Myrna's Story - THE BOOBOO IN MY BOOB

(Last December 3rd, 2005, Myrna Alinsod York, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent a radical mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, all in one blow. The picture on the right was taken in Boracay, one of the homecoming activities we had in February last year. She's holding a watercolor she did of the beach. That's Emi with her. Below is Myrna's story. )

The Booboo in My Boob
by Myrna York

September twenty eight, two years too late
On a day the air was crisp the grass dewy white
I made a quick dash to see Dr. Green, a mindless routine
At fifty two though it seemed like I was only thirty two
“You have a lump” I was told, “Go to the center at Sally Jobe”

The soonest mammo test was seven days hence
Best to return when the radiologist can interpret
I drove home oblivious to the fiery sunset
My eyes welled up while I yelled, “Fuck, this can’t be, I’m so healthy”
Only women with breasts are subject to this catastrophe

For hours I asked what if
For most nights I wondered how bad
Each thought was daimon disguised
I blew it off for God was on my side

No time for myths as I blindly believed
Courage was strength’s sister
I will put up a fight against cancer

More mammograms and MRI’s and ultrasound biopsys
The days were filled with anxieties
Chiaroscuro hovered like a dead skunk in a rose bush
Every way I turned I lumbered back and forth
On a ship in search for the rock of sensibility

I rode along with a huge cargo
Next thing you know I was scheduled with a team of medico
Can I just wait for someone else to get this straight
Its too much weight for a five foot flat chest woman to be in limbo

As a dreamer I spent most days finding ways
To humor life’s challenging situation
I’ve surrendered my fears to the One who hears
And patiently listened to people’s tears
For they bear stories of their sisters and mothers
Oh please, why not laugh at my own tribulation

With a keen eye I watched the caretakers
Like a spy I peered into their lives
Their smiles were loaded with grace
This ain’t so bad I felt their embrace

I joined the e-mail group after much invitation
Wow, you really want me to join the jubilation
Little did I know that it would be my mental salvation
For it became an outlet for my sick boobie imagination

I pushed out the worries by laughing at my boobies
Mastectomy sounds massive for the little hills and valleys
Imagining wearing a brassiere can now be fulfilling
Why grieve when there’s much more to altering

On December third two thousand five, I survived
Six and a half hours unrevived
Bid good-bye to my sweet mammillas
In its place seemed like protruding godzillas
No regrets doing all at once, no loss to fret so easy to forget

No pain? This is insane! My fears were all in vain
Laud to medical science there were tubes placed in all sorts of contraptions
Arranged like I-25 and several highway junctions
All these to make you rest but there’s only one way to lay I detest!

I came home after a few hours in a ward
Best to be in my own room with familiar germs to guard
There were food and flowers delivered, lots of phone calls answered
Oh Lord, thanks to all those who came and cared
This day can be remembered as the day that froze in hell

For the most part the recovery was a breeze
One or two meltdowns came in a flying trapeze
Thanks to Tet, and Dory, and Louie, they caught me by my feet
Instead of by my boobeez, they listened and heard how frustrating
To not be able to do things nor move around with ease

Almost six weeks into full gear, I returned to work thinking
This is it, my dear, I can now get my life back and move on from here
Until last week I heard a big thump, the next step has got me stumped

Oh well, so I’ll lose my hair and I’ll look like death has taken over
What can I say we all have to wait and see if I can still find a way
To laugh this time through chemotherapy…

I now dance to the music, Tah tah tah, tah tah tah…

My friends: Many thanks to all those who encouraged me to hang on and keep my spirits high. Your thoughts and prayers have worked miracles already and I believe there is much much more in store for us. I urge you to do a self-check and have regular breast exams because a cure is available to those who catch it in time. I will start chemo the last week of January 2006 and will continue to write as time permits.

MYRNA ALINSOD-YORK

Epilogue of LA Reunion - Loily's Pahabol

Chapter 11

Next year's annual gathering will be at Sylvia's place.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Carmel for hosting all of us. She went out of her way to make us feel so comfortable and at home that she even asked Bruce to disappear. The man gladly obliged cause the sight and sound of us in his quiet abode must have terrified him.

And Carmel, twelve girls sharing a bathroom was no problem. If two of us had to go pee at the same time one could always do it in the shower stall. Comfort is not all about big houses with five bathrooms, it's all about having the freedom to use the bathroom without worrying about leaving it sparkingly clean and immaculate and NOT having the fear of being ridiculed or reprimanded for it
.

I'm sorry about your Pancit Bihon. I had no way of bringing any cooked food all the way from Virginia. But I'm scheduling a vacation in May, and I'm offering to give you cooking lessons again and will really cook for you...empanaditas et galore.

I hope that next year's get together will be LONGER AS PLANNED, and that more girls will attend especially those from the Bay area. We understand that traveling in December is not feasible for most but what if we trade venues every year. Like, spending Xmas in LA and the summer break in the Bay area., then vice versa.

This reunion was planned SIX MONTHS (kuno) ago, but was changed drastically as the day drew closer. Change of venue wasn't the problem. It was people and their priorities. I'm suggesting that we plan better next time, charge for expenses beforehand with a NO RETURN POLICY so that the girls will think twice before changing their minds. It's just like getting cheap plane fare. Or better yet, like a cruise so that no one can jump ship while we're still partying.

See you all...anytime....as planned.
Be happy and stay healthy.

Loily

Final Chapters of LA Hullaballoo and Goodbye to the Bergers

CHAPTER 8

Yangtze River Golden Moon Lucky Peach Red Apple Restaurant and Tea House, here we come!!!

It's quite a ride to Chinatown cause it's in LA downtown. I didn't see the logic in this part of the plan for the day's activites till I realized that the place was closer to home or in the middle for all of us. It's halfway point for both the LA lovelies and the Burbank beauties. Not only that, Carmel wanted to go cause for her....Chinatown isn't great if Marilyn wasn't around so ladies......take advantage of the Dragon Lady's plum blossom presence.

All vehicles headed for the place except for one. I didn't even notice her absence, NOT during lunch, NOT during shopping NOR even while walking cause we divided into several groups. Just look at the Chinatown pictures and you'll figure out who it was.....missing. That was really sneaky......must be the greatest vanishing act ever accomplished by her!! She outdid the great David Copperfield himself!! So we had lunch at the ABC restaurant. Sampu na lang kami.



When it comes to ordering food in a Chinese restaurant, we live that task to Marilyn.
I've been to all sorts of Chinese restaurants with these LA girls and the standard order should always have fried spicy porkchop for Louie and Suki and lo mein/pancit for Sylvia and Carmel. Carmel was frustrated twice that day over her pancit cause she never got the Pancit Bihon she asked us for the party, and the lo mein in the restaurant tasted like 'laway' according to her. She was wrong there cause it didn't taste like laway. It tasted like sipon. Snort! Naubos din!
We had calamari, duck, a vegetable dish, fish, steamed rice, fried rice and the two previously mentioned dishes. Wiped out lahat cause I wasn't on a diet that day.

