A Note from Nelia

I have just talked with Nelia a few minutes ago. She is on her way to the hospice where her Mom is presently confined because of pneumonia. According to Nelia, her Mom has not recovered,she is under hospice care and she is only given comfort care as she is too weak to be under the respirator.
Nelia is requesting prayers for her Mom as they have already accepted and offered her to the Lord. It is just a matter of time and they will bring her home to the Philippines since it is her request.
Let us offer our prayers for Nelia's mother.

Two Icons of Our Later Youth Now Gone

He was only 50 and she 62; both burst into world prominence with their special and unique talents; held their fans spellbound for decades; beautiful, wealthy, famous beyond our wildest imagination yet they end where all men are appointed once to be.

Death respects nobody. So let's live life while we can, the best way we can, wasting not one moment on the negatives, leaving no room for regrets. Let us try to build a lasting memorial for us, in the hearts of those with whom we come in contact in this life, of Christian charity and service, unfeigned sincerity and uncompromising integrity.

One More Thing to Ruin Your Day

Israeli study: Soft drinks cause liver damage

06.20.2009.08:35

Researchers at Ziv Medical Center find people who drink more that half a liter of carbonated or sweetened beverages a day are five times more likely to develop fatty liver compared to people who refrain from soft drinks.

A new Israeli medical study found that soft drinks are not only bad for your teeth, but can also cause damage to your liver.

Researchers at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed compared patients suffering from fatty liver disease (steatosis hepatitis) to a control group of healthy people.

They discovered that 80% of those diagnosed with fatty liver drink more than half a liter of soft drinks every day, including carbonated beverages and sweetened juices, compared to only 17% of the control group."

As opposed to ordinary sugar, the sugar found in soft drinks, called fructose, does not cause the body to produce insulin, and is therefore absorbed a hundred times faster and goes straight to the liver where it helps create fat cells," explained Dr. Nimer Assy, director of the Liver Unit at the hospital and a senior lecturer at the Technion's Faculty of Medicine.

According to Assy, people who drink more that half a liter of soft drinks a day are five times more likely to develop fatty liver compared to people who refrain from soft drinks.

These studies are taking all the fun out of living.

The Sharing of Marriage

Batch mates, a great love story that will tickle not only you funny bone but will also stir your being helplessly romantic :

The old man placed an order for one hamburger, French fries and a drink.
He unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half, placing one half in front of his wife.
He then carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife.

He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them . As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger,
the people around them were looking over and whispering.
Obviously they were thinking, 'That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them.'

As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table and politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple.
The old man said, they were just fine they were used to sharing everything..

People closer to the table noticed the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking
turns sipping the drink.
Again, the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said " No thank you, we are used
used to sharing everything.'

Finally, as the old man finished and was wiping his face neatly with the napkin, the young man again came over to the little old lady who had
yet to eat a single bite of food and asked 'What is it you are waiting for?'

She answered 'THE TEETH.’

Jose P Rizal House is Green but People See Red

By Maricar Cinco
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 03:34:00 06/19/2009
CALAMBA CITY –

The house of National Hero Jose Rizal has been getting pained attention since it was painted green last month.

In text messages, e-mails and phone calls, residents based in the city, other provinces and abroad have expressed “shock” and “horror” over the new color of the bahay na bato.

“We don’t like it,” declared Linda Lazaro, a school teacher in her 70s and a member of the Rizal Day committee for the past 15 years.

“The house symbolizes Rizal and [the paint job] is an insult to his memory,” she said.

The house, now a shrine, was reconstructed in the 1950s using the 25-centavo contributions of students in a number of schools. It has stood for decades in dirty gray.

The National Historical Institute (NHI) had the house painted in a light shade of green. The interiors were painted yellow and the ceiling blue.

“Even the well in front of the house was painted green,” lamented Lazaro, who claims to be a member of the clan through the wife of Rizal’s brother Paciano.

