Arnis De Mano (NARAPHIL webpage): December 2008

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The "Moonlight Serenade"

"Moonlight Serenade"
(Maiden Voyage)

28 December 2008

Houston, Texas

People who are adept with music, this is one beautiful classical sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, my favorite actually .............. but sorry to say it's not!

It was composed in Japan and not in Vienna, and this is her first "maiden voyage"! Zaldie was the conductor together with his Pearl Grace crew! They stayed for sixteen days in Japan before sailing her to the seas! Yes, when he toured us around the ship with Mely, you can still smell the raw paint to all its cabin and hallways.

The crew were all Filipinos and had a real good times with them! But as usual, they are bored and have no friends or relatives around to tour them, unlike Zaldie! Unfortunately I can not also accommodate them and that they have to spend their Christmas in their ship.

Zaldie was able to do a good shopping spree, because all the stores were on for the post-Christmas sale. So he was frantic to buy things and keeps computing the prices from dollars to pesos - and says it was really a big, big discount. He started paying his items with the green bucks and the cashiers were all astonished for all the money coming out of his wallet, crispy, unblemished and most of all smells like a dollar!!! He! he! he!

Lahat ng kanyang $100 bills ay inaaninag and looking for it - counterfeit ba ito o hindi!!! We were both laughing because we looked liked hoodlums laundering the monies! Everyone is paying their bills with plastic money while Zaldie is paying it with a hard cash, and everyone is looking. Kasi naman nakadamit lang kami ng akala mong very poor baga!???

Sabi nga niya eh, "Don't worry about it, galing pa yan sa Japan, pero printed pa rin dito sa States at hindi sa Japan!". He! he! he!

Bro. Zaldie, while we were board on your ship, I keep on wondering how you manage to stay without getting sea-sick with its continous waving motion. That brief stay with you, I can really say I'm not well good probably in travelling with ships. No matter how good a swimmer I am! He! he! he!

The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold and even not sunny for your brief visit! It only implies that everything was in place for your visit! Ho! ho! ho!

I hope all our Bros. back there could have a chance to visit me here and enjoy my simple hospitality, ika nga ......... Pinoy pa rin!

And so the tour goes on ..............

Welcome to Texas

I hope you can always have the chance to visit us again here in Texas and also hoping that you enjoyed your brief visit and stay here! Godspeed on your voyage! 'Til next visit!

"Don't mess with Texas"

That's his T-shirt logo ..........

Thanks for your visit Bro!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

A Christmas Experience

A brief visit of a friend,

a benefactor and a brother

@ Houston, Texas

25 December 2008
Sugar Land City, Texas
USA

It's 7:00 AM and a my cell phone rang with the familiar voice of - Zaldie, ......... "Manong nandito ako sa Port of Houston, Pier #16 where my ship is docked!". "Do you want me to pick you up now?" and he answered, "Not yet, when I'm done with my refueling job then you can pick me up!". "Okay then and spend the Christmas with us since we will be having a family reunion with one of my sister's house".

Wow that was really a prolific event and I'm such honored to welcome one of our most revered benefactor of our arnis activities. It's such an amazing thing and a good experience having seen a long time sparring partner, a friend, a good benefactor and most of all ..... a brother I can be proud to call!

From the Pier we went home and introduce him to the boys and Mely, while she was busy doing the cooking and preparing some stuff for the "Noche Buena". We tried driving around to the different shopping stores but it seems everyone was rushing for the the last minute shopping for Christmas ........ the line seems endless! So we decided to go around and just give him a tour of our city.

The city hall was empty with no promenaders seems to be wandering around the streets and they all seems to be busy having a buying spree in all the stores and shopping malls. It was a nice day to stroll around because of it!

And so, we went around ..................... and as usual, the old frolicsome Zaldie, a jolly and a happy fellow he is that makes you smile and laugh on his jokes and stories on his ship.

He admires our city and asks, "Bakit marami ang mga puti dito sa Amerika?". Well its the old Zaldie's corny jokes! Iba talaga ang nakakalabas at nakakababa sa barko namin, para ka kasing naka bartolina lagi! Looking the same old faces for the next 24 hrs for the next 9-10 months! He! he! he! That's life of being a seaman anyway and the pay is compensatory naman for all your boredom and hardships!

Truly they are the era of new heroes for our country ................ because they generate a lot of income for the remittances they do that amount to $10-20 billion annually! Without this OFW's Philippines should have been long gone bankrupt financially, and most of all ............ intellectually drained!

For the last three decades, we all strived hard to pursue our own career. The vision we always follow and the mission we still need to accomplish! Having someone to talk to regarding all the plans and programs that needs to done is really fulfilling and boosts your morale and the desire to continue doing them regardless of the economic down trend!

It is an investment, for the future of the organization and those people, like the young Turks, who still believes in our vision and mission in life!

A visit like this from a person like Zaldie, makes me sentimental and passionate, for all the things we started thirty years ago ............. just couldn't let go no matter how far we've gone! Probably, its really imbibed in our blood and will never, never go away from our heart!

Again, I may quote, "Who is really the loyal subject?"

Zaldie also did tried to shun away from us for seven years because of personal and family matters but ........... olah! One day he dropped by my clinic crying and desperate of his personal predicament - he was financially and emotionally drained!

Without hesitation, I presented him to Bro. Rick and ask him what can be done? I can give him money today but not tomorrow or next day - so, we gave him a rod so he can fish for himself and no longer beg for it! Thanks Bro. Rick for the chance you've given him, now he is much richer than me - kaya nga may bumalak na kumidnap sa asawa niya eh!!! He! he! he! And again you were there to protect his wife and family, caught the culprits and brought to justice!!!

By the way, that was a team effort of the LM members - Bros. Bong Liliit, Junch, Mike, Rey, Rick and others (sorry I can't remember their names). Job well done anyway!