the entertainment industry and are gradually making their own name.

There are many Filipino social organisations that hold public activities for the Filipino community. In addition, the community in Britain is constantly on an increase due to the growing number of second and third generation British Filipinos who are growing exclusively for Britain. The rest of the community comprises of Filipino post graduates and undergraduate students who are currently studying in British universities around the country.