"Connie"

With profound regret and sadness, I announce here to you the death of our beloved classmate and friend, Consolacion "Connie" Benito.

She passed away the night of January 30, 2009.

Connie was well loved and will be dearly missed by all who knew her, all her family and many friends.

May she find happiness wherever she may be.

Sing it baby!

Fund Drive for SDA Future Site

The life of St. Paul, on his 2000 year birth anniversary, will be shown on stage this coming January 30th, 2009, 7:00PM @ SDA compound.

This stage play signals the start of the fund drive spearheaded by Sr. Wilma to help them in their humongous task to solicit funds for a new SDA school building being planned to construct in a new site, somewhere in Pulilan.

According to Sr. Wilma, SDA is and has been under contract with the Diocese of Malolos in the use of the lot where the current school buildings stand. It is the hope of SDA administration that their fund drive effort helps build the new buildings in the new site so that they can all transfer soon.

I don't have the foggiest idea where the new site will be nor do I have any clue what the time frame is for the transfer to happen. One thing i'm certain though is that your help and support is very much needed and appreciated.

Sr. Wilma is inviting all of you to watch the play at a minimal fee of php 150.00 per ticket.

Mr. & Mrs. Lopez

Yes, that's Raffy L and his beautiful wife Ellen.

Little did Eva F know that the woman in Raffy's life used to work with her in a bank in Plaridel in the early 80's.

The question now is how in the world she ended up with Raffy...or should I say ask how Raffy ended up with her? :-)


Well, either way they look like a match made in heaven!

Ladies and gents...meet Mr.& Mrs.Lopez.

Deepest Sympathy in Loss

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Susan R's brother yesterday.

Rice Rice Baby!

I heard some of you had "Sagada" and "Banaue Rice Terraces" in mind but couldn't find the right time to do it together due to conflicts in schedules and what not.

Well maybe I'm the catalyst to make it all happen. It will be a perfect setting for more bonding between us and the chance to commune with nature, learn a little bit of history on the side...and experience going back in time.

This idea could be unimaginable to some...but can be an eye-opening to many.

I have an itch for quite sometime now to conquer these two neighboring places: first "Batad Village", to view this engineering-marvel-amphitheatre-shape-like rice terraces, and then "Sagada", to explore their magnificent caves, witness the hanging coffins, and experience living the primitive life of the local indigenous people of the mountain, the Ifugaos.
Just to reach these remote mountain areas is no simple task, let alone climb up & down this man-made stairway to heaven and crawl & slither through caves...so I've read in many blogs about it! One need patience, an open mind, a good sound feet, and lot's of de-lata to eat! :-)

That didn't dissuade me however to plan my itinerary. I've done many research and I am determined to conquer these places in the vastness of Mountain Province/Cordillera mountains this coming Holy Week.

Dito ko pagdudusahan ang mga naging kasalanan ko! :-)

ITINERARY:

April 5th (SUNDAY night):
0900pm Assembly at Florida Bus Line Terminal near UST
1000pm Depart from terminal to Banaue

April 6th (MONDAY):
0800am Jeepney ride from Banaue to "Saddle Point"
0900am Walk/Hike/Trek from "Saddle Point" to Batad Village
1100am Check-in at hotel, relax and enjoy the views
0100pm Walk/Hike/Trek to Tappia Falls, enjoy the water
0600pm Enjoy the rest of the night with the locals

April 7th (TUESDAY):
0600am Wake-up early to hike/walk/trek back to "Saddle Point"
0700am From "Saddle Point", take the jeepney to Banaue
0800am Bus/jeepney ride from Banuae to Bontoc
1100am Jeepney ride from Bontoc to Sagada
1230pm Check-in at hotel, relax and enjoy the views
0100pm Visit Echo Valley, Hanging coffins, Bokong Falls
0200pm Spelunking/caving Sumaguing Cave
0600pm Enjoy the rest of the night with the locals

April 8th (WEDNESDAY):
0600am Enjoy sunrise at Kiltepan area
0800am Hike/walk/trek/Swim to Bomod-ok Falls
1230pm Check-out hotel around noon
0100pm Bus ride from Sagada to Baguio
0700pm Depart Baguio to Manila or stay overnight

I welcome you all to join me in this once-in-a-lifetime-adventure. It will definitely be more fun and exciting if I have you to experience with the mountains as it touches the sky...the caves hugging the earth...the water as it drowns our mind...and the wind gently slapping our faces...reminding all of us there's life beyond the comfort of unnatural pleasures of McDonalds, Starbucks and paved paradise.

