🌊 SURF 'N TURF 🏝️
-THE BORACAY ISLAND LIFE-
TasteAtlas Awards 25/26: Best Cheeses and Cured Meats in the World.
Check out the full lists for the ultimate cold cuts platter: https://www.tasteatlas.com/best/foods-by-category
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TasteAtlas Awards 25/26: Best Cheeses and Cured Meats in the World.
Check out the full lists for the ultimate cold cuts platter: https://www.tasteatlas.com/best/foods-by-category
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🌴Boracay Sunset Today– 
December 26, 2025🌅
The Fight of the Century:
Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali, 1971 🥊
On that March night, the world seemed to pause. Ali was back from exile, defiant and brilliant; Frazier stood unbeaten, the relentless heavyweight champion.
Inside Madison Square Garden, the air crackled with tension as sport, politics, and spectacle collided. Watched by an estimated 300 million people worldwide, the bout went the full fifteen rounds.
Then came the moment that sealed history: Frazier’s thunderous left hook sent Ali to the canvas in the final round, earning Joe a unanimous decision and carving the fight into legend.
At ringside, the Garden transformed into a living portrait of the era. Film stars, musicians, writers, politicians, and infamous figures packed shoulder to shoulder, Diana Ross, Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Dylan, and Burt Lancaster, who even lent his voice to the closed-circuit broadcast.
When Frank Sinatra couldn’t secure a ringside seat, he arrived with press credentials instead, photographing the fight for Life magazine; his images would become part of the night’s mythology. Meanwhile, artist LeRoy Neiman captured the action live on canvas.
Beyond the ropes, the scene was just as electric. Harlem kingpin Frank Lucas made a jaw-dropping entrance outside the Garden in a $125,000 chinchilla coat and matching hat, an ostentatious flourish that caught law enforcement’s eye and entered boxing lore.
The surviving photographs freeze it all in time: flashbulbs bursting, celebrity glamour, raw bravado, and a New York night that felt endless.
More than a fight, it was a cultural earthquake, one evening when boxing stood at the very center of the world.
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Jimi Hendrix used to stick his guitar into his Marshall amplifiers on stage while playing.
This is what the audience couldn't see: the technicians behind the amplifiers struggling to keep them from falling over. The backstage action in 1969.
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Of all the novels that have tried to capture the soul of America, none burns with the desperate, gilded tragedy of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
It is not merely a story of love and loss, but the definitive poetic autopsy of the American Dream—a dream of infinite promise curdled into a spectacle of hollow wealth and relentless yearning.
The tale unfolds through the observant, gradually disillusioned eyes of Nick Carraway, who rents a modest cottage on Long Island in the summer of 1922. His neighbor is the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, a man of impossible wealth and legendary parties, whose mansion blazes nightly with the laughter of strangers he barely knows. Across the bay, glowing with a green light at the end of her dock, lives Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan—Gatsby’s lost love, now trapped in the "vast carelessness" of her marriage to the brutish, old-money aristocrat Tom Buchanan.
Gatsby’s entire colossal existence—the parties, the mansion, the imported shirts, the fabricated past—is a meticulously constructed engine with one purpose: to rewrite history, to erase the five years since he lost Daisy, and to reclaim a perfect, idealized moment from the past. His dream is achingly specific and fundamentally naïve. He believes that if he can just accumulate enough dazzling proof of his success, he can buy back the love and status that money alone can never secure. His famous line, "Can't repeat the past?... Why of course you can!" is the novel’s heartbreaking thesis.
Fitzgerald’s prose is liquid gold and sharp crystal. He paints the Jazz Age in all its thrilling, corrupt splendor: the frantic parties, the flowing gin, the careless laughter that masks profound emptiness. The characters are icons of human frailty: Daisy, the "golden girl" whose voice is "full of money," representing the unattainable prize; Tom, the embodiment of cruel, entitled power; and Gatsby himself, the great self-made illusionist, whose authentic hope is corrupted by his inauthentic means.
