Dear Loved Ones,

            Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA, USA!  The most anticipated season of the Christian world commenced with Advent preparing for the commemoration of Christ’s birth – season for sharing, giving, mortification, and remembering: calling to mind the Nativity scenes and all its meanings, especially memories of Bethlehem where we sang carols during Mass in our visit last year; life has never been the same since then!

The Holy Land experience last year brought significant improvements on living: priorities, values, relationships, and service to GOD!

The month was a flurry of activities: in Church with our Opus Dei group, Adoration chapel, lunch meetings, shopping, and highlighted with the completion of the 9-days Novena morning Masses towards Christmas. With the brrrry cold weather, this was the most challenging to accomplish – Much Thanks to  GOD as He allowed me to fulfill my life tradition even as I experienced severe colds after Dec. 25; what is so grace-filled is I am able to fulfill my assignments as Eucharistic minister for the Body and Blood of Christ as scheduled – truly meaningful! I have so much to Praise and Thank God for: Good Health for all family members, Peace, Joy, Love, prosperity and continuous source of income in our business, and ability to help others through our international shipping business!

            With so much critical incidents around the world, I just appreciate all the blessings on my family, friends, and the peaceful experiences in my little world as I watch it slowly grinding around me, doing my own share of apostolate / evangelization – what a blessing!

Other highlights:

·      2^nd Saturday Opus Dei Recollection with Fr. Turlock, confession, benediction; Talks  on Holiness and Family Life were held at our new St. Jude Room; we also have the new St. John Paul II meeting room;

·      My regular work-outs in our gym is fruitful as the aches and pains on my body and legs are slowly disappearing – with needed commitment to schedule; Likewise, Sean introduced me to Happy Massage for a 1-hour foot/body massage – very therapeutic, after 8 years, I am enjoying refreshing, little self-indulgence – amenities;

·      Dedication to my church commitments as Eucharistic Minister, Adoration chapel time including additional hours as substitute when called, arranging images and paraphernalia and church library duties;

·      Sent out the traditional snail-mail Christmas cards to family and friends;

·      Streamed Live over EWTN, I watched the beauty and splendor of the orthodox Maronite traditional rites celebrated with Pope Francis in Istanbul, Turkey over this week-end – so inspiring and moving! 

·      Communicating continuously with our contacts in our SAGA 1965 Golden Reunion FB website; we pray for maximum participation in our Feb. 21, 2015 event!

·      Movies watched: Into the Woods, Unbroken (directed by Angelina Jolie, re-affirmed my admiration of her); followed and watched in wonder the pre-nuptial, and wedding activities of the Dingdong-Marian Royal Wedding of the Year; amazed by their Love for each other; so happy and proud of their Catholic values – wish them the Best for their Life together!!!

Attached are 4 photos with family and 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

Dear Loved Ones,

            Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA, USA!  The month went by swiftly with the succession of holidays – All Saints’ / Souls’ days, election, Thanksgiving, parties, shopping, Advent in preparation for Christmas. . .  and winter!

            We exercised our citizenship responsibility in the last US elections and are happy with the results. Likewise, we received an invitation from a Philippine Consulate staffer (who was neighbor in Fairview, QC) in San Francisco (SFO) to visit them for registration as Overseas Absentee Voter (OAV) so we can participate in the coming Philippine elections. Thus, on one of Sean’s Friday off, we were in SFO for that purpose, and went sightseeing on the downtown area and other scenic spots.

            I am learning slowly the features of our new Samsung Note 4 cellphone which Sean got from our provider for him and myself. It is bigger than my old phone, sharper camera, and enjoying the added amenities.

Other highlights:

·      2^nd Saturday Opus Dei Recollection with Fr. Turlock, confession, benediction; Talks were held at our new St. Jude Room; we also have the new St. John Paul II meeting room;

·      On Nov. 15, Sean and I had lunch with his friends at Bert’s (who was celebrating his birthday) home in El Dorado Hills, exit Bus Lake, towards Lake Tahoe; amid sumptuous buffet of Lechon, wide selection of food, drinks, and desserts;   

·      My regular work-outs in our gym is fruitful as the aches and pains on my body and legs are slowly disappearing – with needed commitment to schedule;

·      Dedication to my church commitments as Eucharistic Minister, Adoration chapel time including additional hours as substitute when called, arranging images and paraphernalia and church library duties;

