A WEEK END IN QUEBEC

Last week end was an exciting one..We headed for Gatineau, Quebec with Berna and her husband Simon Sommerville to  spend a couple of days at the Sommerville cottage. Did we have fun?Let the photos speak for themselves!!..

 

VISIT CANADA, EH?

If you are planning to visit Canada in the coming days, check the following facts about about the "true North".

The name of Canada came from an Indian word KANATA not from a brand of Ginger Ale..

Canadians do not live in Igloos

Not all Canadians  speak with a French accent.

Toronto is not the capital of Canada. Toronto is not the sidekick of that masked crimefighter The Lone Ranger.

Loonie is the term for a one dollar Canadian coin, not to describe the state of one's mind.

Additional facts about our country:

There are 2 kinds of Canadians: The English Canadians and the French Canadians. You can also call them Anglophones, and Francophones.

Francophones live in the Province of Quebec ( where we were recently ). If you speak to them in English, chances are they won't answer you..If you speak to them in French, they may not answer you too cause if your Tagalog accent will creep into your French and they  wont understand what the hell you are talking about.

Montreal is a very colorful city in Quebec. Filipinos will feel at home here because English here is spoken with a French accent. So it's  OK to speak English with a Tagalog accent. Filipino accent sounds very quaint.  More so if English is spoken with a Pangasinan accent.

There is a prevalent European look in Montreal. Cobblestone streets, outdoor bistros full of Montrealers ( or visitors ) drinking wine and smiling every chance they have. Souvenier shops have somehow  different products compared to Toronto or elsewhere. Once I saw a T-Shirt that said GOOD GIRLS GO TO HEAVEN, BAD GIRLS GO TO MONTREAL. Cute!

Of course, most Montreal ladies are really head turners. And very friendly too. Especially if a male visitor is also a head turner..

And lastly, we Canadians invite you to visit us anytime. We are a friendly people. We love our American brothers. We love American dollars..

Today until September 5 is the best time to visit Toronto..The CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION (CNE) has just opened its doors. It is a 12 hour, daily showcase of various booths, exhibits, live performances, etc..There is something for everyone here..This is  the Farewell to Summer event here. Check the photos!

See ya at the EX!

 

WHY AM I BROWN

I will serialize starting today WHY AM I BROWN?  a storybook published in 1995 featuring legends about the Philippines. The launching of the book which is authored by Miguelita Hufana Costes took place in the Harbourfront, Toronto on February 1995. I found the original disk containing the WP files, thus making it easier for electronic publishing..Today you will read the intro and the first story of the book. Enjoy!

 WHY AM I BROWN?

         "Why am I brown?" my grandaughter once asked me.

         "You are brown, my love, because your parents are brown."

         "And why are my parents brown?"

         "Because their ancestors came from a place of  endless summer.
There is no winter in this land. The kind sun is always smiling on the
trees, plants and people. Thus, the people here have  brown skin." Then I 
took out an old picture book about my  native country which I brought
 with mewhen I left.

       "Tell me more about the pictures, Grandma."

       "Because of the sun, the land is blessed with beautiful flowers
and tall, shady trees. There are many clear rivers where you can swim. Many
of the trees bear delicious  fruit, which children love to eat."
 
       "What is the name of this land?"

       "Nobody knows the first name of the land. Later on, Ferdinand
Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, named it  the Philippines in honor of King
Philip of Spain. King Philip gave him money to spend for the voyage. Would
you like to hear some stories about the people of this land?"

       "Oh sure, Grandma. Please ..."

                             THE LEGEND OF THE FIRST GIANT

In the beginning, the planet was made up of one big land mass with vegetation and animals and one big body of water full of sealife.

Bathala, the local god taking care of the world, saw the need for somebody to enjoy it. So he created the very first man. He was so big that he could run around the world in less than an hour. His name was Higante and had everything a giant could wish for. He owned the whole place. He lived by eating fruits, fish and sea weed. He never harmed the animals, for the animals were friendly to him.

      Higante was so big that his head sometimes touched the clouds.And  the deepest part of the water reached only up to his waist.

      Ah, what a life he had. During the day, the sun came out and Higante could see Bathala riding on it. Bathala would smile at him and ask how he was. And Higante would always answer: "I'm fine, thank you..."

