Category Archives: Entertainment

The Road to Diamond, Day 116: George Foreman

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 24, 2025- In the early ’70s, watching heavyweight boxing championships was on par with watching professional baseball or hockey. It was always a group event, mostly involving men. Part of it was about demonstrations of power, but the replays, sometimes 4 or 5, were about noticing finesse. Muhammad Ali’s body English was the most watched, and re-watched. Later on, there was a group that was drawn to Leon Spinks. For sheer longevity, and evolution of class, though, no one outdid George Foreman.

George came out of east Texas, and the Fifth Ward of Houston. In both environments, he learned the way of the fist-starting off as a mugger, then being steered into boxing. He would become the titan of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Boxing squad, bringing home the Gold Medal and being welcomed into the White House, even as his main competitor, Cassius Clay, was irritating the government with his objections to the Vietnam War. Cassius, of course, embraced Islam and became Muhammad Ali. He and George would fight for the World Heavyweight Championship, and in 1974, George found himself worn to a frazzle by Ali’s antics, including the “Rope a Dope” maneuver of allowing George to push him to the ropes, then rest a bit and come out swinging. George had given Joe Frazier his first loss, a year earlier, thus becoming World Heavyweight Champion. In the “Rumble in the Jungle”, though, Muhammad came out on top.

George, bruised but not beaten, showed the world that “Forty is not a death sentence” and would continue to box professionally, in between serving as an ordained minister and as pitchman for his line of barbecue grills, until 1997. He sired twelve children, by five wives, naming each of his five sons George. This was his way, he said, of leaving a piece of himself for posterity.

He died on Friday, March 21, at the age of 76. His namesakes-and grills- aside, though, George Foreman will long live in the memory bank of anyone who grew up between 1965-87. He lived larger than his boxing skill set and more intensely than his religious fervour. May George be at peace, in the arms of his Lord.

The Road to Diamond, Day 113: Playfulness

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

Tom Petty, Harry Chapin and Rivers Cuomo shared the stage tonight, at The Raven Cafe, or so it seemed. The three musicians who were on stage evoked those men, in style-and somewhat in voice and appearance. They played and sang under the watchful poster eyes of Carlos Santana, The Who and Twenty One Pilots. It was a satisfying evening, of both playfulness and angst. The Rivers look-alike offered light-hearted tunes about an elfin girlfriend and living out of his car, juxtaposed with a darker tune about the latter situation. “Tom” sang of being occasionally bereft of spirit and of drinking on St. Patrick’s Day. “Harry” was mainly focused on his courtship and love for his wife.

It was a fine cap to a playful day. The morning brought me back to Bear and Dragon, this time for a French omelet, that was everything such fare should be-light and fluffy, complemented by a couple of English bangers and a pair of potato galettes. My seat was at the counter, shared with the cafe’s owner, who bantered a bit, in between his business calls. Bernie, the barista, tended well to my coffee and water needs.

Next up, in the afternoon, was a revisit to Arcosanti, the experimental community that lies an hour east of Prescott. I went there to get a couple of photos to send Kathy, in advance of our friends’ visit to Arizona, the second week of April. I also wanted to walk a bit on the Visitors Trail, that leads to the base of a small mesa, on the south side of the property. Before that, I took a short break in the laid-back cafe, enjoying a matcha latte. One of the attendants had a confession to make: His matcha lattes had used 2. 5 ounces of the powder. Fortunately, his co-worker fixed mine, with a more suitable 2 teasspoons of matcha. I read somewhere that there is a shortage of matcha in Japan. Maybe overzealous baristas in the U.S. are part of the reason for that.

Such was a light-hearted day, the first of Spring.

The Road to Diamond, Day 103: Crowded Houses

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

March 11, 2025, San Diego- Samesun Hostel, Ocean Beach makes the most of its back deck, when it is sunny. Today was not a sunny day-and the forecast is for rain tomorrow through Friday, as well. That renders the back deck a place of comfort only for the few human seals who don’t mind sitting under an umbrella. The rest of us either stayed in our rooms or crammed into the kitchen and TV/Game Room. I did a little of both, hanging out with a few hostelers in the latter spot, and tending to business matters in my private room on the second floor.

