Read Me Not

Islands 100

2009-07-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

When I was first invited to a medical mission to Alaminos, Pangasinan I was a bit skeptical.

The last time I visited the Hundred Islands, I was a Grade 1 student and I was counting the islands and verifying if it was indeed a hundred. I counted only 88. But of course, I wasn't riding a helicopter. In the limited world of my first grade brain, if I don't see it it does not exist.

But the numerical accuracy of the Hundred Island was not the source of my skepticism. My skeptical mind was arguing against the wisdom of taking a 6 1/2 hour trip to a place I presumed to be a testimony of neglect by our public officials. Also, when I think about the traffic mess that is EDSA, I am skeptical whether I will survive the trip with my body parts still intact.

You see, I am in my late 30s (44 to be exact) and I am concerned about my health. But the real reason is that I am an impatient person and a 6 1/2 trip to a place unbeknownst is not exactly my idea of fun.

Now three things finally convinced me to go on and set my skepticism aside. One, I will be in the company of my friend Budge Batalla who I haven't seen for a long time and the 6 1/2 hours of debating, cajoling, wit exchanging and reminiscing I expect to share with him is something quite attractive. Second, this is my first medical mission and I am always open to new experiences. I also figured it might relieve some of the stress I am feeling on account of my endless laundry list of things to do since I arrived here in the Philippines. Third, I want to see for myself and once again prove my theory right that public officials are ruining my Motherland's natural wonders.

To make a long story shorter, I went.

I enjoyed Budge Batalla and his endless stories and reminders of our haylicon days in the eighties some of which actually happened. I enjoyed the smile in the faces of the recipients of medical care, medicine, food stuff and clothes that we distributed up there in Alaminos. I enjoyed the company of Mayor Nani Braganza who was a college comrade and who was running the town quite well as evidenced by the quick action he took on the wreck that Typhoon Emong left behind. But most of all I enjoyed the spectacular display of natural beauty that was the Hundred Islands. Even if I was proven wrong, which to my my mind is not very often, I must admit that the Hundred Islands was not neglected at all. It was in the hands of a mayor who truly cared for his hometown and was genuinely concerned about his town mates.

Now, let me try to paint a picture of this place they call Hundred Islands. As we approached the pier dotted by the panorama of islands in a canvas of blue waters and bluer skies, my skepticism was melted like ice cream in a DC summer. My mind was totally blown away and my faculties of intellectualism was replaced with a child-like awe at the Majesty of Mother Nature itself.

When we boarded the boat leading to the Islands 100, the balancing act that was involved sent chills through my spine. But in a good way. The fear was replaced with relief as I boarded the boat without incident. I felt that I was a tightrope walker although all I navigated was two feet. So much for exaggerations.

Well anyway, we boarded two boats and one of them was called Black Panther but that was not the one we boarded, maybe it was Pink Salmon but I did not bother to check. My machismo prevented me from doing that and besides I was too busy taking pictures.

There was an island full of bats that we rudely woke up from their slumber by blowing the horns of the Black Panther. Except for their shrieks they seemed not to mind. They were too busy to eat us, apparently siesta was more important. Then we saw a row of islands that were so pristine green that a Maryland forest will be...well, green with envy. There were big islands, medium sized islands, small islands, tiny islands, tinier islands, tinny winy islands and islands that you can fit in the size of your palm (if you were Godzilla). In any case, you get the point it was a natural wonder, the islands were of sizes varied is what I'm trying to say. And I'm not exaggerating this time, except for the palm sized part.

So we finally arrived in one island called Osmena and Budge and I went for a soak. Budge took off his shirt which sent the DENR on alert but I chose not to take off mine. I am very modest, as followers of this blog may have already figured out. The waters were so clear you can see tiny fish floating like we were not there. The wildlife here have a tendency to ignore tourists. I dove in the clear blue water and almost hit my head on a coral. Luckily the coral was coated with algae that cushioned my idiotic decision to dive in the first place. What can I say, I fell in love with the place. My brains take an LOA when I am in love. Ask Budge.

Oh well, while I was soaking and talking to Joseph about the travails of the garment industry, they called us to board the boats once again to head for Governor's Island. It was very hard to leave my lover, the Beach but I went. I'm a democrat I always submit to the majority decision.

So we headed for Gov Isle and arrived but not before passing islands and islets that were so wonderfully clothed in greenery and dotted with white sand that my worldly cares left me and went on strike. I was totally blown away again by the majesty of the entire sight and I frantically took pictures. It was wondrous, it was marvelous, it was fantastic, magical even.

At Gov Isle we begun to talk politics with Mayor Nani. We were talking about agriculture, governance and other stuff that turned me on even further. But alas ! Rain clouds were gathering and we had to head home before a storm hit us. On the way home to Manila, while I was conversing with Budge, pictures of the Hundred Isles hit my brain like a hailstorm. Budge and another writer made me promise to blog and so here it is.

I will return to Hundred Islands. That's a pledge a made to the Mayor. I don't break my promises.

My Wedding Anniversary Post

2009-05-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary. I will not mention her name because she is not a Bloggertype.

May 1, 1990 we were married in her Parish and we had our reception in my clan's Restaurant. My Mom decorated the place with sampaguitas whose fragrance that evening I remember to this day. We even cut our cake atop a balsa, a bamboo raft. Every room, there were five I think, had a lechon.

I have always heard the term "beside myself with happiness" but I never knew what it actually meant. That evening when we went up the stairs of the Main Floor I was beside myself, its like I was watching myself from a short distance.

I was happy of course, I love my wife, my wife of 1 1/2 hours ago that evening but I was pretty scared too. Yeah, I was terrified. What would married life be like ? The question kept on banging in my head. What would I do ? How do I take care of kids ?

I told my Daddy to have a simple reception, I wanted to live up to my name as a non-conformist. But alas, he was the one who was going to pay for these things and he was the one to decide that. They said, my Mommy specially that they are having this big reception for my wife because they love her dearly, they are so proud of my Choice.

Magna Cum Laude, UP Diliman. Scholastican from Pre-School to High School. Masters in Language Scholar De La Salle-Manila. Very Pretty. Very Fit. Very Very Intelligent. Dimples that Will Melt Your Heart.

My wife of 19 years, I adore her and I will marry her again if the opportunity presents itslef in the past.

Baby Alpacas

2009-04-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw them I fell in love with them.

Baby alpacas.

Baby alpacas are a breed of llama imported to the United States from Peru. They look like the llama but they are smaller, cuter in appearance and come in a variety of colors. Their wool is double or triple the smoothness of regular sheep wool. In addition they are half as heavy and twice as warm.

Think of a cross between a sheep and a poodle and then think of this cross being painted by an artist in different shades of white, black and brown. In addition, think of the alpaca as a canvas for a very hyperactive artist. Its like a monochromatic portrait that walks, in that its color combination is unlike any other mammal on the face of the earth.

The wool of the baby alpaca is cut during the springtime since they are uncomfortable wearing it when the weather is not winter cold. They remained covered by their soft and elegant wool all winter long and the better part of autumn but as soon as spring has sprung, they all receive a haircut, or a shearing to be exact.