      At night, he would sleep under two moons: one was a full moon and the other was a crescent one  like a big C. He would lie down on the beach with the sea-breeze blowing on his face and the moonlight caressing his body.

      Then one day, something happened. He got bored.

      On that day, Bathala asked him: "How are you today?"

      Higante answered: "I am bored. Why can't I be where you are, sitting so nicely on top of the sun, seeing other things that I could not see? Its not fair. I can only see the sky, the land, and the sea. I want to be able to go anywhere just like you too."

       Bathala said: "I am very, very old. I created most of the things you see: the world, the two moons, the stars, and other living creatures out there. You are only a few days old with a very exciting life ahead of you. Be patient. Wait until you've grown up."

       "But I am already big."

       "I mean grow up inthinking."

       "I do not know what you mean."

       "That is exactly what I am talking about. Well, I have to go. I am going to check on  other things I created on that Constellation to the right." With that Bathala floated like a cloud and disappeared from Higante's sight.

       That night, Higante could not sleep. He kept staring at the twin moons. Then  he decided to do something, not knowing or caring  about its possible consequences.

       Morning came, and he took all the vines from all the trees that he could see. Higante twisted a long rope out of them and formed a lasso at one end.

       When the two moons appeared that following night, he waited for the crescent moon to come close to the earth. Then he threw the rope with a lasso, catching onto the moon's sharp end. Higante tugged the rope. Finding it quite strong, he started climbing up.

       When dawn came he  saw himself far above the earth. The earth looked like a big ball: half of it  brown, which was the land and the other half  blue, which was the water.

       The sun rose and on top of it was Bathala. He didn't look very happy.

        "Where  do you think you are going?"

        "I am not happy in this place. I want to ride on the back of the
moon to  where the sun goes at the end of the day. I want to see where the sun sleeps"

       "You can not do that!"

        "I can do it. I will do it..." Higante answered defiantly.

       Just then the crescent moon broke into two large pieces.  It was not strong enough to  carry Higante's weight. He fell, like a big rock thrown high off of a cliff . He crashed into the land. Pieces of the moon fell  with him.

       Higante died instantly. The impact of his body made the earth shake and crack. It was the first earthquake, and  it was a strong  one! Part of the ocean went inland and pieces of the land went to the  water.  A few hours later, the earth stopped shaking, but it never looked the same anymore. All the existing continents were formed. And only one moon was left in the night sky.

       Bathala grieved when he carried his beloved Higante. He buried him in the part of the sea where he loved to catch fish. It was close  to  what is now the Asian continent. Bathala placed  his body on a spot south of what will become Japan. In time, his body became soil, because Higante was formed from it. His face
became  what is now known  as Luzon, the biggest of the Philippine Islands. The other parts of his body became Visayas and Mindanao, the lesser isles.

       They say his nose is now Mount Banahaw, a towering mountain. His eyes turned into  bodies of water:  Laguna de Bay and Taal lake,two of the most picturesque spots in the country. And his hair became the jungles of the Sierra Madre mountains.---#

(MORE TO COME!)

                           

 

MORE FACTS ABOUT CANADA

There are 2 kinds of Canadians: The English Canadians and the French Canadians. You can also call them Anglophones, and Francophones.

Francophones live in the Province of Quebec ( where we were recently ). If you speak to them in English, chances are they won't answer you..If you speak to them in French, they may not answer you too cause if your Tagalog accent will creep into your French and they  wont understand what the hell you are talking about.

Montreal is a very colorful city in Quebec. Filipinos will feel at home here because English here is spoken with a French accent. So it's  OK to speak English with a Tagalog accent. Filipino accent sounds very quaint.  More so if English is spoken with a Pangasinan accent.

There is a prevalent European look in Montreal. Cobblestone streets, outdoor bistros full of Montrealers ( or visitors ) drinking wine and smiling every chance they have. Souvenier shops have somehow  different products compared to Toronto or elsewhere. Once I saw a T-Shirt that said GOOD GIRLS GO TO HEAVEN, BAD GIRLS GO TO MONTREAL. Cute!

Of course, most Montreal ladies are really head turners. And very friendly too. Especially if a male visitor is also a head turner..

