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Hermano hermana y tu tambien ? October 10, 2008 I ONLY SAW the trailer, but the movie Stepbrothers (is that right?) starring Will Ferrell and his Talladega Nights costar John C Reilly promised to deliver laughs by the minute. Just the premise was already funny: two fortysomething adult children are unexpectedly brought together by their (engaged) single parents, with whom they still live. Once they find out they share the same juvenile interests, they happily accept being stepbros! Which as you might expect, made me think of brothers and sisters... my earliest SJCS memory of my eldest bro Timothy is a clear one: although Prez Makoy set Day One of Martial Law on 21 September 1972, he blitzed the entire country (esp Manila) a day or two later, 22nd or 23rd. Our school was particularly sensitive to the chain of events culminating in Fortress Malacanang, as organized chaos broke loose within and without campus, on one of those two days. As classmates began deserting our Grade 1-A classroom (with yayas or parents), the not-so-distant rumblings from ominous infantry /tank formations began to claw at my insides with a peculiar dread. ...not until my kuya, then in 1st year HS, appeared to take me home with him, did I start breathing easier. Even as we walked amid phalanxes of marching platoons ready to secure the area and trucks carrying Marines reinforcing the regular Presidential Security Command, I hardly felt the fear I had only minutes before, as my elder bro's presence was enough... Looking back, I realized at 13 or 14, he was probably almost as jittery as I was, it was just the adrenalin most likely that fueled his legs and the arm that clutched my sweaty little hand. Though he was batch 76, a good six years ahead, we still shared a few Judenite memories together, scant though they may be (he wrote a column for Judenites, no mean feat ... and was DJ during the school fair). Luckier are some of our batchmates who had siblings who were in high school with us: BATCH BEHIND OR AHEAD A YEAR OR TWO By far those with siblings 1-2 yrs ahead or behind are the more plentiful. Let's start with those closest to us. For batch '81, current batch prez Ricky Ko Pio had Ruffy, batch officer Tess Sy was siobe to Georgina, Peggy Patches was sis to chess fanatic Kelvin, fan belt king Jesse had Jonathan, Henry T had Amelia, Alan C had Andrew (not sure on the last 2). It may be my imagination, but I always felt that our overachieving batch did a better-than- average job competing with the 81ers, in lots of areas (sports, other extra-curriculars, etc.), and probably caused them a bit of consternation. For siblings in batch 80, Ate Mel had her Kuya Val, Oliver U had Dennis, Annabelle C had Dennis, Marivic had Daniel, Tess A had Jennifer, Lourdes Y's sis was also in this batch (Theresa?), as was Jason Y's bro. Funny, they were members of the batch that were our natural allies as they were rivals with batch 81. MEJO MALAYO NA, PERO MEMORIES PA RIN But for those of us middle children (neither panganay nor bunso), we may have had older bros or sisses in the "original" batches of the alma mater. For instance, YoungShi's elder bro Johnny and Timothy were batchmates ('76). another 76er was Matthew Diong's brother (Patrick, I think). Classmates as well were Elena Sy's elder brother Alberto and my 2nd brother Donald ('78). My Grade 6 buddy Gerald So turned out to be sioti to dihya's elementary classmate Herbert (78), and I was happy to note that Kirby Hartigan-Go' s ahya, Dr Kenneth ('78, Bureau of Food & Drugs Director) shared a classroom with Kuya D as well. Am not positive, but Raymond's brother Sonny is a 78er too. I dont remember much of them though cuz we were still running around in habulan and sipa games, usually on the grounds of the (future) newest bldg. For the seniors when we entered high school, there were the elder bros of Achi Doc Evelyn, teeveejoy T and Augusto Yulo: Romeo, Francis and Hilario (or was he '78?) ...Two batch 79 achie standouts, I remember, were Harvey's Hazel and Edison's Carol, cuz they were eye candy to my naive eyes every time I chanced to see them walk past. BACK TO THE FUTURE For sidekicks in 83, Marilyn C had Marianne, Danny L had Bobby, Andrew O had Gigi, Toto had Jennifer (?), former prexy Kathy Ang had Kelly. (Can no longer be certain, but did Alan C have a cute sis in 83 as well?) Conversely, the 83ers were our natural kontra pelo , wonder if that had any effect at home with these brother-sister sets. The only reps of batch 84 or 85 that I can recall, were Pauline S's Raymond and Penny Rose had Rana (did i get name / spelling right), Queen Hedy's