Our parents survived the trials of the depression and the tribulations of WWII. That theme is that we are mired not merely in a financial crisis, like the depression, but in a full-blown war in Afghanistan, similar to the times of our parents, when they were called to fight two wars simultaneously. One provoked and one that was just a case of stopping some bullies from ravaging weaker countries. .Amor Patriae
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Turin Shroud is stained with the blood of a torture victim, new research shows - supporting the belief that it DOES show the face of Jesus
Turin Shroud mystery 'solved': Infrared tests show ancient cloth may NOT be a medieval fake after all... and could have been used to wrap Christ's body
Infra red tests dated the cloth to some time between 300BC and 400AD
The shroud will appear in a live TV broadcast on Saturday
Just in time for Easter a new study has claimed that the Shroud of Turin is a not a medieval forgery but could - in fact - be the burial shroud that was used to wrap the body of Christ. The cloth’s consistency is similar to those used to bury the dead at the time of Christ, 2,000 years ago, according to the latest scientific studies. Details of the research have emerged in a book and come ahead of Saturday's rare glimpse of the Shroud, when TV cameras will film it as part of a live broadcast ahead of Easter Sunday. Separated at birth: Split screen showing the likeness between the Turin Shroud and a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci For centuries scientists have argued about the authenticity of the Shroud - which is kept in a secure vault in Turin Cathedral - and it has become one of the most iconic images of the Roman Catholic faith. The 14ft-long linen cloth bears the faint image of the front and back of a tall, long-haired, bearded man and appears to be stained by blood from wounds in his feet, wrists and sides that match those suffered by Christ at his Crucifixion.The findings are in a new book called Il Mistero della Sindone (The Mystery of the Shroud) which is published on Good Friday. The authors, Professor Giulio Fanti, an expert in mechanical and thermal measurement at the University of Padua’s Engineering Faculty and journalist Saverio Gaeta, examined fibres from the Shroud and compared them to samples of cloth dating back to between 3000BC and up to the modern era to contrast them and see if it is a Medieval forgery. Key to the findings are three new tests, two chemical ones and one mechanical, the first two were carried out using infra-red light, and the other using Raman spectroscopy - which measures radiation through wavelengths and is commonly used in forensic science. Has Turin Shroud mystery been solved? 14ft-long linen cloth, pictured above left in 1934, bears the faint image of the front and back of a tall, long-haired, bearded man and appears to be stained by blood from wounds in his feet, wrists and sides that match those suffered by Christ at his Crucifixion The results dated the fibres from the cloth to a period between 300BC to 400AD, which covers the years of Christ's life. Debate has raged whether the image is that of Christ or a fake from the Middle Ages. But what is certain is that experts have never really been able to explain how the image was made. Carbon 14 tests were conducted on the cloth in 1988 and these findings suggested it dated from between 1260 and 1390. However, some scientists have since claimed that contamination over the ages from water damage and fire, were not taken sufficiently into account and could have distorted the results. Since then, there have been several requests for fresh tests but Church chiefs have always refused - and this is why Professor Fanti and his team had to rely on fibres that were used in the 1988 tests. Before he retired last month pope Emeritus Benedict XVI gave permission for the Shroud to go on display as a 'last gift’ to the millions of Catholics before he retired from public office. Thirteen years ago when he was plain cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict wrote that the shroud was a ‘truly mysterious image, which no human artistry was capable of producing. In some inexplicable it appeared imprinted upon cloth...’ Italian state TV will broadcast footage of the Shroud but it is not thought that general public access will be allowed until 2025, the date of the next scheduled display. As part of the TV broadcast, a new app called Sindone 2.0 has been developed, showing a series of HD images of the shroud which highlight details of the cloth not visible to the naked eye.
WHAT IS THE TURIN SHROUD?
The linen cloth, believed by some to have wrapped the body of Jesus Christ, has captivated the imagination of historians, church chiefs, sceptics and Catholics for more than 500 years. There are no definite historical records concerning the shroud prior to the 14th century. Although there are numerous reports of Jesus' burial shroud, or an image of his head, of unknown origin, being venerated in various locations before the 14th century. But there is no historical evidence that these refer to the shroud currently at Turin Cathedral. A burial cloth, which some historians maintain was the Shroud, was owned by the Byzantine emperors but disappeared during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204. Historical records seem to indicate that a shroud bearing an image of a crucified man existed in the small town of Lirey around the years 1353 to 1357. It was in the possession of a French Knight, Geoffroi de Charny, who died at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. However the correspondence of this shroud with the shroud in Turin, and its very origin has been debated by scholars and lay authors, with claims of forgery attributed to artists born a century apart. Some contend that the Lirey shroud was the work of a confessed forger and murderer. The history of the shroud from the 15th century is well recorded. In 1532, the shroud suffered damage from a fire in a chapel of Chambéry, capital of the Savoy region, where it was stored. A drop of molten silver from the reliquary produced a symmetrically placed mark through the layers of the folded cloth. Poor Clare Nuns attempted to repair this damage with patches. In 1578 Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy ordered the cloth to be brought from Chambéry to Turin and it has remained at Turin ever since. The shroud has had many notorious admirers. It even obsessed Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, who wanted to steal it so he could use it in a black magic ceremony. In May 2010, five years after he became Pope, Benedict authorised a public viewing of the Shroud - the first since 2000 and also 15 years ahead of its next scheduled public display.
Turin Shroud 'was created by flash of supernatural light': It couldn't be a medieval forgery, say scientistsThe image on the Turin Shroud could not be the work of medieval forgers but was instead caused by a supernatural ‘flash of light’, according to scientists.
Italian researchers have found evidence that casts doubt on claims that the relic – said to be the burial cloth of Jesus – is a fake and they suggest that it could, after all, be authentic. Sceptics have long argued that the shroud, a rectangular sheet measuring about 14ft by 3ft, is a forgery dating to medieval times. Scientists in Italy believe the kind of technology needed to create the Shroud of Turin simply wasn't around at the time that it was created Scientists from Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development spent years trying to replicate the shroud’s markings. They have concluded only something akin to ultraviolet lasers – far beyond the capability of medieval forgers – could have created them.This has led to fresh suggestions that the imprint was indeed created by a huge burst of energy accompanying the Resurrection of Christ. ‘The results show a short and intense burst of UV directional radiation can colour a linen cloth so as to reproduce many of the peculiar characteristics of the body image on the Shroud of Turin,’ the scientists said.
WHAT IS THE TURIN SHROUD?
The Vatican owns the Turin shroud, and hails the relic as an exploration of the ‘darkest mystery of faith’. But the church has shied away from any definitive statement over whether the shroud - which is supposed to have formed Christ's burial robe - is real. The Shroud is thought to have travelled widely before it was brought to France in the 14th century by a Crusader. It was kept in a French convent for years - by nuns who patched it, and where it was damaged by fire. The Shroud was given to the Turin Archbishop in 1578 by the Duke of Savoy and has been kept in the Cathedral ever since. Carbon dating tests in 1988 dated it from between 1260 and 1390 - implying it was a fake. Scientists have since claimed that contamination over the ages from patches, water damage and fire, was not taken sufficiently into account In 1999, two Israeli scientists said plant pollen found on the Shroud supported the view that it comes from the Holy Land. There have been numerous calls for further testing but the Vatican has always refused. The image of the bearded man on the shroud must therefore have been created by ‘some form of electromagnetic energy (such as a flash of light at short wavelength)’, their report concludes. But it stops short of offering a non-scientific explanation. Professor Paolo Di Lazzaro, who led the study, said: ‘When one talks about a flash of light being able to colour a piece of linen in the same way as the shroud, discussion inevitably touches on things such as miracles. ‘But as scientists, we were concerned only with verifiable scientific processes. We hope our results can open up a philosophical and theological debate.’ For centuries, people have argued about the authenticity of the shroud, which is kept in a climate-controlled case in Turin cathedral. One of the most controversial relics in the Christian world, it bears the faint image of a man whose body appears to have nail wounds to the wrists and feet. Some believe it to be a physical link to Jesus of Nazareth. For others, however, it is nothing more than an elaborate forgery. In 1988, radiocarbon tests on samples of the shroud at the University of Oxford, the University of Arizona, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology dated the cloth to the Middle Ages, between 1260 and 1390. Those tests have been disputed on the basis that they were contaminated by fibres from cloth used to repair the shroud when it was damaged by fire in the Middle Ages. More recently, further doubt was cast on its authenticity when Israeli archaeologists uncovered the first known burial shroud in Jerusalem from the time of the Crucifixion. Its weave and design are completely different from the Turin Shroud, they said. The Jerusalem shroud has a simple two-way weave – but the twill weave used on the Turin Shroud was introduced more than 1,000 years after Christ lived. That research was disputed, however, because there was a possibility of contamination from patches of cloth that had been sewn on following a fire in Chambery, France, in 1532 The Resurrection of Christ, 1463-65, fresco by Piero della Francesca: The Vatican - which owns the Turin shroud - shies away from statements over whether it is real or fake, but says it helps to explore the 'darkest mysteries of faith' Carbon dating tests carried out in 1988 in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona suggested that the shroud was created some time between 1260 and 1390
HOLY TURIN SHROUD MYSTERY
Turin Shroud is stained with the blood of a torture victim, new research shows - supporting the belief that it DOES show the face of Jesus
Experts claim there is blood on the Shroud which is not typical of healthy person
They say it contains creatinine and ferritin, found in those who suffered trauma
The findings contradict claims that the Shroud was painted by Medieval forgers
The shroud is currently being displayed at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin
Experts have claimed the Shroud of Turin is stained with the blood of a torture victim, supporting claims it was used to bury Jesus.
They say the linen cloth, believed to have been used to wrap Christ's body after crucifixion, contains 'nanoparticles' which are not typical of the blood of a healthy person.
The alleged findings contradict claims the face of Jesus was painted on by forgers in medieval times.
Experts have claimed the Shroud of Turin (pictured) is stained with the blood of a torture victim
Experts claim the linen cloth, believed to have been used to wrap Christ's body after crucifixion, contains 'nanoparticles' which are not typical of the blood of a healthy person
Elvio Carlino, a researcher at the Institute of Crystallography in Bari, Italy, says the tiny particles reveal 'great suffering' of a victim ' wrapped up in the funeral cloth'.
These particles had a 'peculiar structure, size and distribution,' added University of Padua professor Giulio Fanti.
He says the blood contained high levels of substances called creatinine and ferritin, found in patients who suffer forceful traumas like torture.
Professor Fanti said: 'Hence, the presence of these biological nanoparticles found during our experiments point to a violent death for the man wrapped in the Turin Shroud.'
The Shroud of Turin measures around three metres by one metre and contains a faintly stained image of a man which Christians believe depicts Jesus.
One professor said the particles found contain high levels of substances called creatinine and ferritin, found in patients who suffer forceful traumas including torture
It has been subject to intense scientific study to ascertain its authenticity.
The new findings were published in the US scientific journal, PlosOne, in an article titled 'New Biological Evidence from Atomic Resolution Studies on the Turin Shroud.'
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The Shroud of Turin, which measures around three metres by one metre and contains a faintly stained image of a man which some believe to be Christ
The findings contradict claims that the shroud was forged in the Medieval era.
Fanti said the characteristics of these particles 'cannot be artifacts made over the centuries on the fabric of the Shroud.'
Researchers drew on experimental evidence of atomic resolution studies and recent medical studies on patients who suffered multiple acts of trauma and torture.
Elvio added: 'These findings could only be revealed by the methods recently developed in the field of electron microscopy.'
He said the research marked the first study of 'the nanoscale properties of a pristine fiber taken from the Turin Shroud.'
The research was carried out by the Instituo Officia dei Materiali in Trieste and the Institute of Crystallography in Bari, both under Italy's National Research Council, as well as the University of Padua's Department of Industrial Engineering.
The shroud is currently displayed at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin. During a visit to the city in 2015, Pope Francis paused in silent prayer before the Shroud.
shows the Holy Shroud, a 14 foot-long linen revered by some as the burial cloth of Jesus, displayed at the Cathedral of Turin, Italy. The long linen with the faded image of a bearded man is the object of centuries-old fascination and wonderment, and closely kept under wrap. Now, for six weeks, both the curious and those convinced the Turin Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ can have a brief look. By late March, 1.3 million people had reserved their three-to-five-minute chance to gaze at the cloth, which is kept in a bulletproof, climate-controlled case. Organizers said earlier this year they hoped some 2 million pilgrims and tourists would see the linen during the special viewing from Saturday April 10 to May 23.
