No words can fully describe this year's mini-JMD reunion!!!

12 HOURS of fun, laughter, singing, games, and did I mention food???!?! This year's reunion was held at the home of Lilybell "Bey" Mendoza Calderon in Mission Viejo, California. We set an early start at 11:00am and our surprise early bird (or birds) this year, was Sheila "Nessie" Barcelona, sporting a refreshing hair and makeup make-over!! Who did it?? None other than, the always blooming and sexy Miss Carolyn Papa, who came without her boys (hubby and sons).

Carol, thanks for being our ever-present "leader" at our reunions. Your cheerful personality and big heart is enough for everyone! Carol came with Sheila who flew in from Manila 2 weeks ago just to attend our affair. Thanks so much Nessie! (Mabuhay ang PAL!!!)

Carol and Nessie two drove together from Hacienda Heights and even beat the party host (moi!) to the house. (of course, I had to rush out to buy soda and ice when I realized my very prompt hubby had already set all our clocks to fall back time and I didn't have 1 hour left to prepare!).

Next to arrive is Miss Sybil Montegrande Baldovino with hubby, Sonny and twins, Austin and Cyril. (Magkano utang ko sa Tilapia Syb!) The glowing with anticipated motherhood (naks!) Gisella "Gigi" Almira-Boongaling, who was 7 mos preggy, arrived next with hubby, Rene.

Bilib talaga ako sa loyalty mo sa reunions natin...as always, we appreciate you making the long trip from Fremont. Gisella came with Heidi Villamayor-Ceballos and her 2 kids, Joanna and Joshua. Ang tagal mong nag-disappear Heidi!

Wala ka nang kawala ngayon. I can't believe how big your daugher is now who was just a baby at our reunion in 2000.

Gi and Heidi also arrived with another cousin, Carolina "Len" Villamayor-Cua who is from Batch '82 and a JMD Reunion first-timer! Welcome to our gatherings Len, sana hindi ka magsawa! Salamat din for driving this far!

Next, sa wakas, Tatiana and family came, who just moved from Vegas to Anaheim here in Orange County, now has the luxury of a shorter drive. Little Andre was dressed up as Harry Potter and parents Tatiana and David were dressed up as JMDers sporting our very stylish reunion shirts. Salamat ulit sa tshirts Tatoots!

Sana hindi ka magsawa sa pag-design at pag print! We had the kids gather outside for some fun craft time to decorate trick-or-treat bags in time for Halloween. Mukhang nag-enjoy sila at hanggang ngayon eh nangingintab pa rin ang backyard namin sa glitter!

Teka...siyempre kainan na!!! We had another deliciously successful potluck - special thanks, in part, to my mom, Lily Mendoza, whom I "borrowed" from my Dad to cook her Bicol specialties, Laing and Bicol Express (sarap-anghang!).

We also had fried tilapia (dami!), beef mechado, palabok, pork adobo and salmon.

And don't forget the delicious goulash especially prepared by Tatiana's sweerheart, David. (He had to, or he wouldn't have anything to eat! -- I dare you to taste one sample of Filipino food next time David!)

For the kids we had hotdog rolls and of course they loved the macaroni goulash. For dessert, we had delicious cassava cake, bibinka, chocolate mousse cake, guinatan, and karioka. O gutom na kayo....umpisa pa lang yan!

JJ Badiola (Batch 82) and teenage daughter were next to arrive. Thanks for coming again this year JJ. Huwag sanang magsasawa! Kita mo naman, talagang sagad-sagaran ang respeto namin sa batch '82 di ba (respect for elders!) Joking aside, our reunion has become more comical and definitely colorful, simula nung nag-attend ka!

After lunch, we had a special baby shower for Gisella. Thanks Sybil for organizing the fun games. We had word scramble, hot potato or is it hot stuffed toy?, and not to mention a very appetizing diaper-smelling contest. Best wishes for the coming bundle of joy, Gisella and Rene. We will all be praying for your safe and healthy delivery. Hinay-hinay lang sa back-to-back, ok?! ;)

A few minutes after the baby shower, our two special guests arrived: Maribel Catala and Carol de la Paz with son, Randy. Maribel is from Batch 71 while Carol is from Batch 63. It was definitely an honor to have you ladies attend our affair this year. Sana maulit muli. We welcomed Maribel with the JMD University Hymn as she stepped in the door!