After that hearty meal, we went shopping. The girls went crazy buying all these 'money trees'. They're real plants that are supposed to bring good luck to the receipient of the plant so they bought plants for each other. Then, we stopped by a liquor store cause they started to feel lucky and we got a lotto ticket for all twelve of us. Too bad, it didn't win (jackpot that time was $230M) cause I was the one who bought it and unfortunately, no one gave me a 'money' tree. Oh, I forgot to inform the ladies that we didn't win. We only got one number (30). BTW, I'm writing this nobela from Nice. I just acquired several homes in the Mediterranean, the Pacific and the Americas. My new email address is la2vegas230@yoohoo.com.

You know how all Chinatowns are. They seem to sell the same wares. Lahat galing China. Mura and knock-offs galore. I had no plans of buying anything (I swear), but the ladies just spent so much time so I indulged in a few items. A pair of chandelier earrings with red stones, two wooden carved bead bracelets, one tiger's eye bracelet and a checkered scarf/muffler all for the unbelievable sum of $6.50!!!! All of us got good deals.

Then, the inevitable happened. The gathering had finally come to a close. We said our goodbyes and I really felt so bitin not only for me but particularly for Tet. She flew all the way from Sacramento thinking that the event would be for two nights and three days AS PLANNED SIX MONTHS AGO. BUT like all long range plans .....as the days go....closer to D day....interests vary and priorities change. While some are willing to leave husband and family for a few days of camaraderie, others are just resolutely bound to undying filial duty.

When it was clear, that the party for all seasons would last less than twenty four hours, it was too late for Tet and I to change our plans. Tet had nowhere to go and I couldn't go back to the Bergers cause I was still on leave and they had another reliever working in my place.
Who else could save the day for us? No other than....SYLVIA...the gracious MOTHER OF ALL HOMELESS PARTYGOERS.

For her, everything has a solution.

From Chinatown, she brought us to Pechanga, our favorite Indian reservation ca...s..i...n...o. We won in the beginning, making $500.00 in 15 minutes. But we gave it all back to them Pechangores in 5 minutes flat. It was that way for the next two hours, winning, losing, winning....dinner in between....then...we proceeded to Harrah's cause that was the only place were she could get a room for us.

The girls went to sleep immediately while I went down to scout the place (kuno).

The casino floor was almost empty and I tried some machines. What boring one armed bandits!! They just kept on giving me back my money....I was never ahead or behind till I got sleepy and decided to go back to our luxuriously furnished (ahem) room at six in the morning. At nine we were awake and had breakfast at the hotel (courtesy of Mother Sylvia again).

At 11:00, which was check-out time, after I stuffed all those comp toiletries in my make-up kit, Sylvia, brought us to Allergan (makers of Botox) in Irvine. Nope!!! We were not there to get our bi-annual shots. Sylvie works there as VP (take note)..VP for Quality Control. The place was having their Holiday Winterland Extravaganza for all the employees and their families. Salamat na lang na nanay namin si Ibyang.

Iba talaga mag-celebrate ang isang multi-billion dolyar (take note again) DOLYAR!!!
corporation in ',merica. They had artificial snow blowing from the building's roof the whole day, real ice on the ground, sleds, snowmen, a real Santa Claus for picture taking, a lifesize Christmas village, a petting zoo, a ferris wheel, giant slides and tables and tables of food and beverages, free carnival games (is that the proper term?) with prices, a magic show....etc.etc.etcetera.

We stayed on till one in the afternoon. Then it was time to bring Tet to the Burbank airport. I've never enjoyed trips to the airport specially when I or someone has to leave. It was good-bye again to a classmate who's so much fun, my ubiquitous phonepal. From the airport, we had to go get my luggage from Betchay's house and..since the sun was still up....Sylvie and I decided to go back to Pechanga.

BUT no, the Indians refused to give us back our money. In fact they asked for more.
By nine in the evening we were finally on the way back to reality. From Friday evening
till Sunday, Sylvia must have driven already about 500 miles. She was sooooo exhausted and by the time she dropped me at the Berger's house, she looked like she was ready to fall asleep. Thank God, she got home safe at past 12 midnight. Thank you Sylvia for a wonderful winterland weekender.

CHAPTER 9

Home sweet home. I was finally back with the Bergers. How comforting it is to be on familiar ground. Ahhhhhh.... such is life!. So sweet and secure. Work so light and.....Ross in sight. Oh heaven! The gods have been kind to me. No worries...no cares......until......... Damocles made the Bergers drop the sword on my head.

CHAPTER 10

Two days after I came back, I got the pink slip at the breakfast table from Mrs. Berger.
The plan was actually mentioned to me three months before and when I started to dispose of some of my stuff, she got upset and asked me if I was itching to leave. She said, it was just an idea she was toying with and when Jackie, their daughter, heard about it, she thought that letting me go wasn't a smart move.

Maybe, my leaving the couple for two weeks with just their son and daughter to assist them gave them a sense of confidence, independence and most of all, they enjoyed seven days of exclusivity and bonding.

I guess, everyone is hankering for some space and privacy, especially Mr. Berger.
After all, I've been around him like a close-in bodyguard for the past 18 months. The man feels that he's lost all dignity ever since he had me. Humiliating!! That's the word he used. I can understand him but really...maybe he belongs to a rare breed of men, the kind who don't want to be touched by other women except their wife.

I'm saying this cause when we go out and their male friends see that I'm his caregiver
they give me this 'funny' kind of look....that stare or leer that spells out the word..malice. Not only his male friends but also my female relatives. When some of my aunts found out that I was taking care of a man they would say incredulously,

"Ano!!??? Pinapaliguan mo rin siya?"

"Opo."

"Nakahubad?"

"Hindi po. Naka rubber suit."

"Ano yon?"

"Condom po."

"Ano...tumatayo pa rin yung kuwan niya?"

"Siempre."

"Dios ko, Loily, hindi ka ba natatakot o nahiiya man lamang?

"Hindi po. Kinakapa ko na lang dahil nakapikit naman ako. Kasi, mortal sin po kung nakita ko. Ngayon, kung matigas pa rin tinatawag ko na lang si Mrs."

"Bakit?"

"Para lumambot."

"Eh, hindi ba nagseselos yung Mrs. niya?"

"Hindi naman po, kasi, laging pantay ang turing ko sa kanila."

"Kapag hinagkan ni Mrs. si Mr., ganun din ako. Kapag hubo't hubad si Mrs. habang naliligo, ganun din ako kapag pinapaliguan ko si Mister."

Of course, everyone starts laughing hysterically..but I'm sure, they still have dirty thoughts.

