(1438) MUSIC AND ME (Aug. 10, 2017) 4 REUNIONS DURING MY 2017 VACATION (July 21,-Aug. 11, 2017)

4 REUNIONS

DURING MY 2017 VACATION

(July 21-Aug. 11, 2017)

First part of the 4 reunions is with my brother Romeo Hernandez at the reunion of his classmates in a resort in Kapitangan, Paombong Bulacan.

On Saturday, July 29, my brother Romy invited me to attend their Classmates Reunion of Hagonoy Institute Class 1974 in Kapitangan, Paombong, Bulacan. I’m 2 years older than him. I and my younger brother Jerry were dropped by Welhem at the spot where a small bridge is under construction that cause lots of traffic. We ride in Jordan’s nice Toyota car together with Nanang Guya and Tatang Subring, who been married for more than 50 years. I gave her PRR white towel and 1,000.00Php to each of them. They were dropped near a river for a boat ride home. Jordan, Romy’s youngest son, gave them another 1,000.00Php.

Prior to the reunion in Kapitangan, Paombong, Bulacan, we had a photo session with Tatang Subring, Nanang Guya (Gloria) and my younger brother Gerry in July 28, 2017. The next day, they go with us in attending the reunion and we dropped them in a place where they will ride a motorized banca to their house.

We sang karaoke songs with Jordan and Hannah singing new songs while I, Romy, and Jerry are singing old songs. In the song “Devoted to You” by Everly Brothers, Bernie is singing it. It’s a duet song and there is only one mike. We shared the mike and sung it beautifully with harmony. There is a mango tree where we are singing karaoke. When strong wind blows, we pick the big green mangoes that fall.

                When I sang the Japanese song “For You”, at least 4 classmates of Romy know the song, too. Minutes later, it was sung again by 2 different ladies. When it’s time to go, Bernie, Hannah and Ester left in their tricycle. Jordan and I gave Hannah 500.00Php each.

When we reach the venue of reunion, I put the shochu that was given to me by my Korean roommate to the spot where the drinks are located. There is “tamales” on the table and I ate a lot of it because I haven’t eaten that for more than 20 years. I took a lot of photos of Romy and his classmates. Jerry thought of a perfect idea. Since we are 3 brothers already there and our youngest one, Bernie, is just a few miles away, he called him and in 30 minutes, we have a mini reunion of our own! Bernie came with his only daughter Hannah and his wife Ester.

                While on our way home after this reunion, we agreed while inside the car to visit our nephew Willy Calonzo in his house in Pandi, Bulacan to settle the issues of a small part of land in Hagonoy. We will meet at a Eurobake Bake Shop in Tabang, Guiginto, Bulacan on Aug. 5 at 9am. Jordan dropped us to our house and I resume the updating the chess/music posts, where I am more than halfway already.

Before the reunion in Pandi, Bulacan, my High School classmate (Class of 1972) Nicomedes Reyes Garcia, visited me in the morning of Aug. 05 to set the date of a reunion that I will host for the first time...

Jordan and Romy waited for me, Jerry and Bernie before we proceed to Pandi, Bulacan for the reunion. When we reached the place, the gate is open but the door of the house is locked. We knocked a lot of times and nobody is answering. We know that there are people inside... it's the kids!  Willy's 2 daughters and a son. But they can't open the door. We give them something to eat and said we will have lunch first and will be back again. We had lunch at a place upon Bernie's recommendation. I like the Halo-halo. It's the best Halo-halo I've ever had. We split one glass (with Romy) because we're both diabetics.

When we go back to Willy's house, he's still not there and when he comes, we have long talk with his father "Ka Boy" or Felix Calonzo, who is in the USA. We talk through phone. The issues about the small piece of land were settled and we had all the relevant documents.

We had some photos with the kids before going back to Hagonoy. When we are almost there, I rarely hear somebody saying what Jordan told us: "It's good to be back to the place where you grew up. I remember these 2 old houses that are still standing. I always passed those house in going to school (Elementary and High School). Very rare among Romy's kids to hear words like that. 

 The Hagonoy Institute Class of 1972-- Left to right--Irene Perez, Pen Lopez and Marissa Crisostomo (both are still single), Cely Gamboa, Liz Fajardo, now a nurse like my daughter Karen, and my first kumpare in Philippines (Hagonoy) Nicomedes Reyes Garcia.

My wife Flor joins us in the photo session. I sat on the tile floor. My classmates asked me if I can still stand after squatting/sitting on the floor because their backs will get hurt if they do that.

Here, I play the keyboard that I donated to the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (Halang, Hagonoy, Bulacan Locale) last year when I participated in the 2016 World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. My kumpare Nicomedes Reyes Garcia is the only one who is listening when I played "Song For Anna" and "Anak" by Freddie Aguilar. I know his favorite song when we are in high school "Can We Just Stop and Talk A While" by Jose Mari Chan. I guess my classmates are not in fond of music.

         (Photo by Roberto Hernandez -- Taken by Vilma Miranda Belgar)           






Sources: Chess Mate by Roberto Hernandez               
              Tia Belau Newspaper
               December 29, 2002 -- October 30, 2017

               Chess and Music (Perfect Combination)
               The Beginning of Chess in Palau
               By Roberto Hernandez
               Soon to be published as a book


              Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
              Tia Belau Newspaper
              March 15, 2012 -- April 18, 2013
              http://palau-chess.blogspot.com
              April 25, 2013 -- October 30, 2017

             The History of Chess in Palau 
             By Roberto Hernandez
             June 09, 2002 -- October 30, 2017
               

(961) MUSIC AND ME (May 28, 2015) HERNANDEZ FAMILY REUNION (2015) Without Kaka Elly (Our Eldest Sister)

WITH the initiation from my brother Romeo Hernandez (next to me), a family reunion was held at a fish pond, exactly the same piece of land that my 92-year-old father used to cultivate to plant rice once a year.