‘Flimsy’ reason

In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on June 3, NHI Chair Ambeth Ocampo explained that the reason for painting Rizal’s house green was to “highlight, and inform visitors of, the meaning of his surname.”

The surname Rizal is rooted in the Spanish word “ricial,” which means a green field ready for harvest, Ocampo said.

But a resident of Calamba, who preferred not to be named, said: “It does not follow that your house should be painted according to the meaning of your surname.”

Neither was Lazaro impressed. “It’s a flimsy reason,” she said. “It doesn’t hold water.”
She said a running joke had the city residents talking about their surnames and how their houses should be painted.

“If our last name is Guinto, should our house be painted in gold?” she recalled one sarcastic remark she had heard.

To address the violent reactions, the shrine curator has put up a tarpaulin bearing an explanation why the house was painted green.

‘Embarrassing’
The staff of the Rizal shrine welcomes visitors, mostly people on educational trips, especially during weekends. Occasionally, the visitors number about 10 batches in a day.

“That’s all we have here in Calamba, and we’ve lost our symbol,” Lazaro said in expressing worry over losing the city’s main historical and tourist attraction.

She said a British guest recently came to see the house and was “horrified” by its color.
“It’s embarrassing,” she said. “We are having a hard time explaining to [guests] why it is green.”
Lazaro said it was different in the pre-green days: “Children would turn quiet upon entering the house. There was a certain ambiance and romance, it being an old house.”

She said this was contrary to a reaction from another recent guest who referred to the shrine as “a toy house.”

Another resident said Rizal’s house now looked “like a cake.”

Lazaro said teachers on a tour of Calamba were “angry that they lost credibility before their students” in showing the national hero’s supposed representation of home.

Doctor Virgilio Lasaga, tourism officer of Calamba, said his office had likewise been receiving negative feedback on the paint job.

‘Disco house’
“We are being blamed [for turning Rizal’s house green],” Lazaro said.
She said she had been avoiding the market because people there kept asking her why the shrine was painted that way.

According to Lazaro, an old female resident of Calamba even wept over the change, and teenagers have started referring to the shrine as “a disco house with neon colors.”

In a text message, a concerned individual said in Filipino: “I did not expect the painting of the bahay na bato. If we solicit funds for its repainting, I am sure many will be open-handed.”
But Lazaro said it would be too late to repaint the house in time for Rizal’s birth anniversary today.

She said the residents were also of two minds over whether there should be a celebration.

Lest We Forget

A Tale of Two Very Interesting and Gutsy Filipino Women

‘Kapit sa patalim,’ that’s Arroyo’s situation

By Neal CruzPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 00:52:00 06/15/2009

I think President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is really thinking of running for representative of her district in Pampanga now occupied by her eldest son Mikey. Without a seat in the House, her next stop would be jail, the crime of plunder being non-bailable. But as Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo said, “a seat in Congress, even if she were elected Speaker, does not give GMA immunity from criminal suits.”

That is correct, but as a member of Congress, she cannot be arrested while Congress is in session. Once Congress adjourns, however, she can be arrested. What she can then do is go abroad before Congress adjourns and then come back when Congress is already in session.

Ms Arroyo knows that once she is no longer President, she would be inundated with criminal cases, considering her many sins against the people. So she is forced to act the way she is behaving because she ...

‘Never again to another dictatorship!’

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 01:18:00 06/15/2009

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy...” Jn.10:10a (New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

Beware of those who sneak in at night!

While the Filipino people were deeply asleep on the evening of June 2, 2009, sinister forces, consisting of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s allies in Congress, once again launched a sneak attack to steal what was left of the little democratic space...

From denials to don’t know on Arroyo’s plan

Arroyo for Congress a moral issue -- Senator

by Christine Avendaño

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s reported bid to run for Congress was “more of an ethical and moral issue rather than a legal issue," an opposition senator said.FULL STORY

Possible Arroyo House bid a 'humbling' act

by Christian V. Esguerra

Even without a declaration as to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s political plans beyond 2010, Malacañang continues to defend the prospect of her seeking a seat in the House of Representatives.FULL STORY

Poor Imelda

Pleading (depending on her mood, perhaps) either poverty or property rights, Imelda Romualdez Marcos wants her confiscated jewelry back.that the people still enjoyed...

