Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! Belated Happy Christmas and a more Blessed New Year 2010, as we praise and appreciate God’s generosity and kindness for all the graces – good health, peace, joy, among many others!

On our monthly Catholic Lunch Club held on December 18 at the Radisson, the guest speaker was the most Rev. Jaime Soto, 9th Bishop, Diocese of Sacramento. His topic was Marriage and the Mystery of the Incarnation, very relevant to the Christmas season – the birth of Christ Jesus and the holy Family. Today, more than ever people are asking if it is possible to make a lifetime commitment in a marriage. The Catholic Church has a vision of marriage that can sustain a couple through good times and bad. Bishop Soto complemented his discussion on the joyful mysteries with a power point presentation on the young Jesus’ life with the strong family support of Mary and Joseph.

The text of the box of invitations Sean brought home from CSUS read as follows: ‘The faculty and graduating class of California State University, Sacramento announce that Sean Bongoyan Gerardo is a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the commencement exercises Saturday, the nineteenth of December two thousand and nine, two o’clock p.m. at Arco Arena.’ We sent invitations to significant people in Sean’s life journey like ninongs / ninangs, relatives and close friends in Sac. Thus, by 1 pm Dec. 19, we (Sean, his friend Red, my kumare Cora who came from Pinas, and me) were on our way to Arco to get good seats for our group of 20. Led by Liklik, Sean received the loudest cheers and applause, prompting the huge crowd and graduates to look at our direction. After the pictorials and greetings, we had our graduation Japanese buffet dinner at MIZU Natomas with 28 guests. Together with 5 friends, Sean continued his grad celebration at home - drinking Belvedere vodka, played mahjong and Rockband, and stayed/slept till 9:00am the following day – better option than risk being caught DUI.

Excerpts from the CSU President’s message to the graduates: ‘You have conquered a great deal of challenges to arrive today, and for that you deserve our utmost congratulations. Remember that this achievement is only as important as you make it. After you hear your name and receive your degree, you begin an even longer journey, one that is filled with even more choices and opportunities. Let me be the first to say that you are ready.’ Thus, Sean’s life journey continues to another phase; and mine too. How time flies – I have nurtured an American university graduate in 4 years; meaning, time to move on to another phase of life – Pinas / U.S.A., back and forth.

Due to snowstorm delays, my daughter Sarah changed flight from New Jersey (via Atlanta) to San Fran (instead of Sac). Her cousin Maria fetched her and brought her home Dec. 24 to spend the holidays with us. Sarah dined immediately on her favorite Max’s fried chicken and pancit canton which she requested to be readily available upon her arrival.

I am also happy to share that I completed the traditional 9-days novena Masses (tho’ not dawn masses like in Pinas) but our regular 8:30am mass. After attending Christmas Mass and listening to carols, which the season is all about to mark Jesus’ birth, we had lunch with my Ate’s family at their home in Roseville. When the opening of gifts and photo session were done, we had fun watching super 8 films of their trips to Pinas circa 70s (when Maria was 6yrs old and Sarah was 2yrs), laughing at all the psychedelic colors and outrageous fashion worn then, bringing back those beautiful memories!

Dec. 27: Sean, Sarah and I watched the hit movie Avatar at Folsom, then had lunch of dinuguan, halo-halo at the Pinoy Teriyaki station. Later, Sarah joined her cousin Maria back to SanFran to continue their bonding; Maria has a condo in the Berkeley Bay area, so being just 4 years apart, they share many things and joy keeping updates on their lives. They will come back to Sac for New Year for Sarah’s flight back to NJ on Jan 3.

Attached are 4 photos of: Christmas get-togethers and Sean’s graduation. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! Belated Happy Thanksgiving day as we praise and appreciate God’s generosity and kindness for all the graces – good health, peace, joy, among many others! Thanksgiving Day also means the start of the holiday season for shopping, sharing and giving.

On our monthly Catholic Lunch Club held on November 13 at the Radisson, the guest speaker was Mr. Pat McCaskey, co-owner Chicago Bears Football team and Founder, Sports Faith International. His discussion included the connection between faith and football, the Vatican has a sports office, growing up in the world of professional football, being one of 11 children, how the apostles made a great ‘football team’ with its great team spirit obedient to their great Coach, among others. Pat has gained unique insights into the importance of religion and athletics at all levels, and he shared them all during the forum – what amazing life experiences, and the deep connections between our faith and the sports we play!

