Ataboy is Aurora Asperilla-Santiago, who is based in Washington D.C.
March Birthday
Celebrators-Felix and Francis
Inuman with Gil
Birthday Inuman -- Dennis, Vergel and Cesar
February 15, 1994
Dear Ataboy, Delay and Potit,
We celebrated the 45th birthday of Ericson Marquez at his residence in BF Homes Paranaque last Saturday, February 12. There were a dozen of us, including Ericson: Ling, ako, Vergel, Jimmy, Dennis, Pocho, Joemelo, Freddie, Rose, Francis, Felix, in the order of arrival.
A catered dinner was prepared at their lawn. The prawns were quite memorable. They were cooked in butter right in front of us.
There were two groups present -- ours and the ladies group of Ericson's wife (St Scho Paranaque '76). Magkasing-ingay lang. May hagalpakan kami, at sila rin. They had their own table on one side of the buffet, we were on the other side, nearer the 'bar', of course.
Ling passed around pictures taken in Austria, which set the tone of the inuman.
Because the bankers were present, napunta rin sa stocks and other investments ang usapan. Natural daw sa bankers ang magpataasan ng ihi in a gathering.
Of course we fixed the seating arrangement. I had a field day taking pictures for future blackmail.
Eric had a karaoke system all set up so we were able to enjoy the singing of Freddie. Hangang-hanga si Ling sa boses. Newly discovered niya ito. Kami alam na namin from the 25th anniversary reunion pa. Nagsibanat rin ng konti si Ling (aka Kuh), Dennis, Ericson, at pati si Pocho. Later ay dumating si Peng, asawa ni Joemelo. Uy, ang ganda rin ng boses. Matched nga sila ni Freddie sa duets.
So you can imagine the ambiance. Before we knew it, midnight na.
Si Ling at Rose ay ngayon pa lang nagkita, kaya may independent chismisan pa sila plus expansion of vocabulary. Taxi rooms ang bagong word. (Motel room na walang garage for a car.)
Review: Daisy (sixteeners); Betty (in their twenties); Tracy (thirty something); Karen (in their 40's)
Bits and pieces:
Several people
with increasing blood pressures -- Jimmy, Vergel, Dennis (?) -- papalapit
na sa lupa, pero di daw amoy lupa (category lang ito to refer to girls).
Sumali sila Eric, Pocho, Jimmy and
Dennis sa chain letter of golf T-shirts. Ina-anticipate na nila yung 36
T-shirts kuno na matatanggap nila.
Ericson's wife raffled off a heart-shaped
cake that she herself baked to our group. I won it. Nilantakan namin sa
bahay on Sunday Feb 13. Heart icing na lang ang umabot sa Valentines'.
March 16, 1994
Maganda ang kuwento nito sa uwian. Background muna: Ling and I went together in her car pero iniwan na kami doon at di hinintay. May deal na kami with Dennis, na in exchange for passport services for his parents, e ipahahatid niya kami pag-uwi.
Ops, di nang dumating na si Jimmy, nag-signal na ako kay Dennis na dapat ay hindi na ako sasabay kay Ling. Siya daw ang bahala, huwag daw mag-alala, sabi ni Dennis.
Uwian na. Nakasakay na si Ling sa Pajero ni Jimmy. Aba't pati kami ni Pocho e doon na rin kay Jimmy pinasasabay. Ayoko nga. Halos doon na sa may BF ang residence ni Jimmy, e siya pa ba ang susuba across town para lang ako mahatid?
In short, si Dennis ang napilitang
maghatid sa amin. Naku po, ang litanya ng reklamo all the way to
White Plains, and Kalayaan. Sa Makati pa lang, mas ibig ko nang mag-bus.
At naku, ha, baka daw siya ma-'mug' dun sa street namin!
Kaya nga ba nang i-suggest ni Rose
na sa kanya kami sasakay for the outing in April, very vehement ang NO,
at NEVER again ko. Habang buhay na utang na loob pa ang magpahatid, di
bale na lang.
This is it!
Sincerely,
Ana B. Urbs
March
Birthday Celebrators-Felix and Francis
March 14, 1994
Dear Potit, Ataboy and Delay,
We had another inuman yesterday to celebrate the March b-days of Francis and Felix.
I know! I know! Have not sent you stories about Ericson's birthday inuman last Feb. 12.
Ang gulo nga ng schedule for this one. Originally, Vergel told me to block off Mar 19, so I did, and called Rose to do the same. Ling said she'll be in New York till the 20th.
Tapos, tumawag si Francis. Move to March 13 daw, because Dennis will leave for the States on Mar 18. Tawag ako kay Rose. Kagagaling lang daw ni Dennis sa office niya, at Mar 12 ang sinabi. Tawag uli ako kay Francis. 13 daw dahil si felix ay manggagaling pa sa Sorsogon and may not be back on the 12th. Tawag si Dennis later at nag-confirm ng Sunday, 13th.
So I went to Makati Sports Club at 12:00 noon yesterday. Lunch by the poolside ito.
I'm wriuting now while waiting for the cardiologist here at St. Luke's Hospital. Magko-consult ng heart palpitations which won't disappear kahit panay na ang pahinga ko. Wow, talagang tumatanda na.
To continue --
Dinatnan ko na sa table eating peanuts sina Francis at Jimmy.
Francis promptly produced negatives and black and white pictures from Agustin Sevilla. Na-dig na pictures of their San Fabian outing circa 2nd year college. Inay! Reed-thin and with ribs showing sina Pocho, Dennis, Joemelo, Felix. Si Francis hindi masyado. We promptly captioned the pictures as 'Schindler's List'. Maraming hagalpakan ng tawa ang na-elicit ng pictures from all who saw them. Sa bawat dumating iyon ang unang pinapakita. Joemelo brought them home. I have the negs.
. . .
Because of the Schindler's List pics, na-recount uli yung outing nila na naiwan sa gitna ng kalsada till almost midnight yung luggage ni Felix dahil wala man lang nagbitbit paloob from among his guests.
