The Famous Burdang Festival in Lumban, Laguna

On the 21st of September, Lumban, Laguna celebrates its Burdang Festival, which showcases the town’s main industry of Jusi and Piña clothes. The Philippines is popular for its unique and elaborate designs of embroidered Jusi and Piña, intricately woven by hands. The event is Lumban’s way of celebrating and saluting this renowned ancient craft of embroidery as well as the Filipino talent and artistry.

In this event, all local producers participate to highlight the finest hand-made embroideries including the famous ‘Barong Tagalog’, the ternos, shoulder and hand bags, veils, scarves, wedding gowns and other ladies’ wear. Marvel how a 30-year-old embroidery business owned by Ms. Lolita Aquino survives despite all the nitty-gritty one has to undergo to finish a fine work of embroidery.

The barongs in Laguna are considered to be authentic. This art of embroidery has been passed on from one generation to the other, making it the town’s pride and a famous tourist attraction.

Where to Stay in Lumban?

To match the genius of Lumban’s artistry, Asia’s first and finest Christian resort, the Caliraya Re-creation Center offers a unique and holistic approach as an ideal venue for family bonding, honeymooners’ love nest, corporate and team-building activities, organizational and school retreats.

ABS Condotels and Resorts operate and manage Caliraya Re-creation Center. It provides its guests lasting memories of a great getaway close to Mother Nature.

Having a Christian culture, which means a no-smoking and no-drinking policy, the Caliraya Re-Creation Center aims to provide its guests solace away from the vices of the urban life. This Laguna resort, which is built on 7.6 hectares of land, affords its guests with 72 family suites and 12 duplex rooms. All rooms are fully-equipped with air-conditioning units, private toilets and bathrooms. The accommodations also include double-deck beds with pullouts, provisions of daily broadsheets [upon request] and come either with a balcony or a deck that completes the guests’ pleasant stay.

To learn more about Caliraya Re-creation Center, visit its website www.caliraya.net.

A Bee Wearing a Chef’s Hat

For Filipinos, and even the Filipinos abroad, there will be only one kind of fast-food restaurant that can be considered for them as the best all over the world, and that fast-food restaurant would be the Jollibee.

Since the first time we saw that big red bug statue that wears a red blazer and a chef’s hat which standing by the entrance, leading the way into the restaurant, we’ve been enjoying its scrumptious collections of fast-foods. But have you ever thought of how and when did Jollibee first started out?

As far as we can remember, the Jollibee Philippine provides us with the most delectable fast-food foods, but did you know that the Jollibee Philippine did not start on selling hamburgers or chickens, it started as an ice cream parlor at Cubao in 1975 with Jolibe as the original name. Visit the Jollibee Philippineto learn how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

But after sometime, they decided on getting the services of a management consultant in the person of Manuel C. Lumba. Lumba suggested that to shift their business of ice cream parlor to hamburgers after his studies showed that a much larger market was waiting to get tapped.

And sure enough, their hamburgers became a hit for a lot of Filipinos. After this success, Lumba next reformed the name Jolibe to Jolly Bee and made the two words form a single name Jollibee. Then Lumba next created the product name "Yumburger" as well as the name "Chickenjoy". Visit the Jollibee web site to learn how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

The stores were re-designed, the service transformed into a full self-service, fast food operation with drive thrus. Not long after, Tony Tan and Manny Lumba went on an observation tour in the United States, attended food service and equipment conventions. Tony Tan put Manny Lumba on center stage by putting him in charge of franchise development.

The Jollibee Philippine have gotten so big that they have decided on incorporating some expansions and acquisitions on other fast-food restaurants. On 2000, the Jollibee Philippine acquired Chowking, allowing Jollibee to be part of the oriental quick service restaurant segment. Visit the Jollibee web site to learn how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

Similarly, Jollibee Philippine also acquired Red Ribbon Bakeshop on 2005, another popular fast-food restaurant in the Philippines. In 2006, Jollibee Philippine acquired the Délifrance which further expanded its penetration in the food service industry particularly in the French cafe-bakery, a growing segment of the Philippine food market.

