the clansmen and I

I'm a clansman, there's no doubt about that. i even represent two clans, which makes me a double-clansman. now please don't confuse that with the words KLANSMAN and DOUBLE-CROSSER coz i didn't spell it that way.

my dad's clan and my mom's clan merged perfectly - not only in my personality but also in my DNA. and this year was special for me because these clans were brought together - respectively, in an unprecedented manner.

the Moreno clan (my dad's) Saturday, June 7, 2014:

this reunion was put together within a few hours by phone and it's amazing how it turned out to be very successful. only the members outside the vicinity of LA and Loma Linda were not able to attend.

L-R: Mon, King, Royce, Bing, Ethel, me and Mer. these guys (minus my sister and me of course) are the kids of my dad's look-alike kid brother. our fathers came from a brood of 8 siblings of poor fisherfolk. our fathers were the gutsy guys who ventured out to improve their lot. these first degree cousins of mine all found their way to america. i am so glad to have found them again after we have been separated for decades.

BCD tofu house at Irvine California was the venue. we got there ahead of everybody and Mon was the first one we met. he is the only guy who was able to maintain the forest on top of the hill. the rest of us succumb to the drought LOL.

Bing, the youngest sibling has been in touch with us by facebook and yet it was soo good to see her again. looks like she's very adept with the chopsticks, which Ethel tries to imitate with her fingers LOL.

Royce a.k.a. Albert - that's the name of their dad, was the only child who is the copyright of his dad. i was really amused observing him gesture while speaking, walking and even his facial mannerisms mimicked his dad. it made me miss my favorite uncle so much. here he's trying to figure out the best way to hold the chopsticks while Mon a.k.a. lito lapid II, explains how he was able to keep his young and innocent looks.

King, this cousin was some years younger than me and he, Mer and Bing were the toddlers-babies when we used to visit them in Manila. he has a distinct way of minimizing barber and shampoo expenses that i am also good at.

the Moreno's are known to have good tastes, and that is evident in the gorgeous women that they tied themselves down with for life. Del and Jing have remained young and gorgeous even while their hubbys grew bald.

Mer is for Almer, and he's the tallest and most resembles our great grandfather - confucius. i didnt see his wife around in our reunion and i still have to ask him why he didnt bring her along.

true to the name of the resto, we had tofu in every dish.

the Jimenez clan (my mom's) Sunday, June 8, 2014:

the entire clan in America (minus of course some who couldn't make it). the reunion was held at the verdugo park in glendale and it was Ronnie/Eve, Yvonne, auntie Pina and Jingjing who prepared the place and cooked the sumptuous feast.

the remnant. they represent the second generation considering that lolo Francisco and lola Cirila were the first generation. only one other sibling is alive in manila. this guys were the superstars in the reunion and i wish they could still be around in the reunions that are to come.

the third generation first degree cousins. i am the only one who isn't residing in america. the tallest guy - Ernie, couldn't forget about his picking my wallet from my pocket about 50 years ago. i didnt tell him that i was traumatized by this incident and that's why i can't sing as good as he. he and Ronnie are stockholders at the sta. anita holdings... where they hold horses.

the fourth generation. these kids don't really care much about this reunion. at their level they would rather start their own clan.

delegates of the Cobangbang family. They drove from Sn Francisco and Las Vegas just to be present. seeing these guys added more joy to my trip to the U.S.

the best cooks in the world. they have been known in the their community in the Philippines to be very good cooks and celebrations are always yummy with their dishes. when they came to america... the good food came with them. this is the Eduardo Jimenez family. Yvonne still remains to be the most beautiful cousin in "this side of the world." i have to make sure about this declaration, because another cousin in pasig might raise hell if i didn't say it right.

