Saturday, April 30, 2005

Batch 92 Website

Batch 92 has a website here. it is maintained by Alvin Arcos, who seems to be a geeky kind of guy :-)

the website is a bit on the wierd and funny side. very interesting kaya visit na kayo.

Friday, April 29, 2005

Batch '87 Blog

i was reviewing the comments and saw Tato's post (renato marcial) and followed the originating links and voila! meron palang blog ang Batch 87.

do check it out. nice pix and stories. its maintained by "gibbs"(gilbert cadiz maybe?)

just click on the link above or you can cut and paste this url http://batch87.blogspot.com/

Thursday, April 28, 2005


lain ko masabutan kay nano may necktie si Peewee. Posted by Hello

okay an posing ni eric. kay nano mamunduon c edu? Posted by Hello

kay nano iba-iba an uniform nindo? Posted by Hello

Makabibilib an mga pose nindo! Posted by Hello

Mga Preso Posted by Hello

Grabe magpakyut si Kit. Posted by Hello

"Many are called but only Peewee was chosen." Posted by Hello

Bodies to die for! Nano kamo na year sadi sa college? [picture's from Erwin's Library] Posted by Hello

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Junie and Henri visit Dave Dioneda

On april 24,2005, a sunday, i continued my visits to our classmates who are based in Sorsogon. (It should become clear by now that i'm on a self-appointed mission of bringing each member of our class connected to one another through our blogspot site.) This time Dave Dioneda was on my mission order.

Before i proceeded to Bacon where Dave has taken residence, i made a quick visit to Casiguran to get the email addresses of Mervs and Sanni. On my way to Sorsogon, i dropped by at the house of Gabby where i learned from a cousin of his that Gabby works at the main office of the National Dairy Authority and that Gabby is now studying at the Ateneo de Manila University under the sponsorship of his office.

My next stop was Henri's place at the Dairy Farm. I needed someone to accompany me to the house of the auntie of Dino to ask about Dino's whereabouts. Henri fitted that bill perfectly.

The guide, however, ended up stuck with me the whole afternoon of my visit to Dave although he had a date [with a human being, mind you] that afternoon.

But before we went to Bacon, i made sure that Henri got a tour of our blogspot site in an internet cafe in Sorsogon City. He liked what he saw and pledged to post pictures and articles of his own. [I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does this soon.]

After the internet visit, we boarded a PUJ bound for Bacon. When we got a little past the San Roque Church, Dave was already waiting for us on the roadside. His place was around seven minutes by foot from the highway. It's accessible by car, however,as long as no other car is coming from the opposite direction.

Dave has settled in an almost-one-hectare property, living the life of a farmer. He has been raising animals (goats, cows, pigs) and growing various plants (lemon trees, lettuce,papaya, cassava [not stained with cyanide, i hope]for a living.
During our visit, his children (all girls: twins Isabel Lindsey and Isabel Tracey and the youngest, Shula Cassandra) were with him. Most of the time, they're in Tandang Sora,Quezon City with their mother (Lualhati Santos who's with SM Corporate Office).

I'm tempted to write more about the life of Dave, but i wouldn't want to preempt what he would like to say about himself in an article that he promised he would post on this site soon. Suffice it to say that Dave has raised his children well. They're well behaved, obedient and respectful of elders. With just a look or a little instruction, Dave gets the children to do what he wants them to do.

When i noted that his children were well behaved, Dave said it's because he's a disciplinarian. A disciplinarian? I couldn't bring myself to believe that Dave was a disciplinarian. Truth to tell, i have always admired Dave for his simplicity, for his humility. But being a disciplinarian sounded so out of his character.

But it just shows, perhaps, that i have not really known Dave well enough. The better thing to do now is to wait for his article to come out. i think i'll know him better through his article. Perhaps, that applies to many of our classmates, too.

