The Woman In Yellow

I have to write about Cory Aquino. That's the least I can do to honor her and her memory.

On February 16, 1986, Ding and I went to Luneta to join the hundreds of thousands of people who believe, with full conviction, that Cory Aquino was elected by a great majority of Filipinos in the snap election earlier the same year. With so much challenges that we had to face on the domestic front at the time, we still managed to squeeze in our patriotic duties, because after all, our children will have to face an uncertain future given the turbulent times then. I need not write how this episode in Philippine history ended. It was one glorious moment for the country.

On August 5, 2009, Ding and I again went to Luneta. This time, we came to bid Cory Aquino goodbye. The woman in yellow died quietly and peacefully at dawn of August 1, 2009. It was so sad I felt it would be contrary to human nature if I didn't cry. And I did, like the hundreds of thousands of other Filipinos who loved Cory and the ideals she represents.

It was raining so hard that day. We decided against bringing a car since we expected heavy traffic even if it was declared a holiday. We thought it would be better to just wait for the funeral cortege at the Luneta where many people converged. We positioned ourselves at the middle of Roxas Blvd. where buses and cars were parked. I kidded the driver of a GMA7 pick-up to allow us to ride at the back and he was gracious enough to invite us to join them ( despite a reporter's refusal) even up to Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque. Ding welcomed the idea but expecting that it would reach the park at around 6pm or even later, we foresaw that the travel back to Bulacan in heavy rains would be pretty messy. So we decided to just wait for the cortege at the Luneta and catch the procession on tv as soon as we arrive back home.

To get a better view of the truck carrying her coffin and the funeral cortege, Ding and I went up the carabao sculpture facing Jose Rizal's monument. There we saw all sorts of people, young and old, men and women, boys and girls, barkadas, classmates, cause-oriented groups, media people- everyone cheered for Pres. Cory as if it were another political rally that she led. There was a fiesta atmosphere and yet there was sadness all around, especially in the faces of those who, in all likelihood, were veterans of the Edsa Revolution.

Pres. Cory was a personal inspiration for me. I particularly am so awed by her faithfulness and submission to God's will. She was THE biblical wife. And she was a great mother. Everything has been said about her and all the facets of her life. It will take another lifetime for this country to have another one of her kind.

Pres. Cory, the woman in yellow, is too well loved to ever be forgotten.

Pretty Women

We were classmates in grade school- or elementary school as we knew it. We were graduates of the year 1966- the era of the twist, Elvis and the Beatles.

There are eleven of us in the group which we call Batch 66. Abeng, Alice, Elvie, Guy, Liza and I make up the girls. The boys include Hermie, Lito, Bandong, Geny and my hubby, Ding. Among us girls, Abeng is our designated Nanay. Most of the time she brings us to places she’d been to and she feeds us the specialty of the place. She is the most kalog among us . Her one-liners always elicit a lot of laughter among us girls. ( Funny how four years short of being senior citizens, we still call ourselves GIRLS) Alice is the tagatawa. All jokes are a hit with her. She always brings us her specialty-adobong mani with lots of garlic. Guy used to be the sakitin in the group. I grabbed the title from her. ( 3 hospital confinements in 6 months, kaya nyo yun?) Now she’s our doctor. She’s armed with a med tech degree, anyway. She and Abeng are sangang-dikit. But no worry, there is no space for jealousy in the group. Liza is the wife of an OFW. In her husband’s absence, she spends her free time for church activities. Elvie used to be a teacher like me. But for health reasons, she decided to retire early. Now she works in her hubby’s engineering office. ( Parallel lives kami. I also work for my hubby, but it’s about time I quit. So stressful. The only bonus is I get to sleep with my boss).

We girls make it a point to meet regularly-with or without the boys. And we so enjoy each other’s company. We each have our own individuality, but together, we are one in terms of caring for one another and sharing each other’s highs and lows. God really has a way of giving us what we really need. At this point in our lives when our candles are slowly being consumed, He gathered us altogether to make the light brighter as we go along our way. Life may really be coming full circle for us now.

In pictures, from the top- Saling ( your blogger), Abeng, Alice, Guy, Elvie & Liza, the pretty women of Batch 66. Pictures taken at Abeng's Rennaisance condo unit in Ortigas July 27, 2009.

my jewels

In January, 1978, God gave me a garnet. The following year, in February, 1979, He gave me an amethyst. Finally, in November, 1980, God gifted me with a topaz. They are no diamonds nor gold, but they are God's most precious gifts to me. I love my jewels- beyond the stars!

