In One Year & Out The Other

TWENTY-FOURTEEN is almost two months old and the morning after Christmas and the New Year’s Eve countdown are now history.
               Everyone has long been back to work or school or their usual routine or their version of reality.
               Some of us are having a hard time waking up and/or taking a bath as mornings have become nippy cold. Gone is the summer weather we experienced during the days of Christmas caused by what Kuya Kim (ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol) called the easterlies.
               But many of us are definitely enjoying the cool weather because even noontime has that soothing cool breeze. Yet summer is beginning to make its presence felt in between the cold mornings and nights.
               The climate likewise makes my newfound form of exercise – walking – pleasurable because I am currently quite busy planning events to zumba! And so I get the chance to survey the neighborhood – what my neighbors  are growing, from orchids and wild red flowers to mangoes and tomatoes! – and what?!? an SM City right where I live! ... and even catch the sunset from the Batasan-San Mateo Bridge and be reminded that the river under it is more like a stream and does not swell like what Ondoy did a couple of years ago.

               Traffic remains heavy with the possibility – or is it a threat from MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) – of it getting heavier as the government agency schedules major repairs along EDSA this year.
               The weather continues to go awry but thank God, we’re not affected by the polar vortex. There has been two typhoons already, Agaton and Basyang, with the first one dumping too much rain on Mindanao and this early, people negotiated flooded streets and moved about in submerged houses. 
TURNING CHINESE
               Finally, the Chinese among us have welcomed their Year of the Wood Horse which officially started the day after Valentine’s Day with the new year’s first new moon. We Filipinos love rituals that even you and I surely did something Chinese to welcome their new year. If we weren’t be able to watch some dragon and lion dance [photo from www.demotix.com] or their awesome fireworks display in Chinatown, we surely put some fruits for good fortune in our dining tables.

                 I was moonlighting on Chinese New Year and I wore something red to meet up with our clients. This was at the Mall of Asia and after the meeting, my friends/business partners Apple and Leah and I enjoyed the mall’s festivities and, of course, took pictures at its Atrium where the entire place was transformed into a small Chinatown. There were lanterns – in red and those beautifully lit ones with intricate designs. And the cherry blossoms in the middle of it all became a perfect “photo booth” for us.  

                It’s not just us. All over the world where there’s Chinese, the celebration was contagious. My daughters’ friend, Singapore-based and brand-new groom Mike/Jengjeng posted this Awfully Chocolate Singapore photo on his Facebook page and it brought back a lot of delicious memories. No, not Chinese-related …

                   If I may just digress, the best birthday cakes I’ve ever tasted – circa September 2012 in Singapore – came from that bakeshop (by the way, this is where Jengjeng works). One was given to me at the first hour of September 3^rd and another at a dinner on my birth-night, an all-chocolate cake which looks exactly like the one in Jeng's photo.

 

                  The first one which looked like a short log was delicious – I tasted butterscotch and other sweet stuff and it was so moist even if I was in a daze because my daughters and her friends woke me up from deep slumber. This was at Room 1788 of the Marina Bay Sands where we stayed for a night. My birth-night celebration was at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant at Clarke Quay.

                 Pee Ann’s BFF Aiza also gave Marcus a box of cupcakes from the same bakeshop for two consecutive days that we were there. And yes, we almost didn’t give the little boy!

              Okay, selfie is the word of the year according to Oxford Dictionary and not throwback. But surely you know how I feel about Singapore in September … if you don’t, you can check out an earlier post: I Just Want September Back/Singapore On My Mind.November 2012.
              The people of Oxford Dictionary could not have thought of a better word than selfie since no less than US President Barack Obama, once honorably mentioned – is there a verb for Honorable Mention? – Sexiest Man Alive James Franco, and even the venerable Pope Francis have their own selfies as recorded by  newsfeed.time.com.  James quipped when asked about his selfie, “all the kids are doing it.”

