A Tribute to my Friends and “Enemies” (Part 10)

THE DE JESUS SIBLINGS AND PETER CHILE KUAN

In my Sophomore year, I was very fortunate to stay with Kuya Ato, Ate Baby, Abet, Jojo and his friend Peter in an apartment along T. Morato, Quezon City. Over the weekend, Vic, Detdet and Ondet would occasionally join us from UP Los Baños. I thank God for the de Jesus Siblings from Marbel who regarded me and Peter as part of their huge jolly family. We had so much fun playing pusoy, Russian poker, spades, unggoy-unggoy, Black Jack, etc. We had a pingpong table right outside our door and they were patient enough to teach me how to play. Whenever we feel stressed and wanted to take a break from our homeworks and exam reviews, we sweat it out at the pingpong table. During Sundays, Christ the King church was just a stone throw away from us so we attend mass there.

Ate Baby was like a big sister to me. I completely lost my voice before I turned 18 but thankfully, I did not need to go to a clinic or hospital because Ate Baby’s boyfriend (now husband) Dr. Palafox attended to me—for free! (I missed my debut celebration because of acute pharyngitis /laryngitis but had a 60th birthday bash. Better late than never hahahah . . . )

Jojo and Peter were my commuting buddies going to UP Diliman. Buses no longer stop at Morato Station because they could no longer accommodate additional passengers. The 3 of us would normally run and sprint after the moving bus, hoping that the traffic light changes from green to red. Most of the time, only one of my feet could step on the bus and my other foot hanging in the air outside. The driver would shout “papasukin ninyo ang babae sa loob! (Let the girl enter the bus!) Jojo and Peter would always help me squeeze myself inside the cramped bus where I could hardly breathe but safer than having 1 leg outside the bus!

Oftentimes, I would watch movies together with Jojo and Peter. Sadly, Jojo de Jesus left this world ahead of his time and my heart still ache whenever I think of him. Peter, however, is celebrating his 62nd birthday today. Happy happy bday Dong! Thanks for being my true friend from our Morato days until now. God bless you and your lovely family and all your future undertakings. C-H-E-E-R-S!!!

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Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora (My Colorful Life: Part 4)

 18. Today is the 40th birthday of my tennis idol, Roger Federer.  Happy happy bday Rog! 

Together with my dear friend Elsa, we crossed 1,149 miles to see Roger Federer in person. She accompanied me to Shanghai though she didn’t know a thing about tennis. So while the match was being played, I was explaining to her what was going on! I love you Elsz.  Inspite of the hardship you encountered while procuring your Visa, you pushed on. Thank you so much Elsz for making my dream come true. Special thanks too, to Helen for taking very good care of us during our stay in Shanghai. No words can do justice to describe your thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity.

19. I was a die-hard fan of Guy and Pip from 1969 to 1973. They were only guest stars in the film Banda 24 but I loved them so much that I watched the movie over and over again in Marbel (now Koronadal), followed it to Dadiangas (now GenSan), all the way to Davao City and Cagayan de Oro. I saved money to buy their photos and made albums of them. In the parade of stars during the Manila Film Festival in the 70’s, we walked beside their float from Ospital ng Maynila to Cinerama Theater!  The float was proceeding at a very slow pace because of the massive number of people who wanted to shake the hands of Guy and Pip. We started after breakfast and arrived at Cinerama past lunchtime. 

20. When Barry Manilow came to rock Manila in 1992, I was fortunate that Nanay bought VIP tickets for us three. I enjoyed the show so much that I wanted to watch it again. I was about to buy my plane ticket to Cebu to watch him there when they announced that he will hold a Repeat Performance in Manila before leaving the country. It so happened that my friend Cherry was also a fan of Barry Manilow! So we went together to Ultra to join his farewell concert. Though I’ve seen him twice, I still couldn’t get enough of Barry Manilow. 

To be continued . . .

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MY FAVORITES (Part 2)

 6. Fruits are always part of our dining table. My favorite fruit of all time is durian. During one stopover along the beach in Davao City, I finished 3 whole durians in one sitting! When I received my first salary in 1980, I almost spent it all for durian that I bought at San Andres Market.

7. I am generally fond of vegetables except for squash. My favorite is ampalaya (bitter gourd) sauteed in pinakbet (mixed veggies in fish or shrimp sauce).

8. Before we got married, my Prince Charming “encouraged” me to quit drinking and I did. I no longer drink heavily as before but when I do, 1 bottle of SanMig Zero is good enough for me.

9. Since 2016, I refrained from eating rice during meals but when I eat sweet mango, I always eat it with 1-2 spoons of rice.

10. Like Jaymie the BullRunner, my favorite chocolate is Choc Nut. 

11. My favorite partners with Coke are balut, sweet sampaloc, green mango with spicy bagoong, pork isaw, turon, banana cue, grilled beef/pork/chicken.

