Harvest Time

March 26, 2013.

This was our 14th Moving Up, 12th Graduation, and 3rd Commencement  Exercises.  It should have been one of those  ordinary culminating activities  for the SY 2012-2013.   But for me,  this  day is  history.  This day is harvest time for the fruits of our labor. This is the day when I really felt and witnessed  how far  Queensville School has gone.  This is the first time and this is what I can call an achievement.  

During the processional   . . . Ms.Christine N. Ruben (top)   Mr. Jose P. Bael and yours truly ( below )

On this day,  CHRISTINE JOY N. RUBEN  of Batch 2002-2003 stood before the podium at Paradiso Terrestre to speak before us and inspire the members of the graduating class    including their parents, the faculty members and most of all, we the school administrators.  She talked about her experiences, largely at Queensville School, and how she went on with her journey in high school and college.  For about fifteen minutes, I felt so elated.  I could hardly imagine that we have already produced a young professional as she is, very eloquent, very smart and very successful in her own right.

                                                         Ms. CHRISTINE JOY N. RUBEN
                                                            

Tintin, as she is fondly called, graduated at Queensville School last 2003 with a First Honorable Mention award.  She went to Las Pinas East National High School for her secondary education .  In college, she finished the degree of  Bachelor in Secondary Education major in English from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila ( also my Alma Mater )  as CUM LAUDE last 2011.  In the same year, she passed the Licensure Examinations for Teachers and before we have congratulated her, she has already signed her teaching contract with Statefields School where she is now handling English classes in the elementary grades.

Running a school, even as small as Queensville School, is not that easy.  We have traversed both the smooth and rough roads, the plains and the hills, and we have even climbed mountains just to give the services what our students deserve.  Today is one of those days that I have been waiting for ~  the day when we will be reaping the sweet fruits of what we have sown for ages.  For us, the school administrators, the memory of this  day  will keep us moving when we feel that everything's tough and we are going against all odds. 

To Christine, thank you for the inspiration.  As you stood before the podium during our graduation day, you were like a living trophy for the Queensville School ~ gloriously shining before its family.Your Queensville School family is so proud of you.  As you dream high and pursue your goals, we will always be with you.

To all our graduates of  Batch 2012-2013 whom Christine have spoken to, may you be inspired by the life she has lived as a student.   One day, all of you will be like her and / or  even better than her .  All of you will  have your time to stand out before the crowd and be an inspiration to others. All of you will become  our future leaders worthy of the emulation of the next generation.  This is our dream and this is what we have worked for.  Together, let's pray that this is what  you will become.

To all our parents and guardians,  we salute you!  Without you, this day will not be possible.  Today is the proof  of your sheer dedication and hardwork for your children's future.  Today is the evidence of your great love and sacrifices for them.

To all our visitors and friends on this day, THANK YOU!

TO OUR GOD ALMIGHTY, we give back to you all the honor and glory.  IN YOUR HANDS,  we totally entrust  the future of our students and of our beloved,  the  QUEENSVILLE SCHOOL OF CAVITE!

Until her last breath...

Every Sunday, a gray-haired granny sits comfortably either on the 4th or 5th row  on the right side of the Sanctuary.  Dressed simply in a printed georgette and slacks, she sings on top of her voice during the praise and worship time and listens attentively during the sermon.  After the worship service, she kisses everyone in the Church.  Hence, we called her the Kissing Lola. 

 

Kissing Lola is actually one of my aunts in the father side.  She's  a few years older than my father and we called  her Ate Nellie. Despite her age and her ailments,  she'd been very active at  the Lealtad Church where she was one of the pioneers.  Together with her children , grandchildren and even      greatgrandchildren, she's always present in most of the Church's main events.  She may not be always the participant, but she's always there to support the church activity.

Ate Nelly during my father's 75th Birthday Celebration

 

For the past few weeks, we failed to see her.  She was confined in the hospital and was on comatose before she finally expired last March 15, 2013.

 

Through the years, and as far as I know, Ate Nellie had lived the simplest life. Most probably , she had not left any material things behind for her family to enjoy now that she's gone.  However,  she has left a legacy not only for her family to treasure and to look up to but for every one in the church to emulate.  Ate Nellie remained faithful to her Master and to her faith  until her last breath.  

 

We will definitely miss you, Ate Nellie ! But we are happier to know that you are now peacefully resting in God's everlasting arms than to see you in bed, motionless!

After a stressful week . . .

We simply cannot get away from stresses in life.  We have to learn how to live with it.   So after a week of  stressful encounters, we ( the seatmates in my previous blog dated February 1, 2013 entitled Reunited )  decided to treat ourselves  to an afternoon of good life at the Resorts World.




