Moved to A Woman on Prime Time blog
It is my third day in Australia and my daughter took a day off from work to give me a treat to the Great Ocean Road. I didn’t expect much from day tours. They can be boring but the itinerary was exciting . It helped that Ash, our Aussie tour guide/driver was so funny. The Great Ocean Road is a 243-kilometre (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. I didn’t expect to see so much from black swans, the lazy koala resting on the eucalyptus branches and a Lory that perched on my shoulder at the Kennet Park
The sight along the route is picture pretty, from cows to sheeps. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone, which is susceptible to erosion.The road travels via Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell, the latter being notable for its natural limestone and sandstone rock formations including Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto, London Arch and The Twelve Apostles.
Kennett Park
Bells Beach
A lighthouse
First time to see black swans
Entrance to the Great Ocean Road
A lazy koala at the Kennett Park
Still at Kennett Park
Many Lory birds
Spotted a koala who just woke up
At the rainforest
12 Apostles and now just 8 left are left.
Just beautiful to watch! Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations.
Just 10 minutes from the Twelve Apostles, this place was named after a clipper ship Loch Ard which was wrecked on a nearby Muttonbird Island after a 3-month journey from England to Melbourne. The amazing thing was only 2 survivors made it out of the 51 people on board
The London Bridge now named as the London Arch
Thank you M for such a lovely day. The 12 hours though tiring was worth the ride.
And of course Ash, our wacky tourist guide.
Most photos by my daughter using a Nikon D7000.
““I have always loved the beach. The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, the gentle roar of the waves all combine to create a sense of peace and calm.”
–Anonymous
Our second day in Boracay. An island hopping is something I wanted Butch to experience including snorkeling and helmet diving. Wearing a life vest for protection since the “habagat” suddenly came. Still, it was fun. We ran into Pacman’s alleged beach resort called Boracay West Cove, an abomination (read more about Manny Pacquiao alleged Boracay West Cove’s lounge sits on top of cemented age old rock formations
(See more photos of Manny Pacquiao alleged Boracay West Cove’s lounge sits on top of cemented age old rock formations)
…to be continued….internet so slow here
““I am you; you are ME. You are the waves; I am the ocean. Know this and be free, be divine.”
–Sri Sathya Sai Baba
The weather is lovely in Boracay. I thought the remnants of Typhoon Odeng would still be felt here. But God is good. The sun is up, The blue skies and the soft calm breeze lift our spirits. This short vacation to Boracay was postponed countless of times. I guess, in time my husband and I would vacation in any beach for that matter.
When I won a raffle prize (from a Nokia E7 launch) for a trip for two to Boracay, I felt my husband would once again refuse to vacation in a beach. I could try and if he didn’t want it , I could always give it to my daughter. Surprise, he agreed. Finally! He wanted to see the world-famous Boracay with its spectacular sugary-white sands and pristine beach waters.
It was just not Boracay that my husband wanted to see. I believe having a short vacation in Boracay affirms that he is at peace with the past. This part of Boracay is peaceful, far away from the party people. Lounging by my chair and enjoying the soft cool breeze , I spot him strolling along the shoreline of the white sandy beach. Walking barefoot on this powdery white is therapeutic.
Our first day was spent strolling and letting our feet enjoy and sink into the fine white sand as our eyes feasted on the crystal blue ocean and the coastline of the other island.
Today we go island hopping.
Now I know what it feels to be an actress. Yesterday, a UK Travel documentary group came over to my house to film a 3 minute segment for the 45 minutes Philippines series in “It’s a Woman’s World” with a potential 60 million viewers . I think we finished close to 3 hours. The interview revolved around cooking Adobo and the FilipinaImages.com advocacy. I let Dine prepare the Green Mango Salad as Camilla asked questions. There were probably 5 questions that focused on the Filipina, They concentrated on me cooking adobo and Dine with the salad while asking questions about The Filipina, What is a Filipina, the international perception and our online work . The action type of interview went quite well.
You know I am used to only one filming angle done during an interview but the videographer took 3 angles. Now this is one film I should see.
They concentrated on me cooking adobo and Dine with the green mango salad while asking Camilla asked questions about The Filipina. It was an action and interview story. Some of the questions asked :
- What is a Filipina
- How would you describe the typical Filipina?
- Why did you start your website/blog?
- Why do you think Filipina’s have the international perception they do, especially online?
- Do you want to change this perception and if so how are you doing this?
You will just have to hear our answers when the documentary comes out on October. But let me just tell you, after almost four years, The Filipina Images project has been successful in at least creating balance in the search engine results. When we first started, almost 9/10 search engine results in the first page was dating sites. Not that these girls are Filipinas but there are more Filipinas that need to be showcased. The word “Filipina” is used by these sites.
Since then, search engine results on the first page for keyword “Filipina” has other sites that are not connected to dating services.
What image pops up in your head when you say or hear the word ““Filipina?” is a question my sister Lorna asked four years ago.
A smile.
