College break at Great Adventure with Lalo (roommate for my last 2 years of college), Ivan (frat brod) + Ruben (frat brod). Where was Willie here? I tagged this pic from Lalo’s Facebook.
Here is another old photo from j+i’s first trip together home a Pinas. Nice contrast, eh?!
Cousin Vic Valenzona graduated from Temple Univ. with a Bachelors in Political Science. Props to you for getting thru them 4 years. May you continue to draw up your road map as you go along. Perseverance, luck and prayer will get you thru.
Vic’s paternal and my maternal grandfather (both deceased, may they R.I.P.) were related (Valenzonas/Mascarinas). Our grandmothers go way back and as family legend goes, Nanay and Vic’s dad, Tito Buddy (seated together, behind me), were interchanged during WWII in the midst of their escape to the mountains during the Japanese occupation and had to be breast fed by either Lola Justin (nanay’s mother, deceased) or Lola Sising (Tito Buddy’s mother, living it up at 90!). Neither lolas could recall exactly who breast fed who but the bottom line is that both Nanay and Tito Buddy have a special place in both mothers’ memory.
We are third generation cousins, the king flanked by two “queens”, hehehe!; Isabela (aka Tabing, Franz’ daughter) and Liam (Jugie’s son) part of 4th.
Taking part in the 30th year Santacruzan/Fiesta celebration of the Filipino community in downtown Jersey City. In high school, Daryl and I used to troop out to Jersey City from L.E.S. with other Pinoy friends to connect with and hook up with other Fil-Ams across the Hudson. In fact, I dated a Reyna Elena II way back when I was “straight”.
I used to always be amazed at the how the community asserted itself to the rest of the City and claimed and marked their “space” with fiesta garland wrapping every house in Manila Avenue. Best of all, each house had fiesta food prepared for their guests and lucky procession onlookers.
For a while, the Santacruzan in JC signaled the official beginning of my sister and I’s summer. By destiny’s hand, I would end up (with Julius) living so close to the epicenter of this old school Filipino community in JC a few years later. To date, the Santacruzan celebration remains grounded on its religious roots and has not been commercialized. For this, props to the old school and tireless organizers (Catholic Action of Mary) for keeping this Filipino tradition alive.
So in solidarity with this downtown community, Julius and I extended the party @ our new place in the Powerhouse Arts District, which is about 3 blocks away from Manila Avenue. We hope to make this celebration an annual gig.
The invite photo I used is from Vandidades, a magazine j+i bought in Valencia, Spain, last fall, which happened to have a religious-themed fashion spread. Love the masculine (read: hairy) hands touching the priestly model’s lips.
Guest of honor was my SJC-Maasin classmate, Dominica (“Minik” Ramos, now de la Torre) and her son, Inaki (with Neida, the family dog). They just recently immigrated to the States and needed an official welcome from a fellow batchmate. The owner of L.I.T.M., a downtown dive bar, Jelynne, and her husband, Robert, also joined us for the fiesta. JK and Tomasz, both from across the Hudson, were the first ones to come to and leave from the pistahan (festivities). Dr. Icay Petilla also stopped by. Ophelia, Bebing and Aziz also celebrated with us as did Neneng and guest (Alma).
See you all next year, pohon, for our 2nd Santacruzan Fiesta sa JC.
Neida and Einstein had a playdate. Notice Neida’s high up hair. She is barely visible, la negra. E+O are in the back of Don’s ride en route to a supposed dog-run in Liberty State Park, pero no existe.
Julius took this shot (this being the best out of many attempts) from the passenger side while I trailed behind Don. Too bad, by the time we made it to Van Vorst Park’s dog run, we had no more battery for the camera. Por siempre, Einstein had a blast, simulating his ancestor’s hunting days with other packs of big dogs. Neida, ever the anti-social, kept to herself, mostly, and salivated. Eeyo! As the only family dog for a while, Neida’s behavior was part of “but- i-am-human” complex. Get over it girl, u one of them!
Atila’s Despidida
Then, j+i were off to chelsea, gay arts mecca, to bid farewell to our beloved photographer, atila. Here is a shot of the 3 of us at his gig; the last 3 were shots of j+i during our photo shoot last year.
Adios Atila, all the best to your mom (in Columbia) and the best of luck in Barcelona. Hope to see you a Barcelona.
My sister, Daryl, and bro-in-law, Don, hosted Mother’s Day this year. I have to say, you can tell that their place has been lived in—very clean, I love the potted plants.
Camille joined us from California, with Tita Norma. I titled the above pic, Masaryk Krew. Masaryk Towers in L.E.S. was where we first joined and lived with Camille straight from Baybay almost 20 years ago. So it was nice to see her after a year-long sabbatical. We wish her all the best. Love ya!
Playground shots (taking a break from all the food) and in front of Don & Ryl’s lusciously green garden…
…at the in-laws’ of Minique in Clifton to celebrate Inaki’s first communion. There was soooo much food. A bibingka made of all dawa. It is nice to extend “home” here now that Minique is in the U.S. We hope more of our classmates can join us. (Minique’s husband is serving in Iraq. We pray for his safe return.) Since Bing was visiting with us that weekend, he was able to join the gathering (in stripes).
(Bing is a research/scientist in Cali and his science background makes him a great critic to my Intramuros piece. He, along with Dariang, Carlos Celdran and Dennis F.)
Will y Carmen, thanks so much for having Julius and I at your Chinese wedding banquet in Chinatown. I still cannot believe that you got married Willie! I am so so so happy for you, that you found your partner in crime. Julius and I wish you patience, openness, kindness, love and lots of kids. Benyu!
In the photo below, notice Carmen’s dress changes (at least 3 times!).
I love the dance floor shot…with Ruben, Willie and I cos it is reminiscent of our college craziness (of the old) yet Carmen, behind him, part of the new. GQ’s representin’, baby!
Daryl has more shots. Gotta love the orchid! The top shot by Julius is of the invite I created cropping tatay’s photo during his 1st year of med school in Cebu (his school buddies are cut out) and printing it on half the page of 4×6 photo paper. Then true to his very Hispanic name of Fernando, yo escribo la invitacion en espanol. Nanay, in keeping with the Spanish theme, also wrote her card to Tatay en espanol pero en su tarjeta de cumpleanos, ella escribe a Tatay: “Feliz Navidad!” She’s five months too late…We all laughed.
(Last shot from Daryl. I am working my Che Guevarra look, for real!) This was at Cafe Cortadito, Cuban spot in L.E.S., cerca de Loisaida Ave. aka Avenue C.
We went to Church in Jersey City then headed to Ikea for home upgrades…on our way back, there was a motorcycle accident at the entrance of the first Route 1&9 drawbridge. All we could see were police cars and a medical examiner truck and two body bags. So sad! May they Rest in Peace.
I say, taw-an (haunted) ang Hackensack River: stolen native lives taking the lives of others. Correcting past injustices. This particular drawbridge was recently renamed in honor of two police lives also taken there. A few years back, one foggy winter day, a JCPD police car drove through the opened drawbridge and dived straight into the Hackensack River, taking the lives of two cops. May they also R.I.P.
