Costa Rica Travel Surf Expat blog for Norm Schriever

Why John Lennon and the Beatles wanted to "drop an H-Bomb" on the Philippines.

6/19/2018

Each year, millions of foreigners touch down in the Philippines. The vast majority have a great time, enjoying her beaches, islands, and warm hospitality. However, every once and a while, visitors have a less than glowing experience. Sometimes, it can turn downright awful - or even dangerous.

That was a case when a notable group came to the Philippine back in 1966, only to draw the ire of the nation and barely escape intact.

The visitors were young men from Liverpool, England who were in a band called “The Beatles” and this is their story.

The Beatles landed in Manila on July 6, 1966 in the midst of the Marcos regime, booked to play two concerts at Rizal Memorial Stadium as part of their world tour. Accustomed to VIP pampering, they were instead bullied into a car by airport authorities to go handle their visas, forced to leave their luggage on the tarmac.

“I hated the Philippines. We arrived there with thousands upon thousands of kids, with hundreds upon hundreds of policemen – and it was a little dodgy,”said drummer Ringo Star later.

The band members were escorted by the military to a press conference and then sequestered on a yacht in Manila Harbor, where they were told they couldn’t leave for 24 hours until the day of the show. They also weren’t prepared for the heat, humidity, squalor and abject chaos of the Philippines.

“It was really humid, it was Mosquito City, and we were all sweating and frightened. We had a whole row of cops with guns lining the deck around this cabin that we were in on the boat” said George Harrison.

The Beatles were not only worried about the “menacing military fellas” around them and their boorish treatment but concerned that the small pharmacy of narcotics in their suitcases had been discovered (they hadn’t.) But, things went from bad to worse when the greatest band in the world snubbed the First Lady, Imelda Marcos.

The First Lady had sent an invite to the band to join her at the Presidential Palace at 11 am the morning of their show, and then again for a luncheon at 3 pm. However, it seems that Paul, John, Ringo, and the rest of the band never got word of that invite. Their promoter, Ramon Ramos, didn’t pass on the invite to the band’s manager since he was worried they’d decline, in part because the band was slated to start their concert only an hour later, at 4pm.

However, it was big news to everyone else in Manila the next morning.

The Manila Sunday Times, local TV stations, and radio shows covered the snub of the First Lady in detail. The band’s manager, Brian Epstein, quickly scrambled to do some damage control, filming an apology for Chanel 5 in which he explained that the band hadn’t known about the invites. But it never aired, as the state-controlled media blacked out the broadcast.

Of course, Imelda Marcos was used to being treated with reverence and exaltation, not being stood up so rudely, and especially after she planned a grand 200-guest party just for the Beatle’s visit. There would be consequences to the Beatles’ bad etiquette, for certain.

First, the security detail that had been guarding the band suddenly walked away. After news of the no-show was disseminated by the media, the hotel where the band stayed was also surrounded by irate fans. Growing concerned for their safety, the band members hustled to leave the hotel, only to get yelled at by a line-up of angry staff, who cursed them out in Tagalog and English.

When the Beatles arrived at Manila International Airport, they found even more vicious demonstrators ready to antagonize them. As the Beatles made their way into the terminal, the situation turned violent, with the angry mob pushing, grabbing, and spitting on the band members and their entourage, even beating their road manager and a few others.

The only way the band escaped into the airport unharmed was by mixing in with a group of Filipino monks and nuns who happened to be walking in, too. Finally, the frantic band was able to check in and board their flight.

“When we got on the plane, we were all kissing the seats,” said Paul McCartney.

However, their adventure in the Philippines wasn’t over quite yet. The Beatles were waiting for the plane to take off when the door opened, and military police and officials boarded. They escorted the band’s managers off, who were scared they were going to be thrown in jail or even executed.

But it was just one last shakedown to see the Beatles off. The managers were forced to surrender all of the proceeds from the concert the night before to the tax authorities, leading John Lennon to later remark about the Philippines, “If we go back, it will be with an H-bomb. I won’t even fly over the place.”

-Norm :-)

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The UK's Best Cultural Events

6/18/2018

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When you visit a new destination, there are a few different ways to try to get to know it. You can go sightseeing and hit the top landmarks; you can explore aimlessly, with the hopes of finding a few hidden gem destinations that might not have been in the guide books; you can ask locals what they might recommend you do if you don’t want to be just another tourist. Any of these can give you a different sort of angle on the same place, and if you can fit in a little bit of each of them, you’ll have done well for yourself.

But if you really want to get a feel for the culture of a destination, you might want to try to do it via events. From sporting events to festivals, these kinds of things often showcase a lot of local tradition, and also invite the local people to act in the most natural (and fun-loving) way.

Naturally, if you’re looking to get to know the UK, you won’t be able to hit all of these events in one go. But if the idea of event-centric cultural exploration appeals, it’s certainly worth planning around one or two of them.

The Grand National

Really you could pick from three major horse racing events in the UK here: The Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National, and the Royal Ascot. But the Grand National may pack the best combination of good weather and festivity. Held every April near Liverpool, it’s a multi-day event at which spectators dress up (in traditionally gaudy-but-stylish horse racing attire), have a few drinks, and often place a few bets before enjoying the races. There’s just something quintessentially British about the whole affair.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

A flower show might not sound like much, but the Chelsea area of London makes quite a big deal out of it. This year, for instance, 10 show gardens and 16 smaller gardens are on the menu. This is not a loud event or an over-the-top festival or anything like that, but it’s a nice chance to spend time out and about in London with a crowd of people enjoying the simple beauty of well-arranged garden. Sometimes, the queen even attends!

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is effectively just the longest day (and shortest night) of the year, and is celebrated by different people in different ways all over the world. The UK has a particularly interesting Summer Solstice celebration, however, taking place at the famous monument of Stonehenge. Basically, there are certain places where you can stand at Stonehenge and see a particularly spectacular sunrise through the stones themselves, and over time this has led to the area becoming something of a pilgrimage destination for the northern solstice. The atmosphere is almost like that of a concert, with crowds of people hanging out, sipping beverages, lounging on picnic blankets, etc. - but there’s a spiritual element to it all.

Glastonbury Festival

The UK, as you might imagine, is home to dozens of different music and arts festivals, which are really the pinnacle of what we’d consider “cultural events.” But none can beat the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. It’s a five-day series of performances, revolving largely around music but also including theatre, comedy, dance, and even circus shows. It’s one of those events that seems to get bigger and better every year, and it draws a huge crowd of locals and tourists alike.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon is the oldest and most prestigious tennis event in the world, according to one guide looking ahead to this summer’s tournament. This means that it effectively transcends its sport, such that while it’s primarily a tennis tournament, it has over time become a great deal more. This is for many one of the most undeniably delightful London experiences - an event full to bursting with tradition and history, where everyone is friendly, excited, and consciously thrilled to be there.