Junie

Dave's children have taken it upon themselves to shepherd the goats (hidden from view) from the pasture to the barn around 6 pm.  Posted by Hello

Dave's children, twins Isabel Lindsey, Isabel Tracey, and Shula Cassandra, spend their summers with their father in San Roque. A week before the opening of classes in June, they will be back in their mother's arms in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. The twins (incoming Grade One students) will attend classes in an elementary school run under the UP system while the youngest is enrolled in a nursery school.  Posted by Hello

Dave has acquired an almost-one-hectare property in San Roque, Bacon District. He divides his time between farming and raising his family in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. Posted by Hello

Why did i have the feeling that Henri was "at home na at home" in the farm of Dave? *Junie* Posted by Hello

Monday, April 25, 2005


dave has pitched tent in his yard for a slumber party with his children under the full moon Posted by Hello

Kit Gacias' home on the web

i accidentally found kit's website while googling for his name. originally i was searching for ely noel dino then erlano gacias' name just came to my mind. i googled it and out came some interesting stuff. seems like kit is a budding writer.

here is is Kit Gacias Website. mostly his writings -- pretty heady stuff-- one of his writeup is entitled "Towards An Hermeneutics Of The Word Oragon". wow di ba? its interesting reading actually. nice work kit!

also it seems he's planning to publish a book. anyways go visit his website.

Friday, April 22, 2005


What's Henri laughing about? ***junie*** Posted by Hello

Is this a pedicure session? ***junie*** Posted by Hello

spiritual session interrupted by the cameraman. Posted by Hello

giving pointers on how to sweep away the colegialas without really trying. ***junie*** Posted by Hello

What's this session about? Mysticism? Hypnotism? The Occult? Aphrodisiacs? Korean Bugs? Posted by Hello

a perfect example of contrast (he-he-he). ***junie*** Posted by Hello

graduation picture Posted by Hello

graduation picture

i rummaged through my files yesterday and found this picture. hope this brings back memories
hope you can also post pictures from our seminary days.

junie

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Sikat si Sanni

junie just emailed me a the directory of batch 86 and on a whim i started googling for the names of our classmates. most turned up nothing (i wonder why) but two results were interesting. gabby lagamayo turns out has been dabbling in linux programming and sanni gargallo was featured in the sunday inquirer magazine.

anyways here's the full text i lifted. its about a year old. hope we make contact with sanni who i learned has migrated to the states.


Making music to win votes with
Posted:9:22 AM (Manila Time) | Jan. 11, 2004
By Emir Emano Gamis
Inquirer News Service


(http://www.inq7.net/mag/2004/jan/11/text/mag_5-1-p.htm)


ELECTIONS for Sanni Gargallo, 34, is what Christmas is for retailers. It's peak season for this musician-composer and owner of G-Cliff Media Productions, which this early has become a must-stop for local politicians and campaign managers in Sorsogon province.

He did about 50 jingles during the last elections in 2001, but it's not so much the number of clients he's after, he says. He'd rather that his songs and ditties become local anthems in the whole province, popular fare hummed by voters and kibitzers alike.

At 15,000 pesos negotiable fee for every political jingle, Sanni made good business, having cornered 70 percent of the clients' needs in Sorsogon. He expects at least 30 clients this coming national elections, and is targeting "a 100 percent saturation," he claims.

His trade secret could be his versatility. A former bass guitarist of the neo-ethnic group Tanglaw Sining, Sanni can produce political jingles to suit the image his clients want to project. "Some politicians don't want popular jingles, especially those who are banking on a formal image. But the younger candidates go for the likes of the Sex Bombs' catchy tunes as come-ons to their rallies," he says.

"Mr. Suave," says Sanni, has become very popular with the masses and may be the choice of most politicians even in the Bicol region. His biggest competitor, he says, are music pirates, those who make karaoke records armed with nothing but a minus-one and some lyrical savvy, and who can thus afford to quote a much lower fee for their services.

But making music is hardly a seasonal service for Sanni. It's something he can't help, he says, as he traces his musical talent to his genes. His late grandfather played the violin, his mother is a pianist and his maternal relatives have a natural bent for music.

Ironically, getting into music as a profession had not been easy for this fifth in a brood of six. As a Communication Arts student in Trinity College, Quezon City, Sanni had to juggle his time between his studies and his job as crew in a chicken restaurant along Quezon Avenue. But getting into the glee club was a dream even if it meant spending extra hours in school. To Sanni's frustration however, he was turned down after an audition.

Still, talent will win out and soon, Sanni found himself with Tanglaw Sining, a "neo-ethnic group that showcased alternative music." From there, he formed Bandala, a pop music group that performed neo-ethnic music in Manila and pop music in the Bicol region.

