Watch your salt intake!

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

A salty, mineral-rich fluid constantly bathes the cells of our bodies.  Scientist Claude Bernard made that discovery in the mid-1800s, and he realized the fluid must contain the right amounts of sodium, chloride, and potassium to allow our cells to grow, work, and survive.  One hundred years later, researcher Homer Smith theorized that the cell-bathing fluid contains similar to the salty seas that bathed and nourished the earliest one-celled organisms.

 

In order to keep that cell-bathing fluid in balance, what goes in must come out.  A person takes in sodium and chloride (when these two elements combined, the result is table salt) in his diet and more than 98 percent comes out in his urine.  All creatures, including human beings, have kidneys that strictly regulate the mineral and water balance in the body.

 

A person’s average daily intake of salt is 3,900 milligrams, although some people get a lot more than that.  If you have normal blood pressure, experts recommend that you should limit your sodium intake to 2,400 milligrams (just over one teaspoon of salt) a day. 

 

“Limiting salt may be a good idea,” the editors of Super Life, Super Health point out.  “It could affect your blood pressure someday, and it may affect other parts of your body, like your bones.  But don’t make a huge effort to cut back to less than the recommended limit unless you have high blood pressure.”

 

Recent studies have shown that taking too much salt is not good for your health – especially if you have some health problems.  Sure, you like your French fries covered with salt, but if have hemorrhoids, salt can make it worse.  Excess salt retain fluids in the circulatory system that can cause bulging of the veins in the anus and elsewhere. 

 

High salt intake can also trigger migraine in some people.  Migraine is a throbbing headache, usually occurring on only one side of the head.  (A woman who had suffered with migraines for 16 years finally experienced relief when researchers from Denmark’s Odense University gave her 500 to 600 milligrams of powdered ginger whenever she felt a headache coming on.  Within 30 minutes, her migraine would be gone.)

 

In a study conducted at the Department of Community Medicine of St. Thomas Hospital in London, researchers discovered that salt could have a life-threatening effect on people with asthma.  “A strong correlation was found between table salt purchases and asthma mortality in both men and children,” reported the researchers.  Buying the salt wasn’t killing people; eating it was.

 

Anyone who has passed a kidney stone can verify that this is an experience he never wants to repeat.  Most stones are calcium-based, so it’s essential that you avoid excessive intake of table salt and condiments high in sodium.  Salt restriction will help decrease the concentration of calcium in the urine.  According to US National Kidney Foundation, you should reduce your sodium intake to two to three grams per day.

 

Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) should avoid salt at all cost.  “People don’t realize that foods with high salt content can contribute to water retention,” says Dr. Susan Clark, medical director of PMS and Menopause Self-Help Center in Los Altos, California.

 

Most snack foods and other processed foods are high in salt – and some fast-food meals can be extremely high.  So, women with PMS should stay away from these foods.   Before buying packaged and processed foods, be sure to read the labels and whenever possible, choose fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

Instead of piling salt on to enhance flavoring of your food, why not try cloves, ginger, garlic and thyme instead?  They’re better for your health.  Cloves, for instance, may relieve asthma and bronchitis, arthritis and rheumatism.  Ginger can ease nausea and may help protect against cancer.

 

Garlic, on the other hand, may lower cholesterol and help prevent cancer.  You may use it in stews, soups, stir-fries and pasta sauce.  Thyme, which can treat colds, coughs, and bronchitis, can be use in vegetable dishes, meat, poultry, fish, stews, and tomato-based sauces.

 

Experts warn that no one should try to cut out salt completely from his or her diet.  That would be dangerous!  In fact, there are also good things about salt, health-wise.   For instance, if you are suffering from stuffy nose, why not try saline solution?  Here’s how to do it: Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a pint of water, and then use a nosedropper to drop it in your nose.  Gently blow your nose on a tissue.

 

Having a gum pain?  Try a warm saltwater rinse.  “Take a few swigs of warm salt water and swish it between your teeth and gums,” advises Dr. Leslie Salkin, director of post-graduate periodontics at the Temple University of School of Dentistry in Philadelphia.  “It has a general soothing effect.  If you have an abscess, the salts will help draw it out and drain it.”  He recommends one teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water. 

 

Salt can also be used as a first line of defense against sore throat.  While gargling won’t kill off the germs causing sore throat, it will moisturize and temporarily soothe the upper throat.  While there are many possible gargles on the market, salt water is as good as any, and it’s cheap.

 

Dr. Michael Benninger, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, instructs: Mix one teaspoon of salt (no more or you’ll dry out your throat!) in a pint of warm (never hot) water.  To gargle, start by taking in a deep breath.  Pour a small amount of salt water into your mouth and tilt your head back.  Let stir bubble out slowly to create the gargling effect.  If it’s noisy, it’s right.  Gargle as often as you like.

 

Warm salt water is also good for those suffering from toothache.  Hot or cold water will only aggravate an already sensitive tooth, but swishing some warm salt water will relieve a lot of the pain, says Dr. William P. Maher, assistant professor of endodontics at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry. 

 

Here’s what you should do: Mix two to three teaspoons of salt in a glass of water.  The salt draws out some of the fluids causing the swelling and has a general soothing effect.  The saltwater rinse also cleans the area around the infected tooth.  Even unsalted lukewarm water (about body temperature) can flush out an irritating piece of rotting food and provide some relief.

 

By the way, be sure to consult your doctor before doing what have been stated here.

 

For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com

 

Life is a box of chocolates

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

If life could be compared to something sweet, then chocolate would be more like it.  As Forrest Gump (played by award-winning Tom Hanks) said, “Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”

 

Chocolates are very popular around the world.  Every time I am in the airport waiting for my plane, you can find me eating a chocolate.  They come in different forms and sizes and the boxes are always beautiful.

 

There’s more to chocolate than just for eating.  “If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?” French writer Marquise de Sévigné wondered.

 

“Any sane person loves chocolate,” declared Bob Greene.  In fact, “nine out of ten people like chocolate.  And the tenth person lies,” said John Q. Tullius.  Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts, believed that what people really need is love.  “But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt,” he added.

