Marinduque - My Island Tropical Paradise

Working Alone versus Managing the Work of Others

2012-02-09T22:53:00.001-08:00

My career as a research chemist working in the laboratory for 27 years and later as Chemistry Team Leader for the Food and Drug Administration for another 12 years.

In my more than 41 years of professional career, I have experienced working alone as well as supervising the work of others. I have worked in four private firms( for 27 years) and the Federal Government( for 12 years), specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I enjoyed both types of job situation. I tell you why.

My first job was for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. The firm was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation a German conglomerate. My title was “Chemist” and I worked for the Analytical Chemistry Department. The department was composed of about 50 employees half of them were either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. It was a very challenging job, being my first.

I worked alone with six other bench chemist and we report to a supervisor. I worked in Chemagro for five years. The firm sponsored the change of my student visa to a permanent resident visa, so my family and I can reside in the US permanently. The firm treated their employees very well. On Christmas time, all of us received a 13-month salary bonus. The employees along with their immediate families were also treated to an extravagant Christmas Party in a downtown Kansas City hotel, complete with dancing and free drinks all night. I left Chemagro to move to the West Coast for a milder winter climate as well as a 20% raised in salary. My supervisor wanted to keep me, but the company was only willing to give me a 10% salary raise.

My second industrial job was in the Agricultural Research Division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. My job title was “Research Chemist” and again I worked alone with five other chemist reporting to a supervisor who then reported to the head of the Analytical Department. My specific job was again developing analytical methods for detecting pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked for Shell Development for five years until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business and closed their research facility affecting the job of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with Stauffer Chemical Company, Agricultural Research Division in Richmond, California. My job title was “Senior Research Chemist”. Again I worked alone doing the same project as my previous industrial jobs. I worked for 12years at Stauffer Chemicals with outstanding performance evaluation every year. I reached the position of Principal Research Chemist, the highest position attainable in the company without supervisory duties.

One day my supervisor called and informed me that my job has been terminated and I have one day to vacate the facility. It was the most shocking experience in my life. My feeling of anger, sadness and humiliation had been unforgettable. This incident was the lowest point in my professional career.

Fortunately, due to my networking abilities, I found another job just 4 weeks after my termination from the company. My job was in the same field as my expertise- Analytical Method Development for the Detection of Pesticide Residues in Food, Plants and Animal Tissues.

A friend from church hired me as a “Senior Research Chemist” and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. My new employer ( Chevron Chemical Company) was also in Richmond, CA so I did not have to relocate my family. This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of others. I worked for Chevron Company four and a half years, until the company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas. By this time after experiencing three lay offs working for a private company, I vowed that I will never worked for a private company.

My new goal was either to work for the state of California or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron,I was hired by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA)as a “Review Chemist” in the Fall of 1990. In 1994, I was promoted to “Expert Research Chemist” with a Government Service(GS)-14 rating. My expertise was on Antimalarial and Anti-parasitic drug products.

I worked alone doing Chemistry and Manufacturing reviews of all new drug anti-infective drug products submissions (NDA and IND) from pharmaceutical firms submitted to FDA.

As a reviewer, I have the privilege of working 2 days per week at home. I enjoyed this independence so much that I refused a promotion to team leader once. To be a team leader, you will not be able to work at home. You will be required to attend meetings both in-house and with representatives of Pharmaceutical firms every week. In addition you need to supervise six or more chemistry reviewers. However, the second time another opportunity arised, my co-reviewers and supervisor insisted I should apply since I am the best qualified. I did and in 1997, I became a Chemistry Team Leader. As far as I knew, I was the first Filipino-American to attained this position in the history of FDA.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs. It was also my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” The award was the result of my hiring the first Black-American chemist in the Division.

I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There is nothing wrong with working alone, if you enjoyed your job. It is even better if you like your immediate supervisor. Working alone develops your skill in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the monetary rewards is much lower than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the works of others is not easy. However, it develops your skill to be more people-oriented and the monetary rewards are great. It is more stressful, more work and responsibility than working alone. But a supervisory job give more personal growth and satisfaction from my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and the most rewarding experience in my life.

Are you suffering from some form of Addiction?

2012-01-22T17:11:00.001-08:00

If so, seek medical help before it is too late. There are several types of addiction. The most common from my personal point of view are gambling, computer, nicotine or TV addiction. There are other types such as drugs, pornography or sex or even food addiction. Any activity that ruined the balance of your life is an addiction. Let me discuss only four types of addiction that I have personal experience.
Image from youcanstopnow.com
Nicotine: My wife is addicted to nicotine. She is a nurse and she knows the medical implications and effects of nicotine in her body. She tried to quit several times for the last 40 years. I even sent her to a Cessation Clinic, but after a few weeks, she is back to smoking. Nicotine causes changes in your brain, that makes people to use it more and more. Nicotine addiction is the hardest to break, because of the physical symptoms of withdrawal.Among the symptoms of withdrawal are: Irritability, anxiety, hostility,impatience, depressed mood, restlessness, difficulty concentrating and decreased heart rate.
The worst part of this habit, is that cigarettes increases one's risk of a heart attack My wife knows this as a medical professional, but she can't quit. I need help to convince her to stop. Can you help? For more information on nicotine addiction call 1-800-662-4357.
Photo from highlyvisitedblog.com
Computer/TV Addiction: I am mildly addicted to it. I spent about four to six hours in the computer every day. First thing I do, when I wake up is to read my e-mail. Then I check my Face Book and Twitter Accounts. Then I read all the news in US and in the Philippines. Then I manage my eighth blog sites. Afterwards I will start writing articles if I am in the mood. By the time I could get out of the computer, it is about noon time. I know I am mildly addicted, because when we are in Marinduque, if there is a power outage for more than an hour, I become restless and irritable and depressed. Luckily, I still could control my computer habit and it is not ruining my life. My wife is mildly addicted to the Filipino TV channel. She loves watching Filipino soap operas(Amaya). For information on how to treat computer addiction, call 1-617-855-2908.
Photo from cbc.ca.gov
Gambling Addiction: Both my wife and myself are mildly addicted to the Casinos. As part of our entertainment, we go to the Casinos every week. My wife loves the slot machines and I play Pai Gow Poker. We used to go to movies, eat in fancy restaurants and attend Broadway shows and Concerts prior to my retirement. We do however, stick to our weekly budget. Once we reached that budget, we go home. Sometimes we win, but our losses are more than our winnings as expected. I know that I will never get rich going to the Casinos. We also go the Casinos because of the reasonable prices of food in the Buffet. When we are in the Philippines for six months every year, we go only to the Casino maybe once or twice and we really do not missed it. So, thank GOD, we are not GAMBOHOLICS yet ! If you know of someone with gambling problems, the number to call is 1-877-718-5543.
Again, let me emphasized, if you think you are addicted to the Casinos or the Computer, please seek professional help, as soon as possible. Do not wait until you are deeply addicted or the addiction have already ruined your life. Call your local Gamblers Anonymous for help for gambling addiction.

Choral Singing in the Philippines and in the US

2012-01-21T22:17:00.000-08:00

When Macrine and I were students at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City (early-1950's), we joined the University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action Choir (UPSCA). This was an extracurricular activity that we both loved and enjoyed.

So every time I heard choral music it reminds me of my student days, making me feel young again. This video is one of the best choral music that I have heard so far from You Tube. Enjoy "the Prayer" as sang by the world renown Philippine Madrigal Singers. The background are scenery's of nature, animals and birds with most of the photographs highlighting the four seasons in the US. A couple of photos show children from the Philippines and India.

Macrine and I loved singing in the choir here in Northern California. In our younger days, we sang in our church choir on Sunday masses in Pinole, as well as with the UP Alumni, Berkeley Chapter Choir based in El Sobrante, California. Six years ago, we sang in the Church Choir here in Fair Oaks. We even sang a duet of Silent Night in Tagalog at the concert before the Christmas midnight mass. Macrine and I had also organized the Marinduque Association of the Capital Area( MACA) Christmas Caroling Group in Colesville, Maryland in the late 1990's.

Macrine used to be a soloist. She sang soprano coloratura in her younger days. Today her voice is ruined by her cigarette smoking. I sang baritone, also comfortable with tenor. I could read notes, and took piano lessons, when I was a kid. I have taken only about six months of voice lesson, but did well on my first concert singing "O Solo Mio", an Italian song and Buhat, a Tagalog song. This shows that I am not only a frustrated writer but also a frustrated singer.

7 Months Stats on Number of Page Views from my 8 Blogs

2012-01-16T08:18:00.001-08:00

The following is the 7 months statistics on the number of page views from my eight blogs. The first column was taken on 6/23/11, second column on 1/15/12, the 3rd colunm the net gain and the last colunm is the percent increase. Visitors from my 8 blogs came from 135 countries.

