Don't Be Such A Pussywillow!

This plant sign really made my head turn today. I never knew that Pussy Willows existed! It's supposed to be the smaller variety of willow trees whose buds sprout furry "catkins" in the spring. So THAT's what they're called! Botany meets kinky kitty!

I wonder if these pussywillows grow in North Carolina, home of NC health insurance. What an expensive little plant, though!

The Hands That Rock The Pavement

In all my years of traveling to New Jersey's gambling capital by the Boardwalk, it was only in September that I noticed Resorts Atlantic City's "Entrance of the Stars," which was decked with the handprints of famous celebrities engraved in cement. Here are some I photographed:

Today's Forecast is Sunny & Cher

Mr. Ol' Blue Eyes and His Bowtie. He did it his waaaaay.

I was looking for some hot stuff and found Donna Summer's hot handprints




Barry, Barry, quite contrary. Looks like he made it!

Tom Jones' handprints are not unusual







Pavarotti: he hit the high notes and hit this cement



Stevie Wonder just called to say "Love is the Key"




Joan Rivers was a little mixed up...in cement

I Came, I Saw...Cushaw!

Last month, I showed you our little "squash jungle" in the backyard. Well, yesterday, I just harvested cushaw squash from its vines...about nine of them, plump and green. They look like elongated watermelons.

How do you say "squash" in plural form, by the way? Squashes?

I just googled for pictures of green squash varieties to get the actual name for what we have, and saw that "cushaw squash" seemed to be the closest match.

Would you believe that I brought one of these to Chicago inside my pink carry-on suitcase? I saw the puzzled look on the officer's face as he passed the suitcase a second time through the scanner. I brought the squash as a gift to my aunt. In return, we got gourds from their garden, too. Vegetable exchange!

These Boobs Were Made for Walkin'!

I don't mean that literally! My boobs were very much hidden underneath a pink hoodie when I walked at the 8th Annual Saint Clare's Breast Cancer Awareness Walk in Rockaway, New Jersey last Sunday.

I signed up to walk with a team of Filipina nurses (though I'm not one), and together we raised over $2,000 in donations to support the cancer care facility of Saint Clare's Hospital. Miss Iggy proudly wore a pink ribbon there, too!

It was our first time joining this walk...and the nurses vowed to bring pancit and lumpiang shanghai and a tent next year.

The walk was for 5 kilometers (about 3.1 miles),--two laps around the Rockaway Townsquare Mall area which lasted for about an hour. The weather was great, although it was under the 50's when registration began before 8am. Certain cancer survivors led the walk followed by teams and individual walkers.

One of the cancer survivors even spoke about belonging to "the sisterhood of the traveling hair," referring to the wig she had to wear on her head. She passed it on to another cancer patient and emphasized it as a symbol of love and strength, that such recipient will "never walk alone" in the battle against breast cancer.

It was great to see everyone pretty in pink, eating pink donuts and walking their dogs in pink costumes. Check out these girls clad in pink, including the neon kind with their socks.

Cheerleaders from a local high school and their Eagle mascot motivated the walkers.

The team with the highest amount of donations raised was ADD Systems with about $17, 000! As for me, I was happy with my free souvenir shirt, and the fact that I was part of a great cause! I hope to join again next year!

Litratong Pinoy# 65: Karatula (Sign)

While on the road somewhere in Rizal during my trip to the Philippines last year, this delivery truck caught my eye and sent me fishing for my camera to capture it. The sign said "Perishable Goods, Do Not Delay" but instead of vegetables or any fragile food items, I saw men lounging inside. I have a grim sense of humor, I know, but the scene presented itself to me quite fortuitously.

And here's a sign advertising fortune-telling services on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey a few weeks ago. Cher is doing readings! Well, not THE Cher...some other Cher. Photographed with my celfone. If it were The Cher, I think she'll say something like, "Do you believe in love after love?" Haha.

By the way, have you ever heard of "Neckless Jewelry?" I featured that sign not too long ago from our local mall!

Naku, "perishable" daw sila! Hehe.

Labor of Love and Squash Blossoms

There's a squash jungle in our backyard. It has never sprouted there before.