 

Oftentimes, chocolates have been equated with love and romance.  John Milton wrote, “Love is just like eating large amounts of chocolate.” Miranda Ingram argued, “It’s not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let’s face it, far more reliable than a man.”

 

Chemically speaking, “chocolate really is the world’s perfect food,” to quote the words of Michael Levine, the author of The Emperors of Chocolate.  As Geronimo Piperni puts it: “Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods, panacea and universal medicine.” 

 

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said chocolates are “helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work.”  Baron Justus von Liebig considered this beneficent restorer of exhausted power as “the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.”

 

Some years back, I was touring a group of American kids at the farm in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur.  While walking, an eight-year-old boy inquired, “What is that?” as he pointed the cacao tree.  “That’s where chocolates come from,” I replied.  Almost immediately, every stopped.  “How do you get chocolates from that tree?” they chorused.

 

Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Central America and Mexico.   Although Christopher Columbus came to know the beans, it was Hernando Cortes who brought it to Spain.  “The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits man to walk for a whole day without food,” he wrote.

 

In the Philippines, it has been cultivated since the 17th century when Spanish mariner Pedro Bravo de Lagunas planted the crop in San Jose, Batangas.  Since then, cacao growing flourished in the different parts of the country.

 

The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground and liquefied, resulting in pure chocolate in fluid form: chocolate liquor.  The liquor can be further processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

 

Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar.  Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk.

 

If you care to know, the word “chocolate” comes from the Mexico’s Aztecs and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl, which is a combination of the words, xocolli, meaning “bitter,” and atl, which is “water.”

 

While chocolate is regularly eaten for pleasure, there are potential beneficial health effects of eating chocolate. Cocoa or dark chocolate reportedly benefits the circulatory system. Other beneficial effects suggested include anticancer, brain stimulator, cough preventor, and antidiarrheal effects.  As an aphrodisiac, its effect is yet unproven.

 

Recent studies have suggested that cocoa or dark chocolate may possess certain beneficial effects on human health. Cocoa possesses a significant antioxidant action.  Some studies have also observed a modest reduction in blood pressure and flow-mediated dilation after consuming dark chocolate daily.

 

There has even been a fad diet, named “Chocolate diet,” that emphasizes eating chocolate and cocoa powder in capsules. However, consuming milk chocolate or white chocolate, or drinking fat-containing milk with dark chocolate, appears largely to negate the health benefit.

 

A study reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation indicated that melting chocolate in one’s mouth produced an increase in brain activity and heart rate that was more intense than that associated with passionate kissing, and also lasted four times as long after the activity had ended.

 

People having headache are advised not to eat chocolates.  The reason: chocolates contain tyramine, a chief suspect in causing headaches.  However, many young people outgrow this chemical reaction.  “The body appears to build up a tolerance,” says Dr. Seymour Diamond, who has co-written several books on headaches.

 

If you have heartburn, you should avoid eating chocolates, too.  The sweet confection deals heartburn sufferers a double whammy.  It is nearly all fat and it contains caffeine (which may irritate an already inflamed esophagus).

 

“Other things are just food. But chocolate’s chocolate,” said Patrick Skene Catling.  That’s why Brillat-Savarin advises, “If any man has drunk a little too deeply from the cup of physical pleasure; if he has spent too much time at his desk that should have been spent asleep; if his fine spirits have become temporarily dulled; if he finds the air too damp, the minutes too slow, and the atmosphere too heavy to withstand; if he is obsessed by a fixed idea which bars him from any freedom of thought: if he is any of these poor creatures, we say, let him be given a good pint of chocolate – and marvels will be performed.”

 

For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com

 

Defy old age: Live longer

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

The Bible recorded the oldest living man through these words: ‘When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.  And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 872 years and had other sons and daughters.  Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died” (Genesis5:25-27).

 

Through the yeas, people are trying to figure out how to live longer, just like Methuselah.  In fact, many people in different parts of the globe at different times in history made it their life’s obsession. 

 

Ponce de Leon’s quest for the mysterious fountain of youth led him to discover Florida.  With its sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and palm trees, Florida in itself is a kind of fountain of youth.  Many Americans today who retire to Florida do seem to recover their youthful energy and vigor.

 

In 1808, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote of a 14th century alchemist, Faust, who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for a youth-restoring potion.  As expected, Faust came to an unpleasant end.

 

No one lives forever, for sure.  But this fact doesn’t stop doctors and scientists to search for ways how to live longer.  “Aging is the progressive accumulation of changes with time associated with or responsible for the ever-increasing likelihood of disease and death which accompanies advancing age.”  That statement comes from Denham Harmon, one of the leading experts in the field of anti-aging research.

 

In recent years, people are living longer – thanks to science.  But, on second thought, merely living longer isn’t good enough.  What people want these days is not just living longer, but also living healthier lives.  Who wants to live longer if it means just existing, unable to enjoy life?

 

“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses,” wrote Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, centuries ago.

 

Dr. Steven G. Aldana, of Brigham Young University, recently revealed that a person may be able to add 20 years or more to his or her life by making several health changes.  “People don’t have to completely turn their lives around to get significant benefits,” Dr. Aldana said.  Example: Someone who exercises for 30 minutes six times a week can gain 2.4 years of life, even if that person doesn’t adequately control his blood pressure.

 

But not smoking is probably the most important change. “Men who smoke a pack a day lose an average of 13 years of life, while women lose 14 years,” he commented.   Every year, there are about 20,000 smoking-related deaths in the Philippines, where about 60 percent of men smoke.

 

Excess weight greatly increases the risk of cancer, diabetes and hypertension. A person who is 20 pounds over his/her ideal weight is 50% more likely to develop heart disease — and the risk increases as weight increases.

 

In simpler terms, shed those extra pounds by doing regular exercise.  People who engage in moderate exercise at least three to five times a week can reduce their blood pressure by an average of 10 points and dramatically lower their risk of diabetes. A study at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas showed that men who ran, walked briskly, swam, jogged, or played tennis lowered their risks of dying early by 64 percent.

