Scenes from the actual storm and aftermath, why I started this personalized campaign, who it will help,and a plea for your support. I’ll be filming the disbursement of funds so you can see where and to whom your money actually goes!
If you can’t support at the moment, then please share, like and help spread the word! Be Strong! CNMI Strong!
My Typhoon Yutu account for those who’re asking how I fared:
Super Typhoon Yutu hit the Northern Mariana islands of Saipan and Tinian on October 25, 2018. With winds of over 180 miles per hour. The howling winds kept me awake all night, and THEN at about 2am as the winds got more intense, I realized that the sliding glass doors of my bedroom balcony were shaking and shuddering. I had to stand and brace them from 2am to 7am STRAIGHT (old mattress on the outside; arm strength and body weight on the inside) because the entire frame had come loose and a really strong wind would have ripped it out for sure! I couldn’t risk letting go for even a second or else I might now have a gaping hole in my back wall! Three of the five apartments with balcony sliding doors lost theirs.(see photos on blog)
And, of course, while in mortal danger fighting against the elements and 180 mile-per-hour winds, in the dark, on a 13 mile long island in the vast, raging western Pacific ocean, I did the next most logical thing anyone in my situation would have done at that moment: I took out my selfie stick, attached my smartphone and video recorded it!
On a serious note, however, there was much damage left in the typhoon’s wake. I’ve started a GoFundMe campaign to help a few people of the hundreds here on island who have been left homeless. Please check it out
I was recently interviewed by Bob Coldeen of KSPN2 News here on Saipan about the upcoming writers’ workshop on Tinian!
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Last month’s issue of Saipan’s Beach Road Magazine featured a special Labor Day article with interviews with four locally-based professionals. Thanks to a recommendation from Bestseller Bookstore manager, Marlon Regaton, I was asked to be one of them Click on the cover image to read the full article!
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A few months ago, I gave some producers from the China Travel Channel a tour of the island. Just got an email from Alex with a gift! Using some of the shots of us together, they created a short promotional video I can use to reach more of the Chinese tourists Saipan is attracting!
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Back on sunny Saipan after a stint in New York, so here’s a bit of catch-up! Saipan author, Riza Oledan-Ramos and I just recently published a book entitled Drinking Seawater: of storms and survival. It is Riza’s account of her experience during Typhoon Soudelor that hit Saipan on August 2-3, 2015. At one point, during the height of the storm, she and her entire family had to flee their apartment and were outside in the 150-mph winds! It’s an amazing story!
After a recent recognition ceremony at the Governor’s conference room on Capitol Hill, Saipan Tribune reporter, Jon Perez interviewed Riza and me about the book and gave a great review
Sharing my reasons for co-writing/editing with Riza (photos by Ferdinand Ramos)
Riza explains passages in the book while co-author and coach Walt looks on
Author being interviewed
Interviewing Ferdinand, Riza’s husband and Soudelor co-survivor
Drinking Seawater is available at Bestseller Bookstore here on Saipan, through Riza’s website, and on Amazon.
Congratulations to Riza on a great read! Thanks to Jon Perez for a great review in the Tribune. Thanks also to Zaldy Dandan, editor of the Marianas Variety, for his pre-publication input and his great editorial review in the Variety.
Sharing another Saipan-specific product: Saipan Now!
October 2015. Well, it’s happened again! Back on Oct 12, the island of Saipan was visited by the Holland America cruise ship, the Statendam, and some of their passengers got treated to a personalized Jamaican on Saipan tour experience! Here are some photos from the day!
In years past, I’ve had singer and entertainer Gus Kaipat, Carolinian elder Lino Olopai, Humanities Council director Scott Russell as special guest guides for my tours!
Unlike any other tour available that day, we could boast that we had Robert Hunter, the director of the CNMI museum, as the special guest guide for our clients! Thanks, Robert!
Picking up vans in the morning.
The Statendam docks!
Entering the port with Statendam in the background
Getting through the chaos in the parking lot
Click here to watch and listen to the welcome at Memorial Park
Touring the Memorial Park grounds
Robert Hunter keeps ’em enthralled at the Carolinian Village Utt
A light moment while spam shopping!
Okay, let’s roll!
Entering the Bomb Magazine at As Lito
Inside the Bomb Magazine
We had four vans rolling convoy style around the island!
At Lao Lao Bay golf course
Posing with the Ladies of the Statendam!
Overlooking the Statendam
Banzai Cliff
Revealing secrets
Driver/Guide Catherine confers with Robert
“I think it’s THAT way!”
The Last Command Post
Robert shares some history
My troopers were willing to brave the elements muddy water and all to get inside and experience a bit of history
Inside the Command Post
Bird Island
Of course, there was a whole lot more we shared during the day, but you’ll have to book your own personalized tour to get the full experience!
