seeing three of my four brothers after three years

this is the best picture i have of my first meeting with everyone back home, so I use it.  The report is a bit late, and so the recall may not be total. the time/place vortex was Choi Garden 1st of the month, which seems to have acquired the preeminent, first-among-equals stature of Chinese restaurant of choice shared with Gloria Maris in Greenhills, a Chinese-Filipino enclave in Metro Manila.  It was an overcast but very humid Sunday, nobody seemed to mind, and the lunch was attended by my parents, favorite aunt Lily, two guests brought by my sister-in-law Joy from her church group, a nephew, and as you can see above, my three brothers. Only one brother was absent, George who is in Auckland. Timothy (Tim) is the eldest, a cable-TV industry executive, was full of questions for me about New Zealand, mainly about my job, career prospects (one of his many expertises is human resources), the NZ Filipino community, and how I was adjusting to married life. Donald, a doctor, was quite interested in health care, care for the elderly (for personal as well as professional reasons, our brood is getting on in years), advances in occupational and physical therapy, also a hobbyhorse for him, and his passions, like cheese, New Zealand sweets, and other stuff. Jude is the outdoorsy type, and asked about hiking, tramping and other activities like bungee jumping, white-water rafting, rock climbing and activities that I got tired just talking about. It had been ages and ages since I saw them and shot the breeze with them without thinking about anything else.  Only a glass of beer, peanuts (not too much though) and raucous laughter were needed to make it ideal. Next time, it will be funnier with brother George around! Thanks for reading!

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