Kababaihan: Conversations with Women Community Leaders

It's the last day of the school year, & I finally had a chance to check out Aisha's video on women leaders in the Philippines & loved it...brought me back to the times I had with Marc, walking through Baseco & meeting the women there...the video captures how strong Pinays are and how they are the backbone of the PI...

Check out the video, "Kababaihan: Conversations with Women Community Leaders" at:

Kababaihan: Conversations with Women Community Leaders from kababihan doc on Vimeo.

From Travels to Work to Travels: A Circle

Trying to work on curriculum after my US states tour of the last six months...but I always return in my mind to the Philippines & that's how I spent the last week--planning for the "Indigenizing the Curriculum" workshop I'll be presenting with Titania Buchholdt & Luanda Wesley at the Kapwa Conference 2009 at San Francisco State University.....

&&& now my dilemma--being computer illiterate, I can't seem to get this Wordle.net app to work for my presentation...I think it's a Java thing, but nothing seems to work, so here I'm testing to imbed it in this blog.... HERE GOES.... WILL IT WORK OR NOT.... WE'LL SEE....if you click below, you'll see excerpts of what Datu Vic taught me in Iloilo...in poster form (credit for the word bubble= http://www.wordle.net)

title="Wordle: Sacred_Bridge1"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/971880/Sacred_Bridge1"
alt="Wordle: Sacred_Bridge1"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

...SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE EMBEDDING WORKS (kind of--would rather have seen the actual word bubble in this blog) &&& IF YOU WANT TO TRY IT & TELL ME HOW TO CAPTURE IT FOR POSTER HARDCOPY OR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, then cool....

Springtime Sabbatical, 2009

Being on the road & visiting friends and family hasn't given me much time to post to a blog. I've spent time in the following states: New Mexico, Hawaii, Tennessee & Indiana & of course, my home state of California. It's been an adventure discovering the United States, which often don't seem so united, especially among its people. Californians take diversity for granted--something not so typical when visiting my sister to celebrate her graduation from Indiana University Northwest in Gary, Indiana. A friend of hers commented that her graduation party was diverse--not only in colors, but by size. This was something I realized while traveling in Tennessee & Indiana. It's almost like the norm is for there to be lots of obese people. The American diet sucks & I learned a lot reading, "In Defense of Food," while flying to Nashville, Tennessee.

My experience? I lost weight in Hawaii & California only to regain in it Tennessee & Indiana. The American Diet sucks! In any case, that was one of the things I learned about on my adventure in the states-- HEALTH COUNTS!!! In June I go to DC & NYC with Sandino, Shy, Angie, Adrian & Aja--the others are working... that trip will add to my "US" trips.

What's Important

Although this sunset was taken in Hawaii, the photo symbolizes the beauty of a day. That beauty stays in our memory even after the day is over and night has fallen.

Just like day & night, so is life & death.

This image is dedicated to the families of Shy's Grandmother and Tio Diego. May the beauty of the lives they shared stay forever imprinted in our minds and hearts.

Travel & Taxes....2009

I really am on sabbatical... When I went to Hawaii for a month, I decided to really give myself a break, to really get the R & R I needed... Congolese Dance Camp was off the hook, visiting Mary in Oahu was so nice-- a mehnina treat!!! hanging in Kuai with Renee, Rick, Sulema & Mary was the ultimate rest in paradise, visiting the Ponce's in Ewa Beach was a fun family gathering, twin babies the main highlight! & catching up with the Taniguchi's & Canions of Hilo, Big Island was a great time to remember & the island vibe there was the one I liked the most!!!!

I guess I'll post a few photos AFTER I GET MY TAXES DONE!!!!


(ugh)

Of Course, another Taos Sunset

Thought I wouldn't put up another sunset shot??? I really enjoyed myself with Cynthia in Taos, but returned to Santa Fe first, then to Albuquerque & the spent last two days driving around in northern New Mexico with my compadre... great to go back to Taos....

My Relatives in Albuquerque

For the past several days I have been visiting with the family members of the Simoy & Naty Lopez clan here in Albuquerque.... It's been great funny talking with the cousins & seeing Auntie Naty, who still looks fabulous. I'm posting pics so my ma can see her relatives & ask me ten million questions about who is who....of the children, four from the family settled in New Mexico...these photos are at Stan's house. I'm lovin' it @ Carlos & Florence's place, where Florence & I are really bonding!!! Hurray, COUSIN BONDING!!!