This weekend we went to the "Alpaca : A Different Kind of Livestock" fair in Boonsboro, Maryland where alpaca enthusiasts from the East Coast and other parts of the US congregate to sell and trade alpacas. They are also there to bring their kids to touch the wool of these elegant and extremely friendly animals. Alpacas are not bothered by human interaction. In fact, as soon as they see a visitor approaching their pens they run towards and not away from the visitor. Think peacock but think humble and gentle peacocks. They are almost as big as small camels but they loved to be pet by humans and it shows in their lovely expressive eyes.

Baby alpacas.

You are not human if you don't fall in love with these angels in hooves.
For me, it was love on first sight. But then, I'm a hopeless romantic.

The (Incomplete) Secret of Crispy Pata

2009-03-14T05:12:00.001-07:00

"Honey, when are they gonna send me home ?" ---- Steely Dan

My sister will probably kill me for this but I will tell you a family secret.

You are probably wondering how the darn commercial restos can make Crispy Pata crisp. While you can only manage to waste your time in boiling it to a near pulp and then deep frying it without much success in making its heavenly skin crisp.

Well then, I will tell you the secret to making it crisp ("crispy" is not a word, its a Filipino invention because we cannot pronounced crisp pata in sucession without sounding like we have a lisp) .

This will only be a partial tip because I do not want to share the whole recipe. You are correct in boiling the crispy pata for a very very long time until its meat is almost seperated from the bone. That part of your method is correct. However do not overdo that because if you do that, it will be very hard to handle the pata and it will eventually join the broth and instead of Crispy Pata you will end up with Pata Soup which to me is inedible. Try to take a sip of pata broth, your veins will be full of sebo and you'll probably have a heart attack right there. Besides, its malansa and we throw that infernal broth in the sink. No self-respecting Filipino no matter how impoverished should be forced to taste that. It belongs in the sink.

Where was I ?

Oh yes. How to make the pata, Crispy Pata. Pay attention now, this is quite technical.

Place the boiled pata in a Pyrex, a big one. Like I said this is an incomplete tip. Of course you season it, with what I will not tell even if you stick a submachine gun in my ear. Use your imagination for the seasoning.

Well then, place them in a Pyrex and then Freeze them ! For 24 hours, freeze the darn thing and then deep fry it the next day. And for heaven's sake do not deftrost it. Thats the secret of making it crisp by deep frying it frozen. Freeze and Fry Frozen !

Got it ? Now if you will excuse me, I gotta make the sauce. Tip: put some water in there with the soy sauce, vinegar, onions, garlic and get this: a little, just a hint of sugar. Voila ! You have Crispy Pata sauce.

But then you ask: how can you make it so darn tasty ? Oh well, I can tell you that but then that will cost you $3,000. Sorry.

Mii and My Son

2009-03-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

My son's initial fascination with Wii did not come from its games , what attracted my son first to Wii was Mii.

Mii is that section of Wii that lets you create your own game characters. Basically, it was designed to make you personalize some of your Wii games by making caricatures of yourself. So that when you are playing the games, you can see "yourself" on the screen playing it and not some pre-made character.

It is very entertaining specially for my son who loves artistic detail and whose sense of color is quite acute. Mii lets him choose the shape and size of the face of the character you are creating. It lets him choose in intricate detail: the shape, size, expression of the lips, the eyes, the nose and the ears. It lets him select the hairstyle, different moustaches or not, even the size of moles the faces of his creation if he want any. You have total control over your creations, its like Corel Draw Lite.

Aside from the face, it lets you choose the size of the body: slim, thin, chubby or fluffy. It lets you choose the type and color of shirt and pants. Short pants of every color imaginable are also available for his dabbling.

For example, not only has River created the characters for each member of our family but he has created the character of each and every relative he remembers: his cousins, his Titos and Titas, in intricate detail and in shockingly accurate ways. When he created my character I was flabbergasted by the comic caricature of myself as my son saw it in his mind. He got every detail of my face, he's spot on in the matter of my physique and he knows what colors I like to wear.

But not only did he create characters for our family and relatives. He also created each and everyone of his 17 classmates as well. And some of their parents too ! The accuracy of his memory stuns you to disbelief. His choice of facial expressions is hilarious and comical, but only because they are accurate.

Whenever we go to the mall, in the early Days of Wii, he spends 2 hours or more making characters of all kinds. He has a character for McCain, Hillary and Obama which he probably got from my geek-level focus on the US campaign. He also makes characters from scratch like an artist making something out of pure canvas and raw paint.

Many kids who are in line for a try on the Wii consoles they let you play around stores here like Best Buy, the almost gone Circuit City and Game Stop get impatient. They just get exasperated by his near total concentration on creating Mii characters. Because, you see he recreates the characters back home on these sample Wiis and he does not stop until he fills up the all 100 spaces alllocated to them.

Thats right, he creates 100 characters every time we visit the Mall, and kids are practically begging him to play the featured game already. Which he is oblivious to, of course, he just shuts down on the rest of the world and enters the Land of Mii in the Village of Mii. He swings his body and perspires when he's doing this, his focus is total. Its like watching a great piano player play his composition, he is totally in that zone and it hits him like a bug.

Thats Mii and my son.

My Son, the Artist and Mii

2009-02-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

Did I forget to mention that my son is a a Wiizard ?

Of course, I didn't but what I forgot to mention was that he is an exceptional graphic artist too. That did not come from me, it came from hims teachers from pre-k, Kinder and now that he is in first Grade it came from the school's Art Teacher as well.

My son, who they call Chuckie but I insist in calling River, has a very good eye for color and his memory when it somes to graphical things is kinda photographic. When he was not yet attending Pre K here and he was here just 2 months in Maryland, he drew the flag of Maryland.

Now if you think that is not a big deal, let me explain. The Maryland slag is not like the California flag with a bear and the words Republic of California on it or like the Ohio state flag with an O in the middle. No, the Maryland flag is the coat of arms of the Calvert family who originally colonized Maryland. It is much miore complicated than the other flags of the states of the Union.

I will try to explain its complexity here while I try to retrieve his drawing. It is flag divided into 4 sections. 2 sections have the red crosses with rounded edges on a yellow background while the other 2 sections have black checkered boxes that are slanted, not the regular squares and are set on a white background. Even I, cannot draw it without looking at a sample.Its design is quite complicated.

First, my son drew this flag without the flag in front of him. Meaning to say, he drew it from memory ! There are Maryland flags flying in most stores here, particularly the burger joints like Burger King and Checkers but other public buildings as well. Maybe he saw it there, he must have a camera in his brain or something. Secondly, he drew it not using crayons but using the Paint program in Windows on our computer. In fact, he learned to draw first on the PC before he learned to draw manually. Third, he drew it when he was barely 3 years old. And lastly, it takes him only 3 minutes to draw this whole thing in a process which I watch in amazement because it is a demonstration of sheer genius, of exceptional artistry and an understanding of Paint that is beyond belief.