Imelda’s jewels are unexplained wealth

DoJ blocks return of jewels to Imelda - INQUIRER.net, Philippine ...
16 Jun 2009 ...

IMELDA MARCOS, who was crying last week claiming to be on the brink of poverty, may or may not get her P15-billion jewelry back. ...

Here's a challenge to our Batchmates: Why not blog about a public figure or personality in the Philippines whom you find particularly interesting?

Some Great Lessons in Life

To celebrate growing older, here are some life's lessons for reflection :

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will.. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer..

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time..

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34.. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Graft & Corruption

Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!

Walter Scott

Let’s imagine you are engaged in some enormous scam. Let’s also assume it is about something improbable; hmm, how about manure?

You are huli (caught). Would you rather your evil manure schemes were judged by a jury of honest men and true, or by a group so hopelessly compromised that to find you guilty would be to open themselves to prosecution?

This of course is exactly the situation facing the House panel investigating former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc Joc" Bolante’s involvement in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam.

Although the absurdity of distributing funds for agricultural fertilizer to congressmen representing districts in Quezon City and Bolante’s flight from justice might seem to a jury of honest men and true evidence that something stinks in all this, the panel is expected to hold its nose and clear Bolante for the simple reason that, as Rep. Teddy Casiño points out: “more than a hundred administration representatives benefited from that scam in 2004.”

Bolante’s smelly dealings lead me to a broader issue.

It seems to me that the current set-up in the Philippines helps to criminalize virtually all of us, limiting our capacity, and even our desire, to support justice.

Do you pay all your taxes? If you run a business, have you waited patiently for the endless licences the state requires, or have you “eased” the process with a few hundred pesos? What about that time a cop pulled you over for swerving, did you hand over your licence quietly or slip him a couple of hundred?

I won’t go on, but even you have stoutly answered “yes” to all of those questions, what about your family? Is your dad’s business 100% legal? Your mother works in government service, are you sure everything she does is by the book?

The fact that almost all of us are forced or at least encouraged to commit these misdemeanours is an enormous advantage to the high rollers in the grimy game. To return to Bolante, the real beneficiary of the fertiliser fiddle was not the congressman who received an addition to his election war chest, it was not even Joc-Joc. The spider who wove the web was the president, who through this and similar schemes managed to manufacture an unlikely election victory and to ensure that everyone along the way was caught in her trap.

Those of us in the outer circles of the web are not caught as tightly as those in the middle, yet still we can’t quite kick ourselves free. Even businessmen and women who support a fair taxation regime baulk at the idea of even more BIR interference in their companies. At a philosophical level, our enmeshment breeds a kind of resignation, almost a kind of solidarity with the playmakers.

If convicted plunderer “not one centavo” Erap were seen as an aberration, his interest in another run at the presidency would surely be laughed out of court. As it is, although I doubt whether he is quite as popular as he thinks he is, Erap benefits from a sense of hopelessness that no one else is any better. He, Gloria, and the other king pins may sit at the centre of the web, but we have all been caught in its sticky embrace.

A NOTE OF THANKS

Yay Gomez and her children requested to post their note of thanks to Batch 63:


Dy's passing is pretty tough for all of us who were left behind... too sad he is not around physically - everyday is not the same without him. We miss him a lot!

My kids and I will be all right in spite of the pains we are experiencing, but nothing is impossible through Jesus who gives us strength. We all find peace, solace and comfort believing that it's just a temporary separation; we'll meet him again someday! He is now at peace in heaven, a place where this no more tears, pain nor sorrows.

Thank you all very much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. God Bless...

