A Birthday letter - Ping Estepa !!!

Apay bersdaym ngayam pren !!! Haan ka met nag-imbita !!!

In any case, since I heard it is your birthday again,  umayak kuma, ngem nag-adayu met iti Baguio. Besides haan nak maka-uli iti bantay, ket, addu kanu iti bantay idta!  Decided then, to toast you with “ARAK’ nga kuna da!!!

 Cheers & Happy Birthday P I N G !

age does not matter, beauty pay met latta ahh!

 

AROCHO (originally Arotz)

Photo taken in the Principality of Andorra, Southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains, bordered by Spain & France, where we decided to finally taste roast lamb after 'glugging' the whole bottle,  Ket, na-imas met ngayam diay 'European' kalding!  I guess na-bartek kamin ahh… (LOL!)

Mangus !!!

Did I tell you that I have been exercising?  My newly found Akongs & Amas are not helping me in getting fit for my trip.  I sometimes suspect that they do not want me to go to China, their country.

Today, I got these... my Chinese friends call "mangus"

I said:  Mangosteen !!!

I never had mangosteen before, although I have seen them in the grocery store or even in Baguio, long before I came up North ( I think!).  Never had them and I did not know what to expect.  In my ignorance, as soon as I cut one up & assumed I needed to eat the whole thing including the seeds, I ate the whole bag of 6 in a flash!!!. Pictured here are 5, but my kodak moment was remembered after I ate one!  For me, it tasted OK, but will never replace Lanzones in its place.

Back to my Akongs & Amas: Maybe, they know something that I do not know yet.  Maybe, these "mangus" will help me loose my belly fat !!!

Wishing for two things at the moment: 1st, I wish they can tell me why they keep giving me these food [s] to eat.  2nd, I wish they will keep it coming !!!  I want to test the DRAGON fruit next, but, I am a cheapie, I do not wish to buy for myself.  Besides, I think it is better if it is received from someone else... It brings GOOD LUCK ( I made that up!). LOL !!!

Learning French

Puto !!    (and you smile !). 

My treat given by my Chinese friends today!!!

Red 2 Tweeting !!!

Inspired by a current movie RED 2... I decided to feature another Red 2... a red bird tweeting (singing !!!). From my desk beside a window,  I glanced at this red breasted bird, perched up on a tree, without a "care" of the 35C degree temperature outside.  AmyHNanni, warned me over the phone that the "temperature feel" has reached 45C degrees (humidex), as she hurries out of her home to do volunteer work at the Italian Senior's Home for the Aged.

Me???  I volunteered to take out my camera.  Categorized as a Red Robin, for the lack of knowledge of  International Bird Watchers, the bird was singing, tweeting to me... "you lazy bones, come & enjoy the sunshine!".  No way... I will not dislodge myself  from my chair and the coolness of my home.  Instead, I took 2 shots of the red Robin from the glass window, hoping that the pictures will turn out well.  My camera did a good job... no reflections! Camera has no zoom lens either!

I wish for a new and better camera!

My Lanzones Angel

The timing seems right.  Two mornings ago, after an hour of exercise with my newly found senior Chinese friends, I decided to deck my Tai Chi lessons with a younger group.  I, too was driving back from the park.  "What?"... some of you might ask!, but the heat was unbearable.  I waved at the Tai Chi master who frowned upon my waving hand, knowing that I was not joining them that morning.

Turning on towards my street, I see these frantic waving of hands from a lady in distress, holding her throat, gasping for air.  I parked at my driveway, not knowing what to do. Forgetting "all" security measures, I invited this stranger to my house to cool off while I call emergency services. Vivian, as she introduced herself started to breathe normally in the coolness of my home.  911 services forgotten as we started a conversation, I learned that her throat constricts in extreme heat and/or extreme cold.  Cutting the story short, this started a seemingly innocent encounter.

Innocent, is it?.. I say "time" is of the essence.  Vivian believes that her Buddha and my Jesus decided that it is "time" for us to meet.  She even started talking to me about re-arranging my furniture to follow the Feng Shui principle.