Nang dumating na si Felix, kumuha na kami ng pagkain. Buffet barbecue ito, so we had mga inihaw na isda at baboy. Pocho proudly announced na okay na siya sa 2 previously failed medical tests, isa na lang ang bagsak, kaya puede na siya sa callos. nang i-point out na ma-uric acid iyon, ini-share sa amin para mabawasan.
Napag-usapan ang likewarm stock market. Sabi ni Felix, nang sabihan daw siya ni Jimmy nung b-day ni Ericson na it's time to pull out, he pulled out the next day. Sabi ni Dennis, bakit di namin nakuha ang tip? Kasi kumakanta kayo sa karaoke at di nakinig sa usapan, sagot ni Vergel.
Jimmy recited his analysis while they all listened attentively this time. Felix said he'll watch out for the 2100 level na sinasabi ni Jimmy for buying again.
I brought some PTA letters about our graduation plus the 'My Fair Lady' program. We donated drum and bugle corp equipment, bought our brand new togas for P20@ pala. They reviewed their roles in the Fair Lady production. We graduated on May 26, 1965 pala.
Sa San Francisco at Las Vegas pupunta si Dennis. First time to visit both places. Jimmy sugested visiting a chicken ranch near Reno (I forgot the name). I told him to find time for the Grand Canyon. Very tight daw ang schedule. Umiisip ng maglilibot sa kanya sa SF, only edith sangalang from Sta. Clara came to mind. May phone no. ako, sabi ni Jimmy. Gave him Potit's address and phone no. I've informed you, Potit, that he'll be there by the 19th and will be staying in Bally's.
While we were eating, tumawag ang wife ni Ericson kay Felix na hintayin daw at kaaalis lang sa bahay.
Nakapag-set ng summer outing
on April 23-24 sa Puerto Azul. May private quarters na puedeng i-reserve
si Ericson for all of us. The allocation was finalized as ff:
1 unit (3 BR) for the 'singles' -
Rose, Ana, Ling, Dennis, Jimmy, Vergel and Freddie
1 unit for Pocho and Felix with their
families
1 unit for Ericson and family inc
daughter's boyfriend
1 unit for Joemelo and Francis with
their families
(terror daw
sa likot ang mga anak ni Joemelo)
1 unit for Luis and Cesar and their
families
5 units in all at $140/unit
Wala nang space for inviting others out of the group. May meeting na gagawin to finalize this plan, and there is another asap meet to show the latest betamax queen, a former beauty titlist in very compromising circumstances (bold and identifiable).
After dessert, (halo-halo with ube ice cream on top) we proceeded to Dennis' home in Paranaque.
Drop out na si Joemelo. Ang nandoon na lang ay: Dennis, Francis, Jimmy, Ericson, Ana, Rose, Pocho, Freddie, Felix and Vergel, who bought the pulutan, as usual.
We had serious business discussions.
At aba, upgraded na naman ako, because we had Royal Salute this time. Came in a handsome royal blue velvet pouch with gold tassel and gold embroidery. Gagawin kong jewelry pouch, claimed Rose.
Basta pala kulay blue, mas mahal, ano?
Siempre, nag-taste test ako. (Aba, come to think of it, baka kaya may palpitations ako ngayon, ah).
Napag-usapan ang banking, of course.
Magtayo na lang daw kaya ng Prepian bank.
Na-refine pa nga ang idea. How about a Maritime Bank of the Philippines, to manage the resources of seamen.Ericson knew this market, and after much analysis, everybody saw the logic and the feasibility of the idea. I was listening intently. Major discussants dito sina Felix, Rose, Jimmy, Eric with legal queries from Pocho and Dennis.
Sabay-sabay umalis at 6 p.m. sina Eric, Jimmy, Pocho, Francis. Naiwan kami for a more intimate discussion specifically about Land Bank and felix' role there. Si Rose at ako, si Felix and Vergel plus Dennis and Freddie.
. . .
We spent another hour in this discussion.
We were about to go at 7, but then the subject shifted to Lotto and jueteng and so we spent another hour on this lighter subject.
I hitched a ride with Felix, who was going to Teacher's Village.
He has a different lifestyle. Stays in a bachelor's studio near the office on weekdays, and goes home to his elder kids who stay in Teachers' Village. His two younger kids are staying with his wife. He is in the process of seeking an annulment. it is a friendly one, according to him.
He goes to the office before 8, and stays till 8, too. So he has three secretaries. He usually works on either Sat or Sun, too. On Mondays, he leaves the house at 5:30 a.m. to avoid the traffic. What a life! He teaches at AIM on TTh yata pa. And splits travelling around the country with the bank president.
I forgot to say that the following topics were discussed, too. Basketball collegiate level with La Salle vs. Ateneo being the highlight. Once every five years lang daw manalo ang Ateneo over La Salle. Also the initiation of freshmen in La Salle. They wear caps, (parang cardinals in the church) for distinguishing them from upper classmen. Pati military training sa model platoon and the corresponding initiation din (may bugbugan).
This is all for this inuman.
Sincerely,
Ana B. Urbs
Inuman with Gil
June 27, 1994
2 a.m.
Dear Ataboy, Potit and Delay,
Hello! I was in Iloilo City on June 23-25 kaya ngayon ko pa lang ito naisusulat. Yesterday naman I was with the Unix Users Club officers on a medical mission (outreach program namin) sa isang depressed area in Caloocan City. Na-exceed ko yata ang threshhold ng pagod kaya I'm up at this unholy hour.
Tinawagan ako ni Francis the other week. Mag-organize daw ng dinner at matagal nang di nagkikita-kita. At ipa-sponsor daw kay Jimmy, who was supposed to have hosted the cancelled happening for his May birthday. Of course I didn't want to ask Jimmy to pay for dinner just like that, so I suggested that we go KKB, at kung may ibig magbayad ay di namin pipigilan. Okay ito kay Francis. Next I called up Dennis. Hesitant okay. Asked him if Monday, June 20 was okay sa sched niya. Oo daw. Si Vergel, okay din. Ops. Ling is in the US till July. Ericson is out of the country till June 25. Luis is in a meeting everytime I call. No answer in Jimmy's numbers. Asked Francis to call up the rest.
