Snowbirds Living in the Philippines : Typhoon Karding (Nuro) Hits Northern Philippines Including Aurora Province

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Typhoon Karding (Nuro) Hits Northern Philippines Including Aurora Province

The other day Typhoon Karding ( Nuro) hits Northern Luzon including Aurora Province. In Aurora province's hard-hit Dingalan town, more than 6,000 houses were damaged and a newly built evacuation center housing more 200 displaced families was battered by the fierce wind and rain but no injuries were reported, officials said. Here's an excerpt from the local news dated September 26, 2022.

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Noru blew out of the northern Philippines on Monday, leaving six people dead, knocking down power in two entire provinces, trapping villagers in floods and forcing officials to suspend classes and government work in and around the capital.

The most powerful typhoon to hit the country this year slammed ashore in Burdeos town in Quezon province before nightfall on Sunday then weakened as it barreled overnight across the main Luzon region, where more than 52,000 people were moved to emergency shelters, some forcibly, officials said.

The above news prompted me to do some search on the provinces in the Philippines.

During my elementary school days in the Philippines in the late 1940's. I believed there were only 50 provinces in the Philippines. Today there are 82* provinces divided into 17 regions. The provinces are grouped into 17 regions based on geographical, cultural, and ethnological characteristics.

While surfing the Internet, I found the following video on Aurora Province which inspired me to post this article in my blogs. It is about 44 minutes but beautifully made documentary about one of the 82 provinces in the Philippines-my island of birth.

Macrine (RIP) was raised in Marinduque and I was born in the province of Iloilo. I finished my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City in 1955. We moved and immigrated to the US in 1960 and became US Citizens in 1972.

Meanwhile enjoy this short video of Chateau Du Mer -our second home in Marinduque.

Here's the list of the 82 provinces of the Philippines for your information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_the_Philippines

Meanwhile enjoy this photo of delicious lunch of coconut lobster and cucumber salad at Chateau Du Mer, Marinduque, 2013

Note: How many islands do the Philippines have in 2020? A. According to the latest data by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, the Philippines has a total of 7641 islands.

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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.