On Labor Day, I decided to harvest the squash flowers and the tendrils--the tips of the crawling vine with young leaves on it. I was kitchenomically inspired to transform it into a veggie meal. I've been meaning to try that eversince I saw squash flowers sold at the markets in the Philippines years ago.

The hairy stems can be slightly irritating to the skin, though. But I enjoyed snipping them away. I would later find out that squash flowers can be either male or female, which you can determine by inspecting the stamen. The male stamen is, as expected, pointy, whereas the female one is curled downwards. The female flower is naturally the one that becomes the squash.

I researched the recipe online and found an easy one that's akin to making the vegetable mish-mash dish, "Pinakbet." I sauteed garlic, onions, tomatoes, and shrimp then added the squash blossoms and tendrils. Add some seasoning (I also added shrimp paste to enhance the flavor), simmered for a bit, and bam! Lunch is served!

I'm no chef, but I go by the rule that certain dishes share a common "template." I used "pinakbet" for this one, and it guided my hand like a shining spatula in a dark kitchenscape. It did not disappoint. It also felt good eating it because it's green, leafy, and...flowery!

Sometimes you have to stop, smell, and eat the flowers.

I Love Lucy The Elephant

This is a postcard of Lucy the Elephant, a national historic landmark in Margate, New Jersey--just minutes away from Atlantic City. I was lucky to finally get to visit it last week. The postcard shows a guy peeking into the elephant's "Pane in the Butt" (get it?), but nowadays that dangerous-looking ladder is gone and visitors simply climb into the belly of the elephant through a narrow, spiral staircase on its hindleg. There is one staircase on each hindleg, actually.

Lucy was built in 1882 by James V. Lafferty, a land speculator who wanted to attract real estate business and tourism in his acquired property by the shore. The idea of an elephant-shaped structure was so novel at the time that he even applied for, and was granted, a U.S. patent for his design. It served as a one-time residence but never as a hotel as some stories say.

The elephant is made of wood and tin sheeting, with windows for eyes and on its sides. People can climb another set of stairs all the way up to the canopy on her back for a breath-taking view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Inside the belly is a lobby with a mini-museum, which is also a place for wedding ceremonies! Imagine exchanging "I Do's" inside a wooden elephant!

Lucy eventually became a gloomy, dilapidated giant in a sandy landscape that prompted concerned Margate citizens to form the "Save Lucy" committee. Through the help of volunteers, Lucy again became an elegant elephant that will continue to delight kids of all ages.

Here's a photo I took of Lucy from my celfone camera:

I ♥ Lucy!

Light At The End of The Boardwalk

I've been to Atlantic City several times already but visiting the Absecon Lighthouse was always just at the back of my mind. It's located near the very east end of the boardwalk which I've never ventured to reach by foot. Last week, I was able to finally see it up close because our hotel was conveniently within walking distance from it. Less than two blocks away.

During an evening stroll, my aunt and I walked to the lighthouse and talked about her college kid's concerns, life insurance rates, how much money my grandparents already lost at the casinos, and how I just can't get my camera's night setting right so the lighthouse ended up looking all orange.

Or maybe it's not really cut out for nighttime photography.

UltraYellow Protection From UltraViolet Rays

Just a quick note to say I'm back from Atlantic City just when everybody else is heading to the shore for Labor Day Weekend. Even if I brought two digital cameras with me on my week-long trip, I opted to shoot more with my humble celfone camera for instant Flickr-tweeting. This is one of my fave beach photos from an early morning walk. Clever how they attached sand bags on the umbrella's base to secure its position. The Atlantic Ocean can be turbulent and slap the shore with winds that can whisk away your beach umbrella to Oz.

OHMYGOD it's September! Which just so happens to be my birthday month! And I'm spending my birthday as well as an aunt's 50th later this month in the "Windy City"---Chicago!

Small Plane Crash Landed at Rockaway Mall

At around noon today, my sister texted me that a plane had crashed at our local mall's parking lot. I had imagined that it was a commercial plane, but thankfully it was just a small Cessna plane which made an emergency landing after it experienced engine trouble in the air.

What's amazing is that nobody was hurt--not the pilot instructor, nor his student pilot, nor any shoppers that may have been nearby. No damage to any cars either, the plane was manipulated onto a clear spot in the parking lot.

