George Parroco of PSHS Batch 73 posted this on our Facebook group.  The thread started off with Shamcey Supsup being an Architecture student.  UP College of Architecture Dean (from 2007 to 2010) Jose Danilo Silvestre (PSHS 74) jumped in to say that Shamcey was his student.  Then it went on about going back to architecture as I related my lifelong dream of being an architect.  "It's never too late to go back" was the sum total of Dean Silvestre's word.

Then George posts this:

We have a batchmate Norman Herrera whose son Luis didnt enter PSHS. But Luis went to UPLB. He was kicked out due to low grades for being to happy go lucky guy. He went back and finished the 4 years course in 7 years. He took the Agri Board and very rare will a UPLB student top the Agri Board, usually only 6 among the top ten but not Number 1. But Luis Herrera TOPPED the Board this year!!!! And here is his speech during the oathtaking.....its not about the academic stuff he emphasized , but the service to the people he wanted to pursue. Read on........

Good afternoon, everyone.

Let us start off by expressing our gratitude to our parents, / family members, and friends / the very reason we are here today.I would like to congratulate everyone for a job well done. / I know we all worked hard for this.I would like to thank the members of the board, / the officers of PAA, / the officers and staff of PRC for another successful year and for organizing this wonderful event.

Ako po ay nagagalak na makasama kayo ngayong hapon.

Simula ng lumabas and resulta, maraming nagtatanong kung sino si Manolo Luis Herrera ng UPLB? / Cum laude ba sya? / Ako ba daw ay may malawak na karanasan na sa agrikultura? / At sa mga malalapit sa akin, tinatanung nila kung san ko nakuha and old exam. / At ng dahil daw sa akin, gagawin ng essay type ang board exam sa susunod na taon upang maiwasan na ang tsamba (…)

Ngayong hapon gusto ko lang linawin na ako po ay hindi nagtapos na cum laude. / Sa katunayan, dalawang beses na po akong nasipa sa UP dahil sa mabababang grado, / una nung 2005 at ikalawa nuong 2008.

Sa UP, ang pinakamataas na grado ay uno; / bagsak ay singko; / at, ang pasado ay tres. / Ang kabuuang grado ko po nung kolehiyo ay 3.4. / Na ang ibig sabihin, pagtapak ko palang sa klase ay siguradong di nako pasado sa unang subok. / Wala pa po akong nababalitaang mas mababa pa roon (…)

I know, I am not what you are expecting. / I am definitely not your definition of a person who can do such feat.

Habang sinusulat ko ito, nagiisip ako ng mga magagandang dahilan kung bakit nangyaring tumagal ako sa kolehiyo. / Ako ba ay masyadong natuwa sa aking kalayaan bilang isang estudyante na malayo sa gabay ng magulang? / Ako ba ay masyadong naapektuhan sa mga karamdaman nila? / Masydo ba ako naimpluwensayahan ng kabarkada at masasamang bisyo? / Hindi ba ako interisado sa kurso o sa mismong pagaaral? / O di kaya’y, masyadong nabagabag sa mga bigong pag-ibig? (…)

Looking back, I cannot put a finger on one significant reason. / It was a little bit of everything. / Admittedly, I allowed myself to get beaten by what life threw at me. / I have simply given up everytime.

Pagkatapos masipa sa pangalawang pagkakataon nuong 2008, / naisipan ko munang magtrabaho ng kung anu-ano at kung saan-saan. / Hanggat napadpad ako sa Occidental Mindoro at naatasang mamahala ng isang rancho at gulayan sa tulong ng isang kamag-anak.

Doon, naging saksi ako sa totoong sitwasyon ng agrikultura sa bansa, / partikular na sa buhay ng ating mga kababayang magsasaka.

These local farmers, who remained good friends of mine to this day, believed in me. / They trusted my ability to lead them, / to nurture them, / and to provide a stable livelihood for them and their families. / They don’t care where I came from; / they don’t care what my grades were; / and, they don’t even care if I have graduated or not. / They simply relied on the hope that I can make a significant difference in their lives and, consequently, to the community.

