Goodbye, Uncle Gody

Around Christmas 2019 Aunty Helen posted on the Kaliwat chat group that Uncle Gody is sick with stomach cancer. He refused to be treated in the hospital so he was treated at home with hospice care lang daw. Last night he passed away, maoy post nilang Taylor Melville ug Danielle Gray. Mga anak diay ni silas youngest daughter ni Uncle Gody, si Sandy who is divorced to Michael Melville and now married to George Massad. I met his entire ohana last July in Hawaii during Mike's wedding. Mao diay lahi sila'g features kay Portuguese mn daw ilang mama. Ang iyang asawa si anhing Aunty Patricia Jocson. Batausa jud ang shape sa iyang nawong- pareha nila Tiyo Filemon ug Tiyo Joven lagi. He actually looked at me when we were packing things up after the Jocson Family Reunion at Ala Moana Beach Park. He looked wistful; I thought he remembered his dad and everyone else in Philippines with that look. They asked me to join them diay sa group photo opp. He told me diay that maayo daw nakaeskwela ko kay kamao ko mag-English. Tambok mn diay kajus Uncle Gody when bata2 p sija. He and his wife attended Paul's graduation gud in Pensacola, Florida in 2001. Moapil mn ta ko ato, wa mn ko hatagi ug visa lagis US embassy or consulate in Amsterdam. I remember meeting Gody Jr and his wife Christina at the church, Annette and Adrienne (twins), and the rest sa reception na. Kinsa pa mn tong uban oi? Kadtong medyo special child. Di na naho maatol tanan sa kadaghan. Rest in peace, Uncle Gody. I was very fortunate to have met you and your entire ohana last July. Godspeed! :)

Goodbye, Nev

Last night when I came home, I opened my phone and read Joyce's message that Nev died last Sunday. I was of course shocked coz I was just emailing him about 2 weeks ago. I looked at his Facebook and saw that he was in hospital diay on January 25 for enlarged heart and pneumonia. Basta mga tiguwang na lagi nya magka-pneumonia, deadly jud n. I left a message in his memorial page to say goodbye. I was very fortunate to meet him in PP in 2008. He was such a kind and wise person. He treated me to dinner at Comme a la Maison gud in PP. Too bad he was very old for me. He wanted to see me here in Cebu man diay to back in 2011 and when that didn't push through, he gave his ticket to a Filipino guy in Penang who was able to go home and propose to his longtime kalive-in. Nev once called me a crazy Filipina. He called me an impoverished academic too. He'd always tell me that I would receive a sum of money daw every 2 weeks if I marry him. Wa jud ko. He got married to a Chinese playwright then they divorced after a few years. He was with a Filipina named Heather who I think is in her 30s at Dien Bien Phu upon his death. Rest in peace in heaven, Neville. Till we see each other again phon. By the way, when I woke up yday, news of Kobe Bryant's death was blaring on CNN too. Whole day n lng jud. He died on a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA along with his 13-yr old daughter Gianna, Alyssa Altorelli and her father, the pilot and 4 others. It looks like weather problem coz twas foggy daw when they left. He was only 41 yrs old and just retired from the NBA in 2016 after spending 20 years with the LA Lakers. Rest in peace to all.

Bantil in Palawan

Last September 16, 2019 start nas Bantil ug work sa Ospital ng Palawan (ONP). Item n jud tawn cja didto. I think nalipay n sija didto kay gawas nga daku ug sweldo, nice mn pud ug benefits ang govt. They have 13th and 14th month, hazard pay? and share daw sa Philhealth income every month or 2 months. Syaro ug di p jud sija mostay on didto di b Lord. Ingnan pud sija ni Genelyn nga pwede sija apply sa Ubay, Bohol phn. Dugay2 p cguro, mga 1 to 2 years p cguro. Coz ONP gud ija nakit-an after sija giterminate as JO sa Capitol kay change leadership n lagi. Dugay2 gud pud sija natambay before to nija nakit-an. From DPWH Baguio in January 2019 where she survived only for a month, she came home to Cebu man. 3 months ra lagi sijas Provincial Soils Lab kay nag-election man last June 2019. Gipromisean to cja nga iendorse sija as item pero wa mahitabo. All the best to us always. Ginoo ra jud lagi ang moplastar sa tanan.

K.A.

