Beyond The Parks

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I had the privilege to go to the Philippines a few years ago on a business trip. The people in my class were terrific and they treated me like family which helped since I was so far away from my own family. 
Over the weeks I was there I got a taste of their tremendous culture, their loving personalities and just how much they all clearly cared for each other. I mean, would you ever go camping for a weekend with your co-workers? In the Philippines, this is not an uncommon thing. 

So today, I want to share some of the ways you can help with Typhoon relief as well as share a few pictures from my trip to the Philippines. 

Thankfully, those who I've spoken with in Manila have been spared most of the damage of the Typhoon but they all have family and friends who have been tremendously impacted by Haiyan. There are so many ways we can help, every little bit helps. 

  • The easiest way to help is directly to the Red Cross
  • If you have iTunes (who doesn't) you can also donate directly from the iTunes store
  • Facebook has set up a donation banner that makes it simple to click and donate
  • For those of us in Southern California, if you "like" the SoCal Edison Facebook page they will donate $5 per person (up to $5,000)
  • You can also donate directly to PeDRO (Philippine Disaster Relief Organization)
  • Lastly, LA Kings fans, if you donate $100 through the Kings Care Foundation you can get 2 tickets to the November 19 or November 21 game. Click here to donate. 

I know that the people of the Philippines would appreciate anything you can donate. 
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Manila

Some pictures from around Manila during my visit. 
One of the most unique things about Manila is that everything is attached to a mall. Whether it was our office building, our hotel or the theme park I visited. The Mall would usually take up the first 2-3 floors and then the lobby of whatever building you were visiting would be above that. 

As you can see in the picture to the left, our hotel/apartment sits on top of a mall that contained restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe and CPK, a grocery store where we would get our food and phone cards to call home as well as retail establishments you would see in any mall in the U.S.. 
Click on the pictures below to see full sized versions. 
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Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago was a highlight of one of my "free days" in the city. Sitting just on the waterfront of Manila Bay it displays much of the Spanish influence that is certainly a huge part of the Filipino culture. 
Click on the pictures below to see full sized versions. 
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Star City

One of the more interesting places I visited on my trip was to Star City, a small amusement park near the bay. It is an indoor/outdoor park and as you'll see from some of the pictures below, respecting "intellectual property" isn't something high on the list of this particular amusement park. It did however make for a truly memorable visit. 
Click on the pictures below to see full sized versions. 
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One of the more "unique" attractions was the Peter Pan walk-through. if you've ridden the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland, this is pretty much a scene-by-scene walk-through of the attraction complete with London flyover while walking on a cat walk. 
Click on the pictures below to see full sized versions. 
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Lastly, these are some pictures of my students. To them I was known as "Lolo Gregg", which if you know anything about Philippine culture is a term of endearment. These were my "kids" for my time out there. Hard working people who desperately need our help right now. 

And yes, before you ask, that's me singing and playing guitar (badly) on our last night of class. 
Click on the pictures below to see full sized versions. 
So if there is anything you can do, please help. I know there have been a lot of stories this week about the need for help but I hope my personal story about the people who actually need our help right now will help just a little bit. 


Gregg
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