During these times, I started during wondering why a third of the population involved in agriculture is one of the poorest in the nation. / They feed the country, but they can hardly feed themselves. / And believe me, these are the most hardworking, / skillful, / and honest individuals you can ever find. / Individuals who deserve our utmost attention.

Armed with a newfound passion in agriculture and a vision for a greater cause, / I decided to return to UP and try to finish my degree.

Marahil lahat napo ng batikos ay natanggap ko na mula sa matataas na opisyal ng unibersidad. / May nagsabing dapat nung bata palang daw ako ay humanap nako ng malilipatang iskwelahan. / Na sinasayang ko lang ang pera ng bayan. / May nagsabing, hindi ko kaya ang antas ng edukasyon na binibigay ng unibersidad at marahil hindi ko na kailangang pilitin pa.

Although a bit harsh, / I find these criticisms well-founded and fair; as I do acknowledge my shortcomings. / They were simply guided by reason and logic.

Sa awa ng Dios at tuwa ng aking mga magulang, / ako po ay pinayagang makapagaral uli at natapos ko ang aking kurso nung marso.

When I was decided to take the board exam, I have this lingering and powerful prayer in my heart / -- that may the Lord put me here before you, / and for a moment be part of your lives, so that I can share my story.

I badly wanted to be here. / I wanted to be here to reaffirm a self-evident truth: / that every person has the ability to shape his future regardless of his preexisting condition; / to never subscribe to the idea that you are a failure, whatever or whoever the source may be; / to never let your personal tragedies, / frustrations, / fears, and insecurities limit your ability to achieve your dreams.

I do not stand here as first among you, but as an ordinary person who finally tried his best.

This afternoon is not about me, but for all the people who never ceased to believe in human potential. / Not because he/she is a relative / or a good friend, / but because it is the right thing to do as decent human beings.
I would like to personally thank my parents (Norman, Primitiva, and Lola). / No words can describe their love for their family. / Their unyielding strength and endurance have sustained our family through the difficult years. / May I be able to imitate your example someday.
To the lovely Ann Vagilidad, who serves as my inspiration and for constantly bringing out the best in me.
To the legendary Dr. Elipidio M Agbisit Jr., / my adviser since my freshman year, / thank you for your words of wisdom. / This person does not know how to quit on anyone. / May he continue to mentor countless others.
To Sir Williams, who has never been my professor but came up to me one day and convinced me to finish my studies. / His own life is a testament of overcoming great obstacles.

Ladies and gentlemen, when times get tougher for others, do we still find time to inspire them or are we instruments of cynicism and doubt? / Do we feed his dreams or would we rather shatter his will? / Do we patiently expand our sense of understanding or would we rather judge immediately which seems to be much easier to do?

Naging adik napo ang lipunan natin sa pagsukat ng kakayahan ng isang tao base sa kanyang resume. / Nakatapos ba sya? / Saang iskwelahan ba sya nakapagtapos? / Anung grado nya nung kolehiyo? / Nakapasa ba sya ng board exam? / Ito naman po ay di masama bagkus ay nararapat pa nga -- ang problema lang ay kung ito na ang batayan kahalagahan nya. / Lalo na kung dito na natin isaalangalang ang kanyang mga pangarap. / Lagi po sana nating tatandaan na kailanman ay hindi nito kayang sukatin ang puso ninuman.

In this room, I see future leaders, / consummate entrepreneurs / and brilliant innovators in our field. / And for some, life may not be so kind. / But wherever we may be from this junction in our lives /…in the end, we will be judged on how we approach life / and how we treat people. / And those are the choices we can always make.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Videos Posted by Santé et beauté pour tous!! The Meaning of Life !!

