Some Photos of Carenna Katague Thompson- My Youngest Grand Daughter

 

I am proud to present some of Carenna's photographs posted in her Mother's ( Ditas-my youngest daughter) FaceBook Page celebrating National Daughters Day last Sunday. 

Carenna is my youngest grand daughter turned 18 last May.  Below is also a video of her singing Breathe and my article when she turned 18 last May. I am a very proud Lolo!!!

 

Here's a video of her singing Breathe with classmates at UWC, Maastrich, Netherlands. This was taken last year during a practice session. Sorry for the background noise in the video.  

https://www.facebook.com/626896269/videos/pcb.10158556170531270/188055530053847

Meanwhile here's my article when she turned 18 last May.
 http://lwhileivinginmarinduquephilippines.blogspot.com/2021/05/carennakt-my-youngest-grand-daughter.html

 

Binging on the Emmy Award Winner TV Series-The Crown

Last week, I finally found the time to watch the Emmy Award Winning Netflix TV Series, the Crown. It had 63 nominations and won 21 awards this Season. There are 4 seasons and I am now in the middle of Season 4. I am really enjoying this series. The acting is superb and the cinematography stunning and mesmerizing (several awards in both categories). At the end of this article is a list of the 63 nominations and the 21 won awards this year. In one of the episodes, a joke about Imelda Marcos shoes was quoted by the character of Princess Margaret when she was in Manila.

In case you have not viewed the Series, here's a short write-up from Wikipedia.     

The Crown is a historical drama streaming television series created by Peter Morgan for Netflix, and released in November 2016.  It portrays the reign of Queen Elizabeth II throughout the decades, changing the cast every two seasons: 

For the first two, Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II, alongside Matt Smith as Prince Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. For the third and fourth seasons, Olivia Colman takes over as the Queen, Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret; also, these seasons introduced the adult Charles, Prince of Wales, played by Josh O'Connor, Diana, Princess of Wales, played by Emma Corrin, and Margaret Thatcher, played by Gillian Anderson. For the final two seasons, Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, and Lesley Manville will succeed Colman, Menzies, and Bonham Carter, respectively.

 

The Crown has been praised for its acting, directing, writing, cinematography, and production values, and has received many awards and nominations. It won all seven drama categories at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2021, becoming the first show to sweep the major drama categories. Before that, the series was nominated three times for Outstanding Drama Series, while also winning Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for John Lithgow in 2016 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Claire Foy in 2017. It also won Best Television Series – Drama twice at the 74th Golden Globe Awards and 78th Golden Globe Awards, and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards and the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The 4-Season Series had a total nominations of 412 and 123 wins. Awards and Nominations are for acting, directing, writing, cinematography and production values.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating for the season based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 8.62/10 and a critical consensus: "Whatever historical liberties The Crown takes...are easily forgiven thanks to the sheer power of its performances – particularly Gillian Anderson's imposing take on The Iron Lady and newcomer Emma Corrin's embodiment of a young Princess Diana". On Metacritic, the season holds a score of 86 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Writing in The Atlantic, Shirley Li describes the drama as "sharper than ever" and "splashy", but observes that, in contrast to the first three seasons, the fourth criticises the Queen for her "ignorance" and "stubborn devotion to tradition". In the Evening Standard, Katie Rosseinsky wrote that the season's episodes are "dizzyingly beautiful and staggering in scope", and highlights the outstanding performances of Anderson and Corrin as respectively Thatcher and Lady Diana.^[50] In The New Zealand Herald, university professor Giselle Bastin described the season as "a masterly portrait of the turbulent 1980s" and complimented the production standards, casting and acting.^[51] BBC's arts editor, Will Gompertz, gave the series a rating of four out of five, praising Corrin and Bonham Carter but criticising Anderson's performance for "forever craning her neck from side-to-side as if scanning for a tasty lettuce leaf, while over-egging her Thatcher impression to such an extent she is close to unwatchable at times".

