The Anthem Philatelist

  ARTPORTALCEBU, in collaboration with Filarts Inc., announces the holding of the Philippines-Korea Art Exchange Exhibition at the ArtPortalCebu located in Atua Midtown, F. Manalo Street, Cebu City, on Feb. 3 to 12, 2025. The exhibition features works from a stellar lineup of Filipino artists, including Lida Maria Aguilar, Roy Ama, Aris Bagtas, Espie Bagtas, Leodito Bongo III, Roy Espinosa, Pauline Allison Espinosa, Marvin Natural, Celso Pepito, Lucilo Sagayno and Manuel Sinquenco. Renowned Korean artists Park I-Sook, Youn Euni, Wang Young-Mi, Choi Moung-Hui, Yu Su-Gyeong, Bae Hyun-Jung, Ryoo Anna, Park Yun-Kyung, Shim Hyun-Ji, Lee Hyo-Jung, Choi Vina, and Kim Hee Jung present their works as well. The Exhibition aims to foster cultural appreciation and artistic dialogue between the two nations through a diverse selection of paintings, and mixed media works. Attendees can expect to experience an array of artistic styles and cultural expressions that highlight the creative spirit and...

Tick encephalitis , Lyme disease , Hepatitis A , etc.- these are some of the diseases one might acquire when traveling to Siberia , As a doctor I was apprehensive about travelling to this side of the Earth.  The Lonely Planet guidebook which I read thoroughly gave these warnings.  Should I really go? I think I shouldn't.  But, this is a once in a lifetime experience.   Good that this book also mentioned a contact person- Petr Ishkin , a well-traveled Russian teacher who is proficient in English.  So I tried to email him, expecting he would never answer. He must receive hundreds of these requests, why would we bother to respond to mine?    I was requesting him to accompany and guide me through this Siberian rendezvous which brought me from island of Cebu , Philippines to Seoul , Korea , to Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia then to Ulan-ude , Siberia .  I was quite surprised  when he answered back the next day. After this, we were regula...

Jongmyo Shrine was built by Lee Seong Gye (1335-1408), the first king and founding father of the Joseon Dynasty. It was a primary place of worship for kings throughout the Joseon Dynasty and has been registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site for its well-preserved ancient customs such as memorial services and traditional music. One of the many unique characteristics of Jongmyo Shrine is the 3-forked path of slightly raised roads that starts from in front of the main gate. The middle path is in honor of kings of the past and leads to Jeongjeon, where mortuary tablets of kings are preserved and memorial services are held. The tradition of enshrining successive kings was originally handed down from China, and has been well maintained. Jeongjeon has 19 different rooms in all, honoring 19 different kings. The east road of the shrine’s forked path is for the living king and the west is for the living prince. These two paths connect to a room where the king and the...