Day One
My flight had a two-hour stop at Narita Japan for my final flight to L.A.. My trip was so smooth and I never felt that I already landed in L.A.. As I went out in immigration I wondered who would pick me up, would it be Orlyn Nierre, Wilson Lao, or Mario Fortich? I waited for around ten minutes but saw none of the three to meet me. So I decided to buy a phone card to call my cousin who lives near the airport to meet me. As I was about to dial the phone, a Filipino bald man kept passing around me with a very strange look. As I also stared at him, I noticed that he was bringing a Nucleus ’84. So I shouted Emerson?! And he answered Ramon?! Indeed we both hardly knew each other. It was Emerson Adlaon who met me. We had a short hug and it was a beautiful feeling of a USA Reunion. It was Emerson and Wilson who met me but since Wilson had to park his car, it was Emerson who met me. As I entered the big Toyota SUV of Wilson I hugged him to say hello and thank him for meeting me at the airport together with Emerson. By the way, Wilson and family just arrived from a cruise in Europe. It was funny because for three years now, it was also the first time Wilson has ever met Emerson who happened to live very near Wilson’s place. At that moment, the feeling was indescribable after seeing each other for the first time after 25 years. Wilson treated us to a lunch buffet whose food is enough to feed all our poor Filipino people in the Philippines haha. We arrived at his house, so huge and so finely decorated with European motifs. At 7 in the evening, I met Wilson’s beautiful wife, Clem (batch 83’ she has never aged, she still looks very very attractive), as she was driving her black beautiful latest Mercedez Benz. Indeed, Class 84’ has arrived. We had a sumptuous dinner and at that night friends like Mario Fortich had already called me up for our itinerary tomorrow.
Day Two
I had a very wonderful sleep in Wilson’s very spacious and centralized guest room. At 11am Mario Fortich and his wife Sylvia had arrived in a Mercedez SUV and another wonderful feeling I can never describe after seeing Mario Fortich, this time, twice as big as what he was before 25 years ago. Even Mario was so amazed by Wilson’s house. He said this is not a house but a mansion by standard in California, not only that Wilson has two permanent helpers which you might say is not an ordinary thing in America. Mario, Sylvia and I headed to Ontario Airport to meet Jovelle Tanudtanud and his beautiful wife Rose who happens to be our O.R. nurse in Sacred Heart Hospital who came all the way from Florida and also just arrived from a cruise in Alaska. As we met Jovelle and Rose, he was bringing the luggage of Warren Gabrillo from New York who they met in Houston and who was to arrive two hours after them. So we decided to eat in a very classy Japanese restaurant near the airport. Only joys and laughter you could hear around the restaurant as the cook prepared in front of us with a little circus exhibition with this cooking utensils as we waited for Clou to arrive. Sylvia decided to pick up Clou as we were just so busy talking with our lives then and now. We waited for an hour and Sylvia kept calling Mario on how Warren would look by now. After frequent calls, no wonder Sylvia couldn’t find Warren because Warren was in Airport 4 while Sylvia was in Airport 2 haha. Time ran so fast as Warren ate his dinner at the restaurant and the owners gave us a sign that they were already closing. Warren decided that we sleep in his brother’s house in Upland who was not around for they were having a short trip to Las Vegas. Our stories continued as we reached in his brother’s place and the only thing that stopped us was a call from Mario that we’ll have breakfast in his house. We never had a single sleep that day. Mario’s house is a very warm and a beautiful house self decorated by her wife Sylvia as a Boholana it was surrounded with saints and most of all beautiful angels. Her dining area was in a beautiful motif of flo blue plate collections even dated back to her grandfather’s days. Only laughters and stories you could her in that beautiful house of Mario. That afternoon we all went to Wilson and Clem’s house. As they ask what they could contribute tomorrow, Clem graciously said everything will be on her.
Day Three
Another ring from Mario Fortich telling us that breakfast is ready in his house and that Marino Aguhar has already arrived from Houston and Carlomagno Misa who has just arrived for about a year in the States will be joining us for breakfast. The feeling gets indescribable as again we meet another classmate whom we never met for 25 years. Marino’s face has never changed even though he already had a bypass and Carlo still looks as innocent as ever.
Reunion Day
By now, I have never changed my clothes since my things were still in Wilson’s house. Jovelle gave me a shirt to wear and they changed in Warren’s brother’s house ready to meet our other classmates in Wilson’s mansion. The beauty of Dorcas Salas was the first one to meet everybody. She has still remained beautiful although has gained a little weight, but her permanent sharp eyebrows still give her the same feature as before. She came all the way from Chicago. After a little chat she immediately called her best friend in the Philippines Gingging Santiago who she hasn’t heard for 25 years. Then came Orlyn Niere sporting no hair at all hehe but with a hunk body as ever. Then came, Marlyn Villanueva-Bartholomew with the jolly and beautiful look and oozing sex appeal. A few minutes later surprise of all surprise Malou de los Santos Mara arrived after a two hour drive from San Diego directly from the airport from her trip to Europe. O, anong say mo Class 84? Still a few minutes later the group of Ulysees Baniga, Sammy Paulino and as ever thin boy direct from Taiwan Leoncio Yap arrived. Oh the feeling gets better and better. Diana Go Walayat arrived too together with her husband. This time Diana gets to be very talkative who I honestly would say never heard a single voice of Diana during our medical years. Emerson Adlaon came with his SUV together with his wife. And last but not the least CARLOMAGNO MISA and his wife Ellen bringing kinilaw tuna and big sumptuous lambay. We hid the lambay since our hosts were seventh day Adventists. I also invited the past president Dra. Pura Bandolon who came in with her two sons. We had other classmates who were there like Melo Jean Padamada, she had a two year stint with us but did not finish medical school. She is coming also to the Philippines. She even gave her donation of $200. Thank you Melo Jean. Close to 1am Sammy Paulino, Ulysees Baniga and Malou de los Santos-Mara had to leave since they still two to three hours drive to their homes. We continued talking and picture-taking all through the night from he pool, to the dining, to the sala and even outside of Wilson’s house. The party ended past three am full of memories and laughter. WILSON AND CLEM THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR UNSELFISH ACCOMODATION.
