Becoming American( formerly Life in the United States & the Philippines-1960 to the Present): 100 plus One Things To Do Before You Die

WELCOME TO MY SITE AND HAVE A GOOD DAY

Welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada- the Gambling Capital of US and the City that never sleeps! So, what has this city have to do with this site. The answer is none. I just love the photo, I took during our vacation to this city a couple of years ago. In this site, you will find articles from my autobiography, global warming, senior citizens issues, tourism, politics in PI, music appreciation and articles about our current experiences as retirees enjoying the "snow bird" lifestyle between US and the Philippines. Your comments will be highly appreciated. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on infringement of your copyrights. Cheers!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

100 plus One Things To Do Before You Die

I have just finished reading several articles on things to do before you die. The articles ranged from just 10 to 1000 fabulous and incredible things that an average person will probably had a hard time doing, because it requires money and a lot of time. There is another article that listed 75 things, a bit more practical. But what inspired me is an article that listed 101 things and most of them I have already done(www.squidoo.com) Thus, I have created my own list. It is not a wish list since I have already done most if not all of the things in the list. Does this mean, I am ready to die? I hope the following list will inspire you to write your own list. There is no order of priority in the list, but my favorites are numbers 1,3,and 101.

1. Write your autobiography and memoirs.

Marinduque International Medical Mission, 2011
2. Join a medical mission to a third world country(Philippines recommended)
3. Create a web site or start a blog
4. Create a YouTube video
5. Try eating three exotic fruits ( durian, tamarind, passion fruit and others)
6. Go wine tasting and visit at least 10 wineries in the Napa Valley, California
7. Join a tour to one of Americas top ten Breweries

Seafood Paella Dish-One of my Favorite Dishes in Boac
8. Eat raw oysters, escargot, seafood paella or or any dish that you have not eaten before (maybe a balut or dinugu-an)
9. Take up Yoga or Tai Chi
10. Watch a Foreign Film, an Opera or a Play
11. Have a really Expensive Meal with your Love One( Chez Panis in Berkeley, CA)
12. Go to the Casino without Gambling. Just eat a buffet lunch or dinner

13. Visit Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks
14. Learn how to play a musical instrument
15. Join a church or community choir
16. Join a Walking tour of China Town in San Francisco or Visit the de Young Museum
17. Play duplicate bridge on line just for fun and not for gambling

18. Attend a Broadway Show in New York City or in San Francisco
19. Go to a jazz club at the French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
20. Visit the Rock of Gibraltar and Tangiers, Morocco
21. Join a Cruise to the Bahamas, Alaska or at Baja California

Chichen Itza, Mexico
22. Visit at least one Mayan Ruins in Mexico( Chichen Itza and/or Tulum Ruins)
23. Attend a Tennis Academy for one week at Rancho Bernardo, California
24. Visit at least five National Parks/Monuments in US
25. Try something you have not done before, perhaps sky diving, deep sea fishing or a helicopter ride

My Daughter, Dinah Katague King, first Sky Diving Experience
26. Visit St Peter's Square, the Vatican and have an audience with the Pope
27. Visit the White House and the National Monuments, Washingron, D.C.
28. Visit Gettyburgh, Pennsylvania, Civil War National Cemetery

29. Visit Dutch and Amish Country in Southern Pennsylvania
30. Learn how to snorkel or Scuba Dive
31. Learn a new dance, perhaps a Cha Cha, a Tango, a Rhumba or a Quick Step
32. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
33. Go on a canopy tour( tranverse between trees on a zip line)

34. Go bungee jumping
35. Ride a mechanical bull in Sugar Land, Texas
36. Go Fire Walking in Hawaii

37. Attend a Cock Fight or a Bull Fight
38. Visit Disneyland and Ride a Roller Coaster
39. Swim with the Dolphins or with the Manatees
40. Go whale watching in Hawaii
41. Visit a Zoo ( San Diego Zoo highly recommended)
42. Visit a Botanical Garden( Longwood Gardens in PA or Buchart Gardens in Victoria Island recommended)