Now, the Jollibee Philippinehas become the biggest fast-food chains in the world with an overall count of 1,466 stores in the Philippines namely Jollibee (627), Chowking (377), Greenwich Pizza (236), Red Ribbon Bakeshop (194), Délifrance (28) and Mang Pepe (4). It had 191 stores overseas. Visit the Jollibee web site to learn how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

That’s all about the history and present state of Jollibee Philippine. But if you are ever wondering about sending some Jollibee food products your loved ones back home with the stress of going through all that calling and waiting, then visit Express Regalo at www.expressregalo.comm to learn how.

 

Business and Market Overview of Philippines

ECONOMY. Philippines’s economy suffered through mismanagement under the country’s late president Marcos who ruled the country under martial law from the 1960s to 1980s. To revive the country’s economy, former president Fidel Ramos opened the country to foreign investments in the early 1990s. During Ramos’ term in office, foreign investments increased from only US$42 million in 1992 to US$2 billion by 1997. The Philippines weathered the Asian economic crisis of 1997 in much better shape than many other Southeast Asian countries due to the large number of Filipino overseas workers regularly remitting money into the country and low external debt.
Philippines’ GDP was US$85.1 billion with a GDP per capita of US$1,042 in 2004. The economy of the Philippines grew at annual GDP growth averaging 4.6% from 2000 to 2004 contributed mainly by growth in the service sector, agriculture and exports of electronics. Inflation declined from 6.5% in 2000 to 2.5% in 2002 but trended upwards to reach 8.6% by 2004. Unemployment remains relatively high compared to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore ranging between 9.8% and 10.9% from 2000 to 2004.
The service sector contributes to half or 52.8% of the Philippines’ GDP in 2004 while manufacturing contributed 31.8% and agriculture 15.3%. Major industries include electronics, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, processed foods, petroleum refining and fishing. Major agriculture products include sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes and seafood.

DEMOGRAPHY. The Philippines comprises of nearly 7,100 islands but eleven islands account for 90% of the country’s total population. Main islands are Luzon and Mindanao accounting for 65% of the population. Other major but less populated islands include Negros, Samar, Panay and Palawan. Filipino society and culture is nearly homogeneous and 90% of the population are of the Malay descent. Other ethnic groups include the various indigenous tribes and Chinese immigrants. Spanish-Mexican culture brought by the former Spanish colonial rulers who ruled the country from Mexico has an influence of Filipino culture. The country is predominantly Catholic accounting for 81% of the population followed by various Christian denominations (11%) and Islam (5%). Tagalog is the national language and widely spoken across the islands while English is predominantly used in government and business.
The proportion of the Filipino population living in the urban areas increased from 49% in 1990 to 62% by 2004. Philippines’ main city is Metro Manila (comprising of the city of Manila and 16 surrounding cities and municipalities) has a population of 10 million. Other major cities include Zamboanga, Baguio, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
The Philippines suffers from a high level of income inequality and an estimated 30% of the population live below the poverty level. Another 50% of the population belong to the low-income group while the remaining 20% belonging to the middle and high-income group. The average income of those living in Metro Manila is twice than the national average.

INFRASTRUCTURE. Telecommunication services within and between the islands is adequate while international services is relatively good. Internet broadband coverage is mainly concentrated in the major cities and towns of the islands. The islands are adequately served by roads and road transport. Travels between the islands are by air or coastal boats. All the major islands are served by international and domestic airports and sea ports.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE. Philippines’s exports increased nearly 4-folds from 1995 to 2004. Major trading partners include Japan, US, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. Main exports from the Philippines include electronics, garments, optical instruments, coconut products, fresh produce, copper products and chemicals. Main imports include machineries, equipments, fuel, vehicles, transport equipments, plastics chemicals and food grains.

CONSUMER USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY. The total number of fixed-line telephones installed in the Philippines was 3.4 million or a penetration of 8 fixed-line phones per 100 population in 2004. However, the penetration for mobile phones is much higher at 39 mobile phones per 100 population. The penetration of computers in the country is low estimated at 2% of the population while the estimated number of internet subscribers is 1.2 million and internet users is 8.0 million. The average penetration of televisions among households in the Philippines is 71% but higher in the Metro Manila at 96%.

