Spectrum
Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School
Vol. 4, No. 27, March 26, 2001, Iligan City, Philippines
ELECTION 2001
New LCHS-AA directors elected
By Roger Suminguit  (Batch '73)

The election is over.  Eighteen new directors have been elected to compose the LCHS-AA Board of Directors, subject to official confirmation and proclamation by the Committee on Election. A total of 200 votes were cast by alumni in Iligan City and on the Internet, the highest turnout of voters in LCHS-AA elections.  The winners and the number of votes they garnered are: Glenda Sy Cabilan (Batch '72), 190 votes; Roger Suminguit (Batch '73), 190 votes; Teresita Racines (Batch '67), 172; Vy Beng Hong (Batch '69), 170; Rodolfo Yu (Batch '69), 168; Marie Joan Quimbo (Batch '87), 161; Suniel Lim (Batch '66), 159; Alexander Chua (Batch '60), 157; Luis Kho (Batch '56), 155; Edwin Co (Batch '68), 154; Dominic Siao (Batch '85), 145; Chester Dy-Carlos (Batch '87), 144; Santiago Ong (Batch '70), 142; Steward Co (Batch '83), 132; James Booc (Batch '82), 131; Ernest Oliver Uy (Batch '87), 121; Richard Dy (Batch '79), 118; and Belinda Cu Lim (Batch '82), 115.  Counting and tabulation of votes were conducted at the LCHS library last March 17.  Among those present were Alexander Chua, Roger Suminguit, Roberto Lagrosas, Belinda Cu Lim, Rodolfo Yu, Johnny Chen, Luis Kho and Christopher Chua Tek An.

EDITORIAL STAFF
Charles O. Sy, Editor
Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor
Correspondents:
Iligan - Johnny Chen, Teresita Racines, Vinson Ngo, & Roger Suminguit. Cebu - Igdono Caracho. Manila - Marie Janiefer Lee. Canada - Peter Dy & Mike Lee. Australia - Leonardo Tan. U.S.A.Ernesto Yu & Aurora Tansiokhian.
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
Toto Samson donates P10,000
By Roger Suminguit  (Batch '73)

TotoArturo "Toto" Samson (Batch '59), outgoing president of the LCHS-AA, donated P10,000 in cash to the LCHS Foundation, Inc., for use in the LCHS Scholarship Program.  The donation was made during his 60th birthday bash last March 11 in the presence of other alumni officers, who attended the party in full force.  Also present at the party held at Betsy's Best Seminar House in Tubod were all his family members, golf buddies, and friends.  Meanwhile, the LCHS-AA Council of Past Presidents convened last March 13 to draft the Omnibus Election Code that will serve as governing rules in all LCHS-AA elections.

More school houses from Henry Dy

Two more barangays in Iligan City were the latest recipients of school buildings from Councilor Henry C. Dy.  One school building, consisting of two classrooms, was donated by Henry Dy (Batch '64) to the Iligan Central School in barangay Mahayahay out of his personal funds.  Another building was donated to barangay Tambo by the Filipino Chinese Textile Association (FCTA) through the initiatives of Henry Dy.  Formal turnover was made last March 12 in the presence of  FCTA officers from Manila, and officials of the Lanao Fil-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Inc. and the Iligan City government.

OBITUARY
Cresenciana Uy passes away
Igdono Caracho (Batch '66)

Cresenciana R. Uy, wife of the late Sammy Uy of Kaideco, Inc., passed away last March 22 in Iligan City.  She was 93 years old.  She is survived by her children Maria, Sena, Luisa, Glicerio, Lalita, and Henry. Her other children (now deceased) were Esteban, Isidro (Angie), Valentin and Flora. She was laid to rest on March 24, 2001 in Iligan City.