NEW MEM’RIES
               As January turns to February and February will soon turn to March, some Christmas gifts still adorn the sofa in front of our TV set.
               The apartment’s only semi-clean because my brother Abe only had time to scrub the living room and the stairs when he came over to fix my small garden, which he does every year as his Christmas gift to me and my daughters.
               The rest of the place has yet to be dusted, de-cluttered, decongested,  rearranged. Yet, I am just too lazy to do anything. I am actually still in the holiday mode even if I have comfortably settled in the new year. 


                Having to go to Greenbelt a couple of weeks ago to meet up with daughter Pee Ann’s friend was no help. The place continues to look Christmas-y with all those blooming red poinsettias and some of the restaurants’ elaborate decorations. Even doing my Thanksgiving Prayer (Rosary, St. Bridget Prayers, etc.) at the Sto. Nino Chapel in Greenbelt gave me that feeling of “all is calm, all is bright.”

 

                   Anyway, the gifts represent new memories of family and friends who went out of their way to give us something. We love everybody’s gifts, including brother Boyet and his family’s malong for Ghiselle and Pee Ann; table runners for my glass-top dining table from sister Patty and family; a handy toilet bowl-shaped crossword puzzle book from nieces Kim and Gel; a set of gift cards from cousin Sonny and wife Caron featuring the paintings of their remarkably talented daughter, nine-year old Camy; and a clay wall hanger that says Smile Today from friend/business parter Leah.  

              I have no issues about starting the day with a smile. In fact, there are times like now when I even find myself smiling then breaking into laughter all by myself. I keep remembering the traditional family Christmas get-together and other meet-ups as well as fun moments with and funny faces of loved ones.
             In fact, I had a sore throat the day after the 25^th but nothing serious that a warm lemonade with honey wasn’t able to heal. This indicated memories of breathless laughter, cheering, teasing and jamming with siblings and their respective families. 
            With Allan, his daughters Kim and Gel taking turns on the drums, Noldy and also Kim on rhythm, and Jam’s boyfriend Elven on bass, I did a song and dance of Ang Huling El Bimbo and fumbled with the lyrics but I was perfect in the dance part.
               I was also the perfect backup dancer when sister-in-law Ofel gave an equally perfect rendition of Pusong Bato. And I was part of a rowdy and impressed audience as my brothers rocked and rolled and my look-alike niece, Jam, sang her signature song Torete and her dad Noldy, “The One I Love.”  (Too bad, my shots aren’t as bright … and everybody else got busy jammin’ and havin’ fun to take pictures …)

              I got nourished on leftover food in between the days after the two main events and even a few days into the new year – lechon ribs from the familyChristmas get-together, kare-kare and sautéed baby squid from Abe in Trinoma after a last-minute attempt to complete the gifts list; and an assortment of sweet and other holiday stuff – smoked ham, Goldilock’s polvoron, cookies from Good Shephered and lots of chocolates – courtesy of friends and officemates. This is a clear reminder from God that no matter the occasion, my family and I won’t go hungry and we have a healthy appetite to go with it.
               Each day, I thank Him for this and pray for those who have the appetite but don’t have enough food on their table.
            With all these brand-new memories and Instagram moments, I am ready to have another fun, crazy, hilarious, remarkable year with family and friends and neighbors and everybody in between and by circumstance.
POSITIVE STARTERS
            Daughters Ghiselle with Pee Ann on Skype and I welcomed the New Year with family – brother Abe, my sister Maleck and daughters Rica with boyfriend Mad, Wanna and Michelle – and thousands of Filipinos who came to Eastwood City for what was dubbed a Bedazzling Countdown.  

                 Aside from the awesome fireworks and an equally awesome performance by Bamboo – of course, he sang Pinoy Ako among his many hits and I was surprised (read super kinilig) when he sang Hinahanap-Hanap Kita! – the countdown remembered in a moment of silence the victims and survivors of 2013’s monster earthquake in Bohol and typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas. In the midst of the revelry and fun, we didn’t forget them and the silence served as an ardent prayer that they, too will soon get their normal and happy life back.
               “Our New Year countdown is really meant to bring hope and lift the spirit of our countrymen affected by recent calamities,” said First Vice President and Commercial Division Head Kevin Tan of Megaworld Corporation, owner/developer of Eastwood City (live.megaworldlifestylemalls.com).     
                Well, the countdown continues for all of us as we take one day at a time the new set of 365 days and let in only the good vibes and the positivity. 