Do not ask me about the night life in Montreal. Just ask any Montrealer the moment you get there!

************

The accompanying photos are not from Montreal, but from Toronto, part of the CNE photo collection. Not to worry. the Montreal photos will appear soon!

THE GREAT RAID is a GREAT movie!

It is rare to see a decent movie now a days about the WW 2 in the Philippines.Now came THE GREAT RAID.

 The movie is about a raid during the closing days of the war in a POW camp in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija..Calasiao was mentioned and so with Lingayen..Lingayen is the landing place of some American forces who came to liberate the Philippines.

The movie was VERY GOOD! I recommend it to anyone who would read this..It is described as old fashioned ( not much special effects ) but the suspense is well paced and the battle scene ( the only battle scene in the movie )  which serves as a climax in the end is  well- made and will keep the viewer cheering for the good guys!Cesar Montano had an important role in here..However..I feel dissapointed because I think the movie was NOT filmed in our country..From a website, I read that it was done in Australia ( some parts of OZ are similar in terrain to the Philippines)..I can only guess the reason why the Phil was avoided..It became recently too expensive here in our country..Too much red tape..too many people asking bribes for services..If you want to shoot for example some street scenes in Manila the demonstrators asking for the head of Gloria Arroyo will be on the way! A film company which spends a lot of money daily would prefer to shoot it somewhere else!..But I wont like to turn this article into a political thing.. Just go and see the movie: you will be glad you did!

This movie, unique in this era stars: Benjamin Bratt( Law and Order, Catwoman), Joseph Fiennes ( English Patient, Red Dragon, Maid in Manhattan ) and our own Cesar Montano.

FROM ROS D. BALANE

I'd like you to meet a Kumpare whom I never saw for a long  time already.Ros Balane is a writer, a UP Mass Communications graduate and he is now the head of a government bureau in Manila. We met in Los Banios where I worked for 4 years. In fact He was the one who selected me for the Los Banios job on the recommendation of mrs. Loreto Mizal,  even without the benefit of an interview.

 

Those Los Banios days are as colorful as Mt. Makiling whom we were trying to save from the "bad" kaingineros. Ros and I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find ideas for stories that we could send to the magazines and the inhouse printing press in UPCollege of Forestry. But I'll not wander too much from the main story of this morning which is....

 

THE PGH INTERNS and THE ROOSTER

Four young medical interns including Dr. Arlan at the gov’t-run Philippine General Hospital (PGH) had a long and tiring night duty in the various charity wards for charity patients (non-paying) inside the hospital.

 

The interns, four young ladies and one young man, were dead tired and very sleepy and were ready to drop dead. Tired, hungry and exhausted and sleepy too!

 

But time  off was at 7am! It was only 5am and time off was still two hours away!

 

While three of the young lady interns were dozing-off and catching a few winks at their respective stations in the Ambulatory Section of the Emergency Dept., Dr. Arlan was busy attending to a middle-aged woman, taking her blood pressure, then applying the stethoscope on her chest and at her back.

 

The male intern, a Dr. Bondoc, was likewise busy attending to a middle-aged man.

 

As Dr. Arlan was giving her patient the necessary prescriptions and instructions, an elderly man came in and waited for Dr. Arlan’s patient to leave.

 

It was quarter to 6am and the three lady interns who dozed off suddenly awoke. They heard the rooster brought by the elderly man crow to signal sunrise! They were rubbing their eyes, some saliva on their mouths and straightening their hair and uniforms.

 

They were staring at Dr. Arlan and her patient who had a rooster with him.

The male intern Dr. Bondoc had also finished with his patient and also eyed the elderly man and his rooster.

 

“Kook-koo-roo-kook! Kook-koo-roo-kook!”( the Filipino version of cock-a-doodle-doo!) the rooster crowed to the surprise of the other patients, nurses, and others.

 

Dr. Arlan was uneasy but kept her cool. She was no longer sleepy.

 

“Ano po ang nararamdaman ninyo Tatang?” (what ails you, Grandpa?) she asked.

 

“Wala naman po doktora!” (There’s nothing wrong with me doctor) the old man said. “Itong dala kong manok dito ang may nararamdaman doktora!” (It’s my rooster here who is not feeling well) said the elderly man. The rooster blurted out another loud crow and the interns were now all awakeand all had their eyes on Dr. Arlan and the old man and his rooster.

