Totoy's 75th

(Click on picture to enlarge image)

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!

Archie's bundle of joy

Tzuriel Phillip - nine months
Remember your cousin Archie? Here's his little bundle of joy.

Maileen and him sent me pics last night; they're safe in their home in Texas. The typhoon's path was far from them.
Come and visit.

Countdown

Sunday, July 27th Nike Half- Marathon in New York City - Ped is running! Load up on your carbs and watch your lytes, okay? Family, here's the link to Kuya (Utol, Tito, Lolo) Ped's marathon profile: http://www.athlinks.com/racer/37183597/Ferdinand-Tinio.aspx

"Race Broadcast -

Tune in to WABC-TV on race day. The NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE will have live coverage on Sunday starting at 7:00 a.m. on WABC-TV Channel 7. Run the Half with WABC's Heidi Jones".

We'll be rooting for you. 'Sorry I can't be there to take your pics. This is a very exciting and popular event. Since many runners consider this an achievable long distance run, this event may even be bigger than the marathon race. Shorter, but certainly not a small feat. I kid you not - 13.1 miles!

That's quite a challenge.

Cousin MaAn's comment - "looks like kina-career mo na yong marathon, but at least it's something positive".
Go for it, Ped. Beat them Penduko!

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean -
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down -
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass,
how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed,
how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
- Mary Oliver
Isn't so true? How many times did I not know what a prayer is?
How many times did I not know how to pay attention?
One of my favorites.

Ge-rie (aka Brangelina?)

Gene writes:

"Dear all
In one of the rare moments that we are able to take

some R & R/have some fun.
Regards,
gene/lorie"

Hey looking good kids, but why not make it an everyday affair? Don't let fun take a backseat in your life.

And so the story began three or was it four years ago when Gene and Lorie (Ine) packed up with their kids Genny and Gil and left for the States. Genny, a pharmacist, landed a job at Kaiser as a Pharmacy Tech and will now start her PharmD studies while Gil, a Food Technologist by trade, decided to pursue a career in the health care field; he is now a traveling Respiratory Therapist currently working in Florida. I know how heartbroken they were to see their son move out of home from LA. It's called a show of freedom and so you must let him go!

Like many of us who immigrated to the States, the experience is an adventure and the roads may have been a bit bumpy and lonely at the start, but the end is a success story. And theirs is one. I’m proud of you guys.

Gene and Ine are looking forward to their trip to the Phil. this Sept. to visit Liaa and Glenn and their respective families. I imagine they went crazy buying toys and stuff for their apos Carl (Aba), Lukas and ........... you got me, I forgot the name of Liaa’s newborn! Old age creeping up on me guys, forgive me.

Hey kids, plan on spending Christmas here in NY, okay; we miss all of you.

Dali at the MoMA

Weird hallucinations and wacky dreams were my impressions of his work before I came to this exhibition. I never was a big Dali fan but in the hour and a half that I spent at the MoMA, his paintings and film work grew on me.

At the entrance, one is greeted by a photograph of this Catalonian, one eye looking through a metal piece which appears to have given him five other eyeballs. Bordering on the distasteful and disturbing, that's how I would best describe his style. Distorted images and his fascination for hands, swarming ants, eyeballs, melting watches, telephones are only a few of his subjects. I saw the provocative and the controversial in his work but at the same time I learned of the messages they convey.

A bit disappointed at the small size of his famous piece The Persistence of Memory (Photo credit: MoMA.org), I envisioned it would occupy a huge space on the wall. His visual work on the dream sequence from Hitchcock's Spellbound was cleverly presented with the movie clips as the backdrop. Metamorphosis is the Dali theme written all over this exhibition. The transformation of the giant swarming ants into cyclists in the short film Destino was impressive.

I must confess I didn't really know Dali's work until now. His passion for the cinema is something new to me. "The best cinema," he claimed, "is the kind that can be perceived with your eyes closed." There's a lot about his work I'll never understand, only now I have greater appreciation for them. Too bad picture taking is not allowed. I'd like to see this again.

The MoMA was packed on this Friday free night admission with tourists from all over the world, many of them Spaniards of course, students off from school and locals like me needing a mini-vacation. It was worth the trip to the city even with the hot air jetting out from underground in the subways.

The architecture of the renovated MoMA is an artwork in itself.
Highly recommended.

It's surreal.

My fine feathered friends

The nest was empty when I visited yesterday. The robins fled their roost.