I visited a couple of other spots in OB during the day. In between rain showers, I took a mid-morning snack at OB Beans, one of the better coffee shop/bakeries on Newport Avenue. It was a full house there. Lunch time found me at Hodad’s, which advertises its fare as “the world’s best burgers.” I have to say, the Blue Jay (1/2 pounder with bacon, fried onions and bleu cheese) was one of the best I’ve had, right up there with the beef at Chuckbox, in Tempe or one of the more heartfelt renditions at a Five Guys in the Dallas area. The standout at Hodad’s, however, is its ambiance. There was barely enough room for the servers to move between tables, but everyone was having a great time. As the name suggests, the place is surfing-themed, with boogie boards hung in strategic places around the shop. Long tables take up the mid-section and there is a “photo-op” cabana type table for two, towards the front. A few couples took advantage of that, for selfies, while I was seated nearby.

All this makes rainy days in Ocean Beach nearly as enjoyable as the sun-drenched versions. It’s all in how one views the camaraderie.

The Road to Diamond, Day 78: 17 Presidents, 1 Scoop of Rice and 12 Line Dancers

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

February 15,2025, Manila- This is my last weekend in the Philippines, pending a few decisions on this end. Those choices will determine what I decide, once I get back to Home Base I. I leave the adults who are making those determinations to their quiet spaces and mindsets.

Today, though, was full of Philippine history, dinner at Mall of Asia, followed by a visit to Okada Casino, in Paranaque. Let’s look at Malacanang Museum-the heritage center of Malacanan Palace. For a description of the reasons behind this distinction, see: https://carlakalay.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/malacanan-or-malacanang-the-philippines-version-of-the-white-house/.

We visited two museums, the first of which, Ugnavan House, housed details in the life of the current President, Ferdinand Marcos, II. These include a replica of the staircase in Malacanan Palace, which the incoming President ascends and the departing President descends.

Replica of the Presidential staircase of Malacanan Palace, found in Ugnavan House.

Bahay, is pronounced like Baha’i, and in Tagalog, it means “house”.

Entrance to the museum of the sitting President of the Philippines.

We listened to the life story and accomplishments, thus far, of President Marcos, Jr., then went to Teus Mansion, which houses the “Treasures of Malacanang”, the heritage of the sixteen past presidents of this country, beginning with Emilio Aguinaldo, who served for two years as President of a nascent Philippine Republic, from 1899-1901, during the country’s struggle for independence first from Spain, then from the United States. Aguinaldo never gave up his campaign for nationhood, even while imprisoned in the United States, and was honoured by each of his successors, including Diosdado Macapagal, who presided over a State Funeral when Aguinaldo died, in 1964. The Philippines have had a continuous series of Presidents since 1935, when Manuel Quezon was elected President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, still under American tutelage. While Quezon and his Vice President, Sergio Osmena, were in the United States during the Japanese occupation of 1942-45, the country was administered by Jose P. Laurel, ostensibly a puppet ruler acting on behalf of the Japanese, but in reality a conduit for the Quezon-Osmena administration to keep close watch on the country.

The country has essentially moved forward in material progress, and has learned some hard lessons about the trade-off between that progress and the right of people to chart their own path.

The rise of material progress was evident at Mall of Asia, where we enjoyed dinner at a crowded Inasal. The ladies chose chicken and I tried pork belly (liempo). My scoop of rice was Java Rice, a good alternative to “unli” (unlimited) white rice. We all enjoyed halo halo, (ice cream and fruit, on a bed of shaved ice) for dessert.

Okada Casino Resort was sort-of on the way back to Manila, so we stopped there, to take in a show that featured line dancers, some gymnastics, a juggler and hoop dancers, a talented singer-and some spectacular fountain art.

Line and hoop dancers, Okada Resort
Fountain action, Okada Resort (above and below)
The pageant in pink
An odd butterfly with two angels.

