A Story of Two Friends

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During somepoint of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the neardrowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.

"LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Send this phrase to the people you'll never forget. It's a short message to let themknow that you'll never forget them. Do not value the THINGS you have in your life.. But value WHO you have in your life!

E-mail sent by Rollie

Our Country Needs Our Prayers

If this world news item is true, we should all be busy on our knees.

Philippines is Asia's 'terror hotspot'

Monday Jul 30 14:22 AEST

More than 1,700 people have been killed or wounded in Islamic militant attacks in the Philippines during the last seven years, the highest number in Southeast Asia, a human rights group says.

In a report, US-based Human Rights Watch blamed two small militant groups based in the southern Philippines for the killings - Abu Sayyaf and the Rajah Solaiman Movement.

The scale of violence in the Philippines, however, has not received widespread attention outside the region, said John Sifton, senior researcher on terrorism and counter-terrorism at Human Rights Watch in New York. "Extremist armed groups have spread terror among civilians in the Philippines," Sifton said. “They have bombed buses carrying workers, food markets where people were shopping, airports where relatives were waiting for loved ones and ferry boats carrying families."

The 28-page report also faulted the Philippine government for not prosecuting those responsible for the attacks. Although some suspects had been arrested since 2000, it said very few had been brought successfully to trial. The group also criticised Manila's new law to fight terrorism, saying it contained "dangerous over-broad provisions that violate human rights standards".

"The Philippines doesn't need a new abusive counter terrorism law," said Sifton.
"The government isn't using the laws it already has, so why does it need new provisions that violate human rights?"

The Philippines is hosting Asia-Pacific's largest security gathering this week in Manila, where it is pushing for Southeast Asian countries to create a regional human rights body. Human Rights Watch said it suspected the Abu Sayyaf and Rajah Solaiman continued to have links with rogue elements of larger Muslim rebel groups - the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The group called on the United States and the international community to provide assistance to ongoing peace talks between the government and Muslim rebels to make sure any deals reached would promote human rights and protect civilian population.

"To end the bombings, kidnappings and other violence, other governments have to pressure Philippine leaders to put a greater emphasis on protecting civilian life," Sifton said.
©AAP 2007

how do we pray?

Dear Batchmates, I'd like to share with you a story by our deacon during today's mass.It was a true story of one of the bishops in the phil.(Bishop Tagle).He was presiding over a group of OFW families,sharing each others stories. One of the ladies came to him and said that her husband was one of the men in the ship that sank in the sea of Norway.Up to this time his body was not found.She was torn between two prayers.One was praying to GOD that he is safe in one of the islands somewhere and that somebody is taking care of him.The other prayer was for GOD to forgive his sins and give him everlasting peace.Whenever she goes to church to visit the Blessed Sacrament,she could not start praying.she doesn't know what to ask from GOD. She would just set there in front of the Blesed Sacrament and cry. She said that the only thing she could offer GOD is her tears.She just wish that GOD will take care of her and her kids.Then the bishop told her,my child, you just taught me how to pray. The second reading in today's mass is "how do we pray". GOD BLESS CLASS 1963 AND OUR FAMILIES!

My Scottish Experience

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Scottish Highlands

Inverlochy Castle

Stirling Castle

Linlithgow Palace, Home of Mary Queen of Scot

Mga Additional Palayaw

Here are additional palayaws as initiated by Jossie. Sa may bandang plaza naman ito.

• Binong Galawgaw / Tatang Poon
• Tomas Tumarak
• Ben Tango
• Bertong Abok
• Serging Kapot
• Pidoy na Sanidad
• Naty Pidoy
• Boy Joaquin
• Boy Narsing
• Boy Conching
• Boy Kapampangan
• Rudy Bayawak
• Ruben Aninaw
• Ruben Dokmo
• Manoling Aleman
• Maning Bato
• Maria Pula
• Fredo Palaka
• Victor Badong
• Victor Ago
• Edios na Magiilada
• Pedring Agong
• Totoy Tinding
• Cesar / Nestor Banoy
• Eddie Balubad
• Eddie Doro
• Andres Bomba

Should you have more palayaws, pls. do add to the list. ;)

Choose Your Friends Well Because...

Excerpts from :Your Best Friend Can Make You Fat: study

Thursday Jul 26 18:40 AEST

Could your best friend make you fat?

Researchers who have studied "networks" of obesity think so: they found that if someone's friend becomes obese, that person's chances of becoming obese increase by more than half.

Siblings and spouses also have an influence, although a reduced one - people whose siblings became obese were themselves 40 per cent more likely to grow obese, while people whose spouses became obese were 37 per cent more likely to.

"This is the first (study) to show how obesity spreads through the social network from person to person to person," James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, who worked on the study, told a telephone briefing…

Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers said their findings show that obesity is contagious - not like a virus is contagious, but in a social sense…

If someone became obese, their friends were 57 per cent more likely to become obese over the 32 years, they found. If people named one another as contacts, they were 171 per cent, or more than double, as likely to become obese if the other did...

The effect held for three degrees of separation. If a person became obese, their friends were more likely to become obese, but also friends of friends. It also occurred in shorter periods within the 32-year span...

"People look around them and see people gaining weight and it might change their attitude about what constitutes an acceptable body size," he added. "You might say it's OK to be heavier."

The findings held even if people lived 800km apart or even further. But having an obese neighbour did not affect a person's likelihood of becoming obese - which suggests that common environments are not to blame...

©AAP 2007

Be Willing to Wait

This simple meditation was taken from Arthur G. McPhee's
Have a Great Day Every Day!

