Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 4, No. 9, July 24, 2000, Iligan City, Philippines 10 MORE DAYS TO GAH LCHS-AA gets set for GAH By Teresita Racines (Batch '67) All is set for the 1st LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH) on Aug. 3-5, 2000. After months of preparations and marathon meetings, LCHS-AA officers and the various GAH committees are now poised to roll out the red carpet as alumni from different parts of the world begin their journey home beginning this week. Aside from those who registered themselves in advance, many more are expected to show up and register for the GAH on site.  GAH officials expect total attendance to reach between 200 to 250 alumni, not counting the spouses and children. Among the new additions to the advanced registration list are Remedios Ong Uy, Cherrie Anne Lim, Ursulina Bernardo Esteban, Bonifacia Co Go, Eddie Rodriguez, XXX

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

Summertime is travel season. Alumni bitten by the travel bug are off to different destinations abroad.  One of them is Spectrum Cagayan de Oro correspondent Rene Tio, who just returned from a tour of the U.S.A. and Canada with his wife Meriam.  Their itinerary covered Los Angeles, Orlando, Washington D.C., New York, Toronto, Chicago, and San Francisco.  They also paid Ernesto Yu a visit in Buffalo, N.Y.  Ernie Yu, on his part, hies off on May 13 with wife Verna and their 3 sons to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to pay a visit to fellow alumni Mike Lee, Jesus Dy, and John Go.  Manila-based columnist Marie Janiefer Lee (Batch '87) is off to a touring spree as well.  She and husband Stanley are on an 8-day vacation in Australia, covering the cities of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Sydney. Edmund Samson just recently arrived home in Cebu after a vacation in the U.S.A. where he spent Holy Week.  Edmund, younger brother of LCHS-AA president Arturo Samson, is a successful architect and the CEO of the Edsa Architecture, Inc. in Cebu City. Remember the alumni daughter who was recently crowned 1st runner-up of Miss Chinatown 2000 in Manila?  Genevieve K. Siao  (see accompanying photo), 20-year-old daughter of alumna Elizabeth Khu Siao and Robin Siao, has proven that she's indisputably a personification of beauty and brain. She graduated cum laude in Landscape Architecture from the UP Diliman, Q.C., last month.  Two alumni were elected to key district posts during the recent Masonic ANCOM 2000 in Iloilo City. Manuel Gaite was installed as District Grand Lecturer (DGL), while Robert "Toto" Co was installed as Deputy District Grand Master (DDGM).  Councilor Henry C. Dy is currently in Butuan City attending the 44th National Executive Board Convention of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. He will be in Butuan until May 13 together with Jaime Semaña, who is a candidate for a seat in the National Executive Board.

SPOT REPORT
GAH committee in high gear
By Leonardo Tan (Batch '66)

With only 11 weeks to go, the LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH) Steering Committee will start holding meetings every Tuesday beginning May 16, at 7:30 p.m., at the JY Dimsum House. This was decided in a special meeting last May 9 at a sumptuous dinner hosted by Kagawad Henry Dy at his palatial residence.  This meeting was chaired by GAH Chairman Suniel Lim and assisted by Vice Chairman Christopher Chua Tek An. Present were LCHS-AA President Arturo Samson; Roger Suminguit (Secretariat); Treasurer Terry Racines; Dy Sio Te (Food & Raffles); Manuel Te (Sound System & Venue); Manuel Gaite (Solicitation); and Beng Hong Vy (Awards). Other alumni present were Carlos Dy, Jose Lim Tek Hua, Jose Lim, Alexander Chua, Luis Kho, Juanita Jo, Chiok Hian Wang, Peter Dy as an observer from Canada; Leonardo Tan as an observer from Australia; and the host, Councilor Henry Dy.

Discussions dealt mainly with the GAH budget. The committee also set May 11 for some committee members to travel to Cagayan de Oro to solicit and collect the GAH registration fees among alumni in the neighboring city. By next week, the committee will go on a house to house campaign for registration among alumni in Iligan.  Christopher Chua, however, appealed to the committee members to set an example themselves by paying their registration fees by next week's meeting. Chiok Hian and Sio Te presented some samples of t-shirts for sale as GAH souvenir items.  The problem faced by the Souvenir Program Committee cited by Charles Sy through e-mail was also brought to the attention of the committee by Suniel Lim.  It was pointed out that the publication of the souvenir program may not be completed on time if its deadline for the submission of materials is not met.  However, Roger Suminguit assured the committee that about 30 batch listings, complete with names and addresses, are ready for submission within the week.

The Steering Committee is now working in high gear with everyone anticipating a very successful first-ever LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming on August 3-5, 2000.