When I called up Dennis again, i-cancel ko raw ang Monday dahil di siya puede. Ang inis ko po! Di ba kako siya nga ang unang nag-okay? (Turned out susunduin pala ang anak niya sa airport that night.) Anyway, nung Monday June 21, we were able to move it to June 22. (Which was just fine with me, because I had a lunch meeting in Makati, plus it rained hard Monday evening.)
At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, I called up Vergel to say I'll just meet them at 7 p.m. dun sa MeyLin restaurant sa Pasay Road. Ang sagot: Pumunta ka dito sa office by 6 p.m. at darating si Gil Gotiangco. I did. Malapit lang pala lakarin ang Land Bank from where I was (UUCP office) so I got there early at 5:30 p.m. Nakapagkuwentuhan pa kami about computer softwares saka procurement policies.
Umulan nang malakas, buti nandoon na ako. Na-traffic si Gil, di agad dumating. Tinawagan si Dennis, pinaalis na sa office niya, at hihintayin namin doon. Paged Francis to call us up.
Ang nasabi ni Gil pagkita sa akin ay "Ana B., oh my God!" The last time we saw each other was in 1987 sa Tali beach outing. Natatandaan mo ba ito, Potit? Witness ka raw sa halos magdamag nilang discussion ni Jimmy about capitalism. Dun sa Bancom beach house.
Gil pala is back in Manila after 4 years in Cebu. Akala ko pa naman ay rare chance ang pagdating niya that night. He is preparing a paper on corruption and he even distributed questionnaires for us to answer.
Nag-picnic na kami ng baon kong junk food while waiting for Dennis. At 7, aba'y wala pa. Nagugutom na ako. Baka raw nasa ABS-CBN pa, sabi ni Vergel. I called up his office. Nandoon pa nga ang ulol! Nagpapalipas daw siya ng traffic. Sabi ko, walanghiya ka, lumayas ka na diyan sa office mo at sa restaurant ka na lang tumuloy! Then we paged Francis.
We marched on to the next building and fetched Felix. We waited for him to finish his conversation with his daughter over the phone. We all rode in his car to the restaurant. Nandoon na si Francis. Service was fast. Wala nga raw ka challenge challenge. Everything was served within 15 minutes. Siguro raw may nag-cancel ng mga orders na iyon, he, he, he!
Aba, ha, for once ay mataas ang antas ng discussion over dinner. Academic baga, because of Gil's presence. Felix was fascinated with what Gil was saying. Nag-trace ng history of corruption practices and attitudes. Pati si Dennis ay nagulat na may aspects of Philippine history na noon lang niya nadinig. Sulit na sulit nga ang gabi. It was so refreshing! Pinapag-lecture nga si Gil at the next available opportunity. Kami-kami lang kasi that night. Kahit si Luis ay hindi nakahabol.
Napag-tsismisan nang konti sina Miranda at Guerrero, mga teachers natin sa Phil History, Ataboy! Guerrero got involved with missing important documents of Philippine history. Sabi ni Dennis, baka raw she saw to their safekeeping only. I can believe that. But Gil doesn't exactly like her, so we didn't dwell on it too much.
I think Felix regrets not having pursued a course in history. Dennis wants to go back to school and take subjects (AB General). I would not be surprised if they will even go to Cebu just to listen to Gil's lectures.
Of course we had some of the usual topics. Naikuwento uli for Gil's benefit yung iniwanang suitcase ni Felix in the middle of the road during their second year college outing. Saka yung kuwento about LP, at yung banat kay Dennis na bitbit na chismis ni Ling from Austria.
Ito pala ang manghihinayang ka talaga, Ataboy! Gil was in Wash DC for the whole summer of '91. Oo, 3 months. Nag-research sa Library of Congress at sa Archives. Nakatira sa kapatid niya sa Silver Springs, Maryland. Nag-part-time job pa raw siya (parang mail sorting, per hour ang bayad) just to fill up the time. Palakad-lakd daw siya dun sa may M St. at ayaw uuwi sa malungkot na bahay. Imagine all the stimulating conversations that you missed! Sabi ko nga, sana nakapag-babysit siya for Nina. hanip na sense of history sana ang nasalin sa bata.
Nakuwento ko rin sa kanila ang pagka-attend ko ng General Alumni Homecoming (for the 1st time in my life) sa UP Alumni Bahay on June 18. I knew clifton was there because I saw his signature on the attendance sheet. But I could not locate him in the crowd. Silver jubilarians na tayo! Masaya ang homecoming. VIP's present were Sen. Arturo Tolentino ('34), Mita Pardo de Tavera ('44), Efren Plana ('54) and Miriam Defenso-Santiago ('69). Most Distinguished Alumnus Award went to Sen. Ambrosio Padilla. Naku, very elegant si Lily de las Alas. When I left at 11 p.m., the Ruby jubilarians were still at it on the dance floor with the band playing ballroom dancing music. Nag-rigodon pa nga ang Class '54 during the program. Boots Anson Roa and Angelo Castro were the emcees. I'm sure Boots enjoyed it immensely.
We could have gone on and on pero ako ay pupuntang Iloilo the next day. So we split the bill equally into 6. Naalala pa nung dinner nila for Blay's b-day in June ay nalibre pati si Joemelo. Bakit daw nalibre e ang yaman yaman noon?
Nagyayayaan sila sa isang place sa Timog na okay raw ang singer. Mukhang hindi ako roon kasali. Adult discussion siguro. Parang ini-schedule nung Friday, except na may ballroom dancing daw si Vergel, so it should be on another day. Pero hanggang 7:30 lang naman daw ang dancing.