RETAIL MARKET. There are nearly 360,000 retail establishments and the traditional “mom and pop” stores account for 98% of the establishments. The remaining 2% are the store brands comprising of hypermarkets, supermarkets, department stores, convenience stores and speciality stores. Shopping in these establishments is popular among middle and high-income consumers. These modern outlets are mostly concentrated in Metro Manila accounting for 30% of the Philippines’ total retail sales. However, many store brands are expanding their businesses outside Metro Manila into other major urban areas in Luzon and Mindanao. Between 2004 and 2007 and estimated three shopping malls will be built in the Philippines annually.

FOOD CULTURE. Like most countries in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, rice is the staple food in the Philippines. Filipino cooking is a blend of sweet, sour and spicy tastes. Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and Spanish cooking have an influence on Filipino food culture. Traders and immigrants introduced Indian, Chinese and Japanese cooking while the Spanish colonial rulers introduced Mexican and Spanish cooking. Filipinos are also accustomed to western foods especially American style fast foods, bakeries and snacks.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

General Description
Ngorongoro conservation Area is the most impressive area for tourists in Africa, this is due to its scenic beauty, its wildlife as well as its atmosphere. Ngorongoro Highland stimulate one to understand the geology of the area because the area consists of mountains, craters, calderas and gorges. There are nine craters in Ngorongoro conservation area but the most impressive one is Ngorongoro crater. Ngorongoro crater is just one large jewel in a superior setting of the mountain, forests and plains, furthermore, the beautiful landscapes are the home of a fantastic wealth of the wildlife, but during the rainy seasons the number of animals such as Wildebeest, Zebra, and other migratory species tend to go down in the short grass plain. Also to make it unique the contain also some of the world’s richest archaeological site such as Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli which often give us glimpsing of our evolution through the past four million years.

In1959 Serengeti National park was separated into the Serengeti National(SNP) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area(NCA) all residents in SNP were asked to move to the NCA. After independence in 1961 the Tanzania’s government established the body, Ngorongoro conservation Area Authority(NCAA), this body was established for the purpose of protecting and integrating diverse values and interests.

Ngorongoro conservation area is located between 3degree and 15′ South and 35degrees and 30′East in the Northern Tanzania, it lies at the western edge of the great lift valley with Lake Lanyard, Lake Eyasi, Lake Natron and the active volcano Mountain(Oldoinyo Lengai). Also NCA is interior about 560km from the sea level and lies in halfway between lake Victoria and Mount Kilimanjaro.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers an area of about 8300sqkm(3200sqMiles) but about 256sqkm or 3% coved by Ngorongoro crater, hence this make it to be the sixth largest caldera in the world, the 1st 2nd 3rd and 5th are in Japan and the fourth one is in Philippines, this crater is 2440m above sea level. The northern highland forest cover an area of about 20% and 27% the remainder of other highland and the surrounding plain bush or woodlands to the north and west cover the remaining 50% of the overall area.

Ngorongoro’s climate is influenced by the seasons and topography, there are two different seasons; dry season, which occurs from June to October and wet seasons which occur from November to May, this wet seasons is divided to short rain which brought by the northern monsoon
and long rain by south-eastern monsoon.

Normally in the highland it just cloudy and rains almost every day during the summer. Normally all rain falls between month of November through may at the wet seasons, different part of NCA receive different rainfall depending location and the altitude., the wettest area are on the east and south sides of the highland, while the driest part are plains and Olduvai gorge, lying at the feet of mountains in what it is known as the” rain shadow”. The annual rainfall varies from 450mm in the plains in the north -west to over 1600mm on the highland, the highest rainfall area is on the eastern and southern sides of highland. Temperature in NCA vary from 3degree to 35degree. The temperature are normally lower along the rim of the Ngorongoro crater than on the level ground, it can become the freezing cold in the summer when it rains, but the coldest month is from June to August.

You can travel almost anywhere any time of the year though the muddy condition at the end of rain seasons (April-May) so this make much driving difficult along the highland. From June to October it is usually dry every where . All roads within NCA are not tarred, the main loads from Lodoare Gate to Naabi Gate , this roads are also gravelled.

