Junior's 18th Birthday!

Celebrating Junior’s milestone 18^th birthday at Buckaroo’s - SM Fairview

When your eldest child reaches legal age, it’s a landmark event for my son and us his parents.

Quite the practical and reasonable son, Junior didn’t ask for any profligate festivity to mark the occasion. Not even a home party with classmates similar to the one he had last year. However, he did ask that we augment his savings to buy a much coveted china cymbal, something acceptable but also something he would have to wait a lot longer for to materialize.

For the meantime, I felt he deserved at least a generous dinner celebration with our whole family.

So, onwards we went to SM Fairview’s New Annex where we dined at one of its latest restaurants, Buckaroo’s. Armed with an array of grilled, barbequed and fried Western favorites, one is transported back to the time of cowboys in the new frontier where food servings were presumably big. Likewise, the food platters we ordered had sizeable amounts of different viands. Try out their grilled pizzas, steaks and burgers which appear to be their main specialties. A double patty Auger Burger at 185 pesos is highly recommended. The only fly in the ointment during our meal was just that, a dead fly we found in one of the pasta bowls, which they promptly replaced with a new one.

Buckaroo’s western theme is expressed through its framed wall posters

After that hearty dinner, Sonny Boy, Joshua and Faith played computer games at one of the Netopia branches of the mall while Junior assisted his mother and I buy groceries at Hypermart.

We ended the evening with a nightcap at Starbucks, one of my family’s favorite hangouts.

On this momentous day, my only wish for Junior (which is the same for our other children) is that he continues to mature and be a responsible and productive person who readily serves both God and his country.

Nightcap at Starbucks: Happy 18th birthday, Junior!

Sonny Boy receives the Holy Spirit through Confirmation

“Receive the seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

January 30, 2010 was a special day for Sonny Boy and a few hundred other Catholics in the Fairview area.

That day, they received the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation, a further indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Prayed over by sponsors Jun and Ivi Palma (CFC brod and sis)

Throughout the Gospels, we see how the Holy Spirit assisted Jesus in fulfilling his messianic mission. From his baptism through John at the River Jordan and across his public ministry, we see the constant presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Talking to fellow Nazarenes at the start of that ministry, he indicated that the words of the prophet Isaiah referred to himself proclaiming that, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Luke 4:18). Before he was crucified and after his glorious resurrection, Christ promised his followers the coming descent of the Holy Spirit by whom they will receive great gifts and powers to testify to the whole world. On the feast of Pentecost and onwards, Christ has continuously fulfilled this promise, pouring the Holy Spirit on whoever believes in Him.

Fr. Gerry Tapiador administered the Sacrament of Confirmation

Traditionally administered by the local bishop or one of his auxilaries, the sacrament on several occasions is dispensed by an authorized parish priest when the bishop cannot be available. In this instance, the parish priest of the Good Shepherd Parish, Rev. Fr. Gerry Tapiador led the confirmation rites.

The sacrament is conferred through the anointing with chrism on the candidate’s forehead, which is made by the laying of the hand, and through the words, “Receive the seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The laying on of hand upon which the forehead is anointed, manifests the transmission of the Holy Spirit, by apostolic roots going all the way back to the Pentecost. Confirmation is viewed as a completion of the grace of baptism. That is why the Letter to the Hebrews records among the first rudiments of Christian instruction the teaching about baptisms and the laying on of hands.

Family picture (Junior had classes in UST that Saturday)

A simple celebration with friends and relatives ensued later that afternoon

The Chinese Ham I bought last Christmas season finally gets

deliciously cooked on this special occasion





Sonny Boy enjoys ice cream with siblings and cousins





My cousin Arsenio’s family arrived later that afternoon

Faith plays with cousin Gabby

Joshua plays war games with neighbor Dennis

I pray that fully confirmed believers like Sonny Boy by means of this sacrament of initiation, receive in ever-increasing measure the riches of God’s grace and advance toward the perfection of their love for God and neighbor.