A mother breastfeeding her child.
An excellent homemaker.
A powerful leader and mentor in her chosen business, profession or vocation.
Another smile, inviting you to meet her family and firends.
A friend who’s there for you, no matter what.
Ah, I’ve never met a Filipina  but I’d like to.
An influential, affluent decision maker.
A woman, confident and willing to go an extra mile to get things done.
A woman I can trust to take care of my kids.
A sexy woman.
A mystery?
A girl, shy and innocent.
A fun-loving woman.
A beautiful person, inside and out.
Endless, timeless images of a Filipina.
I am glad that the Travel documentary series of “It’s a Woman’s World” communicated with us to be part of this filming project. There is no one exclusive category of Filipino women who has the better right to claim that it is more representative of the Filipina than the others The Filipina campaign should not only be limited online.
Television viewers need to see that we , the Filipina of the Future deserves a more empowered, diverse image online and offline.
Multiple, complex, and whole.
Left to right: Camilla Andersen, me , Julia Cornes and Dine Racoma
The documentary series will be viewed on October 2011. It’s a Woman’s World will introduce and immerse viewers into the lives of interesting and inspiring local women they meet. So many travel experiences these days are mocked up for tourism, It’s a Woman’s World wants to avoid these and get the inside perspective on each culture they are discovering.
June, my birth month is almost near. I know what I want. Of course, Pearls. I can never have enough. The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens. Well, I might not be a queen but I am definitely the queen in the eyes of my husband.
Years before I got engaged to my boyfriend (who is now my adorable husband of 25 years), he planted a kiss on my hands as he slipped a pearl ring with two little diamonds in it. He can be romantic like that. I think it was our “steady ring” to show how serious he was with his love. He was just a law student then and I bet he must have crossed oceans to get one for me. I loved it so much that I wore that pearl ring everyday until he replaced it with a diamond engagement ring. Of course along the years, I have collected a few pearl accessories.
“These gems will eventually be handed down to our two daughters”, I told my husband , trying to justify the investment of the Golden pearls.
After my visit to the colorful world of the Pearl Farm in Palawan, I understood the value of this Ultimate Orient- the Philippine Golden Pearl.
Let me take you to a tour to the creation of this golden pearl.
This golden south sea pearl represents the triumph of collaboration between man and his environment. A pearl farm must , by necessity of its goal, remain a pristine environment. Oysters must live and thrive in clean, moving water, with constant tidal patterns and temperatures.
““The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” I agree with Helen Keller.
Nothing prepared me for the the beauty of Palawan seascapes, its breathtaking sunsets, the beautiful people and the miracle of the Golden South Sea Pearl. The beauty captivated me so much I felt dazed. Now that I look back at it, I wished time slowed down for me to take it all in.
Photo by Jayvee Fernandez
This amazing adventure started with an invitation from Jewelmer through Yehey, their digital marketing. As I leafed through the invite I noted the ““passion for life” at the top and to join them in becoming a catalyst of change. That sounds like me. I am passionate about meaningful things in life. The invite to visit Palawan is heaven-sent. I have always wanted to visit the Philippines last frontier. The stories of travel bloggers inspired me to make Palawan a must-experience travel destination . I wanted to witness how the lustrous golden Philippine South Sea Pearl is cultivated. Lastly, I wanted to observe the livelihood projects of the ““Save Palawan Seas Foundation”, that are both sustainable as well as environmentally sound. I was terribly excited. Jayvee, Anna and I are the first set of bloggers to join this Pearl Farm tour, a first for bloggers in the history of Jewelmer.
There is so much to write about this trip that it needs to be shown in three parts: the travelogue, the beauty of the golden South Sea Pearl and the people of Palawan and the livelihood projects of their foundation.
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“It was just that we had this phenomenal honeymoon relationship that just kept on going.” James Levine
As my boyfriend placed the engagement ring on my finger, my eyes just sparkled with excitement. Nothing could stop us from getting married. We were madly, deeply and truly in love for seven years. What did I know about marriage? I saw my own parents fight, laugh, tease and get back together. It’ll be a breeze for us, I thought.
Looking back at our 25 years of marriage and 7 years of steady relationship, I never imagined the challenges, the tears, the drama that befell us. The children just kept us together. On one of those dreary days, I thought , “how can we grow old together?” Would we become one of those old grumpy couples that don’t speak to each other in restaurants or one of those adorable elderly couples that everyone aspires to be?
Sappy as it sounds, it must have been love that pulled us back again or was it our little angel watching over us? With the kids at college and more time for ourselves to bicker or romance (take your pick), the quality of time spent made us rediscover ourselves as a couple and as an individual. For me, that meant, slimming down, trying to be fashionably smart, embarking on new ventures and becoming a healthy person inside and out. Having dramatic changes might have moved my husband to do the same.
This will also be our first sibling reunion. I am just waiting for my brother in Missouri, my younger sister from Denver and another sister from Chicago. By October 25, all four sisters will be together.
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