He's one of the 2 boys I met in Hawaii in July 2019. He approached our table during the reception for Mike and Flori's wedding at He'eia State Park in Kane'ohe on July 19, 2019. He is one of Mike's colleagues diay before. He talked to Aunty Helen first then approached me. He complimented me on my hair. Kinsa daw nagcut ato. I said somebody from Cebu, back in the Philippines. He asked me if I am on Facebook. Yes I said but how? I ended up searching for him on Facebook and adding him. But actually when I went to the toilet when Lei was giving a testimony about Flori, he caught up with me when I got out. Talk n lng pud mi. He admires Filipinos daw coz they're kind. I said thank you. He just came from Philippines daw. I said okay, that's good. Chika2 lng gud mi till I came home. Chat2 ra pud mi panagsa on Messenger. He loves Filipinos lagi daw and he has a Pinoy friend in every region and around the world. Heheh, cge gud Dong. Aju2 nimo diha kanunay! Btw when I was talking to him diay nilabay si Edward Nartatez, Mike's other best man. Then when I looked for him di na nako siya makit-an didtos party area. Till nanayaw n mi at the end of the reception. I asked him if he dances. He said he doesn't. So I told him he's stiff. Anyway nagstorya ra mn gihapon mi later that night when they sent stuff home sa bay nila Aunty. Sila ni Bain maoy last naghatod. He told me lagi that we would go to one of those islands kuno if ever I make it back to Hawaii. I told him I'd have to ask Mike. Ed talaga. Mike asked me if I danced with him during the reception. We were on our way to North Shore then, July 23, 2022 morning. I said no coz he disappeared. I swear he was behind me when I was with Alisa (Paul's daughter) at He'eia State Park n. He is not active on Facebook and he didn't reply to my postcard also. I dunno if nadawat b pud nija kay last August 2019 ra mn to. Cge God bless us all!

Legazpi 2019

I was in Legazpi, Albay overnight in July 2017. I only went there to witness Madon and her husband's 30th wedding anniversary. I slept ila Uncle Loloy; Jacky and I met up at the jeepney terminal na lang. Buhi pas Aunty Cynthia that time. Sadly she passed away in January last year.. Jacky asked me if I wanted to go to Boracay or Siargao. I said I prefer Siargao. But mahal mn ang air tickets for her so she told me to come to Legazpi n lng daw. So I booked my ticket already. I plan to be there ig April 13 to 16 phn. Bahala gud ug gamay ra masuruyan. Ang importante I am able to visit them coz dugay2 n pud ko wa kakita nila. Btw, bahala n lng tos Coach oi. Di jud ko makigminjo nija if mao ra lagi japon ija batasan nga magcge sija ug pangajo naho. Please show me Lord. Amen.

Tanya

She is my classmate from good old NUS days. She's an Indian Indian married to a Singaporean Indian. Heheh. Through the years we've managed to stay in touch. I went to visit her when she had a delicate pregnancy and had to undergo bedrest. I had a really good chicken biryani then at her mother in law's house. Days before Christmas last year, I was messaging her coz she had problems with her boss at a job that she really liked. She gave up that job and has found a new one. Waiting for the offer letter n lng daw siya. Anyway, yday I was chatting with her on Messenger. She told me to pay up NUS. Don't be foolish and stupid daw by letting around a thousand Singaporean dollars forfeit my entry to Singapore again. I don't think they would catch me at the airport because I have unsettled NUS student bills. Dili mn criminal liability cguro to, unlike credit card debt. But bad record lng ko nila. I definitely do not want that. Wa pud koy dungog mobalik sa SG that way. I left SG in February 2008, around Chinese New Year. Nilakaw ra ko without paying my dues or withdrawing my candidature. In May 2008 na mn ko niwithdraw when they were looking for me coz I didn't sit for the final exams in EC 6101 Econometrics. Anyway, Tanya said closure is the best thing that I could give myself daw, especially that the new year just started. Thanks a lot dear Tanya, hope to see u in SG soon with your biryani! :) Actually 3rd person na si Tanya to tell me that what I owe NUS is not much. First si Charito Planas, my former student who became Ate Ica's friend when nagkadungan sila ug review. She worked in SG for a while. Second is si Dr Jessie Cheah of UNU-IIGH who I met during their seminar at UP Cebu last October 2017. So it must be the voice of God di b? Cge lang Doki, masayang mn kas kwarta, mas daku ra cguro gihapon ang return nimo. Just do the right thing and trust God lng jud kanunay. Amen.

