A KICKOFF DAY TO PERFECTION
February 10, 2016
by Evelyn Machan Andamo
It was an exhilarating 5:15 late afternoon as we prepared for a memorial to celebrate some of our teachers when I was asked by dear Enteng (our esteemed UP high 57-61 class leader abroad) to act as the blog journalist for the first day. In hindsight, I recalled the excitement as our small group met up to join the rest of our batchmates, significant others, and guests for the bus ride to the lovely Acuatico Beach Resort in Laiya, Batangas. Hugs and kisses expressed the sentiments of excitement and jubilation that filled the air. Sing-alongs and jokes were shared with much gaiety as we joyfully took the bus ride. Snacks were provided by our organizers who had orchestrated yet another memorable reunion.
I missed with great regret our golden anniversary in 2011 even though I was already in the Philippines for my father-in-law's 90th birthday at Tagaytay's Taal Lodge Hotel late January. Unfortunately, I had to return to the US for my center's survey that February. Yes, some of us were meeting batchmates for the first time in 55 years. It was most touching!
At 1:50 pm, we arrived at the lovely resort and enjoyed a sumptuous spread of Philippine cuisine for lunch. The capacious and well-appointed banquet room overlooked an infinity pool which seemed to overflow into a sapphire sea. Stunning!!!
More hugs and kisses were exchanged as we met up with those who came to the venue on their own. Finally, at 5:15 pm, our entertaining emcees Egbert and Nina asked each one of us to say a few words about ourselves. Testimonials about some of our teachers were given which highlighted the evening.
Setting off the memorial was Aura's rendition of Amazing Grace in her angelic voice. Delsie shared that Miss Villalobos had instructed her how to study, thus enabling her to master her college challenges. Nina talked about the beautiful Miss Marquez who had helped her choose her dress for her successful Lakambini candidacy. Laz spoke of Mr. Jara and included our comical classmate Don in his memorial spiel. Ted and Dinky honored Miss Manhit who was so proud to announce during one of Dinky's presentations that he was once her student. And, finally, Titong related how he had enrolled in Mr. Jara's class thinking that he would have an easier time passing biology, but instead, alas - earned a failing grade.
I extolled my freshman English teacher and home room adviser Mrs. Socrates for her demands of us on selected book readings and journal writing which had given me a jumpstart as a voracious reader and an amateur writer. I recall her, most especially, for the picture she gave me. She had written that I was the only one to receive a picture from her and that it attested to how highly she thought of me. Yes, each one of us who reminisced on his/her favorite teacher had shared brief but choice memories.
After these flashbacks followed another round of delectable array of food and the usual to-die-for desserts. Our scales continued to register more pounds, regretfully for our waistlines but satisfactorily for our palates. A sing-along karaoke night followed. At times, Dinky accompanied us with his guitar. Voltaire, our dear Secretary of National Defense, provided us with a keyboard whiz who accompanied all the singers. It was truly a mind blowing kick off day for our three-day reunion.
Then it was time to hesitantly say nighty-night. No one could have asked for more. It was PERFECTION!!!
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OVERHEARD
*CL classmate
*CLS classmate's spouse
Water aerobics:
CL1: 4 feet lang ang lalim ng pool.
CL2: Hanggang balikat ang tubig kaya puedeng mag skinny dip. Huwag lang tatalon para huwag makit ang mga windshield wipers (joke, tanungin ang mga nasa bus).
CL1: Pag tumalon kayo, ang mga boys magklaklang ang mga bells.
CL3: Pero walang tunog.
Water aerobics:
CL1: 4 feet lang ang lalim ng pool.
CL 2: Baka malunod si Alma FK.
After hearing a classmate's less than stellar karaoke performance:
CL: Siguro puede na rin akong kumanta.
Female CL barging in CR and finding male CLS (someone else' spouse)
on the throne: OMG!
CL: How many times have you said the name of the Lord in vain?
Same above female CL: OMG!
During tai chi lesson giving directions for left and right:
CL1: Bakit nasa kanan ang relo mo?
CL2 (instructor): Eh, kaliwete ako.
CL1: Kaya naman mali-mali ako, akala ko nasa kaliwa and relo mo.
During birthday party at classmate's house in Quezon City, admiring illuminated capiz parol:
CLS (still suffering from jetlag): Galing ba sa Pilipinas 'yan?
CL: Trick question ba 'yan? Eh, nasa Pilipinas tayo!
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February 11, 2016
by Elizabeth Arcellana Nuqui
It is our 55th year from high school graduation, and we are singing even more.
"I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places / That this heart of mine embraces, All day through.." ( Music - Sammy Fain; Lyrics - Irving Kahal)
There is much we hold in our hearts from high school, over the past five decades, or even just the last five years since our golden jubilee. We have many more memories to cherish now, after February 10-12 in Batangas and February 13 in Voltaire 's official residence.