Belfast International Arts Festival

Many people forget to include Northern Ireland when talking about UK events, which is a shame because there’s a lot going on, particularly in Belfast. This particular festival is more or less just what it sounds like, featuring performing and visual art, dance, music, and more. It’s less of a giant get together than, say, Glastonbury, but it’s a very authentic occasion that will expose you to the passion that a place like Belfast has for the arts in general.

Bonfire Night

If you study your historical upstarts or you’re a fan of the film V For Vendetta, you probably know about Guy Fawkes, who famously tried to blow up the House of Lords in London in 1605. Bonfire Night essentially celebrates this semi-mythologized occasion with general revelry, often surrounding bonfires, torches, and/or fireworks displays. There are a lot of Bonfire Night celebrations around the UK, so this isn’t a single centralized event, but attending any one of them gives you a chance to partake in a specifically British holiday of sorts.

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Your June 2018 Postcard from Norm: Dying to be healthy.

6/17/2018

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When you run into expats abroad, who are usually grumpy old men, there’s one cardinal rule for interaction: never ask them how they’re doing.

With that simple question, you risk opening up the floodgates of a whinging and whining marathon where they tell you every intimate detail of their gout, varicose veins, or erectile dysfunction, all while gumming their scrambled eggs and sipping beer at 9:30 in the morning.

I’ve learned to avoid that question (and to avoid them) altogether because, to me, there’s nothing worse than when someone starts telling you about their health problems.

That being said, let me tell you about my recent health problems.

It started a week before Christmas, when I was so lightheaded and dizzy that I almost passed out every time I stood up. Everything I ate made me queasy. I was full after a few bites but my stomach felt bloated no matter how little I ate. I was completely sapped, like my energy dial had been turned from ten down to two. It felt like something inside of me was stealing my nutrition.

This isn’t unexpected in the Philippines. I've traveled to a lot of countries, but this is one of the filthiest. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also one of the best, but the lack of cleanliness I encounter on a daily basis would make a medieval peasant go, “That’s nasty.” It’s also hot and insufferably humid most of the year, essentially making it a big Petrie dish.

Still knocking me out after a few days, I visited a “reputable” doctor, who diagnosed that I had just a bad hangover (despite the fact that I hadn’t touched a drink.) A day later, I nearly fainted. I grabbed a taxi to the nearest Korean medical clinic where they did some tests, but found nothing. They did hook me up to an IV for an hour, which made me feel better for about twenty minutes and let me take little nap, but my malady didn’t go away.

Was it worms? Tapeworms are a common in the Philippines because of bad water.

I remember meeting these twins from England; really nice guys who were tall, strong and in good health. One of them told me that earlier that year, his brother had fallen ill with a stomach problem that wouldn’t go away, too.

In the end, the doctors realized it was a tapeworm. It had grown unchecked for so long in his stomach that they had to remove it surgically, cutting a hole in his belly and pulling it out. With his healthy twin brother watching (and videoing), the doctor removed a three-foot yellow tapeworm from the incision. Even the doctor started gagging and almost lost his lunch!

After that, there was no way they were going back to local Filipino food. So, their concerned mum in England sent a huge crate of canned, boxed, and non-perishable food, which cost a small fortune but kept them eating safely for six months.

I didn’t have the luxury of a pallet of food from home, but I did suspect that the Loch Ness monster was lurking in my gut.

Hoping it would pass soon, I stuck to my normal routine. Of course, I still had to work, but I’d need three or even four naps a day just to drag myself through.

I remember going to the gym and having difficulty making it up the two flights of stairs before even working out. My boxing trainer laughed at me and said that I always looked so tired.

Luckily, I had a trip scheduled to Thailand, where the medical care is first-class compared to the Philippines. There, I had high hopes as I booked my first appointment at the sparkling and modern Bangkok Hospital.

Over a three-week span, I think I went to Bangkok Hospital about fifteen times, as well as several other clinics and various pharmacies.

Staying at a condo near where my buddies Judd and Scott live, every morning I’d drag myself up to the street to get a motorcycle taxi, which zoomed me through traffic under the blistering sun, delivering me to the hospital’s gate sweating and even dizzier.

It became so routine that the taxi drivers would see me coming and spring into action, knowing exactly where I was going. When I returned to my condo, they’d give me a thumbs up or thumbs down, not out of concern but because they were taking bets if I’d make it to another day.

I started with a gastrointestinal specialist, but after a week of appointments and tests, they found nothing. So, I was referred to different departments, visiting specialists in Gastroenterology, Radiology, Haematology, Cardiology, Microbiology, and Neurology, where I consulted with doctors named Bundit Leetanapon, Thitma Vutivivatanakul, and Sompote Saelee.

Each day, the nurses made it a point to measure my height and weight (as if that changed overnight), take my blood pressure (that did), checked for a fever, and registered other vitals.

They also took blood; a lot of blood. Most days, I had fresh Band-Aids on the inside of my elbows or the back of my hands. I’d rip them off on the motorcycle taxi ride back home so that people didn’t think I was a junky. After a while, the nurses had to search for veins that hadn’t been tapped the day before.

In total, I estimate that they took a dozen blood tests, sometimes filling up two or even three vials.

In those dark weeks, I was subjected to more medical tests than I’ve had in the rest of my life combined. They took MRIs, chest x-rays, organ x-rays, antibody tests, glucose tests, hormone readings, and abdominal ultrasounds.

They counted my nitrogen, counted my testosterone levels (concluding that I’m somewhere between a prepubescent ballerina and the Hulk, but leaning more towards the former), and counted my white blood cells.

They poked, prodded, and did things to me that should require dinner and a movie first.

But the scariest of all was when they sent me to the basement of the hospital to the Medical Imaging Department, where I was given a CAT scan. For those of you who have never been through this, Computed Tomography scans your brain, providing a detailed map of any abnormalities.

It’s also an intensely frightening process, as they situate you on a conveyor belt that rolls into the bowels of a big machine. An arcane apparatus locked my head in place, making it impossible for me to move – or escape. There, a virtual prisoner in the hot, airless tube for almost an hour, I fought off panic—the most claustrophobic I've ever felt since I was locked in the trunk of a car while tripping on mushrooms back in the day (that's another story, altogether.)

To inject some much-needed levity into my days, I took selfies wearing the hospital gown and sent them to random people with no explanation, or invented a game show where I won prizes for correctly guessing the diseases of the other patients in the waiting room.

"Yes, I'll take elephantitus for $400 please, Alex.”

Of course, I had to pay handsomely for this privilege of being a human lab rat. After each visit, they had an attendant walk me down to the billing department and supervise the transaction, making sure I paid without running out the front door (which definitely crossed my mind.)

I visited the ATM every day, taking out my daily limit to pay off bills for 4,500 Baht, 9,200 Baht, and even 16,500 Baht. After a while, I didn’t even bother checking the statements for accuracy, just forking over all the Thai Baht notes in my pocket.

(I’m looking through this stack of bills now and see that they once included a Midwifery Charge!)

