Saying goodbye to Liwanag Ongchangco Caldito

Liwanag Ongchangco Caldito passed away this week,
She died of complications following infection from surgery, wherein she was implanted with metal.


She worked with special children, especially with deaf children and she can sign fabulously.
I had hope that she would have time to work with my friend, Amihan Abueva - who works with abused children.

But the times were never right, and they never got to meet.

***

Fragments of Memories

Liw was a very responsible person.

I used to think she was very serious.  She taught Sunday school in Baguio when we were there for one long summer for my Dad's recuperation and relaxation (he had bad burns).  I thought then that she ruined my summer Sundays - but of course not.  Actually I only remember one particular session.  I do not like recitations and I have never volunteered to recite or present homework (unless forced -  as my math college classmates would force me)

It is a tad difficult when the teacher is a relative - who expects you to recite. 

Saying goodbye to a cousin, Florencio O. Nepomuceno

Florencio O. Nepomuceno, or Nepo as he was called by some classmates was born in Manila, on the 23rd of February 1933, the second son of Melencio Nepomuceno and Loreto Ongchangco.

He worked at Goodyear Philippines, his first and last job.  There he met Edgar H. Sarte, whom i met and became friends later.  Through him I met Israel, Efren, Felix, and Rey - brothers from Lukban, Quezon.

Manong Enggoy, as he was called by family, was an easy-going and very religious man.  He easily forgave those who cheated him, reviled him, and called him names. He went to mass every Tuesdays and Sundays.  Tuesdays he went to St. Anthony, right beside Loreto Church there in Sampaloc, Manila.

He passed away in the evening of Tuesday, the 7th of October, 2015 at the age of 82.
He will be missed.

The O2 Sibs, with Angie and Dino, AND with Jap and Patti

Taken 31 August 2015
on special leave from the hospital

US

Monte Vista at Sariaya, Quezon

A 3-day weekend trip.  21-23 August 2015.  There were three cars, my car - which our eldest drove.  our youngest crv which she drove, and my sister-in-law's van which our nephew drove.

We occupied two adjoining cottages, enjoying the shared back veranda that overlooked what we laughingly called a moat.  There was a small romantic hut (well, we were a family group - but a honeymooning couple might enjoy it) and there was a swing - like the ones we had at College of the Holy Spirit (Mendiola) back in my grade school days.

We went to Sariaya, Quezon for a spot of the beach.  It was short walk - about 10 steps - to the beach.

Very nice place, i definitely recommend it. Twas a windy and rainy weekend (Ineng was battering Luzon), and i enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline.  As usual, it reminded me of the poem of John Masefield ...." I must go down to the seas again....", and in fact, i recited it as the waves lapped against the shore.

The rooms were clean, the decor Filipino, and there was cable. The a/c was in excellent condition and there is only one thing i have to suggest - and that is that they equip the cottage with faucets near the stairs so that the sand does not track into the cottage.

The food was delish, and very Filipino. The veggies were fresh, in fact - they were freshly picked from their gardens.  You could taste the freshness - simply cooked food was great!

You ought to go, and enjoy the beach, the sun, and the local sites, and local delicacies - and if you were into cooking, you could play at cooking.

My brothers and nephews played poker several nights, with the winnings changing each night.

I caught up with prayers and meditations, and generally rested.

We were able to visit 2 churches.  The cathedral and a local church.

We bought lukban sausages, of course!

And though there was breakfast, we also bought delicious tapa. yummy.

and i didnt know how sick i really was ............

pics to follow......

Corregidor: A Trip to the Past

I encourage you to visit Corregidor.  It is an unspoilt beauty, very rough edges - with weapons of war.  Nature and men. Juxtapositions.

Battery. Huge guns.  Heavy artillery.  Caves of the Dead.  Forests.  Monkeys.  Lizards.
Skittering animals.

Memorials.  Honors.  Agonies Remembered.

The white altar was the only one i remembered from the past.  It seemed I had visited that place with my Dad, who was a WWII veteran.  The white dome, the shaft of sunlight.  that stung my memory.

Visit.
Remember the past. Remember the price of freedom.

Enjoy the beach.  Have a barbeque.  Enjoy the pool, too.
and if you are into it, there's a zip line.

the only thing i have to suggest - make it more friendly to individuals who are disabled.
soldiers may want to visit, and see the weapons of war then....

Pictures to follow.  (i have to download from my cameras).

Amadeo, Cavite: 1 August

Amadeo, Cavite.

a place of childhood memories.

My cousins have a place there where Ama (Dr. Bibiano Angkaw, MD (+)) had his practice.

In the days of my youth, there was a loom, where Aling Isay did her weaving - and where i learnt to do a bit.  It was an experience - there was a method, and the tinny patch i was able to weave will remain in my memory.

We spent summers there when we were small, and the Church seemed miles away .... and there was a bakery right beside the house,. i remember Sundays (we had to wake up early to go to church) and the smell of baking would waft though our noses as we walked past it to go to church - making us doubly eager to finish the mass and mess with the baking.  And yes, we were allowed to bake a few loaves.

