From the book of Alberto... 1

7/8/2012 On that evening, I heard a lot of stories including some profound lessons in life from my uncle (according to him, he learned these from my grandfather... Alberto). In life, we are to take every obstacle as a challenge, to take responsibility for every action and in building relationships, it is no easy task but treat people as how they ought to be treated. Granted, my uncle was shitfaced when he was preaching his message but they truly were words of wisdom...Despite the circumstances take pride and responsibility in your actions and your family.

Probably one of the most hilarious stories I have heard came from my drunk uncle. One of the few joys of life, he was recounting a little treat in what used to be a floating casino called The Philippine Dream. According to my uncle, one of the greatest attractions was a shot called the 'Tequila Sunrise.' His description of the scenario was interesting enough but his delivery was epic. Apparently in service this drink, a topless waitress comes along with a tray with tequila, salt, and lemon. The waitress then places the lemon  between her lips and allows the guest to place salt around her bare nipples.... well if you know how to drink tequila, then you know how it goes.

The one thing I can say about the men in my family is that they are few and far between... in the dozens of cousins that I have, there are only a handful of men. A very resounding trait among the men in my family is that they are lovers of women... to some more than one woman. From my grandfather to my uncles and to my cousins and prior to this trip, myself (Fatima changed my outlook in this regard, more on that later)... we have a great appreciation for women, multiple women. According to a certain uncle, for every man is three women and it is the men's social responsibility to love women... and trust me, he was a true follower of this belief but of course the most 'responsible' man in the family was my grandfather. He LOVED women... enough said.