Welcome to My Site

If this is your first visit, welcome! This site is devoted to my life experiences as a Filipino-American who immigrated from the Philippines to the United States in 1960. I came to the US as a graduate student when I was 26 years old. I am now in my mid-80's and thanks God for his blessings, I have four successful and professional children and six grandchildren here in the US. My wife and I had been enjoying the snow bird lifestyle between US and Philippines after my retirement from USFDA in 2002. Macrine(RIP),Me and my oldest son are the Intellectual migrants. Were were born in the Philippines, came to the US in 1960 and later became US citizens in 1972. Some of the photos and videos in this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on infringing on your copyrights. Cheers!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Now is the time to Reserve for the Moriones Festival, 2015



It is still about 5 months before the 2015 Moriones Festival. However, today I have received a deposit for the upper floor of the beach house (Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort) for the Holy Week,2015. The lower floor of the beach house is still available. Note that Easter Sunday for 2015 is April 5

Today, I was surfing in You Tube and I found the following video that included a 15 seconds flash of myself also taking pictures of the Moriones Parade and Procession in 2011. This video is not mine, so if the videographer has some copyright problem, let me know. I will be glad to remove it in my blog.

In the meantime, if you plan to attend next year Moriones Festival, now is the time to reserve for your accommodation. Next month may be too late. Enjoy the video.




"Sitting is not bad for you in moderation, but in excess it is addictive and harmful," Levine writes. "Of concern is that for most people in the developed world, chair-living is the norm." Source: CNN

Personal Note: Although, I am not a professional blogger ( blogging for money), I still spend about 42 hours per week( 7 hours per day for 6 days) in front of my PC sitting down. To prevent backaches, I usually take 5 minutes break every 30 minutes. Sometimes, this is hard to do specially when the topic I am writing is very interesting and I want to finish it while I am still in the mood and my creative juice is freely flowing. But, I have no choice, if I want to live longer. What do you think?

Thursday, October 23, 2014

My Recurrent Dream and Its Meaning

photo from briancollins.ca

Several years ago, I remember the following recurrent dream. The dream was so vivid and clear. I would have the same dream once every week so I was inspired to do some internet search of its meaning. But before I gave you my interpretation, here's my dream as I remembered it.

I was a teenager then and we lived in a farm house at the outskirts of my hometown in a 3rd class municipality in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, Philippines ( the place where I grow up and went to high school). The farm house is a two-story house with a basement, 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms,and a banquet room (formal dining room). The decor were all antiques that my grandparents (my grandfather was a Spanish soldier and my grandmother was a Filipina) had collected during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. There was a grand piano in the living room with huge crystal chandelier that was imported from Spain. There is an underground passage in the basement that leads to the storage and Tool House. The house had a 10 acres of land with several outbuildings and a conference hall at the back, where my family held gatherings and parties for the community.

One day, we had a party for the community and my parents had invited about 300 guests. The farm house has a formal dining room that could accommodate around 20 guests in a sit down dinner, but since the number of guests will not fit inside the house, the party was held in the conference hall at the back of the property. I was in the main house sleeping during this party and was awakened when one of the guest informed us that the conference hall was burning and told us to call the fire department. The fire department was late and we lost the whole conference Hall to the fire. Luckily all the guests were able to escape..

That's it, and I woke up angry that the hall was destroyed. (nothing sexy in this dream, although I have dreamed of many sexy things in the past). But my recurrent dream of this farm house that my parents and grandparents had resided and where I grew up always give me the chill. This dream is always clear and vivid in my mind. Sometimes it bothers me so I kept asking myself of the meaning of this dream.

