The Philippines in DC

Where can you not find Filipinos around the world? Much like our Indian friends, Filipinos can be seen anywhere and everywhere. A Filipino became a starting pitcher for the 2010 Major League Baseball championship. One Filipino of four Black Eyed Peas played during the US's most watched sports spectacle this year. "Just the Way You Are" has been sung many times by American Idol contestants, and this song was composed by a Filipino. President Obama's appetite is ensured to be on high by a Filipino Chef. I wouldn't be surprised if there are Filipinos invited to the Royal Wedding. A Filipino is truly emerging among many races around the world.

The Philippines and the United States have long been related in history and development. The US, after the Spaniards have inhabited the Philippines for quite some time. During the War of the Pacific, the US liberated the country from Japanese rule. The US gave the Philippines its independence on July 4, 1946. The US also gave the influence of Basketball, reality shows and Lindsay Lohan...

Washington DC is one of the many melting pot cities in the US. You can see a lot of different cultures from every corner of the city. This is why everytime I stroll the Nation's Capital, I try to see if there are any monuments, objects, signs, or sights related to my beloved hometown. And I was surprised to see that there are places and sites in DC that highlights or mentions the Philippines.

Just across the Philippine Embassy to the United States along Massachusetts Avenue, there exists two (2) streets named after two Philippine places liberated by the Americans. Beside the Embassy there is the Bataan St., while across the rotunda there is Corregidor St. Bataan is a province in Region 3 of the Philippines where the infamous Death March started. The Fall of Bataan, or better known as the Araw ng Kagitingin is still being commemorated in the Philippines until today. On the other hand, Corregidor is an island off the coast of Manila Bay, which was an American stronghold during the second World War.

We have been strong allies with the US during the Second World War. This made us worthy to have our country's name etched in one of the pillars of the World War II Memorial, which is found just across the Washington Monument.

Etched on the "Pacific" side of the WWII Memorial are some Philippine provinces were much battle took place during the war. Places mentioned were Bataan, Corregidor, Leyte Gulf, Phillippine Sea, and Manila.





The name of our country can also be seen in the Korean War Memorial, located on the left side of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. If we recall our history right, the Philippines sent the 4th largest troop under the United Nations command. Around 7,420 Fillipinos participated in the Korean War. Former President Fidel V. Ramos was among the soldiers sent to Korea.

Various Filipino-sounding names can also be seen in the name wall of the Vietnam War Memorial. The Philippines, just like in the two previous wars, participated in the Vietnam War, which took place from 1964-1973. Around 2,000 Filipinos participated in the Vietnam War.

The Iwo Jima Memorial, or the US Marine Corps Memorial, is located in Meade Street in Arlington, Virginia, just a few miles from Downtown DC. The monument depicts the flag-raising Iwo Jima island, much made famous by the Clint Eastwood movie "Flags of Our Fathers." The US Marines participated in what the United States call the "Philippine Insurrection," a more politically correct terminology for the US regime in the Philippines.

In the Arlington Cemetery, where the famous Tomb of the Unknown Soldier can be seen, there is a museum that features military decorations from all over the world. There, the Phillippines' Medal of Valor is exhibited. I have to brag that ours is one of the most beautiful military decorations. :)

It is also exhibited in the Cemetery the several plaques of appreciation and commemoration to the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier. In 2009, then AFP Chief of Staff Narciso Abaya and Army Chief Gen. Delfin Bangit offered their respective plaques. 

On matters of faith, of course the Philippines is famous for being the only Catholic country in East Asia. Here in DC, the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception houses many chapels of images of the Virgin Mary from many countries. Of course, the Philippines has its share of image. The replica of the image of our Lady of Antipolo can be seen in the beautiful crypt church at the basement of the Basilica. 

 

The paintings on both sides of the chapel were painted by the famous Blanco family of Rizal.

Also, thank God for stores like the Manila Oriental and Fiesta Oriental, where we buy our stock of Stik-O, Lucky Me Pancit Canton, Choc-Nut, Patis, Sinigang Mix, Tocino, and Pan de Sal, we wouldn't have to be uber-homesick after all.

Sing Forever - Bukas Palad US+Canada Concert Tour

I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to watch the soulful concert of one of my favorite choral groups, the Bukas Palad Music Ministry, who recently held a US and Canada concert tour in commemoration of their 25th anniversary. Wow, 25 years of lovely original Filipino spiritual music for us to enjoy, reflect on, and pray with. They spent their last leg of their tour in Virginia, held at The State Theatre in Falls Church.

