Salamat

Speech in Tagalog given during the burial mass of my father, Alberto O. Morada, Imus Cathedral July 25, 2017

            Salamat, isang salitang tumaga sa aking isipan isang gabi ng kahinaan dulot ng pagod at puyat sa pag-aalaga sa aking ama.  Malalim na ang gabi at ako ay dinadalaw na ng antok nang biglang tinawag niya ako para magpapalit ng kanyang diaper dahil siya ay napadumi.  Pagod sa maghapong pag-aalaga sa kanya at kasiraan ng aking tulog di ko naiwasan magalit at magdabog habang siya ay aking nililinisan at kinabitan ng bago niyang diaper. Nang ako ay matapos ay bigla niyang sinabi sa akin “Salamat anak sa iyong pag-aalaga sa akin.”  Dito labis na tumulo ang aking luha imbis na siya ay magalit sa aking mga magaspang na kinikilos ay nakuha niya pang magpasalamat sa akin.  Luha ng di tumigil ng pagtulo sa isang gabing napakatahimik.

            Simula noong ay natutuhan kong magpasalamat sa lahat ng biyayang aking natatanggap sa pang araw araw maliit man o malaki. Salamat ay napakasarap makapakinggan upang ipadama natin ang gaanong ka importantante ang mga tao sa ating paligid.

            Sa ngalan po ng aking ama, si Alberto O. Morada ay nais ko pong gamitin ang pagkakataon na ito upang ipahatid ang kanyang pasasalamat sa mga taong bumubuo ng kanyang buhay

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            Sa kanyang asawa, Luz Ramires Morada, ang lagi niyang sinasabi ang importante ay ang babae kong pinakasalan at ina ng kanyang mga anak, ang buong buhay ng pagserserbisyo sa iyo ay nagdulot ng labis niyang kaligayahan. Salamat

            Sa kanyang mga anak si Wilfredo, Ma. Teresa, Minerva at Gener, ang inyong pag aaruga at pagbibigay ng mga apo ay nagbigay buhay sa kanya. Salamat

            Sa aking asawa na si Cheryl at anak na si Christian James maraming salamat sa iyong pang unawa at pagbibigay ng pagkakataon ng aking maalagaan ang aking tatay. Salamat

            Sa  mga magpipinsan at kamag- anak na nagbigay ng lakas ng loob sa pamilya sa oras ng pangangailangan lalo na kay Dr. Renato Ramirez nag alaga sa kanyang kalusugan. Maraming Salamat.

            Sa mga kaibigan, katarbaho, kapitbahay at kaaway salamat sa buhay ng naging makabuluhan.

            At para sa iyo Tatay, maraming salamat sa buhay ng iyong binigay at sa maranyang pamumuhay na aming naranasan. Salamat po.

            Di kami mamaalam sa iyo kung hindi tanggapin mo ang aming pagbati hanggang sa susunod, nating pagkikita Salamat Tatay.

Till We Meet Again

I am writing this deep into the night

While everybody is resting in deep slumber

The only sound that I hear is the sound of my thoughts

I am still numb and it is still trying to sink in

The call I received telling me that you are gone.

The truth is we were never really that close

You are just a friend that I knew during my college days

You were closer to our other friends

But yet does not ease the pain that I felt

Being told of your sudden demise

It is just that you managed to stay in touch

Years and years apart and yet one day out of the blue

I saw you with the rest of our college buddies in our front door

Asking me how have I been

A call here and there

An invitation to hang out with the rest of the guys

A trip to nowhere where there are neither plans nor itineraries

Just a plane ticket and a place to stay.

Now my regret is never having the time to accept some of your invitations.

The last time that we’ve met

It was fortunate enough that we were able to talk

While having our puff of smoke

We talked of how life has been

You shared how hard life has been these couple of months

All that I could say is that it will soon pass

And life will be better again

It is just a cycle of life that we are all going through

Never would I guess that there will be other plans for you

Rest my friend and you would be always be remembered

For the kind of friendship that you have instilled in our hearts

This is not goodbye but I prefer to say till we meet again

Of Reunions.........

Last night I attended a reunion of my old college blockmates. We met in1983 when we were college freshmen in the College of Business and Economics of De La Salle University. Our block was called Com 06 which was under the Business Management Program. As a block section for three trimesters we we were classmates in all of the subjects. We went on our way during our sophomore year where some took other majors instead of business management but we still hang out together during our free time in between classes and bonded till the time we graduated in college. It's a yearly thing. It started about three years ago and every now and then when somebody wants to be the host or when our blockmates who lives abroad comes home for a visit a reunion party is organized.

Hook (No Resuscitation Please)

               

I was scanning the cable television for something to watch and I stumbled upon the film “Hook” which starred Robin Williams as “Peter Pan.”  I’ve watched this movie countless of times before but now it takes on a different meaning that Robin Williams has passed away in 2014.  At the end of the movie, Wendy was telling Peter Pan that this is the end of your adventures in which Peter Pan replied “To life is   the start of one’s adventure.” How ironic it is for someone with such great talent and to end his life by committing suicide due to his deteriorating mental and physical condition.  Peter Pan did not want to grow old since growing old means death.

My Beef Caldereta

 I am a Home Cook and mighty proud to say so.  In my family, its been a tradition that the male member of the family be the cook in special gatherings and occasions.  I had my share of Christmases, New Year parties and Fiestas.  The biggest of which was around 400 pax during my parent's 45th Wedding Anniversary a few years ago. 

Social Media – Shiva – The Destroyer

              I spent the afternoon looking and studying the walls of the different keyboard warriors on both sides in Facebook.  For those who are not in the know, there is a civil war going on right now in social media in the Philippines in which the protagonists are the keyboards warriors of the different political personalities.   You would not believe the level of hate in the postings of some of them. It is as if their whole day or whole life revolves around the battle that they are forgetting that there is a world outside for them to explore.

Its Itchy

     I've always wanted to have a beard and a moustache but no such luck. I've tried not shaving and letting it grow but all I got is a bunch of hard stumps that looks more like a cactus rather than hair. I guess its not in my genes to be able to grow a beard and a moustache unlike some that can grow them without any problems. My hair doesn't grow long either. It mushrooms like a big ball whenever I tried. Always wanted to have my hair on a pony tail but alas it would just be a dream

     One good thing about my genes is that at my age I don't have much white hair on my head. My stump beard and moustache is a different story.

    Gotta shave its itchy.