Merry Christmas!

Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name

Happy Advent!

Wishing you a very Holy and Blessed Advent Season – this is the happiest season of the year while we await the new re-creation of the world. For me, the coming of Christ is the coming of the Kingdom of God – the union of humanity and divinity in the Incarnation of the Word of God in Jesus and Mary, to be shared by all of us children of God by virtue of our Baptism. I am truly thankful that we share this beautiful new world of God here on earth as it is in Heaven.
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An Advent message from Tess M.

Celebration!

MARINDUQUE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Thank you for you favorable response to my invitation to the Marinduque Christmas party on Sunday, December 13. The party is at Radisson Hotel in Piscataway and will start at 4pm, not 3pm as printed on the invitation. You may pay at the door the donation of $40 per person. Wear holiday attire or Sunday dress.

The direction to the hotel is as follows:

Radisson Hotel
21 Kingsbridge Rd (off Centennial Ave.), Piscataway, NJ 08854

From 287S to 287N, exit 8 and turn right onto Possumtown R.
Rurn right onto Centennial Ave., Travel 1 mile and turn right to Kingsbridge Rd.

From 287N, exit 9, turn left onto River Rd. and left to Centennial Ave.
At a short distance, turn left to Kingsbridge Rd.

We'll leave the party at 8pm and proceed to Ron's & Litz' home for coffee & cake and maybe cordial. Ron will give us the direction from the hotel to their house.

The following will be in attendance:
Rudy & Olive
Connie & Nestor
Tess & Roland
Babie & Jun
Litz & Ron
Lulu & Felix
Zoray & Mau
Chit & Bobby and 2 grandsons
Sylvia & Rolly

Thanks again. Call if you have any questions.
Regards,
Rolly

Manila Streets in the 60's

While there are so many ways to get everyone participate in contributing their comments to our blog, receiving some compensatory incentive will likely get you involved.

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So here we go! . . . 'Name the Streets of Manila' from the photos above and get a prize for correctly naming all the streets posted above. There are six of them; and you must correctly identify 'all' of them to qualify for the prize. (Note: there may be multiple winners).

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You must submit your entry by posting it in the 'comments' to this blog; or email your entry by replying to the message you just received. One entry per couple; so work with your loving spouse (without arguing) for correct answers. Submission deadline will be midnight of December 18, 2009; and you must be present (if you were invited) at the Potlock Christmas Party (at Connie and Nestor's home) on December 19, 2009. All winners will be awarded their prize at that event.

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You will have one full month to submit your 'unhurried' entry. Good luck!

Holy Face Monastery

To kick-off our holiday celebrations, we attended the Holy Face Monastery's annual fundraiser held at The Chandelier in Belleville, NJ.

.... A message from our hosts: . . . ."Friendship is a Blessing."

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We always praise and thank our Lord for wonderful friends like you!

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You are a blessing to us and to our monastery - God bless you, all the days of your life!

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Love, Roland and Tess

Christmas Party - 2009

Dear all:
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Let me update you of the barkada's Christmas party:
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When: Saturday, December 19 at 3pm
Where: Nestor and Connie's home

Attendees: Connie & Nestor, Olive & Rudy, Tess & Roland, Babie & Jun, Lulu & Felix, Chit & Bobby, Litz & Ronnie, and Sylvia & Rolly. Zoray & Mau and Baby & Ross will comfirm attendance later. Lisa & Jim will come but will leave early to attend a "simbang gabi" where they are members of the choir. Ampy & Chris can not come as they are also attending a "simbang gabi".
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As usual, the party is potlock. To avoid duplication, I would request the attendees to e-mail me the favorite dish(es) they are bringing. So far, the following have committed to bring:
Tess/Roland: ukoy, complete with suka & sili
Sylvia/Rolly: palabok, tapioca or mochiko dessert and red wine

I have created committees and appointed the chairpersons:
Overall co-chairs: Connie & Rolly
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Dinner invocation: Tess
Toast: Nestor
Games: Babie, Chit, Rolly
Bingo: Bobby
Prizes: Olive & Sylvia (collect all prizes and coordinate with games chairs on prizes to award winners)
Gift Exchange: Lulu & Baby
Music: Roland and Ross (please select songs and bring or assign someone to bring song lyrics)
Dinner buffet set-up: Connie & Litz
Cocktail/drinks: Nestor & Rudy
Cleanup: Kitchen/dishes: Co-chairs: Zoray & Tess, Crew: all the ladies
Dining/living/family rooms: Ronnie and the guys
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Regarding the gift exchange, we are looking into a program in the internet called Elfster which provides group-generated gift exchanges. Joey & Patrick and their cousins have been using this program for their Christmas gift exchanges. Elfster helps with the logistics of determining who wants to participate, drawing names, and communicating the names that were drawn while maintaining the secrecy of who drew whom. The participants will be asked for a wish list to give their Secret Santa ideas of what might be good gifts. This is just my suggestion - please give me yours.
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All attendees are also requested to bring inexpensive prizes to be given to the game winners. Please let me know how many gifts you are bringing so the game chairs can prepare enough games.
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If you have any questions and suggestions, please let me know.
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Rolly
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PS: I will send a separate e-mail to those attending the Marinduque Christmas party.
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cc: Chit/Bobby, by phone

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Most of You. . . .

. have visited this place. Name where it can be found. No clues are provided; but the first correct entry will be awarded a yet to be determined gift , the next time we get together.

San Agustin Church

Concealed behind the walled city of Intramuros, built by the Spaniards in 1570, is the church of San Agustin. This church is a significant monument to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, being the first religious structure built in the island of Luzon, after the Spanish relocated from Cebu in the south.