Kakantiyawan daw ng blowout sa White Plains si Ling on her July birthday. Tuwang-tuwa raw si Mrs. Fonacier nung mapunta roon si Dennis at Vergel on theri way to see "My Fair Lady" at Meralco Theatre in February.
Pinahatid kami ni Felix sa driver niya so okay lang even if we left at about 10:30 na. nakapag-kuwentuhan pa kami ni Gil sa car. Sumama siya hanggang amin at pagbalik na lang saka siya bumaba sa Cubao. Nakakapanibago ang may gentleman in the group.Tinatanong pa ni Gil kung mabigat ang dala kong attache case at nag-o-offer pang magbitbit.
Sayang, Rose didn't make it. May board meeting daw the following day and she has lots of reports to prepare.
O sige, umaga na, at inaantok na ako sa wakas.
Sincerely,
Ana B. Urbs
Everybody.
Only those invited by Ericson!
August 20, 1994
Dear Ataboy,
Here's chismis, fresh from last night's
mini-reunion at Ling's.
First of all, it was agreed that our
reunion will be on May 27, 1995, almost exactly 30 years after graduation.
You are encouraged to go home for this. Kaya ba ninyo? Dapat!
Also, we'll have a Christmas Party on Dec 14, 1994. Sa penthouse ng building ni Ericson ito, complete with ballroom dancing. At nag-set na rin ng swimming party (kuno) on Nov 11, 1994 kina Andy at Felice pero blowout ito ni Jimmy daw. Yung Christmas, blowout daw ng Oct, Nov, Dec b-day celebrants.
Ang affair kagabi ay kantiyaw na na-call ni Ling na mag-blowout naman siya ng July 17 b-day. Iniutos ito ni Dennis sa akin, sinabi ko naman kay Ling nung July 17, pumayag naman siya, pero August na raw, pagkaalis ng family niya at ni Ritzie na nak-kampo lahat sa bahay ng Nanay niya sa White Plains. Aug 19 ang date, bahala na raw akong magtawag. Di simple lang. Called up Dennis. Bahala na raw siya kay Joemelo at Blay. Called up Vergel. Bahala siya kay Cesar Cifra, Felix, Gil. Individually kong tinawagan si Francis, Ericson, Jimmy at Luis. (Sabi ko kay Luis, bahala siya kay Jimmy.) Tapos, tinawagan ko si Emmeline at sabi ko e bahala na siya sa mga girls. Lunes, sabi ko kay Ling, after getting all reports, na easily, there will be 25 of us. She prepared for 30.
So ayun. 22 kami kagabi. Emmeline and Ino were absent, only because na-hospitalize ang anak nila for H-fever. We were worried,but I checked today, sabi ng tao sa bahay nila ay out of danger na ang bata. Luis had a special engagement in Agusan, nag-anak sa kasal ng anak ng governor. Tama yung 25.
Kay Rose ako sumabay pagpunta. Pagdating ko sa office niya, nandoon na si Agnes Penaflor-Morato, sasabay rin. Okay ang negosyo niya, money remittance from and to New York. Same day withdrawal, P or $. she was in Las Vegas daw last October. And in NY last summer ba. Almost went to Wash DC, too.
On the way, we three were already plotting a scam for an NGO that will allow us to travel to secure funding for projects. Kayo at iba pa ang bibiktimahin.
Inabutan na namin doon ang inuman boys plus Pat and Maripaz. nandoon na sila complete in one round table -- Dennis, Vergel, Francis, Joemelo, Blay, Gil plus Noel Plana at si Andy Sta. Maria na di ko nakilala kasi parang maputi sa tingin ko, saka di pa siya naka-eyeglasses.
Pinag-tabi-tabi na ang 3 round tables, at halos kasunod na rin naming dumating ang girls -- Ruth Ramos, Wilma, Ella, Girlie. Nag-ikutan ng kumustahan at tsismisan at beso-beso.
Of course when we sat down to eat, ang arrangement na nilabasan ay tabi-tabi ang boys, tabi-tabi ang girls. Aano pa nga ba?
Main topic of discussion: Petron IPO. Nandoon ang PNOC -- si Wilma, ang highest bidder na Land Bank (altho ang La Salle clique raw ang responsible for bidding, sabi ni Felix), ang IT consultant ng PNOC na si Cesar Cifra, mga investors na tulad namin, rejected investor tulad ni Eric (multiple application daw.) Millionaire na raw si Wilma because Petron employees got many shares allotted to them, and at less cost, too.
Malaking kantiyawan din ang hindi pagka-imbita sa mga girls dun sa birthday party ni Ericson nung Feb 12. Kahit pa yata sila iblow-out, hindi pa rin quits sa sama ng loob. Tapos nakita pa nila yung pictures. Sabi ni Wilma, akala ko ba si Ana B. lang ang nandoon, pati pala raw si Rose! Tapos may girls din nga -- yung barkada ng asawa ni Ericson.
Hay, naku! At ang kuwento ng pasalubong na medyas ay naungkat uli. Sabi ko nga kay Dennis, sampung beses ko na yata iyon narinig!
Nag-surface din ang long time affair ni Ling at Noel. Since Gr 2 daw. Bilib ka kay Noel -- kabisado pa ang address at phone no. ni Ling dun sa Pasay nung nasa Prep pa tayo. Sabi nga ni Ling, kung alam daw niyang papayat pala si Noel, sana sila na.
Nang dumating si Ericson, inulit ang drama ng mga babae about his birthdat party. (Hanggang nung mag-group picture taking bago mag-uwian, may group picture pa yung only those invited by Eric to his b-day at may separate group picutre pa yung di inimbita. Grabe talaga! They insisted on that!)
Cesar Cifra suggested na mag-meeting na, kasi babalik pa raw siya sa office at magtatrabaho. Taasan ng kilay at cries of bisbelief! On a Friday night? Wilma came to his defense, 24 hours daw ang pag-produce nung Petron certificates.
