May 27, 2017 Saturday
We set our annual Tan Family Reunion over the long Memorial Day Weekend.
Edmund suggested that we don’t change the dates so that all of us would automatically remember to block our schedules. This means that most of the time, our reunion would fall on my birthday.
Len spent days and nights planning this jack en poy challenge game. Kudos to Bong for painting the podium a nice shade of blue.
This family crest tarpaulin was imported from Binangonan, Rizal. My nephew, Angel Tan, brought it with him. It’s Angel’s first time in the US and he’s here for the reunion, as his late dad’s representative, Kuya Ben.
Len ordered 50 t-shirts with extra small, small, medium, large and extra larges sizes. I got a medium.
Kuya Junior’s 4th son, Randy, and his wife Amanda, flew in from LA to attend our reunion. Randy holds the distinction as the highest paid executive in the Tan family. He is a business consultant and he flies weekly around the USA for meetings and consultations. Oyen and I attended his wedding in Long Island a few years ago.
Kuya Junior’s apo, Linden is 5. When she was about to enter the door, she said “I remember this house”. She was 4 when she first came here. This time she was more relaxed and comfortable, going around the house and playing with her cousins, without her parents by her side. She plays the violin well.
The Tans will have another reunion at the wedding of Patrick and Jenny in September in Gilroy. Patrick is an Electrical Engineer collecting valedictorian and summa cum laude medals along the way since grade school.
He just graduated last May 19 from UC Berkeley with a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA). He is of the same age as Oyen. He is Kuya Lito’s eldest son. His fiancee Jenny is of Taiwanese / Chinese descent.
Patrick and jenny with Jennifer, the wife of Ricardo III. Jennifer is co-founder of Tans Weddings and Events together with her husband. They run the Syrendell School in Davis. They’ve been featured in several magazines around the Sinoma counties, Sacramento, Davis, etc.
Kuya Romy’s 2nd son Sherwin, his one and only child Raffy, and his wife Jackie. They brought the crispy calamares. Sherwin works at the IT department of Stanford University. He was born in the Philippines but he went to college here in the US. He holds a masters degree in IT. More than his academic credentials and enviable job at Stanford, Sherwin is a kind and loving son. He is the strong link in Kuya Romy’s family. He takes care of his parents, brothers, nephews and nieces.
Kuya Junior’s apo, Sydney, from his 3rd son Ronnel. There were plans before of sending Sydney to stay with us in Manila to study but her American mom objected.
Bong is the one in charge of the kinaskas (crushed ice) for the halo-halo.
Last year we had kare-kare, pancit bihon, beef caldereta, chopsuey, and many other Filipino dishes. This time we simplified our dishes. Len cooked ginisang ampalaya with hipon, longganisa and fried rice, arroz caldo, and bangus sisig.
To be continued