The Turin Shroud DOES have miraculous powers... whether it is genuine or not
Italian scientists claim shroud was created by 'supernatural event' as burst of ultra-violet light necessary to leave imprint on cloth wasn't then possible
Implication from research is that image of Jesus was scorched onto linen by divinely generated light given out by His body
Shroud believers welcome new scientific research 'proving' its existence
But Vatican still refuses to comment on the long-running saga
Puzzle: The Turin Shroud's origin is endlessly debated. Still, the Catholic Church has placed the cloth in a cathedral as an object of worship The Catholic Church has never publicly accepted or rejected popular belief that the Turin Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. But it has done everything short of that to encourage devotion to this ancient piece of linen, on display in Turin Cathedral, which bears the markings of a man who appears to have been crucified. The extraordinary sepia image on the cloth is simply — as Pope Benedict XVI likes to put it in that careful, precise way of his — ‘an image that reminds us always of Christ’s suffering’. Yet, this week, a group of Italian scientists claimed the shroud was created by a ‘supernatural event’ rather than the machinations of medieval forgers. The academics concluded that the sort of burst of ultra-violet light necessary to have left such an imprint on the cloth just wasn’t possible by any human endeavour in any age other than our own technically advanced one with its access to lasers. The implication of their findings is that the image was scorched on to the linen as a result of a divinely generated light given out by Jesus’s body when he rose from the dead. Believers in the shroud hail the research by scientists at Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) as proof that it is genuinely the cloth of Christ. They claim it backs up the work of a group of American scientists from the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) from the Seventies. These scientists established by careful analysis of the fibres of the cloth that the image of the bearded, crucified man had not been painted on to the cloth. It was not, they concluded, ‘a natural formation’. Science, say the believers, appears to have provided no reasonable answer to counter the belief of generations of Christians that this is the image of Christ on the shroud in which his body was wrapped when it was taken down from the cross. Scientists in Italy believe the kind of technology needed to create the Shroud of Turin simply wasn't around at the time that it was created. Still the Vatican steadfastly refuses to be drawn again into the saga And yet, despite this latest research supposedly proving its authenticity, the Vatican has steadfastly refused to be drawn again into the long-running saga of the shroud. The question is why. Why, if the science seems so certain, won’t the Catholic Church endorse this piece of cloth as the genuine article? One reason is that the new research still cannot get round the main stumbling block when it comes to proving the shroud’s authenticity. In 1988, three separate and internationally acclaimed laboratories in Zurich, Oxford and Arizona carbon-dated samples of the cloth, provided by the Church, and came up with 1260 to 1390 as its probable date of origin. In other words, that research showed it to be a medieval forgery. And in the 23 years since, the best that the shroud’s devotees have come up with to counter this incontrovertible fact is a theory that all three samples that were carbon-dated were contaminated — that they contained rogue fibres from later medieval attempts to patch and mend the original shroud. There are plenty of papers that try to make this thesis stand up, but the overall impression is of whistling in the wind. So why do people flock to see the shroud on the rare occasions it is put on public show in its glass, climate- controlled display case? The most straightforward answer is that we like a mystery and this one is about as tantalising as it gets. For just as the Church has never felt able to pronounce definitively on the shroud, neither has science come up with a water-tight theory as to exactly what it is and how the image came about. The shroud therefore exists in a kind of middle ground — where we can all pronounce our own verdict. But once you start considering the possibilities of how it was created, you immediately get in a tangle. If it is a medieval forgery, then how can its image have been created by methods beyond the wit of humankind at that time? Why do people flock to see the shroud? We like mystery. Since neither the church nor science have come up with a definitive answer, the shroud exists in middle ground, where we can make our own verdict One of the most intriguing aspects is that the image of Christ is hard to pick out with the naked eye in the sepia markings on the cloth, which is 4½m long and just over a metre in width. But, when at the very end of the 19th century, a photographic negative of the image was first produced, it looked every inch like the face of Christ. How could a medieval forger have produced something so exact 500 years before the technology existed to make a negative image? Yet the sceptics could easily counter this with an argument of their own. Even if the shroud is really 2,000 years old and the carbon-dating laboratories mistaken, they point out what is there to link it to Jesus? Crucifixion was a common method of putting criminals to death back under the Romans. This might just as well be the funeral wrappings of a run-of-the-mill murderer or thief. Indeed, one theory popular among supporters of the medieval forgery theory is that it was made centuries after the death of Christ by crucifying someone in exactly the same manner as described in the Gospel accounts and then wrapping the victim in a shroud. The further you go into this mystery, the murkier the waters become. And if you go so far as to visit Turin (for 500 years the shroud belonged to the locally based royal house of Savoy) and stand in front of the display case, there is undeniably a certain awe about this object. The Resurrection of Christ, 1463-65, fresco by Piero della Francesca: The Vatican - which owns the Turin shroud - shies away from statements over whether it is real or fake, but says it helps to explore the 'darkest mysteries of faith' It springs, to my mind, not from any air of authenticity that the object itself radiates, but from the knowledge that for centuries people have been making precisely the same pilgrimage as I and so many others have done to gaze at this piece of cloth. It stems from the fact that they have harboured exactly the same hopes that by doing so, somehow, they will be able to reach a final conclusion on the truth or not of the very claims of Christianity. How comforting it would be to know, for sure, if there is a God. What is important today about the shroud is not whether it is genuinely the burial cloth of Jesus — we are never going to reach a consensus on that — but rather that over many centuries people have believed in it. It is this history of belief that is the really powerful thing. At a stroke it carries us back through centuries of Christianity and connects our sceptical, secular and scientific age with an earlier epoch of miracles and faith. This is why the Catholic Church refuse to be drawn on the Turin Shroud. As Pope Benedict says, it is an extraordinarily powerful image of Christ’s suffering — and made so because of the faith people have in it, whether it is genuine or not. On its own, the shroud is never going to be enough to legitimise belief in the core tenet of Christianity — the Resurrection of Jesus. But nevertheless, it is a powerful focus for our thoughts on the subject — a symbol of the hopes of so many who embrace Christianity without any conclusive proof other than their own belief. And that, surely, is the point about religion — a point we are in danger of missing now that every belief and theory is judged to be worthless unless it can be put under a microscope by scientists and proved, irrefutably, to be true. Some things, some important things, just don’t fit into this rigid, logical model of the world. Science, as the saga of the shroud epitomises, can never get to the bottom of faith. The shocking discovery of Pilates Letter to Caesar describes the true Face of Jesus Christ. In addition, Pontius Pilates Stone Proves the existence of Jesus Christ. This bible story and bible study reveals a surprising hidden secret about the true physical attributes and true face of Jesus Christ? What was Jesus skin color? What was the color and nature of Jesus hair? How did he speak? What did Jesus really look like? All these and more are revealed in the letter of Pilate about Jesus, the Christ, and the savior of the world.
A REFLECTION OF CLASS ChE 66 in the Milestones of Life as time marches on..... ASC
To The Class of '66,
We are on to the next or maybe the last chapter of our life. As we age and the time passes us by, on to the golden years, it is best to embolden our friendship that was put on hold because of our immediate priorities to our families. It is for this reason, that we need to reminisce the old days even more, first with letters and pictures then join together like the classmates of old, with a common goal.
My retirement since 2005 has been wonderful, and hopefully, you are successful in getting yours. I thank God for this gift, that we were given the chance, for the education and training for our special profession; The chance to prosper in a land of peace and plenty. While maybe, the fifty seven years since graduation, was challenging in a new strange land, we prevailed the struggles, temptations, and retreats. As the poem said above, it was not so easy. Now with the economy on the rocks, it is far arduous and difficult to get to where we are.
In retrospect, I find it compelling or my duty to give, contribute for the next generation and the global community that made my life worthwhile. To whom much is given, much is expected. - Luke 12:48. It is therefore fitting for us blessed, to organize, protect, nurture, keep faith with our beloved country, appreciate nature and the environment in whatever we can.
Bringing in the enviroment intolight, we also can only hope that the alarmingclimate change and the ecological responses are 50 to 100 years away. But it's not 50 to 100 years away -- it's happening now in forest ecosystems through fire. The facts are unequivocal, and point to a troubling future ahead. Over 2100 fires, scorching some 900,000 acres, have set a new 2008 record for early-season wildfires in California.We are certainly in the midst of Global Warming;crisis of floods and droughts through out the planet. Skeptics, the debate is over, join our goal to STOP using fossil fuels as quickly as possible, to PLANT trees and end all destruction of natural habitat and PREPARE for what cannot now be stopped. Even small things make a difference spread over a large population. There are three levels of action: Personal, Political and to Prepare. They all require enormous personal and governmental commitment. The third, to Prepare for the impact of what cannot be stopped........
It is a premiere topic of our generation, about saving our wonderful planet earth, and also ourselves too. In my efforts to emphasize my solutions and prevention of the catastrophe ahead, I recall the quotation. "Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it. Tell them something new and they will hate you for it." With that, I hope not to fall in the latter category. My goal is to keep everybody abreast and involved to prevent the future dim scenario in the mother country. If we do not implement the gentle methods to placate our environment, the Philippines and all areas in "the tropics with its few resources and growing population will resort to war and violence to satisfy the hunger of the populace in this climate catastrophe." What we have sown in this planet will bring forth a harsh aftermath and gone will be the pleasant existence of our past. This topic has become a moral issue. The havoc and destruction will be more than the combined effects of WWI, WWII and the 1929 depression. It is about, how the recent generations could destroy all what man has created in the past 10,000 years............ASC
A Psalm of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! ?
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.....HWL
I have collected tidbits and stats from our college years from colleagues, mostly pictures depicting our field trips from Balara to Bagiuo, to our oath taking as newly registered chemical engineers, and finally to our latest pictures of today in our 60's. It did not seem much before, as I mused over the letters and e-mails, but collectively the combination of the pictures and the words became alive. Now, in my mature years, I look back to the days gone by. I relish the memories, and then marvel at how far we have gone forward the milestones and challenges. These we should be proud off to share with every classmate .......... The year 2008 makes the 42nd anniversary of our class. From this inauspicious beginnings we rose as one group of individuals in our chosen profession within the mother country and our beloved USA. We became a part of a huge extended family, no matter the miles that separate us, yet find unity in a common experience and purpose.. Forever classmates....ASC ....http://groups.google.com/group/MIT-ChE1966/web/our-class-overview
It is autumn; not without, but within me is the cold.
Youth and spring are all about; It is I that have grown old.
Birds are darting through the air, singing, building without rest;
Life is stirring everywhere, save within my lonely breast...HWL
Boy Dakita's picture was taken 15 years ago during our reunion in NJ. This is the last photo I have of him. I tried to do the best I can for Boy. I know he will be happy up there to know that he is thought of dearly...................Tony A
Here's another photo I found from our Baguio field trip - circa 1966. My guess is from L to R, top to bottom: Ben Asis, Lando Castillo, Nato Dimayuga, Merle Briones, Sheila Tempongko, Meny Reyes Banares, Lilia Antonio, Tony Alialy, Me, Pedro Palermo, Rosalina Dirige Corbett, Leonila Coronel, Fe Gana & Rhodora Sarmiento..OscarHThanks for then picture. This was taken in 1966. The reason I remember is because, in the picture I was in black because my grandmother died in 1966. Thanks for identifying ulit. The lady next to Fe Gana is Clarita Sarmiento. Regards, Sheila
First we were young; then we were middle age; then we are old; then we will be wonderfullSeated: 1-Alex Custodio, 2- Tony Diza, 3(back) Oliver Masil, 4-Alwayne Carino, 5-Jess Bustria, 7(back) Rudy Jose, 8-Oscar Santos, 9(back) Romy Reyes ;Standing: 1-Rick, 2-Beda Bera, 3(back) Rene Rivera, 4-Greg Alcaraz, 5-Leon Delos Santos, 7-Ismael, 8-Rudy Banares, 9-Eddie Antonio,10-Mike Bernardino. This was taken at the Balara Water Treatment works. This photo is also linked with http://picasaweb.google.com/ismael.ifurung/MITGroup Most have been posted before in MyFamily.com ; some are from Jerry Ada and from Rene Rivera............
This photo was given to me by Rosalina D. Corbett many years ago, showing the oath taking of newly registered Chemical Engineers. This was taken sometime June 24, 1967 in Makati, Sarmiento bldg. From far left is Jose Catibog, me, Reynaldo Santos, Maximillan Ui, Audie Vergara, Florencio Roxas, Lorna M. Jereza, Rosalina Derige Corbett, Oscar Santos, Rey Sequerra, Celso Chua, Romeo Olalia........................Alexander
The Brothers Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Fraternity of the Delta Chapter Philippines circa 1966, from L # 3 - kneeling, me, my back Cesar Frias ChE68, 4-kneeling, Warlito Boquiren ChE66, his back, Jose Catibog ChE66, Advisor Prof. Sevilla and daughter. Standing on the far left the brother of Rosalina Corbett. More than 350,000 members have joined Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity since it's founding, at 366 college campuses here in the US alone, not counting other countries. Our mission is to prepare campus and community leaders through service. Our purpose is to develop leadership, to promote friendship and to provide service to humanity................Alexander
CHECK MARKS PASSED THE BOARD EXAM AS CHEMICAL ENGINEERS
This was taken in 1963 on top of the FEU bldg. to commemorate the new Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineering Students (PICHES) then, I was a junior and the seniors like Mely Calueng and Bobby Casrto are sitted at the middle. Alwayne Carino is far left, then me, the rest like Alcaraz, Mitz are the only ones I recognized from this badly focused monochrome..............Alexander
Hello Everyone, I have an old picture taken 40 years ago. I want to bring it to date to show how we look at present. I have all faces from the old picture superimposed with the exception of Juanita Isidro. Unless I get in touch with her I will not be able to complete my project. Has anybody seen my old friend, Juanita? If you do, please send me her address so I can ask for her latest photo. I bet that you too are anxious to see how she looks this time. I can only imagine that she looks better now just like all the ladies in the picture. I tell you these girls really know how to reverse the aging process. They all age gracefully and get better over the years just like vintage wine. I am attaching the pictures THEN and NOW and you be the judge. Looking forward to hearing from you. ..............Tony A ...........................The list shows the graduates of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The exuberance of my youth showed in the check marks after the names of candidates who took the ChE Board exams on Jan 9, 1967 and passed. It does not reflect the ability of others who took the same examination later. As engineers, we will later find out, that street smarts will be the better gauge on how we reached our individual goals in life.............................AlexanderThe exciting 60's brought the most change and maybe the last innocent decade of our generation
It’s hard to believe that 40 years ago, our generation made a profound statement against the
establishment. I was new in this country, and was not able to grasp the significance of that
exciting time.
The political upheavel and dramatic changes in the country was so well documented in the music of that period. The youth knew so well, that our country was going in the wrong path...against the grains of their elders,and then produced the most iconic countercultural event of the mid-20th century.
"The Boomers turn 60." The material I borrowed from the cover of the November 14, 2005 issue of the "New Week" Magazine. I thought this would be a great theme for our CHE Class '66. After all we are the Baby Boomers. I also thought it would be a good idea to have us, Classmates, most if not all, grouped in one picture. I replaced the pictures of the celebrities (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/iifurung/mit2003.htm) taken during the Grand Reunion in 2003. Some came from Clarita taken during the cruise and some from my archive. If your picture is small and not clear and you are not pleased with it, just send me an electronic copy of your favorite recent photo and I will replace it. For our classmates if you are interested in being added, please send me electronic copy of your picture. I will revise this cover or I can start a new cover page depending on the number of pictures I receive. Please let me know if I missed anyone from the Class of '66 group pictures. I hope you like this cover. Regards, Tony........1st Row, L to R: ______; ______; Hernando Cruz; Rudy Banares; Cip Buendia; _______
2nd Row, L to R: Meny Reyes Banares; Clarita Aragones Albertson; Tony Alialy; Jess Bustria; Lorna Jereza; Tessie Gardon Graham.3rd Row: Manny Genato; Pol Calimbas; Frame; Alexander Custodio; Minda Corpuz Vinluan; Marlo Mascarina.
6th Row & Bottom Rows (Mixed): Dionisia Rodriguez; __; ; _; Tessie Amigo Uniza; ; Irene Dacumos Meneses; Alice delos Angeles Carnero; ; ; Pi de Leon: ; ; Pi de Leon; Regina Bermudez Cruz; ; ; ..........This is my ongoing project. It is not quite complete yet and I do not know if I will ever complete it. I tried to lift pictures mostly from what Ismael sent during the reunion of 2003, some from the Cruise picture that Clarita sent, some from Jimmy and some from my archive. I am still lacking a lot more. I would like to fill it up with our classmates' pictures as much as I can but this is all that is available. There are some more of our classmates from the pictures that Ismael sent but I cannot use them. The faces are too small especially from the group picture of class'66 that when I increase the size the resolution suffers. Does of any of you still have some more of our classmates' pictures that are not yet included here. If so, please send me electronic copies. I can squeeze in at least a dozen or more. If it turned out to be more, then I can start a new cover and spread them out in to two covers. Ismael, please tell me if I missed anybody (from Class '66) from the pictures you sent (not counting the group picture of Class'66). Rudy and Meny, you must have some pictures during the Reunion of 2003. If you find pictures of those who are not yet in the cover, please send them to me. Ismael, Clarita, Jimmy and Alex do you have some more individual or small group pictures? I want very much to include Sheila so we have reps from the Phil aside from Fil and Jun. What is her email address? I do not want to send this yet to the MIT Class'66 email. I do not want some of our classmates to feel that they are left out....Tony A
1991 Reunion the second day at Buena Park, a whole day affair, inside the Pavilon on the stage a vantage point, eyeing what's going on, below Timothy Villanueva resides in Sugarland, Texas works with Flour Engineers
Above standing Cesar Jaranilla, Tim Villanueva, Mike B., Resty Mandap, Pugeda, Guinhawa hidden, Nidoy, Narcy Encarnacion, Pol Calimbas, seated Pi de Leon, Jess Bustria and Unite rising
Jess Bustria, Ted Unite and Mike Bernardino. Below Raymond Corbet husband of Fely Derige, ASC and Pi de Leon at Lilia's place in 1993
Dark is the morning with mist; in the narrow mouth of the harbor
Motionless lies the sea, under its curtain of cloud;
Dreamily glimmer the sails of ships on the distant horizon,
Like to the towers of a town, built on the verge of the sea.
Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me as I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me.
Sails of silk and ropes of sandal, such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors, and the answer from the shore!
On the dim and misty lakes gloriously the morning breaks,
And the eagle's on his cloud: -whilst the wind, with sighing, wooes
To its arms the chaste cold ooze, and the rustling reeds pipe loud.
Kind messages, that pass from land to land;
Kind letters, that betray the heart's deep history,
In which we feel the pressure of a hand,--
One touch of fire,--and all the rest is mystery! ...Malaya your letters are welcomed!!
Anaheim Reunion in 1991 above.....San Pablo Reservoir Mini Reunion below 1993 .....Florencio Guinhawa standing far right.....
To the Alumni: In response to the question of Regina regarding the squatters and the gangsters,.....let me assure her that there is still a lot of squatters hovering around Metro Manila,...... under the bridges, along the highways and whereever there is free space to build their shacks. Didn't notice much though along Roxas Blvd, but there are some before you reach the Mall of Asia last January, 2006 when I was there. From 1996 - 2000, I was in Manila every 2 months. I had been a die hard "balikbayan" every year for the last 10 years. Some things have changed in the Philippines for the better, but not everything can be changed or can maintain / sustain the change. So far, I have not been a victim of any crimes (knock on wood). I think one of the reasons is my ability to blend well with the local scenery or I am just plain very lucky. December 2006, I am again on my way for a 4-week vacation to Manila.
Rest assure also that the squatters and the gangsters are not the sole "trademark" of the poverty of the Philippines. Lest you travelled a very sheltered life in your later years, the homeless and the gangsters are a common denominator where poverty still exists around the world. I had seen homeless people by the Bridge of Sigh in Venice, along the rue of Paris, and along the canals of Amsterdam. India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and even in the thriving metropolis of the America, you can find the homeless living in squalor and there is always the perpetuity of criminal acts. Even in cosmopolitan cities, pickpocketing is a way of life by some ethnic groups in Paris, or Rome and maybe from some Parisiennes or Italians. Poverty forces people to commit petty crimes.
To make known the fear of being held up while you are in Manila during the reunion makes you a victim of paranoia. Every evening, in the cities of the USA, crimes are the newsworthy broadcasts on television. And if you haven't heard, pickpockets also exists inside the more prosperous malls of the US. I hope that by the time you embark on the reunion, you will have the feeling of security with your surroundings in Manila.
Based on your recollection of 1960 and 1970 impressions, I beg you not to sterotype those who commit mindless crimes today in Manila because they form the smallest minority of the 80 million hardworking Filipinos. Come to Manila and enjoy the company of your classmates and rest assure that you will be very, very safe. Just remember.... don't venture into a place where you are not supposed to be. ...Florencio Guinhawa
Our love for the outdoors always reflect in the venues for our mini reunions. Above was in San Pablo Reservoir located in El Sobrante California in May of 1993. Maurera left most above, Pi de Leon, Leony Matulac and Gravador, were present at this reunion, and the first time we saw the latter two in 28 years. Maurera lived in Vallejo and Gravador in San Francisco, where he owned an auto shop.
Here is another album for us to store in our happy memories about our escapades when we were younger then on our way to El Dorado Hills. Some pictures of Rosalina's devoted husband were included entertaining our group Circa 1992. Some taken in Vallejo at Lilia Antonio's residence around 1993, and the earliest were taken during our 1991 Reunion. Most of these pictures were given to me by various classmates over the years. In recompense here they are for you to enjoy......Rolando Balatbat below...whereabouts unknown.
Lilia Antonio..... right at Rancho Cordova Park in a mini reunion in 1992...Warlito Boquiren APO brother (deceased)..........
Thanks for the sympathies that ye have shown!
Thanks for each kindly word, each silent token,
That teaches me, when seeming most alone,
Friends are around us, though no word be spoken.
I shall not return. And night, mildly warm, serene and silent, will lull the world, under beams of its solitary moon. My body will not be there, and through the wide-open window, a refreshing breeze will come inquiring for my soul. I don't know if any await the end of my double absence, or who will kiss my memory amidst caresses and weeping. But, there will be stars and flowers, there will be sighs and hopes, and love in the avenues in the shadows of the trees. And that piano will be playing as in this untroubled night, and no one there to listen, pensive, by my window frame. Warlito "Warlock" Boquiren,
Pamintuan House at Angeles Pampanga. My Church in the town of my birth:Tanay, Built in 1778, the church was named after the
Archbishop Ildefonso of Toledo, Spain, who was consecrated during the year 657 AD.
Rest, comrades, rest and sleep! the thoughts of men shall be
As sentinels to keep, your rest from danger free......
So walking here in twilight, O my friends! I hear your voices, softened by the distance,
And pause, and turn to listen, as each sends his words of friendship, comfort, and assistance.
Goodbye, my friends, goodbye. The appointed parting Promises a meeting ahead. Goodbye, my friends, without hand, without word, Don't be sad and don't upset your brows, - In this life to die is not new, But to live, of course, is not newer. Goodbye, my friends, goodbye It was preordained we should part And be reunited by and by. Goodbye: no handshake to endure. Let's have no sadness - furrowed brow. There's nothing new in dying now Though living is no newer.
These are some list of our Classmates who are deceased including the above
Thanks so much for your love, support, kindness, encouragement and generosity. Thanks for the beautiful floral arrangement that you sent. We are so grateful. We are also so thankful for your friendship with Dad. He always talked about his MIT classmates and was very proud to be a part of your lives.
Love,
Cora, Jose, Charmaine, Mary Jo, Caroline and the kids
Please be informed that Oscar Janeo has passed away about nine or so years ago. He was with Pacific Products and transferred to Cord Chemicals, both members of the Philippine Association of Paint Manufacturers. If I am not mistaken, he even served as one of its directors sometime in the '90"s.
Regards to all,
Sheila Tempongko-Obedoza
Renato Dimayuga's decision to return to Pinas and work as chief of a regional hospital
that handles mainly charity cases is quite admirable, especially since the salary is peanuts compared to what he can make in the US . Now that Ben has experience, perhaps he can quit his day job and plan/manage the next reunion. ...Rudy
THE TOWN OF MONTAIGUT IN AUVERGNE, FRANCE
When I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.
I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.
But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.
Please include Letty Carriedo to the list of our
beloved classmates who passed away. Let's include them in our prayers.
Considering our hazardous chemical exposures (like sucking benzene in a pipet for use as a reagent) when we were students, we should consider ourselves lucky to be exchanging email today. God bless and take care.
Reggie Timonera
On the road of life one mile-stone more!
In the book of life one leaf turned o'er!
Like a red seal is the setting sun
On the good and the evil men have done,--
Naught can to-day restore!....HWL
Reflections
Never grow old, nor change, nor pass away!
Your gentle voices will flow on forever,
When life grows bare and tarnished with decay,
As through a leafless landscape flows a river.
Celso Chua on the far left. Resides somewhere south of Fresno California and was working in a cement factory as the chief Engineer. Below is Lorna Jereza works with US EPA as a Region Chief.
REY CADIZ AND WIFE
The brooklet came from the mountain, as sang the bard of old,
Running with feet of silver over the sands of gold!
Far away in the briny ocean there rolled a turbulent wave,
Now singing along the sea-beach, now howling along the cave.
And the brooklet has found the billow, though they flowed so far apart,
And has filled with its freshness and sweetness that turbulent, bitter heart!
And when the eve is born, in the blue lake the sky, o'er-reaching far,
Is hollowed out, and the moon dips her horn, and twinkles many a star.
Inverted in the tide stand the gray rocks, and trembling shadows throw,
And the fair trees look over, side by side, and see themselves below.
Sweet April! many a thought is wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed;
Nor shall they fail, till, to its autumn brought, life's golden fruit is shed. ...HWL
CHRISTMAS IN JERUSALEM
Modern Jerusalem view from Mt. Olives near the garden of Gethsemane. According to the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was supposed to be an international city, not part of either the proposed Jewish or Arab state. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, West Jerusalem was captured by Israel, while East Jerusalem (including the Old City) was captured by Jordan. Upon its capture, the Jordanians immediately expelled all the Jewish residents of the Jewish Quarter, most of whom from families that had been living there for centuries. Many synagogues were destroyed, and the Jewish Quarter was bulldozed. The ancient Jewish cemetery on Mount of Olives was desecrated. In 1950 East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank, was annexed by Jordan. However, the annexation of the West Bank was recognized only by the United Kingdom, which did not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem absorbed some of the refugees from West Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods that came under Israeli rule
To The Class of '66,
We are on to the next or maybe the last chapter of our life. As we age and the time passes us by, on to the golden years, it is best to embolden our friendship that was put on hold because of our immediate priorities to our families. It is for this reason, that we need to reminisce the old days even more, first with letters and pictures then join together like the classmates of old, with a common goal.
My retirement since 2005 has been wonderful, and hopefully, you are successful in getting yours. I thank God for this gift, that we were given the chance, for the education and training for our special profession; The chance to prosper in a land of peace and plenty. While maybe, the forty two years since graduation, was challenging in a new strange land, we prevailed the struggles, temptations, and retreats. As the poem said above, it was not so easy. Now with the economy on the rocks, it is far arduous and difficult to get to where we are.
In retrospect, I find it compelling or my duty to give, contribute for the next generation and the global community that made my life worthwhile. To whom much is given, much is expected. - Luke 12:48. It is therefore fitting for us blessed, to organize, protect, nurture, keep faith with our beloved country, appreciate nature and the environment in whatever we can.
Bringing in the enviroment intolight, we also can only hope that the alarmingclimate change and the ecological responses are 50 to 100 years away. But it's not 50 to 100 years away -- it's happening now in forest ecosystems through fire. The facts are unequivocal, and point to a troubling future ahead. Over 2100 fires, scorching some 900,000 acres, have set a new 2008 record for early-season wildfires in California.We are certainly in the midst of Global Warming;crisis of floods and droughts through out the planet. Skeptics, the debate is over, join our goal to STOP using fossil fuels as quickly as possible, to PLANT trees and end all destruction of natural habitat and PREPARE for what cannot now be stopped. Even small things make a difference spread over a large population. There are three levels of action: Personal, Political and to Prepare. They all require enormous personal and governmental commitment. The third, to Prepare for the impact of what cannot be stopped........
It is a premiere topic of our generation, about saving our wonderful planet earth, and also ourselves too. In my efforts to emphasize my solutions and prevention of the catastrophe ahead, I recall the quotation. "Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it. Tell them something new and they will hate you for it." With that, I hope not to fall in the latter category. My goal is to keep everybody abreast and involved to prevent the future dim scenario in the mother country. If we do not implement the gentle methods to placate our environment, the Philippines and all areas in "the tropics with its few resources and growing population will resort to war and violence to satisfy the hunger of the populace in this climate catastrophe." What we have sown in this planet will bring forth a harsh aftermath and gone will be the pleasant existence of our past. This topic has become a moral issue. The havoc and destruction will be more than the combined effects of WWI, WWII and the 1929 depression. It is about, how the recent generations could destroy all what man has created in the past 10,000 years............ASC
Illusion! Underneath there lies
The common life of every day; Only the spirit glorifies
With its own tints the sober gray. In vain we look, in vain uplift
Our eyes to heaven, if we are blind, we see but what we have the gift
Of seeing; what we bring we find. Illusion! Underneath there lies.
Meny Banares BELOW
We believe we can make a difference in strengthening our friendships among us, not only in our reunions but also with a common goal and purpose. This "Gawad Kalinga" is worth investing our time, effort, and money for our country (Filipino people) for the common good. The" Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation" was indeed awarded to Mr. Antonio Meloto last Aug. 31 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila for his work in community development, working-with-the-poor ministry in Bagong Silang to start with, a squatter relocation site in Caloocan city, and Ms. Eugenia Duran Apostol for journalism, literature and creative communication. According to some sources, "Gawad Kalinga" envisions to build 7,000 new communities by 2010 as it implements strategies to transform slums to effective communities with dependable water system and electricity for homes. I was involved since 2004 with our Filipino Federation of the Rosary group in Orange county and for me it is a great feeling to get involved with the foundation, and I know our fellow Mapuans will do it also. Looking back, while we were in Manila in the early 1960's I remembered seeing several people (homeless) squatting along Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Blvd.) as their regular place, living there day and night. Question? Are they still there? There are several more squatter areas around metro Manila and some gangsters. I hope that when we go to the Philippines for our reunion we will not be held up by a bandit or just plain pick pocketter. Regards to all, ....Regina Bermudez Cruz- Class CHE 1966 ROSALINA DERIGE CORBETT
CLARITA ALBERTSON Thanks to Jun Dijamco, he has really gone out of his way to search for our classmates, gone visiting most of them in their homes in every State whenever he can (Thank God he & Lucy has the time and they do make time to visit us and get reacquainted) and once he made contact with you, you are in the loop and he keeps you updated. Reminds me of the Godfather, if you are in his family, he is there for you and supports you all the
way. Pol, Ismael & Marlo are getting to be the same like Jun. They have been to all the MIT Reunions we had been having and encourage their friends 'Family' to join, etc, etc. I had been cool to Jun's plan for a Philippine Reunion but because of his loyalty to our MIT Class, I promise to help him all the way I can and will encourage Meny and the Calif Core Group to help in his plans. Now we have Alex's website/blogsite for the Group. Keep updated with the group's news and happenings by joining this. So stay in touch.