Interprete your own Dreams

Seven Common Dreams Theme

The following seven items appears to be the most common dreams theme.( see also video above)
1. Being chased– it may be interpreted as running away from problems. Interpretations would depend on who is chasing the dreamer which could give an idea of what the problem is.
2. Being naked as a jay bird– it apparently means you are trying to hide something; being naked without anyone noticing could signify that one is comfortable with himself.
3. Jumping or Falling from a building – it is interpreted that the dreamer has insecurities and anxieties. A dream where you are falling could mean that something is out of control in your life and you can’t stop it.
4. Flying or Parachuting– it could mean losing control or facing challenges you don’t feel you’re ready for.
5. Going to the Dentist and Teeth being pulled– It could mean that you feel your power being lessened or that you are not speaking your mind. It can also be related to one’s insecurities about his physical appearance and appeal to others.
6. Taking an examination or other tests – Taking an examination, not remembering that you have an exam, not being able to find your room for an exam, or a pen not working during an exam are interpreted as you feeling like you are being scrutinized for something.
7. Running – it may be a symbolism for having too much on your plate or that you’re trying to do a lot at the same time and can’t get ahead of anything.
Most of these dreams are related to the stress you are experiencing in your daily living and routine.

The following is an excerpt from the website, meaning of dreams.org in how to understand our dreams.

"Dreaming and sleeping are not mutually exclusive, so to embark on the journey of understanding why you dream and dream interpretation you must also explore the science or phenomena of sleep.
Everyone needs sleep and dreams, even if they're not always remembered, to function properly and successfully carry out daily tasks. When we do not sleep properly we become physically rundown and mentally incapable of coping with situations and problems favorably, lacking the means to flourish as a Human Being. If you go without sleep, depriving yourself of dreams, it soon becomes apparent that sleeping and dreaming are an essential part of being human.
It is widely believed that dreams are the mind's way of sorting through our waking thoughts, dealing with some of the harder to face issues in an abstract way that is less stressful and time-consuming than facing them while we are awake. After all, we would never get anything done if we spent all day worrying about our thoughts, relationships and childhood traumas. With this in mind, it is easy to see why we can breakdown mentally and physically without sleeping and dreaming",

Most common dreams and its meaning

My Own Interpretation of My Recurrent Dream

Using the three steps of interpreting my own dream as outlined in the video above, Here's my interpretation of my recurrent dream.

The old and big farm house of my dreams filled with antique furniture including a crystal chandelier in a big lot represent my dreams of building our own retirement home in the Philippines. The big party that was hosted by may late parents, represents all the wedding receptions and parties at our Conference Hall built after the construction of the main house. Lastly, my dream of the burning building represent my fear of losing money in the small beach resort that we own in the compound of the Chateau Du Mer Resort in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.
I feel good analyzing my dream and its interpretation, thus for the last past ten years this recurrent dream had not happened.

How about you? Do you remember your dreams? Do you have recurring dreams? Could recurring dreams be linked to past lives?

Monday, October 20, 2014

Ten Things to Do during your visit to Marinduque



There are numerous things to do in Marinduque during your vacation. But the following ten items are my recommendations:
1.Beach combing, snorkeling, bathing , scuba diving and sunset watching
This photo was taken at the balcony of the Beach House. Note that low tide is starting and the corals are starting to stick out also.


2.Caves Exploration-Spelunking. There are two caves worthy of exploration-Bathala in Santa Cruz and Tarug in Mogpog. The Bathala Cave consist of eight other caves. One of the caves has a resident python. Photo by Flickr.com

Resident Python-photo by 4.bp.blogspot.com
3.Island Hopping- The Tres Reyes Islands Marine Sanctuary, Polo and Maniwaya Islands.
This is Maniwaya island being develop as an alternative to Boracay, photo by panoramnio.com

4.Shopping for Morion masks and native handicrafts- nito products, wood carvings and potteries. This is a nito handbag, a popular gift item. Photo by handicrafts.org

5.Trip Around the Island-Sulfur and Hot Springs, Poctoy White Beach and Mt Malindig
This is Poctoy White Beach with Mt Malindig in the background in Torrijos, the most popular beach in the province.

6.Partaking and Enjoying the island delicacies- Ginatan na Manok sa Gata, bibingka, kare-kare and ulang-ulang soup. Photo of bibingka by wikimedia.org, yum, yum, it is delicious.

