YAM Reunion.....

Before we had our ALBERT Reunion, we first had our YAM reunion, on Jan.10, 2010. This was the family of my dad, held at the Monteverde Mansions Clubhouse in West Greenhills. It was also a festive lunch, with lechon, spaghetti, lengua, fresh salad, steamed fish, and several yummy cakes.
In attendance were myself, naturally, and my mom Lally Albert-Yam, my sister Monique Yam-Umali and daughters Nikki and Renee, my aunt Bel Yam and her daughters Buk Yam, Jug Yam, Malu Yam-Yap and her kids, My uncle Tos Yam and my tita Tessie Tanada-Yam, and my cousins Monvi Yam and wife Elaine Kamantigue Yam and their kids, Alan Yam and wife Mayette and their kids, Lorex Yam and wife Luchie Alviar-Yam and their daughters Carisse and Micky, Rocky Yam and girlfriend Joey Ortigas, my aunt Ruby Chan-Tuason and her sons Ito and Bernie Laygo and their kids, Raffy Chan, my cousin Amy Raymundo-Simonet, who was vacationing from the U.S.,my cousin Joch Beech-Quiambao with her kids. Not present were my cousins Chris Yam-Daez and Jovy Yam-Narciso who were out of the country at that time.

ALBERT Reunion.....

Howdy guys!!! We had a wonderful reunion recently....last Jan 17, 2010 at Wack Wack. It was a gathering and reunion of my relatives from my mom's side- the ALBERTs. It was held at my cousin's house Linda Lyttle Reyes in Wack Wack Drive. It was a festive lunch, with seafood kare-kare, ensalada with adobo flakes, pork binagoongan, chicken inasal and steamed fish. In attendance were:
Myself, of course, my mom Lally Albert-Yam, my sister Cata Monique Yam-Umali and her daughters Nikki and Renee, my youngest brother Mani Boy Yam and wife Chiqui Roque Yam and their two sons Miguel and Rafa. They were in town recently vacationing from New Zealand where they now reside, My Tita Rose Albert-Florentino, My Tita Charito Albert-Razon, with her daughter Sarci Razon ex-Rabat and her two sons Paco and Paolo,
My Tita Cris Albert-Lyttle, with her daughter Linda Lyttle-Reyes and her children- Michelle Reyes-Sacramento and husband Jay Sacramento, JB Reyes and wife Via Romualdez-Reyes and their kids, Joey Reyes and Bianca Reyes. Tita Cris' son Patrick Lyttle and wife Cristy Rosales-Lyttle and their children- Trish Lyttle-Mariano and husband Jong Mariano and their son Enzo, Denise Lyttle, Speedy Lyttle and partner Alta Redor and their daughter Sophia, Tanya Garcia and partner Mark Lapid with their daughter Mischa. Also present was my cousin Pepito Albert.

GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS

The 67th Golden Globe Awards presentation was recently held at Beverly Hills in California. It is an annual awards presentation given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for outstanding achievements for film and television.
Big winners include the box office smasher "Avatar" which won as best film drama and JAMES CAMERON as best film drama director. SANDRA BULLOCK won as best film drama actress for 'The Blind Side" and JEFF BRIDGES as best film drama actor for "Crazy Heart."
ROBERT DOWNEY JR won as best film comedy actor for "Sherlock Holmes" and multi-awardee MERYL STREEP won as best film comedy actress for 'Julie & Julia." Master of ceremonies that night was RICK GERVAIS.

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS WINNERS........

In the television category, "Mad Men" won as best tv drama, while "Glee" won as best comedy or musical show. Acting winners for television included JOHN LITHGOW, TONI COLETTE and JULIANA MARGUILLES.

Let's Talk Showbiz........

It seems that more and more Kapamilya talents are moving to its rival station GMA. Movie Queen SUSAN ROCES, Drama King CHRISTOPHER DE LEON, Comedian BAYANI AGBAYANI, Be Bench Winner CARLO GUEVARRA, ABSCBN'S prized talent CLAUDINE BARRETTO, and the latest to move is Star Circle Quest's JOROSS GAMBOA. Joross will appear in the newest teleserye "First Luv" soon. Joross will be joining fellow Star Circle Quest's MICHELLE MADRIGAL and HERO ANGELES who have already transferred to GMA months ago.
And the latest buzz circulating these days is that RYAN AGONCILLO is being offered by the Kapuso network a very tempting offer to be one of their exclusive talents. He is already part of GMA'S "Eat Bulaga" but the network wants him to be exclusive for GMA.

I LOVE YOU GOODBYE.......

I accompanied my mom at Gateway Mall because she has been wanting to watch the entries of the Metro Manila Film Festival, and she had "I Love You Goodbye" as the first entry she wanted to watch. I dont normally watch Tagalog movies, and I was kinda hesitant, but what the heck...
It was ok. Although the movie had it's flaws, but overall, the film was worth watching.
I particularly liked ANGELICA PANGANIBAN's acting. She has improved a lot over the years, and you will definitely sympathize with her role. GABBY CONCEPCION is still THE "Matinee Idol" type but in a more mature level, and his acting is fine. I still cannot accept the style of acting of DEREK RAMSEY and KIM CHIU, and they both need a lot of improvement. LAURICE GUILLEN's direction is commendable.
Next in line would be "Mano Po 6" and "And Panday" perhaps.

I started the New Year with a little sacrifice....but with much blessings and holiness imbibed in my being..by travelling all the way to Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan.
We left Manila at exactly 4:00am, and i woke up at 3:00am (first time i ever have done it after a long time). It was a smooth travel going to Pangasinan, since there was hardly any traffic, and NLEX and the New CLARK expressway were so traffic-free.
We reached Our Lady of Manaoag Church at around past 7am, and i was so surprised to see so many people from all walks of life. The feeling was different upon entering the Church, and we heard mass and at the end of the mass, I rushed going near the altar to be solemnly blessed. It was such an enlightening experience. Then, around the Church, there were all sorts of items and food being sold, from puto, to kutsinta, from hand-woven baskets to different images of saints, and fruits. Believe me, the fruits of Manaoag are so sweet, most specially the Chico, which happens to be my favorite. The chicos there were incredibly large, and the mangoes were so sweet as well. I also bought their specialty- Bagoong, and barquillos. We were suppose to go to Baguio, since it was just around an hour's more drive, but we decided not to anymore. Going back home was a little bit more tedious, since it was the last day of the long holiday vacation, and everyone was heading to Manila. But it wasnt as bad as i expected it to be. Arrrived in Manila around 8pm, feeling exhausted but it was worth the travel. Our Lady of Manaoag is indeed Miraculous!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Its another brand new year....2010!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR To Everyone!! May The Year 2010 be a much BETTER year for all of us! May there be less tragedies, misfortunes and bad luck....and May there be more PEACE & PROSPERITY!