Rorschach and the old man

10:00 a.m. and there was no line at the bank today. What kept me was an interesting conversation I struck up with an elderly couple.

An old man in his 80's walked in and announced with arms outstretched, "Who wants me?", There were four tellers all waiting for a customer and we all giggled. The wife cheerfully marched along with him to the counter. The man was wearing a black shirt with a colorful logo of bright yellows, black, orange and neon green streaks, and a pair of khaki bermuda shorts, trendy I thought!

I couldn't figure out the unstructured design so I asked,

"What's the logo? ".
He had a big smile for me and asked,

"What do you see in it?".
"A frog's head with huge eyes, and the body of a bear", I responded innocently.

"Aha!", he exclaimed.

"There you go. There are no bad or good answers.

It's Rorschach. Do you know what that is?"

I humbly said,

"Yes, I do. But sir, that's not an inkblot. It's more like an abstract artwork."

And the wife smiled, they sat me down and I listened to his whole dissertation about the controversial Rorschach test. The witty old man was kidding, of course, about the logo. It was really a piece of artwork. The lesson is that, life abounds in the young and old. Growing old to the 80's doesn't have to be boring or the beginning of an end. The wife said they are also conservationists, active members of The Nature Conservancy and she proudly wears the shirt too. What an interesting couple - upbeat, full of life and ready to share their experience in life.

We all walked out together and he just couldn't help it and said," It's Nike. Just do it. That slogan may work for someone else but me". He was sharp, very funny and must have been a psychologist in his younger times. The chance encounter with this couple was a powerful antidote to my earlier experience at the dentist. It's so uplifting to be around people like them, wipes out the fear of aging in a way.

The old man and his wife. What do you see? I saw a couple growing old gracefully.

Inang 101 part 2

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We are blessed to have Fr. Andriusz with us in a quiet celebration of Inang's 101st birthday. Inang was so happy, she hardly took a nap before our friends came. Noris had to force her to take a quick one while I picked up Rose. The blessing and communion given by Fr. Andriusz was the highlight of Inang's celebration. He even provided some entertainment by playing some classical pieces - what beautiful sounds! He was brought to our home by Noris' sister, Esperanza who is his Spanish language mentor.

We were also joined by my dear friend Rose, Tita Lumen, Chong and later on Nana (Ya) and Kuwaku who brought a beautiful rose flower arrangement. Inang took care of Nana when she was three months old and now she's 25 and almost finished with nursing school. They are great kids and Inang loves them dearly. I couldn't ask for a better neighbor than Doris, their mom.

Greetings from family and friends including my good friend Winnie kept the phone busy. More flowers came. Except for the crabs and the meatballs Rose cooked and Noris' flan everything else was store bought, but Inang didn't mind. She was busy being happy. She loves having friends and family around.

We served the family favorites, ube and makapuno ice cream, with Noris' leche flan and you should've seen us all with purple lips and tongue. Fr. Andriusz got a kick out of that. He is from Poland and I guess they don't have purple desserts over there. He loved the flavors.

On Saturday, family and close friends will join us in a small celebration. Who could ask for anything more? We love you Inang. Happy 101!

Inang 101

She's 101! Happy birthday Inang. At 5:00 a.m. I greeted her a happy birthday; by then she's been up for at least half an hour already reading her prayers. First thing she says, "We don't have milk for your coffee". I had to walk to Seven Eleven at the crack of dawn to buy it.

She's gotten a few calls already and for lunch we're expecting Rose, Esperanza and her priest friend to give Inang blessing.

Family and friends will join her for lunch on Saturday at the old Fortuna.

More later.

Family tidbits

Hi Family,
Your cousin June (aka Burabog) called from Vancouver - says hello to everyone. We had a very long talk; he's inviting us to visit, house almost finished. I must've twisted his arm - I asked him what's he gonna do with seven bedrooms. Julius has his own place with his girlfriend, Alan lives at home. Imagine that - June building his own house? What a big leap from when you guys were kids! Proud of 'ya June. How about we take a trip, all of us with Lola to Vancouver? And I suggest go Dutch!!

From LA, Genny writes,"The one hour drive to school is worth every drop of gas! I didn't realize how much I miss school atmosphere."

Genn, it's good to know you're reading Marian Williamson's A Return To Love. I like your quote "Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. ......And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Good choice Genn.

It's 69 degrees in New York! See you later
Auntie

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Dog day in August. Or at least that's how the day started.
Dragon boats are racing today for the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival.

Just before noon, Chong and I walked to Meadow Lake to watch the races. We barely got there when dark rain clouds filled the skies and what was a hot, humid morning swiftly turned into a cold and clammy afternoon. A reminder of the Colorado mountains weather, where in a matter of 5 minutes sun could change to rain, sleet and snow. Tents which serve as the shelters or stations for the teams could be seen from a distance as we walked to the park.