God answers our prayers one of three ways: "yes," "no," and "wait." Often however, we interpret his answer as "no" when he is really saying "wait." That points to the importance of patience in praying-which has a bitter taste for the moment, but produces sweet fruit in the end.

Jesus spoke a parable one time in order to show his listeners that they should keep on praying and never lose heart. He said, "There was once a judge who cared nothing for God or man, and in the same town there was a widow who constanly came before him demanding justice against her opponent. For a long time he refused; but in the end he said to himself, 'True, I care nothing for God or man, but this widow is so great a nuisance that I will see her righted before she wears me out with her persistence.' "

Now, of course, Jesus' point was not that God wears out with persistence. Jesus' point was even as he said: "When God's answer seems to be no, we should not lose heart, because he may only be saying wait."

Sometimes God says wait because we are not ready to receive the things we ask for. Sometimes he says wait because the conditions aren't just right. Sometimes he says wait because he wants to show us a better option, and yet he gives us the choice between the two. But whatever the reason, it is always for our own good.

I have the feeling, though, the main reason why God says wait is to teach us patience and trust. When we have to wait on God we learn necessarily dependence in the process of waiting. So don't be like the little girl who, after several hours of fishing, threw her pole down and cried, "I quit." "What's the matter?" her father asked. "Nothing," said the girl. "Except I can't seem to get waited on.

When you make your requests known to God and you can't seem to get waited on, just wait on. When you are patient, the answer is sure to come.

Post Script to the Dumped Granny News

CHENNAI: A sick woman of 75 who was thrown in the rubbish by relatives in India has died, officials say. Chinnammal Palaniappan died on Sunday in a home for elderly people where she was taken after being rescued from the rubbish dump in southern Tamil Nadu state. She had told her rescuers she was taken from her home by her grandsons on July 19 and woke on a heap of rotting garbage. The state governement has promised an investigation and action against the family.

The Courier Mail, Friday 27 July 2007

Look Who's Made Contact!

Lourdes Cruz formerly Garcia has been located. She invites contact from the batchmates. Her email address is Lourdes_Cruz@scotiacapital.com. To protect her privacy, her address and telephone number will only be available on request.

Let us give her our trademark warm welcome!

RECENT PHOTOS PLEASE, LOURDES.

Manny's Family Photo Album

Check out Manny's lavish lifestyle and share his fun. Click on the Kodak link below.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/AlbumMenu.jsp?Uy=qh0qsa&Ux=1

Palayaw - quaintly 'orionese'

I think we are in the season of list games. So let's continue the fun, by making a new list and adding to it, pag may naisip kayong puwedeng idagdag. Okay?

Karaniwan na sa atin sa Orion ang pag-add ng palayaw sa name. That palayaw distinguishes one from another taga-Orion na kapangalan niya. My sincere apologies to those in the list and to their kins. The purpose of the listing is for posterity sake, and for us to see the uniqueness of our town that sets it apart from other places.

Here goes:
* - Manding na kabag
* - Turing na magbababoy
* - Mariang Mino
* - Pring asuwang
* - Tonyong bulag
* - Remyng kalamakam
* - Joseng panday
* - Joseng Emil
* - Miguel na sipon
* - Tunying na palas
* - Charing na hilot, lately,
Cherry HIL
* - Charing na magtsotsoklate, lately.
Cherry CHOC
* - Martang Bulyong
* - Bertong pating
* - Pedrong tabuyong
* - Turing na kantura
* - Ambong binabae
* - Inang tapik
* - Doray na kamatis
* - Enteng Monang
* - Enteng gupit
* - Titang Mameng
* - Andres na uwak
* - Natyng namarco

more next time... and please send some, too.

Worries and You

Even at this point in our lives,I know we still worry about a lot of things.It seems, worry is one of those things all of us cannot avoid at some point to a greater or lesser extent.I chose to blog about worry because of a conversation I had with a friend,who was worried about her mother worrying about something.

It is quite hard to stop worrying...it is a habit we get into but it is ironic that most of what we tend to worry about happened in the past over which we have no control,or haven't even happened yet,or are just possibilities.A physician once analyzed the worries of his patients and this is what he found:

Things that never happened----------40%
Things in the past that can't be
changed by worry----------------- 30%
Health related worries--------------12%
Miscellaneous petty worries---------12%
Real, legitimate worries-------------8%

There's really nothing wrong with our concern over a problem or situation and take steps to deal with it.And worrying actually left us not focused.We fail to take action,and when worrying gets out of hand it can lead to burn out and other stress related illnesses.

So, batchmates, what can we do to stop worrying? Analyze what is worrying you.Is it something that has happened,or only a "what if".Make a plan take action. Share what is worrying you to a friend.And if it is a "what if" situation,instead of only imagining the worst,think of three or more positive possibilities.Ater all they are just as likely to happen as the negative scenario you have imagined for yourself.

And always remember the popular song "Don't worry ,be happy "

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage

I want to share with you this article, as I believe it applies not only to marriage but to any kind of relationship. I love you all!

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection

by Deb Graham

When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned toast."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Debbie, your momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"

In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner and the kindness my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner. I had arrived home late as usual and decided we would have breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose! To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began to cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven!

Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces of bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a hard day."

As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my mom and dad how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker either!

You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too loud, he will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far too many sports. Believe it or not, watching " Golf Academy " is not my idea of a great night at home!

But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences. You might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are!

For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a marketer's dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is strong, I am weak, and vice versa.

And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very much alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can predict his actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he knows whether I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.

