My mother's 6th anniversary in heaven

Today is my mother Consuelo Oplas 6th death anniversary. 

On September 3, 2015, I posted this in my fb wall: 

My father, my eldest daughter, my mother. At our house in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, April 2010. After battling her kidney problem & Alzheimer's for several years, Mama has rested today. Bye Ma... am very sad...

I thanked and greatly appreciate several hundreds of Condolence notes and comments from hundreds of friends. Thanks again, guys.

The next day, Sept 4, 2015, I posted this: 

Dear friends, your greetings and condolence notes are well appreciated, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Papa is beside me now in front of Mama's coffin. He keeps crying.He keeps repeating that they have been married for 62 years now, that he has caused her some sadness in the past, he misses her. He does not want to come home after the burial on Sunday. My younger brother will host him in his house for a few days. 

Mama and Papa, December 1995.

After Mama's burial. We're five siblings, from left: me, Manang Bebeth, Neneng Marycris, and Bobong. The fifth, our eldest Manong Nestor, died of prostate C with diabetes around 2005. My other photos during Mama's burial were in my other laptop that crashed.

Mama and Papa together up there since 4+ years ago.

Still remembering and loving you, Ma, Pa....

See also:

http://travelpinoy.blogspot.com/2012/08/elle-marie-in-negros-occ.html, August 20, 2012

https://travelpinoy.blogspot.com/2013/12/nessa-oplas-sy-wedding.html, December 08, 2013.

My US trip two years ago

Yesterday, these photos popped in my fb feed, about my few side trips after attending a climate-energy conference in Washington DC sponsored by the Heartland Institute.

July 28, 2019, lunch with Lorenzo Montanari and Chris Butler of the Americans for Tax Reforms (ATR), in a resto few blocks from their office.

After lunch I met with Wolfgang Mueller of EIKE, European Institute for Climate and Energy, based in Germany. Wolfgang also attended the Heartland conference. We have coffee at the Chinatown in DC.

The next day, Wolfgang and I attended the barbeque party of Tim Andrews, formerly with the Australia Taxpayers Alliance (ATA) then migrated to the US, with the US Taxpayers Alliance. He moved to another free market NGO. And Dr Pat Michaels of Cato was also there. Pat was one of the speakers in the conference two days earlier. He's a famous meteorologist and climatologist.

From left: me, Tim, Pat, Wolfgang. Filipino, Australian, American, German :-)

After that I visited an old and dear friend, Jo Kwong, formerly with Atlas Foundation, moved to the Philantrophy Roundtable, also in DC. Jo is very nice to me, she raised funds to sponsor my trip to Atlas conferences in 2008 (Atlanta) and 2009 (March in LA, November in DC). In 2010 she resigned from Atlas and Atlas has stopped sponsoring me too.

Jo is Chinese-American. Jo and her very supportive hubby.

Thank you Lorenzo, Chris, Wolfgang, Tim, Jo.

Construction of my treehouse in 2004

My treehouse in a barrio in Bugallon, Pangasinan was constructed in 2004. I have an architect who help design it and trained the local carpenters how to execute things -- my friend and former Narra dormmate in UP Diliman, Clifford Espinosa. 

Since the house is perched on a big and live mahogany tree, construction started from the top, the trusses of the roof of the second floor. Then the 2nd floor was built, then the 1st floor. Bottom right photo is Clifford with another friend from UP, Calmar Palma. Another friend from UP who came that day was Ding Aguila, not in the photo.

Clifford in another photo bottom left, support carpenter Charlie Espinosa looking up. Bottom right, that's me trying the manual driller.

Roof is cogon, well arranged. Danny Paragas and his father Nong Endring Paragas looking.

Near-finished house, after about 3 months.

This is the original treehouse in that tree, a small hut. It was dismantled so that the bigger, 2-storey treehouse could replace it.

Inside the treehouse, this photo taken about 2 years ago.

Thanks Clifford, thanks carpenters and others who helped.

Remembering Fermin Taruc

Ten years ago today, Feb. 26, 2011, my undergrad organization, UP Economics Towards Consciousness (UP ETC), had a sudden, instant reunion among some alumni who were invited by SMS just hours before the gathering. Our friend from NYC, Esther Habana, was in town and has a one on one with another friend, Fermin "Tarcs" Taruc, a Manila-based tech businessman. Later they decided to invite others, me included. Below from left: Gladys, Esther, Jojo, and Tarcs.

Three of us followed later. Below from left: Jojo, Roland, Esther, Tarcs, Gladys, Roger, me.

It was another fun-filled evening with fellow ETCers. Many others were invited but they could not come due to short notice, just few hours. 

That was a Thursday night. Days later, Monday morning, we just learned that Tarcs died. He had a heart attack Sunday night and since he was living alone in his condo, no one brought him to the hospital. His officemates who wondered why he was not responding by email or by phone call, went to his condo. The guards assisted them to come in, they found Tarcs unconscious inside. They brought him to the hospital, it was late.

Thanks for the friendship, Tarcs. You are a good and friendly man. 

Since then, I attended all reunions with friends from college. I have many organizations and groups of friends from UP, including former dormmates (I stayed in Molave, Yakal, Narra dorms).