Consistent with my culture immersion goals, November highlights were:
• Nov. 10 – completion of our Bible study “Journey with Christ” (through old and New Testament timelines) culminated with group lunch at the home of our leader Claude R.
• Nov. 21 – Sean and I attended the Appreciation dinner for all religious clergy (priests, deacons, nuns, etc.) of St. Mel’s parish held at the Doheny Hall. It was also an occasion for the parish priest to present the on-going major project for a new parish center and other fund-raisers. The good thing about ‘tithing’ in America is that everything you give is properly acknowledged and receipted for, since you have a registration number and accounted in the tax returns. Even for transient contributions like when I visited the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in D.C. and I made a donation in an envelope, it was promptly acknowledged, with enclosed petition envelope and choir music CD, and I had been networked continuously with them since then. I actually feel being part of the Church - the Mystical Body of Christ.

• Nov. 26 – Thanksgiving Day! As our 1st year citizenship year, we ordered a complete Turkey dinner with all the sidings the day before. Following the recipe instructions, we turned out an excellent crispy turkey expected to last through the Christmas season since we got several invitations for the day. We had lunch at the Elk Grove home of Tess and Russell R. together with two other Pinoy couples and their kids. The husbands of the two ladies are brothers who are from Bohol, so I truly enjoyed bonding with them till 5:00pm. Then we had to move to our dinner appointment with Beth G and family at their home in Gold River (she is originally from Lipa, Batangas whom I befriended at St. Mel’s church). They had a feast of Turkey and Filipino foods; likewise, the guests were a mix of whites and Pinoys, culminated with the usual Karaoke session. Sean did the singing turn for us while I enjoyed chatting with new friends, some with connections to my NPC network – yes, we live in a small inter-connected world!

• Nov. 27 – the big Friday shopping day! Even while we were at dinner, Sean’s friends were calling for us to go to Folsom outlets by midnight but I could not stand the cold so decided to go by daytime instead. While I attended Mass and my adoration commitment first, Sean went to the Mall to choose his stuff. After he fetched me, we went back to pay for them, before we proceeded to the outlet stores of Coach and Naturalizer. Sean’s friends made a queue for me so I can get into those stores, before they went to watch the movie New Moon. By the way, I had finished reading the 4 books of the Twilight series (out of curiosity, since I am not into fiction) but I refuse to watch the movies (could not stand the screaming of Team Jacob / Team Edward fans).
• Nov. 28 – Amidst very strong winds and cold climate, we watched the traditional Santa parade in downtown Sacramento from 10:00 am to 2pm, joining the local folks and kids ogle at participants in their colorful holiday floats and costumes, before going for more shopping, then to Mass; This parade marks the start of the Christmas season here in CA (unlike in Pinas which started early in Sept.);
• Nov. 29 – brought out the Christmas decors from the closet to start home decorating to imbibe the spirit of this joyful season.

Attached are 4 photos of: Thanksgiving get-together and parade. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! With the cool climate, stronger winds and falling leaves, can winter be far behind? October was kind of hectic with lots of travel and discovering new wonderful sights in other states, highlighted with joyful reunions with relatives and meeting new friends, continuous celebration for the many blessings and more!

On our monthly Catholic Lunch Club held on October 16 at the Radisson, the guest speaker was Fr.Thomas Eteneuer – President, Human Life International, who spoke on the topic ’Exorcism and the Church Militant’. With the current trend of too much liberalism and permissiveness, the audience’s interest was enthusiastic as he answered some queries: Is demonic possession real? What makes a person susceptible to diabolical attacks? And what really happens at an exorcism? What most of us know about demons and exorcism comes from Hollywood but what is reality? Fr. Thomas explained some causes of victimization, possession, and then the process of Exorcism. Demonic forces as they are fallen angels; they come in various forms: may come in business suits, games, books, entertainment - lurking in the dark to attack those who allow them. Fr. Eteneuer advised on how to avoid occasions for sins, to be vigilant always, to stay in the state of grace. Avoid practices of vodooism, Ouija boards, and other demonic practices out of curiosity. The Exorcism process should be done by authorized persons only, using the language of the church (Latin) in a set format, with humility and Authority of the Church / God / Holy Spirit! After exorcism, one should grow in holiness, as sign of deliverance and freedom of bondage from the devil. For more info, please visit www. stmike.org.

October / November are months of thanksgiving for the current year and anticipation for the coming year; spent time continuing the series of lunch-outs/ blow-outs with a series of friends and relatives, so it was hard controlling on the calories input; thus, I had to be more committed to my gym work-outs, diet and medication. With the cooler days, it was also time to switch wardrobe, putting on several layering of outfits from the closets.

