Where the Heck is Marinduque?: My Grand Daugther Debut as a Child Actress

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.

Friday, September 28, 2012

My Grand Daugther Debut as a Child Actress

Carenna on her 9th Birthday

Carenna Katague Thompson is my youngest grand daughter.( Age 9). She is the only child of my youngest daughter Ditas. She loves to draw and sing, but I did not realized she can also act. I have two other teen-age grand daughters who are active in musical theaters in Walnut Creek. But Carenna's debut as a professional child actress is indeed a surprise. There are two other children in the cast ages 11 and 12, so Carenna is the youngest but she is as tall as the older kids. I am very proud of Carenna's accomplishments.

Here's Ditas announcement to all her friends and relatives on Carenna's Debut at the Sacramento Theatre Company (STC) dramatic play “ The Miracle Worker”. Carenna is playing as “Martha”. The play is scheduled from October 4 until the last week of October. If you live in the Sacramento area, I will appreciate if you attend this presentation of the Miracle Worker. I AM INDEED A PROUD GRAND PAPA!

Hello Carenna's Adoring Fans!

So here it is, Carenna's Debut at the Sacramento Theatre Company's "The Miracle Worker" on the MAIN STAGE! Some of you may know that she opted out of soccer this fall for obvious reasons so I was looking for something fun for her to do. We went to Sacramento Theatre Company asking about musical theater workshops and they asked her to audition for a speaking part in the dramatic play. She was immediately cast as "Martha" and has been a trooper attending 6 days a week rehearsals (Tuesday-Friday -4:30-8:30 pm and both Sat and Sun most of the day). Because this is an "equity" house, she was asked if she wanted to start earning toward her equity card?? but I opted to not do that right now...she's 9 for goodness sake! I did have to get a work permit for her.

As a full part of the cast, she needs to get credit for selling a certain amount of tickets, so if you do come see her, kindly tell the box office that you are coming to see Carenna Thompson as "Martha" and to credit her. Come see it early in the run as tickets will run scarce toward closing.

The box office # is STC Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office located at 1419 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 Call For tickets, call 916.443.6722 or go to http://www.sactheatre.org/BoxOffice.html

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.