Tracers
Alumni making waves

If you had been at the Grand Alumni Homecoming last August, chances are you have savored the delicious bachang of Lilian Ang (Batch '57). Her home-made delicacy is sweeping Cebu by storm. Among the regular patrons of Lilian's bachang are LCHS alumni in Cebu as well as other Cebuanos with a taste for good eats.  Equally popular is the bachang of another LCHS alumna.  The bachang of  Gloria Lagrosas Yu (Batch '62) is also a much sought after item among gourmets in Cebu. In the academe, another alumna is making waves as well. Jean Heidi Wang (Batch '99), now an Accountancy student at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City, is on top of the dean's list.  Her excellent grades have remained unbeatable since the day she entered the university and are the envy of other scholars. In San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A., Giselle Karen Go, daughter of Evelyn Yu-Go (Batch '77), was recently chosen as one of 15 students, out of over a thousand middle schoolers at John B. Connally Middle School, to attend the Young Authors Convention late spring this year.  She was adjudged as "Outstanding in Story Interpretation" at the Northside Literary Tournament last Feb. 10.  She also won the "Outstanding Achievement in Art" award at the Northside Artfest.  A consistent "A" honor student, Karen aspires to be an animation artist and a writer in the future. Our congratulations to Henry Siao (Batch '56), LCHS school director, who has been elected new Worshipful Master of the Maranao Lodge No. 111.  Members of the St. Michael Filipino Chinese Catholic Community Choir attended his induction to serenade Henry Siao with a moving musical rendition.  Henry is the organizer of the St. Michael Filipino Chinese Catholic Community Circle.

EmailsMail
What's wrong with LCHS home page?
Fri, 09 Mar 2001 18:58:35 +0800

Thank you so much for informing us about the current issue of Spectrum.  It's very convenient. But I do have one problem. I haven't seen the Feb. 26, 2001 issue of the Spectrum. The Spectrum link on the LCHS Alumni Home Page is a dead end.  I hope this error can be fixed soon. Again, thank you so much, and more power to you and your staff. --Mark T., Iligan, Philippines, mark@iligan.com

(The LCHS Home Page has not been updated because we could not access the host server at Iligan Net to upload files.  We were told Iligan Net is undergoing some technical adjustments.  For this reason we have transferred the Spectrum to a new web site where new Spectrum issues are now posted.  The web site is at: http://www.geocities.com/lchsspectrum -- Editor)

Ed's NotesNotes

Last Word
By Charles O. Sy
Batch 1967

With this piece, I bid adieu to the staff and readers of the Spectrum.  This goodbye note wraps up four years of traversing the frontiers of cyberspace to touch base with our alumni around the globe.  This is my last word as editor.  But this won't be my last in the Spectrum.

Starting a project like the Spectrum is no picnic.  Even more difficult is to part with a project when it has taken roots. Yet there comes a time in the pursuit of a collective undertaking when one must give way for others to take the helm.  The seat of editorship in the Spectrum is an opportunity that is better shared than monopolized. The growth of the Spectrum springs from a labor of love nurtured not by the individual initiative of one but by the team spirit of many.  For the Spectrum to continue to flourish and for the staff to grow, one must step down for others to step up.

The Spectrum chalks up its four-year mileage with this issue.  It has been a fulfilling experience for us. Despite occasional obstacles, we managed to steer the Spectrum through the course.  Today, the Spectrum is more vibrant and robust than it has ever been since its revival on April 15, 1997.  As we set out for our 5th year starting with our next issue, I bequeath the editorship of the Spectrum to a dedicated alumnus: Henry Yu, of Batch 1969.  Henry Yu, a physician by profession, brings with him a wealth of expertise in writing and editing, crafted through years of experiences. He has been editor of various notable publications and medical journals.  He was also founder and editor of the Campus Keeper, a publication of senior and junior high school students of LCHS in 1969.

Starting next month, Henry Yu, as editor, shall call the shots in the Spectrum: editing and managing its editorial content and layout, instituting editorial changes or introducing new sections, giving out assignments, and recruiting new staff writers and subscribers.  Henceforth, all articles, contributions, and news reports shall be addressed to Henry Yu at:  hvty@cbu.skyinet.net.

I shall remain in the staff in my new capacity as associate editor.  As such, I only play second fiddle to the editor by taking charge of circulation, distributing every issue of the Spectrum to subscribers, uploading each issue on the web site, and assisting the editor in all other technical aspects of the publication.

With our exit, we write finis to four years of weaving a network that brought our alumni closer in spirit. With our new editor at the helm, we can look forward to a fresh chapter of new breakthroughs for the Spectrum in the service of our alumni the world over.

BuffaloErnie
By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch '65

Stop and Go

Fittingly, the New Year kicks off with fresh redemptions to old sins. I'm referring to those misplaced priorities secondary to the fast-paced rat races that triple our encounter-miles with the deathly aches of heart attack and killer cycles of sweaty headaches. We never learned to liberate ourselves from the curse of the clock. Day in and day out, we log on punishing, self-inflicted anxieties by blasting our heels with unwarranted stresses. Somehow, we forget about the winning art of idleness: Heeding the mating chirps of birds, filtering the still life poetry in photographs, downing black coffee with daydreams, replaying memories that breathe back life in rosy form, flipping the shimmering colors in a rainbow, scooping out the perfume in the garden breeze.

