Laong nila an taga Tago kuno para-away pero hanugay. Mamingawuni naman ganahani mandahap-dahap nan notisya. Naman ini na pabyon inhimo para kita na mga Tagon-on magkasinusihay, magka-binayluay nan mga gilaong, nan notisya, nan kaayuhan.
Greg’s Store was wedged between the store of Insik Santos and the house of ‘Yo Inggi. It was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Greg Fulguirinas who had two daughters, Arlene and Analyn, and an adopted son, Caloy.
Greg’s Store was where you buy in the morning this
and this
and a lot more like cooking oil, soy sauce, and spices.
Greg's Store faced east and opposite it, across the street, was the waiting shed of Purok Tambis. It was there where, one morning, Lolo Montero was found propped up to look like he was sitting when actually he was dead from multiple stab wounds. To this day, this remains to be one of Tago's unsolved crimes.
Greg’s Store was so packed with products that you couldn’t see the wall. It was divided in two: Toward ‘Yo Inggi’s side, Conching, Greg’s wife, sat on a high stool, receiving money and giving away change with the clink-clank of her big gold bracelets. Their children, the dusky and chubby Arlene and the fair and frail Analyn, played around, weaving through customers who themselves competed for either Sotera or Ronnie’s attention.
Toward Insik Santos’s side was where the pudgy and potbellied Greg made sewing patterns with his Dixon orange tailor’s chalk. If you walked out from this side of Greg’s Store, you would pass by a big escaparate that entrapped two male mannequins clad in Americana and barong. Just outside, to the right of the escaparate, a kidney-shaped slab hung from a chain, and glued onto it, made of abaca rope, was the signage that read: DUNHILL!
Just so the mannequins wouldn't get an unwanted tan, Greg installed a sun screen made of thin wooden slats painted on the side facing the road with a man hunched over a sewing machine and the words, Greg's Tailoring. The sunscreen could be rolled up and down, depending on the sun’s position.
But it was the rectangular escaparate that enchanted us with an optical illusion. Its front measured about two fathoms of a kid that I was then, and the side, about a meter and a half long. One after the other in a corner, we would press ourselves against the glass in such a way that our bodies were cut in half. Then looking straight ahead, toward Patrimonio Store (this is the only way because we couldn’t do it from the other side as the wall near Insik Santos's store made it impossible), we could see that half of our body was now reflected by the glass, making it whole. We would then raise our left leg and do cycling motions. And there we were, watching ourselves suspended in mid air as we pedalled an imaginary bike.
Dunhill (or Greg’s Tailoring) was high end. I remember Mama buying me not one but two---don’t laugh now---suede cloths in maroon and moss green. And because this was the time when pants swept the floor and could put out a lamparilla, I wanted my pants' boca to be 28â€Â. Unfortunately when my pants were done, the boca was only 26â€Â. Frustrated and mad, I took the other cloth and had my pants done by Henry de la Torre who owned Lord Street Tailoring which was then located by the bridge near Insom’s house.
Greg’s Store was also where we filched dried fish when me and my friends played house.
Greg and his family left Tago in the late 80s. I heard he’s now a pastor somewhere in Mandaue.
Last edited by kampanaryo_spy on Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
The love for crispy fried dried sapsap is the reason why I possess a light-hard-to-see-but-it’s-there, scar on the inside of my left knee.
At the dorm, in the afternoon, almost always we get engrossed with something.
One time we realize it was too late but we took our chances anyway. We walk, trot even run there to buy our buwad (sapsap was our favorite) to go with our rice for dinner.
We made it back too late. Kaykay’d closed and locked the gate so for the first time and thankfully our last, we had to scale the Montesclaros’ concrete fence topped with pieces of multicolored broken glass --- this is at the back, right by the boys’ cottage and the dirty kitchen.
There is where it happened! My two dorm mates were already on the other side, when my turn came, I accidentally knelt on a piece of glass when I hoisted myself to get over to fence. It cut deep into my skin, my knee bleed but I tried and managed to conceal it.
The smell, the taste of that buwad when I dip it into my suka was worth all that trouble.
Thank you K-Spy for bringing a snippet of my old life back.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that matter... don't mind and those that mind... don't matter." Dr. Suess
Greg is well-remembered, in a way he helped us cross-over where we are now, papa had a good credit line with his store. Remember the "good for" thing? I was authorized by papa to do it when we ran out of food supply, since most of the time, my parents were in the barrio.
Good for:
pandesal 1.00
1/2 kilo tiktikan
nescafe
Signed: Fausto L. Bagohin
forged by me, kulba i ako permi basin dili niya i honor and I would feel embarassed. But I cannot recall that he refused my good for,sipog lamang ako kay pati pandesal lakip ko. I am just thankful of his understanding and generosity.
hahaha lingawi ako gabasa nan imo post. it's hard to miss the sense of irony there---from being a "forger" as a kid to being a signature verifier at land bank of the philippines!
manday, you've come full circle!
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
Yahuli sa ako, dili ako kaapas sa iyo mga posts kay bc permi an amo home computer. I refrain from doing this at work afraid of the repercussion it would entail.
K-Spy,
Kalamii nan ini na post. It evoked memories of the past. My mind was transported back to the epoch in the story. But for God sake how on earth you're able to remember DUNHILL, LORD STREET TAILORING. Yes, I do remember Greg with a crisp FULGIRINAS, Sotera, Henry de la Torre as he was my neighbour and a good bloke, but hell not the names of their business enterprise. Your memory is remarkable.
