What to See in the United States of America. One of the Many Things We Are Thankful For 2022 & in Bygone Days

My executive coach today told me to think and express in writing what I am really thankful for everyday. What are we thankful for not just this year but the entire decade together as family?   

One of the things we are grateful for is Traveling together and New York City was the last one we did this year.  My son Samuel Astro, Me & Myla have explored (not just stop) cities around America. Here are some of them in separate occasions after 4 coast to coast road trip, symposiums, summer vacations, weekend trips back when we have the energy to travel America’s great sites:

Alabama - Gulf Shores, Civil Rights Trail, MLK Museum

Arizona - Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Phoenix and Scottsdale

Arkansas - Little Rock, Bill Clinton Library

California - Central coast (Los Angeles to Monterey), Los Angeles, Napa Valley & Sonoma Valley, Sequoia National, RedWood National, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park, San Diego, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Pacific Coast Highway, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Hollywood, Anaheim, Orange County, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Santa Monica, Queen Mary, Ojai, Pebble Beach, Monterey, majority of Military Bases & Hotels

Colorado - Central Colorado, Denver, Rocky Mountains National Park

Connecticut - New London, Mystic Seaport, Greenwich, Mohegan Sun, Foxwood, Essex, Fairfield, Coast Guard Academy

Florida - Central Gulf Coast, Miami, the Everglades, Florida Keys, Orlando, Panhandle beaches Naples, Fort Myers, Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, DisneyWorld, Universal Studios

Georgia - Atlanta, Savannah and Hilton Head Island

Hawaii - Honolulu, Waikiki, Oahu, North Shore, Pearl Harbor, Air Force & Navy Lodging

Illinois - Chicago, Millennium Park, Wrigley Field, Art Institute of Chicago, Lincoln Presidential, Springfield, The Structures of Chicago, Lincoln Zoo

Kentucky - Mammoth Cave & Bowling Green

Louisiana - New Orleans, French Quarters, Mardi Gras Strip

Maine - Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park, Southern coastline & Portland

Maryland - Baltimore, Naval Academy & Annapolis

Massachusetts - Boston, Bunker Hill, Fenway Park (Red Sox Game), Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard, the Berkshires, campus tour of MIT, Harvard Universities

Michigan - Lake Michigan coastline, Upper Peninsula

Minnesota - Duluth & the North Shore, Bloomington, and St. Paul

Missouri - Branson and the Ozarks, St. Louis and southeastern Missouri

Mississippi - Biloxi

Montana - Big Sky

Nevada - Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Reno, The Casino Strips, Virginia (of Nevada), Hoover Dam

New Hampshire - eastern White Mountains

New Jersey - Southern NJ coastal towns (e.g. Ocean City, Wildwood, Cape May)

New Mexico - White Sands National, Albuquerque, Route 66, Roswell, Los Alamos, Chaco Historical, Indian Pueblos, Carlsbad Cavern and Santa Fe

New York - Buffalo and Niagara Falls, Saratoga Springs, Adirondacks, Yankees Stadium, Governor’s Island, Queens, Buffalo, Brooklyn, West Point Academy, New York City

North Carolina - Asheville and the NC Mountains, Outer Banks, Wilmington and southern NC beaches

Ohio - Cleveland, Rock & Roll National Museum and Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Oregon - Bend, Oregon coastline, Portland, Hood River, and the Columbia River Gorge

Pennsylvania - Amish/Dutch country (Lancaster, Intercourse, Bird-in-Hand), Philadelphia and southeastern PA, Pittsburg

Rhode Island - Newport, Providence

South Carolina - Charleston, Hilton Head Island & Savannah, Myrtle Beach

South Dakota - Black Hills region

Tennessee/Georgia - Memphis, Chattanooga, Great Smoky Mountains region ( Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg), Nashville and Franklin

Texas - Austin, Fredericksburg, and San Antonio, Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Houston & Galveston

Utah - Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase, Arches National, Capitol Reef, Moab National, Salt Lake City & Park City

Vermont - (missed it)

Virginia - Shenandoah National Park, Charlottesville, Coastal Virginia, Richmond, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Asheville, Manassas, Jamestown, Hamilton’s Museum, Monticello, Blue Ridge National, Arlington National, George Washington Home, Busch Gardens

Washington - Mt. Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park and Port Townsend, Seattle and Tacoma, Pike’s Place Market, Starbucks Museum, Seattle Science Park, Whidbey Island

Washington D.C. - The National Mall, Smithsonian Museum, The Capitol, Lincoln Memorial

Wisconsin - Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dells

Wyoming - Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park

Since we lived in Connecticut, California & Virginia - most of the cities and parks or places, states or cities we have visited are just a drive away but our favorites are National or state Parks, museums, gardens and downtown cities. What is your favorite?

