All posts by jamaicaninchina

"Once upon a time, there was a Jamaican civil engineer living in New York City who hated his job. He followed his passion, started a sideline business publishing his own books, quit his job, escaped the rat race, ran off to a tropical island in the Pacific, and started a tourism business so he could give tours of the island to pretty girls every day! He now lives a nomadpreneur's dream life, while helping others do the same!" This is his story: Read more at : https://www.jamaicanonsaipan.com/
2011

The Changing Face of Saipan Tourism

With a title like that, I’m sure you expected a lengthy article. However, this is just a quick observation.

First of all, if you’re not aware, Saipan is a tourist island. Traditionally, visitors from its closest international neighbor–Japan–comprised the majority of visitors. In recent months, and then pivotally, as a result of the ongoing nuclear situation in Japan, visitors from that country have dropped to record lows.

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese tourists is increasing. One source on island told me the number of Chinese hotel occupants has doubled from last year.

Personally, I’ve also been meeting some great people from Shanghai and Hong Kong throughout my own travels around the island, and also through my DestinationSaipan site.

I also believe that what Saipan is really offering, as well as what people are attracted to is changing slightly, but more on that later.


Hotel on Saipan


Tourists enjoying a Saipan sunset. I think I may have seen my first green flash!


The changing face of Saipan tourism! Welcome Shanghai!

2011

If you happen to be on Saipan this Sunday, May 29th…

Grab a radio and tune in!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Local author and entrepreneur to appear on “Your Humanities Half-Hour”

SAIPAN, CNMI— The NMI Council for the Humanities will feature author, entrepreneur and former Saipan Tribune columnist Walt F. J. Goodridge on its weekly radio show this Sunday, May 29, on Power 99 FM from 2:00 to 2:30 pm.

Goodridge will discuss the personal journey that led to his life of writing and travel. He will also share ideas about how writing in this age of advanced technology and global connectivity can empower local writers and artists to share their work and passion beyond the CNMI.

“Writing, blogging and a little internet savvy can expose the work of local writers and artists to a global consumer audience,” says Goodridge. “My goal is to share some success stories, some ideas and some secrets that I and others are using to do just that. It’s much easier than people realize.”

Originally from the island of Jamaica, Goodridge is a former civil engineer who hated his job, followed his passion, walked away from his career and, in 2006, “escaped” from New York City, where he lived for most of his life, and moved to Saipan. He is the author of 20 books, several blogs, and is the founder of the WeLoveSaipan.com website.

“Your Humanities Half-Hour” is supported in part by a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is directed and hosted by noted media personality Catherine Rosario Perry. The weekly show features local and visiting humanities scholars, students, community organizations, and other special guests who discuss humanities projects and issues of interest in the NMI.

According to Rosario-Perry, Goodridge’s insights and experiences on this week’s show will “help people to make the connection between culture and communication, to develop ways to write about, and thereby preserve the culture while incorporating technology in a world that requires certain modern skills in order to survive and prosper.”

For more information on the Council, visit www.nmihumanities.org.

 

 

 

 

2011

Passing the time on Sunny Saipan

In addition to the usual jogging, writing, sleeping and shopping that I do here on Saipan, there are also a few things to spice up the weekends!




Friday evening, a quick stop at Saipan’s GIG nightclub


Watch a little dancing, inhale a bit of second-hand smoke, call it a night!


Saturday: grab an hour of direct sunlight….(note to self: take photo first, disrobe second)


Saturday evening: attended high school graduation for Saipan International School


Proud family and friends


Then, more fun at the annual Taste of the Marianas


Fire dancers!


Watched a performance at World Resort….called it a night

2011

What do Jamaica, Mauritania and Libya have in common?

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Okay, so here’s the story. Did you know that the Jamaican flag is the ONLY  flag of the 196 or so world flags that DOES NOT have red, blue or white in it? In other words, every other flag of every other country shares the common trait of having a spot of red, a dash of blue or a smidgen of white somewhere in the design!

Well, that’s what I proudly boasted to a friend of mine recently. However, I admitted to him that I got that bit of Jamaican trivia straight from an internet email that was making the rounds, so I qualified my boast by promising to verify it on my own. And this I have done.

With a multitude of official world flag sites to choose from, I chose  https://www.markfennell.com/flags/  to conduct my research. Turns out that internet email was 98.9% correct. (See for yourself!)


Jamaica’s flag is black, green and gold, and things seemed to be going quite well, until I got to Mauritania!