The delay of this October update is due to computer inaccessibility while on my 4-day sojourn to New Orleans, Louisiana to attend the wedding of my nephew Mark to Sherri Pouyadou (of French descent) at the Loyola University Church, held on October 31, 2009, Saturday, 7:00pm. Why they chose the big Halloween night for their big wedding of 150 guests – their choice – what a way to make a wedding and their anniversaries truly memorable! Since it was my first in that culturally-rich Big Easy state (of Katrina and Brad Pitt fame), I had to maximize immersion into its history and tradition. My flight from Sac on Oct 30 am was via Atlanta (busiest airport in the world with its trams moving you from one concourse to another) was on time, but the flight to New Orleans was delayed due to heavy rains, so I arrived past 10pm, thus unable to attend the rehearsal dinner. My daughter Sarah from NJ, was already checked in at our hotel room and was able to attend dinner, so she updated me on other relatives present asking about me. So I stayed up late that night, bonding and catching up with cousins staying in the same Renaissance Pere Marquette hotel. Anyway, I am on time for the wedding and there to enjoy other life-learning activities. So early Saturday, I joined Grayline tours around Louisiana – the 5-hour Oak Alley Creole Sugarcane Plantation tour and Katrina/ City tour – finishing up an hour before 7pm to prepare for the wedding, to fulfill a social responsibility.

However, when we arrived at church, my sister’s husband (the groom’s father) handed me his video camera and asked me to cover the entire proceedings). As I looked around there was only a still photographer, so I was the only official videographer – just imagine the moving around I did to make an excellent coverage. The wedding was very formal, ensemble/ entourage and guests were very elegant, well-organized to the details, as the bride / groom planned and dreamed about - culminated by all the attendees riding together on a 2-coach tram from the church to the French-style reception, featuring an open bar, cocktails, dancing and speeches – truly fabulous wedding! At the reception, many (on the bride’s side) were asking my Ate who the lady in green (me) was, who did an excellent coverage of the ceremonies, leading and giving the cue to the photographer on the best shots of the proceedings, since I was not at rehearsals; many also offered to take photos with me since I could not be in the church photos. My Ate responded them: ‘She is my sister and she’s an engineer so she can be pushy (whatever that meant?). My Sarah said: Mom, take it as a compliment to your effective work as videographer! Now, I know I do have additional skills and fallback job!

By midnight, most of the guests moved to the French Quarter area where our hotel was, along Bourbon St. where the merry-making costumed people of big Halloween stayed awake till the morning hours. I saw many colorful, weird costumes – some I want to delete from my memory bank! Sarah left early Sunday for her morning flight back to NJ, while I stayed on for Mass at the nearby Immaculate Conception church, then had brunch with other relatives who came from Florida, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, etc. Weddings are truly occasions for reunions and catching up with families you last saw 10, 20, 30, or more years ago, and enjoy listening to various family stories. Well, life is a box of chocolates; you never know what will turn up next!

Attached are 4 photos of: wedding and New Orleans tour. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! As in Pinas, this month kicks off joyful anticipation of blessed Christmas holidays with carols in the air, thankful celebration for the many blessings received all year round, especially the gift of life and much, much more . . . . !

On Sep. 3, after the 30-min. Q & A in the U.S.- C.I.S. Naturalization process, the officer announced: ‘Congratulations, you have passed all the requirements and we are giving you an advance Birthday gift as you will take your Oath/Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S.A. in ceremonies scheduled on Sept. 17 at the . . . . .!’ On the other hand, Sean had a similar experience with his lady interviewer. At the door, she greeted him thus: “So, you are a varsity volleyball player at CSUS where I got my college degree and a varsity volleyball player too; Is Weidi (their mutual coach) still there?” So Sean felt at ease immediately. After their Q and A which went smoothly, they talked more about their mutual passion Volleyball and their favorite coach. Thus, we were so blessed! The following day, we received our formal notice of the Oath-taking in the mail, which means that the US-CIS staff did all the documentation and posting that very same afternoon (we finished past 2:00pm).

The tough compliance was the 4 years + 1 day continuous stay in the U.S. within a 5-year period, with no foreign trip exceeding 6 months. In my case, it was most difficult so I had to take 2-weeks short trips to Pinas over that period, and God is so generous to allow me to satisfy that requirement. Our Sept. 17 Oath-taking at the Memorial Auditorium was memorable and moving – much diversified group of inductees. Of the 875 new Americans coming from 85 different countries, the top 3 were from India – 103, from Mexico – 115, and from the Philippines – 193, or 22% of total. This statistics is only in Sacramento; with Pinoys scattered all over the country, it would be a similar phenomenon (the fast spreading of Pinoy culture and faith!). After each country was called out, applause followed, proportionate to the representation; so definitely the loudest cheers/claps/shouts were from Pinoys. The ceremonies were very touching and orderly – live performances of patriotic songs, welcome remarks, SSN updates and registration as new voters, among others. Moreover, on that same week, I received the subpoena for my first Jury service scheduled on the 2nd week of October, fulfilling my 1st responsibility as citizen; the other is to vote in elections. This is the efficient American info system – so AMAZING! Emma and Bill, I salute the U.S.P.S. for your very efficient/ speedy services. Thus, I feel so welcome and truly part of American society! I intend to maintain my dual citizenship status, to enjoy the best of both worlds/ cultures.

