Spectrum
Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School
Vol. 3, No. 24, February 7, 2000, Iligan City, Philippines
dragonLunar New Year 2000
Year of the dragon
dragon3It's the Year of the Dragon. Chinese communities all over the world celebrate the lunar new year on Feb. 5, 2000. According to Chinese astrologers, the year 2000 represents an Angry Dragon. As the name suggests, there is a need to be cautious. Dragons are by nature animals of great power, and an Angry Dragon year will most likely lead to some volatile situations. However, it is not all bad, as Angry Dragons are also seen as supportive, and it may well be that some anger is justified, and from it will arise the righting of wrongs and the success of justice over injustice. There will be tension, and the constant possibility of things going either way. It is not a year for making rash decisions, but rather, sleep on important issues, and avoid impulsive reactions. If you are a Dragon, this is a year of great potential for you, and it is a good year to learn. Enjoy your year. Many opportunities will emerge to develop in all spheres of your life, but remember, this is an Angry Dragon year, and so avoid impulsive behavior. 
Newsboy
EDITORIAL STAFF
Charles O. Sy, Editor
Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor
Correspondents:
Iligan - Johnny Chen, Teresita Racines, Vinson Ngo, & Roger Suminguit. Cebu - Igdono Caracho. Metro Manila - Marie Janiefer Lee. Canada - Peter Dy & Mike Lee. Australia- Leonardo Tan. U.S.A. - Ernesto Yu, Alex Rodriguez, Aurora Tansiokhian, & Alfred Lai II.
Founded Aug. 1, 1968. Published fortnightly since its revival on April 15, 1997. Distributed free on the Internet to LCHS alumni and supporters worldwide. Postal address: LCHS Alumni Association, Lanao Chung Hua School, Pala-o, Iligan City, Philippines. Website:
http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/
For subscription, contact: Johnny Chen, Tel. No. (063) 221-3883. Email: johnchen@iligan.com
For submission of manuscripts, Email: charlesy@cnms.net
25 WEEKS
to Grand Homecoming
BoyMove to speed up reunion list-up

The Grand Homecoming Steering Committee and the Secretariat will go full blast in the campaign for registration among alumni in Iligan City. Alumni leaders will go on a house to house campaign starting February to get more alumni to register for the grand homecoming. This was learned from Suniel Lim, Steering Committee Chairman, during his trip to Cebu last Jan. 31. He briefed the Spectrum on the latest developments in the preparations for the grand homecoming.

Succession of deaths in Iligan
By Johnny Chen (Batch '83) & Vinson Ngo (Batch '83)

A succession of sad news gripped the Iligan Chinese Filipino community in sorrow last month.  Shortly after the death of Manuel Bernardo (Batch '61) on Jan. 13, and of his father Tan Kim Seng on Jan. 18, Mrs. Anton Dy Booc (nee: Ong Chuy Tiok), 84 years old,  passed away on Jan. 22  in Iligan City. She was laid to rest last Jan. 27 at the Iligan Chinese Cemetery. She is survived by her children, who are all LCHS alumni:  Vicente (Batch '56), Rufino (Batch '58), Felisa (Batch '62), Salvador (Batch '66), Jose (Batch '68), and Roque (Batch '71). And then in the morning of  Jan. 31, Chock Tat, owner of the Rizal Furniture, passed away.  He marked his 83rd birthday last Jan. 13. He is survived by his wife Baby; daughters Soy Pay, Soy Hong, Soy Se; and sons Soy Long (Samuel Padayag) of Batch '83, and Ben. Their furniture shop used to be located at corner Aguinaldo St. and Echeverri St. but has since moved to Quezon Ave. fronting the Racines Store. The series of unfortunate events involving people known to us by heart served once more to remind all of us of our own mortality.  We offer our prayers to the bereaved families.

Batch '87 holds reunion
By Marie Janiefer Lee (Batch '87)

LCHS Batch 1987 held a class reunion last Jan. 23 at the beach house of Ernest Uy in Iligan City. It was a well attended gathering. Batch coordinators Geraldine Tan and Angelie Tan took time out during the occasion to remind everyone about the grand alumni homecoming on Aug. 3-5, 2000. Most of the batch mates expressed interest to attend the affair.