Funny how our thirst for financial security gets critically rabid when our resources begin to bloat. Seemingly, the more we bulk up our treasures chest, the harder it is to shun away from such addicting ventures. We grind nights into days, days into nights; too consumed in wealth hunting. For what endpoint? Early permanent retirement six feet under the ground with gnawing regrets for failing to monitor the psychological and social growth of our kids, missing out the romantic segment in love, ignoring casually our partnership with the Power above, building a stonewall against the pleading voices of our kins and pals, bypassing the twinkling love in loveliness...

There comes a phase in our life when we need to eat slowly in order to savor the satisfying treats in our mouth; to sneak out of traffic in low gear; to discover the big worth in small blessings; to walk leisurely instead of jog forcefully; to inhale and appreciate the valuable free oxygen in our rooms; to bake silence out of noises; to look up and air out our sincere gratitude for all the borrowed times.

Why do I shift into the mold of a sermon dispenser? Am temporarily disabled by a flu bug, feeling so alone with my thoughts and laptop. A sorry state like this never fails to inspire me to tabulate my losses and gains, my annoying blisters and healed wounds, my astounding leaps and frustrating slump, my thwarted yearnings and wasted stolen moments. Gosh, life is as fine as a thread.

Fulfill it before it snaps.

HeartJen
By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

Hay Salamat!

Hay salamat, another school year has come to end.  You might think that only students look forward to vacations, well, we mothers look forward to this just as much. We don't have to worry about what to prepare for the kids' ba-ons or their weekly menu for lunch. No more panic attacks when it's already 3:30 pm and you're stuck in the middle of a monstrous traffic jam miles away from the gates of the school. Those are the times when I'd wish I bought a car that could fly. Now I don't have to brace myself for those last minute assignments that my son would suddenly remember in the middle of the night, like when they're asked to bring some construction papers or a piece of 1/8 illustration board the next day. It's one of those times when I'd wish that we've opened a school supplies shop instead of a car accessories shop.  No more trips to National Bookstore feeling so dumb to ask if there's such a thing as a dustless chalk.

I know that not all mothers go through the same experience as I do because they have their reliable yayas to do these small things for them. But I just feel that this is part of being a mother and I don't want to miss my chance at this and as much as possible I want to do my best. Guess my friend is right, I am what you might call a "stage mother."

A friend of mine calls me a "stage mother" just because I get involved with all school activities of my two sons. Though I'm not always excited to go but when I get there I usually feel pleased with myself knowing that I did the right thing. Just like last month when the school asked parents to attend a workshop for both parents and child,  I felt so sorry for some 8 kids who were sent back to their classroom just because neither their mother nor their father showed up.  I was wondering what could have preoccupied those parents to miss that affair and subject their kids to the feeling of being left out.  I was not comfortable participating in the games that afternoon but I had to be brave and show my son that it's ok to join in. That afternoon it wasn't important if we won in any of the games. The important thing is that I was there to let my son know that he is that important to me.

So it's during vacations like this that mothers like me dream of getting those deserved R&R, as in rest and recharging. Recharging of our strength and our wits. Strength to carry on another ten months of schooling and enough wits to get by.  Wit enough to answer a question like "why is it that my hair is standing up when I wake up in the morning?" asked by my four-year old son. I said that "it means your hair is already awake and ready for a new day so when you feel that your hair is already awake you have to jump out of bed and start your day." No more ligid-ligid.

This summer, it's comforting to know that my kids are at home safe. Though I know that it won't be long till they would complain about being bored doing nothing all day. Guess two months of being on "house arrest" is enough to make them excited to go back to school come June.

Hay salamat, it's vacation time! To all the parents out there, I hope you'll make the most of these two months of respite. Have fun and enjoy the warm weather.

LoloyBriefs
By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

The Unwinnable War

A few days ago, I watched the movie "Traffic." It is a very unique picture. I commend the director for presenting the film that way. As if I was not watching a movie in fictional way but a real-life documentary with well known actors playing the parts. I was not entertained but quite horrified about the truth: That we are not winning the drug war in spite of the might of the only remaining super power, the United States of America.