My friends pull out all stops, when it comes to an enjoyable day. Tomorrow will be another one-at the Baha’i Temple Site, in the mountain city of Antipolo.

The Road to Diamond, Day 71: National Treasures

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Education, Entertainment, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

February 8, 2025, Manila- The traditional musician and promulgator of his people’s musical legacy would not be out of place on the Navajo Nation, the Hawaiian island of Niihau, or any number of other First Nations across the wide swath from northeast India to the shores of Newfoundland-or Greenland.

Alonzo Saclag has dedicated himself to the musical heritage of Kalinga Province, a mountainous region in north central Luzon. The Kalinga people are among the Austronesian nations, who constitute many of the indigenous populations of regions from Assam, India to Hawai’i and Easter Island. Like First Nations elsewhere in the world, the tribal groups of the Philippines, as one can see in the above video, have a rich heritage, well worth preserving.

Kuya (older brother) Alonzo is among those uniquely talented Filipinos and Filipinas who have been deemed Manilikha ng Bayan (Living National Treasures), by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts. These people are found to have “a high degree of knowledge or skills to perform or recreate elements of intangible cultural heritage”, which is the UNESCO standard for Living National Treasures, around the world. In addition, the National Commission has stipulated that “recipients must possess a mastery of tools needed in the craft and ties to the indigenous cultural community. Furthermore, they should have revitalized the community’s artistic tradition and are recognized in their community as a master and teacher.”

Besides Alonzo, the recipients of this honour include: Magdalena Gamayo, Master Weaver; Frederico Caballero, Epic Chanter; Teofilo Garcia, Casque Maker; Uwang Ahadas, Yakan traditional musician; Eduardo Mutuc, Metalworker; and Wang-Od Oggay, Batek tattoo artist. The Philippine National Museum of Anthropology, which I visited for the first time, this afternoon, has a dedicated gallery, featuring the work of each of these artists.

It is always a highlight of any visit to a country, or area, to see the work of those who preserve and promulgate the cultural life of its First Nations and others who are close to the land or sea. I will probably return to PNMA, before this visit is over, to spend time taking careful notes on this nation’s long and deep cultural heritage.

The Road to Diamond, Day 65: Lipa

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

February 1, 2025, Manila- I have been hoping for a diversion from the turmoil back in the U.S. My friend here, who has her own priorities, gave me just such a diversion today: Six adults and a child piled into a van, and were chauffeured down to the mid-sized coffee-producing city of Lipa, which has Batangas Province’s main cathedral and is its largest city, by population.


Our first stop in town was in a gated community called Miracle Heights. There, we met our local host for the day, Marilyn, who also goes by the sobriquet Geen-Geen. After a light lunch and a visit to her son’s tattoo studio, Geen accompanied us to Casa de Segunda and to San Sabastian Cathedral. As it happened, there was a wedding just starting, but we were allowed to enter through the vast courtyard and and observed the proceedings on the sidelines. It was greatly comforting to see two people who love one another confirming that sentiment and starting their life together.

Here are scenes from Geen’s garden, from Casa de Segunda and from the Cathedral.

Dragonfruit tree, in Geen’s garden, Lipa, Batangas.

Casa de Segunda is the preserved home of the Luz-Katigbak family, having been built in the 1860’s. Segunda Solis-Katigbak was, in her youth, the first love of Dr. Jose Rizal. He went on to give his life for the cause of Philippine nationhood. She went on to marry Manuel Mitra de San Miguel-Luz, becoming with him, the parent of nine children and a patron of the arts.

The entrance to Casa de Segunda. The gate is of heavy oak.
Here is a view of the main dining room.
Here is the exterior, from the courtyard.
A local resident came along and greeted us.

At the cathedral, we noted the following views.

Porta Santa, Cathedral of San Sebastian, Lipa.
Chancery of cathedral, from courtyard
Exterior of main cathedral.

The wedding saw the cathedral at its finest.

The interior of San Sebastian’s dome.

Here is a long view of the wedding aisle.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

From the cathedral, we went to Cintai Coritos Garden, in nearby Balete. There, we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of low mein, followed by a dessert of sticky rice dipped in chocolate. A relaxing walk in Coritos’ grounds, at dusk, finished the day.

