Aerlind Victoria -- from womb to nursery...

It was about 7:30 am on Saturday, March 24 when Faye felt that her water bag broke. The rule, as advised by her Ob-Gyne Dr. Ana Villaraza is to go to the hospital within 6 hours. And so we rushed to the Capitol Medical Center within three hours. Faye was wheel-chaired to the labor room at the fourth floor immediately. Thus began the 30-hour labor. I got a room as soon as I was no longer allowed to see Faye in the labor room. Almost every hour thereafter until 12:30 PM the next day, I went to the door of the delivery room asking nicely the same question to whoever would come and talk to me. "Is my wife okey?" And I heard the same answer: "She's doing okey. Go to your room, Sir, and we will just call you."

By 1 PM of March 25, I was in the showerbox of Room 412 when my mobile phone was ringing. The number has no name. I texted "Please text your message, I am in the hospital." Then I surmised it must be Dr. Ana. I called back.

Dr. Ana: "Jimmy, where are you? Bring your camera to the delivery room now!" About three weeks earlier, I asked permission from Dr. Ana if I could take photos inside the delivery room. "We will see," she said, adding that she has a doctor friend who's into photography.

The passage way from Room 412 to the delivery room which is on the same floor but in another building is closed since some repairs are undergoing. I had to rushed down to the 2nd floor via the fire exit stairs then up to the 4th floor chasing my breath.

A young guy met me at the door of the delivery room. "Okey, give me your camera and just stay here. Wait for me," he said. I set the camera ISO to 1600, AI servo focus and at 18mm focal length.

"Where's the flash?" he asked.

"It's okey. The sensitivity to light is high," I assured him.

At about 2 PM, the delivery room door opened. Dr. Joan Daza came out. "Here it is. Check if I got good photos," she said as she handled to me the camera. She was the doctor friend photographer of Dr. Ana. She took the photos inside the delivery room. The EXIF file of her first shot (photo 2 above) showed 1:40 PM, the time our daughter Aerlind Victoria was officially born.

dipunturong 2 @ the cemetery

Thieves are everywhere. And the Jones cemetery, unfortunately, is not spared. So be sure to take back home valuables that you bring to the cemetery for the pista ng patay. At the background is the graveyard of the late Manong Mar Lucero, who was once the Jones municipal assessor.

Manong Joel and bayaw Lovy at the graveyard of Dad, Inay and Manang Ely. At the middle foreground is Chit-chit (daughter of Mang Romy and Manang Lita) ang her husband Guding, a fellow civil engineer.

At the graveyard of the late former mayor uncle Francisco "Paquito" Gallardo Sr.

Preparing flowers for the beloved departed.

The tombstones of Dad, Inay and Manang Ely.

dipinturong 1

There were three main reasons why I wanted to make a trip home. One, to be able to pay respect to our departed loved ones; two, to be able to see finally Peja, the newest member of the family, the daughter of Queencel -- the MMS that they have been sending can't be displayed by my phone; and three, to help in cleaning the house and it's environs after typhoon Paeng unleashed its signal no. 4 fury in Isabela and neighboring provinces. The secondary reason is to meet the 'boarders' in the house. Manong Joel decided to admit them for practical reasons of having other heads maintain the house and added income, too.


The house in its melancholic state after the typhoon Paeng.


typhoon paeng, rendered almost naked the chinese bamboo at the back of the house.


Bayaw Lovy takes time for his new apo Peja.


Paeng 'uprooted' at once the bahay kubo and disposed it about 10 meters away to the vacant adjacent lot. It took 6 people (Lovy, James Bernard, Eric the boarder, Xerxes, Eric the neighbor and myself) about an hour to bring it back to its original location.


The mango tree by the bathroom fell the second time around.


The spot where the bahay kubo once stood. At the background is the house of Manong Ding Manuel.

kathleen - rey wedding

kathleen is the eldest daughter of manang ruth and mang vito. the marriage ceremony took place at the bethany center in minante, cauayan city and the reception followed in palattao, naguilian, isabela. congratulations!

1st death anniversary of inay

Our heartfelt thanks to Diarao folks who worked so hard to prepare the 'umras'.
munching singkamas by the river.
the future row team of the philippines for the olympics!
auntie naty (my father's sister) and auntie magni (wife of the late uncle feling - felimon, my father's brother)


nemesio junior panaligan, yeye, chrisma (daughter of manang celia), and friends from the raymundo family.


the 'atang' during the 'idamros' by the river.


lunch break. manang odie, manang celia, manang baby, auntie naty, mrs. malana.


by the river with nieces, manong joel, manang jack, bayaw vito, auntie magni and auntie fely.


manong joel, bayaw vito and auntie fely. thank you so much auntie for all your support!


yeye.

the panaligans -- maribel, ronnie's daughter, chrisma and sherwin...


to the load limit!


the panaligans! all on board...


bayaw lovy, ang pinakamaaasahan sa pagkatay at pagluto!


yeye and me...

yeye and me, part 2.