Becoming an American, Helping the Philippines WOW

WOW

Citizen Carol

Valentine's Day 2011 was extra special! 54 of us from 26 countries took an oath of allegiance to the country who welcomes 'your tired, your poor, your huddled masses' and 'crowns thy good with brotherhood' thereby fostering the American Dream.  It is a ceremony that is repeated every day in many US CIS offices around these United States of America! I became an American that LOVE-ly day!

So finally, we have booked our long-delayed trip to the Philippines! We leave on February 22 for San Francisco, the following day we fly to Hong Kong, and we arrive in Manila at midnight of February 24! Things are now moving quite fast! We shall now be able to take care of pressing concerns there, visit dear ‘old’ friends and family, and show Bill more of the beauty of the Philippines! But before anything else, I have a request!

I have not forgotten my dream to help my country. So I asked Bill to enter a contest whose prize money is to seed a BIG (Breakthrough Innovation Grant) idea. I reprint here his request (and the link to his entry for GEM-Go and Experience Manila) and ask you, my dear friends, to help him help my motherland. The deadline is March 15 and I would like to thank you so very much for you help! This is one idea whose time has come for travelers to Manila

Since I retired, I have had a desire to do something as part of my “payback”.  Carol’s plan had always been to somehow help the Philippines. She asked me to join this BIG contest sponsored by Seven Fund. We entered this project: GEM, a substantial website to attract tourism dollars. The ultimate goal is to create jobs and alleviate poverty in the megalopolis. Please paste the following link to your browser, click the “like” button at the top and make a comment.  Quality inputs/promotional reach are in the criteria for selecting the idea that would get the $20,000 seed money. We would appreciate your help!

http://www.breakthroughinnovationgrant.com/gem-go-and-experience-manila/

@ Camping World

Now the RV is in Camping World, that large chain of RV superstores, for roof repair and then it will be stored at the house of the Thompsons, Bill’s old-time friends in Sumner, Washington. So we will travel sans RV for about three months, with a significant change of weather! It is now 42 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle and…..77 in Manila! That 25 degree difference will be a welcome change!

Mines View Park, Baguio City

Despedida (farewell) parties are on until we come back in May for the bienvenida (welcome) parties. Between these two party rounds are the trips around the Philippines’ 7,107 islands. We were so busy the last time we went that we were only able to go to Baguio, the cool summer capital up in the Cordillera Mountains, Tagaytay, the smallest volcano in the world within another volcano, Anilao, a famous dive spot, and Subic Bay and Clark, the former US military bases converted into fine resorts.  

the volcano within a volcano

This time we will see another top-ranked diving spot (Tubbataha Reef) in Palawan, the famous pink powder beach of Boracay, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol (also home of the world’s smallest monkey, the tarsier), Corregidor Island, a last American stand in WWII, and a road trip to Pagudpod, the northernmost tip of the big island, Luzon, where the Marcos crypt stands, only a stone’s throw away from Hong Kong!

3rd largest mall in the world, Mall of Asia

I may have turned a page by becoming an American citizen but my heart still longs for my birth place and my husband has heeded my request to find ways to help. Join us in our next posts about the contest’s outcome and our sizzling travels around the Philippines!

at Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay

  

Kitamuki Kanon Temple

Located in Bessho Onsen, Kitamuki Kanon Temple or north-facing hall of the Goddess of Mercy; was founded in the Heian Period (8th-9th century) by Jikaku, the chief priest of Enryakuji Temple, Hieizan. A rare construction in Japan with the hall facing north, it is said that if people visit Zenkoji Temple, which faces south, to pray for their future and happiness after death, and do not pray for divine favor for the present by visiting the north-facing hall　of the Goddess of Mercy, their devotions will be unbalanced. 

If you remember my posts about Bessho Onsen earlier, we visited this temple on Day 10 of our trip to Japan.  More posts on the area can be found here.

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This is a post for  Budget Trouble : Show Me Japan. Click the link for more awesome Japan-related blogs.

A Night Of Terror

My son loves his haunted house rides. When we visited Tokyo DisneySea last year,  he kept bugging us to go up the Tower Of Terror.

We didn't manage to get our hands on the Fastpass for this particularly popular ride, so before we got in the Tower of Terror, we experienced the terror of looooooong queue. How long?