This is a great tragedy of our time. So many lives, especially the young, are being wasted due to the addiction to narcotic drugs.  What is the best strategy to combat this war? Maybe it is time to rethink the strategies and implement new methods. For sure we need new approach to this ever growing social problem everywhere.

Today, we here in Sydney opened the first experimental legal shooting gallery or Heroine Injecting Room. This is where drug addicts are encouraged to inject themselves with their own narcotics in a clean environment with disposable needles supplied. The place is equipped with emergency medical apparatus, with standby doctor and nurses, plus nuns and priests for assistance. This shooting gallery is the culmination of almost two years of debate in our state parliament with full consultation of the community. Pope John Paul II was even involved at one stage when he withdrew the support of the Roman Catholic. Our local Sisters of Mercy first offered support to this project to manage the shooting gallery. But apparently, Vatican feared the backlash of the image that Catholics are encouraging drug addicts. It is now being managed by the Uniting Church.

Our state government here believes it is better for drug addicts to inject themselves in a clean and disinfected place than in any dark alley or public toilet with contaminated needles. And in case something went wrong like overdose, there is no one to help them. There are so many deaths that they are no longer newsworthy. At least, here in this legal shooting gallery, a drug addict has a better chance of survival. That is the idea.But this is also a sad admission by our state government that we are losing the drug war. The strategy here is to provide the addicts with a friendly and safe place to go. And at the same time the government is hoping that they could identify and then counsel those addicts on various ways to finally get rid of their addiction to narcotics. A very humanitarian approach.

It was even suggested by some extreme community leaders for the government to supply the addicts with the drug they need for free as well. The supply of which will come from the illegal drugs being confiscated by the police raids and custom officers. With free drugs from the government, how could the drug traffickers compete? Soon the drug pushers will run out of business. That was the logic. But the government will now become the drug pushers!

A few days ago, one of our flamboyant state senators criticized our police force for raiding a tourist spot up north called Byron Bay. This is something like Boracay. As a result of the raid, more than 50 backpacker tourists from Europe were arrested for possession of marijuana. Now the senator said the police has effectively killed the tourist industry of that place!

A war too difficult to win!

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

The Last of the Fourth Decade

A decade is defined by Webster as "a period of ten years." Born on April 3 in the Year of the Dragon (1952), I will soon be celebrating another birthday – the last of the fourth decade.

We often hear people say that as one gets older, he no longer cares so much about celebrating a birthday. But tradition has it that one should have a grand celebration, or the so-called "twa si dit" in our Chinese custom, for someone with a 9 in his numerical age.  Well, I still do believe in birthdays as a time to thank God for all the years He has given me, but I am not celebrating it grandly just because I am 49, much more advancing my age to 50 when I am actually 49 based on my birth certificate at the Civil Registry. I would rather say I'm 48 or counting down. But why hide one's age?  Being 49 is enough blessing to thank God, for allowing me to reach this age as not everybody is given this chance.

We always consider 9 as a lucky number. In fact, there are several brands of commodities in the market named after this traditional Lucky 9 thing. Let me just run through some random thoughts about those birthdays in my life when I was NINE, NINEteen, twenty-NINE, and thirty-NINE:

APRIL 3, 1961. I have just finished grade II under Miss Corazon Alpuerto. It was my 9th birthday when I became an ahia to Evelyn who was 9th Bdayborn February 10, 1961. I remember wearing a brand new Guitar white t-shirt with matching new long pants and shoes in attending mass at St. Michael's Cathedral that morning after which I had my picture taken at home in front of the birthday cake which my mama baked for me using snow white El Popa confectioner sugar as hard icing, decorated with blue flowerettes, and nine tiny candles on top. There was lechon, chicken salad, fried chicken, and pancit guisado, as prepared by Leona, our seasoned cook. There were gifts from my loved ones. Summer has just set in.

APRIL 3, 1971. I was 19 years old and had just been through with my sophomore year in college. I took summer class in Math 12 (Statistics) at Silliman University. It was some kind of a summer love spent with my girlfriend. We attended mass at the Mary Immaculate Chapel that morning. I remember when I went inside our classroom, there were those words of greetings written on the greenboard "Happy Beer-day, Senor Henry" (whoever wrote that remains a mystery until today). My auntie Susana prepared  a luncheon party at home with the usual lechon, birthday cake, and ice cream. In the afternoon, I treated some of my college chums at La Caviteña Cafeteria for a simple merienda.

