Monday, November 26, 2007

Thank You from MHS Batchmate Thelma

I just received a Thank You letter from my h.s. batchmate Thelma:
On behalf of Unisan Elementary School and its 400 students and teachers, Thank you for your donation to our school programs.  This year a snack was provided every Friday to students, fairy tale books in English given to English classes (4th, 6th) grades, toothbrushes, soaps, shampoos to lower grades for hygiene project, sacks of rice, mongo beans and juices delivered to school kitchen as well.
A small start-up library was created to encourage reading.  Donations of old/new academic books or fictional will be much appreciated.
A wish for good health and peace.  Merry Christmas. 
Salamat po!
Sincerely,
Thelma
Chairperson





You're welcome, SkyGoddess Te.  I'm so glad to be of help and giving my commitment to help in your future sweet charity.
Semper eadem (Ever the same)
GoC



Previous Publication 11/26/07  ALT Group MSN Groups
Published 1/20/09 ALT Group Multiply
Web Page: MHS Batchmate

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Spirit of Chicago Holiday Cruise

----- Original Message -----




Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 12:03 PM


Subject: Spirit of Chicago Holiday Cruise


New Message on Association
of Laboratory Technologists



Spirit of
Chicago Holiday Cruise




Reply





Recommend Message 1 in Discussion

From: ALTPresident1


St.
Elizabeth Laboratory (RHC) Invitation


Come
and enjoy the beginning of the holiday season on board the Spirit
of Chicago.

Enjoy a
breathtaking panoramic view of the Chicago skyline, outdoor
strolling decks, exquisite food of holiday cocktail menu, and live
entertainment.



Date:
December 7, 2007

Boarding Time: 6:00pm

Sailing
Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Location: Navy Pier


Cost:
$70.00 per person


*Please
RSVP by November 15,2007 to Margaret C. Sanchez via e-mail at mcsanchezcampos@yahoo.com

*tickets are
limited*











  



Published 11/21/07  ALT MSN Group
Web Page: Spirit of Chicago Holiday Cruise


Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving 2007






AMERICAN THANKSGIVING

The very first thanksgiving days were harvest festivals by the first pilgrims in New England.  Their first winter in the colony was cold and brutal.  During the second winter after the summer of 1621, the Plymouth colonists had very good corn harvest.  Governor William Bradford decreed December 13, 1621 a day of feasting and praying - thanking God for plentiful crops.  The women spent many days baking and roasting.  The men went hunting, catching geese, ducks and fish. 



The Indians brought wild turkey and venison (deer meat), as their share.  They ate outdoors at big tables: three days of feasting, praying and singing.



Traditional main menu:

Journey cake
Corn meal bread with nuts
Succotash (a mixture of cooked corn, lima beans and tomatoes)

Yummy dessert: Pumpkin Pie (stewed in maple sap)


On November 26, 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation for a day of thanks.  For many years, there were no regular Thanksgiving Day.  In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation setting aside last Thursday of November.  Each year for 75 years, the president proclaimed that Thanksgiving Day should be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.  But in 1939,  President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated one week earlier to help business by making the shopping period between Thanksgivng and Christmas longer.  Congress finally ruled that after 1941 the 4th Thursday of November would be observed as Thanksgiving Day and a legal holiday.







New Message on Association
of Laboratory Technologists


Happy
Thanksgiving









Reply





Recommend Message 1 in Discussion






From: ALTPresident1


Ever Dear
Relatives, Seasonal Friends, & Batchmates:


Every day, in one way
or another, we say a short prayer of thanks  to the Lord God
up above for all the daily blessings we receive.


I thank you all this
coming Thanksgiving Day for your unending gift of  money,
foods (very, very, very special 'thank you' to  Susan for her
lumpia, eggplant, friend tilapia, Sofie for her barbecue and
palabok, and to  ALT PRO Mila  for pork adobo with lots
of skin-fats and goodies too many to mention) that you know always
give me joy in my eating and other random acts of
kindness.


May God bless you with
friends like you!



Happy
Thanksgiving!

   



GoC (Goddess of
Convenience)


Published  11/20/07 ALT MSN Group
Web Page: Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Simbang Gabi Filipino 2007


** **
SIMBANG GABI FILIPINO
(Night or Evening Mass)
 
It's true, the Filipino people are the most adaptable and assimilated migrants in the world.  Just behind India (2) and China (1) in migration to different countries, immigrants from the Philippines are very highly educated, independent and industrious.  As much as possible, like all Asians, Filipinos in America would like to be responsible citizens and not ask for goods they didn't work hard for.  At the same time, Filipinos who became expatriots would like the many aspects of their previous happy childhood and family memories of the motherland be preserved and celebrated.  One of these aspects is the Christmas tradition of Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Dawn when the Rooster Crows).
How do Filipinos in America integrate this distinctly spiritual custom?  Simbang Gabi in the Philippines began more than 300 years ago as part of Christmas celebration for the Filipino farmers by the Spanish friars who decided that by celebrating these early masses and preaching the Gospel they could implant in the hearts and minds of these poor folks a love and understanding of their Catholic Faith, preserve their Filipino culture and continue the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Simbang Gabi at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Skokie-Evanston, Illinois is celebrated part English and part Filipino.  The lights are dimmed at the beginning of the Mass to make the appearance of the opening dawn, a bell or a native gong is struck, and the whole church is then lighted up when the priest has reached the altar. 
A Filipino choir or band plays traditional carols and religious hymns.  Alleluia! 

