Where the Heck is Marinduque?: An Unexpected Christmas Card from the White House

Planning to Visit the Philippines Soon?

There are hundreds of tourists attractions in the Philippines. But as a lover of the Island of Marinduque (Home of the Morions and Heart of the Philippines), I am indeed partial to its beauty, charm and its friendly and hospitable residents. Therefore, help me achieve my dream of seeing this island becomes a world tourist destination, by telling all your friends and relatives about this site. Welcome, to you all, new readers and faithful followers of this site! The photo above is Poctoy White Beach in Torrijos, Marinduque with beautiful and majestic Mt Malindig in the background. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on infringing your copyrights.

Thursday, December 5, 2024

An Unexpected Christmas Card from the White House

Yesterday is one of the days, I feel very grateful and lucky. It was the day, I received a Christmas Card from the White House- signed by Joe & Jill Biden and Willow💚. I did not expect this card unlike the previous Christmas cards from the White House, my family received annually for 4 years during the first term of the Clinton-Gore (1992-1996) Administration.

In my previous posting, I discussed that receiving a Christmas Card from the White House was the greatest achievement and ultimate fulfillment of a Filipino student dream in the United States.

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2016/12/our-white-house-christmas-tree-ornament.html https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2016/12/our-white-house-christmas-tree-ornament.html

The first Christmas card we received came from Former President Bill and Mrs. Hillary Clinton. At that time my youngest son ( David E -RIP) was working for the Office of the President (White House), as a Policy Analyst for the Office of Management and Budget ( GS-12) . I believe this was the reason why we were in the Christmas List of the Clinton's during the 4 years of Bill Clinton's presidency.

Macrine (RIP) and I considered receiving Christmas Cards from the White House, one of the several successes that both of us have accomplished here in the US.

Yesterday Christmas Card was unexpected since I have no closed relatives working in the White House currently. However, I have a hunch that since my youngest daughter is a Presidential Appointee in the Bureau of Census, Department of Commerce, my name with my current address here at THD was in Presidential Christmas list.

Thank You, Joe & Jill Biden and Willow for the card. I will treasure it. Receiving this card I consider the greatest highlights of my almost 90 years of residency here in Planet Earth.

I showed the Christmas Card to my friends here in THD. They suggested I framed it. I took several photos of the card in several views, front, back, side ways including the envelop and I am sharing it with you.

Front and Envelop with my Potted Poinsettia

The Card is currently displayed ( not framed) in my living room. It will be displayed until the end of the Christmas season in the first week of January, 2025, Feast of the Three Kings.

Back of the Christmas Card and Side View

The Envelop: and Willow- the Biden's Pet Cat

💚Willow (born January 3, 2020) is an American tabby domestic short-haired cat owned by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Formerly a farm cat, she was adopted by the Biden family from Rick Telesz as part of a campaign promise to adopt a cat into the First Family and is named after Jill Biden's hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Willow is the first cat to live in the White House since India, who was owned by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2020/12/pleasant-memories-of-our-white-house.html

No comments:

ABOUT ME

I am a retired (Chemistry Team Leader from USFDA) Filipino-American who loves writing, gardening and photography. My wife (of 58 years) and I enjoy the snowbird lifestyle between the US and the Philippines. We have a small but very private beach resort( see above video) in the beautiful island of Marinduque, Philippines. I have several blog sites(ten), a personal blog, blogs about retiring in Marinduque and our beach resort and conference center-CHATEAU DU MER. I also write for www.squidoo.com now owned by HubPages.com

Marinduque: A Photogenic Province and Tourists Destination

Marinduque is a photoblogger dream. The province is endowed with unspoiled white sand beaches, pristine blue waters, fringing reefs, virgin coral reefs, coves, limestone caves, meandering rivers, mountain peaks, cascading waterfalls and streams, fabled sulfur and hot mineral springs,old churches and of course beautiful sunsets. The Internet is filled with photographs of the scenic beauty of this island not only from the local professional photographers but also from amateur photographers all over the world. The province has more than six big islands popular to beach lovers, scuba divers and snorkeling enthusiasts. It has Mt Malindig known to mountain climbers and hikers. It has Bathala and Tarug Caves popular to spelunkers and just curious seekers. In one of the eight caves of Bathala, there is a resident python, believed to be enchanted. If he shows himself when you visit the caves, it is suppose to bring you good luck.

Sunset over Tres Reyes Islands- Photo from panoramnio.com The nearest and most accessible islands from the capital town of Boac are the Tres Reyes Islands ( Islands of the Three Kings), Gaspar, Melchor and Baltazar in the town of Gasan. The local names are Laki, Pangkog and Man-nga ( see map above). These islands are located southwest of the mainland. The other three group of islands bigger in area and more populated are Polo, Maniwaya and Mongpong Islands. These are located in the Northeast part of the mainland in the town of Santa Cruz. Maniwaya's Polo Maria White Beach is being develop as an alternative to Boracay. There is a bigger island, Salamongue Island which is not as well known to the tourists and residents.. I really do not know the reason, but I believe it is not as accessible from the mainland . Moreover, it is not as developed( no electricity or running water) compared to the other islands.

One of the most popular white beach located in the mainland in the town of Torrijos is Poctoy White Beach. It is about a 70 minutes drive from downtown Boac. Poctoy White beach with Mt, Malindig as the background is the most photogenic and the most photographed scenery in the island.

Just late last year, the former Elephant Island in Lipata, Buenavista, owned privately, was renamed Bellarocca Resort Island and Spa. It has been converted to look like Santorini Island, Greece with buildings all painted in white sticking in the cliffs. From what I heard, this resort is one of the most expensive and luxurious resort in Southeast Asia. The cheapest room charges $300 per night excluding meals and other amenities. When I was in Marinduque last year, I met a few rich and famous Filipinos( businessmen, actors and actresses, TV personalities)) from Manila as well as Korean and Japanese tourists at Masiga Airport in Gasan on their way to the resort. From the resort advertisement, I know that the most expensive accommodation is a 3-bedroom villa with its own pool and jacussi charging about $ 800 per night without meals. Dong Ho, Oggie Ramos, Ferdz Decena, Allan Barredo, Sydney Snoeck and Dennis Villegas are some of the photographers that I know who have photo blogs about Marinduque. Their pictures are beautiful, unique and mesmerizing. It is worth your time to visit their photo blogs sites. Looking at their photographs of Marinduque, its Tradition and Culture will surely make you proud of the beauty of our island paradise.

Planning to Visit the Philippines Soon?

Thursday, December 5, 2024

An Unexpected Christmas Card from the White House

No comments:

Link within