We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still best friends. We've traveled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountaintops.

And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting marriage relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at the feet of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!

Orion delicacies

I am concentrating on Orion delicacies this time. If there is something that everyone who leaves a place misses, it is the food to which taste one has been accustomed to.

* pabitak - boiled corn kernels, served with freshly grated coconut, sugar and salt, altogether wrapped in a balisunsong of banana leaves

* palidusdos - a concoction of bilo-bilo, gabi, camote, langka, saging na saba, coconut milk and sugar

* dinuguan - pork or beef innards and blood cooked with onions, vinegar and sili

* puto - ground wagwag rice, coconut milk, baking powder, anis, sugar - cooked in a katsa-lined lansungan (BABY)

* ginilo - duman, young greenish malagkit, pound in a lusong, and mixed with coconut milk, sugar and gulaman

*ukoy -shredded papaya mixed with onions, salt,pepper,in atsuete-colored galapong, topped with shrimps, and deep fried to a crunchy goodness. dipped in suka, mixed with paminta and asin. (ATE GLORY)

* puto-bumbong - ground, drained pirurutong, steamed in small bamboo tubes, taktak directly to pre-cut banana leaves, smothered with star margarine, shredded coconut and sugar

* boboto - ground, roasted rice mixed with "secret ingredients", topped with thick gata and shrimps, carefully wrapped in layers of banana leaves, before it is boiled. (ATE SIANA)

* ginaok - coconut milk, brown sugar, cooked till thick, then placed in pre-cut buho, covered with a piece of paper (IMPONG BERTA)

* patko
* balikutsa
* bibingka
* butchi (kakanin type and prito type)
* bibingkang duman (Charito)
* maja blanca
* tsokolateng kinimis (Cherry-choc)
* sumang malagkit
* suman sa lihiya
* sumang mais
* sumang kamoteng kahoy
* bibingkang mais
* kalot
* puto kawali
* tuyong - udyong
* tinapang bangus at alugasin
* malahinalas na isda
* sinabagoongan
* bagoong na itlog ng alugasin
* ginataan
* goto

I'm sure marami pa akong di naisama rito, so will somebody please continue doing this for the blog. We will choose our reunion menu from the list.

Any Updates About These Guys?

Has anyone seen these guys lately? Any news or updates on them? Please let the rest of the batch know.

The good, old UDYONG in the sixties...

I haven't been to the US, so I cannot relate to the things that were listed in the quiz. After reading the comments of Corazon and Ernie, the things that remind me of Orion in the sixties, came to my mind. Let me list them down here in random:

barn dance, torch parade, campanaryo's biscotcho de cana, banana and camote cue, karitela ni mang osyo, sorbetes ni mang modi, basnig, candies at mang bosyo's store, bowling at tindahan ni mang tonyong bulag, halo-halo, peanut butter and cheez whiz sandwiches at riverside canteen ni tia puring mendoza, pansit guisado ni mang turing, pansit luglug ni tia justina, mga kakanin ni impong elang, somo's, rodriguez at mr. style tailoring shops, dr. ruperto mariano, ilada ni tia coro at kina rene diolola, botica ni mang bulyong, telahan ni tia anita aquino, rev. fr. jose z. marquez, pamumuno sa dasal ni impong insay, legion of mary under tia alicia rodriguez, noemi theater, jueteng ni mang kiko, MFL, the song - i love you because, paul anka, pandesal ni bascarra, alicia jeepneys, picnics at pandam river, mailman - tonying na kirat, banda ng musiko ni mang rustico, mang fidel ng la mallorca pambusco, beautiful dresses created for me by tia senia, pagtulong sa paggawa ng pakiting-kiting kung fiesta, at kubo-kubo kung mahal na araw, mayor manuel santos, giant acacia and mango trees in the churchyard, first tricycle ever in orion - driven by mang iking. at marami pang iba.

i better end this now, dahil baka maubos ko ang blog space sa dami ng naaalaala ko.

o, kayo naman ang magpadala ng list.

Can This Happen To Us?

Granny Found in Garbage
Thursday Jul 19 17:44 AEST

An Indian couple found an unwell 75-year-old woman lying on a garbage dump, apparently thrown out of her home by her daughter and grandsons who did not want to take care of her, the Hindustan Times reported.

"She never complained about her family's behaviour, only rued the fact that she couldn't move without help," Mohanasundari, one of the rescuers, said.

The "semi-paralysed" Palaniappan told her rescuers her youngest daughter had quarrelled with other family members over who should take care of her. The daughter then got her sons to take their grandmother to the dump in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Sons and daughters have traditionally looked after their elderly parents but sociologists say that the pressures of modern life are seeing more elderly people abandoned by their children or sent to old-age homes.

Politicians expressed outrage over Palaniappan's fate and said they would ask officials to take action against the family. "I have asked the collector (a local official) to take care of the old lady, and take legal action against the children," state Social Welfare Minister Poongothai, who like many in Tamil Nadu goes by one name, was quoted as saying.


REUTERS

From Pilar:

Subject: FUNNY OLD STUFF

“ Hey Dad,” one of my kids asked the other day. “What was your favorite fast food, when you were growing up?”
“We didn’t have fast food when I was growing up, “ I informed him. “All the food was slow.”
“C’mon, seriously. Where did you eat?”
It was a place called ‘at home, I explained. “Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table! And if I didn’t like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.”

