Vespinoy gets an invite to Globe Blogger's Meet

Apparently I'm one of the 12 Apostles of Globe!

Actually I think I made it through the strength of the original Vespinoy blog.
It's going to be an interesting meet up with people on the 31st. Even though I have to give up one badminton night. Darn it!

Thanks Jayvee, see you there.

Hey! A new home!

Since my old site, Vespinoy.Com has finally been remade into the Pinoy Vespa Portal, I decided to get a blogger account for my own personal blog.

No need for my own domain, since this will most likely be visited rather infrequently.

Anyway, I'll be migrating most of my personal posts from Vespinoy soon so this site will have content.

See yousoon!

Choco Loco!

Marco and I enjoying Mama Olives' delicious chocolate cake!
Happy Birthday Ate Olive!

Side Aid at the Aliw

Last night, we watched Side Aid, a benefit concert featuring Side A for PAGES (Philippine American Group(?) of Educators and Surgeons) foundation. Now PAGES has been coming to the country for the past 17 years helping Filipino children suffering from cleft pallates.

My sister was one of the guests and she called me up and asked me if I wanted to watch it, then she mentioned Basil Valdez and it was an immediate no brainer.

The show in itself was ok, thought the sound system was terrible, which dumbfounded me because Rene Cruz od EFX was personally handling the system, anyway that's for another day. Side A was their usual self, same songs, same routine but same crowd reaction, amazing really, after all these years these guys are still truly a major draw, just ask my wife, she refuses to watch any other band but them.

Rachelle Ann Go was good in her belter ways except when she snagged a few of the really high notes of her opening number. Agot, was well, Agot hehe. Still carrying herself majestically on stage. With a much more powerful voice now since she's been doing stage for the past coupl of years. In all honesty? She needs practice ;).

Basil at Aliw (pathetic photo)

Basil was really something else. The last time I caught Basil was in a show in Mandarin Oriental's Captains Bar. His voice then was rather shaky and unsure, which I really didn't mind since we were watching a legend. But last night, it was vintage Basil Valdez, hitting the high notes on Ngayon at Kailanman, Kastilyong Buhangin plus doing a duet with Agot of 2 songs near and dear to every original Metro Pop fan, the Bambi Bonus/Richard Tann opus "Kailangan Ko, Kailangan Mo" and the every popular "Umagang Kay Ganda" by Tillie Moreno and Ray-An Fuentes.

That in itself was worth the trouble of going through traffic.

Safe to say, Basil's back.

Woot woot!

Me and Dino inside the Aliw theater

Badminton Elbow

Damn! First time I've gotten badminton (tennis) elbow and I don't like it.
I'm here now typing this entry with an elastic bandage wrapped around my elbow. I attribute it to a real healthy abhorrance of stretching last night. Plus having to warm up with someone who insists on smashing the shuttle back to you....during warm ups.....I should really smack it back with full force one of these days.

Hay naku....

School Projects

Why does it always seem that my sons' school project ultimately ends up being mine. Not that I mind doing it, I have actually shooed him away on occasions and have sequestered his project as my own.

Hmmm, we're done with simple circuits, let's move on to more serious stuff! HAHA!

Proud Daddy

My kids got their report cards last Friday and I was pleasantly surprised, nay, deliriously happy with the results.

Dino, my eldest, who's now Grade 5 in Lourdes School in Mandaluyong, improved his grade point average by 3 points, increasing from 83 to 86 making him break the class Top 10 for the first time at number 9.

Marco who's in Prep, who I rarely see open a book, much less study had straight E's in his card. E apparently meaning "Evident" in this politically correct grading system. Who cares! I was ecstatic!

This has not been easy for all of us, particulary for Dino, since Lourdes adopted the Trimestral form of the school year. The amount of things to study are far more than what I encountered, or chose to encounter wheh I was studying.

Great job kids! Your Mom and Dad love you very much and are very proud of you.

Christmas Day

What a Christmas. I told you it should have passed my by. My Dad's back in the Intensive Care Unit after suffering what the ER doctor's told us was a near heart attack of his newly bypassed heart due to complications from pneumonia. It was a bit fortuitous that we got to go the house earlier than usual since we had a chance to say our hellos and Christmas greetings before he fell ill.

Noche Buena, for the first time in the Isidro household was totally incomplete. My Dad and 3 of my siblings were at the hospital. We, the ones that stayed behind, trying to be all Christmas cheery. I was totally exhausted by the time my kids opened their Christmas gifts.

What a Christmas. Saw a friend at the hospital and found out from him that Sen. Bobby Barbers had just passed away that minute. Cong. Ace Barbers is the ninong of my youngest son Marco and a very good friend from way back. My condolences to the family. I never got to meet Popsie but from all the stories I got from Ace and his brothers Dean and Gov. Lyndon, I sure got to know him.

What a Christmas indeed.