A Suggestion for your New Year Resolution-Take a Power Nap

Do you believe in the benefits of the power nap ? I am a believer and a practitioner of this activity because it boost my memory, creativity, and energy level during my working hours and even after work at home. I had been power napping, since I first started working for FDA in 1990 and until my retirement in 2002. Today I still Power nap at home even for just 15 minutes whenever I can.

According to Dr. Sara C. Mednick, PhD, sleep expert and author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life.

"You can get incredible benefits from 15 to 20 minutes of napping, You reset the system and get a burst of alertness and increased motor performance".

According to the article from WebMD, the length of your nap and the type of sleep you get help determine the brain-boosting benefits. The 20-minute power nap. sometimes called the stage 2 nap which is good for alertness and motor learning skills like typing and playing the piano.

What happens if you nap for more than 20 minutes? Research shows longer naps help boost memory and enhance creativity. Slow-wave sleep -- napping for approximately 30 to 60 minutes which is good for decision-making skills, such as memorizing vocabulary or recalling directions.

When I was still working for FDA ( 1990 to 2002), I take power naps during my one hour lunch break. I take a nap whenever I can, that is if we do not have all day meetings with the pharmaceutical companies, or seminars and emergency project meetings.

My office was very conducive and had ultimate privacy when it comes to power naps. Speaking of offices in FDA, during my working years at the agency, I had offices ranging from small and no windows to an office with 3 windows with venetian blinds and big enough for a sofa and lounging chair.

During my first 6 months in FDA my office was in the old Parklawn Building in Rockville, MD. I had even to share the office with another review chemist. The opportunity to take a power nap is zero except when my office mate went out to lunch and I had packed my lunch before I left for the office.

During this period at about 3PM, two hours before closing time, I could barely open my eyes and my productivity is almost zero as a chemistry reviewer. When I arrived from the office after saying Hello to my wife and kids, I take a 30 minutes nap. After my nap, I am ready for dinner and conversation with the family. This has been my habit until my retirement in 2002. The kids when they were still small know not to bug me when I arrived from work and not until I have my nap.

In 1995 our Division ( Anti-Infective Drug Products) moved to a newer building with bigger offices with windows, new furniture and computers. As a reviewer with five years seniority I was entitled to have an office with one window by myself. During lunch time, I could closed my office and take a nap between 15 to 20 minutes.

When I was promoted to Chemistry Team Leader in 1998, my office had three windows and space big enough to bring my own private lounging chair and sofa, a small microwave oven and a small refrigerator. With the oven and the small refrigerator, I brought my own lunch every day except on Fridays when our team went out to lunch. This office set-up was perfect for power napping.

In FDA at the time, the sizes of the offices had direct connection to your position. Specifically, the reviewers ( chemists, medical officers, pharmacologists/toxicologists, project managers) have offices with one window. The team leaders could have offices from 2 to 3 windows. The directors and up will have offices with 4 windows or more, depending on their seniority and location of the office buildings. The size of your office is a status symbol, indeed!

May I conclude this article that power naps had made me a productive and happy Federal employee from 1990 to 2002.

Today, I still practice my after lunch nap whenever I am at home which is almost every day except on Tuesday when my wife and I are gallivanting to the Indian Casino near our home.

I suggest you start taking power naps as your New Year resolution. I guarantee you will like it.

Celebrate New Year's Eve by Playing Mahjong

Have you heard of the tile game mahjong? I associate the word mahjong with the following: childhood and teenage years, my mother, addiction and relatives and Barotac Viejo, Iloilo. How about you? If you are not going out, I suggest play mahjong to celebrate your New Year's eve.
A Mahjong Set

I learned this tile game when I was a child. It is mostly a game of luck, once you learned the basics of the game. This tile game is similar to the card game, gin rummy, but played with tiles. It is a game that most Filipina housewives are addicted to. I am sure if you reside in the Philippines or Hongkong, this game must be very familiar to you. You may be even addicted to it.

My mother taught me as well as my brothers and sisters how to play mahjong when we were growing up in the Philippines. We have two mahjong sets in the house. The cheap one was made of plastic which we used quite often and the expensive one made of ivory. The one made of ivory, we only used on special occasion when we celebrate birthdays, weddings and other special events when I was growing up in the Philippines.

According to my mother, I started playing mahjong very well when I was only 5 years old. It is a game of luck with a little skill involve once you learn the basics. I also learned how to play a card game called "Pangingue" in the Philippines, probably similar to pinochle, but different from gin rummy. Mahjong can be played on line or you can buy a disk and play it in your computer.

