Thursday, November 29, 2012

Guinness World Records Recognized a Filipina: Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles




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Today the Guinness World Records recognized Ms. Gina Gil Lacuna as the record holder for "The World's Largest Collection of Jigsaw Puzzles in any Size, Shape or Form". The awarding was held at the very prestigious The Puzzle Mansion located in Tagaytay City.


The award was handed by no other than Guinness World Records Adjudicator and Representative of Turkey, Seyda Subasi Gemici, with the official Guinness Certificate attesting to the new record she has set in this category. Ms. Gina Lacuna's collection boasts 1,030 jigsaw puzzles.  All the puzzles in the collection were completed by ma'am Gina herself and are all housed at the Puzzle Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Tagaytay City.  The previous record for jigsaw puzzles was 238, collected by Luiza Figuereido of Brazil on May 21, 2010.


The puzzles in Ms. Lacuna's collection were adjudicated this morning in the presence of two official witnesses, Sister Angeline Ilagan and Professor Monette Narciso of the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts.  The puzzle collection includes mural-sized puzzles that are 14 feet long and 5 feet tall and smaller pieces of various shapes and sizes, some in 3D and 4D.


Ms. Lacuna is currently working on one jigsaw puzzle that is acknowledged also by Guinness to be the biggest jigsaw puzzle in existence in the world : Keith Haring’s Double Retrospect with 32,000 puzzle pieces – 17 feet long and 6 feet tall.


According to ma'am Gina she began doing jigsaw puzzles 27 years ago, says she is able to finish two 500-piece puzzles a day and a 1000-pieces puzzle overnight. “If the puzzles have only 300 pieces, I am able to finish five of them in one day,” she said.


The awarding ceremony was also witnessed by local and foreign dignitaries, like Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino and Director Luella Jurilla of the Calabarzon Region who represented Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez. Friends from local and international media were also present during the occasion.


Mayor Tolentino said, “We are very proud to have this awesome puzzle collection in our City and this recognition from Guinness World Records, the ultimate authority on record-breaking achievements, will place Tagaytay on the world map. The Puzzle Mansion will now be included in their local package travel offerings such as the Lakbay Aral. We congratulate Ms. Lacuna on her singular feat and salute her for the role that her puzzles will play in boosting tourism in this part of the country,” 


For her part, Ms. Lacuna said she wants to turn more people – especially the youth – into solving jigsaw puzzles. “They are very rewarding to do because they are educational and have many psychological and health benefits as well. They relax you even as they make you think. According to doctors, working on difficult jigsaw puzzles exercises your brain. The more you work your brain, the better off your mind will be. Solving jigsaw puzzles can help stave off memory loss and brain aging.”






The event ended with a very beautiful fireworks display brightening the Tagaytay skyline.

The puzzle collection is on view daily at The Puzzle Mansion from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Sunday with minimal entrance fee of P100.00.  For more information about the puzzle collection and The Puzzle Mansion, visit www.Facebook.com/puzzlemansion


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23 comments:

  1. wow that is a cool collections!!!i should say i must begin too as a new hobby....who knows....i might be the next record holder...hahhaa!!!

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  2. Nice! a Filipina is a Guinness record holder! She even have a jigsaw mansion. Congrats Ms. Gina!

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  3. How awesome is that? A simple hobby suddenly turns into an award-winning feat.

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  4. I introduced puzzle solving to my 2nd child when she was 3 and eventually she could solve it after immediately, and after that she enjoyed it and wants some more puzzle. Right now she's trying to solve her 200 pieces jig saw puzzle Barbie.

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  5. First time to read about the Puzzle Mansion! Looks so cool! My son and I loves solving jigsaw puzzles, by the way! It's one of our favorite past-times. :)

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  6. Mabuhay ang Pinas and mabuhay si Ma'am Gina another Filipino Milestone

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  7. Wow! Congratulations! It made me wanna visit Tagaytay soon and visit the Puzzle Mansion. By the way, the Philippines was also award as the biggest fashion show in the world with 2255 ramp models!

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  8. For real, another proudly Filipino is known to the world.. amazing :))I hope to visit the mansion some time soon, I'll take my eyes ready for it! :))

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  9. Collects a total of 1,028 different puzzles, i\d never attempt a puzzles just like a 300 or more per piece of 1 puzzle.

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  10. What makes this collection more unique and amazing is that... the puzzles are all made by the collector herself. Truly a skill and a talent at the same time. Ms Gina truly deserves the title and the Guinness World record.

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  11. Cool!! it takes a lot of patience and focus to finish those... I can't even finish one in a day without complaining! :)

    Cheers~!

    - Justin -
    The World According To Me

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  12. I was happy when I this at the news last night. i hope no one will take her title. Congratulations for her. :D

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  13. She really made it to Guinness. I watch her story on cable and for so many years she collects puzzles from small puzzles to big ones. Great!

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  14. wow amazing :D galoning cause Filipinos are beating the world records now. I just participated in the glorietta vibe and we beat the record too!!! :)

    Rovie
    The Bargain Doll
    :)

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  15. being in the guinness is something to be prod of... congrats to her... i just visited monfort bat colony in samal... they as well were recognized by guinness... Yahweh bless.

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  16. Read about her feat in the morning tabloid this day. wow! amazing feat indeed. Hope more Pilipinos will make it to Guinness World Records.

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  17. Kudos to her. Puzzles like these are preferable compared to the digital ones - this one exercises motor skills better than when you use a computer where you usually just hang on to your mouse and do away with the clicking and stuff. This saves you from absorbing radiations too from the computer monitors.

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  18. Wow! congratulations! :) I can't imagine for only 100 pesos I can visit the puzzle mansion :)

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  19. That's passion in action!!! I admire people like her who has the patience and skill to finish it!- or even start it! Kudos!

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  20. Congrats! Another Pinoy on the Guiness Book! Hope we can maintain that record. She is the PUZZLE QUEEN!

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  21. Wow!!! I would love to go there and see her collection. I love puzzles. Good thing it's easier to find puzzles here as we're near Ravensburger.

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  22. Amazing! Look at her collection of jigsaw puzzles. Now that's what we call passion!

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