Friends view the green lagoon at Coritos.
Here is a small pavilion shrine, which reminded some of the friends of Bali.
Here are more Bali-esque images.

The day was typically well-packed, and had the desired effect of getting me to lighten up.

The Road to Diamond, Day 59: The World in LAX

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Posted by on in collaborating, Entertainment, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 26, 2025, Los Angeles- The cacophony over the competing loudspeakers in Tom Bradley International Terminal did not faze me, or any of the polyglot group of passengers gathered in anticipation of the 13 hour flight from LAX to Hong Kong. Simultaneous announcements, from various airlines, could be heard in Mandarin, Korean, Spanish and English. Tagalog may have been in there somewhere and for good measure, one of the resident larks could be heard chirping away.

I busied myself with Rebecca Solnit’s “A Book of Migrations”, which detailed her sojourn across Ireland, with tie-ins to England, the North American Atlantic Coast, Mexico and her native California, specifically the Bay Area.

She deals with both abundance and deprivation, loquaciousness and wary taciturnity, joy and misery. I see mostly anticipation here. A few of us are taking advantage of the one working bank of USB ports in this area of TBIT.

Earlier, American Airlines deemed it necessary to check the wheeled bags of everyone in Groups 8 and 9, to their final destinations. So, I will see my laptop next, in Manila. A spare charging cord is making this post possible, in partnership with Boingo Free Wireless.

And now it’s time to board. Next time you hear from me, another crossing of the Pacific will be in the rear view mirror. Life is sweet.

The Road to Diamond, Day 57: Better Power Source

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

January 24, 2025- In the end, I can remember four of the five elements that inspirational rapper Colby Jeffers listed, during the course of his Better World concert this afternoon, at Prescott’s Yavapai College. Better knowledge, principles, creativity, power source, and one element that I have blanked out, were the main focuses of Colby’s message to both college age youth and mostly Boomer adults who gathered to hear his message.

Hip hop concerts, especially during the Friday lunch hour, attract people who can stay for a while, enjoy some of the songs and then have to go on to meetings, athletic practices or Friday seminars. Ten of us stayed for the entire session because, well, we can use the connectivity.

At my age, when I am a bit fatigued, especially at the end of a day, I yearn for a better power source. I don’t feel on the verge of dementia, but it would be nice to have longer recall, without having to take copious notes. Maybe I’ve always been the sort who’s needed to write things down, yet it rankles more now.

Hah! The fourth pillar is better action. That was on the edge of my tongue for a while. The last step of any prayer is action, otherwise one is stuck looking at the bridge that isn’t building itself. So, in order to get a handle on this little “brain blip”, I put on some choral music this evening and stimulated that part of my cerebrum that tends to put a choke hold on certain nuggets of cognition. Music is, for me, a better power source than is “dry” recall.

Better knowledge leads to better principles, creativity, action-and power source. I knew I could get this recapped, sooner or later!

The Road to Diamond, Day 37: On Leaving Home Without It

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

“Know thou that every fixed star hath its planets, and every planet its creatures, whose number no man can compute”.– Baha’u’llah, “Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, page 163

January 4, 2025- In the film, “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” (1986), a Native American man casts aspersions, in no uncertain terms, on those who would not think of leaving home without their credit cards. I don’t leave home without my wallet, so maybe Tom-Tom would get on my case. Whatever. I do, however, leave my phone behind, when on short in-town errands, on weekends.

What few of us leave behind, though, is our spirit, our basic self. This evening, I watched a You Tube video by a woman who said she was channeling a spirit from another realm. I did this out of curiosity, as to what the being could possibly say that would mesh with what Baha’u’llah teaches , regarding the future of humanity.