I have a disk (Hongkong mahjong) in my computer, but it has been a while since I played this game. Mahjong like any gambling game is very addictive. I have heard that a close relatives in the Philippines died of tuberculosis(TV) because he played mahjong almost all day and do nothing else. Unbelievable,if this is true.

Mahjong rules and specifics varies from region to region in the Philippines, but it is still a favorite past time of the middle class in the Philippines. A lot of Filipina housewives are addicted to mahjong. Besides mahjong there are two card games popular in Marinduque and other parts of the Philippines are PIKWA and TONG-IT. A number of housewives in my neighborhood in Amoingon, Boac, Marinduque play Tong-it every afternoon, both for recreation and a little gambling activity. We play Tong-it during a party break as a family game but no betting involved, when we are in Marinduque.

For rules and instruction how to play Mahjong read Wikipedia or ask a friend or relative for a demonstration. Once you learned the game, be careful it could be very, very addictive. But again, it is an excellent way to get rid of your boredom and the long, long hot summer in the Philippines. Here's a summary of the game from Wikipedia.org

"Mahjong, also spelled majiang, mah jongg, and numerous other variants, is a game that originated in China. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-player variations found in South Korea and Japan). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout Eastern and South Eastern Asia and have a small following in Western countries. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and calculation and involves a degree of chance.

The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although some regional variations use a different number of tiles. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles.(In Iloilo we used 16 tiles) In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four groups (melds) and a pair (head). There are fairly standard rules about how a piece is drawn, stolen from another player and thus melded, the use of simples (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), the kinds of melds, and the order of dealing and play. However there are many regional variations in the rules; in addition, the scoring system and the minimum hand necessary to win varies significantly based on the local rules being used".

So my dear friends and relatives, if you have nothing else to do this new year why not play mahjong?

Dodie Katague will be the Guest Speaker of Sons in Retirement, Walnut Creek Branch

My oldest son, Dodie will be the guest speaker of SIR( Walnut Creek Branch) this coming January 8, 2015 ( see announcement at bottom of the page). This is the first time I heard of this organization, Sons in Retirement, so I was curious and googled it. The following is information I found in the web. There is a branch here in the Sacramento area # 69. I am interested in joining the group if they have a duplicate bridge group since I do not play golf.



Who we are and what we do...

As they say in New Orleans,"Laissez les bons temps Rouler". Let the good times roll. Fun is what we're all about.

We are Branch 146 of Sons in Retirement (SIR), part of a larger organization with branches in many communities in Central and Northern California. The purpose of SIR is to provide opportunities for retired men to socialize. The number of members in Branch 146 is about 270 - large enough to provide opportunities for members to renew old friendships and to develop new friends by participating in any number of many activities that might be of interest to them. Branch 146 holds its luncheons in the Boundary Oak Golf Course Clubhouse in Walnut Creek on the 2nd Thursday of the month.

Branch 146 members are a congenial group of guys. A lot of friendships have been formed over the years since the branch's inception in 1988. Energy and a willingness to contribute to the good of the branch are personal qualities that have been dominant factors in our steady growth.

Golfing remains the largest activity, involving half the membership. Foursomes for regular Tuesday golf are selected randomly using an innovative computer program, which ensures that members play with different players each week. In addition, there are many "away golf" outings throughout the year, some of which include golfers from other branches. Bowling is another activity. Our bowlers participate in a larger bowling league and in state and other local tournaments. Bocce ball, table pool, duplicate bridge, party bridge, and cribbage are also part of the branch's activities scheduled once or twice per month. Many other social groups round out the weekly and monthly social calendars, including four cooking groups, fishing, gardening, investment, four poker groups, SongSirs, theater, veterans, and walkers. Importantly, members' spouses and significant others participate in special social activities including scheduled dances, couples' bridge, ladies day luncheons, wine tasting events, and travel both domestically and internationally.

The Sons in Retirement organization and especially SIR Branch 146 is, at least in the hearts and minds of its members, second to none!

• SIR 146 Monthly Luncheon -- 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Jan. 8. Guest speaker will be Deputy District Attorney Dodie Katague, head of High Tech Crimes Unit of the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office, speaking about "High Tech Crimes." Katague is an expert in the field of high crime and white collar crime and has prosecuted these types of crimes since 2000 for the DA's office. Katague has a nationwide reputation within the law enforcement community and has authored legislation in California related to high-tech issues. Clubhouse at Boundary Oak, 3800 Valley Vista Road, Walnut Creek. $25. Reservations by Jan. 2. 925-937-3833, www.sir146.com.

