Cheers to Ronald and Charlotte!!!

At around 1:46 a.m. yesterday, while i am passionately reading my new book (THE SECRET by Rhonda Byrne ), I got a call from my Nanay (Charlotte)... She asked me if Yan-Yan is still awake? I don't think so, i answered her.

To make my story short, she called me up to tell me that she'll be preparing a lunch for us at 12:00 noon. She also said that we should be there for a very special announcement.

It was indeed, a very special announcement. I am personally happy upon hearing it.

Last night, she sent an e-mail to all about their engagement.

You can find it below...

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To our families in Dubai:

Naa ko story.... Leong reserved dinner at Al Qasr, Madinat last night. When he called me in the office to tell me, I didnt think twice about it kay we've been eating out lately since last week. So I thought last night was just one of those regular fancy dinners. I didnt expect that it would be one of my most unforgettable night ever.

Madinat, as usual, was at its romantic best last night. We got to board in on one of the abras to get to our restaurant. The driver was Pinoy so he toured us around the villas. It was so nice, as in. ..After dinner, we strolled to the beach side, then up to the wooden bridge for a picturesque view of the hotel and gondolas gliding past the venice-like canals.

Then we sat on one of the benches, chikka gamay. I was busy taking pictures of the pool and hotel when he stood up and walked to the bag. He turned, smiled and came to me and sugod na dayon ko kulba. It hit me that this might be it. Is he..?, I thought wildy. And he went on one knee, opened the box. .. Kulba na kaayo ko. The diamond glistened in the night. Then he asked, " will you marry me?" And of course, I said yes.

And now things are clearer. I used to wonder how can you commit forever to one person. I used to ask people how they know he's the one and they always tell me na you just know.

So right then and there, I finally understood. Na I'll just know gyud diay. Leong is my forever. ...:-)

To all our very good friends who have been with us through the years, thank you. You have been part of our lives and part of who we have become. :-)


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Congratulations Ronald and Charlotte!

We are all looking forward to your Vatical Wedding on April 2009.

I love you Nanay and Tatay!!! Maniwala kayo, I am very happy for both of you...

Tila na uuso yata ang mga "engagement" sa month of August.... hehehe :)

Thanks to Jorog Photography for the photos...

To Dave & Shane: CONGRATULATIONS!

the proof

Shane and Dave


August 22, 2008 was a very special day for me... obviously, because I turned a year older... hehehe :) Enough about me... let us find out more what's so special about 22nd of August 2008.

Well, I would like to publicly announce in this worldwideweb... the Engagement of Two Hearts that Beat as One...

Congratulations to Dave and Shane!!!

They are finally engaged. Where? In one of the romantic places here in Dubai... One and Only Mirage in Jumeirah.

We are all happy for the both of you... Surely, we are waiting for some wedding details... hehehe :)

Dave's Birthday Bashed at Pinoy Grill - Rigga, Dubai

the casts

wish, wish, wish!

singing after eating

Ecaranum Family

Thank you so much to Dave for celebrating your first birthday here in Dubai with us... It was indeed a very nice Pinoy Grill experienced!

Thank You

the celebration

the people


the celebrants

Thank you so much for celebrating with us. We are so blessed with your presence. We are hoping that you enjoyed the party as much as we enjoyed it. Who would have thought na ang Ratsky naa na sa Flat 609, Al Shami Bldg.?

Hanggang sa muli... :)

Fr. John (Jack ) Caroll, S.J. On "Ninoy and Hope"

I got another e-mail from my JVP Yahoo Groups, and I think it is worth reading.

HOMILY FOR LHS (Loyola House of Studies) COMMUNITY MASS

20 August 2008

By: Fr. John (Jack) Caroll, S.J.

