Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center

These are the reviews from from two of our guests published at the Trip Adviser web site. Visit the Trip Adviser website for additional details.

1.What a peaceful place to spend relaxing time in Marinduque! The cottage is very comfortable, and right on the beach, with a large deck for watching the sunset. The location in Boac (and not too far from Gasan) is well placed for a home base for day trips around Marinduque. But the best part of our stay here was the graciousness of the hosts, David and Macrine. They are warm-hearted, know the island well, and truly made us feel at home. Although we were there to explore the island and relax, the property has a great conference/meeting facility as well. Highly recommended.

2. Nestled against the beach, this cottage on stilts was a great place to spend a week away from all the insanity of urban life. With a spacious deck, two bedrooms, a living room and a full kitchen, my entire family truly enjoyed their stay. The hosts, Dave and Macrine do everything possible to make you feel like family, while still giving you space and privacy. The beach is all of 25 feet away and early morning walks on the beach are what I remember most. My kids were fascinated with the bamboo flooring. A reef is just off shore and filled with beautiful fish to enjoy while snorkeling. I would go back in a minute if I could.

Its More Fun in the Philippines

Here's the latest video from the Tourism Department of Pilipinas or Filipinas. Just visit the Philippines, when there is no typhoon or flooding or when the temperature and humidity reaches above three digits. Do visit the provinces. Enjoy the food and scenery of rural Philippines. Manila is the Gates of Hell due to congested traffic, pollution and the crowds. One to three days in Manila is good enough for me annually.
Have You Eaten already?

Be Careful with My Heart-Pinoy TV Drama

I do not watch Pinoy TV day-time drama or soap opera. However, I can not ignore that the above drama is my wife's favorite Pinoy TV program. It is the number 1 TV series in the Philippines.



A simple girl, Maya dela Rosa (Jodi Sta. Maria), her older sister, Cristina Rose, and Cristina's son are introduced as tour guides for their hometown, San Nicolas, with their mother running a souvenir shop. Money is often less than the living expenses and household repairs. Cristina hopes to work at sea while Maya dreams of becoming a flight stewardess. One rainy night, after an attempt to fix the roof, Cristina breaks her leg and is thus unable to complete her schooling to become a sea woman. With a large medical bill, the future and current expenses, Maya deemed it necessary to work overseas for two years to help her family. Upon arrival in Manila, Maya discovers that the woman who had offered work overseas had swindled her. Maya is stuck in Manila with no money or place to go. Relentless, Maya allows no one to stop her, not even the handsome, wealthy widower Richard Lim (Richard Yap), who reminds her of her shortcomings.

Ironically, Richard is her last hope because of his influence in the airline industry. He offers Maya to become his children’s temporary nanny in exchange for his help. Maya agrees to the offer. Upon entering the Lim home, she finds herself involved in the private lives of Richard and his three problematic children: Luke (Jerome Ponce), Nikki (Janella Salvador) and Abby (Mutya Orquia).

Maya realizes that since Richard’s wife died, the family’s joy died with her; hence their problems. Maya is tasked to bridge Richard to his children and eventually she succeeds in rebuilding the family. However, in repairing their broken hearts, Maya encounters bigger challenges that test her determination and, more importantly, her heart. While fulfilling her obligation, she falls in love with the Lim children and, admittedly, with Richard.

http://showpage.abs-cbn.com/Be_Careful_with_my_Heart/episodes.html

The Best Corn Dog I have Ever Eaten!

I saw this in Facebook the other day. I am tired of reading the never ending saga of the fight for the Pork( source of corruption) in my second home-Marinduque Island. Let us have some fun for today and send me a caption for the above photograph via your comments. Have a Great Day!

Mr Bunker Gets a Shave

Time to Laugh! Enjoy and forget about the worries of this complicated and sometimes irrational world!

Just in case you have not heard of Archie Bunker: Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor.

Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, conservative, blue-collar worker, and family man. The Bunker character was first seen by the American public when All in the Family premiered on January 12, 1971. In 1979, the show was retooled and renamed Archie Bunker’s Place, finally going off the air in 1983. Bunker lived at the fictional address of 704 Hauser Street in the borough of Queens in New York City.

Label this Photo!

Addicted to Facebook. (This is my own label).

I will give one dollar to one Facebook friend that can submit the best and appropriate label for this photograph (in my own judgement). The dollar offer ends at the end of this month. So hurry and have some Fun!

Note: This photo was posted in Facebook by one of my friends and I do not know who was the original photographer.

Have You Seen a St Elmo's Fire?

When I was a teenager growing up in Iloilo, Philippines, I saw a St Elmo's fire that almost scared me to death. It was rainy season in the Philippines at that time, thus thunderstorm was common. I remember it has rained continuously for more than two days one weekend. I was getting bored being coped inside the house. I decided to walk from our backyard towards the river in the gentle rain with thunder and lightning not far from our house. All of a sudden I saw a blueish light on the top of big banaba tree with a hissing sound. The banaba tree is where the aswang( witches) resides. The light appeared like it was dancing. I ran as fast as I could back to the house.