EmailsMails
Condolences & sympathies

Fri, 14 Jan 2000 15:26:02 EST
Sending my deepest condolences to the Bernardo family.  I first heard the sad news from Leonardo "Eddie" Tan.  --Gloricita "Guat-li" Racines Kinnan (Batch '66), Keno, Oregon, U.S.A., WGKINNAN17@aol.com

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Fri, 21 Jan 2000 12:48:45 PST
I extend my belated condolences to the Bernardo family on the death of Manuel "Kee Zhih" Bernardo and their father Tan Kim Seng Bernardo (Spectrum, Jan. 24, 2000 issue). My buddy Alberto "Kilyong" Bernardo must be devastated with this double jeopardy. My family is one with them in their hours of sorrow.  --Alex Rodriguez (Batch 65), Miramar, Florida, U.S.A., alpacino_8@hotmail.com
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Sat, 22 Jan 2000 09:12:59 -0700
Our deepest sympathy to the Booc (Dy) family.  May Mrs. Dy Anton rest in peace. God bless her soul.  Our condolences, too, to the Bernardo family. We are going to miss Tan Kim Seng and Tan Kee Zhih.  --Peter Dy (Batch '66) & Tita, Peterson, Princess & Phillip, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,  pdy@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
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Tue, 25 Jan 2000 09:05:31 -0800 (PST)
My deepest sympathy to the Booc family.  Anton-chim was a close friend of my grandma.  When I was a kid I often saw her in the upholstery store chatting with granny.  She was soft spoken and she always told me to be a good boy.  I will miss her.   --Alfred Lai II,  (Batch '89), Chicago, Ill., U.S.A., laisano@yahoo.com
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Tue, 25 Jan 2000 20:56:52 -0600
Our deepest sympathy to the Dy Booc family.  Anton-um was like a mother to us.  Greg (Batch '58) & Mary Dy, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A., gregdy@juno.com
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Wed, 02 Feb 2000 17:32:33 +0800
On behalf of Batch '87, please send our condolences to Samuel Padayag and his family.  --Marie Janiefer Q. Lee (Batch '87), Makati, Philppines, karplus@abc.net.ph
BuffaloErnie
By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch '65

Love Notes from the Past

For once this year, since Feb. 14 is an exclusive party for mortals enamored with love, I can freely unleash my pen to scribble some bits of Valentine's Day disarming magic. Those lovey-dovey phrases with throbbing swoony rapture that charm souls to fire on all cylinders when love is rich and very much alive in the air. To start Cupid's dice rolling, here's a serving of via heart's dictates carved out from my vault of ancient romance classics that never ceases to pull the magic off even if I've choked on it a million times before. Indeed, thumbing through the achy twinges of old-fashioned romantic favorites is the nearest thing to heaven. This illustrates the take-home point that no one is too old or too young to love and be loved. So hug the couch, curl your toes, and hide those dentures away, Romeo and Juliet, for the succeeding rounds of sensuous verses with fulfilling bliss are on me.

Oftentimes, I wonder out loud if I get another stab at piping into your ears the silly sweetness of a previous night's dreams. I definitely feel awfully abused by luck to wake up wailing into the wind as there are no ready-channels to absorb a serenely passionate yearning. The discomfort is like churning musical notes without waltzing lyrics to refine the melodies into poems of cooing fascination. Is it that easy to derail from the tracks that would have directed my verbal grace into your moon? Is it possible to miss your soothing warmth and social dazzle without exchanging weepy goodbyes? These are surges of unhealthy questions that constantly prick my evenings whenever I talk to the pillows and chase you in my sleep. Sort of a nagging neurosis, a pang of anxiety that juggles a cold fear that when my eyes welcome the next dawn, your smile will not be there anymore to lace the morning with rainbows. How then will I live the rest of my life? Precious, the answer is one ugly day at a time. No doubt.

Dangling a longing that is idly waiting to be deciphered without crunching the glaringly obvious clear, I wistfully whistle and watch, watch and whistle until the layer that blankets my song thins out into a flimsy matter of rhapsodic loveliness. In this mating of sensory delights, I recycle the concern if what I have showered in your horizon is perceived as a bedazzling sonata that really sways senses and moves mountains by its own tender strength. Then again, delivering monologues into tunnels with easy exit pores is better than not scoring a hit at all. At least, for one glorious passage, some prose dusts are left behind, ready to vibrate during ghostly quiet hours of gnawing emptiness. Yes, I take the blame for the jolts of uneasiness and tremors of restlessness in your bones, tendons and flesh. But how can I silence a daydream wrapped with whimsical images from tiptoeing into your stage? Hmmm, just enjoy the ride to ecstasy. That is more than I can bargain for.

