01 October 2009
NEW POLICY:
From now on, I will no longer accept any comments from amorphous entities in cyberspace. There are far too many stupid and irritating comments coming from nobodies who don’t have the guts to back their comments up with their actual identities. I don’t see why anyone has to hide behind a pseudonym when I myself am laid out all over the place for everyone to see. I don’t have anything to hide and neither should any of my readers.
From now on, comments with no real names, no email addresses that can be confirmed, and no reliable identity checks will no longer be allowed.
I don’t care if it means a lessening of the hits this blog receives per day. Because I never did in the first place.
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Dear Readers:
Thank you so much for lurking and commenting in this blog. I am aware that so many of you are wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, discerning, eloquent, witty, and elegant individuals. I am honored that you keep me company as I document my memories, worthwhile or silly as they are.
Please do not take offense if I am not able to respond to every single one of your comments. I am aware of every comment that enters the blog but oftentimes — out of sheer mental fatigue from the working day — I do not know what to say!!! However, please know that I am thankful for every comment made, especially the informative, accurate, sensible, and well-written ones.
If your comment does not appear within 24 hours, there may be a problem. It may be deemed unsuitable because of content, tone, or language [ English is preferred as it is understood by a majority of people worldwide ]. We like to keep things “civilized” in this blog.
This is not a “hate blog” simply because I am not a vicious person by a long shot [ although, like any person, I have my lingering resentments and occasional vindictiveness ]. This blog was meant, first to archive, and second to entertain, as if it was the interesting conversation at a nice dinner party. It would be good to restrain ourselves from relating unsavory things, especially unsavory things which may not be true.
In line with an increased worldwide readership, We are currently in the process of editing / deleting ALL the comments to conform with our standards of accuracy, correctness, and good taste. In the succeeding months, “Remembrance of Things Awry” will truly morph into an archive of both the Old and Contemporary Filipino Life for which it has been widely lauded.
As one very grand lady recently declared to an august group in my presence: “WE read ‘Toto Gonzalez.’ OTHERS read… that ‘horrible one’.”
Cheers and Thank you very much!!!
Toto Gonzalez
Wilfredo Panlilio Jr. said,
July 9, 2008 at 6:34 am
Hi Toto. My name is Wilfredo Panlilio Jr. I am 20 years old and I was raised in Mexico Pampanga. I am now in the US but I still treasure my Pampanga memories. I came across your blog by accident and I think that you’re ideas, experiences and memories are really interesting. I read almost all of your posts and I really visualized them in my head. Wow. You are a good writer and I admire you for that. I love to write too. Hopefully you can find the time to read some of my work and you can email me your comments on them.: ) My email address is jayrpanlilio@yahoo.com and my blogs are at http://jayrpanlilio.multiply.com. Thank you and God Bless.
By the way, my dad is Wilfredo Panlilio Sr. and His dad is Eusebio Lazatin Panlilio and my lolo’s dad I think is Judge Alejandro Panlilio and my family used to own the biggest rice mill in Mexico Pampanga. My lolo married my lola, Teresita Mendiola of Angeles. My mom is from Florida Blanca and she is from the Bituin family. Hopefully you have some interesting information/stories about my heritage that you can share with me. I would really appreciate that. Thank you and God bless.
toto gonzalez said,
July 9, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Wilfredo:
Thank you for finding your way here.
Cheers!!!
Toto Gonzalez
Gabriel Valdes said,
August 25, 2008 at 1:21 am
Dear Toto,
Greetings. Found your site. More power and it’s nice to read about Bacolor again. I am so proud of the Bacolor families. Thanks.
Gabby Abad Santos Valdes
toto gonzalez said,
August 25, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Gabby:
Hi Rich Valdes Cousin!!! Glad to see you here!!!
Cheers!!!
Best regards to dear Pamela, to your son Martin, and to your beautiful daughters Bea, Marga, and Pilar.
Toto Gonzalez
Ding Cervantes said,
October 29, 2008 at 1:26 am
Hello,
I googled for anything on Undas practices in Pampanga and stumbled on your interesting and informative blog. I didn’t frequent Bacolor that much before it vanished under lahar debris and your blog makes me wish I did.
Last time I went to Bacolor was a few weeks ago, when Pres. Arroyo was there to sign the Bacolor Rehabilitation Law. My, Bacolor has a lot of rising to do. The roads are back, laid out on hardened lahar, but lack of population still conveys its sad volcanic history.
In this context, your blog assumes significant value for its historicity. The old Bacolor is not there anymore…probably will never be restored with the same aura, but there’s your blog for reminiscing.
You inspire me to come out with my own, a blog that will dig up forgotten spices about my Guagua, although I very much doubt I have enough in my stock for wealth of data that I find in yours.
