First your bloody head
Then a pause, and suddenly
Your waxy body!

Your cry fills the air
We wait as the nurse checks you
You’re fine, she says. Yes!

We fret and worry
Are you getting enough milk?
How to know for sure?

Your mother’s milk comes
You vigorously suckle
We smile with relief.

At five each morning
Your mother comes to bring you
Though sleepy I smile.

No greater joy than
Holding you in my arms and
Singing you to sleep.

I stare at your face
Hear your noises, see your smiles
My heart comes undone.

Neither crib nor swing
Nor slider nor rocker works
Only loving arms.

My daughter, your mom
Lacking sleep, enduring cramps
All for love of you.

Mother to daughter
To son in one glorious line
Of unaltered love.

Babies are God’s gifts
They bring out the best in us
We give them our all.

Long after we’re gone
Will you still remember and
Feel the greatest love?

Joaquin Agustin
Cabugao Espiritu
We thank God for you!

We pray that you had a wonderful and meaningful Christmas, and that 2010, the start of a new decade, will usher in 10 years of peace and prosperity for your family and all families throughout the world.

Manny and I had a really special Christmas. Apart from two surprise gifts - an HP laptop from a very good friend from my IRRI days, Terri Kullberg, who was our house guest last year and early this year in Manila; and Wii Fit Plus from Anna and James - we had Joaquin, born scarcely two months before Christmas. Yesterday morning, I woke up to his crying and took him from Anna's and James's bedroom so they could sleep in peace. After I had prayed the rosary aloud to him, and sang him religious songs to put him to sleep, a precious insight came to me. As I watched his face in awe and love, I saw the other baby in the manger. And the answer to a question that I had struggled with all my life - how to see Jesus in my neighbor - came to me. Think of each person as a baby! For it is so easy to see Jesus in a baby.

So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we kneel in prayer in thanksgiving for all the blessings He showered on us the past year, especially Joaquin and the gift of family and friends.

On behalf of our family in Manila, Jog and Joey, and Tif;





and our family here in Silver Spring, Anna, James and Joaquin,



Manny and I wish you and your family love and joy this Christmas, and good health, peace and prosperity in 2010.

I can't believe it's been a month since I last wrote in my blog. Time just flew with the holidays and the trip to Manila. And what a wonderful trip it was!

Joaquin traveled well and cried only when he was hungry. But he was hungry a lot feeding 7 times during the 12 hour flight from Detroit to Nagoya. When we got to Manila, Jog and Tif were there to welcome us. And when we reached home, James's whole family (Nick, Tere, Jamie and Nikko) was there to surprise him. As I requested, my cook, Marissa, prepared dinuguan and it was so yummy even at 2AM.

The rest of the trip was a feast for the body with a massage, foot scrub and ballroom dancing twice with good friends Portia and Florie at Celebrity;

and lunches with batchmates from UST high school at North Park, Makati,

good friends from college and ADB (Linda, Tess, Myrna, Susan and Imelda) at Cyma and then at home,

and former colleagues from Philamlife at the lovely new house of Maricar Cabading in the Fort;

plus our favorite steaks at Tagaytay Highlands (thanks to Anna's friend, Detdet Aventejado)and a delicious home-cooked dinner at the vacation home of Anna's friend, Cheny, in Padre Garcia, Batangas with her parents.


And of course there were bienvenidas with the Bautistas at the magazine-pretty home of my younger sister, Gigi Rapadas, in Magallanes Village,


with the Cabugaos at our home in Rome, LGV,


and the Espiritus at San Jacinto in Libis;

and so soon after, the despedida parties with the Bautistas at the beautiful home of my eldest brother, Pet, in Bel-Air:


and with the Cabugaos and Espiritus at home;


and in between, the fun birthday party of a good neighbor, Cora Magsaysay, at the lush garden of her home in LGV.

But it wasn't all just fun and feasting. By God's grace, there was food for the soul too with a doctrine class by my Opus Dei circle leader; confession and spiritual direction with Fr. Jim Achacoso, my spiritual director, who also got to meet the whole family for the first time when we had lunch at Angel's Kitchen in Greenhills;

and social work at the Tahanan ni Maria in Carmona. As stated in their website (tahanannimaria.org), "The home is a non-profit charitable organization whose vision and mission is to be of service to the elderly, committed to provide the basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and health care. Such commitment led to the registration of the foundation in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 30, 1996 by the late Fr. Norberto Macalintal, SVD, a missionary priest assisted by Sis. Betty Lopez de Leon, a cursillista/layman as co-founder. Back from Togo, Africa, Fr. Bitoy, as he is fondly called, started in San Pedro, Laguna helping the elderly. In a rented house, 6 abandoned elderly with no place to go were welcomed to stay and live. With six elderly lolas in 1993, it increased to 14 in just a year. For thirteen years, the Home has been ministering to the poor, abandoned elderly accepting referrals from private individuals in cooperation with NGOs and government agencies like DSWD in the different provinces of Region IV."

Today, TNM which is still run by Sis. Betty with the help of volunteers and relying solely on donations (see their website if you'd like to help) takes care of about 60 abandoned elderly. I went to Tahanan with Fr. Efren de Guzman, SVD, who is now the chaplain, and also my best friend from college, Myrna Paras. While we were there, Fr. Efren celebrated a most beautiful mass which revealed to me Christ's presence not just in the Eucharist but also in each person at the mass. During Holy Communion, Fr. Efren asked Myrna and me to distribute Communion to the wheelchair- bound elderly. It was my first time to give Communion and I never felt so unworthy of a task. But when God calls who are we to say no? Undoubtedly, my experience at Tahanan showed me how to love the least of God's children.


So we're now back in Hickory Hill, Silver Spring. Again the trip home was fine except it was just really long - 27 hours door-to-door! But when we got to DC airport, Manny's good friend, Larry, and James's good friend, Cliff, were there to welcome us back and bring us safely home. (Thanks a lot Larry and Cliff!) Oh yes, when we landed in Manila, we saw Sam Milby at the baggage carousel. And when we landed in DC, we saw Eric Holder at the carousel. Does it tell you something about the difference between Manila and DC? (Joke!)

Before leaving Manila where we were absolutely pampered hand and foot, my prayer was for me to be as happy when I am back in Silver Spring as when I left it for Manila. Thank God for answering my prayer. We are all back to our usual routines - taking care of the house and taking care of Joaquin, and thanking God for it!

On behalf of my whole family - Manny, Jog, Tif, Anna, James, Joey and Joaquin, I thank the Bautistas, the Cabugaos, the Espiritus and all our friends for your love and your hospitality. We all had a wonderful time in Manila. We will miss you all but we know that we are all united in God's love and care, and we are just an email away. And though Hickory Hill is our home away from home, Rome will always be our home.

Yes, that was one heck of a snowstorm that we got over the week-end. As predicted, snow started to fall before noon of Friday, became fast and furious in the afternoon, and lasted until Saturday afternoon. After 30 hours of snowfall, we had two feet on the ground and it was enough to land third in the record books kept since the late 19th century. Thank God we didn't lose power. So for four days now, we have done nothing but cook, bake, eat, watch movies, play with Joaquin and sleep.

On Friday, work was already called off so I made champorado for breakfast (from a package mix which was really good it tasted like it was made from scratch but unfortunately no "tuyo" or "dilis" to go with it since the smell would have been unbearable), arroz caldo for lunch made with sticky California rice (yummy!), and adobo for dinner. Saturday morning was French toast for breakfast, sinigang na salmon head and left-over adobo for lunch, and a delicious coq tagine which I made for the first time for dinner. It's a Mediterrenean recipe with chicken breasts cooked in olive oil, with red pepper, tomatoes, and olives; and spiced with paprika, cummin, and cinnamon. It was so flavorful!

Sunday was egg salad sandwich for breakfast, leftover tagine and adobo for lunch, and beef stew for dinner. I originally planned to make nilagang baka but itched to try something new. So I got a beef stew recipe from allrecipes.com and it was different in that the beef cubes were first dredged in flour and ground pepper and then well-browned before boiling in beef broth with potatoes, carrots and celery. It was very good too. Manny loved it so much he had several servings. Today is still another no work day. We had another comfort food for lunch - arroz ala cubana - and salmon baked in olive oil, basil and parsley for dinner. In many of my previous blogs, I had written about what I ate. It now feels great to be able to write about what I have cooked. :-)

Apart from the cooking, we also did some baking. I baked chocolate chip muffins on Friday morning, and Anna found her baking skills again and made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting on Saturday morning. Both were very good. We also watched movies: Chocolat which I had not seen before and which I liked for its textured performances, and Da Vinci Code which James had not seen before. And of course, last night was the Super Bowl and it was my first time to watch football. With coaching from Anna, I was able to follow it and was so happy when the Saints won. And I loved Drew Brees and the picture of him with tears in his eyes while carrying his baby boy is priceless. And of course, entertainment was also provided by Joaquin whose smiles never fail to send me over the moon. I'm sure you'll agree when you see this 3 second video.



So we have been weathering the storm well and haven't experienced cabin fever yet. But another snowstorm is coming tomorrow night and will last until Wednesday morning, and the prediction is 10 to 15 more inches of snow. If we do get that much more snow, this winter will be the most snowy winter since the 1870's! In fact, the federal government has called off work again tomorrow so all of us will be home. Here are some pictures taken by our neighbor around Middlebridge, Anna's and James's village, with funny captions too; followed by James's time-lapse video of the snow accumulation on the ledge of the deck behind the house.





Since we were snowbound, we weren't able to go to church last Sunday. Early in the morning, I checked the Archdiocese of Washington website for news about masses. They had an announcement that Catholics were exempted from Sunday obligation because of icy, treacherous roads but were encouraged to watch the 10:30 AM mass on TV. So that's what we did. We gathered around the breakfast nook table in front of the TV and heard mass which had been recorded last Thursday at the Crypt Chapel of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It was a beautiful mass and there was a sense of intimacy too because there were just the four of us with Joaquin sleeping in his stroller and we were so close to the TV.

The Gospel was about the crowd pressing on Jesus eager to hear Him. So He repaired to one of two boats which were on the shore and asked Simon to row the boat back to the water from where he preached. After preaching, he asked Simon to go out into the deep and cast their nets again. Simon remonstrated and told Jesus that they had been fishing the whole night and caught nothing. But at Jesus's request, he went into the deep and caught so much fish that their nets almost broke. Then Jesus told him that from then on, he would be catching men. And the reflection that immediately came to me was that without Jesus, we can do nothing; but with Him we can do everything.

Then the priest gave his homily and it was very powerful. First he said the obvious -that the boat is the church, Peter is the head of the church, and the fish is all the people. Then he said something new (at least to me). He asked, "What about the nets? What are the nets?" He said, "The nets are the sacraments!" Indeed, to reach the church, we need the sacraments. And it occurred to me that all the great religions have their "good book" - the Bible, the Qur'an, the Torah. But only the Catholics have the sacraments. The "good book" is like a map. It shows you how to get to your destination but you have to know how to read it and interpret it correctly. But the sacraments are like a GPS! If you are not going in the right direction, the priest who is divinely inspired at confession can tell you you're off course and get you back on course. During mass when we receive the body and blood of Christ, we take part in His divinity and receive infinite grace to help us cope with the struggles and temptations of life. Just as every other sacrament gives grace. Thank God I'm a Catholic! Would that all Catholics know their faith, appreciate it, and spread it. I'd like to end with this bumper sticker which has stuck in my mind for over 12 years now. "Heaven. Don't miss it for the world!"

They were both the best of times.

The Saturday before both birthdays, I had a party.

Last year, my granddaughter, Joey, and I had a grand party with over 100 guests.





This year, it was a simple party with less than 20 guests, most of whom were Anna's and James's.





Before last year's party, I spent hours in the salon for my hair and make-up.





This year, I was in the kitchen up to the hour before the party, preparing 4 dishes and 3 desserts.





Last year, we had a band and dancing.





This year, we had Pacquiao and singing.





On my birthday last year, Manny, Jog, Tif and I were in Boracay where we were waited hand and and foot by the Discovery Shores staff, strolled on the beach at sunset, and had a delicious buffet dinner at their coffee shop.







This year, I was pampered by Manny with breakfast and lunch, and then we had a stroll around the village for the first time with Joaquin in his stroller, and a wonderful dinner with Anna, James and Joaquin in a Korean restaurant.








Last year, Joaquin was just a fetus in his mother's womb. This time, he was a 4-1/2 month old bundle of joy and laughter!





Both years, I received many greetings by phone, email, e-card, skype and facebook for which I am very grateful. And even if I was 10,000 miles away from home this year, the love reached me undiminished.

So though the celebrations were very different, they were both very happy. And my prayer on both occasions was the same: Thank you Lord for the gift of life and love!