Unfortunately, my own schedule isn't as flexible as I wanted them to be. There maybe room for adjustments on logistic and time but for the most part the dates are fixed.

So tell me already, is it rice rice baby?

Every Cent Count

Here's a quick review of collection & expenses from 2008 SDA Alumni Homecoming:

Cash Collections from the following: Total of P27, 645.00.

Bong C, Dory F, Zen T, Egay D, Susan R, Marcelo B, Digna B, Vic C, Rolando B, Bart N. Plus sales of CD (Noel A).

Expenses from the following: Total of P27,443.87

Common merienda, Fun Run/Night School, Admin, SDA Alumni, Gift for Sir Ed, Gas/Toll, Items for Raffle, Marketing/Dinner Items, Transportation for Sister Trining.

Remaining Cash Available: P201.13

SPECIAL NOTE: Expenses for grocery shopping, food preparation, dishwashing, meals for helpers, paid by Rowena C.

Expenses for text messages and phone calls, toll gate, gasoline, original reproduction expense of reunion dvd, paid by Eva F.

Other food items, donated by Ruffy L.

Other raffle items, donated by Dominic M.

Eva F's remaining cash balance from Grand Reunion fund account (est. P500++)

Anabel T's remaining cash balance from 25th Reunion fund account (est. P20,000, of which 12K from Rowena C)

If you need to see more details of the above statement, please let me know and I will be more than happy to provide you a breakdown.

I thank you all for you continuous support and generosity. Your cash contributions is very important to help us in our cause. Please see or contact Wena/Eva/Racquel/Egay if you need to make contributions, cash or otherwise.

Every item count...every cent count!

Once again, thank you!

Thanks everyone especially those (whose names I do not need to mention) who are always willing to extend their support to help us in our financial needs.

Needless to say, without your help and understanding, the recent SDA reunion would not have been a success.

You all know who you are....so thanks again!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

UPDATED AGAIN: More pics were added, from Zen's camera. Also, the picnic happened @ Marcy's "tumana".

UPDATE: Here are some pics from the recent picnic at Connie's place and a despedida for Zen. The usual suspects were there...and a surprise appearance by Alex R.

Rose Floats

I got a closer look at the floats on display after the annual Tournament of Roses parade here in Pasadena, California. This is the parade that is broadcast worldwide every new year's day.

You'll me amazed with the details and intricacies of how all those different flowers, fruits, vegetables, grains and what not, put together to build all these imaginative displays. The preparation alone takes months, and I bet you, soon after the parade was over, everyone is already envisioning, conceptualizing and formulating what they'll do next year for their entries.

I can only dream of actually watching the parade by the street curb. Huge crowds gather and positioned themselves early enough, as in as early as noon the day before the actual parade, camping out all night on the streets under the cold winter nights, making sure they have a good spot.

Well, for me and Angela, we just took the easier route; we waited for the parade to be over and floats to be displayed before we decided to fight the crowd. This is my first time seeing so many different types and colors of roses and other flowers. Here are some of the pics I took:

It's not just another new year's day!

It means a new beginning for you, me, and everybody! And the best way to start it is to keep a positive approach to everything knowing the sun will always shine no matter what.

The events of last year, good or bad, painful or not, can be a good barometer of our strength and the ability to bounce back from all the failures and misgivings. Lets hope this year 2009 we all find our own happiness, our own satisfaction, our own success in life...and love.

I can only speak for myself but 2008 was really a good mix of ups & downs and I think it's fair to say that it's still a good year after all. Although we are still reeling from a bad global economy, and our own personal struggles, perhaps the lost of someone we love, I know we will all come out of this stronger and better. Lest we forget we didn't lose everything...we still have one another!

Year 2008 ended with another reunion at SDA. Here are some of the pics: