Corazon "Cory" Aquino, 1933 - 2009
3:18 A.M. is the exact time today when the Saint of Philippine Democracy passed away. I may not have a personal encounter with Tita Cory but her gentle persona and civilized legacy is so overwhelming it reached down to the very core of the Filipino psyche. She will truly be missed.
Paalam po…
In the height of Cory Aquino’s worsening health condition due to the spread of cancer cells in her other body organs and the fear of loosing a dear Pinoy icon, I remember one proudest moment of my being a Filipino.
It is when I watched Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino appeared and addressed the joint session of the United States Congress in 1986. It was Cory in her prime and the Filipino people in their most shining moment during the ‘80s! I felt that the Americans were giving a long and big emotionally filled applause not only to Madam Cory upon entering the hall but also to the Filipino people for doing a job well done by peacefully eliminating a long-standing dictator.
After reviewing the event in YouTube, the most moving part of the speech is when Cory promised that the country’s accumulated foreign debt – as looted and corrupted by the former dictator – shall be paid by the Filipino people. The very people who in the first place never benefited form it. She did not appeal to dissolve the country’s arrears but instead she gently urged the Americans to support the new democratic Philippines. She said, “You have spent many lives and much treasure to bring freedom to many lands that were reluctant to receive it, and here you have a people who won it by themselves and need only to help to preserve it.”
Her addressing the US Congress’ joint session was such a fine beginning for a new Philippines, but it all seem to go down the drain. I wish that all present political figures in the country are of the same brain waves as that of Cory. For sure, the dream of being a well respected race would be so easy to achieve. The speech is full of inspirations and moral boosters I hope and pray that the young citizens of today would be able to watch this historic event. Lastly, I demand the country’s commission on elections to require all politicians running for a government post next year to watch and listen to this glorious event and meaningful speech.
Cory Aquino will eventually leave this earth, but three things are for sure: she has a beautiful soul; she definitely captured our hearts; and, she will always be my kind of president.
Lab yu Tita Cory…
1958 - 2009
I am not a fan but in one way or the other I admit that in some little speckle of a way I have been influenced by the music of Michael Jackson. Who hasn’t?
As a gesture of respect, let this post be my simple tribute to the enigmatic artist.
Sumalangit nawa.
Thonz Viola, the 2009 top-3 national bartending champion I wrote about a couple of blog-posts ago gave the ultimate pride and honor to the whole nation. He was judged as the Grand Prize Winner in the recently concluded 2009 ASEAN Bartending Competition held last June 19 in World Trade Center.
He impressed the judges as he twirled bottles and glasses to a thumping beat with precision and high level of difficulty. Thonz buzzlewumped 11 other finalists (from Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines) during the contest. People in the audience can’t help but clap and cheer to the high energy flipping, tossing and pouring of drinks as accurately performed by Thonz.
During the international cocktail mixology portion of the contest, Thonz perfectly mixed, prepared and presented the cocktail he randomly picked from a fish bowl. International cocktail mixology portion is considered the thorniest part of the competition because you will have to master a long list of international cocktails in terms of recipes and preparation procedures.
Of course me and workmates were stunned with his performance and were glad to take pleasure in witnessing Thonz’ winning moment. It’s an explosive series of flips! A well choreographed routine mixed with stunning charm and startling umpf! Truly, a world class performance…
Considered as the sweet icing on a winning cake, Thonz appeared in ASAP 2009 (a top-rating local Sunday noontime party tv show) and perform in the program’s big opening number. He along with three other great Pinoy bartenders were introduced in the show as world class bartenders.
Hanep ang lolo mo!
During my preschool years, after spending the whole day playing outside our house in Pasay, I would usually fall asleep right on the sofa of our living room. Under deep snooze due to exhaustion, I would often feel the stubbles of his chin against my forehead and smell the musk that emanates from his chest. I would lightly be awaken by a firm set of arms that would carry my small frail body to where I am really supposed to spend the rest of the night. Upon gaining slight consciousness from the process of picking me up from the sofa and carrying me into his strong arms and shoulders, I would go back to a calm state of sleep knowing that he is around to watch over, shelter and care for me for the rest of his life.