7.Join or just watch the Moriones Festival during Holy Week. Women Moriones Participants-photo by etravelpilipinas.com

8.Visit 400 year-old churches, ( Boac, Gasan and Santa Cruz )and antique homes in downtown Boac. This is one of the many antique houses in downtown Boac. This one is owned by my sister-in-law, Mrs Siony Jambalos. It is located just across the Boac Hotel.
The Green Mansion photo by Dong Ho
9.Watch colorful butterflies (in the butterfly farms) or native birds ( bird watching) in the foothills of Mt. Malindig. This is a monarch butterfly. Photo by howdididoit.com


10.Treat yourself to the most expensive and luxurious resort in Southern Luzon- The Bellarocca Resort and Spa in Buenavista or pamper yourself to an affordable private beach resort at Chateau Du Mer in Boac. The Beach House and Bridge at twilight.

For details visit the following websites: www.chateaudumer.com or http://marinduquemyislandparadise.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Time for Some Guitar Music

Time for some guitar music to spice your day.

Malaguena, a spanish guitar classic was composed by Ernesto Lecuona. I first heard of this composition during my teen-age years in the Philippines played on the piano. I love this music more as I grew older and older. Below is a duet guitar rendition of this memorable music.

Here's a guitar rendition of the popular "Somewhere Over the RAINBBOW"

Thursday, October 16, 2014

What Do You Know About Compulsive Talking Disorder?

I was checking my articles that received the most views three years ago. I found this article on compulsive talking received more than 3000 page views. I am reposting it in case you have not read it.



I have two relatives that are compulsive talkers in the Philippines. One is on my wife's side and the other on my side of the family. Both relatives are sometimes socially avoided because of their compulsive talking. The most common phrase use in our household, is the term "diarrhea of the mouth". When this relative starts talking and dominate the conversation, everyone just look at each other, thus not helping this relative at all. The compulsion seem to be more frequent during the full moon phase. All the relatives warn each other not to contact this person during the Full Moon days. Thus I do believe that people moods are affected by the phases of the moon. Do you believe this? I plan on posting some information on how the phases of the moon affect human behaviour soon.

The following article, I found very practical on how to deal with relatives who have compulsive talking disorder.

"Conventional wisdom holds that people who talk incessantly are merely rude, or pushy, or domineering. Instead, they are more likely suffering from "Communication Addiction Disorder." (C.A.D.) That is, they seem not to be able to stop themselves from talking so much, despite receiving social rejection for doing so.

This syndrome parallels one identified earlier in many people, I.A.D. - "Internet Addiction Disorder." In the case of I.A.D, persons seem to be unable to stop spending time online, surfing the net, communicating in chat-rooms, etc.

I used to think that over-talkers kept jabbering because they didn't think anyone was listening. By using a machine-gun approach, they hoped to hit something and finally be listened to. I now believe that most "talkaholism" is an addictive condition, and one more difficult to treat than its opposites of reticence, shyness, and communication apprehension.

In some ways C.A.D. is self-reinforcing to the talker, as if through some dysfunction in the person's neurological wiring the talker gets some reinforcement of their talk habit.

We all know at least a few talkaholics and may even have tried to "cure them" by pointing out how much they talked, or by scolding them, or by avoidance. Because most of them deny that their over-talk causes problems, these attempts to change them rarely help (as you may have noticed.)

Ways to manage compulsive talkers
Assert yourself and take charge of the conversation.

This is what HMO doctors have to do when they are required to see many patients in brief consultations. If you merely do polite listening and expect normal turn-taking, you may be run over by the talkative one. It can help to set up the time frame for talk, as in "I've got only 10 minutes before I have to pick up my daughter.

You can take more control by firmly interrupting. For example, you can say "Hold on a minute and let me ask you a question" or "I'd like to respond to what you've said so far."