‘Heartist’ of Table of Hope for street children dies; 43
By Lito B. Zulueta
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:29:00 07/22/2010

The concept of full retirement is really a thing of the past.  Let me end the suspense to what this blog is all about.  Blindsided is about planning your retirement.  Nevertheless, the concept of retirement should be viewed through the lenses of the Information Age and not the Age of Industrialization (where its inception can be traced).

One can still keep on going way past the point where one has technically "retired".  My example for today is Meckoy Quioge.  He is on his fourth retirement.  I want to finish this way.

The story below shows us that one can be technically retired three times over and yet far from being 'self-actualized' by way of Maslow's heirarchy of needs.

Here's the write-up (with credits to Adobo Magazine)

My friend Manolo Tinsay was born on a special day.  December 25, 1967.  December 25 is a day we associate with two major things.  The birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ and, candidly, in this material world we live in, we associate it with gifts and gift giving.

Manolo himself was a gift primarily to his parents, being the first child to Tito Rudy and Tita Nora.  What better time could a firstborn child come than December 25?  As an elder brother, Manolo was a gift to Derek, Sasa, and Carlo.  And as a husband and father, a most precious gift to his wife, Joyce, and son, Dominic Matthew.

While to me, his grade school classmate and friend, Manolo himself was both gift and gift-giver.  Allow me to describe to you, the world Manolo and I carved for ourselves and what our friendship was like.

Manolo and I were close friends in grade school for only a span of 2 years.  It was around the years of 1978 to 1980, when we were in Grade 5 and 6.  I say 2 years only because eventually I had to move on and study elsewhere.  But those 2 years were the fun years because that was the stage where we were in between being small kids and being teenagers.  At that time we were the age of Manolo’s son Dominic.  Some of you may recall the hit show in the 1980s called “The Wonder Years”.  Well, to Manolo and I, 1978 to 1980 were our “Wonder Years”.  The age where innocence is about to end and where real life discovery begins.

Our friendship took place in a time where life was simpler, less hectic, and less complicated than what it is today.  Some of you can actually close your eyes now if only to remember that period in time when Bacolod had no traffic, when everyone almost knew each other, and our restaurant choices in this city were only Bob’s, Roli’s, Tita’s, or Silver Star Fried Chicken.

How we hit it off as friends is still fresh in my memory.  I know it took place on a Monday because we were talking about certain events over the weekend.  Since we got to talk, we happened to find out that we lived only 250 meters away from each other in Burgos Street and so we exchanged telephone numbers.  0917.....oops indi pa to gali uso ang cellphone. 2-81-77.  Five digits lang ang telepono sato nga panahon.

Our joys as friends consisted in simple fun which we did not have to spend much for.  All we needed then were our bicycles.  Almost each Friday we would load up our bicycles in their yellow Ford Fiera and take it to La Salle Avenue where we would meet up with two other classmates who were already waiting for us.  Dingby Ballesteros and Raymond Namin.  From there we would spend the rest of the Friday afternoon biking around Capitolville.

Then on Saturdays we’d occasionally meet up to play tennis in Marapara where like clockwork after the game he would order his favourite hamburger with French fries on the side.  Either that or we’d be watching Betamax movies at the Tinsay house, because at that time, we could only count around ten households in Bacolod who had a Betamax. That or, we were working on our science projects.

Oh how we miss those days when life was really care free.  Thank you Manolo, not just the gift of friendship but the gift of all those precious memories of our Wonder Years.

And perhaps, one more gift you have given me which cannot be taken away....

Friends, Manolo was the very first person who taught me how to properly grip a golf club and how to swing it.  He was my first influence to the game of golf.