The novel’s crescendo is a masterstroke of tragic irony and violence, where carelessness and obsession collide with devastating consequences. In the end, Gatsby’s funeral is as empty as his parties were full. The crowds who fed on his hospitality vanish; only Nick remains to bear witness to the profound loneliness at the heart of the American spectacle. The green light—the symbol of Gatsby’s future with Daisy—is revealed for what it always was: a receding dream, forever out of reach on the other side of the dark water.
In essence, The Great Gatsby is a eulogy for a dream. It is Fitzgerald’s immortal argument that the pursuit of a future defined solely by material success and romanticized memory is a ticket to ruin. The book’s enduring power lies in its devastating beauty and its timeless warning: we are all, in some way, straining toward our own green lights, and we must be careful not to confuse the glitter of what we want with the substance of what is real.
It is the great American novel because it asks the great American question:
When does hope become a dangerous, beautiful lie?
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Kenyan warrior and his jewelry, featuring buttons, chains, metal sequins, and a bow tie pendant made of brightly colored beads meticulously stitched onto a cowhide backing.
Photo by: Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher, authors of many great books on Africa and it's unique beauty.
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On this day in 1981, the AC/DC LP
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” went to #1 on the UK Albums Chart
(December 26)
AC/DC’s eighth studio album was the follow-up to the massively successful “Back in Black” LP, so the pressure was on.
And while it wasn’t as huge as “Back in Black” it was still a major success.
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” would become AC/DC's first and only #1 album in the US until the release of “Black Ice” in October 2008.
It remained in the #1 spot on the US Billboard 200 for three weeks.
(FYI - “Back in Black” was the best-selling album that never reached the top spot in the US)
It also went Top 5 in the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy, and Top 10 in New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and Austria.
In their original 1981 review, Rolling Stone magazine called “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” AC/DC’s best album to date…
To finish, I’ll quote Dewey Finn (Jack Black) from the movie School of Rock, when he says to the class: "In the words of AC/DC: We roll tonight ... to the guitar bite ... and for those about to rock ... I salute you".
#acdc, #forthoseabouttorock, #ForThoseAboutToRockWeSaluteYou, #BrianJohnson, #angusyoung, #rockmusic, #malcolmyoung, #80smusic, #80srock, #dailyrockhistory, #rockhistory, #thisdayinmusic, #onthisday, #thisdayinrock
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🤿 "Something wicked this way comes"
"It's a good day to dive". 🤿
🤿 "Something wicked this way comes"
The kora is a traditional West African string instrument made from a calabash gourd, animal hide, and strings. It is historically played by griots (also called jeli), who are musicians, historians, and storytellers in societies such as the Mandinka, Wolof, and Fulani.
The kora is used to preserve oral history, genealogy, and moral teachings. Through music, griots pass knowledge from one generation to the next, making the kora not just an instrument, but a living archive of culture and memory.
#AfricanCulture #KoraMusic #WestAfricanHeritage #AfricanMusic #AfricanHistory #CulturalEducation #AfricanInstruments #CulturalWisdom #AfricanHeritage #AfricaPhotography #AfricanCulture #African #Africa #PhotoOfTheDay #Photography #dacikey #knowyourrootsandshowitoff
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Everyday etiquettes help ensure smooth and respectful interactions with others.
Following these fundamental routines can improve your relationships and project a positive image in various situations:::
General Interactions
Mind your manners: Use "please," "thank you," and "you're welcome" often. Good manners show you respect others.
Be punctual: Arrive on time for meetings, social gatherings, and appointments. Punctuality respects other people's time.
Listen actively: Give people your full attention when they speak, without interrupting.
Respect personal space: Be mindful of others' physical boundaries and avoid crowding them unnecessarily.
Maintain proper hygiene: Good personal hygiene is crucial for your well-being and considerate of those around you.
