just wanna share this as i share the same goosebumps with other fellow alumni:
"PARE, SI ERIK TENGCO ITO UTOL NI ALAIN, KAIBIGAN NAMIN SI TONY G, CHOI, AT
PINSAN NAMIN SILA TAMAYO AT BARKADA SI "CARL MALDEN"...
IT IS SO NICE TO SEE THE MARIST SITE AND FIND A FAMILIAR NAME WHO IS ACTIVE
IN THE ALUMNI ORG.
MERON SANA KAMING GUSTONG I-SHARE NA KWENTO PARA SA LAHAT NG ATING MARIST
BROS. I HOPE THAT SOMEHOW YOU CAN SHARE IT AMONGST THE ALUMNI DURING YOUR
NUMEROUS GATHERINGS, OR POST THIS ON THE BULLETIN BOARD.
THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO, ON THE MORNING THAT CARL (a.k.a. JAIME
VILLANUEVA, ON BIRTH CERTIFICATE) WAS TO TIE THE KNOT WITH HIS FIANCEE
BING. WE HAD COME FROM AN ALL NIGHT STAG PARTY AND WAS SERIOUSLY LATE FOR
THE ALTAR.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE WERE FLYING ON THE 405 FREEWAY WHEN WE GOT PULLED OVER
FOR SPEEDING. IT SEEMED LIKE A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP AS THE FIRST OFFICER
APPROACHED THE CAR UNTIL THE SECOND OFFICER, WHO HAD CIRCLED AROUND OUR CAR
HAD NOTICED OUR BUMPER STICKER (MERON KASING DALAWANG SCHOOL STICKERS SA
BUMPER NG AUTO--ISANG LA SALLE AT YUNG ISA AY YUNG AD JESVM PER MIRIAM NA
CREST NG MARIST TULAD NG PATCH SA UNIPORME NATIN SA ELEMENTARY)
THIS SECOND OFFICER WHO WOULD INTRODUCE HIMSELF AS OFFICER STEVEN
GUDLEWSKI, (WHOM WE WOULD LATER FIND OUT TO BE A VERY NOTORIOUS AND FAMOUS
OFFICER IN THE LAPD AND HAD EARNED THE MONIKER, "DIRTY HARRY GUDLEWSKI")
PEERED INSIDE THE CAR AND QUICKLY NOTICED THE ROSARY TIED OVER THE REAR
VIEW MIRROR INSIDE THE CAR (IN THE EARLY 90'S THIS WAS EXCLUSIVE TO THE
FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN THE US).
HIS FIRST QUESTION TO US WAS IF WE WERE CATHOLICS WHICH WE HAD QUICKLY
AFFIRMED. MUCH TO OUR DISBELIEF HE THEN ASKED US A QUESTION, THAT UNTIL
TODAY MAKES US FEEL PROUD OF OUR ALMA MATER. APPARENTLY HE RECOGNIZED THE
MARIST STICKER ON THE BUMPER AND HE ASKED US IF IT WAS INDEED A MARIST
SCHOOL STICKER. IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT OFFICER STEVEN GUDLEWSKI WAS A
PROUD ALUMNUS OF MARIST, NEW JERSEY.
TO PROVE TO US HE WAS FROM MARIST, HIS FIRST INSTINCT WAS TO SHOW US A
ROSARY IN HIS POCKET. WHEN WE TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE ALUMNI OF MARIST
PHILIPPINES WE COMPARED REMINISCENT NOTES ABOUT THE SCHOOL AND IT WAS SO
UNBELIEVABLE TO FIND OUT THAT HE KNEW THE "EVER FOREVER" SONG WORD FOR WORD
WHICH WE SANG IN CHORUS WITH HIM THAT MORNING.
WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT 10,000 OR SO MILES AWAY FROM MARIKINA, WERE AMERICAN
KIDS WHO WROTE THE "JMJ" ON THEIR 1/4, 1/2 OR WHOLE PIECES OF SCHOOL PAPERS
WHICH THEY SUBMITTED IN CLASS EVERYDAY. STEVE EVEN ADMITS THAT HE USED TO
DRAW THE CROSS IN THE TOPMOST MIDDLE OF EACH PAPER LIKE MOST OF US
OLDTIMERS.
ALL THIS BEING SAID, WE GOT OUT OF THE EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKET THAT
MORNING AND EVEN ENDED UP BEING ESCORTED WITH SIRENS AND THE FULL POLICE
NINE YARDS TO CARL'S CHURCH WEDDING. HE AND OFFICER KRAUTZ WERE SO HAPPY TO
ACQUAINT WITH US THAT THEY STAYED UNTIL THE RECEPTION WAS OVER. WE HAVE
KEPT IN TOUCH WITH OUR LAPD MARIST BROTHER AND HAVE WIGGLED OUT OF SEVERAL
CITATIONS AT HIS NAME DROP WITH OTHER LAPD OFFICERS SINCE THEN.
WE HAVE ALL COME FROM PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN MANILA BUT
NEVER HAVE WE FELT PROUD ABOUT THEM SINCE THEY ARE MEANINGLESS AND ARE
NORMALLY FROWNED UPON HERE IN THE US.
HOWEVER, ONE THING FOR SURE WE CAN ALWAYS FIND PRIDE IN BEING MARISTIANS."