In a critical review, Dominic Patten of Deadline Hollywood complimented the earlier seasons but said that the fourth had "substantially tweaked timelines" and was "sub-standard soap", and that, despite Colman's performance, some of the other characters were like "Spitting Image live-action caricature". Writing in The Guardian, Simon Jenkins described the season as "fake history", "reality hijacked as propaganda, and a cowardly abuse of artistic licence" which fabricated history to suit its own preconceived narrative. The season has reportedly received backlash from the British royal family and some royal commentators. Royal historian Hugo Vickers stated: "In this particular series, every member of the royal family...comes out of it badly, except the Princess of Wales (Diana). It's totally one sided, it's totally against Prince Charles". Royal biographer Penny Junor criticised the season as portraying the British royal family as "villains", stating that "The Crown's royals are wild, cruel distortions of the people I've known for 40 years".

Olivia Colman and Claire Foy won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series respectively for the episode "48:1." Josh O'Connor won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Terra Nullius." Tobias Menzies won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Gold Stick." Gillian Anderson won the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the episode "Favourites."

Here's a list of nominations and awards for 2021. I am hoping for Season 5 and 6 soon.

 https://www.emmys.com/shows/crown

Meanwhile enjoy this photo taken during Ditas and Carenna's 21-day trip and vacation to Croatia last month.

 

My Four Children Accomplishments for the StoryWorth Book

Parents are always proud of their children accomplishments. And I am not an exception. I am indeed a very proud Father of my four children professional accomplishments.

Here's Linked-In Accomplishments of My Four Children for My StoryWorth Book of Memories. My 4 adults children are Dodie (1958), Dinah ( 1961), David E III ( 1962) and Ditas (1965).

 Ditas Master's Degree Graduation, USC, 1993 

Here's Ditas Katague Information from LinkedIn  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ditas-katague

Expert in civic engagement, racial equity/inclusion, culturally congruent outreach and communications and the Decennial Census. Change Leadership, Fundraising, Development and PAC, Strategic Planning. Grief Yoga Teacher

•2019 Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 most powerful movers and shakers in California politics
Leading the State of California's efforts for a complete count in the Decennial Census (2000, 2010, 2020) Convene, coordinate, collaborate and build capacity to engage the diverse California communities in outreach to the hardest to reach populations.
. Chief of Staff to Public Utilities Commissioner covering all issues including telecommunications, water, transportation, energy, energy efficiency as well as legislative policy in these areas. Oversaw complex rule making and proceedings with evidentiary hearings, public participation hearings, administrative and procedural policies, including rate setting, quasi-legislative and adjudicatory cases.
* Accomplished Public Affairs professional able to manage legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts in 15+ Western States, with a legislative agenda including mortgage lending, privacy/security breach, employer sanctions, licensing, housing, and flood insurance.
• CEO and Chief Operating Officer for the most successful statewide grass-roots outreach program (using “GOTV- get out the vote” tactics) which has become a National model The "California, You Count!" Census 2000 and the "Be Californian, Be counted." Effort in the 2010 Census.
• Coalition builder, mediator and community organizer among diverse, multi-cultural groups
• Agile event planner & project manager that leverages strategic community relationships
• Political Action Committee (PAC) Assistant Treasurer and Operations manager for an employee PAC for a large national financial services company
• Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of the Business, Transportation & Housing Agency
• Relationship manager for large State Agency interfacing with Chief Information Officers and vendors (Information Technology and Management Consulting Services)
• Experienced project manager with a strong background in public/private partnerships, business process re-engineering, transition planning, economic and community development policy, information technology (IT) and change

 Ditas early retired from the State of California last June 30.

 ****************************************************************************

 Here's Dinah's Information in Linked In

Dinah Katague, CAMS

Dinah Katague

Compliance Officer, High Risk Member Unit, Technology Credit Union

Dinah started her career in BSA/AML in 2011 at Bank of the West. Within three years she was managing a team of 27 contractors to clear the FDIC items of the previous year’s audit. She was instrumental in growing the new department of 5 to 42. In 2017, Dinah joined Umpqua Bank as the CDD/EDD Manager. She managed two departments of EDD Analysts and CDD Specialists. Living in the “heart of cannabis growing country”, Dinah navigated her teams through the intricacies of the current political climate regarding marijuana, hemp and CBD, to become the subject matter experts for the bank. In June of 2020, Dinah joined Technology Credit Union as the Compliance Officer/Manager of the High Risk Member Unit. Her main responsibility is to help create, cultivate, develop, maintain and monitor the marijuana businesses direct and indirect program for the credit union. Dinah has been accused by some of creating a “Dynahsty” where ever she goes and they would be correct!