Sept. 1966: The Brothers Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Fraternity of the Delta Chapter Philippines circa 1966, from L# 1 Renato Perez, L #2 Virgilio Macalinao, L#3 - kneeling, me Alexander Custodio, 4-kneeling, Warlito Boquiren ChE66, L#5 Johnny Lee, ?,L#7 Roberto Sobrepena, L#8 hidden halfway Camilo Assuncion Standing on the far left Derige (the brother of Rosalina Corbet, Mario Templado, Rolly Calumpong, Joe Calvo, Cesar Frias, Jojie Catibog, ?, Advisor Prof. Sevilla and daughter, Bonni Tong, Alex Tiquia, Jonah Molina. More than 350,000 members have joined Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity since it's founding, at 366 college campuses here in the US alone, not counting other countries. Our mission is to prepare campus and community leaders through service. Our purpose is to develop leadership, to promote friendship and to provide service to humanity....... ASC
45 years later, Feb 19, 2011: After the years of absence from the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, I rejoined the fold and found the warmth of friendship. Getting reacquainted with old friends and meeting new brothers. I am in my advance years, but my youth came back amongst the Brods, which is invigorating. I am very much in good company when I say ahh youth, as the older Brods Tito Cerdan at age 84 can still hang around with us, Rey Cacabelos, and Cesar Frias, who are from earlier batches, can feel the same thing in their hearts, as emotions betray them.
I intend to make a separate blog entirely for APO, ie. like my Sixties, and then place all the pictures of our Valentine excursion from Stockton,
California.
Rejoiced, as it was a sweet reunion too, of my long lost best buddy Brod Cesar who was also a neighbor a classmate at MIT a twin brother in our escapades on dates and trips to Tanay. We have not seen each other for 45 years. We just have to makeup for the lost years, ie. the same with Brods Rey Cacabelos, Fortune Cumigad, Jonah Molina.
We give our sincere appreciation to the family of Brod Jonah and Rose for the warm, kind accommodations and specially to Marjoe and Jo Ann for the warm beds rendered. The food was excellent.
You guys missed the "alimango" when Mel Gonzales of ETA chapter came in after lunch.
I hope to see you again in the near future, as the warm and cordial mood pervading the celebrants and guests was uplifting to the spirit. The only thing I wish, was to remember all the names of the Brods present during the gathering like Jojo Lobusta, Jun Malan, Tony Santilan, Larry of Gamma, Oliver our youngest, Trigo from Dist7, Betcha Dist4, (Caltrans designation for areas in California of which I was in HQ Sacramento and Dist. 4 San Francisco during the 60’s /my youth) Reigel my neighbor from the Bay Area, Ferdie who was an inspirational MC, Joel Pablo, who was kind enough to share his prize, Oca Atienza a long lost acquaintance from my MIT years. Forgive my senior mind in the advent of forgetfulness, if I was not able to mention the rest of the Brods.
To those who did not make it, it was a fine dignified affair at the Hilton, that continued on toward the wee hours of the AM at Brod Jonah’s place to the consternation of the neighbors. I think some of the Brods continued their celebration outside, and got shooed away by some friendly but sleepy neighbors. With all the talk, laughter, and joyous celebration, I can not wait for the next one. Till we meet again….ASC
APO 2011 Valentines Party Celebration Stockton Hilton, 19 February 2011
"Marami ang naghahangad na makadalo sa pagtitipon ng Alpha Phi Omega lalong lalo na sa Chapter natin Delta, dahil sa kaka-ibang pagka-alam ng karamihan sa lapit ng ating kalooban, sa init ng ating pagmamahal sa isa't isa, at ito ay kina-i-ing-igitan ng marami at sila ay nanghinahinayang
sa pagkakataon sapagkat hindi sila kasapi sa ating kapatiran. Sa aking palagay ay lalong nanghihinayang ang mga kasapi na hindi dumalo sa ating pagtitipon na ito , dahil hindi nila binigyan kabuluhan ng gintong katuturan at malasap at mapatunayan ang higpit ng ating turingan magkakapatid."
These were the opening words or close to what said by our Brother Cesar Frias, ETA 61A, an affiliate of our beloved Chapter, the Delta Chapter.
His wife, Sister Ceny and him drove miles and miles from Windsor, N-E Canada to Stockton, just to be with us at our Celebration of the 2011 APO Delta Valentine's Day Celebration. It was a tuortous and hectic drive he said, but the significance to attend and meet us, was his ultimate desire and he proved to our Sister Ceny that he can drive and do it, after buying and installing expensive snow chains, a flat and changing tire on a extreme cold weather. He made a promise to be present more often on our incoming affairs, to be with us more after decades of absence.
He mentioned the brevity of unity that binds us because of the things he said, heard and read at the internet about the problem that caused misunderstanding between us brothers and sisters. His inspirational talk was indeed deep and its purpose i thought hit the mark to perpetuate the true meaning of our brotherhood. i paralleled the misunderstanding with a destroyed bridge over a treacherous unpassable waters where both sides can not cross to the other side unless the bridge is rebuilt. I would like to see the old times when we were one Delta, and those were the most memorable times. I will keep on praying/hoping before my sun sets permanently to see us as one, united, and this image will be etched on my being and will stay, till my last breath.
The day started seeing Brod Tony Santillan, his wife Sister Anne, Brod Anthony Ty and the daughter of Brod El Prez preparing the Hall. The decorations were just marvelous, lots of reds, and of course APO emblems, coat of arms, were displayed.
Brother Saniel Cuison arrived and set up his music/band instruments who gave us the life of the party with his magnificent and beautiful music of the oldies and the new tunes. The Lady singer was excellent and the guitar playing of Brother Sonny was just beyond words. Your Manang Linda(my wife) was really impressed and she enjoyed the night tremendously.
Brother Ferdie and Sister Betcha del Rosario co-emceed the event,and after my invocation, food was served. Grilled salmon wrapped with bacon, rice and mixed veggies, beef steak with your choice how it was cooked, rare, medium rare or well done. i guess it was really finger licking good because our long lost brother Alexander Custodio finished his, in a flash. Brother Cesar Frias finished his, almost the same fashion and it was not enough I presumed because his wife, Sister Cora shared more of hers, lol!
I observed how Brother Fortune Cumigad cut his steak very delicately to savor
and enjoy the fresh, moist tenderness of the choice cut beef. El Prez and wife, Sister Rose were sitted accross , i was not able to see what they had.
My wife and I enjoyed our grilled salmon, it was an excellent choice of menu, and the cake was delicioso. Kudos to the committee.
After dinner were speeches, talks and dancing in between. El Prez thanked everyone for their presence, their supports, the efforts exerted by the different committees, the brothers and sisters who were not able to attend, that he called them up and he knew the reasons why they were not able to attend. Bravo, bravo, mabuhay ka my Brother El Prez, Jonah Molina, excellent job, brother.
Brother Alex Custodio, who was lost and found after 45 or so odd years was ecstatic to meet everyone, and promised that the Valentine's Party will be the beginning for his active participation in all the incoming events.
Brother Tito Cerdan, The oldest Deltan, a Charter Member was happy to be with us, his younger brothers, and for his demeanor, his well being, his young looks, are very inspiring and i am envious as well, lol!
The games conducted by our energetic Brother Rigel Abueg, and wife, Sister Mindy. I laughed my behind off the entire time. The "cheating" of Brothers Wilson Lautchang and Bong Hernandez, I don't have anything to do with it, lol! My heartfelt thanks my Brothers, your deep concern is appreciated especially Brothers Joel Pablo and Brother Wilson Lautchang, my wife and I are grateful. When both of you are around i felt very special with your love and i will remember. Brother Fortune, although you are one of the most senior, you still represent the true legacy of a Deltan. No need to elaborate, you know what i meant. Sister Betcha, muchas gratias para nada for the prizes given. lol!
Ahhhhhh, the wittiness of Brother Trigo Leyva, our Afghanistan Veteran Brother. I thank you for your service. I should be aware of the things of you did to get away with 'em, your lapses, lol!. i was wondering if my men did the same things you did when i was the the Field First Sergeant, lol! you were the wily coyote. As always, Sister Minda is always there to help us in some ways on our affairs.
Indeed, the night was a memorable night, everyone enjoyed. i felt the electricity of contentment on everyone. Wished we could have stayed longer but our time ran out, and the Hotel policy on the time alloted, indexed.
My honor meeting you young brothers.You are the future of our Delta traditions and legacies.
My apology for not being able to make the continuation of the fellowship at Brother El Prez house because of difficulty driving at night.
The day after: The sumptuous breakfast prepared and served by our Brod El Prez, Jonah Molina and wife, Sister Rose. Dinuguan, longaniza, tilapia fried, lumpia shanghai, and many more. Endless boiled balut, steaming coffee, buko, fruit drinks and more, everyone had their fill and even have pabaon. We continued and enjoyed the camaraderie atmosphere with the memories of the past. I overheard Brother Alex Custodio telling Brother Oca Atienza about his college girlfriends before his wife collarred him, lol! A gift of appreciation was accorded to Brother Jun Malam for the printing of the Souvenir Program, which i thought was done very professionally. We watched the demolition of the Mexican Bantamweight Champ by our own Pinoy Champ, Nonito Donaire. I was rattled by Brod El Prez' daughter jubilations when the Mexican was knocked out on the second round. More pictures taken, the hardest moment once again loomed, the time of parting, time of good byes. When to meet again only time can tell. It was a long drive to go home, 5 hours, 5 times rest stops along the way. Driving back was better with the weather situation than when coming in, it was raining then and the road was slippery.
The APO Toast Song, sang heartily with the piano accompaniment of one of the Brothers and i got overwhelmed, i shed some joyful tears, hid them behind my sunglasses, no one saw me cried, lol!
Hope next event, more attendees will be present, I expect my far away sister, Sister Nette Villanueva to be with us. Praying your lowly/humble Apong is still breathing and mobile when that time comes. You be blessed my Brothers and Sisters, may your hearts remain kind. Remember our Brother Tony Manalo who needs our help right now with his accident and will incur an excessive hospitalization expense to be able to get well, and other Brothers and Sisters who need our help. My Brothers and Sisters may love and compassion live in you, to forgive and forget. Remember always, Life is too short.
Hi Brod El Prez Jonah Molina, the other officers of the APO Delta Chapter Overseas Alumni Association, , Committee members of the different committees and all those who in one way or another were involved in the preparation and in organizing an enjoyable and memorable valentine's day celebration, CONGRATULATIONS. Just so sad that the fun and merry making and the last miniute meeting had to be cut short by house rules and the meeting had to be continued in Brod El Prez Jonah's place.
That was indeed an affair to remember and I am so glad and happy that I did not miss this wonderful occasion. The atmosphere that pervaded was so cordial that one could feel the happiness and the close comeraderie of all the attendees. The program was short but was full of fun and enjoyment and the music so enticing that even the elderly could not help but join in the fun.. Sister Betcha and the other lady sister really did a wonderful job prepaing the venue and the parlor games, bursting the balloon, blowing the balloon, the raffle, etc. were all but terriffic.
Thank you all , for inviting me to this occasion. I am so happy that God has granted my prayers to give me strength to be able to endure the rigors of the gathering so I could renew acquaintances wih kabrods that I met in 2009, during my first time ever to attend a gathering of Apo Deltans since I was initiated to the Fraternity in 1952. I am afraid that Mr. Alzeimer is fast approaching on me that I may not be able to remember all of those whom I met in 2009. .It was also an opportune time to meet new ones.
I could not help but remember with heartfelt gratitude and thanks that it was Brod Joel Pablo who woke me up from my deep slumber as a Deltan. It was Brod Joel who introduced me to the APO Delta Chapter Alumni Association USA and Canada.Valentine's Day celebration in Sacramento CA., in 2009. This was my first time ever to attend a gathering of APO Deltans since 1952. Thanks to Brod Jun Malan, who together with hiis wife Vangie, fetched me from San Jose, so I could attend the celebration. Also my thanks to Brod Tony and his Wife Anne, for the nice Jacket and cozy accomodation then. Thanks to Brod Ben Gacusan for taking me back home to San Jose.
Brods Ben Gacusan, Sam Pitman, Enting Ellescas, who are all in the Philippines right now and were not able to join the fun, (I missed you guys), and Brod Ferdie del Rosario, dropped by my place in San Jose on their way to the reunion in September 2009, to find out if I can join them to the reunion. Much as I wanted very much to do so, my health condition at the time did not warrant my joining them.By the way, Brod Ferdie, together with wife Betcha were not only great MCs but were also a very cordial hosts. With them around one can always be at ease.
I would like to acknowledge with gratitude the kind help of Brod Jojo Lobusta, whom I met only two weeks ago but had become so intimate, that we are now like friends of long ago. It was Brother Jojo, who picked me up and brought me back to San Jose and he was also my tutor in the new APO hand shake and whistle. These new tricks came in handy during the sumptous brunch gatherng at Brod Jonah and Sis Rose place.. IIt was amusing to see kabrods , the young ones, looking amazed upon hearing a whistle imanating from , the young once, an old guard of the 52s. Thanks to the proddings of my Tutor Brod Jojo. we almost slightly put the house down. It was during this time that I did have the pleasure to exchange short pleasantries with Brod Fortune Cumigad and Brod Bong Hernandez. I hope we will have a longer chit .chat next time .around.
Upon arrival at Brod Johna's place,. where we were received so warmly that I felt instantly at ease, we introduced ourselves to all the Brods and Sis who were already there, I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time, ka brods who like me may likely be called "The Young Once".
There was Brod Alex Custodio, who said he had been in the USA for the past 45 years without having gone back to the Philippines since then. Brod Alex was to become our room mate with Brod Jojo for the night so early morning re of the next day we did have a brief but interesting exchange of views. Brod Jonah, Sis Rose, Jomar and Jo Anne thank you so much for the cozy and wonderful accomodation.
IIt was a pleasure to meet Brod Cesar Frias and his wife Cora, who, If only to emphasize the need for unity and closer comeraderie in the group,,drove all the way from Windsor, Canada to Stockton, USA, a distance of only more than three thousand miles, just to attend the Valentine's Day celebration.. Thus he said, he also proved to his darling wifey Cora that he can still drive to another gathering like this in the near future.
Brother Norie Cacabelos , whom I had the pleasure of meeting in 2009, although now maybe considered as one of the "Young Once", did compete with the "Young Ones",led by Brod Reigel and wife Mindy, in the dance floort giving the impression to all and sundry that "Hindi pa kami Laos". Though only for a brief chat I was so happy to learn from Sis Linda that your health condition has greatly improved. Carry on Brod, just do it.
Am so sorry Brod Norie if my attendance deprived you and the other "Young Once" Brods the Calling as the "Most Senior" among the attendees. I did so again in 2009 when I did deprive Brod Ben Gacusan of the Calling. Pero huag kayong mainip mga Brod. You will have your time..
It was a pleasure to meet Brod Wilson Lauchang who was always there ready to assist in many ways. Brod Wilson, Jo Anne, and Brod Jojo thank you so much for taking pictures for me, Then there was Brod Larry, who dropped by and whom I had a very pleasant chit chat. I was happy to meet and talk to his wife Elsa? in the Bolinao dialect which is an adulterated Zambal dialect, her native tongue..