 


Mauritania’s is  green and yellow. [According to wikipedia: The colors of green and gold are considered Pan-African colors.[3] Green is also used to symbolize Islam, and the gold for the sands of the Sahara desert. The crescent and star are symbols of Islam, which is the major religion in the nation. Some writers have also speculated that green symbolizes a bright future, and growth.]


And then, there’s Libya! [According to wikipedia: The Libya Flag was officially adopted on November 11, 1977. It is the only flag in the whole world with just one single color. There are no designs, insignia or other details on the flag of Libya . The green color is the symbol for Islam which emphasizes the long devotion and respect of people to their religion. Green is also the national color of the country. The first national flag of modern Libya was adopted in 1951, when the country gained independence. The symbols and colors on the Libyan flag have constantly been changing until 1977 when the current one was adopted. The green color also stands for Gaddafi’s “Green Revolution.”

 

But there are two caveats!

As a result of the 2011 Libyan civil war, there are currently two entities claiming to be the government of Libya. They are the (1) Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya led by Muammar al-Gaddafi (all green flag above), and

(2) the Libyan Republic led by a National Transitional Council.

 

So, if you support the Libyan Republic claim of power, then their version of the Libyan flag does have red and white in it. Which would make Jamaica and Mauritania the only countries that do NOT share red, white or blue with every other country!

 

2011

Patois public service: the Jamaican word cyah

Quite a few people have recently stumbled upon my blog in search of the definition of the Jamaican patois word “cyah.” So, as a public service (and as a way of getting more visitors), I’ll do my part to help with the development of the Jamaican patois lexicon. The word cyah (pronounced key-ah, but not as two syllables) is the Jamaican pronunciation of can’t. As in, “Dem cyah find Osama bin Laden,” which, translated, would be “They cannot find Osama bin Laden.”

As a further public service, I’ve included an audio clip of how a Jamaican would say the above sentence. Don’t thank me, just send money.



Click here for mp3 audio of cyah

2011

Chicken Feathers excerpt featured in French textbook!

[Encouragement for self-published authors] While I was in China, I was contacted by Editions Bordas, a French textbook publisher requesting the rights to publish an extract of Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin: Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan, a book I co-authored with former factory worker, Chun  Yu Wang, and that I published independently. (Order on Amazon)

An excerpt of the request letter reads: “We are currently preparing a school book entitled Missions 1re Lycée (code 732771) which will be published in paper form in April 2011 and designed for 16-17 years old pupils….

We would like to obtain your permission to use and reproduce an excerpt taken from Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin: Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan by Chun Yu Wang (Please see below) in this textbook in all formats and for all countries…..this extract will be used for our school book by students who are studying the English language….We would be most grateful if you would grant us this permission for the period of exploitation of the textbook…. Please note that the excerpt will be used for pedagogical purposes by teachers and students in the French education system.”

We corresponded and negotiated the licensing fee via email, I provided the requested information, and now, after much anticipation, the book is finally available! Here are some images showing how the excerpt is being used. Click on image to view enlarged

The topic of the lesson is understanding the “American Dream.” Here is the single page featuring the excerpt:

full two-page spread:

In the phraseology of mentor of mine, “I share this not to IMPRESS you, but to IMPRESS UPON you…” just what is achievable even as a self-published author!

I wish much success to the publishers and to the students learning English! If you read French, (or even if not), you can learn more about the publishers at the Editions Bordas website. (Thanks to Anabelle and Audrey at Editions Bordas for their help!)

2011

Tony Cordoza, Boy Genius!

My friend, Tony Cordoza, is a genius! Here’s how I know.

A few weeks ago, I announced the completion of two books I had started to write while in Hainan, China. As a result of the email to a few subscribers, I made a few advanced sales of the The Coffeepot Cookbook, as well as Living True To Your Self.  However, I hadn’t yet gone forward with the actual printing of Living True because I still wasn’t 100% happy with the cover image for the book.

Over the years, as a result of (1) being a “control freak,” (2) working under impractical, self-imposed deadlines (“I need it yesterday!”), (3) being prone to making many last-minute changes, (4) being convinced of my own artistic superiority, and (5) congenital frugality (read: cheapness), I’ve always found it easier to design my own covers.

For Living True, I had gone through about 5 different ideas for the cover (each having been posted on the www.livingtruetoyourself.com site). So, after my 5th attempt, I sought the input of my photographer friend, Tony Cordoza.

Now, Tony and I go a long way back. He’s taken all of the headshots I’ve used on my websites, books, columns and for my media kits. He took the photos for the covers of the records for the groups I marketed during my record label days, and I have, in fact, used his still shots and conceptual designs for a few of my previous books.Image: The God Squad: Blow ’em Out Like Candles…back in the day!