·      Thanksgiving dinner with the Geresola family and friends at their new residence in Sacramento; Rusell is our realtor and his brother Ryan is one of our Fairview Shipping crew, so he is our ‘go to’ person; Congratulations on their home upgrade – their 3^rd transfer in 4 years; again, with sumptuous spread of food, and plenty of ‘takeout’ before Sean and I went on the midnight shopping in Folsom and Sunrise Mall. It was 1^st experience of shopping at 12 midnight to 4:00am Friday (comfortable, as compared to the long queue during daytime shopping) ;

·      On Advent week-end, St. Mel’s church started giving Holy Eucharist / Communion in the two species of body and blood (bread and wine). We are a very conservative parish for so long (it is said that we are the only parish in the Sacramento area which is not serving the body and blood in the 2 species. I myself will stay with my single specie option of bread to receive the Eucharist (complete body and blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ)! Since I was assigned to distribute blood / wine at the 9:30 am Mass today, I had to take wine 1^st myself; the entire process went smoothly but I observed the conservative parishioners avoided taking wine, which I respect sincerely;      

·      Streamed Live over EWTN, I watched the beauty and splendor of the orthodox Maronite traditional rites celebrated with Pope Francis in Istanbul, Turkey over this week-end – so inspiring and moving! 

·      Communicating continuously with our contacts in our SAGA 1965 Golden Reunion FB website; we pray for maximum participation in our Feb. 21, 2015 event!

·      Movies watched: Hunger Games -  Mocking Jay 1; marathon on HBO: Legend of Hercules, Behind the Candelabra, 12 years a Slave, That Awkward Moment;

Attached are 4 photos with family and 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

Dear Loved Ones,

            Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA, USA!  I am happily back to the routine of American living, adjusting to the cool weather, doing household chores, more spiritual focus, after the pleasant direct PAL flight via SFO.  Today, let us all pray for the intersession of all saints in heaven, as we pray for the transition into heaven of all souls in purgatory. Much Thanks GOD!!!

            I am glad that Sean took good care of my indoor plants, managed to keep our home tidy despite his busy work – overall, nice to immerse back on my regular schedule of exercise, diet, medication, more predictable traffic, weather, overall environment; contrasted to the hectic Manila ambience, like the 4-hour drive from QC to NAIA airport via EDSA under heavy rains on that Saturday evening – terrible!

            After getting out my winter stock, we are into layering of attire season, for the cool temperatures, and turning on our home heater system; then back to my church activities, Opus Dei Recollections, Bible studies, adoration chapel commitments. Sean had also been doing some travelling: audit work to San Diego for a week, then to Los Angeles/ Anaheim for consecutive weeks – we only see each other on week-ends; I am really into the contemplative monastic ambiance, what a Blessing!

Other highlights:

·      2^nd Saturday Opus Dei Recollection with Fr. Turlock, confession, benediction, reuniting with my Circle;

·      On Oct. 18, Sean’s K of C had its ‘Oktoberfest’ dinner at the new Parish Center attended by a crowd of 200, featuring silent auction raffle; Sean was applauded for his piano performance of ‘Nocturne’, surprising people with is talent;

·      I watched the beauty and splendor of the beatification rites for Pope Paul VI, streamed Live over EWTN TV at 2 – 5AM Sac time;

·      Had lunch with Lik and Gene Schroeder at their Roseville home, then Lik and I had dinner at my Ate Nen’s home also in Roseville; they are neighbors actually;

·      Through Lik’s FB posting, I got connected to former classmates (Leonila Lim-Ang and Pewee Agoncillo) who invited me to a Reunion of the College of the Holy Spirit (where I went for my 1^st year high school) batch 1965 to join them in July 2015; to be held in Panglao, Bohol;

·      Our St. Augustine Academy (SAGA) 1965 Class is celebrating our Golden anniversary on February 21, 2015. As Valedictorian of our group, I initiated to form our FB Group ‘SAGA 1965 Golden Reunion’ aimed to invite / spread info about the event, in order to maximize attendance / participation to our Reunion on Feb. 21, 2015. Eight had already committed attendance; and we pray for the success of our golden reunion;

·      I am back to the routine of communicating by YM to my folks in Pinas; Gerry and Fairview Shipping staff are so busy in ‘operations’ with the crewing of new vessels from TOEI, with the help of resident ‘Ueda San’; thanks GOD for the continuous opportunity to help our countrymen – Gerry is so inspired;

·      Movies watched (I miss the free SM movies) include: The Judge, The Best of Me, Brad Pitt’s Fury, (Sarah recommended) Gone Girl;

Attached are 4 photos with family and 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

Dear Loved Ones,

            Pleasant Greetings from Manila, Philippines!  However, I have only a few days left for my return to CA on Oct. 4, so I am in the middle of despedida outings, meet-ups with friends, free movies, and other perks of senior citizenship in Pinas. Much Thanks God for this wonderful vacation, bonding with family and friends, enjoying the blessings!