This morning, Manny asked me to look for an email I wrote years ago about looking forward to spring after a long, hard winter. In the process, I saw an email which I wrote on Palm Sunday 7 years ago. Today being Palm Sunday, I thought it fitting to reproduce the email below which you might find informative and insightful.

April 13, 2003

Living Lent

Hi,

Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. It’s ironic that Manny and I are having our most meaningful Lent yet, here in America , home of Wall Street (=greed) and Hollywood (=artifice). Here, Lent is not just Ash Wednesday, meatless Fridays, and Holy Week. It’s really 6 weeks of preparation for the Paschal Mystery. And we’ve had totally new experiences that I’d like to share with you.

Parish Mission– this ran over 4 consecutive evenings from March 30, Sunday to April 2, Wednesday, from 7:30 to 9:00. It was like a mini-retreat and the theme was on the Healing Sacraments – Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist. The preacher was a Dominican, who is a very good friend of our parish priest and he had a running commentary on their exploits as seminarians and agonizing over whether to be a religious or a diocesan priest. Anyway, he preached very well, and talked about the special graces given by the three sacraments. In Reconciliation, apart from forgiveness of sins, the sacramental grace that fortifies us against a relapse to sin, a spiritual medicine that not only heals but also strengthens. In Anointing of the Sick, the grace to strengthen our relationship with God. And he defined the Eucharist as a Sacred Banquet where we partake of the Lord to celebrate His Paschal Mystery, share in His graces, and look forward to the fulfillment of the promise of the eternal glory that is to come. He referred to the Eucharist as a “spiritual tease” – each reception of the Eucharist instills in us a greater longing to receive it again and again. And even then, this pales in comparison with what we will receive in heaven.

Just as an aside. When we were attending the parish mission, I had to go to the office early so I could leave early and catch the evening schedule. So Manny and I heard mass either at noon, or in the evening if the mission schedule had a mass. But on the last day, Wednesday, Manny heard mass twice – in the morning at St. Michael’s where we usually hear mass before I go to work, and again in the evening since he said the intentions are different. So the Thursday after parish mission ended, we went back to St. Michael’s for mass. As we came in, there was an old lady in black wearing a black veil. She had just lit a votive candle, and when she saw us, she approached us and came up to me. Then she asked, “Where were you yesterday? I saw your husband and you weren’t with him. I was afraid you might be sick so I prayed for you.” Then she turned to Manny, and said, “You are a very pious man. I wanted to approach you yesterday to ask about your wife.” Then she addressed us both and said, “Please pray for my sons. They’re both in the Navy. Tony is in California, and Jorge is in Ohio.” Manny and I were so overwhelmed by her kindness. And I thought this is really Communion of Saints at work. Imagine praying for us complete strangers, and to think we never noticed her before. And strangely enough, we haven’t seen her again, though I have tried to watch out for her.

The other wonderful experience we had was the Seder Meal which was held last Wednesday. It’s a commemoration of the Passover meal of the Jews before they left Egypt. The meal consists of the following:

Unleavened bread (Matzoh) called “bread of affliction” because it recalls the unleavened bread prepared for the hasty flight by night from Egypt; in our case, these were square crackers measuring about 8 inches on each side.
Bitter herbs (Moror) is a reminder of the bitterness of slavery and suffering in Egypt; and for this we had horseradish.

Green herbs to be dipped in salt water. Salt water represents tears of sorrow shed during the captivity of the Lord’s people; we had celery.

Haroseth (or ‘haroses’) represents the mortar used by Jews in building palaces and pyramids of Egypt during their slavery. (It is a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine.) This was very good.

Wine is dipped from a common bowl. The ‘Four Cups,’ Thanksgiving, Hagadah (‘telling’), Blessing, and Melchisedek (‘righteousness’), are “four different words for redemption, spoken by God to Moses.

During the meal, the portion on the flight from Egypt was read from Exodus, and after each cup of wine, we recited verses from Scripture. After this ceremony, we had a real meal which was one of the best I’ve had in the US. It consisted of baked chicken in cream sauce, roast lamb with a delicious gravy, green salad with a great Italian dressing, yummy baked potatoes, and sweet orange slices. I asked my American friend, Peg, how they managed it with $3 contribution from each one, and she said that was just a token amount. Our pastor didn’t want to charge anything but thought that a nominal amount would increase the commitment of those who signed up to go. (It can only happen in wealthy America.)

After dinner, we had the mass where our parish priest made two points in his homily: (i) for the Passover meal which is commemorated by the Jews every year, the Scripture says that they do so as if they were also right there when it happened, that they bring it to life each time they commemorate it; which is also what is being asked of us during the Eucharist when we are asked to believe that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine; and (ii) the connection between the Passover meal and the Eucharist – the lamb offered as a sacrifice in the Passover that saved the lives of the Jews; and Christ as the Paschal Lamb in the Eucharist to save us from our sins. The whole ceremony, which lasted more than 3 hours, was such an edifying and gratifying experience.

Just as an aside. During the mass, I almost fainted. It was right before Consecration when I felt so dizzy I sat down. Fortunately, I didn’t pass out. I told Manny I felt faint. Peg immediately asked her husband Tim to get water, and her daughter, Maggie, to bring grapefruit juice. Someone brought a wet rag and wiped my forehead, nape and wrists with it. By the time Communion came, I felt strong enough to stand in line and receive it. I think it was the 4 cups of wine (actually 5 because Tim refilled our cups). The wine probably went to my head. But everyone was so kind and helpful. Complete strangers asked me later if I felt better.

Last week, I said that here in the US, God speaks to me through His wondrous works. I failed to add that He speaks to me through strangers too. So it is not only true that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do to Christ. Whoever does it to us is also Christ.

May you receive God’s abundant graces this Holy Week.

Love and prayers,
Aggie

And just to make this post current, here's Joaquin's Palm Sunday pic.

It's been over three months since I last wrote in my blog. And the last one was just a posting of an old email. Where did the time go?

April was fairly quiet with not much work for the IFC, and was spent mostly on the day-to-day chores of cooking, laundry and taking care of Joaquin. The highlight was the visit of Emie Wood, Anna's best friend in high school, who took a vacation from her Hyatt job in Dubai. Thanks to her employee privilege, we were able to get good rates at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC where we spent two nights and took day trips to the Pentagon Memorial and Chinatown. On our last day at the Grand Hyatt, we brought Manny to the airport for a 7 week break in Manila to have a medical check-up, help in the campaign of his high school mate who successfully ran for mayor of Marikina, and spend time with our sons, Jog and Tif, our granddaughter, Joey, and his friends from high school and Far East Bank. Here are some pictures of our Hyatt getaway.



May brought a welcome, challenging surprise. On May 6, I got a call from the World Bank Compensation Management manager, a Filipina who joined the World Bank only in January, to ask if I could work on a very critical, highly technical, extremely time-bound project. I readily said yes though I wondered how I would manage with Manny away in Manila. Thankfully, James's younger brother, Nikko, has a US visa and was on vacation from his college studies at UST. So the next day we got him a ticket, and on May 10, he arrived in DC. And it wasn't a day too soon since I had my project kick-off meeting with the Bank on that day. In fact, we had to bring Joaquin to work - in the morning with Anna, and in the afternoon with James who took Joaquin to the airport to pick up Nikko. Thank God for Nikko, a natural cook who whipped up gourmet meals for us. I didn't even have to tell him what to prepare since he knew better than me. And since he's a member of UST's shot put varsity team, he had all the strength and patience to also take care of his godson.

The Bank project was all it was touted to be. I spent many days working 14 hours to get the job done. It was like I was taking the actuarial exams again with nothing on my mind except the work at hand. My efforts paid off since the Bank was so pleased that they offered me a full-time job. I said thanks but I preferred to work part-time and from home. (I do love working but not going to work.) They agreed and so I signed up for a one year consulting contract from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 for a maximum of 150 days. It is the ideal arrangement for me since it is part-time work mostly from home. So now I work in the morning, take a nap after lunch, and cook and bake in the afternoon. I go to the Bank only for the rare face-to-face meetings since most of our meetings are audio conferences with all the participants dialling in. And of course, I still get to spend time with Joaquin and Manny.

With the completion of my project at the end of May and as a treat to Nikko and me, we spent the Memorial Day week-end at the National Harbor, a new development about an hour away from us. We stayed at Aloft, a boutique hotel which is part of the W chain. We were very pleased with it too and thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed, 'everyone is here for a good time' vibes at the National Harbor. We also got to meet up with my good friends from Philamlife, Aber and Mepe Hidalgo from Connecticut and their 2 children, who were visiting Aber's brother in Virginia. As James excellently summed it up, the National Harbor is an entirely different world and just a short drive away. Here are pictures of that trip.



June brought Manny back home with us. He arrived on June 9 and Nikko went home to Manila on the 12th. It was wonderful to have Manny back and in good spirits after a thorough medical check-up in Manila where his nephrologist told him he was in great health. With a one year contract with the Bank, we decided to buy a second car so that Manny and I can drive around during weekdays (hear daily mass, YES!) and bring Joaquin to reading sessions at Barnes and Noble. We decided to buy a 7-seater and after doing product research and test drives, we bought a Chevy Traverse despite our initial reluctance to get an American car. But after the Toyota scare, what's an Asian to do lah? So on Father's Day, daddies Manny and James had a new car and we celebrated at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse where I had the best steak ever. And of course, I have pictures.



Last week-end was a celebration-filled week-end. July 2 was Joaquin's eighth month birthday, July 3 was Anna's and James's 6th wedding anniversary, and July 4 was Joaquin's first 4th of July. So we went on a road trip to Charlottesville, VA, and took a detour to the awesome Luray Caverns, checked in at the Doubletree Hotel (which holds happy memories for me since it was at Doubletree in DC where I spent 3 months in 1997 with Anna while I was seconded to the World Bank from ADB, and had my daily fix of their famous chocolate chip cookie), and attended an outdoor concert at the Charlottesville Pavilion. On July 3, we drove to Michie Tavern, an 18th century diner, for a Southern buffet of fried chicken, roast chicken, and pork barbecue with a variety of sides and the servers in period attire; toured Monticello, the estate of Thomas Jefferson, which he designed and built for 40 years (he had invented several contraptions such as a clock which tells only the hour, a lazy susan which held 5 books that he read around the same time, a dumbwaiter to bring up the wine from the cellar, etc.); had a wine tasting session at the Jefferson vineyards (not bad for $5 for 9 kinds of wine with a souvenir glass); and capped the day with a delicious teppanyaki dinner. On our last day, we heard mass at St. Thomas Aquinas chapel which is in the beautiful University of Virginia campus, and toured the Rotunda at UVa. Then we drove 2 hours to the National Harbor for the fireworks. It was a pleasurable trip as may be gleaned from the pictures.



Yesterday, Joaquin attended his first birthday party at our neighbor's house. Their baby, Naomi, turned 1 and his parents - the Dad is an American and the Mom is a Filipina (the daughter of Gen. Aglipay who used to be PNP chief who was also visiting with his wife - both very nice) gave a party. The guests were mixed - Asians and Americans - and the kids ranged in age from 8 months (Joaquin) to about 2. The highlight of the party for us was Joaquin's close encounter with a French kiss. Yes, I kid you not. One Dad brought his baby girl, Veronica, to play with Joaquin. Veronica just turned a year old the day before. As soon as she saw Joaquin, she touched his face, and Joaquin touched hers back. After a while, they both sucked on their pacifiers. Then Veronica removed her pacifier and gave it to Joaquin. So Joaquin took it and held it. Then she removed Joaquin's pacifier to bring it to her mouth. What did Joaquin do? He cried! So we hurriedly took back his pacifier from Veronica and put it in his mouth. Whew! Almost an exchange of bodily fluids among babies.:-) Here are the pictures.



So what about the baby with the big smile? If you have met Joaquin, you know that he smiles readily and at everyone. Yesterday as the guests were leaving the party, an American elderly lady purposely went to our table and said, "I have to say goodbye to the baby with the big smile." And she looked at Joaquin, and true enough, Joaquin gave her a big smile. And the lady said "See?" So is it any wonder that Manny and I have given up our comfortable home and lifestyle in Manila to take care of the baby with the big smile? And what a joy that is!

Have a blessed week!

Last week-end, my BFF in DC, Amy Terry, whom I met in a Metro train in 2003 and who turned out to be two batches earlier than me in UST High School and worked close to my World Bank office back then so we used to have lunch together, went to NY. We took the Tripper bus from Bethesda at 6PM and arrived near Madison Square Garden past 10PM. The bus was very comfortable and we were just chatting and laughing all the way. We took the cab to her niece's apartment in Lower East Manhattan. Eileen is a graduating student at the Dental School of NYU. She has a 2 bedroom apartment and she's renting out the 2nd bedroom. She was kind enough to give us her bedroom and sleep in the living room sofa bed. We went to a diner for a very late dinner and Amy and I shared a Greek salad and a sampler of chicken wings, mozarella sticks, and feta cheese. (Amy was still craving Mediterranean food after arriving from a Mediterranean cruise the previous week-end.)