 

For lowering blood pressure, walking – and not running! — may be the better form of exercise.   American president Harry S Truman took to walking briskly until the ripe old age of 88.   Astronaut John Glenn credited his celebrated return to orbit at age 77 to his two-mile daily power walk.  

 

But exercise is not enough.  There are other things you must do:  Eat most meals at home (restaurant food tends to be higher in calories). Drink water instead of soda (the sugar in soft drinks is a main contributor to weight gain — and artificial sweeteners have not been proven safe). Don’t eat in front of the television (studies show that people who engage in “mindless” eating take in far more calories).

 

Watch what you put into your mouth.  Studies show that eating one-quarter cup of nuts five times a week can add 2.5 years to your life. Fruits and vegetables lengthen your life by 2-4 years. People who increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables from two to five servings a day can reduce by half their risk of many cancers — including pancreatic, colorectal and endometrial cancers.

 

For every 10 grams of fiber you consume per day, your risk of heart attack goes down by 14% and risk of death from heart disease drops by 27%. People who eat as little as two servings of fiber-rich whole grains daily can reduce their risk of stroke by 36%. Fiber-rich foods, which can also reduce colon cancer risk, lengthen life by 2-4 years.

 

Sleep well.  William Shakespeare wrote a long, long time ago: “Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, the death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath; balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, chief nourishes in life’s feast.”

 

Wrote the editors of Super Life, Super Health: “The secret of staying young could simply be a good night’s sleep.  Sleep rejuvenates and revitalizes your body.  Human growth hormone (HGH) is produced only during deep sleep.  The amount of deep sleep you get, and the amount of growth hormone you make, decreases with age.  If you could get more deep sleep and, therefore, produce more HGH, you might be able to slow down the aging process.”

 

As you grow older, don’t worry about it.  The more you worry, the more you will likely to meet your Creator.  In fact, be thankful that you are able to reach the age which most people have not attained.  Perhaps, you can sing Paul Anka’s song: “My friends, I’ll say it clear; I’ll state my case of which I’m certain.  I’ve lived a life that’s full.   I’ve traveled each and evr’y highway.  And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”

 

For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com

What is Christmas without these decorations?

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of Christ, is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar.

 

It is referred that during the 4th century, the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25 was gradually adopted by most Eastern churches. In Jerusalem, opposition to Christmas lasted longer as according to them the exact date of birth of Jesus Christ is unknown. It is said that December 17-24th was the period of Saturnalia, a well-known festival in pagan, Rome. December 25th was the birthday of Mithra, the Iranian god of light. This day was adopted by the church as Christmas to counteract the effects of these festivals.

Today, Christmas has turned out to be one of the most popular festivals that fill joy, happiness and love in people’s life. The festival of Christmas has absorbed various customs and traditions of world and 25th December has emerged as the most important day for Christians, irrespective of its roots. It is taken as a day that reflects the power, glory and salvation of Jesus Christ and his message of hope to the world.

 

In the Philippines, Christmas would not be complete without those season’s symbols and decorations.  Some of them were copied from other countries, although there are some that are truly Filipinos.

 

Almost every Christmas season, Filipino homes and buildings are adorned with beautiful star lanterns, called parol (from the Spanish word “farol,” which means lantern or lamp. Parol reminds the Filipino Christians of the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise Men (or Tatlong Hari as they call them) on their way in search of Baby Jesus.

 

The earliest parols were traditionally made from simple materials like bamboo sticks, Japanese rice paper (known as papel de Hapon) or crepe paper, and a candle or coconut oil-lamp for illumination; although the present day parol can take many different shapes and forms.

 

As early as November, parols are hang on windows or door of every Filipino homes, offices, schools, shopping malls and even streets are adorned with these multi-colored lanterns. You will even find mini parols hanging on buses and jeepneys and cars.

 

The most spectacular exhibition and parade of parol is held every year in San Fernando Pampanga, famous for the most unique star lanterns in shapes, colors and sizes made from all kinds of material.  The town becomes the center of Christmas activities, every year spectators get to marvel the amazing lights of the giant lanterns.

 

Another traditional Filipino Christmas symbol is the belen (also called a crib or manger in the United Kingdom and crèche in France).  A tableau representing the Nativity scene, it depicts the infant Jesus Christ in the manger, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the shepherds, their flock, the three Wise Men and some stable animals and angels.  Belens can be seen in homes, churches, schools and even office buildings.

 

This traditional Christmas decoration combines two different events in the Gospels.  The first one was when the shepherds are informed by angels that “for to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord” (Matthew 2:10-11).   The second was “when [the Wise Men] saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him” (Luke 2:11).

 

Tarlac, known as the “Belen Capital of the Philippines” holds the annual “Belenismo sa Tarlac.”  It is a belen making contest which is participated by establishments and residents in Tarlac. Giant belens with different themes are displayed in front of the establishments and roads of Tarlac for the rest of the Christmas season.

 

The story of the origin of the Christmas belen rests with the very holy man, St. Francis of Assisi.  In the year 1223, St. Francis, a deacon, was visiting the town of Grecio to celebrate Christmas. Grecio was a small town built on a mountainside overlooking a beautiful valley. The people had cultivated the fertile area with vineyards. St. Francis realized that the chapel of the Franciscan hermitage would be too small to hold the congregation for Midnight Mass. So he found a niche in the rock near the town square and set up the altar, which became the first Nativity scene.

 

One very popular Christmas decorations is the poinsettia.  In nature, poinsettias are perennial flowering shrubs that can grow to ten feet tall.  The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think are the flowers are actually colored bracts (modified leaves).  The flowers of the poinsettia are in the center of the colorful bracts.

 

All over the world, it is known as a flower that symbolizes Christmas, the day when Jesus Christ was born.  Its association with the Nativity happened in Mexico during the 16th century.  According to a legend, a young girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday was told by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar.  Crimson “blossoms” sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettias.

Another legend has it that the poinsettia became associated with Christmas because the Mexicans regarded it as symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem.   From the 17th century, Franciscan monks in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations.