Blog Name 6/23/11 1/15/12 Net Gain Percent Increased

1. Life in US 9,853 77,443 67,590 906%
2. Marinduque Awaits You 4,696 93,491 88,795 1,890%
3. Chateau Du Mer 6,401 71,888 65,487 1,023%
4. Marinduque, My Island Paradise 10,266 74,724 64,458 627%
5. Why Retire in the Philippines 10,273 27,614 17,348 168%
6. Where the Heck is Marinduque? 3,278 31,678 28,400 866%
7. I left my Heart in Marinduque 2,410 24,765 22,355 927%
8. The Intellectual Migrant 10,313 53,051 42,738 414%

Conclusion: I have no reason to quit blogging. The number of page views is increasing in the right direction. Hopefully this will translate into more adsense dollars. To all my readers from 135 countires, thank you for visiting my sites, especially to those of you who took your time in making comments. Have a good 2012 and I hope you continue supporting my blogs and tell your friends and relatives about my blog sites.

Slide Show of Photographs on this Site

2012-01-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

Balanacan Cove, Mogpog, Marinduque

Are You Ready for the End of the World?

2012-01-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

I just received an e-mail from a friend reminding me that the end of the world as predicted by Nostradamus, or by the Masons is just a little more than 11 months from now, that is on 12/21/2012. He asked me if I am ready. I answered him, yes without a doubt. I even told him, that it could be sooner, if the US and other countries do not watch carefully what is going on in North Korea, Iran,or Pakistan these days.

The e-mail aroused my curiosity so I went to the website, www.history.com under Armageddon I found several videos, about the Masons, Nostradamus, THE MAYAN CALENDAR and Chinese predictions saying the same thing. But I am not worried and still feel ready for the end of the World. I feel I have done my best to the utmost of my ability, to be a productive citizen of the world as well as a good father and grandfather, husband and chemist. I even informed, him I just finished organizing highlights of my autobiography and is now published in one of my seven blogs that I dedicated to family and friends. My autobiography is now in book form and had been given as my Christmas gifts to my grandchildren last year.

My question to you, my readers, Are you also ready? If not, start organizing your life. If you believe in this prediction you have only about 11 months to get ready. What do you think? Is this pure fiction or just a hype to sell more videos. Is there scientific basis for this prediction? Here's a short video for your information.

A Tribute to Our Senior Citizens

2012-01-13T08:39:00.001-08:00

Image from swapmeetdave.com
Senior Citizens Merriment

Recently I received this short posting from a friend knowing that I am a member of the group called "senior citizens" here in Northern California. If you have been a follower of my blogs, you probably know this already. However, if this is your first time to visit my blog, let me assure you that I am a very proud member of that group. As a member, I just don't seat all day watching TV, but quite active in managing my eight blogs and one web site and writing when I feel like it. However, I believe, there are not too many seniors involved in blogging, most of the bloggers I know are in their early 20 to late 50's. If you know of a blogger who is over 77 years old, please introduce me to her or him, for we have something in common. Here's the posting that I received recently. It is titled " The $2.99 Special".

"If you are a senior you will understand this one, if you deal with seniors this should help you understand them a little better, and if you are not a senior yet........God willing, someday you will be......
We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the 'seniors' special' was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99.

'Sounds good,' my wife said. 'But I don't want the eggs.'

'Then, I'll have to charge you three dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte,' the waitress warned her.

'You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?' my wife asked incredulously.

'YES!!' stated the waitress.

'I'll take the special then,' my wife said.

'How do you want your eggs?' the waitress asked.

'Raw and in the shell,' my wife replied. She took the two eggs home and baked a cake.

DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS!!!
WE'VE been around the block more than once!

Tips for New Bloggers-Win a Free 2-Day and 1-Night Stay at Chateau Du Mer

2012-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

I was just reading an article by Susan Gunelius ( About.com) on tips for new bloggers. But before I discussed some of her tips, I know there are three main reasons why people blog.

1. You want to inform and be an expert in your field and perhaps earned income via ads in your blog, such as Google ADSENSE.
2. You want to promote a business or sell products or services in the Internet. By blogging you will attract clients as well as developed social networks by joining FB and Twitter.
3. You blog just for the fun of it. You want to share your ideas and opinions. In doing so, you improved your writing style and have fun sharing your ideas and joining discussions on topics you like. Your incentives are positive response of your readers.

I know there are other reasons why people blog. I will be happy if you share your reasons for blogging. For me my reasons are a combination of #2 and #3. I have no expectations to earn a lot of money with ads in my blog and website. Since 2009, I have only earned about $180 from my Google Adsense ads.

Now let me list four important tips for the beginner bloggers:

1. Be yourself. Your blog is an extension of your self, your brand or niche!
2. Be inviting. Joined social networks ( twitter, face book etc...) to increase traffic
3. Be risky. Try new things like plug ins or sponsor a contest

Speaking of sponsoring a contest, I have published in my blog, a two-nights free stay at my beach house in Marinduque worth $100, for the first person to comment guess the setting of the two photographs taken at night in the beach house. So far, I have not received any reply.

So, today to make it easier for everybody, I am changing the contest as of today. All you have to do is write an essay in not more than 250 words, why you want to visit Marinduque. Conditions for redeeming the prize remain the same. See details at:(http://chateaudumer.blogspot.com)

If interested in entering the contest for this year( 2012), please e-mail me your questions.

Last, but not least,

4. Be persistent. Try to update your blog as often as you could. If you run out of ideas, recycle your old blogs. Remember readers do not read at the end of your blog. It is not a book.

There were several other tips in the articles . But the above 4, I consider the basic tips, one must practice to be a good blogger for whatever reason.

Please let me know of other reasons why people blog and also if you have other tips for new bloggers that I have not mentioned above.

Moving is an Adventure-Are we the modern Gypsies?

2012-01-11T08:43:00.001-08:00

photo from topviralpictures.com
Although, I have never worked for the US navy, army or air force, my family have moved twelve times from the 1960 to 2002. Most of these moves were paid by my employers. These moves are either intercity or interstate, voluntary or involuntary. Each move is for a different reason, but it is always an adventure, filled with anxiety and hopes for a better life and new experiences. The places we have lived are as follows:

Chicago, Illinois (2 moves), Kansas City, Missouri (3 moves), Modesto, California (2 moves), Pinole, California ( 2 moves), Silver Spring, MD (1 move) and Sacramento, California (2 moves). These average to 1 move every 3.5 years. Can we call the David Katague clan modern gypsies then? We lived the longest in Pinole, CA (16 years) and followed by Silver Spring, MD ( 12 years).

Our first interstate move was from Chicago, Illinois to Kansas City, Missouri in 1964.After my PhD. graduation from the University of Illinois in Chicago, I got my first industrial job in Kansas City, Missouri. The move was paid by my employer, Chemagro Corporation. The movers packed and unpacked every thing we owned which was not much. We first rented a 3 bedroom house in Gladstone, Missouri, right in town. The family( Macrine and three kids) got involved with the local church and country club activities. The house was right in town and after two years, our landlord wanted to sell his property, so we were forced to rent another house nearby. This house is more secluded with an undeveloped land in our backyard. At the back of the property is a small creek, where our three kids love to play. We are always on our toes if they play on the creek, since we are afraid an accident may happened. An accident did happened, when our little David scrapped his knees and had to be driven to the emergency room for several stitches. Macrine was so scared ( too much blood), she did not realized she was driving in second gear on her way to the hospital. On our fourth year in Kansas City, we decided to buy our first house in Park Woods, Missouri, North of Kansas City. The house was a 4 -bedroom ranch with a one acre of lot. We called it “The Nipa Hut”. Our Christmas Parties with the Filipino-American community in the area was featured in the two local newspapers, The Dispatch and Kansas City Star. We live in the Kansas City area for 5 years,.

Our next move was to Modesto, California. Modesto is in the heart of Stanislaus County, a part of California Central Valley- a farming community in 1969. This was a voluntary move. After five years of Midwest weather, I wanted to move to California for a better paying job and climate. With the move, I got a 20% raise and fulfill my wish to live in a warmer climate. My new employer paid again all our moving expenses, including relocation expenses. Shell Development Company also paid for our hotel expenses and help us in the purchase of a new home in Modesto, right in town. By this time we had 4 kids and decided to apply for American citizenship. It was granted in 1972. Our citizenship party was featured in the Modesto Bee- a local newspaper. Macrine at this time wanted to have a gift shoppe where she could sell Philippine handicrafts and other gift products from the Philippines. So we decided to sell our house right in town and purchase a farm house with a gift shop in front at Skittone Rd, right in the border of Modesto and Salida. The gift shop was doing well, but after five years in Modesto, Shell Development decided to close their agricultural research and move all of it to Houston, Texas. Since we do not want to move to Texas, I decided to look for another job close to San Francisco or in the East Bay.