Therefore, my birthday celebration was marked with so much appreciation and thankfulness to God Almighty for allowing / granting / giving me all these wonderful blessings – good health, fulfilled dreams, among many others. In my Bible study group, we started the series “Journey through the Bible – The Story of Salvation”, an 8-part Bible Timeline, using the guide by Sarah Christmyer and Video by Jeff Cavins, starting with Genesis to Acts of the Apostles (Old and New Testaments). Even as I had read the Bible many times before, you gain fresh insights from the sharings of a new group of persons (20) with their varied profile and life experiences.

On our monthly Catholic Lunch Club held on Sept. 25 at the Radisson, the guest speaker was Dr. Ray Guarendi - Clinical Psychologist, Radio host, and Father of 10 (all adopted) – very remarkable with lots of humor! . The topic was ‘Keep your Children Catholic’ – the parenting myths the experts don’t want you to know. Excerpts: ‘Parents, teachers, and anyone who works with children today are having their confidence, peace of mind, and authority undercut by a number of wide-spread myths that have been pushed on them by the experts, media, and almost everybody else. Dr. Ray offered tips on how to handle them. As usual, I got an autographed copy of his book “Adoption: Choosing It, Living It, and Loving It.’

One of my birthday resolutions is to ‘maximize my learning-for-life on community, society and culture’ through attendance of civic events, like concerts, shows, etc.; the latest was the live performance by the Marine Corps Band at the Capitol grounds. With our inherent musicality and being San Diego-based, there were Pinoys in the band. While I had always enjoyed music, the rendition of patriotic melodies like ‘Semper Fidelis’ and themes of the various military branches brought higher level of perspective for me, this time around – ‘soaking them all in’. Thus, the magical experience and journey continues!

Attached are 4 photos of: Oath-taking, Birthday celeb and Luray experience. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! Actually, I just got back from New Jersey; the month had been quite hectic for me, especially the 2^nd half-month as I did a lot of travelling to and from the east coast, had some adventurous AMTRAK rides along the 13 original colonies/states, visited new nature spots, meeting up with relatives and friends in the east, and many more.

Actually, the main reason I visited east is upon the request of my daughter Sarah to ‘big-boy sit’ her son MAX while on school vacation at their New Jersey home, to strong-bond with him, which I did pretty well since he calls me lovingly as his ‘Mama Sue of California’ with a nice rolling accent. In between my sitting job, one week-end was spent to visit my UST-Eng batch mate Emma Padaoil, her hubby Bill Bull with their son Charlie. I took the Friday pm AMTRAK ride from the Newark Penn station, and then they met me at the Union station in D.C, and proceeded to their Virginia home. Passing up the standard tourist D.C. spots where I had been in my past visits, Emma brought me to the amazing Luray Caverns (2-hrs drive from their home) where we spent more than 2-hours admiring Nature’s wonders. When I had my Geology class in college, I memorized the definitions of stalactites, stalagmites, igneous, sedimentary rocks, caverns, natural deposits/ formations and many more, but could not visualize their colors, textures, and various characteristics – the total package! The visit provided all the information needed and fulfillment to truly appreciate God’s wonderful and mysterious ways / plans for balance and beauty of His creations! Thanks so much Emma and Bill for bringing me there even if you have to repeat the journey all over again with your previous guests – out of the way and extraordinary!

Since Emma is active in the planning of our Pinas UST-Eng big Feb 2010 as our 40^th year jubilee, she arranged for a video-phone conference with Nilo Daza and Amelia M. We managed to agree to save the dates Feb. 20 – March 5, 2010 for other reunion activities, like out of Manila trips. Then on Sunday, I asked them to bring me to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception to say prayers and ended up attending Mass (even if we had attended already the Sat anticipated Mass). Well, better to offer God more time than lesser, part of His mysterious Will and Graces! We visited the U.S. Postal Museum (both Emma and Bill work with the US Postal Service) before they brought me back to AMTRAK station. Thanks so much for a wonderful week-end! My visit with them is a reciprocity when they went out of their way to be my 1^st visitor, staying overnight in our new home when we just moved in July 2007, while they were on vacation in CA. Our friendship has come full circle!

The rest of my NJ days were highlighted by visits with other relatives, trips to Filipino food stores like Red Ribbon, Masses at various churches, as on Aug. 28 which is the Feast of St. Augustine, my favorite Doctor of the Church (converted and baptized at age 33 years), the patron Saint of my hometown in Panglao, Bohol. There was a big fiesta celebration even for kababayans in NJ, lots of invitation but I had to beg off due to my main job function. Upon my arrival, Sarah had asked me to cook menudo and pancit so we had Filipino food (in addition to adobo, inihaw, paksiw, etc.) during most of my stay.