 

<FONTSIZE=1>Getting uneasy and uncomfortable, Dr. Arlan became fidgety. Dr. Bondoc whispered something to Dr. Arlan, then took over and continued asking the old man.

 

“Ano po ang sakit ng manok nyo, Tatang?” (What ails your rooster, Grandpa?)

 

“Sinisipon siya ng kaunti doktor at walang ganang kumain!” (He’s got a cold , doctor and he has little appetite.)

 

Dr. Arlan and the three other interns were now snickering nearby and their attention riveted to the on-going little drama.

 

Out of the blue, Dr. Bondoc gave the anti climax.

 

“Ilang taon pa lang po ba yang manok nyo?” (How old is your rooster?)

 

“Tatlong taon pa lang, doktor!” (He’s only three years old, doctor.)

 

And the climax!

 

“Ah-h-h-h-h dun nyo dalhin yan sa pediatrics, Tatang, bata pa pala yan e!” (Ah-h-h-h-h you should bring him to pediatrics Grandpa because he is still a minor.)

 

The old man thanked Dr. Bondoc, stood up and went out of the door, with Dr. Bondoc pointing out to him the way to pediatrics.

 

The snickering lady interns were now all bursting into uncontrollable laughter, forgetting their hunger, exhaustion and lack of sleep.

 

THE END

 

-Ros D. Balane

 

***

 

note: Dr. Arlan, Ros  youngest daughter,  is my God daughter. I never saw her for years so I guess I owe her tons of Xmas presents!

CEMPs unmasked!

I still call my group CEMP. I have been teaching them songs for the past 7 or 8 years, on and off. I think it is one of the God assigned duties in my life. I tried quitting one time from doing the music work at church ( and this is the 3rd time I did it ), but people whom I meet by chance in Weston always urge me to come back. After putting it off for a year and a half, I finally gave in and did come back. I can't explain it. But even Shakespeare himself wrote in Hamlet that"there are many things on earth and in heaven.." I forgot the exact line but it has something to do with with unexplained forces that run in our short lives  in this planet. One can not fight it. Destiny? Fate?I don' t know. You tell me.

But presently, part of my life and joy revolve around these 4 youngsters.Two are my grandaughters and the other two are their long time friends. I hope I also made an influence in their young lives and if someday they would become professional singers on stage, then I hope that even in their thought they would say Victor( or Lolo)  taught me a little in this song which I am about to do now.

Birthday greetings!!

Birthday Greetings to Mia Costes Gonzales..August 11! Happy 12 Candles, Mia!

 

****************

 

If you wish to greet anybody online thru the Journal, just e-mail me the particulars ( names, date, etc ) plus a JPEG photo if you wish.Be sure to send the e-mail and photos at least 2 days before the birth day..

 

Thanks!!!!

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF RUDY DUMAPIAS..

Rudy, now Amassador Rodolfo Dumapias, is a good friend I met during my Elementary school years. We met in Gr. 1 under the care of Mrs. Valentina Lising. Then on to Gr. 2 ( Mrs. Presentacion Gascon ), then Gr. 3 ( Mrs. Maria Bugayong and last, Gr. 4 ( Mr. Conrado Legazpi). For Gr. 5, we went to Dupac Elementary School. I forgot who was our class teacher was for Gr. 5. But I know for Gr. 6 it was Mr. Andres Santiago.

 

Rudy  and I were good artists then. We like to stay in the back of the class because there  we could exchange sketches. 

In my virtual time machine which I could conjure at will ( my mind, of course ) I could see him again, together with Jose Montoya ( I wonder what happened to him?), Nueva Domaoan and Amelia Eleazar. Some of our classmates were: Carmelita Benito, Juan Pascua,  etc. We remember certain names because they give good answers in class plus the exam marks are high. Of course, Nueva always got the highest, to give credit where credit is due.

Ambassador Rodolfo Dumapias is now stationed in Mexico City.

***

The ENTIRE ARTICLE  of Ambassador Rodolfo Dumapias MY JOURNEY AS A CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR can now be read  in another website..Just click

 

http://journals.aol.ca/mabait42/SPIRITUALJOURNEYS/

 

Please spread this good article around!!

