May 31, 2011 - THE MONTH OF MAY

Among the twelve months of the year, May has a special significance to me. It stems from the many happenings in my life which evoked tremendous happiness but also immense sorrow during this month.

Early childhood memories of "May Flower Festivals to Mary" at the Sta. Ana Catholic Church always bring smiles as I picture myself in a flowing white dress offering flowers to Our Lady of the Abandoned, the patroness of the district. Since my elder sister Lourding (may she rest in peace) was one of the organizers of the yearly devotion, Beth and I were almost always daily participants. Only girls were traditionally considered "sagalas" so that my younger brother Freddie acted as staunch supporter.

May 12th is the feast day of Our Lady of the Abandoned or as She is addressed by the old folks," Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados." Many miracles have been attributed to her by hundreds of residents and devotees. During World War II when Japanese forces occupied Manila, the Sta. Ana church was saved from becoming an army headquarters. During their first night's stay, the whole church was deluged by so many snakes which caused the soldiers to flee. Many believed that the strange phenomenon happened due to the intervention of the Blessed Mother. So was the fact that the District of Sta Ana was the only one not burned in Manila by the retreating Japanese and became the haven for refugees from the surrounding areas.
So when the town fiesta comes, Sta. Ana residents prepare for it several months ahead. Visits of relatives and friends from all over Manila and even from the provinces were earmarked on this day. Every home was lavished with so much mouth-watering cuisine which included the crispy "lechon" or roast pig and a variety of native sweets. The proverbial Filipino hospitality was literally on display to the core on this day! Various entertainment like musical bands and singing contests, magic shows and acrobatic stumts fill the daytime hours at the town plaza. At night, the religious procession of the image of Our Lady through most of the streets in Sta. Ana was the fitting finale of the glorious fiesta! I remember the many times my sisters and I participated in the yearly procession as a sign of our devotion to Our Lady of the Abandoned.

May is the birthday month of three of my seven grandchildren - Melanie Mary on May 3rd, Tiffany Anne on May 12th and Michael on May 25th. Celebrations of birthday anniversaries always include family reunions with so much food and the inevitable varieties of sweets, both native and otherwise. Karaoke singing by both those who really can belt tunes in their high C's and those who simply enjoy singing despite unwieldy melodic detours provide limitless laughter and joy to everyone. Even now, I cannot help smiling every time I remember the song, "Ang Bikining Itim" (Black Bikini) by the group with Cora Paras as lead singer. Nor do I forget Bobby's rendition of "Sa Lumang Simbahan" (In the Old Church) with Tanduay, a Filipino alcoholic drink interposes within the lyrics. Of course, no family gathering is complete without my sister Beth, a May-born,too, singing "Gaano Kita Kamahal" (How Do I Love You) with Marissa's dexterous piano accompaniment. The song, "Memories" always graced parties by the duet of Noel and Marissa while Cielo belts the melancholy strains of Lionel Richie. Christina's breathtaking rendition of "Amazing Grace" always brought tears to my eyes. Danny Boy has always been associated with "Delilah" just as Maricar with the power-wielding, "I Will Survive." Oh, how I really enjoyed, and still do, birthday celebrations.

The bells tolled a sad note for me on May 2, 2003 since this day marked the chilly "Adieu" of Papa, my beloved husband of 47 years. The tremendous shock and disbelief caused terrible pain and deep anguish that pushed me into a state of surrealistic numbness. Is this true? Is this parting real?What happens now? And many other whys and wherefores clouded my mind. I was thrust into a dimension so difficult to unravel, so heart-rending to piece together! "Be still. Know that I am God." were the whispered message I heard the moment I learned of Papa's demise. Knowing that I had the assurance of God tempered the outburst of quelled emotions. I remembered Psalm 34, " God is close to the broken-hearted and those who are crushed in spirit, He saves!" It pulled me through the most difficult phase of my life that followed. Somehow I managed to walk through it all the days thereafter. A strange impact of sadness and "aloneness" hovered over me. It was the same feeling I experienced at the loss of my Mother in 1968.

Remember how I often say, "I am one of God's favorites ?" True, indeed! Immediately after taking away someone I dearly loved, the good Lord gave me someone to love anew. He gave me Melanie, Cielo's youngest daughter, born on May 3rd, right after the day of Papa's "Goodbye." Who will ever consider this coincidence? To say that my spirits were lifted up would be an understatement. And to invigorate and enrich His palliative measure, He made me witness Marissa's daughter, Diana, graduate from Grade VIII as Class Valedictorian immediately the next month of the same year.! To top it all, God allowed Diana and I to go on a trip to France, Portugal and Spain a few weeks after her graduation in 2003.