Walk Away

The story of the first week of January is Meghan Markle and Prince Harry walking away from their royal life. They want to work to become financially independent kuno and split their time between North America and the UK. Last Saturday 1/18/20 it was announced that they will lose their HRH titles and will no longer receive public money. Since they will still be members of the royal family, si Prince Charles will financially support their security etc from his private income from the Duchy of Cornwall. Hahay. It is expected that Harry and Meghan will live a life Hollywood-style, following the model of the Clintons, the Obamas and Oprah. They will continue with their charity work and patronages. They will be called Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. They have trademarked na man daw their SussexRoyal Foundation so they're expected to earn millions of money there with their posts. Plus Meghan can sign work contracts na daw with film outfits like Disney, Netflix etc. The changes will be finalized in the spring of 2020 kuno. So from now till April phn is considered the period of transition. Okay. Enough of celebrities and royalties. Good luck to us all!

Calendars

Since the new year just started, I am scrambling for calendars. Coz I want to turn the page of the calendar to indicate a new month. Thankfully, I got a wall calendar and a desk calendar from C & E. Ms Arceli Gomez patiently sent us calendars sa skul. Then I have an upcoming calendar pud from ISS. Nanghatag mn si Sandra. Btw I thought gusto n ko magminyo this year. I wrote a letter to Coach and sent it to him last Thursday 1/16/20. One week pa daw ang delivery ato. I hope on time. Di lng pud ko mag-expect gud ug daku ato. Told him man iyaha na ang decision.. I am thinking of going somewhere this June also. Sa South Korea ta to with Gillian, di mn daw siya pwede. So ako n lng cguro ang molakaw ani phn. Jia you Doki! Btw January 16 pud ang closing date atong vacancy nga Lecturer in Global Development sa UNSW Sydney. After one week moreply n daw ang screening committee. Alanganin ko atos research portfolio. Ikaw nay mag-igo Lord. Amen. January 16 is also the date of my stamp sa US Immigration in Hawaii. Dia n kos Pinas oi, hagbay ra ko nauli. Cge.

Letters to Juliet

January 2, 2020 afternoon. Watched the movies "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" on Channel 5. Then on Saturday 1/4/2020 I watched the movie "Letters to Juliet" na jud coz I missed Europe. It is set in Verona, Italy. I was lucky to pass by the place once on our way to Venice. I've never been back in Europe. Layo lagi ug tugnaw p jud. But from this movie were the lines, "If what you felt then was true, what makes it different now?" Hahay. Jia you Doki!

Eastern Europe

Around New Year I learned that our former student in CDU, si Natalie Roa is now doing Medical School in Poland. Memorable niya ang Poland coz she was there for World Youth Day man. This January 13, 2020 pud magstart ang "Make it with You" teleserye nila Enrique Gil ug Liza Soberano. It features Dubrovnik. Nice ang Croatia oi, nice pud ang Czech Republic. Nice pud ang Bratislava, Slovakia. Basta old glory ang Eastern Europe. Didto nagmasters si Cleve Arguelles sa Central European University Budapest. Jia you!

Biboy at ICM

My nephew Nathaniel 'Biboy' Batausa is now 17 years old. This Christmas season, he and 18 of his classmates were able to work at ICM in Tagbilaran as counter checker. We went on Christmas Day in Tagbilaran in order to see him and give him a treat. Four of his friends joined us. Then on December 30 we went there again coz Bantil wanted to see Biboy there too. She gave us her treat at Rai Rai Ken and bought us some clothees. After lunch, we went inside ICM na. Eventually we saw Biboy at the middle check out lanes. I felt proud when I saw him but I felt sad also. Coz bata p sya nagtrabaho na. I saw him pack some items bought by a customer. Naggisi pud siya'g newspaper giputos sa mug then gisulod sa brown bag. Amo pud giokoy2 even when nisaka siya sa taas kay naay gipakuha sa iyang cashier. Ate Ica said mora kuno'g supervisor si Biboy. Heheh. We pray makatrabaho gihapon si Biboy ig summer pohon. At least exposed n sija sa world of work. And that was the end of the Christmas vacation. On December 31 I went back to Cebu to celebrate the New Year in Palm Heights. Let's pray for good things this new year. Amen.

Pay Up NUS

Twas my good friend and classmate Tanya Sahni Singh who was able to convince me to pay up NUS jud. She was the 3rd person to say that it is not much daw. And again, I sent the money to Sheryl via Moneygram and siya n lay nibayad for me. I emailed NUS too and they said with my complete payment, they will update my record na daw. I am confident na to return to SG phn - to see old friends and the new changes there. 2008 pa lagi ko nibiya didto and never been back. Giari n lng gud ko nila Sheryl and family last December. Whether I make it to Singapore again as a scholar or otherwise, Ginoo ray nahibaw. Basta gusto lng ko mabayran ang mga kinahanglan bayaran and turn over a new page in my life. Jia you Doki!