After the sumptuous buffet in Oceano restaurant, it was announced that Delsie would lead an aerobics class in the infinity pool. Enteng, in his characteristic jovial mood, reiterated the warning oft repeated in emails, "NO skinny-dipping" (or was that actually a challenge?) and "NO jumping" lest unexpected sounds ensue. To this joke, the usually quiet Joy Vitug-R. retorted "Walang tutunog!"
So, off we went for calisthenics and dancercises by the pool and gazebo. Evelyn M. And Lou (who will always be Loliza to us) taught dance steps, chacha and samba, and while Chito stayed on dry land taking photos. (Look for Chito's folio.)
A hilarious surprise, dubbed UPHi'61 Bikini Babes, saw four classmates in bikini-painted costume dresses sashaying, parading a la Pia W and waving pabebe like yayadub. The costumes were gifts to Efrenina /Nina from sister-in-law Evelyn Lesaca all the way from Canada . (Check out Enteng's video on YouTube if you want to see how silly septuagenarians can get!) https://youtu.be/CPRJOGkboPc
After-lunch Fun was the autograph game "Kilala mo ba ito?", a reprise from our Golden, and crafted by the same funny Valedictorian. (He has written an account of this, complete with the squares.)
Also almost always together were LoveTeams Merle-Nelson (MerNel), Edgar -Sonya (EdSon), Enteng-Doris (EnDor), Chito-Merline (ChiLine), Paul -Aura (PAura), Joy-Lou (JoLou), and MabsMita (MabsMi). Even at 70, love endures!
In the afternoon, there was no rest for senior citizens. The overseas group secretly rehearsed their production number. At dusk, we congregated on the beach for group photos with our beautiful emerald green scarves/ties from Diana .
Yes, the same Diana who discovered the gold fabric - really gold, not yellow, not chrome - she had made for us in 2011.
Also, Diana designed a souvenir emerald green backpack.
At 5 pm, we convened in the Sala to open the Time Capsule/ wine bottle #1 from Nora QC via Marie in Las Vegas, which messages Egbert and Enteng read in turn. (Egbert has a narrative on these message bottles.)
We had a round of updating and sharing, mainly about our children and grandchildren, "apostolic work" and " apocina" being euphemisms for the child-caring and child-centered activities which fill our days, and sometimes nights, as Lolos and Lolas.
FOR ALL WE KNOW (Music- J.Fred Coots, Lyrics- Sam M. Lewis)
"For all we know , we may never meet again
Before you go, make this moment sweet again.
We won't say goodnight until the last minute
I'll hold out my hand and my heart will be in it.
For all we know, this may only be a dream.
We come and go like a ripple on a stream..."
Our special after-dinner treat was the performance of a medley of songs
(Thanks for the Memory, You Made Me Love You, Happy Trails, Cheek to Cheek, Love Story, Isn't it Romantic, Unchained Melody, Memories, Love Lifts Us Up, and When I Fall in Love) and dances by the North Americans led by Enteng, Aura-Paul , Merle-Nel, NinaJ, Bons Abon, Lou and Joy, Marie and Mario, Laz , Evelyn, with Canadians Chito-Merlie, Norwegian soon-to-be Brit Alma FK. The gals looked very elegant in black with green pashmina sablay, and the guys in white or green shirts with green ties.
For a video of the performance go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfSdxyDtZuU
The evening of Day 2 was capped with more community singing and a few solos of oldies but goodies like ourselves. Hand in hand, in a circle of love and acceptance, we sang Auld Lang Syne.=======================================================
GOODBYE TO SUN AND SEA AND INFINITY - WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF "METAPHOR"
February 12, 2016
by Nina Lansang Joaquin
After two days of revelry, it was time to say goodbye to sun and sea and our beautiful villa-like quarters and to infinity. The infinity pool which is the trademark of the Aquatico Resort welcomes you and bids you goodbye ...... it is what lingers in your mind long after you have left the place...... and it also seems to say, come back, come back.... this world is an endless and infinite place.....
The sunrise and sunset at Aquatico are sights to behold, and on our last day there, I was still able to wake and dress up early to take a last morning walk before sunrise.
It was a real treat for me to feel sea water and sand in my bare feet after dancing the night before. By 7 am we were all ready for another sumptuous breakfast. Later, we took last-minute photos of the sun and sea in the horizon before we finally zipped up our luggages and turned them over to the porters to load into our bus.
