I just wanted to share Mommy's Funeral procession pictures, 28DEC2010 Mangatarem Pangasinan

Cousins, Uncles and Aunties,

I would like to share Mom's last trip
as her funeral procession takes her to
Saint Raymmund's Church in Mangatarem Pangasinan
and finally to her resting place at Saint John's Cemetery
in Mangatarem Pangasinan.

Click on the image or link below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliusweb/sets/72157625572545293/

to view Mom's Funeral Procession pictures:

A Thank You letter to Mom

***
A Thank You letter to Mom
by Marivic Sinlao

They say we all come into this world with nothing...
but we had a remarkable Mom who fed and led us,
provided and prayed for us, loved and encouraged us,
She sacrificed her needs , gave us happiness,
acceptance, and self-worth ...

So really, we came in this world with everything.
Mommy, thank you for loving and helping us.
We discover the blessings that come from the one who loves us all, GOD.
Your kindness, devotion, humility , being soft-spoken, simplicity, and
your countless act of love… all these gave us our first
gentle glimpse of God!

Know how grateful we are, for the way you had raised us,
for teaching the value of integrity and work.

We are proud of how much you have accomplished
not just being a mother... You had been a wife, a sister, a daughter and a friend.

You are someone who was talented, hardworking, compassionate,
religious and yet stayed being so simple.

Thank you Mom from all of us. We love you dearly,
we will surely miss you!

Our hugs and kisses to Dad. Tell him, your mission
here on earth were both exceptionally accomplished!

We salute you both! We will treasure your legacy forever!

Mom's Life Story

by Julius Sinlao

On September 19,1927, Mom was born in Mangatarem Pangasinan.
Mom was born to parents Francisco Estabillo from Quetegan,
Mangatarem Pangasinan and Cornelia Ramos from Poblacion, Mangatarem Pangasinan.

She was the fourth child of eight siblings.
Grandpa Francisco realized the importance of education
and made sure that the Estabillo siblings attended school
and finish College.

Mom went on to pursue Bachelor of Science degree in Education,
major in Home Economics at University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City Philippines.
She then went on to pursue a career as an
Elementary School Teacher. She was the epitome of a Career
Woman/ Working Mother that is typical of today's modern woman.

One of her first assignments as a Public School Teacher
was in the Barangay of Dalangiring in San Carlos Pangasinan.
It was there that Mom met Dad whose Barrio was just nearby.
It was while being a teacher in Dalangiring that Dad courted Mom.
My Dad, Julian Sinlao, also happened to be serving as a Sailor in the United States Navy.

Although Dad was stationed overseas while serving
as a Sailor in the US Navy, he was brave enough to try for Mom's heart,
and gathered enough courage to communicate with her
through love letters every week.

Mom could not resist the charm and beauty of Dad's amorous and charming
love letters. After all, Mom was the source of Dad's inspiration.

Back in those days, asking for marriage meant Dad's parents had
to go through Mom's parent's permission for Marriage.
And so all protocols were satisfied and in April 11, 1955,
Mom and Dad got married at Saint Raymund's
Church in Mangatarem, Pangasinan. This day was the start of
fifty five years of unwavering faithfulness and commitment through marriage.

One of the places that Dad was stationed to was Guam.
There, Mom and Dad welcomed their first and only
daughter: Christine. After having their first born, three boys
followed: Fidel, Eugene, and Julius.

In 1962, Mom and Dad built a house in Baguio where they raised their four children.
While Dad continued to be stationed abroad in the US Navy, Mom
was the unwavering source of Dad's support and strength, courage in raising their family.

Mom instilled in her children the love of God, to serve Him, she developed a
love God at home. She taught that being fair towards others was a virtue.
She always love, compassion for one's neighbors.

She continued to pursue her career as a School Teacher
while raising four children. She then became an Elementary School Teacher
at Irisan, a Barangay of Benguet Province. She then transferred to Lucban Elementary School in Baguio City where she taught Home Economics and became the School's Nutritionist until her retirement.

Mom was also active in her local Parish at Don Bosco Parish in Trancoville Baguio City. She was part of the Catholic Womens League, being active in spreading the Catholic faith to others.

Mom had an ardent love for God, the Blessed Mother.
At home, a love for the Blessed Mother and her message was
revered. It was not unusual for her to gather all four kids,
make them kneel before the image of the Blessed Mother and The Holy Family
and pray the Holy Rosary every Saturday night.

This love of God set the theme and orientation of the family for years to come.

After years of hard work, Mom retired in 1985 from her career as a School Teacher.
It was then that she developed hip bone problems from years of prolonged standing
during her work as a Teacher. She undergone hip bone replacement but started having mobility problems from then on.

One of Mom's influences was her way of cooking. She believed that
it doesn't require expensive ingredients to make flavorful food and dishes at home.
She was so conscious about healthy eating habits, avoiding unhealthy foods
such as Soft Drink beverages, carcinogenic foods such as Longanisa.

God played a crucial part throughout Mom and Dad's life. It was common to see Mom and
Dad pray daily together. Both of them shared a common passion which is the love for God, and share a life of prayer. Both shared an devoted life of praying the Holy Rosary and Divine Mercy together.

Mom believed in honesty, simplicity in life,gentleness, morality.

Our families loves you so much Mom. You will be missed.

***
Click image below to view more of Mom's pictures,
or go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliusweb/sets/72157625688841714/

Generosa Estabillo Sinlao
September 19,1927 - December 22, 2010

Christmas Message from the Niño Family

My Family’s 2010 Annual Report

How time really flies fast.All of a sudden, Christmas is again in our midst.

We should not lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas despite its commercial undertones.

Christmas is a season for reflection about our spirituality and God’s love. Christmas has many meanings to us as Christians. Not only to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ but to be re-connected with kin, friends and people dear to us near and far whom we had fond memories in the past. Let’s pause then for a while to greet you a warm Christmas . We have so many things to thank for. Let’s therefore count our blessings.



Note: If image above does not show, click on link below to see our Chirstmas 2010 Greeting Card:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTmwZEJGaVXwJawfLudlSV4jif8PdrHePOztTb5eNn6DN-f-ACUcpRI13kgZZqkA_KnKq42kBIc0mM1e_i15cUxXr5yuWyJVi43aa7LpMmLRMjGy0lD25mdlbcq25TViwFEPq/s400/Dan+Nino+Christmas+2010+greetings.jpg

Despite the economic downturn that pervades in our world today, I’m glad that we are still blessed as a family and are able to survive uncertainties for the last 12 months.

Our wonderful accomplishment this year was our trip to Europe: England, France, Italy, Monaco and Vatican.

Our European journey with Myrna opened our eyes. We were impressed by the countries and their dazzling capitals with their rich, vibrant and colorful histories. This journey, a dream-come-true for us, would not have been possible or as memorable, exciting and so wonderful had it not been for the warm hospitality and red carpet welcome of my close relatives where we stayed. It was a double treat for us because we were able to reconnect with them while at the same time they showed us around the tourist destinations and historical landmarks of these awesome countries.

London and England provided us tastes of their royalty, great museums, ribbons of subways and surface trains that made our trips so comfortable. We were also amazed by the storied Stratford where the great dramatist and poet William Shakespeare was born. Italy afforded us glimpses of its ancient history especially the splendor of Rome, idyllic countryside abundant with vineyards. Vatican swept us with the grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica and spiritual wealth of Sistine chapel. France delighted us with the massive landmarks of Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe on the crossroad of fashionable Champs Elysees , sweeping vistas of Nice and Cannes by the Meditteranian Sea. The small principality of Monaco charmed us with its picture-perfect and breathtaking beauty. Despite their allure, I still prefer to live in the U.S. or the Philippines for many reasons too detailed to enumerate here.

On the personal side, my other remarkable accomplishment is my retirement effective Dec. 30, after 27 years of continued service with the State of California’s Board of Equalization as sales tax collector. I can’t hardly wait to be free of huge responsibilities. It’s a Christmas gift for myself. Now, I have all the time to pursue other interests like music, raising exotic plants, be self-employed and engaged in business and tax consulting, income and sales tax preparations, newspapering, advertising, public relations, event planning, graphic designs, printing brokerage, etc. I envision It as a one-stop shop.

Myrna and Denver are leaving for the Philippines on Dec. 17. I’ll take care of the fort while they are away. They’ll be back on Jan. 7, 2011. Myrna also plans to retire in 2011. Denver enjoys his job as occupational therapist with a children’s hospital.

We wish you a blessed Christmas and a more prosperous New Year. Let’s keep Christ at Christmas!

DAN E. NINO

12540 E. Oak Creek Lane, Cerritos, CA 90703 * Tel. Nos. 562-921-5116 (Home) * 562-508-8099 (Cell)
E-mail: denino@verizon.net

A Bye gesture at Dad

I dreamt of my Dad this morning.

I dreamt I was riding a Bus ready
to zoom away, while Dad was standing
at a Bus Stop, wearing a Coat and Tie
and carrying a suitcase.

While the bus was moving, I was waving
my hands with a bye gesture at Dad and
saying "Goodbye Dad", while he was
waving back at me.

His 40 days must be approaching....

World of Hope Project, benefitting the malnourished children of Baguio City/Benguet

fellow members of Baguio City Association of San Diego Country Inc (BCASDCI),

If you remember a while back, we sent a box of School Supplies, Elementary School, preschool Books to the Sacred Heart Community based in Baguio City to benefit an
Internationally funded social project called: World of Hope.

Since I am currently in Baguio City, I visited the Sacred Heart Community,
located at their headquarters at Military Cut-Off Road (near Baguio Medical Center)
to find out more about this World of Hope project and how our one Balikbayan box of school supplies contribution impacted the World of Hope, Baguio project.