In the the north-west of NCA there is the oldest mountains which are formed in 500million years ago, this mountain is called Gol mountain . It rises 915m above Ang’ata sales plains the mountain are 2350m above sea level and the highest peak is called Lololo. There are two interesting features found in Gol mountain, these are Olkarien Gorge which are the major nesting site of a vulture and Nasera rock which is granite monolith rises nearly 100m above the plains. Also at the eastern part of NCA there are mountains, craters,valley and depression this highland are formed by volcanic activity. In the NCA there are nine craters namely in descending order; Lolmalasin, Losirua, Empakaai, Oldeani, Lemagarut, Olmoti, Sadiman, Ngorongoro and Keramasi. The highest crater is Lolmalasin which has 3700m and the lowest craters is Keramasi which has 2300m, before it collapse Ngorongoro crater has 4587m above sea level. The most plain at the North -west part of the NCA that cover large part is Short grass plains, this is formed due to volcanic soil which has very nutrients to supporting healthy grass. In Ngorongoro crater also there is lake ”Magadi” or in Maasai word ” Makat” which means sod/ salt lake Empakaai covers partly the floors of Empakaai craters, this lake is the salt lake and very deep about 60m compared to other lakes salt, these lakes together with Olbalbal depression lies east of Ngorongoro, Embulbul depression lies between Olmoti, Losirua, Lolmalasin and Empakaai craters, and Malanja depression which lies south-west of Ngorongoro craters. Malanja and Embulbul depression lies at 2100m and 2320m respectively above sea level. In Ngorongoro crater there is the Munge river which originate in Olmoti crater providing the fresh water to Mandusi swamp and the Lonyonyokie river from Oldeani Mountain provides also the fresh water to the Gorigor swamp, apart from these there is Olduvai river which run along the Olduvai Gorge but it is dry for almost a year, to the west of the Ngorongoro crater there is Olbalbal swamp fed by Olduvai river. At the east and south-west in the Ngorongoro crater there is two spring fed by underground streams, these spring are called Ngoitokitok spring and Seneto Spring respectively. Please visit Wild Things if you are interested in visiting Ngorongoro.

Visit Dumaguete Beach Resort

Visit our Resort in the Philippines

When you first arrive in the Philippines. Your senses will be overloaded by the culture. Sight, sound, and Smell is the first three to get overwhelmed. There are a lot of people in the large cities that you will be arriving at. The fact that you are arriving at an International airport only increases the number of people around you. On the streets there are open air barbeque stands everywhere. Their coconut charcoal smoke adds to the charm and the pollution. Colorful Jeepneys, Trikes and Pedicabs scurry every where. Beggars are common, and you may be approached often. Public urination is common and a site that you will see every where.

As you continue to move through the country, you will enjoy the friendliness of those that you meet along the way. Do not be afraid to ask for assistance as you travel. However, the common reply to any question about direction is, “Over There” followed by a wave of the arm. It is futile to try to get additional information. The best you can hope for is a landmark which will put you near your destination.

After arriving you will fly to Dumaguete, a smaller size city of 100,000. Located in Negroes Oriental. You will notice that unlike the larger cities. There are NO traffic rules here. Except for the smaller vehicle moves out of the way of a larger one. And everyone moves out of the way of a Ceres Bus! You will be met at the small terminal by a representative from Monarch Sands to take you to the resort. Our expert drivers will deliver you safely, do not fear. Sit back and observe the country and the cities that you pass through. We will pass Bamboo, Nipa plants , Coconut trees, Banana trees, Mango trees and Papaya trees. Cows, Horses, Chickens and Caribou.

The Resort is located approximately 1.5 hours south of Dumaguete. The country side will change rapidly from bustle of people and traffic to small villages, banana tress, mountain ranges and rice paddies. Just before you get to the Resort you will pass a breath taking view of mountains and rice paddies on your right. Around Kilometer marker 42. Ask the driver to stop at take some pictures and stretch your legs . But if not we can always return another day.

The Philippines is a very religious country and you will notice hundreds of small open air churches along the countryside. If you would like to attend a Sunday service, please request upon your arrival and we will arrange it. If you visit any of the large shopping malls in the Philippines, you will notice that at 3:00pm and 6:00pm everyday. Everyone will stop and pray. Hail Mary will be broadcast over the loudspeakers. Please be respectful and pause.