I know that I only have two days left with the Bergers. I try not to be emotional about it. Mr. Berger asked me not to move too far away just in case they'll be needing me. And also to visit them once in awhile. Their friends and relatives all know that I'm leaving and some would like to throw a party for me. Their neighbors are even dropping by before I go. I wonder if Steve knows that I'm leaving. His fruitcake is still in the fridge. I'll really miss the kind of life I had with the Bergers. I'm not saying that it was smooth sailing or fun all the time but staying with these people and meeting their friends was really a very enriching experience for me. Just eating in all those popular and fancy restaurants exposed me to a lot of culinary delights and techniques but in all humilty, it made me feel more confident about my own culinary skills that I feel that I can be as good as any of their chefs or even better.

We've been to so many theaters, plays, movies and performances..I've just lost count. Oh, and all our arguments and tampuhans. Most of them just made me grow up. Yesterday, I told Mrs. Berger that I learned a lot from her and she said that she also learned a lot from me. Today, she just blurted out that she'll really miss me.

If there's one thing I admire about this woman, when she knows that she's offended or upset me, she'll waste no time in apologizing and the same goes for Mr. Berger.

Ahhhhh. The life of a caregiver.

Sometimes, during one of my rare reflective moments, I ask myself if I was better of NOT being a caregiver. What if I was employed as a waitress in a topless bar or a receptionist at a spa for senior citizens? Could life be more interesting?

Maybe.

But then, being a caregiver is more challenging because the job demands a little of every profession in this world.

To date, I've been a doctor, nurse, psychiatrist, electrician, hair stylist, wardrobe consultant/mistress, cook, cleaning lady, computer technician, seamstress, editor,
gardener/holticulturist, entertainer, caterer, banquet manager, weatherman, physical/occupational therapist, PR man, zoo keeper, laundrymat, baker, sanitation engineer, etc. etc. and all I need is just a license for all the above.

I'm moving on to my new job this Saturday. I've already tried working for this woman, a former VP of a big movie production outfit, for two days and we both like each other.

She says that I know a lot and I come on very strong. I only cooked for her once and it was just soup that I made from scratch and she got so excited.

My only problem with her is that she still lives like an executive. She needs knee surgery to get better but she doesn't believe in doctors. She's so much into old movies that she lives in her living room and the TV is on for 24 hours. An insomniac who goes to bed at 2:30 in the morning and wants her painkiller at 7am. Because she's that way, I have to figure out my sleeping and walking hours. My time with her won't be as flexible as with the Bergers. That means, I can't go on a date at night and stay out the whole night. Maybe I'll just sneak in my boyfriend cause my room has french doors that open to a patio with a back entrance. There's no drugstore in sight so I've already stock up on cosmetics, lotions and moisturizers. Since she eats a lot, I also have to watch my diet. This is my biggest worry. I don't know when I can start taking my daily 3 mile walk. And of course, the worst nightmare of all, she doesn't have dsl. Going to places with wi-fi is out of the question. Leaving her alone might be impossible cause she can't go to the bathroom by herself and she's wheelchair bound.

Well....my worries are really trivial. I'm sure I can figure out a solution once she warms up to me.

I feel excited about working with her cause she has a lot of stories to tell me about her past life. Not only that, her daughter, her only child, is also a VP for BMI records. Because of their careers, her bedroom walls are covered with autographed pictures of performers and personalities like the Beatles, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Muhammad Ali, etc. etc.

But what I really like about my new patient is that she used to review and read scripts that could be made into movies and she had to watch 12 or more movies a day to choose what could sell. Annnnnd, before she got into the movie industry, she was a dance instructor for the Arthur Murray Dance Company. She must have felt how interested I was in her life cause she asked me to take out old photos of her from a cabinet so that she could show them to me. Kaya ayan, nahuli ko na rin ang loob niya. I hope that she will really like me.

Okay, that's all for now.

I'm glad that I finally finished this nobela. Now I can start packing my clothes.

Loily

Let The Party Begin - Loily's Novella, con't

CHAPTER 5

Let the party begin.

Okay, so we had the festive food that Carmel prepared the first night. We spent it just talking and too bad that we couldn't grill Ella that night. The woman is blooming. Parang high school girl who's just been dating. Listening to her stories just brings you back to those days were you swap tales about crushes under those acacia trees but this time the stories have more adult flavor and they're more colorful. Of course we had to respect the sensitivities of the others (some being religious and conservative) so we didn't dwell too long on sex and Ella's multi Os. Buti na rin that we didn't stay that long on the subject or else I would be cajoled into putting in some details about my own escapades. Phew!

So that's how it was the first night. I shared the floor (on folding air mattresses that Betchay and Sylvia brought) with Betchay and I can't recall who while Kathy, Ella and Sylvia slept on the couch(es). Come to think of it, we, the singles but wild ones slept in the den while the nuns and conservatives took over the bedroom that Carmel provided.

Bedtime was at 2:30 a.m. but Betchay was still watching TV by the time I started snoring.

By 7:00 a.m., I was up. Everyone started stirring too. I guess no one wanted to waste the day just sleeping in. Without much ado (Nay! No teeth brushing, face washing nor hair combing) some of us headed for the mahjong table. Ella, Wilma, Kathy and I. Bilangan na ng chips and even if we hadn't done our morning ritual of doing No. 1, we started to play.

While playing, Carmel made scrambled eggs with milk, Suki, Louie and Marlyn made palitaw and pichi-pichi. Then I had to get up from the mahjong table just to make all the leftover rice flour balls into guinatan.

We were having so much fun just cooking and mahjonging. Didn't know that Ella was such a serious player. As usual, the most professional one...the Queen of De Salat.....was Wilma.

We had to stop when breakfast was ready. We had that fragrant and tasty smoked ham again, the scrambled eggs, saffron rice and the kakanins. Hala, lamon ng lamon lahat. After breakfast, since there was only one bathroom, we had to start taking our turn doing our morning hygienic ritual. The fast ones had to go first and I was number 8 cause I still had to do my hair, face and moisturizing regimen. Tet had to be the last one cause she takes she a lot of time just to set up her beauty salon and spa. I guess it just takes her longer to look more desirable than me. Ella was the last one to use the bathroom cause she was so obsessed in cleaning it. Just kidding, Carmel has a cleaning lady. Now remember, she and Bruce are lawyers so they can really afford to have one come in every week. Hmmmm. Now why doesn't she just hire me. That way, I can be closer to her brother-in-law.

CHAPTER 6

Finally, we're all dressed and ready to party.

