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....

A meeting with friends and officemates

last December 6, the OEVP-Operations

in no particular order

Mamu (Emily Ferrer) with Papu, Hermie Bungay, Ging de la Paz, Tina Sampang, Clarits Vidal, Anabel, Ranil and family

Noel Trinidad had to drive his mom to the province, and Rey Oriel had Lion guests

We trooped over to the Shrine of Santo Nino de Providencia, which was a few meters away from the ancestral home of HT Templo in Las Pinas. We were first-time visitors to the shrine so we were given info and pamphlets and novenas.  We stayed there a while to pray, to ask for blessings and peace in our lives.

Kuya Pat, Ht's man-about-the-house maintains the house and gardens and indeed, they are well-maintained.  I especially took a gander around the gardens, and checked out the flora.  The plants were pretty, and specially the flowering plants.  Horace was very knowledgeable about his plants, but i guess you would too, if you were the person who got the plants and had it planted in the first place.

And the food.  Oh glorious food.  Seafood mainly although there was liempo and the ubiquitous chicken.  I loved the crabs, and the sugpo, and the fish!  i also drank some red wine ....

I had brought over salad greens, and the ladies set about to preparing it.  Ht said there were lots of onions and i had to say mea culpa because i particularly like the sweetness of the onions - they were the red onions.  i also bought over my favorite sesame dressing - because i didnt have time to mix my own.  my friend Alice says she likes my salad dressings .....

Curiosity prompted me to examine his oven, and he willing explained the conceptualization and implementation of the brick oven.  The food was cooked very nicely, that we will all attest to....

Pictures to follow .....

Sunday, 19 October

Paeng's birthday.
so Sakonit trouped over there for lunch .... and we found Butch with  his wife Josie (met her for the first time) and Jerry O discussing things over what seemed like "done lunch"

Alice, Manny, and I arrived together (they gave me a ride!) and proceeded to have lunch.  I remember having a bit of rice, karekare, chicken, lumpiang shanghai.  i had a tinny bit of beer, and a tinny bit of scotch.

Amihan was not free to join us, neither was Dale, or Boboy.  Joey arrived, but sooooo late - but we did have a chance to gab part of the afternoon away.

Mama, Paeng's mom was asleep though Li-Anne assured that she was strong, only that her sleeping habits have changed.  Mama is 97.  Marianne, Paeng's daughter is now 3rd year - at the College of the Holy Spirit (yes, over there in Mendiola), taking psychology.

Butch is a chemical engineer, and he had a fascinating discussion on coffee - decaff that is, and 3-in-1 things.
I will no longer take decaff, not after he explained the process and the chemicals that removes caffeine from the coffee beans.  The chemical that removes the caffeine is similar to the paint remover you use when you redo the house.  So ugh.

Jerry did give away so many dvds.  Alice said i should give the titles of those i want so she could save them for me.....

Office Companions meet .... after times apart

it is always nice to touch base(s) with companions after a spell of distance of time and space

Last Friday, 17 October
At Sambokojin West - the following gathered to catch up with news about each other
Emily and Chito; Tina; Ging, Paulie, and Justine; Clare and Annabel; Hermie; Aris and family;
Fred; Albert; and the man-of-the-hour who handled the bill, Horace; and me

Albert was off farming, HT was working with an HMO in Makati (near STI where i used to work!), Fred was relaxing (nice to be retired), Emily and Chito were recharging, and Aris shared a bit of news about GSIS (he still has to share some more); and the rest were still with the same agency they were with, but perhaps with some changes.... in their lives.

I had cooked and eaten shrimps, loved the wrapped asparagus and mushrooms, enjoyed the fresh salad, and of course, the miso soup and the tempura.  Ging got a huge vat of ice cream that she shared.  That was the only sweet i got.  Good eats.

Payment time, 6 of us had discounts - Fred, Albert, Emily and Chito, HT, and I (i am a PWD, the rest were seniors) so a 20% discount for 6 wasnt bad at all....

pics to follow

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

A day to see friends

Saturday, 5 January turned out to be a day to see friends


Lunch time - i met up with my Stat classmates .....

Leorey Marquez, who is based in Australia - and here to visit his mom as well as present to the College of Engineering disaster models - particularly those to do with dams, and thus flooding.  too bad i cant attend as it falls on a workday.

Mel Bernardo with his wife Miriam. Mel works at Metrobank with Joan - and i found out that 55 was the mandatory retirement age for Metrobank! 

 

Mel, Leorey (looking off camera), and me.....

 

with Miriam, the wife of Mel

and for dinner, Ofelia Martin Templo invited us - Emily and Chito Ferrer, Hermie, and Ging de la Paz, and me to dinner at .... King Bee - right across St. Peter (Hermie could actually walk to the place!).  

I had told Ofie that i could not drive so she offered to pick me up.  I told her i lived too far but she said ok lang so then i agreed.  i wanted a chance to see and talk with her again.  I told her it was difficult to go to the corner to get a cab and i needed advanced warning (a day or 2 at least) to arrange a driver so she asked me how i went to work.  i told her i had a service - have someone pick me up and bring me home.  weekends, i have someone get me a taxi if i need to go anywhere - as i have someone come in during weekends but last weekend, my assistant had the flu and couldnt make it to the house.  

my car has very low mileage - and it has traveled to Pagodpod way up there in Ilocos, Ligao in Bicol, Baguio - where we almost had the head-on collision due to a stupid driver going up to Baguio who overtook on a blind curve.  oops, i digress.

Ging couldnt make it to dinner as they were having a special event at their house.  

we had a very good time.  Ofie showed the pictures of her grandkids and Junjun's (or Jutes in his business cards - he owns Gino's, a pizza joint named after his son, located near Merriam College) daughter is just the cutest!  *sigh*

Ofie kindly brought me home and i was very glad Bernard (the youngest son of HTT and Ofie) texted his mom if she could fetch him at Centris.  At least, Centris wasnt too far off from the house.

It was very good to see Ofie, and i was really very happy to see pictures of her grandkids.  they are just the cutest.

Chito and Emily (accidentally hidden behind me), Herms, Ofie

here's a better picture of us, particular Mamu (Emily Ferrer)

At least my gladiator braces cant be seen in any of the pictures.  i call that successful dressing!