I was lucky to find another research chemist job with Stauffer Chemical Company in Richmond, California in 1974. We purchase a new house in Pinole, walking distance to the High School. We selected Pinole, since it had a “Debate-Forensic Program” that our oldest son wanted. When we move from Modesto, our oldest son said, he will never forget the fact, that we uprooted him from his high school at Beyer where he was active in the forensic team. So his requirement was that we move to a place where there is a local forensic team in the high school. When all the kids graduated from high school, we decided to move from our 2-story house to a ranch type house in the same area. This was instigated, when one day, I sprained my ankle playing tennis and I had a hard time climbing the stairs to our bedroom. So we move to Silvercrest Rd up in the hill with a nice view of the San Pablo Bay. This time we do the moving ourselves. Since it was only about 2 miles from our former house, it was not a hard move, although we have to hire a local moving company for the heavy furniture and appliances. The expenses for this move came from our own pockets. In this ranch home on the hill with a view, we hold several parties for the University of the Philippines Alumni Association, Berkeley Chapter, when I was President at that time,1988-1989.

In 1990, my new employer, Chevron Chemical Company, decided to close their agricultural division in Richmond. This time I promised to myself, I will never work for a private company due to stability concerns. My goal was to work either for the State or the Federal government. My chance to work for the Federal government came when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hired me as a review chemist and later Team Leader, after I attended a Job Fair in San Francisco in 1990. Luckily at that time, the Federal government had a budget for relocation expenses for employees under their Special Hiring Program. So without touching anything, the federal government paid for all our relocation expenses and also help us find a new house in Maryland. We found a ranch type home in Colesville, MD, north of Silver Spring. We live there for 12 years until my retirement in 2002.

The latest move we had was in 2002 from Maryland to Sacramento, California. Why retire in the Sacramento Area? We want to be near our children and grandchildren, so at least we could help in baby sitting. Our youngest daughter and husband live not too far from us. Our two other children lived in Walnut Creek, about a 90 minutes drive. This move was our hardest move. We had to pay for all the moving expenses. After a garage sale, giving away some of our possessions to friends, relatives and neighbors, we still have more than 500 boxes plus two cars to transport across the continent. Since we were not sure where to buy a house in the Sacramento area, we decided to rent first. After one year, we decided to purchase another ranch type house in the Eastern suburb of Sacramento. It is convenient to shopping malls, the casinos (Thunder Valley and Red Oaks) and of course to my Pangga, Carenna. For details about our life in the various locations listed above, please visit my web site. http://theintellectualmigrant.blogspot.com

Need a Vacation? Try Marinduque Island!

2012-01-10T08:15:00.001-08:00

Sunset at Low Tide as viewed from the Balcony of the Beach House

There are hundreds of tourist destinations in the Philippines. However, my favorite destination is Marinduque Island , a sleepy, unspoiled and scenic island, south of Manila. It is not world renown as Boracay Island, Aklan. However, the island has white beaches, underground caves, hot and sulfur springs, waterfalls and Mt Malindig as well as several diving sites and numerous snorkeling sites around the island.

One of my friends in US, a retiree like myself calls the island "A Heaven on Earth", where you could live like a king for less than $1000 US dollars a month complete with a driver and a maid and an abundance of fresh seafood everyday if you wish . I called it my island paradise, because there is no pollution and not much traffic except on Easter Week, when tourists from Manila and other parts of the world attend the Moriones Festival. But that is only one week out of 52 weeks. The rest of the year, you could relax, enjoy the sun and live like a king or queen, again with less than $1000(US)a month.

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center,formerly a private resort and retirement property is now open to the public. For details visit the website. www.chateaudumer.com

For information about Marinduque, visit the provincial website, www.marinduque.gov.ph

For travel blogs on the island, visit, http://eazytraveler.blogsspot.com/2008/04/marinduque

or Moriones Festival 2007 @clicktheCity.com.travel or guides.clickthecity.com/travel

or http://instaurareperomniachristo.blogspot.com/2008/04/marinduque

Las Vegas, Nevada-Here We Come, 3/3/12(MI, INc)

2012-01-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas at Paris-Night Time

Members of the Marinduque International, Inc Pre-Medical Mission Meeting in Las Vegas

Marinduque International, Inc first meeting for 2012 is this coming March 3 in Las Vegas Nevada. We hope all MI, Inc members can attend. Please marked your calendars. Attend the meeting and welcome our new set of officers headed by President Ching Jao Manalo.
Las Vegas is one of my favorite cities in US. For gamblers, this is the city where they enjoy their fantasy of becoming a millioner. For the non-gambler, it is the city for entertainment and food ( daily buffet served in all of the casino hotels at reasonable prices). For me, although I am not a slot machine addict, I still enjoy an occasional game of pai gaw poker. For my wife, a slot machine enthusiast, this place is heaven until all her money is gone for that day. Anyway, My wife and I love Las Vegas.
The two pictures were taken showcasing the MGM Hotel Casino( at night) and New York, New York Casino Hotel. These two photos were taken five years ago during our annual meeting( Marinduque International, Inc) finalizing plans for our medical mission to Marinduque. If you decide to go to Las Vegas, bring a lot of money whether you want to gamble or not.
Here's another photo in front of the Mirage Hotel and Casino
Here's a video of New York, New York Casino Hotel, Las Vegas, NV.

Marinduque-A Gardener's Paradise

2012-01-08T08:16:00.001-08:00

As an avid gardener, I found the climate of Marinduque ideal for growing not only orchids, hibiscus and bougainvillas but also euphorbias, cacti, succulents, plumerias and Ylang Ylang trees. Most of the above plants are easy to grow and almost pest-free except for the two varieties of hibiscus ( white and yellow). The top photo is my favorite orchid, a blue orchid called "The Princess Mikasa".
The middle photo is my Ylang Ylang flowers. The bottom photo is my favorite hibiscus, a canary-yellow(light orange) variety. If you need additional information on the culture of the above plants, please let me know.

My collection of orchids and hibiscus is posted on my blog

http://chateaudumer.blogspot.com.

My collection of euphorbias and cacti is posted on my blog

http://planningtovisitthephilippines.blogspot.com

My collection of bougainvillas is posted on my blog

http://marinduquemyislandparadise.blogspot.com

Do I do all the gardening by myself? The answer is no, I do "gardening by mouth", since I have one full time gardener and one temporary worker on as "needed basis" maintain the landscaping for the five acres of beach resort property. I bet you are envious! I do not blame you for feeling that way. Enjoy the flowers! Cheers! Have a Good Day to You ALL! May 2012 be a productive year to you, also!

Still looking for a Writing Site Comparable to ViewsHoumd

2012-01-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

I am still looking for a writing site. I really missed ViewsHound. I have several pages in Squidoo.com and about 35 articles on Pu.blish.us. I am not very happy on either one of them. I have heard of Open Saloon, Triond, Hubpages, Xanga,and writing.com and a few other writing sites, but it is not comparable to ViewsHound, I believe. So if you know of any other writing sites, I will appreciate the information you can provide. In the meantime, I am still maintaining all my 8 blog sites as often as I can. If you have not visited them, please drop by at http://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com or at http://chateaudumer.blogspot.com
There is a link to the other six blogs in one of the sites above.

I hope you have a productive 2012 and will continue to read my blogs.

Tips on Minimizing Casino Gambling Losses

2012-01-06T08:28:00.001-08:00

I am talking primarily about slot machines. The slots otherwise known as the one-armed bandit is a favorite of majority of casino gamblers. Its the number one earner of most casinos. I have been posting in my blogs that My wife and I patronized the Indian Casinos every week here in Northern California. We also have a budget which is part of our entertainment budget. We used to attend movies, plays, musical theatre and eat out as our entertainment activity before our retirement. We no longer do that. Instead, we go the Casinos in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds. We also enjoyed the buffet at a very reasonable price. For the last four weeks, I have not lost any money from the slots. In other words, I play on Casino money for about 5 hours with a 45 minute late lunch break. On the other hand, my wife lost about 50% of her allocated budget. Here are some of my tips on minimizing losses on the slot machines.
1. Identify a slot machine that has better odds of winning.
2. Before playing look at the stats on the machine( only for new slots)
3. Play the minimum that will qualify you for the bonus feature.
4. Watch out for a machine that has been played and did not give the bonus play to the former player.
5. Once you hit the bonus, quit and go to another machine
6. Do not be greedy and expect to win a lot of money
7. If you are not an addict, take a couple of snack breaks
8. Last but not least, enjoy the day and stick to your budget.

Note: These tips will not worked if you are already a mild addict. You know you have a compulsion to play, because you continue playing for 4 hours without a break, never gets hungry and will not quit even if the slots has already given you a bonus play. You are also addicted if you play at higher bets. Higher bets ( from 1 to 3 dollars) per click may give you bigger winnings, but in the long run you end up as a loser and eventually a slot machine addict.