Oo na nga. We had the meeting. Ericson appointed the committee who will work on the 30th anniversary. Si Dennis ang chairperson. Siempre kasama kami -- si Ling, ako, si Rose, Jimmy etc. (inuman group, in short.)
Then we volunteered (or were assigned) people to contact. Napakagulong procedure. May mga pangalan na pinag-aagawan. Halimbawa, si Yehey. Sabi ni Rose, siya na. Sabi ni Blay, e kapitbahay ko iyon sa Pandacan. Ako na kay Franklin, sabi ni Pat. Bawal ang asawa na kuhanin. O di wala palang pakialam si Andy kay Felice. Tawanan! Dapat daw apat ang contact-in nina Pat at Franklin. Hindi matapus-tapos ang paglilista! Doble-doble. Halo-halo.
O, kelan ang next meeting, at ano ang agenda? Yung blowout that never was daw ni Jimmy, pero dapat sa Quezon City ang venue para accessible daw. Saka off limits daw si Ling kung sa bahay ni Jimmy. Di ang bahay nina Andy sa St. Ignatius Village ang natipuhan. Bakit daw di pa si Andy ang mag-host? Next year, ang sabi naman. Ang advantage doon, may swimming pool daw. Pero dapat 2 piece. At kaya na-push to November 11 ang schedule ay para may time pang magpaliit ng mga puson ang malalakas ang loob na mag-swim. There were lots of conflicting schedules, too.
Seems that Bayani has all the materials for the souvenir program for our 25th anniversary -- pictures and data na hindi na makuha. Jimmy volunteered to contact him. I hope he succeeds.
The girls were very enthusiatic about ballroom dancing for the December party. Kukuha daw ng instructor si Eric. Sounds like it's gonna be fun! Kung aalis ako, dapat makabalik in time for Dec 14. Kung uuwi kayo, dapat abutin din ito.
Close to midnight, nagtayuan na. Picture-taking muna. Ayaw maupo sa tabi ni Ling ang girls. Kasi slim si Ling, mag-stand-out ang katabaan nila. May suggestion pang tumabi daw kay Ling lahat yung mga lumigaw noon. Matagal na seremonyas din itong picture-taking. May pose din yung lahat ng naka-score kuno.
Katabi ko si Pat sa table kaya napag-usapan pa namin ang newspaper column ng anak niya. Sinabi kong minsan ay pinadadalhan ko kayo ng kopya ng clippings ng 'Family Chats'.
Girlie said she met Aida in California early this year.
I hitched a ride with Maripaz. Baka raw sa March ay nasa Canada siya to renew her card at hanggang mag-graduate ang anak niya in June. So she might miss the May 27 reunion.
Nabisto na rin nga mga girls ang panghuhula ko, at mukhang maraming prospective clients.
I 'm sure I missed a lot of side chismis. Malaki ang group. It was not possible to hear everything being discussed.
Sincerely,
Ana B. Urbs
October 10, 1994
Dear Ataboy,
Maaga kanina, may tawag na from the
office of Dennis.
Sa Sabado daw, lunch at the Ambassador Restaurant for the joint birthday celebration of Cesar Cifra, Vergel and Dennis.
Aba't 3-way split pa pala, hindi ko nahulaan. Akala ko two way lang between him and Vergel. Naidamay pa pala si Cesar! Wala daw siyang pera, what else is new?
Tinanong ko kung kailan ang birthday niya. Sa Sunday daw, Oct 16. Ay, di pa kako valid ang celebration on the 15th. Ikaw talaga, oo, ang sabi.
Tinawagan ko naman ngayong hapon si Vergel at may pinapa-research ang boss ko dun sa Land Bank. Si Dennis nga raw ang in-charge sa invitations.
Giyera patani uli ito sa Nov 11 pag may nadulas. ( I will be safely absent, he, he, he!)
October 14, 1994
I was at Vergel's office Oct 11 to
get the research notes. I verified kung lunch lang ang birthday celebration,
kasi may balak akong manood ng sine after. Di manood ka ng sine, pero kami
ay tutuloy kina Dennis, ang sabi. Bawi siempre ako, i-re-reschedule ko
ang sine. (Pinanood ko na nga kahapon ang 'The Lion King', so it is safely
out of the way.
When I was about to leave, nautusan pa ako. I-contact daw si Gil, baka raw ako ang suwerteng maka-connect dahil 2 days nang panya busy signal ang nakukuha niya. At pinaka-ulit ulit pang stop na sa aming tatlo nina Ling ang invitation for the girls. Opo na opo na nga.
As soon as I got home, tinawagan ko si Gil. Okay ang number, but he was out, so I left the message. Then I called up Vergel to tell him okay na. Nadinig ko pang inutusan niya si Dennis na magpapunta ng tao sa UP para kay Gil, so na-save na ang effort na iyon.
The following day tinawagan ko uli si Gil.He didn't get the message of the night before. At two nga raw, sira ang mga phones. Anyway, di daw siya sure dahil pupuntang province at baka di makabalik. Told him to cancel the appointment. At nagbigayan kami ng instructions kung paano pumunta sa restaurant. Di kasi taga-Makati itong si Prof. (Cebuano na over the last five years.)
Then I called up Ling. She didn't know about the lunch. Nagbago raw ba ng palno si Dennis? Merienda cena sa bahay ni Dennis ang alam niya, at pinagdadala pa nga raw siya ng cake at matagal nang dinag-bo-blow ng candles kuno. He, he, he, sabi ko kay Ling, bumili na rin siya ng balloons, magdala ng camera, at hahanap na rin ako ng party favors. I'm supposed to remind her about these.
Yesterday I got a letter from Edith Sangalang. She screamed with excitement daw nang mabasa ang sulat kong we'll see each other in December. Namatay na pala ang Daddy niya nung March '93. Na-guilty tuloy akong di siya napuntahan or natawagan man lang nung '91 and '92. Nandoon na ako sa ke-kalapit na lugar! At may anak na rin siyang 24 years old at 19 years old, just like Mila Astorga.
