It is not everyday that one can have some photos with a well known Soccer Team like the Houston Dynamo! Those photos will start in number 4..
However, Marianne sneaked up on me and added more shots ( the poochie photos ) to those adventure shots we had.I found them out when I was downloading photos yesterday on my hubby's PC.. That's my Marianne..She keeps you on your toes all the time!
---annie
From Ben Soloria...You make me so proud. By the way, I have just finished reading Yogi's memoirs. I was totally absorbed! His is a very compelling recollection.
It's like a powerful tide that swept me back to a very distant time long gone, so vividly portrayed that I could feel myself in the crowd watching him cheering for him and being amused by his youthful exploits and antics. He is absolutely brilliant!
******
Manong Vic, I only now came to know you are a "Falcon" Alum. I went to Adamson after finishing HS in Divine Word Urdaneta. Mama Lita wanted me to be a Chemical Engineer just like my older cousin, Joselito Acosta. I almost did not get to enrol my major subjects since all the classes were all fully booked. My older brother (Rustico, Jr.) pleadings with the University Assistant Director saved the day for me as the short but stocky priest signed off of my enrollment form allowing me to be "chance passenger" on three of my major subjects.
I knew from the get go that Engineering was not to be my destiny. I abhor Chemistry and math. I skipped classes and watched Jai-Alai games at the fronton or watch the Falcons practice in the gym led by the then still unheralded point guard, Joy Dionisio, who went on to shine in the PBA as a top CRISPA cager.
Comment from goyidazi - 20/09/06 1:42 PM
*****
Small world indeed! I saw you in Asingan maybe just a couple of times.I left DWA in 1970 and came back to claim something, rather somebody which I wanted to be mine. And that was your school librarian. 1971-75 was spent in Los Banios where I honed my craft with words ( and my dexterity with the keyboard by playing nights in various dumps in Bamboo Groove, Los Banios. First I played at La Paz owned by a homosexual who blew most of his his night's earnings on a young guy but sometimes he skipped my salary. I left him and played for Eva Lanes, a better place but still a dump, nonetheless. My day job was editing some forestry periodicals.
I hated also Chemistry when I was studying. Before I became involved with the SCA, my best moments would be sitting in that small snack bar between Jai Alai and the church; they served this sio pao with the most delicious sauce on that side of San Marcelino street. Even if there was a rumour that part of the siopaos filling was made from cat meat still I did not give a s..t because I love the sauce!--#
MEMOIRS OF A HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNUS
By: IGOY ZAID
PROLOGUE: The following was inspired by Raffy Bruan’s article entitled "Memories". This is not an attempt to upstage Mr. Bruan’s masterpiece. The article is written to the best knowledge and recollection of the author. Events depicted and names of persons and places mentioned are true and factual and were never intended nor meant in any way, shape or fashion, to demean, belittle, embarrass, or begrudge anyone. Author was not commissioned nor received any remunerations whatsoever in writing this article. It was all done in the spirit of camaraderie, love and friendship to which the Alumni is founded upon.
Writing a biographical account of one’s high school experience is a very easy thing to do if one has to do it fresh out of school or even maybe two or three years after graduation. The names and faces of friends and acquaintances are still new in one’s mind. The memories are still freshly imbedded in the brain that recollection is as quick and as fast as booting up a Pentium 4-driven computer. Now, here’s the big challenge. Try penning one 26 years later. The thought of it alone grips you with fear. Not so much on the accuracy of one’s facts, for the brain’s ability to retrieve data stored in a lifetime is remarkable, but on the names of people involved. The inaccuracies of personality may obscure the genuineness of the facts.
For two weeks I agonizingly pondered whether I could ably write my recollections of high school life in our Alma Mater: The Divine Word Academy (DWA) of Urdaneta. This came about after "Apo" Johnny - the great organizer and reuniter - finally tracked me down here in Arkansas. With the zest of a treasure hunter, he never stopped until he found his precious "bounty". The efforts he took and the amount of time he spent to locate an alumnus like me made me feel special. "Apo" Johnny considers me a treasure. And so, even with the adversity that I was bound to face writing my memoirs, the decision to go ahead and proceed with the project would in the end justify the hardships and difficulties this man put forth in tracking me down. So if you are all ready let me turn back the hands of time.
My recollectionof my freshman year is very faint. I do remember that my parents sent me to DWA because of two reasons: it is the nearest Catholic school from my hometown ofAsingan and it is where my older brother (Rocky), my older sister (Pamela), and my cousins (Ronald, Edgar, and Alice Acosta) were enrolled in (four years after I graduate it would also be my sister Cherry’s (Class ’82) alma mater). I remember our room was the second one from the stairway on the first floor. I had a big crush on a mestiza-looking freshman by the name of Fanny Untalan whose room was next to mine. There is not an hour of the day that goes by that I do not get a glimpse of her. What’s my secret? It’s simple. There were restrooms located on both ends of the school building. Every hour on the hour, I go to relieve myself and always use the one closest to Mr. Ridao’s office because I get to pass her classroom! Despite this "maddening crush" I had for her, I never found the courage to go up and tell her about it. I decided just to wait it out until our sophomore year. Unfortunately, there was no next year to speak of. She ended up transferring to Urdaneta Community High School. My plan went to smoke and so did my infatuation for her.
Checking out cute gals was not only the order of the day for me. Adventurism was also the call of the day. I was gravitating with guys that were thrill seekers. One day right after lunch, Rodolfo Mencias and a couple more eager-beaver kids whose names escape my memory, and I, agreed to go to the wooded area at the back of the school compound right across from the track oval. Poor Alex Raposas who was not a regular member of the group, decided to tag along. Once in the jungle-like environment, we went swinging from tree to tree ala-Tarzan. The fun and joy was short-lived. Alex slipped and came crashing down on the leaf-covered ground. We all converged on him and held him up. He was grimacing in pain. Our eyes had that terrified look in them. Alex had an open fracture on his right elbow. Our hearts sank. He was rushed to the hospital and came back to class with a cast. He was to wear it for months. Oh, were we guilty for bringing him along and instigating the dangerous game! He later invited us to his house on the occasion of his birthday and introduced us to his parents. I guess Alex did not give a full account of the incident to his old folks for the rest of the gang and I were greeted with smiles and served a sumptuous "lechon" dinner.
