The World of Second Chances

The Privacy of an Icon

June 24, 2019

That’s Entertainment

Mr. Eddie Garcia passed away last Thursday, June 21, leaving a permanent void in showbiz. I grew up watching his villain roles in Sampaguita Pictures when RPN9 made a re-run of their classic films. My grandmother was just a few years younger than him.

Through the years, very little was known about his private life except some bits of details like losing his son to a motorcycle accident and having a girlfriend named “Lilibeth.” It was either the showbiz reporters had so much respect for this icon to be asking about the juicy details of his private life or the public did not care because he was not of our generation. It could be both.

It was only in my adult life when I truly appreciated this genius of an actor. His versatility could never be equalled; he played a soldier, a gay, a villain, a lover, a father and a whole lot more. Through his seven decades in showbiz, he had seen the rise and fall and maybe the rise again of our Philippine cinema. And he was also there when Pinoy action films was at its peak, after all, he was Boyong Manalac in the movies!

My favorite movies of him are the ones with Gloria Diaz. They had such a strong on-screen chemistry and they both looked good together! Off-screen, I only learned that long-time girlfriend Lilibeth was none other than Mr. Mikee Romero’s mother! Netizens were wondering about the surviving biological children and were at lost if there was really a Lisa Ortega because in the picture that Mr. Romero posted on Facebook, there was a surviving son named Erwin Garcia.

Eddie Garcia’s career and some pieces of his personal life like his famous quote about being a “one man woman” could be written on a book as not every person is as interesting and as inspiring as him. But the consideration is, if Mr. Garcia was mum about his personal details when he was alive, he wouldn’t be happy to share about it now that he couldn’t object.
Iris by Khalil Ramos

March 2, 2019

That’s Entertainment
Indie Kings

February 26, 2019

That’s Entertainment

Kristoffer King and Coco Martin.

Both were indie stars.

Both were good actors.

Both were director’s favourite.

Good luck knocked on Coco’s door and his life was never the same again.

Endorsements, movies, a long-running television show and a beautiful rumored girlfriend, too.

Properties, mansions and a hand at directing.

He is every small artists’ benchmark.

On the other hand, Kristoffer struggled.

With 6 mouths to feed and a deteriorating health, he tried his best to live.

But movie offers were not as good as when he was young and salable.

While Coco reaped the fruit of his fame, Kristoffer walked under his shadow for some cash.

His character in a television show died on the day that the real him passed away.

Yes, it is art imitating life but for me it’s life imitating art.

Show business has two faces: sad and happy, scarce and plenty.
My Trip To The ER

February 18, 2019

Health & Beauty

Today is exactly one week after my trip to the emergency room due to palpitations and high blood pressure. Last Monday was just a normal day. I fixed the children for school, my husband drove me to work, I worked at my usual (fast) pace, I left the office and hurriedly went home, I ate dinner with my children, I cleaned the house, watered the plants and when I was washing the dishes, I felt strong palpitations that I initially ignored.

When the palpitations wouldn’t stop, I asked my son to tell our next-door neighboor to accompany me to the hospital. On the way, I felt like I was about to collapse. I was scared but I was more worried about my children and my youngest brother who’s on his final year in school.

At the ER, they took my blood pressure and it was 170/100. They gave me antihistamine and another drug to lower my blood pressure. Laboratory test showed that my ECG was normal, I had a mild UTI and anemia.

I have been monitoring my blood pressure since Monday of last week. Here are the things that I realize:

We do not own our life. Enjoy every moment. Forgive. Show how much you care about a person before it’s too late. Material things are just temporary. We need to take care of our health before sickness invades our body. Getting worried all the time contributes to a lot of sickness. Do not be hard on yourself. Enjoy the love that you receive from friends. Give love especially to the ones who need it the most.
The Charlie and Sheerlyn Saga

January 19, 2019

Life & Love

It all started with Charlie bringing his five young kids in a Tulfo show to get the attention of his erring wife who was into an extra-marital relationship with an engineer in Saudi. We learned that Charlie is a tricyle driver and had a previous offense related to drugs. We learned that Sheerlyn left in 2015 to work in Saudi and that she had a total of three extra-marital affairs. We learned that she was sending PhP19,000 a month to Charlie and half of that went to Sheerlyn’s family so what was left was not enough to feed a family of six. We learned that Sheerlyn recorded lascivious videos of herself and sent those to Charlie to spite him when he asked if she was carrying an affair. We learned that the engineer’s name is Edwin and he challenged Charlie to have him deported. We applauded OWWA Administrator Arnel Ignacio for his quick action in deporting Sheerlyn, which we later realized that it was a blessing in disguise for her rather than risking herself to get jailed in the kingdom for adultery.

The story did not end in her deportation. The part 3 of the youtube video showed Tulfo and Ignacio with a family counsellor, trying to reconcile the estranged couple. We saw a downtrodden Charlie trying to make peace with his wife in spite of what she did to the family and an arrogant Sheerlyn who sneered on Charlie, the man who used to be her life and father to their five children.

