High School Musical

No, this isn't a post about that movie.

It's about an impromptu high school reunion.

The venue they chose was Cafe 80s near ABS-CBN. It was a cozy cafe and bar that played 80s music non-stop. And since we were all kids of the 80s, the music was perfect for our vibe.

True enough, we were singing and hand-dancing for hours. It felt like we were in LSQC again.

That's what the right music - and company - can do.

Ex-colleagues, Assemble!

Yesterday's ASC Christmas Party was fun.

Not only did we get to dress-up and see other people in their own interpretations of Marvel characters ,it was also a time to reconnect with old industry friends, as well as former colleagues.

Maya, Flor and I were all part of the Colgate-Palmolive team at Y&R. Onel was also there, but he wasn't part of the picture.

Just like the Avengers, this was our opportunity to Assemble!

Suddenly Silver

When we were trying to figure out when the last time we saw each other was, it was Wells who came up with the answer.

It was in 1999!

That means this reunion was 25 yers in the making! It’s a Silver Anniversary meet-up!

Even though the time was short, I’m so glad that we were able to spend time with Auntie Baby and Wella. I’m sure Uncle Rol is smiling at us from heaven.

As we hugged and parted ways, they promised that we won’t wait for another 25 years to meet up.

Happy moments

It took years and several plans before this get together pushed through.

It was worth it!

Happy, Lyli and I were teammates at DY&R-Alcantara, and we were also lunch mates, merienda mates, and we'd often hang out during shoots.

Even if we're with different agencies now, we still make it a point to get together and catch up, just like old times.

And it's great that even if years have passed, a lot of things haven't changed.

Just Be-cous

Another perk of celebrating Mom's 80th birthday in Bicol?

Getting together with the Regalado cousins!

No exaggeration, it's been decades since some of us saw each other. When I last saw Mary Jane, we were just teeners!

What's amazing is the fact that the cousins in the photo is just a fraction of the Regalados. This is just 1/4th, or even less.

Looking forward to a bigger reunion with the cousins soon!

You've got a Friend-ster

This is another one of those "After 4 years..." posts.

It was in 2019 when the Superfriendsters got together, and that was also the last time we "sort of saw" Clarisse.

"Sort of" because we were supposed to meet at The Podium, but it turned out that there was some confusion as to where and what time we'll meet, and she left by the time we got there. So, she just ended up joining us virtually via video call.

This year, Clarisse was back in MNL, and we made sure that we'd really meet. Like, physically. 

And we were able to!

It's been almost 2 decades since we became friends-ters. And the friends-ters-ship is still stronger than ever.

Still Never too late

The "never too late" story continues. 

But this time, it's not about Leyte. It's really about being never too late.

The SMC gang was able to finally get together more than 2 weeks ago. We haven't been together with Jo and Marls for years! The last time was in 2018! Needless to say, we were so happy and excited to see each other.

So, even if this snap is more than 2 weeks late, it's never too late to post it.

Four the win!

We were batchmates at SMC-CAO.

When I was newly-hired, Marla and Jing were already there, and Joannah right after me. 

Because we were all from UP and from the same "generation," we immediately gravitated towards each other. 

First, from cubicle mates, to lunch mates, to Megamall mates, to travel mates. 

Eventually, we went our separate ways. I was the first one to leave SMC, then it was Joannah who moved to SG, then Marla. Jing is still there, along with a number of our close friends.

Despite the time and distance, we'd always make it a point to meet up. Just like how good friends usually do. Our favourite meeting spot back then was Sbarro. It was a place that we'd go back to, despite the many years apart.

In 2018, we met up again, but in a different venue. It was in Corazon in Shangrila Plaza. And while the venue changed, the stories and banter were the same.

Now, 5 years later, and 3 years after the pandemic, we were able to meet up and get t his photo for the 4th time. It was in Salvatore Cuomo at The Podium.

No, we're not abandoning Sbarro. It's just that our "usual" branch moved to the 4th floor of SM Megamall and we haven't had time to check it out yet.