You will be greeted along the way by hundreds of children along the roads that will wave and call out greetings.

The Malapalay Market is a bustle of activity every Wednesday morning. Barter for hand made souvenirs and taste local cuisine Monarch Sands offers a tour of Markets weekly. Ask at the front desk about time schedule.

Cock fighting is the favorite past time of the Filipino male.  Large arenas are built in almost ever city. Betting is done by hand signs between members of the crowd.  Fingers indicate the number of pesos bet, pointing up, side ways, or down ads zeros to the number.  Just as when you go to an auction, caution should be used with your hand gestures.  Tours of local Cock fights and training is available at the Front desk.

Dogs are every where. Most are very sickly looking scraggly dogs. If approached treat with caution. Most will beat a hasty retreat if you hiss at them or raise a threatening hand.

When interacting with the local population, men are called, DONG, women are called DI. All will speak a degree of English. Smiles and hand gestures are common. A Filipino goes out of their way to be friendly, and a negative answer to any question will be avoided. Another common phrase when you request a price or the cost of a service. Is; “UP TO YOU.”… You will know if you paid too much if they start to smile and their eyes get wide. Conversely, a sad face and a frown and you know you are paying way to small amount.

There is with all this friendliness what is called a LONG NOSE TAX. This is the fact that you will pay as much as double what a local will pay for the same item. The perception is that you HAVE more money, so, the price is higher just because YOU can afford it. If you think the price is higher then what you want to pay, offer a lower amount. This may work, but, not all the time. There is a ingrained pricing system. If an item cost 3 pesos to buy. It will be sold for 5 pesos in every little store. No store will sell at a discount. Even if the product will spoil tomorrow. It is hopeless to try and explain that half price today is better then none tomorrow. The price is the price.

Service, tipping and billing; Service in general is horrid. Urgency is never a factor. There is ALWAYS tomorrow here in the Philippines. Any Tip that you give will be greatly appreciated, but not required. Make sure you check your bills for accuracy. When ordering meals, make sure that your order is repeated back to you. Do not expect that all the items on the menu will be available. Living on Islands has advantages and disadvantages. Restaurants try hard to keep high quality fresh products on hand. But, storms, shipping and wholesalers often run out of key ingredients cause problems. If our menu lacks an item, our excellent staff will offer you a specialty item that they will design just for the occasion. Their talent at cooking always amazes me.

 Monarch Sands Resort  (http://www.monarchsands.com)  is situated on a secluded cove, located North of the sleepy town of Siaton. Native style cottages made of Nipa, Bamboo and local materials face the blue waters of the Bohol sea. Each cottage has a large porch to watch the local fishermen sail their small Bangka boats out for the nightly catch. The string of a hundred lights fill the horizon as they cast their nets.

Snorkel our scenic cove, Dive Apo island, or feed our pet monkeys with bananas from local banana trees. Sip coconut coolers after a relaxing massage on our large sand beach.

Shelling provides the material for our craft classes, and the local fishermen provide the daily catch for your Filipino cooking lessons.

Tour Dumaguete or watch Caribou plowing local rice paddies or tour waterfalls straight out of Jurassic Park.

Our floating bar provides the refreshments as our cooks devise ways to thrill your palate. Snorkeling, Diving, Beautiful sand beaches all await you at our fantastic dive resort.

 

Ronondo Rico

Operations Manager

Monarch Sands Resort

www.monarchsands.com

 

Travel destinations: Tagaytay City, Philippines – Part 1

Getting to Tagaytay City is a breeze. It is only an hour ride from busy fast-paced Manila. Many come here just to relax and unwind! A bus ride is comfortable with the huge air-bus-like, air-conditioned ‘Crow’. In the bus some polite vendors sell bottled mineral water, juices, peanuts, pili nuts, sweets, boiled quail eggs, and pies to eat or drink along the way. Newspapers and tabloids in English are also sold. Better yet, go there by helicopter available daily from the Highlands.