Bouchart Garden, Victoria Island, BC, Canada
43. Ride a camel or an elephant
44. Milk a cow or a Goat
45. Go Bird Watching
46. Watch sea turtle eggs hatching and running toward the sea

47. Visit Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
48. Visit Death Valley National Park, California
49. Visit The Everglades National Park, Florida

Yosemite National Park, California
50. Visit Yosemite National Park, California
51. Visit at least one out of the "Seven Wonders of the World"
52. Witness a meteor shower, a comet or a lunar eclipse

53. Visit Niagara Falls and Take a Picture of the Falls at Night
54. Visit the Alhambra and its Gardens in Spain
55. Visit Big Ben and the House of Parliament, London
56. Visit the Coliseum in Rome and Saint Francis de Asissi Church, Italy

57. Visit Corregidor Island, Philippines
58. Visit at least one out of the "Seven New Wonders of the World"
59. Visit a Museum in US (J Paul Getty Center in LA, Art Institute in Chicago or the Museum of Modern Art in New York City)
60. Visit all of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, D.C.
61. Live in a Foreign Country for at least 4 months ( Philippines recommended from November to February)

62. Visit Historic Williamsburg, Virginia and Virginia Beach
63. Climb up to the Statue of Liberty or the Lincoln Memorial
64. See the Empire State Building and take a bus tour of New York City
65. Visit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California
66. Attend the National Cherry Blossoms Festival in Washington, D.C.
67. Attend a Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA

Morion Parade in Boac, Marinduque
68. Attend the Moriones Festival in Marinduque, Philippines
69. Learn How to Play Bridge or Hongkong Mahjong
70. Learn how to Grow Orchids and other tropical plants
71. Have a "High Tea" at the Victoria Hotel, Victoria Island, BC, Canada

Chateau Du Mer Beach House, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines
72. Own your own Beach House or a small Island
73. Kick negative habits and Mild Addiction(smoking,alcohol, computer or Facebook)
74. Learn how to be a Good Listener
75. Learn how to accept criticism
76. Discover your family tree and traced your ancestry and genealogy
77. Go to mass and communion every day for at least one year
78. Meditate for at least 20 minutes every day for at least one year

79. Get a whole body reflexology massage
80. Visit a planetarium (Chicago Planetarium recommended)
81. Sit in A Jury
82. Have your portrait painted
83. Get your Palms read
84. Eat a pistachio ice cream and leche flan

Gateau le sans Rival
85. Eat gateau le sans rival and mercedes de brazos without being guilty
86. Eat raw oysters, escargo, dim sum and kare-kare
87. See a Cirque de Soleil Show in Las Vegas, Nevada
88. Have a timeshare vacation exchange in Puerto Rico and Cancun, Mexico

89. Visit Aruba and surrounding areas
90. Visit Malaga, Marbella and Costa del Sol, Spain
91. Take a long train ride( may be the Orient Express or the Skunk Train)
92. Write your own 101 things to do before you die (at least 25 items)
93. Sing Karoeke in front of people without blushing
94. Write a song or a poem on a subject close to your heart
95. Give up something for a lenght of time and stick to it

96. Visit a volcano ( Hawaii Volcano National Park recommended)
97. Learn a new language, take music lessons or a music appreciation class
98. Bathe in a hot spring or sulfur spring in Marinduque
99. Treat yourself and your love one to an expensive vacation(maybe at Bellarocca)
100.Learn How to say "NO" without feeling guilty.
last but not least

101. Make a difference in at least one person's life
As my favorite quote says: "The time that you have touched the life of others is the time that you have really lived".

I hope the above list will inspire you to write your own list.

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ABOUT ME

I am a retired (Chemistry Team Leader from USFDA) Filipino-American who loves writing, gardening and photography. My wife ( of 59 years) and I enjoy the snowbird lifestyle between the US and the Philippines. We have a small but very private beach resort in the beautiful island of Marinduque, Philippines. I have several blog sites (ten), a personal blog, blogs about Marinduque and about our beach resort and conference center-CHATEAU DU MER. I have also a writing account for Hubpages.com. I will appreciate very much any comments on my postings.

