Chasing Cherry Blossoms

This recent weekend, Kepi and I drove to Hershey Gardens (Pennsylvania). We were expecting to see the Tulips in full bloom, but we were met with the spring cheers of Cherry Blossoms, Dogwoods, Plum Blossoms and other flowers instead. Although the Tulips haven't bloomed yet, we enjoyed the company of these blooming trees. After the Cherry Blossoms spectacular bloom in DC and MD, we were in time for their full bloom at Hersheys. It was as if, we were chasing Cherry Blossoms. Next stop, New York and maybe New Jersey.

"Little Girl with a Butterfly Net" statue flocked with Cherry Blossoms and the fragrant Hyacinths.

Abundance of Dogwood and Magnolia flowers. I can't tell them apart from this photo.

One of the beauties that afternoon - a flowering Plum tree.

Pink blossoms from this Weeping Cherry Tree.

A blooming young Cherry Tree. The future is vibrant for this one.

Garlic Smell - A Time Machine

I was walking to work when I smelled a hunger inducing waft of fried garlic. I was dazzled for a moment. I thought, "Is someone making garlic fried rice? Where?" I looked left and right for a non-existent Filipino restaurant in that area. Deep inside, I knew it's impossible to find a Filipino restaurant there since it's mostly corporate buildings dotted with a few coffee and sandwich shops that dominate the market for breakfast and lunch goers. I kid you not but that garlic smell was like a time machine. Suddenly, I was hurdled back to the memories of my younger days in the Philippines.

Being the youngest in the family, I seem to be the last one who wakes up (on most days). Believe me, it takes a lot of calling, prodding and even persuading before Id' get out of bed. Mom said I slept like a lard. In the mornings, I'd be rubbing my eyes while my senses wake up to the smell of my sister's cooking of kinirog nga inapoy (fried rice usually flavored with garlic) with eggs on the side. Mom and Dad maintained a backyard poultry so we had fresh eggs available every day. My parents would be enjoying their barako coffee already while I'd sluggishly sit on the dining table and sleepily request a glass of Milo; that catchy ad phrase "Milo for Olympic energy" is still stuck in my brain after all these years.

As I crossed the street to my office, the garlic smell dissipated and I was thrown back into reality. I realize that I miss so many things. I miss sleeping like a lard, waking up to my sister's cooking, the smell of our family house, warm pandesal in the mornings, rustling sound of the rice fields, studying with a candle light or the gas lamp, the sourness and sweetness of Indian Mango from my grandpa's backyard, the crackling of fire as it devours wood fire for cooking, the smell of soot, the coming of the monsoon, the trickle of rain on our tin roof, the dampness of June, songs of the cicadas during summer...

I miss home. I miss being a kid - having simpler worries.

Hello Monday!

It's Monday and I'm out sick again. I'll be off to see my hematologist in an hour...sigh.

For a Monday like this, the flowering trees here in Maryland never fails to catch my attention; they make me smile every time I see a blooming tree or flower. The photos (by my Samsung Gravity phone) below were taken at the Metro Station - Shady Grove. The Cherry Trees their are in full bloom.

This tree is visible at the Metro platform. I see people usually twist their neck just to look at this tree.

These Cherry Trees adorn the Kiss-and-Ride area. It's called Kiss-and-Ride because this is where passengers get dropped off or picked up, so goodbye and hello kisses are witnessed here a lot.

A Day Like Today

Lafayette Park is green. Weather is at 70 degrees. Spring has sprung at the White House.

Today, I ate my lunch at Lafayette Park, sat on a sea of green grass and felt the warm spring sun on my back. My lunch tasted delicious with the perfect weather. Sometimes, all the worries and stress of the day or even the week disappear when it's a day like today. (These photos were taken by my Samsung Gravity phone.)

Workers, students and tourists at lunch time.

Tulips in full bloom.

I met this cute girl near the Tulip garden. Apparently, there's a dog and dog owners tour going on at Lafayette Park.

View of the White House from Lafayette Park.

Happy Friday and I wish everyone a great weekend!

Oh My Beautiful Magnolias!