Filipino Choir with Conductor Ned and Jhun & Randel (guitars)
After the service, "puto-bumbong," a violet gelatinous rice steamed in a tuber with sugar and grated coconut and "salabat" (ginger tea) were served.  The Simbang Gabi dinner at St. Joan of Arc Parish was muy excellent - there were delicious Filipino dishes and roasted suckling pig, and variety of sweets served by beautifully attired and smiling Filipino servers. 
 
JIM, the Master of Ceremonies, called the hungry eaters table after table around 7:00 P.M.
In the Philippines, by 5:00 A.M., the Mass was over and the men and women were off to work in the farm and rice fields.  Simbang Gabi Filipino in the United States starts on December 16th and celebrated big only once at 5:30 P.M. or 7:00 P.M.  Sometimes, the "real' religious faithful attend the 9 day Mass ending with the Midnight Mass on December 24th. 



  
 
SIMBANG GABI AT THE CHURCH OF ST. ITA
Rev. Noel Reyes of Our Lady of Mercy Church and Rev. Pavlik of St. Ita celebrated the Simbang Gabi Friday, December 15, 2006.
L-R: Mercy, Josie, Susan (St. Ita's Choir), Rev. Reyes, & Budz
L-R: Cora & Vicky with Simbang Gabi servers
The St. Ita Filipino Community 
12202006 Heaven Saints web page    

Places Yosemite

 PLACES
KINGS CANYON
Yosemite National Park
LAB TECHS BEBS & JOSIE requested some weeks off from their hectic lab disciplines and went on a fun road trip to Kings Canyon National Park, a 454,600-acre forest preserve located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of east-central California.  It has some of the highest peaks and deep canyons and contains trees that are more than 2,000 to 3,000 years old.  These trees are considered by many nature lovers and conservationists as a national shrine.  Let's pretend we're traveling side by side with Bebs & Josie as they drove along the roads and wilderness of this famous forest park where many tourists hike or ride horses along the trails of Kings Canyon....


    The General Grant National Park contains the oldest and largest sequoia trees in the United States.  The most famous is General Grant, the second largest tree in the world and named after the foremost Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant.  The General Sherman tree is the largest living thing on earth.
 

Josie had to stop her car along the giant trees (Sequoia Gigantea) because there's a bear on the middle of the road.  There are many bears and deers. Bebs later told folks of their un-bear-able adventure with the animal. 

 

Pictures speak a thousand words....so let 'em speak....

 

In 1940, the General Grant National Park was combined with the Kings River section, a wilderness that has high mountains and deep canyons.
The Kings River lies northeast of Grant Grove. The winding river carves out Tehipite Valley Canyon and Kings Canyon.  The Kings Canyon is about 10 miles long, half mile wide with walls that are 2,500 to 5,000 feet high.  Snow-capped mountain peaks are perfect background for the canyons.  One of the highest peaks is North Palisade (14,254 ft.)



 

 Tranquil and peaceful, a region of sparkling lakes, rushing streams, and jagged mountain edges.



    
Come and visit this most beautiful place with 30 kinds of trees, more than 1,300 varieties of plants, over 60 kinds of animals, and more than 200 species of birds.    

08092006

The Lettermen Concert

LAB TECH CHOICE
THE LETTERMEN
 STOP! You are on the DMT Zone - D for Donovan, M for Mark, and T for Tony - also known as THE LETTERMEN.

This 60's group was the brainchild of Tony Butala, a proud Croatian from Sharon, Pennsylvania.  To their fans and admirers, old and young at heart, they really have not gone away.  For more than 46 years they have performed regularly all over the world, including the beautiful islands of the Philippines.



At their An Evening of Harmony show last October 15 at Northwestern University Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston, Illinois, Donovan told the mostly Filipino audience that he'd been to the Philippines six times.  That he likes Laing (a Bicol dish made of dried gabi leaves, ginger, and coconut milk or gata), Mark drinks San Miguel Beer, and brave Tony - eats balut (duck egg with embryo).  The trio wowed and impressed the audience with their perfect rendition of popular  Filipino love songs - Ikaw (You), Sapagka't Kami Ay Tao Lamang (Because We're Only Human), and Dahil Sa Iyo (Because of You). 


Members of the trio came and went but Tony remained constant and held the musical group together. Donovan and Mark became the Lettermen in the early 80's.  Before joining, Donovan was a Las Vegas singer and Mark was a singer in cruise ships entertaining world travelers. http://www.thelettermen.com
The fabulous handsome trio stayed after the show to graciously sign CDs and photos for their loyal and new fans.
Lab Tech fans Mila and Lib
"Donovan sang solo A Portrait of My Love (Lab) - the Lab Techs Group anthem."
Thank you for a most delightful night of music!
Northwestern University Pick-Staiger Concert Hall








Video

  10192006
Previous Publication 11/7/07  ALT  MSN Groups
Web Page: Lab Tech Choice