While even a fraction of these hospital visits would bankrupt me in the U.S., the total for all of these appointments, tests, procedures, and medications was $3,600 - a testament to the Thai healthcare system (and how bad ours is in the U.S.).

So, what was the result? After a forest of paperwork, lab results, and consultation records, they still couldn’t find anything conclusive.

I did learn that I had no gross effusion or pneumothorax, normal echogenicity of the liver parenchyma without focal lesion, and no intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile duct dilation was detected.

It was also told that my gallbladder is unremarkable, to which I took great personal offense. (“F you! YOUR gallbladder is unremarkable!”)

If you think it’s hard to decipher medical-speak, try doing it in Thai! So, it was understandble if a few mistakes were made, like when they listed my ethnicity as Africa-American at one point, or when they documented my symptoms as “Dizziness and giddiness.”

But they still never found out what the hell was wrong with me.

That didn’t stop me from being on a roller coaster of anticipation and stress as I waited for the outcome of the next test, and then the next, and another.

Did I have an ulcer? I was sure of it - until the test results came back negative. But then it must be Lyme Disease, right? It took two weeks to get those results back, but they were inconclusive. Cancer? It must be cancer. Nope. A brain tumor? Nada. Leukemia? Next, please. How about HIV? Oh my God, was I dying of AIDS?

I tried to recall every suspect woman, shared needle, and rhesus monkey from my checkered past. But, of course, the test came back negative.

Each night when I got home from the hospital, I’d Google the disease de jour that I was certain afflicted me. I’d make mental allowances for how my life would change, researching treatment options and reading blogs from support groups.

"Hi, I'm Norm, and I'm living with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Well, no, I don't actually have it yet, but one can really never get started too soon. Now, are those donuts free?"

This may sound ridiculous in retrospect, but I only knew that something was very wrong with me.

Was it all in my head? What if I was, in fact, going insane? I mean, I know I’m crazy, but maybe I was crazy-crazy?

I tried to will it away, think positive, and just brush it off, but that was as effective as trying to heal a broken arm with your mind.

I reached the fragile and frazzled state where I actually wanted something to come up positive in these tests, just so that I could finally know what I was up against. I remember being strangely disappointed when yet another doctor sat me down and explained that everything looked normal.

I just wanted it to end, but was resigned that this is how I might feel the rest of my life. To reconcile my karma with the Gods, I started spraying donations to various charities, as if that would help. I was desperate.

Soon, my time in Thailand was up, and I boarded my flight back to the Philippines no wiser and with little hope.

Soon, I was back in my adopted hometown of Dumaguete, back in my routine of four naps a day just to get through work, avoiding the gym less someone made fun of me for looking so tired.

One evening, I sat down at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the ocean for some dinner. There was an old, cantankerous expat sitting next to me, a grizzled former logger from Canada who looked just a shade too ugly to play Charles Bukowski in a movie.

I tried to avoid eye contact. But, when he started complaining about the heat in my general direction, I was too exhausted to protest. It turns out, he’d lived in the Philippines for decades. Sure enough, he soon started a litany of complaints about his health.

“Every year, it’s like this,” he said sipping his beer and holding his distended stomach. “Too tired to leave the house. And don’t want to eat for months. There’s something in the air, or maybe the water. An amoeba, I think. I once knew a Swiss doctor in the ‘80s who carried his own antibiotics…”

“Wait, what? You said your stomach hurts?”

“Bloated,” he said, flagging down the waitress to order another beer.

He went on to describe his symptoms, which were down to the very one that I’d been experiencing for four months.

Son of a bitch – it was a stomach thing, just like I thought, despite the fact that all of the doctors found nothing. But while I was ready to fly back to Thailand and demand my money back, something miraculous happened: I started to feel better.

Gradually and mercilessly, without any more medications or hospital visits, I began to recover.

The next week, I only felt dizzy a few times, and my energy started climbing. The week after that, I woke up one day and felt completely like myself.

I was back, baby! My sky was blue again.

No longer was I dying to be healthy.

So, what's the moral of this story? That health is precious? To count your blessings? That you don't know what ya got 'til it's gone?

Nah, nothing that cliche.

The only thing I took out of this whole experience is that whenever you run into expats, who are usually disheveled and grumpy old men, it always pays to ask them how they’re doing.

-Norm :-)

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Spade, Bourdain; +369

6/9/2018

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In the time between Kate Spade’s suicide on June 5 and Anthony Bourdain taking his own life only three days later, 369 others may have committed suicide in the U.S. if statistics hold true.

The high-profile tragedies of Spade and Bourdain profoundly affected many of us, as evidenced by how we pay our condolences, open up about our own lives, and renew the mental health discussion on Facebook and elsewhere. That’s understandable, as these people were stars and icons.

But you didn’t really know them, and any relationship you had with their public persona was one-sided.

So, I wanted to remind people that in real life, mental health and suicide often don’t "look" as sexy and successful as Kate Spade or Anthony Bourdain.

Instead, people who end up committing suicide may be awkward and unpopular; the overweight child eating lunch by him or herself; the employee that no one talks to because they’re a little weird; the housewife who is the subject of gossip. Instead of running billion-dollar fashion empires or exploring the world through our television sets, people who attempt to end their own lives probably are a lot more like the rest of us.

Furthermore, pain, isolation, and illness often make people act differently, look not so great, and even land on the streets, jobless, or addicted.

Would you reach out to Spade and Bourdain if that was their situation, instead of being rich and famous stars? Or, would you walk right by them on the street if they asked you for some spare change or begged a kind word?

One of the hardest things in the world is to give compassion to someone who doesn’t look or act like they deserve it. But we have the opportunity to do just that every day, and it may help someone stay with us.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 123 people on average commit suicide every day in the U.S., and countless hundreds or thousands more around the world. In fact, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., with nearly 50,000 each year.

Remember also that for every suicide that ends in death, there are 25 attempts. A 2016 survey by the National Survey of Drug Use and Mental Health found that every year, 0.5 percent of U.S. adults make at least one suicide attempt, which adds up to about 1.3 million people.

So, I urge you not just to mourn Spade and Bourdain, but to remember the 369 others who commit suicide every 36 hours on average in the U.S., and to reach out to those who are struggling right now who you do know and who are in your life.

- Norm :-)

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29 Things scientifically proven to make us unhappy.

5/18/2018

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Want to feel happier?

There are millions of articles, blogs, YouTube videos, and memes that instruct us how to squeeze the nectar out of life. However, for the seeker of fulfillment, there are far fewer guides that teach us about what pitfalls and traps to avoid along the way. In fact, positive psychology – the new science of happiness – offers some very definitive research and studies on what factors, circumstances, and attitudes in our lives with make us feel less happy.

The good news is that I sorted through the most up to date studies, surveys, and data to identify these 29 things that are scientifically proven to make you unhappy:

1.         Holding a grudge
Too often, we cling to petty arguments, construed slights, and perceived wrongs. But when we allow our ego to hold grudges, our anger poisons our own happiness – not the other person’s.

