back to normal!!

hey all...just wanted to let ya'll know that my auntie gigi has gone back to finland. she left yeaterday @ 6:00pm!! as soon as we got home...the house felt so empty and so quiet...the funny thing is, even when she was here it was quiet anyhow!! well...i know my mom misses her a lot more than dad and i do...but she'll be back next year so it won't be such a long wait...and i may even travel to europe before then to go visit her...she has offered to pay for my plane ticket!!

anyhow, i am SO glad that everyone in the Philippines is doing well and having a great time...it's always nice to hear, whether on the phone, via e-mail or the blog, from them and what they've been up to...i'm a little jealous, b/c i know that IF i were to go back, i wouldn't be getting the detailed tour that MJan and unlce pat are getting!!

i hope everyone is well in the USA...including the Cabotaje's!! although we haven't heard from you guys much you are still in our thoughts!!

ate sheila, jordan, kuju and ate jen...how are your kids doing?? i can't wait to finally meet Lydia and play with Jacob...i actually called on wednesday/thursday morning looking for kuju but i ended up talking to jacob...he's SO silly!! it's SO great that he can hold conversations now!! BTW...did ya'll get my package?? i hope so!!

anyways...gonna take a nap...i have a headache...i will blog again soon!! ttyl!!

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK...kinda

i'm the new kid on the block using ernan's blog name. i too have called tyo idring and he said all the tourists in the philippines are doing well, enjoying and eating a lot of filipino dishes. joy also spoke to mommy and joy says that she is having a great time...especially when she is eating with NO bantay. i'm so envious by janice's trip to the philippines as she has so much family that can take her anywhere, especially BIG MALLS to shop and spend all the Cabotaje's wealth. i hope ate baby and kuya jess will call her to limit the expenses that she is spending as the Cabotaje's here in canada might end up living in the streets...just kidding!
so will janice be picked up today to stay with marlene? well hopefully b/c my barong tagalog size will be given to her by susan's relatives, so i can wear it on Liddie's baptism in september. i will ask jean if the sage green barong tagalog will be appropriate for Liddie's baptism.
i also think that kuya jess is also ordering an ivory coloured barong to be used for the September wedding. so hopefully we both have the sizes in the philippines for we both have big tummy's.
that's all for today guys...and the next time i will sing "step by step" when i write again. well do you want to listen to my kareoke song.
boyetpogi@canada.com (joke only)

OH guys...i don't have a pic to show you so i will record a song later and let you listen to it later.

boyetpogi@canada.com (joke only)

Vacation, Philippines

Right at this moment, Janice, her Grandparents, and Aunt May and Uncle Patrick are in the Philippines having a good time vacationing. For Janice, it was a teary send-off at the airport last Saturday, July 23rd. She cried, mostly. I shed a few tears although nobody saw it. After all, not counting her week-long Cuba trip with her sister, this is the first time she'll be away for a long time -- all of three weeks. We were all going to miss her, like we do now, but we also want her to enjoy the trip. And we pray that she and the rest do, safely and problem free.

Janice was looking forward to doing a ton of shopping even with her limited cash. Her Aunt, however, has an itinerary all planned out and most of the three weeks will be spent touring the sites with Janice and Grandpa in tow. Unfortunately for Grandma, she won't be able to join the longer trips around as she is not that strong yet. And Grandpa is anxious to show her expertise about the Philippine sites (historical and otherwise) to his son-in-law, Patrick. He'll be their unofficial tour guide.

But I have another plan for Janice. In between the trips that her Aunt May has worked out for the five of them, I want Janice to be with her relatives on my side. Consequently, she'll be staying with her Auntie Marlene and cousins, Popet, Jewel, Yeye, and Janna part of the time. I am hoping that Marlene will be able to take at least a day trip with her, to Tayug, so Janice will also meet her other relatives there, specially her Grandma Piling's surviving siblings. (There are still five of them: Grandmas Maria, Emma, Carnay and Deling and Grandpas Luis and Pedring.) While there, she will also see and meet as many other relatives as she can and then visit Grandma Piling at her permanent resting place.

I've instructed her to take a lot of pictures. I hope she can do so. I will blog the best of them when they come back after three weeks.

P.S. The pictures above were taken at the airport.
We have talked to them on the phone and we are glad to know that they are having a great time. Janice, however, is yet to see his Auntie Marlene's family. Jewel and her husband, Alex, will pick her up from Paranaque tomorrow.