I. Newspaper photos yesterday of dead bodies in the streets of Kausawagan, and a series of text messages from a religious sister asking prayers for her blood relatives and religious sisters caught in the middle of the fighting, brought back memories of 25 years ago tomorrow: news of Ninoy's assassination; three days of darkness as we reflected on the evil in heart of man, and of our society: a dark room, evil presence.
II. But then, hope reviving: calm uncompromising stance of Cardinal Sin, of Radio Veritas and Fr. Guido Arguelles; long lines at Times Street; magnificent funeral sermon of Card. Sin (Arevalo?) concluding with Ninoy's prayer for peace; the funeral procession, prayer rallies, ANV, and three years later the peaceful revolution at Edsa. A STAND AGAINST EVIL, A JOURNEY OF HOPE.
III. Now, 25 years later, the nation again faces a crisis, and we come to realize that the evil was deeper than President Marcos. Edsa was a political revolution, not a social revolution. Fault lines of injustice and inequality lie beneath the surface of our society, pressures are building up and threatening to break it apart. We saw this in the violence and hatred which burst to the surface in the contorted faces of the poor at Edsa III, we see it in continuing revolt in the countryside, and we see it in Mindanao . Even the good intentions of a president like Cory Aquino could not break through established structures of injustice in the landowning system for example, the same structures that continue to block effective agrarian reform. Development in Mindanao has been put on the back burner in favor of development elsewhere and military operations. My generation, the older generations have failed to build a viable society founded on justice
IV. We look then at this moment to a new turning point, one which will change not only leaders but long-entrenched structures of injustice and inequality. It will not be easy, and will be costly, for we are all part of the problem. There will be fewer flyovers in Manila so that Mindanao can have roads; more expensive newspapers so that the scavengers can have a decent living.; our building will cost more so that the construction workers need not squat; there will be fewer parents who can afford an Ateneo education for their children. And perhaps your generation will not be able to afford the extremely expensive medical costs incurred by the province for me in the past two years.
V. And this will require not just political leadership but moral leadership, leadership such as Cardinal Sin and others showed 25 years ago. THIS IS THE CHALLENGE THAT LIES BEFORE YOU, THE COMING GENERATION. IT IS A MASSIVE, CONTENTIOUS TASK AND CANNOT BE DONE BY JESUITS ALONE; BUT OUR VOCATION REQUIRES THAT WE BE PART OF IT. MAY YOU BE INSTRUMENTS OF HIS PEACE, A PEACE BASED ON SOLIDARITY, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY AMONG ALL FILIPINOS. MAY THE LORD BE WITH YOU ON THIS JOURNEY OF FAITH AND HOPE.

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At ito ang message ni Mark about Fr. Jack...

Fr. John (Jack) Caroll, SJ one of the most well respected Jesuits alive today (who at 83, continues to work for social reform in the Philippines as he has for almost 3 decades now) gave us an exceptionally moving homily in our community mass yesterday. I've pasted it below in its original, 'shorthand' form. (He made extemporaneous additions that are difficult to capture on paper but I nonetheless think this is worth sharing.) May this carry you forward in hope as we remember Ninoy today amidst crises anew. Mark Lopez, S.J. Loyola House of Studies - Ateneo de Manila University

Dave's First Birthday here in Dubai

Hello Guys!

It's Dave's Birthday on the 23rd of August. It's actually his first time to celebrate it here in Dubai.

I got an e-mail from Shane (his girlfriend) that the celebration will be held in Pinoy Grill (Rigga) this Saturday. The party will start at 6:30 p.m.

Let's all celebrate Dave's birthday with a sumptuous pinoy foods.

Please do check your e-mail for the invites.

A Call for Help

Today, I received an e-mail from Jesuit Volunteer of the Philippines (JVP) Yahoo Groups with regards to a call for help for Mindanao. The letter was actually written by the Executive Director of Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan which based in Ateneo de Manila Univeristy.

Here's the letter...

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RE: CALL FOR DONATIONS IN AID OF THE AFFECTED CIVILIANS IN THE MINDANAO STRIFE

Dear Friends in Christ,

Peace.

By now we are certain that you have heard of the ongoing conflict in Mindanao . Weeks earlier, what we thought to have been a solid path to peace has now become a spark that will surely re-open past wounds and hatred. A series of disturbing and tragic events unfold in Mindanao as a result of the amalgamated issues surrounding the stalled GRP-MILF MOA on Ancestral Domain.