Special thanks to photographer, Ferdinand Ramos of facebook.com/paradisesaipan, and also to Willy from Fiji, Microl Toyota, Hertz, Kathy Odle, Cathie Slota and to all the guests who made the day special! To book your own tour, visit www.discoversaipan.com!
For those of you who are inquiring, I was not on Saipan at the time of Typhoon Soudelor, but thank you for all the inquiries about my safety as well as the well-being of everyone on island. I’ve been in touch with a few people on Saipan, and while the island was, in fact, battered, there have been no reports of any fatalities. Here are some resources to keep up to date:
Video of drive through Beach Road and Middle Road
News report about gas lines and essential services:
Saipan’s Local Newscasts
https://kspn2.com/archive-v.asp
Admit it! You’re dying to know what I listen to while
I write my books and enjoy life on Saipan, or during airport layovers while I travel! Therefore, I offer to you:
THE JAMAICAN ON SAIPAN’S TOP 10 FAVORITE COUNTRY SONGS
Following a recent conversation with a friend about the music we listened to growing up, I decided to spend a few hours compiling a list. My favorite country music songs are from the 70s and 80s. (Yes, we listened to all types of music in Jamaica!) In my humble opinion, Country artists/writers have great lyrical dexterity, great melodies, great hooks and represent all around great music making!
The following are in no particular order, but if you’d like to know which song I listen to most often, it would probably be Ronnie Milsap’s He Got You (#3a)
Most of these youtube versions I found have the lyrics onscreen for your contemplation. Please take a listen to a few. Even if country’s not your thing, take a little adventure with me and let me know what you think! Thanks!
1. Your Memory by Steve Wariner
2. Middle Aged Crazy by Jerry Lee Lewis
3. He Got You & Any Day Now by Ronnie Milsap
4. Foolhearted Memory by George Strait
5. Highway 40 Blues by Ricky Skaggs
6. I Don’t Need You by Kenny Rogers
7. Luckenbach Texas by Waylon Jennings
8. Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton
9. Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle
10. I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool by Barbara Mandrell and George Jones
If you’re hearing any of these for the first time, I’d love to
get your feedback and which ones stand out to you!
Chinese Idol Group SNH48 films video on Saipan
As I prepare for the next “Jamaican in China” nomadpreneur travel adventure starting with Macau in a few days, I’ll share my most recent “passionpreneur/follow your passion and do what you love/Jamaican on Saipan/saipanpreneur” adventure!
Now it can be told!
Back in January, ZanyBros, Korea’s biggest video production company (known for their work with K-pop artists in the global “Hanryu” Korean Wave pop culture explosion) , contacted me to help them arrange a video shoot on Saipan for Chinese idol group, SNH48, for their latest release. After months of planning and preparation, an advanced team arrived on March 17, the remaining film crew arrived on March 20, and filming took place from Saturday March 21 to Monday March 23. Here are just a few of the 1200 photos documenting the project with me as location manager along with my project partner, Chang Yoon Suk, PR Director of the Korean Association here on Saipan.
(photos by Ferdinand Ramos)
Meeting Director Kim, Assistant Director Lee, and Producer Nomura at the airport
Chang, me, Lee, Kim and Nomura scouting locations days before the shoot
Chang has an idea
Shooting around the island ( Banzai Cliff) 24 artists, 25 artist support staff, 17 film crew, 5 fifteen-passenger vans, 2 siennas, 2 pickup trucks, Korean-English translator, Korean-Mandarin translator, drivers, equipment, generator….now let the fun begin!
Doing the location manager thing…
Internationally famous Carolinian singer, Gus Kaipat, as sound engineer
Drivers for a day, Mario, Conrad, Kevin, Alejandrof, along with me and Nomura
Producer Nomura, Chang, Marlin and me
On location at the Bird Island trail
Behind Hyatt Hotel
Camera on the ground, camera on the crane, camera in the air
Me and a little more than a quarter of SNH48
Chillin’ with the local crew
Watching the filming…it’s a great gig if you can get it!
Final shot at the airport with ZanyBros! (photo by one of “Saipan’s Finest!”)
The weather was perfect!
And with our international team consisting of a Chilean overseas marketing producer, Korean film crew, Chinese artists, Japanese producer, along with a uniquely Saipan mix of Chamorro and Filipino drivers, Carolinian sound engineer, vendor owners and hotel managers from Czech Republic, Bangladesh, India, Russia, Korea, Hong Kong and the United States, along with one Jamaican location manager, we pulled it off! Things went smoothly, and all filming was finished in three days! Stay tuned for info on the release of the video and see if you can identify the various filming locations around Saipan!