Sincerely,
Yay, Rommel, Rochelle and Rowell Gomez

Anti - Aging Power

People around the world,regardless of race,spend billions annually on various anti-aging products that claim to cure baldness,remove wrinkles,build muscles and renew the powers of youth. can those products deliver what they promise? Most authorities say " there is absolutely no scientific proof that any commercially available product will stop or reverse aging".
But there is a promise of spiritual vitality that defies the ravages of time. Isaiah 40:30:31 stated "Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but those who wait in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles,they shall run and not be weary,they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah used the eagle as a symbol of freedom and endurance,held aloft by a source of power outside itself. As we put our hope and trust in the Lord,we are carried along by His strength and not over our own.Psalm 103:5 said it is the Lord who nourishes us so that "our youth is renewed like the eagle's"
Growing old is a blessing when we're growing closer to to God. many of us fear aging with all the trouble it brings. But when we are gradually stripped of everything that props us up-whether wealth,independence,health,dignity,beauty or all of the above-we are left withmore and more of God. So no matter how old we are it's not too late to dig deep in God's Word and invest more and more time in our spiritual well-being. We'll see the pay-offs now and later. The older we get,the better we can become.

The ravages of time cannot be stopped
Yes, outwardly we perish everyday;
But inner strength of heart can be renewed
By trusting in the Lord to light our way.

A Break From the Usual Batch Gabfest : Judgment Day: Broke California Faces Shutdown at Arnie Schwarzenegger ’s hands

From The Times
June 13, 2009

Excerpt:

The state of California is in crisis and time has almost run out. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor, has spent this week haggling with state legislators to agree cuts to basic services in one of the world’s largest economies.

The state’s top finance officials warned that unless an emergency austerity plan is agreed by Monday — and there is little chance that it will be — they will not be able to borrow the billions of dollars needed to keep the current government functioning. If California was a company, it would have gone bust months ago.

The breadth and depth of Mr Schwarzenegger’s cuts are unprecedented and no one in the state, not even its dozens of billionaires, will be unaffected. His more radical proposals include wiping billions of dollars from the education budget, with the school year shortened and larger classes.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of police and firemen will be laid off, and state employees who keep their jobs face pay cuts of at least 10 per cent.

Parks will close, shutting access to thousands of square miles of beaches, redwood forest and other attractions that draw 80 million visitors a year. Thousands of prisoners will be released early and the notorious St Quentin penitentiary will be among state buildings put up for sale.

All financial aid for university students, affecting 200,000 people from low-income families, will end.

Local governments will no longer have to provide absentee ballots in elections, nor run programmes to help infants exposed to drugs. Even stray animals will no longer be kept alive for the statutory three days.

Mr Schwarzenegger ...told lawmakers in Sacramento, the state capital: “California’s day of reckoning is here. Our wallet is empty. Our bank is closed. Our credit is dried up.”

...Now he has embarked on a “day of reckoning” strategy, asking voters to recognise that Californians must “live within our means”.

... Unemployment already stands at 11 per cent, the fifth-highest in the nation, and another 63,700 jobs were lost last month...

Last year overall personal income declined for the first time since 1938. The land of Hollywood’s dream factory has turned into a fiscal nightmare.

Entire post
Judgment day: broke California faces shutdown at Arnie Schwarzenegger ’s hands

Related Links
Parks face Schwarzenegger’s axe
Schwarzenegger terminates state's textbooks
Schwarzenegger faces end of political road

Let us all hope and pray that our California based batchmates and their families will be not be so grievously affected by this incomprehensible hardship.

INVITATION & ANNOUNCEMENT

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Sunday, June 21, 2009. This day is especially set for all fathers in the world.

On this special day, we greet all of you - fathers of all batchmates, father batchmates, husbands of female batchmates, married sons of batchmates, sons-in-law of batchmates,
married grandsons of batchmates, husbands of grandaughters of batchmates...

We wish you good health and long life, and a happy, blessed life with your loved ones.

MABUHAY ANG LAHAT NG MGA AMA NG TAHANAN SAAN MANG PANIG NG MUNDO!

