TravelswithCharie

Aldrean Paul Alogon graduated with High Honors from Philippine Science High School (PSHS), Western Visayas Campus in 2019. He also received the Excellence Award in Physics. While in high school, he represented the Philippines at the International Olympiad for Astronomy and Astrophysics in India and Thailand. Mr. Alogon won the Freeman Asian Scholarship, a full scholarship for a four-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree. He is now enrolled at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, USA. Wesleyan is one of the country’s premier liberal arts institutions. As a child growing up in Sigma, what were your dreams for your future? I grew up wanting to be either a doctor, a lawyer, or a scientist. To tell you the truth, the first two were somehow planted in my head by the people around me, maybe because I had “above” average grades and that those professions are the most profitable if you have the capacity to ace them.     When did you begin to take an interest in science? As a child,

Adolfo B. Bellosillo, MD, FACC, FSGC, FPCC, FPCP, FPCCP, FPSE, graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Medicine. He completed his fellowship training in Cardiology from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and his fellowship training in Cardiac Rehabilitation from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the Founder and President of the Foundation for Lay Education on Heart Diseases (FLEHD). He also held the position of President for the following professional organizations: Philippine Heart Association/Philippine College of Cardiology 1990-1991, Philippine Society of Echocardiography 1992-1994, Cardiac Rehabilitation Society of the Philippines 1994-1999, and the  7th World Congress of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention from 1996-2000. Dr. Bellosillo received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career: Most Distinguished Fellow from the Philippine Heart Association(PHA)/Philippine College of Cardiology in 1998, Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial

Pick your flowers for 25 cents per stem except for sunflowers which are a dollar each at Topaz Farms. Oversized zucchini. Great for stir fry. How many different types of butter have you tried?  Halloween so soon? Pick your own pumpkin at the Pumpkin Patch Farm which will  open its patch in October. A few handpicked veggies, lots of nuts and chocolates, a blueberry preserve and bacon ketchup. Winner! How to get there:   From Portland, Take Highway 30 to Sauvie Island. About 30 minutes from Portland city center. There are many farms in the area with a variety of offerings. Pick your own berries or veggies. Check to see what each season is offering. ***** Images by TravelswithCharie 

Jessica Veronique Ortiz Yu Jessica Veronique Ortiz Yu graduated from the College of the Holy Spirit with a dual degree in Psychology and Marketing. She is the Gawad Kalinga Head for the Province of Capiz, Managing Director of ABOCGO Land, Inc., Board Member of AnCor Corporation and Member of the Board of Trustees of the College of St. John in Roxas City. Mrs. Yu and her husband, Anthony Dexter, are National Chair Couple for Family and Life Apostolate of the Christian Family Movement (CFM). What led you to work for Gawad Kalinga (GK) I started volunteering for Gawad Kalinga after a Bayani Challenge in Marinduque in 2007. That experience opened my eyes to the realities our poor experience every day - they are the most deprived of even the basic necessities and they don’t have access to livable land. With any calamity or typhoon, they are the first victims and the last to be served.  After I shared my volunteer experience with my husband and children, we all started to volunteer for GK. I

Christian George Francisco Acevedo Christian George Francisco Acevedo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Capiz State University. He holds a master’s degree in Library Science from Central Philippine University and a second master's degree in Teaching from Filamer University. He is a librarian at Capiz State University where he also teaches professional education courses at the College of Education. He was president of the Philippine Library Association Inc. (PLAI) Western Visayas Region from 2017-2018. He has most recently coauthored the book, Panaysayon: Tales from Panay Island.  A cultural and literacy advocate, Mr. Acevedo is a volunteer at Ang Panublion Museum and at the soon-to-open Capiz Provincial Library, both in Roxas City. He founded Project Learn, an outreach program that helps schools in far flung communities build their reading resources.  As an educator, you not only teach your students in the classroom, you also like teaching others throug

Sundial Bridge The bridges of Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, evoke musicality and flight. He likens the Sundial Bridge he designed in Redding, California to a goose in flight. Concrete, pylon, steel and glass panels span the Sacramento River. This is a working sundial. Sacramento River Sundial Bridge is 720 feet long and 23 feet wide pedestrian bridge. The deck is laid with 2,245 glass panels which are lit with 219 lights. It took eleven years to complete and cost $24 million.  Across the Sacramento River into the trees, the Sacramento River Rail Trail is a scenic 17.4 mile trail from Sundial Bridge to Shasta Dam. How to get there: Turtle Bay Exploration Park 844 Sundial Drive Redding, California Take Interstate 5 from California or Oregon, exit Highway 44 to Sundial Drive. Parking available. No entrance fee.  ***** Images by TravelswithCharie

Lino F. Villarruz Lino F. Villarruz graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas. He is a founding member of the Arts Association of Capiz (formerly Capiz Arts Council) which he served as its Visual Arts Director in 1995. Mr. Villarruz  has received numerous art awards throughout his career including the Capiznon Artist Award. He comes from a musical family and was a guitarist for the band he formed with his brothers when he was in his teens. He lives in Roxas City with his wife and children. How did you come to realize you wanted to be a painter? Lino: I liked drawing and found I was good at it during high school so it was easy for me to decide to study Fine Arts in college. Who were the artists who influenced you the most? Lino: The artists I admired most and who influenced my work were Vicente Manansala, Carlos "Botong" Francisco, Mauro "Malang" Santos and Pablo Picasso. How would you describe your artistic style? Lino: My style of pain