The Church now is just a few steps away.  Truly, a child's perspective is quire different from an adult's view.

my cousins had a farm and summers came with the fruits - supsupins, or small delish mangoes would come in bushes or kaengs, as we call it.  And each of us would get one kaeng each (which i suppose would contain about 100 small mangoes) and we would commence to have an eating contest - first one to finish the kaeng's contents.  Not a single one of us finished one bushelful, but it was not for the lack of trying.  those mangoes were delicious.  they still are.

i wanted the windows open (it was cold so some of us felt the windows should be closed) because i like the wind to blow in and freshen the room.

they had a pump and a water tower, so when the water flowed in, someone would have to pump the water into the tower.  i remember a particular warm day when my cousins and i thought we would do the duty.  we all got wet, but we did the job.  One of my cousins who did the duty now lives in Canada and the other cousin is a physician, like his father before him.  He practices here in MetroManila. 

more later....

Countdown to the Philippine Science Golden Anniversary

Well, there you go.
This week ends in the Alumni Homecoming on 6 September 2014, the traditional Saturday homecoming.

so, Schoolmate, are you attending?

well, the family is attending ...
that's me, Guia, Batch 75
my bro, Jonas, Batch 80
and my sis, Yet, Batch 84 (a jubilarian this year) and current registrar

our cousin, Renato Ongchangco Lorenzana,  Batch 69 has passed away and i dont know if Rose Cabio-Lorenzana, his wife is attending. Yes, she too is a Sayans, same batch as Reny

and well, some of my batchmates are surely attending ....

mostly Sakonit.  Liza-wife of Jerry (taking the pic), me in my brace, Alice, Benita, Tita Cherry, Amihan, Manny

Yet (batch 84) - with Micko's pet snake

Jonas (batch 80 - who was Corps Commander then) and son Jap

September-October birthdays

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO ....

Minda M - b75
Sandy S  - b75
Terry P    - b75
Archie N - b75

Dodo
Ermatzki
Nelia OP
Yet OD
Kams

Remembering Erpats

Today is the birthday of my Dad, or as Kuys and his friends and brods coined it, Erpats from the Latin word Pater, meaning Father. i miss my Dad.  he wasnt given to much words, but he was deeply caring man.  his word was his honor, and he taught us that honor was one of the most important things a person owns.

Dad graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, and as they say, he was muy pogi (very handsome) and girls were very attracted to him.  (well, my mom was gorgeous so Dad went loco over her)

He was very disciplined, and had, as they say, a mole near the sole of his foot - an indication that he loved to travel.  Oh he did.  He traveled a lot.  Part of the travel was during his army days.  And when he retired, and had gone to the USA (being there helped his asthma) he traveled a lot, too. he didnt drive, but since he was a senior, he had a discounted RTD bus pass and went to all the beaches ... i think, in California.

i only hit a few beaches there .... Long Beach, Venice Beach, and Huntington Beach, to name a few but he went to a lot of beaches and even did some fishing.  i would have wanted to try fishing  but we couldnt find common down time to go fishing....

he loved to tease my mom, who was a bit pikon - perhaps the easiest English translation is .... not teasable?  but he was very very supportive, in all my endeavors.  one of the things he taught me is to finish things that i start.  he said to leave nothing pending.  one might not finish things at once, but once started, must be finished.  i still honor this teaching to this day.

Dad was a strong person, usually quite quiet, and had a wonderful control of his temper.  His kids, that is, us - the family - will always remember his words of wisdom that he imparted to us

Less talk, less error.  No talk, no error.

perhaps not original, but definitely true.  What he really meant was, you just dont blurt out what you think, it has to go through a thinking process, an evaluation, you might say.

Especially true when one is angry, and apt to say things that might be later wished unsaid, but what is said, cannot be unsaid.  Said things are like blossoms in the air, when good ... and stink bombs when not.

March Birthdays

March 6       - John Anthony F. Ongchangco
                      Benita S. Padilla, MD - Sayans classmate and nephro doc
March 10     - Jonas O. Ongchangco
March 11     - Ernie Uson - STI friend
March 13     - Eriene Lao - STI friend

Hope your birthdays are/were wonderful.
               

celebrated Christmas this way ........

Set the table for Noche Buena

made sure the gifts were ready

placed the food

made sure my bed was ready for me.  i love the print incidentally

Israel, Manong Enggoy, Efren

me, Manong Enggoy, and Efren at Sampaloc

Happy Christmas

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
may all our celebrations honor His Love

Miracles

 do you believe in Miracles?
if you dont, dont read this -

if you do, then there is a place in the Sampaloc area where healing is done

it is along Lardizabal St., near cor Jhocson, very near Arellano University

his home is full of holy objects, there is a life-size copy of the Black Nazarene,  a hand from the Black Nazarene of Quiapo, an image of Mother Mary with Baby Jesus, sitting atop a huge dove.

 

There are many images of God, Mother Mary, the Angels and Saints.Also, there is a nice collection of images of the Archangels

here is a small subset

Special remembrances to my Tito Pepe

Tito Pepe.
His complete name:  Jose Galvez Ongchangco
Brother of my Ermatzi (her maiden name) :
Aurora Galvez Ongchangco