High School Memories: Basic Art and Happy Little Trees

Bob Ross I learned basic art techniques in my freshman (1st) year of high school. The teacher's name was Mr. King. It's surprising I can remember a name from 1974, but I can't remember a name from last week! Anyway, he taught the basic art class and it's there that I first learned how to sketch landscapes. I lived in Hawaii at the time and it was a multiracial school including students of Hawaiian, Filipino, Portuguese, Guamanian, Samoan and Japanese ancestry, with a few mainland white people like my family thrown in for good measure. It was like a mini-melting pot, if you'd like to call it that.

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Filipino Cuisine: Dried Fish

dried fish While I wouldn't be the person calling Filipino dried fish (tuyo in Tagalog) a cuisine, many Filipinos would beg to differ with me. I'll explain exactly what Filipino dried fish is once I tell you about some of my experiences regarding it.

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Balikbayan Boxes and Shipping Freight to the Philippines

balikbayan box Unless you're a Filipino or have close ties to Filipinos, you probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I mention anything about a balikbayan box. The word "balikbayan" is actually a combination word coined in the 1970s. "Balik" means to go back and "bayan" means home town or home country. So "balikbayan" is someone going back to their home country, but it only pertains to people going back to the Philippines.

Since I'm an American living in the Philippines, I become a balikbayan when I return after a trip to the US.

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Philippine Airlines – Excellent Customer Service

Philippine Airlines My wife (Josie) missed her connection to her Philippine Airlines flight at LAX but because Philippine Airlines has excellent customer service, she was re-booked for the next flight with minimal problems.

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My Wife's Philippines Vacation

Josie My wife (Josie) will be arriving for a month-long Philippines vacation on the 27th of August, her birthday. After she returns to the US, the plan is to stay no longer than six months. Her next arrival in the Philippines should be permanent.

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For the Love of Chicken and Rice

Banquet Chicken Nuggets It's surprising to see Filipinos wanting to eat chicken and rice more often than fish and rice, considering we're surrounded by the China Sea. Nevertheless, I see fast-food places and restaurants serving chicken more than any other food items here in Olongapo City, Philippines.

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Charity Begins But Does Not End At Home

house

God only knows, God makes his plan.
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
…Slip Slidin' Away

About a year ago, I mentioned how I was giving until it hurts by supporting one brother-in-law and his family here in the Philippines. Soon after that, I started supporting ANOTHER brother-in-law and his family. Charity never ends.

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