Now he is drawing things in school and his teacher have declared him the Best Artist from Grade 1 to Grade 3. Meaning, he beats the 3rd graders with his art work. I don't want to brag (yeah right, everyone knows I am humble ) but I think my son is a regular Van Gogh. His art work adorn the school corridors. His drawings of cookie monster, Neil Armstrong and volunteer parents are so colorful and original that they are fit to be placed in a children's museum of art.

I will continue my tale of my son the artist and how he brings this artistry to Wii in my next blog.........

My Son, the Wiizard

2009-02-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

Wii is my son's passion.

Whenever 315 pm of a Friday school day arrives, he only has Wii and Wii in mind. He does not think of himself, he thinks only of Wii. The Wii bug bites him and it takes almost superhuman effort to pry Wii lose from him when it locks its cyberjaws upon him.

So I arrive there on that exact same minute and the first question he asks me is this "Can I play Wii ?" I ignore him because he already knows the answer to that question. "We'll see. After you eat, you can play."

But then he asked over and over and over again. "Can I ? Can I ? Can I, Dad ?" When you are driving 50 mph in a 45 mph freeway and you have this ringing sound in your ear, what do you do ? Do you ignore that question or do you just give in and say "Okay." in defeat ?

I am not and have never been a kill joy. In fact, as a parent I was the cool one. I let my kids enjoy themselves but of course I set my limits. Like this Wii thing, I only give the controller ( Thank God they are wireless, easier to hide them that way) weekends. Only Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. Thats it.

My Wiizard can whine he can all week long and I will just ignore him. Its very hard to do but after 2 weeks of ignoring him he learns that he can only get Wii on Friday afternoon after class and then Santa, that me, gets it and hides it in the North Pole (aka my closet).

But when that Friday ends then you better give him his Wii remotes or he will pester you, he will annoy you, he will repeatedly try your patience, he will remind you that you promised, he will say you're a liar and he will not stop until you relent. He reminds me of someone who relentlessly campaigned for That One until he has renders everyone numb and he succeeds in making himself a nuisance and a pest. But when my son, the Wiizard gets the key to Nintendo land, he is quiet the whole Wiikend.

All is good if you keep your promises. Persistence that is the key to getting what you want. Ask my son, the Wiizard.

Why Wii is Different

2009-02-08T01:29:00.000-08:00

Link www.jetguerrero.multiply.com

Wii has changed our son's life (and ours by extension) in a way not-so-ordinary.

PS3 is just an edition of PS2, Wii is a total different tech experience. Wii is the Imac of game consoles. That is why is was very hard to find for almost 9 months. The supply cannot keep up with the demand.

The only drawback to Wii is that it doesn't play BluRay or DVDs but thats okay. You can buy them separately anyway and BluRay is still very expensive. Thats basically what brought down MS Xbox (its HD-DVD only) and brought PS3's price (because you're forced to buy a Bluray player there, its built in is what I'm saying.)

Nintendo gambled by not choosing the conservative path of Microsoft (sticking with DVD) nor the high-tech road taken by Sony. It carved its own trail by creatiing the Wii experience.

PS3 is a techie dream like a high-end laptop is a techie's dream, but Wii is a revolutionary product in the tradition of Steve Jobs .

Obama for Filipinos

2009-01-23T03:28:00.000-08:00

Talumpati sa Inagurasyon ni Pangulong Obama
Translated in Tagalog
by Jet Guerrero
01/21/09

Nakatayo ako dito ngayon puno ng pagpapakumbaba sa gawaing hinaharap natin, nagpapasalamat sa tiwalang ginawad, randam ang sakripisyo ng ating mga ninuno.

Pinasasalamatan ko si Pangulong Bush sa kanyang serbisyo sa ating bansa, ganun din sa pagbibigay at kooperasyong pinakita nya sa proseso ng transisyon.

Apatnapu't apat nang Amerikano ang sumumpa bilang Pangulo.

Ang mga talumpati'y binigkas sa gitna ng tumataas na alon ng kayamanan at tahimik na tubig ng kapayapaan.

Ngunit, madalas din, na ang panunumpang ito'y ginawa sa makulimlim na ulap at malakas na bagyo.

Sa mga pagkakataong ganito, nagpatuloy na sumulong ang Amerika di lang dahil sa galing o pananaw ng mga nasa mataas na poder, ngunit dahil Tayo ang Sambayanan ay nanatiling tapat sa mga adhikain ng ating mga Tagapagtatag at masunurin sa mga dokumento ng Pagkakatatag.

Kaya't ganoon nga noon. Kaya't ganito dapat para sa Henerasyong ito ng mga Amerikano. Na nasa krisis tayo ngayo'y naiintindihan ng lahat.

Ang bayan natin ay nasa gitna ng digmaan, laban sa malawak na alyansa ng karahasan at galit.

Ang ekonomiya nati'y lubhang pinahina, bunga ng kasakiman ng ilan, ngunit bunga rin naman ng sama-samang kabiguan na ihanda ang ating bayang gumawa ng mahihirap na mga pagpili at ihanda ito para sa bagong panahon.

Nawala ang mga tahanan at hanap-buhay, may mga negosyong nalugi.

Ang ating sistemang pangkalusugan ay di-abot kamay ng mamamayan; binigo ng ating mga paaralan ang marami; at ang bawat araw ay ebidensya na ang mga gawi natin sa paggamit ng eherhiya ay nagpapalakas lamang sa ating mga kaaway at inilalagay ang buong planeta sa panganib.

Ito ang mga indikasyon ng krisis, na may datos at istatistika.

Ngunit ang nawala na di masusukat ng datos pero higit na mahalaga ay ang kawalan na ng tiwala sa sarili na lumunod sa ating bansa - isang umaambang takot na ang pagbagsak ng Amerika ay sigurado na; at dapat na lamang na ibaba ng susunod henerasyon ang kanilang ambisyon.

Ngayong araw na ito mismo ay sinasabe ko sa inyo: na ang mga pagsubok na ating hinaharap ay tutoo. Malubha ang mga ito at marami.

Hindi sila kayang harapin ng madalian o maayos ng maikling panahon. Pero ito ang alam ko, Amerika -- kaya nating harapin ito.

Sa araw na ito, ay pinili natin ang pag-asa imbes na takot; pinili natin ang pagkakaisa imbes na pagkakahati-hati.

Ngayong araw na ito, ay naninindigan tayo para wakasan ang mga walang kwentang reklamo at mga pangakong napapako, mga alitan at mga dogmang laos, na matagal nang sinakal ang ating pulitika.

Nanatili tayong batang nasyon, pero katulad ng sabe ng Kasulatan panahon na upang isantabe ang mga gawing pangmusmos.

Panahon na upang muling panindigan ang ating walang kamatayang diwa; upang piliin ang ang mas magandang kasaysayan; upang sumulong na dala itong walang tumbas na regalo, itong dakilang ideya na ipinasa sa bawat henerasyon; ang pangako ng Maykapal na lahat ay pinanganak na pantay, lahat ay malaya at lahat ay dapat bigyan ng oportunidad upang sundin ng buong sukat ng kanilang kaligayahan.

Sa ating patuloy na pagtitiwala sa kadakilaan ng ating bansa, naiintindihan natin na ang kadakilaan ay hindi libre.