It was cringeworthy to watch and I commend Charlie for being a gentleman all throughout his (ex) wife’s baseless accussations on him. In the end, Tulfo promised to buy him his own tricycle. He seemed genuinely resigned to the fact that Sheerlyn would never go back to him anymore.

There are many Sheerlyns out there who immediately have a change of heart the moment “a better” man comes. There are many mothers out there who prioritize their personal interest before the welfare of their children. There are many unfaithful people out there who reverse the story to make it look like they are the aggrieved party so that their infidelity is justified. There are many Edwins out there who listen to what’s in between their legs than what’s in between their ears. There are many Charlies out there who feel so helpless. There are many children out there who are the product of a broken family.
Tocoma for Detox

December 29, 2018

Career, Finance & Product
Starting November 2018, there was a surge in my sugar consumption and the result was a sugar overload characterized by fluctuating energy level, puffy face and slow metabolism. I had a sick feeling similar to intoxication. I had my annual physical exam last December 21st; the result would be forwarded to the company by January 2019. I am expecting unfavorable result on my blood sugar level.

I decided to do some detoxification during the holiday break but I was clueless where to start. Will lemon with water do? I’ve done that and it didn’t have any significant effect on me. Then I chanced upon this FB page about a powerful detox drink named Tocoma.

I used to be doubtful of online shopping as I was the type who would like to see the merchandise before spending money on it. I checked on Mercury Drug and Watson and unfortunately, they do not have Tocoma. So, I decided to order it online through the FB page “Tocoma- Natural Juice Colon Detoxifier and Cleanser.” Take note that I am not being paid to advertise this FB page; I mentioned this page just in case you want to order because I’m a happy and satisfied customer in terms of their reliability.

I ordered the cheapest that they could offer with 7 sachets in the box. Here are the significant effects of Tocoma on me:
1. My sugar cravings stopped. On the 4th day, I had sugar withdrawal symptoms like headache but it’s a natural effect of detoxification.
2. I had an unexplained pain on my right thumb that went away after the 3rd detoxification day.
3. I am more energetic now than before.
4. My puffy face went away.
5. My metabolism is back on track.
If you have other health issues like high visceral fat, frequently constipated etc— Tocoma might be the solution for you. It’s a good product but a little pricey though.

Rating: 5/5 star
The Garden, Ciudad de Victoria

December 25, 2018

Travel
The spot of the Ciudad de Victoria or the Philippine Arena Complex used to be a vast ricefield. It was an ambitious project that started in 2011 and ended in 2014. It was meant to be a tribute to Iglesia ni Cristo’s 100th-year celebration. The aerial view of the Ciudad de Victoria looks like the number “100.”

The Ciudad de Victoria is owned by the New Era University. The dream plan was to create a community within the complex like the Philippine Arena, Philippine Sports Stadium, recreational park, church, hospital, and the transfer of the New Era University from Quezon City to Bulacan. It would probably take time before the last two items that I mentioned will happen.

The most popular structure in Ciudad de Victoria is the Philippine Arena which is the world’s largest indoor arena to date. It has a maximum seating capacity of 55,000. Big religious gatherings of the INC like Lingap and Pamamahayag are held in the arena and stadium. New Era University first held its graduation ceremony in Philippine Arena in May 2015. Ciudad de Victoria is open not just for the INC brothers and sisters but also for the general public. International stars like the Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, BTOB, Red Velvet, Katy Perry, Guns N’ Rose, and U2 have performed in the arena. The most memorable local entertainment held was Eat Bulaga’s “Sa Tamang Panahon.” Coincidentally, one of the stars, Maine Mendoza, is a Bulakenya from Santa Maria. Sports enthusiasts enjoyed the PBA games and the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games.

The plants and trees surrounding the arena and stadium are meticulous works of art already. If you have seen an INC church, you will probably notice that aside from their uniform church designs, there would always be a garden to decorate the vicinity. In other words, it is not surprising if Ciudad de Victoria put up a big garden for people to see and visit.

In 2018, The Garden’s entrance fee was PhP450 for adults and PhP250 for children. Foods, drinks, and professional cameras are prohibited. Photoshoots like pre-nuptial and debut are allowed for a fee. The fees are reasonable because the plants and facilities are marvelous and require a certain high degree of maintenance. There are cold-weather plants that need air-conditioning in order to survive. There is a smaller version of the planetarium for visitors who are into basic astronomy. Most of the animals found on the mini-zoo are birds, reptiles, chimpanzees, and fish. Kids would love the Maze Garden, Go Kart, playground, and rollercoaster. When you get tired and hungry from walking, you can go to either Embrace Cafe and Restaurant or Candy Land Cafe to dine.

Update as of August 6, 2021
It has been 17 months since the Luzon lockdown and today, August 6, 2021, is the start of another hard lockdown for NCR plus Bubble. Without the Philippine Arena toll exit, the place would look isolated. It’s good to have photos and videos to remind us about the old days. Someday, we have stories to tell our future children and grandchildren about how we won this battle.