This photo was shot in our living room before the house blessing rites. The priest is Fr. Conti, my Dad's cousin. FYI, when my Mom & Dad got married in 1968, Fr. Conti was the priest; and that was Fr. Conti's first-ever marriage rite. Shown in the photo are Fr. Conti, my Dad, some of my sisters, bros in law & nieces, and a few relatives. My Mom's there somewhere; she must be getting some candles...
Here's a photo of our home's facade. Our home may look big on the outside, but not really. Our home's size is just enough for our household. This part of the property used to be a huge garage, when my Lolo Benito Dio was still running his jeepney business back in the day. Then it was converted to a billiard hall during the 90's. Now, our humble home stands on that ground.
Our front door used to be the sliding doors from our den in our old Cubao home.
Here are a couple of photos of our living room. The big brown door leads to my room. And on one corner stands my dad's cast iron mini-bar. The walls are still bare, and I think my sister Karen is planning to make a couple of paintings. On our home's second level are two bedrooms, a bathroom, and the dining/kitchen area. Just like my Lola's home, the dining room/kitchen areas are in the second floor. So, our home's first level is like a welcome/reception/entertainment area, and the second level is like the "homey" part. Dad had a small multi-purpose room constructed outside, at the garage. That room has a big sink, a restroom for men, and enough space for cooking, and that can be useful in case we throw big parties.
The stained glass art used to be at the dining area of our old Cubao home. Now, it is positioned as a divider in our home's first level. This is just beside the staircase. Behind the stained glass is a hallway leading to the bathroom and a back door. My folks placed an altar in front of the stained glass.
Here are details of our staircase and the stained glass divider. I took this photo on Christmas Eve, using my sister Monica's camera (I had to copy this photo from my niece's Facebook profile). The stainless steel railings took two weeks to build. My Dad really looked over this job to make sure that every detail made is correct, and it was a job well done by our master welder.
Here'a a photo of the dining area. This was during the house blessing, so the table was set up & there was plenty of food. I thought of posting more second floor photos, but I decided that these are enough, for privacy reasons.
After the house blessing, my family celebrated the 3rd birthday of my niece Vicky D. Grau. It was a dinner celebration, and too bad I had to leave early because we had a gig that night. I was the first to have dinner, and how I wished that I can still stay because I was enjoying all the good food.
Special thanks to all the people who helped us build our new home - to my uncle Arch. Tito Ramirez, to our skilled workers and to our suppliers. Plus, special mention to my Dad, for devoting so much time and effort in putting up our new home. I salute all of you, and may God shower you all with more blessings.
All photos courtesy of Karen Dio (except the staircase shot).
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