The Binangonan Association of Northern California has an annual picnic usually held around July or August. I have never attended even once because of the timing. I don’t normally travel to the US during these months except when I was in Vegas two years ago and this year.
Although I was a little hesitant because of the heat, and the long drive, I made it to their picnic in Vallejo on August 3. Oyen was my navigator or else I would miss the correct freeway exit ramps.
The aqua blue t-shirts were $12 each. I bought two, for me and Oyen.
Aside from the catered food, there were many who brought their house specialties such as guinataan bilu-bilo, pinalos na kanduli, etc.
I ate a piece of the lumpiang sariwa but it was no longer sariwa, Maasim na yung laman, napanis. I think even before it was picked up from the restaurant, panis na yan.
Cuchinta, kutsinta, kutyinta
Aileen’s halo-halo bar
My halohalo bowl x 3.
My sister is the best when it comes to party games. She spends sleepness nights thinking of novelty games.
Pipindan, Mambog, Pag-asa, Batingan, Tabon, etc. are barrios in Binangonan
My two high school batchmates were there, Lito and Walter. These two are doing very well in America. Lito is an engineer. He has a retirement house in Binangonan and he recently bought a car from Ford Cainta. Walter started his journey to prosperity in Saudi Arabia. He is a retired US Navy. His wife and their ten-year-old son were with him. Lito and I were teasing him naku ang liit pa ng anak nya, mag-ti-tuition pa sya. His love story is interesting.
The couple seated across the table is Angie and Flor. They also have an interesting love story. Angie is Flor’s first love but they never became sweethearts daw. Flor started courting her in high school by sending her flowers pero hindi daw nagka-tyempo schedules nila. Nitong nauso ang Facebook, and Angie was already divorced, eto they found each other and renewed their interest. Flor divorced his wife of 35 years and married Angie. Angie’s love story ending with her first husband was also interesting. Parang mga pelikula. Eto ang mga tutoong pelikula ng buhay. Warning: Mag-ingat sa mga ballroom dancers.
The one in yellow shirt is Raul Lacanilao, napaka galing na pintor. Ang galing nyang magpaint, yung aso mukha talagang tutoo. He is Kuya Romy’s ka-balae.
My sister, together with her batchmates in Binangonan, Philip Vital, Anggie Bautista-Mehra, Anggie Ramos, Matet Maycacayan, Loreta Sumalde, etc., and the BANC, raise funds to help the poor in Binangonan. They hold free medical clinics, they distribute rice to hundreds of indigents. They also give to schools, parishes, etc.