THE BAREFOOTED ICE CREAM MAN

In the early '50s when I was about 10 years old, my favorite snack especially during those dog days of Asingan summer is Rodriguez Ice Cream on a cone. I remember there were always3 flavours, so the ice cream cart has 3 small containers inside its ice-and-husk filled body ( to conserve the cold I guess ) capped by 3 aluminum lids. Two vendors employed by the Rodriguez family ( who seemed to have cornered the grocery market in Asingan then and now ) would bring one cart each in all barrios of Asingan. There is a small bell that announces the proximity of the ice cream cart and kids would be huddling in front of certain houses clasping their precious five centavo coins anticipating the flavour filled of  ice cream melting in their blessed little tongues. Except for that day.

As soon as I heard the bell rang and we knew that the cart is already in front of Monyang's store ( the big Chinese store on the road to Macalong) I, some cousins and friends rushed out and took our places on the roadside so the ice cream cart wouldn't pass us by. He was the guy with a hat, dark skinned. If you examined his face, you can not tell whether he is smiling or frowning. And he does not wear any shoes or slippers. He is the barefooted ice cream man. The other ice cream guy looked like a Chinese mestizo with droopy eyes and a mouth which was open all the time.

Anyways, our ice cream man stopped on the road. But he did not open the ice cream tanks yet. Instead he crossed the road and all eyes were following him. Why did the ice cream man crossed the road?

Then we knew why. He went to a big acacia tree on the opposite side of the road, undid his pant buttons, then he relieved himself. Even if his back was towards us, we saw the slender arc streaming down into the tree trunk. Finished, he buttoned his pants, wiped his hands briefly on his shirt and proceeded back to his cart.Then he took a cone from under the cart and asked us: "What flavour do you like today?" "I like vanilla," said a five year-old-kid. My cousins and I looked at each other. Then I said:"I think I am skipping the ice cream today. I feel like I have a cold coming on." So we all walked hastily away leaving the 5-year-old kid who was waiting for his vanilla ice cream on a cone..#

IF YOU GOTTA GO, YOU GOTTA GO

I remember a true story involving my former neighbor in
Dupac.  In those days (and maybe until now), public restrooms in bus stops
were rarities.  (That's why the Mayor's gate in Asingan's "paradaan" doubled
as a bathroom as well as the huge acacia trunk beside Opong Fernandez' barber
shop).  Anyway, in one of the bus stops on her way to Isabela, she tried
desperately to find a bathroom where she could relieve her bladder.  Disappointed, she walked around a parked eighteen-wheeler, quickly surveyed the area and upon realizing that she was safely out of the public eyesight, she wiggled and pulled down her panty, sat down and did number one. She let out a sigh of relief as she stood up and bent over to do the customary ceremonial blessing of the pee (in those days) by spitting on the miniature puddle created from a busted, whistling crack of her urinary dam.  Again, as she stooped and wiggled her hiny to pull up her panty,  she caught a glimpse of guess, who?  A grinning mechanic under the eighteen wheeler!

Ben Soloria

GARDEN OF COLOURS

Miguelita's passion for gardening can be seen in her flowering plants that stand out if you cruise or walk along Dixon road. Many passers-by tell her how beautiful her garden is: a few motorists would pull into our driveway and ask if  she is selling plants. To which she would reply: "Sorry, summer is almost over, transplanting plants would kill them" The best time to buy and plant, she said is May. May, the month of flowers!

Let the photos speak for themselves!

MORE VINTAGE PHOTOS

Photo 1 shows my sis Aurora on the right fringe, almost fading out, but still in...Beside her is the eldest daughter of Dr. Fernandez, the father of Aida and Grace.

Photo 2  shows my sis with her buddies:Beside her this time is Aurora Rayos,,Sitting is Miss Drapeza, then Aida Fernandez and Gracia Sindayen...

OLD RIZAL ACADEMY ( RIZAL JUNIOR COLLEGE ) PHOTOS

Photo no. 1: Shows in clockwise order: Aurora Costes, Aida Fernandez, Apolonia Castillo and Gracia Sindayen

Photo No. 2: Shows the faculty of the Rizal Academy in 1966-67 when  I was still a member of the faculty.