2.         Being too well off
Wait, making too much money will make us UNhappy? Are we sure we have that right? Yes, as numerous studies by the World Health Organization and others found that increasing income does correlate with increased levels of happiness UNTIL that income reaches a certain threshold. After that, you won't become happier just because of the dollars you make or what you have. (For that reason, depression is more prevalent in higher-income nations than poorer countries.)

You might be wondering what that income threshold is? About $70,000!

3.         Giving up on our dreams
It matters not whether we’ll ever achieve them or not, but just the pursuit of our dreams has been proven to higher happiness levels. In fact, abandoning our dreams results in decreased levels of joy, passion, and emotional health.

4.         Not making time for the things that bring us joy
Just like giving up on our dreams, when we don’t prioritize even a little time each day, week, or month for the things we love, our feelings of overall happiness are sure to sink.

5.         Letting our minds wander
A 2010 Harvard study found that when our minds wander, we're significantly less happy. In fact, researchers found that our minds wandered about 46.9% of the time, no matter what we were doing. And while 4.6% of our happiness is attributed to what we're doing at that moment, 10.8% of our positive mental state is determined by our thoughts at any given time.

6.         Superficial relationships
Research shows that when we “settle” and date, become friends with, or do business with someone who we don’t really like or respect, it holds us back from achieving greater fulfillment.

7.         Not challenging yourself
Small goals + small aspirations + small effort = less happy. That’s the formula for NOT keeping a joyful, sunny outlook day in and day out. It seems that when we don’t challenge ourselves, we feel less connected, less part of something bigger than ourselves, and less passionate – all factors in unhappiness.

8.         Comparing ourselves to others
Buddha said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and I definitely can’t put it any better than that. But most of us still do it, especially in this era of social media, television and advertisements, and the Keep-Up-With-The-Jones’ mentality.

9.         Valuing things over memories and experiences
If you’re constantly focused on acquiring STUFF (no matter how nice that stuff may be!) over the more intangible goals of making lasting memories and enjoying experiences (especially with others), then your happiness will take a hit.

10.       Not being appreciated/treated fairly at work
You may think that too much work (or having a job at all!) is the cause of your dissatisfaction, but that’s not the case. In fact, research proves that even with a heavy workload, it’s feeling underappreciated, treated unfairly, and undervalued by your employer that will sink your morale.

11.       Not coping with our shame or guilt
They say that depression is anger turned inwards, and, likewise, when we carry guilt and shame about something we've done and don't come to terms with it and forgive ourselves, our daily joy will be impacted.

12.       Self-medicating
Whether it's bad food, alcohol and drugs, painkillers, porn, or even addiction to work, we're self-medicating like never before – but not facing the cause of our unrest. In fact, Brene Brown put it best when he said, “The USA is the most medicated, in debt, addicted and obese nation in the world.”

13.       Lack of sleep
Sleep science is an emerging field, as new research shows that our lack of sleep, restlessness due to overuse of electronics, and even sleep apnea are making us more prone to depression and high anxiety levels than ever before. It's hard to feel consistently happy when you're exhausted, burnt-out, and lacking energy.

14.       Caring what others think
All the way back in the 1930s in his book, Conquest of Happiness, author and introspective icon Bertrand Russell identified "fear of public opinion" as a major cause of unhappiness. Now, think about how dangerous our current snake pit of social media and online opinions is to our mental health!

15.       Not being close to siblings
This is one that I didn’t expect at all – the early connection with siblings. In fact, research from the American Journal of Psychiatry has shown that when we grow up without close relationships and bonds with our brothers or sisters, our risk of depression and unhappiness goes way up later in life.

16. Giving in to our fears.
Everyone is scared of something – or a lot of somethings – to varying degrees. But the good news is that the secret to happiness isn’t that we necessarily need to CONQUER those fears, we just can’t give up trying to face them. Try to confront your fears head-on and do a little better each day, and you’re already winning!

17. Not giving, volunteering, and contributing.
Studies show that our levels of satisfaction peak when we're giving – not receiving. In fact, those who volunteer, donate, or get involved with helping others regularly have been proven to live longer, stay healthier, and enjoy much higher levels of happiness!

18. Our favorite TV series ending?!
Seriously? Yup! We actually get down in the dumps when our favorite TV show or, now, Netflix series, ends. According to Emily Moyer-Guse, Ph.D., people form a ''parasocial relationship" with their favorite ongoing TV programs, and feel "distress" when they end. That backs up something called the "Avatar Effect" that was observed in viewers after the 2010 movie (because the utopian planet wasn't real) and the increase in depression among Harry Potter fans when the franchise ended in 2011.

19. Not being in the moment.
We think, analyze, scrutinize, anticipate, and plan for the future, or remember, relive, memorialize, or exaggerate the past. However, the modern person seems to have forgotten how to be awake, aware, and present right now!

20. Not being a part of something bigger than ourselves.
Researchers have identified areas called "Blue Zones" across the world, pockets where people typically live to 100 years with an excellent quality of life. They've studied the similarities in these Blue Zones, which include staying active, a specific diet, etc. But those variables also always include being part of a bigger community or movement, as human beings fundamentally need something bigger than ourselves to be happy.

21. Flat-out boredom.
Work. Pay bills. Home. Errands. Gym. Eat. Watch TV. Sleep. Repeat. The typical modern person is stuck on autopilot. While we're also more comfortable than ever, we don't have enough of the other things on this list to break us out of our boring routines.

22. Coveting what others have.
We WANT more than ever, and it's making us miserable. If you want to be happy, practice GRATITUDE every day instead of WANTING that car, house, job, vacation, more money, a better body, or the perfect relationship.

23. Facebook and social media (again).
Are you starting to see a common theme? Researchers have identified something called the "Compare and Despair Effect," in which feelings of jealousy, suspicion, and discontent in their relationships increases as they spend more time on Facebook. Likewise, a study by University of Michigan psychologist Ethan Kross discovered a correlation between time spent on Facebook and feelings of dissatisfaction, loneliness, and isolation in participants.

24. Too much freedom of choice?!
Human beings value their freedom above all else, but only within the last generation or two in human history have we run into an unprecedented phenomenon -  too much choice. Believe it or not, having the luxury of unending choices and decisions can actually sink the psyche. Consider two research projects published by the Stanford University's Department of Psychology and Colombia University, which discovered that too much freedom of choice makes us feel “bewildered,” misguided, disconnected, and even depressed.

25. Junk food and an unhealthy diet.
The average American is now fatter, unhealthier, and more diseased than ever, and our diet is the leading cause part of that problem. But more than just physical manifestations, a poor diet is also linked to stress, depression, anxiety, anger, and even mental illness, as documented in studies by the Public Health Nutrition journal. In fact, they found that people who regularly eat commercial fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs, soda, doughnuts and pizza) were 51% more likely to develop depression, compared to those who eat little or none. If you want to feel happy, eat a clean, healthy diet!