God bless you.
andrea padua y de borja said,
October 31, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Chanced upon your blog. How interesting to discover my mom’s world ( am a madrid resident… mom’s a filipina who met and married my dad in university here ). Are you related to the family of Jap*y Gonzalez? Mom’s related to their family. Very under-the-radar from, I gather, “realmente vieja fortuna.” I was surpised to meet his brother Mik*, a Paris resident. He was on an annual sailing visit to his good friend the Marqués de *storga in Marbel*a, whose mother is my grandparents’ family friend. Do you know Mik*? Another “quiet” Filipino, a regular guest of the Loew*-Knap* in Madrid. I am always amazed to encounter Filipinos in the haut monde of Old World Europe!
Guadalupe Gomez said,
December 8, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Am I related to this Gonzalez family? My father was Fernando Gonzalez Gomez, born in the Philippines. His brother Jose ( Pepe ) was the father of Margarita “Maita” Favis Gomez who was once married to Carlos Perez-Rubio of Atherton, CA.. USA. Carlos is now married to Mindy Barredo. My father passed in 1994 and I have lost my family links.
toto gonzalez said,
December 10, 2008 at 11:45 am
Guadalupe:
Of course you are!!! You’re a first cousin of Maita, Cita, Patty, Ditas, and Naty Gonzalez-Favis Gomez!!!
Toto Gonzalez
Guadalupe Gomez said,
January 22, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Ok, then who are all these people. And, who are you Toto? I wish that my father had spoken more to me of his family before he died. I lived in the Islands for a few years and boarded at St. Theresa’s College and at Asumption but I have almost no recall of those years. Helynne, my mother is so confused these days that she remembers little. It makes me feel lost. Is there a family tree somewhere on this site that can give me some perspective?
I am so happy to be found,
Dupi
Guadalupe Gomez said,
January 22, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Oh, I must clarify, Of course I know Patty, Maita, Cita, Ditas and Naty. I was really asking who all the others on this website are. I am going to have to spend some serious time browsing here. Thanks for getting back to me.
Dupi
Dolores Yrisarry said,
February 23, 2009 at 7:34 am
Since the internet began I have frequently entered our last name to see what came up. At first the only Yrisarry’s listed were my immediate members. German “Jerry” Yrisarry, nad his daugthers and then my other brother Mario Yrisarry. My younger brother and I would occasionally appear on the net. the next bit of information I found was about the first and original Spanish ships that entered the Phillipines the first time. You can imagine my excitement at seeing the name Yrisarry as on of the primary explorers. My father Juan Yrisarry came to the US after the war and worked at the United Nations until his retirement. The linguists at the UN becae so intrigued by our last name that they actually traced it to a small town in the Pyrenees called Yancy. My brother Mario visited the town many years ago. He found a coat of arms and sadly found out that a man that had made it his hobbie to find out where all the Yrisarrys had gone , had reently been placed in a retirement home and no one knew what happened to the information that he had collected over the years. It is wonderful to hear that there are others with our same last name out there. To all those distant relatives I say hello. and woud love to hear from you.
Sincerely, Dolores Yrisarry
Gail said,
March 12, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Hi Toto,
I am glad I stumbled upon your blog during my search for my heritage in Google. I am a Gonzalez, my grandmother being the former Josefa “Pepita” Gonzalez, sister of Rebecca “Becky” Gonzalez (both former actresses). My grandmother Pepita was married to Ricardo Lopez Tan. I know the Gonzalez clan is quite huge and I am not even sure which among the many clusters I belong to. I do know that my grandmother’s mother was a direct descendant of Rubin de Celis, and it is my search of that name that I came across your blog. I have yet to read back through your posts, for they are quite many, but I am looking forward to browsing through them when I have the time.
My visit to Spain in 2007 didn’t give me much light in my search for my heritage because I didn’t know where to begin. I ended up enjoying the sites and the cold December breeze, knowing I belong, but not quite. Your blog is the very first streak of light in my quest to know more about my background.
I am intrigued by the comment of one Paquito (sometime September 2008) where he mentioned Felix and Antonio Rubin de Celis of Iloilo. In all these years of my search for that name, it is only now that I feel I have stumbled upon something that just might lead me to finding out more about my father’s family.
I am pretty sure it is in Iloilo where my late grandfather used to own a radio station. Perhaps that is where he met my grandmother, Pepita Gonzalez? Although I am also sure that my grandmother was raised in Davao during her childhood days. Any connection is worth looking up, though. Would you know the site where Paquito could have posted more information about the clan? I would really love to know more about my ascendants.
Or better yet, would you know how I can get in touch with Paquito?
Do keep writing and make the memories of old come alive. It is in knowing where we came from that we move forward with pride.
Gail Gonzalez-Tan
John Seed said,
May 10, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Dear Toto,
Maybe you and your readers can give me a hand? I am a journalist in the United States doing research on the artist Fernando Zobel de Ayala. Being in the US I have interviewed many of his friends here, but would love to hear from more of you who knew him in the Philippines.
