Week 13

I forgot to mention on my last blog that I had lunch with Myrna and family in San Felipe last Saturday. I completed the spread sheet for our payroll Friday night so I was able to make it to San Felipe at noon, had lunch and still had an hour or so for chit chat with everyone. Hans and Anna were there along with her parents. He arrived from Pakistan the Saturday before. May 26 was actually the barrio fiesta for San Felipe and Myrna's birthday at the same time. They had a lot of great food but I tried so hard (successfully, I might add) not to go for seconds. Thankfully so, I had room for my favorite, buko, at Mer's where he always serves it to us on Saturdays whenever we do payroll at his place.

Today was San Fernando town fiesta. It's also the day that Sister Gay arrived from the States. She was picked up by Dad and Leda from the airport and per her request was driven straight to San Fernando so she can hear mass at the cathedral. I met them after lunch at Len's place in Baliti where Sister Gay gave me al the mixing valves for our showers in the new house. She also gave me Adeline's padala to her sister Princess which I have yet to deliver. Ran out of time because Armin and I are scrambling to secure our purchase of wood for the ceiling.

Before lunch, I called the States to greet Eph on his birthday. I caught them having dinner at Sam Woo, a favorite Chinese restaurant hangout in Cerritos. I got a chance to talk with everyone, Eph and Dan, Emy and Nido and Donna of course. I called just when they were singing Happy Birthday and he was blowing his candle on a birthday melon (?). Not quite sure what's up with that but it sounds fun!

During lunch at Sylvia's in Sindalan, I got a text message from Myrna saying she saw a big streamer congratulating our Class '70 friend Nelia Gonzales for being the Most Outstanding Fernandino for 2006 in Education. I text'd her asking if the streamer was in her honor or is it for someone else with the same name. Her reply, "Of course it's me, so you owe me a 'blow out'!" So I text back for her to name the time and place and I'll be there and that on behalf of Class '70 we're all proud of her. Her reply, "You are with me in that recognition. That was for Batch '70!" I told her Mon now has a competition on being a celebrity.

The roof got finished today. Tomorrow they have some finishing touches to do and it'll be complete. Then they'll start on the spandrel. This is the ceiling outside the house, the ceiling for the roof overhanging the outside walls. My construction team has also started putting up the little 'dam' on the ground around the house where rainfall run off from the roof will go since we're gutterless. The outside perimeter wall on the left has been 'pustura'd'. This is where the hollow blocks of a wall aren't really paved over, only their edges. While the inside perimeter walls have all been textured by Joven.

Sorry, no pictures yet. Blogger is still giving a hard time in posting pictures.

Downsizing at Greenfields

Sadly, yesterday we had to layoff about eight of our workers. We're into finishing in the construction so we don't need as many laborers. Kong Naring has been giving them 'hints' here and there all week so they expected what's going to happen. They just didn't know who's getting canned till yesterday. We decided to 'pink slip' them in their pay envelopes. We prepared arroz con pollo for their morning break as a send off.

This morning Pap and I went to Masamat to hear mass over there at the small chapel for Alan's ninth day. After mass they served chicken macaroni soup and pan de sito. I had a little bit of the soup, it was good by the way and about three of the bread. The pan de sito are much smaller than what I used to remember them.

Then Pap and I went to SM to watch Mission Impossible 3 (pretty good), had lunch, then we went across the street to Robinson's and tried to watch Da Vinci Code. That was around 2 pm and the next showing is at 3:30 so we did some videoke to pass the time. At 3:25 we bought our tickets, big mistake. It was packed, SRO! The movie was so-so, I thought. It was a little over 5:30 when we headed home. There was a big accident on the highway. A passenger van in front of us (a couple of cars ahead - I was sending Donna a text message at the time so I didn't see) tried to pass the car in front of him, didn't quite make it and clipped an oncoming car. The van I guessed spinned and fell on the side of the road. This was the Olongapo-Gapan Road. For those of you who're not familiar with it, this highway was paved over about 3 or 4 times(about 6 feet high each time) due to the lava flow of Pinatubo. So it was pretty high. People who stopped and helped had to create a human chain to carry the injured back up to the road and to the hospital. The few kids who were brought up were pretty bloody, crying so they were conscious. There were a lot of people helping so I told Pap we should go so we won't add to the accumulating traffic.

Tomorrow, I'll meet Armin in Angeles so we can lock the lumber order we'll be using for the ceiling. We expect all the roofing, electrical installations and ceiling studs to be completed this coming week.

I'm having a hard time posting pictures so I'll have to do it next time.