Season of Empty Nest
I was lucky to finish my pinakbet (I am learning to cook at home in Quarry Bay) last Sunday in time to pick up some items from Mia at her place in Causeway Bay. Accompanied by her husband Ricky, we got into this nice conversation about life in Saudi Arabia and the life of its king and princes, on our way to the Church of Annunciation in Tsuen Wan.
Going to Prayer Meetings, Chapter Meetings and other gatherings that were to be held in Tsuen Wan requires 45 minutes to travel. Not that the trip is very burdensome, as I already got used to the 45 minute journey from home to work when I was in Davao, but even with the most sophisticated transportation system in place, the journey is typically Philippinesque: 4 rides before you reach your destination (well, three of those rides are in the MTR's Island Line, Tung Chung Line and Tsuen Wan Line) plus the 39M KMB bus to Allway Gardens.
Gatherings are posted at 1pm but often start an hour later so as I reckoned, it's not too late to be there at two and arrange the lumpia inside the hall. It was 2pm and Kuya Elmer was practicing the crowd with songs.
Then flashback to the previous gatherings similar to this: I can see someone arrange the keyboards, the drums, a couple of accoustic guitars, a bass guitar, an electric guitar and assorted shakers; the musical group used to be lively, exciting and definitely moves the audience into their feet. Now, it's only Kuya Elmer by his lonesome in front. I learned from him a few days ago that he underwent treatment on his swelling lymph nodes. At that point I felt we're a little fewer than the past attendances.I could hardly name any SFC Sunday group seated in front of me.
But it's good that the usual crowd I go with on Friday nights' (when I am available) are around. The often-present Noche siblings, Zandro and Charm (Charm is a few months away from delivering her baby), Agnes who is one of us on those Friday night escapades, Mark who should be around as he lives just around the area and Karen whom I seem to run out of phrases to describe her.
The highlight of the day was the coronation of the Little Mr and Ms Gawad Kalinga, our fund raising event to help the less fortunate Filipinos in various areas of the country. The stunner that I learned from Mia earlier was that the kids were able to raise about 72,000 HK dollars (more than half million pesos) on two canvassings. Singles For Christ was able to shell out less than twenty thousand dollars. So the eight month effort led by Ariel and Monique Quiambao paid off; in fact Monique quipped in her e-mail to me: "We're surprised!".
We're almost where we are aiming in terms of the number of houses we should put up on a town in Camarines Sur. And with the funds raised by the kids, the backlog has been drastically brought down.
When the dancing and presentation of candidates and winners were done, we're back to the fact that I always ask myself that the number gathered today is not a normal sight I see. Perhaps I often miss such gatherings, or is it because it was raining today, I am a little disappointed. (Maybe the folks were too, when I was not around.)
With departure of SFC members, two more are leaving, and our Ancop coordinator himself is bringing his family back to the Philippines. It shook me again as I used to think I would be way, way ahead of them going back home. Now, I am on my 52nd month in Hong Kong and they are going back for good.
It's a little case of a season of empty nest. While it's not that everyone has gone, a feeling of being orphaned taunts me a little.
Going to Prayer Meetings, Chapter Meetings and other gatherings that were to be held in Tsuen Wan requires 45 minutes to travel. Not that the trip is very burdensome, as I already got used to the 45 minute journey from home to work when I was in Davao, but even with the most sophisticated transportation system in place, the journey is typically Philippinesque: 4 rides before you reach your destination (well, three of those rides are in the MTR's Island Line, Tung Chung Line and Tsuen Wan Line) plus the 39M KMB bus to Allway Gardens.
Gatherings are posted at 1pm but often start an hour later so as I reckoned, it's not too late to be there at two and arrange the lumpia inside the hall. It was 2pm and Kuya Elmer was practicing the crowd with songs.
Then flashback to the previous gatherings similar to this: I can see someone arrange the keyboards, the drums, a couple of accoustic guitars, a bass guitar, an electric guitar and assorted shakers; the musical group used to be lively, exciting and definitely moves the audience into their feet. Now, it's only Kuya Elmer by his lonesome in front. I learned from him a few days ago that he underwent treatment on his swelling lymph nodes. At that point I felt we're a little fewer than the past attendances.I could hardly name any SFC Sunday group seated in front of me.
But it's good that the usual crowd I go with on Friday nights' (when I am available) are around. The often-present Noche siblings, Zandro and Charm (Charm is a few months away from delivering her baby), Agnes who is one of us on those Friday night escapades, Mark who should be around as he lives just around the area and Karen whom I seem to run out of phrases to describe her.
The highlight of the day was the coronation of the Little Mr and Ms Gawad Kalinga, our fund raising event to help the less fortunate Filipinos in various areas of the country. The stunner that I learned from Mia earlier was that the kids were able to raise about 72,000 HK dollars (more than half million pesos) on two canvassings. Singles For Christ was able to shell out less than twenty thousand dollars. So the eight month effort led by Ariel and Monique Quiambao paid off; in fact Monique quipped in her e-mail to me: "We're surprised!".
We're almost where we are aiming in terms of the number of houses we should put up on a town in Camarines Sur. And with the funds raised by the kids, the backlog has been drastically brought down.
When the dancing and presentation of candidates and winners were done, we're back to the fact that I always ask myself that the number gathered today is not a normal sight I see. Perhaps I often miss such gatherings, or is it because it was raining today, I am a little disappointed. (Maybe the folks were too, when I was not around.)
With departure of SFC members, two more are leaving, and our Ancop coordinator himself is bringing his family back to the Philippines. It shook me again as I used to think I would be way, way ahead of them going back home. Now, I am on my 52nd month in Hong Kong and they are going back for good.
It's a little case of a season of empty nest. While it's not that everyone has gone, a feeling of being orphaned taunts me a little.
posted by Unknown at
7:28 PM
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