I can't vividly pinpoint the phase, but it was a knockout of a sultry afternoon in May when everything transformed into a runaway dream. Was it the imperfection of the half moon in a galaxy of tiny glitters that wholly saturated my viewfinders with nothing but the ethereal enchantment of uncomplicated joys? Was it the tranquility of the night that somehow constricted my jarring snores from taking flight, from sinking noise into the lingering peace? Was it the few tantalizing minutes that my wavelengths danced in your remote star where only the pulse of reverie can palpate the distant barriers and align the radars in snug fit? Anyhow, I find my tension headaches melting down like chocolate bars left in summer's brutal heat; my nerves crawling instead of swiftly racing with the march of time; my robust imagination worming out of its lethargic mold for a slice of your paradise. Come what may, don't shake me off from this suspended animation unless you have designed other clouds for me to drift by. It is truly amazing how you can talk right into the very air I breathe. Without echoing a voice, you can, in a twinkle of an instant, zap the extraneous drags on my spirit, autograph my dreams and light up the dark. Honest.

If the preceding personal hysteria didn't rev up your emotion engine to full throttle, guess it is time to switch on your keen awareness of the fragility of happiness and life, and distill poetry out of the muffled harmonies in your own heart. Savor the specials of the moment. Inhale the aromatic potpourri in the garden breeze. Dart a sidelong glance at the colors around you. Rewind those captivating affairs to remember. Listen to the refreshing symphony in the wind ... love is here, there and everywhere.

JanHeart
By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not Anymore (?)

"Love."  Do we really know what this four-letter word stands for?  Or we think we know yet we can't even come up with a definite answer when asked "what is love?" In Chinese we use "gua ai di" which means "I like you."  But it seems too far from how we perceive the term "love" to be.  Poets have written about it since time immemorial and painters have tried to portray it on canvass, but still what is love?

So far, I think the only term that comes close to "love" is our very own Filipino term "mahal."  Like when lovers say in the movies "mahal kita," I know the generation-Xers will say "yuck! baduy." But whether you like it or not, it's the only term that approximates the meaning of love as we know it. The person you tell it to is "mahal" or precious to you.  It could also mean "mahalaga" or very important to you. It's like telling this person that her feelings and her thoughts are important to you, and that you'd never want to hurt somebody who's "precious" or somebody who's "important."  By "hurt" I don't just mean physically, like a fractured skull or a broken rib.  What I also mean is the hurt one feels when neglected and when misunderstood.

Lots of couples seem perfect on the outside, yet when you sit down with the wife and share a cup of coffee or two you can't miss the cry for help from inside.  Just like Mentos, "tough on the outside but chewy on the inside." They are mostly in dire need of an ear that will listen. The cause is not always a third party but it's almost always the neglect and the insensitivity of their spouses.   So does love diminish through time? Does the "preciousness" of the wives devalue through the years?

If she's "precious", doesn't she deserve to be heard? Or when she trips or misses a step, instead of asking her if she's fine, does she deserve that scathing remark like "careless" or, in our dialect, danghag? You know wives are programmed to stand by her man for life but they are not some piece of furniture that doesn't feel pain by a harsh word that is carelessly thrown her way.

Most of the wives I know don't need precious gifts like a gold Rolex, or that one-carat diamond ring, or that Louis Vuitton bag, because they can well afford it themselves. All they need is the feeling of importance and the attention that they used to get from their husbands.

BriefsLoloy
By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

Enter the Dragon

It is a great coincidence that while the western world celebrates this year 2000 as a great milestone, the more than one-sixth of the world's population Chinese are also celebrating a great year on February 5 as their "Spring Festival," commonly known as Chinese New Year. We are saying good-bye to the year of the Rabbit and welcoming the golden year of the Dragon. As a bonus, the occasion falls on a weekend this time in a month of special leap year.

It is believed that a Dragon year always brings some good luck compared to the other 11 creatures that attended the big banquet hosted by the supreme being of the Buddhist faith. Among the honored dozen guests, it is only the Dragon that is the mythical one. And thus it became the symbol exclusively used by the emperors of ancient China only.