The Myape family. if america had columbus, the jimenez clan has the Myapes. my aunt Esther, the matriarch of this family was the first Jimenez to land on the shores of the new world. there she raised this family and provided financial aid to the 'indios' left in the homeland. from that fountain of love we lesser beings managed to obtain our diplomas and live a better life.

the delegation from oklahoma and texas: Uncle Rolly and wife and Jay and wife. they drove all the way just to attend this reunion and the wedding of my sis' daughter. golf and meeting other friends were also in their to-do list.

should i describe this photo? ah yes, this is Priscilla Jimenez-Moreno's family. my sis is the only representative for her family. this group flew all the way from third-world thailand to attend this clan reunion and in a way were the catalyst for the reunion.

the lady attendees catching up with each other

the male attendees with less feathers

that's the surgeon (uncle Bob) and his patient. he did the surgery on top of the dining table after dinner. assisting him was aunt Esther. the surgery took out some part of me LOL.

this kids grew up together in three different places: the hundred islands, baesa and bukidnon. this reunion with them meant so much to me.

that's a special cousin (Irma) - the eldest among us first-degree cousins. she helped put me through medical school.

Robert Jr... all the while i was imagining that we could have been good buddies/partners because we share the same passion for sports. it's only that we didnt have the chance to bond coz he grew up in america. this time he smuggles in some red wine so that i could have a toast with him.

the long table loaded with delicious food by the Eduardo Jimenez family. i ate non-stop from the time we got in to the time we left. we also hauled away some left-overs that carried us through the next meal.

Yvonne and her hubby. he took charge of grilling the steak and he was such a gracious host. i'm glad to have met this new cousin.

late-comers: Jingjing's daughter, and...

... Robert jr.'s daughter - the lady in the short dress.

Kailee and an uncle, LOL

they wanted these young boys to kneel and our backs and knees gladly obliged 

birds of no feathers flock together. time was when these guys made music to watch girls go by. one was really good at catching birds, the other cooked them right while the other helped himself to the delicious meal. you need a 6th sense to make out the moral of this story. LOL

that's the drinking 101 class with the homeroom adviser. 40 years ago these guys made sure their uncle took them out for some drinks whenever it was payday. in this reunion it only happened that the rules in the park do not allow the bringing in of alcohol beverage or else we could have converted the afternoon into one big 'happy hour.'

i praise and thank God for giving me this rare opportunity to bond with family. i'm back at my corner in Bangkok but i have brought your hugs and kisses with me. these photos will also carry me through until we see each other again.

saints in the city of sin

18 of them left Bakersfield one balmy morning for the state of Nevada. first and foremost in their minds was the cheap shopping at the factory outlets at Barstow before they would lay siege and attack the city that nightly throbbed with gamblers and merrymakers.

the caravan was composed of these two vans plus

Ariel's red Mazda 6

this hulking navy dude was captain of the ship

 and his dad was the skipper of the other van... at 75 mph this dude can still make guapo for the cam, but he is...

...oblivious to the fact of his missus' collage activity. the other dame is fast asleep while visions of factory outlet 

goods danced in her head.

 we went through some mountains with hundreds of bird-swatters

 first stop: Barstow's famed factory outlet

 "why only one... you should have bought 5"

we rendezvous with Sugar at the las vegas premium outlets
and she had some presents for us. thanks Sug.

Hilton Grand Vacation suites was their home for 3D/2N

elevator overload at Caesar's

they would rather pose than gamble

'

 "the night is young... and so are we"

iconic sculptures behind 

the next day it is hoover dam. shes got the hat, shades, sunscreen lotion, etc.

the hat is no match for the gusts of wind

posing wherever there is something worth taking

the best buffet in the nevada desert

miles and miles of delicious food. beer and wine 

is also unlimited

noah hit the jackpot when he tried his hand at the slot machine. the bet for this was 1$

this navy guy monument is everywhere and we had to give 
in to the urge to imitate them. Ben and Ethel are in a 
pose reminiscent of baptism by immersion.

noah almost got it except for the lips. actually noah started at the neck and was working his way up to the lips.

the selfie queen of las vegas - Yingying (a cousin), shows up with Macie at the hotel and we do what Ying is very good at - selfie.

another night out. this time we distanced ourselves from 

the kids and ventured from the southernmost part of 

the strip to the Fremont street experience north of the strip.

the next day was brunch at jollibee

before we hit the road for L.A.

another factory outlet - "fashion outlets of las vegas" at the nevada/california stateline. "oh no, where do we put all your bags?"

that same day we drove into south LA and checked in

at this inn for Aya's graduation which was the 

next day's activity