Alumni daughter graduates with top honors
By Dominic Siao (Batch '85)

Another alumni daughter graduates with honors in a top U.S. university this month.  Cheryl Siao Go, second daughter of Teresita "Mei Mei" Siao-Go (Batch '66) and Charles Go, will receive her degree of Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Cell Biology with honors at the commencement exercises of the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A. on May 21, 2000.  Cheryl has decided to work at University of California, San Francisco, in a research laboratory as a Post Graduate Researcher and will be studying Type I Diabetes. She plans to pursue medicine in two years. At about the same time last year, her eldest sister Charmaine graduated from the same university with the Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with honors and History.

On recognition for balikbayan
Fri, 28 Apr 2000 10:59:14

This pertains to the suggestion of Evelyn Yu Go to give recognition to balikbayan alumni during the GAH awarding ceremony (Spectrum, May 1, 2000 issue).  Does being a non-balikbayan make us less alumni-achievers, or vice versa?  --Marie Josiefel Q. Ello (Batch '83), Iligan, Philippines, via cell text messaging, Cell #63-917-7162911

(Evelyn Yu Go's Reply:  I don't mean to sound like the balikbayans have achieved MORE than the non-balikbayan alumni by giving them recognition during the GAH. This is NOT a competition of "who's better." What we have accomplished in life, and I mean ALL of us LCHS alumni, speak a lot about our school and teachers -- the foundation of our structural beings. I don't think it would hurt to simply mention during the GAH that "we do have some balikbayans who are here, flying this far distance just to attend the GAH." I don't expect big recognition like giving special awards to our balikbayan alumni.)

To Henry Yu:  Your "A Toast To 48 Summers" (Spectrum, April 3, 2000) is amazing. You must journey a lot to be able to remember all those details of each dragon year!  Belated Happy Birthday!  Did you send an article to the Philippine Star as I recommended you to do? This is one of those moments when I wished I were an editor!  Keep on doing goodness for you are such a good man. All the best.  --Dero Pedero, Manila, Philippines, deropedero@hotmail.com

To Henry Yu:  I enjoyed reading your column, "Sentimental Journey."  You are great in remembering the old days of LCHS.  I wish I had your memory.  See you in August. --Gloricita Racines Kinnan (Batch '66), Keno, Oregon, U.S.A., WGKINNAN17@aol.com

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

It is strangely amazing to eventually meet a man who has long been a boy in my mind. It is not that my mental computer, assembled during the fading days of the dinosaur era, is too weak and impotent to initiate the starter strokes on the canvas that will forever paint a mature portrait of a childhood pal. The major reason is I left Iligan soil when this fellow LCHS alumnus was just a budding, innocent little rascal who horsed around in short pants with runny nose and whose chirps of kiddie pleasure included scooping out grasshoppers and pinching colorful dragonflies by their tails. He was tiny Jack then while I appeared as the beanstalk giant.

At any rate, the arrival of Cagayan de Oro marvel, Rene Tio and outgoing wife Miriam, navigated by a New Yorker Bert, was a gemlike moment of quick updating of my moldy cerebral snapshots gallery. This cute tot from Roosevelt Ext., whose home across the school campus was my frequent site for free goodies, has finally bestowed me the honor to play host. His mom always have refreshing treats for nephew-pet Alex Rodriguez who made a habit of timing his ambush into their refrigerator during stomach-gurgling merienda hours. And I, being Alex best sidekick, got to tickle my taste buds with the same savory tray (Renewed gratitude to Mrs. Tio). Rene must have gulped all the nutritious white stuff (milk) that his mouth came to park during his formative years because he now dwarfs me by a good 3 inches - lengthwise, side to side. Made me regret not signing the consent for the growth hormone trials!

The couple were a delight to entertain: they didn't want to be treated special. How did I arrive at this conclusion? They ate with gusto anything that was served on the table, even the macaroni dish that I helped to prepare which my dear wife refused to taste for fear of instant gagging. Rene and Miriam are truly a wonder to watch. They complement each other in every move. Example: Rene instinctively freed Miriam's leash once we hit the Factory Outlet Mall with a typical hubby advice, "Yum, just stare at the merchandise and move along without looking back." Gosh, if my Precious was not with us during that hunt for bargains, I would have been homesick. The two exuded the tenderness of lovebirds at the first leg of a lifelong honeymoon: My camera was discouraged from clicking when one was absent from the frame. "How sweet," I muttered in envy, "after all these years, they still piece together the poetry in each other's gazes and coo at each other's arms and shoulders." And this has nothing to do with the chilly Buffalo breeze that afternoon. Of course, my roommate of 25 years would gladly duplicate the lovey-dovey scene, but it would cost me an arm and a leg - washing dishes and sorting out laundries for one solid month. Moreover, the inseparable duo glued at each other like magnets, especially when Rene jokingly attempted to establish in the Niagara Falls record registry his being the first Chinese daredevil to float in Niagara rapids. Miriam must have begged in her mind, "Please, Luv, not today. You have your expensive vest on." I was relieved when both settled for the second best: Taking the boat ride that curved around the thundering falls in disposable plastic covers. They were wet alright but they have each other's heat to dry up everything. At the rate their hearts vibrate in synchronous throbs, they'd be awashed in a stream of charmed hours even when they eventually consign themselves to the rocking chair.