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn’t tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it:

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears and Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

My parents never drove me to little league practice. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow). We didn’t have a television in our house until I was 11, but my grandparents had one before that. It was of course, black and white, but they bought a piece of colored plastic to cover the screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was perfect for programs that had scenes of fire trucks riding across someone’s lawn on a sunny day. Some people had a lens taped to the front of the TV to make the picture look larger.

I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza; it was called “pizza pie”. When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It’s still the best pizza I ever had.
“ I remember this one all too well. But it was the best pizza ever.”

We didn’t have a car until I was 15. Before that, the only car in our family was my grandfather’s Ford. He called it a “machine”.
‘I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn’t know weren’t already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was.
All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. I delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents. I had to get up at 4 AM every morning. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the one who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did it in the movies. Touching someone else’s tongue with yours was called French kissing and they didn’t do that in movies. I don’t know what they did in French movies. French movies were dirty and we weren’t allowed to see them.

If you grew up in a generation before there were fast foods, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don’t blame me if they bust a gut laughing.
Growing up isn’t what it used to be, is it?

MEMORIES from a friend:

My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother’s house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to “sprinkle” clothes with water because we didn’t have steam irons. Man, I am old!

How many do you remember?

Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Heaters mounted on the inside of the firewall.
Real ice boxes.
Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals.

Older than dirt quiz: Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. (Ratings at the bottom)

1. Blackjack chewing gum
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water.
3. Candy cigarettes
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles.
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes.
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers.
7. Party lines.
8. Newsreels before the movies.
9. P. F. Flyers.
10. Butch wax.
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (Olive-6933).
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM RECORDS
15. S & H Green Stamps
16. Hi-fi’s
17. Metal Ice trays with lever
18. Mimeograph paper
19. Blue flashbulb
20. Packards
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork popguns
23. Drive-ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers

Ratings:
If you remembered:
0 – 5 You’re still young
6 – 10 You are getting older
11 – 15 Don’t tell your age.
16 –25 You’re older than dirt!

I might be older than dirt but those memories are the best part of my life.
Don’t forget to pass this along!!! Especially to all your really OLD friends…

SENILITY PRAYER:
“God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked.
The good fortune to run into the ones that I do
And have the eyesight to tell the difference.”

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!

From Larpi.

Reason, Season, Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, Things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

From Pilar

Personalities for July 2007

Lo siento mucho!

I'm so sorry for causing worry to some of you. I realize now that it was so thoughtless of me not to inform you (my email and chat buddies in the Batch), that I was "giving a rest" to my pc, mainly due to some old age maladies and some church and community activities which needed my wholehearted participation.

Honestly, I was so touched by your concern. Thanks for your friendship and thoughtfulness, Azon, Larpi, Mike, Luz, and Tio Eddie.

I am okay now and vow to be there in the Grand(er) Reunion in 2010.

So until then, see you again in cyberspace...

GRAND REUNION-Part 2

(For those of you who still want to reminisce the grand old days of May 2007 ...this one is for you)
From my own account these were the highlights of our Grand Reunion .I should know because as I have said.......I WAS THERE WHEN IT ALL HAPPENED.
1.April30- -Ernie S. tendered a dinner and kumustahan at Louis Restaurant Balanga with about 14 of us.Early arrivals among the Bbs who joined the Lls were Pareng Mike ,Mok,and Ernie S.of course.The management of the place had to call closing time to break the group.
2.May3-Wake of Anteros aunt at Wawa where for the first time we met the other Bbs for the first time after so many years(Frank,Nelia,Edith,Pilar and BEN Ruben who failed to recognized most of us Lls.You can just imagine ang higpit ng yakapan at sigawan .
3.May4-Manila trip to join and watch the Wowowie TV program courtesy of Edith who coordinated with ABS-CBN.Rolly and wife,Julie,Fely R.and I were among the Lls while the Bbs included Edith and his father,Nelia,Mok Pilar,Pareng Mike and my Kumare,and ErnieS.who was selected as one of the Bigat 10.The experience made me realized how those abroad long for anything about their homeland.We took a short stop at SM Pampanga after the show and from there decided to surprise Cora at Balanga after learning her arrival.
4.May5-Pre-planning at Nelias place in Sto Domingo.It also served as a baby reunion affair with so many prodigal batch/classmates in attendance. Galing talaga ni Pareng Mike and his angels to bring this group together.Three long papags used to serve the food were not enough .It was the first time Annie attended.
5.May6-Dinner at Juliet Lonzon Malicsis Mansion Abucay.A lavish(labis) preparation was made at the big and cozy home of my ninang sa kasal(that is another story).Quite abig number attended and enjoyed the sumptuous food(may pabalot pa)Kungdi pa siguro ante-bisperas ng pista mas marami pa kami.It wasthe first time the streamer was used.Kawawang streamer halos naluma agad ,gamit sa ka-poposing sa pictures.
6.May7-A surprise attack was made in my place and San Vicente by Josie,luz,Julie, Mok,Pareng Mike and who else but a new face ,Ernie R,Thinking that it was a rest day,I retired early with my 9-month old grandson by my side.I literally jumped out of bed when informed that classmates were downstairs. Naggagala pala ang mga loko and we decided to see Frank at his new home.But he was not there,enjoying the serenata daw in the plaza.Lucing and EstanislaoSabino had their first fiesta visitors that night.
7.May8-Fiesta Day at 3 thirty pm.I had the pleasure of having Generoso de Guzman(long time no hear),Noning and son(long time no see)Mok,Edith,Nelia and pareng Mike as my guests.The group also went to Lucing and Annies place.
8.May9-The Grand Affair at the De la Fuentes Farm Pilar in the morning and the Dinner Dance at the Crown Royale Hotel Balanga in the evening.Do I need to give the details of these affair?So many anecdotes were said and written and so many pictures were taken.Each one of us has our own story to tell.The rain that poured to cap the day did not dampen the spirit.It only watered the desire for more.
9.May 10-A little rest in the morning and off the group went again at 3pm,paid a visit to Ursing and Norberto,gave our donation to Bahay Puso(Home for the Aged)in Balanga and instead of proceeding to a restaurant as planned decided to have the instant dinner at Violetas newly built home in Lati.There we enjoyed the company of each other by singing ,chika-chika and discussing about the next reunion inspite of the rain and by candlelight because of the brownout.
10.May13-The moving spirit already in the US(Mike) but the desire to come and get together still lives on.Nelia made a move and coordinated those who were within reach for another dinner gathering at Aganna Eatery here in Orion.Mok,Frank,Ernie R.,Eddie and Annie ,Edith and Nelia were the Bbs while I was there with Fely,Belen ,Luz Julie and Fredo among the Lls.
11.May15-Sto. Domingo Fiesta,of course at Nelias place.The number of attendees was dwindling but the desire and the spirit to come together did not diminish .
12.May25-Bantan Fiesta.This time our hosts were Armando for lunch and Edith for dinner.It was lunchtime when pareng Mike called by phone (homesick na homesick by that time).It was also the last happening of the group that Ernie R. attended.
At Edithas place we had a sharing of our love affairs.Ito ang na-miss ninyo.
13May26-Moks Farewell party at his brothers house Sto. Domingo.Kaunti na lang kami..Rolly and wife Lita,Edith,Nelia,Ernie S.Violeta,Josie Pascual(remember her?)and Fely.I went home early ,ahead of others because I was afraid baka magkaiyakan pa.