The bus seemed a bit emptier as some decided to take other means of transportation home, and we were all seated very comfortably. Right after taking off, Jack Punao, our stand-up comedian started his barrage of jokes. On the way to Laiya, he had introduced some new words to us, which became the lingo of the rest of our reunion until the retirement party of Volts. By now, on the way home, everybody had adopted the catch word METAPHOR, which one could aptly apply to almost any situation under the sun and sound appropriate and funny!! Ka-metaphor ko yan!! Nagmetaphor ba kayo? Actually, at this point , you could METAPHOR anything under the sun.....
Balay Dako, the latest project in Tagaytay of Tony Escalante, world- renowned chef of Antonio's, was the voted lunch stop place on the way home. The wonderful part about this was it was now going to be free for all of us because of savings in our Aquatico bill due to our senior citizen cards! And Diana was also able to get a private room with a view all to ourselves even if we did not come up with the number of persons required. The food was good as expected, and we had a view of Lake Taal and Volcano while dining and for photo purposes. What more could we ask for? Everybody came out of Balay Dako not only with full stomachs but also with bundles of take-home food and photos of one of the most beautiful spots in our country!
 
There were a few more stops on the way home: a fruit stand where we bought lanzones, and papayas and also at a store of original buko pie which Tagaytay is known for! We took home buko pies as pasalubong. And of course there was a pit stop! And Evelyn, true to form, did one of her OMIGOSH episodes again. This was the third time in three days that she would enter into forbidden country: three times entering a CR where someone else was either peeing or sitting on the throne, all because she always seemed to be either disoriented or too much in a hurry, twice with her curling iron on hand to perk up her everyday piquant hairdo!
When we hit the SLEX on the way home, we started worrying where each of us would get down and what would be the best route for the bus to take all the way to UP to avoid the city traffic. A group of us luckily were able to get off in the service road off the Bicutan exit and got home by 4 or 5 pm. The remaining riders took to singing again to while away the hours through C-5 traffic and finally got home at half past 9 pm, we were told.
Whatever time you got home, I am sure that night would have been full of sweet dreams and thoughts of those three days and two nights we shared, in a dreamlike place of sun and sea and infinity, and which in our so-called second childhood years, we would probably revisit and imagine to be some remote enchanted kingdom aptly named ........ METAPHOR?
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MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE (TWO BOTTLES ACTUALLY)
February 13, 2016
by Egbert Abiad
This evening’s dinner at the Camp Aguinaldo residence of classmate Voltaire Gazmin was the final activity of the 55th Anniversary Reunion of UP High Class ’61. Five years ago, it was the same - we held the final activity of the 50th Anniversary Reunion at this very same place. This time though, one felt a certain wistful feeling, a certain tender sadness looking around the place. You knew this would be the last time our class will hold a reunion here. Volts will be stepping down as Secretary of National Defense after the elections this year, after six years on the job.
I tried to list down the classmates, spouses, and friends in attendance, and this is the list I came up with (begging pardon from those I may have missed):
·
Nina
and Ronnie Lesaca
·
Volts
and Rhodie Gazmin
·
Jack
Punao
·
Enteng
and Doris Velasco
·
Salome
(Lim) and Atoy Torrijos
·
Nina
Lansang-Joaquin
·
Merle
(Flores) and Nelson Borrero
·
Lelalee
Pascual-Rabago
·
Alma Fabella-Karlsen
·
Cesar and Liberty Ortiz
·
Delsie
(Abrigo) and Tony Horak
·
Percival
and Perla Dalugdug
·
Chit
(de Jesus) and Al Magpily
·
Manny
Abon
·
Lou
(Quejas) and Joy Salazar
·
Edgardo
Martin
·
Edgar and Sonia Pajaro
·
Diana Advincula
·
Laz Lazaro
·
Aura and Paul Cajiuat
·
Dinky
and Milou Einsiedel
·
Pearl
(Kapunan) and Vic Ortega
·
Carmen Torre-Dimayuga
·
Chito and Merle Garcia
·
Evelyn Machan-Andamo
Egbert Abiad
·
Beth and Bong Nuqui
·
Araw Bernabe
·
Joy Vitug-Rivadelo
II
During the 50th final activity in this same place, on February 15, 2011, one of the things those present did was to write messages on a small sheet of paper about a wish they hope to see five years from then. They then rolled the paper, and put each inside an empty wine bottle.
I had forgotten all about this until Marie Tanwangco-Maglalang, formerly from California, now from Nevada, told me on the way to Acuatico last February 10, that Nora Quezada-Catiis gave her a wine bottle with messages inside. So during our sharing hour before dinner on February 11, we broke the bottle that Marie brought, and we read each of the rolled messages inside.
