Pamela's Debut

Per Gabby, the affair last Sunday was 'Pamela's Debut'. Actually it's an advance birthday get-together for Pam as well as a soft, soft opening for AMINSANA - Pam's new event venue project. AMINSANA's design layout and landscaping plan is almost a split image of Gabby's other fabulous hideaway located in Tagaytay. According to Gabby he prefers to keep that first building private. Naturally! 

AMINSANA is located in Amadeo Cavite, a town with Tagaytay's cool climate. The lunch party guests consisted of Pam's Panlilio brood (one of her siblings is her partner in this venture), Pam's St. Theresa classmates and other friends of the family. The food was sumptuous and presented in typical Pam style - continental, gourmet pinoy and lots of healthy greens! The fruity ice cream desert was irresistible. When I asked the server whether it was the famous Selecta brand, he glared at me and said: Sir, this is home made! 

Batch63's small Monday Kapihan group attended the affair. Oni and Bili arrived around noon and thought they were late for the event. As it turned out Manolo and Coco, Lito and Nene and the trio of Polding, son Anton and Ed Lim arrived much later. The bunch actually arrived earlier in Tagaytay but instead of going straight to the venue, they impulsively just had to 'sip coffee' first in other known places in Tagaytay. 

With their wives there, Batch63 was untypically well-behaved. Conversation with the other guests involved politics, old times and economic matters and was a welcome change from Batch63's inane and capricious Kapihan conversations.. After everything, the drive back to Manila started at around 4PM. Compared to the trip going to Amadeo, it was a longer trip back. Late afternoon is the time when all the Tagaytay vacationeers for the weekend head back to the salt mines in Manila. 

It's all worth it though. In behalf of Batch63 Italiani's Kapihan group, advance happy birthday, dear Pam and thanks Gabby for another successful party. Sa mauulit. May your AMINSANA project be successful!  

Onimayo

See slide show for more photos.

Manolo Cristobal RIP

Manolo Cristobal is a Batch63 original. We knew him well from grade school. A few days ago, he succumbed to pneumonia. He is interred in the Perpetual Help University chapel and will be buried on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife and 5 daughters. The cute little girl in the photo is Ana, Manolo's youngest. 

Ed Oleta and wife Chit are neighbors to Manolo in the residential area of the large Perpetual Help University complex in Binan Laguna. They live there since Manolo and Chit's family own the university (with its many branches particularly in South Luzon). Ed who is battling the big C himself was surprised about what happened to Manolo. Clearly, August is not a good month for Ed and Manolo. Ed himself also had pneumonia at the same time as Manolo. But he was able to recover. Manolo did not. 

Admittedly, Manolo Cristobal is more of a loner and was not regular in attending Batch63 affairs. But the times that he did, he was a Batch63 jolly good fellow who appreciated the Batch's repetitive jokes. Goodbye friend. We will miss you and think of you. Condolence to the Cristobal family. 

Onimayo

See slide show for more photos.