DDU Reunion

DDU is Dirty Dozen Unlimited, Pappie's high school barkada in La Salle Zobel. I have always been envious of this particular peer group of his. Technically, they have known each other for at least 18 years, longer than their wives have known them. They have drifted away a little when they went to college and pursued careers but have managed to stay in touch (they have their own yahoogroups). And as most still live in the South (and here in Manila), they made sure to invite each other at their weddings.

This was them in ours :)





Now, they are bonding more strongly as everybody's having kids and really settling down. And last weekend, one of their friends, one of the earliest to get married, is back from the US with his daughter. We all had a more intimate gathering at Adrian's last Friday night before attending the party Jeff threw for his daughter's birthday.










Cholo's lovely family


9 of them here (what an attendance!) with Ria standing proxy for Tristan



the boys foraging at the food cart








Mark's lovely family


Zeke and Maico looking like twins


add Lia and you can have triplets


the next generation DDU



riot na!

I really felt senti watching the boys hound the food cart. In a way, they're still boys. But Pappie's lost his bid for a quarter pounder because he was attending to Yakee; and Jun came sans partner, eating while carrying his daughter; and Ritchel had to support his daughter's competitive streak during the games. All around, our kids were running around and almost everyone was taking turns eating and carrying babies. Ja and I were comparing stories because our firstborns were born only a week apart.

It was all kinds of wonderful and I am really happy Pappie managed to keep this set of friends. His Dad had a similar barkada, two of them being our primary sponsors at our wedding.

I'd really love for our kids to grow up together, to be friends or feeling-cousins. It would make parenting so much easier for us all. And it would be rewarding to have someone to reminisce with when we're all old and gray...

Yes, I have adopted them as my own.