          And I’m glad the rest of the world is doing it, too.
            What could be more positive than several families who were sent running to Villamor Air Base’s Tent City by Yolanda’s surge are now back in their own province. Starting over again is a difficult decision to make most especially if it entails going back to where your heartbreak begun, pick up the pieces and put everything behind.



               But these families decided to retrace their footsteps back to their hometown and stop relying on relief goods, living in relatives’ houses or evacuation centers, and get into the process of moving on and moving forward.
                Schoolchildren in the region have kept their faith intact and resorted to prayer as they go back to their classrooms. A feature on them sharing their prayers (ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol) – from praying for classmates and teachers who lost their lives to asking for strength and guidance for themselves and their teachers so that they may continue with their studies and continue rebuilding their future – simply melted my heart.

               Similar stories are a-plenty with the survivors themselves displaying their hopeful battlecry in T-shirts and other activities with one clear message that they will rise again … that they will be totally self-sufficient soon.
               Now the just concluded peace talks between our government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was applauded by many as a milestone, a historic event.  In his Twitter account, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda even posted a photo of the government panel – I didn’t know it was an all-female one! – composed of Undersecretary Yasmin Busran-Lao, Chair Miriam Ferrer and Secretary Ging Deles, in a tearful moment after its successful completion.
 

                 Peace brings good vibes, harmony and all those wonderful scenes, situations and even the ambience we all want. We’ve always aspired to give it a chance, most especially in Mindanao. However, I am not understanding this because fighting remains in the region, this time with a different group called the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or BIFF. Now, this is negative …
                 Prayer is the ultimate positive and President Noynoy did the right thing as he led a National Day of Prayer and Solidarity a couple of Mondays ago (photo from philstar.com). The inter-faith gathering at the Malacanang Palace grounds, dubbed “One Nation in Prayer,” succeeded in putting aside politics and focused on reminding everyone to stay united, move as one, and watch each other’s back.  Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma said this was aimed at thanking the Almighty “for the nation’s strength and resilience and to seek divine guidance as the country moves forward to rebuild the affected communities.”

              And there were feel-good news that kicked off the year with optimism and promise. These include Pinay physical therapist Rose Fontanes conquering X Factor Israel’s championship (photo from www.mb.com.ph); journalist Sheila Coronel (photo from Rappler.com) being named new Dean of Academic Affairs of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York and assumes the position, the first Filipino to do so, this coming July; and Rachel Ann Go (photo from Jake Galvez’s Facebook account) winning the plum role of Gigi in the latest West End revival of Miss Saigon and leaves for London this March. 

YESTERYEAR’S RECAP
            Taking one last look at 2013 shows us a year of disasters not only in terms of nature’s fury.
            Corruption levelled up. And we will never see the end of it with the revolting revelations about Pork Barrel Queen Janet Napoles and her senator friends, among her other allies. If there’s a Female Crook of the Year, Janet would win it hands down. No doubt, she will have the biggest photograph in the Rogues Gallery should there be one.
               This controversial news has given birth to plots and sub-plots, seemingly perpetrated by those who want to duck the accusations instead of proving their accusers wrong. There’s a Chinese proverb that says, “the longer the explanation, the bigger the lie.” I’m not saying Senator Bong Revilla is a fibber but his recent Privilege Speech complete with a Power Point presentation and a toy-truckload of documents for props sounds like overkill (photo from anc.yahoo.com) when what he wanted to convey was “I have nothing to do with this (Pork Barrel) scam.”

            In showbiz, solid relationships came tumbling down. Celebrity couples who for the longest time were coosome twosome went their separate ways.
           Of the list of couples who ventured into Splitsville, I am most concerned about Gian Magdangal – Gianbee to me – and Sheree. The last time I saw them “very” together was during the usual Christmas get-together with my group of friends from F. Jacinto Group in 2012; Gianbee’s dad, Jomag (lower photo, third from right) is part of this group. In previous get-togethers, they would bring along their now five-year old son, Hailey, who is such an adorable kid.

