Sa Harrod's Department Store yata ito, ang tag-iya si Mohamed Fayed, tatay ni Dodie na bf ni Princess Diana
Angie at the gates of Kensington Palace, official residence of Princess Diana
Angie at the Dover (UK) and France border. France na ang nasa background nya.Please click the following URL to see the video version of the WWII jeeps manufactured by the plant managed by Roberto Cruz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlILVINpOkk
The Golden Boys and Girls and their families enjoying the bowling game
The Jayhawks in their new uniforms
Doods Absin aims for a strike
Ambassador Evelyn Duran shows off her legs and winning form
Golden Girls Evelyn and Gilda with the Golden Boys
Bebot Sanchez: Di ba kini man ang crystal ball ni Madame Auring?!?
Let us lend support to our team as they battle it out in the ND Alumni Inter-batch Bowling Tournament '08! You are invited to join, watch and cheer every Sunday at 2 pm, Tokyok (formerly 5M) Bowling Lanes, National Highway
Sir Roger Rebucan, during the 35th Grand Reunion, mentioned the prize-winning essay written by Kabatch Gilbert Tan. Reprinted here is the said essay.
| LIFESTYLE FEATURE - SUNDAY LIFE |
My Favorite Book Year 4 This Week’s Winner
| ‘The Lady or the Tiger?’: Facing life’s choices |
| By Gilbert Y. Tan |
This Week’s Winner
Gilbert Y. Tan, currently a college professor at Mindanao State University-General Santos City, is also a writer-journalist. He is a resource person for campus journalism in Regions 11 and 12. He joined the 1989
December 1999. With the Y2K scare and end-of-the-millennium jitters hovering in the air, I found myself in a bookstore for some last-minute Christmas shopping. I was looking for the abridged versions of the classics Heidi and The Secret Garden to give to my nieces when I saw a vaguely-familiar title on the shelves: The Lady or The Tiger and Other Stories. As I traced the embossed title with my right index finger, a particular memory flooded my consciousness.
1970. Our sophomore English class of 40 boys was quiet as our teacher, Mr. Roger Rebucan, read aloud Frank Stockton’s short story The Lady or The Tiger? in a voice with a slight tinge of Hiligaynon accent. Our yet-to-be-raging hormones and our boyishness were piqued by the intriguing title which promised romance and adventure. We were not disappointed by the tale that unraveled before us – a love affair between a young man and his sweetheart whose father, the semi-barbaric king, wants to end. The king sentences the guy to choose between two doors. One leads to a beautiful woman; the other, to a hungry tiger. With bated breath, we struggled with the protagonist as he wracked his brain as to which door to open. If he opened the door to the beautiful woman, he would be forced to marry her. Opening the other door would mean his instant death. We heaved a collective sigh when Mr. Rebucan read the part where the princess signaled to the guy by moving her hand to the right but were abruptly shocked to hear the story’s final sentence: And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door – the lady or the tiger?
Just as it did in 1882 when it was first published, the story spawned a cacophony of arguments among us which, for one whole week, spilled over to recess times, lunch breaks and lulls in between basketball games played after school. If ever there was one single story that the boys of Notre Dame of Dadiangas Boys’ Department (NDDBD) Batch ‘73 remembered having read, I am sure their aging selves now would shout in unison: The Lady or The Tiger?
It was one powerful tale that made such an impact on my life. It made me realize then, as a 13-year-old boy, real life’s lesson No. 1: life is full of choices. Later, I would find some choices easy to make, some so difficult that it dredged up every metaphor I’ve come across: to be between the devil and the deep blue sea, a rock and a hard place, Scylla and Charybdis.
The impact was even greater with the influence Mr. Rebucan had on my intellectual life. As our English teacher, he taught us a language that resonates with dynamism when used as a tool for self-expression. He was as sports-minded as he was an avid reader. Being not much of the sporty type due to my myopic eyes, I would read library books while keeping watch over the school bags and uniforms of those classmates who played in the field. I would often see Mr. Rebucan reading in between ballgames he was officiating, in the canteen while taking his snacks, in the faculty room when he had finished checking our papers, and in the parade grounds while waiting for the civic-military parade to start. I was drawn to him because we shared something in common – reading. Pretty soon, I approached him for titles to look for in the library. With him as a mentor, my love for words and reading became boundless. He did not stay long in the teaching profession as he later worked for a government agency and a soft-drink bottling company. Years later, he and I would often cross paths in search of reading materials in local bookstores and magazine stands. Cherished books were exchanged between us.
December 1999. It has been 29 years since I last heard/read
As I reread the story that night, I reflected on the motivations (mine and others) that led to choices impacting my life, career and relationships. I realized that at the high and low points in my life, some people acted as the semi-barbaric king who forced me to make hard decisions while others, like the princess, led me to "ladies" and "tigers" as consequences of my decisions after considering their advices and maneuverings. Whatever their motives, I thank them all because through them, I have learned to accept responsibility for my own decisions in life. As Frank Stockton aptly said in reply to the countless questions he got about the story’s ending: "If you decide which it was — the lady or the tiger — you find out what kind of person you are yourself."