Tell them how much you want to hear. Talkaholics tend to share all the details. Tell them, "I don't need all the details right now to understand. Just give me the headlines." You can do this if you're talking with a peer or a subordinate, but you may not be able to do so if you're talking to your boss.

In meetings, talkaholics can be reined in by having ground rules that require brevity. Having a set of agreements about how long participants are allowed to talk can help. We are aware that such procedures are used in both houses of the U.S. Congress and many public hearings.

If nothing else works, you'll want to escape the frustrating situation, saying "Please excuse me, I've got to go now." We know that victims of talkaholics eventually reduce contact with them, stop inviting to social events, and sometimes even sever their friendships.

Treatment for Communication Addiction Disorder?

The research evidence indicates that dependable treatment is not yet available. However, I think it is possible for a talkaholic to better manage their tendency with some coaching. If willing, they can learn to talk more briefly, to recognize the feelings that accompany their need to talk, and to pick up on the cues from others that they are causing interpersonal problems.

I also think that the new "energy psychologies" that have proven effective in dealing with stress and anxiety should also be tried.

Usually it is a high state of tension that drives a person to talk so much as a way of seeking relief. Reducing tension through simple self-help methods could go far in helping compulsive talkers to manage how much they talk".

I hope you found the above article informative.

Sources: Loren Ekroth, www.hodu.com and http://www.conversation-matters.com.

Monday, October 13, 2014

The Boys from Brazil Movie

It is time for some old classic movie.


The Boys from Brazil is a 1978 British-American thriller film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It stars Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier and features James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen and Steve Guttenberg in supporting roles. The screenplay by Heywood Gould is based on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin.

The film was produced by Martin Richards and Stanley O'Toole with Robert Fryer as executive producer. The music score was by Jerry Goldsmith and the cinematography by Henri Decaë. It was produced through Sir Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Origin of the Filipino Race

I was looking at my old files today. I found the following worthy of reposting. Enjoy! Cheers to All!

Si Malakas at Maganda-The first Pinoy couple

This is my own English translation of the origin of the Filipino race. It is a story based on children's folklore written in the local dialect of the Philippines.

In 1972, after I received my US citizenship, I was invited by our Local Lions Club as a guest speaker during one of their monthly meetings. They requested that I talk about the Japanese-American War in the Philippines. This subject is one chapter in my autobiography, so I was confident about the content of my talk. However, I had no experience in public speaking, but had taken a speech class in college. Our speech teacher once said that before your speech, you have to put your audience at ease, so always tell a joke that is related to the subject of your talk. The following is the joke I told the group: The Origin of the Filipino Race.

Evidently, when God created mankind, he molded the human form using clays and an oven. The first time, he was doing this, God was so excited that he took what he was baking too soon. The human clay was under cooked or underdone. So it was pale and white. That was the origin of the White Race. God was not happy, so he started to bake another human form. This time he got a telephone call from Satan. God was upset he forgot about what he was doing and the baking was over done, the human form was overcooked, and turned black. This was the origin of the Black Race. God then told himself, “This time it will be perfect. I will watch it very carefully and will not be distracted by any calls.” His baking was perfect. The human form was golden brown, and perfectly cooked. This was the origin of the Filipino race.

Note: The original form of the above story was from children’s folklore in the local dialect (Ilonggo or Hiligaynon) in the Philippines. The above article is my own English translation of the folklore. I hope it brightens your day! Needless to say, my talk was a success!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Miss Saigon- 25th Anniversaey Gala of the Finale

It is time for some great Broadway music..


To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Miss Saigon, a sell-out Gala performance took place at the Prince Edward Theatre, London. Featuring the cast of the new production, and the original company, including Jonathan Pryce, Lea Salonga and Simon Bowman. This truly was an event like no other!

Since Miss Saigon's sensational record-breaking run at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane 25 years ago it has played in 300 cities in 15 different languages, winning awards around the world.

This epic musical love story tells the tragic tale of young bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with an American GI called Chris - but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.