                   And also early last year during the premier showing of the musicale Katy at the Little Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Gian played the role of Katy’s husband and Sheree was there to give her all-out support. She took this photograph with Gian and her parents’ friends – that’s us – who came all dressed up for the event. Also in photo is actor/director Eric Quizon.

            Curious as to what happened and quite shy to ask Jomag, I found out from PEP.ph that Sheree ended the relationship due to “Gian’s alleged refusal to take their relationship to the next level.”
            The news portal likewise had an interview with Gian, who said that “he is concentrating on work so that, eventually, if things go better, ‘I’d be able to step up.’ ” He added that “the most important thing is we’re talking and we’re in good terms.”
           Gian also said that “he is trying his best to be like his parents who have been married for 31 years.” Jomag and wife Enri (above photo, second from left) celebrate their wedding anniversary every 30^th of December.



             Despite these not so happy ever after stories, the wheels of love continues to turn and just recently, Angel Locsin admitted matter-of-factly that she’s still in love with Luis Manzano and she’s hoping for a reconciliation now that he’s no longer with Jennylyn Mercado. She told Mario Damaual (ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol) that Luis is that kind of guy “na gusto mo’ng …” and made gestures with her hands indicating strangling someone then adds “pero wala eh …” and giving a look of resignation and hopeless love.

                   And during the recent ABS-CBN ASAP Live in Dubai show, Luis and Angel were photographed in a romantic moment that can only mean reconciliation (photo from Luis’ Instagram via abs-cbnnews.com). 

            Billy Crawford is now courting It’s Showtime co-host Colleen Garcia; and Maja Salvador has long taken Kim Chiu’s place in Gerald Anderson’s heart.
            One of my favorite showbiz couples, Drew Arellano and Iya Villania, have finally tied the knot recently in a very private ceremony in Nasugbu, Batangas (photo from Iya’s official Facebook fan page). 

               Next month, Karylle will wed boyfriend SpongeCola’s frontman Yael Yuzon and starts “a new chapter” in her life. The couple is another favorite of mine (am I beginning to sound like Sharon Cuneta who treats everybody her favorite including Piolo Pascual until he broke her daughter KC’s heart?).
               I had the chance to interview Karylle in January 2009 when I wrote her cover story for a new women’s magazine called G!. Entitled “Happily Single,” she was fresh from her controversial breakup with GMA-7’s heartthrob Dingdong Dantes. She has said in that interview that “work is my boyfriend … there are no love prospects because when your heart’s not ready, your heart’s not ready.”
               Two years earlier, I was also able to interview Yael for MOD magazine’s Valentine issue. He was one of my band frontman respondents regarding a singer’s favorite love song. His answer then was: “The ultimate love song has to be Happy Birthday. It’s timeless and shows love in a lot of ways. It’s romantic in a very mundane way.”
               Today, Karylle’s heart is definitely ready and I hope that just like his favorite love song, Yael’s love for her will be timeless and that he will always be romantic.

 I like to share some photos of me and the couple –
            After the photo shoot at a studio near Fun Ranch in Pasig City, Karylle obliged to have her picture taken with me and the rest of the magazine staff, including (as shown, from left, makeup artist Patrick Alcober of Shu Uemura; editor-in-chief and stylist Zusette V. Chan; and photographer Charles Penacerrada).

                     And that’s me getting giggly with Yael because I found his answer to my Forum question weird – the Happy Birthday a love song? This was at a competition of school bands at the ULTRA.

               Lastly, I love Bea Alonso’s honesty when asked if boyfriend Zanjo Marudo proposed to her in a recent trip to Scotland. She answered, “he’s not ready yet and he’s too young for a guy … ako rin, I am not ready.”
YOLANDA UPDATES
            There’s no looking back at 2013 without the topic on Yolanda.
            For whatever it’s worth, the super typhoon Yolanda, internationally-named Haiyan, is among the world’s Top Ten International News Stories, according to TIME magazine and this was the illustration photo they used  depicting the said typhoon (newsfeed.time.com / Philippe Lopez / AFP / Getty Images). 