How to Really Help Veterans (Not with Words nor Handouts) and Why

Thank You for Your Service

Every "thank you" we politely give to a veteran is (maybe) sincere and truly from the heart as without our veterans who really served, we have no free country or a free world.  But can we thank our veterans, with not mere words but as easy as learning more about the many resources available to veterans in need and sharing them.  By sharing those, we not can only feel good about it, but we can empower them to move forward. As a former veteran Navy Counselor Chief with over 2 decades of experience, these next series of blog will cover a range of the latest updated topics, from entrepreneurship, benefits, housing and healthcare to education and employment. By the end of this series starting this Veterans Day week, we should have a better understanding of the support available to our veterans and their loved ones.

Why Help a Shipmate / Soldier

As a 23 year Navy veteran myself, I have seen majority of them transition very well and really have a much better life than a few, whom I discovered, does not know the tools and actual assistance they can invest on to continue their talent, skills and gift as a former active duty Guard, Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airmen in the military.  There are many problems that veterans face when they return home from war or deployment. Most of them are highlighted in mainstream media including: - post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - depression - anxiety - substance abuse - homelessness.  My theory is that most of these sad news not only arise from lack of assistance or past experience but lack of guidance, support group and real useful information.  

These issues can make it very difficult for veterans to transition back into civilian life. Many veterans feel like they do not have anyone to turn to for help. This can lead to further isolation and mental health issues. There are many organizations and programs that are working to help veterans. In the following series or links of these organizations provide support and resources that can help veterans overcome the challenges they are facing.

How to Really Thank a Serviceperson

We can help veterans by giving them the resources they need to succeed. We can also support veteran-owned businesses, which are critical to the success of our economy.

Veterans have made huge sacrifices for our country, and there are many ways we can show our appreciation. One way to show support is to volunteer with organizations that help veterans. This can involve anything from mentoring veterans in their transition to civilian life to helping with home repairs or providing transportation. You can also donate to charities that support veterans, or start your own fundraiser. There are many other ways to show support for veterans. You can write letters of appreciation, or reach out to veterans in your community and offer your help in any way you can. By showing our support, we can let veterans know that we are grateful for their service and that we are here for them.

Then Where & How?

Our hope is that this series of guide will be helpful in understanding the different ways you can help veterans. There are many organizations that support veterans, and we encourage you to explore the options to find the best fit for you. Everyone including another veteran (actually more importantly a fellow veteran who's been there, done that) can provide that empowerment to those who are transitioning.  Commercewise will try our best to provide that through blogs, streaming, workshop, Fusiontalk and Fusionmeets, donations, events and information like this current information and resources from various agencies, organizations and stakeholders..  Thank you for your interest in serving those who have served our country and our world.

Meet the Astro Family of Blinkinia Beach by Jill Doczi (Re-Print Cover & Essay/Interview by Bayfront Living)

Tony and Myla Astro have a prolific social media presence and even their relationship began online. They both attended the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, even taking classes in the same building, but their paths didn't cross at that time. They finally met through American Online dating in 2000 while Tony served in Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme, CA, and Myla lived in Manila, Philippines.  

"We had a two-year, long-distance relationship where our only means of communication were emails and an expensive international long-distance call," said Myla. 

In May 2001, Tony visited Myla in the Philippines and they planned to marry there in December of 2001. Then 9/11 occurred, preventing all military personnel from leaving the United States so they changed the wedding location to San Diego, CA. Myla officially moved to the US in 2003.

They continue their online presence as a couple with a YouTube page called MT Nest ("M" for Myla & "T" for Tony) where they blog or capture their adventure as new empty nesters, starting with packing up their son for college and continuing with their daily life and travels, including YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels on advice to college students and parents. 

Tony enjoys creating content on social media. He loves to sing and has his own Karaoke Facebook group called Covideoke (created during the pandemic) and Coastal Virginia Karaoke or CoVaoke. He duets or collaborates with various amateur singers around the world. He also created the first Facebook page for the Navy, gathering 35,000 subscribers for career counselors called CareerWise in 2009. Following a decline due to inactivity, he has begun revising it to Commercewise. He also likes to create unique social media content including stories about their potted houseplants. Even the family pets have their own Facebook pages.

Myla received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Santo Tomas and a Master of Business Administration with a marketing focus from Ateneo Graduate School of Business. She worked in two Telecommunications companies, and UK based multinational electronics company  that has a branch in the Philippines and Singapore as a marketing manager. She had a total of 12 years of work experience before migrating to the U.S.. She immediately immersed herself as an ombudsman for Airborne Command & Control Squadron 116 (VAW 116) for a year to learn more about the life of military family and be able to cope with it and now works as the executive owner of MVOSS Creation, LLC — a promotional marketing and consulting company.

