Night Time Photos from Our Two Residences

Here are some of my favorite night time photographs from our two residences( in Northern California and in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines).

Night Time at the Main House-Chateau Du Mer

Two Moons from the front balcony of the main house, Boac

Night Time at the Beach House, Amoingon, Boac

Solar Lights in my Garden, Chateau Du Mer Conference Hall, Boac, Marinduque

Sunset at Chateau Du Mer, Beach House Bridge of Love

Beach House Bridge of Love at Night

Beach House Bridge at Twilight

Our Capiz Shell Parol, Northern California

Christmas Lights Decor

One of my favorite garden statuary at night, Northern California

My Formula for Success-Things Done

My Younger years working in the Research Laboratory doing Pesticide Residues Analytical Methods development for a private company in the US.

Several years ago, I had a chance to chat( via FB) with a former student who was a Pre-Med at UP Diliman, Q.C in 1955. He is now retired and had been a successful surgeon in the US for many years. For those of you who have not read my autobiography, I did taught Chemistry courses to Pre-Med, Nursing and Engineering students as Instructor in Chemistry, UP Diliman from 1956-1959.

During our chat about retirement and our professional careers, he asked me If I had a formula for success. I thought for a moment and replied: Patience, Common Sense, Hard Work and Luck. The above four words did indeed apply to my success in my professional career. The first three words I used to obtain my Master and Doctorate degrees in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Illinois. Luck(Timing) when I become the Chemistry Team Leader ( first line Supervisor) for the Division of Ant-Infective Products, FDA when my supervisor was transferred to another division.

Image Credit: quotespictures.com

I am re posting today, excerpts from my article "The highlights of my Professional Career in Chemistry" just in case you have not read it in my blogs.

My picture used by Stauffer Chemicals in their Advertisement Brochures, 1981

"The type of work we choose defines who we are. The more we love what we do, the better we become productive and develop our skills on our chosen field. I have loved science and Math since I was young. I decided to major in Chemistry in college, and with persistence and hard work; I also completed my Masters and Doctorate in the same field.

It was not a surprise that I spent the next four decades working in the field of Chemistry. They were mostly exciting career moves, except for the three layoff experiences. A huge part of my work involved working with various types of people. The success of my former employers was due to the diligence and cooperation among its employees to improve workplace harmony and productivity.

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

As much as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer Chemical Company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace. I was provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. I did received six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer Chemical Company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same city as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry.

For a list of things I have done and plan on doing read: 

https://letterpile.com/inspirational/my-bucket-list-101-things-to-do-before-i-die

A Poem for My 4 D's

Standing from L to R: Dinah, Ditas, Dodie and David E, 2014

I was touched reading the following poem from the Face Book page of a friend. Dedicated to our four children-Dodie, Dinah, David E and Ditas M. Thank you for your Father's Day Greeting and Gifts yesterday!

On Children by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Again, Thank you for your Fathers Day Greeting and Gifts-June 16, 2019

My Potted Pineapple Plant is Starting to Bear Fruit

After almost a year of tending loving care, my potted pineapple plant is starting to bear fruit. I have protected it from frost and wind, fertilize it with 10-60-10 ( Schultz Bloom Plus) and water it diligently.

I feel like having my own baby-very excited. I hope it will mature before the end of the year.

I started this plant from the head of a commercial pineapple I purchased last year from the grocery store.

This is how it looked last year

For details read my previous post as follows:

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

Donald Trump and Some Clever Anagrams

Photo Credit: twitter.com

In 2001, I received an e-mail from a friend listing several clever anagrams. The author was not listed, but my friend commented that whoever wrote or create the list has either a lot of time to waste or is deadly at Scrabble. There were eleven words and phrases listed.

In this posting I added my own anagram for our President(#12).

1. A Decimal Point: I'm a Dot in Place

2. Animosity: Is No Amity

3. Desperation: A Rope Ends It

4. Dormitory: Dirty Room

5. Eleven plus Two: Twelve plus one

6. Evangelist: Evil's Agent

7. Mother-in-law: Woman Hitler

8. Slot Machines: Cash lost in 'em

9. Snooze Alarms: Alas! No More Z's

10. The Earthquakes: That Queer Shake

11. The Morse Code: Here Come Dots

Photo Credit: imgflip.com

My own Creation #12: Donald Trump: Dolt and Rump

If you do not know the meaning of dolt look it up in your dictionary

In case you have forgotten, an anagram is a word or phrase made by transposing or rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. There should be no letter left over and using each letter only once.

I challenged you to create your own anagram for DONALD TRUMP. It is a good mental exercise!

Plant Okra Today-It is Good for Your Health

I started this from seed given to me by Macrine's caregiver. This is ready to be transplanted. The bugs are starting to nibble the leaves, so I dusted it with Sevin Insecticide. The following post discussed that okra is good for your diabetes and other ailments. Do You have a recipe for okra? Can you share it with my readers in this blog.