Need I say more? Actually, this wasn't as bad as the time we were in line for the Monsters, Inc. ride at Tokyo Disneyland in 2009.  o.O

The Tower seen during the daylight

The queue. We were not even halfway there yet!

The Tower, after the sun came down.

The Tower of Terror is an awesome drop ride.  "Plunging" down in the eerie elevator ride when it's already dark was much better than doing it during the day. The view of illuminated theme park was really lovely from the tower. That is of course, if your eyes were open and you take a breather from all your screaming. LOL

Sushi For Lunch

All those posts about the food we enjoyed while vacationing in Japan last year, we have yet posted anything on sushi, haven't we? It's just to show that contrary to popular belief, Japanese food is not about just eating raw food. Well, it is, and more. There are plenty of awesome cuisine that one can experience and taste while in Japan and most of them were, in fact - cooked!

We waited till the last few days of our trip to finally step in a sushi place. It was intentional because eating sushi can be a rather expensive affair! And we didn't want to splurge so early in the trip.

Our favourite place to get our sushi fix in Japan is Sushi Zanmai in Asakusa. The place offers sushi at affordable price. No revolving belt here - everything is made to order! Read about our visits there in 2009 here and here.

I've also written about us being mistaken as tourists from different parts of the world - mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. When we were shown to our seats at the counter, the chef asked us whether we were from US! Now that's new! His second guess was spot on. He guessed correctly that we were from Malaysia! Yeay! There must have been Malaysians eating sushi there before us, eh?

See those sushi platter on promotion in the menu? That was the two sets what we ordered for lunch.

It was great watching the sushi chef was making our order right in front of us. He'd make a few and gestured for us to start enjoying them. I sheepishly told him I wanted to wait for all the sushi to be lined up in front of me and he understandingly said - ahh... for photo! Yes! For photo. We are tourists after all.

Those we got in the photo above did nothing to satisfy our lust for sushi, and we actually ordered more afterwards. All in all, I think we spent about 3 to 4,000yen for lunch. A huge amount for us to be spending. But regret, we certainly did not. It was well worth the money spent.

p.s mizu (water) is free, ocha (green tea) is not here. ;)

OLA: Viewing the Work of Man and Nature

Mt. St. Helen's sliced off look

Day 24 of the 2011 Regular Session

This week’s day trip took us east of Elma, to the state capital of Washington, Olympia, to watch the goings-on at the State Capitol. Then south we went to Mt. St. Helens, to see how much of the mountain was lost in the 1980 eruption, passing through the small towns of Tenino and Kid Valley. It was a day of viewing the forces of man and nature and respecting their contributions to the world.

the Washington State Legislative Building

Not wanting to be late for the opening of the House and Senate sessions on Day 24 of the 2011 Regular Session, we woke up early and hurried on to Olympia.  At the Senate, the ecumenical prayer was followed by the Honor Guard establishing the flag of the United States and Washington in front. There were many of us at the Visitors’ Gallery. It was exhilarating to watch the wheels of democracy turn!

the State Seal

Washington was carved out of the western territory ceded by Britain in 1846 and became the forty-second state in 1889. The beautiful Legislative Building houses the State Legislature where 48 senators and 98 members of the House from 49 legislative districts work. The executive branch is headed by a governor who has a corner office there. On campus also stands the Temple of Justice which houses the State Supreme Court. 

Olympic Mountains from the State Capitol

At the north end of the state government complex, one can look northwest and gasp at a picturesque scene in nature, the majestic peaks of the Olympic Mountains.  Then further south towards Tenino, are wonderful works of man. The first is the almost 200 fine sculptures in Monarch Sculpture Park, a 10 acre park where there are also a 1-acre maze of hedges, a butterfly haven, and a lagoon. The second is the International Wolf Haven which provides lifetime sanctuary to 150 rescued wolves.

the entrance to Monarch Sculpture Park

International Wolf Haven

Bill and I have wanted to see Mt. St Helens because its eruption (which he saw) was very much like that of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines (which I saw). We tried in 2007 but ran out of time so this time we took a shortcut and we were already an hour ahead from Olympia, 50 miles south of Seattle. On the way, we had glimpses of an unfamiliar southern view of Mt. Rainier in a pure white cloak of snow.

Mt. Rainier from the south

Very long-haired white, brown, and black llamas were silently witnessing all the beauty around them. Then, at 25 miles before the National Monument, we were surprised to see a 28-foot statue of Bigfoot in a little town called Kid Valley. Folklore has it that the legend perished here from the massive mudflow of Toutle River after the eruption. A buried A-frame house even stands as a gift shop beside him.