Dress appropriately: Consider the occasion and dress code of your workplace or event.
Apologize when necessary: A sincere apology can mend a situation when you've made a mistake.
Public Settings
Control your volume: Be mindful of the noise level of your conversations and media, especially in quiet places like libraries, public transport, or waiting rooms.
Queue properly: Wait your turn in lines and avoid cutting in front of others.
Hold doors for others: A simple, polite gesture that can make someone's day a little easier.
Give up your seat: Offer your seat on public transport to the elderly, pregnant women, or those who are less able to stand.
Dining Etiquette
Wait to eat: Do not start eating until everyone at the table has been served and the host begins.
Chew with your mouth closed: A basic yet essential rule of table manners.
Use appropriate utensils: Familiarize yourself with basic place settings to use the correct fork, knife, and spoon for each course.
Keep elbows off the table: Rest your hands in your lap when you are not eating.
Ask to be excused: Wait for an appropriate time to leave the table during a meal, such as between courses, and ask permission before doing so.
Digital Etiquette (Netiquette)
Be present: When spending time with others, put your phone away and avoid constant checking of texts or social media.
Avoid shouting online: Typing in all capital letters is generally considered rude, as it can be interpreted as yelling.
Be concise and clear: Write emails and messages that are easy to read and understand.
Respect privacy: Do not share others' personal information, photos, or private messages without their consent.
Think before you post: Remember that anything you post online can be permanent and easily shared .
These simple actions form the basis of good etiquette and contribute to more harmonious daily life.
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Gauntlets made for king Philip II of Spain. Augsburg, Germany, 1550
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Here's the one-off 1966/67 Ford Magic Cruiser.
Based on the 1966 Ford Galaxie, the Ford Magic Cruiser combines the ideas of a sports station wagon and a fastback.
One of the specifications given to George Barris, who was hired by Ford to build the car, was that the movable roof section rise within seven seconds.
A series of aircraft hydraulic systems, screw jacks, and a switch on the dash made that possible.
Lowering the tailgate allowed for easy entry to a rear-facing third seat and like Ford’s production station wagons the second and third seats could be folded down for additional cargo storage.
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1513–1733 — Salamanca’s New Cathedral is a time capsule in stone: Late Gothic drama, Renaissance balance, and Plateresque richness woven into one monumental façade.
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In 1923, Wilson Bentley captured the first-ever successful images, or "photomicrographs," of a single snowflake. ❄️
Through trial and error, Bentley perfected a technique to photograph crystals through a microscope, hoping to highlight the beauty of nature and the uniqueness of each flake.
"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others,” Bentley later said. His work was published in National Geographic magazine, showcasing the delicate beauty and geometry of snow crystals.
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The 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Silver Cloud A rolling work of art for a new era.
On this day in 1965, The Who’s LP “My Generation” debuted on the UK Albums Chart at #19 (December 25)
The album was made immediately after the Who got their first singles on the charts and according to the booklet in the Deluxe Edition, it was later dismissed by the band as something of a rush job that did not accurately represent their stage performance of the time.
While it didn't sell as well as later albums, peaking at #5 on the UK charts and failing to chart in the US, critics have since retrospectively rated it as one of the best rock albums of all time, especially noting its hard sound unusual for the time, and presaging various hard rock styles such as punk and heavy metal.
The album is also considered an important forerunner of the "power pop" movement.
In 2012, “My Generation” was ranked #237 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and was named the second greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine.
In 2006, it was ranked #49 in NME's list of the 100 Greatest British Albums.
In 2004, the title track was #11 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
#mygeneration, #thewho, #rogerdaltry, #petetownshend, #johnentwistle, #keithmoon, #60srock, #60smusic, #rockmusic, #thisdayinrock, #rockhistory, #dailyrockhistory, #thisdayinmusic, #onthisday
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Merry Christmas December 25, 2025 at Boracay Island, Philippines
#boracay2025 #christmasday
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