APRIL 3, 1981. I offered a thanksgiving mass in celebration of my 29th birthday at Guadalupe Church that morning after which I joined the M.A.R.C.O.S. Free Clinic of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), a project of the then First Lady Imelda R. Marcos in cooperation with United Laboratories Pharmaceuticals. The day was capped with a simple dinner held at home with some special friends. It was a tiresome but enjoyable day in the field.

APRIL 3, 1991. It's my 39th birthday – the last of the third decade. I was a father of a 3-year old daughter, awaiting the coming of another one by September. I remember attending a charismatic prayer meeting the night before at the Sacred Heart Chapel about "The Gift of Prophecy." My thanksgiving mass was held in Guadalupe Church on April 3 morning. In the afternoon, we sent off Evelyn and Karen to the airport who were then bound for the U.S.A. It was one sad moment. Yes, "when somebody leaves you that's the time to cry."

This year, at 49, I wonder how it would be like celebrating the last of the fourth decade. Definitely, I will start the day with a thanksgiving mass, as always the case ever since my First birthday in 1953.  Please continue praying for me to have more healthy years as I travel along life's skywalks, flyovers, and highways, fulfilling God's mission in my life. Thank you, Lord, for friends and good times together.

FeaturesStar

Wellness Can Be a Choice
By Evelyn Yu Go
Batch 1977

640 calories, 39 gms. of fat, 145 mg. of cholesterol, 1,220 mg. of sodium, 29 gms. of carbo., 5 gms. of sugar for a double cheeseburger with bacon. Ah! who cares? It's yummy, yummy for my tummy!

Foods make most people happy. You're depressed, you eat, and you're happy! Amazing, isn't it? Oh, I wasn't a saint all my life when it comes to foods. I used to eat with no limit, and I just loved those "all you can eat" buffets. I felt like I didn't waste my $5.95 to $7.95 because I could go back 2 or 3 times. I loved pizza (the more toppings, the better), all the pastas, hamburgers, fried stuffs (fried chicken, chicken wings, chicken fried steak, french fries, etc.), sodas, desserts -- ola-la! Sweet temptation! Of course, it showed in my weight. But did I care? Noooo!

Food addiction? Is there such a term? I'm not sure. One thing I can say is, it wasn't easy to change the eating habit. I guess both my mind and gut were used to constant refills that even if I didn't need to eat because I just had my meals I craved for foods. But what made it worst was I never exercised. I just didn't even think about it at all. I never weighed myself. I wore extra-large scrubs at work, who cares! I was used to eating just about anything since I was a chubby kid.

So, what happened out of nowhere I decided to lose weight? Well, I had a co-worker who was on Jenny Craig Diet Program. We worked 11-7 shift together. It was a quite night at work; she asked me to go with her to the treatment room to weigh herself. Out of curiosity, I stepped on the weighing scale after she did. My gosh! I could never believe how much I weighed! I was 37 lbs. over my ideal weight. At that point, I was determined to lose weight. I started on low calories, low fat diet, walked 3 miles 4 times a week, drank tons of water. It was quite a struggle at the start. It took me two months to lose the first 20 lbs., another 3 months to lose 7 lbs., and the hardest was the last 10 lbs. I had to use Power Rider, an exercise machine. I lost 37 lbs. in a year. This was seven years ago.

You must have heard of people saying: it's not possible to go back to your weight in college, or it's hard to lose weight when you're older because of sluggish body metabolism. But this is what I can say, it takes courage, determination and consistency to lose weight and maintain it. Don't be like a pessimist who would sit at this point, "Oh my God, I'm going to eat nothing but green salad with vinegar and olive oil for the rest of my life." Or even worse, starve to death.

Occasionally, I still crave for McDonalds egg and sausage with cheese McMuffin breakfast, or IHOP Tutti-Frutti pancakes, Chinese foods, Mexican foods, pizza, etc. What will I do? Eat it and get over it. It would be like my treat for the day, so the rest are light meals. Or should I say, treat for the week. I exercise regularly, and drink an average of 8-10 glasses of water a day.  It's not a matter of perfection, but the ability to accept that you can be bad at times, and if you do so, it's like you missed the wellness boat today, so just try to catch the next one tomorrow. And I don't mean making tomorrow another tomorrow until you completely missed the whole wellness.