 

Experienced Financial Services Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the banking industry. Skilled in Analytical Skills, Software Documentation, Leadership, Financial Risk, and Risk Management. Strong finance professional with a Bachelor of Arts focused in Liberal Studies from California State University-Sacramento.

Through the course of my 15+ years’ experience, I’ve enjoyed the chance to manage and motivate teams toward consistent success. Colleagues will tell you I have a deep and intuitive grasp of business and team capabilities, and use this instinctive approach to expertly allocate staff and resources. A focus of my work has been employee engagement: by promoting an engaged and collaborative work culture, I’ve been able to develop staff members and deliver key gains to the bottom line. I also pride myself on adapting readily to new work challenges and environments.Compliance Manager, High Risk Member Unit at Technology Credit Union (Tech CU) Technology Credit Union (Tech CU)

California State University-Sacramento

******************************************************

Here's Davd E Linked-In Information

 

David E Master's Degree Graduation, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh,1988

Transportation Security Officer, SMF

• Transportation Security Officer

  Jun 2005 - Present16 years 2 months

  Ensures the safe arrival and departure of the traveling public. Screen baggage and passengers ensuring prohibited items are interdicted prior to boarding of aircraft.

• Senior Information Technology Consultant

  PricewaterhouseCoopers

  Sep 1997 - Feb 20024 years 6 months

  Provided Professional Services to State and Federal Clients. Clients included Inspector General of the House of Representatives, Department of Navy, Westpac 2000, Department of Transportation - Virginia.

• Policy Analyst

  Executive Office of the President

  Aug 1992 - Sep 19953 years 2 months

  Provided management and oversight of Federal agencies, during the Clinton Administration. Required specialized knowledge of government operations and financial systems in the Federal environment

Education

• Carnegie Mellon University

  Carnegie Mellon University

  Masters Public Policy & Public Management

  1986 - 1988

  Management Information Systems - Government Systems

• University of California, Davis

  University of California, Davis

  Bachelor ScienceAgricultural & Managerial Economics

  1982 - 1986

  David is single and currently works for the Federal Government (TSA) in Sacramento. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis and a Masters of Science degree in Public Management and Policy with concentration on Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University. He used to work for the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) in Washington DC during the Clinton and Gore Administration. During the time of his employment with OMB we received annual Christmas cards from the White House as well as special invitations to special events such as the Easter Egg Hunting in the lawn of the White House and Parties for OMB employees. David E is learning how to speak Tagalog. During our 50th wedding anniversary party in 2007, he addressed the guests in Tagalog and made a good impression. His Tagalog is improving but still has the American accent. Macrine and I are proud of his desire to learn the language of his ancestry. Without David's help, we will never be able to enjoy staying in our island paradise in the Philippines for as long as we desire. Today, he keeps me company in this big house and talks to me about his plans to retire in the Philippines.
   

  *********************************************************************
  

  Dodie Internet In Information

   

Dodie, my oldest son was born in the Philippines, but immigrated to US when he was only 18 months old. He has a law degree from University of California, Davis and had been a successful prosecuting attorney in Northern California for several years. He early retired last year to devote more time writing his 3rd novel.  He is married to his former classmate, Ruth Carver, also a lawyer and they have 3 children, Philip, Alix and Marina.
 

Dodie Katague lived at Cloyne Court Coop from 1977-79 while he attended the University of California, Berkeley.  He graduated in 1981 with a degree in Geography. He graduated from the University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law in 1985. Since then, he is a prosecutor in Martinez, California. Dodie is working on his second novel, "Rock Star Planet", a Young Adult science fiction adventure. He is now retired and finishing his third novel, "Devil Mountain DA", a fictional account of life in a dysfunctional district attorney's office. 

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=108890

I am a very, very proud Father, indeed!

 

 

FDA Approved Drugs from 2008 to 2021- List of Essential Medicines

My FDA Retirement Party and Presentation of APANET Award, 0ct. 2002

I retired from the US FDA Center of New Drugs, Division of Anti-Infective Products as Chemistry Team Leader in 2002. My 12 years with FDA was the happiest and my most productive years in my professional life. My Memories of my work with FDA is now fully documented via a hard bound book published by StoryWorth. I titled it, Becoming Americans, Life Memories of David B & Macrine J, the Intellectual Migrants. My interest in new drugs still remains active even after 19 years of retirement.  