Desiderata

My father was a man of few words. Yet, he spoke to me eloquently in silence. Through his deeds, I learned so many good things. Through his barely spoken words, I learned to learn.

I wanted very much to be like my father to my children. Sadly, I can never duplicate the man who molded me to become a good human being. When he died, I knew I could never show my children the goodness I saw in him. He was not a preacher nor a teacher, but he ably taught me the whys and the wherefores of life.

I can hear my father's voice as I listen to a poem set to music by some musical geniuses. The poem Desiderata has everything that parents should be able to impart to their children. If only children could recite the poem by heart, they wouldn't lose their way.

-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

sick and tired

It's been eleven days since my last post. I would have written about any topic of interest to me had it not been for the very bad cough and cold that i caught. Last weekend, I was placed under observation by my doctor and on Monday, it was determined that I had dengue. So, it was time again to check in at the Padilla Resort and Spa in Plaridel, Bulacan ( he he he). I stayed there only until Wednesday afternoon. Whenever the doctor does his rounds, I always tell him I am ready to be discharged. Nakulitan siguro, pinalabas na din ako.


It's my third confinement in six months, first in January, after Amang's burial, for hypertension, then in late May, for hypotension and now, for dengue. Seems like I am becoming a good specimen for medical students. And Dr. Padilla is getting richer and richer because of me.
Seriously, these latest experiences make me think that I am probably in the last stretch of the race. At the risk of sounding morbid, I have become so courageous of facing the inevitable, yet, i still pray that I be given enough time to finish what I want to do before my time is up. Some of those things I can't do by my lonesome self. I need the cooperation of the significant people in my life. At this point, I no longer desire material things and any form of validation. I simply wish to smell the flowers once again.

my dogidogs- (6) Bonnie (Tyler)

This will be the last entry in this series. And this is about a very special dog. Her name is Bonnie. I also call her Tyler. That's because she has a very husky voice similar to that of her namesake. Bonnie has been with us for only a few months now. A man, who introduced himself as the dog's owner, was selling this dog for two thousand pesos since according to him, he had to pay the machine shop, where Ding was at the time, for some work he had asked to be done. The original buyer did not come as agreed. Ding got interested because it was a lovely dog- a siberian husky with brown and blue eyes. He has not seen any other dog with two different colors of the eyes. Ding further interrogated the man, and later, convinced that he was the real owner, he haggled and got the dog for one-five.

We are still in the process of discovering the traits of Bonnie but what struck us was her gentle ways despite her enormous size. She was the kindest big dog i've ever seen. ( Oh, I suddenly remember Rotty, our dalmatian who died three years ago. He was also very big and very kind). Bonnie, though, refuses to be touched in the head. We surmised that where she came from, she was never considered a pet, just a guard dog. She is not in good terms with Bugaki but her constant companion is Purlak. Both of them stay outside in the laundry area and goes to and from the back garden. They seldom go inside the house. that is not their territory.

The very little Bitoy always barks at Bonnie whenever he sees her. But to date, there has never been any major war between the outsiders and the insiders.

my dogidogs-(5) Purlak

Purlak is an all-black aspin. She is a daughter of Lupin, a descendant of my dear Puti. We gave Lupin to my sis-in-law and it was in their place where Purlak was born. She was meant to be raised as a guard dog in a bodega which we are renting. Somehow, we learned to like her despite her being difficult. She has bitten at least two neighbors who came into our house. One was a little girl who asked for some research materials from my daughter and the other is our electrician. Both times, I had to shoulder the expenses for their vaccinations.

Purlak had the habit of biting into the hem of my housedress whenever she sees me. She wont let go of me so that wherever in the house I'm going, she goes with me, with her teeth glued to my housedress. She considers it her playtime with me. Because of that, I and Purlak have a special bond. Now, she listens to me whenever I tell her to be still. Despite her being a difficult dog, Purlak loves to bathe. And like the rest of my dogidogs, she likes the sound of her name being sung to the tune of the happy birthday song. No other words for the lyrics except her name.

Her crib is the old billiard table that we placed outside- near the very dirty kitchen and the laundry area. She loves it there and seldom enters the house. But the trouble is -the billiard cloth has to be replaced again and again.