Man,93 and woman,89 tie the knot in Florida

West Palm Beach,Fla.- One Florida couple is starting married life with 182 years of experience
between them.Ebenezer Rose,93 and 89 year old Monica Hayden on Sunday in West Palm
Beach.The couple said they decided to get married after a brief courtship.Rose said he told Hayden that"each of us is living a lonely life.Why not get married?"

The couple first met in church about 20 years ago.

Rose's first wife died about 4 years ago after 58 years of marriage,Hayden is twice-widowed.

Anong say ninyo?

List of Departed Batch mates

Although I have posted this list in my comments to Josie's blog ,I agree with her that it is better to have them as a separate posting.This list is randomly done:

1. Rodolfo Cayabyab
2. Rolando Bagtas
3. Rolando Santiago
4. Ruben Gonzales
5 .Antonio Lopez
6. Romeo Mariano
7.Narciso Racion
8.Ruperto Estrella
9.Ambrocio Perez
10.Ursulo Quicho
11.Concordia Baluyot
12.Roberto Gomez

They will be included in our intentions in the Thanksgiving mass to be held on January 16,2010.

Let us always remember them in our prayers.

Tawa Muna

Ugali
Bobo: pare hulaan mo ugali ko, nagsisimula sa letter A ?
Pare: approachable?
Bobo: mali
Pare: amiable
Bobo: mali pa rin
Pare: o sige, sirit na nga
Bobo: Anest

Policeman arresting a prostitute
Prosti: I am not selling sex
Police: Then what are you doing?
Prosti: I'm a saleswoman selling condoms with free demo.

Pollutants
Bush: What are the pollutants in your country?
Jingoy: We have lots of pollutants.. ..we have sisig, kilawin, chicharon, mani
Erap: Anak, may nakalimutan ka, Boy Bawang (cornik).

Gatas
Tindero: Hoy, bili ka gatas ng baka. P10 piso lang isang baso
Manong: Ang mahal naman, may tig piso lang ba nyan?
Tindero: Meron po, pero kayo na po ang dumede sa baka.

Utak
Pasyente: Dok, bakit po ganito ang operasyon sa ulo ko? Halos kita na utak ko
Doctor: Ok lang yan, yan ang tinatawag na open minded.

Pamasahe
A naked girl rode on a taxi
"Bakit" asked the girl at the driver na nakatitig sa katawan nya
"Ngayon ka lang ba nakakita ng hubad?"
Driver: "Hindi po miss, iniisip ko lang kung saan nakatago pamasahe mo"

Beauty contest
Emcee: What's the biggest problem facing the country today?
Contestant: Drugs
Emcee: Very good, why do you say that?
Contestant: Ang mahal kasi eh!

Butligs
Amo: Bakit ka umiiyak?
Katulong: Sabi po ni dok tatanggalan po ako ng butlig
Amo: Butlig lang iiyak ka na...
Katulong: Kasi ok lang kung right lig or left lig lang po pero bakit naman butligs pa.....

Substitute
Doc: Ano trabaho mo hija?
Girl: Substitute po
Doc: Hindi kaya prostitute?
Girl: Hindi po, mama ko po ang prostitute at kung may sakit siya ako po yung substitute.. ..

Doctor's Advice
Doc: For your health take only a cup of rice, lean meat and a saucer of kangkong..
Fruits for dessert and lots of juice....
Erap: Doc, shall I take them before or after meals?

Kodigo
Nahuling may kodigo ang estudyante.. .
Guro: Ano 'to?
Estudyante: Prayer ko po, ma'am!
Guro: At bakit answers ang nakasulat?
Estudyante: Naku! Sinagot na ang prayers ko!

SIOPAO
Kulas: Miss, isa ngang siopao... 'yung babae.
Waitress: Babaeng siopao?
Kulas: Oo. 'Yung may papel na sapin. Kumbaga, napkin.
Waitress: Ahh, ganun po ba? Lalaki po ang nandito.
Kulas: Lalaki?
Waitress:Opo, may itlog sa loob!