Sophomore year was a lot more exciting for me. I had beautiful, voluptuous and seductive classmates. I began to admire girls with a bit of sophistication much like a wine connoisseur is to a bottle of wine. The age of puberty has dawned upon me. Among the gals that stood out in class were Josephine Sison (very talkative and had that look that would melt a guy), Elizabeth Mones (her gold-toothed sweet smile), Charito San Juan (pimple-faced, demure, leg-shaking pride of Nancayasan), and Rebecca Fernandez (snub, eye-rolling, pouting gal). They may have different personal traits but they possess the same distinct, likeable physical asset most kids growing up like me look for: an upper body that would have merited a guest appearance in "Kislap" magazine. They were not only delectable but intelligent as well. These girls were very famous with Mr. Encarnacion, one of our teachers. He would call their names out loud, nod his head, gaze at them amorously, and then bite his lower lip. Pretty as they were, I never entertained the thought of trying my luck on them. For one, they were too tall for me and for another; the phrase "never take a dump in your own backyard" was foremost in my mind. This made me look for prospects beyond my class. The famous phrase was popularized by one of our male teachers. I could not exactly pinpoint who it was now.
This period of adolescence marked the beginning of my fancy for female teachers. One such teacher is Ms Andrion. She wears mini-skirt uniforms; her shiny long hair brushed all the way down to her lower thigh, her face made-up like a beauty queen, and lips like strawberry wine (gosh, it sounded like one of the Beatles’ song). She was a very religious lady, I suppose, because she always goes to the chapel upstairs and pray after lunch. I cannot fully recall now but I ended up escorting her every time she goes to the chapel for her daily prayer dose. Junior & Senior students would stare her down contemptuously that she felt she would be more secure with somebody escorting her. I invited her to our town fiesta and I was surprised she showed up. I entertained her like royalty that I even offered her my parents’ bedroom so she could take a siesta. The scene was almost a reprise of the movie "Mrs. Robinson" except for the fact that there were no seductress and seduced roles to be played. My infatuation for Ms Andrion died a natural death when I later found out she was head over heels on a good-looking senior student.
Among our classmates, I developed a strong bond with Candido Bautista and Dionemar Ulep. Dionemar was a recent transfer from seminary school in Binmaley. He and fellow transferee, Geoffrey Altura, cannot hack it out with the rest of the "plebes" so they decided to go to a school that integrates seminarians and non-seminarians alike: DWAU. The three of us clicked right away. We spend lunch almost everyday atop the "chico" trees at the back of the building. After lunch, activity for me was solely devoted to playing basketball. This would later on have a bearing on my career as a varsity player of the school. I also remember during this time that many varsity players from other schools in the province were coming on campus to play with our own varsity team. One such team who had the "misfortune" of playing with our school team is Malasiqui. The game was close and started to be physical. Elbows were thrown on both sides of the court. Then the unexpected happened. A free-for-all ensued and players and fans alike joined the fray. What I witnessed next was a treat! Alex Asper (who was a senior), all of 4 feet 10 inches of him, flew in the air and delivered a resounding flying kick to one of the male fans of the opposing team. The poor fellow must have misjudged the full measure of a small man. He rolled on the grass twice upon receipt of the wicked blow, stood up and scampered to safety. Cooler heads prevailed and the dying minutes of the suspended game was played afterwards. The team did not only lose the game but went home with battered nerves and egos. True to their name, "Malas-iqui", it really jinxed them.
Another unforgettable recollection I have is the seminarians of the school. I did come to know a few of them like Virgilio Manipon, Primo Sipin, Wilfredo Penullar, Arnulfo Doctor, and Danny "Manok" Lauder. I didn’t quite catch them red-handed doing it. But I had it from a reliable source that many of these "seminaristas" were slipping and sliding away in the middle of the night making their way to Manhattan, a popular honky-tonk place in town owned by the Padua’s. This was later on confirmed by one of the seminarians himself. Accordingly, Manok was the instigator of the misbehaving group. They would tie together ends of bed sheets; anchor it on the steel framed windows of their barracks and one by one slid down to temporary freedom. Poor Father Herbers, he is always deep in slumber not knowing a "flock"of his is painting the town red! No wonder none from that group ever became a priest.
Junior year was not to be spent in DWAU. I transferred to another private school in my hometown. The youngest daughter of the school’s owner got me smitten. We ended up as teen sweethearts. In the end, I had a falling out with her parents as they found out that I was visiting her in her place whenever they are not home. No hanky-panky, none of that stuff. Like the gentleman that I was, am, and will be, I kept my hands to my pockets, literally. Like a lost puppy looking for mama dog, I left and went back to my true alma mater to finish my senior year. Along the way I recruited Benny Robeniol to come with me and experience the Divine Word life.
Getting re-acquainted with old friends and former classmates was my first priority upon my return as senior. I quickly realized I had the same seductive and voluptuous classmates as were during my sophomore year. This time around, however, there were more curves on the waistline and I guess two sizes up on their shirts (if you catch my drift). One gal that caught my fancy though was Filomena Marcelo. She was not only diminutive but also attractive. Problem was it’s not just me eyeing her but a couple more fellows in class too. Rhodetto Magat, Dionemar Ulep, Rodolfo Rosales, and God know whom else. Never wanting to compete with others, my focus was drawn back to our female teachers. I rekindled an old crush on Ms Gilda Doot. I did start to like her during my sophomore year but I brushed it aside. Once more I was taken by her charm. Unlike the first time I was not letting the opportunity pass by this time. And so every day after we get done with her class, I always gave her pomelos. Our backyard has two pomelo trees brimming with fruits. Each morning before I leave for school I snatch two and stash it in my bag right at the very noses of my mother and older sister.....