Before we start, Suki, brings out a prayer that she wants to read. So we all keep quiet and turn reverent.
I guess it's the Season and we should never forget the Reason for it. Then she reads the letter/prayer about Jesus not being invited to His own birthday party and because of that, someday, some of us will not be invited to His own shindig. I start to get confused with that letter because I can't understand what it's trying to tell me.. sounding more like a double speak.. cause we're all gathered here for fun in the spirit of Christmas. Just like the rest of the world, families and friends get together, feasting on a good meal and giving gifts to everyone, whether to kin at home or to total strangers who have less in life. 'Tis the season, 'ika nga. Share, love one another, forgive, forget your cares and just be happy for a day. But what surprised me was that Suki really became upset and tearful. I know that ....okay...I speak for myself here. I'm very aware of how religious some of our classmates are. They're really into Jesus. I'm a Catholic and everyone knows that I don't practice my religion. I respect any religion but I don't adhere to any of them. I avoid arguments about religion unless I feel slighted by a person who comes on to me as holier-than-thou. I believe in God. I'll always believe in His existence. I try to live my life as a Christian and I believe that treating my fellow human being with respect and having no malice towards him is what Jesus is all about. I CANNOT believe that a selfless Man died on the Cross NOT to save us but to turn us into blind followers who are fanatically in awe of HIM, drilling into our heads that He should come before all others, that He should be the center of our lives and that we owe HIM big. I CAN NOT BELIEVE that Jesus is a mere egoistic cult leader like Charles Manson or the Reverend(??!!??) Moon. I believe that Jesus was sent to save us, guide us , that he truly loved us and that he taught us to the same for our fellowman and that, if we did that....no one has has to suffer and be languishing in hell.

I rest my case.

Please excuse me for getting carried away, but I had a huge scene with a religious fanatic on Thanksgiving Day itself because this insolent person had been arrogantly declaring to her captive audience (except me) that the only 'WAY to be saved' was by THEIR (churches' or rather, cult's) WAY. And she carried on ....blah...blah..."I pray so hard for so and so that she'll be enlightened..yaddah...yaddah...". I kept on listening politely until she started to say "You know the Catholics were taught the wrong concept about salvation. They think that by just doing good deeds, they'll be saved. Blah...blah...yakkity yak...And the Virgin Mary, that's all wrong....it's not even in the Bible." I was still holding my peace at this point....until she mentioned how wrong her sister was (and I like this sister of hers) for not going to church and that she was taking it upon herself to save her sister's children. Well...this is when I butted in.

I said that she was imposing her beliefs on her sister. She countered by saying that she was sharing the Good News. So I asked her where she got her information. "From the Bible". Standard answer. I'm not surprised. For every believer, the Bible is the word of God. For every wannabe cult/church founder, it's the word of God according to or as interpreted by the former. To make the story short and to make the holy fanatics shut up, I told them that I didn't believe in the Bible because so many men have rewritten, revised and interpreted it and that all the pain and suffering in the world were caused by these self esteemed , self serving theologic charlatans.

True, I have been touched by Him and have been blest countless times. But not once did He ask me to repay Him but to pay it forward. All of you have been very kind, generous and accommodating to me all these years. In return, I've been passing on the gesture to others. I haven't exactly encountered impoverished people in this country, but I've taken it upon myself to be as kind and as generous as my friends and classmates to those who have less like the Bergers' cleaning lady, their gardener and that solicitous valet that they overlooked so many times.

Okay, 'nough of that preaching.

Let's go back to that gathering.

CHAPTER 7

Then, we had to play a game.

We were divided into two groups of the CATS and the DOGS. Each group had to sing "Jingle Bells" like them aminals. The Cats were Louie, Wilma, Carmel, Marilyn and moi. Louie thought of the concept right away (must be the teacher in her), choreography and blocking. Since we couldn't synchronize our movements and blend our voices well, Carmel had the bright idea that she be the conductor, with Lauren as her assistant. The rehearsal (10 minutes max) went well and we felt confident that we'd bag the prize. Finally, it was showtime. It was decided that the DOGS, namely, Tet, Ella, Suki, Kathy and Betchay were to perform first. We, the CATS, sat back, feeling smug about our inborn talent(s). Sylvia was the designated judge cause she was the prize sponsor/donor/philanthropist (as usual).

"Ladieeeeeeeees n more ladiesss!! May I proudly present......THEM DOGS!!!!"
The moment they lined up infront of us, you could feel that a great act was about to unfold. They had former corporate heavyweights with the group...Ella and Betchay..veterans of numerous office X'mas party competitions. Not to be dismissed as small fry when it comes to management level performances were Tet, Suki and Kathy. Then they got their number rolling. Who would think that a doberman, rottweiller, German sheperd, Shi Tzu and maltese could rap like Eminem, Snoop Dog, P Diddy, Will Smith and Latifah? What great performers!!! They brought the house down!!!!
And we cats.........tsk. tsk. we got so intimidated, we lost our confidence. I felt that Sylvester, Jerry, Hobbes, Garfield and Kuting should just throw in the towel. But then, the show must go on. We did put on a brave front but I fumbled my meows. I missed a whole stanza of purrs and mews. I just saw my whole acting career going down the drain with Louie ready to scratch the living daylights out of me. We were obviously outperformed.

Them $#%$#@dogs won and it was a unanimous decision. So Sylvia got out the prizes for each of them $%$#@!!@dogs. And when they took off the wrappers and showed us their prizes, you should have seen how crestfallen we looked. Louie and specially Wilma (like she needed another bag) were so forlorn you'd think that they just lost their husbands. Who wouldn't feel dejected after seeing those beautiful Louis Vuitton knock-offs? We didn't even get LV keychains as consolation prize!!

Anyway, it was fun, win or lose.

After that contest, we had the gift exchange. The max/min limit has always been $5.00. I don't know if some of the girls cheat cause most of the time, the gifts look more expensive. Mine really cost $4.99. It ended with Carmel so I owe her a cent. Suki had this system of passing the gifts to our left or right (just like the prayer) till you finally end up with the gift that's finally yours at last, so there.

I got a red velvet cosmetic satchel bag that came from Suki. Gee.....I have to buy more make-up to put in it. All of us liked our gifts. Even Lauren got several gifts from her favorite aunties...us.



Then....it was dancing time. Betchay and I just love "Don't Rock the Boat" cause it's our theme songs with our respective present and past great loves. Kathy had all these 60s and 70s CDs na panay Motown so we played them and we just went wild dancing. Siempre fafloo, Louie and Wilma did their swing numbah. I think it's about time that I take dancing seriously. Most of the men on netdating love to dance. If I know, most of them also are callboys or gigolos who are into escort or dance partner services. Sorry na lang but I just go for the perverts. They don't cost a cent.

Dancing was over in 15 minutes flat. It was time to leave...not for home but Chinatown. Pao- sio!! Yin yan!! Hoo lei!!

Itutuloy

Continuation of Loily's Novella

(This is already Part III. So if you haven't read the first two parts, please go back to previous posts.)

Chapter 4

By eleven in the evening, we finally get to Carmel's house. It's a sprawling bungalow with a well manicured lawn. As soon as we park the cars, she comes out and greets us. I didn't even realize that she was already chronicling and shooting the event as we started to disembark from the cars. Now, this is the part that I'm still not used to. Having to haul your own luggage from the car. Cause, in good ole Philippines, we had helpers to do that. And if we could afford our own yayas then, they did the unpacking for us, putting our soiled clothes in the laundry, hanging the clean clothes in the closet and putting the luggage away. Sigh.