12. My favorite partners with hot chocolate drink are grilled ensaymada, apple pie and mango crepe.

13. Chicharon Bulaklak is my favorite pulutan.

14. My dream breakfast consists of: fresh mango juice, fresh guava juice, crispy bacon, spanish omelette, hash brown, hot chocolate, assorted fruits in syrup, mango crepe with whipped cream.

15. My dream dinner consists of: caesar salad with calamari, steak, grilled prawns in mango sauce, blueberry cheesecake

To be continued . . .

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Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora (My Colorful Life: Part 3)

12. Brewed coffee serves as melatonin for me. So instead of drinking coffee in the morning to boost my day, I take it at night to sleep right away. On very rare occasions that I crave for coffee, I have to simultaneously drink it with iced tea for me to stay awake or suffer the dreadful consequence. In one of our seminars at Max’s, I couldn’t resist the aroma of freshly brewed coffee so I drank 1 cup. You can just imagine how startled I was when they woke me up after the last speaker!

13. I used to drink heavily before without getting drunk, they nicknamed me “embudo” (funnel). My favorite was Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky. One tine, we opened a 1L bottle after dinner. Before the roosters could crow at the break of dawn, my drinking buddy fell drunk on the floor so I was the one who finished his share until the bottle was completely empty. He was so ashamed he warned me not to squeal that he actually passed out during our drinking spree (hope he’s not reading this post hahahah . . .).

14. My idols were Wang Yu, Guy and Pip, Bruce Lee, Richard Gere, Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Willis, Jude Law.

15. I was only 9 when I first fell in love with my classmate in Grade 3 who was a transferee from Iloilo. Ironically, I only got married at 39!

16. My Ex-Prince Charming was 12 years younger than me.  Yup, I was a certified cradle snatcher! He didn’t believe me at first. He thought I was only joking when I told him my date of birth. I swear he was beyond shocked when he saw what I wrote on our Marriage Certificate form! I had a feeling then that he wanted to call the wedding off.

17. At 29, I excitedly knocked at the door of a convent and expressed my desire to be a nun. Without even letting me in, I was interviewed right then and there. After answering some basic questions, I was outrightly rejected when they learned I was an only child. The door was slammed at my bewildered face before I could even protest. Sigh.

To be continued . . .

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Fate or Destiny?

When did you feel your heart burning with passion for what you truly want to do with your life?

 I was around 3 or 4 when I vividly imagined what I’d be doing when I grow up. Ate Neneng (our boarder who was closest to me) asked why I was always drawing clothes on any piece of paper I could find. I excitedly blurted out that in the future, I would be dressing thousands of women! When I was old enough to manually sew, I started collecting fabric scraps from my favorite dressmaker and made different outfits for my dolls. I was grateful to my artist friend Freddie who made miniature hangers for their clothes.  I would occasionally play having a fashion show for my exclusive designs with him as audience but one time, I was lucky to have Tatay and Nanay watch my presentation.

After high school graduation, I told Tatay my desire to pursue Fashion Designing. As expected from my authoritarian father, he heartlessly disapproved. To prevent the outbreak of World War 3, I chose to be the obedient daughter.

Then came the miracle. Nanay unexpectedly met one of Jean Goulbourn’s Fashion Boutique  subcontractors in her Europe tour and they easily hit it off. As soon as they went back to Manila, she became my mentor! Heeding her advice, I enrolled in various Fashion Schools and studied the nitty-gritty of the clothing business. When both of us believed that I was ready for the long haul, she entrusted me with my first Contract.

Tatay almost fainted when he saw 4 sewing machines inside the garage of our small house. He was fuming mad. Afraid that I might send my dear father to his early grave, I moved out of Philamlife Village and settled along Alabang-Zapote Road. I transferred to a bigger space the following year and every year thereafter to accommodate our increasing number of workers.

Who would have thought that after battling all obstacles to finish BS Statistics and MS Industrial Economics, I would still chase my childhood dream? If I didn’t make this life-changing decision, I wouldn’t have met my Prince Charming.

We were in our third relocation site when my Knight in Shining Armour gallantly appeared to save me from my technical woes. He was the Industrial Sewing Machine mechanic recommended by my friend Cherry. We easily became comfortable with each other but after 1 year, he worked overseas and we were separated for 3 years. Surprisingly, we ended up saying “I do” at the altar 5 years after our first surreal encounter. Cherry played cupid between us and she succeeded!

I was 25 when I vowed  to remain single for the rest of my life and even attempted to enter the convent but God worked in very mysterious ways to fulfill His divine plan for me. He chose me to be the mother of my 2 precious jewels Gio and Eia. This was my calling and I wholeheartedly embraced it.

However, I still choose to remain single for the rest of my life (unless my soulmate finds me  hahahah . . . ).  So help me God.

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