Wellness can be a choice. And that choice is yours. If you don't want clogged arteries, sky high cholesterol, bypass surgery at 40, a broken weighing scale, hungry and thirsty body cells from insulin deprivation with uncontrollable blood sugar as in diabetes, etc., be smart, be kind to your own body. Quit abusing it while there's still time. Eat balanced diet, exercise regularly, maintain proper weight and have regular routine physicals. It pays a long term dividend.

Here's hoping you'll commit yourself to wellness -- and live a long, healthy life.


Message to the Graduates
By Rene Tio
Batch 1970

Do you know who Ed Roberts is? But most of us know who Bill Gates is, don't we?

Sometime in the mid-1970s, Ed Roberts created the world's first commercially successful personal computer. He hired then 19-year-old Bill Gates to write software for him to make the PCs work. Personal computers were sluggish then and not viable for really enterprising use. He decided to fold up and sell his computer business in 1977. With the money, he bought a farm and seven years later, at the age of 41, he decided to enter medical school.

Today, Bill Gates is the head of the largest software company in the world, the Microsoft Corporation, and has been consistently declared the richest man in the world. Ed Roberts is a physician in a small Georgia town.

Who made better in life? Who holds a more important job? Who has fame and fortune? For the graduates this year, where would you be and what would you like to become, 5 or 10 years from now?

Listen to what Dr. Roberts has to say: "The implication is that the PC is the most important thing I've ever done, and I don't think that's true. Now, everyday I deal with things that are equally, if not MORE important, here with my patients."

Let's pause and ask again. Just how can we evaluate the significance of our lives? Truth is, and deep inside us, tells us that there are such things in life that cannot be measured by wealth and fame.  Once, tennis top-seed Hana Mandlikova was asked how she felt about defeating great players like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd. She responded, "Any big win means that all the suffering, practicing, and traveling are worth it. I feel like I own the world." When asked how long that feeling lasts, she replied, "About 2 minutes".

Two minutes, or 10 years, or a man's life span is but short and temporal accomplishment. Indeed, wealth and fame have a fleeting nature, like a wildflower that quickly wilts and fades.  Let's ask our Creator then, what He has to say about the significance of our lives. Through the Wisdom of Solomon, God is saying this to us:

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecc l.9: 11)

Light is sweet,
and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
However many years a man may live,
let him enjoy them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness,
for they will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
Be HAPPY, young man, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you to judgement. (Eccl. 11:7-10)

Reality in life can be difficult and God says this with heaviness in us. What then is the winning formula in life? St. Paul has this to say: "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2Tim.4:7)." He looked confidently not to the world for approval and reward, but to the righteous Judge, our God.

How do we measure the significance of our lives? Only God can tell what matters most. My counsel then to the graduates, in fact to all of us: Before moving on, pray and ask for God's guidance, then ask for God's blessings.


A Daddy's Letter to His Daughter
By Henry L. Yu, M.D.
Batch 1969

Dearest Hazel,

Today, we join you in this one special moment of your life -- your Grade Six Graduation. This is indeed an achievement that we are proud and Hazelhappy about. Proud because you made it by being a good and honest student, and happy because you have grown up to be the good daughter that we envisioned you to become someday.

We thank the Lord for all the years that we have shared together as a family, for the mission that He has given us to be your parents who took good care of you ever since you were born with unconditional love. We may have been overprotective in our dealings with you, but please understand that we are doing this because we love you so much and we want only the best for you and your future.

As you graduate today, we are filled with mixed emotions. For one thing, we could feel that we are indeed growing old as we see in you an image of a teeny bopper who was once our little angel not so long ago, somebody we used to carry and cuddle with so much love and affection, reading bedtime stories, putting you to sleep by singing out of tune lullabies. Oh, just how fast time passes by!

We hope that you will always remember the valuable lessons we have taught you through the years. May you put into practice such virtues and traits as you journey through adolescence, as a high school student, and in the coming years of your adulthood. Please remember that we will always be here for you not only as your parents but as your best friends whom you can always turn to anytime, in your moments of doubts, perplexities, triumphs, and victories. You will always be our little angel no matter how old you have become because our love for you knows no time. It is as boundless as the sea, and as sure as the sunrise and the sunset.

Thank you for giving us the chance to be your parents and your best friends. Congratulations to you, our dearest daughter. We love you so much. And that will be forever.

Dad 1