There were16 messages in the bottle. Almost all wished for the good health of everyone and to see each other again after five years. The more revealing fact about the messages was that ten of those who wrote messages were not around this time. They were:
Art Jorge Kaloi Rabuy Pete Sagge Nora Catiis Juliet Brillo
Ofie Aid Jess Aquino Trell Pacpaco Octavio Mamon Liza Sol Tapado
Liza Sol had written: “To be able to attend our 55th UPHS reunión, and see all my classmates who were present during our 50th reunion, especially my high school crush.”
Jess Aquino wrote: “I’d like to have another reunion like this while we are still strong.”
Ofie wrote: “Five years from now, I wish to still be alive and kicking.”
Juliet wrote: “I hope I am still alive and healthy to enjoy the company of all classmates.”
Nora wrote: “In five years, to be strong enough to be able to come back for another reunion; happiness and success; peace.”
There were also messages from Nina J, Enteng V, Lou Salazar, Aura, Marie, and one unsigned message all wishing good health, to still be alive and kicking, to be able to walk around without assistive devices (from Marie and Enteng).
III
After the reading of messages, some wondered why their message was not read, why there were so few, and why all were from North America. I remembered that my partner Nilda told me that there was an empty wine bottle with rolled paper on top of our kitchen cabinet. So I surmised that messages from classmates who live in North America were placed in one bottle, and messages from local residents were placed in another bottle - the one with me.
I brought the bottle with me to the closing activity of our 55th Reunion, and Rhodie Gazmin broke the bottle with one swing at a rock in their garden (the bottle was of course put inside a cloth bag to prevent flying splinters).
There were 28 messages in the bottle, two of them unsigned. There were messages from the following who were at the 50th reunion, but not this time:
Simon Raborar Jess Nepo Ed and Reggie Cailao Cora and Ana Almazan Milburga de Veyra
There were messages from those who were at Acuatico, but missed this final activity:
Titong and Queenie Enriquez Atoy Cunanan Sheila Obedoza Mabs and Mita Juan
As in the North American bottle, most wished for good health, that we still be alive five years hence, and that we have another reunion. Some of the non-health messages follow:
Ana (daughter of Cora Almazan): “Here’s to seeing more smiles, happy faces, and interesting insights from everyone! Hopefully, I will join Mom in future reunions.”
Jess Nepo: “I wish everyone realize their fullest potential.”
Araw Bernabe: “I wish Bons will grow hair five years from now.”
Egbert Abiad: “Five years from now, in the 2016 reunion, I look forward to:
1. Dancing a waltz with Portia again; 2. Nina Lesaca being the lead organizer again.”
The following is health-related, but was rather special, and incidentally was the last message read:
Dinky Einsiedel: “Five years from now, I wish to see all my classmates in good health, happy, and fulfilled. I also wish my wife will have fully recovered from her ailment and in the pink of health.” Well, wish fulfilled. Milou was present, looking very pretty, and in the pink of health!
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Hope to see all of you at the next grand reunion in 2019. Southern California classmates are hosting. Evelyn can accommodate 30 people in her home but a word of caution: her bathrooms have no locks!
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Memories/highlights of the 55th
reunion
Just as
we agreed by email months before, the North American classmates brought dried
fruits and nuts for snacks on the bus. In turn the locals brought in nilagang
saging na saba, mani at kamote.
Jack Punao, long-time
barkada of Ronnie from UP High ‘60, and annual house guest of the Lesacas,
was a livewire. Fully assimilated into Class ‘61, he kept everybody in
stitches on the bus (both going and returning) with the way he delivered both
old and new jokes. It was him who made ‘metaphor†a running joke for days. I worried at times that he
might be distracting the driver!
The reunion days came at a
busy time for Volts at the office so he filed official leave for the reunion
days. But of course the DND secretary is always just a phone call away from the
President of the Philippines and he had to field many calls anyway. Still and
all, Volts and Rhodie hardly missed a beat at Acuatico (as evidenced by the
pictures). He invited his musician friend Nonong and the lively music set the
mood for 2 nights. A Sinatra sound-alike, Volts sang the lonesome, Malayo ang Tingin.
Bong
I am thankful that Delsie volunteered to lead the Aquafit
exercises. It made us loosen up, physically and socially, and made way for a
very enjoyable "Bikini Contest/Parade”.
Lou
We utterly enjoyed Volts singing! Walang laban si Anthony Castelo!
So proud he's our Kaibigan!
And Araw, my classmate in UP Elem... Wow crooner na pala siya
ngayon ! Ang tangkad pa!
Mas guapo pa si Augusto ngayon!
Marami talagang na miss yung mga hindi nag attend.
Again, thanks Volts and Rhodie for hosting the wonderful dinner
dance party complete with Lechon and "dirty ice cream"(uhm good!). In
fact, thanks for a lot, lot more. Tntc(too numerous to count).
Merle