St Elmo's fire is called Santermo by the locals. The locals believe that the Santermo is a devil incarnate and has to be avoided at all times. The locals also believe it is a soul of the dead trying to communicate with the living. This is one experience I will never forget. So what is St Elmo's fire? Here's some information from Wikipedia.

St. Elmo's fire (also St. Elmo's light) is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere (such as those generated by thunderstorms or created by a volcanic eruption).

St. Elmo's fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formiae (also called St. Elmo, one of the two Italian names for St. Erasmus, the other being St. Erasmo), the patron saint of sailors. The phenomenon sometimes appeared on ships at sea during thunderstorms and was regarded by sailors with religious awe for its glowing ball of light, accounting for the name. Because it is a sign of electricity in the air and interferes with compass readings,[citation needed] some sailors may have regarded it as an omen of bad luck and stormy weather. Other references indicate that sailors may have actually considered St. Elmo's fire as a good omen (as in, a sign of the presence of their guardian saint).

Physically, St. Elmo's fire is a bright blue or violet glow, appearing like fire in some circumstances, from tall, sharply pointed structures such as lightning rods, masts, spires and chimneys, and on aircraft wings. St. Elmo's fire can also appear on leaves, grass, and even at the tips of cattle horns. Often accompanying the glow is a distinct hissing or buzzing sound. It is sometimes confused with ball lightning.

Conditions that can generate St.Elmo's fire are present during thunderstorms, when high voltage differentials are present between clouds and the ground underneath. Air molecules glow owing to the effects of such voltage, producing St. Elmo's fire.

Have you seen a St Elmo's fire? If so, I like to hear from you.

BBC Radio 4 Soul Music Programme

My radio interview last week on Rodrigo's, Concierto de Aranjuez will be a part of Soul Music, which airs this week on BBC Radio 4: Tuesday 9 July @ 1130 GMT, repeated Saturday 13 July @ 1530 GMT. It can be heard also on all your local National Public Radio stations. Here in Sacramento it is at 90.9FM NPR station. It’s also available as a download, and to listen again online, all via the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/. I hope you have time to listen why I love to listen to Concierto de Aranjuez.

Comment from a Facebook Friend: David I've just listened to the programme - it was delightful and very touching, and how wonderful that you got to share such a personal reflection of the piece. It clearly means a lot to so many people.

Philippines Identity Crises-Pilipinas to Filipinas

I was reading an article about the Philippines identity crises ( see below) just recently. I feel there is no need to change Pilipinas to Filipinas. The "P" letter sounds better than the "F" letter as in UP for the University of the Philippines. UF for University of Filipinas sounds to me like the four letter word that most of us are familiar with. Moreover, I like the sound of Pinoy instead of Finoy and Pinay instead of Finay. On the other hand, I like the sound of Filipino instead of Pilipino.

Along the same line, the word puck (goblin or elf) is a decent word, but not as funny and versatile than its corresponding word beginning with letter "f" as described in the following video.

Perhaps we could change Pride to Fride, Passion to Fassion and Patriotism to Fatriotism, if we do not care about our English spelling. On the other hand Freedom is correctly spelled and there is no way we can change it to Preedom unless you are from Pampanga. Lastly, Will you call President Aquino, FNoy instead of his popular short name PNoy?

My dear readers, what do you think? Is this a laughing matter or really important to the Filipino identity in the world? Or do you really care?

http://www.philstar.com/supreme/2013/07/06/962031/filipinas/pilipinas-national-identity-crisisP

I wish I could See You Soon in Menorca

The Island of Menorca or Minorca has always been of interest to me, since I have a FaceBook friend who is a resident of this beautiful island*. In case you have not heard of Menorca, sometimes spelled as Minorca. Minorca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Minorca has a population of approximately 94,383

MENORCA · I wish i could see you soon from Menorca on Vimeo.

* I am dedicating this post to Antonio, my friend from Ciutadella, Menorca, Balearic Island, Spain.

Great Natural Wonders of the World

Palawan Underground River

I feel bad for all the Pinoys around the world and the Philippines, since not one natural wonder of the Philppines such as the Palawan Underground river, Mayon Volcano, Ifugao Rice terraces or the Bohol Chocolate Hiils was mentioned in this video. As Filipino-American I still love the natural wonders of the Philippines specially in my second home in the province of Marinduque.

Ten Things that Make America Great this Year

For the last four years, every July 4th, Fortune Magazine makes 100 items that is great in America. In this year list, I could identify with only about 30 items and like only one item ( #10 in my list below). For this reason, I am making my own list ( only ten). Let me know if you can identify with my list and perhaps add more items that you think makes America great this year. Here is my list in no order of importance.

1. Facebook- most popular social site in the world. The stock has stabilized, but I still believe it is not a good long term investment. I use Facebook daily.