              Last Christmas, we finally had the chance to get a blow-by-blow account of how my brother Boyet survived the onslaught of Yolanda as he was there before, while and after it happened. He works with the Foundation to a Sustainable Society, Inc. (FSSI) and he was there for a meeting with partner-beneficiaries engaged in coco-coir manufacturing. 
               Based on his story, we realized that he was saved by that Man Up Above. The hotel where he usually stays each time he goes there wasn’t spared and luckily, childhood friend Charlie Carayag, who owns a hotel in the city, invited him over.
               “I survived with the help of Charlie and his family,” he recounts. “They shared me their food, wala na kasing mabilhan ng pagkain and let me stay in their hotel for free.” Guests were requested to leave because there was no electricity and water and even employees were likewise affected by the typhoon.”
            Charlie was also the one who arranged for his transportation in going to the airport so he can ride the C-130 plane to Cebu and finally be reunited with his family. (Photo taken during our traditional Christmas get-together.)

             Sadly, Charlie’s eldest daughter, Lotlot, a 34-year old lawyer, went missing on the night of Yolanda’s onslaught. Her body was found just recently and Boyet says that there was also another family claiming it. Good thing Charlie’s family had the means to do a DNA testing and it was verified.
             The story goes that she was found in the debris in the house where she lives with her family, where more than 20 people sought shelter because it had a second floor and their house was made of concrete. “Kita daw nila sa bintana na nawala ang tubig parang hinigop tapos bumalik at winash out sila … less than ten survived,” he said.
            Meanwhile, high school friend Mirella tells me that the items – blankets and toiletry kits –solicited during our Christmas kiddie party for Yolanda’s survivors have already been sent to Leyte. 



TACLOBAN TALES
            And that brings me to one more touching story, this time by another high school friend, Ruby. A couple of weeks before Yolanda unleashed her fury, she was in Tacloban City to speak before an assembly of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI) chapter there. It was held at the conference hall of the city government through the courtesy of Councilor Kring Kring Gonzales. It was attended by members from Samar, Leyte, Ormoc, and Cebu.
               During one of H W G’s get-togethers – H W G is an acronym we have coined to identify our group of high school friends … additional details in a future post but let me just share with you a photo of us during a get-together; not in photo are Evie and Mirella – Ruby delighted us, as usual, with her anecdotes and vignettes – nice-sounding word – of her activities and speaking engagements at DMI where she is an active member.

  

                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

               “I spoke on youth welfare, being chairman of DMI’s Mission Thrust on Youth Welfare,” she tells us, adding that DMI’s youth arm is called the Squirettes of Mary Immaculate with over 2,000 members all over the country.

               She details in animation the Hawaiian-themed fellowship evening when she got to dance the coracha, a popular Visayan courtship dance and had the honor to crown the winners of the Ms. DMI contest. She would give me copies of such photos later.

                Her friends Jess Villarante, DMI’s Vicarial Regent; and Atty. Rebbie Pacanan, DMI’s Diocesan Regent, played perfect hosts as they toured her around the city. Rebbie and her husband, who are both former councillors of the city, even took her us to Sto Nino Church and San Juanico Bridge.

               “Seeing how close to the coastline Tacloban is, I even asked if they were ever hit by floods and they said Tacloban was always spared, if at all, only ankle-deep,” she says. “And people would always go on procession to thank Sto. Nino for this.”

               Until Yolanda came with a storm surge. Both Jess and Rebbie and several DMI members have their share of sad tales. And the photographer during the DMI event was one of those who perished.

              Jess’ house went under water and she and neighbors who came over as their houses were washed away subsisted on what food was available in her household which lasted for three days. The following days, they – numbering over 10 people – would share two to three cans of sardines.  She lived with her sister in Cavite for a while but she is now back in Tacloban.

               Rebbie, on the other hand, was in Manila when Yolanda happened. She was devastated by the death of several relatives but she is thankful that her husband survived. 