Ito'y dapat na pinaghihirapan.

Ang ating paglalakbay ay hindi kailanman dapat tahakin sa isang shortkat o di kaya'y makuntento tayo sa pwede na yan.

Ito'y hindi lakbay ng mga duwag, hindi ito para sa mga gustong maglibang lamang at ayaw magtrabaho o kaya'y para sa mga naghahanap lamang ng yaman at katanyagan.

Bagkus, ito'y para sa mga handang makipagsapalaran , ito'y para sa manggagawa----may tanyag na ilan ngunit mas marame ang nasa anino ng lipunan, nagdala sa ating lahat sa mahaba at baku-bakong daan tungo sa kayamanan at kalayaan.

Para sa atin, sila'y nag-impake ng kanilang mga gamit at naglayag sa malawak na mga karagatan upang humanap ng bagong buhay.

Para sa atin, gumawa sila sa mga mainit at masikip na pabrika at namahay sa Kanluran, tiniis nila ang mga hagupit ng latigo at nagbungkal ng tigang na lupa.

Para sa atin, sila'y lumaban at nagbuwis ng buhay, sa Concord at Gettysburg, Normandy at Khe Sahn.

Muli't muli ang kalalakihan at kababaihang nauna sa atin ay nakibaka at nagsakripisyo at nagtrabaho hanggang nagkatuklap-tuklap ang kanilang mga kamay para mabigyan tayo ng mas masaganang buhay.

Nakita nila ang Amerika na mas malaki kesa sa pinagsama nilang personal na mga ambisyon, mas dakila kesa sa mga diperensya ng lugar ng kapanganakan o ng yaman o ng partido.

Ito ang paglalakbay na tinutuloy natin ngayon.

Nananatili tayong pinakamayaman, pinakamakapangyarihang bansa sa daigdig.

Ang sipag ng manggagawa natin ngayon ay di naman nabawasan nang nag-umpisa ang krisis.

Ang ating talino ay di naman nabawasan ang pagiging mapag-usisa, ang hangarin para sa ating produkto at serbisyo'y di naman nabawasan noong nakaraang linggo,o nakaraang buwan o nakaraang taon.

Ang ating kapasidad sa produksyon ay di naman nabawasan.

Ngunit ang panahon ng pagwawalang-bahala, ng pagprotekta lamang sa makikitid na interes, at ang pagpapasabukas ng mga desisyong di kaaya-aya----ang panahong iyo'y lipas na.

Simula ngayong araw na ito, ibangon natin ang ating mga sarili, pagpagin ang alikabok sa ating katawan, at simulan natin muli ang gawain upang muling itayo ang Amerika.

Dahil kahit saan tayo tumingin: may gawaing naghihintay.

Ang kalagayan ng ating ekonomya ay naghahanap ng pagkillos , mabilis at pangahas, at tayo'y kikilos----hindi lamang para lumikha ng bagong trabaho, kundi para magtayo rin ng bagong pundasyon para sa paglago.

Magtatayo tayo ng mga kalsada at tulay, mga daanan ng kuryente at linyang digital nag magsisilbi sa ating komersyo at magbubuklod sa ating lahat.

Ibabalik natin ang agham sa kanyang tamang kinalalagyan, at gagamitin natin ang milagro ng teknolohiya upang itaas ang kalidad ng serbisyong pangkalusugan at upang pababain ang presyo nito.

Gagamitin natin ang araw at ang hangin at ang lupa upang patakbuhin ang ating mga kotse at pabrika.

Babaguhin natin ang anyo ng ating mga paaralan at kolehiyo at pamantasan upang mapantayan natin ang hamon ng bagong panahon.

At lahat ng ito'y gagawin natin.

Ngayon, merong mga magdududa sa tayog ng ating mga ambisyon----mga magdududa na hindi kaya ng ating sistema na tanggapin ang masyadong maraming ambisyosong plano.

Maikli ang kanilang ala-ala.

Nakalimutan na nila ang ginawa at kinaya ng bansang ito: kung ano ang kayang gawin ng taumbayan kapag sila'y pinalaya.

Kapag ang imahinasyon ay sinamahan ng nagkakaisang layunin at ang pangangailanga'y sinamahan naman ng tapang.

Ang di maintindihan ng mga mapangutyang miron ay ito: gumalaw na ang lupa na inaapakan ng kanilang mga argumento.

Ang inaamag nilang argumentong pampulitika ay wala nang saysay sa kasalukuyan.

Ang katangunan ngayon ay hindi na: kung ang gubyerno ay sobrang malaki o masyadong maliit, ang tanong na ngayon ay kung ito ba'y gumagana--------natutulungan ba nito ang mga pamilyang makahanap ng trabahong me disenteng sahod; naghahatid ba ito ng pag-aalaga sa kalusugan na abot-kaya; nagbibigay ba ito ng retirement na may dignidad.

Kung ang sagot ay OO: ang intensyon natin ay dumeretso.

Kung ang sagot ay HINDE: wawakasan natin ang mga programang di gumagana.

At tayong mga nangangasiwa ng kaban ng bayan ay dapat handa sa kwentahan------gumastos ng matipid at maayos, baguhin ang masasamang ugali, at gawin ang ating trabaho sa liwanag ng araw-----dahil sa ganitong paraan lamang manunumbalik ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa kanilang gubyerno.

At ang katanungan sa harap natin ngayon ay di rin kung ang merkado ay pwersa ng kabutihan o kasamaan.

Ang kapangyarihan nitong gumawa ng yaman ay walang katumbas, ngunit pinaalala naman sa atin ng krisis na ito na kung di ito babantayan ay pwede ring mawalan ito ng kontrol-----at ang isang bansang pumapabor lamang sa mayayaman ay di kailanman aani ng pangmatagalang kaunlaran.

Ang tagumpay ng ating ekonomiya ay hindi nagdedepende lang sa laki ng ating Gross Domestic Product, ito'y batay sa lawak ng nabibiyayaan ng kanyang pag-unlad; sa abilidad nating mag-alok ng oportunidad sa may pusong nagnanais gumawa----hinde dahil sa kawanggawa, pero dahil ito ang siguradong ruta tungo sa kabutihang panglahat.

Tungkol naman sa tanggulang pambansa, di na natin tinatanggap ang kinagawiang maling pagpipilian sa pagitan ng ating kaligtasan at ng ating mga adhikain.

Ang ating mga Tagapagtatag ay humarap sa mga bantang higit na mas mapanganib ngunit sa kabila nito ay gumawa sila ng Konstitusyon upang maisiguro ang paghahari ng batas at karapatang pantao, isang Konstitusyong lalo pang pinalawak sa pagdanak ng dugo ng mga henerasyong sumunod.

Itong mga adhikaing ito'y nagsisilbing ilaw sa mundo at hindi natin ipagpapalit ito para lamang maging madali ang ating pagtatanggol sa ating bayan.