Sitted at our Table No 4, were myself, Brod Joel "Abu Bakar" Pablo,, Brod and Mrs Trigo Leyva, Brod Anthony Ty,his wife Fe and daughter Karissa, and Brod Oca Atiensa. The encounters of Brod Trigo as a Coast Guard which he and Brod Joel presented as a comedy skit was very amusing.and very impressive.
The affair was indeed a success and once again congratulations to the Officers of the Association headed by Brod El Prez Jonah Molina and the Committees who were responsible in making the affair a resounding success. …Brod Tito Cerdan
Brod Alex,
I'm glad you enjoyed our gathering and we look forward to seeing you again. I myself had a good time mingling with brothers and sisters from Batch 1952 (Tito Cerdan) to Batch 2000 (Oliver Vergara) and those in between.
It was nice to see Brod Saniel Cuison (Batch 1980) play the guitar (ala Neal Schon of Journey) and made us dance all night long. It was fun seeing the 60's brods participate in a baloon game to see who could "blow" the biggest balloon! It was nice to see Brod Cesar Frias and wife Cora, who drove over 3,000 miles from Windsor Canada and bravely climbed over the snowy Sierra mountains, experienced using tire chains, and had a flat tire on his way to Stockton, to endure all of these and still inspire us with his Unity speech. It was especially nice to see Brod Norie and wife Linda lead the line dance and made us look like amateurs. It was nice to see everyone enjoyed each other company
and drank the wine (all 12 bottles) and beers - as Brod Tito Cerdan call it "agua de pataranta".
It was nice to hear my batchmate, our comedian Brod Joel na "nataranta" as Abubakar and surprisingly a junior Abubakar is emerging - Brod Trigo who gave us an insight of the funny side of being a soldier in Iraq. A brave soldier indeed he is and an emerging Abubakar.
It was nice to hear President Jonah speak about our fraternity and how it has shaped our lives from our college days to now. Lastly, it was nice to see everyone helped out to make the event a success. Oh what a night!!!
In LFS,
Brod Ferdie
Brods/Sis,
Hereunder are the links to the various video clips/pictures of our Valentines party at the Hilton Hotel in Stockton.
Emceed by Brod Ferdie del Rosario (Batch '75C) and wife Sis Betcha (Batch '77), the 2011 Valentines Party was a complete success. From the favors and centerpieces made by Sis Betcha, to the room set-up prepped by Anne Santillan, Mindy Abueg, and Minda Abalos, set a very meaningful Valentines ambiance. The slide show, put together by Brod Wilson Lautchang (Batch '72), made us reminisce the past Valentine affairs.
We were honored by the presence of Brod Tito Cerdan (1952- Charter Member), and Brod Oliver Vergara, (Batch '2000C), the oldest and youngest attendees. Brod Jojo Lobusta (Batch '88A), who took charge fetching Brod Tito, felt a great relief on learning that Brod Oliver will be attending because he will not be considered the most junior in the group and thus avoid being the"utusan".
Brod Cesar Frias (Batch '62-eta) and wife Cora of Windsor, Canada travelled by car for three days and two nights just to attend the party. "No regrets" they said, because 'the party was well worth their long travel'. Brod Fortune Cumigad (Batch '64), also travelled alone continuously for 6 1/2 hours to join us. Brod Alex Custodio (Batch '64), after 45 years of hibernation, for the first time joined us in the gathering. Brod Anthony Ty (Batch '82B) and wife Fe came with their beautiful daughter Karissa.
Some brods, in their eagerness to arrive early forgot to bring their party suits and had to go to the mall to buy themselves one.
Brods Bong Hernandez (Batch '75C), Wilson Lautchang, Joel "Abu Bakar" Pablo (Batch '75C), and Oca Atienza (Batch 64-eta) came one day earlier and played golf in the early morning of Saturday. Brod Oca Atienza, despite his gout insisted on playing. Right after they finished the 18th hole they joined other brods to a luncheon party hosted by a brod Mel Gonzales of Eta.
Brod Norie Cacabelos (Batch '61-beta) and wife Linda and the rest of the attendees enjoyed dancing to the continuous live music from the band of Brod Saniel Cuison (Batch '80B). Songs from the old sixties to the new raps filled the dance floor air.
The party was not complete without the energy and laughter-filled parlor games planned and conducted by Sis Betcha del Rosario, Brod Rigel Abueg (Batch '77B) and his wife, Mindy.
The Iraq experience of Brod Trigo Leyva (Batch '77B) was transformed into a hilarious skit by Brod Joel that brought the house down.
Through the untiring efforts of Brod Tony Santillan (Batch '69A), Brod Jun Malan (Batch '70), and Brod Joel Pablo, we were able to come up with a Souvenir Program which will serve as our reminder that the Valentines affair is one event that brings closer camaraderie among us.
When you thought everything was going great and all of a sudden….kaboom!
Lunchtime, Saturday and Brother Mel Gonzales Eta ’77 invited the Delta Brothers at Jonah’s place. However, after Brother Mel had said
the grace for lunch, I had to accompany Brother Jonah to go back at his place who got a call from Jun Malan and wife Vangie. All we can
think of was the sumptuous feast the Brothers were having at Mel’s while Bro. Jonah was driving on an empty stomach and I just had six roasted peanuts on the shell. I was imagining the crunchy piece of “chicaron with meat” at Brother Mel’s table when all of a sudden, I noticed that Bro. Jonah was entering the opposite ramp of the freeway – I told him ”Look out bro, the white arrow is pointing in our direction!” Perhaps it was the existing hunger or an Alzheimer’s moment that got into him. Thank God, I was able to notice it and there was no vehicle exiting the freeway or we’d be spending the Valentine Affair at the hospital. After two more unsafe lane changes accompanied with two loud honks from irate drivers, we arrived alive at Jonah’s place.
What luck it was, Jun Malan told us that he forgot his suit and coat for the party thus, we have to go out again and accompany him at the mall to get one. Actually, it was a blessing in disguise - Jonah remembered that he haven’t picked up his pants in the cleaner as well. Going back at Jonah’s place, we found Brother Alex Custodio - Delta ’64 and Brother Fortune’s batchmate, Brother Jojo Lobusta ’88 who picked up Brother Tito Cerdan, Charter’52.
After my lunch of pear and a packet of Sky Flakes (lost my appetite), I asked Jonah that I need to go to the hotel and get dressed. On the driveway, we saw Brother Tony Santillan who just arrived and wearing a frown – the reason why? Well, he was also missing his pants and what happened next was Jonah had to take Tony with us, drove him to the mall and pick him up after dropping me at the hotel.
Hey, we found a new talent during the program – Trigo “Trigger” Leyva and yours truly, Abu Bakar! Brother Ferdie, the MC called me up for my Abu Bakar jokes during the course of the program as usual but, I wasn’t really prepared. Remembering Brother Trigo telling us his funny experiences during his training and post Iraq days the night before, I just decided to call him up on the stage and interviewed him as one of our “unsung heroes.” The whole antic turned out as a comedy act that made the Brothers and guests in the audience roared with laughter. FYI, Brother Trigo is a reserved Coast Guard and a member of the elite Delta force (like you, I am also wondering how it happened J!).
One of the funniest moments came right after the party when everyone decided to go back at Brother Jonah’s place for a nightcap. Brother Oca Atienza Eta’64 – upon seeing everyone’s condition (wasted as ever), had volunteered to drive for us, a senior doing a service to the younger Brothers, thank you, Brother Oca! After staying there until 4:00 am, Brothers Rigel, Bong Anthony Ty, and yours truly went back to the hotel. Bong was surprised to find out that because he was all wasted, he wrongfully put on the wrong pair of shoes – no shoelaces. And mind you, he was ever so careful on not to step on the laces while treading the wet sidewalk! Brother Wilson couldn’t go back to sleep anymore because he was dying of laughter. Wilson suggested that he just took it with him and send it back later since we were in a hurry, but Bong said that it was an expensive pair making it mandatory to return to Brother Jonah’s place. It was Brother Alex Custodio’s shoes that Bong wore by mistake.
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Finally, it was time for us to depart. Tight handshakes and hugs were exchanged. Brother Oca couldn’t help getting misty eyed, he has to wear his Ray Bans to hide it. Sadness and happiness both can be seen on each other’s faces as we bade goodbye to the brothers at Jonah’s place. I can’t forget the tight hug that Brother Tito made – reluctantly letting you go, his eyes reddened with tears. Thanks so much to Brother Jojo Lobusta for teaching Brother Tito the “APO whistle”. It was fun watching Brother Tito sound that whistle with a nod and a wink! I miss you all my dear brothers. Brothers Cesar Frias, Alex Custodio, and Oliver Vergara, I am really honored to meet you all and I hope to see you again and let the experience remind you of what we are. It was one of the most memorable event and I felt sorry for all who missed it. Manang Linda, Brother Norie’s wife said: “This is the most alive and joyous Valentine Party that they had attended.” Lastly let us remind ourselves what brother Cesar Frias stressed in his word of wisdom – “Let unity be the main reason to keep the fraternity alive!”
Always in LFS,
Bro. Joel
Through the untiring efforts of Brod Tony Santillan (Batch '69A), Brod Jun Malan (Batch '70), and Brod Joel Pablo, we were able to come up with a Souvenir Program which will serve as our reminder that the Valentines affair is one event that brings closer camaraderie among us.
Invocation
APO Delta Valentine's Party 19 Fenruary 2011 Hilton Hotel, Stockton, CA
be at peace...
out of the depths of our hearts we cry out for you Dear Lord we heard you say, "be at peace know that I am The Lord, your God"
yes, sometimes we struggled to be at peace, our minds leap from one thought to another our bodies are too restless to keep still our hearts are full of feelings
to be at peace we always rely upon your blessings silence is our ally to calm our senses tonight we are gathered to celebrate the APO Delta Annual Valentine's Party we ask you to be with us so our celebration will be happy a memorable event that we will always remember for the rest of our lives...
Amen
Oscar, thank you for the wake up call. All along I thought I am the only sole whistler among classmates. I will republish it to my global community....ASC
"There is a crisis approaching the United States. This crisis is looming on the horizon and much like a train in the distance, soon it will be upon us. The video link below is a "60 Minutes" interview with David M. Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller General with the Government Accounting Office (GAO). The piece is about twelve minutes in length. I hope that you'll take the time to view it, then pass this on to others. Next take a little more time to write your Congressman and Senators and in your own words express your concern about our nation's deficit spending and
the dire need to return to a balanced budget. If something isn't done about this problem then by 2040 the country that you love, the country that you have served will be financially bankrupt.
The United States of America will be in deep trouble in the next five to ten years unless something is done now. Most U.S. citizens either don't realize or don't care about the financial health of our nation. The Roman Empire made the same mistakes that our government is making right now. The Roman Empire failed because of her decadence, fiscal irresponsibility and overstretched sphere of military conquest. They say that those who are ignorant of history are
doomed to repeat it. I hope that our democracy doesn't fail. Thank you. ....Oscar Holgado"
There are times when God uses storms in our lives that He may draw us closer to Him. Our God does not sit still when the storm is too strong. Yes, our God lets us get frightened enough to need Him and then come close enough to see Him and experience His wonderful love. We are confident that your faith in Him will hasten your recovery. He is a Master Surgeon, a Great Physician and above all our Creator. He will surely touch and heal you according to His blessed will. Listen to what David said on Psalm 139: “ For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb, I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. How precious are Thy thoughts to me, Oh God! How vast is the sum of them.” My husband had been there….went through a triple by-pass last May 10, 2002. The good Lord had restored his health and we are praying He will restore yours. “Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7. Take care and sweet regards to you and your family, Lorna
Folsom Lake Reservoir above, about a mile as the crow flies from the house at Deerhorn Lane around September 1993 with Lorna Jereza and Marissa. Ladies never grow old, nor change, nor pass away!
Your gentle voices will flow on forever, when life grows bare and tarnished with decay,
As through a leafless landscape flows a tribulet.
above Taken May 2005 Portugal Cruise..................... ....Sweet the memory is to me........ Of a land beyond the sea, Where the waves and mountains meet, Where the merchants with their wares, And their gallant brigantines .......Sailing safely into port .....below Leonila, Clarita, Rosalina, our Cesar Jaranilla, me and Timothy in Vallejo (11/92) at Lilia Antonio's house.
Dearest Friends, Please pardon my less than prompt response to your emails, but given the situation and circumstance at hand, I'm sure that you all understand. I am extremely thankful and grateful for all of your support and prayers during these trying times; all your love and compassion inspires everyone in the family to remain vigilant and strong when it is most necessary. As of the moment, Jun is steadily recovering from the aneurysm. Although he temporarily needs the aid of a trache and a gastro-intestinal tube for now, all the signs of his health hopefully is an indication that he will eventually recover from his condition. Soon, he will be transferred to Rancho Los Amigos rehab center, which is known to have a 95% success rate. When he is transferred there, it will be okay to finally visit him if you wish to do so. I will inform everyone when this time comes. On another note, I have learned of Mike Bernandino's health condition, and I offer my prayers and support for him. He will remain in my thoughts as a dear friend to my husband and myself . Once again, I want to express my love and gratitude to everyone who has offered their support and prayers to Jun, myself, and my family. They stir in the depths of my heart and are felt by Jun and the rest my family. Again, thank you very much. Lucy Dijamco
With Jun and Lucy Dijamco in Messina (06/07).....picture below.....The Temple of Saturn (Latin: Templum Saturni or Aedes Saturnus) is a monument to the agricultural deity Saturn, that stands at the western end of the Forum Romanum in Rome. It represents the oldest-surviving foundation in that area, having been established between 501 and 498 BC. Some sources attributes it to the King Tarquinius Superbus, others to Lucius Furius, although the latter dedication could belong to a reconstruction after the fire set by the Gauls (early 4th century BC). It was also called 'Aerarium', because the Roman national treasure was kept there. The temple marks the beginning of the Clivus Capitolinus, the old road that takes you up the hill of the Capitol. http://picasaweb.google.com/samsondelpilar/Rome2007ReunionPhotos ............ASC
With Regina and Elmer Cruz....... next picture above...The white marble Arch of Septimius Severus at the northeast end of the Roman Forum is a triumphal arch erected in AD 205 to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, in the two campaigns against the Parthians of 195 and 203. After the death of Septimius Severus, his sons Caracalla and Geta were initially joint emperors. Caracalla had Geta assassinated in 212; Geta's memorials were destroyed and all images or mentions of him were removed from public buildings and monuments. Accordingly Geta's image and inscriptions referring to him were removed from the arch.........We should learn to conserve and save more energy and do more effort to do so. Americans are spoiled of all the abundance of food and energy here as compared to some other nations. Other countries are already experiencing this high cost of food and energy for a long time. Are we
luckier or better of than the rest of the world? We have more freedom and security here in America as compared to somewhere else, and this is what we should teach to our counterparts in the Philippines. Best regards to all...More inputs... Rock your vote in November.. We need more security...Regina........