Sa lahat ng okasyong ito mapapansin ang presence ng magkakahalong damdamin at bagay na laging naroroon at bumabalot sa bawat isa; katuwaan,saya,pagod,antok,pagkain,tsika-tsika,sharing,videoke singing,pag-uwi ng halos umaga na(salamat sa ating mga nakakaunawang partner)......all that one can imagine of. But the big question remains..GANITO PA RIN KAYA TAYO SA 2010?

This Is World News, Believe it or Not

Expensive Pork Lures Chinese Robbers

Saturday Jul 14 12:12 AEST
AP -

Stick your hands up, we're after the pork.

Robbers in southern China have started stealing pork because rising prices have made the meat, a staple in the country, so valuable, a newspaper reported Friday.

The Shenzhen Jing newspaper said a peddler was robbed of his motorcycle and load of 125 kilograms of pork while on his way to a market in Shenzhen, just over the border from Hong Kong.

He was robbed of the motorcycle and the pork by four suspects who rushed from a minibus and threaten him with a knife, according to report.

"They took the pork because it was more expensive than the motorcycle," a local policeman was quoted as saying. Pork prices have risen more than 40 per cent over the past year.

The policeman said a stolen motorcycle can be sold for 1,000 yuan ($A152) while that amount of pork can be sold for more than 3,000 yuan ($A460).

The newspaper said the four robbers were caught.

©AAP 2007

Lock up your piggies, folks.

Joke Comprehension May Decrease With Age

ST. LOUIS (Map, News) - It's no laughing matter: a new study suggests older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age. The research indicates that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.

Researchers at Washington University tested about 40 healthy adults over age 65 and 40 undergraduate students with exercises in which they had to complete jokes and stories. Participants also had to choose the correct punch line for verbal jokes and select the funny ending to series of cartoon panels.

Findings were published earlier this month in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

The research conducted by graduate student Wingyun Mak and psychology professor Brian Carpenter showed that the younger adults did 6 percent better on the verbal jokes and 14 percent better on the comic portion than did older participants, Mak said.

Researchers used a verbal joke test developed in 1983 and used in other humor studies. Mak added a new element, though, by showing participants cartoons from the Ferd'nand comic strip, and asking them to choose between four panels to locate the funny ending. Three of the choices for each cartoon were the wrong ones, created by an artist for the study.

"This wasn't a study about what people find funny. It was a study about whether they get what's supposed to be funny," Carpenter said.

"There are basic cognitive mechanisms to understanding what's going on in a joke. Older adults, because they may have deficits in some of those cognitive areas, may have a harder time understanding what a joke is about."
----

Journal -1

OUT OF NOWHERE, DELAWARE

The weekend of July 6 was just an ordinary weekend, since the 4th of July holiday just gone by. My partner in crime picked me up from work and headed south to visit her brother in Dover. Our usual stop before turning Friday into a night was a shopping mall off Route 13 across from the Delaware State University. As she initiated her window-shopping, off I went to the other side of the road. Just to pass my time, I started my own browsing around in a home improvement store. Those magnificent power tools and garden equipments looked so good on display. The automobile dealer looked intriguing, too. But the salespeople were still out on the lot waiting for prospects, so I started heading back to check my significant other.

Then I saw an unusual type of transportation parked in a usual retailer place (Sam’s Club). That sight caught my attention and placed the digital camera to work. I went back to the mall straight to a bookstore, and read about the Amish people.