They jointly own MVOSS Creation LLC, a promotional marketing and consulting company, that services various organizations across the U.S. and the Hampton Roads area for 15 years now, providing custom-printed promotional products, marketing videos and networking events.

Tony received a Bachelor of Commerce in economics from the University of Santo Tomas and a Master of Organizational Management from Laverne University before completing his Ph.D. in counseling with a Doctorate in behavioral science and human services from Capella University. He served as a U.S. Navy chief career counselor for 23 years and retired in 2014. His duty stations included Naval Base Ventura County — Port Hueneme, Naval Air Station Point Mugu in CA, Naval Submarine Base New London, CT, Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA, and Military Sealift Command — Naval Station Norfolk, VA and tours or deployment on board three Aircraft Carriers and two Seabee Battalions: USS Independence (Tony's first duty), Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Five, Naval Mobile Construction Forty, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Nimitz, Tony currently serves as Consultant and Founder / Owner of CommerceWise, a consulting company & FusionMeet, a cultural and professional business networking.  He's also the current vice president of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Southeastern Virginia for marketing and communication. He also volunteers as a production cameraman at Grace Bible Church while Myla serves on the hosting team. They lead a small community group that meets at their home to study the Bible and enjoy potlucks. Tony and Myla both serve as board members of Montero Medical Missions; both also are members of the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce and represent Hampton Roads in major chamber and networking events.

Tony also speaks at various symposiums (like Virginia Wesleyan University, Regent University, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and other business network socials) speaking about military transitioning, cultural intelligence, veteran benefits, doing business with the government, inspirational talks and topics on social media. Tony was also the president of two Virginia Beach Toastmasters Clubs from 2016-2019.

"We love to travel and have seen at least all major cities in 50 states, most cities in Europe and Asia," said Myla. "We like to meet people through various networking and hosting a small group for our church. We like to collect mugs, shot glass, magnets and bells from all cities we have visited around the world. We also subscribe to Netflix and Prime (watching suspense thrillers, reality shows like AGT) and travel with our two dogs Bentley and Blinky. We also love reading books on business, Christianity. Every navy station Tony was assigned, we tried to create memories. We did three cross-country drives and that’s the best experience and memories we created, and our son will treasure most."

Their son, Sam, attends James Madison University as a freshman pursuing Kinesiology towards Doctorate and someday a career in physical therapy or in sports medicine. He played different sports while growing up, but his love and passion for basketball started middle school. He played with Great Neck Middle School basketball team and then became junior varsity and varsity player at Frank W. Cox High School. He also became a part of the Filipino- American Basketball Team in Virginia Beach and his team represented Virginia for the Filipino-American East Coast & National basketball tournaments. Sam also plays musical instruments including flute and piano. Without any formal piano lessons, the first piece he played was Beethoven’s "Fur Elise," which he learned from YouTube. 

"We took him to a formal piano class and his piano teacher recognized him Pianist of the Year during their recital in 2012," said Myla. "He was a consistent honor student from grade school to high school and graduated summa cum laude from F. W. Cox High School. He served as a community leader for 5th graders at Grace Bible Church, volunteered at vacation Bible school and taught middle schoolers basic basketball skills during summer time. He has traveled with his parents every year overseas and on coast-to-coast road trips every summer until he turned 16 years old. He continues to enjoy basketball, golf and surfing.

The Astro family's first pet, Daisy (a corgi mix that lived 14 years) traveled with them most of the time and has her own Facebook page called Daisyland. They now have Blinky, an 8-year-old Shibainu/corgi mix that has the Facebook page "Blinkinia Beach" and Bentley, a 2-year-old Maltese/shihtzu mix with the Facebook page "Bentleypeake Bay." The Astro family believes in rescuing dogs. Daisy came from CA SPCA, Blinky from North Carolina and Bentley from South Carolina. They all love road trips.

The family first moved to Virginia Beach from Norfolk in 2014, choosing to live in the Great Neck/Shore Drive area for its great schools and then in 2016, they purchased their home at The Landings. They have always lived along the beach even when in California so they feel right at home in this community.

"Our property is perfect for us now as empty nester[s] — close to everything: grocery store, pharmacy, bars, parks, restaurants, hotels and military base," said Myla. "We originally purchased our home because of the elevator that goes straight to our home. We have a mother-in-law suite downstairs, where Tony’s mom lived for a while before moving to the assisted living facility. It is now used as a spare room and another room downstairs is being used as Tony’s office after moving out of the Town Center during the pandemic. Our garage is used as our music karaoke room."