Photo no. 2: Another photo dated 1954: Miss Lourdes Eleazar,( one of the daughters of the school founder Mr. Luis Eleazar ) and her biology class. My sister Aurora is in this class, so with Erlinda Villanueva, Elizabeth Masaoy, Gracia Sindayen, Aida Fernandez, etc., etc. etc.

If you want to own a glossy 8.5 X11" copy of any of the vintage photos, just contact me thru my e-mail address...

SOMETHING ABOUT THE RIZAL ACADEMY

SOMETHING ABOUT THE RIZAL ACADEMY

One of the landmarks in Asingan is the Rizal Academy, known one time as the Rizal Junior College which was also known one time as the Asingan Institute. At present, it is called the Colegio de San Luis Beltran owned and run by Susan Delmendo Santos, an Asinganian who is now living in LA.

This school was founded by the two Eleazar brothers. Many generations of Asinganians passed thru the gates of this school. I studied here from 1954 to 1958. After I finished University, I was offered my first job here as a classroom teacher. I worked for two years, then I moved on to Divine Word Academy in Urdaneta, Pangasinan.

Some say, the "golden age" of the school took place under the administration of Mr. Juan Salinda. This is about the years from 1950 to 1954. I heard so many stories how good and strict he was as a teacher and as a principal. But there is always an allowance for debate when we come to the subject of history.

My sister was still in the RJC when Mr. Salinda was a faculty member. She is shown here with many vintage photos that have stood the passage of time, thanks to the processing skills of the Sampaga family, the pioneer of photography in Asingan...

FROM ROCK MUSIC TO ROCK PAINTING

When not busy singing rock music, the 4 CEMP singers are busy painting rocks! Somehow music and fine arts go together and since there is no school ( gee, we're still  in the middle of the summer holiday) they came again to our house and they tried their hand ( and fingers ) in rock painting.Our 2 grandaughters and their 2 faithful friends are always welcome to our house .Let's check what the guys are doing..

A LETTER FROM FRANCISCO MALALA

Dear Vic,

I sincerely thank you for your kind letter and your article. I am likewise sorry for my delayed letter.

I'm happy to know that you are now retired from your job so you can practice freely your writing. I am also retired from the Public School system but I am teaching again, this time  in a private school. I am now with the Immaculate Heart Learning Center, no. 2 Perez st., Urdaneta City.

Yes, man by nature cannot stop using his God-given powers to make or to create. That is why you go on writing articles as I go on teaching the youth. And please continue writing articles which will be left like footprints on the sand of life. I have yet to read with much gusto your other articles.

...My daughter Pinky is one of the physicians in the Asingan Medicare Hospital in Dupac. My eldest daughter, Noemi works as a D.H. in Hong Kong, leaving her teaching job here in Asingan....

Am enclosing a picture taken during the Retirees Night, Asingan Town Fiesta. I was one of the honorees..

I always pray that you, your family and your grandchildren will always be healthy and happy...Long life! Best Regards..

 

Francisco (Belo) C. Malala

*************

Thank you for your good wishes, Belo. I appreciate your showing me the subdivision in Cabingcolan which did not exist before when I was still there. Tell our kind hostess thank you for the snacks and I owe her a balikbayan gift the next time I come over.

Will send you some information on how physicians can come to Canada. Maybe Noemi can come here faster since she is already in Hong Kong. All she needs is an employer in Toronto and the transfer will be much easier. After 2 years working as a DH in Canada, then she will be granted an Immigration status which will eventually lead to a Canadian citizenship. I believe Canada is the only country now a days that grant citizenship to its Caregivers. Congratulations for being able to have a Physician in the family. Thats no easy feat!

Again take care and best wishes always!

Vic Costes

THOSE CRYSTAL BALL GAZERS

Oh those crystal ball gazers, they're full of it.  When I was fifth grade, I went to the school garden one weekend to cultivate my plot of greens.  There was an old lady scavenger
by the mounds of rice husk from the rice mill from accross the street.  The owner somehow had permission to dump that waste product in the school yard.  Well, the lady told me that she was a palm reader (and I believed her.)  She did not ask much in return for her service.  She only wanted three tomatoes from my plot.  "Okay, no problem, you can have these tomatoes." 

