Communion from the Pope

Communion with Pope JPII

I was going over my files in my old zip disks since I just installed the iomega zip driver in my new notebook. I came across this photo which was one of our most memorable trip.

My parents and I were given the privilege to hear mass near the Pope and most of all receive communion from him.

Actually the other members of our tour group were ecstatic since they were allowed to sit right in front of the altar where the Pope was saying mass (Well dad was the only St. Gregory Papal Awardee in the country during that time). There must have been several hundreds of thousands of people out in St Peters square during that time since it was Easter Sunday. It was telecast live all over the world.

Yes it was special and solemn but guess what? Something went wrong with my contact lens before we left the hotel so had to wear my eyeglasses.

I knew the Vatican official photographer was going to take our photo while we receive communion so I took my glasses off (haha vanity indeed!). Now the problem went like this. The middle aisle was an incline. There were some cobbled stone, so I had to walk so slooooooooowly in order not to trip. Yes still crazy me in spite of the solemnity of the situation.

Visiting the patient

DOV

Norelyn and I visited Dennis last night at his very mediterrenan abode in makati.

Here is our patient with his brace ordered to lie down in bed for a month so his bones will heal fast. The workoholic though that he is, I learned he calls meetings in his make shift suite at the ground floor of the house.

His mac is always by his side so he wont miss an important detail at work. As we entered his house we noticed a Globe Broadband van parked just outside. It seems he is shifting from pldt to globe due to some unfortunate experience of outages which I sometimes experience with my infocom account specially past midnight.

I guess after a month our good old friend will be back in the golf course and with his other loved sport, underwater hockey!

A helicopter crash?

helicopter crash

A few weeks ago while I was meeting at the Pen, I received a call from Norelyn saying our good friend Dennis Valdes was involved in a copter crash in India as gathered from the wife of one of his companions.

I got so shocked and thought of calling Paolo to confirm and get an update. Paolo said someone in the family was going to fly to India and it seemed it was more of a hard landing, whatever that means, and maybe Dennis is going to be on braces for sometime.

I texted Dennis then but then realized if his phone was with him then it might no longer be functioning.

A week or two later I received a text from Dennis which at first I didnt really recognize since aparently he was using a smart phone (I just had his globe number). I just realized it was him when I got a similar text from Edna who forwarded the same message from him.

I didnt know that he was at makati med when he texted. Edna just mentioned it later. Although we wanted to visit, we are sure he would prefer to rest and be with family.

A few days ago, Dennis sent the photo above and emailed a blow by blow account (almost Robert Grisham-like) of what really happened when they tried landing in Mumbai from New Delhi.

It was just like in the movies! Imagine an SOS ambulance suddenly materializing and airlifting him from Mumbai straight to Manila!

I wondered why the Inquirer didnt carry the story :)

The South Beach Challenge

Its been more than two weeks and I sometimes feel like a bunny with the all the greens I have to eat for lunch, snack or dinner.

There is usually one "heavy' meal made up of either fish, lean pork or meat. The meaty portion is usually served dinner but if so, lunch is only cold soup which I am not used to.

I like the breakfast which is almost always an omelette or my favorite spinach ricotta square. Am trying to check on the recipes in the book so I will be able to cook the meals myself later.

Unfortunately I dont have an oven in the condo and I think the ricotta squares are baked.

Lost some 10 pounds when I was faithfully following it but then after a week, there were times I cheated specially when I have a meeting outside so average loss is only around 8 lbs.

Not bad I guess for I am sick and tired of fast weight loss. It just comes back as fast.

I finished phase 1 (two weeks) and just started on the modified phase 1 with some fruits being added to the daily meal.

Gosh this is expensive but maybe worth it.