Built within the administrative center of the Spanish government, San Agustin church enjoyed privileges not commonly dispensed to most colonial churches. It was built by the Spaniard Juan Macias in 1586 and was completed in 1606. Luciano Oliver later renovated it in 1854. The book Great Churches of the Philippines points out that the church was designed “according to the plans approved by the Royal Audencia of Mexico and by a Royal Cedula.”

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The church pictured below is San Pedro de Alcantara Church in Pakil, Laguna. It was posted to see whether Rolly N. still remembers where he spent his Sunday mornings as a young man in his hometown. He is the declared winner for sending in the first correct entry. As a consolation, I owe EKM a drink for sending her comments. Her long absence from the homeland left her to wonder the present condition of her beloved church. A picture, for her to reminisce, of San Agustin Church is posted sans the 'Wall of Intramuros.'

Name the Church Game

In order to have an exciting and interesting blog, let's post some guessing games so everyone could actively participate. The winner will get a free drink the next time we get together as a group. Can you guess the location and name of this church? Clue: This is located in the Philippines and one of our bro used to attend 'Simbang Gabi' in this church.

"Church isn’t where you meet. Church isn’t a building. Church is what you do. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let’s not go to Church, let’s be the Church."~Bridget Willard~

This is the San Pedro De Alcantara Church in Pakil, Laguna. Completed in 1767 after 35 years of construction, its architectural design is reminiscent of the Corinthian and Ionic styles.

The icon of the Virgin of Turumba was enshrined in the church in 1788. The icon was believed to have been fished by some fishermen along Laguna de Bay. It is said that when the fishermen tried to row the other way going to another town, the boat would not budge. It was only when they rowed toward Pakil that the wind caught the sail and on they went as if guided by the Virgin herself.

Since then sets of nine-day novenas called "lupi" have been said during the month of September. After every 'lupi" is the dancing of the "turumba". People from far away come to Pakil in fulfullment of a "panata" or to ask a favor from the Virgin of Turumba.

Hi, I'm Oscar!

HmmmHmmmHmm!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Be careful, I have my eye-sight on you.

. . . . . . Look, I'll just take a couple of zzzzzzzzz's . . . . . Hmmp . . . Hey Lolo, don't sneak out and play golf near Hoover Dam without me!

Hoover Dam Bypass

Creeping closer inch by inch, 900 feet above the mighty Colorado River, the two sides of a $160 million bridge at the Hoover Dam slowly take shape. The bridge will carry a new section of US Route 93 past the bottleneck of the old road which can be seen twisting and winding around and across the dam itself. When complete, it will provide a new link between the states of Nevada and Arizona . In an incredible feat of engineering, the road will be supported on the two massive concrete arches which jut out of the rock face.The arches are made up of 53 individual sections each 24 feet long which have been cast on-site and are being lifted into place using an improvised high-wire crane strung between temporary steel pylons. The arches will eventually measure more than 1,000 feet across. At the moment, the structure looks like a traditional suspension bridge. But once the arches are complete, the suspending cables on each side will be removed. Extra vertical columns will then be installed on the arches to carry the road. The bridge has become known as the Hoover Dam bypass, although it is officially called the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, after a former governor of Nevada and an American Football player from Arizona who joined the US Army and was killed in Afghanistan.Work on the bridge started in 2005 and should finish next year. An estimated 17,000 cars and trucks will cross it every day. The dam was started in 1931 and used enough concrete to build a road from New York to San Francisco. The stretch of water it created, Lake Mead, is 110 miles long and took six years to fill. The original road was opened at the same time as the famous dam in 1936. An extra note: The top of the white band of rock in Lake Mead is the old waterline prior to the drought and development in the Las Vegas area. It is over 100 feet above the current water level.

Basilica in Orlando, Florida?

This modern day Basilica is a 'must' visit for all, especially those of Catholic faith. It was began as a small ministry and grew to a magnificent house of faith built upon the spiritual involvement and generosity of visitors from all over the world. Vacationers can enjoy the tranquil surroundings and commune with their Creator and Lord.

September Celebrants

Luv-ly Couples

Hail, Hail the Gangs All Here!

Before launching into color commentary, thanks again to Connie and Nestor for accommodating the group for a Sunday full of joy and camaraderie.

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I'm sure everyone enjoyed the hospitality, the game of madjong, and the 'our' revived game of "pok'r jox." Bobbi is new to this "pok'r jox" game, so he lost a good week's earning to the pros. On the other hand, Rudy, after being well-fed, came back to his usual self - taunting and cajoling everyone - and went home with most of the night's winnings!

Saturday in the Park!

While the NY Yankees are away from home - playing in Seattle, what a better way to spend a baseball weekend and see the other NY baseball franchise - the New York Mets - play the Nationals at CitiField! The NY Mets toppled the Washington Nationals 3-2.

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CitiField features an open-air ballpark with unprecedented sightlines, amenities and comfort for fans and visitors. A contoured seating configuration brings spectators closer to the field on all levels to provide optimal sightlines for a more intimate and entertaining experience. The concourse level features 360-degree, walk around circulation around the ballpark with expansive field views. The stadium is built with massive structures of brick, limestone, granite and exposed structural steel bridges.

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This stadium had been caught in the middle of a major controversial bailout of Citibank by the US government. Questions were launched in this landmark partnership of Citibank and the Mets franchise. The probes have recently cooled off, however, when these two organizations showed significant commitments to the community with resources to develop outreach programs in and around New York City. Go Mets Go!