Parol, or star-shaped lanterns, are a staple of Christmas festivities in the Philippines, and Pampanga is the place to go if you want to see more of these multi-colored, flashing marvels. Come December, almost every home in the Philippines has one of these blinking from the windows; the best and biggest of them come from the province of Pampanga, where the "Ligligan Parul", or Giant Lantern Festival, is held every December.

Our Awesome Planet has a great blog entry on how these monsters are made. And Ultimate Pampanga Tours is covering the Giant Lantern Festival in Pampanga, Philippines, as part of a bigger tour of the area that includes a tour of the good food the place has to offer.

The Ligligan Parul event itself is not one to miss: different towns around San Fernando, Pampanga competing for the distinction of having the best giant parol for the year. It's good business, too, for the parol-makers who sell their wares to the onlookers who stream in from the capital Manila.

For more on the Ligligan Parul, go here: Giant Lantern Festival.

Christmas light-up on Orchard Road, Singapore. Image © Craige Moore/Creative Commons.

So what's the point of celebrating Christmas in a snowless tropical country? Why go celebrate the Yuletide season where "White Christmas" is shorn of meaning?

You'd wonder, wouldn't you - until you make your way to Singapore, where the shopping- and scenery-mad Singaporeans are working their tushies off to give visitors and locals alike an unforgettable Christmas experience. Find out more when you venture onto our page: Christmas in Singapore.

Hey Barack Obama, don't look now, but the Indonesian capital of Jakarta just put up a statue of you. As a kid in short pants. Now don't let your head get any bigger now.

It is a bronze statue of a smiling 10-year old Barack Hussein Obama in shirt and shorts, with a butterfly perched on his outstretched hand. [...]

"This statue is designed to inspire Indonesia's children, to tell them that they can be anyone they want to be," Ron Mullers, chairman of the Jakarta-based Friends of Obama Foundation, which initiated and raised the money for the statue, said. [...]

"I think what's really nice about it is that it reminds us that the man who's now the U.S. President grew up here, eating bakso and nasi goreng, speaking bahasa and learning about the world," Mullers said.

OK, I dig it. Particularly the eating local food part - last time I was in that part of town I had nasi gila with my new friends on Pestablogger '08, and I agree about the nice part - but maybe they ought to be putting up a statue to the bakso and nasi goreng chefs first? That's just me.

Anyway, next time you're in that part of the world, you might like to check out my list of top things to do in Jakarta. You'll love it there, even if they likely won't put up a statue in your honor.

Image © Jakarta Post.

Orchard Road, Singapore, with the Heeren in the foreground. Image © Singapore Tourism Board.

This Christmas, the magic word in Singapore is - "Celebrations Hotel Packages".

Say the magic word, and you'll get one night free when you stay at participating Orchard Road hotels between November 7, 2009 and January 3, 2010. Just quote the promotional code while booking: "Celebrations Hotel Packages".

For as low as SGD 208++ a night, guests enjoy free daily breakfast, free tour of the Christmas light-up along Orchard Road and Marina Bay on a decked-up open top bus, and so much more:-

• Free food vouchers at the historic Lau Pa Sat food center
• 25% off two full-priced Adult admission tickets at Mint Museum of Toys, and free two children's tickets
• Free wellness treatments and traditional Chinese medicine consultation at IAG HealthSciences on Orchard Road
• SGD 10 Voucher for Captain Explorer DUKw Tour (originally priced at SGD 29.90) & SGD 8 Voucher for FunVee City Hopper 1 Day Pass (originally priced at SGD 19.90).

Additional hotel offers, and terms & conditions depend on the hotel you book.

For a list of participating hotels, go here: "Celebrations Hotel Packages" Participating Hotels in Singapore.