Apocalypse Now? some viral post evidence....................

you dont think so?

some visual proofs that the end may be nearer than what we think if we DO NOT CHANGE

click here

SSS says goodbye to Commissioner Marianita Mendoza

SSS said goodbye to Mrs. Marianita Mendoza this afternoon at a send-off party at the Executive Lounge at the Social Security Building along East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.

I had the opportunity to speak with her many times.  She is a warm, wonderful physician, beautiful woman, who is very soft-spoken.


She will be missed by the Officers and Staff of the SSS.

L-R: Trustees: Trustee 1, Alfred, PCEO de Quiros, Trustee 2, Carol, Horace Templo, Comm. Marianita Mendoza, Zaldy

PALAWAN TRIP -

It was my first trip to Puerto Princesa.

and it was a huey

here are the pics, the story to follow

at the airport

in the plane

Island hopping

Manny, Evelyn, me, Alice

Ka Lui food - really good food

The Philippine Science High School is turning Gold

and it is time to retrieve the memories ....... where is your grad picture?

this is my grad picture .....

My friend Alice sent me this picture of my first year classmates (incidentally, you can find this picture in our yearbook). I was in Neptune and Ms. Evaline Gerochi was our class adviser.  This picture was taken as a reminder of  a class project under literature with teach Ms. Carmencita Alcid who later on became Ms. Mamao, if i have the spelling right.  First year - in the quad, Marcos-type building, where it was easy to spot anyone and everyone.  Efren Abaya who was 4th year then could usually be found playing ping-pong. :)
Efren is the older brother of our batch-mate, Bernie who is now in Texas

I am not sure if that is Cesar Samaniego or Robert Hizon behind Rollie Angeles

the Teach, Rosel, Willie, Vic (+), Bobby, Dp, someone, Rollie, Cindy, Marivic, Kay, Baba. Dale
Rene, Apollo, Ariel, Benjie (+), Ed Roque, Ces, Guia 

Weekend of June 20-22

I had an activity-filled this particular weekend 20-22 June 2014

Friday night - twas Winnie Avila's birthday blowout at 106 Maginhawa.
Ricci and Sipen brought out 2 bottles of red wine.  i didnt get to read the label.

So i got home a little later than usual.

Saturday - i woke up late as i usually do on weekends.
i got myself out of the house by 3 past in the afternoon to go the NKTI - i have laboratory exams on the 28th so i made advanced payments.  i was done before 3:30

My friends the Lims picked me up - Yes, they are very nice people - and we went to the wake of Dale Amor Villamor's parents. Her mom Maria L. Villamor and Atty. Alfredo Villamor died 14 June and her Dad followed on her birthday, 17 June..  we attended the Sunday Eucharist and left a little pass 8 pm

Wake of Dale's Mom - 17 June 2014, Jerry and I sitting, Kay, Vee, Manny, Pegs, Amihan, Boboy, Alice

We went to the wake also to greet Dale "Happy Birthday".   Her Dad died the morning of her birthday. Her mom the Sat before

The Lims then drove to Lito Sibayan's home at La Vista - and promised me that i wouldnt have to negotiate the slope down (it is a sharp incline from their main door to the street).

and whoa -
David Pomeranz - Lito Sibayan's Surprise Saturday Guest
I remember David Pomeranz has having written some of the songs that Barry Manilow sang.
i have a complete set of BM discs

This included "Tryin to Get the Feeling Again", "The Old Songs",

and he gave a short impromtu concert..

that sked tired me out terribly

Meeting up with Fr. Minch Fabio and Fr. Ces Magsino

We met at Little Quiapo. Who's we - Alice and Manny, Amihan (whose Dad is again at NKTI), me, and the 2 Fathers - Father Ces and of course, Fr. Minch.

Little Quiapo is the resto behind SSS, along Malakas - nearest cross steets would be Matapang  on one end and VLuna Road at the other end and their main thing is Filipino cuisine.

Those of you who saw Belle's picture of Fr. Minch at Inday's would note that he has white hair, and is much thinner now although he pretty much looks the same.  He said he is a cancer survivor.  I guess that's part of the reason he's thinner.  He also got to view our pictorial records, the 2 huge scrapbooks, courtesy of Alice.

So he's based in Iloilo and is leaving on the 13th of this month.  Fr. Ces says he goes to Manila every now and then to do things.  When I asked what things - he said - visit the doctor (physician is the more accurate term), attend seminars and the like.  He said he was also open to be spiritual director for retreats .... DALE this answers your question.

He also asks for prayers from everyone, and promises to say prayers for us all also.
He also said i should  go to confession sooner than ,,,,,, rarely.  Every week is his recommendation.  I guess he saw the shock in my eyes because he said he knows it is hard, but to try to do it anyway.  i told him i have a personal confession everyday, but he said confessing to a priest gives one the assurance that one is forgiven.
i was going to tell him that i didnt need the assurance because i was very confident i was forgiven.  Fr. Ces did not comment on this exchange.

Btw, Fr. Ces knows how to get in touch with Willie Olaer, not directly - but through Willie's brother.

*** i had to go back to work, but i was lucky to get a personal blessing before i left
:-)

Fr. Minch is a member of the FB Sayans group Batch75

PICTURES COURTESY OF THE LIMS

Amihan, Fr. Ces, Fr. Minch, Alice, me

Amihan, Fr. Ces, Fr. Minch, Guia

Manny, Amihan, Fr. Ces

Fr. Ces

Frs Ces and Minch

A Batch 75 Reunion ....... at Inday's

Belle Catajoy Eleazar is in town, and reserved last night for a night to touch base with the batch. Inday and Tony Dans were our gracious hosts and the mini-reunion was held at their home in New Manila.