I sought the expertise of my birder friend to check out the pictures. It turns out, what I thought were “mom and pop” were actually the juvenile robins - given away by their very pale colors and light brown breasts. What I also thought was a cardinal that was wildly shooing me away was either the mother or father robin. I did my own research and there it was a picture to match. At least I got one thing right - they are robins.

Maybe the fledged young had gone for their first flight. Good luck. One day I hope to find you guys foraging on the lawn.

Photo credits:Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

"What My Dad Gave Me"

Standing more than six stories at the Rockfeller Channel Gardens is the model skyscraper built out of replicas of Erector toy construction parts. The artist Chris Burden named his sculpture What My Dad Gave Me.

I didn't have the luxury of playing with Erector sets as a child so looking at that structure all I could say is, it’s bizarre. Until I read up on what kind of work was put into its creation, I didn’t appreciate this piece of sculpture. A couple of tourists asked me what it is and I told them a bit of what I've read. “Hmmm..only in New York” was the comment, and then they walked away.

Inspired by a child-like imagination, this was assembled out of about a million stainless steel parts into a 65-foot tall scaled down Rockefeller Center. You may call it a toy; however, it is anything but child’s play. It’s a work of art. What do you think?

A game of croquet with Ruth

Happy birthday Ruth (Doby).
The 200-year old oak trees in her backyard (she had 23 of them at one time) reminded me of the Begijnhof in Bruges. Peaceful it is, but unlike the abbey-like setting at the Begijnhof, Ruth's home is far from being secluded. It is rather very welcoming as sweet Ruth herself.

The view from her porch was awesome. She went all out and set up the rolling oak table so perfectly. The blue hydrangeas I cut from my garden were a perfect match for her lovely blue and green motif. The table setting was flawless one would be able to tell she has done this a few hundred times before. After all she was once a Public Relations Officer, who very much loved to entertain and has hosted numerous events for the corporate bigwigs. Byron, her late husband whom she always talks about would have been so happy to meet us four. "You would've been the favorite", were Ruth's kind words to me. I knew she was teasing me. It's as if we've known Byron all this time, Ruth always shares stories filled with fond and loving memories of him.

The sunlit living room, the entire house for that matter is full of memorabilia - the tile mosaic artwork she helped Mother Miller put together, keepsakes from their world travels and some commendations for her commitment and dedication to volunteer work with United Way. That's just a few of them. She also does a great job as a volunteer at the Old Westbury Gardens, a breathtaking English garden that is part of the magnificent Phipps Family estate on Long Island. She has invited us to many events held there including tours of the garden and mansion and star-lit evening Picnic Pops concerts in the grand OWG lawn. The Young Musicians' chamber music ensemble last Christmas season is something to talk about for years.

With the tall oak trees as the backdrop, her porch lent itself as a perfect setting for a great lunch. Reclining on one of the lounge chairs, Celine consented to posing for a picture as Goya's "The Nude Maja". Fully clothed of course, she wouldn't even let me post her picture online. That's Celine! Very proper.

Just as I was getting comfy sitting on the oak bench after lunch, the challenge came. It was time to play croquet. I had to convince myself that I could learn this game, even if, as we went along , Judy and Maria made up their own rules! Wickets, mallets and stakes, advancing your own or driving away your opponent's ball by hitting it with yours without smashing all your toes - sounds easy? Heck, no. How do you use the mallet? Like a baseball bat or a golf club? Neither worked for me. I ended last as usual. Judy played like a pro. Considering that Maria last played croquet when she was a kid (and how old is she now?), she placed second. Celine left before we finished the game. Ruth did great. The grass was a little rough and a bit long for a smooth game.

I don't know of anyone else who is as generous as Ruth. She always has gifts for all of us. This time, letter openers made of brass, in the shape of clubs for the avid golfers and one with a filigree design for me. I love it. I'd like to believe that I'm Ruth's favorite, ha ha ha.

We even had an award ceremony for Judy, the croquet champion - her prize was a small purple box adorned with a beautiful pale lavender paper rose. That's Ruth, she's the epitome of a perfect friend. We all became fast friends when Ruth introduced us to one another not too long ago. I was a latecomer in the picture but it didn't matter. We forged a friendship that'll last forever.

A nice touch to Ruth's celebration was a surprise visit from Nicholas, Celine's 15-month old great grandson. He warmed up to us effortlessly; very curious, full of energy, adorable and lovable kid. Watching from where he is now, I'm sure John is loving every minute of this especially with Nicholas running around. Thank you Celine for "sharing" Nicholas with us. I can see why you're always in a rush to get home.

