Koninginnedag (Queens Day)

Today is Koninginnedag (Queen's Day), one of the official national holiday here in Holland. The present queen now is Queen Beatrix who's birthday every 31st of January. But she chooses to keep on the Koninginnedag or Queen's Day every 30th of April which is her mother's birthday Queen Juliana.

Normally, it's always a big feast here in Holland. The Royal family walks in some places and went on parade... Earlier, while I'm watching live on TV, the Dutch Royal family in the bus for a parade, an accident happen when suddenly a car drives to spectators and bumped into the monument, his intention was to bump his car into Dutch Royal family while having their parade. The bus was not hit but it's sad that there are some injured and 6 watchers died... It's really sad. Before it happened, I was so excited to go to out and to go to vrijmarkt (freemarket), it's once a year only on Queen's day that people are allowed to sell their old things in the street.... And normally, it's like an "Orange Craze", they wear their orange clothes in combination with orange hat or any orange ornament they can wear...

Anyway, we still went to freemarket, I still let my daughter to wear her orange t-shirt... But it's not anymore as festive, as i've seen in past years Queen's day... I even forgot to make photos when we walk in the freemarket, I just remember to make a photo when we are about to go home as you can see in the photo....
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For more photos on what happened Queen's Day here, you can visit Yahoo News with this link:

Car plows into Dutch parade, killing spectators

Familiepark Nienoord

Last Sunday (26 April) we went to Familiepark Nienoord in Leek, Groningen. It's nice there especially for all the kids because of the very big playground. But every now and then we have to go on separate playing station because the interest of Sharon and Nienke are different from Mireille. Of couse Mireille want's to try to play everywhere but that is not possible because she's too small with some playing station. I remember in the climbing balloon, as you can see in the 2nd photo Mireille can reach as far as the half of that mountain (balloon). I have to say to her to stop or else I have to climb too to get her. Ahh, I have fear of height that's why I cannot assist her in climbing, hehe! but she know's how it works after climbing, she's letting herself slide down. Good ha?
I know for sure the kids have fun!

Dag van de Aarde (Earth Day)

Happy Earth Day!

You'll see different activities in website www.earthday.net and here in Holland in the website www.dagvandeaarde.nl.

And for me, I just joined the Earth Day Network today.

De Band Nuchter in Martiniplaza

De Band Nuchter where my husband was also a singer have their recent performance in Martiniplaza in Groningen last April 16, 2009 (Thursday). I put here in my blog one of the videoclips from YouTube of Fred who is also bandmate of Ron in De Band Nuchter. You can watch for 3 more videos of their performance in his YouTube with this link jager023.

Enjoy!

Paasmaandag (Easter Monday)

Today, it's Paasmaandag (Easter Monday) also known as the Tweede Paasday (2nd Easter day). It's considered as special holiday also here in Holland. That's why there's no work, schools are closed and like sundays the stores are closed as well... But I've heard from my language teacher that some dutch people wants to buy a new furnitures on this Easter Monday that's why usually the furniture stores are open today...

For us, we went to attend Holy Mass in Groningen in Sint-Jozefkathedraal. It's like Easter sunday holy mass too as you can see in the photos.

Happy Easter!!!

Vrolijk Pasen! (Happy Easter!)

Powerpoint to Video

In 2004, the Infomation System Division of Tariff Commission where I'm working then gave special lessons on "How to make powerpoint presentation?" This is the first Power Point Presentation I made titled 'Bakit pa ba'... I used the song "Bakit pa ba?" by Jay R, then I put the lyrics in the animations then I put photos as well from the movie "The Passion of the Christ"... The song "Bakit pa ba?" was supposed to be like a love song but then if you'll listen to the lyrics you can really coordinate it with the photos from "The Passion of the Christ".

I've search in the internet on how can I convert the Power Point Presentation into Video, then I found the "Moyea PPT to Video" converter. Then I used it to convert "Bakit pa ba" powerpoint presentation into Video that's why "I'm sorry if it bothers you to see in the upper left side of the video the Moyea watermarks.... Still Thank you Moyea.

On this Lenten season, I thought maybe it's nice to convert it into video, so I could upload it into YouTube at the same time so I could put it here in my blog too.

Happy Easter to everyone!

Palmzondag (Palm Sunday)

Yesterday, we've attended holy mass for Palmzondag (Palm Sunday) in Sint-Jozefkathedraal in Groningen... We received this plant (as you see in the photo) from the church as our palm leaves.

I remember in the Philippines, on Palm Sunday holy mass, catholic church goers didn't want to miss this holy mass because it is only once in a year for the special blessings of those palm leaves. Somehow, I miss the Holy Week activities in Parish of the Holy Family, in Karuhatan, everyday there's activity beginning Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, like Pasyon/Pabasa, Washing of feet on Maundy Thursday, Senakulo, Easter vigil and some other holy week activities in Philippines

Here in St. Vitus Parochie (Parish) there are activites too, but I'm not yet good in dutch language, so for sure I can't understand everything or every part of the activities then...

Anyway, while searching with some tradition here in Holland during Palm Sunday, I've read this part in Wikipedia -

Palm Sunday tradition in Netherlands

In the Saxon regions of the Netherlands, crosses are decorated with candy and bread, made in the form of a rooster. In the diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden a great procession with oil lamps is held the night before Palm Sunday in honour of the Sorrowful Mother of Warfhuizen.

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I've seen this kind of tradition last year when we've attended Holy mass in dutch language here in St. Vitus Parochie, in Winschoten.... Indeed, Palm Sunday commemorates an event mentioned in the the Bible. Especially the Reading (Jn 12:12-16) during the Procession with Palm leaves...
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Jn 12:12-16

When the great crowd that had come to the feast heard
that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out:
"Hosanna!
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
the king of Israel."
Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as is written:
Fear no more, O daughter Zion;
see, your king comes, seated upon an ass's colt.
His disciples did not understand this at first,
but when Jesus had been glorified
they remembered that these things were written about him
and that they had done this for him.