26. Living in high altitude?!
I didn’t expect to read about this one! But studies have shown that when human beings start living higher up (2-3,000 feet and higher), their rate of suicide increases. Dr. Barry E. Brenner explains that "The correlation is very, very, very high, and it happens in every single region of the US."
Based on two decades of mortality data collected from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they found that hypoxia, a lack of oxygen to the body's cells and tissues that occurs at higher altitudes, may cause profound mood disturbances, often leading to suicide.

27. Not socializing.
In his 2011 bestselling book, Positive Psychology, New York Times columnist David Brooks highlights research that sometimes, it’s the simple things that keep us happy. In fact, he shares data that “the daily activities most closely associated with happiness are social,” such as “socializing after work” and “having dinner with friends.” So, if you want to be happy, go hang out with your friends and coworkers!

28. Technology over interaction
It's apparent that we're slaves to our smartphones and screens, but that practice is also pulling us away from something that is fundamental to happiness: human interaction. In fact, the father of psychology, Sigmund Freud, anticipated the human isolation technology would cause way back with the advent of the telephone! In 1930, Freud wrote, "If there had been no railway to conquer distances, my child would never have left his native town and I should need no telephone to hear his voice.”

Much more recently, clinical psychologist and MIT professor Sherry Turkle writes in her 2011 book, Alone Together, that “online life tends to promote more superficial, emotionally lazy relationships, as people are drawn to relationships that seem low risk and always at hand.”

29. Lack of exercise
Want to feel better almost instantly? From a scientific standpoint, there is nothing better to boost the “happiness chemicals” in the brain, improve oxygen intake, lower stress, and brighten your mood than vigorous exercise. And you don’t have to hit to the gym to feel the benefit, as even some simple yoga, pushups and situps at home, or a brisk walk will do the trick!

-Norm :-)

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Your May 2018 Postcard from Norm: The best island in the world that no tourist can visit.

5/15/2018

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It’s been named the best island in the world by the Travel + Leisure Magazine, CNN, the New York Times Travel, and many others, and the top island for tourism in the Philippines. Now, it’s shut down; closed to tourists and any visitors; an island quarantined from the outside world and guarded by the military; uniformed troops with machine guns patrolling its beaches.

Welcome to Boracay.

The island has also been in the news lately, as the Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, upon a recent visit, called the once-pristine island "a cesspool." In an unprecedented move, he ordered it closed to all tourism until the island's environmental issues could be addressed.

The problem? Basically, a couple million people a year create a lot of human waste, and the island has no sewage processing plants. So, everything ends up in the water system and flushed out to sea, where it's changed the ecosystem so much that a huge field of green algae plagues the shores of the island. Gross, right?

So, as of April 26, 2018, the once-bustling Boracay is completely shut down for six months as they work to install a sewage system that will accommodate all of those tourists, among other environmental and infrastructure mandates.

Virtually overnight, the island went from an everyday population of around 50,000 people to only several hundred. It's a surreal situation, leaving people scrambling to figure out if they could stay, had to go, or how they could make a living.

According to the Philippines government, long-time residents, property owners, and business owners could stay, as could employees of those businesses. They could also keep their hotels, bars, restaurants, and shops open for business… except now that there would be no tourists walking the sandy shores or spending money. All tourists – both foreigners and Filipinos – are banned from the island, with armed troops, police, and coast guard patrolling the beaches, roads, and seaport.

The before and after photos are shocking, as you can see what Boracay looked like only one year ago (at the popular Laboracay festival) compared to now.

What's lost in the international headlines and local political debate is the plight of the 26,000 people who live and work there, as well as many more who commute there by ferry every day to work. In fact, nearly the entire populace of the island – and the province of Aklan on the neighboring island – make their living off of tourism.

Now, only one month into the six-month closure, they're already suffering, keeping their kids out of school because they can't afford tuition and uniforms, trying to sell everything they own except the shirts on their backs, and, in many cases, going hungry.

I’ve had a long and notable relationship with the island and its people, which I'll recap in this postcard.

1999

I first stepped foot on the sands of Boracay in 1999, another impromptu stop on a trip backpacking around the world with my good American buddy, Phil. The island still had very few tourists on it, as I remember just a smattering of guest houses and nipa huts in the middle of the jungle. While the beach was spotless and beautiful, it was still wild, and the small number of foreigners tended to be German guys there to engage the surprising number of Filipino transvestites. Yes, you read that right. There were even signs to attract "Third Sex" patrons at beauty parlors and other businesses.

While I didn’t partake in that local tradition, I did do a whole lot of swimming. I was coming off running (or attempting to run) a marathon in the nearby city of Cebu, and my feet were so tore-up and bloody from wearing new sneakers that I could barely walk, limping around the sand path for the week we were there.

What does silver screen starlet Liz Taylor have to do with Boracay? Learn more about the history of the island here.

But I could still swim, and did so for an hour every morning and afternoon, dodging the small local Barka fishing boats while watching the most beautiful sunsets I’d ever seen.

That was Boracay, and I gave it little thought after we left for the next exciting destination.

2013

I came back to Boracay in 2013, 14 years after I first visited. Having just moved to Asia six months prior, I wanted to try life in the Philippines as an expat instead of my former stop, Vietnam. So, I came back to Boracay and lived there for several months.

Already, it was unrecognizable. That little sand path gave way to a larger sand lane that spanned the whole 3-mile beach front. Those small guest houses and huts were now modern resorts, shops, and restaurants.

But it hadn't lost what made it unique – the perfect white sand beach like talcum powder running through your hands. The beach and the shallow turquoise waters were pristine, and you couldn’t even find a bottle cap, cigarette butt, or plastic bag discarded anywhere.

The people living there were still locals, too, and there was a sense of community and family among the island’s inhabitants. While there were a lot of tourists already, I had no idea how much it would grow in the future – or what was coming next.

Typhoon Yolanda hits Boracay.

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) slammed into the Philippines, killing tens of thousands and burying parts of whole coastal cities in water. With wind gusts up to 278 km/h (235 mph) and 10 meter (30 foot) sea swells, it was considered the strongest typhoon in recorded history ever to make landfall. Yolanda was heading right for the isolated and unprotected island of Boracay, too.

I was still living on Boracay at the time, and news of the coming storm gained my attention a few days out, when locals started boarding up their windows, long lines formed for supplies at the local stores, and the impending typhoon made every headline.

I tried to evacuate to the neighboring mainland along with thousands of other stranded tourists and locals. But we were turned away since the Coast Guard shut down all boat traffic off the island 48 hours before the typhoon.

Looking around the island, it registered that we'd all be underwater if those sea swells did come. Resigned that I might be facing my demise, I stocked up on supplies, too, said my goodbyes and headed down to a little bar on the beach to watch the storm come in until it grew unsafe.

Luckily, the heart of the typhoon blew just south of Boracay, so the island was spared the horrors that devastated Leyte, Samara, and Tacloban.

I took some video and wrote blogs about the typhoon that went viral, earning me interviews with international media like CNN and more.