As a result, there is not a single time that I have stood on a golf course without remembering my friend Manolo.  Although we have never been as close as we were way back in 1979, each developing a new set of friends as the years went by, Manolo is constantly remembered for as long as my family and I are on the fairway.  As I sent a message to Sasa the other day, the “wow” moment of it all was when I was caddying for my son in the Junior World Golf Championships.  Physically, I would be in the middle of play in San Diego, CA but often times my mind would wander off to flashback the time Manolo and I stood on that mound in Marapara, learning to hit balls.  It was very surreal as I would repeatedly catch myself saying, “daw sang san-o lang ato nga naga hanot kami bola ni Manolo sa Marapara and now here I am, grown up, and with a son playing for Team Philippines at the Junior World Golf Championships”.  Indeed, Manolo’s gift to me and my family is priceless as  golf is a key activity which allows us precious time to be together in this hectic world.  Ang motto sang amon familya, “A family that plays together, stays together”.

So many things to thank Manolo for.  It just saddens me that I was not able to convey my thankfulness while he was still with us.

For all of us who are here today.  I just want to share with you what I may say, is Manolo’s final gift to you and me, his family and friends.  Manolo as we all know passed away at the young age of 42.  And the gift lies in the message that

Life is short; Time is borrowed; and that Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone.

The Bible even says in the Book of Psalms,

As for man, his days are like grass,
As a flower of the field so he flourishes,
When the wind has passed over it, it is no more;

As this gift of a message comes, we ourselves should pause and think of our preparedness for moving on to the life after this earthly life.  When we come to think of it, regardless of our age and our health condition, all of us are in fact “fifty-fifty” so to speak.

Manolo, was prepared for moving on.  I can identify a time wherein cousin Joebert Ramos and friend Juray Mora led Manolo in a prayer to commit his life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Therein lay his assurance of salvation.  That through the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross, everyone who believes can receive God’s gift of eternal life.  And so with Manolo being in a better place than us, it is only time that separates us from him.

Thank you for your gift Manolo.  Thank you for your message.

We will surely meet again. 

I mulled over the sensitivity of my last post.  I am a professional after all, working across different ad agencies from a neutral standpoint.  Therefore confidentiality must be the minimum order of the day.

The irony of it all lies here : we lose our humanity in the name of professionalism and non-disclosure.  We have it this way simply because there are so many jobs that need to get done - the majority of which were supposed to be done yesterday.  So most of us speed off as robots trying to do the impossible.

Robots.  That's the perfect noun - robot.  I guess I was a robot for the large part of the time I spent in the agency.  Then singlehandedly trying to do what now takes 6 or more people to do.  In the process losing so much time.  Much time to talk, much time to live, much time to connect, and more importantly, much time to show appreciation.

In trying to recover what may have been lost in time, allow me the space to show appreciation for someone who has transcended an uncharted dimension of motherhood.

Minnie Bobe and I met her in 1996 when our fledgling agency in Bacolod became McCann's strategic alliance partner in that part of the country.  After doing some media training at McCann when the agency was still in Herrera St., a dinner at Italianni's to cap off a week of media info overload.  When dinner was done, she had to excuse herself to get back to work.  To say that I was impressed by her dedication is an understatement.  Little wonder that five years later, when Venus calls on me to join the agency, Venus emails, "I will be out of the country by the time you join the agency but AVP Cookie Bartolome will be there to orient you".

And so it was. Cookie welcomed me to the team and served as mother to the brood which found Mon Samarista and myself as the only males working directly under her auspice.  There were only good times and hard times. 

The good times: Touch Mobile OOH launch, TCEC Non-Carbonated Beverages win, winning Project WTA, Globe Handyphone relaunch (total overhaul of Globe's OOH inventory), Coke OOH plan year after year, plus a whole lot more to mention including the recovery of PhP 2million of Coke's money from a supplier who failed to deliver.  

The hard times : Cost Esimates forever stuck and unsigned in the desk of a brand manager; me almost breaking down due to the lack of an available assistant during the days when OOH planners were as scarce as an ice cube in the desert (thank God Dep de Pasion came along!); consequently, I would for a long time be behind in my plans for the NCBs; a lot of momentary setbacks like Coke Chief Marketing Officer Mary Minnick at the verge of staring at a non-operational Coke tri-vision billboard from her room at the Makati Shangri-la; Mother Ricki and Angel Guerrero appeasing an upset Cathay Pacific Country Manager; the litany of unpaid media suppliers and my "heroics-slash-stupidity" of advancing payments to them which later backfired.