They came to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the 18th century to avoid persecution in Europe. Their descendants were called Pennsylvania Dutch. The name Amish came from a Swiss Mennonite Bishop, Jakob Amman. These folks were North American Christian group of Mennonite origin. “They have maintained a distinctive and conservative agricultural way of life despite the influences of modern industrial society.” Aside from central and western Pennsylvania, the Amish people have settled in greater concentrations in northeastern counties of Ohio. Others have spread out in Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Virginia, Oregon, North Dakota, and Missouri. There were groups who even migrated in Ontario, Canada.
Armed with a little knowledge of their culture and how they migrated into the country, I was not happy with just looking at the horse drawn carriage in the parking lot. I did not even see the people who drove and parked this beautiful animal in front of the store. My curiosity got the better part of me that evening.

I was up and about around 5:00 the following morning. While my bride was still asleep, I set my feet out for a cup of java (“you’ve gotta’ have Wawa”). I knew enough about the highway when we travel to Maryland and have passed those horse buggies a few times along the highway. I took pictures of a couple of horse stables along the road, too. But that was all. The camera was hardly used. Perhaps, I came up too early? I went back to check in with my partner almost empty-handed, and with an empty stomach. I didn’t feel good about it. When the going gets tough, my partner and I go to the mall to (window) shop, hang out in a bookstore or see a movie. Two out of three wasn’t bad. Afterwards, we fulfilled our weekly spiritual obligation.

Luck was on my side Sunday morning. I started late, around 6:30 AM. With a 16 oz. of coffee on board and the camera laid out where Annie used to sit, I aimed for the same highway. It was a day of worship. Alleluia. All these wonderful folks were coming out of their home to attend their service. There were two married couples walking along the road with children in tow. But the rest were on their traditional vehicle of choice. I pulled over, and eagerly offered those pedestrians to be photographed. Politely, they declined. Fair enough, so I went after those passing vehicles. What a way to spend a weekend out of Route 8, Pearsons Corner, Delaware!

Want to see more pictures? View and enjoy!

Photos

Hello my fellow batchmates,
These are the pictures taken prior to our Grand Reunion, at the Reunion itself and after the reunion of Class 1963 JRI Orion.

Thank you to all our batch mates who made this 44th year since our graduation a success.

God Bless you all and keep in touch. My email is: anselmo_labrador@hotmail.com

The photos can be found on this link http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb21/anselmolabrador

Our Search for Life's Meaning

Most of us in Batch '63, by this time are either down the hill or in a plateau in some aspects of our life; be it in our careers and personal/family life.For the past many years,we have lived through some trials,challenges,and hardships.We also had a fair share or a heap of joys and blessings,even in the midst of sorrows.Moreso,we have been witnesses to a number of changes, transformations and evolutions of people,events and things around us.We have considered food,shelter,rest, friendships and other relationships as essentials in our life.But only a few might have considered the Meaning of Life as essential too.Or are we still searching for life's meaning?

Many studies had convincingly showed that without meaning in our lives,we cannot survive long.without reflection on its meaning life will be boring and drab.Events in our life,like the birth of a child,our "apo',a daughter or niece getting married,a friend or a loved one died or even some indication of a growing economy and some manmade catastrophies in our country,we may be asking these questions,"What does it all mean?,What is God trying to tell us?"

Our answers to questions like this spell the meaning of our life.Batchmates,have you found the meaning of your life?

The Secret Of Happiness

Somebody was asking,what do you mean The Secret of Happiness is love ?
It means na huwag namang always ourself ang ating iniintindi. If we're always
thinking of ourself, how we could earn so much, kung papaano tayo aasenso, how we
should be happy, na wala tayong iniintindi kundi ang sarili lamang natin, aba, eh
baka lalo lang tayong hindi maging happy. Dahil masyado tayong makasarili. We
have no time for our other fellowmen.

The secret of happiness is love. Ipadama natin ang love na iyon sa ating kapwa.
In what way? By doing good things to others,not only to ourself. Sa iba! Sa ating
kapwa! Tulad ng madalas kong mabanggit na; Mas masarap ang magbigay kaysa
sa tumanggap!

For example may pumunta sa inyo na isang babae at isang lalaki na kababaryo
mo, ang babae ay may hawak na ballpen at papel.
"Magandang umaga sa inyo," said by the two guys. We're just following an order
to ask for a little contribution, para sa maysakit na si Onyo anak ni Ka Sanang.
Onyo is in the hospital. Ka Sanang is crying, nakikiusap sa atin ng kaunting tulong,
wala na ang kaunting naitatabi niya. You gave three hundred pesos (300.00).

After a couple of days isang anak ng iyong kababaryo ang nasagasaan ng tricycle.
You helped by bringing him to the hospital through your car.At binigyan mo pa ng
kaunting perang panggastos ang pamilya. Kinagabihan habang ikaw ay nakahiga
nagtataka ka sa nararandaman mo. Wala kang nararandamang pagod, wala kang
nararandamang hirap. wala kang nararandamang inis. What you feel is happiness,
kasiyahan ng loob because nakagawa ka ng mabuti sa kapwa. Iyon ay isa mga kaliga-
yahang hindi maaaring tumbasan ng salapi.

The secret of happiness is love. No man is an island. Ang tao ay hindi isang pulo na
dapat mamukod. Ang mga tao ay magkakasama sa lipunan, likas tayong nanganga-
ialangan ng ating kapwa at ang ating kapwa ay nangangailangan din sa atin. Kapwa
ko, pananagutan ko. Kapwa ko , tutulungan ko. Ang Diyos ay nasa katauhan ng
bawat tao na kanyang nilikha. Ano mang kabutihan na ginawa sa ating pinakamaliit
na kapatid ay sa Diyos natin ginawa.