A long winding blue lake along the cemented highway leads to Tagaytay. Nestled in the center, just a boat ride away is the crater of the lake, which is a sleeping volcano. Arm lengths away are rows and rows of different tropical flowers with darker and brighter hues. The warm sun, frequent rain showers, clean air and slightly cold weather made all the photo pigments darker. The anthuriums are redder, the dahlias are brighter and larger, the grass is greener this side of the earth.

A new community of vacationers was built in the highest altitude of the city, the Tagaytay Ridge and is aptly called Tagaytay Highlands. From this ridge a view of the city below; villages, subdivisions, food shops, including pineapple plantations and the awe-inspiring Taal Lake in the horizon can be seen.

Weekdays are generally quiet and laidback, but Saturdays and Sundays are entirely different when locals from Manila spend their weekends in their vacation houses, go horseback riding, fishing or just dine in Tagaytay. All weekends are considered holidays here.

More so, food of various origins can be tasted here. Not to miss are the following: ’sinigang na maliputo’ -sour soup usually tamarind based, with maliputo fish harvested only in this part of the world, from the Taal lake; crispy deep fried tawilis (also a kind of fish from Taal); ‘eruption’- a mound of chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on top, slicing the cake would reveal melted chocolate which flows out and mix with the ice cream. Much visited is the mushroom burger conveniently located along the highway. Rice cakes like bibingka are specialties of the resort.

Fresh fruits are available in the ‘Mahogany Market’ everyday. Their pineapples are extra sweet. Bananas, avocado, and jackfruit are also abundant. Sample their sweet fried bananas with jackfruit wrapped in ‘lumpia’-thin flour and egg wrapper. Lettuce, bell peppers, cabbage, mushroom, eggplants, turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, radish are just some of the crops locally grown and sold in the market or along the highway.

Commentary: Philippine culture and politics – Part 2

The truth about “Filipino Culture, Filipino Identity and Philippine History” is most often lost in translation, sad to say, even amongst Filipinos themselves. Most Filipinos do not have a clear grasp of their history, most especially their pre-colonial history. Thus, those who try to explore and explain “who a Filipino is” fall in the pitfalls of false knowledge or maybe insufficient knowledge of Philippine history. In addition, those who may know something about Philippine history sometimes fails to understand its implications and relationship to the current condition of Philippine society.

In trying to learn the truth about “Filipino Culture”, it is a must to explore history, for societies are influenced by the events around them much so is culture. Events, either natural or man-made, then can affect the progress of culture.

However, before exploring this any further, it is imperative to first and foremost settle the issue regarding the Filipino identity.

A common but understandable mistake when discussing Filipinos and their culture is the questions of identity. The mistake being made in understanding Filipino identity is understandable primarily because if you trace history or may be even DNA would show that Filipinos come from a people of different races.

Are they Asians? Maybe Pacific Islanders, as one of the writers here claims? Are they Filipinos?

Are they Asians? An Asian is someone who comes from Asia, not necessarily form mainland Asia, since Japanese and Koreans are regarded as Asians primarily because their country is found within the territory of Asia, which is East Asia. The Filipinos are Asians since the Philippines is located in southeast Asia.

Maybe Pacific Islanders? Being a Pacific Islander is far from thought by most people because when people hear this Polynesians, Hawaiians, Tahitians, Samoans come into mind but never Filipinos. Although, geographically, Pacific Islander is used to refer to people living in any of the sub-regions of Oceania. Oceania is consists of lands, most of them are islands in the Pacific Ocean. Having this in mind, then we can safely say Filipinos as likewise Pacific Islanders for the main reason that the Philippines is located on the western side of the Pacific Ocean and right next to South China Sea.

Are they Filipinos? Definitely, without batting an eyelash, the answer is a resounding YES! Since Filipino is the term used to refer to individuals born in the Philippines, or those who are of Filipino descent – meaning down their family tree there is at least a Filipino connection.

Nonetheless, the explorations on Filipino identity should not rest here. As mentioned previously, a deeper understanding of Philippine history, most especially pre-colonial history would yield to a better understanding of the FILIPINO IDENTITY.