In this article I am posting references for new drugs approved by FDA from 2008 to  September 2021. There are few interesting new drugs for cancer and other rare diseases in the list. Feel free to browse the list. Some of the drug names are hard to pronounce and some of the diseases mentioned I have never heard before. But I found the list informative and educational.   In this article I am also posting the reference for the List of FDA Essential Medicines as mandated by the Recent Executive Order #13944 from the White House dated August 6, 2020.

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-publishes-list-essential-medicines-medical-countermeasures-critical-inputs-required-executive 

THE LIST CONTAINS 227 DRUGS AND BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS AND 96 MEDICAL DEVICES WHICH INCLUDED DIAGNOSTIC TESTING KITS AND SUPPLIES. 

I am also posting the reference for the three FDA approved Covid-19* vaccines as follows: 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html

Finally here's the reference for the List of FDA Approved Drugs from 2008 to the Present. Enjoy reading it and educating yourself. It is ok if you have a hard time pronouncing the names.

https://www.medindia.net/drugs/fda-approved-drugs.asp 

*Note: World Health Organization (WHO) has approved 4 vaccines for world-wide use besides the 3 approved by US. 

 

Stephen Colbert is My Favorite Late Night TV Host/Comedian

Do You Watch Late Night TV shows? If so who is your favorite TV host-comedian?. My favorite for the last 3 years is CBS TV host comedian Stephen Colbert. Sometimes, I watch Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon if the CBS show is a repeat.

Here's an article on Stephen Colbert from the Journal Inquirer dated June 10, 2021 by Matt Buckler. His last night interview with Woodward and Costa new book "Peril" is one of the most compelling reasons why I like his show.

https://www.journalinquirer.com/living/bucklers_airtime/stephen-colbert-remains-leader-of-late-night/article_602ffb0c-c9ed-11eb-bf11-c7df6c0e03f6.html

"During the Donald Trump administration, you could always count one thing — the president would be under nightly attack form CBS late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert.

During Colbert’s opening monologue, Trump was Colbert’s favorite target. On many nights, he was his only target.

Those attacks brought in viewers. In a late-night landscape that was dominated by “The Tonight Show” for years, Colbert started to gain viewers.

He was No. 1 in late night in total viewers for four straight years.

With Trump out of the White House, however, Colbert was deprived of his No. 1 sparring partner, How would his ratings hold up?

The attacks on Trump may have slowed down a tad, but they haven’t stopped. He still gets his shots in.

Colbert’s reign as the No. 1 late-night host hasn’t stopped either.

In information reported by Deadline TV, Colbert was the No. 1 late-night show for the 2020-21 TV season, his fifth consecutive victory.

That’s something no CBS late-night host has ever done before — Merv Griffin couldn’t do it. Pat Sajak couldn’t do it. Even David Letterman couldn’t do it.

Colbert, however, pulled it off. His show averaged 2.95 million viewers per night, while ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” averaged 1.75 million viewers and NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” brought in 1.54 million per show.

Colbert’s “Late Show” also was No. 1 in the vital 18-49 demographic, even though those figures are much closer.

The bottom line is that all three late-night shows have something to offer and have developed loyal audiences.

When Colbert was hired to replace Letterman, however, many critics felt he was the wrong host. His humor wasn’t broad enough to attract a large audience.

Apparently it’s large enough. And larger than the competition.

And even though Trump is out of office, he still makes enough news for Colbert to cash in on it.

The 12:35 a.m. race between CBS’ James Corden and NBC’s Seth Meyers is also a tight one.

Meyers has a slight advantage, averaging 1.01 million viewers per show while Corden averages 971,000.

Corden, however, has been without his No. 1 attraction — carpool karaoke. When that segment hits the road again, a tight race may get tighter " by Matt Buckler.

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of my StoryWorth Book- Becoming Americans- Life Memories of David B and Macrine J, the Intellectual Migrants.

The Book has 435 pages with 100 black and white photographs.

https://www.journalinquirer.com/living/bucklers_airtime/stephen-colbert-remains-leader-of-late-night/article_602ffb0c-c9ed-11eb-bf11-c7df6c0e03f6.html

 

Getting Lost in London's Underground Rapid Transit System-The TUBE

I woke up this morning remembering our trip to London in 1992. The portion of my dream that was very vivid is how Macrine and I got lost in the TUBE. Luckily, a friendly middle-aged English gentleman helped us on how to read the Tube map and we manage to get back our bearings with only 20 minutes delay back to our hotel.  This incident reminded me that not all Londoners are unfriendly to tourist and visitors.  

