Sometime today – I would have gone around the sun for 4 1/2 decades! Let me just take stock of it so far. Twenty-One years of this was spent growing up in the best city in the Philippines – Baguio City. There was always work in the fish market. I also attended Boys High School where I met my friends-for-life classmates. My Baguio days also brought me to Saint Louis University where I met Jeanne, my wife and partner.
The next 8 years was spent in Manila as I started my working life. I hated everyday I was in Manila. If not for the occasional trip overseas – life there is unbearable. I took comfort on the fact that Uncle Dave – my idol , has been working in Manila and commuting back to Baguio on weekends. I did the same and quickly learned how to sleep in bus trips.
At least a year was spent in Kuala Lumpur and although it was a lot better than Manila – being away from my family on extended periods is just not my idea of revolving around the sun.
Am I glad that the last 15 years was spent with my family in Sydney? You bet! But no matter where we are – we’re still spinning around the same big sky and every now and then I look up in awe on how big and wonderful the rest of the space is – thankful to witness and realize what is happening around us. We are indeed greater than the rocks, gasses and any other form of matter that have ever existed. I hope you’re all having fun in our very own cosmic ride. It is indeed the greatest ride of all!
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to you… and many more….
Happy, Ty-Fifth Birthday, Pa! That was a nicely worded summary of your 45 years here in the cosmos 🙂 I’m truly very glad that we’ve been taking the ride together for the last 26 years or so – at least more than 50% of your life now 🙂 I’m looking forward to our ride today 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PASKY!!! I was about to send you greetings through Yahoo when I saw your email. It’s true we think about things we have gone thru when we get older. Some we regret or didn’t like. What’s sometimes hard for me to accept is that we slept normally 8 hours a day and that’s one-third of our life. Now that you’re 45, would you believe that you have been sleeping for around 15 years, more or less! Funny, huh? Hahaha. . .Cheers Pasky! Happy Birthday again!!!
Hehehehe…. such profound Einsteinien thoughts on your birthday father 😛
Happy Birthday!!!!!
I love you!
…Dad on our cosmic ride today can we go to a Thai restaurant????
I just can’t pass this on. I was thinking of the 45th celebration as soon as the 12 mn clock chimes. I do deserve the P5.00 though, like lola Emay does, but I still remember you found that I O U promissory note after so many years?…. Can’t count the many years that had passed . You know your math- subract it from 45-
Did I pay you then?, if not quits na tayo- P5.00 now is worth the 45 years to reminesce how smart my pamangkin is. I’m proud of you and wish you more birthdays to come.
Luv you.
happy BIRTHDAY PO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TITO Rommel…..
Thank you all. Celine – I won’t explain your comments. But for A. Beth’s – it need a bit of explanation. Our Lola Emay had a long standing tradition to give P5.00 to the first to greet her Happy Birthday on her day. Since A. Beth was the first to greet by e-mail, I told her she got the P5.00 🙂
As to the I.O.U. – I was about 7 years old when I lent P5.00 to A.Beth, but she had to write me an I.O.U. note – not that I don’t trust her – but that’s just the way business is 🙂 – Unfortunately – I lost the I.O.U. and to be fair – I did not collect. But eventually I found the note but all the words have been rubbed out. It does not take a forensic genius to read the note against the light – so I hired a pro-bono lawyer (my Lola Emay – who else) to collect. – Yes I did collect A. Beth 🙂
Happy Birthday Manong Rommel! You know what? I just can’t remember anymore when was the last time we celebrated your birthday together. Sa Baguio or sa Manila? But I can still remember na birthday mo noong lumabas ako sa hospital after I had my surgery of appendicitis when I was 16 years old, sabi mo noon yon na lang yong birthday gift mo. 45 years old kan gayam, Happy Happy Birthday and may our Good Lord showers you more blessings.
Ading Levs
Having read A Beth’s comments, how much does the last greeter get to owe in year 2008- compounded neg(-) P5.00 from year 1968?
Happy Birthday, BIG (of heart) brother!!! Called you last night to greet.. but lost the words in the midst of all those other thousand witty and shaky agendas.. how could I? Anyway, no, it didn’t slip my mind. I just happen to be getting older at a faster rate than you are hehe.. aside from just being off the plane from the trip to Manila. I’m still currently shaken and awed by everything I felt and saw in Manila and Baguio.. most of all the warmth of gestures and hugs irreplaceable by any email, electronic chats or like. Never mind, I still send you this way a BIG BIG HUG to wish you best!!!
Luv you heaps,
Manang Helen
I would remember this birthday with the almost Three Stooges like episodes in the last 24 hours. First – Ate Letty sent me an email with a “Happy Birthday” theme, when I said Thank You. She said SORRY – it was a mistake, she used the wrong email template. Imagine her surprise when I said – it was really my birthday. 🙂
Then A. Beth posted the I.O.U. story which my cousins now have read and grilled her about it – saying things like – ‘typical mum’ … that was cute 🙂
But nothing tops M. Helen. We were on the phone for about an hour and I was waiting when she would actually say Happy Birthday… When it became clear to us that it has slip her mind, (Jeanne and Jessica were listening in as my Skype was on speakers) – we were laughing. When we put down the phone, we were cracking. Can’t remember who suggested – Imagine how’d she’ll (M.Hel) feel when she realize what just happened 🙂
Don’t worry M. Hel – as I always tell Celine and Jessica in situations like this – “I’m (or you’re) big enough and ugly enough for these to affect me (or you)” … or some permutations like that 🙂 What I’m saying is – there is no question in my mind that I’m very much loved 🙂 For heaven’s sake, even mum told her friends here in Sydney (after they complemented me) ‘Ano? – Si Rommel na ang pinaka-mahina kung anak’ – And we both laugh our heart out when she told me that story!!! 😉
I love you.. I just could not pass the chance to say it once more
M. Khorz
Happy birthday Pasky, from all of us here at Dr. ALejos, Quezon City!!! Hope you got my text messages last Saturday.
Nice!!! Kaya lang medyo nabitin ako; I was expecting to read more about your ride around the sun… anyway 5 years away and you’ll be half century old na rin.
Wish you good health and more wealth … take care & God bless!
hi, rommel! belated happy birthday.
i have a dsl connection now (dial-up sucks) so i was able to visit. i couldnt enjoy bloghopping with a slow connection. 🙁 so here i am now, reciprocating the visit.
you have an interesting site. i just wish i can have enough time to visit often. you are very Filipino as you are clannish, too.
btw, where do i listen to the music ‘follow your road’?