Save Money on Your Drug Prescriptions-List of Diabetic Medications

2012-01-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

The following article I wrote last August,2010. A recent incident however inspired me to repost this. Every year before we leave for the Philippines for our winter sojourn, we request that our physician give us a 90 day supply prescription for all our drugs via a vacation over ride. One drug that I take as a type 2 diabetic is metformin, 1000mg once a day. For my 90 day supply, my co-pay is only $2.00. This drug maintains my sugar level from around 120 to 130 reading. Last week during my pre-snowbirding check up, the doctor suggested I take 1000mg extended release metformin for better control of my blood sugar. I consented to try it. However, when I ordered this drug, my insurance told me it will cost me $250 dollars for a 90 day supply. I was shocked and I can not believe the difference. I insisted that the pharmacist call my insurance why this extended release formulation is over 100 times more expensive than the basic metformin. I was told this is considered a new drug thus much more expensive than the generic version I am currently taking. I know that new drugs are more expensive than generic drugs, perhaps 5 to 10 times but not over 100 times in this case. Needless to say, I did not buy the extended release metformin formulation. A lesson learned from this experience is to talk to your physician about drug prescription which can saved you money.

Here's a repost of my article about Diabetic drugs published in this site August 22, 2010.

My wife and I are type 2 Diabetic. Having work for new drugs development at FDA for a number of years, my interest in drugs has not diminished even though I have been retired from FDA since 2002. The following article is a reference for new, and old diabetic drugs for Type 2. This is a must read of you are a type 2 diabetic.

It was compiled by Debra Manzella, R.N., former About.com Guide and updated May 2, 2010.

"It's been an exciting time for diabetes treatment - in the past year or so, several brand new medications have been approved to treat type 2 diabetes. These are not just new meds, they're completely new categories of drugs. What does that mean? These new medications work in completely different ways than the standard medications.

But does that mean that science is giving up on the old stand-by drugs? No, it doesn't. The oldies-but-goodies still do a good job, and coupled with the new kids on the block, blood glucose levels can stay even closer to normal and tighter control may be easier to maintain.

New Classifications and Medicines

DPP-4 Inhibitors: These drugs block an enzyme (DPP-4) that normally deactivates a protein (GLP-1) that keeps insulin circulating in the blood. Slowing the deactivation process helps reduce sugar production, lowering blood glucose levels.

* Januvia (sitagliptin phosphate): The first of the DPP-4 inhibitors to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Januvia is an oral medication which is taken once a day, either alone with diet and exercise, or in combination with other oral diabetes medications.

Incretin Mimetics: These mimic the action of incretin hormones which help the body make more insulin. They also slow the rate of digestion so that glucose enters the blood more slowly. People on incretin mimetics feel full longer, which reduces food intake, which helps some people lose weight while on the medication.

* Byetta (exenatide): Byetta is an injectable medication that is used in combination with other oral diabetes medications. It is not an insulin and it does not take the place of insulin. It is used for type 2 diabetes only and cannot be given with insulin. Byetta comes in a pre-filled injector pen. The dose is 5 mcg. to start, twice a day within 60 minutes prior to your morning and evening meals. Your doctor may increase the dose to 10 mcg. based on your results.

Antihyperglycemic Synthetic Analogs: These are medications that are created as synthetic versions of human substances, in this case a human hormone called amylin, which is used by the pancreas to lower blood glucose levels.

* Symlin (pramlintide acetate): Symlin is an injectable medication which is used with insulin for tighter blood glucose control. Symlin can increase the risk of severe hypoglycemia, therefore patients who are put on Symlin are selected carefully and monitored closely by their healthcare providers.

Older Classifications and Medicines

Sulfonylureas: These medications are the oldest of the oral diabetes drugs, and until 1995 they were the only drugs available for managing type 2 diabetes. Sulfonylureas stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin into the blood stream. Hypoglycemia can be a side effect of these drugs. Sulfonylureas can also sometimes stop working after a few years.

There are several "generations" of this classification of medicines. Second and third generations are more widely prescribed today.

* First generation: Orinase, Tolinase and Diabinese
* Second generation: Glucotrol (glipizide), Glucotrol XL (extended-release glipizide), Micronase or Diabeta (glyburide)
* Third generation: Amaryl (glimepiride)

Biguanides: These lower the production of glucose that is made in the liver. It also makes the body more sensitive to insulin. Cholesterol levels may be lowered as well.

* Glucophage, Glucophage XR (metformin): There is very little risk of hypoglycemia when metformin is used alone. Lactic acidosis can be a rare but serious side effect.

Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors: These delay the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose during digestion. This prevents blood glucose levels from peaking too high.

* Precose (acarbose)
* Glyset (miglitol)

Thiazolidinediones: Sensitizes muscle and fat cells to accept insulin more easily.

* Avandia (rosiglitazone)
* Actos (pioglitazone)

As of May 21, 2007, the FDA has issued a safety alert regarding the possibility of heart attacks or other fatal cardiovascular events when taking Avandia. Please call your physician to discuss alternative medications for managing your diabetes.

* Avandia May Cause Risk of Heart Attack and Death
* Avandia Linked to Increased Heart Attacks

Meglitinides: These stimulate insulin production when there is glucose present in the blood. If blood sugar is low, the drug does not work as well.

* Prandin (repaglinide)
* Starlix (nateglitinide)

If you are not a chemist( I am a chemist), the above names of drugs are hard to pronounce and spell, but I hope after reading this article, you did learn a little knowledge how these drugs regulate blood sugar in your body.

Also remember drugs is not everything! Watch out for your diet, exercise a little bit and avoid stress if you want to live longer in spite of your diabetes.

Time for some Lady Gaga Music

2012-01-04T08:28:00.001-08:00

Lady Gaga, the most well-known entertainer in the planet helped New Yorkers and the and whole world celebrate New Year's eve in Time Square along with Mayor Bloomberg
a couple of days ago. It is about time to listen to her with this video with another popular female singer Beyonce. Enjoy.

Lady Gaga and Beyonce Telephone Music Video

My notes: Conducting and Organizing a Medical Mission

2012-01-03T07:57:00.001-08:00

Dave and Macrine with the Morions, Medical Mission, 2011

This article was published in MI newsletter regarding the Medical Mission of Love III, February 2004.

Organizing and preparing for a medical mission is not an easy task. It takes a lot of preparation, organisation and communication besides the obvious fund raising activities. People outside the organization thinks it easy, after they have seen how smooth and successful were the previous medical missions conducted by Marinduque International, Inc (MI) to the province of Marinduque. The following article was taken from my notes during Medical Mission of Love III and published in our MI newsletter in 2004. Macrine, my wife, was President of MI, Inc at that time and I was her personal executive secretary.

Preparation for the Medical Mission of Love III started about 18 month ago during the presidency of Steve Sosa(2002-2003). After the MI Board of Trustees approved the mission, it was decided that each chapter should contribute $5000 to finance the project.

A list of respective assignments and expertise (MD's, nurses, pharmacists, and support personnel) was compiled. At the first MI, Inc. meeting in 2002, a specific member of MI, was assigned to contact each name in the prospective lists of missioners. This work was very slow. However, the Board of Directors have decided that the week of February 7-14, 2004 is the MISSION WEEK instead of May to avoid the hot, and humid climate in the month of May in the Philippines.

From December, 2002 to about October, 2003, the Internet wires were burning between Dr. Hector Sulit (physician-in charge of the mission), Mr. Steve Sosa ( former president and Chairman of the Board) and Mrs Macrine Katague ( current president)discussing the proposed mission activities. There was reluctance from a couple of chapters regarding the financing of the mission. However, by mid-2003, enough funds were received by MI, to continue planning for the mission.

By October, 2003, Macrine keeps reminding everyone to give her the names of individuals planning to join the mission. The names were entered into Macrine's Excel list, including their expertise and specialization. Half of the names appeared to be only support personnel. A desperate plea was directed to Dr. Sulit, Dr. Magsino, Dr. Madla, Dr. Ng and Dr. Jao to recruit surgeons, pediatricians, general practitioners and nurses.

By the end of December 2003, 71 names of prospective missioners were compiled, half of it support personnel with no expertise designation. Of the 71 names only 60 confirmed either by asking lodging accommodations or space in the complimentary bus from Manila to Cawit, Boac, Marinduque by the end of January 2004.

Around November, 2003, Dr. Sulit informed Macrine that the Philippine Regulatory Commission required that all medical personnel should have a current PI License to join the medical mission. The help of local health officials, Dr. Gerry Caballes and Dr. Honesto Marquez was solicited. The technology of e-Mail between the Philippines and Marinduque was utilized.

Luckily, for Dr. Caballes, his e-mail system work fine, but for Dr. Marquez, only silence was the response. In the meantime, communications between the governor's office and the offices of the six town mayors were also initiated. The various officials were informed of the mission tentative schedule, as well as the use of the municipal courts as venue of the proposed clinical operations and the schematic plan prepared by Nonoy Sto. Domingo on the various stages of the mission detailing the placement of tables and chairs.

The communication requested that local police officials be informed of the proposed mission for security, order and crowd control procedures. The governor promised that 24 hours security will be provided at the lodging places of the missioners as well as in the venues during the mission.