Through it all, it could only be "the best of times".  In contrast to Dickens, there could be no worst of times.  

My account above is only one of the many stories of her brood.  The rest have deeper stories to tell, more profound statements to share.  With tighter bonds forged through the years, they are even in a much better position to share how great a mother/leader/friend Cookie is.  And I guess that is why this Mother's Day weekend may go down as one of the longest weekends ever for some.

I've seen the tears and I could feel the pain.  The stillness permeates.  I wouldn't be surprised if even the arowana at the UniversalMcCann lobby feels the loss.  The pain is not in Cookie's leaving and moving to a new agency.  Everyone moves on at one point or another.  The pain is really in the abruptness of the move.  For the most part, it has left a number of people...errr, 'blindsided'.

With a big jolt like this, it only serves as proof that Cookie B. has really cornered a large part of our hearts.  Proof as well that I am not a robot anymore.  Humanity largely restored.

Trash professionalism and sensitivity of confidential agency info...anyway, the transition will be heralded in Media Magazine's next fortnightly issue.  Mother Cookie, you're the best!  I did recall that I was hoping to talk to you before I left the agency but it seems like we were all too busy.  Before we know it, three years have passed by and BOOM!, you're the one now leaving.  My family and I wish you the best in your new endeavors!  

I know the decision you had to make was a tough one but, like 'blindsided' always says, "The greatest risk one will ever take is not taking a risk at all".

For this, you deserve a bag!  A Rafe bag no less!

Happy Mother's Day!





-photo note : none of the people in the picture are with UM anymore, even the background has been changed :)

What is it with March 3 that it seems to produce fearless heroes of the faith?  I just wrote about Omeng Cervantes and once again, I find myself greeting another "adventurer" by the name of Ryan Gidor.  Ryan Gidor is the pastor of Victory Christian Fellowship in Bacolod City.

I knew Ryan way back when he was still in La Salle Bacolod as a high school student.  Being an Explorer Scout, the traces of a call to leadership were very evident even in those days.  Funny, witty, and most importantly having enough faith to say, "Come on, let's do it!" even in the face of uncertainty.  If Ryan were flying an airplane, he would be best described as a daredevil pilot who would defy the readings of all the gauges and panel instrumentation to do that aerial somersault.  He can even mock an empty fuel gauge and exclaim, "Let's glide!"

I salute you bro!  Grabe!  Ano iniinom mo?....adrenaline?

Happy Birthday!

In our clan, I am perhaps the only guy who has a friend known to every Tito, Tita, and cousin.  Come to think of it, a family affair may take place and without me being around, this guy could easily take my stead.  His name is Rommel Cervantes.  Known to all as Omeng.

Omeng and I go back a looooooooong, looooooooooong way.  Twenty five years and counting.  Adventures and misadventures in high school.  Oh man, should I admit everything here?  If I were to do so reader, you would easily start thinking that my voice and point of view sounds familiar.  It sounds like,....sounds like,.... that of an older Fred Savage of the Wonder Years!

What roles have we played in the past?  Batman and Robin driving around Metro Manila with a falsified driver's license in the days of the Metrocom.  Bon vivants feasting on breadsticks and calzone at Italian Village Quezon Avenue long before Italian joints became commonplace.  Then there was this episode which reminds me of a scene from "Speed" wherein we were coasting southbound along the North Expressway and soon approaching the Balintawak tollgate.  With no loose change on hand and eagerly trying to avoid the foreboding scene of a tollbooth officer hurling expletives at us, we drove side by side a bus and handed a big bill to the conductor on the "estrebo" saying, "Boss may palit ka sa P500?".  The conductor gladly obliged and handed the change!  Eat your heart out Keanu Reeves!  No stunt double for this.