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. The Underground has its origins in the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground passenger railway. It has 11 lines and more than 250 stations. In this blog I am reposting Memories of Our Trip to London and Bath, England as follows:

Memories of Our Trip to London and Bath, England

London Tower Bridge
 

Macrine and I went to London on a whim, that is no previous planning. I saw an ad in the Washington Times dated July 21, 1992 to see a football game between the Redskins and the SF 49'ers in Wembly Stadium, London for August 16, 1992. I immediately called Macrine at work and ask her if she could take a week of from work.
 

The package consists of 5 days and 4 nights at the Scandic Crown Hotel in the London Docklands, two tickets to the football game, continental breakfast daily, full day tour of London and a mini cruise of the Thames River, welcome dinner hosted by Ricky Erwins (no.32) of the Redskins, and a round trip non-stop airfare from Dulles to Heathrow including ground transfer and tour guide via a luxury motor coach for only $1,099 per person. The package was offered by Trafalgar Tours, Bethesda, Maryland.  Other tours around London are available for an additional fee.

Macrine and I took the one day tour to Bath, England with a reasonable additional fee of less than $50 per person which included lunch and a round trip train fare from London to Bath.  We had a grand time in Bath, seeing the Roman Baths museum and enjoying a lunch of Fish and Chips.

On this vacation, we saw the outskirts of the Buckingham Palace, Westmister Abbey, the Big Ben, rode the London underground railway system called The TUBE, shopped at Harrod's and saw Miss Saigon at the Drury Lane Royal Theatre.

The highlight of our tour was not the Redskins and 49er's game, inspite of the fact that the Niners beat the Redskin 17-15, three seconds before the end of the game with a field goal, but the show, Miss Saigon. Our group of 40 tourists were all Redskin fans except for Macrine and I, so we were outnumbered and received a lot of taunting and boos when we cheered for the Niners.

We paid scalped prices for the two tickets to Miss Saigon, but it was worth it. 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. 

The Royal Crescent in Bath
 

We took a one day tour to Bath, Avon about 75 minutes train ride from Paddington Station in London. Paddington Station reminds me of Union Station in Washington, DC. However, you have to pay to use the WC(rest rooms) or CR (Comfort Rooms in the Philippines)
 

One of Bath's principal industries is tourism, with more than one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city on an annual basis. The visits mainly fall into the categories of heritage tourism and cultural tourism. This is aided by the city's selection in 1987 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing its international cultural significance. All significant stages of the history of England are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae Bath Spa in the 2000s. 

The Roman Bath
 

The size of the tourist industry in Bath is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including over 80 hotels, and over 180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian buildings. The history of the city is displayed at the Building of Bath Collection which is housed in a building which was built in 1765 as the Trinity Presbyterian Church. It was also known as the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, as she lived in the attached house from 1707 to 1791. Two of the hotels have 'five-star' ratings. There are also two campsites located on the western edge of the city. 

The city also contains about 100 restaurants, and a similar number of public houses and bars. Several companies offer open-top bus tours around the city, as well as tours on foot and on the river. Since 2006, with the opening of Thermae Bath Spa, the city has attempted to recapture its historical position as the only town in the United Kingdom offering visitors the opportunity to bathe in naturally heated spring waters.

For more information on the Tube- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground

Note: Macrine and I have also used the subway systems of Chicago( the L), New York(the Trains), Washington,DC( METRO) as well as the San Francisco Rapid Transit Systems (BART) with ease and very proud of the experience.

 

Treasured Old Photos from My Files

The other Day while David III was cleaning our Garage he found this photo of Mama Pacing and Papa David that I have forgotten. I believe this photo was taken around 1952-1953 based on the background. If you know exactly when this photograph was taken let me know. Meanwhile here are other old photos in my collection.   

 

I was looking at my old photo files today. Old photos and sweet memories.

