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All Saint's Day Is A Family Tradition From The 80s



The hiatus between October 31st to November 2nd is almost always a family reunion during the 80s. Folks from Manila, Tuguegarao and La Union would all visit our  hometown to pay respects to our departed relatives by offering prayers, as is the Catholic tradition.

I've had precious memories from these visits, being in the ancestral house that my grandfather resided. Folks would take me with them, not only to visit the graves in the cemetery, but more to go around town to visit other relatives in nearby towns. An added plus is staying at our uncles' San Fabian resthouse eby the popularly known Holiday Resort! There were plenty of us families there, I imagine the house with 4 rooms so cramped that some of us had to sleep by the living room / terrace. But the days were so much fun playing boardgames, going to the beach, exchanging knock-knock jokes and getting to know our cousins more!



For a long while since 1983, when our grandfather Roberto De Guzman passed away, it was only me and my Big Sister Cousin Edith  who would visit their graves at the cemetery. The practice was solemn then and we would pass by the Catholic church in the afternoon to offer prayers first before going to the cemetery. At the cemetery we would keep vigil until the sun sets, just exchanging family stories and the latest. I miss that too.

Yes, I miss those times and wish we could have a repeat of those for the next generation (read: my young boys) but then all my relatives are now settled in the US and Australia for good, that I miss their huge crowd sometimes. Yes, I'm the only immediate relative left here in the Philippines, so you could imagine the quietness of the occasion for my family now. And I've also changed with traditions during All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day as we don't celebrate nor participate in it now, except with the clean-up of the grave sites since we converted to Christian faith.



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Tombstone Tuesday Remembering Our Ancestors This All Saint's Day



When I visited our town cemetery together with my two boys for clean-up, I knew these tombstones are something to blog about.. so here I am on my entry for Tombstone Tuesday. In the Philippines we use marble tombstones called lapida in the local dialect.


My grandfather Roberto Cortez De Guzman (Born: June 6,1899 - Died: December 1,1983) He lived up to his 84th year of old age. My grandfather and grandmother's ashes were put together, as is the Pinoy custom, in one grave. My grandmother Felicidad De Vera De Guzman (Born: July 24,1905 - Died: February 19,1960) She died from complications due to a bout of asthma. During the rural folk ages, doctors were a rarity in our town that perhaps contributed to her early demise when my mother and her siblings were still in college in Manila.

 

My Aunt Justina De Vera De Guzman (Born September 26,1934 - Died: May 19, 1960) Aunt Nena, as she was fondly called, was two years older than my  mom. She died of heart complications about the time she was working right after college. I recall my other aunts said she had a suitor/boyfriend who was very despondent when she died.

On the same grave is my older cousin whom I've never met Francis G. Paraan (Born: October 18, 1964 - Died: February 18, 1965) He was the brother between my Big Sister/ Cousin Ate Edith and Kuya Rey. Folks said that when he died, the then young Ate Edith cried so much at his funeral that people cried more for her sadness. She wished for another sibling and was blessed with the birth of Kuya Rey

On the same grave is my nephew Gian Carlo Viloria Paraan, son of Kuya Rey and Ate Mimie (Born: March 21,1988 - Died: March 22, 1988) He died from neonatal complications. Faye and I were there when we visited him at the hospital, which was also the same day we took him home together with Ate Mimie's folks.




This is my mom's tombstone: Juana De Guzman Buelchmann (Born: June 12, 1936 - Died: April 13, 1991) (Juane De Guzman Bülchmann) She died from cancer complications. I was only 19 years old then.





Find more at http://www.gravestonephotos.com/public/findfamily.php?name=Bulchmann http://www.findagrave.com/
Lapida Maker

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Music Monday - The Romantics and A-HA



Two hit songs from my 80s adolescent hood for this Music Monday for me,yay!