Carmel informs us that Monsie (Chuidian) is in the house and has been there since seven in the evening. That was so sweet of her to wait. Once inside the house, we all do the beso-beso -screaming-giggling-teasing ritual with Monsie. As usual, she still looks hot and trim and with her cropped spike do, she reminds me of Sharon Stone. Thennnnnnnn.....Carmel invites us for a merienda. After living with frugal Jews for more than a year, I thought merienda would be something like unsalted crackers and hummus. Lo and behold!!! She's got this whole spread laid out on her dining table.
Ham glazed with orange juice and honey, Fried Rice aka Saffron Rice with Shrimp, Fresh soy beans still in their pods, very chocolatey and fudgy brownies dusted with confectionary sugar, crackers and garlic hummus from Costco (highly recommended for flavor and protein content), lots of chocolate candy, soda, chilled red wine (Shiraz, I think) but what's amazing about all that good food is that Carmel actually prepared the ham, cooked the rice dish and baked the brownies. For someone who keeps on saying that she doesn't know how to cook simple meals or what she calls everyday food, why bother to learn them. Just cook something special everyday.

Now, I can't recall anymore the chronological order of arrivals, but the tightly knit group of Suki, Wilma, Louie and Marilyn finally came, then Ella followed soon.

Try to imagine the noise in decibels. Twelve menopausal women shrieking, laughing and talking at the same time. After the cursory hugs and kisses. everyone rushed in for the kill. We trampled over each other to get a seat at the dining table. Fine, I lost a tooth but got a good seat. Fifiteen minutes into our gobbling, Bonbon, Monsie's better gorgeous, handsome...tall...ohhhhhhhh.....and attractive half arrives.
I told you I got a good seat at the table cause Bonbon sat across Monsie and she was just seated to my right. Now that was an excellent up close view of one more classmates husband. What is this thing about me and my classmates husbands???? I'm just so envious of couples who are happily married. Either that or I'm Mary Magdalene working the streets of Sodom and Gomorrah.

So we all feasted on the 'merienda' that Carmel prepared for us. While eating, you can't help notice how beautiful, neat and clean her house is. It's bright, roomy and spacious. The den, the living room, the dining area and kitchen all open up to each other giving the place a semblance of continuity and harmony. Tastefully furnished, nothing ostentatious or pretentious about her decor...no Ming jars on the floor to knock over or chunky crystal monoliths to tiptoe around with caution. You could really hang out in her place...sit comfortably on any sofa, couch or settee without having to worry about fluffing the throw pillows or cushions that you just left permanently indented with your head or wide bottom.

Not to go unnoticed is her patio which she converted into a grand playroom for her precocious and very sociable daughter Lauren who, at five or six years old(??) is starting to sound and behave more like her mother.
She could be another attorney in the making but probably not in the field of her Mom or Dad...more like a lawyer for the entertainment industry and if she needs a coffeemaker, she can call on me....Starbucklou.

So we yakked for sometime and thank God Betchay, Ella and Carmel got Bonbon entertained so he didn't have to leave right away. We wanted Monsie to stay longer cause all of us haven't seen her in years. The last time I saw her was at Rory Laico's place in 1999. It was really nice of her to wait for us since 7:00pm and still be able to stay for a few more hours. It must have been almost one in the morning when she left. Too bad that she didn't leave Bonbon behind.

Now that you all know how Carmel's house looks like, let me give you a detailed description and some tidbits about each of the CA ladies who came (no pun intended) together.

Let's start with Monsie. You know the rules. We always talk about the ones who leave first. He he.
Monsie - gorgeous, attractive, sexy. funny and bubbly as ever. Worked for the House of Valentino on Rodeo Drive for years, then moved on to a classy furniture store.

Suki - she'll be in Manila on the 28th of Dec. Still looks like the Suki of thirty years ago. Religious and virginal. Married to a wonderful man...Joey Lagman.

Marilyn - still the leader when it comes to cleaning up after a party. She'll kill for a mop and vacuum cleaner. Also the auditor and CPA of the LA group. When we go out, it's not at all like Manila. Diyan kasi, someone like Ampy, Lelette, Betchay, Juris or Kathy would foot the bill for dinner or lunch. Dito sa LA, talagang the bill (that includes meals, gas and a possible traffic violation fine) is divided equally among all participants up to the last cent. Talagang dibay-dibayd. And Marilyn is queen when it comes to computations. If Ampy is the Last Empress.....then Marilyn is the Dragon Lady....to poor Albert..the ambassador to Shanghai.

Wilma - did I say Wilma??? Just look at the pictures. But try visualizing her in a shopping mall on the day after Christmas.

Louie - just like Suki....sexy and youthful pa rin. Works on a treadmill every night but when she reconciled with her husband, she has less time now for exercise. It's back to bedroom basics.
Now about that photo of hers with Tet. To be fair, she just looks haggard cause she doesn't have any make-up on and those eyebags were due to cramming for her Masters.

Tet - the classmate with the smallest lips but with the loudest laugh. Talagang hindi virgin ang dating ng tawa niya. I don't keep a diary of my men. Tet keeps tab of them for me. What makes Tet unique? She slices or cuts up all her food into teeny weeny pieces cause her mouth is too small. Kaya she also cuts Ed's ahem. If you think that my make-up kit is huge, hers has a lighted mirror in it and a folding stool. Dala- dala rin niya lagi ang kaniyang hair dryer, roller brush, mousse, rollers, hairspray and make-up artist.

Sylvia - the kindest, most generous and caring (to a fault) woman on earth. Will give you the shirt on her back (too bad it's too big for me). The only coralbelle in existence who can sleep on any couch even if it's in a store. It actually happened at Costco.

Ella - what she needs on her breasts went to her hips. The woman is obviously a picture of happiness and contentment. At the age of 53, she finally learned what the big O is all about. For more explicit details, you can call her at 1- 000-666-AHHH and classmates will be charged $1.50/min only. The regular rate is $3.75/min.

Betchay - has been losing weight cause of stress due to her present job. Seems that the xerox machine at work keeps on breaking down so she has to make copies with her cellphone camera. Has been domesticated...can actually cook for all three sons and so far no one has gotten ill. Youthful looking and crazy funny as ever.

Kathy - like me, still wants the baaaaaaaad boys. She looks more americana now than espanola. But once she starts talking, parang may Ilonggo siya na accent. Abaw guid, que tal? She can't see too well at night so there's no long distance driving for her in the dark. Just groping.

Carmel - still madaldal and a livewire. It's so comfortable to be around this woman. You don't actually feel that she's a lawyer until you get a subpeona. She cooks and is a very devoted wife to Bruce and a loving..oh so loving mother to Lauren. Still has the same hairdo, built and loud laugh.

