The World of Second Chances

Ang Nagbabagong Panahon

July 30, 2019

Life & Love
List of issues that we have accepted through time:
1. Building a hedge on our relationship- noong araw, kapag bantay-sarado ka sa boyfriend or asawa mo, ang tawag sa iyo “walang-tiwala.” Pero ngayon, pino-promote na to ngayon para daw maiwasan ang tukso.
2. Okay lang magalit/mainis/sumpungin- noong bata ako, kapag nagalit ako, andyan na yung amba ng palo o pagsasabihan ka na “masama ang magalit” o ipaparamdam sa iyo na napakasama mong tao dahil throwing tantrums ka. Na sa palagay ko kaya ang ibang tao ay passive-aggresive ay dahil sa pagpapalaki din ng magulang. Ngayon, sa mommy group na kasama ako at kapag may nagra-rant, “valid ang feelings mo, okay lang magalit” ang mababasa ko na ibig sabihin ay somebody is acknowledging your bad day.
3. Growing up in the 80’s, bawal akong mag-rant. Bawal mag-complain. Sumunod muna bago magsalita. Bawal magsabi ng unhappiness dahil nakakawala daw ng grasya. Ngayon, nawiwindang ako dahil yung ibang tao, kada kibot, post ng rant. Kada di magustuhan, social media.
4. Related to sa number 3- noong araw, you treat your issues privately. Naghiwalay kayong mag-asawa? Kokonti ang nakakaalam. Nagkagalit kayong magkapatid? It’s between the two of you lang. Pero ngayon, pati inis mo sa kapitbahay mo ay pwede mo ng i-social media at supportive pa ang nasa friends’ list mo. Hehe.
5. Okay lang noon na nasa bahay ang babae habang ang lalaki ay nagtatrabaho para sa pamilya. Pansin ko, baka kaya defensive ang ibang stay-at-home-mom and they are trying to justify their choice ay dahil sa mga mapanghusgang tao na nagtatanong bakit sila hindi nagtratrabaho. Ano namang paki natin sa kanila, di ba? Unless pinapakain natin sila.
6. Baligtarin natin, noong araw, nakakahiya kapag ang babae ang kumikita habang ang lalaki ay nasa bahay at nag-aalaga ng mga bata. Nasa agreement yan ng mag-asawa basta hindi natatapakan ang ego ng lalaki. Madaming successful marriages ngayon na ang lalaki ang nasa bahay habang si misis ang naghahanap-buhay.
7. Nakakahiyang maging mahirap noong araw. Kaya nga ang mga artista ang ginagamit na pakulo ay “convent-bred, schooled in an all-girls exclusive school, anak ni ganito at ganoon.” Pero bandang late 90’s hanggang ngayon na nauso ang mga contest kung saan naghahanap ng sympathy vote ang mga contestant, nagbago ang tingin natin sa mahihirap. Na ang mahihirap ay okay lang maging mahirap basta nagsisikap.
8. Sexy lang ang may karapatang mag-swimsuit noon. Kaya nga iilan lang ang big sizes na swimsuit noon. Ngayon, swimsuits come in all shapes and sizes.
9. Pag kumain ka ng tanim mo o ng itlog mula sa alaga mong manok, napaka-jologs mo ng tao. Pero ngayon, organic naman ang pino-promote dahil mas healthy.
10. Kokonti ang private vehicles noong araw. Kapag may kotse ka, big time ka na. Ngayon, salamat sa influx of second hand vehicles. Salamat sa affordable car loans. Salamat sa affordable cars like compact cars na mas mura kesa sa ibang modelo. Kaya ngayon, kahit middle-class ay meron ng sasakyan (wala nga lang mapagparkingan).
Anxiety

July 23, 2019

Health & Beauty

Waking up to another day

Requires a lot of effort to juggle everything

From end to end

The day has not yet started

Yet fatigue is setting in

Because the most tiring part of me

Is my brain

Some people are wired to keep their focus

And let another person worry for their troubles

I personally see whatever I have to see

Because what I have are the most precious

I used to be adventurous

The type who would bungee-jump

When mother was alive and father was not so old

I would dare risk my life

Mama left me such enormous responsibility

To glue the family together

I started having anxiety

For a task so heavy

But no task is heavier

Than to be constantly worried about your loved ones

Are they eating? Are they making good?

Are they surviving? Do they have food?

I work from five to 10 and barely sleep

My mind is fixated on what we need

Anxiety attack, they will laugh at it

Being over-concerned is something that I must quit
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.