Kaya't sa lahat ng mga taumbayan at mga gubyernong nanunood ngayon mula sa mga pinakamalalaking kapitolyo hanggang sa pinakamunting baryo katulad ng kung saan ipinanganak ang aking Ama; malaman nyo na ang Amerika ay kaibigan ng lahat ng nasyon at lahat ng kalalakihan, kababaihan at kabataan na naghahangad ng mas magandang bukas na may kapayapaan at dignidad; at handa na kaming muling mamuno.

Tandaan na ang mga nakaraang henerasyon ay ginapi ang pasismo at komunismo hindi lamang sa pamamagitan ng misel at mga tangke ngunit sa lakas ng mga alyansa at katatagan ng ating paninindigan.

Nainintindihan nila na ang kung kapangyarihan lamang ang gamit ay hindi tayo talagang mapagtatanggol, at hindi kailanman ito dapat gamitin upang gawin kung ano lamang ang gusto natin.

Datapwa't alam nilang ang ating Lakas ay lalong lumalakas sa paggamit nito sa wastong paraan; ang ating seguridad ay nanggagaling sa kawastuhan ng ating mga adhikain; sa pwersa ng ating ehemplo; sa paghihinay na nanggagaling sa pagpapakumbaba at pagpipigil.

Tayo ang tagapag-ingat nitong pamanang ito.

Gabay ng mga prinsipyong ito sa muli, mahaharap natin ang mga bagong banta na naghahangad ng mas mas mabigat na pagbabaka----mas matatag na kooperasyon and mas malalim na unawaan ng bawat bansa.

Magsisimula tayong umalis sa Iraq ng responsable at ibalik ang pagtatanggol nito sa sarili nilang taumbayan, at magpanday ng isang pinaghirapang kapayapaan sa Afghanistan.

Sa pakikipag-alyansa sa mga lumang kaibigan at mga dating kaaway, tayo'y magpupunyaging walang pagod para mabawasan ang bantang nukleyar; at labanan ang multo ng global warming.

Hindi tayo humihingi ng paumanhin sa ating pamumuhay na kinagawian o di kaya'y manghihina sa pagtatanggol nito, at para sa ibang may intensyong isulong ang kanilang mga adhikain sa gamit ng pananakot at pagpapatay ng mga sibilyan, sinasabe namin ngayon sa inyo na ang aming diwa ay mas malakas ngayon at hindi nyo ito mababali; hindi nyo kaming mapagpupunyagian, at dudurugin namin kayo.

Dahil alam namin na ang aming pagiging isang tagpi-tagping bansa ay pinanggagalingan ng aming lakas at hindi ng kahinaan.

Kami'y nasyon ng Kristyano at Muslim, Hudyo at Hindu---at ng mga Di-Naniniwala.

Kami'y hinuhubog ng bawat wika at kulturang galing sa iba't ibang bahagi ng mundo; at dahil natikman na namin ang mapait na baso ng gera sibil at segregasyon; at kami'y bumangong mas malakas at higit na nagkakaisa sa madilim na mga kabanatang ito; hindi namin mapigilang isiping ang mga lumang galit ay matutunaw balang-araw; na ang mga linya ng tribo ay unti-unitng maglalaho; na habang ang ating mundo'y lalong lumiliit; ang ating iisang pagkatao ay magpapakitang-mukha; at ang Amerika ay magiging kasama muli sa pagsulong ng bagong panahon ng kapayapaan.

Sa mga nasyong Muslim, naghahangad kami ng bagong landas pa-abante, base sa interes na nagtutugma at respetong magkatugma.

Sa mga lider naman sa mundo na gustong maghasik ng alitan o di kaya'y sisihin ang lahat ng kanilang prublema sa kanilang lipunan sa Kanluran-----isaisip ninyo na huhusgahan kayo ng inyong taumbayan hindi sa inyong mga nawasak kundi sa inyong mga nagawa.

Sa mga kumakapit sa poder sa pamamagitan ng korapsyon at panlilinlang at sa pagpigil sa mga boses na tumututol, alamin nyong nasa maling panig kayo ng kasaysayan; ngunit handa kaming kamayan kayo kung handa naman kayong buksan ang inyong mga matigas na kamao.

Sa mga taumbayan ng mahihirap na bansa; nangangako kaming tumulong upang mapalago ang inyong kabukiran at mapaagos ang malinis na tubig dito; upang pakainin ang mga nagugutom na katawan at punuan ang mga kumakalam na isipan.

At sa mga bansa namang tulad naming nakararangya, sinasabe naming di na tayo dapat maging bulag sa mga naghihirap sa labas ng ating mga bansa; o di kaya'y patuloy na umubos ng yamang kalikasan na walang pasubali sa epekto nito.

Dahil ang daigdig ay nagbago na; dapat din tayong magbago kasabay nito.

Habang tinitingnan natin ang landasin na haharapin natin, inaalala natin na may mapagkumbabang pasasalamat ang mga matatapang na Amerikano na sa mga oras na ito ay nagpapatrulya sa mga malalayong disyerto at mga liblib na kabundukan.

Meron silang mensahe sa ating lahat; katulad din ng mga bumagsak nating mga bayani na nahihimlay sa Arlington meron din silang binubulong sa atin ngayong panahon.

Ginagalang natin sila hindi lamang dahil sila'y tanod ng ating mga karapatan at kalayaan, ngunit dahil din sila'y kumakatawan sa diwa ng serbisyo, ang maluwag sa kaloobang pagtingin sa saysay ng isang bagay na mas malaki kesa sa kanilang mga sarili.

Pero, ngayong sandaling na ito, isang sandaling na magpapakita ng mukha ng henerasyong ito-----ito mismo ang diwa na dapat na pumasok sa ating lahat.

Kahit ano ang kaya at dapat gawin ng gubyerno, nasa kamay pa rin ng pananampalataya at determinasyon ng sambayanang Amerikano ang kinabukasan ng bansa.

Ito ang matulunging diwa na nagpapatuloy sa ating tahanan sa mga estranghero sa panahong gumuho ang mga dam, ang paglimot sa sarili ng mga manggagawang handang mabawasan ang kanilang sahod upang di mawalan ng trabaho ang kanilang mga kaibigan; itong diwang ito ang ilaw natin sa madidilim nating mga oras.

Ito ang katapangan ng ating mga bumberong umakyat sa hagdanang puno ng usok, katulad din ng kahandaan ng isang magulang na arugain ang kanyang anak, ito ang magtatakda sa ating tadhana.

Maaring bago ang ating mga pagsubok.

Maaring bago ang mga kagamitan natin upang harapin ang mga ito.

Ngunit ang mga paniniwala at mga pinahahalagahang ideya kung saan nakasalalay ang ating tagumpay--katapatan at kasipagan sa trabaho, katapangan at patas na labanan, pagtanggap sa iba at -----pagkamausisa, katapatan at pagkamakabayan-----ang mga bagay na ito ay luma.

Ngunit ang mga bagay na ito ay wasto.

Ito ang mga tahimik na pwersa ng progreso ng ating kasaysayan.

Kaya't ang hinihingi sa atin ngayon ay ang pagbalik sa mga katotohanang ito.