October 17, 1994
Girlie Esguerra-de Leon called up Friday. She's going to send me the prints of Ling's b-day blowout. At pina-alalahanan pa akong tawagan ang grupo for the Nov 11 b-day celebration of Jimmy in Andy's house.
Sinabi ko kay Dennis ang call ni Girlie, at inulit naman niya ang lakad kinabukasan. Told him about the balloons to go with the cake. Natawa lang. And assigned him also to bring a camera with film and batteries. Para recorded for posterity ang birthday niya.
Saturday a.m. I called up Ling to remind her about the shopping list -- cake with 3 names and candles, balloons one each, and camera with film. Party favors would be pushing it too far, baka mabatukan kami. Papunta na nga raw siya sa mall. Hintayin daw siya sa Ambassador till 2:30 p.m. Manggagaling pa siya sa Valley Golf in Antipolo for her brother's birthday celebration.
Naglaba muna ako, then left at 10:45
for the lunch in Makati. Sus, nakakahilo ang traffic, na-late pa ako for
12 noon. Hindi pa agad masundan ang dinatnang topic of discussion, walang
oxygen ang brain. Nandoon na si Cesar Cifra, Dennis, Pocho, Vergel, Joemelo
at Blay. Halos kasunod ko si Gil, na-traffic din. Ayun, ang unang topic
na na-register ay ang sexual harrassment charges filed against some
UP professors. (Tuwing may dadating, nauulit ang topic ng sexual harrassment.)
Duamting next si Felix, at nag-discuss naman sila ni Gil ng corruption.
Pocho reserved a copy of Gil's book. It will be out after the monograph.
Maya-maya, harrassed na raw ang kanilang
stomach, so napilitan nang mag-order si Dennis. He was saying something
like tig-P150 per cup yung shark's fin soup. Comment ko kay Blay, bakit
pine-presyohan tayo? Nang dumating nga ang hot towels at di ako kumuha,
bakit daw di ako gumamit, bayad na yon? Uuwi na ako, nakakapikon. Pusong
mamon pala ito, sabi ni Blay.
May maganda raw sinabi sa kanya si Ling about birthdays, sabi ni Dennis. Even though one gets older chronologically, like 46 years old, he remains about 30 years old in thought, and stays there. Nag-choose siya ng age 30, although it could be another figure for a different person. Could even be less than that nga, di ba?
At siempre pa, hinayang na naman uli sila for the nth time about the Napocor post. With Delfin out of the Energy Dept and Viray out of Napocor, aba e baka nga raw si Tony na ang Napocor head ngayon. Plus he would hve enjoyed the PNOC Petron stocks play in the market. Mas nauna pa raw sa kanilang naglaro ng stocks si Tony, sabi ni Felix.
Somehow naungkat pa yung NSDB exams na hindi natin naipasa nung 1965. Ah, I think it was in connection with the remark about the UP accounting grads making it good in the CPA exams.
At dahil di pa dumarating si Jimmy at Ling, siempre may mga theories din kung paano sila darating. Yung mga kabastusan bang kung bagong paligo, etc. Sus!
Jimmy arrived and announced that he is now president of Reynolds. Naka-round ng investors and they bought out the company. Galing nga sa Cavite to show the plant to the new owners. Round of congratulations. Drop hints about the need for a premier drink. Dadaan daw sa bahay at kukunin ang XO. Aprub.
Pagdating ni Ling, tiningnan agad ang sapatos. Kung may putik daw, di kasama ni Jimmy sa Cavite. Hindi fool proof, sabi ni Ling. Puede naman siyang magpalit ng sapatos. Hindi talaga pikon itong si Ling.
Napag-usapan din pala ang favorite sport, basketball. Sabagay, maganda naman talaga ang naging championship games. Yung anak na babae ni Jimmy, player ng La Salle, pero sa Canada na yata magpapatuloy ng studies.
After lunch I passed around the letters of Mila, Clifton, Edith and Potit. Also Delay pala. Hindi kilala ni Ling si Fulghum. Potit, bakit daw kami lang ang invited mo for Comdex? Paano naman daw sina Felix at Vergel kung ibig mag-Comdex next year? They kept kidding Joemelo about Edith's letter, I don't know why. I think we got good candid shots while they were reading those letters.
And what a coincidence! May dalawang Prepians dun sa next table, si Lorna Rayos del Sol (hindi ko na mamukhaan) of '68 saka isang colleague ni Dennis sa Lopez group na Class '69. Si Dennis lang ang kumausap sa kanila. Wala raw reunions yung Class '68.
Kuwento ni Gil -- si Mrs Lilia Rabago daw ay naging member ng end of the world cult, at ipinagbili pa nga raw lahat ng properties sa Bulacan in support of the movement. Ironic, considering that she's a science teacher, and a good one at that.
Kami ang nagsara ng restaurant. We left after some group pictures were taken by the waiter. At dahil di siempre ako sasakay sa kotse ni Dennis, Ling and I went with Pocho.
In the car, nasabi ni Ling that I should look for the books 'The Celestine Prophecy' saka 'Embraced by the Light'. So bale sa spiritual and death and religion ang napag-usapan naming tatlo. (Di ko nga namalayan na na-traffic pala kami.) I especially liked the idea about prayers being transported as lights shooting out of the earth towards the heavens. Yung powerful prayers daw, parang shooting stars. Yung rote prayers naman, parang supot na firecracker. Yung 'Embraced by the Light' was an account of a woman who experienced a state of death for a few hours and was able to get to heaven.
Pagdating sa bahay, nandoon na si Dennis at Gil, and shortly after, si Blay at Vergel. Itinuloy ang discussion about the spiritual. Gil admitted to being highly critical of religion and of being in the material palne. Na-grill si Ling about how to explain the suffering of the poor vs the comfort of the rich when she said that our state here on earth is of our own choice.