Thanks for having us over Ruth. As someone once wrote, "good deeds get recycled"; you've given a great part of yourself to others you deserve all the happiness in the world. Happy birthday Doby, you're a beautiful person and we love you. Don't forget to keep the hydrangeas in warm water.

Mom & Pop undisturbed

Day 2: There they are - mom & pop keeping the nest safe and warm. Meanwhile a cardinal perched on a ledge nearby was chirping away madly as if asking me to leave. I got too close this time. It's protecting the nest; nature is really amazing!

The robin and Sting

The Robin Recycling
There's some serious recycling going on in this nest, look at the pictures closely.

At 6:00 pm tonight, camera in tow while scanning the grounds for interesting things to photograph, I walked into strands of plastic threads and strings hanging down from a cherry tree. They draped onto my eyeglasses and before I started pulling them away, I looked up and there it is... a mother robin nesting on the tree!

The nest is elaborately woven from a collection of dried grass, some fine twigs and entangled are these plastic threads that look like the kind used for beading and the others are synthetic twine used to tie packages. Such ingenuity and concern for the environment; we could learn from this little bird about recycling and conservation of resources. And maybe the bird used these materials for decorative purpose too.

Doesn't it look like this bird is making some kind of political statement here? It's really fascinating, what treasures one could find just by strolling in the garden. By the way, I cut the overhanging twine to prevent the kids from tugging at them and disturbing the robin or even worse destroying the nest. I'll check on it everyday.

Sting and One World

I love Sting. PBS featured The Police last night, oh how young were they then! One song that stood out is "One World" and the message in the lyrics One world is enough for all of us. Truly a political statement.

He's absolutely right, there is enough room for all of us in this world. We can coexist with the robins and all other living creatures.

Rocking chair and friends

Every object in Joan’s cozy apartment has a fascinating story and history behind it. My favorite – the rocking chair and I almost took it home. Like a mockingbird marking its territory, I just perched on it and wouldn't let go!
It was a leisurely drive to East Meadow on Sunday for dinner at Joan’s. Entering the grounds of The Knolls, we were greeted by two friendly residents just coming out of the clubhouse, who offered us the parking spot they were vacating. Imagine these folks drive to the pool area and it’s only a few feet away from their pads – never heard of walking?

It’s a lovely complex and wait till you see Joan’s place – it’s so cozy, tidy and everything is in place. Favorite chair and in the company of favorite friends – Joan, Judy, Dorothy, Maria and Sheila, such blessing.

Over drinks and chips & dip, we chatted and relived some of our travel adventures and of course, they did their nurse-talk thing and Dorothy and I would just roll our eyes and say “Yeah right we know what DIC means”. Of course we talked about other less cerebral topics, are you kidding?

Joan’s lasagna was so delicious served with crusty bread and a bowl of healthy, colorful greens. Last course was mango mousse cake, fresh fruits and later some of Sheila’s macaroons. We strolled around the complex after dinner, were introduced to Rowena the Filipino caregiver who has been taking care of one of the residents for well over five years. A fine woman from Mindanao, she just loves Joan. Who wouldn’t?

We must have alarmed some of the residents as the five of us circled the grounds. You could see the curious ones peeping thru their window blinds (maybe even using binoculars) and a couple who suspected that Joan has sold them down the river. Poor neighbors looked so worried that we’re moving in the community. We want to, but we can’t – East Meadow residents have exclusive rights to purchase. Boohoo! It’s a lovely place Joan; keep up your good work on the Board.

After closely inspecting the antique art work on Joan's living room wall, then trying to put it back using her laser leveling gadget (Excuse me! She also did a demo of her Reynolds vacuum sealer. Gotta get one for myself now.) and fixing the frame in place with the "silly putty", we chatted some more. Rather, we tried to explain to Judy what the silly putty was for and of course Maria said it's an artist's eraser, not silly putty. Oy vey!

Then it was time to go, poor Joan left with a pile of dishes to do and it's after 9:00 pm so house rules dictate no more dishwasher. Besides, Joan will be going for some test in the morning so she must get some decent rest. You'll be fine, I just know it, but don't forget you're in our prayers.

Thanks for a lovely time. We all love you Joan.

