AT THE END OF THE DAY.....

Rest In Peace.....






Final Viewing.....






The Family Left Behind....






His Loved Ones.....






A Pensive Mood.....






I may not be seeing what is left of my close friends in PGH that often nowadays but that does not mean I do not care about what goes on in their lives next. From a group of 11 people, only three of us have remained here in the country and the rest have established their lives abroad. A text there, a message in Facebook or a chat here keeps me updated about them. Before, I used to be able to go to PGH and pay them a visit. But since both have become settled in their married lives, priorities have shifted and going out like we used to do when everyone was single is now a rare occurrence.

Early this year, I was shocked to learn about the deaths of the loved ones of these friends of mine. One lost her husband to leukemia while the other lost her father to a presumed heart attack. I wasn't able to attend the wake of the husband of my friend since it was in an area I wasn't really familiar with (Pagbilao, Quezon) but I sent my condolences. But when the other pal lost her dad, I made sure that I would attend his wake out of respect for the family. After all, the man welcomed me, (and the rest of the gang when we were still complete) to his home years ago and I was grateful for that. Ate Rose joined me as we traveled to Lani's hometown. Since we arrived at sunrise, we felt we just have to be with Lani's family for the burial, which Ate Rose and I did participated in.

Right after Lani's dad was laid to rest, a sudden downpour occurred. It was the most disrupting event to happen. I hate traveling while it is raining. I don't want to waddle in flooded areas; I don't want to get wet if I have not set my mind to be. All I want is to return to my home as soon as possible. This is me being tired, I longed to be home. Also, this is me being mindful of contracting leptospirosis.

But I liked returning to Lani's hometown, even if it was for a sad occasion. My first and only visit was a decade ago. The three of us reconnected as we were able to engage in some serious conversations. I found out about the progress of Lani's kidney transplant journey while Ate Rose regaled us with stories about her daughter, Precious. I updated the both of them of what I have been doing this past few months. And we would fill each other about news concerning our other friends if we knew something new about them.

If ever the time comes that some of our friends return for a vacation, we would suggest a trip back to Lani's hometown. Besides, we would be occupying a huge house, just for us, the girls!

I WAS BORN IN THE U.S.A.... I WAS BORN IN THE U.S.A.

The Little Prince with His Mom, Dad and Jollibee.....Fast Asleep!





"Dad?....Are You Sleepy Too?"





Jollibee Says Raise Your Arm!





Jollibee Holds The Pinata as Julian Pulls The String.....





Smile Ate Rose!





Audience Participation.....





Julian Meets Jollibee For The First Time......





"Hi Tita Doray! Can I Borrow Your Cam?"





I got to see Julian for the first time in person. And I am sure that this guy will be breaking hearts in the future, in a good way sort of! He and his parents came home to the Philippines from the US so that he may share the experience of turning a year old with his relatives and his parents' friends! The thing about celebrating one's birthday that falls on a holiday is that it would be difficult for other people to forget and miss it! And to be born on the 4th of July? Entitles you to a free fireworks display to mark your day. Cool!

He is such a happy baby and sure is a big boy! And I am sure his parents, even at his tender age, are so proud of him! Hope he enjoyed his birthday!

ISANG DAAN NA PO KAMI!.....

REGISTRATION AREA.....





CHIEF ORGANIZER DR. MENG C......





IM RESIDENTS BATCH 2002 (REUNION ORGANIZERS).....





DR. AND DR. R. JARA (THE SUNSET MONTAGE AS BACKDROP).....





IM RESIDENTS BATCH 1998 (HEADED BY FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. NEMIE N.).....





IM RESIDENTS BATCH 1999 (HEADED BY FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. IRIS THIELE T.).....






FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. CECILLE "JESSICA ALFARO" J. ENJOYING THE PROGRAM.....





FORMER CHIEF RESIDENT DR. ETERNITY L. PERFORMING A DANCE NUMBER.....





DR. AND DR. A. DANS SWINGING TO THE MUSIC.....





EVERYBODY DANCE.....






"Never ever give your services for free." "Sir, paano kung matalik na kaibigan mo ang humiling sa iyo?" "Nasasayo na kung pagbigbigyan mo pero isipin mo, sino kaya sa inyong dalawa ang nakinabang ng husto?"

This is the first lesson that I learned from one of my photography instructors, if one wants to turn professional. It assures the novice professional that at the end of the day, he has money to put food on the table. I have always wanted to turn pro, but I'm not sure if I have the guts to ignore people who are close to me.

I was asked by Dr. Meng Chungongco to shoot the 100 anniversary of the Department of Internal Medicine of PGH, the area where I was formerly associated with. The sad part was that I was asked to do it Probono! Despite the grandiose atmosphere of the event, no budget was set aside for the documentation of the event through video and photography. I really had major reservations in accepting the offer. But the reason why I agreed to do it was out of friendship. It would have been nice to see old friends again. That made me relent.

Unfortunately, my file of pictures taken for this event were included in my laptop "mishap". It's a good thing that I have already given the cd to Dr. Meng before the incident happened. I know I took lots of pictures, but these were the ones I was able to recover.

SKY IS THE LIMIT.....

A SIMPLE SUNSET.....





SUNSET AFFECTED BY LENS FLARE.....





AFTER THE SUNSET.....





SOLITUDE.....





STILLNESS.....






I have always valued my friends in the medical field. When I was in PGH, I could get along more with the doctors in our department than my fellow nurses, except, of course, the nurses that came in the ward after me. I really became close with the junior nurses and they ended up being my lifetime pals. But, I don't know, why it seemed that I can relate to doctors more. And the last three IM residents batches that I have closely worked with proved this, as I still keep in contact with members from each batch until now.

Imagine my surprise when Tyrone, who happens to be in the very last batch of doctors I worked with, asked me to help him take pictures of a particular view, a sunset; and PGH! Duh! Sunset?!? PGH?!? Why?!? He later explained that he needs the photo as it is going to be used in a tarpaulin backdrop during the celebration of the IM Department's 100 years (since PGH is celebrating its 100th year, it therefore follows that most departments are 100 years old too). It so happened that he and his batch mates are the ones in charge of the affair. Sunset, is that it? So off we went on certain days when he is free (he has clinics from Quezon City to Alabang), to places like Esplanade and Manila Bay to capture it. Unfortunately for him, whenever we would go out to do the task at hand, the weather doesn't cooperate and it always rains! And because he so wanted to do the job that his friends ask him, he just didn't have the free time to go out and shoot. In the end, Meng couldn't wait for Tyrone's availability and with her deadline fast approaching, she ended up asking me to shoot it! How can I refuse?

The next few days, I had to go and scout the bay for location, trying to figure out what kind of a "sunset" shot do they need. The pictures above show what I got.