The man I’m talking about is Tatay Joe. He died years ago and is no longer around for me to kiss him on his forehead and greet him personally a very warm Happy Father’s Day.
Tatay Joe is no longer physically around, but I’m pretty sure he is watching and protecting me in this life’s adventures. God knows how much I miss my father…
hapi pader’s dey tatay!
It was a boring Saturday for it was my usual household chore day. It was a nothing-special day until I was sent a text message by my officemate informing me to proceed right away to the Grand Ballroom of Century Park Hotel for it was soon to be our company’s entry to perform at the National Bartending Competition.
In my slippers, a simple shirt and jeans, I crossed the street to proceed to the said venue. When I arrived I learned that the second half of the 23 participants has yet to perform. Waiting for our entry’s turn, I watched the other bartenders perform in curious attention that even made my day more boring.
However, the phase of the day suddenly changed when Thonz Viola, our bartender appeared on stage and did his performance stuff. I was literally controlling myself from screaminmg for it is not allowed to cheer in the middle of the performance otherwise Thonz will be disqualified. He ended the performance with much elegance, charm and precision. All eyes in the audience were stuck on watching the handsome routine as if Thonz possess talismanic powers that seem to have hypnotized everyone.
The phase of my day even peaked higher when Thonz was announced as the third place winner and is officially part of the 3-man Philippine Team for the upcoming ASEAN Bartending Competition. This was the moment when all the pent-up energy that I and my colleagues have been trying to control all the while was released by applauding, shouting approval and cheering to much elation for Thonz.
Congratulations to Ms. Grace Villadolid and Mr. Bernie Bonoan who coached and gave all efforts to train and support Thonz. Of course, all praises for Thonz who brought joy, pride and honor to me and my colleagues.
Under the beautiful ray of summer sunshine, I went home elated, happy and smiling. I was so happy I was able to clean my bathroom later in the afternoon without grumble and apprehension.
Galing! Galing!
jesse, karen, joesel & me in oztralia
I have been receiving multiple correspondences from my Australian friends whom I would be with on my out-of-the-country trip this season. The most notable message I have received is from Jesse Concepcion. He has composed a precise Tagalog message for me and my other Aussie friends on how he should be addressed when sending him e-mail messages.
I am very impressed with the clear-cut Tagalog choice of words of Jesse which will make you doubt that he has been living Down Under. What is good about his poetic attempt in the usage of the Pinoy language is his effortless capability to compose wacky and gut wrenching thoughts. I even message him that he seems better in writing Tagalog than I am, when in fact, I am the one who is living here in this sardonic Tagalog-speaking country.
This led me to think of English words when directly translated into Tagalog would be nothing but foolish. Here are some of the words which I tried translating in Tagalog…
I’m sure Oztralian Jesse would have the precise translation for all these words.
Ito ay para sa nakamamanghang abilidad ni ginoong Jesse.
pedro zamora
December 1 is World AIDS Day. One person with AIDS that made a tremendous mark on me was Pedro Zamora. He is one of the casts of MTV’s The Real World San Francisco shown in 1994. This was before all more popular reality shows were created like Big Brother, Survivor, Fear Factor, America’s Next Top Model, Biggest Looser, etc. The movie Reality Bites which starred Winona Ryder was actually based on this ’90s TV show.
I remember one weekend in 1994 when MTV cable channel made a marathon feature of the said show. All episodes were shown without commercial. It took me at least 6 hours to be glued in front of the television to watch the interesting blow by blow events that happened.
One interesting character was Pedro Zamora, a PWA (person with AIDS) who lived with 6 other strangers in one house in San Francisco to try to develop an interesting housemate relationship in front of the camera – a breakthrough social experiment and controversial TV show without-script-concept back then. Being a PWA, Pedro was able to reach more people with his message and touched more people with his life than anyone could have imagined.