Catchy team names such as "Dragonflies" and slogans such as "Either Oar" , "Raw, Raw" and colorful uniforms caught my attention. We blended in well with the crowd; I guess we could pass for Chinese women from Hong Kong. Soon we'll find out that we got there in time for their lunch break and that the next race won't be until 1:00 pm. Rats!

While we were browsing around the other side of the park for other activities, it started to drizzle, so we headed back and took shelter under a tree, sharing it with few other people. It seemed like forever trying to wait it out in the cold rain, me in my white shirt and white shorts, and open toes sandals... brrr! Hungry, I was tempted to snatch the dumpling and sticky rice a boy was trying to unwrap. So much food but not for free and not a penny in our pockets. How sad.

Came 1:00 pm, thunder and flashes of lightning threatened the scheduled race. We figured there'll be a rain delay because of the lightning so we headed back home. Boy, were we in big trouble! We were caught in torrential downpour, and I mean heavy like the ones we used to experience back home in the Philippines. Thunder and lightning in the middle of the park made the walk home even hairier. Two thirds down the way we stopped under a huge tree, our umbrellas didn't serve the purpose in the heavy rain. After twenty minutes under the tree we decided to make a run for it. Drenched, cold, hungry and scared, we ran to the next tree, and the next and moved on until we got close to home. Chong noticed lots of mosquitoes were clinging on to my wet shirt. Those thirsty blood suckers! There was some flash flooding as we approached the hill. She would calm me down by counting the seconds between the lightning strike and the rumbling thunder and say, "Don't worry that's 3 miles away". I must've called all the Saints in heaven.

Nature really did play a sick joke on us. We got to the house and the rain suddenly stopped. Soon after, the sun shone! But at least we got home not charred by any lightning strike, as I was afraid it might happen. I've always been so scared of the lightning since I was a kid. I used to hide inside the rolled mat (banig) in my room during those monsoon months with heavy thunderstorms in the province.

Lunch or is it dinner already, was waiting. My mother, towel in one hand and Mel watching his poor aunt, with clothes dripping and stuck to her skin, lips, fingers and toes turned blue and looking hungry as a dog. Anyway, the day ended great with the boys, Mel and Ped visiting their Lola before her birthday. Inang prepared ginisang mongo, Ped brought some steaks which Mel cooked, Chong prepared frappucino, mashed potatoes and roasted peppers and we all sat and talked and dined. Swell! That made up for all that mess Chong and I got ourselves into.

As if to tease me, as soon as the boys left and I've cleared the dishes and straightened the kitchen, I heard the Dragon Boat drums going; it was still light and we missed it. I'm not going back there tomorrow. No pictures taken, except that of a mother and baby turtle in the murky lake waters and I didn't even get to the arts & crafts tents where they were giving away origami paper boats. Maybe I'll have better luck next year.

Totoy's 75th

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Happy 75th birthday Totoy. That's my cousin's signature stance - folded arms crossed over the chest. Finding themselves doing the same thing, sons Neil and Albert just realized that they inherited that trait from him. Lina would've loved to tease Totoy about this. We miss her.

Totoy, Danny to his friends, is a dedicated father, brother and a friend especially in his community. His active participation and whole-hearted volunteerism in his church, his second home, is unequaled that's why he's loved by everyone. This Thursday night, five priests at Saint Anthony's will officiate a concelebrated mass in honor of his 75th and will be followed by a reception. I'm sure that this is going to be well attended.

You know you've reached the Domingo residence when you see a house with the most beautiful garden on Elliott Blvd. It's a showcase in the neighborhood and the envy of every passer-by. Gardening is Totoy's passion. Look around and you'll find no space left untilled and packed with colorful flowering plants in his yard.

Family and friends joined him today at the Minado for a happy celebration. Sort of a family reunion also, it's good to see the Canadians, the kids from Massachussets , Edgar & his family, the Remigio clan and some of our good, old friends from Far Rockaway.

Albert, who plays the guitar in his band, made a killing on his CD, Smile Pretty Misery Measured in Miles. Tita Marie twisted our arms at a price of six bucks a piece which we negotiated down to five. Cheapskates! I listened to it last night, jazzy music .. .good job I love it Albert.

On your 75th, we all wish you the best, 'Toy. Thanks for the top-rated food, excellent company and most of all for bringing us together again but on a joyous occasion.

75 is a good number! It's the passing grade and you should know, you were a teacher!

6849 you made it!

"Nice legs. It looks like a confident post-race "strut". Nice, Uncle Papi", writes Brian.

Leader of the pack, not exactly, but he made it. Not his best time either, but an impressive 1:51 at a pace of 8:31 min. per mile!
Ped found his niche, next stop Chicago marathon then Boston half. Congratulations 6849!