A male born under the year of the Dragon is usually requested to sleep on or try the matrimonial bed the night before the newlyweds will start their new life as a couple. If you are an obstetrician, you will be extra busy this year and perhaps it is another aspect of lucky year for you with a better bank account. I know a few cousins or relatives who are expecting family additions sometime this year.

Although it has a Buddhist religious beginning, today it has become very much a part of culture for all the Chinese regardless of their religious beliefs. Just like the Sinulog of Cebu, a religious activity which has become a great annual cultural event of all Cebuanos regardless of one's belief. The Dragon dominates not only in China or Taiwan but in every corner of the globe where there is Chinatown as the Chinese celebrate and as the Dragon enters the new year with lots of fireworks or firecrakers with a band of drummers dishing out a la Shao Lin Temple martial art tunes while a brigade of Lion dancers snake out in the streets. Or is it Dragon dance this time? Of course the festivities would not only attract the Chinese but all nationalities who will enjoy the whole package from excellent food to the free entertainment and curious about a glimpse of a very ancient culture freely on display.

Sydney's huge Chinatown is no exception. For 2 weeks, it will be the focus of these Dragon activities. There will be no vacant room in the inns nor hotels around Chinatown. They will all be occupied by Chinese tourists coming from neighboring countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and even Hong Kong and China and others. People from Hong Kong and China find this period as the best time to visit Australia as most of them are on holidays anyway in their homeland. Indonesian Chinese are here for some sentimental reasons. They miss this kind of activities in their own adopted country. It is just sad that some countries could not tolerate the co-existence of other cultures within their boundary. Especially the Chinese culture with 5,000 years of written history. Perhaps, it is also a good time to remember the less fortunate amongst us to be showered with some luck in this golden Dragon year.

Happy Dragon Year! And wishing everyone - KIONG HEE HUAT CHAI!

JourneyHenry
By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69

A Father's Love

February is the Love Month when we celebrate Valentines.  Love of all kinds - our love for our sweetheart, for our teachers, classmates, friends, helpers, our spouses, children, and for everybody else that we love.  Yo! the name of the game is LOVE. And it is what the world needs now ... and forever.

I specifically chose the kind of love that I personally experienced since 1988 (a Dragon year) when I became a father. Valentines 1989 was the very first Valentine I spent as a father. Eleven years have swiftly glided away. My eldest daughter (Hazel) will soon be a lady. "Is this the little girl I carried?" And so I sing.

A father's love is one that is unconditional which sometimes may be easier said than done as we have to be cruel at times in order to be good.  For always, we need to weigh and re-evaluate things that our children are doing before we reprimand them or blow our top. But the fact remains: No father/mother will ever do something that will harm his/her children. As parents, we are here to guide and mold them to be good Christians. It is our responsibility, our mission in life, bestowed upon us by God in the name of parenthood.

Truly, one will never realize how it is to be a father/mother unless he/she becomes one. It is never easy to be parents. But being one is a challenge per se. When our children misbehave and grow up as problematic citizens of the country, people always put the blame on us in the tradition of "there are no delinquent children, only delinquent parents."  People would claim that we are too lenient or too strict with our children that "we spared the rod and spoiled them."  Either way, we are to be blamed. Poor parents! Where will that put us?

As parents, we undeniably tend to compare our kids' generation to our old and relatively conservative upbringing. We tend to forget that the earth revolves around the sun, that time changes and so do happenings and things that surround us. The children of the original Mambo era are definitely different from those of the present Mambo Number 5 generation. There are so many high tech amenities now which we never had during the golden 50s. Even the way the children answer us, the way they dress up, their dances and songs, the games they play, etc.  As parents, we tend to exert our paternal/maternal authority, underestimating them because they are just our kids, not realizing that they too have their own way of thinking, preferences, mood swings, likes and dislikes.

As time evolves, we ought to adjust to situations and adopt to the kind of generation where our children belong. We should not expect them to understand fully our ways because in the first place they have not yet been parent themselves. Between us and the children, we are the ones who should be more understanding and considerate as we have been kids ourselves once upon a time. We have to update ourselves with their world - their lingo, the kind of reading materials, movies, TV programs that they are exposed to now. There should be a compromise between us and the kids, an equilibrium between our generation and theirs, lest chaos ensues, and the so-called generation/communication gap is bound to happen.