Naulit ang earlier discussion about the pagkagunaw ng mundo. Earlier nga pala ay nasabi ni Gil na baka raw yung pagkagunaw is not something literal. Puede rin daw iyon to mean the degradation of the environment or of morals. In the same manner, sabi ko, puede rin namang yung suffering ay paghihirap ng loob, at hindi lang physical discomfort.
It turned out that Vergel already has a copy of 'The Celestine Prophecy'. It has something to do with reaching a state of perfection. Heavy. Iba talaga ang presence ni Gil. Nag-distinguish pa among spirit, soul and conscience. Sa Zen daw, sabi ni Vergel, the secret is that there are no secrets. Wow, hindi pa man lang umiinom, high na high na ako.
Ang idea na talagang na-amuse ako ay yung may tamang position pala dapat pag namatay ka. On your right daw, ala reclining Buddha. Takip ng index finger ang right nostril. Illustrated pa ito ni Vergel! In that position daw, the soul leaves the body fluidly through the head. In a different position daw, quipped somebody, baka lumabas na parang utot ang soul. Hagalpakan!
Na-lighten ang discussion nang dumating si Luis. I love to hear his booming laughter! Nagkita raw kayo sa Madrid, Ataboy. At kumain pa raw kayo ng kuneho. Matagal na pag-iisip on the part of Ling and Luis bago naalala ang pangalan ng brod ninyong si Vic Berroya, na ubod raw nang bait.
Sinita ako ni Luis. Bakit daw ayaw kong pa-promote sa office? Sabi daw sa kanya ni Romy David, I do not seem to be interested to join his team. I said, what for, I don't want to get into the thick of office politics. Sabi naman nila, I should try it because I might like it. No, thanks.
Finally, dumating si Jimmy. Dala ang XO. We stood up to toast. Upgraded na naman ako. Masarap yung XO.
Business naman ang pinag-usapan. Kuwento si Jimmy about Reynolds. Pati yung speech niya para sa papalitan niya ay na-pass around. May konting recall ng Letran days. May bulag daw doon who could identify the denomination of paper money just by smell.
Jimmy could not stay for long, so just before he and Ling left (parehong may appointment pa) we did the birthday cake routine.
Kinuhanan pa ni Dennis ng close up pictures yung cake and balloons. They were so game about the candle blowing. Even agreed to hold one balloon each while doing so. I expected no less from Dennis, kasi ilusyon niya iyon, but Vergel, who I half expected to be square about it, participated just as enthusiastically. What do you know! (Pero, ha, when Ling bussed him a happy birthday before she left, ang comment ba naman ay sexual harrassment daw!)
Before Luis left, Vergel asked him to do something about Felix' wanting to quit Land bank. May teaching offer yata sa Canada. Kakausapin yata ni Luis yung La Salle clique sa bank.
Mas intimate na discussion uli pagkaalis
ni Luis. Am editing out the self disclosure portions to respect their privacy.
Gil stayed in the US pala for 2 1/2
years, but he doesn't want to stay there despite the presence of relatives
and other people quite close to him there.
They interrogated Blay about something
they didn't want me to be clear about, something na sila lang ang nagkakaintindihan.
I felt that something that they didn't talk about before got clarified,
and some assurances were given, too. That was that.
Yun pa palang idea of soulmates was
explored, both seriously and in jest. I guess in a way, we talked about
love and loving, too. Yung soulmates naman, Blay even delivered a sample
diga to show how it can be misused for one's end. Impressed ako. With that
smooth talk, no trouble magpasagot ng babae. Pero single naman till now.
Nabalik uli sa death, danger, guardian
angels. Dennis shared a very recent experience about flight trouble. Not
one of us has felt being in the brink of death and the expectd fright to
accompany it.
Nang gumagabi na, we just waited for
the song 'The More I See You' in the album. Dennis wanted Blay to sing
it to cap the evening. The rendition was soulful. Nakaka-in love kuno.
Nagkayayan for a night out to do some
singing in a karaoke bar. Sa Nov 2. At kakanta rin daw si Gil. Isasama
daw si Ling, dahil romantic din iyon.
More happy birthdays as we dispersed.
I didn't dare harrass any celebrant as I left.
Gil and I rode with Pocho. Sabi ni
Gil, he was surprised na may ganoong dimension pala si Ling. he was apologetic
for his other point of view but Pocho assured him na mas okay nga ang may
ganoon. Pocho said that one other thign that probably brought them closer
together is music preference. Gil says he's more for Matt Monro than Jack
Jones, but both of them didn't go for the Beatles even in high school.
The following day I called Ling and
told her about Gil's comment. Ano'ng akala niya, panay material lang? At
naku, ang driver daw niya ay di pala umalis dun sa restaurant. Naghintay
nang naghintay, oblivious of its closing after we left and opening again
for dinner patrons. When she got home from the inuman, that was the only
time she got somebody from the restaurant to locate him tell him to go
home. Think of it as commendable loyalty, sabi ko.
Sincerely,
Ana B. Urbs
Dear Ataboy,
Kagagaling lang ni Clifton Ganay dito sa office. Di ko nakilala, para siyang Santa Claus sa pagkabilog.
Napakausap ko sa kanya si Dennis at Vergel over the phone. Mukhang na-convince ng dalawa na bumalik dito bukas for the Prep '65 Christmas reunion. Hanggang alas dose lang daw siya, kasi maraming gagawin sa Dagupan on Dec 15.
Nakakatuwa naman. Pangasinan na Pangasinan pa ang punto ng pagsasalita ni Clifton ng Tagalog.
Buti at naisipang dumaan dine sa office. Sinulatan ko pa siya bago ako umalis kaya alam niyang Dec 5 ang balik ko.
December 16, 1994
The Christmas party was a riot!
Almost everybody was already there when I arrived at past 8. Hindi ko nakilala si Arlette Aquino-Umali, na hindi halos mayakap sa bilog. Mother Santa naman siya.