Sam gets his own room when he's home and Myla has her own office as well. They really enjoy the proximity of their residence to other activities in the area such as the Chesapeake Bay the oceanfront, First Landing State Park.

"We love catching crabs every summer and fall and [are] incredibly lucky to have lived here for seven years," said Tony. "Our neighbors oftentimes invite us for a potluck or party. We love [the] First Landing neighborhood and the people who live here. Walking along the bay, Cape Henry and biking along First Landing State Park or even watching the sunset always brings peace and subjects for Tony's video and photography. It’s a great way to relax and just enjoy its beauty. The bay is also a great place to meet other people, whether they live in the area or [are] tourists visiting. If you would like [me] to host a karaoke or dance or birthday party with AstroFusion DJ and Party Service and if you are within the Great Neck area, please let me know and I will be happy to be the master of ceremony of your event at your office or home or at the beach."

Written by Jill Doczi for Bayfront Living.

Photography by Heather Miva

Dog solo photo by Mvoss Creation

Helping our Veterans Can Help You and Your Business Too

Not only can we say “Thank You for your service” in a tangible way by giving them something like employment, financial assistance, benefits, gifts, or meals. But how can we really help our veterans as civilians or even as successful veterans? Empower them. 

This will not only fulfil your commitment to serve the community of those who defend and continue to protect our country but also will bring a positive image to your business by sharing your time with our veterans with knowledge if you cannot afford to give them back financially with remaining profit excess or any goods. 

Did you know that many veterans are unaware of the benefits they are entitled to receive? Only 23.4% of all our American veterans and their dependents know about or are currently receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Not only that, but they are also not aware of other benefits from at least twenty-five major government agencies and countless other civilian companies who offer discounts, scholarships, medical, support to our veterans. 

Not only will our veterans benefit from it but your business. Your personal lives can improve by knowing that our veterans (active, retired or discharged) have access to these valuable resources but will also offset some of your expenses such as:  

1. Educational benefits to enhance their knowledge since only 32.3% of veterans are aware of how to apply for vocational rehabilitation or GI Bill and other veteran scholarships to their children and spouses. 
2. Healthcare benefits like Tricare or VA since only 42.3% are unaware of healthcare benefits available exclusively to them. 
3. Life Insurance like Survivor Benefits Plan or Navy League Insurance because only 65.8% of them do not know about their benefits. 
4. Home Loan Guarantees like VA Loan where they can buy a home without down payment and lower interest rate even zero closing cost. 

 

These are just 4 of 100s of examples that we can provide to explain to our community to make sure our veterans and their family are getting the benefits they are entitled to receive and make them sure what benefits our veterans, active duty or not, may qualify to receive? If you know a veteran, make sure they are aware that benefits are available. 

Contact me if you want me to provide a presentation of these benefits and knowledge to your company or any of our veterans.

 

 

Tony Astro, an entrepreneur, content creator, public speaker and former 23-year Navy Counselor Veteran who has 15 years of experience sharing and empowering active duty and former military personnel with information and recommendations for resources that will empower our veterans. 

Why Asians and Everyone Else Should Diversify their Business Networking

Have you heard of the phenomenon, often referred to as the "Bamboo ceiling." When I first join the Navy as my first career in the US, I was first part of the statistic but no longer true in today’s world.

But is it?

In 2020, Lu and colleagues published a research article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science explaining that East Asians are less likely than South Asians and whites to succeed in American organizations, partly because the non-assertive communication style of East Asians does not match the leadership or communication styles of American mainstream culture. This research proves that most East Asians - but not so much of South Asians - are less likely than other ethnicities to emerge as leaders in multiethnic environments partly because East Asians tend to socialize more effectively in their own native way with their own cultural members.

I would also add besides the East Asians that Lu mentioned, that other culture like the black community were the more likely to be nominated and elected as leaders partly because they tend to socialize our communicate more specially with their own ethnic in-group members. But I can only speak based on my last 6 years in business and 23 years military experiences from 1991-2014.

In short, East Asian Americans particularly people from Japan, Korea, China who are native English speakers raised in the United States, tend to succeed and socialize more with their ethnic in-group than other Asians from Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

This maybe why there are challenge towards many Asians due to cultural mismatch between their ethnic belongingness and the social dynamics to becoming leaders in the multiethnic American settings.

Now of course, there are exceptions to the rule, me as an Asian American from the Philippines loves to socialize and host networking events like the group I created in 2016 called FusionMeet.

There are still Asian underrepresentation than the black community because of our timidity (me speaking in general as Filipino American) and being role model (in school or tech industry) should bring more networking opportunities for really diverse interactions, mentorship and representation.