Hello again.

Gosh, I’m so sorry I haven’t posted in a while.  Work has taken up much of my time and family has taken up the remainder.  I’ve barely knit.  But I have eaten out more here in the AV.  So, as my return to blogging post, I’ll tell you about two relatively new, and good, Asian restaurants in the area.

First, in my search for good Japanese food, I found two surprisingly good Sushi restaurants here.  I prefer one over the other, but I won’t tell you which because my taste is quite different from another person’s and he/she may disagree with me:  (1) Saku Saki in West Ave. K, near the 24 hour fitness club, and (2) Sato Sushi on West Ave. L, around 28th Street.  If you’re in the area, these are two very good sushi spots.  I understand that there is an excellent one on the East side, but I haven’t been to that one yet.

And a new Chinese restaurant has opened in town.  Dragon Palace, East Palmdale Boulevard, between 20th and 25th street in a shopping center.  Not quite Monterey Park (or even my favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants on GUam), but very good for it’s location (here in the high dessert).  I wouldn’t say it’s someplace to drive up here for, but if you’re here, and looking for a Chinese restaurant, I’d highly recommend this spot.  

Until next time (and I promise I won’t wait 8 months before my next post)…

MLK’s most famous speach

I know that I’m a week late for MLK day, but we should always remember the speech and the man, especially all of us who are people of color.

Happy 2013

The Christmas Holidays are over.  (We had the tree up until the celebration of the 3 kings, so for us, Christmas just recently ended).  The new old President is in place.  The world did not end on the 20th of December.  And the New Year is well on it’s way.  All is good in the world.

Have a great New Year!

Happy Holidays

Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season has begun.  I’d forgotten how nice the stateside Christmas season can be.  The air outside is chilly and the house is warm and toasty.

We’ve finished decorating for the holidays.  First, the live tree.  The holidays are just not the holidays without a live Christmas tree.  We purchased a 6 foot noble (by the way, the same price as on Guam, go figure).  When we were set to decorate it, my son was so “excitededed” he was giggling.  When I was growing up, we had not big Christmas tree to decorate so I was never “excitededed”, but I do remember decorating the house with lights.  I was excited about that.

After the tree was done, the small créche was we purchased last year was put up on the corner table. My little girl was “exciteded” over that.  She thought, and still thinks, it’s a doll house with a mama, a baby (who according to the boy is lying down in a small car), and other supporting characters.  I’ve tried to explain that it’s not a toy, but she still thinks it’s a beautiful doll house just for her and her brother.  I don’t think Jesus would mind.

So for everyone out there… Happy Holidays.  Have a blessed Chanukah and Merry Christmas — Maligayang Pasko (Tagalog), Feliz Navidad (Spanish), and Felis Påsgua (Chamorro).  For the African-Americans celebrating their cultural heritage (I don’t believe it’s a religious celebration):  Kwanzaa.

Veteran’s day

Although not as highly celebrated as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or even Memorial day, Veteran’s day is actually one of the most important holidays of the year and one, when I was a kid, I loved.

On Guam veterans make up a great percentage of population.  First, there is the simple fact that Guam is Guam –The island was a Spanish territory for over 500 years.  And it is one of the few parts of the U.S. that was actually occupied by the enemy during WWII and so everyone that survived the occupation and helped in the survival of the residents can possibly be considered a veteran of a foreign war.  Second, people on Guam remember the Japanese occupation from either personal experience, from the accounts of their parents and grandparents or from merely driving around and seeing (and sometimes playing around) remnants of the war (huge guns, pill boxes and the occasional bomb that still gets dug up).  Many of the post war population of Guam want to serve our country in the military, either as active duty or reservists.    The fact that military presence is huge on Guam is probably due  in part to the many Guamanians in the military.

Any celebration of Veterans and freedom (Memorial day, Veterans Day, the 4th of July and the 21st of July [Independence Day]) is important to Guamanians.

When I was growing up, my parents had a business in the island’s capitol, Agana (now known as “Hagatna”).  Specifically, it was located right next to a little place called Skinner Plaza.  Because the Plaza itself is dedicated to various to wars and veterans (there’s a WWII memorial, a Korean War Memorial, a memorial by the Korean Community of Guam, and even a Purple Heart’s memorial) on Veteran’s day, there would always be a parade of Veterans.  I remember every year sitting outside my father’s business watching the World War II and Korean War Vets walk by.  Then later, when the Vietnam War winded down, Vietnam vets.  Most of the marchers were from WWII.  I don’t believe the parade still occurs, but if it did, it would include all the Veterans of the most recent middle east military engagements and probably less than a handful, if any, from WWII.  But that is the nature of time.

We must never forget those who defended our rights and freedoms.

God bless America and those who have kept us free.