The RAV4 Kid

Two years ago during phase 2 of my civ sound project, I met this college kid at a local car shop. He was 18 y.o. then and was already driving a souped up 2002 Toyota RAV4. Lucky guy. He was there because like me, he was having his auto sounds upgraded. But unlike me, his budget was like close to unlimited. The kid said he was studying at some obscure university. Let me correct that, he is enrolled, sometimes goes to school, most of the time goes drinking with friends. Sounds cool, huh? Now here's the kicker, he claims that his 42 year old Dad is too old that he doesn't understand him.

Lessons learned during my encounter:
(1) That fathers should highlight the value of education to their children.
(2) That the children should learn to count his blessings. How many teenagers go to school in the Ph? And how many drive an SUV in the Ph when going to school?

Who is Edison Arantes do Nascimento?

He is God in the soccer universe. He is Michael Jordan in basketball. He is Cory Aquino in democracy restoration. He sports #10 jersey and better known as Pele.

Growing up, my original chosen sport was soccer and not basketball. In the early 80s, my heroes then were soccer players like Italian Paolo Rossi, German Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, German Franz Beckenbauer and Brazilian Pele. My dream shoe then was the black 6 stud Adidas spike shoes. It was too expensive before so I had to settle with a pair of black 13 stud Grosby and then a pair of white Mondial spikes which my parents got me as a pasalubong from their trip from Italy.

Pele was born on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil. He lorded over World Cup from 1958 to 1970 bringing with him 3 titles ('58, 62 and '70). He had tons of endorsements then worldwide and one of the most famous one was with Sony. I'm pretty sure he still lives on endorsements until now in South America were he is currently based. Years ago, he was egged to run for the president of Brazil but kept away from politics. I believe it was the best decision that he made in his life.

Who is Michael Collins?

Neil Armstrong is known for being the first person to set foot on the Moon and delivered the line famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Buzz Aldrin is known for being the second person to set foot on the moon, following his mission commander, Neil Armstrong.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. On July 21, 1969, just in the nick of time of President John F. Kennedy’s declaration in the early sixties that before the end of the decade, we will land a man on the moon.

Little is know about Brigadier General Michael Collins despite his contributions to space history. I only encountered his name last Sunday while watching Discovery channel where they have a show about the Lunar Landing. I’m pretty sure it was discussed in science class but his name just didn’t ring a bell as much as Buzz Aldrin or Neil Armstrong. Or I was day dreaming the time his name was being discussed. In fact, when I checked wikipedia.com for Michael Collins, you’ll be prompted to 20 namesakes compared to only one for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. But that’s not his fault. It’s also not his fault that he was assigned to man the Apollo Command/Service Module on that fateful 21st day in July 1969 when Armstrong and Aldrin became part of history. He was a TEAM PLAYER in the truest sense and he had to make the SUPREME SACRIFICE of traveling 768,806 kilometers from earth to the moon (round trip) and not to set foot on it because somebody has to take care of the ride back home. I salute you, Michael Collins.

Happy Teacher’s Day

I definitely had over a dozen teachers, professors, educators in my school time and will probably encounter a dozen more. When I retire 2 decades from now, my aim is to be a lecturer in Tarlac State University, a government run university in our hometown, teaching management subjects. This is my way of giving back to society. Today marks the Teacher's day (Araw ng mga Guro) to honor more than 500,000 teachers nationwide. As best as I can recall, here’s my list of elementary and high school class advisers:

Grade 1 - Ms. Natividad Domingo
Grade 2 - Ms. Modesta Samson
Grade 3 – Ms. Bernadette Pacheco
Grade 4 - Ms. Betty Munoz
Grade 5 - Ms. Susan Kliatsco
Grade 6 - Mr. Raul Kliatsco
1st Year - Mr. Ronaldo Peroy
2nd Year – Ms. Arlene Kanapi
3rd Year - Mr. Popoy Pineda
4th Year - Ms. Venus Pastor

If my former teachers are reading this entry, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Happy Teacher’s day!

Honor Guards Honored

TY Cory
Originally uploaded by dylac

Imagine standing for 9 hours beside ex-President Cory Aquino's casket on top of a moving 10 wheeler truck under a mixture of heat and rain. That's what these four honor guards did last August 5 from 11AM to 8PM.