Here are facts that I gathered:

Q: What is the World of Hope, Baguio project?
A: The World of Hope Project, Baguio is a project sponsored by the World of Hope, an international social organization based in the United States whose aim is to help feed malnourished children worldwide. There are currently four World of Hope sites in the Philippines and Baguio happens to have a site being run by the Sacred Heart Community.

Initially, the goal of the project is to provide adequate nutrition to malnourished children but have recently re focused and expanded their priority to providing livelihood training, skills to children such as Reading, Literacy to enable them to attain / reach their educational dreams.

Q: How many children are currently benefiting from the World of Hope, Baguio project?
A: Currently there are:
- 45 elementary age children
- 15 High School teens
- 9 College level young adults
benefiting from the World of Hope, Baguio project. With the exception of four kids living in La Union, the rest of the children, teens are from 19 Barangays in Baguio City/ Benguet area.

Another Project that the Sacred Heart Community is planning to sponsor is to
provide Art Supplies, anything such as Toys, books to Pediatric Cancer Patients
at Baguio General Hospital. The Art supplies, books, toys will be used to divert the attention of Pediatric patients undergoing Chemotherapy because the procedure is excruciating and painful.


Please go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juliusweb/sets/72157625397575086/

or click on the image below:


to see more World of Hope, Baguio project pictures.

-Julius
(Sinlao)

My Grandpa's Life Story

My Grandpa's Life Story

by Martin Sinlao
edited by Julius Sinlao

In 1926, my grandfather was born in Kawayan Kiling San Carlos
Pangasinan. Although he was raised in the rural area and did farm work
for his family, at a young age he knew the importance of education and
would diligently attend schooling.

Grandpa would usually walk to school barefoot because they were poor.
His school lunchbox would consist of a handful of rice wrapped in Banana Leaf and a couple dried fish.

After finishing two years in high school, Grandpa headed off to the
City of Olongapo to find better opportunities. It was not easy to find
success, so he worked a series of odd jobs including shining shoes, porter for American Servicemen, He met an American serviceman that suggested for Grandpa Julian to join the US Navy.

Grandpa joined the US Navy as a Steward and worked his way up the ranks as a cook. While serving the US Navy, Grandpa was a part of the Allied forces campaign for the end of World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, and the end of the Vietnam War.

Amid his early years in the military, Grandpa started courting my
grandmother. Although he was not brave enough to try for her heart as
a young boy, he mustered enough courage through love letters every
week to her.

My gosh did my grandpa know how to write real letters
that could charm any woman. Of course he had great inspiration to pull
from. Grandma Gening could not resist the Sinlao charm and they went
on to get married.

One of the places that my grandfather was stationed
to was Guam. There, my grandparents welcomed their first and only
daughter into the world, Christine. After having auntie, they
continued to have boys: my dad Fidel, Eugene, and Julius.

In 1962, they built a house in Baguio where they raised the children. While the children grew up, Grandpa was still an active member of the US Navy in order to support not only his parents, but the family
that he was building with Grandma Gening.

After years of hard work, he retired in 1968 with 23 experienced
years in the armed forces under his belt.

Knowing the importance of an education, he went back to finish his high school and Bachelors degree diploma at the University of Baguio. He majored in Banking and Finance and got a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce. A diploma was not the only thing grandpa gained during these years however. He spent time catching up with years that he had lost with his children when he was serving in the Military.

Coincidentally they were going through school with him.

In 1979 he went back to the States where he helped my Auntie Christine start off her new life in America. In 1980 he joined the US Merchant Marines and worked overseas in a ship for four years where he saved up more. He had a great love for the seas and for that ship where he served as a cook. He returned to Baguio in 1984 and retired for good. While in retirement he then built his dream house in Baguio City.

During the late 1990s he went blind with Glaucoma. Despite this
handicap, it didn't stop him from keeping young through walking every
single day.He spared change to every beggar that he passed along
Session Road.To top off every walk, he would always treat himself to
either McDonald's or Jollibee, two of his favorites.

One of Grandpa's biggest passions was cooking. If you ever spent a
night in the Sinlao house, you would be awaken to the aroma of fresh
pancakes. Have you tried his coffee with brandy?

God played a crucial part throughout his life. He would wake up
everyday at 3 AM just to start off his day with prayer. Both my
grandfather and grandmother lived and breathed saying the Holy Rosary and Divine Mercy together.

Grandpa was an active member of Don Bosco
Parish and Church and the Holy Name Society. He would go to church every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. You could see him sitting in the front singing along to every hymn with his loud and proud voice. He was a member of the Parishe's choir.

Grandpa was an honest and firm man. He was intelligent and
charismatic. He left this earth as a sailor, a father, a grandfather,
and a very dedicated husband to my grandmother. He was truly a man to admire.

I love you so much Grandpa

-Martin Julio Cordero Sinlao