               And here’s the reason why I am sharing Ruby’s story. Jess and Rebbie, despite their own problems, and Ruby have collaborated to help DMI members affected by the storm in Eastern Visayas. They decided that donations should go directly to them instead of to Gawad Kalinga or some housing project.

               While all this was happening, Ruby was already contemplating on handing over our USTHS batch’s donation amounting to P15,000, also raised during our Christmas Kiddie Party, to her fellow DMI members in Tacloban. She earlier volunteered to take care of sending such donation through Red Cross but it hasn‘t been picked it up at that time. This includes some cash donations from her college friends at the University of the Philippines (UP).

               Raising the plan in a recent H W G get-together, Lydia and I      thought it providential that Red Cross has not picked up the cash. Besides, news reports have revealed Red Cross' questionable handling of funds plus the organization charges handling fees.

                The three ladies worked together on getting the list of DMI members to be helped and in late January, donations went pouring in. Their counterparts in Laguna also helped and were able to raise P70,000.

               Both Jessie and Rebbie – not to mention Ruby – are happy to be channels of direct help.

               We all know about a donation overload but distribution to those who really need it has been remiss. Our high school donation may not be much but we’re sure it’ll get to the right people.

               Ruby ends her story with a moral lesson: “We all should deny ourselves all forms of material attractions. When everything is gone, we all go back to basics.”

            And my two cents’ worth is that if we already have enough, we don’t really need more. Let’s not be like those politicians whose greed is like unlimited rice in a fastfood restaurant.

WISDOM CHECK

            But what lessons do we bring to 2014 after what happened in 2013?

               This is an overdue question and this post is late. By this time, resolutions made in January have long been forgotten. For some, 2013’s haven’t dones, unfinished and incomplete remain the same. 

               No doubt, it’s been a very challenging year for many of us. The Bohol earthquake, the Zamboanga siege and, of course, the Yolanda storm surge tested the Filipino spirit like no other.

               Number One lesson then would be the Boy/Girl Scout motto, be prepared. But my brother told me that the people of Tacloban weren’t lacking in preparedness. Ruby’s friends from DMI shared the same. What they weren’t ready for was Yolanda’s storm surge, a phrase we were then hearing for the first time.

            There are no new lessons actually. We already know that life is never easy. It is a series of ups and downs, triumphs and struggles, success and failure. 

                Living in the Philippines may be more fun in some aspects but truly more difficult in others. This is not the first time houses as well as crops were wiped out. Remember Ondoy and Pablo and Sendong?  

               We also know for a fact that graft and corruption wasn’t born in 2013 and so with Janet Napoles  and her friends.

               In fairness to the Weather Bureau, there has been a lot of improvement in their services but Nature’s fury has really gone extreme. 

               With regards to the government coffers, may our politicians take a cue from Gerardo Gamboa (screen shot from TV Patrol), a Filipino-American taxi driver based in Las Vegas, who returned $300,000 cash left by a passenger on Christmas Day. In an interview by TV Patrol’s correspondent, he said, “I just wanna do the right thing.”

                He was likewise quoted in globalnation.inquirer.net, saying, “I’m happy that we can show to the world the Filipino is a good person, and cannot be easily dazzled by money.”

               Do the right thing. Do not be dazzled by money. The first one should be every Filipino’s mantra. The second one, for the people in public service where the temptation is great.

                For our countrymen in Eastern Visayas, the road to recovery is going to be long and hard. In fact, it’s been 100 days since Yolanda but homelessness, the lack of basic utilities, unemployment and, hardest of all, a sense of grief and loss continue.  

               We just hope that they do not give up.  They have survived the worst and it may not seem so but things are looking up. Donations continue as well as rehabilitation projects are underway.  

               For all of us who work hard for the money – I mean honest and legit money – time is of the essence. Let us do our jobs and what is expected of us. Waste no time and believe it when they say that hard work and good deed don’t go unnoticed or unrewarded.

               Let us pray that all those bad stuff that happened in 2013 stays in 2013. No throwback nor flashback …