We should rally against the president to abort the war and not condone the attack. Israel is looking for trouble. They should make friends
with their neighboring countries, instead of making war/enemies to their neighbors and the world. Millions were killed, expelled, from Germany and Europe during world war two and this should not happen again. NO MORE WARS. Let there be PEACE on EARTH. The innocent people and the soldiers are the ones who suffer the most, not the crazy president or leaders who are just pursuing their evil agenda and egos. The truth is Israel has nuclear weapons according to ex-president Jimmy Carter when he was interviewed by the press last month, that's why Israel is very vulnerable to launch an attack to Iran. We should be producing more food
to eat and not nuclear weapons to kill us all. We should produce more staple foods (rice, corn, beans, fruits,vegetables, etc.)to feed all the hungry people in the world and reduce the price of food everywhere. Here in Sacramento, California (CALROSE rice) the farmers are producing good volume of rice and that is great for us here in the US. According to your email below "global rice panic", the rice eating people in Asia and north/south America are experiencing rice problem or shortage and the prices went higher or doubled. We need some inputs to all or some of the crisis in the world. We must become the change to change the world like Gandhdi said below in his proverb. We need good leaders who can lead our nation USA and also the Philippines who can lead the 80+ million people and dedicated enough
to stop corruption, abuse of power, equal justice for everyone, and promote peace and order. ......Regina
On May 6,2007 Sunday, our anniversary, we were lucky to be docked in Venice for 2 days. My grandson, Jose,15, arranged through the internet with the monsignor at the Basilica di San Marco to have our mass there. The monsignor was very accommodating and we were reserved a special place in the church. I heard our names mentioned three times (the mass was in Italian) and after the mass people greeted Boy and me congratulating us. During the dinner that night, the Filipino chef prepared lechon for our table and the Filipino chefs and waiters came out to greet us (special treatment talaga from our kababayans). We had 2 delicious cakes!..Sonia Mendoza
Thank you very much for your concern for our country. We always emphasize forest denudation in all our seminar/workshops in ecological waste management and its adverse effects to our environment like global warming, desertification, floods, siltation of water bodies, water supply,etc. We outline the denudation since 1900 (forest cover then was 70% but Rizal already had misgivings). According to Fr. Walpole of the Ateneo and the Manila Observatory, the Philippines will have only 8% of its forest cover in 2010. The present forest cover is 12%.
The DENR suspended the logging permits in the Aurora/Quezon area when the devastating flood happened in December 2004. But these permits have been given back. The loggers are back to their merry making. Enrile has been given back his permit by senatoriable Mike Defensor when he was DENR secretary, to log in the protected area of Samar . Only the loud protests of the church and community is preventing Enrile to resume logging there. The economics of our government officials is very lopsided and twisted. The communities working in the logging areas should be given incentives to work in agriculture. We cannot even have a sufficient supply of rice but communities are lured to work for logging and mining companies!
Mother Earth Foundation (MEF) and other NGOs like Haribon, Miriam Peace and many others have advocated a log ban for at least 25 years and at most 50 years to give time for our forests to recover. Logging whether legal and illegal has no place in our country which has been ravaged by greedy loggers (legal and illegal). When you cut a full grown tree in the forest, you cannot replace this by 100 trees because of the diversity lost and the water-holding capacity of the full grown tree. This tree will also release all the toxic elements it has absorbed in its system.
The wood and furniture industry can wait until our country has recovered its forest cover. The furniture industry can use materials other than wood in their manufacturing process. We have to “bite the bullet” if we want to survive. We can still export furniture made of other materials. If the buyer wants wood, then they can buy from other countries that can still use wood in their furniture industry. Ciao and all the best, Sonia
"The Young and the 'Careless' (Restless)." Taken somewhere in Upstate, NY more than 35 years ago. Standing L to R: Meny, Rudy, Ben, Nando & Cesar Sitting L to R: Tony, Romy Merhan (ChE'65), Hernando de Vera Cruz left photo (ChE'66) I still live in Southern California (Chino Hills). Worked for ARCO for about 18 years. Left in 2001 after the merger with BP and now working for my relative (sister-in-law).Regards,Nando Cruz
ON EDUCATION OF CHILDREN BY J. DIJAMCO.....I spent for all my kids who had their college education in the Philippines,. but for those who had theirs here, Uncle Sam advanced the payments via educational loan with my promise to my children to pay their loan after they finish; but none of them, luckily, wanted me to pay their loan after they get employed.; they insist they pay the loan themselves. I always advise other parents to do the same, so they won't sacrifice a lot; and what if the child did not finish, the saving goes down the drain; but in this manner, Uncle Sam may be the loser, if the child didn't finish and the child can't pay back the loan.
I provided all my children with functional second hand cars that were estimated to last till they finish their course.or for those who had their college in PI till they were able to estabblish themselves.here. Car is not
a luxury in the LA area; it is a necessity. Our youngest son who is now graduating, is the only one who got a brand new car, not after high school, but after our old car he was using had gone beyond its economic use. Her mom insisted on a brand new car, a scion..As always, I say, "Amen."
Jun ........BELOW PICTURES OF DANNY ODULIO with OSCAR AND JUN and respective wives in Davao
Samson del Pilar, A gallant lad, In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old- That lad so bold- And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found No spot of ground That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength Failed him at length, He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he, "Where can it be- This land of Eldorado?"
"Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of Sacramento,
Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied- "If you seek for Eldorado!".............
The Library of Celsus, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces, was built ca. 125 B.C.E. by Gaius Julius Aquila in memory of his father, and once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Designed with an exaggerated entrance -- so as to enhance its perceived size, speculate many historians -- the building faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light. An underground tunnel, marked by the simple figures of a woman, a heart, and a price, leads from the library to a nearby building believed to have been a drinking establishment or brothel............
BELOW PICTURE OF ISMAEL IFURUNG, AUDIE, RENA VERGARA AND ...MAZO
Lucy and I are very glad to learn that you are interested to visit the neigbouring countries aside from PI come January. Neither Lucy nor I have visited Thailand, China, nor Vietnam; it will be a lot of fun if we can plan a joint tour in Thailand, China, and Vietnam when Angie and you will visit PI. Perhaps we can ask some of our mutual friends/classmates based in PI, like Nanding Salvador, Ed Serra, Boy and Sonia, and Sheila and Fil Villena to join us. and also, some of our classmates, based here in US. Ismael Ifurong, I know, would love to travel to PI. Alex Custodio has never been home since he came to US. Probably we can drag him and wife, Melissa, along. Yes, Marulo, he is retired too. It will add a lot of fun, if he will join.
After the cruise in May, I can definitely say the exact date of our the class reunion; and if, it will push throughn or not come January. It will be worth your time and Angie's visiting PI come January, whether or not, the class reunion will push through. Make your vacation 8 weeks, then we can go on tour together, and perhaps with some classmates, most of PI, and visit Thailand, Hongkong, China and Vietnam. Lucy and I have been planning for decades, yes decades, to go around PI and see its beautiful palces and tour our neigbouring countries, but to this time has never materialized. I hope with you and Angie around, it will. I will keep uou posted. Jun
P.S. For those who have the time and especially the retired ones, come and join the fun in PI. ........BELOW PICTURE EVELINA ADLAWAN (CHM67) AND ART ADLAWAN (CE66)............ ABOVE PICTURE OF MARLO, OSCAR AND JUN...NEXT ABOVE.. ARE POL, ISMAEL, CIP, OSCAR AND MARLO ALL IN LAS VEGAS '03 REUNION,...NEXT BELOW ARE NARCI ENCARNARCION AND WIFE.....NEXT NEXT PICTURE BELOW CIP, POL, LOURDES, ISMAEL
O'er the fair woods the sun looks down upon the many-twinkling leaves,
And twilight's mellow shades are brown, where darkly the green turf upheaves.
The river glides in silence there, and hardly waves the sapling tree:
Sweet flowers are springing, and the air is full of balm, - but where is she!
You have done our class a great service. The blogspot and this email group you put up together will foster greater unity, bonding, and friendship among the
members of our class. I guess, when we were in college, we had our respective groups and did not become close to the others; like for example, Pol and
Clarita, they were very familiar to me then; but we never became close until we met again in the past two class reunions. Many Genato is another example; I
never had any memory of this guy; but like Pol, Clarita, and many others, they are like precious gems I failed to see and recognize during our college days.
I must also confess, you are also one of the familiar face and name, I only knew then. However, this adage say, "late is better than never." I am very glad and
thankful for all the occassions, events, and instruments (like this email group) that make the members of our class become closer and most especially
to the members who spent a lot time and energy in causing those events, occassions, and instruments to happen. .......Jun
Above .....Photo taken March 2005, amongst our MIT friends, from left to right - Fil Villena (stayed in the Phil, but comes to the US twice a year), 1966 Art (family in Phoenix, AZ and lives alone in Akron, Ohio, binata tayo dito), 1966, Efren Afuang (stayed in the Phil), 1965, Ernie Ganuelas (stayed in the Phil, but comes to the US twice a year), 1965 ,Jun Dijamco (back-and-forth Phil & US, lost count on how many times), 1966,Lucy Dijamco, our lovely classmate-in-law. 1966....... I must admit, that I have not been very active putting my little cent here and there, but I do enjoy reading the updates & responses that Carmina and Clarita untiringly email to us, pls keep 'em coming. I am one of the remaining few, still pounding the pavement everyday for financial reasons. However, that retirement "carrot" is getting so close that I could almost taste it - perhaps in 2 years or less. ..............Art V............. We are on to the next chapter of our life. My retirement since last year is so wonderful, and I hope you are successful in getting yours also. I thank God for the bounty we have before us, and the training for our special profession. It is not so easy now to get to this station. As the time pass us by, on to the golden years, it is best to share our friendship that was put on hold because of our immediate priorities to our respective families. It is for this reason, that we need to communicate more, even with just letters and pictures. What you did, sending that photo, rekindles memories, it is a very nice gesture. Keep them coming. I will be on the cruise next May, hopefully, I will see you and your family, like old times again in the Intramuros Quadrangle.
Now I reside in France 4 months of the year in a thousand year old house in a medieval quarter of an ancient citadel kelow
Take care and Best Regards, Alexander
Below......Here's a picture of Cesar, Perlynn, Me, Rudy & Meny at Infanta and Caesar's Palace. And correction, Ismael - it's not just maids - it's two french maids.
ben...........
Ben successfully pulled our balikbayan 08 together even with no detailed plan - making reservations as we went along. Well, with the help of the Lonely Planet travel guide. At one point, we thought we'd be sleeping in the Cebu airport because our hotel reservation had not been confirmed before our flight. Ben, his wife Josie, Meny and I, and Perlynn survived the trip . Ben himself was surprised we were able to do what we originally wanted. Note however that last minute means not the best deal,but amazingly good enough in this instance.
I took Pol Calimbas's advice regarding use of the US cell phone in the Philippines. Before leaving the US, I requested an unlock code from my cell phone service provider .Pol neglected tosay that this takes a couple of days before you get it.I took the instructions and the code to a cell phone provider in Manila, and the sales girl was able tofollow the instructions (even though she had never done that before), bought and installed a sim card ( all for the equivalent of $1.35), and a load card. The 3 girls shared a room; the 2 guys (the snorers) got another. The housekeeping staff wondered what 2 guys were doing in a room with 1 king-sized bed.When the 3 girls got off the elevator to go to their room which was on a different floor, Ben pointed to me and said to the staff that I was his boyfriend. While shopping for banana, Ben educated me on the difference between latundan and lakatan. I said mine must be tundan; he says, his is saba.You all have to visit Ceasar's Palace in Cabanatuan."Tabo" is obsolete; hose next to the toilet has finally arrived in Pinas. The first fime I encountered the hose was in Rio de Janeiro in 1996. Cesar no longer has to wash dishes nor clean. They have 2 hired help to do that. For their party,several girls in native attire did the serving; I thought they were going to perform too . He will be learning to play on the golf course of their gated community; so, all you golfers, watch out. Last minute reservation in the palace accepted.
Puerto Princesa is surprisingly clean, and residents treat tourists well; not one to try squeeze every cent out of you.The mayor and governor want everyone to understand that tourism is their livelihood. The underground river/cave was incredible and the boat ride to it very scenic - worth the 3+ hour van ride on a bad road. Well, not entirely bad; good portions alternated with bad. Bad sections are where local officials pocketed the money meant for the road. We did get stuck at one point, and the van had to be pulled out of the mud. Since Perlynn and Josie refused to hike, the Tabon Caves were out of the question. So, off to Dos Palmas resort for the day. The resort's employees were great. 3 of us can't snorkel,can't even swim, but they made the visit enjoyable, helped us see beautiful corals and fish. All we had to do was lie face down and they pulled us around. The buffet lunch was good too. definitely worth the 1800 pesos per person day charge. Susie Morales's sister's 50th wedding anniversary celebrationwas a grand affair, but we had to leave before it ended to catch the flight to Cebu. We were impressed by the Sinulog; we watched part of the parade the greater part of the day. Perlynn got bored but stayed anyway. It was hot and humid. Fortunately, we were able to get seats in one of the viewing stands.While waiting for our flight back to Manila, we had a 1-hourmassage by the blind/handicapped for 100 pesos. It was so cheap, I gave a 50% tip. We slept soundly on the flight back; Ben did not need a massage to fall asleep. In Bohol, all 5 of us shared a room. Needless to say, Perlynn was not able to sleep because of Ben's snoring.Bohol's Chocolate Hills are worth a trip. We got a day tour that took us there, with stops to visit caves, and to see tarsiers (5-inch marsupial in the endangered species list).
The drive to Infanta was very scenic. Ben ordered enough food for 2 to 3 babang-luksa. plus we had lots of buko.The Asis family is a celebrity in the town because of all the help they have given the school and the community. At the last minute, Ben, Josie, Perlynn, Susie and her company decided to go to Singapore. By that time there were no more $120 round trip fare, but they were able to get a package deal for $500+.They flew in the morning; our flight was in the afternoon. We were not able to meet up with them. They still have to tell us about theshopping they did. They also managed to go to Kuala Lumpur.Ben, tell us about this part. Also, how did you bring back all the stuff Josie bought ?We went to Cambodia for 8 days while they were in Singapore.The Chinese New Year celebration was in full swing.
Lots of free shows, dragon parade, and a midnight event to ring in the year of the rat. In addition to Singapore's Chinatown (weird for a country that is 75% Chinese), we also went to Little India, the Arab district, and to the Asian Civilizations Museum. The museum is impresive. Unfortunately, the only thing about
the Philippines is a picture of the rice terraces and 2 Moro kris, while there were details on the Malays, the Chinese, and other southeast Asian islands which I had never heard of previously. We got around on bus and subway, and when we got lost, a Pinoy always came to our rescue. One was a 2001 CE Mapua graduate. Pinoys fly to Singapore, and have 1 month to look for a job; then they can stay there permanently.
