What's In My Name?

My full name is Romina Encina Gapol.

My official nickname is Roma which can be pronounced with either a long or a short o. It is derived from the capital city of Italy, Rome. To some, I am called Roms, Romz, Roam, Romi, Romariri or Romaness.

I recognize that Romina is a unique name. Roma is more common as it is also used as a first name. Early on, however, I realized that my name was not as unique. It was June 1987, during my first day as a Prep-B student, that I learned that I was not the only Romina. The girl next to me in the class roster had the same name. She even had a nickname that sounded similar, Rona. Thus, when the teacher said, Romina, two kids looked up: Romina Gelvezon and Romina Gapol.

In college, I decided to use my nickname Roma. It was still unique (How many friends do you have named Roma?) and Romina was a name that I associate with grade school and high school. Since college was a new chapter, it was time to use a new name.

Believe it or not, I do not know where my mother got my name. She does not think that my question is relevant. When I asked Rona though, she said that her mom named her after a model in the magazine. I am not sure if she was referring to the model Romina Urra.

Thus began my long search for the meaning of my name. In bookstores, I would check baby books to see if my name was listed. Most of the time, it was not. One, however, said it meant Women of Rome. I was happy.

I tried searching for the name in the internet and here is what I found:

ROMINA

Pronunciation: /roh MEEN ah/

Origin: Latin, Italian, Spanish, Arabic

Meanings: Woman from Rome, Variation of the name Roma, Roman, Tribute to Rome, Little Rome, From the Christian land

Other Info: The name Romina is celebrated as a Name Day on the 23rd of February in Slovakia.

Sources:

http://www.babynamesworld.com/meaning_of_Romina.html

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Romina

http://www.birthvillage.com/meaning/Romina

http://names-meanings.blogspot.com/

http://www.cocojams.com/names.htm

http://www.all-babynames.com/meaning-of-name-Romina.html

ROMA
Pronunciation: \r(o)-ma\
Origin: Latin, Italian, Indian
Meanings: Place name for the capital city of Rome, From Rome, In mythology, Roma was the daughter of Evander, who named Rome for her. Gypsy, the equivalent name of the Goddess Lakshmi

Sources:

http://www.birthvillage.com/babyname.php?name=Roma&gender=Female

257 Postcards And Still Counting...(Updated)

This was lifted from my Multiply blog written last 16 September 2006.

I've decided to just spend the weekend at home, a first in a long time. The past few weekends I was either working or hanging out in my cousin's house in Laguna. With so much time on my hands, I just thought it was time to unearth my postcard collection.

I have been collecting postcards since I was about fifteen. I have always been fascinated with geography and travel and hoped that I would finally have the opportunity to visit other countries. I thought of starting a postcard collection as a reminder of that fervent dream. Besides, I don’t know of anyone who really collects them so I thought my collection would be unique. Thus, it became a habit for me to ask for postcards whenever I knew someone was going abroad. (Of course, I still have a stamp and a coin collection so those get included in my requests for pasalubong as well.)

My first postcards came from my best friend April, who travels a lot. Other postcards came from penpals from down south in New Zealand and the West Indies, specifically, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Soon, relatives, friends and their parents, schoolmates, co-workers, bosses and even my mom's colleagues pitched in. Thus, my postcard collection even becomes more special as they cease to be merely souvenirs from a person’s travels.

I keep my collection in three albums: one in blue, one in silver and one in brown. The blue one houses postcards from the United States and Canada. The other two are for the rest of the world and for some special artsy postcards. These three albums are kept in a big red box placed on top of my cabinet.

I have postcards from museums, hotels and airlines. Some are long, round or square. I have postcards capturing important landmarks, sunsets, costumes, scenic spots, and even animals. Most are colored, but there is a special one in sepia.

One-fourth of my postcard collection comes from the state of California. I have postcards from eighteen U.S. states. I am wondering how I can get postcards from Idaho, Montana, Alabama and the like. I would like to have postcards from each U.S. state! I have postcards from Europe, majority of which come from the UK, specifically Wales. I hope to get postcards from Scotland and Northern Ireland as well. I have postcards from Asia and the Pacific, the most prized of which come from Tajikistan (I have 22), Pakistan and Iran. These three are not exactly tourist-y places so you can just imagine how I got them. One of my goals now is to get postcards from the Caribbean, South America and Africa.

To date, I have a total of 257 postcards from all over the world, 22 of which (the one from Tajikistan), are still unmounted. I have yet to include in the count my postcards from the Philippines. I suspect there are still more lying around the house.

