December 31, 2006

Dear Loved Ones,

Happy Christmas to you all and a more Blessed Year 2007 ahead of us!

The year had been very successful for us in terms of achieving more targets than what we set at the beginning of the year - personal, career and other dimensions of life! December started with a bang as Sean and I attended our Willdan Holiday Dinner Party at the Holiday Inn (Dec. 1). The party opened with cocktails, casino games, dinner, and then raffle of prizes. Big surprise to get the 1st item that was raffled off! Enjoyed the ‘magic shining moment’, amidst applause from the 150 white crowd, memorable corporate Christmas party!

Eagerly awaited are two visitors from Pinas since Gerry sent stuff for us through them separately, although both of them took the same PAL plane from Pinas on Dec. 15. The 1st is Fr. Victor Bompat, director-formator of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Tagbilaran, Bohol who is on his annual mission campaign in America, and is going to bless our home and vehicles on Dec. 30. The other is Ms. Nayoka M. who works at the Embassy of Sweden in Makati, who is visiting her relatives in San Diego.

Due to my Norwegian connection, I am part of a Consultancy firm ‘Nordic Ventures Synergy Center’ (NVSC), which serve as commercial arm of the Norwegian Embassy and other Scandinavian countries in the Philippines and Asia. You can visit our website at www. nordicventures.squarespace.com Our President Arlene M. is doing a great job running (keeping and acquiring clients) the business, even as I am VP Admin-Finance (in absentia). Our link with the Embassy of Sweden is Nayoka, who recently got engaged to a Swedish national and is joining him here and drive all over CA. By the way, SN Power of Norway, represented by Ozone Azanza as Pinas country Manager, is NVSC’s client. SN Power partnered with the Aboitiz Group to form SN Aboitiz Power which won the bid to buy the 360-MW Magat Hydropower Plant in Luzon for $530 M (biggest power investment, source: Inq7.net). With SN’s business, I am eager to be back in Pinas to resume my corporate life in the power industry.

Sean attended the 18th birthday of her friend Angelina, with full Filipino feast (3 lechons, embotido, crabs, barbecue, dinuguan, palabok, fish kinilaw, leche flan, turon), then brought ‘bringhouse’ of all these which we ate for 4 days. Typical of Flip parties, they had ‘magic sing’ where the host parents challenged to give $100 to anyone who can score 100. Sean sang 5 songs, he scored 100 in 3 songs, so he was given $100. He sings ala Nick Lachey / Josh Groban! (thanks to his training as member of the People Precious and Few choir at our Good Shepherd Paris; performing arts is his strength, he plays the guitar and piano as well). He also turned out to be the emcee of that evening. His English / Speech teacher remarked that Sean has the makings of a ‘stand-up comedian’. Thus, he could easily get an alternative part-time career here.
CSD1 holiday lunch was on Dec. 20 held at the Dante Club; it was a sumptuous ‘thank you’ treat by Management to its thousands employees, also with ‘giveaways’; the whole month we had daily treats from our clients, so kept watching out on the calorie intakes.

Fr. Victor blessed our home, vehicles and us, yesterday Dec. 30 at 4:00 pm. Our guests were Dr. Connie of N.U. and her husband Gerry, Lik and Gene Schroeder, Eve C. and Auntie Nene of San Fran(Fr. Vic’s chauffer when he’s here). We had Flip food and nice time!

Highlight of the month! After 15 years, I was re-connected with my Kumareng Rebbie Santiago, my former NFairview neighbor and baptismal ninang of my Sean, whose family had moved to Canada. She was browsing the Internet, serendipitally came across Nordic Ventures Synergy Center, then found my name! She sent me an e-mail immediately, now we are updating one another’s lives, my blog is very useful. Take note Ms. Arlene, our NVSC is truly a global entity!

Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You. God Bless us all!!!

Much love and Best Regards!!!
SUSAN BG

For my complete journals, please visit www.sbgerardo.blogspot.com Thank you!

November 30, 2006



Dear Loved Ones,

We Praise and Thank God for all the wonderful blessings He generously showered on us for the month of November, enjoying the Thanksgiving four holidays week-end, as we look forward to Christmas and His continuous outpouring of Love, Mercy and Generosity to share with others in the coming days!!!

The long break was partly spent catching up on reading books in the comfort of home and our Anatolia clubhouse (for different ambience). I tackled three interesting books: ‘The Thinker’s Way by Dr. John Chaffee, a biography of Johnny Depp (wasn’t he funny and gorgeous in his latest Pirates of the Caribbean!), and one by Barak Obama, the Democrat ‘shining star’ senator who is at par in the surveys with Hillary Clinton, for US President. I love reading reality books, not fictions. Last Saturday, Nov. 25, Ate Senie Ignacio- Davis with hubby Lloyd came for home visit and gave us a pot of beautiful poinsettia flowers which fitted as decor into our side table. With them were visitors from L.A. - Terry Balane (former NPC co-employee) with husband Pat and two other relatives. Time updating on our friends’ lives in L.A., reminiscing happy NPC memories. The visit was capped with our clubhouse tour!

Since it is the 1st Thanksgiving in our new home, we had typical American fare like Turkey with stuffing, salads, Pumpkin pie, Japanese sushi and maki/kani (which is always Sean’s favorite). In fact that day, because I had visitors, Sean went to anticipated Mass alone and saw Lik and Gene Schroeder. After Mass, they invited Sean for dinner at a Japanese resto, he gladly went with them, after giving me a phone call. Japanese food is simply irresistible and Sean is comfortably Americanized, Thank God too for kind and generous people! This time of the year in Pinas would mean decorating home for Christmas with all the lights and cleaning up our life-size Belen; actually the Holy Family figures stand all-year long, as centerpiece of our ‘home chapel’. Here in Anatolia, we bought a small Belen (which is truly the symbol for Christmas), and is the focus of our small home altar.

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Last week, I completed working on the set given when I started my project. To ensure a longer stay, I wrote a note to the CSD1 boss, hinting for more work until year-end. Yesterday, she gave me 3 times more data to work; thus, I’m so happy for my job security here in Mather! Busy life goes on with my teaching job, alternately handling ‘Management Science’ and ‘Production and Operations Management’ every month for the past four months. My students have increased as they enroll on my next class after taking one, and invite their friends to attend my class. Apparently, they perceive me as ‘good teacher’. Obviously, the trust and inspiration provided by Dr. Rudy De Lara, Dean Vicky, Fr. Ed, Fr. Art and other role models are paying off. Here, Dr. Connie and Dr. Ken Goldberg are according me similar support systems.

My three work assignments mean getting along well with 3 sets of people with various group schedule/activities, like birthday lunches and Christmas parties. (Our Willdan holiday party is tomorrow at the Holiday Inn). I have to stick to my exercise, diet and discipline to maintain balance and good health. I look around at people to remind myself about ‘what not to become’. In contrast to the abundance and wastage in America, I think of the poor children of Payatas, living in scarcity. Let’s spend and share more for these children this Christmas!

Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You. God Bless us all!!!

Much love and Best Regards!!!
SUSAN BG

For my complete journals, please visit http://www.sbgerardo.blogspot.com Thank you!