We had our lunch at the famous Johnny Chow Asian Cuisine

and experienced an amazing Asian food 

where the F & B Associates are wearing colorful wigs

and God's blessings abound in our table . . 

After lunch, we roamed around for pictures . . . 
catching up with the Chinese New Year displays

hoping to take a rickshaw ride, too

                                              

just to find out that we're too heavy for it . . .

Kaya pose na lang si Rosette sa Chinese money tree



pati si Remy . . .

kasama ang kanyang  " BUNSO"

di rin pahuhuli si Myrna . . .



at siyempre,   ako

                                             The princess took a rickshaw ride

while Myrna . . .

 

 

                                             and  Rosette posed for a photo shoot.

                          Remy and her apple of the eye posed too for a click.

                           That green corner never escaped our eyes

                                                        nor our cameras

                                                       for a souvenir photo

 

Kung alam lang nya kung gaano kaganda si Rosette . . .

at pati si Remy

at kung alam lang nyang mas maganda pa si Myrna sa babaeng ito...

Gugustuhin nyang mabuhay . . .    para MAG CASINO!  hahaha

From a stressful life,  you will appreciate a stress-free afternoon . . .

 

with friends and loved ones

                  

Simply looking for nice spot for a photo shoot . . .

including the  Marriott Hotel

where we had  a couple of clicks  for our souvenirs.

 

Leisurely walking along the wall-to-wall carpeted halls

we finally decided to sit down and have an afternoon snack

in a  high-end   international restaurant

 

where we can enjoy the soft music from a triplet of classical stringed instruments

and be served with international delicacies in a three-tierred snack plates

with matching hot tea of different flavors  served in classy porcelein teapots.

 

 

With all these blessings, what more can we ask for? 

 

GOD IS SO GOOD!  He gave us the FACEBOOK and all our REUNION ORGANIZERS.  Most of all, He gave us the opportunity to relive old friendships.

 

We are indeed lucky to have been blessed not only with material things  but most of all, with friends who are more precious than any gem in this world!

Princess

Her real name is Eunice.  I call her Ness, my brother and my other sisters call her Wewe.  Her other friends call her Unik, and in FB, she's more popularly known as Princess Fish.  She's a doctor by profession, an anesthesiologist as her area of specialization, and most of all, a high end single lady .

Princess Fish really lived up to her pseudoname.  In the family, she's truly a princess.  Being the youngest in a brood of eight, she had the best life as compared to all of us. She never experienced all the difficulties we had encountered when we were still young.  If ever she did some,  they were all peanuts as compared to ours .  It's simply because she's our princess.



Our Princess

  No matter how she would look like, she will always be our Princess

When I was teaching the preschool pupils so many years ago, I remembered telling them that the role of the baby is to bring joy in the family.  Being our "baby" in the family, Princess Fish never failed our expectation especially when she was really a baby then.  She was so cute and pretty smart.  We had seen her talent when she was in her elementary days though she did not shine so well during her high school days.  In college,  when she decided to take up BS Botany, we all raised our brows thinking that she wanted to end up as a "gardener" someday.  After completing her BS Botany course, we all raised our brows again because this time, she told everyone in the family that she  wanted to become a Doctor of Medicine ~ a very expensive course even during that time.

But since she is the Princess in the family, she had her way.  We had no choice but to support her.   And of course, we never had our regrets for giving in to all  her "whims" .  Right now, she's our family doctor who's always ON CALL.  Her new pseudoname, Dr. Princess.

    The Princess and the King

                                    The Prince and the Princess                                            

The Royal Family - LOL

Happy birthday, Dr. Princess!  I love you!

                                                                    Her birthday cake ??

                                                     The well-wishers of Princess on her birthday

 

Note:  Princess Fish's birthday was last March 14, 2013.  However due to some technical problems with my blogspot, I was able to publish this blog just today.  Thank you so much for understanding!

In God's Eyes

Earlier today , I attended the Year-end Executive meeting of the private school owners in Cavite.  The meeting was held at the Bulwagang Taal, Casino Filipino in Tagaytay City.  It was well-attended and we had superb speakers who were able to make uninteresting topics more interesting.  No less than our former Area Supervisor, Dr. Emelita T. Macha closed the event.

We were dismissed at about quarter before 5 p.m.  From the Bulwagang Taal which is located at the 3rd level of the Pagcor Bldg, we passed through the Casino in the second level .  Like in other casinos, there are lots of people even during daytime and this Casino Filipino in Tagaytay is no different.

