belated happy birthday kabatch Rufino Ong !

Belated happy birthday (30th March) to a fondly remembered classmate, Mr Rufino Ong ! Three things come to mind, then and now, when I think of Rufino.

First and sticking to my mind always is his rainbow coalition of sports shoes that he never ran out of.  This may sound like an exaggeration to you, but he almost never wore the same pair of shoes to P.E. twice!  It was like he owned a shoe store that specialized in basketball, running and walkiing, always had the best brands, and was never partial to a particular color, cause he had every color in the spectrum!

Well in reality his family DID own a store, and it didn’t sell shoes, but sold everything else!  At the time 30 years ago it was in the best place to do business, and that was in Quiapo Manila, where practically 90% of Manila and its citizens pass through at least a few times a month, and for many it was a daily thing, as it had general stores, specialty shops and even wholesale outlets.  Malls were still far off in the future then. I said there was a third thing right?  Well, in the modern Facebook of today, Rufino and I often play the same games, and although I try often, I never beat his scores. All in all, Rufino was a remarkable character then, and remains so today! Belated happy birthday friend, and God bless you and your family always!