"Engr. Robles salamat ho sa inyo. Mula ng ipasok ninyo ang aking anak sa tarbaho
ay napaayos na ho ang aming pamumuhay. Kayo ho ay lagi naming isinasama sa
aming panalangin gabi-gabi, kapag kaming mag-aanak ay nagdarasal. Hindi namin
malilimutan ang ginawa ninyong kabutihan sa aming mag-aanak."

Kung ikaw si Engr. Robles hindi ba ang nadarama mo'y kaligayahan? Dahil nakagawa
ka ng mabuti sa isang dukhang pamilya! At pinasalamatan ka pa!
Sapagkat The Secret of Happiness is Love.

Courtship JRI Style Circa 1960's

My niece’s engagement to a high school classmate had me thinking about the manner of courtship in high school in the early 60’s. The following is from my personal observation only and is, therefore, totally subjective and extremely limited. Feel free to share your own observation or refute mine. Opinions, contrary or otherwise are invited. (Comments in blue are by Eddie.)

In the early 60’s, a boy in JRI Orion might initiate teenage courtship by way of a shy, furtive glance at the object of his infatuation and curiosity (from hereon referred to as the Girl), or a self-conscious, tentative smile that would silently invite an encouraging response, beamed across the shed, the school grounds, a classroom, through a window, a door, the school gate.

He might send a painstakingly handwritten love letter either copied verbatim from an ancient book of love letters with Tagalog words so long disused they could trouble even Francisco Balagtas, or composed with so much agonised longing for and exaggerated praise of the girl.

He might attempt to impress the Girl with personally crafted love cards and original verses that passed for love poems or he might employ other means such as palipad hangin, pahatid sabi through barkadas or relatives, biro, paramdam, gifts.

Others went to some unusual lengths to satisfy the cravings of their young hearts.

Some made a ritual of walking past the Girl’s home, becoming almost giddy with delight at the sight of her rooftop. (What was it about rooftops that could trigger this strange sentiment?) (It’s not the rooftop, silly. It’s the open window on the second floor.)

One even regularly risked life and limb by climbing up belfries or church steeple for a glimpse of the Girl (talk about being hopelessly love stricken). (Ouch! Bullseye!)

Others surreptitiously followed the Girl to or from school to clamp their eyes on the Girl’s legs and commit her sway and gait to memory. (What they did later with the memory of it one dares not speculate on.) (Yeah, let’s not go there.)

Others shared with their barkadas their exasperation at what seemed to be unrequited love and sought comfort in their commiserations.

Some boy, neutralised by lack of nerve, could only watch from a distance and fantasize having a mutual understanding with his Girl, only able to emerge out of this phantom relationship when a new Girl caught his fresh fancy. (Or Girls from each section?)

Some drilled imaginary but perceptible holes in the back of the Girl with his eyes as he sat directly behind her in the classroom.

Dropped under the desks or left between the pages of the Girl’s books and notebooks were unsigned notes, cryptic notes, notes written with candles or invisible inks, notes that needed mirrors to be reverse-image read - (the incredible trouble they went to just to say what could have been more easily said in person)- even threatening notes and occasionally, suicide notes. (None had followed through with it, thankfully.)

Some were so brazen as to commit naughty acts such as peeping through holes in the walls, gaps between floor boards or half-open windows of the Girl’s home and such other resourceful trickeries for a glimpse of the Girl. (Hit me again! I am a glutton for punishment. And how about that daredevil that will speed up behind the wheels of a jeep “owner” for a microsecond glimpse of the object of his affection? One can only imagine what might have happened if our town had a law enforcement officer for underage speeders.)

Some even mobilised mothers or aunts as conveyors of their fond intentions, armed with baskets of fruit, or bumbong of freshly made ginaok or homemade tsoklate.

Some just kept their juvenile feelings to themselves but talked about it with ease and humour decades later when it was safe to do so. (Talk about an immense load in one’s heart for a long time.)

The boys had, of course, many more tricks up their sleeves as their resourcefulness, daring and inventiveness were limited only by their youthful imagination, (the boys may wish to enlighten the rest of us on this). But there was something vital missing here. There was hardly any one on one, face to face dialogue, no opportunities to explore minds and hearts to see if they would click together. Without this interaction, it was next to impossible to engage emotionally and grow a sustainable relationship.

Take the case of a boy we all knew and fondly referred to as Bokbok. He wore his smitten heart not only on his sleeves but all over him. He walked with his Girl’s aura around him. He couldn’t care less about the books he was supposed to study because she was the only book he was interested in. She was his school, his entire world and being. He was totally besotted with her, wanted no one but her and pursued her with obstinate single mindedness that dared and defied all odds. He cared not one whit who knew about it. And we all knew about it, didn’t we? What an awesome courtship it was!

It had been asked why not many ‘63 batchmates and schoolmates paired off as husbands and wives. Some of the girls tried to come up with an answer and offered a rather light-hearted lob at the boys: the term “TORPE” which might have bruised the boys’ sensitivity.

Many of the girls recognised the exceptionally fine qualities of our young men and would have been quite pleased to pair off with them but there wasn’t much they could do. It was a different era, a different time. A different cultural ethos ruled. In that particular environment the “good and proper” girls had to wait for the boys to make the right moves that, sadly, in many cases never came.

It would seem then that this shortage of pairings might in part be because in JRI at that time there were not many like Bokbok who handled courtship like a man possessed, knew exactly what and who he wanted and went for her with all his guns blazing!