The fad by then was twosome-coo some. All the glamorous girls in school were already taken, if not being taken away by equally glamorous boys. Local boys were always quick to the draw whenever the school gets beautiful enrollees or transferees. Among the few lovey-dovey couples that gave the famed Tirso Cruz-Nora Aunor and Edgar Mortiz-Vilma Santos love tandems stiff competition were: Rhodetto Magat-Jean Ruiz, Candido Bautista-Mercy Nirza, Norman Orallo-Grace Geronimo, Geoffrey Altura-Consuelo Sipin, etc. In the meantime, Benny Robeniolpicked up my habit of fooling around with teachers.
One of the highpoints of my senior year, if not the highpoint, is my selection to the varsity team. The rigors of training and the skirmishes that went with it were such a challenge that finishing each session was itself a triumph of the mind over the body. Wearing two hats, Mr. Ridao was both principal and coach. He made us run seven to eight rounds around the oval track and then made us run up and down the court afterwards doing ball movements, passing techniques, and set-plays. You do not dare forget a set-play he designed or you run the risk of being dressed-down. If General McArthur has his famous "I shall return" phrase immortalized, Coach Ridao has his (in) famous "murtogo" in his arsenal of words. After weeks of training, he easily picked eleven kids to the team, a well-balanced combination of height, power, speed and shooting accuracy. Now, he has one more slot to fill and two kids to chose from. He had a dilemma in his hands. Must he pick this one kid who possesses height and shooting power? Or would he opt for this diminutive but speedy, ball handler and ball stealer kid? He settled for the short, speedster from Asingan and the rest is history. Of the numerous games that we won, the one that is most special to me was the one we played at the Urdaneta Open Basketball Tournament. The best barangay players from all around town participated in it. We beat the team from Bayaoas, the strongest and odds-on favorites to win the event. It was comprised of fine players who once played for Mr. Ridao. Coach knew their game plan like the back of his hand and he laid it out for us and we thwarted them. I cannot recall if we won the championship or not. I did know, however, that we won many a tournament and school intramurals. I can never forget being pulled aside by Father Herbers asking me why everybody calls me "kiti-kiti" (one who cannot keep still). I remember telling him it is because of my ball-stealing prowess and great speed up and down the court that I was called as such. He walked away nodding and shaking his head either inunderstanding or in disagreement of what I told him. The basketball season ended and the senior players on the team went on to graduate. I did not have the opportunity to thankall the players of the team. Their unselfish dedication and commitment helped bring about the numerous successes that we reaped. More importantly, they contributed greatly to the camaraderie, friendship and happiness that pervaded the team. Thanks to Mr. Ben Bello, Candido Bautista, Jessie Mamalio, Mr. Raganit, Peter Guillermo, and to those whose names I cannot remember but whose faces are still etched in my cranium (you all have to forgive me but this are the ones that I can remember off the top of my head).
It would be pure hypocrisy, to say the least, if I would fail to essay my low points as an alumnus. Fact is, there were lots of them. But one that I consider worth mentioning was the incident that happened at the old Villa Linda Restaurant. For it’s adventurous nature, sheer boldness typical of growing teens and it’s subsequent comical ending, this one would have made it to the comedy books. Benny Robeniol, Rhodetto Magat, Peter Guillermo, Jesse Mamalio, Geoffrey Altura and I went drinking inside the restaurant. Over bottles of beer, we hatched the idea of forming our own fraternity group. We argued that fraternity groups had their own way of distinguishing themselves from others: handshakes or signs and a mark on their body. The decision was swift and unanimous. We decided to have ours on the right wrist. And so we lit cigarette after cigarette and took turns holding the cigarette to the site we so agreed upon. Unbeknownst to all of us Linda, the owner of the place, has tipped-off the police. When it was time for us to leave we were accosted by a pot-bellied plainclothes policeman. He asked us what was going on and why we did what we did inside. We told him we were starting a fraternity and we meant no trouble. He then started to ask who we are. It was never our intent to name-drop our respective father but for no apparent reason the first person started the name-dropping and it caught on. The group was gathered in a horseshoe formation and the name recital started from the left going right. "Geoffrey Altura, son of Mr. Altura; Jessie Mamalio, son of Traffic Control Officer Mamalio; Yogi Diaz, son of Attorney Diaz; Peter Guillermo, son of Fiscal Guillermo; and Rhodetto Magat, son of Judge Magat". Dude, the policeman was stunned! I swear, he paused for almost a minute, an eternity to us! He then took a deep breath and told us we are free to go! All this time, we did not know that Benny slipped away on the way out. He showedup later laughing scornly. Had we been arrested and incarcerated, Benny would have played it innocent and would have gone scotch free. We would later recruit juniors into joining the group we christened "MS" for "Malayang Samahan". The ones that I can recall were Rey Padua’s brother and Randy (more diminutive than me but I can’t remember his last name).
For all the fun, excitement, infatuation, trials and tribulations that I experienced in high school, I will never trade it for anything else. If I have to do it all over again, I would. What would I have to change or do differently if given that chance? I’d say I would discard my shyness in telling my true feelings toward girls. I would muster the courage to say that I have a big crush on a cute classmate or anybody cute in school for that matter. Liking female teachers would be a thing in the past. I would graft pomelo trees so I could harvest more. This time around I would give it to all the cute gals and not to teachers. I would audition to become a cadet officer so I could drop Johnny and Rafael Soriano. And yes, I would grow a bit taller and jump higher so I could dunk the ball and impress the coach and be a shoo-in for the varsity team.