This year, 2011, the month of May brought me something wonderfully beautiful! Marissa, Christina and I went to New York to witness Diana, my eldest grand-daughter, graduate from the St. John's Catholic University with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Biology at the top of her class - Magna Cum Laude. My joy and pride soared to infinitismal heights! My praise and thanksgiving to our Almighty God and our Mother Mary was as thunderous as the volley of shots on a July 4th celebration!

Now, you know why May is a special month for me! Hasta la vista!!!

May 26, 2011 - NEW YORK CITY TRIP

My trip to New York City with my daughter, Marissa and granddaughter, Christina was among the ones I will treasure throughout my lifetime or what is left of it. It was distinctly a celebration filled with the "deepest joys of the goodness of God, the fullest measures of His love and the richest treasures of His grace."

It was two-fold in its significance:

Firstly, Diana, Marissa's daughter and my eldest grandchild, graduated from St. John's Catholic University as Magna Cum Laude. What an honor! I was bursting with immense joy and bellowing pride that only a grandmother can fully feel yet be miserably inept to articulate.

It was the same feeling that overwhelmed me when in September 23, 1903, Diana sang the National Anthem at the "A's" game at the Oakland Coliseum before 21,000 people. She was four years old. She was awarded the privilege after winning First Place in the Kid Category of the contest sponsored by Oakland "A's" whereby 600 aspirants applied. Her performance was well documented in San Francisco and other county newspapers and video clipped in most TV newscasts. Excerpts from newspaper reports said,"...a little girl, 4 years old, Diana Oblena Chan, wearing a poodle skirt walked out into the field to the wonder of over 21,000 people who came to watch the Oakland "A's" face the Kansas City Royals on a warm, cloudless day perfect for baseball. She belted out a rousing "Star Spangled Banner" acappella without any faltering hesitations in between. She even nailed the "Free" at the end that terrifies so many singers and tests the best of nerves." Incidentally, the "A's" won the game that day. By design, my praise and thankgsgiving to our Lord soared to high heavens!

It was the same feeling that overwhelmed me when the Class of 2003 of the Holy Spirit Catholic School had Diana as Valedictorian. The substance of her address and the delivery that was verbatim drew so much appreciative comments from both faculty and visitors alike. In fact, I experienced the same exuberant joy when I witnessed the Grade VIII graduations of Joshua, Christina, Michael, Christian and Tiffany Anne. And I am certain that if I would still be around when Melanie Mary finishes her elementary schooling, an overflow of emotions would envelope me! Somehow

Secondly, I consider my being able to witness the college graduation of my grandchild at age 80, a very rare gift from our Lord. Praise God! He has given me such a "good" life for which I am day-by-day grateful! The extended years with my family has been providing many opportunities to enjoy the company of loved ones especially my grandchildren in travels abroad to places which I have visited. It has become almost an obsession for me to travel with my family to places of cultural and historic interests but most notably to sites of religious importance to our Catholic faith. I like to leave them a "Legacy of Faith!"

The wonderful New York sojourn would not have been possible without the magnanimous welcome of Stacey, Barney's brother to his well-appointed penthouse in the opulent Jamaica Estates of the city. It is a charming place complete with the artistry and meticulous taste of a young bachelor. Stacey's two healthy, well-behaved cats complete the lovely setting. The commanding view from the terrace is breathtaking! Somehow, my communion with God during the twilight hours assumed a distinctly greater impact in depth and intimacy. I cannot thank Stacey enough for his generosity!

A visit to Times Square is a must to a visitor in New York for both first-timers and perrenial visitors. The lure of the busy place vibrant with tourists of a myriad race, creed and color along with the giant ads emblazoned with hundreds of multicolored lights leave nothing to be desired. Just sitting on the Red Steps and "watching the world go by" was an interesting pastime.

Diana took us to a known celebrity hang-out called, "Carnegie Deli," where the walls were completely plastered with pictures of celebrities in the movies, media, etc eaating their foot-tall sandwich oozing with several ounces or pounds of tender steak. Just to see it set before you makes your mouth water. Oh, so tender and juicy, indeed! But a sandwich cost $22 a piece!

We were lucky to enjoy a Flea Market Sunday right on a NYstreet covering several blocks. Merchandise of every conceivable kind were on display to taunt every purse-string. Makeshift foodshops lined the streets each appealing to native tastes of the visitors and curious locals from the Middle East, Mexico, Asia and Europe. It was somehow surprising to see long queues form toward especial eating booths. Man's hunger pangs can become almost insatiable, indeed!

Marissa, Diana and Christina invited me to go to New Jersey to see the setting of the TV show, "The Cake Boss," but I declined the invitation. I felt I could find better use of my time. Ehem! But I enjoyed the pastries they brought back and the stories of the crowd of tourists in the place. Imagine having a security guard to limit the number of patrons entering the bakery!

The trip to New York was a most exhilarating experience, too!