We slept around 2AM, woke up at 9, had a hurried breakfast so we could wait in line at the Broadway ticket station for half-price off tickets. We wanted to watch Wicked or Lion King, but both shows were not available at half-price. While in the queue, we happened to chat with a lady who's also from DC and she highly recommended Promises, Promises because of Sean Hayes and the Bacharach-David music. So that's what we bought. Since the show was going to start at 2, we walked around, went to Rockefeller Plaza and tried the Red Mango at the MSNBC Cafe. Red Mango is my favorite frozen yoghurt in Manila but it has no branches in DC. So I was eager to try Red Mango in NY. It was as good. After walking around some more, we saw Bombay Palace which has a branch in DC and they had a $15.95 lunch buffet. After checking out the spread, Amy and I decided to have our lunch there. We enjoyed the tandoori and the lamb and the salads, but especially loved the desserts - carrot halwa and a vermicelli dessert. I loved them so much I researched the web and yesterday tried the carrot halwa. Yummy! I've looked up the vermicelli dessert but it requires Indian vermicelli and not the usual Chinese vermicelli. So I'll have to find Indian vermicelli first.

At 2, we were at the Broadway theater for the show. It was my first time to go to this theater and was surprised to see that it was new, plush, and big. The theaters where I had watched Broadway shows before were old and small. We enjoyed the show. Sean Hayes credibly played straight and sang well enough, and still managed to be funny. His co-star, Kristin Chenoweth, had the difficult song - A House is Not a Home - and had the voice for it. But the scene-stealer was Katie Finnera, who played a man-hungry barfly. She kept us all in stitches for the 10 minutes she was on stage. After the show, we went to the Museum of Modern Art just to look around but didn't have time to do a tour of the museum. Then the vigil mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a beautiful mass but surprisingly, the lector was the reader was the cantor. There was just the organist and no choir. It's a bit sad that there weren't enough volunteers considering that this is St. Patrick's Cathedral. After mass we took a cab back to the apartment to get ready for our dinner. Eileen and her boyfriend were taking us to Japanois, a Japanese fusion restaurant, a belated birthday treat for Amy by her sister, Eileen's Mom. The place was nice but the food was too much of fusion, we missed the authentic Japanese taste. After dinner, we went to Veniero's, an Italian pasticceria where my sweet tooth would have gone wild. But I tamed it and settled for a marzipan cake which was excellent.

The following morning, we had a leisurely breakfast, then walked to the Empire State Building where I had not been before. I thought it was just going to be a quick hop to the elevator, and up to the 86th floor. NOT! We were in queue to buy the $20 ticket, in queue to board the elevator to go up to the 80th floor, a forced stop because of the gift shop, and in queue again for the elevator to go up to the 86th floor. Over an hour in queue. But the view was magnificent. It was a sunny day so visibility was 25 miles and we got to see Brooklyn, Queen's, the Statue of Liberty, etc.

From the ESB, we took the cab to Chinatown, where I had not been before. As they say, once you've seen one Chinatown, you've seen them all. Eileen took us to Ping's on Mott Street for dimsum. It was already past 2PM but there was still a crowd and we had to wait. It was agonizing because we were so hungry and the servers kept going past us with the dimsum baskets. But the wait was so worth it. We had siomai, hakaw, machang, hofan, shrimp balls, chicken feet (for Amy and Eileen), etc. Then we shopped for taho, hopia, siopao and tea. It was drizzling a bit and we didn't have umbrellas. But even if we did, we might not have been able to carry them because our hands were full. For the first time, right when we needed it most, we couldn't find a cab in Chinatown. So we took the subway. I don't like NY subways all that much. The stations are dark and look dirty. But anyway, we got home in time to pack our stuff so we could be at Macy's for our 5:30PM Tripper bus. As on our trip in, Amy and I just kept chatting and laughing. When we got to DC, we were surprised to see trees lying on the streets. That's when we realized that the DC area had been hit by a nasty thunderstorm in the afternoon. The 45 minute storm felled streets, took out power lines, and claimed four lives (a 6 year old boy hit by a flying branch, a 43 year old Mom whose Minivan was crushed by a tree, and two men who were hit by lightning). Fortunately, my family was at home during the storm and our area lost power for only 2 minutes. But poor Amy who lives near Chevy Chase. They lost power for three days so they checked into a hotel on the third night.

Before my trip with Amy, I prayed that we would have a great time and that we would travel well together. You don't really get to know people until you've traveled with them. I told Amy about my prayer on the way to NY. So on the way back, she asked me if my prayer was answered. I immediately said YES! My BFF was now my VBFF (very best friend forever)! And Eileen was the perfect host too. (Thanks so much Eileen!) After living in Manhattan for three years, she knew all the must-see and must-eat places. A second trip before she graduates next year is definitely in the stars.

Here are some photos from my camera.



But the best part of the trip was coming home and going up to the nursery to see Anna and Joaquin reading a book. As soon as Joaquin saw me, his face lit up like a Christmas tree; he gave me a big smile and held out his hand to be carried. It took me awhile to get him from his Mom because I had to pick up my heart from the floor where it had melted.

Joaquin turned one last Nov 2. The day before, James' Mom, Tere, arrived from Manila via New York to take over the babysitting and cooking chores while Manny and I will be in Manila. We started Joaquin's day by hearing the 7:30am mass at St. John the Evangelist where Anna and James got married, and where Joaquin was baptized. Then we bought breakfast at McDonalds drive-thru since Anna and James were going to work. In the evening, we had dinner at Outback where the staff gave him a small ice cream cake and sang Happy Birthday. We then rushed home to watch the 200th episode of Dancing with the Stars and the results show. We also watched the election results and this bleeding heart liberal's spirit sank with each Democrat congressional seat lost.



The real celebration was held yesterday at the same place where we had Joaquin's baby shower - the club room of the Wentworth Apartment in Bethesda where Anna's good friend lives. (Thanks Stephanie!) It was one great party! First, I'd like to share the invite which James designed and has the smiley theme for the smiling baby.



The night before the party, Joaquin had a dress rehearsal (check out Joaquin's swagger), while I baked the egg pie and corn pudding, and Anna, James and Tere prepared the party give-aways which contained smiley items - diary, pencils, bendable figure, mints, chocolates and stickers.




Like for the baby shower last year, we had two tarps - a welcome tarp at the foyer and a backdrop above the buffet table. Last year, the backdrop had all the names of the guests. This time, it had 18 smiling faces of Joaquin. Don't you think James outdid himself with this beautiful collage of Joaquin's smiling pictures? (This time it was James' Mom who had the tarps made in Manila and brought them here.)




Similar to last year, we had mostly Filipino food of palabok, lumpiang shanghai, pork barbecue, and beef spareribs. We ordered chicken wings from our favorite Chinese restaurant and empanadas from our regular supplier, and bought honey-glazed ham which went well with my corn pudding. For those who might not fancy Filipino food, we also had party platters of turkey and cheese wraps and ham croissants. Dessert consisted of fruit bowl, home-baked egg pie, and Joaquin's portrait cake.





The guests started to arrive at 3PM and the party was in full swing at 4PM. The guests were mostly Anna's and James' colleagues at work and friends. My boss at the World Bank, Marivic, and my 3 good friends (Amy, Alma and Nannette) also came. Plus a surprise guest from Manila - the husband of one of my best friends and fellow ballroom dancing enthusiast - who came to DC to visit his son. (Thanks Pepot for coming! It was great to see you again.)




After enjoying the food, Joaquin...er his Mom...blew the candle on his cake.






Then we had the games. The first game was "How well do you know Joaquin?" with questions answerable by true or false. Sample questions: Joaquin was born on a Sunday (false - a Monday), Joaquin was breastfed for 3 months (false - 10 months), Joaquin has two teeth (false - four), Joaquin's second name is Agustin (true), etc. There were two winners - James' collaegue and Anna's collegue, and I kidded them that I now knew what they talked about at work. The second game was "Make Joaquin smile." This should have been a walk in the park but Joaquin had just awakened from his nap and was still starting to hit his stride. But two women succeeded. The third game was "Lift Joaquin above your head." Amazingly, Anna's Filipina girlfriend won this game with 44 lifts! She beat three men. I guess she has good practice with her 2 year old son who takes after his 6'2" American Dad. The last and most difficult game was "Arrange Joaquin's smiling faces from youngest to oldest" in the collage which James prepared (see above). Incredibly, the winner got 9 correct! And I wasn't surprised at who the winner was - Stephanie - Joaquins biggest fan after his Lola. Most of the guests were able to guess only 3 correct. Those airlifts did Joaquin a lot of good because after the games, he was happily playing with the other kids (5 of them with the eldest only 3.)



Most of the guests left around 7 (many with take-home food because we had a lot of left-overs), and with the cleaning up and loading of all the stuff in three cars, we left the place around 8 very happy and grateful at how well the party turned out. At last night's post-mortem, I mentioned to Anna about three year old Reia, her good friend's daughter, whom I saw constantly hovering around Joaquin.



Anna smilingly related that Reia's Mom had told her at the party that Reia would often tell her Mom, "I love Joaquin." And Reia's Dad separately told Anna that when he came home at 11:30AM yesterday, Reia was already dressed for the party and excitedly said "I am going to Joaquin's party." And that she would often look at her albums and linger on her pictures with Joaquin. I think it all started at Anna's birthday celebration last October held here at home. Check these pictures out.



Joaquin received so many wonderful gifts - clothes, shoes, books, toys, walkers, etc. - but the one from Reia was special because she had handpainted a card and had written "Happy birthday Joaquin Love, Reia." No mention of her Dad and Mom! So my one year old grandson who can't even walk yet is already a heartthrob. Here's Joaquin with his new train-walker (thanks Jen!).



Tomorrow, Manny and I fly to Manila for a two month visit. We have already lined up lunches, dinners, sleep-overs, dancing, closed silent retreat, reunions with friends and former colleagues, Christmas parties, a trip to Baguio for my Mom's birthday, a trip to Jakarta to visit a very dear friend who just built a new house designed by her son followed by a rendezvous in Singapore with our two sons for shopping, sightseeing, and a reunion with my former boss at ADB. So I look forward to seeing our sons, Jog and Tif, our first grandchild, Joey, family and friends. And yet, and yet....

All my bags are packed
My Ipad is charged
My passport and eticket are in my bag.

Everything is ready
But my heart is heavy
How can I leave my baby?

If only I could zip that suitcase and bring you!



I WILL MISS YOU BABY LOVE!

As many of you know, I have been working as a consultant for the World Bank for over a year and a half now. Lately, I have been working long hours that it's almost like full-time work. Well, they have now offered me a full-time job for four years as Senior Compensation and Benefits Officer which I have accepted. I start on May 9.

I'm sure you're all wondering why. I have a comfortable pension with no mortgage. The answer is simple and compelling - Joaquin. My Facebook friends know he is now the sunshine of my life. I love taking care of him and teaching him. Already, he knows how to use my iPad where he watches his favorite YouTube videos of the alphabet, numbers, nursery rhymes, Sesame Street, etc. He chats with Anna on Yahoo Messenger though he types purely gibberish but he knows it's his Mom. He "reads" Toy Story 1 and 2, and even does the jigsaw puzzles. He even goes to the calculator or Sudoku to punch his favorite numbers. Heck, he even taps into my ipod to listen to my music, especially Kara Klein's spiritual songs. He knows how to control the volume and the screen size, how to rewind or move forward. The hours spent on the ipad have paid off. Joaquin can say two, fff, iks, eight, ten, thirteen when you say the numbers in between to prod him. One time I said Oh! and he said "P". :) So props to Apple for developing such a user-friendly tablet that even a not-quite-18-month old baby can navigate it. So how can I leave him when it is such a wonder to see him develop and grow?



This job assures us of four more years in the US with no need to go home every 6 months if we were on a tourist visa. I guess I could have gone on working as a consultant but then there is no security that the assignments will always be there. Besides, since I am working almost full-time, I might as well draw the higher salary and the full benefits. Also, my office is just a block away from Anna's IMF office, and James's office is a 5-minute ride away. So we will be driving to and from work together in Anna's Cooper along tree-lined 16th street with the beautiful Embassy houses and churches.