The Bukas Palad Music Ministry is a collaboration of music lovers from Ateneo: Academicians, professionals and students, who wish to serve the Lord and the church by singing beautiful music originally composed by their members. Founded by musical geniuses Fr. Manoling Francisco, Jandi Arboleda and Norman Agatep, Bukas Palad is now on it's 25th year, alongside several volumes of CDs and music books, continuing to serve the Lord and the entire Ateneo community through its beautiful music of praise and prayer. 

I was lucky to have watched them here in the Metro DC area. It made me feel so much at home. Back, in the Philippines, I attended 1st and 3rd Sunday masses at the Ateneo, and most of the time, Bukas Palad sings in those masses. Their songs give me the needed atmosphere for reflection and prayer, that is why I always loved going to mass during these days.

Bukas Palad sang around 22 of their famous hits, plus a bonus performance of the "Hotdog" medley. Their singing simply gave me a flurry of goose bumps, plus some moments of tears when Jandi and the rest of the gang sang my favorite "In Him Alone."

It felt good to be in the theatre watching Bukas Palad. For a time, I felt I was back in the Philippines. I was surrounded by Filipinos speaking the native language, and I was surrounded by Ateneans, young and old. And of course, I felt the mighty and loving presence of God through the entire show. The 2-hour event gave me the needed relief, comfort, joy. Indeed, God was watching that night. 

I also had the opportunity to meet my former teacher who was part of Bukas Palad. Sir Lui Morano, it was good to see you! Bubbles was also able to meet one of her former classmates back in AJSS. 

Bukas Palad also left me with a few lines to reflect on everyday:
In Omnibus, Amare (In everything, love)
In Omnibus, Servire (In everything, serve)
In Omnibus Amare et Servire Domino (In everything, love and serve the Lord).

Mabuhay, Bukas Palad! Here's to many more years of prayerful and powerful music! 

Here are some pictures:

Classmates

Student and Mentor

Here's a short clip of Tanging Yaman from the concert: 

The Philippine National Anthem

Why do Filipinos keep on bastardizing the Philippine National Anthem? Some sing like it's R&B, some try to "balladize" it, some forget the lyrics along the way. Noypis, for the love of country, please, STOP revising the national anthem. When you sing the national anthem, always remember that the Philippine National Anthem is a MARCH. It's supposed to be happy. It's neither a Jingle nor a Ballad. It's definitely not a Novelty song. please, sing it right. Also, the title of our national anthem is LUPANG HINIRANG, and not BAYANG MAGILIW. If you guys really love your country, you need to start somewhere. And what better way to start loving your country than to begin loving the right national anthem. Don't try imitating Americans with their renditions of the Star Spangled Banner. We have our law on how the song is sung. And we have a reason why the song needed to be sung that way.

Here are two correct versions of Lupang Hinirang:



Here's a newer video, made by Filipino Channel 7:



How difficult could it be?

I just don't get it. Sorry about the rant.

The Island - Theodore Roosevelt Island, DC

Another good thing about DC is that you just need to drive a little less than 4 miles from downtown and you can experience mother nature. One of DC's must-see parks is this island-park-trail named after the United States' 26th President. Runners, bikers and nature-lovers would definitely love to stop by and enjoy the natural cool of the island enveloped by the big trees and natural wildlife.

Getting there is not that difficult. Parking lot is situated along G. Washington Memorial parkway. The brown signs along the highway help bigtime. From the parking lot, you will need to walk via a foot bridge towards the island. Bikes are not allowed to enter the island so you have to leave it in your car. or in the bike racks along the parking lot.

I took a half-hour tour of the island and saw how some people would enjoy simply walking along the trails with their pets. When I went there, I saw a family taking a walk with their daughter, about 3 or 4. Perhaps they wanted their child to see how beautiful it is away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Because it is not a paved road, there are some areas where puddle accumulates so make sure you wear appropriate foot wear when you visit the place.

In the middle of the island there stands the statue of President Teddy Roosevelt, who is himself a nature-lover, and greatly appreciates and prioritizes earth-friendly policies during his Presidency.

Foot Bridge

Potomac River

Far View of Georgetown

Theodore Roosevelt Island is one of the nearest and cheapest ways to escape busy DC.