Although I was not physically present during our monthly Catholic Lunch Club, held on August 21 at the Radisson Hotel, my friend provided me her notes on that occasion. The guest speaker was Mark Shea, Sr. Content Editor, Catholic Exchange, whose topic was: Care and Feeding of the Lay Catholic Apostle. Lay Catholics are called to do the vast majority of the work in the New Evangelization. He gave tips about the cultural and theological glitches that confront the lay apostle in the 21^st century America; how to deal with the challenges in these times of relativism and much opposition to expressions of faith.

I participated in the on-line Live Video/Chat Streaming during Tita Cory’s Mass and Funeral hosted by GMA7News.TV which lasted 12 hours (6:00pm to 6:00am Sacramento, CA time). Using my Facebook account, I was able to post comments which were shown instantly on the live chat stream, together with the rest coming from around the world. Comments were varied: on the live video, comments to your comments, mostly loving ‘Pasasalamat to Tita Cory’. It was a truly moving and memorable experience! She is truly a courageous and remarkable person; a historical person, we owe her so much; she deserves all the accolades and honor!

Attached are 4 photos of: with my MAX, with Emma in DC, with cousins, Sarah in NJ. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! We are reminded of Pinas days with 3-digit temperature in the afternoons (4-5pm) but cool air in the mornings/evenings with delta breeze!

The month started with the 233rd Independence Day celebration with fireworks observed in various parts of the SAC area. Since Max’s celebration of his 7^th birthday and his mother Sarah referred us to her facebook account to view recent photos, we (Gerry and myself) had to register our individual accounts in order to be updated. Where before, I only used Sean’s account to view photos, I can now update myself easily on current developments – we are truly electronically connected (with other friends and relatives) globally! Despite the advantages of fb with photo uploading facility and instant comments, I will still continue with my monthly journal/blog, which has its unique feature.

On our monthly Catholic Lunch Club, held on July 24 at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento, our guest speaker was Rev. Fr. Joseph Howard, Jr. – Professor, Bioethics, Moral Theology, and John Paul II Fellow. He spoke on The Catholic Response: Reproductive Choice, Death with Dignity, Stem Cell Research. His discussion provided answers to some questions: What is the most fundamental of rights? How do we respond to the medical and ethical issues confronting us today? How do we present the Catholic response to our friends, families and co-workers? Fr. Howard helped us understand today’s threats to human dignity and how to present the catholic point of view and charity. Grounded in doctrine and guidance on the crucial issues, as well as the most current scientific research, he was uniquely qualified to lead us through this rocky ground. He often used and cited the philosophies of St. Thomas Aquinas as rationale of his treaties, especially on truth, faith, reason, and proofs of God’s existence, for which I am very familiar.

Yesterday, I hosted our monthly OD Circle with a Swimming party at our clubhouse. I had promised our leader to give me the summer month so kids are out of school to come and for them to have fun. Yesterday, we had five adults and more than ten kids enjoy our gathering from 10 to 3 pm. For food, we had hotdogs, siopao, muffins, candies, chips, nuts and various drinks. The kids had real fun and were very appreciative of everything I did – they are looking forward to next summer.

At past 3:00pm today, while Sean and I were having late lunch at Red Lobster, I got a text message from my daughter Sarah (in New Jersey) with the message: “Tita Cory is dead. May she rest in peace!" Shortly thereafter, she followed it up with a call, then we started talking and recalling on our Pinas experiences - attending all the Cory ‘yellow’ rallies from 1983 – 86. Yes, (in her early teens - Sarah, Gerry and I) were committed participants; together with 5 other ‘middle class’ couples from North Fairview, we attended pre/post-election rallies, concerts, and 4-days of EDSA (Radio Veritas, Luneta, NAMFREL counts, EDSA, etc.). We voted in the same NF precinct with Jim Paredes (of APO) who were regular features in the rallies and concerts, so we were quite familiar seeing one another in those events. We were physically in EDSA (every day) when Cory took oath as President, and when Marcos took off for Paoay. We truly thank God for Tita Cory for restoring Democracy in our country!

What happened after that is a different story – considering Cory’s limited expertise and managerial skills – like the brownouts/mismanagement in the power sector, abuses of her cronies, the leftist influences and the power-hungry rightists, among many other problems. Despite everything, she maintained her moral high-ground and spiritual values, for which we are very grateful, remember and pray for. May her soul rest in peace in heaven, AMEN!

I was deeply touched recalling all those events with Sarah on the phone, bringing us back 20-25 years in our mother-daughter bonding, when everything seemed simple, easy, always happy – these are what beautiful memories are made for, and we truly thank GOD for them!!!

Attached are 3 more photos of: 4th of July celebration, OD Cirlcle. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! Summer months remind me of Pinas climate in the high 90s, cool breeze in the early mornings and early evenings, with high humidity; as we look forward to the joyful celebration of Independence day this coming week-end!