Tony is into fishes (and turtles) and eels.  The eel was solo in the aquarium in the formal dining room, and there was one tank in the sala, and i thought the colors were lovely. I have to get the pictures from maybe Dale who was snapping away like mad (she already has the pics posted in her facebook so you can go look now).

Alice and Manny picked me up at work and helped me with my potluck share of fresh lumpia (Ubod, actually and i would never have thought that 25 pcs would be that heavy) and the Lims brought salmon (brought frozen from Canada) and cooked by Manny (delicious), and drinks (Manny said beer).  Alice said we might be the first to arrive, but i said i didnt think so. When we got to Inday's, Amihan was the first!  We were shortly followed by Dale, and Vee Dulay - who i havent seen since freshman college days in UP  They brought cake (from cakes2go). Peggy followed bringing a small bilao of pancit malabon.  Janet was next, and she brought chicken.  Mianne brought ice cream and gelato. Benita brought fish - grilled boneless bangus - abd Someone brought karekare, with bagoong.

Inday asked me if i cooked the ubod, and i said no because there was no time to cook (i had work)

then i lost track of the arrival sequence.  the guys mostly brought wine - and they mostly drank it as well.. the women mostly drank water and soda and coffee.

so, a short recount of the people

of course Inday and Tony, sibs Belle and Jiben, Alice and Manny, me,  Amihan, Dale and Vee, Mianne,  Peggy, Benita, Janet and Chito, Lito, Albert, Dode, Doy, and i hope i did not miss anyone ....

they all thought about Kay and Maristel who celebrated their birthday yesterday.

So here's the latest from Belle.  She's in IT, yes in Canada (i think it was Toronto), with Honda, handling legacy systems - an IBM mainframe so she was in DB2, etc. etc.  She has 5 kids, the eldest is 25, and the youngest is 12.  All single.

Inday's son just got married last weekend, and we saw the pics.  The pics were lovely, documenting lovely people!  Janet's youngest is now 18, just like Boboy's youngest, Juancho is now a 3rd year student in Sayans and nope, Boboy did not make it to this reunion, but he joined us at the wake of Drabacs.

So they brought up the debate again on when we had Russian literature at Sayans.  I maintain we had it during our 4th year - I was Pi-Meson, and we had Brothers Karamazov, written by Fyodor Doestoevsky.  They maintain it was during 2nd year, but second year i was in Champaca, and i dont remember 

I never had a classmate for the entire four years.  I was Neptune (Mrs. Evaline Gerochi), Champaca (ah.... who was our advisor?), Argon, then Pi-Meson.

standing (l-r) Jiben, Albert, Dode, Mianne, Pegs, Dale, Doy, Amihan, Benits, Manny, Alice, Janet, Chito, me

sitting (l-r) Lito, Tony, Inday, Belle, Vee

picture courtesy of Alice Sibal Lim

Drabacs - Director Cleofe M. Bacungan - passed away 20 April 2014

Drabacs said goodbye to this existence last Easter Sunday, the 20th of April 2014.  Her wake was held at the Bacungan Hall at the Philippine Science High School, Agham Road, Diliman Quezon City.  Interment was last Friday, 25 April 2014.

Her wish was that donations be made to the PSHS Foundation instead of flowers.  However, a group of us - Alice Sibal Lim, Amihan Abueva, Benita Padilla, Caesar Octavius Parlade (Boboy), Joey Dumandan, and me  :) - took the view that this gracious lady should have flowers and i was tasked to get the flowers for our batch - batch 75.  we figured that donations to the foundation can come at another time (and besides, we had other classmates) - and the rest of the donations could be for the donation.

The rest of the group - who were not able to go with us to the wake Monday 21 April also gave for the flowers - Dale Amor Villamor, Jerry Obaldo, Kay Uichanco. The rest of the batchmates donations, whoever will be giving, willl go to the foundation - i guess. they can do so directly.

i digress.



The history of the Philippine Science High School is entwined with the life and dreams of Drabacs.  Part of this history is documented in the book, "Romancing the Gifted".  The tenacity of Drabacs in the creation of the school can be gleaned from one picture - one of her and then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

A few of us - Sayans batch 75 have copies.  Every graduate should have one, and should read it.  Roselmo Doval-Santos, one of the wonderful writers of our batch wrote a piece in that book.  I dont know what in the world i was doing when all that was being done, but i should have volunteered to do or assist with the editorial work.

If the PSNAA is listening, they should either reissue an edited version of this or have something similar for the golden anniversary of the school.  IF they do so, i am volunteering to assist with the editorial and layouting or the work -

Many of our lives have been changed because of our high school life, and in so far as we can, we would like to pass it forward

PICTURES COURTESY OF THE LIMS

Fr. Ces

Kay and Doy

The Ghost Chair

i surf the net and i saw this on Taste Central (retail side of Deal Grocer)
this is a

Philippe Starck Louis Ghost Chair (Crystal)

This brings visions of Fairy Tale castles and glass slippers and Prince Charmings
perhaps a Beast or two

gorgeous, me thinks.
one chair is 17K plus.pesos