Former President Estrada

Louella Brown, Baguio City: Former President Estrada is no longer a political force to contend with come 2010. His mass appeal is just for the movies!

More comments are found in:

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=508070

Please note new date of mini-reunion-2 November

Due to an unavoidable circumstance, kindly note that the 3 November mini-reunion and planning meeting will be held at the same place: Golden Pine Hotel, but on the second of November. Kindly note this change of dates, and we look forward to seeing you there, Class 61mates, and Class86friends.

Mary Ann and Chaco

Here is our Mary Ann! and here is her pet Chaco! So far, she and Emil Antonio are my active Facebook "friends". This is an invitation to network through Facebook, with us. See you soon, there! (Photo from Mary Ann's Facebook page).

Louella

This was reported, one hour ago.
Inbox World

Q: Do you consider yourself a model Filipino citizen? (philstar.com) Updated September 20, 2009 12:00 AM

Louella Brown, Baguio City: As a teacher for four and a half decades, I believe I have served as a model of desirable Filipino traits to my students and colleagues.

J-Dub Wenceslao, Quezon City: No, model Filipinos are particularly famous and probably have a statue of them. I’m just an ordinary “Papa” to my little girl, who would consider me her hero, and that’s what matters to me.

(Other comments follow; click on:)

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=506855

Open Letter: Class 61 and Class 86

Ang mahal nating mga ka-klase ng City High,

Napakabilis ng panahon! At tulad ng sabi ni Arthur B, nagiging kaunti ang darat nga nakakabil idiay hourglass tunggal maysa kanyatayo.

Sublien tayo kadi, ang mga araw ng mga pagpaplano at paghahanda sa mataas na paaralan ng City High, limampung taong singkad ang makakaraan sa Mayo 2011.

Ngem aguray pay: we plan to have a mini reunion on the 3^rd of November 2009, at 3 pm, Golden Pine Hotel. Ang ating Valedictorian, na si Lt. Col. (ret.) Joe Andaya, will preside. We plan to have a two-part meet: one with our dear classmates, and later on with members of Class 1986, who will be celebrating their Silver Anniversary.

This notice serves as an open invitation for all Baguio City High School Class 1961 at the 3 pm Mini-reunion, and with Class 1986 at the 4:30 pm Class 1961-Class 1986 Planning Meeting at the same venue.

Ludy B-A and Evelyn D-B will co-host this event.

Sa ating mga kamag-aral na nasa Baguio, please make it a point to come and attend the mini-reunion in November 2009, and the Big One in May 2011. At sa mga Klasmeyts (another Arthur word) na nasa naibayong dagat, huwag sana ninyong kalilumutan na bumili ng air tickets to the Philippines, together with your loved ones, for the Golden Reunion. Guaranteed, na kayo ay sumaya sa pakipagkita sa mga kaibigan, na matagal na nawalay sa ating mga paninigin.

At ano naman ang ating paguusapan, o kaya agenda, sa Mini-Reunion? Paki-basa lang po ang mga noticias na nakasulat sa blog, lalo na yung mga nakasulat noong Mayo 2009. We have some pre-Reunion issues including membership campaign (calling all 61 classmates, please get in touch with your contact details at the email address provided below). In addition, there are a number of worthy and exciting projects which will require our time and resources. So a fund raising campaign needs to be discussed including those already proposed, particularly by Arthur B. And special social events for Class 61, joint reunion events with Class 86. We will need also to discuss, some preliminary thoughts on post-reunion issues.

At bukod sa mga puntos na nakasulat sa blog, we need to think of a CLASS 1961 REUNION SOUVENIR PROGRAM, possibly a pamphlet format which will contain some thoughts, history, excerpts, photographs, profiles. Along with some advertising to cover the costs, if this is at all possible.

Do drop a line, if you are able to attend, or if you have some thoughts about the reunion as well as special events exclusively for Class 1961, in May 2011. Umali tayo am-ammin, a. Salamat po!