The Breakdown:

• 117 – USA (66 – California 8 – Arizona 7 – Nevada 6 – Massachusetts 4 – Maryland 4 – Washington D.C. 4 – Texas 3 – North Carolina 3 – South Dakota 2 – Michigan 2 – New York 2 – New Jersey 1 – Hawaii 1- Pennsylvania 1 – Missouri 1 – Kansas 1 – Louisiana 1 – Wisconsin)
• 24 – UK (England and Wales)
• 22 – Tajikistan
• 19 – Australia
• 14 - Canada
• 11 – Iran
• 8 – Guam
• 7 – South Korea
• 7 – Thailand
• 6 – Hong Kong
• 4 – Saudi Arabia
• 4 – Sweden
• 2 – Japan
• 2 – New Zealand
• 2 – Italy
• 2 – France
• 2 – Austria
• 2 – St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• 1 – Pakistan
• 1 – Monaco

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to my postcard collection. I am eternally grateful to you as you are helping me nurture my dream. You have already earned a space in my heart. I hope you will always remember me in your travels, in the same manner that you are remembered every time I look at my collection. This also serves as an appeal for everyone to contribute to my collection. If you know of anyone who is or who will travel to some faraway place, please ask for a postcard. Do help me in my quest. This is your chance to be “immortalized” in my memory. Ü

As of 30 December 2007, here's the breakdown of my latest additions:

• 17 - Italy
• 3 - France
• 13- Egypt
• 9 - Israel
• 1 - Jordan
• 10 - California, USA
• 2 - Australia
• 1 - Denmark
• 1 - New York, USA
• 2 - Indonesia
• 3 - Washington D.C., USA
• 1 - Singapore

The grand total now is 320 postcards, whew!

My Christmas Gifts

Gifts have never lost their allure on me. Seeing neatly wrapped presents always makes my eyes sparkle. Like a kid, I caress the wrappers and shake the box to get a feel of what is inside.

It is sad that as one grows older, fewer gifts are received. You know you are getting old because you start getting presents in paper bags. The boxes are also smaller (but sometimes the content is more expensive!). The element of surprise is somehow diminished because you already prepared a wishlist for your friends. The good thing, however, is that you at least get what you really like. In extreme cases, friends do away with wrapping and will just drag you to the store to buy your item of choice. I find nothing wrong with it but well, it's less fun. This is how grownups do it. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again.Ü

Here are my most-loved loot for Christmas 2007:

• Can opener. I do not know how to open cans. Well, I do, but not with the one that we have at home (It's the kind that you stick the sharp edge first then slowly move your way around the rim of the can). I am left-handed and I always have a hard time with this can opener that I have to ask my mom to do this simple job. Now, I can open cans easily which makes for hassle-free cooking! What makes this can opener special is that it was bought in Ikea Singapore.
• Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden. This is a real treat! I love this fragrance because it makes you smell clean and fresh.
• 1001 Little Beauty Miracles. It's an interesting book that contains, well, 1001 tips for taking care of your skin, face and hair. I am not very kikay, but it's a girl must-have!
• Personalized notebook. It's very handy to have. I plan to make it my dream notebook. This is where I will be posting pictures of the things I want to have and the places I want to visit.

Special thanks to Aly and April who bought these gifts from their new "homes" in Singapore and Australia. Come to think of it, this is also one of the advantages of having friends based abroad. You can ask for stuff that are not found or are hard to find here in the Philippines! Ü

I would also like to thank my friends who have not forgotten to include me in their Christmas list! :) Gifts may be fewer now and may not be wrapped as fancily, but I have learned to have a deeper appreciation for the presents that I have received.

Welcome To My World!

Today, I have decided to start a new blog, albeit on a whim. I already have one in Multiply but I've only posted a few, including the articles that I wrote for the Supplements Section of the Philippine Star a few moons ago. The rest are products of constant writing and rewriting, the experience, reminiscent of writing a formal theme for school.

This blog will hopefully contain more entries that are more laid back and less "formal". Just random thoughts, really.

I would like to write more frequently, just to keep my mind working. I have always loved words and I am constantly challenged with what I can do with them. I know I can write, but I just do not know if I am writing well enough. So, in the spirit of learning (and dealing with stress), I will let my fingers type away. :)

This is actually an exercise/means of self-expression. It would be a big help if you share your thoughts as well. :)

Cheers to more blog entries! Welcome to my world! :)