When interviewed, they said that they were just doing their jobs. They're probably right. What they didn't realize is that they were part of history. The P25,000 that they received was just a bonus.

SB: Thou shall not judge the book by it's cover.

Susan Boyle. Britain's Got Talent. 100 million.

In the news today is probably the most popular Britain's Got Talent candidate whose name is Susan Boyle.

She's got the looks - NOT!
She is 47 years old and unemployed. From Scotland, her skin is white as snow thou not as white as Snow White's. She is not the prettiest of God's creation in fact Dr. V. Belo will face her biggest challenge if she becomes her patient.

Potential Millionaire
Imagine, 100 million hits. Internet is free. If she charged $1 for royalties for every person who looked up her name in the internet, she'd be filthy rich. Anyway, if she lands a juicy contract because of her current fame, she'd be on her way to millions.

Look her up in YouTube and be awed. I got goosebumps the first time I heard her voice. Truly, her song "I dreamed the dream by Les Miserable" matches her personality. Go Susan!

Cong Fred

I was in my early teens when I met Cong Fred. His family name escapes my mind right now but that's not important at this point. He was a mechanic by profession and at one point in his life, worked for my father reason why he is part of my life. WAS is the right term becasue he's probably enjoying his retirement. We used to have Deutz farm tractors and Cong Fred took care of them.

Sometime in the late 90s, while in the process of selling our 89 Mitsubishi Lancer, the buyer wanted a mechanic to check the family car. I had the right mechanic in mind - Cong Fred! The buyer who happens to be my high school teacher was convinced by a third party (that's Cong Fred) that the car was in good condition. Car sold, end of story. Gave our trusty mechanic a tip of p100 then.

Last Mar 21 along M.H. Del Pilar St. in Tarlac City, I chanced upon Cong Fred. Now all of 69 years old, silver gray hair and sporting a beer belly, I stopped and spoke to him for while. I asked him if he remembered me and I said I was DyLac, the son of BoyLac. I introduced him to my wife and told him he was the daughter of E.D.M. Tarlac is a small town and everybody knows almost everybody.

Just before we said our goodbyes, I gave him P100. T'was just a little something for somebody who was part of my life no matter small. He'd probably use that to pay for his beer for the night. Enjoy life, Cong Fred.

Who is Tenzing Norgay?

I'm pretty sure at least 75% of the world's population knows who is Barack Obama. Yes, he is the 44th U.S. president elect who will start his term on January 20, 2009. Yes, he beat Senator John McCain in the presidential race via landslide. Yes, he also beat former first lady and NY senator Hillary Clinton. And did I mention that he is the first black U.S. president?

So much for the introduction for this entry. The question actually is- who is Tenzing Norgay? My estimate is that 25% or less of the world's population know who the heck is this man. At least in Nepal, this man is reveared and a statue built in his honor. Ask a mountaineer or an outdoor guy and there's a high probability they know or even idolize this fellow. Tenzing Norgay is arguably the first man to step in the peak of Mount Everest. He was a sherpa by profession and the trusty sidekick of Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund is known as the first man to plant his foot in Mount Everest's peak. Wikipedia said they stepped on the peak at the same time. Both of them have now passed away so we actually won't know the real story. Tenzing Norgay's undisputed claim to fame is the first human being photographed on the peak of the highest mountain in the world. Not bad for an accolade. I'd trade that anytime for a model region.

Meet Tatang Carlos

Carlos Bautista is a second generation farmer in Barangay Balanti. He and his children plant corn, tomato, eggplant and other vegetables in our farm. Our landowner-tenant relationship started more than 5 years ago. I like our relationship because his accounting of income and expenses, though not scientific, is clear and accurate. He values integrity and one of the few tenants who takes care of the expenses. Normally, the landowner pays in advance the expenses - seeds and fertilizer.

Today, he told me that he's going to retire from farming and endorsed his children - Dado, Dhod and Nick to deal with the family. I just hope that the children are as trust worthy as the old man. Tatang Carlos turned 73 years old this year.