This afternoon, we had seen many news vans parked near the JC Penney entrance where the incident occurred. No signs of the plane's debris were visible on the ground, save for some powdery remnants which may have been from the fire extinguishers used. Took photos of the news vans for posterity. Failed to spot a goodlooking news reporter.

Glamorous Gladiolus!

I'm so glad to report that the gladiolus bulbs I planted last Spring finally bloomed this summer!

This is a gorgeous shade of salmon! Love it, love it!

And this "Oscar" variety is a rich crimson.

And you know what? These bulbs were only from the dollar store!

Litratong Pinoy#59: Proteksyon (Protection)

Are you familiar with the motto of the police here in the States, "To Serve and Protect?"

I know you've all heard of RoboCop, but have you seen a RoboDOG?

I saw one at the Memorial Day Parade in our town last May. He was being controlled by a real cop behind him, and he talks too! The voice is from the cop with the mouthpiece.

The crowd loved him, of course.

Si Bantay, naging Buwaya...este, pulis! Haha.

I Wasn't Imagining Things

The American flag at the mall which I saw on that Monday immediately following Michael Jackson's death was really flying at half mast. Now, they don't do that unless it's Memorial Day, Veterans Day or the 9/11 Anniversary.

Michael Jackson is an American hero--nay, a king--whose loss is being mourned by the whole world, and today, his memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will be a big farewell event.

Rock in peace, Michael. Or rather, moonwalk in peace.

purple power

these are the flowers that currently dominate our backyard. they seem to declare, "move over, daffodils, it's our turn!" the daffodils have long wilted in our garden.

we have plenty of irises to fill our vases all summer long.

the clematis is a flowering vine that creeps up the archway to our backyard. it has several varieties, but i think the one we have here is known as the "violet charm." charming name, isn't it?

my mom is bent on growing gumamelas (hibiscus flowers), so we bought a small pot of red ones at shoprite today. i could have easily swiped hibiscus stems from where we stayed at in kissimmee, florida, but that would be...larceny. haha.

patriotic entrepreneur

at the memorial day parade in our town today, some enterprising people decided to be purveyors of the red, white and blue. they sold these flags for a dollar a piece to spectators.

marketing techniques and common sense tell sellers to attract buyers' attention in order to make a sale. and this guy did a wonderful job hawking flags with his very patriotic apron. he's not part of the parade! he just wants you to buy his stars and stripes! i think he's heading straight to the grill with that apron after the parade.

litratong pinoy#46:hardin (garden)

noong december, napuntahan ko itong kakaibang "hardin" na ito sa polomolok, south cotabato: durian garden! bukod sa mga puno ng durian, meron din itong mini-zoo, butterfly garden, at mga exotic flowers and plants na hindi mo karaniwang makikita sa manila.

natawa ako sa malaking sign na ito. pero hindi nakakatawang mabagsakan ng durian!

may restaurant sa loob ng durian garden kung saan nakatikim ako ng durian ice cream at durian pie for the very first time! may mga durian polvoron at pastillas din na paninda sa kanilang souvenir section.

naaliw naman ako sa mga unique na bulaklak dito gaya nito. marami sa mga tanim doon ay noon ko pa lang nasilayan.

at sa gawing new jersey naman, ito ang mga bagong sibol na daffodils sa hardin namin na ikinagalak na makita ni miss igorota.

this bud's for you!

yesterday, our daffodil buds got a healthy dose of sunshine, and today their fragile, yellow petals unfolded under april showers. the rain discouraged me from photographing the early bloomers. they should be at their florally photogenic best next week!

psychic sidekick

i wonder, did these so-called psychics foresee the economic recession? psychic ad seen at the atlantic city boardwalk. don't confuse the 99-cent and 79-cent signs for the psychic readings, they're for the hotdogs sold at the store.

i'm afraid yet curious at the same time to have my fortune read. how do you know which ones are fraudulent?

the jersey devil

new jersey has its own folklore creature: the jersey devil, otherwise known as the "leeds devil." the back of this postcard tells you the legend of this strange character that has come to be identified with new jersey. (click on image to read detailed story)


this character is the inspiration for new jersey's national hockey league (NHL) team, "the NJ devils."

i haven't seen the jersey devil...or big foot...or the abominable snowman. i don't think i want to.