 In between the harvest, he used to catch shrimps, milk fish, tilapia fish and some small crabs. The piece of land (1 hectare) was sold by the owner about 15 years ago and Romeo was able to buy it back with the help from his 2nd oldest son Rommel Hernandez. 

 Instead of rice, they converted it into a fish pond where everybody else is doing because rice can't grow anymore there because the water is salty. They can make more money with cultivation/growing mangrove crabs, shrimps/prawns, milk fish and tilapia fish. They put in fingerlings of milk fish (5,000), crabs (3,000), shrimps and tilapia fish. 

On June 12, we held the 2015 reunion there and all attendees (all of Romeo's kids except Rommel) have attended and were treated to a very fresh broiled milk fish, prawn, shrimps, oysters, mussels, steamed white rice and some preserved shrimps/fish "tagilao" which I haven't tasted for more that 30 years.

 The 2 fishermen who are watching/guarding the place also caught some crabs (big and small) to add to the delight of everybody. Still alive being cooked for the freshest crab in the world. I also tasted again the fruit of 'kamatsile' that grows near the house built out of native materials.

30 years ago, the house there can fit only one person (my father). Romeo rented a karaoke machine and Bernardo Angeles Hernandez, our youngest brother got most 100 scores. When I sang Filipino song "Anak", I've got 100 also. When I sing Japanese song "For You" and Italian song "Volare', I've got my 2nd and 3rd 100 score. But when I sing Hawaiian song "You Make It Hard", it's only 91 because I didn't remember the tune of the first stanza. Before going home, the 2 fishermen catch some more fish and crabs and every family were given 12 milk fish, 2 crabs and 3 tilapia fish each to take home. The 2 crabs weigh already 1 kilo which can be sold for 480 pesos ($11.00).

 With Hannah Monaflor E. Hernandez, Jordan Hernandez and Jhayce Hernandez in Hagonoy, Bulacan.

 Bernardo Angeles Hernandez knows how to operate a banca manually. When he steps on it, he almost fell to the water because the banca move and he's not yet establish his balance. He hang on by clinging to a bamboo pole to the delight of everybody. I shouted, "You're a stuntman!"
                                                               (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

 Uncle Subring, left, has been a fish pond worker for many, many years so he knows how to tie the pincher of a mangrove crab. Grace and her friend are happy to see a live crab being tied to avoid getting hurt.
                                                     (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)

 

This big mangrove crab has one pincher only and still not fat enough so it was thrown back to the pond. A few hours later, they caught it again and thrown back to the water again.

My Uncle Subring Santos, 2nd from left, is married to my Aunt Gloria for more than 50 years. Before going to Japan in 1982, I brought all members of our band (First Quarter Band) to their fish pond and they experienced the same fresh seafood delights on that day.

FUNNY MEMORIES OF FIRST QUARTER BAND IN JAPAN

(April 04 - Sept. 28, 1982)

I knew from the start that our trip to Japan to perform at Hayashida Hotel in Kagoshima City, Japan is real because we were given our one month salary in advance, 3 weeks before our departure.

Unlike today that you have to pay big amount for placement fees to the agency, the trip is all-expense paid although it's only for 6 months.

After getting our one-month advance payment, I invited all members of the group for an outing to my uncle's fish pond.

They prepared fried noodles (pancit) and pork adobo (stewed pork).

We traveled through the river on a long, motorized banca (boat made from long log) for 20 minutes.

When we reached the fish fond, all of them experienced real fresh sea foods. My uncle Subring gets a bunch of bamboo from the river filled with oysters attached to it. It goes directly to the boiling water, dip it for a few seconds and started to get the oysters with a knife and put it in a sauce consisting of vinegar, salt, pepper, and onions.

My cousin has a net and it caught a big milk fish. He throws the jumping fish to our singer Jane Ramas. She's afraid and excited at first because it's her first time to see a live milk fish. All milk fish you can see at the market are dead for a few hours or even days. Tilapia fish can live longer so you can still buy at the market some live tilapia fish. In Bulacan and many other market places in Philippines, the vendors offered to clean the milk fish and tilapia fish that you bought. It's one way of saving time in cleaning and disposing the fins and intestines of those fishes.

She picked it up, hold it firmly and put it straight to the barbecue grill. THERE'S NO OTHER GRILLED FISH FRESHER THAN THAT!

My uncle Subring also get some mussels from the river also attached to the bamboo. It makes a good soup if cook with water, onion, garlic, ginger, salt and chili leaves.

There are also some shrimps, crabs and tilapia fish--all alive when cooked.

NOBODY AMONG US EAT THE FRIED NOODLES AND PORK ADOBO THAT WE BROUGHT. WE LEAVE IT FOR UNCLE, HIS WIFE AND KIDS BECAUSE THEY CRAVE FOR THOSE WHILE WE THAT LIVE IN THE CITY CRAVE FOR FRESH SEAFOOD.

Three tilapia fish and 4 milk fish were caught using a throwing net. It's ineffective so they used a long net (about 400 feet long and 4 feet high) to get some fish for the guests.

Source: Music and Me (Perfect Combination)
             The Beginning of Chess in Palau 
             By Roberto Hernandez
             1982- 2015
             To be published as a book in the future

Reunion 2011    (1)

Reunion 2011     (2)

Reunion 2011     (3)

Reunion 2013     (1)

Reunion 2013     (2)

Reunion 2013     (3)

Reunion 2013     (4)

Reunion 2013     (5)
                        Elena Hernandez Calonzo (Kaka) passed away on Dec. 05, 2014 at the age of 61.