The name “poinsettia” is named after Joel Robert Poinsett, the first American ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant into the United States in 1825.  Scientifically, it is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

 

A Christmas without the Christmas tree is incoherent. The fragrance and essence of the Christmas trees have been an integral part of the celebrations as well as of the family unit since time immemorial. Gifts are placed under the tree, as family and friends gather around to celebrate the birth of Christ.

 

Many legends exist about the origin of the Christmas tree. One is the story of Saint Boniface, an English monk who organized the Christian Church in France and Germany. One day, as he traveled about, he came upon a group of pagans gathered around a great oak tree about to sacrifice a child to the god Thor. To stop the sacrifice and save the child’s life Boniface felled the tree with one mighty blow of his fist. In its place grew a small fir tree. The saint told the pagan worshipers that the tiny fir was the Tree of Life and stood the eternal life of Christ.

Another legend holds that Martin Luther, a founder of the Protestant faith, was walking through the forest one Christmas Eve. As he walked he was awed by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen trees. So taken was he by this beautiful sight that he cut a small tree and took it home to his family. To recreate that same starlight beauty he saw in the wood, he placed candles on all its branches.

 

Perhaps the most popular symbol of Christmas is Santa Claus.  On Christmas eve, he rides in his flying sleigh, pulled by reindeer from house to house to give presents to children. During the rest of the year he lives at the North Pole.  The names of his reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Rudolph, “the red-nosed reindeer,” has featured in many modern aspects of the Santa Claus myth.

 

The modern Santa Claus is a composite character made up from the merging of two quite separate figures. The first of these is Saint Nicholas of Myra, a bishop of Byzantine Anatolia, now in modern day Turkey famous for his generous gifts to the poor. The second character is Father Christmas, which remains the British name for Santa Claus. Father Christmas dates back at least as far as the 17th century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe.

 

The modern depiction of Santa Claus as a fat, jolly man wearing a red coat and trousers with white cuffs and collar, and black leather belt and boots, became popular in the United States in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.

 

Christmas is not Christmas without these decorations and symbols. — ###

Dreaming of a white Christmas?

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

“If we had no winter,” English poet Anne Bradstreet once said, “the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” In other words, “If there were no tribulations, there would be no rest; if there were no winter, there would be no summer.”  So said Saint John Chrysostom.

 

I visited the United States for the first time in December 2000.  It was winter time in New York City and I never knew how cold the season was until I came out from the hotel where I was staying the morning after I arrived to have a walk at the nearby Central Park. 

 

When I stepped out from the hotel, I immediately experienced the fangs of winter that penetrated the depth of my skin.  (Until now, I run out of words to describe the coldness that I “suffered” that time.)  I was only the usual clothing we wore in the Philippines and a jacket — and nothing more.  I walked only a few steps.  I couldn’t endure the too much cold so I had to return to the hotel – pronto! 

 

The bellboy, who saw me coming out, was not surprised to see me going back.  He knew that I couldn’t “survived” that long outside with only a thin jacket I used to wear during cold weather in the country.  (Now, I know better!)

 

But I experienced the real kind of winter when I went to my sister Elena, who lived at that time in Hibbing, Minnesota. One early morning, I saw a lot of snow outside while sitting near the window pane.  I went outside and literally slept in the snow.  It was very, very cold, of course and after just one minute, I returned inside.  My nephew, who saw what I just did, was totally surprised and exclaimed, “You must be crazy, uncle Henry.”

 

For the next three weeks, I stayed with the Chase family (my sister is married to Daniel Chase, an electrical engineer just like her).  It was then I experienced riding a snowmobile for the first time in my life with my nephew.  Every morning, I had to clean the garage pathway as snow trickled at night.   Twice, I almost slipped when those nasty snows turned into clear ice sheets.

 

I could have done ice fishing (ever heard of it?) too had I accepted the invitation of Dan’s friend.  Remember the Hollywood movie Two Grumpy Old Men?  It was shot in Minnesota and both did their ice fishing near the place where my sister lived.

 

On Christmas Day, the Chase family and myself went to visit Dan’s mother.  On our way, I could see the snow flakes falling from heaven.  Literally and figuratively, I had my first white Christmas.  The most famous and popular of all the Christmas songs written by Irving Berlin came into my mind: “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.  Where the treetops glisten, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.”

 

Another Christmas carol which uses winter on Christmas as its theme has this classic lines: “In the lane, snow is glistening.  A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight.  Walking in a winter wonderland.”

 

Perhaps the most popular song among Filipino children is James Lord Pierpont’s Jingle Bells.  Now, please sing with me the most remembered lines: “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh.  O’er the fields we go laughing all the way.  Bells on bob tail ring, making spirits bright.  What fun it is ride and sings a sleighing song tonight.”

 

Although there is no winter in the Philippines, the season is very popular here.  The reason is obvious; Filipinos usually dream and want anything related to the United States.  In addition, there are many films in which a winter setting plays an important role.  The award-winning Fargo is an example.  The film Requiem for a Dream concludes with “Act III: Winter,” in which the movie reaches its hellish and chilling climax.

 

Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. It is the season with the shortest days and the lowest average temperatures. It has colder weather and, especially in the higher latitudes or altitudes, snow and ice.  The usually coldest season of the year, winter occurs between autumn and spring and popularly considered to be constituted by December, January, and February.

 

A lot my friends asked me why I wouldn’t stay in the United States for good.  My answer is that I could not tolerate too much cold.  Winter is good — if only it lasts for just one week; after that, winter is already a pain.  Poet Christina Giorgina Rossetti wrote: “Night is long and cold is strong in bleak December.”

 

Winter is good to look – in postcards.  Most Filipinos dream of it!  Actually, they don’t how bad the weather is during winter.  William Bradford pointed this out: “And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms.”

 

Here’s how Georgics author Publius Vergilius Maro describes the final metaphor in a poem celebrating death: “Winter is farmer’s lazy time.  In cold weather, the farmers enjoy their gain for the most part and they happily prepare feasts for each other.  Friendly winter is inviting and lightens their cares, as when loaded boats at last reach port and the happy sailors place crowns upon the sterns.”