So ladies, those were the Southern and Northern California belles in attendance at the annual gathering of the Coralbelles, Stateside.

Lelette and Chari Visit Belinda in Singapore

I'll just interrupt Loily's novella for a while to show you a picture taken in Singapore early this December. Most of you know that Belinda Basa lives in Singapore. Well, Chari and Lelette happened to be there at the same time, and the three got together. Chari was attending a seminar, and Lelette was there purely for pleasure, accompanying Butch who was on a business trip.


Worthy of consideration: There are some very cheap flights to Singapore from Clark and Subic now - cheaper than going to Cebu or Davao. What about taking advantage of Belinda's hospitality, huh?

Loily's Novella - Chapters 2 and 3

(This is the second of a series on Loily's account of the Great LA reunion. Best to start from the previous entry. Ang Nakaraan: "Loily flew in from Virginia to LAX. She was up at 4 a.m. East Coast time, arrived at LAX at 4:30 p.m., rode the sky cab to Burbank. Here she tells how what should have been an hour ride turned to four hours; because of the LA traffic, she reached Burbank at 8:30 p.m.)

Chapter 2

So I haul all my luggage to the shuttle stand. I wait for 20 minutes. The shuttle arrives and I'm the only passenger on board. The driver is not content so he goes around the airport f*#@ing FOUR times to look for more passengers. He does this for another twenty minutes till he finally gets two more. Then, we all proceed to Burbank.

BBBBUUUUUUUUT it's a Friday in December in LA in the rain at rush hour.
The moment the van rolls my phone rings and it's Betchay.
Betchay: "Louella, where are you na?"
Louella: " I'm just about to leave LAX for Burbank."

Betchay: "Call me when you're almost there."

Wellllllll.....I ask the driver (pogi siya) how long it will take and he says that he doesn't know cause traffic is at a crawl. After thirty minutes, my phone rings and it's Betchay II.

Betchay: "Louella, where are you na?"

Louella: "Halfway, I think, cause we've been on the road for half an hour." Later I'm told that we haven't even gone three miles from LAX.

So it's raining...and yes, we ARE crawling.

My phone rings again and this time it's Kathy I.

Kathy: "Hi, Louella! Kamusta na? Where are you na?"

Louella: "I dunno." (I'm whispering here cause I didn't want the driver and the other passengers to know that I wasn't familiar with the streets nor LA itself and its environs.

Kathy: "I'm the one assigned to pick you up so please call me na lang when you get there."

So this goes on, the exchange of phonecalls between Betchay, Kathy and me for the NEXT TWO AND A HALF HOURS!!!!.

Well.....at 7:05PM, we finally get to the Burbank Airport. I give the driver a huge tip cause he was really nice and ......handsome. So there I was standing by the curb and it's still raining. I have to take off my gloves to call up Kathy and she finally shows up after ten minutes.

You know how it feels when you see a classmate. No matter how exhausted you are, you suddenly get energized. So Kathy and I are that way with all the kamustahans and tidbits. We proceed to Betty's place but we get lost at the exit from the airport.

We find our way but now I really feel worn out. I just don't feel like partying anymore. I just want someone to give me a warm bath and tuck me in bed. That or a bullet in my head at that point.

Chapter 3

It's 7:30pm and Kathy is expertly negotiating the hilly terrain going up to Betchay's place. Soon, we're right at her doorstep. and yes......I'm still excited about seeing her but I don't have any energy left to carry my bags. Betchay and her son help me with my luggage. I just drag myself and the rest of my carry on into her house. Once there, they suggest that we have dinner out while waiting for Tet's call.

Tet was also scheduled to fly in at Burbank at 9pm. I'm hungry but I'm too tired to eat. Can anyone just eat for me while I sleep?

So off we go, Kathy Betchay and I. We go to a nearby Mall and have Japanese food courtesy of Betchay. The food was good but my teeth hurt from all that stress and the kind ladies wanted to do a little window shopping. So we w...a...l..ke..d and w..a..l..k..e..d looking at stores and their wares. I was feeling like a zombie by now.

My throat started to hurt. I tell Betchay this and she buys me a bottle of Airborne...a nutritional supplement put together by a teacher who says that it can help your immune system fight airborne germs that abound in crowded places like classrooms, elevators, airplanes..etc.

We head for home. On the way home, Becthay's phone rings and it's Tet on the other end. The HAIR QUEEN has finally arrived. The two considerate ladies decide to bring me to Betchay's place first so I can pack the stuff that I'll need for the PARTY.

They leave me behind while they head off for the airport. I go thru my suitcases and bags but I'm just soooooo tired and really feeling like fermenting mashed potatoes so I do a haphazard way of picking thru my stuff, tossing things out and putting this and that in plastic bags. After fifteen unproductive agonizing minutes of trying to put my bags in order, the ladies finally arrive from the airport. GEEEEEE. They left me behind to save time so that I could pack my things, take a shower and change to PJs. Pero heto ako still sorting thru my stuff like an unfeeling robot. I really have to be recharged. I'm just dead tired. I needed a shot of adrenalin. As soon as I see Tet, I do get that needed booster shot and I start getting organized with my packing. I take a shower in Betchay's master's bathroom which is on the third floor. Kung hindi pa ako energized that time and it wasn't winter I would have just asked one of them to just hose me down in the driveway and spray me with Tilex.

After I'm almost done with my packing, Sylvia's, the reigning QUEEN OF SPONSORS and current PLATINUM QUEEN OF CASINO HOTEL RESERVATIONS, arrival is announced by Betchay. Nowwwww, I'm starting to feel better. Sylvia has this bearing and projects an aura much like those of a thousand ringing slot machines.

Soon, we haul ourselves and our plastic bags into two cars. By this time, you're wondering why we had to put our stuff in unglamorous plastic grocery bags. That's because each of us had to bring bulky sleeping bags and with Tet's and my make-up kit thrown in, there wasn't enough room left for our carry-on luggage in the trunk of two cars.

After everyone has taken a shower and changed into PJs, we head for Carmel's house. The trip will take about 30 minutes and we leave at 10:30 pm.

It's the 3rd of December 2005, and five classmates are on their way to rendezvous with seven other sscHS1970 classmates for the Annual Get Together of the US based coralbelles.

Loily's Novella - Out At Last

Look at the picture on the left. How many of these pretty ladies have you seen lately? From left to right, they're Tet Alba, Wilma Villareal, Louie Abad Santos, Betchay la'O, Ella Alcid, Sylvia Penalosa, Louella Pena, Monsie Chuidian, Carmela Carlos, Kathy Barcia, Suki Salvacion, and Marilyn Shaw. They all got together last December 2 and 3 for the GREAT CORALBELLE LA REUNION OF 2005. We had been impatiently waiting to hear about it.

Louie wrote saying, "Just be patient. You'll eventually hear about it. Loily has been assigned to write the account."

She finally sent us her novella, ten chapters in all - no, may pahabol . Eleven chapters pala.