Bigfoot at Kid Vvalley

Mt. St. Helens is famous for its eruption on the morning of May 18, 1980, the most economically destructive in US history. 1,312 feet of its dome exploded, shooting 24 megatons of ash and pyroclastic flows sideways and not upwards, leaving a gaping mile wide horseshoe-shaped crater. Smoke still rises from this crater even today.

llamas along the road

11 years later, Mt. Pinatubo also erupted in the Philippines. Although it was half the size of Mt. St. Helens, this eruption is the second most destructive in the world in the twentieth century. It shot 1 megaton more but did so much higher up into the atmosphere, affecting other countries and destroying more parts of the country.

 

the crater of Mt. St. Helens coming up from the highway

Apart from the sliced off look of Mt. St. Helen’s and the still muddy Toutle River in the valley below, after 30 years, you see everywhere else bright new young trees and lush vegetation growing, testament to the life that continues to thrive even after such a destructive force of nature. And, 235 years after the US declared its independence from Britain, democracy still reigns supreme in the halls of government.

It was a winter day well spent! And we cannot wait for next weekend’s scheduled visits to Tacoma, Seattle, Roslyn, and Snoqualmie, Washington

Mommy! Let Me In

Mommy? Can I come in now? Meow?

People are posting up cat photos left, right and centre for  Budget Trouble : Show Me Japan, so I figured I should jump on the bandwagon and get on Anna's good side. After all, she did feature my posts (or photo) twice on her Show Me Japan series. Heeee....

SCARVES - Our Story on How we Got Started Selling them

After my Mom passed in June of 2001, I took over her "job" as vice president of the St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church's Rosary Altar Society.

Part of the duties included chairing the St. Patrick's Day card party. There are 15 -20 tables where the ladies play different card games, Pokeno or whatever.  Whomever finishes with the highest score gets a gift = "Table Prize".

So with that in mind I was constantly looking for an appropriate St. Patrick's gift to give the ladies.  One day when we were walking into a large store there was a lady outside selling scarves as a fund raiser for a Children's Hospital. 

Lo and Behold she had scarves with green shamrocks.  I thought I hit the lottery.  She agreed to sell them to me in bulk and she would bring them back with her the next time she came.  We went back several times but she was a no show.  The Christmas holidays came and still nothing. 

At this point I had me heart set on giving these scarves so I started an internet search.  That was so many years ago the internet was not the same as it is today and I came up empty handed. 

We were living on Long Island - just a 35 minute train ride to midtown Manhattan.  One day when we were in the city we came across a wholesale seller of the scarves.  I told them I needed 40 scarves and they sorta laughed and said their minimum order was $500.00.

Oh dear Lord, my balloon got so deflated.  We walked away to talk about it.  I explained to Gene that I had searched and searched the internet for these scarves and came up empty, so certainly we should be able to sell them on eBay. 

Needless to say we went back to them and came away with my 40 Shamrock scarves plus many, many more.  LOL

While we were still living there we would go to the warehouse in the Garment District of New York City. They would take me back into the storage area where I was able to pull packages right off the shelves. I was like a kid in a candy store.

 

That was 9 years ago and almost 2000 scarves ago.  Now I believe we have the largest selection of over 80 different designs on eBay and perhaps the Net. 

They are 13" x 60" and so light and silky for under a collar in spring and summer, but do offer warmth in the fall and winter when worn around the neck.  We also have some little 21" square neckerchiefs and 40" large squares / shawls.

We have had ladies use them as a belt / sash or as a head wrap or just over the shoulders to keep off the draft from an air conditioner or fan besides wearing them in the more traditional ways.  

The material is called stain stripe.  It is all polyester with a stripe of see through and an alternating stripe of satin.  The design is printed on the whole scarf.  I was also thrilled to learn they are made in Korea and are all brand new, not seconds with their little tag in tact.

There are so many designs  - animals; flowers; American flags; pink ribbons; red hats; music; Picasso; solid colors; all holidays; squares, swirls and many, many designs in every color imaginable.

The beauty of this fabric is that it comes out of the washer and dryer looking brand new.  

I am noticing on TV that scarves are really becoming popular again and do add so much versatility to just a few basic outfits. 

 All our scarf listings on eBay.