The past week has seen the worst armed conflict in years as civilians have become the primary target of lawless groups. Sporadic fighting has been reported in Mindanao and sadly, the worst hit are the provinces of central and north-western Mindanao . As per reports that we have received today, August 20 (Wednesday), there are about 6,000 families in 18 evacuation centers from the province of Lanao del norte and Iligan City . The number continues to increase as civilians flee their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the government forces and MILF troops.

As blame is being tossed around following the attacks by alleged members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters on villages in Lanao del Norte and Sarrangani, one sad fact remains – violence and hatred continue to take their toll on the lives of innocent civilians, Muslims, Lumads and Christians alike.

The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, together with the Dioceses of Iligan and Marawi, has called for aid especially for the towns in Lanao that have been attacked and burned.

In this light, we are appealing for any financial aid that you can extend to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao who are caught in this strife. They are in dire need of medicines, water and food supplies.

The funds received will be sent to the affected areas through the partnership of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, under the leadership of Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, and the Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan).

Let us all be one with our brothers and sisters in Mindanao in their quest for genuine peace and development.

Thank you.


Sincerely,


SCHOLASTIC ISMAEL JOSE III V. CHAN-GONZAGA, SJ
Executive Director
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan



*DONATION MECHANISM*
============ ========= ====

CASH/CHECK

Direct deposits may be made to:

SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account Name/Payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands (Loyola-Katipunan Branch)
Peso Checking Account Number : 3081-1111-61
Dollar Savings Account Number : 3084-0420-12

Or channel to:

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Loyola House of Studies
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights 1108, Quezon City

Contact Information:

Landline : 426-6101 loc. 3440/3441
Telefax : 426-5968
Mobile : 0922-8600-752 (SUN-8600-SLB)
Email : slb@admu.edu. ph
Look for : Ms. Marj Tejada


For proper acknowledgement:
· Please fax a copy of the validated deposit slip to SLB through telefax 426-5986
· Kindly indicate contact information: Name, address, email, landline/mobile
· Those who wish to be anonymous may skip this procedure


FOR GCASH TRANSACTION:
1. Any Globe or TM subscribers should be registered first in Gcash before doing any Gcash transaction.
2. To register, just text the syntax:


REG_4 digit M-PIN/mother' s maiden name/first name/last name/address and send to 2882

Example: REG 1234/ Getino/Liwanag/ Ferdinand/ 766 Metrica St. Sampaloc Manila
and send to 2882

3. When the subs already done with cash in, he may now able to do donate or any Gcash transaction he wanted

To Donate: Just text the syntax

DONATE_AMOUNT_ 4 digit M-PIN_INSTITUTION CODE and send to 2882
Ex. DONATE 100 1234 SLB and send to 2882

The 29ers

The 29ers.

There are 29 reasons WHY WE SHOULD celebrate! (and why you shouldn't miss the party of the year! nyahaha)

1 Yong's 29th Birthday Aug17
2 Yan&Yong's First Wedding Anniversary Aug17
3 Yan's 29th Birthday Aug19

4 Tintin's 29th Birthday Aug20
5 Try-ah's 29th Birthday Aug22
6 Uncle Ninoy's DA Aug21
7 Chada Cagayan Fiesta! Aug28
8 LECHON KAWALI at iba pa
9 Akong lami na fruit salad! (if dili kapoyan ug himo...)
10 Lami pud daw ang spaghetti ni Toto ug Tintin
11 REDHORSE unlimited supply (really?)
12 Kay molarga si Mikyo (hehehe,ato hubogon para mabyaan sa flight)
13 Kay nagniwang na si Traya (duh?)
14 Our dance version of low...low...low…
15 Dad-on ni Tintin ang iyang….cousins kay, kamo jud…
16 Meet Yong's playmates - and see how big their guns are. ;-)
17 Countdown - the last 12 months of our twenties

18 coz we love you guys! (char lang…)
19 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
20 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
21 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
22 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
23 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
24 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
25 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
26 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
27 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
28 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe
29 Kay ang dili moadto, pangiiiitttt! Hehehe