Wild Turkeys in Our Front Yard and Our Christmas Eve Day

We have lived in our house here in Northern California for 12 years, but yesterday was the first time, Macrine and I saw about ten wild turkeys grazing in our front yard. Yesterday was Christmas Eve. The day was gloomy and a bit foggy. Macrine and I were just relaxing in our living room picture window after breakfast when all of a sudden we saw several wild turkeys leisurely grazing in our front yard. At first we saw a couple, then suddenly about six more just came into our sight. I was thrilled especially when I saw two of the turkeys were white. They stayed for about 3 minutes then walked away across the street and disappeared. This incident was the most unusual event we experienced this Christmas eve day with the exception of the Children Christmas mass that we attended later in the afternoon.



The above incident is a big contrasts of other events happening in our Christmas eve day of 2014. We have received pictures and activities from Amoingon, Boac Marinduque Philippines of the Christmas reunion of Macrine's relatives in our retirement house, Chateau Du Mer. The above picture made us envious but such is life. We hope we can fly to the Philippines after February 8, 2015 if Macrine's is feeling well enough to travel. February 8 is the final performance of the children musical The Velveteen Rabbit, starring my granddaughter Carenna Katague Thompson. The musical play is the first play that Carenna has the leading role and I would not want to miss it.

Some of My Good-Looking Relatives All over the World

My Six Grand Children, Photo Taken on my 80th Birthday on 12/20/14. From Left to Right- Carenna Katague Thompson (11), Elaine Katague King (22), Ian Katague King (24) Philip Katague (22), Alix Katague (20) and Marina Katague (18).

Recently I joined a secrete FB group named the Balleza clan. After joining this group, I realized the numerous relatives I have on my mother side of the family. Pictures of seconds cousins, third cousins, nieces and nephews on my first and second cousins lines, I viewed with interest and curiosity. I realized I have good looking relatives that I have just meet via FaceBook. The following are some of the photos of a new-found relative as well as old ones that I like to share with you.

Rick Katague-my nephew from London, UK (son of my brother Erico of Jaro, Iloilo)

Reagon Katague Gregorio-my nephew from Kuwait and Philippines ( son of Amor Katague Gregorio from Jaro, Iloilo) -

Joerick Santiago, son of my first cousin Dr Sylvia Balleza Santiago from Boston, MA


Efren Katague and Family-my brother from Australia

"This one's my favourite" | Steph & Dave's Birthday, 2014 from Dave Katague on Vimeo.

I have relatives from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK as well as here in the US. Specifically, I have good looking nephews and nieces in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental,as well as in Iloilo, Philippines. If I have not mention you in this blog, please forgive me. It does not mean you are not handsome or beautiful, because beauty is not only outside but also inside. Again, Merry Christmas and Happy New year to All!

Compliments on My Culinary Skills and My Birthday Celebration

My 80th Birthday Celebration with Family and Neighbors-Yesterday

The day before my birthday party, I spent about 4 hours preparing a dish that my whole family likes. It is my classic chicken macaroni salad. That day our cleaning ladies)(2 ladies in their late 40's)were also busy cleaning the house for the party. At the end of their cleaning chores, I invited them to taste my chicken macaroni salad. I asked them how is the taste, that is if it needs more sweet relish or mayonnaise.

One of the ladies said the taste is perfect. The other lady exclaimed, Wow, David this is the best tasting salad that I have ever tasted in my life. She wanted the recipe and I give it to her as soon as they left for another cleaning job.


Speaking of cleaning ladies, Macrine and I are lucky to have twice a month the services of these two housekeeping ladies whose company named is called Heavenly Help House Cleaning. Their pay is a compliment of our 4 children. This service was started after my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson Disease. Again, thank you to our dear children Dodie, Dinah, David III and Ditas.
Birthday cake and card from Ditas
One of a few e-card that I received. This one one is from Mariam Mataac.

I like to thank my four children and six grandchildren for making this occasion, a day I will always remember. Specifically to Dinah for managing and set-up ( decor and party utensils), for Ditas for the cake, wine, ice cream) for Dodie for the drinks and for David III for preparing the fruit salad, picking up of food and clean-up. Last but not least to my spouse of 57 years who helped me in the preparation of the chicken Macaroni salad above.

In addition my special thanks to all my FB friends and other relatives( more than 100) who posted their greetings in my timeline, to Agnes Katague Galvin ( my sister from MD) and to Olga and Lito Quiazon ( first cousins from Vancouver) for their personal call and BD greetings.Last but not least to my sister-in-law from Mountain View, Charro Jambalos Levine for the empanadas and my two neighbors, Lina Edison and Dennis & Karen Richardson for the potatoes side dishes. Special thanks to Carenna and Philip for serenading me with their vocal solos and guitar renditions, the entertainment portion during the party.

Most of all thanks to the LORD for all his blessings throughout this eight decades of my life.