Genealogy of the Balleza and Katague Surnames

Several years ago, I started a genealogy of my mother's last name- “Balleza”. I was able to trace it back to the 15th century. The name originated from Bilbao, Spain. I then traced it to Mexico, then to US in Texas and then to the Philippines. I was able to locate a town in Mexico named Balleza, in the state of Chihuahua. The town was founded in 1640 and named after Fr. Mariano Balleza ,a Spanish friar.. I was able also to communicate with a radio announcer in Houston, Texas whose family name is also Balleza. I also found several Balleza families in Googles and recently in Face Book. Note that the name is similar to another name in the Philippines “ Belleza”, a Spanish word which means beautiful. But “Balleza” and “Belleza” are two different names in the Philippines. I am happy and satisfied with the origin of my mother's last name. When my mother was still alive, she told me that her grandfather was a Spanish soldier that participated in the Spanish colonization of the Philippines (1565 -1898). Today, I am curious on the genealogy of my father's last name. When my father was still alive, his last named was spelled with a “C” instead of the “K”. He changed it with the “K” when he was in high school. My father has two brothers who also changed it to start with a “ K”. But all of my father other relatives as far as I know has not change it. So there are a lot of “Catague's” in the Philippines, that are my relatives. The famous Catague is a painter named Fernando. His paintings are exhibited in the museum of Iloilo and Manila. My father has informed me that Fernando is a relative and originally was from Antique. . In the Philippines, I know there are Katagues in Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Antique, Cavite and in Mindanao. I also found there is a Katague in Brazil from Googles. I just recently meet a niece in Face Book from Vancouver, B.C. She is the daughter of my first cousin from Bacolod, Negros Occidental. There are several Katagues in Face Book, and one in Twitter, but I do not know if we are related. Incidentally, there is a town in Bohol, named “Catague”. I am curious, how the town got its name, but I do not have the time to do research on it. If you know, please let me know. It will be highly appreciated.

There are several variations of the Katague name. These are: Catague, Catage, Catagi, Katagi, Katage, Kataque and Kata Gue ( from Indonesia). I know of a Japanese chemist with surname of Katagi. It may be true that Katague originated from Japan from the surname Katagi as my father once mentioned. So if your last name is any of the above or if you are married to someone with any of the names above, we may be related. I will appreciate if you contact me in Face Book or in this site. I will be delighted to meet you on line or in person.

Genealogy of the Nieva Clan-Macrine's Maternal Side of the Family

It is summer time and time for family reunions. The Nievas of the World will probably be have a reunion in the Philppines or here in US sometime this year or next year. Hopefully, Macrine and I could attend this time.