The job is also something I enjoy - designing/redesigning and costing benefits, writing and interpreting policy, and developing compensation packages for our offices in East Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines, which will require a few missions to that part of the world. At my age, this is a job, not a career. So I am not going back to the rat race and working with an eye towards the next promotion. A job done well is its own reward. I will have every other Friday off and eventually I hope to work alternate Fridays from home. The World Bank also provides 26 days vacation leave a year so I will still be able to travel a lot. In fact, I had already negotiated my one week leave in September for my Alaska cruise and three weeks leave in October-November to go home with Manny, Anna, James and Joaquin for his second birthday celebration.

So now our priority is to get Daday, our hardworking and faithful maid, whom we also brought to the US when I was seconded to the World Bank in 2002-2004. And to this end, Manny is flying home on May 2 to help with her papers. Fortunately, James's younger brother, Nikko, who is also Joaquin's ninong, a jock, and a self-trained cook, arrived last Tuesday and will be staying until June, when Manny comes back hopefully with Daday.

Second priority is to buy a new house. Since we will be staying here for quite a while, we want to be more comfortable. I want a room with our own walk-in closet and T&B. Fortunately, there is a new development just past where we are staying now which is building new homes and townhouses. It is a former golf course so the terrain is lovely with lots of trees. We have selected a home style which has 4 bedrooms and 3 T&Bs on the second floor. One bedroom is as big as the masters' suite with a spacious walk-in closet, but without a sitting room. Perfect for Manny and me. The third bedroom will be for Joaquin and the fourth will be a nursery for the next baby (next year? hopefully!). The basement is large enough for a rec room, a gym, a guest rom, a maid's room, and a 4th T&B. And the best part is the large kitchen with two ovens (for cooking and baking) and a cooktop in the center island facing the family room. So I can watch TV or Joaquin while cooking! (Yes, I plan to continue cooking and baking even with Daday around. I have learned to enjoy it. One good fruit of retirement!) Anna, James and I are co-buying the house since it will be theirs when we leave. We are just waiting for the bank approval of our loan and we hope to move in before Christmas. Please pray that Anna and James will find good tenants for their townhouse.

Manny and I have prayed about this and believe it is right for our family. All is as God wills. Thanks be to God!

May the Easter joy remain with you and your families throughout the year.

(Since I am no longer retired, I have to retire this blog. Until I retire again. Thanks for reading my posts.)

This was the sign in the spa of the Norwegian Pearl, our home for 7 days as we cruised to the Inside Passage of Alaska and Victoria, BC in Canada. Indeed, 5 high school batchmates who met again after 40 years may not have aged less but surely indulged to their hearts' content.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

I woke up at 4:30am even before my 5:00am alarm rang. I was so excited over this trip with 4 high school batch mates, 1 of whom I had not seen in 40 years, and the 3 others just last year, since high school graduation. Anna, Manny and I left the house at 6:00am for my 8:40am Airtran flight for Seattle. This was going to be my third cruise. The first was in high school with my aunt, brother and cousins around Mindanao and Visayas. The second was in 2006 with Manny, Jog and Tif on board the Star Virgo to Thailand and Malaysia from Singapore. So this was going to be the grandest and the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) more than lived up to expectations.

The adventure begins at the Baltimore-Washinton International (BWI) Airport


The flight left on time. The sun was out, the weather was perfect for flying. I prayed the rest of the trip would be as blessed. After a 5 hour smooth flight, we landed in Seattle at 10:45am. (Seattle is 3 hours behind DC.) Seattle was beautiful from the plane with its snow-capped mountains and Mt. Ranier.

I waited for Malou Tantoco-Castillo, my classmate, and her husband, Berney, whose flight from Chicago was arriving 15 minutes later than mine. She texted me as soon as they landed. But her carousel was number 16 and mine was number 1. So I walked almost the length of the airport to meet them. I had not seen Malou since HS graduation. She moved to Chicago with her parents and brother right after HS. Berney saw me first and asked if I was Guia. Then I met Malou and we waited for Lely Herrera, a very good friend from elementary to HS whom I visited in San Francisco last year and with whom I shared a room when we had a girls’ sleepover at Dusit Hotel in Manila over the Christmas holidays. But a few minutes later, Lely called to say that her flight was delayed an hour which meant another three hour wait. Lely agreed that we shouldn’t wait for her. So Berney, Malou and I took a cab to our hotel, Hotel Andra, a boutique hotel in downtown Seattle.

Since our rooms weren't ready yet, I called up Jowie Witongco, our batch mate, who had arrived at 9am from LA with his wife, Nenette, and had called me up to ask if I wanted him to reserve spots for us in the queue to the Space Needle. I asked him if we could have lunch together. They had just gone up the Space Needle and had met up with Roland Pasion, from our brother section, who lived in Seattle with his girlfriend Laurel. So we agreed to meet at the Aquarium and proceeded to lunch. Roland took us to Crab Pot, and we had our fill of Alaskan crab legs, oysters, mussels, shrimps, salmon, and corn on the cob. Everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. (Roland and Laurel didn't join the cruise because Laurel was going to deliver a baby in December.)

With Roland, Laurel, Nenette, Jowie and Malou


While we were strolling around the waterfront, Lely called to say that she was already in the hotel. So we walked back, passing by Starbucks to buy Lely a panini for her lunch.

At the waterfront with Roland, Malou and Jowie


Lely and I shared Rm 408, a spacious, beautifully appointed room with a walk-in closet!

With Lely in our very nice hotel room


After resting a bit, we walked to the Sacred Heart Church for the 5:30pm vigil mass, where we met again with Jowie and Nenette who were staying at the Travelodge.

Outside the Sacred Heart Church


After mass, we walked around the Space Needle but didn't go up because of the long queue. Since it was dinner time, we took the $2 five minute tram from Space Needle to West Lake Center for dinner at Food Court.

With the Space Needle


Inside the tram


Lely bought sushi while I ordered Singaporean fried noodles, which we shared. Over dinner, Lely talked about the Borders sale which she saw from her cab. So I told her about Anna going to a Borders sale and buying $80 worth of books including The Help which I had already read and found fascinating and reflective. Lely expressed interest in watching the movie so I asked a McDonalds staff if there was a theater nearby, and he said just two blocks away. So we walked and got there at 8:25pm. The Help was showing at 8:30pm. Talk about serendipity! So we hurriedly bought our tickets, popcorn and soda and got good middle seats despite almost a full house. We both liked the movie a lot - very faithful to the book with a light sometimes comedic touch. The casting was excellent and every actor, no matter how small the role, left his/her mark. Sissey Spacek was brilliant. Even if it was almost midnight, Lel and I felt so safe walking back to our hotel.

Sunday, September 4

Lel and I woke up around 8m and thought about what we would do to best tour Seattle in the short time that we had. We thought about the “duck”, an amphibian vessel, which we had seen the day before with its passengers having so much fun. So we decided to check out online the land and water tour of Seattle on the "duck". Again we were lucky. We were able to secure 2 out of the last 3 available tickets for the 10am tour which was going to start from the West Lake Center, just 2 blocks from our hotel.

Lel and I hurriedly dressed up, walked to Starbucks to buy breakfast of cheese Danish, and ham and cheese panini, with cafe mocha for me and non fat latte for Lely. It was a hurried breakfast and we were almost the last to board the "duck". We had a rollicking good time with Joaquin (as if I needed to be reminded of my baby love), our tour guide/driver/captain. He first took us on the water part of the tour and we sailed on Lake Union for 30 minutes and marveled at the beautiful house boats and floating homes on the lake, including the green trimmed house of Sleepless in Seattle. Then we went back on land and toured downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, the waterfront where we saw our cruise ship, and the funky Fremont neighborhood with its 100 bars, for an hour. During the tour, in between his spiels, Joaquin played rock and roll music and led us dancing in our seats. Also, each time we saw a Starbucks (and there was one at almost every corner), Joaquin led us in a chorus of "kaching baby!" I liked Seattle a lot with its rolling terrain, its mix of classic and contemporary architecture, and the ubiquitous views of the water. Lel said it reminded her of San Francisco.

Ride the Duck!

Scenes from our Duck tour








We checked out at noon, met up with Berney and Malou at the lobby, and took the hotel van to the dock where the Norwegian Pearl was waiting for us.

With Bernie, Lely and Malou at the Hotel Andra Lobby


Outside the hotel


When we got to the dock, a porter came to get our luggage which we had already labeled with baggage tags that NCL had mailed to us before the cuise. Checking in at the Pearl was smooth even if the queue was long. They had about 20 check-in counters so the queue moved quickly. But I got stuck because of my Philippine passport. First, the check-in assistant put in my expired G-4 visa, then she used my expired Canadian visa. I had to point out my current visas. In the end, she just got my passport and told me that I would get it back after we leave Victoria, BC in Canada. She didn’t get Lel’s US passport. The check-in assistant looked Filipina and Lel said that she reminded her of Anna. Actually, she was a native Alaskan. She was obviously new to the job and had to call her supervisor several times. But she was very nice and smiled a lot. So we waited patiently as she learned the ropes. And when we were done, the long queue was gone!

When we finally boarded the ship, we met up with Jowie and Nenette, and Debski Telan-Robillard, another classmate, who introduced us to her mom, her cousin, Chichi, and her aunt. Debski and her mom flew from Hawaii, while Chichi and her Mom from Las Vegas. So we were 10 in our party originating from 6 different cities. We had a late buffet lunch at the Garden Café.

The original batchmates


The batchmates with the spouses


After lunch, Lel and I went to our stateroom #10545 and saw our luggage outside our door. It was small but very comfortable, with a desk area, a makeup area, a safety deposit box, a ref and bar area, and a well laid out T&B.

Stateroom #10545


After freshening up, we joined the 4pm sailing away party by the pool where we met the cruise director, Richard, a Filipino, and the assistant cruise director, Alvin, also a Filipino. They led the line dancing to the music of a live band, and we joined in. That was the start of many dancing sessions.

After the party we checked out the spa with its 2 individual whirlpool baths for women, a unisex therapy pool, and thermal beds. Debski, Lel and I decided to sign up for the duration of the cruise and it was so worth it. We started to use it that night and had a very relaxing time. The whirlpool baths had powerful jets and the thermal beds were designed to follow the contours of the body and were so relaxing.

The whole group met for a sit-down dinner at the Summer Palace where I had lobster tail and a lamb stew. Lel shared some of her sirloin steak which tasted better than the lamb. Then we went to the Spinnaker Lounge for some dancing.

The first dinner with Debski's Mama


Monday, September 5

Lel and I had a very leisurely breakfast at the Garden Café. We were then joined by Malou for coffee, and then Jowie. We finished at 11 and, after dressing up, went to Lotus Garden, the Asian specialty restaurant, for our sushi and sashimi lunch for $10. I had mostly sashimi of tuna, salmon, prawns, and kani. Everything was so fresh!

Dig the fresh seafood


Obviously happy with the meal


After lunch, Debski, Lel and I joined the Broadway dancing class where Vicky, our dance instructor, taught us the choreography for the finale dance in Hairspray. It was so much fun! Then Lel and I proceeded to the spa and soaked in the whirlpool and therapy pool and relaxed on the thermal beds. For dinner, we went to the Summer Palace again and I had the New York steak.

We proceeded to the Stardust Theater to watch the show of Oh What a Night, a quartet who sings Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hits. They were so good, especially their a capella version of Silence is Golden.

We loved Oh What a Night!


We capped the night by going to the Spinnaker for the 70s music party. While waiting for the dance contest to finish, we relaxed in the very comfortable chaise lounges. Then we had a blast dancing the boogie, twist and jerk.

Lovey-dovey


When we got to our stateroom, our Filipino steward, Michael, had a surprise for us – a monkey towel sculpture. (The Norwegian Pearl has a crew of 1200, and 70% of them are Filipinos! They waited on us, served our meals, cleaned our tables and our rooms, took care of our luggage - all with a smile. We felt so at home!)

Happily surprised by Michael's creation


Tuesday, September 6

As our Captain warned us the day before, we had some rough sailing between 4 and 6am. Indeed, I woke up past 5am to the listing of the ship left and right. But it wasn't bad at all. More like rocking in a cradle. Around 6am, Lel woke up too saying she was hungry. So we ordered room service of continental breakfast and fruits. After breakfast, we hit the spa again and stayed there until 10:30am. Our ship reached Juneau at 11am. While waiting for Lely to finish dressing up, I went to the chapel to pray. It was my Dad's 20th death anniversary, and my Mom and all of us 12 children had prepared a very meaningful commemoration of his death and celebration of his life. So I prayed that everything would go well. I learned later on how successful it was. About 150 guests attended the occasion at the Mt. Carmel function room, marked by a mass, dinner, and a program with an AVP and surprise numbers from Beverly, Basil Valdez and Dulce. The program was capped by the distribution of a book of my Dad's writings and his children's personal accounts of the memories of their Dad. Of course, as in all events past, my Mom's speech was the highlight of the event.

The beautiful chapel, but no masses on board


Frm the chapel, I proceeded to the Summer Palace where I would meet Lel and the others. I lucked out and got a table by the window.