We had a very hectic schedule, hardly had time to do laundry. But we managed to visit Sheila, as well as Renato. Renato's decision to return to Pinas and work as chief of a regional hospital that handles mainly charity cases is quite admirable, especially since the salary is peanuts compared to what he can make in the US . Now that Ben has experience, perhaps he can quit his day job and plan/manage the next reunion. ...Rudy
The morning after my arrival in Manila on Jan. 19, I looked out the window of Astoria Plaza from the 26th floor curious to see what the area looks like after 35 years. At 6AM I thought I was looking at fog, at 7AM it got thicker, then I realized it is smog, so thick I can not see the train on EDSA or the streets below. It was like that for the rest of the week. Saturday, I took the ferry to Corregidor. About a half-mile into the bay I took this picture around 8:30AM. Farther out, I looked to my left, Navotas and Malabon area, and turned to my right to Cavite, what I saw is the same as in this picture, metropolitan Manila in a blanket of smog......
In Venice, many of us went to Plaza San Marco by taking the water taxis as soon as our Ship docked. Did a lot of sightseeing, was able to get inside St. Marks Cathedral and of course some shopping. But then the rain came pouring down on us and we got wet and by the next day, I lost my voice. I was hoarse but no pain or sore throat. It stayed that way until we were back in Rome, then the coughing came, sore throat and all. The tour of Venice with Giorgio started smoothly with only a few late, but everybody showed up with even two extras (I only found out because Giorgio had to rush out and buy two extra tickets). We had an extra side treat, Giorgio was able to arrange a gondola ride for 20 euros, and 36 pax bought into these, the others were free for shopping. So after the tour of the magnificent Doge Palace, a W/C stop, we proceeded to the canal site for the gondola ride. It was then that we found out we were missing Taili and Diana who had paid for the gondola ride. Ria and I had to take their seats on the last boat and Giorgio went in search for them. The place was so crowded and packed with people, there is no way one can find them if they are not in the meeting place (unfortunately not established at this point). The gondola ride was fun, felt and saw all the sites shown in the movies but our gondolier did not serenade us, in fact he was not even Italian, he was Spanish, which was just as well because we were able to communicate a little bit in Spanish. From there we proceeded to a Murano Glass Factory nearby, saw a demonstration of glass blowing / making and then we were set free in their store of all beautiful glass designs and of course jewelries. You bet we all had fun shopping. The girls were into all corners, all the good buys & tips were passed around and the guys just stood patiently watching us. Some of my classmates were proud that their wives were not into the buying frenzy so I started teasing them, heckling some maybe, but of course it was not their call, since it was their wife’s choice not to buy as they handle the purse, he, he, he. We had to rush back to the boats (bus per Giorgio) as we were running out of time. Shopping by 74 pax just takes some time. There was no time to go to the Cathedral or be shown other sights. I’m glad most of us were there the previous day. After waiting a bit for a missing couple, we finally boarded the water taxis to the Ship but still no Taili & Diana. They thankfully made it back to the Ship in time as Taili is a seasoned traveler (pro) and knows exactly what to do.....Clarita................................................
White swan of cities, slumbering in thy nest, So wonderfully built among the reeds
Of the lagoon, that fences thee and feeds, As sayeth thy old historian and thy guest!
White water-lily, cradled and caressed By ocean streams, and from the silt and weeds
Lifting thy golden filaments and seeds, Thy sun-illumined spires, thy crown and crest!
White phantom city, whose untrodden street,Are rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting
Shadows of palaces and strips of sky;I wait to see thee vanish like the fleets
Seen in mirage, or towers of cloud uplifting, In air their unsubstantial masonry...HWL
Dear Alex , First of all, I would like to thank you both for the unselfish support that you have shared with me on the last day of our cruise. I will never forget Florence and Livorno and the unforgettable experience about catching the last train for Livorno and the breath taking marathon to catch the train and missing the last shuttle to the ship. Alex, I hope you told Marissa the whole story of our nerve wreching trip to Florence. I thought we will be flying to Rome then to Civitavecchia to catch the ship. Thanks for answered prayers. We made it even to the dinner. Alex, you are such a kind, and patient friend. I wish I had more chance to be around you both during the cruise. Whateve time we spent together especially during Livorno breakfast was already engrave in my mind as a beautiful memory of our friendship. I had a good time during the cruise and I thought I accomplished what I had planned for this trip. I go with your idea Alex...cruise, cruise cruise. As I was looking at your pictures in Buenos Aires, I could not stop saying Wow! This is the kind of vacation I really want to have. Affordable, relaxed and can do anything at your own pace and inexpensive. I love to travel and enjoy sight seeing like you. Hope someday we can join you again. My only problem is how can I convice my husband to take the cruise again.Please keep in touch. Warm regards and God Bless, Melba and Art
Thank you Melba for those kind words. That day, was planned impromptu for both of us. The day started with just Livorno in mind and a trip to the downtown area for some look and see old buildings/forts, and not a train ride across Tuscany. We were not looking for out of the way adventure that last day of the cruise but we certainly got it indeed. On the shuttle, when I found out, that it was your first visit to Italy, we decided to visit Florence. Somehow, in retrospect, we have missions to perform that particular day. At the end of the shuttle ride, nobody on that ride knew, where to take the trains, until I ask an older gentlemen, where to take bus #1 across town and where to buy the tickets from the Tabac store across the street, whereupon, the whole shuttle people followed us into the store. They followed us, the pathfinders until their travel to Pisa, some thought that Florence was too far a ride to make the return trip to the ship on time.
Did we not saved six people from our ship, from being marooned in the first Firenze train station, when they got out early, off the train, until I opened our window and exclaimed "wrong station". The next train is due 2:00PM, or walk across town. Oh, how we got some expressions of beatitudes from that group until we saw them back aboard ship later in the PM. We made, quick friends, from that group and also the Italian teenagers, mostly students with their books, sitting beside us.
After having our memorable fill of photos taken in Florence, missing our train schedule, and taking the last train to Livorno at 4:27 PM ( a train ride of almost 2 hours ). That is really cutting close to the ships' departure of 7:00. Plus the bus ride across town on heavy traffic, then we are counting seconds to catch the ship. We again, met those people, that we saved a couple of hours ago, on train stop in Pisa. We know, that we missed the shuttle, and had to share a taxi ride with them back to the port. To sum it all, we made an ordinary day extraordinary for the positive missions performed. These are the kind of experience, I look forward too, when I travel abroad independently, without the environment of fellow Americans. I like the local colors and mostly travel on public transport savoring the local culture, smell, sounds, language, etc. I am looking forward to traveling with you in the next reunion, wherever it may be. Godspeed and Best Regards
Marissa & Alexander
I am a part of all that I have met....Lord Alfred Tennyson
With all the excitements, positive and negative feelings about the med. Cruise and land tours, it turned out to be a great experience seeing all
these places and to some very remarkable/holy sites. With the exemption of the euros versus the US dollars it could have been much better with
regards to shopping/buying material things for "pasalubong" for love ones. We have to save some money for the Philippine reunion and I agree
with Jun Dijamco and the rest of the group to postpone the reunion until February 2009 maybe Valentines day. The balikbayan fare will be cheaper
by that time. What about celebrating valentines day in the Phil.? Best regards to all.... Regina
Regarding SS, social security carries over to other countries, but medicare does not. The petition is for medicare, which is for healthcare
of those 65 and over, (also for some special situations.) Just a reminder, if you're not aware: Everyone should apply for medicare soon as age 65 is reached, even if you do not plan to get SS benefit at 65 because you're waiting until your full benefit age. (for most of us, full benefit age is 66 or 67). If you apply for medicare later than age 65, you are charged penalties. Same goes for the medicare drug plan. You have to choose a drug plan at 65, unless you never intend to apply for one for the rest of your life. Thanks. .........Meny
We have here two speeches: one made available by Alex; the other forwarded by Marlo. Thanks to both of you. This is how I see them. The first see our poverty of spirit; the second, the Filipino spirit rising. One pictures the formidable challenges confronting us; the other depicts a future seen through rose colored glasses. One forces us to a deep and hard examination of our ills; the other makes us feel good. One seeks to get to the crux of the problem; the other offers a palliative, non-sustainable by itself. One claims thousand of youths can not get jobs because they dropped out in the 5th grade; the other states college graduates are the elite few. (Lots of college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed because there are too few jobs. They have to apply for employment overseas).
One concedes that to a large extend our culture is damaged, that we have lost our ethical moorings, and that our people are lazy; the other says that our mendicant culture is man-made and that in the right setting (like here in America) Filipinos are law-abiding, hardworking and even makes more than the average in the master’s country. (I agree, there are things wrong with our culture like cronyism, our tolerating corruption and beng show-offs. But our redeeming virtues more than compensate: we have strong family ties and sense of loyalty (although sometime misdirected). We are hardworking. OFWs endure the hardships of being separated from their spouses and children. And America is NOT the master’s country; it is ours as much as anybody’).
Both speeches agree: we do not need a revolution. Also, that the enemy is within us; that we are now our own enemy. That we need to change. (This is in line with tutubi’s musings (as Meny puts it) and with the observations of our own Rolando Licardo). I think there is now a growing feeling for reform. I feel that after some trepidations, and enjoying a vacation of 3 or 4 years, the baby boomers will start to come to the plate and take up the yolk. Mabuhay!Ben
PI based CHE66 are all eager and will love to have the reunion in PI. Meny is right in noting that the PI reunion is being push to a later and a later date. If this will keep on happening, the PI reunion will just remain a WISH! Propposed solution: A strong Executive Committee has be organized to take charge of the PI reunion since this is not an easy task. Calling CHE66 leaders: VOLUNTEER.PI based members will give their 100% support and cooperation.The Mexican Riviera Cruise is the best time to put up the Executive Committee. ...Jun
ABOVE PHOTO, MY FIRST DAY IN THE US, RIGHT PHOTO ... THE IMAGE OF MY FUTURE WIFE THAT KEPT ME GOING THRU ALL .....
The Annunziata dei Catalani (late 12th-13th century). Dating from the late Norman period...above picture in.....
Messina and Taormina – more beautiful places to see but what stands out is the visit to a jewelry factory of amber, corals and other stones. We were first treated to wine and juices, coffee, tea, you name it, delicious native pastries and cheeses and nuts then on to jewelry shopping. I was amazed, I thought that by now the ladies will be out of money with all the shopping in the past and also at the Ship’s stores. But nobody can resist the fine workmanship and Giorgio’s claims that their prices are cheaper than the stores in town (??) and we still get 10% discount on top of that. Anyway, buying we did and I too spent for some jewelry I really don’t need but couldn’t resist (who knows when I’ll be there again-what an excuse) and as usual had to be last to board the bus. Giorgio has this rule of me being the last on line, last in the stores and last in the WC (quite a problem in this trip, too few and have to pay at times), takes out all the fun of sharing experiences with the group, I feel left out with all the happenings. We went to the museum and stadium (?), past several more souvenir shops, ate gelato and saw another town devastated by another volcano but this time, nobody died because we were told the lava did not have sulfides in it (H2S, SO2, SO3,...Clarita.........PICTURE LEFT WAS TAKEN 40 YEARS AGO IN OAKLAND ON MY FIRST DAY IN THE USA, NEXT LEFT IS THE SINGLE MARISSA AT HOME IN QC BEFORE HER GRADUATION BALL STC 1967....BELOW WITH JUN, MARLO AND ROLLIE AT A PLAZA IN MESSINA, NEXT PICTURES DEPICTS 38 YEARS INTERVAL AND THEN THE PORT OF DUBROVNICK........06/07.............ASC
Let me thank you for having found me and putting me into your loop.
I have been quite active with the Alumni group in ChE-Chem at Mapua after graduation, and subsequently with NAMA after a few years. Every year, I have this habit of joining the homecoming of MITChEChem and the NAMA. I see a lot of successful alumni who inspire me and allow me to develop better technical knowledge even at the present age of 64.
I am happy and overjoyed if you can allow me to join your group ( or rather, can I say my real group?), because I felt lost when I did not join our group during graduation in 1966. I am proud though to have been selected to work as the Editor-in-chief of the 1966 C&G. Everyone in our staff gave their best to come out with the blue colored Yearbook inspired by the theme of a poem by Robert Frost, and the man rowing with so many promises to keep.
I actually graduated Octoberian in 1967. In every occasion, I always identify myself as a graduate of 1967, but in reality, I could not locate who are my co-graduates in 1967 except Sheila Tempongko as we see each other often in alumni affairs.
I guess the courage to go to USA after graduation was not as strong for me, as it was to a lot of our fellow graduates who got applications at the US Embasssy in 1967. More so did the desire disappear in the horizon when I did not make it in my first board exam. I got the frustration of the profession, and devoted my time in marketing products related to chemistry and chemical engineering. But, I guess all of us has each own story to tell, sucess and not failures, or failure may it have begun with inspiration to succeed at the end of our walk thru life.
I have retired as an employee way back in 1998 after 32 years marketing and selling products ranging from essential oils, compounds, perfumes, plating chemicals, metal preparation chemicals before painting and some equipment.
Now, I am a minority partner in a corporation with 2 architects, whose main business is outsourcing production/ detailing drawings on architectural/engineering projects using licensed autocad 2000 softwares; our client for 3 years is coming from Hawaii because my partner ( an MIT Mechanical Engineer has his company in Hawaii).
Aside from drawings, I sell thru indent, equipment specialized in Wastewwater and Water Treatment (USA) which my partner ( Freddie Leonor) represents under Promark Corp ( Hawaii ).
I wish that I will have time to join you and the rest of our school mates in your future plans. Just fill me on some of your plans, and I will do may best to find time; if not, I will inform you my situation. I am restarting from ground zero, and hope that somehow I could still find my nitch in the Sun or rather in the industry within the Philippines. I am following the advice which I gave to my 5 children who have finished their college degrees: "if you fall down, no matter how many times, stand up and try again because the challenge will always be there."
Just a thought occurred to me. I counted the number of years after 1966 and came up with a total number of 40 years. Is this supposed to be a number described as a Ruby Anniversary for alumni? Am I to understand from you that there is an affair in the Alumni Homecoming to celebrate this Ruby Anniversary for graduates of 1966?
I know the present president of MIT CHE CHEM ALUMNI by the name of Miss Precy Tagala, as well as the president of NAMA who is from ChE Chem. I have not been informed of the upcoming events, but if you and some of our classmates have the interest to make this as an affair to remember, please give me your plans so I can help. [ I have registered my name with goggle under our company's email box of aeirc...@info.com.ph as per your advice. Thank you.]
My apologies for the long reply, but I wanted to make sure that you know about me. Please tell me how I can get into your/our loop, even if I am in the Philippines. [Last week, I just got news from my partner that there is a Hawaiian company looking for CAD applicants to be stationed in Philippines or South Korea for a project in a military installation. Maybe I can inform Mapuans who are CAD operators.]