But to those who live in a place where winter is part of their lives, they should welcome the season with gladness.  Pietro Aretino suggests, “Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.”  John Boswell adds, “Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”

 

“There is privacy about it which no other season gives you,” said Ruth Stout.  “In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”

 

Patricia Hampl agrees: “The cold was our pride, the snow was our beauty.   It fell and fell, lacing day and night together in a milky haze, making everything quieter as it fell, so that winter seemed to partake of religion in a way no other season did, hushed, solemn.”

 

Winter is the time when most of the people are inside their home.  Traveling is not much fun; one kilometer becomes two kilometer.  Winter, to some, is a respite.  Edith Sitwell said it well: “Winter is the time for comfort – it is the time for home.”

 

Winter time is no time for gardening.  Barbara Winkler argues, “Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle: a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dream.”

 

“May your days be merry and bright,” so goes the song again, “and may all your Christmases be white.” — ###

 

Thoughts on a friend’s wedding

by Henrylito D. Tacio

 

This coming December 7, my friend and fellow-columnist Kelvin Lee will be tying the nuptial knot.  He invited me to attend the wedding but since it will be held in Manila, I cannot do so – due to some commitments here and there.

 

But I promised to him (through text) that I will write a piece dedicated to the day he will finally say goodbye to his bachelor days.  I really have a hard time what to write about but after pondering for two days, I came up with this:

 

Marriage was divinely established in the Garden of Eden by our creator Himself.  Genesis 2:24 stated, “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

 

In a way, marriage is a union of three beings: God, man and woman.  If only man and woman exist, the marriage is bound to fail.  But add God to the relationship and it will lead to a blissful, lasting marriage.

 

As a couple, these should be their vows together: “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go I will go, and where you will stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Where you die I will die and there I will be buried” (Ruth 1:16-17).

 

Yes, there are marriages made in heaven.  My parents are married for more than half a century now and their marriage is still strong as ever.  Of course, they are always ups and downs but they have stayed together. 

 

The secret of their marriage can be found in the Holy Bible.  “Wives,” Saint Paul urges, “submit to your husbands.”  Not just in one instances or some occasions, but “wives should submit to their husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:24).

 

In like manner, husbands should love their wives.  “Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it” (Ephesians 5:28-29).

 

Husbands and wives are just like other people.  They will face trials, troubles, and temptations.  All these would happen to test their love for each other.  Gary and Barbara Rosberg, authors of Serving Love, suggest that no matter what happens, the couple must stay together.

 

These should be their words together: “If things get better for us, I will love you.  If things get worse, I will love you.  If we get rich beyond our wildest dreams, I will love you.  If we grow poorer and don’t own much, I will love you.  If you get sick, I will love you. If you remain healthy, I will love you.”  Till death do us part!

 

Should there be conflict, don’t let anger and madness to maneuver each of you.  Marriage counselors Dr. James and Shirley Dobson shares six steps for handling conflict.  Change what can be altered.  Explain what can be understood.  Teach what can be learned.  Revised what can be improved.  Negotiate what is open to compromise.  Accept the rest.

 

A poet penned these words of wisdom: “To keep a marriage brimming with love in the loving cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it.  Whenever you’re right, shut up!” Yes, as easy as that!

 

Some years ago, I came across a Beatitudes for Married Couples.  Allow me to share them with you:

“Blessed are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate, considerate and loving after the wedding bells have ceased ringing.

 

“Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their friends.

 

“Blessed are they who have a sense of humor, for this attribute will be a handy shock absorber.

 

“Blessed are the married couples who abstain from alcoholic beverages.

 

“Blessed are they who love their mates more than any other person in the world, and who joyfully fulfill their marriage vow of a lifetime of fidelity and mutual helpfulness to each other.

 

“Blessed are they who remember to thank God for their food before they partake of it, and who set aside some time each day for the reading of the Bible and prayer.

 

“Blessed are they who attain parenthood, for children are a heritage of the Lord.

 

“Blessed are those mates who never speak loudly to each other and who make their home a place ‘where seldom is heard a discouraging word.’

 

“Blessed are the husband and wife who faithfully attend the worship service of the church.

 

“Blessed are the husband and wife who can work out their problems of adjustment without interference from parents, siblings, and relatives.

 

“Blessed is the couple who have a complete understanding about financial matters and who have worked out perfect partnership with all the money under control of both.” — ###

Kelvin Lee: On your wedding day

by Henrylito D. Tacio

Marriage is a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose. — Beverley Nichols

 

When Kelvin Lee started writing a column for Sun Star Davao, I really didn’t much about him.  But I was intrigued by him because he writes eloquently and his subject matters always enthrall me.  From time to time, I read his column whether I am in the bus or having my coffee break.

 

I finally met him when I attended our Christmas party held at that time in Waterfront Insular Hotel.  Our first meeting was instantaneous.  He is vivacious, friendly, and very accommodating.   We did not talk long enough (either I left early or he was also busy).

 

Later on, I learned that Kelvin attended grade school at Ateneo de Davao and then went to Davao Central High School (at that time known as Davao Chinese High School).  He left Davao to study in Ateneo de Manila. 

 

Education is something a person gets for himself, not that which someone else give or does to him. – John Holt

 

After graduating from college, he went to work in Ateneo Grade school before leaving for Beijing to study Chinese and work in a foreign company there.  But after two years, he came back to the Philippines.

 

Although his family lives in Davao, he opted to stay in Manila to study law at the Ateneo de Manila School of Law.  This was in 2004 and he graduated this year and also took the bar exam.  He is still waiting for the result.

 

“I was very blessed because I survived law school while juggling a relationship and writing a weekly column for the Sun Star Davao,” he says now.  “That wasn’t easy, and required a lot of sacrifice, especially on Dot’s part. I couldn’t spend that much time with her during my four years of law school. But I do know that we now plan to make up for all that lost time, especially after we get married!”