Although the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms take center stage during spring in the DC and MD area, the Magnolias too make their presence known through their fragrance and luscious pinkish petals. The Magnolia flower is one of my favorite spring flowers. I love their huge flowers and I can smell their fragrance even if I'm a few feet away. So during the weekend, I took these photos at Rockville, MD, while Kepi and I were out enjoying all the spring blooms in the area. Every spring, I take note of several great spots to do flower watch and return to these spots each year. King Farm Village is one of them.

These Magnolias welcome visitors to the community...

while waving at every driver or passenger that drives through 355.

Each flower deserves a solo...

but how can I get a solo picture of each if there are too many of them beauties.

So beautiful they make me smile.

I'm just so glad I can share them with you.

Part 2: DC's 2011 Cherry Blossom Festival

I was asked by Kg if all the Cherry Trees at the Tidal Basin are white, usually these Yoshino Trees produce white flowers at full peak, then gradually turns pale pink as they wither and fall. But, there are Cherry Trees, which I'll show at a later post, that produce dark pink flowers the whole two-week blooming season.

REMINDER to those who want to join my Cherry Blossom Festival Giveaway, click here for mechanics. DEADLINE for entries: April 21, 2011.

Here are a few more photos I took at the Tidal Basin:

In the cherry blossom's shade
there's no such thing
as a stranger. (Kobayashi Issa)

Part 1: DC's 2011 Cherry Blossom Festival

Every year, the blooming of over 3,000 Cherry Trees would signal Washington's rite of spring, and this is one event I would not want to miss as long as I live in this area.

Battling a cold and a nagging cough, we woke up at 6 a.m. to make the early ride to the nation's capital. In between sniffles and sneezes, I packed my cameras and snacks. Since I wasn't feeling well and didn't get enough sleep the night before, we decided to drive and brave the capital's crazy traffic and roadways; it wasn't too bad in the morning. As soon as we crossed into DC, I was speechless seeing all the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom; they were like dancers in full costume ready to dance as the trees swayed with the breeze and posed with the illuminating morning sun. The nation's capital is stunningly cloaked with the pale pink and white Cherry Blossoms once again.

The National Monument flocked with the blooms.

The Tidal Basin.

Focusing on the Jefferson Memorial.

I thought this certain tree has character, but then again, all of them do.

Curtain of Cherry Blossoms.

I realized that once you're there, you never know when to stop taking photos.

I was hoping to get a reflection of the National Monument, but the water was a little choppy. This photo is one of my entries to the 2011 FotoDC National Cherry Blossom Photo Contest.

The flowers staying away from the water.

White leaves or snow covered trees.

Framing the National Monument.

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CHERRY BLOSSOM GIVEWAY

I am hosting a Cherry Blossom Festival Giveaway at my other blog, Kassidy's Notes, so hop in there for a visit and join.

LP: Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms sa Tidal Basin. (Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin.)

Tamang-tama ang timing ng pagdiriwang ng ika-tatlong anibersaryo ng Litratong Pinoy dahil sa kasalukuyan ay ipinagdiriwang din ng Washington, D.C. ang National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Maligayang anibersaryo at maraming salamat sa Litratong Pinoy!

Santorini: Skala Pier

I am hosting a Cherry Blossom Festival Giveaway at my other blog Kassidy's Notes, so hop in there for a visit and join.

*****

Skala Pier or Santorini's Old Port has a life of its own. While we waited for our boat back to the ship, we kept ourselves busy with the trinket shops and relaxed at the cozy seaside cafés. Apart from last minute souvenir shopping, I was also intrigued with these houses built within the island's rock.

Door and windows to where?

Boat docked at the port.

The Old Harbor

Watching the cable run back and forth.

A better photo of the house built in the rock.

I thought this was really cool. I wonder what's it like to live in there.

A glimpse back as our boat left the port.

I found this last night. The zig zag path I was referring to as the mule path on my previous post.

Insignificant Voice

I wrote this on Wednesday, but I had to delay posting it as I was still emotional because of the execution of the three Filipinos in China on that same day. As a blogger, I know my posts can be lost, unread, left obscure and unknown in the web, but as insignificant as my voice is, I want this post to be of social relevance and maybe could encourage some social change for the progress of our society. There is always hope; I think. My thoughts are neither unique or new, but when I saw the tears and hurt of the people involved in this recent executions, I thought hope and the importance of life disappeared in an instant. Still, I'd like to believe that even in the most brutal of brutal moments in life, there's still goodness and decency left in humanity. The lesson is there, we should grasp it.