I readily agreed with her cheap price.  So she looked at the creases on my right palm and said, "When you grow up and have a girl friend, don't marry the first one.  The seventh one is the one best suited for you, " she summed up all of my fortune  in that ridiculous statement.

 
So years later, when I did have relationships, I did think of that stupid remark from that old impostor.  So when I thought I was ready for a serious committment, I tied the knot although that wasn't number seven yet.  Well, I  guess that woman was right, or I was stupid to believe that she was right.

Ben Soloria

THOSE ELVIS MANIA DAYS IN ASINGAN

Darn,  I wish we had the American Idol style of picking the winner then.  I
was always in the crowd whenever we had those competitions in the plaza. I'm sure I could have come up with some votes for you. (Thanks, Bud)) 

Yeah, I remember those days of Elvis-mania.  In grade 5, our two Elvises were Jaime Cabradilla and Joseph Masaoy.  Miss Guillermo (Magna Victoria) loved putting those two up in front of the class and made them sing Elvis songs, which
they did with gusto and of course, to our delight, considering how boring classes were then.

Ben Soloria

************************************

For me, the King was represented in Asingan by Moises Carbonnel.He was also a "contractual" singer in the Blue Eagles combo. But since singers aren't paid anything in our combo, they just come and go as they please.

When he was first year high school, I befriended him because we both have the common liking for Elvis songs. He has the looks, the voice and the personality of a "rebel". He  was James Dean and Elvis rolled into one. Top that with a wicked sense of humour. So he was asked to sing during those outdoor convocations in Rizal Academy  and he really gave justice to those Elvis songs like TROUBLE, GOTTA LIVING TO DO, etc.

The last song I heard him sing was TROUBLE a signature song by the King from his movie King Creole. He sang it in front of the Rizal Academy, I was at home during a break from College work and his voice bounced from the Roman Catholic Church walls which was almost adjacent to the school. His voice never sounded better.

Unfortunately,  the song seemed to form a pattern in his life when he grew up. I never saw him anymore except for one occassion. One Good Friday, I heard there was a shooting at the town plaza. "Moises..' he was shot in the head" was the immediate rumour. A week later, I joined a funeral procession. The body in the coach was Moises. I heard someone say "I will avenge your death.."

TROUBLE  finally caught up with him and during such an early stage in his life----#

Vic Costes

A VERY OLD PHOTO

This classic photo which I found in my sister Aurora's collection ( and there are dozens more of this kind dated as far back as 1949) was taken in front of the Baguio Cathedral. It was during an excursion organized by Fr. Lazaro de Guzman for the Catechism teachers around 1958. I learned much about the Catholic Doctrine from  Fr. de Guzman. He invited volunteers ( mostly young people  who are out of school at that time ) to undergo a daily "immersion " program learning the basic tenets of our religion. After this training, we were  assigned to go to Elementary schools in Asingan to teach what we have learned.

I am the one sitting, extreme right. Beside me is Lito Domaoan. Beside Lito is Mer Gacusana, a young violinist from Dupac, then Ernesto Untalan who worked as a clerk for Fr. de Guzman, then Philip Martin now a retired USN, Nicolas de Guzman( I wonder if he made it as a priest ), then Cornelio Manzano now a Physician in LA. Sitting in front of Cornelio is a very young Jose Nitcha.He is a member of the Nitcha family in Dupac. Thats only the first row but I can't ennumerate all of them otherwise I will run out of space and kilobytes!

You can save a copy of this photo by right clicking it and clicking SAVE so it will go to your My Pictures folder. But if you want to have a high resolution 8.5 by 11" copy in heavy photo paper, you have to contact me..High rez copies are very difficult to transmit thru the internet...

See how many faces you can identify!

Ben Hur's family portrait.

Most of the time, when we are looking for something we come across something else! I was feverishly looking for a manual which I regret not having filed it properly when I found a family photo of my buddy Ben. For Ben's relatives in Ca and other places, I am publishing the family picture. Some faces, as you can see, do not change much  through out the years!

Ben and Perla Soloria are surrounded by their 3 daughters ( L-R),Cherrie Ashley, Heather Marie and Karla Marissa. Beautiful people. Photo was dated 2001.