Nandoon si Mrs. Rosario Cortes! Puting-puti na ang buhok, pero siya pa rin. Natatandaan pa rin niya ang lahat. A daughter brought her, para daw huwag nang maabala kung sinuman ang susundo at maghahatid. She left before we made fools of ourselves in the program prepared by the girls.
1st part was the eating. I joined a group which talked about early menopause -- Emmeline, Agnes, Maria Paz, Yehey and Rose. Na-depress nga raw si Dennis when that topic was discussed by the committee of girls who prepared for the party.
Of course natsismisan din nila ako about the party at Andy's last Nov 11. Ang ganda ganda raw ng bahay! Minimalist ang elegant setting. May sculpture sa bathroom.
Felice was in charge of all the arrangements for the party in the house. It was an outdoor sitdown dinner. They broke up at 1 am. They were not able to brush up on their ballroom dancing, as originally intended.
Bitin pa ang chismisan, tinawag na kami ni Ruth to gather in the living area for the program. Picture taking muna, father ni Ericson ang photographer.
Trivia quiz ang una. Boys vs girls. Sample questions: Sino'ng teachers ang mahilig mag-petticoat? Sinu-sino ang candidates ng Bb. Lakambini during our Jr Prom? Sinu-sino ang officers ng PMT? Sino ang madalas mag-substitute teacher na natutulog sa klase? Mabibingi ka sa gulo ng accusations ng dayaan, sabay-sabay na pagsagot, pag-plant ng maling sagot, pag-disqualify ng sumasagot, etc. Siempre, panalo ang girls. Madaya raw, kasi girls ang gumawa ng mga tanong. Later, they asked their own questions and we did, too.
Tapos nag-charades game ng movies and songs nung kapanahunan natin. Mga To Sir, With Love, Yellow Submarine, Surfin' USA, Summer Holiday, Ebony and Ivory ang ipinahula. Equally able ang boys and girls! Si Wilma ang dramatic hit sa girls, at si Blay naman sa boys. Todo drama ang mga ito.
May game pang ni-rate ang pagka-boyish or girlish ang mannerisms namin - how you light a match and snuff it, how you count ceiling lights, how you inspect your fingernails for dirt, your elbows for dirt, your shoes for sticky gum. Pinaka-sexy raw ang mannerisms ni Rose.
Ballroom dancing came next! Marunong ngang sumayaw si Vergel! Si Luis, ang gaan ng katawan. I tried to get some pictures, ewan lang kung na-capture. I used Ericson's camera which I just picked up from the table. Ling and Girlie were most enthusiatic among the girls.
Nang may ibig nang umuwi, nag-exchange gifts na. Nakakatawa nga itong exchange gifts. At about 4 p.m. tumawag si Rose sa akin, may exchange gifts daw, worth P100. Nagpabili na nga raw siya kay Emmeline. Ako rin, magpapabili kay Emmeline. Ay, umalis na pagkatawag ko, sabi ni Rose. Problema. Tawag ako kay Vergel. Alam ba ninyong may exchange gifts? Hindi raw. Magkano? P100. Di jack en poy na lang daw. Ano'ng jack en poy? Di, I owe you a gift and you owe me a gift daw. Aba, okay ako doon.
The problem solved itself. Pagdating doon, may bakeshop products for sale si Nini, wife ni Eric. Lahat ng walang pang-exchange, doon nagkaroon.
All the girls wanted Jimmy's gift -- a big package of aluminum foil products (Reynolds)! Dapat daw he brought for everybody. Kailangan daw iyon ng lahat. Emmeline was the lucky recipient. Huwag mong ipagpapalit, warning niya kay Ino.
May nag-uumpisang mag-videoke. Hindi maka-take off.
Malapit nang mag-midnight. O, 5 minutes business meeting daw. Sandali lang. Ano bang sandali? Na-decide ang next affair. Feb 17 daw, post Valentine. Blow-out ng grupo nina Wilma, kay Ruth sa Valle Verde ang venue. Doon na raw pag-uusapan yung pag-accept sa invitation nina Eddie at Arlette to visit their farm. Humaba ang usapan, kasi nag-speech pa si Eddie ng how to keep fish fresh. huwag daw huhugasan, dahil yung lansa ang freshness. Maraming kabastusang jokes ang ipinanganak ng speech na ito. Booming na naman ang tawa ni Luis. Pag may nag-move na aalis na, sinasabihan ni Ericson ang guard na isara ang pinto at huwag magpalabas.
Fund raising daw, para may professorial chair tayo. Movie premiere, repertory play, golf. Na-reduce to -- singilan na lang ng P1,000 bawat isa, wala pang problema sa pagbenta ng tickets, etc.
Hindi na talaga makahintay yung uuwi pa sa malayo, tulad ni Maria Paz. Tinapos ang meeting.
Nagsimula ang kantahan. Maraming ganado. Dapat daw pala may isang affair na panay kantahan lang, sabi ni Ella.
Hindi kami nagmamadali, kasi may ride na kami ni Ling -- with Ino and Emmeline.
Sabay sabay na rin halos nagsibaba sa parking lot. Si Dennis kunyari pa raw solicitous about our rides. sabi ko nga, as if you care. Sulit na sulit na ang bawi ko sa asungot niyang paghatid sa amin last year, he, he, he!
Nakapagkuwentuhan pa kami ni Emmeline after we dropped off Ling. Mostly about separated family members, like Ling's and Dennis'! Siya pala stayed in Japan for a while, but came home because Ino did not want to stay out of the country.
About Agnes, it doesn't look so bad. She has 3 lines (parang scratches) on the left cheek which I think she's conscious about now, but there's no deformity and I think in due time that can also be corrected surgically. May plastic surgeon na raw yata, sabi ni Emmeline, so di na i-engage ang services ng auntie ni Girlie.
Ay, at si Clifton ay dumaan din pala sa office ni Dennis pagkagaling dine sa office ko. Di siya pumunta sa party.
Sincerely,
Urbs
Ataboy is a nickname derived from her initials, ATA.