2. Blogging- I love blogging and have no intention of quitting now or in the near future. I have reach almost 1 million page views last month

3. Google Adsense- This is its 10th year anniversary. Thanks to Adsense I could afford to buy a hamburger and ice cream every month

4. Twitter- I am beginning to like this site in spite of the word limit, I could use to convey my message

5. The New Firefox Logo- I love this logo. Good work Firefox

6. Windows 8- I do not feel there is a significant improvements from Windows 7. I am enjoying using Windows 7 now and have used it since last year.

7. I-pods- I do not have one and has no intention of buying one this year.

8. Pinterest- I love this site with the numerous pictures and subjects one can pin or repin.

9. http://pu.blish.us and other writing sites( Squidoo, Triond etc.) I enjoy writing for this publish us site since last year. Has posted 423 articles so far including this one.

10. Reality TV- this item is in Fortune list this year: My old Favorite shows: Survivor, Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, the Voice. My new TV shows: Bachelorete, Siberia, So you think you can Dance, America's Got Talent and Big Brother.

For Fortune list, visit the site: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/

Happy July 4th and Time-lapse Photography

Happy July 4th to All Americans around the world. Instead of fireworks and parades, I am offering you these two time-lapse videos of one of my favorite National Park in the US to celebrate the 237th birthday of America. Keep cool if you reside in the West and dry if you reside in the East and South East.

Photo Credit: Frank Cabunoc

Here are two time-lapse photos of Yosemite National Park-stunning, beautiful and magnificent. Agree?



Yosemite is just not a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, but also the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierras. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more. What is time-lapse photography?

Time-lapse photography is a technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. For example, an image of a scene may be captured once every second, then played back at 30 frames per second. The result is an apparent 30-times speed increase. Time-lapse photography can be considered the opposite of high speed photography or slow motion.

Time for Some Music for Relaxation

Chemical Castration for Sexual Offenders

The subject of sex offenders attracted my attention recently, when my neighbor informed me that within a ten miles radius of our residential area resides 25 registered sexual offenders. I did not believed him so I checked it in the Internet and my neighbor was right. These facts concerned me even though I have no teenager living with us. But the chance these offenders reoffend is great unless some form of restraint or punishment such as chemical castration is employed.

Are you in favor of chemical castration for Sexual Offenders? Is it ethical or morally correct? Is this form of punishment cruel and unusual? I feel this is an appropriate and effective punishment for repeat offenders. Do you agree? Here's some information on chemical castration as punishment for sexual offenders.

The first use of chemical castration occurred in 1944, when diethylstilbestrol was used with the purpose of lowering men's testosterone. Chemical castration is often seen as an easier alternative to life imprisonment or the death penalty, allowing the release of sex offenders while reducing or eliminating the chance that they reoffend.

In 1966, John Money prescribed medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, the base ingredient now used in Depo Provera) as a treatment for a patient dealing with pedophilic urges, becoming the first American to employ chemical castration. Since then, the drug has become a mainstay of chemical castration in America. Despite its long history and established use, the drug has never been approved by the FDA for use as a treatment for sexual offenders.

In 1996, California was the first state to introduce legislation including compulsory chemical castration. The law states that sex offenders convicted of an offense against a child under the age of 13 may be treated with Depo Provera when on parole. If it is their second offense, they may not have the option to reject the treatment. This a good law in my opinion.

Florida followed suit with a similar statue in 1997 and at least seven other states – Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin – have experimented with chemical castration.

Depo Provera contains synthetic progesterone, a female sex hormone used to prevent pregnancy in women. The drug works in chemical castration by diminishing testosterone levels, leading to a decrease in sex drive and aggressive behaviors. The drug seems to have had some impressive results where it’s been used. Recidivism rates are notoriously high for sex offenders, and one study found that rates dropped from 80% recidivism for the untreated study participants to 2.4% for surgically (not chemically) castrated participants.

Treatment with serotonin inhibitors has shown some efficacy in reducing compulsive sexual behaviors, notably in diminishing unwanted or undesirable fantasies, though this is more of a pharmacological chemical augmentation than an actual castration.

The anti androgen drug cyproterone acetate is used in chemical castration in Europe. Computer scientist Alan Turing underwent chemical castration to avoid imprisonment in 1952. Turing wasn’t a sex offender; he was gay, and at the time homosexuality was illegal in Great Britain, thought of as a mental disease that could be “cured.” Turing died two years later of cyanide poisoning, which was apparently suicide.

The gay New Zealand man at the center of the Australian controversy was prescribed CPA after coming out to his church’s minister, who suggested he go on the medication to free him of the temptations of his sexuality.
Reference: http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/future-sex-should-sex-offenders-be-chemically-castrated# and Wikipedia

Heat Wave in the West Until Thursday

Is this heat wave the result of global warming? I bet it is.. Time for us as individuals think, how we can help reduced global warming.