MANILA (AFP) — The rugged Willy Jeep has been given a new lease of life by a small factory in Manila reproducing the iconic World War II vehicle for a growing international market nostalgic for the past.
The company, MD Juan, exports about 95 percent of its output to collectors mainly in the United States and Europe who still treasure the veteran vehicle said to have been the backbone of the US army during World War II.
Plant manager Roberto Cruz says American collectors want their jeeps as authentic as possible -- complete with imperfections and outdated materials such as wood and rubber instead of more durable plastic.
"The purists, they want it correct to the smallest detail," he told AFP.
"If you make the body too nice, they don't like it. They ask, 'where is the spot weld part here?'" he said.
MD Juan moves around 1,500 units a year, most of them on order but the engines are usually left to the buyer.
European and American collectors also prefer to have carefully-restored original jeep engines installed in their vehicles, says Cruz, adding however that his company cannot motor restoration.
The few Filipino collectors are content just to install a modern Toyota or Isuzu engine in their vehicles to produce a jeep that only looks authentic from the outside, says Cruz.
"They would laugh at such jeeps in the US," he says. "We don't sell running units. If we did, whatever profit we make would be eaten up by warranty claims."
He declined to say how much he sells them for but said a fully-restored jeep sold recently on the E-Bay Internet auction site for 30,000 dollars.
"Most of the buyers are veterans who have a romance with the jeep," he says.
But there are also younger collectors who are entranced with the wartime history of the vehicle. "Everywhere America fought" there are people who remember the jeep," says Cruz.
"It was the original 4X4 vehicle, the original all-terrain vehicle."
The US produced more than 600,000 jeeps during World War II and it played a crucial role in both the Pacific and European theatres ranging from simple people mover to weapons carrier.
The squat, box-like vehicle garnered a huge following for its rugged durability, low cost and widespread availability.
Allied commander and later US president Dwight Eisenhower said the jeep was crucial to the Allied victory in World War II.
Nor is it surprising that a Philippine company should specialise in replicas of these jeeps as they played a crucial role in land transport in this country.
After World War II, as a newly-independent Philippines was recovering from wartime devastation, US surplus jeeps were often the only form of automotive transport available to many Filipinos.
Enterprising Filipinos extended the bodies of the jeeps, added seats, a fixed roof and gaudy decorations to produce the jeepney, a mini-bus that is still a cornerstone of commuter transport here, as well as a symbol of the Philippines itself.
Maximiano D. Juan, the founder of MD Juan, started his company in 1966 importing jeep parts for the jeepneys. As the supply of surplus parts dried up and more jeepneys switched to using imported Japanese auto engines, he had to find a new niche.
Company vice president Raphael Juan, grandson of the founder, says the same people who once supplied his grandfather with surplus jeep parts asked if he could provide reproduction parts for their vintage jeeps.
This led the company to set up a stamping factory that eventually grew to making various parts for those wanting to restore their old jeeps.
Rapahel Juan says about 80 percent of its jeeps are exported to the United States with 20 percent going to other countries. France and the Netherlands are two other big buyers where local enthusiasts want vehicles that look just like World War II originals.
Although nostalgic World War II veterans may be passing away, the market for the jeeps does not seem to be getting any smaller.
"Recently, when we went to a jeep convention in Lodi, California we noticed there were new enthusiasts in the market who are younger," Juan said.
The company has also gone into jeep-oriented ventures, making small jeep bodies in which the hobbyist can install a lawnmower or golf cart engine to produce a jeep a child can drive.
MD Juan has also been contracted by Greenpeace to build the bodies for a fleet of electric-powered jeepneys that local governments are promoting as an environmental alternative to the smoke-belching originals.
Another project is the "tourist jeep"-- a bus-sized vehicle with all the amenities of a luxury tourist bus but with the colourful exterior of a jeepney.
Cruz says the company is hoping tour agencies, resorts and hotels will buy these tourist jeeps to add some local colour to their services.
Some people have even asked if MD Juan could expand into making reproduction bodies for vintage roadsters, though Cruz says this would be too difficult.
But after some hesitation, Raphael Juan says with a smile: "We're studying the market for that."
Now based in Singapore, Hector "Boying" is shown above with his wife, sons, Mrs. Fauni and Jasmin Fauni.
Boying, wife and son
Evelyn Ebing Abueva-Olarte surprised many of us when she came home from the USA to attend our 35th Grand Reunion. Now she's back to work in California.
On August 30, she and Cef hosted a joint despedida and birthday get-together at Cafe Amigo. Loi Guzman Baes catered the event.
Loida Sanz, Glyn & Ebing
Ebing and Malou Dypiangco
Edna Sunga, Cef, Glyn, Gilda, Ebing & Malou
Hot mamas Glyn and Gilda, Malou & Ebing assist Cef in blowing out her birthday candle
Front seat rows to see the video of the 35th Grand Reunion
Ma'am Aida leans on her walker as she enjoys the video of the 35th Homecoming.
Ma'am Aida thanks NDD Batch '73 specially Antonia Asibal-Alquezor and Rosanna Cuarenta-Tan for the financial aid given to her.
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