Cotabato-Cebu-Manila

Lucas and I went to Cebu on October 29, 2009 to attend the wedding of Charisse Lao and Vicente Osmena on October 30, 2009. We were billeted at the Marriott Hotel. It was nice place to stay, very conveniently located near Ayala Mall and the Terraces and the Golf Sport's Club Center where the wedding reception was held. The wedding ceremony was officiated at the Redemptorist Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Cathedral and the reception at the Sport's Club grandballroom.
It was a nice break for Lucas and me to be in Cebu. The prenuptial dinner at Cafe Ecila which was own and operated by the bride's family was well prepared and very sumptuous. I even compared the prenuptial dinner to be more delicious than those of the wedding reception, except I was not able to eat the lamb shop which was served late during the reception.
I got to meet some familiar faces during the prenuptial. Special mention were Mr. Ceres and Mrs. Rose Chua formerly from Cotabato City who are now residents of Canada yet they still continue to operate their spare parts business in Cagayan de Oro. Meeting them, made me  proposed to be their guests in Cagayan de Oro next summer. Hope it will materialize hehehe
Next day after the wedding October 31. Our flight to Manila at noon took off on schedule despite Manila being hit the night before by typhoon Santi. We arrived at Manila airport in quite a chaotic state though. There were many flights arriving almost at the same time and so many passengers that ground logistics were not efficient enough. There were no carts available and ground personnel didn't know how to guide the confused arriving passengers. Anyway we were able to get our luggage after long wait and Emil, Martha and Marion were at the airport to fetch us home.
It was oh so nice to be home with the children. Tom and Angel carved each a pumpkin. They carved them so nice and with the candles lighted inside, their jack-o-lanterns looked really festive. We brought the jack-o-lanterns to Brooklyn where Helen was celebrating her 60th birthday. The Ledesma siblings and families were almost complete. We had fun eating and talking. I loved the sushi platters best although the roast ducks were really nice also and the big platter of bihon guisado and cakes and ice cream. It was a really nice party.
But unlike previous year, this year I did not go with them to the cemetery due to my peristent coughing and itchy throat. I sent my candles for Papa and Mama through them and I went home to rest and sleep for the night. Tom and Angel went with the Ledesma though to visit the graveyards and pray for the holy souls of relatives and friends.