 

Marriage is not for a moment; it is for a lifetime.  It requires long and serious preparation.  It is not to be leaped into, but entered with solemn steps of deliberation.  For one of the most intimate and difficult of human relationship is that of marriage.  – Gina Cerminara.

 

Yes, my dear friend and fellow-columnist Kelvin will soon be entering that infinitely rewarding at its best and unspeakably oppressive at its worst thing called marriage.  On December 7, he will tie the nuptial knot with his beloved Dot.

 

“Under Chinese tradition, there are certain days that are considered very auspicious and lucky.  December 7 is one of them and that is the reason why we choose to be married on the said day.  In fact, a lot of other Chinese couples are getting married on this day as well,” Kelvin said.

 

Love comes from the most unexpected places, so goes a ling of a song.  But for Kelvin and Dot, it wasn’t.  In fact, both studied in the same college – Ateneo de Manila – but the two never met during the entire four years of study.  Shades of the movie, Sleepless in Seatlle?

 

“We only met after college,” Kelvin revealed.  “Thankfully, we had many mutual friends and our relatives knew each other. It was only a matter of time before we met, and I thank God we did.”  This was when he came back to the Philippines after his two-year stint in China.

 

Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life.  Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend. – Charles Spurgeon

 

One thing about his wife-to-be, according to Kelvin, is that she changed him for the better.  “She made me realize the truly important things in life, like love and friendship and family,” he added.

 

When he met her the first time, it was not a case of love at first sight.  “We actually started out as friends who would joke around with each other and sometimes even argue a lot, since we both had strong opinions on some things. Somehow, we fell in love.”

 

So far as I am concerned, I would never choose a woman unless I were sure she had also chosen me.  I could not love a woman unless I felt in the depths of my being that she also loved me; I would wish her to seek me even as I sought her; were she not made to have me I would be tepid to have her. – E. Merrill Root

 

Kelvin could not recall their first date together.  “But one memorable date was when we had a picnic at the Ateneo de Manila school grounds in Loyola,” he recalls.  “It was perfect. The only hitch was that she didn’t know it was a date. At the time, we were still friends, although I already liked her. But we had fun anyway.”

 

All tragedies are finished by a death, all comedies by a marriage. – Lord Byron

 

Just like most men who are getting the right woman for him, Kelvin considers himself lucky to have Dot finally as his own.  “Dot is an exceptionally special girl, full of love, life, and laughter. I am lucky to be the man to marry her,” he says.

 

Don’t marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can’t live without.  ~James C. Dobson

 

To Kelvin and Dot, accept my warmest congratulations!  Please keep these words of wisdom from Mignon McLaughlin: “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”  Let it be your motto together. — ###

 

People’s Park: Commune with nature in the city

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

If you happen to visit Davao and you have limited areas to visit, please don’t miss People’s Park.  As one tourist puts it: “Truly a must-see. Your Davao vacation will never be complete without spending some time at this colorful park.” The brainchild of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the newest and grandest free attraction is patterned after the 843-acre Central Park in New York City. 

 

“The park will become a landmark of Davao city in the future,” said Engineer Elisa Madrazo, head of the park’s project management office.

 

Every day, the park is barraged by people from all walks of life – from children to adults, teenagers to students.  On its busiest days, it is here where you’ll be able to witness how cosmopolitan the city is.  Even when it is raining, you will still see a lot of people roaming around the park.

 

The expansive and beautiful People’s Park features many delightful treats for its beholders to discover.  Grand landscaped waterfall, strategically scenic benches, a small but fun playground, amazingly breathtaking gardens, arranged multipurpose trees, lovely traditional cottages and sophisticated sculptures created by Kublai Milan (the Dabawenyo artist who created the Freedom statue in front of the Sangguniang Panlungsod building).

 

The man-made park is remarkably well-maintained with clean comfort rooms.  Many park security or rangers are patrolling here and there.  The park is also equipped with monitoring cameras to keep the premises secure, and to prevent “illicit activities” inside the park. 

 

The P70-million project was part of Duterte’s all out effort to bring a centered and ecologically-balanced development in one of the world’s largest cities.  When Ian John Mendoza, the executive director of the Human Development International in the Philippines, learned of it, he lauded the “mini rainforest” as it would give the people the opportunity to be in touch with nature in the very heart of the city.

 

Of the park’s over four-hectare land area, almost 10, 000 square meters are allotted to plants.  More than 1,000 species of wild plants and trees gathered from the dark rainforests of Africa, Madagascar, New Guinea, Borneo, Indonesia, Central America, Australia and the Philippines have been planted in the park.  Most of the trees were donated by the private sector, including the famous Ayala family.

 

“In two or three years, all these trees will be so big and tall, you’ll feel like you’re inside a real forest,” commented park designer Edmund Viacrusis during the opening of the park in December 2007.  

 

The park used to be a sports center of Davao City, called the PTA grounds. After years of neglect, it became the lair of criminal elements, especially at night.  Except for a dirt road oval, the other amenities of the PTA grounds were left in various states of deterioration. Bleachers that used to house spectators were turned into the dwelling place of the homeless, while an Olympic-size swimming pool became a breeding place for frogs.

 

Architect Viacrusis retained the oval race track since it was very popular among the city’s early morning joggers who often sloshed their way through mud and pools of dirty rainwater in the past.

 

Today, the entire oval track is permanently paved with bricks and called as ‘The Promenade.’ “We designed the park around the oval and made sure it’s now even more conducive to its old function – a jogging area for everyone. We also made sure to retain a wide grassy area for open air concerts and entertainment shows,” said Viacrusis, whose old bungalow home at Ladislawa Village is surrounded by fully-grown matured trees.

 

At the center of the oval track is a wide lawn with a dancing fountain (the first in Mindanao) and a bridge (where you can see the whole park if you are on top).  Also, there is a sloping hill filled with tall, stately pine trees from Baguio and Benguet.  Behind this area is the portion of the park’s “rainforest” stretching all the way to the opposite side of the park near the exit gate.

Part of the “forested area” is a ten-meter waterfall against a backdrop of man-made volcanic rock wall. Water flows from the fall to a “river” that drains into man-made “lakes” under the shadows of tall forest trees.

