U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity of Southern California

Big Night for Boyet

by Rolly Reyes'66, July 12, 2011

Brod Atty. Boyet Fernandez celebrated his ....th birthday this Tuesday night at the newly renovated Batangus Resto, Savana Market, Makati City. Members of the elite Makati Chapter plus some members of the famed Panzer Division batch joined the celebrant in gulping anything liquid on the table to wash down those heavenly pieces of beef served in generous frequency. Younger brods of OBBF Makati were there too to join the fun-filled night. Walang katapusang kwentuhan and alaskahan erased the years behind us as if we were teleported to that most revered ground we call "tambayan". As by tradition, conversations were never unified in our brotherhood fellowships - simultaneous group chats heightened the total decibels of the place trumpeting the fabled, inexplicable bond of UP "BitSigma". As we talked the whole night, these conversations were intermittently interrupted by side glances to the efficient and attractive service attendants wearing shorts. As no one will surely admit, "glances" are one of the few affordable things older men can do in the absence of those miracle diamond blue pills. Happy Birthday and Cheers for Brod Boyet!!!

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"Barkadang Cubao"

by Rolly Reyes'66, July 20, 2011

"SANAMAGAN!" a favorite expression of the late columnist Max Soliven is most fitting to describe this very rare gathering of the legendary "Barkadang Cubao" UP Betans sans Brod Norman Bituin. With Tatang and Danny in town, Yong, Botit, Bobby "Ahas" and I met at Mario's Resto to relive the group's rather funny and naughty stories during the sixties. Unlike before, instead of "gin bulag", we sipped the magnificent housewine offered by the place in tandem with their specialties like their yummy baked oyster rockefeller, crispy and succulent and fresh caesar's salad and an appetizer combo of roasted squid and longanisang Vigan - with Brod Yong generously picking up the tab later. We missed Brod Norman in most of their stories as they recounted that their pockets' willingness to spend were somewhat incapacitated and it was Norman who usually paid for the bill. Tatang's "political savviness" was the center of pokes with Botit pitching in his usual extemporaneous quotable quotes. Yong's prolific writing skill was reminisced with sizeable number of brods asking him to write love letters to their targets of swoons then. We also joked about Yong's usually reserved character marked with contrasting periodic releases from his "fists of fury". Bobby "Ahas" slithered his way to join us from Pampanga so as not to miss this fun-filled Cubao convention.