Life is always an adventure when Omeng is around.  I salute you boss!  You are really one of our heroes!

Omeng now resides in Riga, Latvia and pastors the Every Nation church there together with his wife, Ira and their three lovely kids.  Picture shows Omeng and Ira with their latest addition, Arianna.  His adventures continue having had episodes with Russian goons and long and shivering sub-zero winters.

Happy Birthday ` tol!

I am convinced that no other batch of St. Scholastica's Academy has dented the school's history as much as the high school batch of 1983.  Of course I tend to be biased.  After all, a large part of Bacolod Scholasticans I know hail from this batch.  What may surprise you reader is that I am not even their age.  Batch 83 is two years ahead of my own year (which makes their average age around 42 (owww!)).  Ok lang 42 na pero joven gyapon itsura ah :-)

So what makes this Batch stand out among the rest?  Well, for one, they have the thickest yearbook St. Scho Bacolod ever had.  In 1979, the year they graduated from grade school, both Grade 6 and Grade 7 marched up to receive their grade school diplomas thus consolidating the two year levels into the largest high school batch SSA-B has ever had.  I leave it to your imagination how the halls of SSA-B were like on the day school opened in June 1979, seeing around 200 new freshmen (or freshwomen to be more gender correct).

Within our clan alone, the scions of D. Mariano Ramos, I count six members of SSA-B 83.  These include Binky Alunan, Reeda Bantug, Marijean Limjap, Liscel Ramos, and the "BAYO sisters", Corcor and Lynn Dizon.  This count of six does not include all the distant relatives within the batch.  Negrense ancestry and heritage weaves this complex web of family relationships which can easily make a total stranger become part of the family by a mere "count-back" (daw golf ba!).

Then there was this episode in college wherein I had to be in a class with a whole bunch of them.  The school, La Consolacion College Bacolod.  The class, Oriental Art under fave teacher Bamboo Tonogbanua.  This was the only time wherein Interior Design students were lumped in one classroom with the Advertising students.   Sitting at the back of the room, I observed that every class was a scene out of a Billy Joel song where the uptown girls had to mingle with the backstreet guys :-) .  Riot! Riot! Riot!  Gender and class borders were broken with whispers stating, "Pssst, akon na lang `na tunga sang Bultog mo".

The hallmarks of Batch `83...Crayon Shoes, Teri de Sario's "Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You", Jordache, Sasson, Calvin Klein, Gloria Vanderbilt, Famolare, the basement of the Sea Breeze Hotel commonly known as the Spectrum, Magik 103FM blaring Nicolette Larson's "It's Gonna Take A Lot of Love", Marcialangelo photoshoots (with his trusty Nikon F2AS and Harley-Davidson), Bob's Big Boy, CB radio, skateboard, "Good Times" by Chic, happy herb (not all did it, mmmmm, mga 49% lang, pati ah.), biking in Capitolville, softball, Don Juan tragedy, martial law, NPA, sugar crisis, strict parents, Republic Sugar Bank, este Republic Planters Bank, cheering for West Visayas in the Palarong Pambansa.....the list may go on but one easily gets the picture.  It was a period in time wherein despite the backdrop of a politically charged and tumultuous Negros in the early 1980s, idyllic would not be enough of an adjective to describe high school life.

Twenty-five years have come and gone.  Batch 83 sang SSA ara gyapon a!  Grabe ang energy!  In your lingo, "Fuerte!!!".

Kudos to you on your Silver Jubilee!  Kudos to Miss Batch 83 and Alfred E. Neuman awardee, Julie May Calderon!  Hopefully by your Ruby Jubillee you would have finished the AVPresentation slash Indie Film entitled "Mga Tuig Sang Katingalahan" wherein you would do the voice over a la Fred Savage.

