New York Botanical Garden

I was pleased to see the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden in Bronx, NY. According to the Net, NYBG is a national historic landmark and one of the premier botanical gardens in the US. It contains 48 different gardens and plant collections.

In addition to the exotic orchids we saw on display, I was amazed to see tropical plants and trees growing inside the conservatory. It was like a big, big greenhouse with all the automation stuff. My sister and I had our picture taken near a calamansi plant. Felt like almost close to home.

Mohegan Sun, Connecticut

I am not fond of casinos but I agreed to my aunt's invitation to go to Mohegan Sun one weekend. The $20 ticket per person covered our transportation from White Plains to the casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, a meal, and a chance to join the roulette. It was a come-on to many elders in the vicinity. I did not play except for the free game included but I got $100 from my aunt's winnings. I agreed to go there not to gamble but to see the place. 

The casino was one of the world's largest casinos and my aunt told me that it had a different kind of architecture and interior design. I agreed with her.

White Plains, New York

I was back in New York in February 2007. For the past two visits, I left during the summer break in the Philippines. This time, I had to leave early to look after my nephew (Brandon, 6 years old) and niece (Hailee, 2 years old). Their parents were on a 12-hour work shift in the hospitals about three times a week so it was difficult to look for somebody who would fit that schedule during that time. I remember the few days before my flight to NY. I had to attend a regional convention and a few meetings. To top it all off, our choir had a concert in our church on the evening of February 25 and I had to leave for the airport at 4 am the following day. 

So hectic! There was still snow when I came. In fact, there had been a snowstorm in March. Brandon, Hailee, and I had fun strolling outside in all our winter attire. Brandon played snowballs and I volunteered to shovel the snow from my sister's and brother-in-law's cars parked on the street. A different kind of experience.

Ilocos Norte

The faculty and staff of our college had an educational field trip to Batac and surrounding municipalities in the province of Ilocos Norte in November 2006. Batac City. "Home of great leaders" as it is the hometown of former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos and other significant figures in the history of the country. First, we met our counterparts at the College of Engineering of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU). Then, we visited the mausoleum of the Marcoses, Paoay church (another world heritage site), and Malacanang ti Amianan (Malacanang of the North). On our way back, we dropped by Vigan City to see the heritage village and buy some pasalubongs. The 12-hour bus trip from Indang to Ilocos Norte may be too tiring but the fun and experiences gained were all worth it.

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Vigan, the capital city of Ilocos Sur. World heritage site. Spanish colonial houses and cobblestone streets. I became one of the accreditors during the survey visit to the University of Northern Philippines in Vigan in September 2006. It was my first accreditation work and our team was assigned to evaluate the architecture, geodetic engineering, and civil engineering programs of the university. After the serious work, we toured the city proper, bought pasalubongs from the market and heritage village, watched the skilled workers in burnayan (production of clay jars), and visited Baluarte (a mini-zoo owned by former Gov. Chavit Singson).