FYI, here is a recent short piece I published about him in Harvard Magazine:
http://harvardmagazine.com/2009/03/fernando-z-bel-de-ayala
At any rate, let me know if you have anyone I should be in touch with, or perhaps you can even post something on your blog?
Cordially Yours,
John Seed
johnseed@gmail.com
Antonio Rubin said,
May 13, 2009 at 3:30 am
Dear Toto,
So glad you have this blog; it provides a channel to connect people. I was reading the posting of one of your readers, Gail Gonzales-Tan. Just wanted to let her know that while the descendants of Felix and Antonio Rubin de Celis are scattered worldwide, a great number of our relatives still call Iloilo and Negros as home. I am a descendant of Antonio Rubin de Celis. Born and raised in Iloilo, I now resides in Southern California.
Please share my email address with Gail and will be glad to respond to her inquiries. Again thank you much. Madamo guid nga salamat.
Tony
raul joven-de leon oppenheim said,
May 14, 2009 at 9:36 pm
dear toto, nice blog you have. can you please send me a photo of the don tomas mapua residence in taft ave pasay city. thank you very much. btw i’m here in winnipeg, canada. thank you again.
Dr. Taddy Buyson Gonzales said,
May 20, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I remember the story that one “La Naval” fiesta, Tomas Mapua was a guest and he was in awe with the food preparation at home and how nicely the house was set up.
He called the house the “Little Malacanang” of Pampanga.
His daughter was Pilar Buyson-Villarama’s friend. ( Gloria Mapua?)
Dr. Taddy Buyson Gonzales said,
May 20, 2009 at 12:52 pm
In one of those “La Naval” fiestas, Tomas Mapua was a guest and he was in awe with the food preparation and how well the house was set up.
He called the house “The Little Malacanang” of Pampanga.
He came with his family as his daughter Gloria was Pilar Buyson Villarama’s friend.
Anne said,
May 28, 2009 at 6:10 am
Greetings,
I’ve been lurking around your blog for a while now and I find it interesting as well as amusing–very interesting indeed. I’m of Filipino decent and farther back, am of Spaniard origin. I’ve got some questions about the certain family Oligarchy’s in the Philippines and I hope you can answer.
I’ve recently taken time off of school to dig into my past, so I hope you can help, even in the slightest bit.
Thanks so much,
Anne
Gloria Pineda Asuncion said,
July 15, 2009 at 5:48 pm
My dear Toto,
I find reading your blog so informative and exhilarating, especially since I was born and raised in Bacolor. All the people whom you mentioned are familiar, from Apung Nining Joven, the Liongsons (one of my sisters got married to a Liongson), the de Leon’s (Carding and Gertie used to be childhood friends, the Panlilio’s (the wife of Don Jose was the most beautiful woman that I ever saw when I was growing up), the Palma’s (Juanita used to teach piano lessons in Sn. Fernando Assumption Academy), the ancestral house of the Valdez family (they were neighbors of my sister), the Malig’s (Ms.Malig used to be my 3rd grade teacher). I could go on and on. I knew all of these prominent people because we used to live in Buyson Street, Cabambanga, the center of the poblacion. Speaking of the Buysons, you were right. They were all beautiful women.
It is so sad that not a lot of people are coming back to re-build their houses in Bacolor. I guess they are now happily settled in the re-settlement projects. I wish that they will go back home so that Bacolor will shine and be back again to its old glory. Perhaps, then, I will be able to come home too and spend my retirement years over there. I have been living in New York for the last 23 years.
Thanks, Toto, and my warm regards,
Gloria
Rudy G. Tan said,
July 19, 2009 at 3:15 am
DearToto,
I was doing a Google search and came upon your blog that mentioned the name Ricardo Lopez Tan which happens to be my father’s name. I believe that Gail Gonzales-Tan and I maybe related. If she wants to get in touch to figure out our connection please share my email address with her.
Thanks,
Rudy
Francis said,
July 20, 2009 at 9:03 am
Hi Toto.. your site is very interesting and informative albeit a wee bit “naughty” at times. I actually read and re-read some of the entries under the “The Negrenses” category. I was born and raised in Negros Occidental, under the Gonzaga family.
Saludos
Francis
Teresa Garcia-Bosque Howes said,
October 2, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Does anyone remember the Garcia-Bosque family? I am still working on my Family Tree and would love to hear anything anyone can contribute. My grandfather Juan Garcia-Bosque, was from Jaca, Aragon and married my grandmother, Concepcion Broadbent, whose father was Australian. They had 9 children – Damaso, Juan, Miguel (my Dad), Guillermo, Concepcion, Antonio, Carmen, Domingo, and Pilar. I live in Sydney, Australia, so research has proven to be a bit difficult.