EPILOGUE: Writing this piece has made me young again. I would have finished it in a day or two but I procrastinated because it made me feel good. I was reliving my high school years and I felt like I was 15 years old all over again. It was exacting on the mind remembering the names of classmates and friends, some I recalled, and numerous others I couldn’t. I would like to believe that this website of ours was put together with the purpose of bringing alums together, young and old. That old acquaintances be renewed, friendships restored, and for those unmarried or divorced ones, old flames rekindled. We only live once in this earthly life. It is my wish that before I breathe my last breath, I would continue to enjoy corresponding with those that were part and parcel of my high school life. A life abounds with ignorance, learning, experimenting and character building. This website is the bridge which was intended to bring us closer together, just like yesterday. I hope we all share the common bond of striving hard to build this bridge even stronger
.Hi Vic:
It was so refreshing reading your memories about the past when you, Philip and myself, were having fun in Asingan. Remember when we are doing those catechetical teaching for the elementary pupils in Asingan and we went go to the barrio school? Remember when we went to the river with Father Marcelino, Amading Romero, Philip, yourself and myself some guys (not our group ) were swimming in the river naked? I remember myself jumping into the river in my carsoncillo. Remember the centennial celebration of the appearance of Our Lady Lourdes in France? To commemorate that event there were two or three buses of people from Asingan. I could name a few of those people: Doctors Martinez, Fernandez and other Professionals from Asingan were on that pilgrimage to Our Lady Of Manaoag. We walked barefooted from Laoac to the Church of our Lady of Manaoag and as we approach the Church, the church bells started ringing. I have lots of beautiful memories in Asingan which I will never forget....LITO
***
Yes, I remember that dawn pilgrimage to Manaoag..We left Asingan so early. The busses stopped in Laoac but not so far enough from the church. There was a mass in the Manaoag shrine and during the sermon, I could not help but doze off a little bit. Well, I woke up at 3:00 am that morning and did not have my coffee yet..
Another memory connected to the Lady of Fatima was her statue which we brought home after picking it up from Dagupan. There were four pieces and we used Fr. Ferrer's jeep ( it was a Thames passenger jeep at that time ). There was a story that he bought the jeep out of his insurance money when he had a vehicular accident here in the US..ThaT's why he had this small scar on his nose. Some gossip mongers in Asingan say that Fr. Ferrer's nose is artificial: just like Michael Jackson's!
Anyways, it was pouring buckets when we drove to Dagupan that afternoon and the visibility was so bad. Many men were in the jeep to help in the loading and unloading of the 4 concrete statues. Miraculously no accident happened inspite of the weather and the kind of motorists plying the mcArthur highway.I am not surprised. We were riding with the Mother of God!
The statues are still in the Fatima shrine at the side of the priest's house in Asingan. Still beautiful ( at least the last time I saw it ) with flowers all around it...VIC
After the Christmas Caroling stint, we planned for our next activity which is a Choral Concert in conjunction with Adamson's Foundation Day. I knew how to read music then BUT I did not know how to conduct a choir YET. But a faculty member of Adamson U finally taught me HOW TO conduct a singing group which is more than just waving your hands to keep timing. One has to show them when to sing soft, loud, fast, slow, you know, s....t like that. Anyways, during this first concert of its kind ever to be held in Adamson, I did not conduct the choir, even if I spent months teaching them the repertoire ( maybe 10 difficult songs in harmony )..I did not study much ( if at all ) anymore. 100% of my time went to managing the choir and the organization. During this period, I changed my college course to AB English, Major in English Journalism, Minor in History and Mathematics. I was able to make use of the Math subjects I took in UE College of Engineering.
During the Choral Concert, I did not show up until the 2nd half of the event. The show started at 7:00 pm..I left Quirino District in Quezon City that afternoon at 6:00 pm. It was rush hour from my boarding house to San Marcelino street thru Manila's vicious traffic. I was not going to conduct anyway, Prof. Gatchitorena an Adamson U professor who is good in music conducted the group. All eyes were on me when I made my "dramatic" entrance..The group thought I sulked because I did not conduct. Well, honestly speaking I felt a bit sore, but what can I do? I did not know how to do it. It took me another year before I was able to master the nuances of choir conducting.
That night, there were three tape recorders on the stage to capture for posterity the first cultural presentation of a school which has no cultural activity at all. At that time, Adamson was only for the study of chemistry subjects. Well, the performance was a bit below par, but it was good enough for a first time event. The audience cheered during the Patriotic Songs set..Patriotism for the US because all the songs of the set pertained to the US Navy, Marines and the Army..Nothing about the Philippines!
Yep, we did ANCHORS AWEIGH, MARINES HYMN and the US Artillery March!..Great. It was good no patriotic nut threw tomatoes at us for not singing any Philippine Patriotic Song. Come to think of it, there are no Philippine Patriotic Songs! Except maybe the Katipunan March. But nobody can find a manuscript for this piece except maybe in the music collection of Banda Malabon..
Anyways, if ever any thing good came out of that ordeal, a core group of AUSCANs were forged. Years after graduation, Azucena Pinon, a Chem Eng. graduate from the school called them D'Originals. Yes, the group still exist and Azucena is still e-mailing the group once in a while. She's the group's Mother Hen. But the chicks have already grown and scattered all over the world!
Lots of memories with the group. I wonder if I can cover them all..--#
For those who may not be able to open the link, I am reprinting a portion of the write-up..
Sep. 12, 2006
The City of Toronto Etobicoke York District has announced the winners of its annual Great Garden Contest and will honour the top gardeners at an award ceremony at The Old Mill later this fall.
Along with the horticultural societies of Etobicoke, Roseland, Swansea and Westway, the City Parks Department spent July seeking out local residential green spaces that displayed an effective use of greenspace based on inspiration and creativity.