The Eastern Market

For food and "tiangge" lovers like Bubbles, one will surely enjoy the weekend flea markets of the Eastern Market in downtown washington DC. The Eastern Market is located just more than a mile away from the US Capitol. The Eastern Market proper is open daily, while the weekend markets are, obviously, open on weekends only.

Inside the Eastern Market, there are food stands where one can have his lunch, meryenda, or dinner. One of Bubbles' colleagues tipped that the Market's crabcake sandwich is a winner, so we immediately tried it out. And indeed, it was the best I tasted so far. I also tried their fried shrimps and fish and they were also good. The crab cake sandwich, though, was exceptional. We're definitely going back for more!

Indeed we did go back! When my good friend Jayvee came to Washington last week, we took him to Eastern Market to buy a crab cake sandwich to go so he could have a meal on his way back to his sister in New Jersey. In just a few minutes, he already texted me and provided rave reviews about the sandwich! He mentioned that he should have bought two sandwiches. It was the epitome of the Filipino term "bitin." :)

We'll go back to Eastern Market one of these days to shop for food that we can cook at home.

 A few pictures (taken using my BlackBerry Bold 9780):

Hat Sale

Posters, paintings, and all others artistic

The Happy Missus

Cheers!

Reminiscing the Happy Days

I miss the goofy times with my old friends and family... Sometimes I reminisce those times when we just fool around, crack jokes about each other and about anything under the sun , enjoy good beer and cholesterol-heavy food, just plain and simple fun. When you are about to breach the 20's level, lots of things change around you, including how you handle life and its complexities. This is when maturity grabs you by the balls.

That is why kids of today should cherish the moments when life is much simpler. Take as much photos and savor as much memories so that when the time comes that life gets harder, you can go back to those happy, simple times.

Thanks to the age of online video, we get to store a few goofy moments on cam. Here's one:

We goof around with the incoming bad weather by making a weather report. We almost weren't able to ride our boats because of bad weather and rising tides. Luckily, we got home safe. :)

Here's another one, inspired by the Blair Witch Project:

C'mon, that gave you a smile now didn't you?

Now, on to the happier days of married life. :)

Booyah!

Air Force Memorial - Arlington, VA

One good thing about being the the Metro DC area is that you have a monument, park or memorial in at least 5 miles of your vicinity. As for us, the towering Air Force Memorial is very visible from our place. But it's only last week that I was able to see it up close.

The structure was huge! it was said that it stands at 270 feet, and resides on the edge of the hilly area of Columbia Pike so that all the commuters and drivers from Virginia will be greeted by this structure upon entering Washington DC.

Here are some pictures (Taken using Canon Powershot A590is):

Address: Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA

www.airforcememorial.org

It Works!

Once again, the GM Diet helped me cleanse my body of impurities even for a few days. And because of that I lost at least 7 pounds and I'm still on Day 4!

Bananas and Milk... Waaaaaaaahhhhh!

And this is no April Fool's...

Booyah!

3 Filipinos Executed in China

My condolences to the families of the three Filipinos who were executed today for illegal drug violations. Despite  the government's countless efforts to halt the execution, the Chinese government still followed their laws and did not relent. I could fully understand the Chinese government for doing this, after all they have done it several times before, with British and Australian nationals.

It is but a sad reality that those who were executed really claimed that they had nothing to do with the illegal drug trade. Just like many of the Filipinos who wish to work abroad, they were in dire need of work, thus, will do whatever the recruiter says, even carry baggages with contents unknown to them. In the eyes of the Chinese government, they are criminals. But they were, indeed, victims of the real criminals who hover the Philippine streets in the guise of decent recruitment agencies.

What the Philippine government should do next is a major crackdown of drug dens in the country, find all those recruitment agencies that victimized these three Filipinos and close them down and put the owners behind bars.

As for us, we need to strengthen our law enforcement system so that we will no longer be victims of the real criminals. We put the real criminals behind bars, and yes, if possible, subject them to the same execution as what our Filipino fall guys have suffered.

Three Filipinos have died to show that China is serious in their efforts to curtail drug trafficking in their country. But the real criminals are still out there. And I'm sure, they haven't seen even the tip of the iceberg.

Kaawaawa ang mga Pilipino. Naghahanap buhay na nga, nabibiktima pa ng ganyan. Ang sakit isipin...

