Update Pic

Taken at SteveSantos Residence in West Avenue (1969) . In caption, left to right Dennis Abella, Eddie Francisco, Phantz Jamlang and Dickson Foo

Another Letter from Dennis A to SteveSantos

Dearest Steve,

You'll most likely be surprised by this "out of nowhere" e-mail of mine, nonetheless, I am sending it with the utmost eagerness and the ardent hope that all is well with you to the max. "Wow"...gaano na bang katagal noong last time nagkita tayo kina Pantz or is it at your lovely house in Zamboanga St., QC playing "billiards"? 'Tho it has been ages, i still can vividly recall the unforgettable times we

delightfully shared especially during our high school moments! "Trip" talaga whenever I look back and indulge in some heartwarming remininiscing.

Unfortunately, I have virtually no news at all about you but I can surely say that siguradong "famous na famous" ka na ngayon sa "arts" environment d'yan..di ba? Miski noon pa man, the "die had already been cast"...assuring you of your well-deserved spot within the artistic confines of our country...ang tanong lang eh kung da-daigin ang reputasyon at kakayahan ng er-pats...the ever famous "Malang!" Will there be a notch etched higher than "Kosme the Cop?"...to which I'm more than certain that it definitely shall or probably already is! How much does an average painting of yours fetch nowadays in your "one-man shows?" Masmataas pa ba sa Brod ko na si Jonah Salvosa...also a friend of yours who is now a well known international and acclaimed artist! Incidentally, our fraternity, Pi Omicron, shall be having a December Baguio re-union and I truly wish that I can make it...really wouldn't miss it for the world and at the same token, afford me the chance to see and enjoy the company of our kalog "for the boys!" I'm really dying to partake in a "long overdue re-union"...lalong lalo na after viewing the nostalgia-triggering pictures at the website that you magnificently created. Thanks to your aristic vituosity...nababawasan ang mga lungkot at pagaasam naming mga naandito. Sana nga lang, there'd be more input from everybody else to make it much more exciting and enjoyable. Pero...oks na oks pa rin!

With regards to me, I'm pretty much "okay lang" naman. I have a handsome son who is now 26 years of age (buti na lang nakuha ang genes ko) from my divorced wife, a niece of the now-deceased Gov. Joe B. Lingad and am presently residing here in San Jose, California after briefly living in New York City. I currently assist in the operation of our family business (medical facility) and will probably be until I become a full-fledged and certified "kun-doktor!" Or a "faith healer" at the least!

I'm writng this in the midst of my "break" so am sending it to you "ahora mismo." Hope to hear from you soon and may God continue to bless you with good health and great opportunities. Also a warm (bumubulusok) regards to everybody!

Sincerly,

dennisabella

Memorabilia 64 Grade 7

From Dennis Abella

Emailed to Rene Rodriguez July 18 2008

31 years to be exact

Ngaaaaaawskiiiiiiiiiiiii,

Ano naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Kumusta ka na ba d'yan? ((((( Wow pare! )))))) "Yamamams na!" "Dehins na...yon-nga na!" Well, I fervently hope and pray that this e-mail of mine reaches you in the midst of prosperity and well-being, especially with your family. Who would've thought that after all these seemingly long lost years of "incommunicado," (31 years to be exact)...our cyber paths would intersect once again! Of course, nothing would surpass the thrill of an actual get-together there (sana sa lalong madaling panahon...depende sa 6 na numerong binobola tuwing linggo)... but these short yet effective electronic missives that we hopefully shall be sending to one another from hereunto, are truly more than enough to compensate for the absence of the "real thing." It is indeed truly wonderful that the once dormant communication lines, have finally and at long last, been re-established. So let the "tsismis" commence!