The Internet and telephone wires were also burning between Macrine and Dr. Freddie Ng (physician in charge of Hospital operations and drug procurement). The purchase of drugs available in the Philippines that is valuable and useful to the poor people of Marnduque were discussed in detail. The expertise of Dr Ng in purchasing drugs and surgical supplies was utilized. There are several reasons, why drugs to be given to the needy be purchased in Philippines. The minimal shipping costs, discounted price and availability of the drugs to the patients after the mission as well as the assurance that the drugs and supplies are in Marinduque during the mission were discussed.

We have learned a lesson regarding the late arrival of drugs from US during the previous mission. A few days prior to Macrine's departure for the Philippines, Dr. Sulit informed her that the need for Philippine license required by the Philippines Regulatory Commission(PRC) will no longer be required. This was due to the fact, that the local Philippine Medical Association(PMA) have no basis to complain about the mission taking their livelihood, since the mission is intended only for the poor and indigents of the province. Moreover, the president of the local PMA is our personal physician in Boac as well as personal friend.

In January 1, 2004, Macrine left Fair Oaks, CA for the Philippines. A couple of days later, she was in Boac. Her first assignment was to have a courtesy visit to the Governor. The next day the governor arranged a meeting of all provincial government health officials that will be involved with the mission. All provincial health officials from the six towns were able to attend except for Dr. Marquez. The schedule was discussed in details, including transportation, housing and lodging and security.

The governor offered the use of her 8 cottages in Lupac. The governor informed Macrine that the money, MI will pay for the lodging would be used to purchase drugs. If there are leftover drugs after the mission, then MI will donate it to the hospital. Macrine communicated this offer to MI Board of Trustees in the US. Everybody agreed that this was a good offer.

Macrine's next assignment was to contact all the six town mayors, starting in Boac with Mr. Madla. The personal visit was just to confirm the previous letters that were sent to the mayors asking for permits, use of public address system and the venue of the clinical as well as the involvement of the local police for security.

The next town mayors contacted were Mr. Jonathan Garcia of Mogpog, Mr. Percy Morales of Sta. Cruz and Mr. Tom Pizarro of Torrijos. The day of Macrine's visit to these three mayors were not very productive since none of them were in their offices at that time.

Torrijos has no telephone system. Mogpog and Sta. Cruz telephone systems were not reliable nor the 411 system in Marinduque appears to work. Only two people in the town of Torrijos have cell phones. However, the drive to these three towns were not a waste after all. In Mogpog, Sta. Cruz, and Torrijos, Macrine left messages for the respective mayors via their secretaries . While she was in Sta. Cruz, she was able to talk to Dr. T. Rejano and gave the pediatric drugs donated by MI for the town clinic. The drugs were specifically requested by him for use in research from the effects of the mine waste disposal to the children in the area.

The mayor of Mogpog and Sta. Cruz later return back the messages left by Macrine. However, Mayor Tom Pizarro of Torrijos didn't call Macrine back regarding the mission. The only communications we have about Torrijos was with the Director of Hospitals, Dr. Cynthia Del Rosario, Dr. Del Rosario was very cooperative with our mission.

January 7 to 14 was the date of unpacking, allocating, identifying and inventory of more than 72 boxes of drugs purchased in the Philippines as well as from US. If you think this is easy, you have to see that one of our bedrooms looks like a pharmacy warehouse and hardly no room to walk. Thanks to the help of Womens Club of Boac (thru Mrs. Nilda Jamilla), Aida Mariposque and daughter Concon and our driver Edwin, the inventory and equal allocation of the drugs for the six towns and the hospital was done in only one week.

There was a complaint about unequal distribution of medicines among the six towns. This complaint was without any basis and just plain ignorance from the complainer. We have more than a couple of witnesses to corroborate the facts.

On January 15, I arrived in Marinduque. I accompanied Macrine for the courtesy visit to Mayor Lau Lim of Gasan. Mayor Lim was happy to see us. She informed us, that Gasan is well prepared for all medical missions conducted in Gasan. She has formed a committee (food and operations) that coordinate all the mission activities in Gasan.

Gasan is the only town doing this. The last week of January, Macrine suffered an abscessed tooth, that required her to fly to Manila. Since this was almost just two weeks, before the Mission Week, Macrine appointed me to take over the advanced work.

I did some follow-up with patients' pre-registration in the hospital, confirmation of lodging and food preparation for lunch in Buevavista. We visited Mr. Wilfredo Pe, Mayor of Buenavista, after our visit with Mayor Vicky Lim of Gasan. We explained to Mr. Pe the stages of the clinical operation as outlined in Nonoy Sto. Domingo's schematic plan indicating the location of chairs and tables.

I did another follow-up regarding the pre-mission publicity thru the office of the governor and local churches. Confirmation of printing of banners, T-shirts, bottled water supplies and local transportation needs was done.

Special thanks to Agnes Lardizabal-Apeles and Miriam Trivino-Borlaza for recruiting relatives and friends to provide the missioners lunches and dinners one week before the mission. With their help, MI, Inc. has saved additional money. The money saved was needed for the purchase of additional medicines and supplies.

One of the hardest advance work is to solicit hosts for our lunches and dinners. First of all, we need to inform the host the number of people expected for lunches and dinners. From our list, we gave 60, since these are the number of people who confirmed their attendance. But, like most Filipinos, the 60 became 80 and with local volunteers and local security, the number becomes 100.

We will never forget, the response of a couple of our hosts, after we informed them to please increase the food prepared from 60 to 80 hungry mouths. They gave us a look we will never forget. A lesson learned, when you are in the Philippines, if you expect 60, you might as well multiply it by two.

Speaking about food, a local caterer informed us, that the population of baby pigs to be roasted (or made into lechon) was reduced to zero, the week of February 7-14, 2004. We know why!

IN THE PREPARATION of clinical operations schedule, we have a hard time assigning support personnel, since we have no idea, what their expertise or experience are regarding mission work. However, one of my lucky guess, was the assignment of Fausto (Jun) De Vera in the crowd control area. Thank you very much Jun. Your are welcome to come again at our next mission. All my other assingments were just a hit and miss, but overall the scheduling assignment turned out all right. We have also a lot of local volunteers that help in non-medical work as well as in the pharmacy section. Thanks to the local pharmacy association and to all of Macrine's relatives and friends that helped during the clinical operations in the six towns.

As a conclusion, advanced work required, a lot of time, patience and diplomacy. Our personal recommendation for the mission. We have to be selective with the support group participation activity. Advance confirmation of attendance (two weeks prior) is required as a courtesy to the advance person, who will arranged food and lodging and transportation, as well as contact all the medical and provincial officials regarding the mission activities. Again, thank you ALL, especially to our non-MI Missioners!

Reported by Dr.David Katague and approved by President Macrine Katague, MI Inc., March, 2004.

Cloyne Court- Excerpts 36 and 37

2012-01-02T08:19:00.001-08:00

Photo from watergate.summer.blogspot.com
Cloyne Court, Episode 36
By Dodie Katague
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Rated "R" by the Author.

The author lived at Cloyne Court from 1977-79, while attending the University of California, Berkeley.

The police need to know how many nets to bring for the passive resisters. The police union wants full worker's compensation benefits for any officer that hurts his back lifting a protester, so the police brass decided to use a net on all passive resisters."

"Why are you cooperating? Isn't the whole point of civil unrest to be…?" I couldn't think of the exact word, "well …unrestful?"

"It's ironic that we cooperate with the police, but the ACLU attorneys have an agreement with the university on how to handle arrests. Fewer people get injured that way, and we get out of custody more quickly."

"Are you telling them how many handcuffs to bring in too?" I asked sarcastically.

"Don’t be silly. They use plastic flex ties now."

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to actively resist," she said. "How can anyone remain passive when there is social injustice in the world?"

I didn't want to see her make such a fatuous mistake. "Think about your future," I said. "What kind of job do you think you're going to get when future employers ask if you have ever been convicted of a felony?"

"Derek, there are felons in corporate boardrooms across America committing crimes against their stockholders and the environment. They just haven't been convicted yet."

"What good are you to the revolution if you're in jail?" I said, trying to convince her of her own self-interest. I knew what my self-interest was. I didn't want to go to jail and have a hulky guy named Bubba as my cellmate. "Let's leave. I don’t want us to get arrested."

"Leave without me."

"No, you're coming with me!” I picked her up with both arms and carried her toward the emergency exit. People parted and let us through when they saw Diane flailing her arms and legs.

"Let me go! Put me down!"

"No, I care about you, and I don’t want you to get hurt," I said, realizing I had just said the wrong thing. I put her down.

"What? Are you hitting on me?" she said in disbelief.

I didn't want this discussion moments from the teargas canisters dropping and the batons swinging. I did not want this conversation at all. What could I say quickly that would defuse the situation?

"I like you as I would any comrade who’s valuable to the cause," I said in my best Maoist voice.

She looked at me in disbelief.

"Liar!" She yelled. "Love and communism are different things. They should never be mixed."