After much deliberation by judges Heather Somers, a senior horticulturalist with the Humber Arboretum, and Murray Cameron, the manager of Parks and Open Spaces with the town of Oakville, 6 Norbert Cres. in Etobicoke Centre's Ward 3 was named 2006's Best Garden of the District and Best Alternative/Environmental Garden. Winning gardener Diane Stasyna has lived on Norbert Crescent for 26 years but her environmental garden is only a few years old.
Nevertheless, judge Somers thought it displayed a "wonderful mix of plant material and a collection of unusual plants designed to give a vibrant overall landscape," while judge Cameron called Stasyna's efforts a "gardener's delight. A wonderful array of plant material thoughtfully placed including a fine use of native species."
Kevin Naylor, manager of parks for the Etobicoke York district, said the invitation-only annual gardening awards is a great event for the winners, their families and judges and local dignitaries.
"We hand out engravable garden rocks with the city logo and the description of the award they won," he said. "Then we also give them a colour photo of their garden and finish the night off with a slide show of all the winning gardens."
Yvette Sutherland, an Etobicoke-Lakeshore resident, said she'll be attending to pick up her second place prize for a traditional garden in Ward 5. She's been gardening for 10 years.
"It's almost a full-time job," she said of maintaining the array of purple, yellow and white perennials and annuals that decorate her front garden.
**********
THE CONTEST WINNERS
Great Garden Contest
And the winner's are...
Sep. 12, 2006
Districtwide Residential Winners:
- Best Garden of the District: 6 Norbert Cres.
- First Runner-Up: 568 Windermere Ave.
- Best Alternative/Enviromental Garden: 6 Norbert Cres.
- Best Traditional Garden: 105 Lake Promenade
Ward 1 (Etobicoke North)
Traditional Garden:
- First place: 114 Taysham Cres.
- Second place: 17 Jason Rd.
- Third place: 61 Bridgenorth Cres.
Ward 2 (Etobicoke North)
Traditional Garden:
- First place: 19 Dixon Rd.
- Second place: 51 Esther Lorrie Dr.
- Third place: 18 Kingsview Blvd.
My favourite image in the garden..
The September 13 issue of the Etobicoke Guardian has announced the winners of its annual Great Garden Contest, who will be honoured at an award ceremony at The Old Mill later this fall.
Names of winners were not printed, only the home addresses. Ours is 19 Dixon Road.
For full results visit the following website and click on winners..
We had this get together at Albert Manuel's home last Sunday. It was one of those balmy, sunny afternoons when Fall is starting to set in and Summer heat has started to mellow into Autumn chill.."It won't be long, yeah, yeah" said the Beatles..
We talked about many things: mostly about Asingan and its many characters, events and what-nots. Everyone has a story to tell..
Of course, there was the sumptous barbeque with many Filipino dishes at the end of the day. But no tabungaw dish. None yet, anyway...
I love dealing with the bureaucracy at the Municipal level, especially if the employees there are your friends or "brothers" in a society..One time ( a very long time ago ) my dad was being harrassed by a person over some issue that was already settled in court. That person do not want to abide by the court's decision and so he must have been advised by his lawyer to file a counter-suit against my father. So a subpoena was issued for my father and I was in the Municipal Building at that time when the Chief of Police called me in and said: " I have a subpoena for your dad. But I know it came from that jackass who is trying to screw him.."
"Yeah, " I said shaking my head a bit.." so what shall I do?"
"This is what we do..Tell Brod ( refering to my dad: both of them belong to a popular society in town ) not to leave home for a couple days..I will just keep this document here, then I will give it back and tell them your dad went to Manila or Mindanao and nobody knows when he is coming back.." The guy at the desk was also my brod in the same society and so we just shook hands and he told me in parting: "Tell your dad not to worry.."
What can I say, but " I love my hometown..At times, somebody would go out on a limb to help you and someday, out of gratitude, you would also do your best to help him the best way you can!"
That's bureaucracy in the municipal level for ya!---#
From Longwaybye...
I like your analogy of the presidency to chess. It is very true. That is why it is important to choose your secretaries. The problem is the pool of candidates is a basket of rotten eggs and 1 fresh tomato,hahaha!
It is applicable to a smaller office too. Your clerk is very powerful. because he has the ability to screen what papers go to your desk to sign. The solution would be to micro-manage, but kaya nga kumuha ng ckerk para maalis na yan sa mga trabaho mo...
But foremost is still that we should get a good head of state. This was brought home to me one time long ago when i was getting a barangay clearance. I was entertained by the assistant who with unheard of efficiency typed my clearnce paper in less 5 minutes. When I paid him the fee, he didnt give me any receipt, just dropped it into the drawer.
I thought the barangay captain must check this out, no records no receipts, the barangay is being robbed of its funds. My thoughts were answered a few moments later when the capitan came out of his office, put on his RayBan, opened the drawer, and scooped all the money there in his clutch bag, smiled at me, and went out. it was the day of the 2-cock derby.
Comment from longwaybye - 11/09/06 2:13 AM
****
....will enter my response later!****vic
That great Bicolano Raul Roco...I dont know the whole of him, but I knew him thru friends and I just think that he would have made a good president. he was clean, and he really meant to stamp out corruption.
The brouhaha at Dep Ed, it was because he attempted to rid the principals and supervisors and the whole dept of the common knowledge "negosyo" - textbooks, mga tindahan, mga benta-benta, we who have gone to public schools know it.
I just know he would have made a great president, possibly a more succesful magsaysay. it is just so frustrating we would never know if he indeed could be a great president...
he never was involved in any anomaly. Why do people like him, like Jovito Salonga, Joker Arroyo...why do they not make it to the top?