Ang hinihingi sa atin ngayon ay bagong panahon ng responsibildad---isang pagkilala sa parte ng bawat Amerikano, na meron tayong mga tungkulin sa ating mga sarile, sa ating bayan, at sa mundo, mga tungkuling hindi natin napipilitang tanggapin bagkus mga tungkulin masaya nating kukunin, matatag sa ating paniniwalang walang mas kalugod-lugod pa sa ating diwa, walang mas nagpapakilala ng ating karakter, na hihigit pa sa ating pagbibigay ng lahat para sa isang mahirap na gawain.

Ito ang presyo at pangako ng citizenship.

Ito ang pinanggagalingan ng ating tiwala sa sarili---ang kaalaman na ang Diyos ang tumatawag sa atin upang hubugin ang ating di-tiyak na tadhana.

Ito ang kahulugan ng ating kalayaan at ng ating pinaninindigan
----- kung bakit ang bawat lalaki't babae ng bawat lahi at relihiyon ay pwedeng magsama-sama upang magdiwang sa malawak na Mall na ito, at kung bakit ang isang anak ng isang ama na wala pang animnapung taon ang nakalipas ay maaring di silbihan sa isang lokal na restawran. Parehong anak na iyon na nakatayo sa harap ninyo ngayon upang gumawa ng isang marangal na panunumpa.

Kaya't halikayo't ipagdiwang ang araw na ito sa ating mga ala-ala, nang kung sino tayo at kung gaano kalayo na ang ating nalakbay.

Nuong taon ng kapanganakan ng Amerika, sa gitna ng malamig na panahon, isang maliit na grupo ng mga makabayan ang nagpapa-init sa maliit at namamatay na apoy ng kanilang kampo, sa pampang ng isang nagyeyelong ilog.

Ang Kapitolyo ay wala nang tanod.

Dumarating na ang kaaway.

Ang niyebe ay nababahiran pa ng dugo.

Nuong panahong ang kahihitnan ng rebolusyon ay nasa seryosong peligro, ang ama ng ating bayan ay nag-utos na basahin ang mga salitang ito sa hanay ng taumbayan:

"Hayaang malaman ng buong mundo sa hinaharap......na sa gitna ng taglamig, noong wala nang natitira kundi pag-asa at kabutihan.....na ang siyudad at ang bayan, ang sambayanan bagaman nagitla sa pagdating ng kaaway, ay sumulong upang harapin (ito)."

Amerika.

Sa harap ng panganib na nagbabanta sa ating lahat, sa taglamig ng ating paghihirap, tandaan natin ang mga salitang ito na panghabang panahon.

Kaaakbay ng pag-asa at kabutihan, muli tayong sumulong sa malamig na agos, at pagpunyagian ang mga bagyong maaaring dumating.

Hayaan nating masabi ng ating mga kaapu-apuhan na nuong panahong sinubukan tayo hindi tayo sumuko at hindi tayo tumigil sa mahirap na paglalakbay na ito, hindi tayo umatras at hindi tayo nagduda; at habang ang ating mga mata ay nakatingin sa kagiliran at kasama ng grasya ng Dyos sa ating lahat; ginamit nating muli ang dakilang regalo ng kalayaan at ipinasa natin ito ng ligtas para sa susunod na mga henerasyon.

Salamat.

Pagpalain kayo ng Dyos at pagpalain ng Dyos ang Estados Unidos ng Amerika.

END

The Gettysburg Address

2009-01-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Gettysburg Address is not Abraham Lincoln's former residence.

It was the speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln, one of the US' most important Presidents after the battle in Gettysburg in which scores of Americans fighting each other perished. It is short and to the point so I quote it in its entirety here :

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

(Source: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler.)

It is such sheer irony that I, a Lincolnite since I was in Grade 1, made my trip to the Gettysburg National Cemetery after 3 long years here in the East Coast. Three years I wanted to go and never had the chance. The double irony was we only went there because it was close to Hanover where the Utz Potato Chip factory was situated.

I have been to the Antietam Battlefield 4 or 5 times. I went to Jamestown of Pocahontas and John Rolfe fame. I also went to Yorktown where the British finally gave up and surrendered to George Washington and his rugged army of patriots. Those were in Virginia 3 hours away from where we live. But I have never been to Gettysburg and its only less than 2 hours away.

Now you might ask yourself, whats this fascination with Lincoln from a first grader from Asia ? Why is this trip so important and momentous to me ? I am not an natural-born American and the famous speech happened centuries ago.

You see, I was born on February 12 and Lincoln was born on February 12. Not the same year of course nor the same century. Otherwise, this blog will be eerie. I heard of strange things ghosts do but blogging is not one of them.

My mother who was the daughter of my American grandmother told me that I was destined for greatness because I shared Abraham Lincoln's birthday. That's my dear mother, ladies and gentlemen, my original cheerleader. I had many cheerleaders in my life but she was the first and she was the most loyal.

In any case, that explained my fascination with anything Lincolnian. So there we were trying to find our way from our small "educational trip" at Utz. It turned out that Getty was just a few minutes away from Hanover but in a different county, Adam's county.

We went through this quaint little downtown rotunda and saw a nice Christmas tree and some old time shops brimming with Americana. One was even named Abe's Antique. But we weren't there to shop, at least not me. We went straight to the site.

I did not realize it was a cemetery at first because when I asked for directions, the fifty something year old American did not tell me that it was. I asked where I can find the exact spot where Lincoln made the address. He told me to just go straight until we hit Lincoln Avenue through the rotunda and then head left to the street leading to the cemetery.

But it was getting dark and so we ran through graves and tombstones and taking pictures of the place until we saw the monument of the center marking the site of the address. It was a four-sided monument with statues of men and women on each side in different poses which I did not have time to find out the meaning.

The speech itself in Lincoln's handwriting was recreated in bronze but it was not exactly readable. I wonder if Lincoln suffered from writer's cramp like me because it was really not very legible. Or it maybe because it was twilight already and I did not bring my reading glasses. The writer's cramp theory was more appealing to me because that is another thing in common potentially between me and the man.

So we took pictures of the monument and the other monument dedicated to the New York contingent that lost many soldiers there. The gate of the cemetery displayed the names of the States that fought on the Union side against the Confederates of the South.

We also took pictures of the graves of Unknown Soldiers who were buried there but where not identified, all 411 of them. There were no names or tombstones, just square pieces of concrete with numbers that looked liked the stone markings (mujon) that defined the boundaries of real estate back home.

Wreaths were laid in the tombstones that had names on them. Probably of the prominent residents of Pennsylvania. But that is just another hunch of mine, most of the time I'm right but I'll check it out.

Like I was saying it was a twilight hour and atmosphere was kind of eerie and it was a blustery winter late afternoon. The pictures we took were quite bone-chilling and in fact, I superimposed the monuments with the witchy trees there. Just check out the pics and you'll see what I mean.

Remember The Blair Witch project ? It was shot in the forests of Maryland. Pennsylvania is right on the border. I wasn't satisfied with the trip because the looming darkness ruined some of our shots.

But there's a good chance we will go back there. There's outlets stores in Gettysburg by the highway, we saw it on the way back home.

The Potato Trip

2009-01-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

My younger brother loves Utz pretzels, it goes well with his beer he says.