She used her sign and swatted me with the cardboard section, but her aim was off. She backhanded me squarely in the nose with the wood handle. I felt a throbbing pain that was only dampened by the shock of her actions.

"Ouch! That hurt! My nose! I'm bleeding!" Blood started to pour from my nose and onto my shirt.

She saw what her impulsiveness had done, and I could see from the sheepish look on her face that she regretted hitting me. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She took out a bandana from a pocket. Yes, the red bandana that was part of her revolutionary uniform. The bandana she was supposed to use to cover her face when she did illegal acts in public.

Seconds later, I heard the sound of breaking glass and the crash of a metal garbage can hitting the ground. Then a gunshot and the hiss of an exploding teargas canister. The crowd noise surged to a panicked uproar.

"We have to escape!" I shouted. I hadn’t inhaled the teargas yet, but I didn’t need to after seeing the frightened looks of the students in the front lobby.

Students gagged and coughed from the teargas and stampeded the exit. I pulled her toward the nearest emergency exit and pushed on the escape lever. An alarm sounded as the door opened. We were swept outside from the crush of the crowd behind us. I grabbed Diane’s hand, and we ran toward Telegraph Avenue.

Tina Weston, a Cloyne Court resident and a student reporter for the Daily Californian, was standing outside Sproul Hall beside a newspaper photographer. The photographer snapped a picture of me holding the red bandana against the side of my face and the blood on my shirt with Diane in her black beret and RSB uniform supporting me.

"What was it like in there?" Tina asked.

"The Pigs used teargas on nonviolent protesters," said Diane.
Tina used that photo of us on the front page of the next morning's Daily Californian with the headline, "THE POLITICS OF GAS."[1]

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[1]Somewhere in a filing cabinet in the storage recesses of the FBI, that picture and my name are blacklisted on a dusty and yellowing subversives list. Fortunately, the FBI has never developed a workable database to link their archives. I can live my life in unconfined obscurity.

Cloyne Court, Episode 37
By Dodie Katague
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Rated "R" by the Author.

The author lived at Cloyne Court from 1977-79, while attending the University of California, Berkeley.

I left Diane to regroup with her cadre of communists and walked back to Cloyne holding the bloody bandana to my face. My nose was still hurting. It had swollen a bit but didn't seem broken. I wrapped some ice in a towel, held it to my face and went to my room.

Alan was there. "What happened to you?" he asked. He was about to put on a Peter Frampton album on his stereo and crank it up.[1]

"A woman I met hit me with her protest sign," I replied.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you approach strange women and ask them if they think James Taylor is good music to fuck too," he said, matter-of-factly.

"I was trapped in a protest takeover. Police fired teargas. We escaped. People were choking and vomiting.

"Tell me something new and exciting." Alan yawned, "That happens all the time."

I took off my sweatshirt. It still had a slight smell of teargas, as did the rest of my clothing. I picked up my book bag to see if it needed to be decontaminated, and that's when I noticed the zipper was open and the items in it were gone.

Missing from my small cache of worldly possessions was my Texas Instrument Calculator, Model TI-50A and my pristine copy of A Room of One's Own. I was upset. Not only had I paid good money for these items, but also the loss of the Rhetoric book meant my plans for a successful study date with Karen would have to be canceled.

At dinner, I asked if anyone had a spare copy to lend. Katy and Dan weren't talking to each other for unknown reasons and were too preoccupied to care about my plight. The engineering students weren't required to take English or Rhetoric (which explains why most of them can't write readable reports), and Alan and Mike didn't think Rhetoric was a serious academic subject.

I didn't have the money to buy another book. What was I going to do?

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[1] He had gotten into a discussion with a group who felt Pink Floyd's music was more indicative of the counterculture rock SF scene than Frampton. To avoid defeat, he was going to play Frampton for days at full volume until somebody got sick and tired of it and agreed Frampton had some musical merit.

Happy New Year to All my Readers All over the World

2012-01-01T07:51:00.001-08:00

Happy New YEAR greetings from all over the World:
Afgani: Saale Nao Mubbarak
Afrikaans: Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Albanian: Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Armenian: Snorhavor Nor Tari
Arabic: Kul 'am wa antum bikhair
Assyrian: Sheta Brikhta
Azeri: Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!
Balochi: Noki saal mubarrak bibi
Bengali: Shuvo Nabo Barsho
Breton [Celtic Brythonic language]: Bloavezh Mat
Bulgarian: ×åñòèòà Íîâà Ãîäèíà(pronounced "Chestita Nova Godina")
Cambodian: Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Catalan: FELIÇ ANY NOU
Chakma: Nuo bazzor bekkunore
Chinese: Xin Nian Kuai Le
Corsican Language: Pace e Salute
Croatian: Sretna Nova godina!
Cymraeg (Welsh): Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Czech: Šťastný Nový rok (or Stastny Novy rok)
Denish: Godt Nytår
Dhivehi: Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen
Dutch: GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
Eskimo: Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Esperanto: Felican Novan Jaron
Estonians: Head uut aastat!
Ethiopian: MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!
Ethiopian/Eritrean Tigrigna: RUHUS HADUSH AMET
Finnish: Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French: Bonne Annee
Gaelic: Bliadhna mhath ur
Galician [NorthWestern Spain]:Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo
German: Prosit Neujahr
Georgian: GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!
Greek: Kenourios Chronos
Gujarati: Nutan Varshbhinandan
Hawaiian: Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew: L'Shannah Tovah
Hindi: Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Hong kong: (Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok
Hungarian: Boldog Új Évet Kivánok
Indonesian: Selamat Tahun Baru
Iranian: Sal -e- no mobarak
Iraqi: Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian: Felice anno nuovo
Japan: Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Kabyle: Asegwas Amegaz
Kannada: Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
Kisii: SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA
Khasi: Snem Thymmai Basuk Iaphi
Khmer: Sua Sdei tfnam tmei
Korea: Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!
Kurdish: NEWROZ PIROZBE
Latvian: Laimīgo Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian: Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Laotian: Sabai dee pee mai
Macedonian: Srekjna Nova Godina
Madagascar: Tratry ny taona
Malay: Selamat Tahun Baru
Marathi: Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha
Malayalam: Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
Mizo: Kum Thar Chibai
Maltese: Is-Sena t-Tajba
Nepal: Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Norwegian: Godt Nyttår
Oriya: Nua Barshara Subhechha
Papua New Guinea: Nupela yia i go long yu
Pampango (Philippines): Masaganang Bayung Banua
Pashto: Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah
Persian: Sal -e- no mobarak
Philippines: Manigong Bagong Taon!
Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portuguese: Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi: Nave sal di mubarak
Romanian: AN NOU FERICIT
Russian: S Novim Godom
Samoa: Manuia le Tausaga Fou
Serbo-Croatian: Sretna nova godina
Sindhi: Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Singhalese: Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Siraiki: Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay
Slovak: Stastny Novy rok
Slovenian: sreèno novo leto
Somali: Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!
Spanish: Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
Swahili: Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
Swedish: GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år!
Sudanese: Warsa Enggal
Tamil: Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Tibetian: Losar Tashi Delek
Telegu: Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish: Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Urdu: Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Uzbek: Yangi Yil Bilan
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Welsh: Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
LAST but not least in Ilonggo*(PHILIPPINES): Malipayong bag-ong tuig
Source: www.holidayspot.com

Highlights of My Career in Chemistry

2011-12-31T08:25:00.001-08:00

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

Every workplace is strictly defined by two distinct areas, rank and file on one end and management on the other end. It is a field that can be described in many contrasting ways imaginable. It can be defined as workers versus leaders, hard workers versus hardly working, minimum wage earners versus big earners, powerless versus all power, subordinate versus supervisor, or in a deceitful work condition, slave versus slave driver.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

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

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

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

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

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

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

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

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

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

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

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

Prejudice and Discrimination Against Filipinos

2011-12-30T07:52:00.001-08:00

The prejudice against Filipino immigrants in the US and specially in California in the 1920s to 1940s is well documented(1,2). One of the well known books, America is in the Heart, documenting the life of the Filipino immigrants at that time period was written by Carlos Bulosan. Mr Bulosan is my number one literary heroes of that time.

Like many Filipinos during that time, Bulosan left for America on July, 1930 at age 17, in the hope of finding salvation from the economic depression of his home. He never again saw his Philippine homeland. No sooner had he arrived in Seattle, was he immediately met with the hostility of racism, forcing him to work in low paying jobs.

He worked as a farm worker, harvesting grapes, asparagus and other kinds of hard labor work in the fields of California. He also worked as a dishwasher with his brother, Lorenzo in the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. He was active in labor politics along the Pacific coast of the United States and edited the 1952 Yearbook for ILWU Local 37, a predominantly Filipino American cannery union based in Seattle.

Mr Bulosan died in 1956. To honor his memory, a Bulusan Memorial Exhibit located in Seattle's International District and in the Eastern Hotel features his literary works and manuscripts. One of his famous books, America is in the Heart based on his autobiography is now made into a Philippine movie.