NITRATES
A Chemistry teacher asked a sexy student, "What are NITRATES?
The student replied shyly, "Ma'am, sa motel po.
NITRATES are higher than day rates!"

Aso
Usapan ng dalawang mayabang...
Tomas: Ang galing ng aso ko! Tuwing umaga, dala niya ang dyaryo sa akin.
Diego: Alam ko.
Tomas: Ha? Paano mo nalaman?
Diego: Ikinukuwento sa akin ng aso ko.

Assignment
Josh: Kumusta ang assignment?
Ricardo: Masama. Wala akong nasagutan. Blank paper ang ipinasa ko.
Josh: Naku, ako rin! Paano 'yan? Baka isipin nila, nagkopyahan tayo?!

Pangarap
Toto: Pangarap ko, kumita ng P250,000 monthly gaya ni daddy!
Juvy: Wow! Ganyan kalaki ang kinikita ng daddy mo?
Toto: Hindi! 'Yan din ang pangarap niya!

Taning
Dok: May taning na ang buhay mo.
Juan: Wala na bang pag-asa? Ano po ba ang dapat kong gawin?
Dok: Mag-asawa ka na lang ng pangit at bungangera.
Juan: Bakit, gagaling po ba ako ru'n?
Dok: Hindi, pero mas gugustuhin mo pang mamatay kesa mabuhay!

H2O
Lito: Pare, ano ba ang kaibahan ng H2O sa CO2?
Joseph: Diyos ko naman! Di mo ba alam 'yun?!
Ang H2O ay hot water! At ang CO2... cold water.

Basketball
Gustong malaman ng magkaibigan kung may basketbolan sa langit.
Nagkasundo sila na kung sino ang unang mamatay ay babalik upang
sabihin kung may basketbol sa langit.
Naunang namatay si Dado.
Isang gabi, may narinig na boses si Rodel na parang kay Dado.
"Ikaw ba 'yan, Dado?" usisa ni Rodel.
"Oo naman!" tugon ni Dado.
"Parang hindi totoo!" bulalas ni Rodel."O, ano, meron bang basketbol sa langit?"
Sagot ni Dado, "May maganda at masama akong
balita sa 'yo. Ang maganda, may basketbol doon. Ang masama...
kasali ka sa makakalaban namin bukas!"

Chatting Incident - Re: Ruben Gomez

More details on what transpired during my chat with Nelia, Luz and Fely: I was the last one to join the chat It was Luz who told me that Ruben's name (in green color) appeared in Nelia's frame while they were chatting.

I told Luz that maybe Ruben is asking for prayers, so I requested her to offer a mass for the eternal repose of his soul. I said maybe, it would be a good idea to invite his kins, and our batchmates in Orion, to attend and maybe have breakfast or a simple salu-salo afterwards. during which they could talk about him in reminiscence.

I also encoded a prayer for him which I sent to Luz: "ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO RUBEN, O LORD; AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON HIM." My internet connection was cut off, right after sending that prayer to Luz. I repeated the same prayer verbally, facing our altar. The connection was restored. At that moment, I got a message from Nelia, asking me if I got what she wrote about the strange incident that happened to her and Luz. When I said -no- she related it to me again. At this point, I requested Luz to send me the names of all the departed batchmates, so I can offer a mass for them, too.

How about posting the list in our blog, so all of us can offer prayers/masses for all of them?