The General Motors Diet - Second Try

I've done this diet before and it somehow worked for me even if I cheated on one of the days. On day two, I decided to categorize peanuts as vegetable so that it could maintain my sanity. I also categorized corn as a valuable vegetable so I ate as much. :) What happened? I lost around 4.7 pounds. Good thing I maintained the loss of weight. The first three days feel strange, but it felt good afterwards because you'll feel like you cleaned up your colon. The fourth day is extremely difficult, even if I am a fan of bananas and milk. Here's the diet plan below:

GM Diet Plan

During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol. You must drink 10 glasses of water each day on the GM Diet

Day One All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially watermelon and a loupe. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing three lbs. on first day are very good.


Day Two All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.

Day Three A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.

Day Four Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

Day Five Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing.

Day Six Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your hearts content.

Day Seven Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.

Tomorrow morning from the GM Diet you will be 10-17 lbs. lighter than one week ago. If you desire further weight loss, repeat the program again. You may repeat this program as often as you like, however, it is suggested that you are allowed two glasses of white wine in addition to the instructions on the program. You may substitute champagne for white wine. Under no circumstances are you to drink any other alcoholic beverages with the exception of beer which is allowed. Any liquor (bourbon,vodka, rum) is forbidden.

Cream drinks are especially forbidden on the GM Diet. You may have an occasional cordial such as creme de menthe or schnapps, but you must always limit yourself to two drinks.

If you wine, drink only wine that day. If you have beer, drink only beer that day, etc. Alcohol adds empty calories to your diet. However, after the first week on the GM Diet it will help your digestion and settle your stomach.

GM Wonder Soup

The following soup is intended as a supplement to your GM Diet. It can be eaten any time of the day in virtually unlimited quantities. You are encouraged to consume large quantities of this soup.

28 oz, Water, 6 Large Onions, 2 Green Peppers, Whole Tomatoes (fresh or canned), 1 Head Cabbage, 1 Bunch Celery, 4 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Herbs and Flavoring as desired.

GM Diet Additional Notes

Vegetables as may be taken in the form of a salad if desired. No dressing except malt, white or wine vinegar, squeezed lemon, garlic, herbs. No more than one tea spoon of oil on the GM Diet.

You have above a recipe for the wonder soup which can be eaten in unlimited quantities. This soup is a supplement while you are on the program and it should be a pleasure to eat. Not everyone likes cabbage, green peppers, celery etc. This recipe is not inflexible. You may substitute vegetables according to your taste. You may add any vegetables you like: asparagus, peas, corn, turnips, green beans, cauliflower, etc. Try to stay away from beans (lima, pinto, kidney, etc.), however, because they tend to be high in calories even though they are very good for you.

Beverages you may consume while on the GM Diet program :

1. Water (flavored with lemon/lime if desired).
2. Club Soda is OK.
3. Black Coffee. No cream or cream substitute. No sugar or sweetness.
4. Black Tea = Herb or Leaf.
5. Absolutely nothing else except the fruit juices which are part of day seven. No fruit juices before day seven.

How and Why the GM Diet Works

Day One – You are preparing your system for the upcoming program. Your only source of nutrition is fresh or canned fruits. Fruits are nature’s perfect food. They provide everything you could possibly want to sustain life except total balance and variety.

Day Two – Starts with a fix of complex carbohydrates coupled with an oil dose. This is taken in the morning for energy and balance. The rest of day two consists of vegetables which are virtually calorie free and provide essential nutrients and fibre.

Day Three – Eliminates the potato because you get your carbohydrates from the fruits. You system is now prepared to start burning excess pounds. You will still have cravings which should start to diminish by day four.

Day Four – Bananas, milk and soup sound the strangest and least desirable. You’re in for a surprise. You probably will not eat all the bananas allowed. But they are there for the potassium you have lost and the sodium you may have missed the past three days. You will notice a definite loss of desire for sweets. You will be surprised how easy this day will go.

Day Five – Beef and tomatoes. The beef is for iron and proteins, the tomatoes are for digestion and fibre. Lots and lots of water purifies your system. You should notice colorless urine today. Your allowance calls for the equivalent of five “quarter ponders”. Do not feel you have to eat all this beef. You must eat the six tomatoes.

Day Six – Similar to day five, Iron and proteins from beef, Vitamins and fibre from vegetables. By now your system is in a total weight loss inclination. There should be a noticeable difference in the way you look today, compared to day one.

Day Seven - Finished off the program like a good cigar used to finish off Victorian meals, except much healthier. You have your system under control and it should thank you for the flushing and cleaning you just gave it.

I sure hope I get better results this time. This time I have my personal nutritionist, my wife. :)