SUAF 2009 Christmas Fellowship
Sunday, December 13th was chosen for the traditional Sillimanite and Friends year ending fellowship gathering.
The SdSuaf Social committee led by Prescy Madrid with contributions of Alma Lavergne, Mary Garrido, Miriam Cole, Vivien Garrovillo, and Fely Narvaez worked diligently for the sole purpose of ensuring that all attendees can take part and enjoy their time together.
The planners were concerned that the inclement weather that was prominent for days prior might spill into the day of the event and dampen mood for the occasion. But a few verbalized the thought that strong ties between the SdSuaf and HE who influences the weather may be responsible for the cool crisp day with bright sun that served as the foreground for the event.
Members who arrived early were Laarni and Frank Gularek with son Sean, John Bandala, John Olivar, Lloyd and Clavel Limpiado, and Alma and JB Lavergne, all helped “deck the hall” to transform an empty venue into an inviting, comfortable and “Christmassy” place for all to gather. As noted by our President that “many hands made light work” and the transformation was completed in record time.
As members and friends arrived, the banquet and dessert tables quickly were filled with an abundance of the culinary treats. At the same time, conversation and laughter filled the air. A good sign that everyone was among friends.
At the appointed time, (with the normal adjustment for the famous Filipino time) VP Mary Garrido welcomed everyone and encourage all to take time to renew and strengthen the bonds that unite us in the pursuit of a common goal.
The Rev. Isaias Paniamogan invoked blessings for the renewal of the spirit, for the food to nourish the body, and to remember the reason for this season.
With the end of the formalities, everyone enthusiastically participated in doing justice to the culinary delights. Everyone lived up to the expectation of filling their plate with Lechon , Pancit, the langka with shrimp, Mongolian beef, mixed vegetables, potato salad, and the ever present rice. That the sumptuous faire was then seasoned by the company of the best of friends.
Even those who were calorie counters made it a point to visit the dessert table and made gourmet comments after sampling most if not all of the delicacies that included the Cassava Bibingka, Turon, Cookie, and Fresh Fruit.
As a break from the calorie splurge, SdSuaf President Miriam Tan-Cole spoke about plans for the coming year. To highlight her message, Miriam created and distributed the “apple” note pads that prominently displays the important dates of events for 2009.
Another goal of the President was to develop a more personal and “homey” feel to the association’s business meetings, thus she suggested that meetings should be hosted by members in their homes. It was no surprise to have a multitude of Sillimanites volunteer to be gracious hosts.
Thus the next three Suaf meetings will be held at the home of Alma Pinili-Lavergne in Clairemont, the home of Fely Tan-Narvaez at Sripps Ranch, and the home of Ligaya Magbanua-Simpkins in Fallbrook.
To end her talk, the President recognized the contributions of members time, talent and enthusiasm expended on SdSuaf activities. Reinhold Paniamogan was recognized for providing the technical expertise in creating and maintaining the SdSuaf.com web site. Ligaya Magbanua-Simpkins for defining procedures and implementing the scholarship program. Fely Tan-Narvaez for wise counsel on Suaf history and tireless coordination of multiple activities. John Olivar for being enthusiastic supporter and a dependable helper.
Sillimanite gatherings are never complete without the sharing of inspirational messages. This Christmas was no exception. The Rev. Lubao spoke of the concept that a gift given is not a gift until it is graciously received. The inspirational message being the FATHER gave HIS only begotten Son as a gift to all but HIS generosity will be in vain if HIS gift is not received by one and all.
As a change of pace, John and Cory Bandala with assistance from Nate Tan led the group in singing carols for the season. Members enthusiastically participated and sang their hearts out. In the process some notes may have been misplaced and some word sung were not part of the original lyrics, but hey, everyone had fun doing the best they could and every one enjoyed all the creativity.
To continue the lighter side of events, the master gamesters, Ben Sy, conducted a series of games that were appropriate for those whose ages spanned the range of 81 and 18.
There was the Telepathy game where SUAF Chairman of the Board Amelia Buluran-Hernandez and Elaine Limpiado demonstrated their “skill” in the process of thought transfer without words. Both were right on in identifying objects that were only identified in the mind of the game master.
The group game of answering ‘common knowledge” questions was a hit. Folks showed great pride in getting the answers correctly, On the other hand everyone shared in the fun when the answers missed the mark by a “millimeter or a mile” What a way to build the feeling of camaraderie.
Too soon the time came for all to head back to the more serious and important aaspects of life. But for a brief few hours we all relished carefree moments similar to those experienced after class hours at Silliman University.
The day was fun filled with exceptional moments when those who could not attend the Christmas Fellowship were missed. It was the consensus of all that next year more fun will be enhanced by the expected presence of those who could not make it this year.
To help in revisiting the fun, Mila Paniamogan, our web site photo recorder, lovingly recorder the candid moments of the event and posted them in the web site photo gallery. Visit sdsuaf.com and click on Photo Gallery on the menu to lock in memories.