My eyes had a tremendous feast savoring the photos ( 2002 and Pantz's recent homecoming re-unions ) that Arthur sent me...while the pangs of envy and nostalgia painfully rung in my chest. Tipong "trip down memory lane" ang a-mats! Most were familiar faces to which I instantly recognized but there were some that took a lot of imagination... to retrieve and identify "who's who." Marcial Samson and Ray Bueno were in fact, the toughest! It was strainfully difficult for me ... buti na lang my "alzheimer's" is still at it's early and formative stages! I'm also deeply appreciative and thankful for your benevolence in assuming the arduous task as the designated "chronicler of events"...kindheartedly documenting "da happenings" of the '"for the boys"...providing us here with graphic narrations spiced up with a refreshingly humurous touch! Muchos kudos! Manang-mana kay "er-pats"...reminiscent of his media days as a columnist of Bulletin Today. Di ba?

As for me, fortunately I'm still alive and kicking. Divorced with 1 son (26 years old now) and pretty much "hanging in" here in San Jose, California helping out in the family business (medical facility) for quite some time now. My eldest sister being a doctor (a practicing pediatrician) at ako naman ay isang "assisting kun-doctor!" Life nowadays is very much a "struggle"...with the rising cost of fuel (almost $5.00 a gallon) and almost all the "essentials" as well, the depleted real estate market aggravated by the alarming increase in unemployment...frightening indicators of our "worst of times"...it's really a miracle that somehow we still manage to survive! The once touted perception that America being the "land of honey and opportunity" is rapidly losing it's essence and appeal...overshadowed by the emergence of the newly strong and solid "global markets." Pahirap na ng pahirap ang buhay dito...buti pa siguro dyan na may "Wowowie at Luningning" to alleviate matters!

Let's call it quits for now as this is turning to be quite a "novel" now. I hope to be hearing from you ASAP. May God bless you and your family. Always take care too!

Sincerely,

dennisabella

P.S. (Por-got Something)

Mike Tagle I heard went back there and is now living at John Hay up in Baguio! If so, send my regards to him as well as "everybody"else...Dickson, Jale, Koots, Monty, Ray, Marcial et al! I almost forgot...also to your beloved cousins...Boyie and Anton!

Ditto

Rey 'Koots' Castaneda Birthday Bash

Many Thanks to Rene Rodriguez for the photos.
Taken January 6 2008

Tony Benasa, Rene Rodriguez and Monty Sarabia

Pantz

Update: Farewell Party
http://jasms70.blogspot.com/2007/12/farewell-party-for-pantz.html
Reunion 4 Photos Partially uploaded:
http://jasms70.blogspot.com/2007/12/reunion-4.html

Jan 18 2008
To the greatest bunch of people I know

(translation: Pinaka-pangit na mga tao sa mundo*),

That was certainly an incredible ride. I had to wait a little bit to get settled back down and let everything sink in. Everything was happening so quickly and realizing too that it might be the last time I see some if not most of you, so you could probably understand all the mixed emotions I had. And looking back, it was grand. Seeing you guys again and the warm reception you gave me and my family was just overwhelmingly pleasing. It is probably why I never got to have close friends here in the States. You guys set the bar so high, and I'm so proud of that. Not only did we go ablaze as a group, but one-on-one had their stories as well. To think. back then we had this everyday, 7 days a week. Pardon a cliche, but how true it is that you don't realize what you have until you lose it. But for 2 weeks I had it back, and I felt so rich with friends, even royalty in the way you guys treated my family.

To some of you whom I spent most all of my nights in the city, I enjoyed them a lot and appreciate you making them happen. Ngaws, I heard a disco sound and guess what came to mind, a big guy holding his fedora hat while making his moves, remember? To some of you who since then were lost and were never heard from, you don't know how much I appreciate your coming. To all of you, even my brother Froi who is the only 'Brad Pitt' in a gathering of Pongs* (runs in the family, the Pitt not the Pongs), who obviously likes our group having chosen some of you to be part of his wedding entourage way back, I am enormously grateful for all your generosity and effort and totally exalted by how you received us after all these years. I'm so glad we went back when we did to see us all in fairly good condition and situations. It is good to remember you all in the way I saw you, happy and vibrant, for we are all getting old much too quickly. I love you all and hope to see you again soon.


Pantz


* Exceptions: Wives and children