Halona, Youngshi's Evelyn and Archie's Sammy. And is Lovely Stef's equally lovely sis Leslie an 85er pala? How about Harvey's Harold ? MULTIPLE SIBLINGS As if one sibling in HS wasnt enough, there were also the batchmates that had more than one HS schoolmate in their immediate family. There's Achie Doc Evelyn V with Romeo and Robert (81), Arlene A had Mylene (79), Marlon and Marlene (83) , June Tiu had two sisters, Cindy (81) and another pretty sis whose name I can't place right now (83). Christine Chiang had 2 kuyas (Alex, '78 and Benjamin, '79) Tess A din pala with Jennifer and Anthony (83). Kirby too with Doc Kenneth, Kevin (80?) and a younger brod ( name escapes, but Im sure it starts with "K"  ). Did Jo Nolasco for a time have a sibling in every HS year level. Alberto S likewise? That shouldve been interesting. IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD Rarest were the siblings who happened to share the same year level: what a muddle that potentially caused, and how fun that would be at home. Of course there's Johann and Giovanni T, Jennifer and Stephanie C, Pilar and Gloria A, Jerry and Sammy N, Amado and Conrado C, Caroline and David D, Sherwin and Marie Grace L. Any omissions are instantly regretted. Im sure I missed a lot of sibling sets, sorry for that. Apologies as well for any mistakes and / or memory lapses in names and descriptions. As extended families go, special mention is give here to members of the Conbankiat family, with the twins above, cousin Eunice, and two others: Rudolph ( a Nursery classmate) and Roderick ( mate in HS I-A ) One big happy clan ! (did I miss anyone?) That's what spices up the home front, for better or for worse. Brothers, sisters, or brothers and sisters who we trade jokes with at school and later share a family dinner table with. We may grow apart later in life, but the memories will always remain. PS Thanks loads Sister Gina for that lovely response... on behalf of your batchmates I wish you well in your journey ... COMMENTS From Hedy October 10, 2008 What a wonderful tribute to siblings! I only have 2--a sister and a brother (who was a Judenite for only a short period, as he finished the rest of his school years in St. Peter). When we were growing up, we infuriated, irritated, embarrassed and sometimes, made each other cry. After everything else is said and done, I know they are,
and always will be, there for me. I appreciate the grown-ups they have become and we are closer than ever, despite each of us living in three different continents. Thank God for YM messenger and web cams!
I had often wished for elder siblings when I was in St. Jude--they somehow had the "inside" track on teachers, difficult subjects, especially the old textbooks and notebooks that have all the answers. I am glad I had cousins who made up for it. There are also those siblings in school who were known for their smarts (like Irwin Lee and siblings) and also siblings who were known for their good looks, like Marilyn Ching and her sisters, as well as, Tessie Sy and her sisters.
Thanks, Noel, again for an enjoyable piece.
Hedy
From Stef October 10, 2008 Whew! Noel, I can't believe how far your memories go! Not only do you recall minute details of every 82-er, but you also remember fondly the siblings ^:-)^ I've only got one siobe and we're together 24-7 at home and work. So our bond is something I truly appreciate.
From Peggy Yu October 13, 2008 Great memory, as usual, Noel!
I am a middle child -- besides kuya Kelvin Batch 81 whom you mentioned, I also have achi Gwendolyn (Wendy) Batch 79 and little sis Erica Batch 86 (she was still in Elementary when we left Manila and through some confusion by my dad, she ended up skipping 2 grades but managed to keep up anyway!)
Other same grade siblings - Stephen and Susan Liao
Other batchmates with older and/or younger siblings who went to St. Jude - Andy Lim has brother Reynaldo Batch 79; Peter Paul has Margarita Batch 80 and Janet
Batch 78 (?); KathyQ sisters; Jaime...think older bro and sis although I am not sure; Pinky - older brother, younger sister (?); Jocelyn (Asan) younger sisters
Same batch cousins -- besides Eunice/Hedy were James/Lucylinda, Gwendalyn and Johann/Giovanni
So who among were the only child? -- this is the rarest type, I think.
Peggyyu (aka "Peggy Patches")
From Noel October 13, 2008 wow... i think I should be the one to be impressed at your memory, Peggy Patches ! you are absolutely correct po. Rarest are the only children, similar to the "only" generation (i think it was during the 60s or 70s) when the one-child policy in Mainland China was most stringent... but honestly, am not sure if there are any in our batch.