And so starting today, we shall serialize this novella. And just us soon as you read the prologue below, you'll wish you were in the egroup so you can read the next one.

L. A. HULLABALLOO

PROLOGUE

Also known as: CHAPTER 1

by: Louella Pena Rosete

Promises are meant to be kept so I'm telling while my short term memory cells are still working. BUT before I get to the nitty gritty...let me tell you about my flight of horror from Virginia to Arizona to LA and to Burbank.

Nooooo pala. Let me go back to my stay in VA.

I guess all of you by now know that I take a yearly sojourn to VA to be with my brother Edwin and his wife cause my brother is a quadriplegic. Don't ask me why cause that's another lonnnng story and if I tell it right now, we'll never get to LA.

I spent Thanksgiving there with his in-laws, my sister Glenda and her family, my brother Dino and his wife Digna who flew from Manila for the occasion and my daughter Squeaky aka Teza. For twelve days, I didn't do anything but entertain guests and cook from 7AM till 11PM. Talagang walang tigil sa kakaluto cause I promised Edwin that every time I visit them in VA, I'll fill up his two fridges with all his favorites. Besides cooking for him. I also baked a suitcase of fruitcakes to take back with me and hosted two dinners for family and a longtime volunteer couple. When it comes to backbreaking work of this kind, I never complain. It's all for love and gratitude.

Now about my daughter, Squeaky. She really amazes me.

I'll never understand what an account manager does but her company seems to be treating her exceptionally well that they booked her in a luxury furnished condo in an upscale neighborhood in NJ at a cost of $4,000./mo with a cleaning lady. On the day she left for Manila (same as my departure date to LA), she took a chauffered limo to JFK which is more than an hour away, while I took the Super Shuttle. I just don't know if her chauffer looked better than my shuttle driver.

Obviously, I'm not envious of my daughter's success. I'm actually beaming with pride.

The only reason why she has to go back to the Philippines is because another client wants to see her. She has to come back to the US four times a year (quarterly) and stay a minimum of two months each time. I hope to see her in LA when she comes back...if she gets to fly PAL.

Now, that's blessing number one. Blessing number two is.....before I left for VA, I bought a suitcase of gifts for everyone who has been helping Edwin ever since he got sick in 1996. I spent quite an amount even if I knew that I was on a NO PAY NO WORK arrangement with the Bergers from 22Nov to 4Dec.

What blessings do I get in return? A free round trip plane ticket, cash , four watches, and other gifts. My brother paid for my plane fare and gave me money to add to my savings which he invests. Then Squeaky gifted me with two watches....an inexpensive red one to match my red boots and a beautiful Citizen Eco-Drive that runs on solar power and artificial light. Dino and his wife gave me a holiday snowman watch and Edwin's burgis na sis-in-law gave me one from Chiccos. I also received gifts from his volunteers, therapist and nurse. When it pours, I truly feel blessed but not deserving.

So...that was the heavenly part of my trip.

Then......it was time to go back to LA via Reagan National Airport in DC.

I treat all my flights like an international flight..so I'm always at the airport two hours before boarding time.

I check in my two red suitcases (they match my top and boots), while I carry my laptop case (with more fruitcakes inside), my purse (with bottled water, emergency make-up kit, two small bags of potato chips, turkey ham sandwich and two Milky Ways) and ten pound winter coat.

The woman at the counter then tells me to proceed to Gate 16B. Sa bigaaaaaat ng dala ko, I had to walk s..l..o..w...l...y cause I still had a lot of time and seductively cause ang daaaaaaaming gwapo sa airport that morning. I don't know how sexy I projected myself because with all the weight I was balancing on my shoulders and arms, I felt like a carabao hauling excess baggage while sloshing in a muddy ricefield.

When I got to Gate 16 (Alleluia!), which was like one mile and a half away....I wondered why it was empty. So I asked this AfroAmerican woman in uniform if I was at the right gate. She looked at my Boarding Pass and asked,Who wrote down this gate number? Was it placed at the curb or at the airline desk? Siempre, with my best American English, I answered,"Wha zat?"

Sabi niya ulit, "This is wrong!!! AmericaWest hasn't used this gate for almost six months!!! Who the heck wrote this down??#$#@" So, I'm now confused and feeling flustered I finally find my voice and bearing and say, "I doesn't know Mam cause I already got here with printed ticket from the computer you know and I just show to the desk and she get it and make pukpok to it and say...Happeee treeep...heb very nice day to enjoyyy, OK?"

After I say this, she realizes that I'm an ignorant Asian pineapple, takes pity on me and then stands up to her full height. O my Lord of the rings!!! She's seven feet tall!!! She offers to walk me back to the counter so I could get the right gate number and also to reprimand the woman who erred. With her height...it only takes her ten giant steps to get to the counter which is a mile and a half away. For every giant step she takes, I take one hundred and twenty two. Every three steps she takes, she looks back at me and waits for me cause besides being only half her height, I'm still carrying almost 65 lbs. of baggage.

Halfway to the counter, I look up at her and ask,"Hey Latisha Ming Yao...Yao..ao..ao. ..(echo dahil matangkad)...did you ever consider playing basketball...ball...ball..all..all?"

Sagot naman siya with a big smile on her face." I was a varsity player in highschool!" So we continued walking towards the %$#@#$ counter. To make the story short, she had the oversight corrected and the err-er apologized to me. And guess what my right gate number was?? Gate 38.

Counter to Gate16B and back, then on to 38A. By the time I reached my Gate, they were already boarding. When I got to my seat, I noticed that the flight was fully booked. That's when I realized that they purposely wrote down the wrong gate number. Because, airline people know that when a passenger comes in early, she/he usually takes her time having a meal or browsing in the shops or even taking a nap before going to their designated gate. Now if I did this and went to the wrong gate at boarding time...I'd certainly miss my flight and they'll happily sell my seat to someone desparate for a higher price cause it's peaky peak season.

Akala ko, tapos na ang kalbaryo ko. With my seatbelt on, I prop my pillows so I can take a nap. Nakatulog nga ako and just when I'm about to make passionate love with Viggo Mortensen, I'm jolted wide awake by this male voice on the sound system. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We're sorry for keeping you waiting cause apparently, security has been breached on this flight and since we're departing from DC itself, we have been advised to wait till they have thoroughy checked the problem. (Akala ko, ako ang problema. I thought they found my fruitcakes suspicious looking. Mukha kasing blocks of cocaine sa xray.) So the pilot went on to explain.."blah blah blah...a suspicious looking man was spotted near the RAT. The RAT is a hydraulic back-up system and is very sensitive in nature and therefore a security concern for the White House. Security men have asked maintenance to take the system apart and check it. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and estimated time for the procedure is two hours." As soon as he says this, pandemonium breaks loose with everyone asking about their connections, vouchers for meals, etc. Ako, walang pakialam. I just want to go back to Viggo. Malas ko that my seatmate is a crazy old woman who keeps on putting her trash on the sly on my tray and keeps on talking loudly to her daughter who is seated behind her. So I can't sleep....Viggo has blueballs by now..and I proceed to call everyone I know on this planet. All I get are answering machines. Even Bush doesn't answer his phone. All I get from him is this Texan accented message that says,"Well ah...ah..ah deeply appreciate youh call but can't git to it rah now cause I heb impohtant matters to take care of ...the King of Denmark is in town and ah guess ah heb to host a lot of Denmarkanish people. Your call is really ap-preciated. God bless America. Laura and the girls wish you tha best."