Time also for me to get another taste of lanzones.   My lanzones Angel, Vivian, calls it Bom-Bom.  Accompanied by her husband, she brought Bom-bom to my doorstep last night.   They were grateful.   I, too, am grateful to get another taste of  Lanzones (Long Tong - Thailand name on package) after more than a year.   My last "lanzones" encounter was in Malaysia, when Amy Hamada-Nanni and I decided to spend the last of our Malaysian ringgit(s) before departing this place in April, 2012.

Eaten with "gusto" and finished in one (1) sitting !
$12.98/kg... LOL !!!

Getting Together

Pure and simple....no need to give a reason for a get together.

But, simpler still, getting together to smile, laugh and let worries fade away, inspires a few friends to give a reason to meet for early lunch on to "coffee tyme" ( I think this is a brand name for coffee and doughnuts in Ontario!) followed by an early dinner.

Reason [???]

 Gloria Mañalac Datud's Anniversary sans husband Bonnie

and, Celebrating the day with Friends

Laughter continues over coffee

Early Dinner (L-R): Glo Datud, Ping Estepa, Estela del Val, Glo Valeros

 

 

 

 

 

Celebration Amongst Friends

Whew !!!   That Photo-Op made me sweat !!! Now, I need refreshments to cool down a bit before my next assignment - getting these pictures published in The Midland Courier.... *** Ping Estepa, June 23
(NB. Midland Courier, June 30 edition - check on-line for overseas members)

GloV, Estela, Pat Ducusin-Rilveria, Ping, Danny
Snacks @ SM
Post Note:  Pat was late @ the presentation of Cheque

Our next Class62 Executive Meeting as agreed upon will be held on Ping's B-day, July 30th. Glo Datud will be in attendance, as she will still be in the Philippines.... *** Estela E. del Val (Treasurer, Class62)

Balay Iti Alumni Donation

Glo Valeros, Ping Estepa, Estela del Val, Danny Lee and Ceferino Cawaon atended the Board of Alumni Association 1st meeting of the year on June 15, 2013.

The members and officers were happy with our presence with special intentions of handing over the  Class62 donation of PhP 50,000.00 to The Balay Iti Alumni Fund.  It is the delight of the group, taking Photo-Ops, though some pictures were blurred due to the excitement of everyone.
** Estela del Val (Treasurer, Clss62)



Cef Cawaon doing an Introductory Spiel
re: Class62 Donation to The Balay Iti Alumni



Danny Lee, President of Class62
Presenting Donation Check of PhP 50,000.00
to the Board

 

Ping, GloV, Estela, Danny and Cef
with
Lawrence Dugan, Chairman of the Board

 

The Alumni Board with Class62 Donation
Front (L-R): Joan Tan, Ping, GloV, Estela, Lawrence Dugan (Chair),
Danny, Cef, Remedios Taguba, Rowena Velasco
Back (L-R): Lawrence Adobe, Glo Handig, Braulio Giron, Virgilio Fuerte,
Virgilio Colcol, Isidoro Bautista

A Small World !

"Look who I bumped into yesterday at a wedding! Unfortunately and except for a brief exchange of pleasantries, we were so deprived to reminice by all the excitements and solemnity of the occasion"
*** Gali Munar, June 22, 2013 email



Gali with Archie Mori
@ A Wedding, June2013



Party Time for the Michails

Responsibilities completed, party time for the Michails.  Celebrated and cruised around the Mediterranean (June, 2013).

Angelica:  "We went on a Mediterranean Cruise and we brought California weather wherever we went!! Just got lucky with the weather, actually…"

Angelica @ The Tower of Pisa
Someone has to keep holding the Tower of Pisa to keep it from falling!!!
(Hirap responsibility yan, Pren !!)



Sobhi and Angelica in Dubrovnik, Croatia



Christopher Michail

Christopher Michail’s Graduation
Northwestern Law School, Chicago, IL

Congratulations to Proud Parents: Sobhi and Angelica Michail
on second son's graduation