Photo Memories of Our Younger Years

Macrine and I treasured the following photos as we count our blessings celebrating our 62nd wedding anniversary in this whole month of May, 2019. We thank you Lord everyday and until our last breath on this Planet-Earth.

Me and Eric(RIP), 1937

Macrine and Sister Guia(RIP), 1939

My Boys Scout Years( 1945-1946)

My Elementary School Graduation Photo, 1947

Monthly Socials, University of the Philippines, 1952

Macrine, BS degree in Commerce graduation with Parents( Bernardo Jambalos and Elena Nieva),1956

Honeymoon, Quezon City.

Wedding Day-May 8, 1957

Wedding Cake Ceremony, May 8, 1957 -Notice the miniature replica of the Circular Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice, Diliman as the cake decor

Today is Carenna's 16th Birthday

Carenna and Mom playing mahjong with me last Sunday ( Mother's Day)

I am really getting old in age if not in mind/spirit as Macrine and I celebrate our youngest grand daughter 16th birthday today. Carenna is the only daughter of our youngest daughter, Ditas. Macrine and I love her very much and indeed are very proud of her accomplishments so far. She is a singer and song writer and getting straight A's in her high school class. Again, Happy Birthday, Little Pangga!

For more details on her singing and song writing activities visit her Face Book page as follows:

https://www.facebook.com/CarennaKTmusic/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

Playing Mahjong with Ditas and Carenna

Carenna received an advance gift( a mahjong set) on her coming 16th birthday this coming May 14(tomorrow). We played after lunch yesterday.

Macrine watching us playing mahjong after lunch yesterday Mother's Day lunch.

Have you heard of a tile game called Mahjong? I learned this tile game when I was a child. It is mostly a game of luck, once you learned the basics of the game. This tile game is similar to the card game, gin rummy, but played with tiles. It is a game that most Filipina housewives are addicted to. I am sure if you reside in the Philippines or Hongkong, this game must be very familiar to you. You may be even addicted to it.

My mother taught me as well as my brothers and sisters how to play mahjong when we were growing up in the Philippines. We have two mahjong sets in the house. The cheap one was made of plastic which we used quite often and the expensive one made of ivory. The one made of ivory, we only used on special occasion when we celebrate birthdays, weddings and other special events when I was growing up in the Philippines.

According to my mother, I started playing mahjong very well when I was only 5 years old. It is a game of luck with a little skill involve once you learn the basics. I also learned how to play a card game called "Pangingue" in the Philippines, probably similar to pinochle, but different from gin rummy. Mahjong can be played on line or you can buy a disk and play it in your computer.

I have a disk (Hongkong mahjong) in my computer, but it has been a while since I played this game. Mahjong like any gambling game is very addictive. I have close relatives in the Philippines that died of tuberculosis(TV) because they play mahjong almost all day all year round and do nothing else. Unbelievable, but true.

Mahjong rules and specifics varies from region to region in the Philippines, but it is still a favorite past time of the middle class in the Philippines. A lot of Filipina housewives are addicted to mahjong. Besides mahjong there are two card games popular in Marinduque and other parts of the Philippines are PIKWA and TONG-IT. A number of housewives in my neighborhood in Amoingon, Boac, Marinduque play Tong-it every afternoon, both for recreation and a little gambling activity. We play Tong-it during a party break as a family game but no betting involved, when we are in Marinduque.

For rules and instruction how to play Mahjong read Wikipedia or ask a friend or relative for a demonstration. Once you learned the game, be careful it could be very, very addictive. But again, it is an excellent way to get rid of your boredom and the long, long hot summer in the Philippines.

The Week Prior to Our Wedding Anniversary

Macrine enjoying a beautiful spring day in our patio-April 26, 2019

This coming May 8 ( a Wednesday-work day) will be exactly 62 years when Macrine and I got married in the Philippines. Two weeks ago, I had planned a get-together of relatives, friends and neighbors to join us in this memorable event in our life. Because May 8 is a work day, I asked our relatives and friends of two possible days that may be convenient for the majority. At first, I decided on May 12. With a few exceptions all of my future guests responded they will not be able to attend since it is Mother's Day. So I decided that May 5* ( Cinco de Mayo-big Mexican-American Festivities) is the day. As of this writing date, only ten are planning to attend.

The other day, I also received some bad news from the Philippines. Macrine's sister, Sister Guia( Cenacle) is seriously ill. Macrine's two other sisters here in the US are going home to the Philippines to be by her side on her last days of life.

I am a little bit disappointed that only half of my invited guests are coming. Macrine and I will celebrate our 62nd wedding anniversary with honey-baked ham, Pancit, Kare-kare and a few other Pinoy dishes. I have ordered the cake from our local French Pastry Shoppe. It is an orange-chiffon cake decorated with fresh fruits. The orange-chiffon cake was a significant item and was a catalyst in our May 8, 1957 marriage( sixty two years ago) as discussed in my autobiography (https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/2013/05/today-is-our-56th-wedding-anniversary.html).

The following five photos: Our Wedding Day, 25th Wedding Anniversary, 50th Wedding Anniversary, 55th wedding anniversary and 60th wedding anniversary.

Wedding Day, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines, May 8,1957

Silver Wedding Anniversary, Pinole, California,USA, May 8,1982

Golden Wedding Anniversary, Boac, Marinduque, May 8, 2007

Macrine and I, May 8, 2012.-Our 55th Wedding Anniversary-Fair Oaks, California

Our 60th Wedding Anniversary-May 8, 2017

*https://davidbkatague.blogspot.com/2013/05/cinco-de-mayo-celebration-and-sales.html

The Origin of the Filipino Race-Revisited

Si Malakas at Maganda (The Strong and the Beautiful)

Sometime in the early 1970's, I was invited as a guest speaker by the Lions Club in Kansas City, Missouri. They requested that I talked about The Filipino-American War (1898-1902) and also the Japanese-American War(I941-1945). My knowledge of the first war was from books that I have read. However, I have personal knowledge of the second war having written an article about my childhood memories of that War( see video at bottom of this page).

In my speech class in college, I was taught that in giving a speech, start with a joke to put your audience and you at ease. Preferably your joke should be related to your topic. So this is my joke. Do you know the origin of the Filipino Race?

Evidently, when God created mankind, he molded the human form using clays and an oven. The first time, he was doing this, God was so excited that he took what he was baking too soon. The human clay was under cooked or underdone. So it was pale and white. That was the origin of the White Race. God was not happy, so he started to bake another human form. This time he got a telephone call from Satan. God was upset he forgot about what he was doing and the baking over done, the human form was overcooked, and turned black. This was the origin of the Negro Race. God then told himself. This time It will be perfect. I will watch it very carefully and will not be distracted by any calls. His baking was perfect. The human form was golden brown, and perfectly cooked. This was the origin of the Filipino race.

The following video summarizes the Invasion Of the Philippines by the Japanese as well as the destruction of Manila. Do not forget to view the related videos in this set. This is a must see video for all history enthusiasts and students.


First Posted:2014