MAMA Pacing with Toto Efren, 1949, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo

Dolce building, ancestral home Barotac Viejo, 1953

Our wedding cake decor, Chapel of Holy Sacrifice, Diliman, Q.C.,

1957

7

Katague Clan 1958 without Eric and me

Above photo, Me and Amor, and Katague clan with Mama Pacing, 1976

UPSCANS with Fr John Delaney, University of the Philippines, Diliman QC.,1952

Mama Pacing and Me, Lapaz, Iloilo, 1976

 

My Old Photos 1937, 1944 and 1947

Some of Macrine Old Photos, 1954

Mama Ellen Nieva Jambalos with Lola Elving Sarmiento and Sisters Year ?

 

An Act of Kindness from a Young Teenager in Our Neighborhood

I have posted in my blogs four articles on Act of Kindness that both Macrine and I and other members of my family had experienced from strangers here in the US as well as in the Philippines several years ago. I will not repost the articles, but here are the sites if you feel like reading them.

 

https://whyretireinthephilippines.blogspot.com/2018/08/kindness-of-stranger-free-haircut-for.html

 

https://marinduqueawaitsyou.blogspot.com/2020/09/coping-up-with-grief-picking-up.html

 

https://planningtovisitthephilippines.blogspot.com/search?q=kindness 

 

https://planningtovisitthephilippines.blogspot.com/2009/07/kindness-from-stranger.html 

 

Last week another act of kindness (5th) from a stranger restored again my faith in humanity. Here's how I wrote this experience in my FaceBook Page.

 

"There's hope for the younger generation in my neighborhood. This afternoon, instead of asking David to put back the garbage bins from the street to the back of our house via our driveway BECAUSE MY knees and legs have been aching for the last two weeks (thus I am using a cane to walk around), I decided to do it myself as my exercise therapy. While I was limping with the cane as I pull slowly the garbage bins, several teenagers were walking home from Bella Vista high school. One of them crossed the street and walked to my driveway. He asked me if I needed HELP! I politely said no and he silently continued his walk home a few houses from our house. I was touched by the kindness of this young teenager. I applaud the parents of this anonymous teenager who was willing to help a stranger in need "!

 

Meanwhile enjoy this video about kindness

https://nethugs.com/be-kind-inspirational-motivational-video/

Last but not least, Kindness is an act that the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Have a Great Day Every One.

 

Memories of Our Golden Wedding Anniversary for the StoryWorth Book

This is my response to the query on Memories of Our Golden Wedding Anniversary for the StoryWorth Book of Memories

Our Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebration, 2007

Last December, 2007 we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary at the Boac Cathedral ( the same church where we were married in 1957) in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. 

Here are two photos during our wedding day, May 8, 1957 featuring the parents of the Bride and Groom and The Nieva and Jambalos Clan

Our Parents from L to R: Dr David J Katague, Elena Nieva Jambalos, Me, Macrine, Mama Pacing Balleza Katague and Papa Bernardo Jambalos, Jr. Photo in the Front Porch of the Jambalos Residence, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines, May 8, 1957.

The Nieva and Jambalos Clan Attending Our Wedding Day, May 8, 1957

Our actual 50th anniversary was on May 8, but we postponed the celebration for December, so most of our relatives outside the Philippines can attend. 

All of our four children and three of our grandchildren, a son-in-law and two nieces from the United States were in attendance. In addition about 150 friends and relatives from Manila and Marinduque were also present. A friend from Vancouver, B.C., Canada also attended this memorable event.
 

The Bishop Blessings at the Boac Cathedral

The Bishop of Boac( Most Reverend Reynaldo Evangelista, D.D.) officiated the renewal of vows and mass. The Governor( Bong Carrion) and his wife with about 150 guests attended the reception held at our conference hall( Chateau Du Mer Conference Center) in Amoingon.
Entering the Reception Hall with 100 live butterflies to be release after the cake cutting and champagne toasting ceremony.
 
Governor Carrion(RIP) dancing with Macrine and me dancing with his wife (currently Mayor of Boac).
 

Incidentally, Ex-Governor Carrion is Macrine's first cousin on her maternal side of the family(The Nieva Clan). This is an obligatory dance for social etiquette in Marinduque.
Carenna wants her share of the wedding cake. After all she serenaded(New World) her Lolo and Lola. She deserves the cake.

