Eavesdropping on Elmer and Rory

This was an exchange of e-mails between Elmer and Rory. I got their permission to put it on the web, don't worry!


Dear Rory,
 
There are two things you said I could not agree more with - 'Maaasahan si Ana' and
our Prep Class '65 is truly amazing.
 
I could not contain my exitement when I first hooked up with our classmates in
Cyberspace. I felt like a young child having a field day in a candy or toy store.
I read and re-read the Prepian Home Page, I started e-mailing people, the
works....
 
Everytime I hear from anybody from our class, I experience the same exitement that
I got the first time I saw our own Home Page on the Net. Yours was no exception, I
definitely felt very good about your message - and the fact that my mail server
finally came through.
 
Ana had been asking me to write something about my family, and I always hesitated
to do so. Writing was never a strong suit of mine...but then again, I probably
don't have any. Anyway, Ill try to give you an update about me and my family. Here
goes:
 
I have four children from my first wife, all of whom stayed with me after we
split. My current mate, Chichi (Inmaculada Marquez, UP Math Class 78) and I raised
them here in  the States where we have set up residence in Northern New Jersey
since 1986. Chichi and I have our own daughter, Sarah, who was born almost 4 years
ago (April 6, 1994).
 
My eldest, Dennis, is now a young man of 27. He was called to the ministry and is
now serving as a Youth Pastor in a Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida. While still
single, we have a feeling that he is now seriously thinking about marriage in the
very near future.
 
My second, another son Dexter, is now 24 and is also single. After graduating with
a degree in Biology, he decided to join a Telecommunications Firm (actually a
Tele-Conferencing Service Provider) and is currently working as a Network
Specialist. He still lives with me (Filipino style talaga), but he had been
intimating that he might get his own place soon. I refuse to speculate why.
 
My third from my first wife, Myla, now 23, did not bother going to college...
moved down to Maryland... lived with a guy (I hate him so I won't even bother
giving him a name)... had a baby...decided not to marry the father...decided to
leave him... Thank God, I was able to convince her to move back home. So, she,
together with my two year old apo Justin, a good looking boy (siempre, mana sa
lolo), is living with me.
 
My fourth, another daughter, finished high school a year ago is now doing her year
break before going to college this coming fall. She also moved back home after she
moved in with her sister in Maryland to help her with the baby. Her name is Mylene
and she is now 19.
 
My youngest, the only one by Chichi (although as I said, Chichi and I actually
raised all the four elder kids), is Sarah. Suffice to say that she is the apple of
my eye and I (we) always take her with me (us) wherever I (we) go. By this time,
she had logged on more airplane miles than I had altogether up to the age of 40.
She was with us on a cruise  in the Carribean, to Europe, at least 2 trips to the
Philippines, and around the U.S. of course, plus Canada. She is going with us
again when we visit the Philippines in May.
 
I brought my late mother to live with me here (My father kept saying that he would
follow later after finishing some business in the Phlippines. I shall try to
convince him again when we visit in May). So, my mom spent her last four years
with me.
 
By now, you should be able to immagine that I have a big household -  a really
Full House. I bought a 5-bedroom house initially. I ended up even converting my
office/den  into another bedroom. Our neighbors and friends dont know how we
manage to stay out of each others nerves. But then, we are Filipinos - used to
large extended families living together and in close proximity to each other.
 
As for me, I got into the computer field a long time ago. After stints in the
Philippines with a Service Bureau, Univac Philippines, and Fujitsu Philippines, I
moved to the United States in 1986 - a few weeks before the revolution; which,
somehow, I sort of knew was coming.
 
I resigned my job as Marketing Manager of Fujitsu Philippines and came to the U.S.
on a tourist visa (I had been here several times before). My decision to come,
even without any job offers or something, proved to be a lucky decision anyway. I
had several job offers within 2 - 3 weeks of my arrival. It helped that I had a
long technical background, which I reverted to, before I went to Marketing.
 
To make a long story short, I now work as a Software Products Manager for an
international software company based in NJ - Computron Software, Inc. We develop,
market and support Financial and WorkFlow systems targeted at the Global 2000
(international scope of Fortune 500) market space and have offices around the
world - including a oursourcing partner in Manila. We compete against People Soft,
SAP, etc. I am in charge of Knowledge Management products - Report Writers, OLAP,
Data Warehousing, EIS, and the like. I have business analysts, technical designers
and programmers working for me.
 
Well, I hope the above gives a thumbnail sketch of me and my family. And oh, by
the way, there is an easy solution to the worry of lungkot  living in an empty
nest - start a new brood. We did...
 
I would be looking forward to hearing from you again...
 
Elmer

     
 
     Here is a teaser photo showing Sarah and myself at the steps of Sacre
     Coeur in Paris taken last summer (parang Lourdes sa Baguio, nasa
     tuktok ng bundok overlooking the entire city).


 
NVSANTIAGO wrote:
 
 Dear Elmer,
 
 I was so glad to receive your letter.  Talagang ma-aasahan si Ana.

Yes, I was writing to extend my thoughts, prayers and sympathies for your
 mother and your family.  She was fortunate to have had a long and happy life,
 and to have died peacefully.  My parents are now in their eighties and are
 still reasonably healthy.  But they are by themselves with a maid.  I wish
 they could live with me, but they prefer their own home in Sta. Ana, where I
 grew up.
 
 I have been married to Nestor Santiago (BS Chem Eng. 70, UP, kilala nila
 Vergel, Cesar Cifra, Felix, etc.) for almost 27 years, and we have a 17-year
 old daughter, Nina, who will be going off to College next year.  Na-fe-feel ko
na 'yung empty nest, at mukhang malungkot.
 
 We have been in Washington, D.C. since 1973, when Ned joined the World Bank
 (he is now with the IMF).  When he was in school at Harvard Business, I was
 taking my master's in English at the Univ. of Illinois, where Lolong  Dy was
 taking his masters in Civil Engineering.  I was already married then, but went
 for the full teaching assistantship at Illinois.   Lolong was very helpful to
 me then and was really a very good friend.  I have since changed fields and
 gotten an MBA and also became a CFA (chartered financial analyst).  I worked
for Sallie Mae (Student Loan Marketing Association) and most recently with a
 former subsidiary of Sallie Mae, Construction Loan Insurance Corp. (Connie
 Lee).
 
 Do look us up when in D.C.  How many children do you have?  Where is your wife
 from?
 
 I just think our Prep '65 class is amazing in its closeness.  How young we
 once were!  When I get e-mail from classmates, it brings back so many happy,
 funny memories.  Those were the best high school days!!
 
 Best regards and keep in touch,
 
 Rory


 When I got a copy of this exchange from Elmer, I found it nakakatuwa na, informative pa. So I asked permission to broadcast it by e-mail. I asked another permission to put it on the web.

 
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