Im afraid they dont have the face to cajole and serenade the unfortunately gullible masses--Longwaybye
to which I answer
Indeed, we will never, never know IF he may have made a good President. Being the President of a volatile country like the Philippines is such a difficult job that one needs to be, aside from being a brilliant Politician, a master illusionist..The President must have the ability to conjure something that seems to be, even if it is not, just to give the impression that everything is all right, EVEN IF IT IS NOT!..I do not think Raul ( God bless his soul ) could have done this if he was 100% honest to the principles and ideals re: the duties of his office as the Grand Pangulo. They all seem to be honest in the beginning: something would happen along the way: then nag ka leche-leche na!...Popes, Presidents, Kings, Dictators all go through that ritual of fire and brimstone that comes with the office. Luckily no Filipino President has not been assasinated yet. They just become the butt of black and senseless propaganda by political enemies who know how to manipulate the masses to do their dirty work of smear and tear!..
Wanna become the President of the Philippines? First, be a master chess player. Everything is in the chessboard. Forget the books. You can see that the king ( or the President ) is the least powerful piece in the set, and his existence is determined by his officers, his foot soldiers, his Queen ( Prime Minister?) and lastly by his political enemies whose sole aim is to invade his cozy kingdom, reduce it to shambles, then finally hang him by the balls!---#
Before Adamson University became a Catholic University, some of its Professors were atheists. Being ingrained with the concepts of science, measurements and reasoning sans any kind of belief in the unknown they were then simply non-believers of the Faith.But right after the school was bought by the CICM Fathers, then they were converted to Catholicism not because they saw the Light but because they feared they would lose thier jobs..!
Right after I became the President of the SCA, then I became involved, up to my eyeballs with extra curricular activities.I had to meet regularly the members/officers of the society SOMEWHERE in the school. We asked for an office and we were given a room just slightly bigger than a broom closet in the lobby of the school. Well, beggars can not be chosers. Again this was when the school was still under George Adamson
Then came the SCA Conference in Baguio City that would be attended by delegates from all Universities of Manila. So there were delegates from San Beda, Ateneo, UP,,One of the more dynamic delegates then was a silver tongued orator from San Beda (?) who dazzled the floor with his brilliant speeches. Most of the time, he would lock horns with a delegate from the University of the Philippines. His name was Raul Rocco ( now deceased ) and he was one of the Presidential aspirants who ran aginst Gloria Macapaga Arroyo during one election.
One of the activities of our club was to invite students to join the daily 5:00 pm mass at the St. Vincent de Paul church which was just beside the school. Sometimes, the mass was attended by students of Sta. Teresa and Sta. Isabel both exclusive schools for girls in the area. Congregational singing, when these students are present sounded very angelic and soul inspiring. Other times we hear only one voice singing Mass parts. She had a very sweet resonant soprano voice and she played the organ at the same time up their in the choir loft.Up there she is unseen but her voice could be heard even outside the church. From the pews, I imagined her to a very beautiful singer who might have looked like Charlotte Church. I always kept this image of her in my mind when I was praying inside the church and she was up there playing and singing.
A year later when the school changed ownership and the SCA choir had the chance to go up the choir loft and sing, then I found out that she was short, stocky with a very plain face.She also had a big wart beside her nose. If I met her outside in the streets, I would not imagine she is a brilliant organist and a terrific singer.. Sometimes she accompanied our singing, sometimes a pianist of our group would do it.But they would not let us use the main organ for fear we might damage it!
Right in the middle of the second school semester, I tried out for the Editorial exams for the school paper ( Adamson Chronicle ). I topped the exams, hands down. But then, our spiritual ( and temporal ) adviser and good friend Fr. Toribio Mezquita advised me ( it was more of a command ) to withdraw from the school paper so I can devote all my spare time to the SCA.
To make up for it, he also helped me join the school ROTC band so I do not have to pay my tuition fee. At that time, the priests are already the owners of the school. I remember him and I storming through the administrative offices searching for a Mr. So and So, and when we found him, he just said: "I want you to take in Vic Costes into the band!" The immediate response was,"Yes, Father! Of course!" They had to make changes in the instrument assignments in order to accomodate me. They moved somebody else to another instrument so I can get in..
Also with the school band, I can grow my hair as long as I want as long as I use the regulation head gear. The rest of the cadets have to have their hair cut short.They also come every Sunday in white uniform ( or Navy blue outfit ) because Adamson's ROTC is Naval ROTC. Our parade grounds was that grassy area between the school and the Jai Alai building. I was saved from the drudgery of the drilling and other useless exercises by my joining the band. My instrument was the lyre ( which was easy for me to play because the metal keys are arranged just like the piano).I use a small mallet to hit the keys which is like a piano on a vertical position .For the record, I borrowed the lyre from the Rizal Academy and it helped me saved a bit of money because my tuition fee was free until I graduated.
In the meantime, the membership for of the SCA grew by leaps and bounds..From 30 on the day I first attended my first meeting, it reached as high as 300 when I was its President and we undertook some school activities which were so strenous. There was this Foundation day choral concert, then there was another choral concert at the Sta. Isabel Auditorium, and just before graduation, I handled th Foundation Day celebration of the school. So all in all,I barely had enough time to study, not to mention sleep or eat completely. I almost had a physical and mental burn out. I bit off more than I could chew and somehow, I became mentally stronger for it. It seems that stress was good for me then!
more next time...
have you thought about what would have happened had you taught at Adamson? Had you missed the day's bus and the priest caught up with you and told you of his plan for you to teach at Adamson High School?
Would you have preferred not going to canada? would you have preferred marrying somebody else then?
I have asked myself the same question again and again....and though I loved my wife and my kids, I do am very interested in imagining what my lif ewould have been had this happened or that happened. and the guilt about the missus and kids, well, I wouldnt have known it if my life went the other way, and they wouldnt have known it either, in fact the kids most probably wouldnt be here in the first place.