Long Beach, Ca., A Port and Recreational Center

Long Beach is a suburb of Los Angeles, but hardly a bedroom
community. In fact, Long Beach, with an adjoining part of
L.A., is the leading container port in the nation. Its
population of almost 500,000 in an area of 50 square miles
defines it as a fairly dense urban space. It is not only a
leading port, but also a center of recreational boating,
with the municipally owned Long Beach Marina having room
for 3,400 boats. That’s just one of the attraction of
Long Beach homes
It is not far from a popular sailing destination, Catalina Island.

The port’s rail communications have recently been
improved with the construction of the Almeda corridor. This
is a 20-mile long trench that connects Long Beach directly to
the national rail system in downtown Los Angeles, bypassing
hundreds of rail signal crossings that previously hindered
rail traffic from the port. This has also substantially
reduced truck freeway traffic between Long Beach and downtown
Los Angeles. Operations began in 2002, and an ongoing project
aims to totally electrify the rail in the corridor.

One of Long Beach’s tourist attractions is the RMS Queen
Mary, which has retired from sea service, but is docked at Long
Beach, and serves as a hotel and entertainment center since 1967.
Another must see attraction in Long Beach is the “Aquarium of the
Pacific”, one of the largest aquariums in the United States.
There are 500 species of fish and marine life on display, some
at the favorite attraction, the Shark Lagoon. The Aquarium also
serves as the anchor location for a waterfront development known
as “the Pike at Rainbow Harbor”. Those interested in Long Beach
real estate, should know that the Pike is only minutes from the
charming upscale beach community, Belmont Shores. Adjacent to
the Aquarium is the Long Beach convention center. This includes
the Long Beach arena that seats 13,500 and has 46,000 square feet
of exhibition space. If you include the arena lobby and other
space, you get a total of 75,000 square feet. The three
adjoining exhibition halls have a total of 224,000 square feet
and are used for all sorts of conventions, trade shows and
consumer shows.

Slightly to the west, about a 10 minute drive takes to a small
island community, which is joined to the rest of Long Beach by a
few short bridges, this is the ritzy Naples area. The center of
Naples has a large fountain, and all the streets have Italian
names.

Long Beach also has its own airport, in addition to five other
airports in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, Long Beach
airport, which has flights all over the United States. It is
also one of the busiest general airports for private aircraft
in the United States.

Long Beach is an extremely ethnically diverse city, and has
a large Cambodian community as well as people from Mexico,
El Salvador and the Philippines. There is a substantial student
population in the city, attending California State University-
Long Beach, where there are colleges of Business Administration,
Education, Engineering and Health. It is actually the largest
campus of the entire California State University system. The
campus occupies 323 acres, three miles from the ocean. Another
college in town is Long Beach City College.

Escrima The Filipino Martial Art

Escrima is a popular Filipino martial art dating back to the 1500s, during the colonization of the Philippine Islands by the Spanish. Escrima is a very simplified but practical form of combat technique originally designed as a self-defense tool. Escrima is also known by many other names such as Eskrima, Arnis, Arnis de Mano, Kali and FMA (Filipino Martial Art). Because of its effectiveness, Escrima is also taught extensively in many Special Forces including the Navy Seals and Army Special Forces. Many believe that Escrima or Filipino Martial Art originated from Chinese influenced Indonesian fighting tactics such as Kun Tao, Chuan Fa and Tai Chi double stick forms. Others believe the Escrima art form to be wholly developed by the Filipino people. However, the most plausible explanation seems to be rooted in the history of the Spanish colonization. In the West, Escrima was introduced and popularized by Filipino immigrants after the Second World War, particularly in the American states of Hawaii and California. Unlike other forms of martial arts, the primary tool to learn the basic concepts of Escrima is focus on weaponry, which is followed by empty-hand techniques. The Rattan stick is the most common weapon used in Escrima training, which includes hand and head protection when sparring. Other weapons include burned and hardened stick made of hardwood, such as Molave or Kamagong (ebony). Modern versions may be made out of aluminum, other metals, or high-impact plastics. The Nunchaku (also known as Kung Fu sticks or Double sticks) weapon was popularized by actor Bruce Lee, an avid practitioner of Escrima. Escrima Facts:

1. Escrima is mixture of hard (like Karate) and soft (like Tai Chi Chuan) styles.
2. Escrima is taught on ideal street-fighting settings without the need for uniforms.
3. Restraining techniques are not focused on but rather on offensive, combat styles.
4. There are no official rankings in Escrima except for titles to recognize seniority of instructors.
5. Most of the power in Escrima is derived from body movement and economy of motion, rather than strength.
6. Escrima is a complete martial art, focusing on weaponry and empty-hand techniques.
7. Escrima provides effective training in sparring against multiple opponents.