Okra, also known as lady’s fingers, bamia, bhindi or gumbo, is a plant of the tropical and warm climates that produces edible green pods. The slightly immature pods are handpicked and prepared in different ways to compliment the traditional diets of many cultures. Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is believed to possess an abundance of health benefits, and there is ongoing research into its potential to help manage diabetes.

http://www.healthbodyrecipes.com/treat-diabetes-asthma-cholesterol-kidney-diseases-okra/?fbclid=IwAR3XjpZMNNBt59gvGnnR_h34AxmOOOROTf7FhXC-eIx1enjSgHM25e1p8jM

Okra is sold in our local grocery store ( Food Mart) for $3.99 per pound.

Four Dishes that I Really Enjoyed this Week

This is one of the new dishes that I enjoyed this week.

The other day when I was shopping at our local Filipino store and restaurant ( kare-kare and pancit and buko pandan ice cream), I saw the above package- Bangus( milk fish) Embutido. I have not tasted this before although I am very familiar with standard Embotido made of ground pork. The package was $7.99. The dish was delicious with steam rice and pancit and worth every penny I spent.

Last week three other dishes that Macrine and I enjoyed were Taco de Lengua( Beef Tongue), Taco de Tripa (tripe) and Menudo con Pata ( Tripe soup with pig's feet). The above three dishes I purchased from our local Mexican restaurant. I highly recommend that you have to taste the above three dishes if you have the chance. Order the dishes from an authentic Mexican restaurant ( Not Mexican-American or Texan)

The Menudo dish I modify by adding garbanzo beans and tomato sauce to simulate my favorite Pinoy recipe. In this restaurant, their fish taco is also out of this world. The fish is cut in small cubes and highly seasoned with a very mild fishy smell. It is better than the fish Taco I have tasted in San Diego, California.

Our local Mexican Restaurant ( Tres Hermanos) offered several meat choices for their taco or burrito dishes. Besides the Carne Asada( beef steak) or Pollo Asado( grilled chicken), you could have Al Pastor( BBQ Pork), Chile Verde(Green Chili Pork), Tripitas( Beef tripe), Chorizo ( Mexican sausage), Lengua ( Beef Tongue) and Buche (Pig stomach). I have tasted all of the above meat offerings on my tacos/burritos except for the Buche.

Communicating with My Primary Care Physician On Line

Last week, I enrolled with www.my hillchart.com to communicate on line with my primary care physician. The last couple of months calling his office via telephone was a pain in the "A". I have to dial his phone several times the other day before I was able to talk to his receptionist for an appointment. According to the website of myhillchart.com the following services are available if you sign in.

1.Send and receive secure messages to and from your provider

2.Request medication renewals

3.Request or cancel appointments

4.View your Personal Health Records (PHRs)

5.Receive and review documents

6.View and Pay online statements and

7.Update account information

My physician can order prescription renewal and blood diagnostic tests also on line. I have tried this service and it works, saving a lot of paper work and time calling via phone.

Is your primary care physician on line or computer savvy?

Its Summer Time Here in Northern California

My Cactus plant is starting to bloom. It is a signal that summer is here. For the last three days high temperatures ranged from 82 to 95 degrees F and low temperatures range from 57 to 62 degrees F here in the Sacramento Valley.

The following 3 photos were taken by my grand daughter Carenna KT the other day during their monthly visit to Lola and Lolo. Thank you for your visit. We have fun playing mahjong. Let us do it again next month.

The above cactus blooms only once a year around the first week of June. The blooms stay only for a couple of days and has a mild fragrance. It is easy to grow as it does not need water and can be planted in a pot.

UP Men's South Dorm (Narra Hall) Candidates for Officers, 1952-1955

I resided in the Men's South Dorm during my undergraduate college years in UP Diliman. The dorm was renamed later as Narra Hall and now demolished. I had pleasant memories of my stay in the dorm as discussed in my autobiography as follows: https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/2011/12/chapter-4-my-college-years-1951-1955.html

Narra Hall Election Flyer with me running as Secretary and VP, 1954 and 1955

While looking at my old album, I found the following election flyers of UP Men's South Dorm (1952-1955)Narra Hall, UPSCA Womans Candidate for the Womans Club as well as the UPSCA candidates for the Student council, Liberal Arts. Oscar Evangelista name is in the list among others that I will always remember. Other names that I will not forget are Angie Villanueva( r.c.)and Vivencio Villaflor, MD. Here are the images for your viewing pleasure.

A Recent Visit from My Nephew from Australia

Photo from Dave Recent Visit, May 2019. Macrine with the 3 David Katague.

Dave and His Family- Dave's Dad is my younger brother, Efren.

Last week my nephew from Australia, my name sake visited us. He was in LA on a business trip, but placed us in his busy schedule just for an overnight visit. He flew from LA to SFO and drove from SFO to Sacramento.

Macrine, David III and I enjoyed his short visit. The following is one of his videos about his family in Sydney Australia. The video is mesmerizing and fun to watch.


I like to share with you, the following video taken by my nephew from Australia who happens to have the same name as myself. Enjoy!

Visiting The Aquarium | "Turtle!" from Dave Katague on Vimeo.

Dave Katague, the only son of my younger brother is a Sydney( Australia) based Motion Designer. He has the passion for anything related to 3d / motionography, cinematography, photography, motion control time lapse, film, illustration /animation, typography, branding and special effects. You could see other samples of his work on his website, davekatague.com