Macrine Nieva Jambalos and husband, David Balleza Katague of Marinduque and Northern California toasting champagne during their Golden Wedding Anniversary, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines,2007 In 2003, there was a reunion of the Nieva clan in the Philippines organized by Rene Elizalde Nieva, Macrine's first cousin. We were invited but not able to attend. Rene wrote in his invitation that he is in the process of writing a book about the Nieva clan. He said the book will be privately published with limited printing which will include a general history starting on the possible roots of the Nieva family as well as the achievements of various members of the clan and their contribution to the betterment of Marinduque and of the Philippines. As of this writing date, I have not heard on the status of Rene's book. In his invitation he invited all the direct and indirect descendants of the children and spouses of Calixto Nieva and Epifania Morente. Note that Rene is the great-grandson of Calixto Nieva and Macrine is also the great-granddaughter of Calixto Nieva , thus Rene and Macrine are first cousins. I just can not believe that my six grand children are now the great-great-great grand children of Calixto Nieva and Epifania Morente. Calixto and Epifania Morente had six children, four boys and two girls as follows (from oldest to youngest) along with their spouses. 1.Juan Nieva had two wives. The first wife was Isabel Decena. When Isabel died Juan remarried Elvira Sarmiento. Juan Nieva is both Macrine's and Rene's grandfather. He was the first governor of Marinduque and also the grandfather of the outgoing Governor. Rene and Macrine are first cousin of Jose Antonio (Bong) Nieva Carrion, the outgoing Governor of Marinduque. 2.Victoria Nieva married Doroteo Mercader 3.Dionisio Nieva married Salud de la Santa 4.Gregorio Nieva married Maria Arevalo 5.Jose Nieva married Trinidad Carmona 6.Rosita Nieva married Dr Angel Mayuga Rene's invitation also included the descendants of the brothers of Calixto, namely Pedro and Francisco Nieva. It also included the brothers and sisters of Epifania Morente, which included not just the Morentes but also the Roceses, Abadas, Trinidads and the Kasilags. Incidentally, the Reyeses are second cousins of Macrine and the other Nievas of Marinduque. This article will concentrate on the descendants of Juan Nieva and his two wives, Isabel Decena from Santa Cruz and Elvira Sarmiento from Buenavista.. Children of Juan Nieva and Isabel Decena ( from Oldest to Youngest) 1.Calixto Nieva married Juanita Jambalos 2.Blanca Nieva- single was killed by the Japanese during World War II 3.Elena Nieva married Bernardo Jambalos, Jr ( brother of Juanita) Children of Juan Nieva and Elvira Sarmiento(from Oldest to Youngest) 1.Guillermo ( Willie) Nieva married Dr Celina Elizalde 2.Rosario Nieva married Ramon Carrion 3.Ester Nieva married Rafael Seno 4.Monica Nieva married Conrado Luarca 5.Elizabeth Nieva married Romulo Santo Domingo 6.Asuncion Nieva married Dr. Rafael Ocampo 7.Fr Constantino Nieva- single For the purpose of this article, I will discuss only the descendants of Elena Nieva and Bernardo Jambalos, Jr. They have seven children as follows: ( From Oldest to Youngest) 1.Macrine Nieva Jambalos- married David B Katague from Iloilo ( that's me) 2.Sister Guia Jambalos- Order of the Cenacle-single 3.Bernardo Jambalos III married Loreta Mercader 4.Fe Jambalos married Edgardo Lazarte 5.Edgar Jambalos ( deceased) married Asuncion Pagalunan 6.Jean Jambalos married Mitch Maeda 7.Rosario Jambalos married Michael Levin Note that Rene Nieva is the oldest son of Guillermo Nieva and Dr. Celina Elizalde. The younger brother of Rene, Yong is my partner in our literary project, I left my Heart in Marinduque ( not San Francisco). http://marinduqueonmymind.blogspot.com Macrine's telephone buddy and first cousin from Vancouver, BC, Canada Olga Luarca Quiazon is the oldest daughter of Monica and Conrado Luarca The outgoing governor of Marinduque is the second son of Rosario Nieva and Ramon Carrion This posting continues with the offspring of Macrine Jambalos and David B. Katague. They have 4 children and six grandchildren as follows: 1.Dodie( Diosdado) Katague married Ruth Carver- They have 3 children, Philip Winchester, Alexandra and Marina Katague 2.Dinah E Katague married David E King- They have 2 children, Ian and Elaine King 3.David E III-single 4.Ditas Macrine Katague married Nick Thompson- They have one child, Carenna Nicole Thompson Fe Jambalos has two daughters, Lanie and Ella Jean Jambalos has two daughters, Yuri and Yuka Rosario has two children, Carlos and Zehara Asuncion and Edgar( deceased) Jambalos has three sons, Edmund, Nonoy and Jhun-Jhun and a daughter, Marilyn Bernardo Jambalos III has five children and three grandchildren as of this writing date. Accomplishments of the children of David B and Macrine J. Katague are discussed in detail at http://theintellectualmigrant.blogspot.com Some Interesting Vignettes: The marriage of Calixto and Juanita Jambalos was not approved by their father Don Juan Nieva. Juanita was the daughter of a barrio businessman from Laylay. During those time, if you are from the barrios, you are not welcome or accepted to the social group of the main town of Boac. The Jambalos family although well off were considered TAGABUKID ( from the bonies). Don Juan Nieva wanted his lawyer son to marry Enriqueta Nepomuceno, one of the popular socialites in Boac. When Juanita died, Calixto did not marry again. Soon Calixto also died and every one in town claimed he died with a broken heart. Enriqueta in the meantime was waiting for Calixto. Enriqueta never married and died as a spinster. Blanca Nieva graduated from Nursing School at Philippine General Hospital and was earning well. When their father died, she helped in sending her half-sister Rosario to College. She supported her sister and spoiled her by dressing her up to maintain her place in the high society of Boac at that time. Elena, is the third child of Isabel Decena from Santa Cruz. Isabel died giving birth to Elena. Elena was therefore nursed by the sister of Isabel, Regina Decena Reforma. Elena and Policarpio Reforma ( son of Regina) shared the same breast milk of Tia Regina. When Elena was five years old, she and sister Blanca as well as brother Calixto, were brought to Boac where their father Juan Nieva remarried Elvira Sarmiento from Buenavista. Elena grew up under the care of Lola Victoria ( sister of Juan Nieva). They lived in the old Nieva Building at the foot of the hill leading to Mataas Na Bayan. Elena later went to college at the University of the Philippines and finished her Bachelor Degree in Education. When Juanita Jambalos-Nieva( wife of Calixto) died during childbirth, Elena and Bernardo Jambalos II ( brother of Juanita) were made in-charged of bringing the corpse from Manila back to Marinduque. During the trip, people mistook them as husband and wife. Their romance started then and later were married at the Boac Catholic Church. Today, if I had to guess, there should be more than seven hundred members of the Nieva clan, just based on the six children of Calixto Nieva and Epifania Morente all over the world. If you include the descendants of Pedro and Francisco Nieva, the two brothers of Calixto, it could reached to more than a thousand Nievas all over the universe. If you are a member of this clan, please let me know. Someday, I may be able to trace the Nieva genealogy all the way to Spain, as I did with my mothers name "Balleza", several years ago. My e-mail is in this site and I am also in Face Book.