Soon after, I was able to leave Boracay, and I eventually moved to Cambodia.

2015-2017

The experience of being on Boracay for the typhoon and its aftermath was my inspiration as I wrote my most recent travel memoir, The Queens of Dragon Town.

After I moved away to Cambodia, I still managed to visit the Philippines once a year, including Boracay. I enjoyed checking in on old friends who live there (Mox, Hayden, Anthony, Marix, etc.) and introducing new buddies to the island (Scotty Powell, Judd Reid).

But the island that used to be wild and pristine was now overrun with tourists. In fact, last year, more than 2 million tourists came to Boracay, including 375,000 Chinese and 356,000 South Koreans, who have a reputation for being loud, rude, littering, treating locals poorly, and doing just about everything they could to denigrate the environment.

However, all of those tourists did bring in more than 56 Billion Pesos in revenue, so the island was now a turnstile of commercialism – and the beach and the water suffered, growing noticeably more spoiled and polluted every time I visited.

I still soaked up the sun and wallowed in the waves for a few days but, longing for the Boracay of yesteryear, I started researching the culture and history of the island, too. To learn a little bit about what I discovered, check out these 50 facts about Boracay.

This year, I’m living not so far off in Dumaguete, but had no intention of returning to Boracay until…

June/July/August? 2018

My bond with Boracay just took an unexpected turn.

Even as the island is sealed off to tourism, they are allowing a small number of media to visit, documenting the story of its closure and environmental rehabilitation. Today, I received an email that my request for a media credential was approved by the Department of Tourism.

As a hobby, I write a weekly column for the humble hometown paper here in Dumaguete, the Metro Post. Evidently, that was enough for them to grant me a media pass to visit the island – one of a handful of non-Filipinos who will be allowed on Boracay over the next few months (together with representatives from the BBC, the Philippines Information Agency, and others).

I’ve been instructed to fly to Makati (the business center of the capital city, Manila) to pick up my press pass ASAP, and then make arrangements to go stay there, where only a few businesses, hotels, and restaurants are still open, I hear.

I’ve enlisted my dear, old friend, Hayden, who is an accomplished and trusted tour guide there, to help me arrange interviews with locals, business owners, and government officials.

What will I see when I get there? What stores does Boracay have to tell? What will the future hold for the world’s best island, which was a victim of its own popularity?

I look forward to finding out – and sharing those answers with you.

-Norm :-)

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Sitting down with Dumaguete’s Chief-of-Police, Jonathan Dojoles Pineda.

4/24/2018

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It’s a funny thing about a police force: the better they do their job, the less you notice them.

That’s the case here in Dumaguete, too, as I’ve had little interaction with the local police in my year living here, but I certainly enjoy that our City of Gentle People is one of the safest places in all of the Philippines every day.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Chief-of-Police Jonathan Dojoles Pineda, who’s tasked with keeping us safe. I walked away with a new respect and even admiration for the Dumaguete Police Force.

Profusely apologetic that he was just few minutes late because he was out on a call, he turns on the air con in his office and welcomes me to sit down across from his desk. Pineda exudes authority with a quiet, no-nonsense confidence, more like someone you don’t want to disappoint than someone you don’t want to cross. But he also appears at least a decade younger than his 45 years and is still in shape like a soldier out of boot camp.

Pineda has served as police chief of our Gentle City for five months now, since November 2017. Before that, he distinguished himself in the chief provincial investigation and detective management branch in Sibulan. Originally from Negros Occidental, he’s been a police officer for 21 years now – almost half of his life.

He’s also a devoted husband and family man, and when he’s not working (which is almost unheard of these days, as he works seven days a week), he enjoys playing basketball, volleyball, biking, and jogging.

I started by asking Chief Pineda what the biggest priorities were for his police force these days.

“Tell the community that we’re not only focusing on criminality, but anti-terrorism,” Pineda said. “We cannot deny that terrorists can strike anywhere. And most especially on the south portion of the country.”

Pineda also wants the Dumaguetenos to know that he’s focusing his efforts on drug clean-up operations. He makes the rounds to local barangays, talking to officials and urging adherence to the national government’s drug enforcement program. His aim is to clear 20% of all barangays of drug pushers and users by the end of the year, a lofty goal considering that there are 30 barangays here.

But far from a totalitarian enforcer, Pineda stresses the human element of the drug eradication program. Drug users will receive rehabilitation, then are sent to school or technical programs where they can learn valuable skills and earn a living. For many, it will be the first real opportunity they’ve had in life, and Pineda acknowledges that poverty is one of the main reasons why we have a drug problem.

To help counter terrorism and deal with the bigger, potentially violent drug busts, he’s instituted a special group of 10 elite officers who wear black uniforms and travel by motorbike, called the “Motor Riding Unit.”

Since Dumaguete is growing so quickly, what challenges does that bring for Pineda and his force? Without hesitation, he answered that the police force was undermanned, and that problem will only become more profound as the population grows. In fact, Pineda has only 100 police and 20 auxiliary officers at his disposal, all working 12-hour shifts.

An ideal ratio for police-to-population is 1 to 500 in any city, but Dumaguete’s 100 officers serve a nighttime population of 130,000 people and a daytime population of 400,000 or more. That means instead of 1 to 500, the police-to-population here is only 1 to 1,1300 or 1 to 4,000, respectively.

But this year, they’ve been promised reinforcements, as Mayor Romello will procure six new motorcycles, a 4-wheel vehicle, two drones, 30 handheld radios, eight bulletproof vests, and eight body cameras for the police force. There is also talk of installing 350 CCTV cameras across all barangays in Dumaguete.

My appointed time with Chief Pineda is supposed to be up, and I know he’s a busy man, but he encourages me to continue our chat. “Please, go on with your questions,” he says with earnestness. ‘This is important for Dumaguete, so it’s important to me.”

***

For foreigners in Dumaguete, whether we’re living here permanently or just visiting, there are always special concerns, including theft, crime, and even terrorism. So, I asked Chief Pineda if there were specific problems created by the growing number of foreigners in Dumaguete?

While Chief Pineda didn’t see foreigners bringing extra problems for the police, his force and others do deploy extra police and carefully review of policies in high-tourism areas like Manjuyod, Bais, and others, called the Summer Vacation Implementation Security Plan.

He also clarified that Dumaguete’s Tourism Police force (often out on Boulevard) are separate from Pineda’s regular police force, but they all have the same job: to keep everyone – including tourists – safe in Dumaguete.

A lot of that comes down to informing tourists and foreigners what’s expected of them -and what not to do.

“That is my intention,” Chief Pineda said. “To communicate with the tourists coming to Dumaguete. It’s the same as when you fly to Davao – before the airplane lands, they get on the loudspeaker and say, ‘Be advised that here in Davao, smoking is prohibited.’ I want to coordinate through tourist agencies what our policies and ordinances are so that they can pass them along."

Chief revealed that he wants to get civilians more invested in their own city, fostering their sense of pride. We chatted about the Broken Windows Theory of policing that helped transform New York City from a seedy hotbed of violence, drugs, and criminality in the 1980s to one of the safest major cities in the world only decades later.