Am thinking...maayo lang (good thing) my sister wasn't a part of your batch (whatever that means).

As such, let's just change that blog title to : The Indefatigable Batch `83 of St. Scho Bacolod


Batch `83 25 Years After

I just got this forwarded email entitled "It's All About You". Instead of forwarding it, I've decided to post it on Multiply.  Tweaked it a bit for Multiply users as well.

Here it goes:


Three jobs I have had in my life:

Managing a small trucking business - my first job after my dad passed away when I was 17
Art & Culture Columnist - weekly column in the Visayan Daily Star
Out-Of-Home Media Strategist and billboard maven - the job that will never escape me no matter how hard I try to veer away from billboards


Three movies I would watch over and over:

What Women Want
The Fountainhead
The Lakehouse


Three people who e-mail me regularly:

Dae
Dep
Zeno


Three of my favorite foods:

Kadyos with Linaga nga Baboy - Ilonggo delicacy with yummy beans!
Chicken Inasal with Garlic Rice
Batchoy


Three places I have lived:

PSHS Boys Dorm
Maida Vale, London
Bacolod City


Three shows that I watch:

-I'm not a TV person so I guess I'll have to pass this one; I just watch whatever my wife is watching


Three places I have been:

Lucerne, Switzerland
Ronda, Spain
Danjugan Island, Negros Occidental


Three places I'd rather be right now:

Barcelona, Spain
Berkeley Square, London (favorite spot to forget all the cares in the world)
Marapara


Three friends I think will repost this on Multiply:

Minnie Bobe
Geena Semana
Je de Asas


Three things I am looking forward to this year:  (not in any particular order)

Having a long overdue one-man-exhibit
Jumpstarting the ideas in my head
Just having a totally awesome year with my wife as we celebrate 10 years of marriage and both our 40th birthdays :-)



Now, here's what you're supposed to do... And please do not spoil the fun. Copy this entire post and repost on your Multiply, delete my answers and type in your answers.  The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you.

Sketching with the late National Artist Cesar Legaspi at Banago Wharf, Bacolod City (1975).

What a way to begin a passion for art!

Click here for artwork.

Last August 31, I wrote about putting a twist to my blog.  The entry, "A blog with a twist" outlined my intent to feature my friends/contacts/kasimanwas on a regular basis.  Think of it as a mini-interview a la Ricky Lo (LOL!). The exercise would allow me the chance to let my contacts know how much I appreciate their friendship.  So without further ado, first up is.....

Doc Gina Gamboa

If you cringe at the sound of the dentist's drill, you should rest in the fact that 80% of the world have the same feeling upon hearing that high pitched buzz.  As a kid, I used to have this fear of going to the dentist for treatment.  It seemed like every trip to the dentist would be an occasion for me to recite that section of Psalm 23 which reads, "Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil". 

All of that changed until I had my first treatment at the Bacolod clinic of Gina Gamboa in 1991.  I clearly remember that I was winding down the weeks before I had to fly off to London to study there for a considerable time.  Thinking that I had to avoid any dental visits in a foreign land, it was imperative to get all the necessary treatment done given the brief span of time.  Suffice it to say that in the short series of treatments which I'd like to refer to as "semi-surgeries", Doc Gina was instrumental in changing my perception of dentists from "artists of torture" to gentle dental specialists.

Through it all, Gina is not all about dentistry.  If there is another thing that she should be known for next to her profession, it should be her unfathomable zest for life.  There are so many pictures of the Doc on various multiply sites, all vividly displaying how one should have a good time and live it up to the full (one can easily pin that to her Ilonggo heritage).  The heck with all these crummy write-ups in glossy society magazines, they just don't know...my dentist Gina Gamboa,....she is the real bon vivant!

Doc, madamo gid nga salamat!  You're the best!

....and it's so good to know that you are here in Manila already.  Your clinic down in Amorsolo Street, Makati is just a few steps away from where I am. :-)