Regards to everyone, especially to my classmates. .........Eldy Yap
yes i used to teach in mapua after my graduation for two years and i came to United States as a teaching assistant and stay at the same time with scholarship from the school glad to hear from my fellow classmate ....marshall.........
Alfonso Luis Tiu..left most Marshall Bonghiong Tan middle; Bernardo M. David right
From Marulo Mascarina
Hello All,
WAKE UP Everyone!!
We're now back to the grind!
For those who are working, drink real strong coffee.
For the senior retirees, let's get the laundry in gear.
And for all, check the damages ($$).
Just want to let everyone knows that me and Marietta had such a
wonderful time.
Thanks to you all, especially to Clarita for the job well done in organizing
the reunion, and to Citas & Cip of the NJ/Chicago group.
And thanks for those who reminded us when to go when & where (toilettes).
It was a priceless memories of a lifetime, seeing each other again and having
the fun and laughter of our life.
First I want to extend my deepest condolences for the passing of your beloved wife. I heard the news from Pano sometime last year and I've been trying my best of how I could convey my sympathy to you and your family. Since we've seen each other was when we drove you to Monreal with our first child Michael. I remembered we exchanged letters after that, then somehow we stopped communicating due probably of me being busy raising the family. So now it must have been 35 years since then. Throughout those years I have gone home for at least 5 times and I felt guilty for not contacting you for even once. I remembered you knocked on our door that day in early '70 and I was pleasantly surprised of you to see us. Me and my wife will be coming home this Jan. 20 to Feb. 22 and I will try my best to surprise you this time. Oscar e-mailed me telling-"just go to Bauan and Dr. Nato will be there for you." First week will be spent with Marietta's family in Cabanatuan City, then drive around possibly northern Luzon, spend time in Metro Manila, fly maybe to Cebu, Palawan, Bohol.
We are doing all these now before the arthritis kicks in. Personally among other things, we have a lot to talk about. Please e-mail me if and when I can possibly drop by and see you. Hopefully I can grab you from your very busy schedule. Take care my friend and hope to see you soon. ....Marulo
My only consolation was reminiscing the sexy Vegas-style chorus girls dancing around me at the stage (and behind the stage...heh..heh, I'm one ahead of you, Manny G.) But my jealous Minnie insisted that I looked like an Elvis midget surrounded by long-legged creatures. Oo na....
Later that night (or early morning) at Lido Deck snack time get together, Celia Cruz made a comment to me: Hey Mike, your pants were too big! I thought, "If you only knew what I went through" Well now you know. There WAS stress, but it was all a lot of fun!
When I get to be 92 years old, I will watch my free DVD disc of the show (my reward gift from the Carnival Legends performance) and cherish the thought of what I was able to do when I was 62. I might still be able to do it at 92 on a cruise, if you guys promise not only to cheer up for me, but also help me up the stage.....Mike B
The Med cruise exceeded our expectations! So glad we came! We had an exceptionally wonderful time. Those much needed endorphins were released from laughter-filled moments with old (literally??) friends and colleagues. Of course, pagod and weary, but those precious memories will be treasured hanggang uugod ugod na kami! Hopefully our minds will still be sharp to remember the events. Your cruise diary and all the nice photos from everyone will truly be a major help. Thanks, you all, for making this event a milestone in our lives. We enjoyed meeting new friends as well. Best of all, thanks again to you all for your team support and loud applause during Mike's Elvis' moments! Regards, .....................Mike and Minnie
Let me add that it was wonderful to see classmates never seen since college – Alex, Pol, Ismael, Jun Dijamco, Irene, Minda, Clarita, Thelma, Regina, Alice, etc. and Marlo & Mayette since their wedding reception at Casino in the Park (across where I now live). It was nice to finally meet Manny, Rolly, Mike, Resty, Jeff, Tony, Rose, Melba, etc. It was even nicer to meet the better halves.
I was surprised to see our classmates looking younger than the Alaska cruise pictures. Most probably some worked out for this Med cruise, had a face lift, nose jobs, liposuction, breast augmentation, nip tuck, or all of the above. Allow me to thank among others Cip, Pol, Citas, Dida, Celia, Alice, etc. for all their contributions to make the cruise memorable. Let me mention that Mike Bernardino was the King of the Cruise (Elvis), that Alex’ wife Marissa had a wonderful piano performance, and that Regina hit a 90,000 pennies jackpot in the slot machine and she savored the ding, ding, ding of the counting. (Regina I think also missed one land tour and was late on one occasion).There was some rough sailing, but then when life hands you a lemon you make le…whoopee. My only disappointment was we were supposed to go to Florence but we ended up in Firenze....Ben
We live in Sugar Land, Texas with my wife Nicki. We have two boys, both are on their own but still singles. My oldest is working in Saipan. He like exotic places since he lived 2 years in Juneau, Alaska. He is lawyering and working in a non-for-profit company. The youngest is a sound engineer living in San Jose.
I am working for Fluor Engineering. Its kind of close from where I live. Pol Calimbas
Lilia Antonio has retired to the Phil. At least that was the plan the last time I talked to her years ago. I'll ask Meny to look her up when she goes to the Phil this month. Art Villasol has responded to my email and he said that he can not join the Cruise but will attend the Reunion
at Leonila's house on the 26th. Jun Dijamco also responded and he said he can not join the cruise and did not say if he will attend the party at Leony's house. Alex or Oscar or Timothy did not respond to my emails. Lorna will not be able to attend any of them as she is going to her hi-school reunion. Thelma will be on another trip and so with Dida Mago Sanchez. Fely Dirige, Tony Alialy and Ben Asis will join the reunion at Leony's house. Regina will be at the Cruise but can not attend the mini-reunion party. .Clarita
Hey Oldtimer..... Good to hear from you again. Sorry am not in the tard or tired zone yet....perhaps next year. We hope to see you in Rome next year. I will probably be flying out of Chicago with Clarita and from the looks of it, we shall be spending a couple of days in Rome prior to the cruise. I was in Rome again a couple of years ago and visited with my cousin priest who was rector at one of the colegios (dorm for priests that go to school in Rome). We stayed at the guest quarters and had our meals with all the priests in that residence. What a great experience.....our tour guides were priests, took public transportation and so we blended quite well with the Romans. Indeed, it was a vacation of a lifetime! Irene
Am still living in the Philippines, married to Romeo B. Obedoza but with no kids. Am connected with Boysen Paints and teach at MIT part time. My husband is with UPLB so he stays there most of the week and comes to Manila (in Kamuning) on weekends. We do have grandchildren from our nephews who are now married. Three nephews (those I share with Mely Matic) are now in the States. But the others are also here. I have been retired and rehired by my company (they have to retire people who reach 60 - dual citizens na kasi - senior and Philippine citizenships). So I am now a consultant for the firm but on a full time basis. Am not joining the cruise but according to Clarita, you are to come home by 2008. So maybe we can all see each other here unless of course, some of you opt to retire here or come earlier. By the way, Alex, Mommy has passed away last 2004, 10 years almost to the date that Daddy did. How about your parents? Are they still around? Regards to all,............. Sheila ..........BELOW PICTURE
I am sorry to hear about your mom. I know it is our turn to be the seniors now. Papa is still alive at 86, remarried in 2003, which is good for him since he is very sickly now. Mom died in 1994, and the whole family that I transported from PI is thriving very well in many ways. Take care and Best Regards,......... Alexander
We just came back from Infanta (Cesar/Elvie, his brother Luther & wife Ligaya, Perlynn, Rudy & Meny Banares). We wemt tp Palawan & caught the Sinulog in Cebu (thanks to Thelma), saw Bohol and leaving for Singapore with Susie & Joe Morales & Perlyn. We did see Dr RenatoDimayuga (Chief of the Hospital) in Batangas & just had Merienda with Shiela (and Rudy & Meny) at her home. I was waiting to hear from you before we left for Infanta, Take care. See Cesar in Cabanatuan in his Palace....ben
The staff of Meralco Call Center have been very
helpful in my tracking you down; they acted on my
email-inquiry very promptly. A big number of our class have been exchanging emails since the time they started organizing the 2003 grand reunion in Las Vegas; then, followed the 2006 reunion via an Alaskan cruise. Next year,the reunion will be a-16-day Mediterranean cruise. There are about 200 who attended the Las Vegas reunion; 51 joined the Alaska cruise; and 81 have already signed up for the Mediterranean cruise. Lucy, you talked to her over the phone in Manila, and I attended the Las Vegas and the Alsakan reunions and we have made our reservation for the Medditerrenean cruise. The Med cruise will be in the last week of May 2007. Clarita Aragones Parson is the organizer; she also organized the Las Vegas reunion 2003 and the 2006 Alaskan cruise. It is a must that you and your wife join the Mediterrenian cruise. I'm sure Clarita will send you an email as soon as she reads this email.
Our class has now an email group and a blogsite; these were both created by Alex Custodio, just recently. There are now 66 in the email group; you will be probably be the 67th. Nini Juat is now residing in Tarlac and is working for DTI; she has filed for retirement recently.
Do you know where Ed Serra is? I met him in the Big Mall accross Central Bank more than 20 years ago; he was then working for a cement company in Norsagaray in Bulacan while his wife, then, was working at the Central Bank. As soon as we get back to PI, I will give you a call and let us get together. Jun Dijamco ................................................
I'm happy to hear from you. It's been so many years since we've been together. Hoping to meet you one of these days. By the way, Ed Serra and I have been neighbors more than ten years. We're just six houses away. You can contact him at.......... We are now both retired from our employment. Now, we're both enjoying the company of our grandchildren. I'm sure Ed will be happy to know your whereabouts. By the way, this is my new e-mail address:..........Regards & God bless,.......Nanding
For years, I had been trying to persuade Andy to go on a cruise but he wouldn't do it. His reasoning was, "There are no tennis courts on the ship". He now looks at cruises differently and now agrees with me that "we don't need no stinking tennis courts" to have fun on a cruise. I had to remind him that the reason why this cruise was so much fun was because of my wonderful MIT friends and their spouses. He agrees with me on this one too (he agrees with me most of the time, doesn't he?). Anyway, it was a thrill to see everybody again. Unlike the two other MIT reunions I attended in the past, I felt a difference in the bonding that went on in this cruise. In this cruise, the ribbing and kidding and teasing that went on felt more like family; did we not act like proud family members when we rooted for Mike Bernardino at the talent competition? This to me was truly a HOMEcoming. And all these happened because of your hard work and patience, I cannot thank you enough. Regards and till we meet again,......Thelma
Dear Everyone, It is so hard to go back to work after a grand vacation. It was such a great experience for a first timer like me. It was so nice to see all of you and your spouses. Especial thanks to Clarita who did such a fantastic job organizing the trip. Of course the leaders for both the NJ/CHI and LA groups are to be thanked also for diligently waiting, counting, grouping and doing the painful collection for the groups. Thanks again everybody and hope to see you all soon. Rose (far right)Rose Silang
Clinical Pharmacology
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals .........Below Dida Mago Sanchez, next Manny Genato
Where, twisted round the barren oak, the summer vine in beauty clung,
And summer winds the stillness broke, the crystal icicle is hung.
Where, from their frozen urns, mute springs pour out the river's gradual tide,
Shrilly the skater's iron rings, and voices fill the woodland side.
Alas! how changed from the fair scene, when birds sang out their mellow lay,
And winds were soft, and woods were green, and the song ceased not with the day!
But still wild music is abroad, pale, desert woods! within your crowd;
And gathering winds, in hoarse accord, amid the vocal reeds pipe loud.
Chill airs and wintry winds! my ear has grown familiar with your song;
I hear it in the opening year, I listen, and it cheers me long.
When winter winds are piercing chill, and through the hawthorn blows the gale,
With solemn feet I tread the hill, that overbrows the lonely vale. ...HWL
Felow Mapuans
I had seen this idea before and was surprised that as
stupid as it was, it was still going around the
Internet.
This Coke executive should stick with the business he
knows, selling sugared water, because his idea is
ludicrous and obviously from somebody who does not
know the oil and energy business. If the American
driver follows this idea, it would only hurt your
neighborhood gas station owner/operator and would
probably cause a short term disruption that would
result in all of us paying more for gas. With this
potential disruption, the companies your would like to
hurt (majors like Exxon/Mobil and Shell) would
probably end up as the beneficiaries from this
misconceived idea.
I spent all my working career in the energy business, half of which was in the oil and gas industry, including oil and gas marketing, refining, trading and logistics, so I can say with confidence, without sounding cocky, that I know better than this Coke executive. Oil is a commodity and if you have any knowledge of how commodity markets work, you should know that marginal pricing dictates how much the consumer pays for this commodity. In short, the price of oil is determined by how much the market values the last barrel sold in the market place. It is not the average price and definitely not cost related. It is priced on what the market could bear. Any market with
marginal pricing can also be very volatile, particularly when there is a perception of supply tightness and risk of supply disruption (due to extraneous factors such as geopolitical) adds a price premium. .....Cip Buendia
The college books, that silently among
Our knowledge treasures take familiar places,
And are to us as if a living tongue
Specs from the printed leaves or pictured faces!
Dear Friends,
After 40 years with the company, it is inevitable that we have to move on to the next phase of life, which is retirement. That official date for me is December 1, 2008, where I will be leaving Akron, Ohio enroute to the sunny valley of Phoenix, Arizona, our home state since 1985. I will be dividing my time between family (wife, a daughter, 2 sons & 3 grand kids) in the US, and attending to our 20-acre farm in the Philippines we started 3 years ago – 225 Manila mango trees, 1,500 citrus trees, ¼ acre of tilapia fish farm, and a herd of goats.
Let us maintain that good camaraderie by continuing to exchange emails and that little chat on the phone.
Art Villasol
ASC
On to Guam. On the night of 14-15 June most of the support ships retired, leaving a handful to continue harassing fire along the coast line. Meanwhile the Western Landing Group, commanded by Admiral Hill. As dark fell the marines could observe fires burning ashore and the glow of star shells fired by the naval ships left in the area. Shortly after 0500 the gigantic convoy moved into the transport area off the west coast of Saipan. Streaks of fire from the armada of naval support ships colored the sky and the shore was blurred in a haze of smoke and dust. As the light improved, the town of Charan Kanoa became visible.Heavy close support ships were ordered not to approach closer than 1,500 yards from the reef. Two old battleships, two cruisers, and seven destroyers were assigned the duty of last-minute preparation of the landing beaches themselves. At dawn these ships took station and shortly thereafter the two battleships commenced main battery fire at the beach defenses. Shores of Guadalcanal. Becalmed upon the sea of Thought,
Still unattained the land it sought,
My mind, with loosely-hanging sails,
Lies waiting the auspicious gales. No stone tells the place where their ashes repose,
Nor points out the spot from the graves of their foes.
They died in their glory, surrounded by fame,
And Victory's loud trump their death did proclaim;
Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! ? For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul. Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day. Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,--act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o'erhead! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.
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