Finally, we do take off. Half an hour into our flight, all the flight attendants start to rush to the front of the plane and take out an oxygen tank. I thought the RAT had disintegrated and the plane was going to crash and explode in a ball of fire. What about my watches??!! What will happen to them??? And my fruitcakes??? One was meant for Steve!!! My whole life just flashed infront of me and I could actually see Tet still doing her hair. Ayun pala......a man collapsed. Agitated na naman ang mga pasahero. They start asking for medical assistance on board. Ababa??? Who stands up but my crazy seatmate!!! I'm both mortified and impressed!! I feel guilty for pre-judging her. Doktora pala si Lola. But because she walks so slow, two other doctors get to the man first. She just looks on. Then she turns around and walks back to her seat.

The man seated beside her looks up at her admiringly and tells her,"Thank you, doctor." Sagot ng gurang," Naaaaah, I'm not a doctor, I couldn't see what was happening from my seat." Dios ko 'day, gusto ko siyang sabunutan at i-flush sa toilet. Welllllll, the man's condition turned out to be stable so we proceeded to fly on. At our final approach they started to give out a list of the connections that we could still take.

As soon as we landed they opened the emergency exit for the sick man but everyone including me rushed ahead of him so we could get to our designated gate(s) on time.

I asked the man at the desk how much time I had and he said 10 minutes. "Can I make it?" He replied."Yes, if you hurry."

So I ran and ran and ran and kept on running and couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel cause my f$#@ing gate was at the end of another terminal which was about three miles away.

Gasp! Hingal! Mura!! Hingal!!

When I got to my Gate, the door was closed, I was sweating, my heart was pounding wildly, my stomach was churning and I could feel the turkey sandwich inching up my

throat. Everyone was on board except me!!!!! But thank God, the door opened and when the woman came out, all she said was "Enjoy your flight."

I did. I really tried to enjoy my flight. The seat next to me was empty and a Middle Eastern looking man asked if he could take it. I couldn't care at that point. But when he was seated, another Middle Eastern looking man with a terrorist sounding accent told him to sit in the back with him. Medyo paranoid na ako dito. Then the two men seated infront of me turned to each other...mukhang Middle Eastern din and started conversing with terrorist sounding accents. Oh my Goddddddd!! Ano ba ini????

Bakit kasama ko on board ang mga brothers and uncles ni Bin Laden??!!! That flight took thirty minutes only but it felt like two hours of high anxiety. I was always waiting for any of them to rush to the front of the plane with dynamites strapped to their chest. Ka-boom!!! There go my watches and fruitcakes.

Nothing happens. Nothing unpleasant.

I'm finally home. I'm blissfully happy. I want to kiss the pilot, but the flight attendant blocks my path. I can't believe it! I got to LA on time.

I retrieve my red suitcases and look for the Super Shuttle stand. I still have to go to another airport...the Burbank airport which is forty minutes from LAX but five minutes away from Betchay's place. She's picking me up cause we're going to the party of the year.....The Great Annual LA Xmas Gathering.

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata

Dada's Christmas

This blog would not be complete without some account of how Christmas was celebrated by at least one of our classmates.
Here's a taste of Dada Javier-Tan's hectic but happy season. I don't have pictures of Dada's Holiday activities, but here are a couple of our party-going diva while she was in Manila during the "Homecoming Holidays last February". My, that was almost a year ago! How time goes by so fast!!!!!

Dada's Story:

Hello! The X'mas season is just about over. After writing 120 X'mas cards & wrapping about 60 presents & delivering them, shopping the day after X'mas for X'mas cards, wrappers, tags at 1/2 price, putting up about 60 cards I received on my wall (shaped like a X'mas tree), entertaining guests after X'mas day, I'm all pooped! On the 28th & 29th I had relatives visiting from LA & Sacramento. Finally got to see my cousin (her first time in the US) & her husband from Sacramento. She just arrived from the Phil a month ago & I never got to visit her in Sacto kasi I've had events every weekend. Vicky's son, Ronald & his wife Cherrie drove all the way from LA to Sacto & stayed there overnight. Then they drove all the way here & 4 of them stayed over night at our house. I toured them SF. We had lunches & dinners & shopping.

After 2 days of spending time w/ my relatives I went out w/ our classmates the next night (30th). Rea, Stella & I went to the St. Francis Hotel to have some cocktails & appetizers w/ our classmate, Melba who is visiting from Sarasota, Florida. Melba, her husband & daughter stopped by SF for a few days after their trip from Beijing & Shanghai. Then we went to eat Thai food a couple of blocks away then we spent the evening chit chatting at Stella's condo. We left at 1:00 am & walked about 4 blocks in the rain & wind. I dropped off Rea at her place & I got home around 2:10 am.

So, on New Year's eve I spent the whole morning sleeping cuz I was already catching a cold. I got up w/ aching body & sore throat. I ate first then took some medicine. Then Jauw & I got ready for our New Year's Eve Party at the Clarion Hotel. It was a formal dinner/dance w'/ a live band. It was one of those Fil assoc. parties. We sat together w/ Agnes & Dan & Eva & Mike Cullen. At first Jauw didn't want to go cuz he didn't want to wear his tuxedo. But he changed his mind anyway & went. We danced until 12:45 am when Jauw already had enough. Of course he bugged me several times earlier to go home. I'm glad he lasted that long. BTW, the Fil bakla (Crystal) made a grand entrance in a red halter gown around 11 pm or after. She had a long blonde wig & looked fabulous! Napakasexy talaga! She sat next to Jauw. Ha, Ha, ha.....

Here's an email below from my daughter, Cheryl who is vacationing in Poland:

I'll call again soon. We spent New Year's in a cabin around 1/2 hr. away from here. They had an outdoor sauna and we went back and forth between jumping in the icy lake and the sauna. It was fun and something different. We were also going to go on a sleigh ride with horses but the roads were icy and they were bad conditions for the horses. We have to wait until it snows heavily.

Wow! Cheryl said it was -25 degrees below 0. I can't believe she jumped in the icy waters! BRRRRR......She's the same daughter who went tandem parachuting last year on her 22nd birthday!

I'm so glad it's a holiday today (Jan 2) so I'm just resting home. It's really raining heavily today & I just want to be under the covers! ...... Dada