Ruben Gomez

I would like to share with you a very strange thing that happened tonight while chatting with Luz,Fely and Jo,Ernie namiss mo ito.Me and Luz were in the middle of chatting about our reunion when all of a sudden Ruben's name appeared on the top right hand corner of the frame.He's full name appeared blinking in green ,the color when one of the members of the chat is typing.It didn't sink in right away bec. I was busy typing.Then I realized that only the names of the people who are chatting appears on the frame ,and how can Ruben join the chat when he is already dead.Kinilabutan ako and I toldLuz , rightaway.She told me that maybe he wanted to send a message to his batchmates.Sabi ko naman kay luz,baka magso sorry dahil hindi siya makaka attend ng reunion.So,tuloy ang chat namin ni Luz at sinabi pa namin na kailangang ipagpamisa dahil siguro humihingi ng dasal.Tapos sabi ko ,sana sabihin sa atin kung ano ang itsura ng heaven.Pagkasabi ko nuon bigla na namang lumabas ang pangalan niya duon naman sa upper left hand corner at pinatungan ang pangalan ni Luz.Nagblink uli.Talagang natakot na ako dahil baka nasa tabi ko at nababasa ang tina type ko.Ikinuwento ko rin kay Jo,tapos bigla siyang na cut off kaya inulit ko uli.After na ipagdasal niya at sinabi na ipagpapamisa niya,tapos sabi ko eenroll ko sa mga missionary,hindi na uli nag appear.Baka naman gusto niya bigyan natin ng moral support ang family niya,ene mail ko na si Pilar para tawagan ang wife niya to see how they are doing,dahil sila ang laging nagkakausap.Other than that and the prayers ,I don't know what message he wants to send.Maybe after I said about how heaven looks like,when his name appeared again,that's the answer,. that he is already in heaven.

Thanks for reading .I hope hindi ko kayo tinakot.

VERY INFORMATIVE!

It takes your food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.

One human hair can support 3kg (6.6 lb).

The average man's penis is three times the length of his thumb.

Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.

A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.

There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.

Women blink twice as often as men.

The average person's skin weighs twice as much as the brain.

Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.

If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.

Women reading this will be finished now.

Men are still busy checking their thumbs.

ROBERTO GOMEZ - Rest in Peace

We've lost another one of us. The Batch share the searing pain of this terrible loss. Our collective hearts go to Yay and the rest of the family and offer our deepest, sincerest sympathy and prayers for comfort and strength during this time of unspeakable grief.

Condolence To the Family Of Roberto Gomez

This is a sad news for Batch'63, our batchmate Roberto Gomez passed away May 25 in North Carolina. This news was relayed to us by his brother when we met at the church just this evening. Ruben had a fatal heart attack.

Pilar, please call up the family of Ruben and extend our sympathy.

My Wild Dreams

Ernie, Fely and I had a long" Conference Chat" last Wednesday and one topic we focused on was how lucky are most members of Batch '63 to follow our dreams... which we never expected to fulfill given the past life situation we were in during our high school days. Indeed we are lucky to have visited some famous places in some parts of the world. Fely intimated that she is fascinated with Europe and she wants to visit Spain where one of her brothers is comfortably settled . She also want to see Austria, her dream country. Ernie shared how he appreciated his previous career as pilot, which brought him to many places in the world for free. The three of us agreed that dreams really come true.
Let me share two of my wildest dreams; one has been fulfilled when I first set foot on the famous "Romantic City of Venice in Italy in May 2000. I couldn't contain my tears when I saw the city built on a swampy and smelly lagoon . I wondered how this city attracts tourists and I surmised it is the Gondola ride ! Yes,riding the gondola is one of my wildest dreams. I made sure that there were photo shots of this memorable event in my life . I still feel euphoric looking back at the boat ride with a handsome Italian as boatman !
I still have to fulfill another dream ,that is riding in a hot air balloon . For three years now, I always get the schedule of Activities of the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clark every February but I haven't gone there to watch the exhibition flights of participating hot air balloon fanatics all over the world. I am still wishing this dream will come true, soon.

God Made Us for A Reason

By: Russell Kelfer

You are who you are for a reason
You're a part of an intricate plan
You're a precious and a perfect unique design
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason
Our God made no mistake
He knit you together within the womb
You're just what He wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones He chose
And no matter how you may feel
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, the trauma you faced was not easy
And God wept that it hurt you so
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into His likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason
You've been formed by the Master's rod
You are who you are, beloved
Because There is a God ! ! !