As parents, we are to be the run-around, all-around persona in the lives of our kids - as working parents, as teachers, advisers, companions, as their best friends all rolled into one. Challenging, isn't it?  Parenthood is the noblest career in the world. Nothing is more hurting than to see our kids suffer when they fail in their lives - as battered wives, as drug addicts, as "black sheeps", as negative persons whom we never envisioned to be when they came into this world in the not so distant past.

As we grow older and become parents ourselves, we realized how much our parents sacrificed for us when we were kids ourselves also in the not so distant past.  We now understand all their heartaches, worries, joys, and pride.  We may be the most successful businessmen in the world, we may be the richest among our peers, but when our children go astray, everything else fall into one shattered dream and hope.  In the final analysis, family life should be our top priority. As the book of Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13 would put it, These three remains: Faith, Hope, and Love. And the greatest of these is Love."  Life, as a father, is full of challenges. It is in facing them victoriously that we can gauge how good a father we have been. A father's love is forever.

Love your children. They are the only ones you have.  Happy Valentines Day to one and all!

FeaturesStar

An Open Letter to Our Fellow Alumni
From the Awards Committee
LCHS Alumni Grand Homecoming 2000
(Submitted by Janet L. Tan, Committee Member)

Dear fellow alumni:

For the second time, we have requested the Spectrum to print this "Open Letter" to remind all of you about the First Search and Awarding of the Outstanding LCHS Achievers during the LCHS Alumni Grand Alumni Homecoming on August 3-5, 2000 in Iligan City.

It can be recalled that this "Open Letter" was distributed to some alumni in the first week of November in Iligan City.  Later, this was published in the Spectrum in its November 29, 1999 issue.  Lately, we have also decided to send this "Open Letter" individually to all registered LCHS alumni to encourage more participation.  Since majority of our LCHS Alumni are successful in their respective fields of specialization, the Awards Committee is optimistic to receive more nominations.

Once again, we are reminding the nominators to submit the nomination forms on or before April 30, 2000. Rest assured that all forms will be held confidential.

May all of us enjoy the new millennium spirit of good health, joy, peace, and prosperity.


There is Love on Valentine's Day for Everyone
By Rene Tio
Batch 1970

"What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. No, not just for some, but for everyone!"

I have known a bachelor who is approaching 30 and has no love relationship in sight. He's talented, fun, handsome, a graduate in engineering, coming from an average family. But so far, everything on his romantic horizon has turned out to be a mirage.

About two years ago, he had been very enthusiastic about a then graduating student, the only girl of five of a wealthy family. He had been seeing her at home and dated her out on special occasions. He had been known by the girl's parents and he seemed to be acceptable to the family, at least that was what he thought. The girl graduated with honors, few days later she left for the States for a vacation. She has a good number of close relatives in America. Months went by, she had not returned to the Philippines and a postcard from her was enough for him, footnote - she was coming home soon. Time could be so slow. Finally a letter came; she had decided to take up further studies in the States and she wished he would forget her, because their relationship could go nowhere as her family have some disfavor. The letter, signed with regret, he wished he had not received.

As the Valentine's Day approaches, I wonder if my bachelor friend is still experiencing the pain, and how many other people are dealing with their own sense of loss. On that day, I am sure, many feel the absence of LOVE as keenly as others celebrate its presence. In a world where LOVE means so much, is there a word from the Lord for everyone, with or without a sweetheart?

In First Corinthians Chapter 13 of the Holy Bible, it talked solely about LOVE. And it is timely to talk about it during Valentine. However, the verses in the Bible focus not on being loved by another person, but on HAVING LOVE. How could one acquire this LOVE, one may ask? Don't we go extra length to be loved? This kind is extraordinary - "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things". Is there such thing as perfect LOVE? How is it possible?

Yes, the love I am talking about is God's LOVE. God loves each one of us - handsome, beautiful and less, young and old, rich and poor, sinners and saints, everybody! "God demonstrated his own LOVE for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45). The thing is - GOD LOVES US ALL!

On Valentine's Day, keep this mind -- far beyond the cards and flowers, candle light dinners and sweet kisses, from God's heart to ours, there is LOVE.

Ponder on this: Can you imagine the magnitude of God's LOVE to those who love Him back? 1