Meet Cong Cenon

Cenon Mendiola is a 61 year old male from Barangay Balanti, Tarlac City. He is happily married with 12 children (or more) and 36 grand children. He is a boatman in Brgy. Tibag which is an adjacent barangay from where he lives. Everyday, he ferries people across a 400 meter wide river and the passengers pay P5 per person. His boat can carry up to 6 passengers and the ride will take about 2 minutes. On a good day he earns P200 but on the average only earns P100.

I've known him since my teenage years because he used to drive our jeep and does alot of errands for my parents. He together with his ka-barrio attended my father's wake in May. Everytime I see him, I'd give him pang merienda as advised by my father. Last Sunday, I gave him more than pang merienda so he'd have a hearty meal with his family that day. I told him not to use the money to buy alcohol to which he obliged. He told me that my old man knows him better than I do because he doesn't drink.

This is my small way of giving back to the less fortunate. The next time I see him, I'll give him pang merienda and some clothes.

FN: Cong is a Kapampangan word for an older brother. It is used as a sign of respect.

Titanic: Who is Jack Phillips?

I just finished reading a book for children called Titanic written by Will and Mary Pope Osborne from NY, USA. It was relatively a short story but fact filled. It was enough to get my undivided attention last Sunday for at least an hour.

Now about Jack Phillips- the book says he was the wireless man or in layman's term, was responsible for the telegraph. On the night the SS Titanic sank, he received several warnings about icebergs in the ship's path but he choose to set aside the vital communication info, did not escalate to the bridge of the captain and instead focused on sending telegrams for passengers. You may argue that he was just doing his job and doing this effective however he may have a priority disorder. In the weigh in between saving more than a thousand lives and bragging about being in the maiden voyage of a luxury liner, I guess it's a no brainer.

NB: To the family of JP, I'm not portraying his role in the disaster negatively. Read the book and see for yourself. I'm just taking off from the author’s message.

Love ko Busko

December 30, 2007 is just an ordinary day for every Juan de la Cruz but for the graduates of Don Bosco Technical Institute of Tarlac Batch 1989, it was a special day because it was our annual mini reunion. It started in Y2004 when the only Salesian priest in our batch Father Joel Camaya had this idea of celebrating New Year’s day mass at his hometown in Don Bosco Tarlac. At first, there were only a handful of attendees, not more than 7 if I recall right and through the years the number has grown. This year, the figure jumped to 33 boys and 5 girls from our counterpart school College of the Holy Spirit.

Intermarriage
My third year high school prom date Ada Maida C. is now married to my batchmate Rico B., who used to be the boyfriend of my good friend Rachel F. Another batchmate Edgar S. is married to Pinky P. (CHS batch 1989) who used to be my wife’s officemate in PLDT. There’s another one in the pipeline, I have to further mask their identities, as I’m not privy to the status of their relationship. Another batch mate and friend ex-Brother Malutu is seeing Doktora O.B. Gyne. Doctora attended to my wife when she had her executive check up in a hospital in Ortigas. This is the law of connection at work for you.

Professionals
These naughty boys are now grown ups! During the reunion, the spotlight was tuned to the professionals who were raking big bucks such as OFWs, migrants, doctors, politicians and stars (or at least married to stars). I reckon half of our batch mates are based abroad or at least 40%. Like most Filipino migrants, they are either in North America (Canada or USA), Middle East countries (Bahrian, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, et al.) and progressive Asian countries like Japan and Singapore. As of last count, we have 6 doctor batchmates. Their specialization escapes my mind right now. Rounding up the batch of big shots is a City Councilor and the better half of GMA 7 star Ruby Rodriguez - Aquino.

Prexy Says
The current Don Bosco Tarlac batch president is Tikyo. On my timepiece (which I rarely wear), we’ve had 3 batch presidents but Tikyo’s the only visionary among the crop. His grand plan includes: preparation for 20th batch reunion in Y2009, funding for batch activities (in Y2009 and Y2014), batch communication and harmony. These may sound like BIG PLANS but like any plan, it should start from somewhere.