He’s an artist who goes to great lengths to get things perfect. I remember going shopping late at night at a construction supplies outlet a few years back to get a brick which Tony then painstakingly chiseled for hours by hand (while I watched, with pina colada in my hand), lit expertly in his studio, and then shot for the amazing cover of my book, The Tao of Wow. Now, there’s a true Wow Master!

So, Tony sent me a few conceptual images he had laying around, and I picked the one that “spoke” to me and created a cover. I liked it, but, couldn’t decide whether to use it, or stick to something a little more literal. Even until just 2 days ago, based on some feedback I had gotten from a few friends, I had decided to go with a “rocks on the beach” shot of me I took recently. I wrote to Tony and told him of my decision even though I really liked his concept. He replied:

“I get what you are saying, but remember you started the conversation with the words you want people to think outside the box. The shot of the rocks, sea and sky is very pedestrian, expected, uninspired, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, mundane, vanilla, should I go-on.:-)  I am not just saying that because it is my image.  Forget what other people say and make the decision based on what the image does for you and what you see in it. The image with the boxes is very conceptual and thought provoking. If I saw that beach scene cover on a bookstore shelf, I would never give it a second look.” [that’s the sort of valuable, professional advice you pay thousands for!]

So, taking the advice of an internationally famous photographer whose work has appeared on magazine covers, books, ad campaigns, etc. I went with it.  So…

At 9:30am, I uploaded the files to my createspace account.

At 10:00am I uploaded the new image to the livingtruetoyourself.com website,

At 4:00pm, createspace responded that the  files were ready for proofing.

By 5:00pm I approved the files for publication.

12 hours later, at 5:00am, the next day, I woke to find that a sale had come through the website!

In other words, in less than 24 hours from the moment I chose Tony’s image, it generated income.

As I wrote in an email to Tony a few minutes later:

The book wasn’t being actively promoted as yet, so the visits to the site have been “onesies and twosies” with no sales. However, I uploaded the graphic just a few hours ago, and the very next person who visited the site made a purchase. Since the various previous (my own) cover images were up on the site for many weeks without a sale, I myself attribute this “out of the blue” sale to the new cover! THANKS, boy Genius!! –W

Now, perhaps there’s no way to really know if that particular sale would have come through with the beach scene cover instead of Tony’s image. Perhaps my sales copy on the site would have been compelling enough to do it, but Tony’s statement about not giving the cover a second look if it were on a shelf is what pushed me over the edge. I realized he was right! I had been too focused on creating a cover that Walt Goodridge liked, rather than one that was compelling. When I looked at it from the point of view of a neutral observer, I found myself wanting to get in closer to see what the cover and the book was all about.

So, my point is this: when I tell you that I know a great photographer you should use, it’s not just because he’s my friend. Visit www.tonycordoza.com

What’s that? Oh, you want to see Tony’s image that I’m using for the book? Well, you’ll have to visit www.livingtruetoyourself.com to see for yourself!
And while you’re there, please share your opinions and take the Living True Survey Before (and after) ordering (Also available on Amazon!)

Also, check out Tony’s new coffeetable book:
Contemporary Tribal Markings

 

2011

The Money I Breathe….

Just finished reading Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health and Happiness by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Just thought I’d share a life rhyme I wrote that was inspired by the following concept in the book:

“In the same way that you understand that you do not have to attempt the impossible task of drawing enough air into your lungs to last all day or all week or all year–but instead you easily breathe in and out, always receiving what you want or need whenever you want or need it–money can flow in and out of your experience with the same ease once you achieve that expectation of Eternal abundance.

All the money that you want is available for you to receive. All you have to do is allow it into your experience. And as the money flows in, you can gently allow it to flow out, for like the air you breathe, there will always be more to flow.

You do not have to guard your money (like holding your breath) and not letting it out because there will not be any more coming. More is coming.”–end of book excerpt

That concept inspired the following life rhyme:

The Money I Breathe

(I ONCE BELIEVED)
The money I breathe is restricted
there’s just not enough to go ’round
must make as much as I can
so that I’m not a poor man
so to this treadmill I’m perpetually bound

The money I breathe means survival
For without it I flounder and gasp
And for years I held tight
ever secure I was right
to never let it slip from my grasp

(BUT NOW I KNOW THAT)
The money I breathe is abundant
There’s no need that I hoard it in fear
How absurd if I seek
to breathe in advance for a week
for like air, more will always be there

The money I breathe feeds the moment
and enhances my life in the now
And the good it can do
means it must pass on through
more will come when I simply allow
–W.G.