@11:10Am, Wednesday of March 19th Dom says...

@ (1:10Am, Thursday, March 20th, Manila Time): Unexpected Filipino friends from Espanyola Came to the Monastery at 4:30Pm yesterday...

I was surprised when my phone rang at around 4:30Pm yesterday. I did not expect any call from any monk since they knew that at that time of the day, I should be sleeping or lying down my bed as I was the cook the whole morning of yesterday, and they knew so well that cooks get very very exhausted after every main meal of the day. So, with a little annoyance, I picked up the phone but my annoyance vanished and was replaced by excitement when my Pinoy friend and monkbrother Dom Marcus was at the other side of the line telling me that our Filipino friends (most of them were teachers) from Espanyola City (45 minutes ride from the Monastery) arrived and wanted to see me. That was it. I hurriedly put on my long black habit ( we are prohibited from going out of our cells and show ourselves clad only in ordinary pants and T-shirts or whatnot) and rushed to the guests receiving hall.

They were Ate Millet and her husband Kuya Danny with Diday and her husband Donald who brought along their 3-year old son Dustin, Ate Maribel came without her husband kuya Ming who was in his work and their son Darren who was at school, and a newfound Pinay friend Mary Ann, whom I just met for the first time yesterday came along with them.

They were so glad to see me. My Pinoy soul and culture prevailed (despite the fact that I was anxious to do it, since I needed the Prior's permission first before doing it).

I hurriedly told Marcus to attend to and entertain them while I did the snack preparation, and I thought to myself, since I was the cook yesterday- I could do it , since I had access to the kitchen, and on top of that, all the monks are nowhere to be found as the time of the day called for all of them to be in their private cells for our daily regular 'Lectio Divina' or Private Scripture reading.

I made orange juice , got a bowl of steamed white rice , and thawed and heat up the "ginisang hipon" with vegetable garnishings which I froze the other day when I cooked with another Korean monkbrother. That was my "merienda" offering for my unexpected Pinoy guests!

The group did not stay, after their 'merienda', for our 5:50Pm vespers as they were afraid that their cars may go down the ditch or the deep cliff of death ( malalim na "bangin ng kamatayan" as I always tell them ) since the day was almost over when they finished eating.

We had some pictorials while they were at table.

They indeed gave me a surprise visit as they never said anything to me prior to their coming over the monastery in my email or a comment in my other blog ( my gmail address is on its right sidebar )