One thing I like thinking about is....if I stayed at work in Manila, there is a strong possibility that I would be a department head of the company now, which isnt that big, but it would have been more than enough for finances. And the apple of my eye that time would have been, hopefully, my wife. and that really excites me because that woman is the most beautiful woman, and shapely woman I have ever seen. And she wasnt high pride...I wonder where she is now. O great, she is sad, some querida of some congressman who just wants her body, hehe let me be the Knight in shining armour, after all these years hehe.....FROM Longwaybye..
***
Like you, I never regretted marrying my wife. And yes, I could not have married her if I went to see our Spiritual Director after graduation and he told me there is a job reserved for me in the high school department. Because, who would not like to work in Manila? If you are a provinciano, like I was, I would have jumped at the chance to be teaching in Adamson U. It is right in the heart of the city where the sounds and lights dazzle people. Besides Adamson is beside St. Teresa and Sta. Isabel, the home of beautiful women in that part of san Marcelino St. But I had a little misunderstanding with the Father so I did not go and see him. Nahihiya ako. So I went straight home to Pangasinan and continued where I left as an Asinganian. But in the end, I married a beautiful and classy lady ( she is still beautiful up to now, you can check her photos ). She is one of those many women endowed with ageless beauty and after 4 decades, she had already adjusted to my quirks and whims and vice versa. She's a St. Louis University (SLU ) Baguio graduate and I believe she could blow some of those Colegialas from St. Teresas out of the water!---#
REMEMBERING ADAMSON UNIVERSITY
The world did not end after all when my Mom learned that I did not push through my plan to be a Chemist. I returned to writing, the same course which I have started in 1958..It took me 8 years to finish a course which I could have finished in 4 years if I stuck to it in UST in 1958..Oh well, maybe my sis and brod had an inkling that I shifted my studies again because I was not really studying. It is hard for you to hide anything from your siblings especially if you live in the same house ( or boarding house )..Then they blabbed it to my Mom and so my Mom had already an idea what degree I finished.
"I thought you finished Chemistry?" she asked nonchantly."Well, I found the Chemistry subjects difficult for me", I said..
"Anyway I finished a degree and I had a job waiting for me in our hometown." I was referring to the teaching position offered to me by Mr. Amado Esteban at the Rizal Academy. Mom liked it because I would still be living at home ( at least for a while..)
So Graduation Night came and went..I received my Diploma. Then we decided to go to a good Chinese restaurant in Manila. I looked for my friends in the crowd. Didnt see anybody, just a blurry mass of people milling about. We left Adamson immediately, took a taxi and headed for that restaurant and I never felt so good ( and at the same time so tired ). We left for Asingan the next morning.
Little did I know that if I contacted Fr. Mezquita, CICM, our Spiritual Director during the next few days, destiny could have changed because he was reserving a teaching position for me in Adamson High School. But I did not know. I was just too eager to go home again, to be in Asingan once more and take up where I left off. I did not visit him in the next few days even just to say good bye. If I did, I might be typing different stories from the ones I have been putting in!
Again, it was a bitter-sweet goodbye to some dear friends in school the loyal ones who formed the core of the SCA and the choir.
***
It was a fateful day when, as a newcomer to Adamson, I was lonely, homesick and looking around to make some friends. There was this room that said
Adamson University Student Catholic Action meeting..Come In. So I went in..I met people there who were looking for the same things as I was: friends, recognition, a chance to belong. One of the first ones I met was a guy from Mandaluyong: outsideof Mandaluyong. We usually call it OUTSIDE refering to the residential areas because Mandaluyong in the Philippines is a mental hospital or asylum during that time. It was a nut house, a loony bin, a cuckoo's nest..
This guy was my first friend in Adamson and in the SCA. His name is Ruben delos Reyes. He stood by me from day 1 in school and also beyond graduation night. Years after the Commencement exercises, I still saw him ( and also a host of other brothers and sisters in the club ). In fact, some of them came to Pangasinan with Fr. Mezquita and sang during my wedding day.
Ruben thought I was an ex seminarian as he was. He was short, always clean shaven and neat, soft spoken and VERY GOOD in music.He does not read music but he can learn a tune two or three times after hearing it. So we formed a group and others ( both talented and not so talented ) soon joined us )..Soon we started rehearsing Christmas carols--in September. The school was not yet bought by the CICMs at that time so the faculty were kind of leery at us. We practiced in a vacant room because the Auditorium was being used as a classroom. Then the teacher at the next room would come in and break our group because our rehearsals were disturbing his class! We have to go somewhere else and continue singing there until another teacher would barge in and stop us..!
But that Christmas, we went around Manila in a rented jeep and visited some friends who donated money for our club after we sang them a set of carols. Our singing was already good! It was done in harmony.
Ruben was the bass singer, I was the conductor, of course..There was Charlie from Los Banios, tenor and more women ( the sopranos and altos ) because not many men like to join choirs. They called it "sissy stuff.."
But we enjoyed that Christmas season..I was able to visit so many houses in Manila and aside from the money they donated, they also served such delicious snacks.
The group would drop me off at my boarding house at 11:00 pm or 12:00 midnight..Had no more chance to study, of course. But I never had any more Science subjects anyhow. Most of my subjects were already about writing . But the thing is, I started enjoying my College life and I found friends who liked me..And when I went back to Asingan after the college semester, I hanged out with my old friends in Asingan who were stillsinging at church.It was a good set up. Life, it seemed, had started to be good to me.
***
And so it came to pass, that the next year, there was a general election for officers of the SCA..We had this picnic in Tagaytay. After lunch, we held an election. Most of the people there were choir members. Somebody nominated me. Somebody closed the nomination. It was seconded. I won the Presidency by unanimous decision. It was the most biased election I ever saw in my life, but I loved every minute of it!
***
( to be continued )
Recently, I started an e-mail club with some members of class '58, from our Alma Mater in Asingan. I am sharing some of the letters I wrote them. Maybe you will remember your own College days: for me it is some of the happiest days I spent in the past......