This month, national and international ‘hot’ events brought varied range of emotions - from being happy, to sad, to shocking, etc., consistent with the heat of summer. Being a positive person, I always start with the happy side: on the personal level – communications with my family members had been enhanced with the recent acquisition by our Pinas office of an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera which can show all the details of my office and all the office staff, while I still have my ‘jurassic age’ camera here in the U.S. which shows only my face (when it comes to tech gadgets, Pinas is sometimes ahead); on the health and safety front: family members are all okay and reporting positive - thanks always to God’s Love! On the other hand, shocking and sad are the turmoil of the elections in Iran which resulted in the death of people and the threats of North Korea – coupled with the slow/inaction by the U.S. leadership; to the continuing economic crisis, especially in the California state government; prayers and condolences on the passing of icons Farah Fawcett (our generation’s glamour – hair and smile - model) and Michael Jackson (I watched his ‘Thriller’ concert held at the Manila bay reclamation area during the late 80s), and the husband of my UST’70 classmate Tess Hizon– Rolando Viloria: eternal rest grant unto them Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them, may they rest in peace, AMEN!

On our monthly Catholic Lunch Club, held on June 19 at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento, our guest speaker was Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, founder and director of Aurem Cordis Center for Christian evangelization and apologetics. He has a regular Sunday morning show on EWTN in our area. His topic was on Truth, Freedom and the Human Person: Catholic Evangelization and the Public Forum, where he presented the challenges faced by Catholics in a secular culture, and discussed how to live faith with courage, passion and fidelity. A national and international speaker and author, he served as consultant for the NCCB National Directory for Catechesis and well-known for his perspectives on male spirituality and keeping youth spirituality alive. His dynamic delivery and passionate message challenged, captivated and motivated the audience, which included my sister Ate Nen who finally found time for our lunch date. Actually, she had long wanted to be part of this catholic group but found difficulty being connected through the www network system (like registering, logging in, making reservations through websites).

This month, family bonds were more connected. Through the GMA7-Pinoy TV, we had been following closely the ‘Are you the Next Big Star’ singing contest where Alexa Ortega, the very cute 19-year old balikbayan from SFO, is one of the top 16. She is the granddaughter of my Ate Celia Cloma, whose daughter married Pepe Ortega (of La Union). She receives good feedbacks from the judges, so we hope she gets many fan votes, and eventually gets to the top. Either my Ate Nen and hubby come home to watch TV on Sunday nights or I record the show for later viewing. Then, last Saturday, their grandson Paolo celebrated his 2nd birthday in Oakland, so we had dinner with them at Le Chaval. Week-end before that, we were also together for lunch at their home in Roseville; and on every 2nd Saturday of the month, my Ate and I are always attending our Opus Dei Recollection where we cap our activities with lunch and bonding updates. Likewise, since December, our daughters – my Sarah and her Maria had been keeping in touch and exchanging notes on mother-daughter relationships and issues which are keeping family ties stronger, hopefully!

Attached are 3 more photos of: Summer Outfit, Cathedral Picture, and family gathering. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! Summer is here with daytime temperatures ring to the 80s/ 90s, flowers all abloom, cool breeze in the early mornings and early evenings; unlike Pinas summer days with its high humidity.

On the 1^st week of May, our St. Mel’s Catholic school was put on national (even global) attention as the 1^st reported case of AH1N1 (swine flu virus) in California. Media attention focused on our parish school when a 7th grade boy who returned from a spring break vacation in Mexico tested positive, and the swift action and effective response of school authorities in cooperation with government health officials, prevented promptly its spread. After 10 days of suspension, classes were resumed. The boy was quarantined and treated effectively, while health measures to prevent its spread were followed by the entire community, especially among churchgoers, who went on with regular activities, even with all the multi-media coverage around the vicinity. Thank God, everything is now back to normal!

Thus, the special celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on May 13, marked with floral offerings, coronation, candle-lit procession, Benediction, also served as Thanksgiving for overcoming the H1N1 trial with flying colors, that the school went through; with special participation by the school children, under the usual direction of Pinoy Fr. George. The school principal and staff were lauded and given standing ovation for the well-done job - immediate control and proper management of the crisis at hand.

On our Catholic Lunch Club for the month, held May 29 at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento, our guest speaker was Roy Schoeman, a Jewish convert to Catholicism whose topic was Salvation is from the Jews. He is also a frequent guest on EWTN, author of many books and Catholic evangelist. He spoke on Judaism both as a religion and as a central element of Christian salvation, namely, the role that Jews and Judaism play in God’s plan for all mankind revealed in the light of the Catholic faith. He demonstrated there is one theological issue on which both Jews and Christians should agree, and that is “salvation is from the Jews.” He delivered the message from a Jewish perspective within the catholic faith, reflecting that most biblical characters, including the New Testament are Jews. The turning point in his conversion at age 32 while serving as professor at MIT and Harvard was his recognition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God and his desire to be closer to her. That time, he wanted to go to Confession so he can receive Holy Communion, pray the Hail Mary, ‘O Mary conceived without sin, Pray for us who have recourse to thee.’ The presentation was highly provocative, engaging, and fascinating!