I can only understand half of what he says because I do not drink beer.

But Utz does not ship their products to Asia. Not even the West Coast. Specially not their heavenly potato chips. If you like Lays, Utz potato chips is infinitely better. Its only available in some States in the East Coast. They are not available in the Midwest either except for Costco, Sam's Club and other wholesale stores. Its a quality issue.

Potato chips was an accidental invention. An Admiral dining in a Saratoga inn complained about his fried potatoes, saying that they were sliced too thick. The cook who was a Native American was offended and to take revenge she sliced the potatoes paper thin.

Instead of getting mad at the cook's culinary sarcasm, the official called the cook out to compliment her on the "invention". The story stuck in my mind because it was born in a sarcastic tone. Those chips were called "Saratoga chips" and then later simply "potato chips".

A couple from Hanover, Pennsylvania named Bill and Sally Utz decided to sell these kind of chips at the local farmer's market. They hand cooked the chips in their 2 storey home. Soon, they mechanized their production by purchasing a mechanical slicer and a deep fryer.

Don't ask me what they looked like and how they worked because I am no engineer and I am not interested in those details. I leave it to your imagination because most of my blog followers are intelligent. That's the reason there's very few of you. You are a "select few". My blogs are not for everyone.

Well anyway, the trip to the Utz Potato Chip factory in Landover, PA was part of our post-Christmas road trip. That was our destination after my wife and daughter's window shopping at the Rockvale and Tanger Outlet stores out in Lancaster.

Lancaster has the best Red Roof Inn and the most interesting Amish community in the East Coast. Its also very affordable to stay there and that's the primary reason we do that. Besides its picturesque countryside scenery is beckoning.

As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted by my hyperactive verbiage, the potato chip factory wafted a delicious smell as soon as we got off our car. The Utz sign drew shrieks of delight from my 7 year old son. Utz Honey BBQ Potato Chips is his version of Snack Heaven.
So we proceeded to the factory like pilgrims to a shrine. Seeing the old slicer and fryer felt like I was being transported in time. Like a boy in a time machine, my buttons were pushed once again. I was trying to contain myself, in the container that was Me. We were like winners, winners of the Golden Ticket of that Chocolate Fact'ry.

Oh, I'm sorry, got carried away there.

Then we saw the chips in various flavors: there was Plain, Salt and Pepper, Honey Barbeque, Chesapeake Style and Crab. Along with countless other flavors I cannot recall right now. I apologize for not taking notes.

Then there were pretzels of different shapes and sizes in containers of different sizes and shapes.

We went inside the factory and I proceeded to take out the camera but then the sign said "NO CAMERAS ALLOWED". So I merrily put it back in my jacket.

Entering the viewing area which was about three stories from the factory floor, we were able to see the whole process of Utz. First, the potatoes were peeled, washed, sliced and fried by machine.

Then they went to big tables where women were in charge of sorting the bad and the nice ones. The bad were those that turned out too dark from the dehydration of the frying process. Potatoes were 80% water they say.

The equipment for determining which was a bad or good chip was very sophisticated at Utz. I do not recall what they call it, but we lay people call it women's eyes. The few bad chips went into potato jail. Without exception ! They have no lawyers.

After sorting the naughty from the nice, the chips went to a conveyor belt where they were distributed to different spicing areas. Like I said, Plain, Honey Barbeque and the other flavors. Then they were bagged by machines and then put in boxes by women who worked as fast as, well , whats the word ? Machines.

All the people working in this area are women. The warehouse where the boxes of chips were taken were manned by men. Except for a singular woman who held a clipboard and inspected the boxes for any sign of sabotage or plain error in counting. Take your pick, whichever you find more exciting.

So the men carried the boxes out from the processing area, stacked them up according to spice and size. Then loaded them in ten-wheeler trucks. They used vehicles running on electricity to do this in the Utz factory to maintain the sanitation. No fossil fuels in the area was used.

The whole experience was related by a Voice Over in each manufacturing process which you activated by pushing a button. Thats the reason I am able to relate these things to you with a certain degree of accuracy.

After that we were treated to free bags of potato chips Plain. There were vendo machines selling soda (soft drinks to us) for a $5 each ! Which explains the smile on the face of the guest officer when I was grabbing more than the required Take One please. Just kidding, the soda sold for the usual $1.25 a can and I just took one bag for each member of the family. Honest !

So thats my tale of the Utz factory tour. Now if you will excuse me I got checks in the mail I have to grab. I wonder where they are from ?

Our Potato Trip

2008-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

My younger brother loves Utz pretzels, it goes well with his beer he says. I can only understand half of what he says because I do not drink beer.

But Utz does not ship their products to the West Coast. Specially not their heavenly potato chips. If you like Lays, Utz potato chips is infinitely better. Its only available in some States in the East Coast.

Potato chips was an accidental invention. An Admiral dining in a Saratoga inn complained about his fried potatoes, saying that they were sliced too thick. The cook who was a Native American was offended and to take revenge he sliced the potatoes paper thin.

Instead of getting mad at the cook's culinary sarcasm, the official called the cook out to compliment him on his invention. That is why the story stuck in my mind because it was born in a sarcastic tone. Those chips were called Saratoga chips and then later simply potato chips.

A couple from Hanover, Pennsylvania named Bill and Sally Utz decided to sell these kind of chips at the local farmer's market. They hand cooked the chips in their 2 storey home. Soon, they mechanized their production by purchasing a mechanical slicer and a deep fryer the size of a half barrel.

Don't ask me what they looked like and how they worked because I am no engineer and I am not interested in those details. I leave it to your imagination because most of my blog followers are intelligent. That's the reason there's very few of you. You are a select few.

Well anyway, the trip to the Utz Potato Chip factory in Landover, PA was part of our post-Christmas road trip. That was our destination after my wife and daughter's window shopping at the Rockvale and Tanger Outlet stores out in Lancaster.

Lancaster has the best Red Roof Inn and the most interesting Amish community in the East Coast. Its also very affordable to stay there and that's the primary reason we do that. Besides its picturesque countryside scenery is beckoning.

As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted by my hyperactive verbiage, the potato chip factory wafted a delicious smell as soon as we got off our car. The Utz sign drew shrieks of delight from my 7 year old son. Utz Honey BBQ Potato Chips is his version of Snack Heaven.

So we proceeded to the factory like pilgrims to a shrine. When I saw the old slicer and fryer, its like being transported in time. Like a historian in a time machine, my buttons were pushed once again. I was trying to contain myself, in the container that was Me. We were like winners, winners of the Golden Ticket of that Chocolate Fact'ry.

Then we saw the chips in various flavors: there was Plain, Salt and Pepper, Barbeque, Honey Barbeque, Chesapeake Style and Crab. Along with countless othe flavors I cannot recall anymore. Then there were pretzels of different shapes and sizes in containers of different sizes and shapes.

We went inside the factory and I proceeded to take out the camera but then the sign said "NO CAMERAS ALLOWED". So I merrily but it back in my jacket.

Entering the viewing area which was about three stories from the factory floor, we were able to see the whole process of Utz. First, the potatoes were peeled, washed, sliced and fried by machine.