 The Romantic's "Talking In Your Sleep" was a great hit in the summer of 1984. It was a crowd favorite and I wonder why it personally reminds me of Eat Bulaga's Little Miss Philippines contestant Glaiza Herradura, hmm, now there's another entry to blog about next time :)

"Take On Me" by A-ha is an incredibly awesome music video and a great hit also. It was in early 1985 that the music video was released and often requested on MTV and VH1

Enjoy!






Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava’s Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

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Music Monday - Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Mitoy Yonting & Lea Salonga On The VoicePH




Happy Monday, folks! I'm sharing Mitoy Yonting (with Lea Salonga and Vice Ganda)'s rendition of Total Eclipse Of The Heart. Mitoy is the winner in last night's VoicePH Grand Finals. He's a crowd favorite and the pride of Pangasinan. I don't know him personally but my close friend from Japan has had the privilege of meeting him at a party long before he became a celebrity on the VoicePH. Enjoy!


TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

(Turn around) every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round
(Turn around) every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears
(Turn around) every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by
(Turn around) every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes

(Turn around, bright eyes) Every now and then I fall apart
(Turn around, bright eyes) Every now and then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight and I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right 'cause we'll never be wrong
Together we can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (all of the time)
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight, forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight

Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do... a total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say... a total eclipse of the heart

(Turn around) bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
(Turn around) bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (all of the time)
I don't know what to do, I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
A total eclipse of the heart







Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava’s Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!


Short Bob Turquoise WigShort Bob Turquoise Wig - $11.99
from: HalloweenCostumes.com

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Wordless Wednesday - Old Coins From The 80s



Wordless Wednesday again folks and I'm sharing the old coins from my coin collection. I've included a few coins from the USA also .We sure miss these coins in circulation :)

                                                         2 Philippine Peso Coin 1984
                                                         Andres Bonifacio
                                                        

                                         1 Peso Coin 1982, Jose Rizal, Ang Bagong Lipunan
                                            1 Peso Coin 1987, Jose Rizal

                                           1 Peso Coin 1985, Jose Rizal





                                                               1982 5 Sentimos Philippine Coin
                                                               Bagong Lipunan
                                                               Melchora Aquino










Thanks to these Wordless Wednesday participants who joined:

BLOGSHE LINKY 9/17
Feather w/linky
HEARTBEAT mag W/ link

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Christmas Songs From The 80s



Photobucket

Ahh, the melodies of Christmas! From the oldies to the revivals by new artists, we have a bunch of compiled Christmas music to share and this time these were the ones played during the 80s! Feel free to click and download.



Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid (1984)
 

Last Christmas by Wham (1984)
 

It's Christmas All Over The World

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Belinda Carlisle

Give Love On Christmas Day by New Edition

 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by The Pretenders

Bells Will Be Ringing by Eagles


I hope you enjoy listening! :)

Related topics: Christmas song lyrics, christmas songs mp3, christmas carols, popular christmas songs, christmas songs list

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Filipino Christmas Songs

















Trending on twitter these days is the #christmas which is still from the early Christmas welcome of twitterers.

This makes us feel so festive that we'd like to share our compilation  of classic Filipino Christmas Songs. Label warning : for fellow Pinoys abroad, these might make you homesick. But enjoy! Araw-araw Pasko! :)



Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit

*Pasko Na Sinta Ko Amateur Children's Choir

Related searches: OPM Christmas Songs, Tagalog Christmas Songs

(Acknowledgment: courtesy to maryan54 for webshots picture)


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Presenting "A Day In Life" my series of texts from my journals that I kept between the ages of 14 and 17. I'll be adding new entries every now and then to share all my thoughts, ideas,events, experiences, memories, ideas I had during the eighties. It is for my continued amusement that I read and reread my old journals, even when there isn't much content, I still gain occasional insight how I'm still in the process of changing to maturity. Most of the names have been changed to protect the people I recently found on Facebook. A few are just partial entries, my bleeping and blinding exclamations have been removed and some entries have been modified to give way to my now correct spelling and grammar. Yet the mix of excitement, melodrama and pleasant memories from the eighties are still much felt :)I hope, as you read my old journal with me, you enjoy the same sentiments.