Gloomy Days Ahead for Asia’s Housing Markets

Asian property markets, though still relatively unaffected by the credit crunch, will soon be affected by inflation and higher interest rates, warns the Global Property Guide, because of rising food, fuel and other commodity prices.

“Higher food, fuel and other commodity prices affect the housing market negatively in several ways,” says Prince Christian Cruz, senior economist at the Global Property Guide.

“At the micro level, households may postpone their decision to purchase a new house or spend on renovation if they anticipate higher prices. At the macro level, higher food and fuel prices push inflation up. Monetary authorities typically raise key interest rates to stem inflationary pressure,” Cruz explains.

Asian households are particularly vulnerable to recent rises in food prices. The price of rice, the staple in Asian diet, has risen by more than 90% during the last year to March 2008, according the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The price of other food also has increased significantly. Wheat was up 160% in March 2008 on a year earlier; soy bean oil by 104%, corn by 37%, and sugar by 26%.

Food prices are a key component in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Their proportional weight ranges from 28% in Singapore, to 33.2% in China, to almost 50% for urban workers in India. High food prices will persist until 2009, according to reports by the FAO, World Bank and the International Rice Research Institute.

The price of almost all commodities is increasing, not only food. The price of light sweet crude oil surged to US$115 a barrel in April 2008, up almost 80% from a year earlier. NYMEX crude oil has been above US$100 per barrel since March 2008.

Many Asian economies which have recently experienced residential real estate price surges such as China, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong and India (all of which registered double-digit house price increases in 2007) are under significant inflationary pressure (see table).

Higher inflation and interest rates

Monetary authorities typically raise interest rates to combat inflation. They can also increase the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of banks or sell bonds or other financial instruments to reduce money supply.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the cash reserve ratio by 50 basis points in two stages to mop excess liquidity and contain inflationary pressures. The CRR will be 7.75% effective April 26 and 8% by May 10, 2008.

The RBI, similar to other central banks in Asia, left key interest rates unchanged during the first half of April.

However, most analysts indicate the key rates might be hiked in May if inflation continues to be above the official targets

Fears of interest rate hikes cropped up in several Asian countries, particularly in Indonesia and China.

High interest rates affect housing markets in two ways:

1. By discouraging investment and consumption and causing the economy to slow, higher interest rates reduce people’s willingness to spend on housing

2. Higher interest rates discourage borrowing for housing loans.

“The situation is unfortunate because most Asian housing markets have not yet fully recovered from the effects of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis,” Cruz notes.

“Even with strong house price gains in 2007, property prices in Asia are still below their pre-Asian Crisis peak levels. Despite 31% nominal rise in the over-all residential property price index, Singapore’s prices are still about 10% to 20% below their pre-Asian crisis peak level in real terms,” adds Cruz.

“In the Philippines, even with the 15% increase in condominium prices in 2007, it is still about 47% below its peak level in real terms,” he continues.

The housing markets most likely to be affected by monetary tightening seem to be China, India, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand, which have experienced the largest increases in inflation.

Will Asia tango together?

“With global financial markets interconnected, the world’s economies tend to move together. The synchronicity was observed with the global housing boom – never before in recorded history did so many countries experience so much house price growth all at the same time,” Cruz notes.

“The housing market slowdown may also be synchronized,” he adds. “Inflationary pressures are likely to cause Asia’s central banks to raise interest rates, and slow their housing markets,” he says.

However convergence will not be universal. Where currencies are pegged to the US, housing markets are likely to diverge somewhat from the global adjustment.

Countries such as Hong Kong and the Gulf must follow US interest rates. Unless those countries re-peg their currencies, their central banks cannot raise interest rates. This may lead to higher inflation including in the housing market.

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Prince Christian Cruz, Senior Economist

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