The following is a write-up of Ditas, my youngest daughter, of her experiences during this momentous event in our life. She titled it " Survivor Philippines and my Parents Golden Wedding Anniversary. "

Resembling the journey survivor contestants make to get to their island, after 47 hours of travel -planes, trains, automobiles and a long ferry ride-- Carenna and I finally arrived on the peaceful island of Marinduque, staying at my parents winter home and resort. Here are the 12 items, we will always remember.

1. One Great performance- Carenna sings "New World" at the Anniversary reception
2. Two Happily married parents ( renewed vows after 50 years)
3. Three Hours of holding Carenna (50 lbs), sweating during midnight mass in an ancient (no A/C) cathedral built in 1660 with 1000+ mass attendees( imagine survivor LOG HOLD challenge)
4. Four Roasted Pigs -aka Lechon . Carenna got to meet the live pigs the day before they appeared at the party ( albeit with tan).
David Ernst after all of the four lechons are almost consumed.
 

5. Five guys eating balut- Ian, Dave, Alex, Dodie and David E had a Christmas day Balut eating contest-- yes that's the fertilized duck embryo boiled eggs that they eat in Survivor and Fear Factor TV shows
Balut and San Miguel beer. Where's number 5, David E ?
6. Six aquamarine bridesmaid dresses that did not fit
7. Seven words in tagalog that Carenna knows, ( Tabi po Nono', tubig, paroparo, salamat po, maganda and Kain na)
8. Eight bouts of prickly heat-poor Carenna
9. Nine hours of marathon shopping in Metro Manila with Cousin Cindy Nieva ( professional shopper)
10. Ten asthma attacks in Manila-not known for air quality
11. Eleven types of rice cakes ( 11 hour hangover for Ella)
12. Twelve of us crammed in a van during the round Marinduque Island Tour

Ditas is my youngest daughter. For her Professional Achievements visit her LinkedIn Site:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ditas-katague

This is Dinah's memories of Our Golden Wedding Anniversary

The David King Family at our Golden Wedding Anniversary
 

The following is from Dinah's Christmas Newsletter, describing the family's trip to the Philippines during our golden wedding anniversary celebrations as well as the current status of her children, Ian and Elaine as well as husband, David King.

I'm here again at my favorite time of the year. Besides good food, we all make an extra effort to remember those people who have touch our lives in a positive memorable ways this past year. This time of the year always give me a special glow inside that makes me grateful for all the blessings in my life. Now, allow me talk about my favorite subject. My family of course!
 

Our 2008 year, actually started in December, 2007. On the 20th of December, Lolo Katague's birthday, the King family boarded an airplane at the SFO International Airport headed to the Philippines, to spend 16 days experiencing the country of my parent's birth and to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary. I could spend pages describing what a wonderful experience this was for everyone, but then I would just bore you all. Meeting all the cousins, eating, drinking, dancing, joking, betting, taking risks, attending cock fights, picnic excursion, riding tricycles and jeepneys and even destroying the natural coral reefs by shooting firecrackers into the ocean, as well as swimming and snorkeling and experiencing a wonderful culture and family that has lived half a world away, makes me feel so blessed to have been able to share this experience with my children and husband.
A big "THANK YOU" to all the Nieva's and Jambalos side of the family for making us feel a part of your lives. We have all agreed to make the trip again in four years. Then, maybe this time, we can spend a month and get to know the Katague's side of the family.
 

Upon returning to the Unites States, I was greeted with the fact that my contract work was not going to be renewed, because my employer had been laying off people since September. This was not unexpected and it gives me time to look for another job.

By the time you get this letter, I will have entered my second art show and sale. I have actually sold pieces of my pottery, so to be able to make this hobby a saleable endeavor is exciting.
 

Note: Dinah is my oldest daughter. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. She obtained her BA degree from Sacramento State University and Masters Certificate in Paralegal Studies at St. Mary College in Moraga, California. She was formerly married to David King, a former classmate. They have two children, Ian, 30 and Elaine, 28, both college graduates. For more of her professional achievements visit her Linkedin site:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinah-katague-cams-832ab67

Here's Dodie Memories of Our Golden Wedding Anniversary

Dodie and Family with Me and Macrine
 

Here's Dodie's description of his trip to attend our Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebration in Boac, Marinduque. Dodie ( Diosdado) is our oldest son. Unfortunately, none of his family were able to attend.