I’d never personally seen the face of AIDS and hopefully never will. I’d never known it in such a personal way until I watched Pedro. I felt like he was walking me through the disease, the way a close friend might take your hand for a stroll. It gave me a totally different level of awareness than anything I might have ever experience as a person regarding the disease.
Pedro being a typical youth in the ’90s taught so much about what it’s like to live with the disease. He taught how to stand up for what he believed and was not afraid of what others might think.
He did not die in the show but according to news, he passed away in November 11, 1994 hours after the last episode was aired. He did a great job about HIV/AIDS awareness and was so inpiring among the youth that even former US President Bill Clinton named a street after him in Miami Florida called “Pedro Zamora Way”.
Ako kaya? May mag pangalan kaya ng eskinita sa ngalan ko? Why not? Peklat.
It was a long ride going to Manaoag, Pangasinan. It is inevitable that the whole family would talk anything and everything under the sun. Call it – quality bonding. Anyway, since Pangasinan is the home province of my father, it is impossible not to talk about family. One topic that truly amazed me was how my Aunt Lidya (eldest sister of Nengkoy) got married to Uncle Manong. It was all because of a bisikleta (bicycle)!
Pretty Lidya who had a boyfriend then was abducted by Manong, one of the manliligaw (suitor), using a bisikleta. Call it tradition, custom or idiocy but during the old days, when a lady will be tanan (abducted) by a manliligaw the lady would have no choice but to marry the guy – may the lady like him or not. This is to save the face, decency and reputation of the woman who already spent some time alone with a man.
Lidya was abducted by Manong using a bisikleta. He pedaled their way from Pasay to Luneta (now Rizal Park), which is only approximately 5 kilometers apart. The two spent the late evening in the park. The following morning, my grandparents had no choice but to arrange an immediate marriage between the two.
This episode would be hilarious and outrageous if it would happen nowadays. But talk about love and destiny, Lidya and Manong never got separated as a couple. True love eventually bloomed between the two. During the last breath of Manong, who spent his last years in Canada due to old age, Lidya was by his bedside.
Grabe! Ang haba ng hair ni Auntie! Pang-tanan material ang ganda!
Yeah Madonna! This month celebrates the Material Girl’s 50th birthday. She is now a dashing golden girl. Ever since she started in the entertainment industry, I have been mesmerized by her persona. I may be considered an avid fan ever since she begun.
During my high school and college days, I even cut-out and collect newspaper and magazine write-ups, articles and clippings that would feature her. All thoughout those days, I stockpile all magazines I could afford that feature her in the cover.
I collected all casette tapes (no CD yet during those times) of all her albums. Now I have all the original copies (not pirated) of all her CD albums and DVDs of her concerts. I even bought and listened to Donna DeLory casette tape when she released her own album. Donna DeLory is a back-up singer and dancer in Madonna’s concerts. I was one of the first buyers in the Philippines of Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morisette because – not all people know that – it is Madonna who was the producer of the blockbuster album.
I never voted for Tito Sotto when he ran for a government post during election season because he publicly hated Madonna so much when she turned down an invitation of bringing her concert tour in the Philippines.
During the ’80s and early ’90s I would watch Video Hit Parade and American Top Ten Videos hosted by Casey Casem and later his son just to know her standing. I joined and won a local radio contest (97.1 WLS FM) when her Like A Prayer album was launched in the country ( I won a tote bag, a t-shirt, a poster, a Madonna printed pencil holder). I have a collection of Madonna printed mementos: coin banks, pencil cases, pencil holders, tote bags, cigarette cases, stationeries, folders, lighters, belt buckle, etc. I had the biggest “Who’s That Girl” concert tour poster inside my room sent to me from USA by my cousins in Chicago. I even commit to memory every lines and stanzas of all her songs – released and unreleased. I watched all her movies starting from Desperately Seeking Susan.
In 2006 and 2007 Christmas Parties, I danced to her tune when my department joined the party’s dance contest. Lastly, I am one of the first souls ever in the country to have purchased her latest Hard Candy CD.
Yun yon!
Nengkoy 