Re your immediate family, the reason i remember your Kelvin well is because he was a bosom buddy of Robert V, a bro of Doc Achi Evelyn , who lived near us. They played chess first thing in the morning whenever your bro slept over, and I usually kibitzed, not being anywhere near their talent level. I vaguely remember your elder sis, did she look anything like you? Incredible story about your precocious little sis, by the way ! I DID remember Stephen and Susan Liao, but for some reason didnt include them in the list, i made advance apologies naman in the original post eh pati na rin for Dennis and Grace Tee Ten. Your memories jogged mine with Peter Paul's sis because they look a lot like, even if they were bro and sis right ? I take this opportunity to correct the following: spelling of the name of Queen Hedy's sis Halonna, the name of Penny Rose's sis in batch 84 (Fannie, not Rana, who I think is in a higher batch), and the batch year of Lovely Stef's sis Leslie which is '87 (not '85). Doc June Tiu's younger sis is Kathleen, right? Inasmuch as you mentioned the Eunice - Hedy connection in your "cousins" list, this brings to SIX the total members of the (extended) Conbankiat family / clan. Galing galing ! Thanks again Peggy Patches....
From Eunice October 14, 2008 since i am the only cobankiat reading this post, i would like to give you our complete judinites family tree. raymond and frederick (amado's brother) are both in 79 if i am not mistaken. then its amado, condrado, dereck, rodolph and me in batch 82. then its jocelyn, mildred in 84. and finally michelle. i don't even know what batch she is in. i think we already graduated by the time she reaches hs. the children of raymond and dereck are all in st. jude too.
From Stef October 14, 2008 michelle is from the same batch as my sister, lesley - '87 er.. who are dereck and rodolph?
From Hedy October 14, 2008 Dear cousin...I don't think there was a Dereck or Rudolph in our batch. Roderic was in our batch, and Rudolph is his younger brother. You should know this. Haha Too confusing as there were a lot of Cobankiats in St. Jude.
Hedy
From Kirby October 14, 2008 Hi Hedy, I dont think you have Cobankiat blood right? Isn't your cousin-relationship with Eunice is due to your father (uncle Andy) is the brother of Eunice's mom? Kirby
From Hedy October 14, 2008 Hi Kirby. You are exactly right! I think most people assume that, because Eunice and I are cousins. She is related to me on her mother's side, while the Cobankiats are from her father's.
From Richard Uy October 15, 2008 Hi Hedy Maybe because both of you look beautiful ,that is why they mistook you for being cousins. before i forget lapit na xmas ha hehehe!!! PARA KAY EUNICE NA RIN HEHEHE!!!
From Eunice October 15, 2008 Sorry about it. I always call roderic dereck now. As for rudolph, he used to be in our batch. He is a dragon baby just like most of us. 
From Eunice October 15, 2008 We are first degree cousins. Hedy is my bestest, prettiest, sweetest and dearest cousin on my mom's side. And thanks for the compliment. Merry christmas to you too. Hehe.
From Hedy October 15, 2008 Thanks, Chat, for the sipsip, este, advance Christmas gift. ;-D
Hedy
From Hedy October 15, 2008 Eunice and I were like siblings in many ways. We were always together as kids, teens and adults (used to be when she was still living here in North America). We went to school together, played together, had the same tutor for a while (got into big trouble with this one because our time was not spent studying, but talking and getting into mischief, as proven by our grades),gave each other makeovers, played jackstones together, fought together and many more.
We used to have long distance bills that shocked both of our husbands, as we talked about everything and nothing. We have daughters 5 months apart from each other and my fondest wish was they could grow up together and be as close as we are.
I am very proud of her artistic talents. She has the most creative ideas when it comes to her work, whatever the material may be. I can't wait to see her again, as she has promised to come see me soon. Hint...Hint...
Love you--Eunice!!
Hedy
From Hedy October 15, 2008 I see. Dereck = Roceric.
I stand corrected--did not know that Rudolph used to be in our batch.
From Peggy Yu October 18, 2008 My sisters and I do not look alike, but put me next to Kelvin and people will see a resemblance. As for Kelvin staying over other people's houses, it actually felt like he always had people over playing basketball or ping pong (Henrik Ong, Richard Cuan (our own Carol's bro) and a few others)... and when he got passionate about photography, he was holed up in that dark room of his for hours on end before emerging with a chemical smell wafting about. Peter Paul and his siblings look alike. Re: other cousins -- Henry and Fely Peggy Patches
From Noel October 18, 2008  How could I forget Richard and Carolyn Cuan? Thanks for that Peggy Patches, not only was Richard with us "conscientious objectors" (the polite term for draft evaders) in DBMC, Richard also reminded me of one of my favorite cartoon / cinema characters of all time, Gomez Addams, patriarch of the Addams Family. I have always believed the similarities between you and your brother to be more than just physical, what with your superior intelligence and wry humor... Seems that there are endless interlocking and overlapping connections across the batches whenever it comes to relations by blood or affiliation, there will always be someone we forgot about. Thanks for the additional info, Ms Garden State.  |
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