"Last Christmas and New Years (2007-2008), I spent the holidays away from my wife and children. I was in the Philippines with my parents, brother, and sisters celebrating my parent 50th wedding anniversary. I had a great time visiting the country of my birth, but missed my family, who stayed home. I know it would be an adventure with or without them. 

 

And what an adventure it was! Just getting to the small island of Marinduque from Manila after a 16 hour plane ride took another 8 hours via a van on a two lane road dodging cars, jeepneys, motorized tricycles and livestock to get to the ferry port. We missed the ferry by 15 minutes and had to wait another 4 hours on the dock. The 3-hour ferry trip was crowded because of the Christmas holidays and there were no seats in the passenger section so we slept in the van in the cargo hold for most of the sea-faring trip. Fortunately, I did not get sea sick.

We arrived at my parents house around midnight-24 hours after boarding the plane. But that was the worst part of the journey and I kept thinking that I was glad that my family was not with me because they would have complained the entire time and there was nothing I could do about it. I took in all the bad and the good things that happened, and I had the experience of a lifetime.


Chateau Du Mer Main House-My Parents Winter Residence

What I discovered about my parents surprised me. They were raised closer to the land than I ever know. Just imagine going back to visit your relatives on the farm back in Iowa that's how I felt. Except my parents were rural folks in the tropics. Still, they have a retirement home on a few acres right on the beach,a housekeeper, cook, driver and gardeners, so it was a very comfortable vacation once we arrived. 

 

My parents renewed their wedding vows in the same historic church(the Boac Cathedral built in 1756) they were married in 1957. We wore traditional Filipino clothes( barong tagalog for men) and my brother and sisters were all part of the ceremony. I saw some American tourists peaking into the church and taking pictures of us and I remember thinking, "Those tourists are going to show pictures of me to their friends thinking they got a snapshot of the Filipino culture when all they really got was a picture of some overweight short guy from California". From Dodie (Diosdado) Katague, newsletter, 2007-2008


Note: Dodie, my oldest son was born in the Philippines, but immigrated to US when he was only 18 months old. He has a law degree from UC Davis and now a successful prosecuting attorney in Northern California. He early retired last year to devote more time writing his second novel.  He is married to his former classmate, Ruth Carver, also a lawyer and they have 3 children, Philip, Alix and Marina. This trip was his first trip back to the island. Here's a short biography of Dodie as the author of Cloyne Court.

Dodie Katague lived at Cloyne Court Coop from 1977-79 while he attended the University of California, Berkeley. he graduated in 1981 with a degree in Geography. He graduated from the University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law in 1985. Since then, he is a prosecutor in Martinez, California. Dodie is working on his second novel, "Rock Star Planet", a Young Adult science fiction adventure. He is waiting to retire to finish his third novel, "Devil Mountain DA", a fictional account of life in a dysfunctional district attorney's office. 

****************************************************************************

 

David E Memories of Our Golden Wedding Anniversary

 

David is single and currently works for the Federal Government (TSA) in Sacramento. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis and a Masters of Science degree in Public Management and Policy with concentration on Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University. He used to work for the Office of Management and Budget(OMB) in Washington DC during the Clinton and Gore Administration. During the time of his employment with OMB we received annual Christmas cards from the White House as well as special invitations to special events such as the Easter Egg Hunting in the lawn of the White House and Parties for OMB employees. David E is learning how to speak Tagalog. During our 50th wedding anniversary party in 2007, he addressed the guests in Tagalog and made a good impression. His Tagalog is improving but still has the American accent. Macrine and I are proud of his desire to learn the language of his ancestry. Without David's help, we will never be able to enjoy staying in our island paradise in the Philippines for as long as we desire. Today, David E is keeping me company after Macrine's passed away last year. (8/2020).
 

************************************************************************************


Prior to the golden wedding celebration, we had a Christmas party for relatives on December 23. We had a putong ceremony by the group of Tita Glory Jambalos from Laylay and the customary lechon. We were also serenaded by a blind guitarist from Santa Cruz. The kids gave him a lot of tips for his excellent singing and guitar playing.Carenna, 

 

Elaine and Macrine watching the lechon getting ready to be devoured by hungry guests. 

 

Indeed, we are not rich in terms of gold or silver, but rich in pleasant Memories!!