Jowie and Nenette joined us after lunch


I can’t remember what we had, but we didn’t linger over lunch because we had a shore excursion at 12:30pm to the Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens. Juneau is the capital of Alaska but it is still a very small town. We took the tourist bus and the ride to the Mendenhall Glacier was less than an hour. The Mendenhall Glacier was something to behold. It was my first time to see a glacier and it seemed other worldly. We use the word awesome loosely. But for the Mendenhall Glacier, awesome is truly the right word.

The Mendenhall Glacier in all its still majesty


From the Mendenhall Glacier, we drove about 30 minutes to the gardens and the Tongass rainforest. In the gardens, we gaped at the upside down trees, with the roots at the top.

A unique sight


We then took huge golf carts to bring us high up in the rainforest. This rainforest covers 17 million acres and is the biggest temperate rainforest in the world. Its counterpart - the biggest tropical rainforest in the world - is the Amazon.

Up in the rainforest


4-E girls at the Visitors Center of the Gardens


We returned to the ship around 6pm. Lel and I were famished because we had an early lunch. So we scooted to the Garden Cafe for dinner and, shortly after we started, Jowie and Nenette joined us. We proceeded to watch the 9:15pm song and dance show of the Company, where our dance instructor, Vicky, performed. The production was very good but the dancers were much better than the singers.

Eat your hearts out USTHS70 boys


After dinner, we again went to Spinnaker for dancing. When we returned to our stateroom, we saw Michael’s creation – a dino.

At the Spinnaker Lounge


Lel hugging Dino


Wednesday, September 7

I woke up past 6am and asked Lel if she wanted to go to the 1 hour stretch and abs workout class at 7am. It's a good thing she agreed because we had a very good workout, I learned some yoga poses, and Lel taught me how to use the pilates ball. After the workout, we had breakfast - my usual omelette with everything, crisp bacon, smoked salmon with capers, yoghurt, banana, watermelon, melon and pineapple, and coffee; while Lel had the same except Spanish omelette, and, instead of yoghurt, oatmeal. After breakfast, Lel and I went to the spa and spent 2 hours of relaxation. Then we had a hurried lunch because we were going to dock in Skagway. We had signed up for the White Pass train ride, a 40 mile 3.5 hour trip that would take us to the summit of the White Pass – a 2,865 foot elevation. The narrow gauge railroad was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush and it is one of four Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks, including the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

It was a beautiful day with the sun out in all its blazing glory. Since we were one of the last passengers to board the train, we sat in the last passenger vintage car. This turned out to be very fortunate because we were able to stand on the apron and thus had a 360 view of the stunning vistas – snow-capped mountains, beautiful glaciers, deep gorges, luminous lakes, spectacular waterfalls, and lush foliage.

Stunning vistas of the White Pass on board our train


The whole group had dinner together at the Indigo, another sit-down restaurant with a more contemporary ambience. I had another steak – a rib eye – and it was very good.

Whole group at contemporary Indigo


After dinner, we joined the White Hot Party at Spinnaker where we were given neon tags. It was fun but but we didn’t stay long. The energizer bunny was running out. So we scooted to bed and were happy to see Michael’s penguin to bid us good night.

Happy, the penguin


Thursday, September 8

We excitedly woke up because this was the day when we were going to sail through Glacier Bay. So Lel and I dressed up warmly and had breakfast at La Cucina. The Pinoy crew members had told us that this had a better view than the Garden Café because it was at starboard where the glaciers would be seen. Again, we were blessed with perfect weather for glacier watching. Over breakfast, we saw the Margerie Glacier, a 21 mile long tidewater glacier.

Margerie Glacier from inside La Cucina


After breakfast, we went out and climbed to deck 14 and stayed at the bow of the ship to watch out for the Johns Hopkins Glacier, named after the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland (go Maryland!) which had sponsored an expedition to this glacier. It is a unique glacier being the only tidewater advancing glacier.

The Johns Hopkins Glacier from the forward deck


It was so beautiful sailing through Glacier Bay. We could look directly at the sun above the snow-capped mountains.

Rare to be able to look at the sun


I couldn’t help but feel so close to and so loved by our Lord. And couldn't thank Him enough for all the blessings.

Thank you Lord!


After we had sailed through Glacier Bay, it was time for lunch at the Mambos Latin/Tapas Restaurant, a specialty restaurant which offered a Salmon Bake for $10. There we met with Debski and her family, and Malou. We had clam chowder, a grilled salmon and a tenderloin which Lel and I shared, and Baked Alaska for dessert (everything was good!). Jowie and Nenette joined us for coffee.

After a very hearty Salmon Bake at Mambos


The others wanted to take a nap, but Lel and I didn’t. So after walking off our lunch, we went to the spa and spent another 2 hours relaxing and sleeping. Dinner was at Indigo with the 2 married couples, and again I had another steak – a prime rib – which was excellent. After dinner, we watched the Second City, a 4 person comedy act from Chicago, which we enjoyed immensely. Of course, we couldn’t end the day without passing by Spinnaker for dancing. And the night wouldn’t be complete without Michael’s good night treat - Dumbo!

Dinner at Indigo where Jowie kept us in stitches


Hello Dumbo!


Friday, September 9

This was going to be a special day. We were sailing to Ketchikan, our last port of call in Alaska. We had previously booked a catamaran tour of the misty fjords. But the Monday before, Jowie told us that he had canceled because of the weather forecast and got full refund. So all of us followed suit. When we docked in Ketchikan, the weather was clearing up. Jowie diligently walked around Ketchikan and got a seaplane tour of the misty fjords for only $10 more than the catamaran tour. So all of us agreed to go, even Debski’s 70+ year old aunt and 80+ year old mom!

Ketchickan!


We rode an 8 seater seaplane and it wasn’t scary at all. The sun was out, the skies were blue. It was our first time to ride a seaplane and it felt exhilarating to just gracefully skim the water and then suddenly find yourself up in the air. We flew 1500feet above sea level at 115mph and got so close to the cliffs we even saw some mountain goats which reminded me of Heidi.

Our 8 seater seaplane


Can you spot the mountain goats?


It was such a feast for the eyes. Everywhere I looked, it was beautiful – the fjords, the waterfalls, the springs, the cliffs, the crags, the sky, the spruces reaching to the heavens. We landed at a small dock to have some pictures taken and then returned to the pier. Truly an unforgettable experience!

Awesome sights from the seaplane!


When we returned to the Pearl, we had lunch at Garden Café. The ship left Ketchikan and the Captain announced that we just had a minor miracle. It rains 300 days a year in Ketchikan. So we were lucky that we had a sunny day in Ketchikan. Lel and I went to the spa again for the last time. Dinner was our dressed up night. The whole group went to Cagney’s, the specialty steakhouse where we paid $25. It was well worth it. We had lobster bisque, oysters Rockefeller (so good we all had seconds!), and I had a T-bone. (So we had almost all kinds of steak – sirloin, New York, rib eye, prime rib, tenderloin and T-bone – and at the end, Lel was convinced that medium rare was much better than medium well!) Lel had rack of lamb and it was excellent. That was also the night when we celebrated Debski’s and her Mom’s birthdays and the attendants brought 2 cakes, and we all sang Happy Birthday!

Malou and Debski


The birthday celebrants


HS batchmates dressed to the nines


This time with the spouses


After dinner, we watched the Broadway show of the company, and were regaled with songs from Wicked, Crazy, Mama Mia, etc. We had one last spin at the Spinnaker and went back to find Michael’s last creation – a bunny.

Not the Easter bunny


Saturday, September 10

This was the last full day of the cruise. We were going to sail to Victoria, BC and get there at 6pm. Lel and I had a leisurely breakfast at Garden Cafe, then went back to our room to pack.

We met up with the others at Le Bistro, the French specialty restaurant where we paid $20 for the Best of the Best! This meant that the best items in the menus of the specialty restaurants would be served. We had escargots, antipasti, an unforgettable bloody mary with tuna, and lemon pepper shrimps. We also had some very good desserts. Throughout the crise, we culdnt get enough of the vanila brea pudding whose texture was so fine, it was like a custard. I also enjoyed the banana crepes at the Garden Cafe with wafer-thin crepes, prepared by a Filipino.

After another exceptional meal at Le Bistro


After lunch, we went to watch the last show – a comedy juggling act which was very entertaining, and our favorite Oh What a Night who sang more Frankie Valli songs. After the show, we finished our packing and went to the Garden Café for an early dinner before disembarking to tour Victoria. We were told that we didn’t need our passports so NCL must have taken care of the immigration formalities.

For our shore excursion, Debski and her family, and Lel and I chose the Butchart Gardens tour. We took a 30 minute bus ride through downtown Victoria with its predominantly English style architecture to the Gardens. We saw the Gardens in the glory of day and enchantment of night. Either way, they were breathtaking! A wondrous collaboration of God and man.

The enchanting Butchart Gardens


After passing through a short tunnel, a wondrous sight!


On the way back, the bus lingered through downtown and toured us to Chinatown, one of the first in Canada when the Chinese came to join the gold rush. We were also fascinated by the parliament building with its 3,333 light bulbs.

All lit up every night for 100 years now


We got to the ship past 10pm and met with Debski and her family at the Blue Lagoon for a late dinner. Lel and I enjoyed the tomato with basil soup and the buffalo wings. Before we finished our meal, Malou came, followed by Jowie and Nenette. All of us felt sad that our 7 day adventure was about to end. It had been so much fun.

There were many times when we laughed so hard, especially when Jowie talked about the boys’ escapades in HS. It was then I realized how much different the boys were from the girls. The girls were all about studying and thinking of our extra-curricular activities. I was the president of the girls Student Council, Lel was the head of the girls Pax Romana, and Debski was the head of the girls Natural Science Society. And all Jowie talked about was how they went to another school in the university belt to meet girls because they were easier to get than the UST girls; how there was a time when he feared for his life and stopped going to school for one week because they had gate-crashed a party and drew the ire of a notorius gang; how they trained the Rector's monkey to perform an act to scandalize the very strict girls' principal, etc. Anyway, we ended the night by resolving to go on another cruise, probably to the Mediterrenean, in 2012 or 2013.

Sunday, September 11

The next morning, our ship docked in Seattle. We all had our last breakfast at Garden Café and said our good-byes.

4-E girls out on the aft deck for the last time


Lel’s and my flights were leaving past 11 so we were the first to leave the ship. Disembarking was easy. The night before, we had put our luggage outside the door with purple tags to signify that we would be leaving at 8am. The others’ flights were still in the afternoon so they still had time to see Seattle. Anyway, when Lel and I were going down the gangplank blessed by another beautiful day and with joy in my heart, I started singing “For somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good…,” and Lel sang with me.

My flight to Baltimore got delayed 2 hours, but it was a very small price to pay for a trip with practically no hitches and no hassles. My plane landed past midnight, and Anna and Manny were there to pick me up. When we got home, Joaquin was of course asleep. But Daday had prepared dinuguan which I thoroughly enjoyed because I didn't have any meal other than the breakfast on the Pearl, and Manny joined me in the early morning meal.

I woke up past 8am, and emailed my boss to say that, because of my delayed flight, I was going to work from home. When Anna and James left for work, I went to their room to lie down beside Joaquin. Shortly thereafter, I saw him smiling in his sleep. Suddenly he opened his eyes, gazed at me and gave me the sweetest smile. I tried to sing him back to sleep but he kept glancing and smiling at me. So I decided to pick him up and we went down for breakfast of arroz caldo. By then, Daday had already unpacked my suitcase.

I started working, with Joaquin in his high chair watching his favorite videos on ipad. Shortly before lunch, I got a text from Lel saying: “I never thought I’d say this to another woman. But boy did I miss you when I woke up this morning.”

It was certainly that kind of a trip when pleasant surprises awaited, nature’s wonders unfolded, fickle weather smiled, gastronomic delights abounded, entertainment shows delighted, spa facilities soothed, service constantly excelled, laughter came easy, worrisome thoughts disappeared, work checked at the door, friendships rekindled, tired bodies recharged, laden spirits soared, and gratitude filled the souls.

So thank you:

* Jowie for taking such good care of us girls and making us laugh, reserving seats for us at the theater, negotiating good deals, and dancing with us even if you'd rather play at the casino; and Nenette for being a real trouper who gamely allowed Jowie to spend time with us and dance with us;

*Malou, the seasoned cruise traveler, for guiding us on the activities for the day, the shows to watch, and the very important navigation tip - follow the direction of the fish on the carpet in the hallways if you want to go forward which is much simpler than looking at decreasing stateroom numbers and vice-versa, and Berney for diligently taking our pictures;

*Debski for sharing your inspiring life stories and piling us with food, Chichi for also taking our pictures, and Mama and Auntie for joining in all the fun; and of course

*Lel, my soul sister, and perfect traveling companion because we both liked to keep our room and T&B clean; we were both calm and easy-going; we both loved to listen to music, dance, eat, laugh, sing, etc.; and we were not yet so set in our ways that we could still do things on a whim.