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My heart ripped into pieces as the execution of the three Filipinos in China pushed through; the hurt is indescribable until now. In one day, three lives diminished, three families broken, and a nation was left subdued and helpless. Life is brutal even in a civilized society. It is more daunting that we, as a nation who depend on the hard earned money of our OFWs, stood helpless as our three countrymen marched to their execution. Even if we're not at all related to any of these three, they are someone's brother, sister, daughter, son, mother or father.

Let me clarify that - I am not condoning the crimes committed by the three Filipinos, but I still think China executed the pawns, people who were either unknowingly or knowingly used for a larger scale drug syndicate, not the real key players of this drug syndicate. (I have to put emphasis on "unknowingly" and "knowingly" since the three Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking claimed to have been maliciously used and misled by other people. If I've been misinformed, please leave me comment.) To continue, I think it would have been of greater benefit to China and the Philippines if both countries worked together and went after the drug syndicate rather than prosecute the mere drug mules. But then let it be known that, I respect China for being true to their laws and that as a country, China has to adhere and implement its policies, without laws there is chaos. After all, every country has a duty to protect its citizens from the proliferation of drug use or anything that threatens or impedes the growth of their nation.

Watching these three stories unfold, I keep thinking that there could have been ways these deaths could have been prevented. (For my readers unfamiliar with this incident, you can read it here.) I don't claim to be an expert on any legal system or pretend to know the intricacies of Philippine-China relations, but my thoughts are starting to suffocate me, so I need to let it out.

• Choose to NOT become a drug mule. Illegal is illegal no matter how you slice it. As Ted Failon said, "Gamitin ang sentido komon." (Use common sense.)
• Be aware. Pack your own luggage. DO NOT accept any bags or any padala from anyone.
• I blame poverty. If most Filipinos aren't so hard up in finding proper employment in the Philippines, then there would be less desperate need to seek employment abroad and live the "kapit sa patalim" (gripping the knife's edge) way of life.
• Philippine airport security screening should do a better job. If the three pieces of suspected luggage were caught in the Philippines, they would have been prosecuted and imprisoned in the Philippines, a country who abolished the death penalty.
• The Philippine government should encourage domestic employment and less emphasis on labor export. Labor export is a wonderful opportunity for our country's growth but if a country becomes too dependent on labor export and fails to be self-sufficient, then what is a country if majority of its population yearns to seek employment some place else. Could it still be called a country?
• The Philippine government should have better laws protecting applicants against illegal recruiters. Recruiters and employment agencies should go through stricter rules and licensing. There is murkiness on this part because it seems to me that illegal recruiters are running rampant in the Philippines taking advantage of the people's desperation to find jobs abroad. I advocate tougher punishment for illegal recruiters.
• Before applying for foreign employment, everyone, not just Filipinos, should verify a recruiter/agency's validity before going forward with any transaction. Arm yourself with proper information.
• The Philippine government should work on better protecting its citizens at home and abroad. The Philippines benefits and boasts of its hard-working OFWs yet fails to implement laws protecting them.
• The "Filipino cultural niceness" (I couldn't find the right word to describe this, but it pertains to the Filipinos inability to say "no" because of not wanting to be rude) is being taken advantaged of. I know that sometimes this is labeled as gullibility, but I happen to know that Filipinos are smart; they're just too nice. It is a blessing to be nice, but there are times, we need to simply say, "No."
• For all OFWs, let us respect the laws, culture and traditions of our host country.

The execution of our three fellow Filipinos is a wake up call; let us learn the lessons. I understand that the topics of foreign laws and  international affairs are more complicated than what my brain can comprehend, but if we have any human decency left, let us be reminded that life should be respected above all else. Lastly, I would have preferred if China deported these three Filipinos back to the Philippines, just like when the Philippines deported the arrested 24 Chinese fugitives back to China in February.

But then again, who would listen to an insignificant voice like mine.