Rajadamnern1@yahoo.com

Baguio Centennial

Visit the Baguio Midland Courier, to view 5 sets of photographs taken by various Baguio-based photographers on the celebrations:

http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/baguio_day09.asp?mode=1

Here's a Baguio Centennial anecdote which, by the author's admission, is something "you'll never get to read anywhere":

During the program that followed the parade, Kidlat Tahimik (Eric de Guia, Genie's brother) was going around the grounds in his G-strings with videocam on hand to shoot everything he could. Later that evening, I met him with his wife, his kimmot and the latter's girlfriend at the Centennial Dinner at Country Club, attended by about 1,200 persons. He related to me that at some point, he chanced upon the representatives of Baguio's sister cities. After shooting the group from Guam very close to noon, one of them approached him and reached for his hand and said, "Heto oh, kumain ka na muna." Kidlat looked down on his hand and so a folded US$1.00 bill. He did not bother to return it and said he was going to frame it.

...

Anyways, if you are considering retiring in Baguio, consider investing in a G-string and videocam and ply the Burnham Park route on weekends and holidays for your daily keep. (Rey Paraan)

GUESSING GAME 7: Who am I?

Hi- welcome once more to No. 7 of our Guessing Game! Here are a few clues to get you going and recall who this person is, from our Blast from the Past.

Clue 1: I have an unusual first name: add “kong” and you get an Ilocano word for something found in any kitchen.

Clue 2: My younger brother too has an unusual first name, starts with a “Z”, and he plays the piano extremely well, and works in the oil industry.

Clue 3: I have several close relatives, related to the Baguio teaching profession.

Clue 4: My godmother was our Biology teacher. (or one of my parents was a godparent of the Biology teacher’s child? Your Reporter cannot verify this for now)

Clue 5: I was one of the tallest girls in Class 61. Oh, yes.

Clue 6: I am an alumnus of Saint Louis University.

Clue 7: I was Valedictorian at New Baguio Central School, later renamed as Quezon Elementary School.

Clue 8: My favorite person is from Agoo, La Union, and retired as mechanical engineer in the Public Utilities Services of the city.

Clue 9: One of our three sons graduated from PMA.

Clue 10: I can claim to be a Grandmama.

Send in your answers! Soon!

Baguio Friends

FRIENDS VS BAGUIO FRIENDS

FRIENDS: Never ask for food.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Always bring the food. And drinks.

FRIENDS: Will say 'hello'.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Will give you a big abrazo and a kiss.

FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Call your parents Nanang and Tatang.

(Or Aunti and Unkel)

FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Cry with you and give you a box of tissues as well.

FRIENDS: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing, help you clear the table and aginnaw, then play dominoes or cards and just being together.

FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Could write a book with unedited direct quotes from you. Even if the language is for the gutter, for small kids, or just plain lingo among friends.

FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds' back-ends that left you.

FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, 'I'm home!', the kids directed to double up and give up beds for the overnight-staying friends.

FRIENDS: will visit you in jail.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: will spend the night in jail with you, with some siopao, sitcharon bituka bulaklak and beer.

FRIENDS: will visit you in the hospital when you're sick.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: will cut your grass and clean your house then come spend the night with you in the hospital and cook for you when you come home. Or do a mini- canyawan if that's what it takes to cure the illness. Or pass the hat around at a meeting, or donate one month's salary towards your medical bills.

FRIENDS: have you on speed dial.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: have your number memorized.

FRIENDS: will cringe at the thought of headlice.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: will recall the days of lice-removing sessions.

FRIENDS: Are for a while.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Are for the cradle to the grave.

FRIENDS: ask you the name of your dog.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: shields your Max or Tibay from would-be dognappers.

FRIENDS: Might ignore this.

BAGUIO FRIENDS: Will add more to this list, or forward this to all their BAGUIO Friends and those who once lived in BAGUIO and those who have HEARD of BAGUIO! Agpayso!