In 1992 Macrine and I paid scalped prices for the two tickets to Miss Saigon in London. Tears rolling from our eyes moved by the story and music of the modern Madame Butterfly musical will never be erased in our memory. The leading lady was not Lea Salonga, but another Filipina singer. The leading man, Junix Inocian, who inherited Jonathan Pyrce role, is also a Filipino and did a good job singing the "American Dream" song. Seeing Miss Saigon in London was one of the highlights in our vacation that year.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

My Writing Activities Are Shifting into the Right Direction



My writing activities has shifted into the positive direction after Hubpages acquired Squidoo about 7 weeks ago. As of today, I have updated my 23 lenses to Hubpages. I have also written 8 new hubs making my total of 31 hubs.

Of the 31 hubs, 10 hubs scored from 80 to 84 and the rest hubs scores varied from 60 to 79 with an average score of 72. I do not really pay attention to this scores, but it would be nice to have a hub scores 90 and above.

On the other hand my hubber ( writer) scores varies between 78 to 84. I have no idea why my hubber score changes without any reasons. I really do not pay serious attention to my hubber score, as long as I am earning at least 0.05 to 10 cents per day. To view my hubs visit www.hubpages.com/chateaudumer

For those of you who have not heard of Hubpages and Squidoo, here's a short information from wikipedia.org

HubPages is a user generated content, revenue-sharing website. On December 7, 2013, the website published data that showed that the website consisted of 910,106 "Hubs" (magazine-style articles on a specific topic), 73,969 published users, and 2,498,967 forum posts. With the acquisition of Squidoo, the number of hubbers (writers) went up close to 84,300 and hubs ( articles) are now nearly 1 million. It is an honor if your hub is chosen as Editor's Choice or Hub of the Day,

The Hubpages writing site was launched on August 6, 2006, and funded by a $2 million investment from Hummer Winblad. The three founders, Paul Edmonson, Paul Deeds, and Jay Reitz, are former employees of Microsoft and were part of the start up MongoMusic.

According to Quantcast, HubPages has become one of the 50 most-visited U.S. sites on the Internet. In a November 2013 Quantcast monthly report, the website received around 16.1 million unique U.S. visits and over 30.9 million unique global visits, with more users accessing the site from computer browsers than with mobile devices.

Squidoo pn the other hand was a community Web site platform that allowed users to create pages, called "lenses," which could then be used to sell products for profit or charitable donation. The site reportedly consisted of 1.5 million "hand-built lenses" as of October 2010. On August 15, 2014, Seth Godin announced that HubPages had acquired Squidoo.

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Latest Political News from the Philippines

The latest interesting political news from the Philippines, just in case you have not read It 
marinduque rising: Palace plot to 'neutralize' Cardinal Vidal: Palace plot to ‘neutralize’ Cardinal Vidal fails Manila Times, October 5, 2014  by  FRANCISCO S. TATAD After one long month of tr...

Friday, October 3, 2014

Heaven and Earth Movie

It is time to enjoy a good movie. I have seen this movie twice and yesterday. I saw it again but still enjoy it very much.



Heaven & Earth is a 1993 Vietnam war film directed and written by Oliver Stone, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Haing S. Ngor, Joan Chen, and Hiep Thi Le. It is the third and final film in Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, which also includes Platoon (1986) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989).

The film was based on the books When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace, which Le Ly Hayslip wrote about her experiences during and after the Vietnam War.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Joke of the Day-The Photographer

photo from Rachmad666 deviantart.com
Let us start the month of October with a joke. This is titled The Photographer as posted in Sandee Comedy Plus blog

"His request approved, the Bulletin Newspaper photographer quickly used his mobile phone to call the Townsville airport to charter a flight.

He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.

Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.

He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'.

The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off.

Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over Mount Stuart and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.'

'Why?' asked the pilot.

'Because I'm a photographer for the Bulletin' he responded,' and I need to get some close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered, 'So, what you're telling me is... You're NOT my flight instructor?'

Hat tip: Willy of Hillbilly Willy
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