What actually caught our  attention ( we were about 5 school administrators ) was the group of seven white and gray-haired granny-looking ladies , in a row,   in front of the machines with colorful blinking lights and with their matching expensive-looking eyeglasses.  They were very much focused in the game ( and I don't think they even noticed us who were looking intently at them ) and were busy inserting their crispy bills of five hundred and one thousand like ATM cards in the machine. Well, all of us just simply sighed and wished to have the same  much money as all of them have.

 On my way home, I kept on thinking about those seven granny-looking ladies at the casino.  There were two questions that kept playing on my mind:  first, why do these women ( i am very biased 'coz I thought all the while that only men go to casinos)  have to spend their extra money in the casino?  I don't think they do not know that it would be a lot better to spend it  somewhere else, particularly in something for a cause.  Second, it is also possible that they are in dire need to the point that they are willing to take the risk of losing all their money in just one click;  or hoping that  instantly, they would win a big amount that would put an end to all their financial worries.  Whichever it may be, I still do not know.  And to let go of it, I wrote this blog.

Of course, to discuss the legality of the casinos here in the Philippines is already moot and academic.  Everywhere in the Philippines, casinos abound.  In fact, big proceeds from the casinos are being used by the government itself  to finance some of its priority projects.  So basically, casinos are legal in the eyes of men.

In God's eyes, do you think they are legal, too?

Picture-taking inside the Casino is strictly prohibited
kaya sa labas na lang...

What a bright idea ~ a wishing well in front of the Casino  Filipino 
"Lord, let me take home all their money... "  LOL

Incidentally, I attended the meeting last February 27, 2013.   While I wrote this blog on the same date, I failed to publish it on the same day.  I didn't bother to make certain revisions anymore.  Hope you understand.

So rich and yet so low to be reached

February 28, 2013.

How I wish it would be possible for me to be present in two main events on this date:  our educational field trip in school and the 58th birthday celebration of a schoolmate in high school, Eyie Enriquez Ocbena.  Unfortunately, I could not and I have no choice but to choose the former.  

As I go over the pictures of Eyie's birthday posted in FB ,  I felt I have missed a lot . . . literally. As I have envisioned it to be,  the party seemed to have been  a real fantastic blast.  There had been  so much food and drinks  and most of all,  there had been  circles of friendships.

Honestly, I've known Eyie only in the recent past through the batch parties and reunions.  What's amazing, though  was that after our first personal meeting ( I guess it was during Rosette's birthday last year )  it seemed that we have known so well with each other  before.  And as the days went by, I came to realize why.

Eyie Enriquez Ocbena :   so  rich  and  yet  so  low to be reached

Eyie is one of our batch mates, whom I would say, has been blessed so well materially. Her family got a lucrative  business ( forwarding I think, and I hope I am not mistaken ), a good car(s),  and the most visible of all, a big, big house which we often refer to as their "mansion" in Alta Vista, Antipolo City.  It contains so many rooms of different motifs   from the first level up to the third or fourth  level  ( sorry I failed to count how many floors are there ).  Without exaggeration, you can name the activity you want  and there is a corresponding place for it in the "mansion".

Underneath that gigantic mountain of blessings lies a very humbling spirit.  Despite all those material blessings that our eyes can see, Eyie and her husband Bebot,  stood well and firmly on the ground.  They remained very humble and very supportive to all the batch gatherings, including the not-so-pleasant activities like attending funerals or visiting sick former classmates and batch mates at home or in the hospital.  As long as their schedule allows it, they respond to all kinds of invitations.  I guess, and I believe, that made them very exemplary and special  to everyone.   

On so  many occasions, Eyie has opened  her doors  to the VMHS Batch '72.  Their mansion is the silent witness in several batch gatherings already.  In spite of their hectic schedule in business,  Eyie and her family would grace the event ( any event for that matter ) with pleasure.  I have seen and have experienced personally how she and her family entertained the guests no matter how busy they were in their respective businesses.  You can really feel the warmth and the hospitality in the mansion, no matter who you are.  They have shared.  They have loved.  They  have  lived   a  lifestyle  worth  emulating.

Eyie, you are truly a blessing and I thank the Lord for bringing you into my/our life/lives.  You've been an inspiration to me and I am sure, to so many others, too,  in our batch.   It will be my fervent prayer that our dear God will give you many, many more  happy and prosperous years  ahead so that you may continue to be a channel of blessing and an inspiration to others.

Eyie with former former classmates/schoolmates and friends

Belated happy birthday  EYIE!   I  am sure sorry that this wish is late  but even though it missed the date, it's just as warm and just as true as if it had come on time to you !