from my mail

I got this in the mail from my eldest son. Pictures speak to me and these two are no different. This is their way of saying: "Don't worry about us here...we're having fun!" Yeah!

Go For What You Need

DIFFERENTIATING what we want from what we need in life is not easy. The thin line that separates each part is often times blurry. And so we hear gripes about messed-up priorities, deadend situations, or immature life-changing decisions, all because the difference between the two wasn't properly identified. Now the truth that not one soul was spared of this mistake is just accurate. All of us, one time in our lives, have fallen victim to this human vulnerability. Fortunately when my time to pick a lifetime partner came, my compass pointed me to my true north.

The lady you see in these pictures is who I need to be with the rest of my life. She may not be the super sweetie type you can presume from these pix, but she's definitely more than what meets the eye. Besides her apparent natural charm, other disarming features she has include her being smart, kind-hearted, conscientious, and plucky. She is focused in life, retiring in nature but with an impressively high set of principles, the likes of which one can consider rare these days. She's also an outstanding mom to our son as she is always selfless in her caring ways.

Day in and day out, Dee is a real keeper in its truest sense!

Fly to the Angels, Lola Bayang!

IN life, there are but only a few clan gatherings any proud family member shouldn't miss. When my paternal grandmother, Lola 'Bayang' Maria, turned 97 in May of this year, I knew that's one gathering I should've tried hard to join in and be part of. The sorry feeling felt all the more frustrating when these rare group shots were sent via email to me. What a moment in time to miss!
The frustration later turned to awful hurt when Lola Bayang passed away a few days ago.

Two In One Year

Joy can be greater the second time around. If you don't believe in that let me tell you what it's like. Last month, my other grandson graduated from high school with honor. James is Class 2008 salutatorian in his school. He is pictured here with his maternal grandmother, Deody, who I can tell stood proud and tall just like us when we heard about the awesome news. Sometimes life spoils me too.

Congratulations AJ!

Santisima Trinidad Church

I've watched how this church building evolved through the years. Santisima Trinidad is literally a stone throw away from my place. The neighborhood school --Holy Trinity Academy-- which this parish operates is where both of my boys finished elementary schooling. 30 years onward, I still drop kids to the same school. This time, of course, they're my grandchildren. Time really flies!

Happy Little Graduates

Here I am with two of my young grandsons. Matt graduated from pre-school two days ago and younger brother, Tommy, got an award. In their eyes, I see hope and true happiness. I wish them both a life full of happy and lasting memories just like the one I'm living right now, if not better.

Also, get a glimpse and say hello to my wife, Tessie, on the topmost picture.

Did I Create a Monster?

Way back when earning a living was a lot easier, I gave birth, and sort of pampered, a consuming hobby: Collecting 33 1/3 rpm Long Playing records.
I was a voracious music listener back then that I can't recall a time I've refused to listen to anything including strange, new or old, hip or uncool type of music. If my turntable can play it, I will give it a try.
Many years later, my eldest son also got into the hobby. He started growing his own rock & pop LP collection. When the time for me to work overseas has come, I lost track of how my collection was stored. Some of the titles in my collection had sought refuge in my son's collection. While the unfortunate ones, bit the dust with their sleeves rotten and grooves badly beaten. I remember sort of being emotionally affected with what happened to them, but consoled myself into thinking they have lived their lifespan. I then peacefully thanked them for the musical memories.
About a couple of months back, my son excitedly emailed me a database of his CD collection (which you may find here). That's when I uttered the words: Did I Create a Monster? Tsk-tsk-tsk...