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Angelina at ZanyBros, Nancy McDowell and Pamela at Hyatt Hotel; Kazu, Martin, Das and Joseph at Fiesta Hotel; Helen, Yukari and Yulia at Aqua Resort; Hafa Adai Hotel; Doug Brennan and Jocelyn Pangelinan at Microl Toyota; Alex and Kit at Hertz; Divine at Islander Car Rental; Ephraim at Thrifty Car Rental; Tati and Shane at the Department of Public Lands; Top Development; Coastal Resources Management; Saipan TV, Noli at Marianas Studio; Domingo at Hanmi Hardware; Gus Kaipat; Cinta Kaipat; Lino Olopai, John Joyner; Joe Hill; Godfather’s Beach Bar; Anna Chang and the staff at Canton Restaurant; Byung Hoon Park at The Grill Hai (Fusion) restaurant; Frank Li at U-Save Car Rental; Darlene and Debra at Joeten Supermarket; Joseph at Island Equipment Rental; Gordon Marciano; Mario, Alex, Conrad, Jude, Kevin, Alejandrof, Gids, Dave, and Joe , Ichi Ban Marine Sports, plus all the security personnel, front desk clerks, and other staff, plus extra special thanks to photographer, Ferdinand Ramos, for capturing it all!
Check out SNH48 at https://www.snh48.com and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNH48
Read more about the idol group phenomenon which started in Japan at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol
Check out ZanyBros at https://www.zanybros.com
Read more about business services (location management/logistics) at SaipanBookings Business Services
I went snorkeling last week. You may be asking yourself why this fact and occurrence is worthy of a blog post. Well, I’ll tell you. I grew up in Jamaica, but never learned to swim. I learned to swim in college in the states and had a near-drowning experience during the semester. Consequently, I’ve lived on a tropical paradise since 2006 and have never gone more than ankle deep in the waters. That changed last week.
Two recent guests from Germany visited Saipan to experience diving at the Grotto and Wing Beach as well as snorkeling at Obyan and Pau Pau and convinced me to get my feet wet, so to speak, so I did! (Those Germans can be quite persuasive!) I also had a great teacher (Thanks, Yumi!)
So, here are the exclusive shots of me enjoying my first-ever glimpse of life beneath the waters of Saipan!
Jamaican with the Germans! Claudia and Christian from Berlin! Gosh, that guy is skinny!
Gotta make sure this contraption doesn’t slip out!
Breathing was easier than I thought! Yep, I’ve got the hang of this!
Processing the new experience before part 2!
Hellooooooo starfish!
“Welcome to OUR world,” said the Damsel Fish (at least I think they’re Damsel Fish)
Christian and me, under the sea
Wrapping up the day with dinner at 360 Revolving Restaurant. l. to r. Christian, Claudia, Yumi, Me
Next milestone: Scuba diving!
BREAKING NEWS! On Tuesday, July 22, 2014, between 11:30am and 1pm, a group of about a dozen culinary adventurers transformed the Northern Marianas College (NMC) Boardroom into Vegetarian Central Station!
Yes, it’s true! It was an event conceived and spearheaded by Lisa Hacskaylo, long time Saipan resident, currently working with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at the college. With the support of NMC Radiant (a newly formed group focused on improving the health and wellness of everyone at NMC) and The Spirit Squad (A group of employees who lead activities that promote camaraderie and team spirit!), whose members contributed to purchase the food and supplies, I was invited to do a brief, healthy cooking demonstration for folks looking to lose weight, have more energy and simply eat healthier!
The day before the event, we went shopping around island (Joeten, I Luv Saipan, 99 Cents Store, Sunleader, San Jose Mart and Payless) for all the ingredients–from coconut oil to dried mushrooms to broccoli, Terra Chips (and, Lara bars, of course) and much more! Locally-grown avocados for my magic coleslaw provided courtesy of group members.
In attendance at this groundbreaking event was a mix of administrators, staff, and faculty from all over the campus.
The event was a success, and as difficult as it may be to believe, 11 people were fed (albeit small portions) and not a single animal was harmed in the process!
THIS JUST IN: Word’s getting around, and according to feedback I just received from Lisa: “The NMC Breakpoint Cafe (snack bar) is now going to offer brown rice and a vegetarian stir fry dish prepared with coconut oil as a lunch option once a week–every Wednesday. Yipee! It’s a HUGE start!”
Stay tuned for more!
(Yep, I think I’m getting better at writing compelling headlines! Made you look!)
Lisa kicks things off with a welcome and introduction
Healthy shopping tips, products and dishes!
…And not a single animal was harmed during the preparation of this meal
left to right: Christopher Morabe, Amanda Allen, Ivyanne Ealy, Ni Deleon Guerrero, Frankie Eliptico, Jacqueline Che, Lisa Hacskaylo, Velma Deleon Guerrero, and the Jamaican vegan on Saipan. (Not shown: Floyd Masga and Jack Kiyoshi.)