On Memorial Day, we attended the Jazz Mass at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in downtown Sac. This is part of the 36^th annual Jazz Festival Week celebration, featuring jazz bands from all over the world converging and playing at various hotels and parks in the state capital; enjoying beautiful jazz music the entire week! With summer break, Sean had been busy attending graduation ceremonies and parties of his friends, outings at our clubhouse. He is at life phase when socializing is peaking up and I am just awed by current culture here where it’s okay for girls visiting boys at their home. On week-end evenings, 5 lady friends would often come to visit him, spend time playing Rockband, watch TV movies, singing, etc. It is good that Sean respects my private time / space, so he ensures that his visitors arrive when I am done with my TV watching to go to my upstairs bedroom for my Sudoku and reading.

Global links: Coming to America meant being separated temporarily from close family and friends, like our triumvirate of Agnes, Margie and myself, which was formed during our NPC days (over 20 years). Agnes (the social worker) is with our office as Gerry’s guardian, while Margie migrated with her family to New Zealand. In God’s wonderful ways, she met and got close to my UST classmates Sonia and Pancho who also migrated there. S and P are in the loop of our UST Eng yahoo group, and they were very helpful to Marge’s family when they first arrived in NZ; so how amazing and awesome that our lives are always intertwined and connected wherever part of the globe we go, Margie and I concluded! We are looking forward to our reunion, either in Pinas or N.Z. or U.S., sometime next year.

Last week-end, my cousin Ate Celia (from SFO and now settled in La Union, Pinas enjoying dual citizenship idyllic life) visited and had dinner at home with my Ate and Nong Nonie. We stayed until 2:00AM, updating on our life stories.

Attached are 3 photos: family gathering, solo picture, State Capitol. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! Flowers are all abloom with the advent of spring and glorious are our feelings with Christ’s Resurrection! Sean and I participated in our parish activities, consistent with all the traditional rituals observed in Pinas.

On our Catholic Lunch Club for the month, held last Friday April 24, at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento, our guest speaker was Fr. Jonathan Morris, who I watch often on FOX TV as news analyst, EWTN – his opinions are always consistent with my values – so his talk was highly anticipated. When I arrived at the venue, the queue was already long, box-office hit, very large audience of more than 250. I got a copy of his book ‘The Promise’, right away for his autograph to avoid the ‘after lunch queue’. About Fr. Jonathan: Ordained to the priesthood in 2002, he has served as theological advisor to Mel Gibson in the making of the film “Passion of the Christ’. In 2005, with the sickness of Pope John Paul II, Fr. Jon began his work as religious news analyst and commentator for several domestic and international channels including CNN, Sky News, and BBC. He now serves as regular news contributor for the FOX News Channel (which I always watch), where he offers ethical and moral commentary to news items. Fr. Jon’s engaging presentation offered insights on suffering, in its many forms. I truly enjoyed reading his book ‘The Promise’: God’s Purpose and Plan for when Life Hurts; it was like journeying through life, which confirmed all my learnings on Philosophies I studied (St. Thomas’, Values, Human Person), especially those on Truth: Faith and Reason.

On the professional front, I was kept busy with preparing for my next class in May: re-training for the new on-line computer system being used by National University (NU). We are migrating from the iLinc to the new Class Live Pro (CLP) system, so the faculty has to be fully prepared to teach with the new system – learning CLP – attending as many training sessions on-line until the comfort level to teach is attained, doing actual teaching demo. One has to be open-minded and flexible to learn new technology, ever-open to upgrade one’s skills, knowledge, attitude (SKA)! Likewise, seminars on Best Practices on Teaching for faculty were conducted – with very attractive incentives!

In these times of massive employment lay-offs, Americans are highly encouraged to go back to school to re-train and upgrade their skills, or to get college degrees, so there is huge demand for education; consequently, the upsurge of enrollment in universities. As a result, teaching schedules are planned way ahead of time – my teaching schedule for up to May 2010 (a year from now) had been given to me – what amazing job security! For practical reasons, there is increased demand for on-line courses to obtain college degrees. Currently, only 20% of citizens have college degrees, while only 5% have post-graduate degrees, unlike in Pinas, where most people we know have college and post-graduate degrees. The high American out-of-college mortality is a result of their culture ‘of children over 18 years old leaving their parental homes to live on their own, getting jobs in retail, seeking early independence – hence, being content with receiving minimum ‘McDonald’s salary to pay for their bills, leaving their college education as optional; anyway, they are already earning to survive. A specific example is the son of my Sr. Vice-President who himself has a Masters in Engineering degree and used to be a Public Works Director in Folsom City. His son Derek, at 19, lives in his own apartment, after high school has not entered college, enjoying his job mixing paints at Home Depot. This is a downside of democracy / independence in American culture. In our culture, we parents consider our children’s education our responsibility – it’s our best legacy to them!