SEND IN YOUR TERRIFIC ADDITIONS TO THIS LIST! (Unable to find a suitable photo, apart from the Courtney/ Jennifer/ Lisa/ David/ Matt type, so here is a substitute, and thanks to Ben, Fred, Tessie, Rosa and Paraluman. HOWEVER if you do not have your glasses on right now you'd swear these would be Art, Rudy, Ludy, Evelyn, and Gloria, ania?).

Balitok! Proposed Mining Museum, Dominican Hill

Five Institutions in One

To celebrate the centenary of Baguio as a chartered city on Sept 2009, the BHMMF headed by Ambassador Delia Domingo Albert (Class '58) and Maria Isabel Ongpin, envisions this interactive "green" museum as a gift to the people of Baguio. This will be an alternative educational facility that fuses sclence and technology with history and the arts and is aligned with progressive curatorial, design, conservation and administration practices in the international world of museums .

At the same time this museum will showcase the potential for environmentally sound building practices such as resource conservation, lighting efficiency and the use of renewable energy. The aim is to construct a dialogue between science and history, between technology and culture, between geologic time and recent memory and provide a window into the future of Baguio as a leader in sustainable building technology and use of alternative energy sources.
www.bhmm.com.ph
email add: Hbhmmuseum@gmail.com

Enjoy the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2ya6zdD8U&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fs4.zetaboards.com%2FIgorot_Pride%2Fsite%2F&feature=player_embedded

Yanquis

Rudy L. spent his Labor Day weekend quite pleasantly (exercising his right as a New York Yankees fan, seen above at the Stadium but heavens we can't see the beer, pretzels and hot dogs) and not-so-pleasantly (pulling his Gastroenteritis or whatever muscle in his leg, running after an errant tennis ball and now on crutches - we wish you a speedy recovery). Perhaps we should think of a tennis tournament as a fund raising event. I can do "hit and giggle" tennis with my Billie Jean King racket <sino kaya siya- don't bother to ask if you were born after 1960>!! Or maybe auction off Rudy's Yankee cap.
Here is his account:

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, and moved to New York City in 1903, becoming known as the New York Highlanders before being officially renamed the "Yankees" in 1913. The Yankees' home ballpark is Yankee Stadium, one of the world's most famous sports venues.

Hi Art (the Blue Jay fan),

The Yankees have been playing the Blue Jays in Toronto since September 3. So far, the Yankees are 2-1 games in their favor. The final game will be at 1:07PM today. I should have flown to Toronto to see the games over the weekend. However, I will have a chance to see them for a double-header home game come Monday.

Hi Joe (the tennis aficionado),

Hope you had a nice flight to California.

On several visits to Brewster, Joe introduced tennis to the family. He suggested that I get into this game to lose weight. My gran'kids have their "Wilson's" (for Lucas) and "Prince" (for Sierra). I had to purchase a featherweight, but expensive "Head" for Olivia. She always complains about the weight and grip on the racket. For me, I settled for a "Wilson's" left in the garage by one of my kids when they moved out.

Unfortunately today, I pulled a muscle in my right leg running after a wayward tennis ball. I believe, I pulled the "Gastrocnemius" muscle out of place. The pain radiates when I start walking. I'm now in crutches so I'm not going anywhere in the next few days - not even to see the Yankees play their home game Monday! (#@&%, come to think of it, I can't even drive!)

So I bid everyone a pain-free happy Labor Day weekend! ! !

Nora!

A few years ago, Nora turned 63. I wanted to greet her but not with an e-card, it was an e-poem instead. Short, but from the heart. I found the file when I was trying to clear my files. Here it is:

Si Nora’y isinilang sa Bauang La Union

Animnapo’t tatlong taon na ang nakakaranas

Pamangkin siya ng magaling na math teacher noon

Hipolito ang pangalan, sa math problems siya ay nakalunas.

Mula sa Pilipinas hanggang California

Siya po’y isang mabait na asawa’t ina

Kundi pa man, pagka’t siya po ay Nars

Sa lahat ng propesyon, iyan ay walang kapars!

Photo courtesy of Norma Go-Abastillas, at the home of Lito and Mandy Villanueva at El Cerrito, California, a year ago on 14 August 2008.