A special video presentation was shown after lunch. Special thanks to my hubby, Butching, who created a video of our pictures old and new as well as pictures from reunions from the past 8 years! I can't believe we've been getting together that long! We will be making copies and sending them out to everyone (hopefully within the year ;) We will also be sending a copy to Miss Fajardo. After the video presentation, it was time to don our reunion shirts. I think this year is our best design so far...puwede na yata tayong mag-tayo ng exhibit next year, showcasing our reunion shirt designs!

Sheila Posis, also from Batch 82 arrived with her beau and 3 kids. Her boys had the most artistic trick or treat bags. Hindi ka pa rin nagbabago Sheila...very quiet and mahinhin. Pero palaban sa name that tune ah! Bilib ako sa wishart mo sa pagkain ng Filipino food. Thank you for bringing the drinks (just in time bago kami mabulunan!).

The reunion games started as soon as the shirts were on! Siyempre, una muna ang walang-kamatayang Bring Me game! It was with a twist this year, asking more "specialized" items like keychain with name, pictures of parents, Size 7 shoes, etc.. Team 1 won hands down with JJ holding in her hands, all sorts of items from her bag. Pero bow pa rin ako sa size 36 bra! Joke lang talaga dapat yun! You definitely deserved that special prize,Gi! I'm going to have to come up with a more creative list next year! Next was our usual and most popular JMD 80's trivia game.

This year, we added a computer techie trivia as well as "Sabik sa Pinas" and Current events questions. Galing na naman ni Gisella at kilala ang US Open Tennis champ! Kaya lang, ano ba yan at panalo na naman ang Batch '82 team. The Best daw sila?! We'll have to see at the next reunion. Our next game was the most enjoyable one...Name that Tune, ala wow-wowee.... You have to guess the song and sing it too! Paano ba yan, mukhang panalo ang batch '84 pagdating sa kantahan!

Next, we had the kids line up to show off their creative works of art. We had prizes for Most Creative, Most Colorful - to Bag with Least Design! Ang bilis lumaki ng mga kids natin...kaya lang, mukhang we need a longer activity next time dahil parang Hurricane disaster areas and mga kuwarto after party. Although the kids had them cleaned up in no time after I dangled a $5 bill in front of them! Maritone Suansing-Olaer made it this year again with her teen daughter. Better late than never di ba? I know it's a long drive for most of you but you still took time out to share with the fun. Sayang you missed the bring me and trivia games - di bale, sa next time ulit.

After a few hours of waiting, our most anticipated guest arrived. This year, we had the honor of having our former principal, Mrs. Pura Tianco-Badoy,attend our reunion. Mrs. Badoy came with Daughter Honey Sacro Libao (Batch 82) and granddaughter, Natalia (who was just newborn at our Kamayan reunion last year!) Now, little Natalia was up and about and loves kissing all my images of Mama Mary, calling her Meemee (there is definitely something about that Honey!).


Mrs. Badoy, Ma'am, you haven't changed one tiny bit! Thank you, thank you so very much for gracing the reunion with your presence! You have touched our young lives 21 years ago and you have touched us again this year. We look forward to seeing you more often in our gatherings. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts!

And last but not least, Miss Rowena "Ocho" Gamboa from Batch 86 came even for a few minutes just to see all of us before catching her plane back to Seattle! Thank you for coming Ocho....

To everyone, thank you for continuing to support our reunions through the years! These gatherings have indeed become a special time for all of us to sit and relax and enjoy the company of old friends, eating and drinking and being merry. But, still, I really think there is more to these get-togethers than what is on the surface.

It takes us back to those good old days of high school and not only makes us look back to where we've been but also helps us look forward to where we're going.

I think the time we spend together talking, singing, laughing -- feeds our hearts and our souls as well. And I'm definitely hungry for more.

Until Next Time,


Bey Mendoza Calderon

PWU-JMD Batch '84