Category Archives: Lifestyles

I miss Christmas with the Family

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Although money was fairly tight growing up, my parents always made it a point to have some of the best Christmas celebrations I can remember. Those fond memories are some of the most cherished moments of the holiday season for me.

I don’t know how my parents pulled it off, but we would have so much food on the table it would last for weeks afterwards. Everything from turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce would be piled up like overflowing mountains. It was truly the feast of the year.

The Christmas tree always looked bare of gifts the whole holiday season, but after attending church on Christmas Eve and waking up bright and early the next morning, that bare tree would be so full of Christmas gifts that it would spill on all sides of the floor! For a few years, I actually believed it was all Santa’s doing!

As with our family tradition, my large and plump uncle would come out after eating dressed in a Santa outfit to pass out all the Christmas gifts. He would read out each of our names and all the gifts would be distributed before anyone could open them up. I can remember sitting on the floor with my younger brothers pointing to the biggest boxes and hoping that those gifts were mine.

When gift opening was done, a ton of kisses and hugs would go around and we would take photos until all the film ran out. It was always a great time. My brothers and I would play with our new toys and enjoy the day with no worries in the world. It was during those moments that every disagreement within the family household would seem to just disappear. The day always seemed so perfect.

Unfortunately, we haven’t celebrated Christmas that way in many years. We became teenagers and other things became more important in our lives. Although we still get together for the Christmas holidays for a early morning breakfast or brunch, most of the day is now spent working during the holiday and/or with our spouses and children. Those magical years of Christmas with the family seemed to have dissolved as we grew older.

My memories however will live on in my heart as long as I live. I’ll never forget those experiences with my family. It keeps me going strong and helps me remember the true meaning behind this magical holiday. Hopefully, when my wife and I begin to raise our family, I will have enough of that magic my parents had to give my children Christmas seasons that they will never forget.

Merry Christmas everyone!

ChristmaswiththeBais

Guam Senator also WOW geek

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Sen_TenorioWhen I stumbled on this news report on the Guam PDN a couple days ago, it helped me feel a little less “childish” whenever I played Warcraft on Blizzard or logged on for a couple sessions of Halo 2 with friends from the mainland.

I’ve been a school teacher for seven years now, and although I’m a professional at work, I still love to play games and wield some magic to attack an evil orc and troll now and then. Seems like I’m not the only one. Senator Ray Tenorio, a former Guam police officer and current Senator in the Guam Legislature plays World of Warcraft. He not only knows how to play the game, but he also boasts an impressive level 70 dwarf priest who goes by the name of Paleray (father Ray). You can find him on the Silverhand server.

Heres what he had to say about his gaming experience taken from the source at Guampdn.

“What I like about World of Warcraft is it’s a great way to be able to reach out and connect with other people… So many different people play — attorneys, accountants, geeks, … all kinds of people… What makes World of Warcraft so alluring is that it’s always reinventing and adding new content Tenorio says. There’s always something new to come back to…”

Go Ray! I’ll be voting for you again! Here’s his actual character profile online.

Gambling on Guam

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On Tuesday, November 7th, Guam will be electing its new governor and senators for the 29th Guam Legislature. I’ve already decided who to vote for, so that is no longer an issue to me. What I wasn’t too sure about was Proposal B. My vote of confidence would help to legalize slot machines at the Greyhound Park here on Guam.

After weighting the pro’s and con’s and watching the commercials on television, the more I thought about it, the more I believed it was not worth its weight in gold. Proposal B promises money to schools and a better economy. wow. After many years of hardship, how can we expect a few slot machines to make a positive difference in the lives of our children and in the community? If this was the solution to all our problems, why didn’t someone figure this out sooner? Many of us who grew up here on island in the 1980′s all remember what occurred when they allowed gambling machines on our soil. They had made similar promises. Instead, it brought pain and suffering to many families and children.

Payday came, kids were left in vehicles, parents blew paychecks, and kids went hungry. They say that the machines will stay in the park and will be under controlled conditions. How will that make things better? Will a security guard ask you if you have enough in your wallet put aside to support your family if you lose all your money? Will the owner return your money if you spent it on his machines instead of on your mortgage? Will Guam Greyhound provide your family with a few hot meals if you don’t have the money to put food in your cabinet? Just because they are monitoring the slots and only 18+ adults can enter doesn’t make gambling any better. Come On. They want you to spend your money on their machines! They don’t discriminate!

From my perspective, gambling has never helped Guam. Never. I’ve seen to many broken families because of gambling, and I just can’t see myself voting yes for Proposal B. Perhaps there is more to it than that, but I don’t see the bigger picture, and I’m voting NO based on my past experiences.