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is a national park located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. Parts of the park are in southern Inyo County and northern San Bernardino County in Eastern California, with a small extension into southwestern Nye County and extreme southern Esmeralda County in Nevada. In addition, there is an exclave (Devil's Hole) in southern Nye County. The park covers 5,262 square miles (13,630 km2), encompassing Saline Valley, a large part of Panamint Valley, almost all of Death Valley, and parts of several mountain ranges. Death Valley National Monument was declared a U.S. National Monument in 1933, placing the area under federal protection. In 1994, the monument was redesignated a national park, as well as being substantially expanded to include Saline and Eureka valleys. It is the hottest and driest of the national parks in the United States. The second-lowest point in the Western Hemisphere is in Badwater Basin, which is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. The park is home to many species of plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh desert environment. Some examples include creosote bush, Bighorn Sheep, Coyote, and the Death Valley Pupfish, a survivor of much wetter times. Approximately 95% of the park is designated as wilderness. Its wilderness area covers 4,774 square miles (12,360 km2), making it the largest in the Lower 48 states, and the sixth largest in the United States overall. Death Valley National Park is visited annually by more than 770,000 visitors who come to see its diverse geologic features, desert wildlife, historic sites, scenery, and clear night skies. Mining was the primary activity in the area before it was protected. The first documented non-Native Americans to enter Death Valley did so in the winter of 1849, thinking they would save time by taking a shortcut to the gold fields of California. They were stuck for weeks and in the process gave the valley its name, even though only one of their group died there. Several short-lived boom towns sprang up during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to exploit minor local bonanzas of gold. The only long-term profitable ore to be mined, however, was borax, a mineral used to make soap and an important industrial compound. Today, borax is an essential component of high-temperature resistant boro-silicate glass products, for example Pyrex cookware. Twenty-mule teams were used to transport ore out of the valley; helping to make it famous and the subject of books, radio programs, television series, and movies.

The natural environment of the area has been shaped largely by its geology. The valley itself is actually a graben. The oldest rocks are extensively metamorphosed and at least 1.7 billion years old. Ancient warm, shallow seas deposited marine sediments until rifting opened the Pacific Ocean. Additional sedimentation occurred until a subduction zone formed off the coast. This uplifted the region out of the sea and created a line of volcanoes. Later the crust started to pull apart, creating the current Basin and Range landform. Valleys filled with sediment and, during the wet times of glacial periods, with lakes, such as Lake Manly.

Note: This is No.9 of the series of articles on popular national parks in US.