2009 SSU alumni homecoming: the parade: part 1

the day's event started with a mass officiated by father pines tabones...

would you believe, there were 2650 shots taken of this event excluding deleted blurred shots? it was a nightmare trimming down to just 20 or so photos for this blog... i found a system although it takes time, it works for me... hehehe...

photos posted don't necessarily mean that they are my favorites among the more than two thousand shots clicked by the trigger happy tandem of myself and my high school bud oliver...

part of the much awaited presentations of any alumni homecoming, so to speak, is the parade... on how ostentatious the preparations and the parade itself, one can gauge how successful the hosting would be...

this year's hosting seemed to have made an indelible impression on the minds of the spectators more so with fellow tradesmen... kudos to the efforts of all the batches who participated and toiled to impress each other and to win the much coveted honor and price money as the best of the bests in different categories.

the day started with a mass... immediately followed by chaos... hahaha... not really... by the parade itself... placing into formation all the batches from the 50's up to the more recent highschool graduates seemed to have stretched vocal cords resulting to loss of voice the following day...

it was an event that stopped traffic for two hours and interestingly, first time i have experienced being on a parade with another motorcade simultaneously happening on the parallel street.

enjoy the photos and reminisce...

cal-apog hideaway...

this place has always been my hideaway after i came back to the island from years of studies twenty eight years ago... eventually becoming a random visit though it remained as one of my favorite places... a very relaxing place that seemed to be untouched by the throng of beach goers... located southwest of the periphery of the city of catbalogan (a few minutes ride from the center) past the more popular beach, it has recently been developed by the new owners...

entrance of ten pesos and a cottage cost at 300 pesos for a whole day use (if needed)... one could while away time looking at the scenery of the lush green mountain and islands, fishermen and community members probably on errands riding boats from the coastal villages nearby... savor the cool breeze of the afternoon... and a dip in the cool waters that eventually ebbs exposing most of the sand shell beach...

standard amenities are available in the place... most importantly for me, running water and a bathroom... and yes, i almost forgot - jetskis are available at 3,000 pesos an hour (very expensive for my standard)...

it was an afternoon of fun with the whole family... what a very accessible and comfortable place... i would prefer to be here on weekdays and non-holidays for i suspect this place would be a blissful quiet place to be on these aforementioned times...

2009 Alumni Homecoming: Kicked off with an outreach program

from afar it looked chaotic. what with hundred children and their parent/guardians milling around, full of excitement of what is in store for them... packed food and yes, toys... it was the outreach program of the batch host of this alumni homecoming...

as one draws closer - one can be entertained with the on-going program having selected/volunteer kids dancing to the tune of the latest music craze... while the adults were gawking and cheering at the 'pliability' of the kids, contorting and distorting themselves - trying to show everyone that he/she is the best dancer... laughter from the crowd would sometimes erupt booming... other kids were waiting for their turn to show their talent in dancing... all eyeing whats in store for them, a small giveaway as a minor prize...

all the kids in this outreach program came from the poor neighborhood of the school... well, others came from adjoining barangays who heard of the program... and they are all here for the feeding program and the giving away of the toys (which were gathered from families of the batch who got unused toys).

this activity is one that got etched in me (and will stay for a long time) as i go around watching kids enjoying newly acquired toys - in which the way i looked at it -- would be their first. might be too much of a presumption on my part but look at the photos...

the pure joy emanating from each of those cherubic faces... pure smile... pure delight to watch... i started choking... fighting tears... what a realization... life can be simple...

sampler: 2009 alumni homecoming parade

the most colorful part of the alumni homecoming is the parade. it has always been a tradition that each batch year of the alumni would come up with their version of the theme. this time, it was most impressive. mardi gras, as the theme, was taken to heart, practicing until early morning or sometimes starting at dawn for the street dancing and the extravagant floats on the day of the parade and costumes. it was this alumni homecoming that set a new standard of hosting.

photos shot by my highschool bud oliver except the second photo. i did the post process...

one sunny afternoon...

the culmination of the week-long activity of the alumni homecoming is the beach party... it was a humid warm afternoon... my buddy oliver (he also came over to attend - haven't seen him for years) took these photos...

revisited: picnic recreation area

much to my pleasant surprise, i found these photo files again. not much of photo quality but these reminds me of the scenery as the sun goes down in the area...

she in her pink dress... micah...

during the celebration of purim... she played Queen Ester... that wasn't difficult letting her wear the tiara - she didnt notice that she was wearing one , for if she does - it would go flying...

again, this dress was sewn by the aunt of my sister-in-law...

with her royal carriage...

micah met a friend in the palace...

one of the interesting things during the grand palace tour was when micah met this interesting icon... a monkey figure... she treated it like it was interacting with her... look at the photos...