TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan - Back to where I used to feel cool and alright…tumambay-pogi sa Taiwan. Last summer I went to Taiwan not just to visit quite few treasured Pinoy-Married-To-Taiwanese friends in Louchou City but as well as to put an end to my curiosity of knowing what's the frequency up there at the world's tallest and towering Taipei 101. Sad to tell, the medical team didn't allow me to enter the tower and know the frequency because of my present health condition, oh my, my boiling blood pressure. Hhm, just to make things easier for us, or perhaps to rub out the sour-graping inside and to make things cool and relaxed we decided to just stroll around, and went to places of what we are really interested in. We ended up enjoying the chow at the Taipei 101 food court located at the basement, in short…nag-food trip na lang.

While looking for something our taste bud is craving, you know, the super hot and spicy stuffs in Taiwan, with lots and lots of hmmm…chilli sauce, we extremely prefer that time the shabu shabu, a hot pot-cook for yourself food stuff. It's like taking up a complete meal of churro (cow) meat, veggies, including mushrooms and seafoods, particularly shrimps and some slices of really tasty red tuna. One at a time, while the pot is boiling you can put in your choices of meat, fish and veggies and relish it with the very good red hot chilli sauce dip, exceptionally great lip-smacking and wonderful stuff we enjoyed much. At this instant of musing over, I am really raging to go back and get my pack back again in Taipei City not only to enjoy once again that authentic spicy and chilli thing inside my head, and of course, take my sweet revenge at the towering Taipei 101…what's the frequency out there, kenneth?

WINONA, Minnesota - Great story of love, inspiration and courage as shared to us by our dearest kababayan and dearest friend Ms. Judith Derla-Fenton from Charles City, Iowa, USA.

Mr. Bob Fenton w/ Filipina wife Judith Derla-Fenton and the bride Melanny Janaban

WHEN cupid "knocked off" her heart, Melanny Janaban, a young lady from Sorsogon did say yes to it. She had a lot of thoughts though and was quite hesitant and nervous about coming to the US but the feeling for her beloved Tim Redig grew much deeper and therefore she has to make a decision, that is, to be tied up with him. Our dearest friend Judith got an invitation to their wedding long before Melanny arrived in the US. About a few days before the wedding Melanny asked Judith if she could walk with her in the isle and "give her away" to her bridegroom. Judith could not say no, so here they are with her husband Bob Fenton, of course.

Tim and Melanny Redig were wed on March 17, at the Immaculate Conception Church in Winona, Minnesota. The wedding was well attended by Tim's family, their friends and relatives, and a few Filipinos married to Americans. Melanny's love story is an inspiration not only for those Filipinas wanting to marry Americans but as well as to those lovers fighting for their true love found. Congratulations and our Best Wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Redig, and we should say more siblings to come, happiness throughout their lives and all the best of luck in their marriage.

It's really so inspiring to know that one of our kababayan is in good hand, despite the fact that they will in a way undergo difficulties of adjustments in interracial marriages. Nonetheless, we are very happy for Melanny and proud that great number of Americans, or perhaps different races really love to be tied up with our Filipinas. Truth to the fact that Pinays are really loving, caring and most of all, charming and really beautiful inside and out.

ROUJI, Japan - March 2007, Graduation time again, a time of reaping all the great fruits of hardwork, difficulties and sweats of learning. A time to move on to another horizon of learnings, a time of proudness not only for the graduates but as well as for the teachers who invested time and efforts directing these proud and deserving students in the proper and right way of attaining higher education and upright knowledge, and of course preparing these generation to face the bright future at hand.

  Yuka and Teacher Juvy       Niki and Teacher Juvy

                  Chiharu and Teacher Juvy

Our dear proud Filipina Teacher Juvy in Rouji Elementary School, wants to greet these new deserving generation of graduates a skill and talent well done and wishes of many happy returns. We are also very proud to our dear kabayan and friend Juvy for her great effort of making these new generation a worthy of the glorification. A work well done and appreciation for you also Ma'am Juvy and the rest of our kababayan and beloved teachers and educators around the world who are out there honing and empowering the generations the whole world will be proud of. Kudos to Ma'am Juvy and my big hand of salute to a great sucessful Pinay out there. Mabuhay ka, Ma'am Juvy!!!

Angelologist Cecilia Gutierrez & Me during the Anghel Series exhibit in 1997.

A LAMENT to a lost dear loved friend. I've been in a silence for more than 10 years now in the visual art scene. It's more like I've been hibernating or perhaps turning my grand back to the world of the creatives and the mysticism. It was last February 2006, I decided to grip back again my grit and steer it up to go varooming back again in the circuit, honing my surreal grasp and mystifying soul to catch up and pick up the pieces of what I left behind - the Anghel series arts. Actually, its not just the essence of getting back again in the baffling world of the visual arts but as well as taking the consideration of what our dearly adored Angelologist Ms. Cecilia Guitierrez said about our first surreal mixed media series of works. It's not just to exhibit my latest works but as well as to please a very dear loved friend and known Angelologist Cecilia Gutierrez, which I haven't seen for a long years now. If she know that I'm going to take back the Anghel series again, this time she will be very glad if I tell her that I didn't kill the angels just like she noticed way back in 1997. In reality, I'm not an angel killer, it's just my surreal mind and my artistic ideas that came forth during those days. Cecilia, also an angel visual artist, really loves to see Angels in serene, glad and peaceful work of art.

Two of the Anghel Art Series in 1997 - surreal mixed media in large format.