Most of all, thank you Lord for this incredible blessing!

Luke 1:49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.

I had been so busy at work that I didn’t think I'd have the time to write our annual family Christmas greeting. I was even toying with the idea of repeating what I did last year and just send a simple e-card with a short message. But at Saturday's mass, I got a nudge from the Lord. In his homily on the Gospel on our Lady’s Magnificat, our pastor, Fr. Dan, reminded us to follow our Lady’s example and proclaim the great things that God has done in our life. Fr. Dan added that we shouldn’t be shy about them because it may inspire others to see the great things that God has done in their own lives and be grateful for them. So here’s my proclamation.

2012 was a year of faith, hope and love.

Faith. We welcomed 2012 with so much hope and enthusiasm. We had just moved to a new home - the home of Anna's and James's dreams which they had shown us on-line in December 2010 while Manny and I were in Manila. They had seen this new development just a mile away from their townhouse. Indeed, it was beautiful to see. Set in the former Indian Springs Clubhouse, it used to be a beautiful golf course with rolling terrain, lots of trees and man-made pools. The model homes were luxurious and inviting. So 2011 was spent dreaming about it and finally making it a reality. We moved in December 2011 and woke up in our new bedroom on our 34th wedding anniversary.

But the new year turned dark all too quickly. A health scare for me in February and really serious illness among my sibling and cousins-in-law in April sapped the spirits. My older sister, Ate Puput, who lives in Pasadena; Danny Estantino, the husband of my first cousin Maricar on my mother's side; and Loy Pineda, the husband of my first cousin Corrie on my father's side were all diagnosed with cancer in the span of three weeks. Maricar and I were born in the same year and have been close since childhood. Though she and Danny had moved to the US in the 80s, she'd break bread with me when she came to Manila, and I'd look her up when I visited LA. Corrie is a year older than me. I used to spend summers in their home in Pampanga when we were growing up, and it was her Dad who taught me how to swim. Before I left for the US, Corrie and I were very close - physically because we were neighbors in the Loyola Heights area, and spiritually because she is active in Opus Dei.

Since cancer reared its head in our family, we have been been praying hard, especially the mantra that our Mom shared with us which encapsulates what faith means: "I believe, I trust, I entrust." I also kept faith in the following passage from Scripture, Revelation 21:5 "Behold, I make all things new."This was the same passage that kept me going in 2008 when Manny was diagnosed with kidney cancer and his right kidney was removed. He has been kept well since then. So I pray that, in the same way that our Lord made Manny new, He will make my beloved sister and my dear cousins' loved ones new again.

Hope. So many good things happened to our children and grandchildren this year which give me hope of even greater things to come. Jog, our eldest child, has a business, Celebrity Nails. It has been doing so well that Jog has been emboldened to propose marriage to his girlfriend of 2-1/2 years, Monica Mendoza. Monica was Anna's classmate in fourth year high school and it was she who introduced Monica to Jog during our trip home in December 2009. The first time I met Monica was when Anna and I brought her home to Acropolis from school. I thought then how pretty this girl was. Little did I know that, 12 years later, she would become my son's fiancee. Anna has confirmed that Monica is as nice as she is pretty. So we welcome Monica to our family and look forward to their wedding in January 2014.


Our second child, Tif, found love again. For all his good looks (as Fr. Dan said, we shouldn't be shy), Tif has had only one girlfriend, and the relationship ended a few years ago. Early this year, he emailed us about a new girl, Vel dala Torre. We met Vel when we went home in May, and we were all together in Bellarocca. Manny and I do not know Vel well enough but what we've seen we like. She's also made Tif happy and that's all that matters. We pray that this relationship will last a lifetime.

Three weeks later, I flew again this time to LA to visit Ate Puput and also to attend my UST HS summer reunion. It was just a three day visit but it was memorable. I had not seen Ate Puput since her diagnosis so we both cried when we embraced. We had a good talk and we connected as only sisters can. In the evening, I went to my batchmate's house in Redondo Beach where the reunion would be held the following day. Rosanie Valeriano hosted my BFF from high school, Lely Herrera, and me at her lovely home. In the morning, Rosanie brought us to the beach for breakfast and a stroll. In the afternoon, our batchmates arrived and we had so much fun playing games, eating, drinking, and even playing mahjong. After the reunion, I went back to Ate Puput's house. In the morning, we heard mass together and cried again. Late afternoon, we went to Olive Garden for dinner, and then they took me to LAX for my flight back to DC. As we were bidding good-bye, Ate Puput asked me if I would return again in December for my UST HS Christmas party. I said sooner.

 

One regret I had this year was my not being able to join my siblings in a reunion in April because of a scheduling conflict. But God made it possible that I was able to see all my siblings this year - six when I visited in Manila, one in KL, one in LA, two in Halifax, and one in DC when Kuya Pet visited us. And best of all, I was able to be with my Mom on her first cruise.

And to Him I give all the gratitude and all the glory.

A blessed Christmas to you and your loved ones, and may you have much to proclaim in the New Year.

I haven't received as many compliments on a dress as I did on my 35th wedding anniversary dress. So I thought I'd share the story behind the dress.

I'd like to share with you our pastor's beautiful homily on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, on New Year's Day.

He shared with us many nuggets of wisdom but I'll  mine only one because this struck so close to home. This was in the context of Luke's Gospel which said,"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." Our pastor advised that, this new year, we should reflect more and ruminate less. Webster's dictionary states that the synonym of ruminate is reflect. That's true. They are very similar and both are done in the silence of the mind. So what's the difference?

Our pastor contrasted the two. He said that ruminate is when we go back to the events of the day and replay them in our minds over and over again. We think about what we should have said or done differently. We imagine how the other person would have replied or reacted if we had said or done something else. In short, we adjudicate the things that happened again and again. We wake up the next morning and we are tired because our minds were so busy unnecessarily replaying and restaging the events of the day.

Reflect is when we recall the events of the day and try to see how God's hand moved in each moment. Like Mary, we reflect in our hearts and try to listen to what the Holy Spirit whispered to us throughout the day that we might have missed. After we reflect, our souls soar in praise and thanksgiving. So we wake up the next morning with joy in our hearts and peace in our souls, eagerly looking forward to a new day spent with the Lord.

Indeed, reflect ... and rejoice!

Last night, Joaquin and I were happily playing with his robot's letter-chips while yaya was feeding him. He had neatly laid out the chips in order in 3 rows on the ottoman. He was spelling words that I was dictating to him while I was seated on the easy chair peering over his shoulder. Then he suddenly jerked his head back hitting my left cheekbone. It was so painful I cried out "Ouch!" He immediately said, "Sorry, Wowa" twice.

But I was still reeling from the pain and could neither look at him nor respond to him. I asked for ice to numb the pain. When it had subsided, I looked at Joaquin and he was so pale with a woebegone, guilty look. He had packed up his letter chips and stopped eating. He had moved away from me but still hovered near. I said I was OK and asked him if he wanted to play again but he said no. I then asked if he wanted to play with the ipad in Wowa's room. He first said no, and then said yes. So we went up the stairs but he wouldn't hold my hand. After he climbed to our bed and we played a few number games and mazes, he started to smile again and he was fine. Anna said that something similar happened to her and James. On separate occasions, Joaqs accidentally hit Anna's nose and James' face with his head too. Both times, he said sorry and was so sad after.

It's gratifying to know that at 3, Joaqs already has a strong sense of right and wrong. Though it was accidental, he still felt responsible. The experts are correct. We can start to discipline a child at 3.

One of my 13 resolutions for 2013 was to blog more. But I have been remiss and have not been able to write in over two months. Between my work during the day (increasingly very busy in a good way), spending time with Joaqs at night (the highlight of my day) and soul-tending (spiritual reading) during the weekend, there hasn't been much time. But birthdays are always special to me, so I thought I'd write about this last birthday before I join the senior citizen ranks, which turned out to be one of my happiest and most memorable.

Since I had been working so hard and my birthday was going to fall on a Sunday, I decided to book a weekend stay at Gaylord National at the National Harbor in Maryland, overlooking the Potomac. Gaylord opened only in 2008 and is the anchor of a new mixed-use (office, retail and residential) development at the National Harbor. We had previously gone to the National Harbor and stayed at Aloft (which was nice enough), but the Gaylord was the hotel to beat. A good friend from ADB, Bel Haley, also tipped me off to get one of the atrium rooms should we stay at the Gaylord, which I did. And was she right! As an aside, my Ninang Tessie once asked me why I like staying in hotels when our house in Manila and even our house here in Silver Spring are already so lovely and comfortable. I think it's more the "getting away from it all" and of course the place where you end up should be prettier than the place that you left. Or what's the leaving for?

So we left the house past 11am on Saturday, March 16. It was Joaqs who started us off on an adventure. He had been "reading" a Mickey Mouse audio book from his Ninang Emie about Goofy losing his cat, and everyone helping him to find it - in the trees, by the beach, etc. - and finally finding te cat in the picnic basket! We told him we were going on a trip so as soon as he boarded the car, Joaqs said that he was going to find his cat. He doesn't have a cat but we knew where he was coming from so we played along. As we were driving on the Beltway and he saw the trees (which he calls the jungle), he said, "We have to find my cat in the jungle." And I replied, "Perhaps it's up in a tree." This went on and on throughout the weekend. Everytime we went to a new place, he'd say we have to find my cat. When we reached home, he said, "Perhaps my cat is in my room." I said, "Probably under your bed." And that was the last time he mentioned his cat. Quite imaginative!

We got to Gaylord before noon and parked the car. Since check in was still at 3pm, we decided to walk around to find a place to have lunch. We saw Cadillac Ranch and, since I had been having a craving for a designer burger, that's where we went. We lucked out because everything was good, including my Black and Bleu - a black Angus beef burger with bleu cheese crumbles on top.

Anna ate for two and had a rib eye

Manny had an Angus beef sandwich, and James and Joaqs had pizzas

After lunch, we went to the newly opened National Children's Museum where Joaqs enjoyed doing the puzzles, playing on the interactive screens, operating the crane, driving a fire engine, and going through the "obstacle course." The only thing he ignored was the book reading by Josh Morgan, the Redskins wide receiver! Josh's voice was soft, but he was very caring especially when he answered the children's questions (and there were many!).

So happy to see that they included the Philippines in these meal puzzles; note the banana ketchup! (great research)

Then it was time to check in and we were so happy with our room (just one room for two reasons - Gaylord is pricey and the Wowa wanted to spend the night with Joaqs).

Two queen beds

Double vanity

The view of the atrium from our 18th floor room

The Potomac from our room

The memorial drawbridge linking DC with the National Harbor

 

Our balcony with a concrete barrier with grills (perfect for little kids); most of the rooms had grills only; Joaqs holding his Mickey Mouse lost cat audio book

Joaqs couldn't sleep, so Manny and I brought him down to the PlayZone while his parents napped. He happily played with the racecar (we didn't drop any tokens but he didn't know any better yet so he was content to watch the screens change). When he tired of that, we decided to return to our room but heard the music from the atrium. The dancing fountain show was on so we hurriedly went to the fountain area. The music was Hava Naguila or some Latin beat and, very soon, Joaqs was showing off his dance moves. It was a delight to behold.

The 6pm dancing fountain show

Joaqs showing off his dance moves; see the elderly gentleman watching amusedly and the Wowo watching ecstatically



Get a grip Wowo

The show lasted 15 minutes so we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. On our way out, we caught the 7pm dancing fountain show so Anna and James were able to watch it too.

The 7pm show but the music was mellower and not danceable

But the kids had a wonderful time with the water splash

After the show, pictures at the fountain area; our room was one level below the top (with the concrete barriers) right smack in the middle

Joaqs didn't want to join the picture



Pictures at the Gaylor grounds

Joaqs and James are somewhere in the topiaries

Sunset at Gaylord reflecting on the picture windows

Bare trees are beautiful too

We were planning to walk to the harbor area very near the water for dinner but it was very cold. So Anna suggested dinner at Grace's Mandarin, just across Gaylord. We had been there before with my cousin, Gingging Razon-Palma, from Iowa who had a reunion with her UP Medicine batch and we enjoyed the food at that time.

While waiting to be seated; we didn't have a reservation but the wait wasn't long at all; Grace's Mandarin has three floors of seating area!

Since Joaqs missed his nap, he fell asleep in his chair; everytime we tried to lay him down, he woke up!