But who knows, our 5th reunion might find us back in our old haunt.

Familia es Amor!

Spending more time with family - especially those who live afar - is one of the biggest realisations from the past 3 years.

It's something that our family from Spain is really taking to heart. Thus, they made a pact to come and visit us in MNL as often as they could.

They started March 2022, and this March, they came back! It was lovely to see them all again, and even nicer because we got to see other cousins who we haven't seen in a while. (Like Harold & Jun Jun.)

Que bueno verte y volver a verte pronto!

McReunion

This actually happened more than a month ago.

We were on our way from lunch with Tita Sally and Victor when my phone rang. Upon looking at it, the name of the person who was calling was Helene. She's a close friend from McDonald's who I haven't seen in 20-or-so years. Since lives it AUS, so, it was quite surprising that she was calling.

Of course, I had to pick it up. Indeed, it was Helene and she said that she's here in MNL for a short vacation. And the cool part is, she's going to White Plains, near where Dexter's is. She'll be meeting up with some of our 026 friends, and asked if I'd be free to join.

When you haven't seen a close friend for that long, the answer was obvious:

It was awesome to see Helene, Teng and Chingky again. And we had a grand time reminiscing our McDonald's days.

You gotta love unplanned meet-ups that push through.

Cousins x Cousins

Our family is blessed to have cousins who are very close to us. We're so close that even if we haven't seen each other in decades, we catch up as if we just met last week. We pick up where we left off, and it feels like we were never apart.

Yesterday, we had lunch that represented 2 generations of cousins. 

First, Dad & Mom with their cousin, Tita Sally.

Second, Kuya & me with our cousin, Victor.

Victor and I were constant playmates when we were kids. I'd spend weekends at their house in Merville and we'd often bike from Merville to Moonwalk and back. After college, they moved to Canada, and didn't see each other for decades. Actually, last year was the 1st time I saw Victor in more than 30 years.

But as the conversations flowed, it didn't feel like that at all. Again, it felt like picking up where we left off. Both for us and for our parents.

That's the great thing about close cousins.

Family from faraway

Even if it happened more than 15 years ago, it remains fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday.

It was a work trip in HKG and, as usual, Park Lane Hotel was the company's hotel of choice. I'm happy with that, though, because Park Lane was where Ikea was located, and it made it easier for me to shop for pasalubong during my free time.

While in Ikea, I bumped into a familiar face - Tanya. She was my college classmate and was my co-business manager for our college yearbook. It was my first time to see her in a decade, and it turned out that she was living in HKG. After college, she worked for Cathay Pacific and was based in HKG ever since.

We spent a few minutes catching up, and told her about the work I'm doing in HKG. Then, she told me that this might be just the start of my working in HKG more often, and that I might eventually work there permanently. It was a random comment, really.

Lo and behold, a year after, I received an offer to work for the same agency in HKG. 

After moving and settling in HKG, Tanya became more than a friend, but my family in HKG. She'd be the person I'd ask if there were things I didn't know. She would invite me to her parties so that my circle of friends would widen.

It was during one of those parties that I found out that she worked with a cousin of mine. She also worked with my sisters' friend from Bicol. 

We're both Bicolanos, by the way.

When Tanya became a Mom, she asked me to be her son's Godfather, which I happily accepted.

Even when I left HKG in 2008, we still kept in touch. Whenever my travels - personal or work - would take me there, we'd meet up and catch up.

The last time we got together was sometime in 2015. It was a random trip and we met up at Tung Chung.

A few weeks ago, she visited MNL and I didn't miss the chance to meet up and catch up with Tanya.

Aside from catching up and updating each other about our current lives, one of the nicest parts of this visit was this:

I finally got to see my godson Diego after so, so, SO many years. The little boy I'd play with is now a young man who's almost as tall as me!

While catching up, it felt like we just saw each other last week, even if it's been 7 years. But that's how it is when you meet up with good friends.

Especially if they're friends who are like family.

Boss moves!