While the woman used a carnival fortune teller voice, during her channeling, and frequently referred to the interstellar messengers as “ETs”, rather than their galactic or stellar origins, she did hit on several points that Baha’u’llah mentions: The worn-out institutions of human society are collapsing, and a new, more equitable, planet-wide society will slowly, but steadily begin to emerge, this year, as more of us have a better sense of the light (spiritual power) within us. As more people realize their spiritual power, conflict will abate, and still others will develop their light power. Christians know this as “the Kingdom of God on Earth”, and Baha’is certainly concur with that notion. She told her viewers that we would do well to not pay much mind to the collapsing institutions, save to survive and focus on the positive energy that was rising.

An interesting analogy was made, noting that the power of water on Earth is gradually being released, as ice melts. Ice was likened to the pent-up, unused potential of each person. As ice melts, so does our potential get tapped for optimum use. That is a positive spin on climate change. I do sense a different energy, these past four days, and see a good many people are showing positive vibes. There seems more common sense, efficiency and heightened intuition, at least around town. While I don’t need a fortune teller to clue me in on these matters, I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength.

Tom-Tom aside, let’s not leave home without our essentials.

The Road to Diamond, Day 27: A Simple Beauty

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

December 25, 2024, Winslow- I came upon the midnight clear, or close to it, into this small but vibrant community, which Jackson Browne once chose as a surrogate for nearby Flagstaff, in his song “Take It Easy”. Flag already had a lot going for it, being the Snow Capital of Arizona, and Winslow seemed to be both more “poetic” and in need of a boost, so “Standin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona…..”. it was. Besides, anyone who has ever driven along Route 66 in Flagstaff knows that the girl wasn’t slowing down on account of ol’ Jackson. She was merely stuck in the city’s legendary traffic.

Anyway, back to Christmas. In Home Base I, and across the Southwest, anyone looking for snow was out of luck. Christmas, and its antecedent, Yule, for that matter, does not depend on snow and cold to be truly meaningful. That hype simply has made a nicety out of the sheer terror that a hard winter can bring. In that regard, it is no different than the Ice Festivals and Winter Carnivals held in Quebec-Ville, Sapporo and the depths of the forest in the Saami lands of Scandinavia. Man carves joy out of adversity, and we survive to face a sometimes kindly, and other times frightful and tornado-riven, Spring.

What makes Christmas meaningful is the promise that the great Teacher, Whose birth is celebrated today, made in His ministry: “The Kingdom of God on Earth will come”. It’s taken a long, perhaps an excruciatingly long, time. We’ve approached peace among ourselves, only to scurry back to the shadow lands of conflict and warfare, countless times since the Day of Resurrection-and well before it. It will take a few more centuries, perhaps, but achieve peace, we will. Astrologers say the Aquarian Age will arrive sometime in the 26th Christian Century, sometime around 2534 AD/CE (591 Baha’i Era). I’ll be off weaving new planets, or whatever the Divine has in Mind for me, and my descendants will be of the sixth or seventh generation, by then. In any event, this theory squares with Baha’i Teachings, that the Golden Age, the Most Great Peace, will be in full flower around that time. How difficult a process that is will be determined by us, as a species.

I attended two gatherings today, that could be seen as harbingers for the sort of peace that humanity can build. In early afternoon, eight of us gathered at the grave site of a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Her husband sang prayers, and sacred music that he had composed. The rest of us offered prayers for spiritual progress, healing and the well-being of humanity. Marcia was, no doubt, very pleased.

Later in the afternoon, thirteen of us gathered in the Spirit of Christ, at a friend’s home in the forest of Prescott’s west side. We shared the simple beauty of home made chili and cornbread, salad and three very rich desserts. Hot chocolate took the edge off the cold that came with nightfall. The toddler son of a young couple entertained us with his harmonica-each extended one-note generated applause from the adults, bringing his little face to radiance. His little sister was just glad to be in the loving arms of at least one of her parents, or grandmother, or aunt. We talked of everything from the operation of a dog-boarding facility to the approaching travels of two of us-a young lady to Costa Rica, for her first journey outside the U.S. and me, on my third visit to the Philippines. Both have elements of joy and promise, and elements of uncertainty. Undertaken in faith, though, the right thing will prevail.

Christmas is best observed as a day of simple beauty-and so it was today.