One of the famous quote from that book is timeless, as follows: "We in America understand the many imperfections of democracy and the malignant disease corroding its very heart. We must be united in the effort to make an America in which our people can find happiness. It is a great wrong that anyone in America, whether he be brown or white, should be illiterate or hungry or miserable."

Discrimination against the Filipinos was very blatant during the time of the Manongs and Carlos Bulosan. It appeared that by the 1960's, racial discrimination has disappeared from the minds of the American people. But in 1965, my wife and three children experienced their first discrimination experience in Gladstone, Missouri.
Gladstone is a northern suburb of Kansas City, Missouri with about 99.5% Caucasian population at that time.

The discrimination was not blatant but very subtle. After relocating in Missouri for my first job after my Ph.D graduation from the University of Illinois, my family and I joined a Country Swim Club just a couple of blocks and a walking distance from our rented residence.

Macrine and the kids would swim at the country club twice or three times a week. The first day, they were there, she overheard the conversation from two middle-aged ladies. She heard a comment of the first lady to her friend, "look we are getting invaded by blacks already". Macrine look around, but there were no black families around; she and the kids were the only colored ( brown) relaxing and swimming in the pool area. Macrine was not bothered and did not get upset. She continued watching the kids swimming in the pool. Suffice to say, I had never experienced personally, an incident of prejudice or a discriminatory remark in my more than 51 years residing and working here in the US(California, Illinois, Missouri and Maryland).

After our second year in the neighborhood, we became more active socially and became well-known to the Gladstone community. I was elected by the members of the club as treasurer for two years. I was handling the payroll of three employees and collecting the membership fees of the 300 members. I was delighted that the club members and Board of Directors trusted me with their finances. I therefore conclude that the cure for discrimination is education and ignorance is the mother of prejudice.

If you are a Filipino-American or a member of a minority and is reading this article, have you ever experienced prejudice or discrimination in your life here in the US? Discrimination may be racial, religious, sexual, financial or your educational status.

Here's a trailer of an award winning documentary on the Filipino farm workers of Delano, California.

(1) Carlos Bulosan, America Is in the Heart, 1946
(2) The Delano Manongs:Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers-a Video by mediafactory.tv/2008/01

Cloyne Court- Excerpts 34 and 35

2011-12-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

Photo from ahoy.tk.jk.net
Cloyne Court, Episode 34
By Dodie Katague
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Rated "R" by the Author.
The author lived at Cloyne Court from 1977-79, while attending the University of California, Berkeley.

The waiting line at the financial aid office snaked down the corridor and into the main lobby of Sproul Hall and moved at the celerity of a banana slug on Thorazine. Most students sat on the cold floor against a marbled wall, shifting one body place every five minutes. At that rate, it would be close to an hour before I'd get to the service window.

While waiting to pick up my scholarship check and work-study grant, I did what every conscientious college student does. I did my homework. I pulled out my copy of Virginia Woolf and tried to read while surreptitiously watching the cute women walking by.

After forty minutes, I was optimistic. I had moved close enough to the front of the line to hear the applicants and financial-aid clerk's conversations.

No matter what the applicant's problem was, the answer was still the same. "Fill out this form," the clerk said. "Sign the three places marked with an X and go to Window C with your driver's license and student ID."

"But this stipend check was sent to me in error," said the student. "It's made payable to someone else. I want to return it and get the check that was supposed to be mine."

"No problem," said the clerk. "That happens all the time. Your check was probably sent to this person's address. I hope that she'll catch the error and turn in the check. In the meantime, you'll need to fill out this form, sign an affidavit swearing you didn't get your check, and go to windows C to look up your records, then window D to return the erroneously issued check and window E, with proof from window C and D, to get your check reissued. Once you submit all that, you have to wait two weeks until we send you a letter that your check is ready to pick up at window B. Understand?" The student took the paperwork and left. Everyone in line moved up one-body space.

I heard shouting and chanting coming from outside the building. "HEY, HEY, HO, HO. UC HAS GOT TO GO. OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA NOW."

The chanting became louder before I noticed that the antiapartheid protesters had rushed into the building and filled the entire first-floor hallway. Then, as if on cue, they sat and blocked the entrances and the main hallway. Many protesters were students, but most looked like street vagabonds with their unwashed scraggly hair, filthy T-shirts, torn blue jeans with kneeholes and dirty bare feet.

"THERE CAN BE NO BUSINESS AS USUAL UNTIL UC DIVESTS ITSELF FROM CORPORATIONS THAT DO BUSINESS IN SOUTH AFRICA." A speaker, dressed in the black and red colors of the Revolutionary Student Brigade, shouted through a bullhorn. "WORKERS AND STUDENTS UNITE. JOIN US IN OUR SIT-IN OF SPROUL HALL."

I looked at the other students in line with me. I didn't know any of them, but we had spent the last forty minutes together. I had more of a relationship with them than the protesters, who had mobbed Sproul Hall.

What were the people before me going to do? Were they going to abandon their position and leave? If I left now and the financial-aid office stayed open for business, I would have wasted the morning for nothing and have to wait again later. If any students in front of me left and I stayed, I’d be closer to the front.

The financial aid office remained open. Even with the protesters seated in the main hallway, making it difficult to go anywhere, the university was still in business.

"The only people these protesters are hurting is me," said the guy before me. "They should be protesting outside Standard Oil or the Bank of America, not the financial aid office."

Cloyne Court, Episode 35
By Dodie Katague
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Rated "R" by the Author.

The author lived at Cloyne Court from 1977-79, while attending the University of California, Berkeley.

I nodded. Protest tactics like sit-ins and blocking traffic only inconvenienced the average citizen.

For another twenty minutes, the protesters sat and chanted antiapartheid slogans. I reached the financial aid window and set my book bag down to retrieve my financial aid documents when the clerk said, "We just received word to evacuate. The riot police are coming. You better leave too." She shut the window.

I hit the glass with my fist. Fuck humanitarian principles! These damn protesters didn’t have international solutions to a better world. They only created microproblems, none of which would end apartheid or free Nelson Mandela.

Jail was the last thing I needed. I had to get out of there. I didn't want my head bashed by a police baton. It was this defining moment in my emerging political awareness when I concluded a person's right to protest peacefully ended when it started impinging on my right to collect a financial-aid check.

A new metallic voice bellowed from a bullhorn. "THIS IS THE POLICE. YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO LEAVE THE BUILDING, OR YOU WILL BE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING."

The mention of arrest unsettled the students whose resolve for social justice was less than their desire for something exciting to do. Several tried to head for the exit, but protesters, determined to be arrested, blocked the doors. Nobody could leave.

Another student, dressed in black and red, spoke to the seated crowd. "Don’t abandon the cause now. When they arrest you, go limp. Make them carry you out."

A student with a bullhorn wearing a shirt with "Legal Observer" printed on it told the crowd what would happen. "The police will inform you that you are under arrest."

The crowd groaned.

The legal observer said, "They will ask you to stand and walk out with them. If you do, you will be issued a citation and let go."

The crowd cheered.

"If you go passive and limp, several cops will lift you and carry you out."

The crowd booed.

"If you are too heavy to be lifted," the legal observer pointed at some fat people, "the police will roll your limp body onto a net, wrap the net around you and drag you out."

The crowd laughed at the thought of the fat people being dragged out.

"If you choose passive resistance, you will be arrested, booked at the jail and released on your own recognizance. If you actively or violently resist, you will be pepper sprayed and charged with felony resisting." The crowd booed again.

"Resist!" A protester yelled. "Become martyrs for the cause!"

The legal observer said, "A felony arrest means you will have to post a high bail, and if you can't afford to pay, you will remain in jail until your court arraignment in forty-eight hours."

The crowd buzzed at the financial implications. Free speech wasn't exactly free if you had to pay a bail bondsman to stay free. The protesters talked among themselves, each trying to determine the best action to take.

A protest organizer in his black and red uniform encouraged the crowd. "We need consensus, people. Only through strength in numbers can we win this battle." However, consensus went only so far.

I saw the back of a woman in black and red carrying a protest sign. She was talking to each seated student and taking a tally of what his or her arrest action would be. She wrote this information on the back of her protest sign. She turned to me. "Derek? What a surprise! I didn't see you as a protester type of guy."

It was Diane, Ms. Revolutionary Student Brigade. The young woman I had met at Sather Gate handing out flyers.

"I'm not," I said. "I was here to pick up my financial aid check."

"Derek, when are you going to stop being a money grubbing whore for the establishment?" she said.

I was still incensed at my predicament. I was trapped because of her. "Don’t point fingers until you stop taking money from your rich daddy!"

She was taken aback, "Gee, I didn't know you'd be so sensitive about taking the Man's blood money."

I looked at her eyes when she apologized. She seemed sincere. She was cute, but this was no time for flirting.

"What's it going to be?" she asked. "Stand and walk, go limp or actively resist?

"Why are you taking a tally?" I asked, thinking, shouldn't one's defiance to authority be a private personal decision?