Not many girls could have withstood the power of such openly intense, determined and surefooted courtship but most of them missed out on this kind of heady experience probably because none of the boys ever felt the same degree of overwhelming attraction and emotional fervour for any of the female batchmates that Bokbok felt for his Girl. (I know, girls, comparison with Bokbok’s Girl would have been so unfair to us.). The boys were not torpe, just not interested enough to want to put in the hard work. Thus the scarcity of batchmates pairings. (Or the zero degree of separation reduces the degree of aspiration. Because the boy sees the girl on a daily basis, his hormone is simply saturated with her mere existence. Over time her mundane presence becomes the catalyst for sisterly love rather than romantic desires.)

But all things considered, the conclusion of the matter is that after enduring all that teenage angst, most of us are in a pretty good place now and will not have it any other way. Things are as they were meant to be although occasionally the past is a fun and curious place to revisit. Our Batch 63 tapestry is the more colourful for it.

With my niece’s engagement to her batchmate/classmate, I feel like we’ve come full circle.

An Engagement Announcement

Charina is my brother Ben's daughter and my eldest niece. It is with the greatest pleasure that I share this happy news with you all.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, AMERICA! (Greetings)

The most important national holiday here in the United States is July 4th. It is celebrated in so many different ways: parades, religious services, visiting grave sites, picnics, fireworks, concerts both inland and beach areas, etc. The annual event pushes the tourists in places that jam the roads for miles and miles of autos, trucks, and motorcycles at times, in total chaos. The same is true to all the nice beaches and waterways for avid sun worshippers and sailors. Most popular cities/town to visit due to historical significance includes Philadelphia, New York City, Washington, DC, and Boston, to name a few.

In July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declared adoption of Declaration of Independence. A committee pioneered by Thomas Jefferson formally declared this historical event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This severed the ties between the colonies and Britain after the American Revolution started. Although the signing of the declaration was not completed until August 1776, July 4th has been accepted as the official date of US independence from Great Britain. That date became the official and legal holiday in 1941. It is celebrated in all states and territories of the United States. An interesting fact about this official holiday: Guam, Marianas Island (a US territory) is always the first to celebrate this national holiday. Because of its proximity to the international dateline, about 10 to 12 hours ahead of the Eastern time, hence the motto: “Where America's day begins”. That was a popular part of the Guam's vehicle license plate in the 70s.

Our town in Ocean County is no exception when it comes to celebrating the Fourth of July. We have parades throughout the county, from the weekend before the 4th, all the way through the actual holiday. State and city parks are usually packed with people of all ages, just as much as the beaches of Jersey shore. Most family gatherings are centered at the backyard close to their swimming pool or town parks. And what is July 4th celebration without the barbecue grill lighted up to burn or cook the traditional American menu during this holiday? Americans love to eat! Hot dogs, hamburgers, spareribs, baked beans, corn on the cob, potato salad, and of course the good old lemonade (or beer) with apple pie, or watermelon to finish off the picnic. For others that don’t want to bother with the traditional barbecue, food chains and restaurants inside or out of shopping malls and strips are open. These places are particularly crowded when the temperature soars over 85 degrees F. It’s cooler inside the mall but less crowded than the beach, is a common expression among the more matured citizens. Same rationale is used to see new released blockbuster movies. For the final event, fireworks of various degrees of noises, colors and light intensities can be heard for miles as soon as the darkness sets in.

More readings...

A couple of years back, Annie and I took a short trip to a neighbor state of Delaware just to watch the July 4th celebration. Please join us to reminisce that one Fourth of July celebration in Dover, Delaware.
Photos - Happy (231st) Fourth of July, America!

JRI Orion Batch 63 GRAND REUNION...A Recollection...

It was the end of May 2007......


With the last plane out, Ernie R. aboard and when I passed by Nelias house in Sto. Domingo and saw her no more did I come to accept the fact that the curtain for our Grand Reunion has really gone down.

It feels so great to look back at the memories of May 2007.What a way to spend this merry month with old friends and batch/classmates who came so close to you and felt the warmth of their love and care...things that you seem have not given attention 44 years ago.Ganito pala ang nagiging senior citizen..nagiging sentimental at emotional.Even those batch/classmates na narito sa Orion ,dati ay di napapansin at nababati (nagbabago na kasi ng mukha at di na makilala) ngayon ay nagkaroon na ng meaning at place sa ating buhay.

Thanks to this Grand Reunion and to those who initiated, planned and spent their resources and time that this affair may come true.Mabuhay kayo mga Balik bayans(Bbs)and more power..(Pareng Mike,Mok ,Ernie R.Ernie S Frank,BenRuben,Pilar,Cora,Annie and Eddie,Nelia and Editha) So glad to see these Locals(Lls)na kahit paminsan minsan na nagdaraos tayo ng mga baby reunions ay bihira o never na nasama.Wake up you are missing a lot.(Tuding, Fely F.Linda A,Crisostomo C.Tonying A,Danny Quicho,Generoso G,Orly L,Noning S,NandingSd,Doming L ...to name a few)I am looking forward to meet Alberto Olmo ,Danilo Guzman Alberto Gabriel atb....Nasaan na kayo?

The only regret I have about this Grand Happening is not keeping a diary/journal of what transpired during the Highlights or major events of this month-long reunion .How I wish I could share every bits and pieces of these events...Siguro kung mayroong complete attendance dito , ako yon at si Fely R.(Confession;There were times then that Fely and I planned to skip an event or two -because of pagod daw, puyat, init, katamaran-mga made- up excuses namin sa sarili-but coming back to our senses and reality ..we did not want to miss the fun ..the chika chika and the warmth of brother/sisterhood that was slowly enveloping the group and so.....WE WERE THERE WHEN IT ALL HAPPENED

Welcome Aboard