Day Four
A ring from Mario again telling us to go to his house for breakfast is ready and he is going to tour us to downtown LA. It’s a beautiful Sunday morning and we also had to eat the lambay of Carlo and the big pansat Marino brought from Houston. Carlo said he was coming with us with his family for they have not gone to LA yet ever since they had arrived. So we went first to the LA city of angels church near the working area of Mario which id the LA Prison Cell. FYI: this is the cell where Paris Hilton was in prison for DUI. If Mario was able to get a picture of Paris wearing a prison dress he could have been $4M richer but as Mario claims they were also like prisoners during that time (very strict ang security). Then we proceeded to Rodeo Drive. We strolled around the signature stores one in particular was Louis Vuitton, prices of bags ranged from $2000 up to $80,000-$90,000. Rose said she has quite a collection of those bags and I really believe so since she was using a $3000 Fendi Spy Bag. Kibaw ko Rose noh? Mario and I jokingly said that we also have Fendi bags for our wives, deFENDI sa budget haha. We had a late snack at Via Rodeo fronting a hotel where Julia Roberts and Richard Gere's Pretty Woman movie was shot, Rose and Jovelle took care of the bill. Next stop was Hollywood Blvd. and there we went to Kodak Theatre and the Chinese Movie Center where the footprints of the stars are seen. Wa sad mi magpa alkansi. We had a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant in downtown LA before we went back to our homes. Mario and Sylvia took the bill. At Warren's brother's house, Reigh and Lali just arrived from Las Vegas and we continued our stories until wee hours of the morning.
Day Five
Then we went to Ontario Airport to bring Rose and Jovelle to Hertz Car Rental where they were still going to San Francisco on a road trip. Sus sweet jud kaayo ang duha, sus maka S jud. Thank you Jovelle and Rose. Clou had to also go back to New York as well as Marino to Houston. I had to transfer to Mario's house for the last leg of my trip. That night Reigh and Lali invited us to a dinner at a Cuban restaurant in Coco Palm, a restaurant overlooking California city. As of this day, I have never spent a single dollar for this trip yet. But tomorrow is going to be very different haha. We're going shopping with Mario and Sylvia.
Day Six
Mario and Sylvia brought me to Gabizon Outlet Store in Covina. I had a grand time shopping galore for bags such as Coach, Tod's, Dooney and Bourke, Furla etc.. My children would surely enjoy using them. It ended up I bought nothing for myself. Si Mario gi kutasan jud sa among suroy suroy ni Sylvia. Sylvia too has a dozen collection of high-end bags. Maybe during the reunion we would wish them to raffle off some of their used bags hehe.
Day Seven
Mario and Sylvia had to work but his son Mickey was there to drive for me. We ate at a Filipino mall in Covina complete with Jolibee, Goldilocks, Red Ribbon, Karaoke Bar and even a seafood market. What makes it very familiar was that the sidewalk was also filled with Filipino vagabonds and Filipinos asking for donations. Mario said that if we had gone there at night we would be seeing people selling balut. In the evening Wilson went to Mario's house to send us pictures and invited us to a dinner in a seafood restaurant. Sylvia and Mario helped me with packing my things making sure I wont be overweight with my luggage. We ended up the night looking at pictures of St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel pictures which Mario and Sylvia had a recent trip during their 25th anniversary. You'll notice our classmates in the States travel more to Europe than in the Philippines. By the way, Warren and family too had also a European trip last year. Class '84 mga sosyal gyud. No one beats a Boholano hospitality. Mario and family thank you so much.
Day Eight
Sylvia and Mickey brought me to airport. I know it was a big sacrifice for Sylvia who was absent just to be there with me at the airport. To the Fortich Family (Sylvia, Mario, Mickey, Patrick): Thank you very much for your kindness and warmness. To Warren: Thank you so much for everything. To Jovelle and Rose, To Emerson and his wife, To Carlo and Helen, To Orlyn, Marlyn, Diana, Marino, Dorcas, Leoncio, Sammy, Malou, Ulysees, Melo Jean and most especially to my hosts Wilson and Clem: thank you so much for everything. I arrived at 10:45PM in the Philippines and was met by Ciflor. We went staright to St. Luke's to visit Inday Demetillo's husband General Nick Bartolome who had a torn ligament operation on the early morning. We talked and talked and talked some more not knowing that my flight to Cebu was at 4AM. Ciflor drove so fast her car to airport luckily I was still accomodated by the airline. I arrived in Cebu safely tired but full of memories and experiences.
Let me leave you with something to sum up my whole trip.
I hope classmates upon reading this would feel the beauty of a reunion. Please be there on our 25th reunion
Sincerely,
El Presidente