The Best Smell I have Experienced in my Life

2011-12-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Photo of the Ylang-Ylang flower in my backyard, Chateau Du Mer, Marinduque, Philippines

This article was inspired by ViewsHound Question on its Wall in Facebook-regarding the best smell one has experienced. Mine is the smell of the blooming Ylang-Ylang trees in my garden at Chateau Du Mer, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. I have two big mature trees in the backyard of Chateau Du Mer that are about 15 years old.

When the trees are in bloom, you can smell the fragrance of it flowers to as far as 50 meters and even farther if the wind direction is favorable. It is one fragrance, that I will never forget at Chateau Du Mer in Marinduque. Its reminds me of the perfume, Channel No.5.

The fragrance of ylang-ylang is rich and deep with notes of rubber and custard, and bright with hints of jasmine and neroli. The essential oil of the flower is obtained through steam distillation of the flowers and separated into different grades (extra; 1; 2; 3) according to when the distillates are obtained. The main aromatic components of ylang-ylang oil are benzyl acetate, linalool, p-cresyl methyl ether, and methyl benzoate, responsible for its characteristic odor.

On the subject of Ylang Ylang Oil,I am proud to inform readers of this blog that my Master’s degree thesis was the Analysis of the Volatile Constituents of Ylang Ylang Oil by Gas Chromatography. This was published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vol.52, No.3 252-258 dated March, 1963.

I believe not too many non-Filipinos have heard of this tree and it fragrant flowers. Here’s a short information from Wikipedia for your reading pleasure.

Cananga odorata, commonly called Ylang-ylang (pronounced /ˈiːlæŋ ˈiːlæŋ/, EE-lang-EE-lang), cananga tree, ilang-ilang, kenanga (Indonesian), fragrant cananga, Macassar-oil plant or perfume tree), is a tree valued for its perfume. The essential oil derived from the flowers is used in aromatherapy and in the manufacture of perfumes.

Cananga odorata is a fast-growing tree of the custard-apple family, Annonaceae, that exceeds 5 m (15 ft) per year and attains an average height of 12 m (40 ft). It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rain forest habitat. The evergreen leaves are smooth and glossy, oval, pointed, with wavy margins, and 13–20 cm (5–8 in) long. The flower is drooping, long-stalked, with six narrow greenish yellow (rarely pink) petals, rather like a sea star in appearance, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil.

The Chemical Composition Typical chemical compositions of the various grades of Ylang ylang are reported as follows:

Constituents Linalool, geranyl acetate, caryophyllene, p-cresyl, methyl ether, methyl benzoate, other, sesquiterpenes.

Etymology

The name ylang-ylang is derived from Tagalog, either from the word ilang, meaning “wilderness”, alluding to its natural habitat, or the word ilang-ilan, meaning “rare”, suggestive of its exceptionally delicate scent. A more widely accepted translation is “flower of flowers”. The plant is native to the Philippines and Indonesia and is commonly grown in Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.

The essential oil of ylang-ylang is used in aromatherapy. It is believed to relieve high blood pressure, normalize sebum secretion for skin problems, and is considered to be an aphrodisiac. According to Margaret Mead, it was used as such by South Pacific natives such as the Solomons where she did much of her research. The oil from ylang-ylang is widely used in perfumery for oriental or floral themed perfumes (like Chanel No. 5). Ylang-ylang blends well with most floral, fruit and wood smells.

In Indonesia, ylang-ylang flowers are spread on the bed of newlywed couples. In the Philippines, its flowers, together with the flowers of the sampaguita, are strung into a necklace (lei) and worn by women and used to adorn religious images.

Medicinal uses

Ylang Ylang is a common ingredient in the herbal motion sickness remedy, MotionEaze.

Circulatory System: Ylang ylang is recommended for treating palpitations and reducing high blood pressure

Nervous System : Ylang ylang is known for its ability to slow down over-rapid breathing and over-rapid heart beat. These symptoms are usually associated with shock, anxiety and anger.

Reproductive System: Ylang ylang has proven beneficial for treating PMS, especially associated with extreme mood swings that occurs just before the onset of menstruation. For this purpose, Fischer-Rizzi recommends blending Ylang ylang with clary sage and neroli. This blend should be used in a bath, massage oil or in a vaporizer.

Skin care: Added to the skin care preparation, Ylang ylang oil is beneficial in softening and balancing the moisture of the skin. It is recommended in hair care to treat split ends. It can be used in a shampoo base of massaged into the tips of the hair after shampooing with a base oil such as apricot kernel or jojoba oil. Ylang ylang is recommended for dry and oily skin and is reputed to have a balancing action on sebum production.

I hope you find this article informative. It is the best smell, I have ever experience in my life.

Christmas Party, 2011

2011-12-27T18:19:00.001-08:00

My four beautiful granddaughters, Carenna, Marina, Elaine and Alix
Dave and Macrine with the six grandchildren
This year, 2011 Macrine and I delayed our snowbirding trip to Marinduque for next month, so we could spend the Christmas Holidays with the Kids and grand children. We celebrated Christmas with a late lunch on December 24th to give the children also time to spend the holidays with their in-laws and other relatives.

Dodie and his family went to San Diego, CA the next day to spend the Christmas with Ruth's family. Ditas, Nick and Carenna went to Lincoln, CA in the evening of the 24th to share Christmas with Nick's family. Dinah with Ian and Elaine went to Mountain View after the party in our house to spend Christmas with Macrine's sisters ( Pepot and Jean) and her nieces, Elaine Lazarte Chalfin and Ella Lazarte.

As per request by the kids, Macrine prepared her favorite dishes-chicken-macaroni salad, beef broccoli in oysters sauce with mushrooms, pancit, puto and dinugu-an. In addition we have honey-baked ham that I ordered last week, cake and coffee for dessert. I have to wait in line to pick up my pre-ordered honey baked ham for about one hour in the cold, but the ham was worth the wait. Above are some of the photos taken during our Christmas reunion. All the David Balleza Katague clan were present.

Cloyne Court Excerpt 33

2011-12-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Photo credits: from lifein24.com

Cloyne Court, Episode 33
By Dodie Katague
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Rated "R" by the Author.
A creative memoir about Cloyne Court in Berkeley, California in the late 1970s

Lisa, Sandy's Bunkie, quickly seconded the motion. The women of the house voiced approval unanimously. The men collectively exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Just make sure it's extra large!" Mike said, causing the men to laugh and Carrie and her lover, Sonya, to glare at Mike.

"That's not funny," Sonya hissed.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I didn’t know what size I was. I’d never used one.

"Next item of business," said Sandy, "is whether to build a sauna in the backyard. As you are aware, Jeff's master-thesis art project has transformed our lawn into a Calder-esque landscape. Jeff is going to remove the leg poles because he needs them for a new art work, but the mound and hole are still there.

“Gordon, the special projects manager thinks by enlarging the hole, we can build some wooden benches and have room in the middle for a water pail. We'll have to install a covering over the opening and build a fire pit outside to heat the rocks.”

Other house members voiced a general approval for the plan and some talked about a future redwood hot tub. No one voiced any opposition until Kyd Byzzarre stood to speak.

"I like the idea, but I'm against it as long as whatever we build out there is called a sauna. It's too Eurocentric and we shouldn’t be supporting this type of elitism."

It was amazing how his anti-Eurocentrism manifested itself after last week's visit from a cute Finnish exchange student. She had rejected his amorous advances and his offers to teach her Swedish massage.

Betty Sue, who had remained quiet, said, "If I propose a motion to approve the building of a Native American sweat lodge, instead of a sauna, would you support it?"

Kyd thought for a moment. "Sounds OK to me," he said.

The motion to build the sweat lodge was approved.

"Final New Business," said Sandy. The hour was late and people wanted to leave. "I nominate Derek Marston to fill the vacant position of photography manager. His job will be to take photographs of everyone in the house and maintain the Rogue's Gallery. He will also take the pictures for the house newsletter, the Cloyne Crier."

"Who?" several asked.

"Derek, stand and introduce yourself."

I stood. "Hi, I'm Derek. Photography is my hobby, and I have good dark-room skills."

"I bet you do," said Keisha, who had spoken up in my defense at the Sunday night women's meeting.

By consensus and because I owned the only 35 millimeter camera in the house, I became the official house photographer for the quarter and for the next three years. I would document on celluloid the Berkeley equivalent of the Lost Tasaday Tribe and their myopic and innocent view of the world.

As part of my duties, I also maintained and ran the basement darkroom. I spent many hours there developing the negatives and printing pictures.

For most people, standing in the dark breathing foul smelling chemicals would be considered a terrible job. However, once my eyes adjusted, the isolation brought my inner vision into focus, shed light on my relationships and enlarged my view of the world.

In that tiny room, I controlled how the prints turned out. Always perfect. Either black or white with defined graduations of gray.

Upstairs, I would never be in control and never perfect. My relationships would never be right or wrong, but fuzzy shades of gray in a world that values color.