Back in the 80s, one of the shows that I'd stay up to watch was an American sitcom entitled "Who's the Boss."

The reason I'd watch it religiously was Alyssa Milano. She was so adorable as the smart and sassy Samantha Micelli. Judith Light was also a joy to watch as Angela Bower. And let's not forget the headliner, Tony Micelli, played by Tony Danza.

Recently, I've been wondering how the cast of this classic show are doing now. Providentially, this video popped up on youtube.

It's so good to see the cast together.

And they all look good! Like a boss, really.

Two wonderful

Two years!

That's how long it took for Biboy, Liz and family to finally come home and visit.

They were originally scheduled to be in MNL in May-June of 2020. But we all know what happened. And we all know how that pretty much derailed travel plans around the globe.

But thankfully, and finally, they were able to travel to the Philippines! Aside from spending time with us, they were lucky enough to spend time with Liz's relatives in Cebu, our relatives in Bicol, and have a quick stop at Boracay while they were at it.

And today, the two-year delayed celebration of Liz's birthday finally happened!

It was great to see the Inciong family again after so many years. It was awesome that Liz finally got to have her celebration surrounded by family and friends. And it was even more awesome that 6 out of 7 of the Regalado-Morales gang were finally together!

Looking forward to next year when Ate Lissa will finally be able to come home, too! That would be even more wonderful!

Two years in the making

Speaking of meetings that are more than 2 years in the making...

Our last face-to-face ManCom was early March 2020.

The last time we celebrated Richard's birthday face-to-face was even longer than that.

But yesterday, this finally happened!

Not only is the ManCom complete, we celebrated Richard's birthday to boot!

As expected, we had more than 3 hours of wonderful catching-up stories. And it was awesome to see everyone in one room again after so long.

Looking forward to more of these ManCom meetings soon!

Two weeks noticed

For some people, 2 weeks seem like a long time.

But what I've noticed - and something Mark would always say - "Time flies when you're having fun."

And for the past 2 weeks, we really had a lot of fun with my Tita and cousins from Spain.

We had so much fun that we didn't notice that 2 weeks had passed and it was time for them to fly back to Spain. Today.

Fue genial pasar tiempo contigo. Te veo de nuevo pronto!

Hermanos y hermana, Primos y Primas

Whilst the group might not be as big as the one in 2013, getting together with our family from Barcelona is always heartwarming and smile inducing.

Last night, the 4 original Morales siblings were able to have a reunion after a decade! 

Along with them, some of the 2nd generation Morales', including myself, also made sure to get into the action. While this is just a fraction of the Morales Primos y Primas, each one of us had humongous enthusiasm to fill up the room.

As the night was wrapping up, the conclusion was resounding. We should do this again - on a bigger scale - soon. Whether it's here in MNL or in BCN.

That's something to look forward to.

Grand dame

One of the great things about these reunions are the photos that are shared between cousins.

Esther told me that she found a lot of old family photos in Tita Evelyn's house. Since these were old-school printed photos, she scanned some, she took photos of the photos for some others, and she showed them to me while we were having our impromptu "house party."

Among the photos that really made me smile was this photo of my Grandmother, Lola Dita, when she was younger.

This photo is actually framed at their condo in Sitges. I saw this when I visited that place more than a decade ago. Looking at it back then, it was clear that Lola was a very classy, elegant woman. And that's how I always remember her, someone who's always well-dressed, well-mannered, and classy.

She was truly a dame.

La familia es amor

The last time we got together with all my cousins from Barcelona was in 2013.

And tonight, fresh from their flight from BCN, we finally got together with Tita Evelyn, Eve, Cristy, Esther and Yoly again!

Es bueno verlos a todos! 

Fast and Furious Frendz!

The meeting was unusual.

It was by the roadside, it took less than 5 minutes, and it was fast exchange of food stuff.

But no matter how quick the meeting was, it was wonderful to see a ‘Frendz” again, live and in person, after more than 6 months. (The last time Mona and I met up was in January this year.)

Hope to see you again soonest, Mona. And not by the roadside, hopefully!