To that end, he’s rolled out the well-documented Discipline Zones program, which was introduced by the national office. In an effort to organize and clean up the streets, individual task forces (like parking, jaywalking, anti-vending, littering, etc.) have been combined, working in concert to implement city, local, and national ordinances.

Dumaguete’s Discipline Zone is in its pilot stage, a trial run along the national highway from downtown to the Robinson’s Mall area. The police are carefully tracking what works, what doesn’t and what needs changing, with weekly and monthly evaluations, before the program is extended to more locations and longer hours.

But Pineda’s inclusive policing encourages civilian volunteers to take part in enforcing the Discipline Zone program. Volunteers receive training and then are instructed to monitor activity on the streets, talk to and educate citizens, and call the police if they see illegal activity – but never engage or make contact.

Since the force is understaffed (the Discipline Zone is supposed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week), the police are welcoming more volunteer groups to be of assistance. Recently, a motorcycle club came out to patrol the Discipline Zone, and other civic organizations are getting involved.

Since the position of Chief-of-Police only extends through two years, I asked Pineda what’s next after he steps down. Contemplative, he was certain that he wants to continue serving and helping people, maybe with the police force on a provincial or regional level, or possibly by pursuing elected office. “If my wife allows me to be in Manila,” he says with a smile.

With that, I asked Chief Pineda what Dumagueteños can do to help make their city safer? He assured me that if they see illegal activity, they should contact the police immediately. The Dumaguete police force has a 24-7 contact number in case of emergency or if people need assistance. They can even text the police instead of calling, or submit a message on the official police Facebook page.

Thank you, Chief-of-Police Jonathan Dojoles Pineda for your service and hard work to the people of Dumaguete, and for spending some time with the Metro Post!

***

-Norm :-)

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The Philippines is hoops-crazed, but has there ever been a Filipino in the NBA?

4/17/2018

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs just kicked off in the United States. While it may seem like a strange marriage at first glance, NBA basketball is actually a huge deal here in the Philippines where I currently live. Not only do most Filipinos watch games when they can, but they know the players, the teams, and the championship storylines.

They also can play. In just about every barangay, street corner, and province clearing, you’ll find a makeshift wooden hoop ready to fall over, surrounded by little kids, teens, and grown men (and women!) alike, running and jumping barefoot or in slippers, playing the game they truly love.

But while the Philippines is huge on hoops, they fall shy on exporting their own Pinoy players to participate in the NBA. So, has there ever been a Philippine-born player in the NBA?

Let’s find out by reviewing some possible candidates:

Jordan Clarkson

The embodiment of Filipino hoop dreams, Jordan Clarkson is a legit Pinoy player who is enjoying a solid NBA career. However, Clarkson, born of an African-American father and half-Filipino mother, is only ¼ Filipino by blood. And while he was born and raised in the U.S., he's carried a Philippines passport since 12 years old. Just as important, Clarkson identifies with his Filipino heritage and roots.

"After one of the natural disasters they had over there, I saw a picture where it's flooded, and kids are still playing basketball with the hoop still standing," Clarkson told a reporter after Typhoon Yolanda. “Just showing love for the game over there and how pivotal basketball is, how far it stretches.” He started his career with the LA Lakers and signed a 4-year, $50 million contract before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February, where he shares the court with Lebron James.

Erik Spoelstra

The conversation about Filipino players in the NBA often quickly turns to Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of the Miami Heat who is also half Filipino (on his mother’s side). Although he never played in the NBA, Spoelstra was one of the youngest head coaches in NBA history, as well as the first Asian American head coach in major U.S. sports, and won multiple championships with the Heat.

Raymond Townsend

Most Filipinos under thirty years old might have only heard of the name "Raymond Townsend" from their father or grandfather, but Townsend is a half Filipino (his mother is from Batangas, his father, an American). However, Townsend was born in San Jose, California, not the Philippines, although his credentials on the basketball court are not in doubt. After productive collegiate years at UCLA under the storied coach John Wooden, Townsend was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, where he played until 1981. In 1980, Townsend accompanied a group of fellow NBA players as they visited the Philippines, playing exhibition games in Manila, Olongapo, and Cebu.

Nate Robinson

Wait, Nate Robinson, the diminutive 2010 Slam Dunk Champion who appears to be African-American is Filipino? Possibly. Maybe. A tiny bit. In fact, Robinson is on record that he's 1/8 Filipino. “That is true,” Robinson says. “I’m like 1/8th, on my momma’s side. But that’s like digging down the line though. It’s like great, great grandparent.”

Andray Blatche

Now, it’s starting to get weird. This New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards player was drafted into the NBA in 2005 and enjoyed an unspectacular journeyman career. Curiously, Blatche once publically claimed that he was Filipino. When further questioning revealed that neither his father nor mother are Filipino, it was revealed that he just wanted to become naturalized as a citizen so that he could play for the Philippines in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. You can't blame the guy for trying – even if he is African-American, stands 6’11” and plays center.

Lewis Alfred Vasquez "LA" Tenorio

Google “LA Tenorio Houston Rockets” and, at first glance, you may think that we finally found a Philippines-born NBA player. But no.

Tenorio grew up in Makati and played college ball at Ateneo de Manila, then for PBA powerhouses Ginebra, San Miguel, and Alaska. In 2014, numerous reports and articles circulated across the Internet claiming that LA Tenorio just signed a 2-year contract with the NBA’s Houston Rockets. He was widely celebrated as the first pure Filipino ever to make the NBA…until it came out that the report was a hoax. When asked point blank if he ever signed with the Rockets, Tenorio said, “I wish that was true, bro.”

Kobe Paras?

This isn’t an article about what could have been, but Filipino Kobe Paras (PBA superstar Benjie Paras' son) carried the torch for a while as the best chance to make the NBA.

He played a season of college ball in the U.S. at Creighton, before transferring and then dropping in 2017 out to pursue a pro career, instead. It might be in the PBA or the Euroleague, but it doesn't look like he'll be playing in the NBA.

So, who will be the first native-born Filipino to play in the NBA?

We don’t know, but he’s out there somewhere, running around barefoot, shooting a worn ball at a homemade rim with NBA stars in his eyes.

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A brief history of Boracay; the nicest island in the world that's just been shut down.

4/10/2018

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The island of Boracay has been in the news recently – and for all the wrong reasons. Facing a mandate from President Duterte to shut down as of April 26, 2018, the island will be closed for six months (or longer), in which time environmental and conservation issues are to be addressed.

Often lost in the conversation about Boracay's closure is the plight of the 26,000 permanent or permanent or long-time inhabitants, as well as many more who commute there by ferry every day to work. In order to respect and honor them, as well as the island's native heritage, I wanted to share a brief history of Boracay:

Today, we know Boracay as the most popular tourist destination in the Philippines, with frequent mention in international media as one of the best islands in the world.

