February 2017 - Expat In Bacolod

Ednalyn Grace Samson: Philippines Got Talent

Ednalyn Grace Samson: Philippines Got Talent

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 20, 2017

It was my great pleasure to meet Ednalyn Grace Samson (Lyn or Edz) last night at the Hat Trick Bar and Grill. It was an even greater pleasure to hear her sing. She has that rare quality of singing voice that touches your inner soul and I can tell you I was almost moved to tears. Enough babble from me, this is a selection of YouTube clips I found of her wonderful voice. The Philippines truly has some great talent! I will also feature her friend Jack soon. He also had a great voice 🙂

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Bacolod Liverpool Hull – Any Connection?

Bacolod Liverpool Hull – Any Connection?

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 18, 2017

Bacolod Liverpool Hull all have something in common – ships and docks. It’s one of the things I love about Bacolod. It’s on the water and it has a docks area just like Liverpool where I grew up. Hull is an other port in England but is on the east coast at about the same latitude as Liverpool. Hull faces the cold North Sea, Holland and Germany. Liverpool faces the windy Irish Sea, Ireland and America. Bacolod faces west toward Iloilo and Panay island and has a number of fast craft and RoRo ferry services to various parts of the Philippines. It also has some commercial shipping other than ferries. Why did I mention Hull? There are other ports in England besides that port.…

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Work in the Philippines: Teaching

Work in the Philippines: Teaching

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 17, 2017

Work in the Philippines: Teaching Want to work in the Philippines as an expat? You know the saying or at least one of its variations: “those who can, do … those who can’t, teach.” Sometimes in my life I have felt that true. At other times, I’m not so sure. It all depends on the person and the circumstances. Well, it’s my turn. I am going to be teaching this April and May, 2017. Who’d have thought it! Yes, that’s me. Although I have thought before about teaching, I have never done it. The last time I had any yearning to teach was before I embarked on my travels to Thailand. I inquired about Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to teach English in…

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Recondite: Word Wednesday (Improve Your Word Power)

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 15, 2017

The meaning of recondite has been well-hidden from me for a long time. It’s not often I see a word and haven’t got a clue as to its meaning. I spotted recondite in a sentence a few days ago and just had to look it up. Back to Merriam- Webster for this week’s source: adjective re·con·dite \ˈre-kən-ˌdīt, ri-ˈkän-\ Popularity: Top 30% of words Definition 1 : difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend : deep <a recondite subject> 2 : of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure <recondite fact about the origin of the holiday — Floyd Dell> 3 : hidden from sight : concealed reconditely adverb reconditeness noun Examples in a sentence <geochemistry…

Numbskull: Word Wednesday (Improve Your Word Power)

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 8, 2017

Numbskull is an English word I don’t hear so often these days. I am using Stack Exchange for an explanation of its meaning as my usual source, Merriam-Webster, has a rather uninteresting entry. The forum exchange included these comments: If the OP wishes to express someone’s ignorance of math, I would suggest using a different expression. I’m a complete idiot when it comes to math. Alternatively, the noun numbskull is also very appropriate. a stupid person; dolt; blockhead I’m a numbskull when it comes to math. Source: The Free Dictionary Then there was this contribution from a Brit: I can’t think of a standard animal/object/phrase that would naturally fit the gap in I’m a ___ when it comes to math except for something dull like…

Bacolod Recommended Eating – Vikings

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 4, 2017

Vikings has fast become one of the “must-go” eating places in Bacolod. People rave about it and it was about time I tried it out – what better time than Zabrina’s birthday so I treated the whole family to dinner there on a busy Friday evening. Let me cut to the chase – Vikings is a great experience but the quality of much of the food leaves a lot to be desired. It is really a wonder of marketing and whoever thought up the concept is a clever individual. Vikings is a concept in buffet style eating with a wide array of worldwide foods. Think TGIF but with imagination. It is an experience and once you enter it’s like walking into a cross between a…

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Bacolod Recommended Eating – Memory Lane By Esperanza

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 2, 2017

Memory Lane By Esperanza classes itself as a diner. I think it is more than that. It’s a quirky, “home-from-home” place with oodles of atmosphere, great service and welcoming hosts and staff. As you walk in, you can almost hear a silent shout of, “welcome, my friend – long time no see!” Confession time, Zabrina and I didn’t eat on this occasion but we will in future. The house specialty is wings and they looked fantastic! The basic wings will set you back Pesos 110 and they do three bumper feasts with the maxed-out Pesos 745 ($15) version coming with 26 wings, much ribs, mac cheese, the obligatory rice and goodness knows what else and includes 1 liter of iced tea. We didn’t eat…

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Expatriate: Word Wednesday

Published by Stephen Bentley on February 1, 2017

Expatriate is certainly appropriate as a choice for this week’s ‘Word Wednesday.’ Often shortened to ‘expat’ as in the name of this blog Expat in Bacolod. Let’s see what Merriam-Webster has to say: verb ex·pa·tri·ate \ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt\ Popularity: Top 30% of words Definition expatriated; expatriating transitive verb 1 : banish, exile 2 : to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one’s native country intransitive verb : to leave one’s native country to live elsewhere; also : to renounce allegiance to one’s native country expatriate\ek-ˈspā-trē-ˌāt, -ət\ noun expatriation Examples in a sentence <members of the deposed dictator’s once-feared political party were expatriated as well> Origin and Etymology of expatriate Medieval Latin expatriatus, past participle of expatriare to leave one’s own country, from Latin ex- +…

Month: February 2017