Bougainvillea Amazing Flower's Message

When I opened my Tuetego account, a beautiful orange bougainvillea greeted me. I checked who is the poster of that amazing flowering plant. It's one of the images posted by RalRey, one of my followers in Tuetego site. An idea sparked  in me of what I should do of giving him back the favor and this post was realized.

RalRey

RalRey is following me in Tuetego, the community for amateur writers and artists who publish their articles, photos and other works they want to share. He finds appropriate to post a bougainvillea in one of his posts recently and he tagged me to get connected with me. I do appreciate what RalRey has done. I consider it as a friendship in action, though it is done virtually.

RR, I may call him for short is a prayerful man, the way I describe him based on what he usually on what he submitted to the said site. He loves God above all as faithful servant. He seems to devote his time in serving the Lord. Tuetego, I believe, is one of this means whereby God has brought RR and me closer to each others.

Serendipity: The Good and the Bad of It

I have realized that friendship builds a strong feeling of belongingness in meeting by chance especially in social media and online writing. I have, however, regretted that I lost "Serendipity".

I remember I have just joined to a site with a good writing job opportunity and I have no one to cling into. I am completely stranger. Exploring the site is usual a newcomer will be doing. And that is what I am doing, browsing there, and there, and there. Until I am a bit familiar with the system.

Five members have popped along the way, giving me a strong feeling of belongingness. They make a friend request in which I never give a second thought for I am afraid I would be losing them and I have no one to be with in my writing odyssey to the said site.

Friends, Your Thoughtfulness Makes Me Happy!

I remember some of the following lines from a song popularized by Stevie Wonder, that run this way: "For good times and bad times/ I'll be on your side forever more/ That's what friends are for..."

This is the kind of feeling I have had when I celebrated my 62nd birthday together with my wife. I was really convinced that I got a lot of friends, acquaintances and even my kins, closed and distant relatives are on the alert of expressing their simple, traditional birthday greetings. Their thoughtfulness has made me happy and felt me comfortable on how I relate my humble self to them as their friend too.

Through a modern technology like a social media, the Facebook, everyone finds it easy to relay his or her greetings. Gratefully I will never ever forget them. I have listed their names here as an expression of gratitude for their invaluable friendship.

Thomas Leslie Goodwin III | The Poet and The Musician

I remember my poet and musician friend, Thomas Leslie Goodwin III whom I came across here in the Net while I was searching for my family tree sometime in April 2007, and I stumbled upon his genealogy.

Thomas

I was impressed of his well-being especially the way he was brought up, his poems and his music.

Thomas was born on November 5, 1947, in Norfolk, Virginia. His family moved from Norfolk to Princess Anne County in 1959 (later Virginia Beach) Virginia. He attended Aragona Elementary School (Princess Anne County), Kellam High School (Virginia Beach) ) and graduated from Maury High School (Norfolk). He have managed to gain a "little" more education since.

In March 1965, he enlisted in the Navy with his Dad, while his grandfather looked on. His Dad and grandfather had enlisted together during WWII. He was very proud and happy on that day. He retired in June 1998. He was married three times. The first didn't stick. His second marriage was in 1973 and then again in 1988. Those marriages ended in divorce.

How Did I Court My Wife in High School?

It was sometime in 1968 when I met my wife in an open study hall where we used to hold our music class under Miss Mercy Parroco in La Carlota City High School. She drifted to the said hall to take shelter for a sudden afternoon rain that fell unexpectedly.

Gil and Rebecca at the Mabolo Tree 2011

I came to know her from Mila Tapales, her classmate who was my neighbor and lived just across San Agustin Street, La Carlota City where I lived.

I was attracted to her mysterious actuation and to her lovely black long hair. I surmised that it was probably due to the adjustment period she faced for she's a third-year high school transferee from Saint Vincent Ferrer Academy, a private Catholic High School in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

Our friendship grew and edified as we used to meet at the flagpole just across the facade of high school main building where we held our literature class under Mrs. Angeles Garin and where they had their community class too in one of the rooms there.

Unexpected Friendship Reunion

Before noon today our best friend Ursel who had been working in Hong Kong for several years and luckily settled there texted me that she'll take us for a lunch as her birthday treat for us. I informed my wife who readily prepared herself for such unexpected reunion.

As per instruction, we headed to the public plaza to meet Ursel. By and by I received a call from her that she's already waiting for us near the lady's comfort where we hurriedly proceeded there.

We hadn't seen anyone there. To our surprise, Hyundia SVU approached us, stopped in front of us. Then, the driver's window opened wide and we saw Ursel with a big smile. Rebing came nearer, hugged or had a beso-beso with her, then I followed through. We saw a man sitting beside her, whom she introduced to us as her hubby, a physicist, a Hong Kong professor.

She drove us looking for a cozy, peaceful eating outlet outside La Carlota. She kept on driving till we reached Pontevedra town. It's already past 12 noon when reached the resort at Bulobitoon beach with only a handful of excursionists there. We settled for a moment, looking for a food to eat just, but just to find no food in the canteen there.