Manday,
You are not in solitude in the Good For thing. I have my own share of this story too: Ag sab ako sugoon ni Papa mag good for kan Greg nan.... watch out.......buwad ug lagos. Sus tag 20-30 kilos gayod an buwad kay dad-on niya pagsuba sa Layog para sa mga saop niya. Kanaman kon Biernes na gani nan hapon ug kon moingkod na si Papa sa office table niya tapos mokoot na sa hunos nan kebedo niya ag na dayon ako magpahilayo kay basin ako an masugo pagkadto ka Greg. Tapos kon adto na ako ka Greg an ako mata kaliwa too an tan-aw kay basin may makakita kanako na ga good for nan buwad. Dili lang gayod basin sab ako hikit-an nan ako mamadayegay, ha,ha, ha. Oh well how could I ever forget Mr. Greg Fulgirinas. My reminiscences of him will forever be embedded in my memory. Thanks to you Kamps.
Greg is my brother-in-law and does live in Manduae. Janette lives in Christchurch NZ not far from me. My sons Ian, George and Xavier came with me to visit Manduae and met the family. Unfortunately we were in the Philippines to bury my husband, Dario's ashes. However we had some good times and I was a sponsor at Arlene's wedding. My sons really enjoyed visiting the Philippines. They had fun going out and about with their "uncles" and "aunties". Janette was our companion when we went down to Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur to meet my stepmother's family.
It was very interesting to see the pictures of the store. Thanks
Sarah Ann Fulguirinas
much have been said about greg's store. pero an ako d kalimtan ka greg kay we used to drop by his store para mamati nan drama sa dyhp. dayawi pamation kay kosugi tapos klarohi an iya radyo. amo yaon paga apason sa alas 11am an drama na jose santa ana hasta solomon socorro. pagka 1:30 pm amo himoon na relo sa escuylahan an drama sa ila na handumanan sa usa ka awit. hehehe, d ba enjoy ghapon?
dayawi pamation kay kosugi tapos klarohi an iya radyo. amo yaon paga apason sa alas 11am an drama na jose santa ana hasta solomon socorro. pagka 1:30 pm amo himoon na relo sa escuylahan an drama sa ila na handumanan sa usa ka awit. hehehe, d ba enjoy ghapon?
edpels,
naay pa. bagan may problema ta sa timeline. an "SOLOMON SOCORRO" buntag, alas ocho y media. naman sabado da kita kapamati kay ting klase. amo sab an "HANDUMANAN SA USA KA AWIT" (nga gisabak ning tulumanon "HAYOP KA MAN, MUHILAK KA USAB"), tingklase gihapon, alas dos. an "OLIVIA" amoy 1-1:30.
pero yabala ako kay di ako kadumdum nan "JOSE SANTA ANA."
hala, uno orasa an "ROCO, ANG BATANG BATO?"
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
magana sab an MGA MATA NI ANGELITA. pero mas ganahani akon CONCORDIA. bakol sa taraw yadto na bata na babaye an gadam bida. haw gusto siya mahimo na gamhanan musinggit siyan: CONCORDIA!!!! tapos para siya ka bang-uli-an, muhagas taraw siyan: CORDING! o, di ba, dinagnayan gayud taraw?
magana sab yadton DARIA, ANG BANOG!!!! ay, ay dugayi gayud siya ka lupad. kada buntag astan hapon mag praktis siya.
DARIA: kinahanglan makabalo ako paglupad, aron akong masayran unsay naa sa luyo nianang buktot nga bukid. akong ikapay kapay kining akong ampak, ania!
Oi, makalupad na ako---hahahahaha--makalupad na AKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
sus, an ako yaon imagination ga salimuang na kon hain dapit si Daria ga pungkoy na kahoy, unoy iya tsinelas (yes, pati yaon imajinon ko.), unoy iya hitsura. naman madayaw yadton drama kay ma kultibar gayud an imahinasyon ta, dili pareho sa tv kuman na hurot mo kit-an.
abo na gayud haw gira. mumata taraw an bida nan tungay dum, tapos molaong, in a form of soliliquy.
"aduna akoy nabati nga mga tunob."
"mubangon ako, ug akong kuhaon ang pusil nga ana-a sa luyo sa tokador."
"ania na, ako nan gikuptan ang pusil. ug ako kining kasaron....ani-a--"
ay ay an dubdob ko nan yaon na yamati unsay DBC!!!
"Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and most claims of magic are testimony to hubris." -James March-
magana sab an MGA MATA NI ANGELITA. pero mas ganahani akon CONCORDIA. bakol sa taraw yadto na bata na babaye an gadam bida. haw gusto siya mahimo na gamhanan musinggit siyan: CONCORDIA!!!! tapos para siya ka bang-uli-an, muhagas taraw siyan: CORDING! o, di ba, dinagnayan gayud taraw?
magana sab yadton DARIA, ANG BANOG!!!! ay, ay dugayi gayud siya ka lupad. kada buntag astan hapon mag praktis siya.
DARIA: kinahanglan makabalo ako paglupad, aron akong masayran unsay naa sa luyo nianang buktot nga bukid. akong ikapay kapay kining akong ampak, ania!
Oi, makalupad na ako---hahahahaha--makalupad na AKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
sus, an ako yaon imagination ga salimuang na kon hain dapit si Daria ga pungkoy na kahoy, unoy iya tsinelas (yes, pati yaon imajinon ko.), unoy iya hitsura. naman madayaw yadton drama kay ma kultibar gayud an imahinasyon ta, dili pareho sa tv kuman na hurot mo kit-an.
abo na gayud haw gira. mumata taraw an bida nan tungay dum, tapos molaong, in a form of soliliquy.
"aduna akoy nabati nga mga tunob."
"mubangon ako, ug akong kuhaon ang pusil nga ana-a sa luyo sa tokador."
"ania na, ako nan gikuptan ang pusil. ug ako kining kasaron....ani-a--"
ay ay an dubdob ko nan yaon na yamati unsay DBC!!!
k-spy,
vivid and full of humor. you made my day. tnx...