It was restaurant week so we had the 3 course meal starting with this arugula salad with a sweet sauce

My entree was Surf (crab cake with hardly any extenders) and Turf (lamb chops so crazy tender and tasty)

Manny had the duck with lettuce wraps (slightly spicy but very good)

James had his favorite crispy beef

The expectant Mom had steak again - fillet mignon sliced and roasted with bell peppers (she finished it all!)

After our entrees; Joaqs got his second wind and was now coloring

Dessert was a very light mango mousse which we all enjoyed

Dwarfed by the Buddha but smiling after an excellent dinner

Capped the day with red wine for the gentlemen and martini for the lady

I was awakened on my birthday by the ringing of the hotel phone. It was a surprise call from my niece, Tricia Bautista-Turcuato, who also happened to be staying in Gaylord to attend the Hersheys conference. She's an executive of Hersheys in Manila and she had flown in Friday night. She learned I was in Gaylord from my Facebook status (yes, Facebook skeptics, FB has its uses). When Manny and I went down for breakfast, we met up with Tricia. Soon after, Anna, James and Joaqs followed. Joaqs was in his PJs because he didn't want to change anymore so he could look for Wowo and Wowa.

View of the harbor on our way down to Pienza for breakfast

With my niece, Tricia

Impish Joaquin

Great design of the concrete barrier with decorative grills so kids can also look through them



Charming Joaquin



Joaquin's swagger



Thank you Gaylord for a wonderful stay




May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide,
be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore.
AMEN"


Since my birthday falls on St. Patrick's Day, here's a beautiful Irish blessing:

"May you never forget what's worth remembering or remember what's best forgotten."

The first reading (Wisdom 4: 7-15) was rendered lovingly by Gilbert. The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 23) was sung beautifully by Jane, Eric's wife. The second reading (Thessalonians 4: 13-18) was proclaimed joyfully by Maricar’s best friend, Tina Gacad. The Gospel was Matthew 25: 31-46 on "I was hungry and you gave me to eat," which was all that Danny was.
 

I started writing this post in late May. But I never got around to finishing it. And now Cherie is gone. But it is about thanksgiving, and I think it is never too late to say thank you. So I have decided to finish it and post it. And to give thanks and glory to God for giving Cherie two extra months of very good days which allowed our whole family to come together for the last time in Lake Arrowhead and for Cherie to experience her only grandchild's christening. 

May was an incredible month when God's hand writ large. It was a month when we witnessed a miracle - my sister, Cherie, diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer a year ago was snatched from death's door by an overwhelming show of love and an outpouring of prayers from kith and kin. God used so many of His flock - strangers, friends, family - who all heeded His call and became instruments of His love. My deep gratitude goes out to them all, especially those named below (in the order of appearance by phone or in person in this story).

Jun (Cherie's husband) - For most of the past year, Jun single-handedly took care of Cherie. All of us who visited Cherie in Pasadena witnessed his love and devotion to her, and also his frustration and anguish at not being able to take better care of her. He rued that he didn't know how to cook, that he couldn't always discern what she wanted, that they didn't communicate as much as they used to, that she no longer laughed at his puns. But no matter. It was always Jun that she wanted and called for when she was feeling poorly, when she was feeling scared. He was her only love - her first and her last. It was Jun who told me that fateful Friday afternoon on April 26 that Cherie had gotten very weak; that, the night before, she couldn't even sit up to eat and kept sliding down the leather chair; that her stride had gotten even shorter from 1 inch to 1 cm. This was so concerning because just the previous Sunday when Manny and I were in Pasadena after Danny's funeral (see previous post), she was still walking and was able to sit through a one hour mass and a two hour buffet lunch. Jun credited Doc Manny and me for saving her life. But really it was him. Because of all those months of taking care of her, he knew her so well that he was able to tell when something was amiss.

Jun and Cherie at the mass celebrated at their home

Doc Manny (my cousin-oncologist based in Michigan) - Doc Manny was with us during this entire journey. He was our go-to doctor whom we consulted when we could not understand the tests, the results, the diagnoses, the treatments. He always responded so promptly, knowledgeably, and reassuringly. When I called him up that Friday afternoon to relay Jun's assessment of Cherie's condition, he unequivocably said that Cherie should see her oncologist immediately. Her oncologist advised that Cherie be brought to the emergency room where a CT scan showed the fluid in her brain.



Doc Manny's Facebook profile pic

Manny (my husband) - After we learned that Cherie needed surgery to drain the fluid from her brain to her abdomen, Manny read my mind and felt my fear. He immediately suggested I fly to Pasadena in time for the surgery. He said he would just follow if the situation became more dire. When he learned that we were all going to Lake Arrowhead, he asked if he needed to send me warm clothes because I had not brought any. I asked that he send my medicines instead because my visit was going to be longer than expected. He was my rock of support during those days when emotions were raw and tears fell so easily. He went to daily mass and to the adoration chapel after mass to pray for Cherie.

With Manny one week after my arrival from Pasadena

Alec (my manager at World Bank) - As soon as I decided to fly to Pasadena, I texted him to ask for a good time for me to call about my sister. Instead, he called me and, after learning the situation, encouraged me to fly and to stay as long as needed. He also shared his own experiences with cancer - how he lost his Dad and his step Mom in 11 months, both due to cancer, just after turning 21. And even before he was 50, he lost his first wife - the love of his life - to cancer too. We had a long talk which helped and comforted me. And when I emailed to say I was staying longer for our family trip to Lake Arrowhead, he wrote back, "Every bit of relief, albeit temporarily, is a worthy cause of celebration. Glad to know your family is having the chance to get together to support each other at this point of transition in your lives."


Alec seated in the last row with his wife Rita at our 35th wedding anniversary mass at home

My seatmate on my flight to LAX - She initially seemed aloof. She didn't even make any eye contact when I took my aisle seat. But as soon as our plane started cruising, she told me that she wasn't going to use the empty seat between us and I was welcome to lie down. So I did. Then she kindly offered me a sealed airplane blanket. She said that it had been given to her in her previous flight but she had not used it because she had brought her own. So I slept comfortably on the plane. When we touched down in LAX, I switched on my Blackberry and saw there was an email from Jun. He said that Cherie had a difficult night, but her platelet count after the blood transfusion overnight had exceeded the minimum requirement so her surgery was scheduled for 11:30 that morning. I got flustered because I had wanted to see Cherie before she was wheeled to the OR and probably arrange for the Anointing of the Sick to be given her before surgery. I agitatedly told the kind lady about my concern as we were walking out of the plane. She wisely assured me, "Don't worry. I do not feel any negative vibes. Your sister will be fine. I'm a nurse." The night after her surgery, I relayed the story to Cherie and she smiled. When she woke up the next morning, she told me that she was getting scared that this could be the beginning of the end. I reminded her of the story and she said, "Yes, no negative vibes."

Ernie (an old friend) - When I emailed my friends asking for prayers for Cherie's surgery at Kaiser in Sunset Blvd., Ernie said he would pray for Cherie and added that his sister, Nimfa, worked at Kaiser's ICU. So while waiting for my luggage at the carousel and desperately hoping I could see Cherie and the Anointing of the Sick be given her before she was wheeled to the OR, I called him to ask for Nimfa's number. When we were looking for a place for our family reunion, I remembered Ernie's retreat house at Lake Arrowhead and, fortunately, it was available. He pulled out all the stops to help make our family reunion "special and sacred" as he put it. He worked out and suggested the room and T&B assignments for 21 adults and 1 baby; hauled a twin bed to put in the living room for Cherie; arranged for a muffin pan and a pressure cooker to be brought because my sister Gigi needed them; bought and brought a brand new barbecue grill because the old one, though functioning, had been left open out in the rain and was rusty; gave us a whole bag of the sweetest oranges; unscrewed the tarpaulin covering the balcony from the second floor to let it fall over the deck for shade for our reunion barbecue; asked his friend, Kathy, who has the gift of healing to pray over Cherie; and, the icing on the cake, told me to "name my price" for the use of the Josephson Retreat House.


With Ernie and Angie (Kathy's sister) at our family BBQ reunion in Ernie's retreat house in Lake Arrowhead

Nimfa (Ernie's sister) -Though I had not met her before, she was so nice and friendly the first time I talked with her about needing a priest for Cherie. She was not able to arrange it the day of the surgery because there was so little time. But she did it the day after the surgery. She was not assigned to our part of the ICU, but she let our nurses know that she was a friend. So they took extra good care of Cherie and gave us concessions too. Even after Cherie's discharge from Kaiser, Nimfa continued to help when we were having difficulty securing Cherie's medical records. She navigated through the bureaucracy at Kaiser and helped us retrieve all of Cherie's medical records, including a CD of all her scans as well as the cytology slides from the brain surgery. She did all these with such graciousness which she explained to me as her wanting always to be of help. Ernie's and Nimfa's parents raised them well.


With Tito Mon and Tita Inday, Cherie, my Mom, Maricar, her son and daughter-in-law

Davy (Cherie's eldest son) and wife Michelle - After I got to Kaiser, Jun told me that Cherie was still in surgery. He suggested we go to Pasadena to have lunch with Davy, Michelle and Alex. Though Davy is my godson, I didn't know him well because he grew up away from us. So I'm glad that we had this time to get to know each other better. Throughout his Mom's illness, he and Michelle gave her much comfort. They tirelessly Skyped with Cherie so she could see Alex and his latest antics. As soon as Davy learned she needed surgery, he drove his family 5-1/2 hours from Dublin near San Francisco to be with her. Before they left Pasadena on Monday after her surgery, Davy cooked dinner for Tish and me knowing we would be too tired when we got home from the hospital. He and his younger brother, Jiffy, prepared brunch for all the mothers in Lake Arrowhead on Mother's Day. Through all these, Michelle was a very understanding and supportive wife and daughter-in-law.

3 Gs - 3 Galvezes, 3 Generations, 3 Guwapos

Michelle and Alex

Caroline and Eleanor (Jun's sisters) - After lunch with Davy, Michelle, and Alex, Jun and I went back to Kaiser and were told that the surgery was over, Cherie was in the recovery room, and to wait for the surgeon, Dr. Williams. While waiting for Dr. Williams, Caroline and Eleanor (both nurses) arrived and kept us company. Eleanor chatted with the receptionist at the OR waiting room and told her she worked with Kaiser too. The receptionist then went out of her way to search for Dr. Williams. So we didn't have to wait long. Dr. Williams said the surgery went nicely. It took an hour and 15 minutes. When he first made a hole in the skull, there was a little bleeding suggesting an inflammation. But he said not to obsess about that. He was able to put the shunt in and down to the abdomen. The shunt drains the fluid whenever it reaches a certain pressure level. He took some of the fluid and sent it for analysis but that would take a few days. After Dr. Williams left, Eleanor remarked that Cherie's surgery must have been a real emergency. Normally, surgeries are not performed during weekends if it can be helped. And she was right. We were the only ones in the OR waiting room. When we were waiting for Cherie to be brought to the ICU, Caroline and Eleanor went to Starbucks and bought us coffee. Then when we got to Cherie's room in the ICU, they helped settle her in. It was also Caroline who lent me two jackets for Lake Arrowhead.

Ferdie and Joyce (Cherie's Pinoy Nurses) - Ferdie was Cherie's nurse who welcomed us to the ICU room. My plane seatmate was right. Cherie did very well during and fter her surgery. She aced all her neurological tests and was able to follow all the directions like showing two fingers on both hands, touching the doctor's finger with both her left and right fingers, wiggling her toes, etc. Her only complaint was pain in her stomach where the end of the shunt was to drain the fluid, which was a five (scale of one to 10 with 10 being the most painful). Her pain tolerance level was a four. So she was given Tylenol. She was very alert and even cracked jokes. When the Pinoy nurse, Ferdie, asked her to take a sip, she said only one sip because if it were two sips, it would be "sip sip." I spent the night with Cherie in the ICU so Jun could go home. We were also lucky with her post-operative night nurse, Joyce, an elderly Pinay nurse who was very competent, caring, and calm. She helped us through the post-operative first night, usually the most difficult, with her motherly concern and reassurance.

Fr. Tom (pastor at the Mother of Good Counsel) - The following morning, Monday, Fr. Tom from the parish closest to Kaiser gave Cherie the Anointing of the Sick. He was surprised there were only two of us in the room. It was the nursing station (thanks to Nimfa) who had called him so he thought it was an emergency. I explained that Cherie had surgery the day before and didn't have a chance to have the sacrament. He gave a beautiful homily where he talked about "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." He asked if we knew what yoke meant and I motioned something on my shoulders. He said, in the Philippines, farmers use the yoke to pull the carabao to plow the fields. So we shouldn't think of the yoke as a burden but a tool. The yoke can lead us to a closer relationship with Jesus. This was the first Anointing of the Sick given Cherie. She received another later in the week from Fr. Joe, a priest at her parish.