But centuries before it was a hotspot for sun worshippers, the island was home to about 100 indigenous Ati people who spoke a Visayan language called Inati. They fished, grew rice, corn, and coconuts, and raised goats, living harmoniously off the land in small communities.

Westerners first stepped foot on Boracay in the 16th century when Spanish explorers came to the Philippines, but it was not home to any Spanish settlements.

Around 1900, Filipinos Lamberto Hontiveros Tirol, a judge from neighboring Panay Island, and his wife, Sofia Gonzales Tirol, gained ownership of a significant portion of the island.

They planted coconuts trees, fruit trees, and other crops. In the early 20th century, the locals would fill up cans of puka shells that washed up in abundance on the north shore, [G9] selling them by the barrel to jewelry makers from Manila and Cebu.

Aklan (encompassing Boracay) officially became a province in 1956, but it took a chance encounter all the way across the globe for the island to really gain prominence.

In 1964, Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos attended the World Fair in New York City, where she met the famous movie star Elizabeth Taylor and gave her a bracelet of puka shells as a gift.

Taylor was taken by the beauty of the shells and asked Marcos where they were from. Marcos told her they were from a small island in her home country called Boracay, known for its pristine beach, and the First Lady even invited America's first starlet to visit. Elizabeth Taylor did come to Boracay not long after, and it soon became an idyllic vacation spot for Hollywood's elite.

But mainstream tourism didn’t hit the island until the 1970s, especially after the movie Too Late the Hero starring Michael Cain and Henry Fonda was filmed there.

By the 1980s, Boracay had become a best-kept-secret for intrepid backpackers from Europe and Australia. The island was soon promoted by German backpacker Peter Jens, who turned his wanderlust into the famous Lonely Planet travel guide series.

The 1990s saw a huge jump in tourism, as Boracay became a must-see destination after its beaches were named some of the best in the world. Of course, back then, it was only Station 3 and a lot of fishing boats. (I first visited Boracay in 1999.)

Through the 2000s, Station 2 with its hotels, bars, clubs, and the outdoor D-Mall sprung forth, and the resort-rich Station 1 was developed next.

In 2005, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared Boracay a Special Tourism Zone, and the influx of visitors nearly doubled after that.

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) slammed into the Philippines, with wind gusts up to 278 km/h (235 mph) and 10-meter (30 foot) sea swells, the strongest typhoon in recorded history ever to make landfall. I happened to be living on Boracay at that time, and the typhoon was heading right for us. Fortunately, the eye of the storm blew south, so Boracay was spared the devastation that afflicted Tacloban and Leyte.

Undeterred, by 2016, there were more than 1.7 million tourists trampling the beaches of Boracay, with the addition of 28,000 visiting by cruise ship. Last year, more than 2 million tourists came to the island (including 375,000 Chinese and 356,000 South Koreans), bringing in more than 56 Billion Pesos in revenue.

What will the future hold for Boracay? No one can be certain, but I only wish that they find the precarious balance between bringing in tourism income and preserving its unique natural beauty.

-Norm :-)

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Your April 2018 postcard from Norm: Vintage photos of Dumaguete in the Philippines from yesteryear.

3/25/2018

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Places change, and pretty fast.

That’s the one constant I’ve noticed of all the many places I’ve traveled and lived all over the world. When the tourists and backpackers get wind of the next international hot spot and start coming in droves, the place is bound to change – and not usually for the better. I’ve seen it happen virtually overnight with the charming village of San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, the once-beautiful and serene island of Boracay in the Philippines, and the chill seaside city of Nha Trang in Vietnam.

Dumaguete is changing, too. The small city that feels like a town in the central Philippines has a reputation as being more green, friendly, and laid back than other destinations, and that’s why I moved here last year, too. But it’s also what’s drawing more and more expats, retirees, and vacationers, as well as Filipinos from surrounding provinces and cities that are looking for job opportunities in the growing city.

Maybe Dumaguete’s fate was both established and sealed when Forbes Magazine named it one of the top five budget friendly places to retire in the world in a 2014 article?

However, it seems like our little Dumaguete is getting more crowded and congested every few weeks, and already it’s experiencing growing pains.

That being said, today, I wanted to both remind people what Dumaguete used to be, and what makes it such a special place by sharing vintage photos of the community spanning back decades and even more than a century.

I find these photos fascinating and, together, they add up to a visual history of Dumaguete’s evolution.

It also reinforces something I’ve learned along the way: it’s never too early to start feeling nostalgic.

-Norm :-)

The Banica River where it flows through Dumaguete before emptying into the Bohol Sea.

Postcard depicting newly established Silliman University, which was founded in 1901 and one of the country's first universities.

Jose Rizal Boulevard possibly in the early 1980s?

An assembly of students at Silliman Hall in Dumaguete early 1900s.. Look at their elegant dress, including one woman in a lavish heavy coat!

Postcard depicting the seaside town of Dumaguete in 1911, before the main Boulevard was constructed.

The Silliman University science building. The university was taken over by Japanese forces in the 1940s and turned into a prison, and they even hung some Filipinos from the big tree on campus..

Street scene from Dumaguete in 1949. Many of those second-floor clapboard structures still exist today.

A view of Dumaguete and the mountain behind it from the sea. Dumaguete was a key transit port between Cebu and Mindanao since the 1800s.

The Canday-ong fishing jetty point in Dumaguete, 1800s.

Dumaguete's early Belfry, the Campanario De Dumaguete, and Cathedral. They still exist today, but now are surrounded by stores and busy traffic downtown!

La Residence Almar Hotel along Jose Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete. The hotel was once the home of Governor Escanos of Negros Oriental Province.

That same hotel in the backdrop (then called the Al Mar) in 1929 during the Silliman University Commencement Day parade.

The first commencement day at Silliman University, circa 1901.

Many people made their living in fishing in these narrow outrigger canoes, called Bancas.

The old Belfry, one of four watch towers built in the 1700s by Spanish missionaries as a lookout against Muslim raiders by sea. Also pictured is the old church and convent.

Pictured center - Don Atilano Villegas, the governor of Negros Original province from 1925-1931 (where Dumaguete sits).

The Silliman University admin building, probably 1940s.

American troops walk there streets among local Filipinas on a rainy day in 1949. Dumaguete was first occupied by Japanese forces during WWII, and then recaptured and liberated by the U.S. Still to this day, many older Filipinos will call me "Joe" (for "G.I. Joe) and salute, mistakenly thinking I'm in the military.

More rainy day street scenes in Dumaguete from a 1949 Life Magazine article. Notice the banner advertising a movie screening of Hamlet starring Laurence Olivier!

Rizal Boulevard in the 1960s (obviously). While the trees are much bigger now and the walking plaza along the sea looks great, oh how I wish the road was still chill and uncrowded like that!

A parade during Philippines American Friendship Day, which commemorates July 4, 1946, when the U.S. flag was lowered and the Filipino flag was raised, becoming its own sovereign nation - but still with amicable ties to the U.S.