Likewise, here is my personal observation. Despite the economic downturn, or as a result of efforts for turn-around economic programs, there seems to be a great demand for personnel in the infra-structure projects industry, particularly in CA. The past weeks, I had been receiving calls from professional recruiters for resume updates or interviews for top-level managerial positions, apparently due to my attractive qualifications and experience. However, reality-checking my circumstances, long-term project commitments are not in my 2-5 year planning horizon, so I have to politely decline such offers. Better to give those big-time employment slots to others, who may be more in need of livelihood for their survival. I am just so happy with my teaching opportunities at NU – sticking to my passion and less-stressful life – affording me more time for health maintenance programs, and for my spiritual enrichment activities, praying for family, friends, and communities!

Attached are 3 more photos of: family gathering. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG

Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! We are now enjoying the nice spring weather with cool air, mid-day sunshine, occasional rains in the evenings, and flowers coming to bloom, and looking forward to Easter Sunday!

This month had been sprinkled with activities in preparation for the most glorious feast of our Catholic faith. After my regular Friday hour at the Adoration chapel, our church has the Stations of the Cross at 11:00a, attended by the students of St. Mel’s. On our Catholic Lunch Club for the month, held last Friday March 20, at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento, our guest speaker was Ms. Katrina Zeno, who talked on St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: Christ the Bridegroom. Ms. Zeno, foundress of Women of the 3d Millennium, also co-hosted EWTN’s series on Pope John Paul II’s ‘Theology of the Body’, author of Every Woman’s Journey: Answering Who am I?, For the Feminine Heart, and The Body Reveals God. She has spoken across the U.S. and throughout the world, especially in this year devoted to St. Paul. She took us through Paul’s journey from merit to mercy to marriage and its application for all of us; she was truly an inspiring and engaging speaker. As usual, I got autographed copies of her books.

Then last week-end, I attended the 3-day live-in Opus Dei retreat in Novato, CA. As my 1st U.S. retreat, I am not familiar with the venue so I needed to carpool. Ms. Libby was so kind to share me a ride on her SUV to and from the venue, which allowed bonding to develop. At the venue, of the 12 attendees, 4 were Filipinas or 30%, so I am really proud of our faith and culture. While I always had my OD retreat in Pinas before Holy Week since 2000 for 5 years, they were not live-in, so this time - it was more wonderful and meaningful – as it afforded more focus and reflective ambience. Fr. Jim Kelly was our leader. Jobs were farmed out to participants so I led in various activities like Spiritual reading, Stations of the Cross, Rosaries, reading at Masses. The meditations, talks, reflections were so inspiring, the amenities, food, venue were all so great – overall, it was like experiencing heaven on earth!

Sean celebrated his 22nd birthday on March 25. During mass (also the feast of the Annunciation), Fr. George offered ‘special intentions for Sean’s birthday’. We had dinner (spaghetti, lumpia, dinuguan, shrimps, humba, salads, cake, ice cream, etc.) at home with guests, including my sister and hubby, Gene and Lik, Eve, Russel and Tess, Fr. George (he just returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land so he gave Sean a beautiful souvenir from his trip) and 10 of Sean’s friends from school. Our guests left before midnight, but his friends stayed on, enjoying the food, drinks (vodka, margarita, etc.), playing Rockband, poker, tongits, and other card games. Sean said they left past 3:00 am because some had to go to work. Best wishes for good health, wisdom, success in your studies and career, and may you achieve all your goals – keep up the good work!!!

By the way, through our bonding on our way to the retreat, I learned that Ms. Libby (who used to work in the Philippines and Thailand) was with the F.B.I. so she worked closely with our NBI and knew details about our country Pinas. She is an amazing, multi-tasking high-energy type of person, which I imagined myself partly, 20 years ago. From our retreat, we went straight to Libby’s home where she hosted our monthly Faith enhancement studies, so Sean fetched me from there. Since working with the FBI is the target job of my Sean, he is glad to be connected to this cool, tough FBI lady who is giving him tips on how to get there. Libby’s husband, whom she met while they were on FBI training, is with the State Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA – the Mexican problem/issue). With Sean’s connection as parallel to Jamal’s destiny, how wonderful God puts pieces on the puzzle of His creations!

Attached are 2 more photos of: family gathering during Sean’s birthday celebrations, Sean's group of friends. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG