I have permission to post this only for May, 1998. And only because May 19 is Mila's birthday!
Lawrence, Lala and Norman with Mila
and Hermie -- taken last
March 6, 1998, Hermie's first birthday
in his second half century.
Our family came to Canada as landed immigrants in
Dec. 1984; we'll be 14 years here by the end of this year. We have three
children, two boys and a girl, who this year are turning 28, 23 and 21.
Our eldest, Norman is webmaster of our newspaper and internet bookstore
and assumes key roles in the management and administrative part of the
business; Lawrence is our artist who puts together the pages of the printed
edition. Our daughter, the
youngest, is a full-time college student taking business
administration who does part-time work in a bank, and paints on the
side. Norman is a musician at heart, who loves jazz and classical
music; Lawrence is into rap lyrical compositions. Lala is a visual
artist who spent many years seriously studying art, bringing her to such
cities as Rome, Paris, Venice and London when she was only
16, and exhibiting her works from when she was a child until her teen years;
now she does commissioned works.
Hermie and I have published a newspaper (existing for
almost 10 years now) and an online bookstore (not quite a year yet), which
we hope you have already visited. I also work as a government bureaucrat
in the City of Toronto,
as research analyst in the social policy area -- a job
that keeps me up to date with socio-economic and political trends in Canada
and the world, and also with the latest in research technologies, including
the Internet.
Because of my familiarity with the use of the Internet
in research applications, I was asked to participate in planning and developing
the content part of our Departmental website. I felt it necessary
to be familiar enough with the technical part of website development, so
I took up this 7-day (three-hours/day) basic html course at Ryerson University.
An essential course requirement was to create a live web page at the end
of the course, using the various functions we were taught. We were
encouraged to do our own web page, with our own personal resumes,
etc., which was what most of my other classmates did.
I chose to create the UP Prep 65 web page, instead, just to avoid doing
a page on myself, and also to make the project more fun and challenging
and different from all the rest. After submitting my suggested idea
to our teacher, there was no turning back. I knew it was a bit ambitious
for me to pursue it, especially that I was just learning the basics of
html, and we were required to stick to the basic language, and not to use
any software like Microsoft's FrontPage. I sought the help of Ana
B. for some
materials; Vergel for some photos; which they e-mailed
me. Both were very helpful throughout the crucial two weeks
of my project. Ling, whom Hermie and I had met earlier in New York,
encouraged me to pursue what was then just a fanciful thought of creating
our class homepage.
My teacher was so pleased with the finished product, he
gave me an A, which I feel properly belongs to our team of four -- including
my son Norman, who helped me with technical advise an in uploading the
page to his server
--and I told Ana B. that. What makes me happiest
is this web page now has a life of its own, and it certainly
belongs to all those who have contributed to keep it
alive. It has somehow helped Ana B's tireless efforts to keep us
all connected, a task she has taken with passion even before the e-mail
and the Internet.
Right now I find that course very useful for the real purpose I took it for: so I can assist in the development of our website -- both content and technical wise. The work is very challenging and it is fulfilling to know that despite my relative clumsiness with other technology (I’m a techno moron when it comes to gadgets and appliances and I don’t drive !), somehow, I managed to learn html quite well.
I guess, that's all I can say for now. Perhaps you already know that sometime after UP, I was incarcerated twice -- before and after martial law -- and was a victim of political repression and human rights violations before and during the cruel martial law years. Worked as a journalist for many years --mainly with Business Day as a special reports and foreign affairs/diplomatic beat reporter -- a job which took me to such places as Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong.
Through all the difficult times, my family gave me the strength to survive and to live without bitterness. Although I lost conact with many of my classmates, Ling, Rory and Dennis somehow managed to keep touch. Ling and her family were helpful in many other ways -- I can't thank them enough.
Apart from the work I have cited, Hermie and I are involved in a cooperative marketing venture involving telecommunications -- an exciting enterprise which we find very enjoyable to do. I go to the gym regularly and join an official run at least once a year (the Nissan run to raise runds for seniors in homes for the aged), whenever my schedule can allow me to, either a 5k or a 10-k, to keep fit and healthy.
What can I say about soon turning golden (next year)?
I feel so blessed with the love of my family and friends. I
am proud and fulfilled to have such a wonderful family (have you read "a
golden love story to warm your heart"
yet?). I face life with so much hope that things will
always be better for everyone each day. And that hope extends to
you and all good friends.
At eto ang dambuhalang picture na pilit ipinatatanggal, ayaw ko naman kasi ang ganda!
Kailangan ng plebiscite kung tatanggalin nga! Ano sa palagay ninyo?
