3173 From: navigsr@co...
Date: Mon Aug 19, 2002 9:13pm
Subject: Re: Re: Zambales Questions - Three!

My memories are limited, as I was only there 1969-1971 ( was eight), while my dad was stationed in NAVCOMSTAPHIL in San Miguel.

In San Felipe, my parents' home town, I remember the "geedunk" store next door where we could pick up a can of Coke; the Victory liners with the open sides; the morning vendors bellowing out, "BALUT! PANDISAL!"; San Juan Day, where I accidentially tossed a No. 10 can of water, and and all, into a jipney; firing off the "bamboo cannons" celebrating whatever; shopping with my relatives in the open market.

I roughly remember the layout of the town, with respect to my grandmother's place and the Municipal Center.

I remember the towns of San Antonio, San Marcellino and San Narciso, and how the river between San Narciso and San Felipe used to get flooded during the heavy rains.

I remember hanging out at the San Felipe power plant -- three motor-generator sets in various states of repair.

Alan M.
Virginia Beach, VA

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3174 From: Ugalde Gaylord L DLVA
Date: Mon Aug 19, 2002 9:26pm
Subject: RE: Zambales Questions - Three!

Fara and all,

Here's my 3.

1. I had a dream when I was a kid. I think I was about 11 yrs old. In the dream, I was looking at some water. I knew I was looking into a fishpond. I was holding something. I was leaning up against a coconut tree. I then heard (as clear as if it was still yesterday) the singing of a bird flying by about 50 ft behind me. I turned around and I saw a rice field around this body of water. I remembered the place as Trozo (our farm mentioned in the Kwentong Cowboy). I woke up wondering .....what the hell?!....what fishpond???

Back to reality.... roughly 1 yr after the dream, my father built our fishpond at Trozo, but the dream I dreamt did not yet have meaning.

I was in college. I went home for the weekend. I found myself in Trozo and up against this coconut tree. I was holding this bamboo fishing pole and looking down into the water catching fish. I heard this song bird behind me as it flew by. I turned around. As I was in the act of turning my head, I then realized (in slow motion) that way back when I was 11 yrs old, I had this dream. As my eyes focused on the bird, it was the same bird. My mind started racing....calculating....estimating where every detail of my dream was. I looked at the rice paddy in the background and the Wa-ig in the foreground. Everything was there. I started to think that by this time, my balahibo (hair) on my arms and neck should start to stand. It did......eerie....

Some dreams come true. This one certainly did for me.

2. My best friends growing up are a guy named Eugene and the other one was Pepito (his name is actually Jose). They both had jeeps in their family.They used them often. My family had this 1960 Chevy Bel Air. We called it the Bat Mobile because of its wings.... and it was big!!! We also had other friends, some drove vehicles. Anyway, most of the time, it was Pepito and Eugene that would have their jeeps available at a moment's notice. We would go anywhere, anytime, day or/and night, rain and/or shine. We would get ourselves drunk, in trouble, out of trouble, do favors, do civic service, go play tennis, do anything. But, we were together most of the time. One or the other would have his girl friend to take notice of what we were doing and we would calm ourselves for a while. I was the odd man out, so to say, because I was the one with out a girlfriend at the time. Yes, I wanted to have a girlfriend, I like either this one or that one or the one over there, but never really had one....

You see, Eugene was a medical student. He went to medical school but after a yr as a med proper, he enlisted in the US Air Force (one yr after I graduated as an Engineer and left to join the US Navy). Pepito, I think did finish Law school. However, he is now in the states, and into law, but I don't really know if he is a lawyer.

I guess what I'm saying is that... I may have been the odd man out, but, I was not too good of an influence on them either. I have to admit, I was a little wild in my own way and I may have led these 2 guys astray a little to far. I just hope that they can forgive me if I have ruined their futures a little bit. Both these guys were valedictorians in high school. I was just a 3rd honorable mention in my graduating class. They could have gone so much farther.....

3. I close my eyes and I see the white sandy beaches of the home shores. I see the green young rice plants in the paddies and the water and the bamboo groves and the mango trees and the river's edge with clear flowing water.

I see the pathways between all the shrubbery leading to the hill tops around our town. I see faces that are still etched in my memory. I not only see them but feel their friendship and warmth because they'll always be there. I see our house. My grandmother. My Mom and Dad and Sisters and Brothers when we were still younger.

I smell the food cooking either in the in-door kitchen or our out-door dirty-kitchen. I am toasting a morning dose of Ginebra with my dad with freshly caught fish as pulutan. Life is so good..... ..... then I open my eyes and I am 46 yrs old again.

Hala! Back to reality.

--- In ZambalesForum2@.... danbluemelanie@n... wrote:

1. i grew up going to our farm with my dad and my brothers. since i was the only girl, my dad never let me ride a carabao's back, which got me mad most of the times. i remember walking the long, long way to the middle of the ricefields just to tell my parents that i want to go home. we had a big mango tree near the farmhouse which my brothers & i climbed all the time, not to mention the fact that it produced really sweet fruits during summer. there was also a river nearby where we'd swim after a tiring day. and i remember going to church every week. then my mom would go to the "palengke" while the rest of us would go to a little restaurant for our weekly treat... HALO-HALO.

2. it's babette (the daughter of the hospital director)... she was my classmate from kinder all through high school... it was weird when we went to separate colleges... and my cousin, L.A... we lived so close that sometimes, her dad would come & get me late at night coz she wants to play...

3. i went to iba during high school, though we lived in candelaria. we had to travel every week, monday mornings then friday afternoons... we'd see all the green ricefields along the way... and there's this really beautiful scenery in palauig, where the road goes to the top of the hill and you can see everything down it... we called it the zigzag road, though it's not really a part of the zigzag one. when we reach it, it'll signal that the true zigzag road is near...and we hated it coz it makes us sick... it makes me feel good just thinking of the green fields... it soothes the eyes... and now, it soothes the soul & mind...

"Behold... I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with ME..." Revelations 3:20

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