Life had been so hectic: business meetings, lunch outs, daily Masses in Sto. Domingo or UP church, Mondays/ Tuesdays free movies, shopping; including the 2-hours leadtime from home to your appointments due to heavy traffic. Since it always rains in the afternoons, I make sure to be home by 5pm to avoid being stranded by the floods in the streets; oh well, makes Pinas life exciting and unpredictable.

After our mini-reunion of high school mates and the fiesta rush of activities in Panglao, I was back in Manila on August 30, with all bringhouse fiesta foods which lasted for the entire month, supplemented by our Sunday trips to Ma mon luk mami / siopao. This was a common favorite of Gerry and myself; and the veggies of Packo’s restaurant, and other take-outs.  

Other highlights:

·      September is the official start of Christmas season in Pinas; thus, Christmas carols aired on the radio and decors on shopping malls were seen, and greetings too;

·      Fairview Shipping staff are so tech-savvy to provide me with ‘pocket wi-fi’ which I used at my condo to keep me internet connected that I did not have to report to the office daily; it was so convenient to update my FB / yahoo even if it was heavily raining outside;

·      Gerry and I had our semi-annual medical check-ups and blood chemistry; for our internest and other specialists such as urology, EENT, and the accompanying senior citizen discounts; nice to know we are in good physical conditions – our most important wealth!

·      We visited our condo unit at 24H, 8 Forbestown Road, Bonifacio Global City. Gerry was so impressed with the features and the 7^th level amenities; the picturesque Makati skyline and surrounding environment was awesome; it was ready for acceptance but we were not prepared for it, maybe early next year;

·       September 7 was Sarah’s birthday; so we greeted her while we celebrated with lunch at MESA at SMNE, followed by movie and shopping;

·      Had lunch with Arlene and Ozone at the Mediterranean Restaurant at the Podium in Ortigas Center, updating on the operational status of our Nordic Ventures – it was generating prosperity with brighter days ahead, especially since Ozone is President of Norconsult, with Arlene and husband active in the company; The following day, I joined them again for lunch at the I’m Angus Steakhouse in Makati for the Philippines-Norway Business Council meeting, where we had Senator Bam Aquino as speaker. I also talked with the new Norwegian ambassador Erik who was very pleasant;

·      On Sep. 14, Gerry and I had dinner at Saisaki Makati with Doris and her 3 lovely daughters: Donna, Dulce, and Dolly. While I wanted to invite them for my birthday, they were scheduled to leave on Thursday for their pilgrimage trip to Europe for the beatification of Opus Dei Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in Madrid, Spain;

·      I attended 3-days Opus Dei retreat with Fr. Carlos Abola, and had nice Confession at Habihan Center; before typhoon Mario came in with strong winds and heavy rains / floods;

·      Thanks God for the beautiful day / weather on Sat. Sep. 20, to celebrate my 65^th birthday with Mass at UP, then dinner at Saisaki / DAD’s West Avenue, QC; My kind husband opted for the ‘ultimate buffet’ to treat my friends: Fr. Bobot, Japanese Ikemura and Ueda sans (with their gifts of cake, flowers, and 2 neck pillows), Archs Chito and Tess Santiago, Gen. Gammy and Grace Cruz, Capt. Tony Palenzuela. Jessuca and 4 staff, and a co-celebrator cadet.

·      FSAC staff asked me to attend the shipping Executives’ meeting at the DOLE in Intrmuros. Due to parking constraints, I took a taxi; then after the meeting, I had to walk the distance to the middle of Luneta (in the middle of noon heat/traffic) to look for a ride. After an hour, God sent me an angel to give me a ride to SMNE to relax / rest. It was a nice realization that I am physically fir to endure such stress, much thanks GOD!

·      Watched the beauty and splendor of the entire ceremonies of the beatification of Opus Dei Bishop Alvaro del Portillo in Madrid, Spain on Sept. 27; will npw include him in my prayer exaltations;

·      Lunch treats from friends: Doray (my external auditor for 17 years) at the Seven Corners, Crown Plaza Hotel; reminisced critical incidents and our survival strategies, LOL; lunch with Ms. Cora Ignacio; dinner with Chito and Tess Santiago; and treats from other friends;   

·      Movies watched for free include: The Giver, The Gifted, I wish I was Here, The Maze Runner;

Attached are 3

photos with family and 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