From sea to shining sea

Poetic Justice
A huge American flag hung on one side of the GW Bridge.
Traffic was light until we approached the GW on the way to Ped & Carol’s in Cliffside Park. This time Nelsie got there before we did, Ped picked up George at the Mitsuwa market where the shuttle bus from NYC stops.
It’s another family feast, Inang’s pinakbet and grilled talong, Nelsie’s meatloaf and Ped’s grilled fish, daikon radish salad, inihaw na liempo and some special dish he prepared for Issa. Chong boiled some sweet corn. For dessert we had an assortment of three flavors of ice cream. Nelsie just had to have her pistachio. Siga talaga! As Ped would say, our gills turned a lively red color again (namula na naman ang mga hasang namin).

Lunch was served in the backyard. While the gang was tidying up the place after lunch, I went to work pulling those pesky weeds growing between the flower beds and Mother Mary’s rock garden. What do I get for this? Chong took a picture of my butt. Such disrespect! Now these kids can all kiss goodbye to their dreams of mamanahin, after all they were the ones who gave Chong the idea.

We all sat in the den, munched on kropek (balat babi) and watched There Will Be Blood – second time for Chong, Ped and me, but first for the rest. As usual, they had to keep shushing Carol for asking too many questions about Eli or Paul! Yet she kept telling us not to give away the ending. George loved it and for me the story gave the true meaning of poetic justice, the phrase of which I never knew before. A great movie I thought! The nature documentary, Planet Earth was magnificent, compliments of Marc. Of course, we’re only able to watch From Pole to Pole to Ocean Deep this time. Invite us for more eats and we'll have an excuse to finish the entire series!

9:20 pm by the Yankee Stadium area on the way home, we saw part of the spectacular Macy's fireworks on the river lit up the skies. 'hope yours was as good as ours, family and friends being part of it. Happy birthday America.

******

Row for it!
Today, TASCA sailors had their July 4th cookout and like a mainstay I helped out Esther set up the food table. This organization is first rate when it comes to camaraderie and sportsmanship. I met some new friendly faces, took lots of pics again and enjoyed listening to some great sailing experiences.
Happening at the same time that the ladies Judy, Carol, Marcia, Chong and Jan were rigging their sailboats, were the teams training for the Dragon Boat race in August. You've got to see this! It's the coolest thing.
The pictures capture the true essence of teamwork and sportsmanship. Predominantly Asians, it was delightful to watch the teams row their colorful Dragon boats, in tandem to the beat of the drums. They even let me take pictures of them.

Not minding all the boats out on the lake, Nathan literally had a ball kayaking. I thought it was a riot he kept tossing me the ball.

Meanwhile, Judy and company just went for the "Dragons" head on! Thank you TASCAns for another wonderful weekend. It was a blast.

Waterfalls ... Run Forest Run

What possessed me to go to Manhattan yesterday in the 80-degree heat of the subways (I missed my stop and ended up near Mel's in Brooklyn. Ha ha ha..), only a full-blooded crazy New Yorker would know. Olafur Eliasson's NYC Waterfalls art exhibit was calling out to me. My view from the South St Seaport promenade was close enough but a cruise on the Circle Line will probably be a better experience.

NY has been the object of such ambitious art projects, including Christo's The Gates which "wrapped" Central Park with saffron-colored fabric and in the middle of the 2005 winter, awesome!

The Sky Mirror by Anish Kapoor stood tall at the Rockefeller Center in 2006. It prides itself with its impressive public art, that's New York! And all for free.

'Saw lots of European tourists shopping in the city ...their euros go a long way here - not fair! For the bookworm check this out - I discovered the largest and cheapest collection of used and new books at Strand on Fulton St. Around the corner, at St Margaret's House a book-filled bag cost only $3.00! Marilen would go nuts buying if she was here but will need a 4 x 4 to haul them out of there. Believe me, if she could, she'll buy Strand.

******

Run Forest Run

Tito Ped is on his 2nd day of training for the Nike-Manhattan marathon and the Chicago full marathon. He did 15 miles each day and wrote "my knees took the rigorous pounding on the road. Last night! I hit the famous Washington Street in Hoboken, NJ - Yuppies live here. It was great running side by side with the young professional - oh well I must admit - young good looking women too". Ooops! Watch out Carol, from now on you must run along side him, before one of those ladies grab him.

We'll miss you Mel at the cookout to celebrate the 4th. Send those guests home - just kidding. Treat them nice and show them around. We miss your cooking! George and Rose may be joining us.

Sumo fighter

Hey Marc this is hysterical! Are you the one with the blue belt or whatever you call it?
I can't say you look good suited because I can hardly see your face. What are those two black dots on the suit for?
You'll be rewarded for all your good deeds, son. Big Brother and now Sumo wrestling for charity, what noble spirit!

Thanks for sharing.