Snowbirds Living in the Philippines : Have You Been to Malacanang Palace?

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Have You Been to Malacanang Palace?

If not the following photos taken by Dr Joel Cuello, President of PAASE, October 24, this year is a must see.

Entrance to The Palace( Night Time)

The Court Yard

Dr. Cuello wrote of his recent visit to Malacanang: "Arguably the most storied and iconic residence in all of the Philippines, Malacanan Palace has endured and has -- since 1863 -- served as the principal workplace and official residence for 18 Spanish Governors-General, 14 American Military and Civil Governors, and the subsequent Presidents of the Philippines. It is without doubt a national historical treasure and has in recent decades become a powerful locus of contention for the soul of the Philippines' modern-day vibrant, though at times still seemingly tenuous, democracy".

The Reception Hall

I have been to Malacanang Palace a few decades ago when I attended a Paranggal Ceremonies honoring a friend from Maryland. Dr Cuello's photos also showed The Drawings of Juan Luna -a coffee book from the collections of my former classmate in Chemistry in UP, Dr Eleuterio Pascual.

My association with Dr. Pascual and his coffee book about the paintings and drawings of Juan Luna is discussed in my blog as follows:

https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/search?q=pascual

Note: The photos of Dr Cuello has a SAMPLE mark because I converted it from PDF to JPG format. I have not purchased the converter program, thus the SAMPLE mark. I have the permission of Dr. Cuello to post some of his pictures in this blog.

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Joys of Retirement

I have been retired from USFDA since 2002. At first, I feel I have lost my identity as an individual or have lost my contribution to society. However, within a few weeks all these feelings were gone. It started when my wife and I started baby sitting one of our grandchildren. As some economics professor states: "Your children are your capital investments, but your grandchildren are your profits. That is why you love your grandchildren more than your children". I really agree with the statement. Retirement also gives you lots of time to do things you like to do, such as your hobbies and of course travel. In my case, I turned my hobby of gardening and landscaping into a small business in the Philippines. This endeavor was planned about five years before 2002. That year my wife and I started construction of our retirement home in Boac, Marinduque , Philippines. The next year we built a beach house, followed by a Conference Hall two years later. Needless to say, planning and executing the landscaping was a challenge and very enjoyable. With the help of local labor, I not only enjoy the time gardening and landscaping, but also help improved the economic situation of the province by providing work and jobs to the local residents. With plenty of time, I have engaged into two specific activities as follows: First, I created a website for my small business. By trial and error, I created and design the website, www.chateaudumer.com I have never been a computer nerd or expert. But with plenty of time and patience, the fruits of my labor could be enjoyed if you visit the website above. The second activity, I have not done before was to utilize on-line activities, such as shopping, paying bills ( save you stamps) and playing computer games in the Internet. I really enjoyed playing duplicate bridge on line. You play with players all over the world and can chat in between games. But be careful, you are not spending too much time in the computer. It is very addictive. With a lots of time, my wife and I devoted more time on our favorite humanitarian project. For the last 15 years, we have been involved with medical mission to the province of Marinduque. For details please visit the website: www.marinduqueinternational.org As a summary, the joy one gets on retirement is very specific for an individual. Some enjoy their free time by learning new activities, getting involved with humanitarian projects or spending more time with their grandchildren. Others hate it, since they missed their former jobs and co-workers. Others with no children still enjoy retirement by traveling, turning their hobbies into business or more community involvement. Of course those that retire and hate it, is believe to die earlier than those that enjoy their retirement years. So, plan your retirement as early as you can. The happier you are on retirement, the longer you will live.