Sanni himself turned out compositions by bulk in the frenzied hope to have his songs heard by everyone. His enthusiasm and diligence once landed him as a finalist in a nationwide song festival, where he performed with the singer Jaya.

Although Bandala submitted demos to reputable recording studios in Manila in the hope of getting the big break, he never did. Eventually, the band members parted ways and Sanni ended up working as a production manager in a known Bicol radio station.

"It was one of the things that encouraged me to put up G-Cliff, thinking that homegrown artists from the provinces don't really have a place in Manila."

Using up his savings from two years of working as production manager, Sanni then started his own media production with a little help from his sister abroad. "I really did some financial planning," he says.

By October of 2000, G-Cliff Media Productions was launched. The following year, Sanni was cited by Entrepreneur Philippines magazine as among the 35 young businessmen to watch out for. He brushes off the honor. "Actually, we started in haste because of the coming elections in 2001. We planned it so we could easily recoup my investment," he adds.

Friends brought in clients, and word of mouth did the rest. "My timing was good because of the elections. We had a strong start." G-Cliff Media Productions, so named after Sanni observed the cliff-like architecture of a portion of the building where the company is housed, has become some sort of landmark in Casiguran town, Sorsogon, the musician claims. "You can tell the driver to drop you off at G-Cliff and they'd know where it is. Maybe it helps give Casiguran a little recognition."

But choosing his hometown for the production studio's location is also a sound business decision. Not only would it be a pioneering venture in Sorsogon, it would also cater to the needs of the nearby provinces of Masbate and Samar. Soon enough, G-Cliff's clientele included not just politicians but also NGOs, business groups and local artists, and musicians from as far as Tabaco and Legazpi City.

Catering to local artists is the biggest reward he's had, says Sanni, who says he identifies strongly with them. "A lot of these artists in Sorsogon need a break, and they have the same talents as those who come from Manila. The difference is maybe the followers, the mass base," he observes.

Citing the group of musician-priests Fathers Ed Fulay, Totoy Alcantara, Alex Jeros and Felix Elegado, Sanni adds, "These artists really have potential; they just need a break."

And that's exactly what G-Cliff gives them, says Sanni. The production house, he says, gives local artists a package that includes arrangement, recording studio time, mastering, mix-down and editing to help them reduce the costs of producing an album. The musicians then sell the record to their contacts themselves.

"It's like underground selling, the way Joey Ayala and Gary Granada did it before. It's hand to hand," he describes. He offers the same package to non-government organizations and government agencies for their advocacy jingles.

Business is good despite the lean months in July and August, and already, G-Cliff has started to venture into video production.

More than the cash receipts, Sanni considers having helped a lot of local musicians in Sorsogon as fulfillment enough. "I have lost my desire to record," he says. "Now that I have my own studio, I already feel fulfilled. Arranging songs for others is where I find joy now. It's something I can't describe."

With dreams of moving to a bigger studio complete with an orchestra, plans of going into further studies and saving up for his next projects in the United States, Sanni Gargallo seems to be playing a rather familiar tune from his not-too-distant past. "I'll take whatever comes to me, " he says, as if his music and good fortune came by sheer serendipity.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Nice Write-up Junie!!!

magayunon an istorya ni junie a. ok an pagkasurat. nano daw junie kun maghimo ka nin blog mo (hal. tungkol sa trabaho mo as mun. administrator?). siguro damo an interesting na kwento.

nakita ko palan sa comments (junie's writeup) nagcomment si bong miaco. di ba siya yung "rocker" nun? impressed ako nun sa kanya kasi na-appreciate niya yung super ingay na sounds tapos andami-andami niyang cassette tapes ng rock music nun. tsaka si larry manda rin one time tinulungan ko yun mag-impake ng tapes niya. grabe, isang duffel bag tapos me tira pa sa cabinet niya.

nagtext pala si kit, sabi, ang nickname daw ng bagong pope ay "Papa Ratzi" :-)

siya, hoy kamo na maelstrom na dili pa dida nagriribok, magpost naman kayo ng kwento niyo.

Monday, April 18, 2005


the park across the street from the churchyard Posted by Hello

the view from the window of Weewee's room Posted by Hello

in front of the function hall and standing directly below his room Posted by Hello

answering interview questions Posted by Hello

inside his room reconstructing the events in his life Posted by Hello