 

However, the first thing you will see when you enter the park is a 425-square meter visitors’ center that looks like a giant durian with its spiky skin design for the domed-roof.  Surrounding it are a bambusetum (a collection of the different species of bamboo); a shady plaza where African tulips are planted within the 3,750 square meter-area; and an open plaza with a walk-through rainbow drive featuring some collections of potted palms.

 

Credited for giving the fantasy-themed park its name was Romeo Sardon, a retired electrician and seaman.  He won the P50,000 prize money for having his entry chosen among the 918 entries that were submitted in the name-the-park contest.

 

People’s Park is conveniently located in the heart of the downtown area and is flanked with dining amenities from almost every side.  The streets alongside it are Jose Camus and J. Palma Gil.  The nearest places for tourist or local visitor accommodation are the Apo View Hotel and Casa Letecia.  The Royal Mandaya is also just some walking distance away.

 

One American who visited People’s Park recently wrote: “Let me describe the place in one adjective: Awesome.” — ###

What is the essence of Christmas?

 

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

A little boy returned from Sunday school with a new perspective on the Christmas story.  He had learned all about the wise men from the East who brought gifts to the baby Jesus.  He was so excited he just had to tell his friends.  This is how he told it:

 

“I learned in Sunday school today all about the very first Christmas.  You see, there wasn’t a Santa way back then, so these three skinny guys on camels had to deliver all the toys!  And Rudolph the reindeer with his nose so bright wasn’t there yet, so they had to have this big spotlight in the sky to find their way around.”

 

“What is the essence of Christmas?” If I have to ask you this question, what would be your answer?  What is the real meaning of Christmas to you personally?  Is it the gifts you will receive from your friends and the company you are working for?  Is it the thirteenth month pay?  Is it the various parties you will be attending soon?  Or is it the fun of going around and do shopping?

 

A military expert was asked to deliver a speech in St. Louis, Missouri.  It was during World War II, and he had a difficult time getting a seat on the plane.  However, he secured it and departed from his hometown in Boston.  En route, he was “bumped” in Washington, D.C. by an army general who had top priority.  Disgruntled and frustrated, the lecturer sat and cooled his heels while his plane left for Missouri.

 

His disappointment was nothing, however, compared to the general’s disgust when he arrived in St. Louis only to discover that the speaker had to cancel out.  The general’s dismay was complete when he realized that the speaker was the man whose plane seat he had preempted in Washington!

 

The story points up an interesting question for the approaching Christmas season: Are our presents to one another crowding out His presence in our midst?  What has top priority to us this Christmas?

 

Most of us know that Christ was not born on December 25.  But it doesn’t matter.  What is real is that the Almighty came into this world, He became a Man, and He died for our sins so that we will be with Him in heaven.

 

That is what the Holy Scriptures is all about.  “The whole Bible is built around the story of Christ and His promise of life everlasting to men.  It was written only that we might believe and understand, know and love, and follow Him,” wrote Henrietta C. Mears in her book, What the Bible is All About.

 

The doctor walked out of the delivery room and approached an anxious father.  He told him, “I am sorry to inform you but your baby lived only two hours after his birth, though we did everything we could to save his life.”

 

As the sympathetic doctor was about to leave, the quick-thinking father said, “I read only recently that human eyes are needed in corneal operations.  Could my baby’s eyes be used to enable someone to see again?”

 

The next day, the Red Cross carried an eye to two different hospitals.  In one, a corneal graft restored the sight of a working man with a large family.  In the other, sight was given to a mother.

 

More than two thousand years ago, a baby came into our sin-blinded world to give spiritual sight to all who will receive it without money and without price.  “The people who walked in darkness, saw a great light” (Isaiah 9:1).

 

“We may not be able to do any great thing; but if each of us will do something, however small it may be, a good deal will be accomplished for God,” D. L. Moody once pointed out.

 

If we compared Jesus to some of us, He may not come to anything.  But He had done more wonderful things that all of us combined.  An unknown author penned something about Christ in these simple words: “He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty.  Then for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.

 

“He never wrote a book.  He never held an office.  He never had a family or owned a house.  He didn’t go to college.  He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born.  He did none of these things one usually associates with greatness.  He had no credentials but himself.  He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him.  His friends ran away.  He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. 

 

“He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.  When he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth.  When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.”

 

Several centuries have come and gone, and today Jesus is the central figure of the human race, the leader of mankind’s progress.  Ian McCrae declares: “Many who saw a Man hanging on a cross more than 2,000 years ago thought: ‘The Christian religion is dissolved.’  But it was not so.  It is true now as it was then.  The end is the beginning.”

 

As we wait for the coming of Christ’s natal day, let this prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi be a reminder: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love.  Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is sadness, joy.  Where there is darkness, light.

 

“O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; not so much to be loved, as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.”

 

For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com

Walking around the United States

By Henrylito D. Tacio

 

Do you know what I did last summer in the United States?  I toured some tourist destinations by feet.  You see, I like walking.  Here’s the reason why: “Regular physical activity is probably as close to a magic bullet as we will come in modern medicine,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the United States.   “If everyone were to walk briskly 30 minutes a day, we could cut the incidence of many chronic diseases by 30 to 40 percent.”

 

Actually, I got a fellowship from the SeaWeb to attend the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  To get there, I had to fly first via Philippine Airlines from Davao to Manila, where I stayed for a night.  The following day, I boarded Northwest Airlines on my way to the United States. 

 

After more than four hours of flying, the plane had a two-hour stopover at Narita, Japan.  Then, for the next thirteen hours and a half, we were on the air until we landed at Detroit, Michigan, where I had to present my US visa and Philippine passport.  I didn’t have problem with the immigration since this was my fifth trip to the land of milk and honey.

 

After that, I searched for my luggage and after finding it, I had to check it again to board another plane on my way to Fort Lauderdale.  I arrived late in the afternoon.  I took my luggage and went outside the airport to wait for the taxi which SeaWeb’s Brian Cohen had arranged for me.  Few minutes later, I was on my way to my hotel. 