Evelyn and Monet (Jun's sister and brother-in-law) - Shortly after Fr. Tom left, Tish arrived with Jun's sister, Evelyn, and her husband, Monet, who had picked her up from LAX. During one of our previous talks, Cherie had asked us to look into a memorial service for her. They already had a memorial plot but not the service. It was Monet and Evelyn who took us to Cabot and Sons Funeral Home, and Evelyn who took us to the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (where they had the plot). Evelyn also plied us with goodies from her kitchen.


Noli and Grace (Jun's brother and sister-in-law) - On Wednesday morning, Noli and Grace picked up Tish and me from the house to bring us to Kaiser. They were supposed to come at 8am and, exactly at 8am, Tish opened the front door and there was Grace! It was also Grace's daughter, Michele, who came to the house on Wednesday night, after Cherie had been discharged from the hospital, to shave the rest of Cherie's head. In preparation for the surgery, half of Cherie's head had been shaved off. Michele did a great job taking care not to touch the stitches on Cherie's head.


Jiffy (Cherie's second son) - It was Jiffy who drove us to Kaiser that fateful Tuesday morning (and pretty much drove us everywhere, including to Costco). On our way to the hospital, we bumped into Dr. Williams outside Kaiser. He asked if we had seen Cherie and we said we were on our way to see her. He then told us that the biopsy results had come out and they were positive for malignancy. The cancerous cells were coming from the spinal cord. I then asked him if Cherie could still fly to DC because she had wanted to take this trip with her family. He said he could clear her for the flight after he removed the stitches on Monday. He said he was so sorry about the bad news because Cherie was such a kind and wonderful lady. When we saw Cherie, she told us that Dr. Shar, her oncologist, had already told her of the results. Even though we were expecting this outcome, it was still devastating. Cherie had asked Dr. Shar if they could take a trip to DC in late May, and he said that might be too late. Dr. Shar said that he could no longer suggest any feasible treatment options. Chemo to the brain would just be drained away. Chemo to the body would not reach the brain. We then called up Doc Manny who said that there were still available treatment options but would require intensive chemo. On the basis of this medical information, Cherie decided to go for "quality of life" and opted for home hospice care. But she still wanted to go on a trip with her family. Jun said that DC might be difficult because of the usual airport hassles. So Cherie said the beach or the mountain and that was when  I remembered Ernie's retreat house in Lake Arrowhead, a mountain resort 5,000 feet nearer heaven.


Fr. Gerry - He was the pastor of Cherie's parish, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, which was walking distance from Cherie's home. He constantly prayed for Cherie, unfailingly mentioned her during the prayers for the sick, frequently included her name at the Consecration and in his homilies, specially blessed her before the end of the mass, and even said mass at Cherie's home the day before we left for Lake Arrowhead. He also had a strong affection and admiration for our mother and never failed to pray for her and mention her whenever he talked about Cherie. He was a true shepherd who knew his flock and watched over them.

Fr. Gerry giving a special blessing to Cherie during the mass at her home

And so it was that, after only 10 days of preparations including getting US visas for three siblings, the family that Cherie was born into (all her 11 siblings with our Mom) and the family that she built (husband, two sons, daughter-in-law and grandson) miraculously came together at Lake Arrowhead. So let me also thank each member of the family that I was born into (from oldest to youngest).

Mommy - Early in Cherie's illness, she shared with us her mantra - "Believe, Trust, Entrust" - which strengthened and comforted us, and became our rallying cry. On the eve of Mother's Day which we celebrated at Lake Arrowhead, a message for Cherie came to her in a dream. She told her, "Be brave. Do not have self-pity. Ride on the wave of love which will see you through." Over the past year, she showed us how to live a life of faith and how to live in grace. It is a testament to her and our Dad that all of us 12 children remained united in love, and demonstrated the depth of love that each of us bears for one another in the way we cared for Cherie.

The oldest and youngest guests at the Josephson Retreat House

Tish - She arrived from Manila the day after I did, and we shared many special and tearful moments before the rest of our siblings came. We were each other's shoulder to cry on, walking partner to the church in Pasadena and the sights in Lake Arrowhead, prayer partner and confidante. We even shared a bed together, and our spoon position gave me much comfort (which she lovingly endured because I was snoring in her ear!). She was the last to leave Pasadena after the reunion and was even able to accompany Cherie to Alex's christening in Dublin.



Pet and Winda - Pet wasn't planning to join us in Lake Arrowhead having seen Cherie back in November. Fortunately, he listened to his better angels and came with Winda and youngest daughter, Charley. He lugged 20 of the juiciest, sweetest and meatiest crabs through their 26 hour twice-delayed flight from Manila which became our first and, to the crab lover in me, most delicious meal in Lake Arrowhead. He was the Eucharistic Minister who faithfully gave communion to Cherie and Jun daily. Winda and Charley also prepared a dinner of fajitas which was sumptuous and delicious.

Pet, Winda and daughter Charley flew from Manila

Ton - He was the spokesperson for the three brothers at the US Embassy, and got the consul's nod. We called ourselves Cherie's "down-down" since he and I come right after her (from the joker in mahjong where the two numbers after the tile that is picked become the joker). Lake Arrowhead brought us closer together and he was there to comfort me when I lost it while meditating and praying during that early morning walk by the lake.

Ton comforting me

Jet and Marife - Jet was the first to heed the call to bring Mommy to Pasadena after Cherie's brain metastasis diagnosis, even though he was going to fly out of Kuala Lumpur. He and Marife worked the kitchens in both Pasadena and Lake Arrowhead and ensured that everything was spotless and orderly. They even prepared the meals when our main chef, Gigi, had left. Tish, Gina and I also benefited from sharing our T&B with them at the retreat house because we were able to use Marife's makeup mirror and cleaning paraphernalia which she had brought from KL. They went to LAX early on May 17 so I could catch my flight.

Jet and Marife flew from Kuala Lumpur

Bingoand Nimfa - Bingo also listened to God's call and came at the right time. Though he and I were both not sure when he should come, it was serendipitous that, just when I was about to email him to fly already, he had also told Gina that he would come (thanks to Nimfa's prodding too). So he was the first brother to arrive and had to sleep in the living room before the rest of the siblings came. He was Gina's sous chef before chef Gigi came, but he was our steak chef. His grilled steaks made the only lunch that the 12 of us had together truly special. He was the first sibling to leave the retreat house, barely 14 hours after the three brothers came, and his tearful goodbye to Cherie elicited that memorable and comforting line from her, "Don't cry for me. I have lived a full life." Though Nimfa wasn't able to join us at Lake Arrowhead, it was propitious that she was going to receive a hotel award at the LA Convention Center and was therefore able to see Cherie too in Pasadena.

Bingo and Gina flew together from Halifax

Nimfa, Cherie and me

Gigi and Raffy - Gigi had just been to Pasadena with Mommy in March so we were not sure she would come. When the four sisters were in Pasadena, she organized the brothers in Manila - helped book their flights, and found the "humanitarian clause" for the US visa. And she did come though she had to do three videoconferences for work. Again, she brought Mommy with her, and Raffy too. Her coming assured us that we would have not just well-planned meals but also delicious baked goods from the master chef.

Gigi and Raffy flew from Manila

Mayo - He was the prime mover to get US visas for Ton, Tato and himself, assiduously filling in all the forms for them, and he succeeded! He also brought us our favorite delicacy "Inutak." At Lake Arrowhead, he was part of the kitchen crew. He was the second to the last to leave after the Lake Arrowhead reunion, and greatly helped Jun with his car battery, the handicapped tag, etc. He safely brought Mommy home to Manila.

Mayo, Ton and Tato got their US visas on May 10 and flew from Manila on the same day

Gina - She and Bingo arrived three days after Tish did. Her coming guaranteed us that we would have delicious, home-cooked meals again. Her cassava cake and leche flan were the hit at the Syquia reunion held on the day that Mommy arrived. Throughout Cherie's illness, Gina kept us religiously updated on Cherie's medical condition which she knew by heart. She was my second roommate and shoulder to cry on, and was Gigi's sous chef. She was our accountant who accurately calculated each one's share. Her "Living with Christ" guided Pet in giving the Eucharist to Cherie and Jun. But I think the task she enjoyed most was taking care of Alex.

Tish, Gina and Mommy at the Belgian Waffle Works

Noel - I told him that we were alike. We were both not domesticated and we both liked taking pictures. He was one of the first to say he would come, after postponing the launch of his newly built dormitory-condo. He was the doctor in our family which provided the assurance of proper medical care for Cherie in case of an emergency during our reunion.

Noel flew from Manila

Tato - Being the youngest, he was asked to drive by the older brothers from LAX to Lake Arrowhead late Friday night. He continued driving for us until the day before we left Lake Arrowhead, when he said he had done enough driving. He was also handy in the kitchen and quick with his light-hearted remarks.
   

The day that Cherie’s metastasis to the brain was confirmed, Tish and I started to pray for just two good weeks so that the whole family could celebrate life with Cherie. The Friday before we left for Lake Arrowhead, the hospice doctor came to visit Cherie and to talk to her family. As she saw Cherie slowly walking down the stairs for another medical appointment, she immediately said that Cherie was so weak and she wasn’t sure Cherie could make it to the reunion. She asked us to impress on Cherie not to feel obligated to proceed with the trip to Lake Arrowhead just to please us. She cautioned us that in the event Cherie started to lose her appetite or exhibit shortness of breath, we should immediately come down from Lake Arrowhead. When I talked with Mr. Cabot earlier in the week, I had also asked him what we would do in case Cherie went when we were up in the mountains. (Don’t call 911. Call the coroner, then call us.) We even brought oxygen tanks with us.

But God was in control. From the time we left for Lake Arrowhead on May 8 to the time we went down on May 15, everything worked for good. Cherie ate heartily the whole time. She went to the deck to catch some sun. She joined us at the Lake Arrowhead Village for Belgian waffles. She woke up early to catch the sunrise at the lake. She had fun during the reunion pictorial when our whole family was complete. She attended the vigil mass with us at the beautiful Our Lady of the Lake Church. She joined us in the Mother’s Day toast. She played with Alex. And throughout the stay, she reveled in the warmth of the love from her two families. Tish and I often wondered what the month of May would bring for Cherie and our family. Thanks be to God and to all who listened to God’s call, May was light and laughter, faith and family, love and life. Indeed, God loved Cherie so much. And we loved her too - the first branch to be broken off the tree, which will never be the same again.   

One of the many happy meals at the retreat house

Catching some sun on the deck

Enjoying a lovely day at the Lake Arrowhead Village

Cherie's families (both complete!)

Beautiful Lady of the Lake Catholic Church where we heard mass daily

Mother's Day Toast

Playing with Alex

Cherie was finally delivered to our Lord's peace on Friday, July 12, 2013 at 5:01 pm surrounded by her husband, Jun, her two sons, Davy and Jiffy, Davy's wife, Michelle, and their son, Alex; her eldest sister, Tish, eldest brother, Pet, and her three younger sisters, myself, Gigi and Gina; my and Gina's husbands, Manny and Mike; and Jun's sister, Caroline. I say "finally" because she didn't slip quietly into the night. She didn't go in her sleep. Her last week was a time of agony and anguish. During this time, Gigi googled about death and read that there were two roads to death - the usual road characterized by sleepiness, lethargy, and semi-consciousness; and the difficult road marked by restlessness, confusion, tremulousness, hallucination, mumbling delirium, seizure - followed by semicoma, coma, and death. Cherie's road was the difficult road and, no matter how painful it was to see, we were grateful that we were able to travel with her on this road and minister to her during her final week.

Indulge me therefore as I recount my journey with Cherie during the last three months of her life. Out of the 12 siblings, we were the only two who lived in the US but we were on opposite coasts. She lived in Pasadena, CA while I live in Silver Spring, MD. During those three months, I visited her three times and we had meaningful discussions when we talked of end-of-life issues. This topic is heavy and difficult to write (and to read). So I have divided it into three posts, corresponding to my three visits with Cherie. These accounts will also be detailed because I do not wish to forget any of my discussions with Cherie and all the important events during the past three months.

April 19 to 21 - Friday to Sunday

Manny and I flew to LA primarily to attend the final services for Danny, husband of my dear cousin, Maricar (see previous post), and also to visit Cherie. After attending Danny’s funeral and reception on Saturday, Maricar and her Dad, Tito Mon, brought Manny and me to Kaiser in Sunset Blvd where we waited for Cherie who was going to have an MRI of her brain done. She had fallen flat on her 
face early Thursday morning as she was going back to her bed from the john, and her oncologist wanted to check if the fall was due to brain metastasis. When we saw her, Cherie was in a wheelchair with a nasty bruise below her left eye from her fall. But she was in good spirits, answering the questions of the staff and filling in the form herself.