I'm just about to stage the third series of the Anghel mixed media when a dear believer of angels in a text message says Cecila is up there…I can't believe it first but the news said, Mrs. Gutierrez mother of actress-environmentalist Chin Chin Gutierrez died of cardiac arrest before midnight of Friday, January 22. She was 64. I then also find out that Cecilia had been suffering from diabetes, as well as lung and kidney ailments and bedridden for the past two years. It was really a lost, but to sum it up, its a clear vision of redemption. Our dear angelologist Cecilia Gutierrez is really up there walking with the angels and I know that she's smiling not only for me but as well as to those who believe that angels of God are out there, guiding and lighting our path, ruling and guarding our souls. 

For a certain reason, I know that she already realized why for that instance I did hmmm, kill the angels not for an artistic intentions but for what I really want others to be aware of angels. I'm not sounding or closing to be like the "hollier than thou", I just want to deliver a message given to me in an visual form, that we, us, the humanity are killing the angels as we go on with our materially-driven mundane lives.

Nevertheless, Cecilia is up there, so there's no need for me to please her and stage a comeback in the art world with my new Anghel art works as she gladly wanted it to be. She already knew it, she already seen it…a dear loved angelologist Cecilia is up there…so there's no need to kill the angels, again.

TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan - A poem submitted by Mr. Jun Sanchez, President of Samahang Makata International (Taiwan). Samahang Makata International is a Filipino organization of poetic and creative writers overseas.

I'm the Overseas Contract Worker, wherever I go, I'll do my best performing my job with dignity in exchange of dollars to meet my dreams.

I learned to adopt another culture, to travel and see other places. I survive different kinds of seasons in exchange of exotic lifestyle.

I'm very friendly and helpful, my service is appreciated, host is grateful. Trusted by employers and their families, I considered them all of my friends.

Yet some are not as lucky, those whose employers are mean and cruel. Workers are treated unjustly no freedom, no rights, no security to enjoy.

As a stranger I do consider, follow or host and sacrifice harder. To avoid conflict, I do must be careful, I think of my dreams, I'm ready to crawl.

For me, working abroad is extremely hard, but my family's future is in my hand and as soon as my contract ends, I'm happy to be back in my native land.

Jun Sanchez - O.C.W. - The New Modern Day Hero©

FUKUOKA CITY, Japan - When it comes to great talent and ingenuity, you can really count on the Filipinos. Like one outstanding Filipina now living in Japan and proving not only to her fellowmen but as well to everyone out there that we can really do extremely well anywhere in the world. She's been in Japan for more than 14 years now and excelling out there as a admirable teacher in Rouji Elementary School. Rouji Elementary School is located at Fukuoka City and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan. She's been teaching English in Rouji three times a week, and in the afternoon at English Tutoring School.

Our dearest Kabayan Juvy in white suit teaching japanese students at Rouji Elementary School

Juvy, our dearest Kabayan and latest friend of Pinoy Overseas really loves children and specially cats would like to extend her warm and friendly greetings to all successful Pinoys not only in Fukuoka City in Japan but as well as everywhere in the world. Its really great and we are so proud to know Filipinos out there excels. Kudos to Ma'am Juvy and all of Pinays in Fukuoka City, Japan.

AFTER we finished our course in Fine Arts, the barkada haven't heard any news or whereabouts of our good dear cohort Ruel Ilog. We then, bottled down that he's out there now in the states and creatively surviving, he's a great and artistic photographer. You know, sometimes it really pays to engage in the web, not with the spiders but in the internet. After all these years, he still remembers and tries to locate not only me but the rest of the barkadas cum classmates, Ric Saldaña, Freddie Teylan and Greg Natividad. Ruel tried the net for so many times hoping he can locate our presence. He also tells he even tried to catch us in the alumni.net, hoping we signed in and become a member, mmm, for what reason I nod.

Right now, our dear Ruel and his family, wife Imee and daughter Camille is now successfully living in Jacksonville, Florida, a two & half hour drive to Disney World, Orlando and seven hours drive to Miami. "Masarap na mahirap ang buhay pala sa abroad at hindi ako naho-home sick dahil kasama ako ang pamilya ko at enjoy ako," Ruel glads. His wife Imee is a registered nurse in a Nursing Home. "I started as a dishwasher for nine months and then after, they offered me a nice position, a supervisory in the supply. I work between 8 am to 4:30 pm and have a day off in the weekends. My daughter Camille is in the 7th Grade, he informs. After all, we are so happy to hear good news from him after 15 great years and of course some thumbs up for Ruel for really surviving his guts out there. Of course, how can we forget the mighty use of the internet, a great source of finding lost and locating dear persons wherever they are.

Prolific Artist and Creative Photographer Ms. Ellen Hernandez and daughter Leila

THERE'S somethin' about Ms. Ellen Hernandez everyone…mmm, I mean everyone in the world of visual arts must recognize. Accidentally, we bumped into each other's deepness in the open spacious web, and the rest is history. Ms. Hernandez not only the newest supporter of our wacky and friendly Sunday program, not only our dear friend and former Pinoy overseas worker, but, happens to be the charming and very artistic daughter of the great Filipino art master - the late Jose Hernandez.

The late Jose Hernandez's two of his masterpieces costing to almost Php350,000 each

So, there's something about Ellen, Pinoy should be proud of, her great father Jose Hernandez, known in the whole world as Fernando Amorsolo's great learner have also his own distinct style, his forte of fiesta and fluvials make Jose Hernandez a master of his own distinction. We are so very proud we have Ms. Ellen Hernandez not only she is the heir apparent of his father's awe-inspiring greatness but we are really pleased because we have Ellen as one of our dearest friend and as well as inspiring cohorts and fellow piscean. Nonetheless, why there's really somethin' about Ms. Ellen Hernandez? Amidst all of the overwhelming prominence and mammothed recognition from her dearest father, Ms. Ellen Hernandez is still with her feet on the ground supporting fellow artists as well as inspiring others.