In the last four years that the mini reunion has been conducted, what’s noticeable is the compounding number of attendees. What started with 7 attendees has grown to 33 which accounts for 28% of the whole graduating batch of 1989. The expectation is we will hit 40% this Y2008. This will be a good preamble for the Y2009 planned batch reunion where the target is 60% attendance. Social status aside, it is good to see you guys again.

PBB season 18 : Pusoy Bonding ng mga Boys

The Celebrity PBB season 2 big four has been identified in its show last night. In the list are Racer Gaby, Wide bodied Will, Red hot Riza and Rural boy Ruben. The big night is this coming Saturday. My forecast is the leader of the bugoy squad Ruben will emerge as no. 1, followed by Riza, then Will and last will be Gaby.

A different PBB unfolded last December 30 and it's been an annual affair for the last 18 years. The Pusoy Bonding with the Boys with main characters mountain biker Dylac, globe trotter Tikyo, family man John and I.T. EL. These quadro bunch shares a common passion and that is playing poker. Thank God they're not playing strip poker as that would have been gross. Just poker with a few bets on the side to keep it interesting.

It started in 1990 a year after graduating from high school at Don Bosco Tarlac. These four friends had a number of things in common: playing basketball, drinking to death, enchanting women (at least most of them), alaskahan to name a few things but gambling 'with a cause' was what kept them together through these years.

In the almost 2 decades of playing poker usually during christmas season break, beyond normal scenarios occurred such as playing poker until the wee hours in the morning (as in 7AM the ff. day) and getting drunk a number of times. Once, we played poker while attending a friend's relative’s wake. In all occasions, the big winner IS ALWAYS globe trotter Tikyo.

Although there were years when we missed playing poker as a group because one of the members went on AWOL and went on a soul searching mode, we easily got back together and renewed our bonding. In the game of Russian Poker, having a "four of a kind" is considered luck and with this quadro bunch of friends where I belong, I consider myself lucky.

DYK: In Russian Poker, the maximum number of players in this game is 4. There are no wild cards. Deal 13 cards to each player. Each player makes 3 poker hands, a bottom, a middle, and a top. The top hand is made with 3 cards, and the other 2 hands have 5 cards. The bottom hand should be the strongest hand.

Two Reunions in Twelve Hours

Ah reunions. Time to reminisce. Catch up on old friends. Enhance your network. Unwind. I attended two reunions last weekend.

Last Friday (May 26), around 800PM, I met with some high school classmates in Dencio's Paseo Makati branch. We had dinner and a few drinks then moved to McDo near Makati Med for some coffee. In attendance were Eric Flores, Rommel Eser, Manny Orallo, Dax Kanapi and myself. The fave topic was without a doubt, our classmates.

At 700AM the following day, had a reunion ride with some members of the Pampanga Trail Riders, a mt bike group in Pampanga which I helped form. The pack contains about 15 riders but only knew about 30%. The rendezvous was Clark Parade ground and the 30 kilometer trail was called Radar which sits on top of a hill with a magnificent view of Clark Air Base from north side. I was supposed to ride again the ff. day but we had a pre-arranged plan.

Let’s have more reunions please!

Max Soliven retires

I had the privilege to meet the late Maximo V. Soliven twice. The first was in the 80s in Tarlac City and the second was in the 90s in Manila Peninsula Hotel.

The first meeting was not so special for me because I was very young then probably in my early teens so his name didn't ring a bell however I'm pretty sure his presence was very special for my father. He was the guest of honor during my father's inauguration as the president of Tarlac Lions club. After the inauguration, he had coffee at our house in San Rafael, Tarlac City. I recall asking for his autograph. When I when find time, I shall look for that yellow notebook where he signed his name complete with a dedication.

The second meeting was more significant. I was in my early 20s and a customer care officer for a telecoms company and he was a company VIP. The company gave him a Nokia celfone and I was tasked to deliver the phone and explain the phone features. The brief meeting was in the lobby of Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. I nervously introduced myself and told him that I met him already in Tarlac City about a decade ago and I was happy that he remembered (not me personally) but my father and the occasion.

Manong Max has now retired. He didn't voluntarily retire or was forced into retirement but he passed away doing what he loves best. What a fitting end to his 77 year life story.

(Max Soliven is the publisher of the Philippine Star)