One of my friends wrote me and I sent this e-mail to the group:
After graduation from high school, you went for one semester and then stopped? You were bored because you didn’t go for priesthood?
Tha last day of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) ended with a big parade that started in the heart of Toronto ( University Ave corner Dundas st. ) and marched through Queen street and winded down at the CNE grounds. Miguelita and I arrived at the asembly point where thousands of Union Workers, some bringing their families, were gathered. By chance I saw Barbara Soberano Pascua in there! Small world indeed..After finding the Toronto Public Library section, we checked in for a free coffee mug and a gray TShirt..But the others have different costumes, special hats, etc. The floats of some companies have even live bands in them. So you have Unions like the CUPE, UAW, ( Ours is CUPE 416 )..The assembly point was one big melting pot of various people of all sizes, races, ages, costumes..Many Filipinos were in there! I guess we do love parades..Some stewards were making speeches and shouting "Whose got the power???"
When the march started, Miguelita and I climbed into the back of an open pick up truck. We shared it with a an 85 year old lady, 4 kids ( one kid was constantly complaining "this is boring!" ), and when the parade went through Queen street, I took some shots of the interesting sights along the way. Yes, like New York or other big cities, we do have our Queen street too. Queen street East and Queen street West and these two twins meet at Yonge street, the Avenida Rizal of Toronto.
As the parade entered the CNE grounds, who but the likes of Jack Layton, Olivia Chow, Paula Fletcher and David Miller ( check the article on June Callwood for the identity of these guys) were there to meet the Labour Force of Toronto. Jack Layton is the "kingmaker" of Canada: he was the one who brought down the power demise of the Liberal party Prime Minister Paul Martin. So the PCs under Stephen Harper took over Ottawa, the seat of power of the Federal government. Jack Layton's party is the NDP, but he started his career in the ward where the Queen/Saulter library is located. Jack is now one of the big names in Canadian politics, but he is down-to-earth and he is friendly to many people from all social strata.He knows us too! He gave us a big wave and smile when we passed by a small grandstand as we arrived.
It was all FUN in the end. And we were able to get in FREE into the CNE!
Check out the photos!
Tha last day of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) ended with a big parade that started in the heart of Toronto ( University Ave corner Dundas st. ) and marched through Queen street and winded down at the CNE grounds. Miguelita and I arrived at the asembly point where thousands of Union Workers, some bringing their families, were gathered. By chance I saw Barbara Soberano Pascua in there! Small world indeed..After finding the Toronto Public Library section, we checked in for a free coffee mug and a gray TShirt..But the others have different costumes, special hats, etc. The floats of some companies have even live bands in them. So you have Unions like the CUPE, UAW, ( Ours is CUPE 416 )..The assembly point was one big melting pot of various people of all sizes, races, ages, costumes..Many Filipinos were in there! I guess we do love parades...
When the march started, Miguelita and I climbed into the back of an open pick up truck. We shared it with a an 85 year old lady, 4 kids ( one kid was constantly complaining "this is boring!" ), and when the parade went through Queen street, I took some shots of the interesting sights along the way. Yes, like New York or other big cities, we do have our Queen street too. Queen street East and Queen street West and these two twins meet at Yonge street, the Avenida Rizal of Toronto.
As the parade entered the CNE grounds, who but the likes of Jack Layton, Olivia Chow, Paula Fletcher and David Miller ( check the article on June Callwood for the identity of these guys) were there to meet the Labour Force of Toronto. Jack Layton is the "kingmaker" of Canada: he was the one who brought down the power demise of the Liberal party Prime Minister Paul Martin. So the PCs under Stephen Harper took over Ottawa, the seat of power of the Federal government. Jack Layton's party is the NDP, but he started his career in the ward where the Queen/Saulter library is located. Jack is now one of the big names in Canadian politics, but he is down-to-earth and he is friendly to many people from all social strata.He knows us too! He gave us a big wave and smile when we passed by a small grandstand as we arrived.
It was all FUN in the end. And we were able to get in FREE into the CNE!
Check out the photos!
Last August, we received a visit from Gene and Edith Manzano ( formerly Miss Edith Moreno ). Edith, Miguelita and I taught at the same school, the Divine Word Academy, ( DWA )Urdaneta Pangasinan.
It is one of those emotional meetings among friends who never saw each other for decades. In our case, the last time I saw Edith was on a bus station in Manila. She arrived with Miguelita in one of those La mallorca-Pambusco busses..That was in 1971. Edith was still Miss Moreno then. Miguelita and I has just been married.
Edith came to Toronto for a relative's wedding. She, her husband and two grown up children arrived in the house at about mid day. We had a light lunch of Filipino dishes. Then we had a Karaoke session ( one of my favorite happenings ) in our TV room. I did not know Edith could carry a tune, and she does it exceptionally well. It turned out that she was a member of a very popular choral group (a 100-voice choir) at the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus during her college days.
She brought along her Magic Mike ( she never leaves home without it, right Edith? ) a very unique microphone with a built-in circuitry that combines a mixer, pre-amp and a lyrics book that pops the song words on a TV monitor.. Very easy to use. It is now the current fad among Karaoke enthusiasts. In between singing, we would chat and I learned from her that before teaching at the DWA, she taught at the St. Teresa's College in Quezon City and also at Maryknoll. She also holds a Masters Degree from Ateneo. Wow!
Too bad their visit day ended so soon at about 4:00 pm. The singing was getting very exciting! We started to discover excellent titles in the more than a 1000 songs in the mike's memory.. But they had to prepare for a wedding the next day..There are hundreds of things to do in such ocassions and time flies so swiftly when you are in the midst of it.
It was a very happy afternoon. God willing, we will see them again next year in the Divine Word College get together in California.
Thanks for your visit, Edith... It was so good meeting you and your family at long last!