 

During the 15-minute travel, what I noticed most were the palm trees.  “It’s just like I’m in the Philippines,” I told myself.   But there was difference: these palm trees were growing right in the city.  In the hotel where I was staying, there were even coconut trees near the pools.  Think of Waterfront Insular Hotel and you get the idea.

 

During the symposium, I had to walk all the way from Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel to the Broward County Convention Center.   There was a shuttle bus that brings participants to the conference place, but I opted to walk.  Just like most international gatherings, I had to attend lectures and press briefings, where I met some of the world’s coral reef experts. 

 

I also had an opportunity of talking with several journalists from all over the globe, including one from Los Angeles who received a Pulitzer Prize.  A television commentator from Japan and a reporter from Kenya became my friends during the symposium. 

 

What made the symposium memorable was the panel discussion convened by SeaWeb.  “Why journalists and scientists just don’t communicate?” was the title of the interactive debate that was co-moderated by Jeff Burnside of Miami’s NBC WTVJ and Nancy Baron.  Another one was our one-day trip to Biscayne National Park, where we did some scuba diving.  To get there, we had to pass Miami.

 

After spending one week in Fort Lauderdale, I flew to Savannah, Georgia (via Atlanta) to visit uncle Carl and aunt Aida.  I used to visit them when they were still in Columbus, Ohio.  But in 2006, they transferred to the “most beautiful city in North America,” to quote the words of one British journalist.

 

It was with them that I stayed longer – almost a month!  Uncle Carl picked me at the airport since my aunt was working.  Since I was tired, we immediately went to their home.  The house was smaller than their previous abode, but it was more beautiful and cozy. 

 

During my stay in their place, I came to know Savannah well – gothic, elegant, and weird.  During off days from her work, my aunt brought me to some tourist spots.   We came to visit some historical cemeteries.  She also brought me to places where some Hollywood movies were filmed, including Forrest Gump and In the Garden of Good and Evil.  My uncle taught me how to do fishing and canoeing. 

 

I had also an opportunity of learning how to surf in the famous Tybee Beach, which has been a favorite spot for vacationers and tourists since the late 1800s.   The beach is wide and clean, with warm, gentle waves.  The sand is white and you see no garbage anywhere. 

 

My last week were spent with my sister Marilou, whom I had not seen for more than a year since she left the Philippines.  Although we talked over the phone and communicated via e-mail messages, it was different to see her in person.  At that time, they lived in Newark, Delaware.  So my sister and her husband, David Eplite, had to pick me up at the airport in Philadelphia. 

 

On our way to their home, we stopped over in a Chinese restaurant to eat our dinner.  “You must be hungry, Manoy,” my sister said.  She was right; I was starving since I did not eat breakfast when I left Savannah.   During a stopover in Atlanta, I only ate a hamburger and juice – nothing more! 

 

I slept well that night.  The following day, Dave drove us straight to Washington, D.C.  I visited the state capitol before in 2001 but I didn’t have the privilege of roaming around the Mall since I was alone.  So, with my sister and her husband in tow, we walked from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.  “I have never walked this much in my life when I came to the United States,” my sister said.

 

Imagine this.  First, we walked from the parking area to the visitor’s area which took us about an hour.  After getting some brochures and taking some pictures at the back of the palace (as they call it), we proceeded immediately to visit the museums.  Before lunch, we were at the Washington Monument waiting for our turn to go up and see Washington, D.C. up there.

 

Frankly speaking, I was terrified of going up.  Elevators don’t scare me but the monument was standing alone.  What if there was an earthquake and it will collapse?  But my sister cajoled me to join with them.  After thinking for a few minutes and not wanting to become a killjoy, I decided to go with them.  From there, I was able to see the US Capitol, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and the White House, among others.

 

After the DC sojourn, we roamed around Newark the following day.  There was nothing exciting or memorable about the trip; we went to the malls to buy some pasalubongs for my family and friends. 

 

The day after, we woke up early as we were going to Atlantic City in New Jersey.  The city is known for its boardwalk, which is about 6.63 kilometers long and 18 meters wide.  But people come to this city to gamble (have you seen the movie, Atlantic City?).  It is host to 11 casino resorts, eight of which are located on the Boardwalk: Caesars, Bally’s, Showboat, Atlantic City Hilton, Trump Taj Mahal, Trump Plaza, and Tropicana.

 

On my fifth day with my sister, we had to leave Dave alone at home as we were going to New York City.  Dave had to drive us to a nearby city, where we took a bus going to the Big Apple.  Four hours later, we were in Manhattan.  My contacts – Tune Inumerables and Ann Sabio – met us at Macy’s, the world’s biggest shopping store. 

 

Although Tune and Ann were from my hometown, I never met them.  From time to time, I communicated with them through e-mails since both were members of the Association of Bansalenos Worldwide.  “We’ve finally see each other,” said the very beautiful Tune, who is the sister of another famous journalist, Jay Sonza.

 

Just like in Washington, D.C. and Atlantic City, we had to walk as we roamed around New York.  “It’s good that we had already practiced how to walk distant places in Washington, D.C.,” my sister said.  Of course, we also rode the subway train from here to there. 

 

We stayed for a night in New York (courtesy of Jeffrey Nique, who allowed us to sleep in his apartment).  The following day, we met Ann in a subway and brought us back in the bus station.  At 6 pm, while the city that never slept was under strong rain, we left.

 

For the next two days, my sister and I were so tired that we slept all day except only to eat and to watch the Olympic Games (the television was so huge that you can almost feel you were watching it right there in Beijing). 

 

“Thanks for the memories,” I told my sister before I left her on my way back to the Philippines.  “I had fun walking with you.  Hope we can do it again.”

 

(Postscript: Tune and Ann just celebrated their birthdays together in New York.  My sister Marilou and her husband Dave are now living in Orange City in Florida.  My uncle Carl and Aunt Aida are still in Savannah and waiting for my return there one of these days.  I am still communicating with some of the SeaWeb staff and fellow journalists who attended the coral reef symposium.)