Then they went to big tables where women were in charge of sorting the bad and the nice ones. The bad were those that turned out too dark from the dehydration of the frying process. Potatoes were 80% water they say.

The equipment for determining which was a bad or good chip was very sophisticated at Utz. I do not recall what they call it, but we lay people call it women's eyes. The few bad chips went into potato jail. Without exception ! They have no lawyers.

After sorting the naughty from the nice, the chips went to a conveyor belt where they were distributed to different spicing areas. Like I said, Plain, Barbeque and the other flavors. Then they were bagged by machines and then put in boxes by women who worked as fast as, well , whats the word ? Machines.

All the people working in this area are women. The warehouse where the boxes of chips were taken were manned by men. Except for a singular woman who held a clipboard and inspected the boxes for any sign of sabotage or plain error in counting. Take your pick, whichever you find more exciting.

So the men carried the boxes out from the processing area, stacked them up according to spice and size. Then loaded them in ten-wheeler trucks. They used vehicles running on electricity to do this in the Utz factory to maintain the sanitation. No fossil-fuels in the area was used.

The whole experience was related by a Voice Over in each manufacturing process which you activated by pushing a button. Thats the reason I am able to relate these things to you with a certain degree of accuracy.

After that we were treated to free bags of potato chips Plain. There were vendo machines selling soda (soft drinks to us) for a $5 each ! Which explains the smile on the face of the guests officers when I was grabbing more than the required Take One please. Just kidding, the soda sold for the usual $1.25 a can and I just took one bag for each member of the family. Honest !

So thats my tale of the Utz factory tour. Now if you will excuse me I got checks in the mail I have to grab. I wonder where its from ?

Christmas In a Foreign Land

2008-12-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

This is the happiest Christmas that we ever had in this country.

We went to Midnight Mass and while we nodded in sleepiness the High Mass brought back memories of home. The Mass was in a language foreign, but the spirit there was something from back home. Community, faith, oneness, belongingness.

In this world of fear, doubt and economic uncertaintly, we find the certainly of our faith us a catalyst that keeps us going on. We reclaimed what we had back home and what was missing in the past Christmases here. Faith and hope.

The laudate of the past Masses in honor of our Virgin made us feel comfortable in this community. There is tradition, there is permanence, there is common belief. And that Christmas mass made us feel closer and closer to Home.

For what is Home, but where your Heart is ? We found tonight that there is one thng that made us unite as citizens of the our home country: our Faith. Although the faith and spirit of Christmas is not excatly the same here, in fact its 10,000 miles differrent, it still is Christmas. If we did not have that, if we did not a have the Church, we as a nation have disintegrated into chaos a long time ago.

Sometimes, we take things for granted for home are the very things that leave us from being unhinged. These are the things that we will cherish and look for in a foreign, foreign land like this. We are away, yes, and we miss our homeland. But our Faith has made us feel welcome and made us feel...at home.

Chilling out at the Slippery Slopes

2008-12-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

The prospect of sliding down a slippery slope of icy snow holding on to a tire tube sounded to me at first like assisted suicide.

But then I looked at the ski resort brochure and looked at the backdrop of evergreens and wintry bush with streaks of mile long drops of snow.

Then I remembered my uncle from Scandinavia telling me that skiing is fun and then showing me pictures of his leg in plaster.

Then I heard the shouts of glee of my 6 year old and my teenager when I said that maybe we're going snow tubing.

And then I suddenly heard an ambulance siren in my head.

But then at this time, if you're still reading this, you must be getting bored of this to and fro, so to make a short story shorter, we went.

On our way there, pictures of snowconed mountains begun developing in the darkrooms of my head. I visualized people whizzing down the slopes and ski lifts with people wearing skis dangling like deadly accidents waiting to happen.

Half a mile to Whitetail, we can see the streaks of snow already. My kids went oooh and then they went aaah. My teenager begun snapping pictures, while my wife kept reminding me to keep my eye on the road. Just what I needed: a backup GPS.

So we looked at the Snow Tubing slope and read the rules. Then we watched how the mostly Euro-American guests who weren't even wearing bonnets slid down the slope like they did it everyday.

They were shrieking nonetheless. Or was it just their kids ? I could have sworn there were even some kids sliding down who were less than 3 years old. Although the rules said 4 and above.

Who cares ? I'm above 4. Besides, no one goes inside without signing a waiver.

So we finally decided to do it. But then we have to wrap ourselves up in layers of sweaters, thermal wear and jackets to survive the icy weather out there. Not necessarily in that order.

Then of course, the lip balm. We don't want our lips to be burned. Its very hard to eat Noche Buena when your lips are burned. Its not cool having chafed lips when we return for school/workday. So lip balm, but do it inside the car where they won't see you.

Well, anyway like I was saying, they make you read and sign a waiver which basically says "You're waiving your right to sue us just in case you break your neck."

A basic waiver and they let you sign it in pencil. "How very legal", I told my brain. "Lets have fun !' I told the kids.

So we went inside and found the slope to be less intimidating than from afar. "Its not that high, Dad", my teenager says, in our native tongue. Anyway, I agreed, it did not look too high. Maybe 50, 60 feet tops. Or maybe 100. But it was a gentle slope.

For my 6 year old though it must have looked like the top of Everest. When I suggested we take the lift and snow tube down he looked at me like I was suggesting he jump off a cliff.

So, in between cries of protest from our first grader, we rode up to the slope with our tubes in tow. They were exactly like salbabidas (lifesavers) back home but wrapped in some kind of green rubberplastic material. There's the solo tube and a combo tube for small kids and one parent.

On top of the slope you can appreciate the 80 feet. Not intimidating, huh ? Think again, so I put on my brave face and convince my skeptical son to ride with me. "No way", he said. "You can do it ! Its easy. Look ! Look at that kid, he did it alone !" I did not know if I was convincing him alone or I was also convincing myself.

So we slid down and halfway through the slope our tube spun around. I totally did not expect that, I thought we were going straight down. My son was screaming but I did not have that luxury. I am an adult for Pedro's sake. So I just closed my eyes, then opened it to look if we're still alive and found out that we were at the bottom of the slope, unharmed. "That was easy !" I told my son.

So we spent two hours of that. Up and down, up and down the slope. I experimented with my belly down solo instead of just sitting on the tube with my butt firmly stuck in the tube. The feeling was fantastic ! The chilly wind rushing to your face as you race down and the whirring sound it produced was simply priceless. I was even hit the end of the slope one time.

I heard a college kid said "There's three of us and just one of him and we can't hit the end. What does that say of us ?" I pretended not to hear that but I was smiling and I was reminded of my Daredevil brother V. back home. He will totally enjoy this.

I enjoyed it, my son and teenager enjoyed it but best of all, my wife enjoyed it. When our time was up, I wanted more. But we gotta rest so we went to our inn, ate and rested for the evening.

Next winter, I'm going skiing. I saw some people falling flat on their faces. But who cares ? There's no paisano here. Nobody knows me here.

And that snow tubing, it wasn't expensive at all. The night at the inn was free.