And the occasional wrinkled coat on Miriam's forehead? That is manufactured, no doubt, by Reynaldo's rewinding and replaying of our Macho Club shopping mall speech. Trust me, comrade, I have made a science out of those "just in case" and "by the way" parting lines the very minute my princess slides her heels on the fashion store tiles. Indeed, guys, we are all prisoners of love who get to be paroled just before shopping season starts.

By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

Back when everybody was still in short pants, teks was a popular game in school.  It was a game of flipping small playing cards into the air and whose card lies face up is the winner.

These pasts few years "text" has evolved into something else.  The "text" that we know now is far different from the teks of yesterday.  One thing they have in common though is the use of our thumbs.  "Text" now is what we call the sending of short messages using our cell phone's keypad. It's an added service of our cell phone company.

With text messaging you'll never be alone.  Like for me I know that my sisters, cousins, classmates and friends are just a few keystrokes away.  Whenever I need company or some cheering I would just "text" to any of them. Within minutes it's like they are right there beside me.  As long as you have one hand free, you can send and receive text messages whenever you want, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing.   Amazing!  With the limit of just 160 characters per message, we usually end up with abbreviated words like "w-r-u?" which in text language would be "where are you?".  I could ask them "b-c ba ka?" and if the answer is no, then the texting starts. Messages sent out to wherever in the country or abroad reach the recipients in a matter of seconds -- if the phone company is not experiencing traffic jam or some technical glitches.

When my husband went abroad last February I sent text messages to his cell phone and he got all of them. He was also able to send replies as if he was just right here.  It's easier to contact him that way than trying to get hold of him at the hotel. It's a good way of reminding him of my pasalubong. Excuses, like "sorry, I forgot," are now a thing of the past.

Here in Manila everywhere you go these days you'll find people, young and old, texting somebody while walking, while eating, even while driving.  So far, no vehicular accidents have been traced to texting. But law enforcers are now stricter with regards to cell phone use while driving.  They will usually motion you to put your phone down.

Today our cell phones are no longer just accessories but more of a necessity.  It's like a partner that can never be left behind.  Promotional packages designed to be affordable make it easier for everyone to own a cell phone.  We can type in Bisaya and Tagalog and no one would complain. One time I was texting with my cousin and after the long "chat" he said "sige ayo2x."  This time I didn't get what he meant so I asked him what's "sige ayo two X."  He said it means "sige, ayo-ayo ha."

Some people gets annoyed with how texters spell and I might end up spelling like "dis."  But the sense of being connected and the sense of being thought of with each message that comes your way, makes the saying "it's the thought that counts" pack a lot of  sense.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

Many of our readers must be wondering why I am here in Iligan when our Grand Alumni Homecoming is still 11 weeks away in August. I came here as a foreign observer of the "war" in Iligan. My sons were telling me that I must be crazy coming home to Iligan at this time when Kauswagan was just under siege a few weeks ago. Then when I left Singapore that Monday after Easter Sunday, the news on all the TV screens at Changi airport were about the kidnapping of foreign tourists at an island close to Borneo by the Abu Sayyaf group from Basilan. So this was a time of great adventure for me. To be where the action is, although I am no John Rambo. Mindanao, here I come!

When I reached Cebu City, I had a great time with the Cebu branch of our Spectrum staff hosted by Mr. Spectrum himself - Charley Sy, along with columnist Dr. Henry Yu and our scoop reporter Igdono Caracho. Plus my cousin Dr. Arthur Dy and his beautiful wife Elizabeth. All LCHS alumni. Our discussion centered on the Grand Alumni Homecoming and the focus was, of course, on the subject of the peace and order condition in Iligan and the security of the LCHS alumni who will be attending in August. There was even a suggestion that Cebu City should be prepared to play host as an alternate venue just in case the situation in Iligan worsens. But it was dismissed as an impossible scenario. The government won't let that happen to a city like Iligan.

That night when I was already aboard the ferry that would bring me back to Iligan after so many years of absence, I had mixed feelings about the excitement of coming home, at the same time thinking if I was right in my timing to be in the battlefield.

I saw the horizon of Iligan while we were still in the middle of Iligan Bay that early morning, with its mountain ranges silhouetted against the rising sun. A little while later, I saw two small specks of flying army choppers. They landed a few moments later at the idle behemoth plant of National Steel Corporation. This could be another Vietnam, I thought.

Well, I have been home for almost two weeks now. All the fightings I witnessed were of our friends trying to invite me in order to feed me all the native delicacies which I have been missing all these years. I am losing the battle of the bulge without seeing any enemy tank. All my friends want to shoot a joke at me which would always be followed by a burst of laughter. I have completely forgotten about the "war." Unless I read the newspapers or watch CNN.

Iligan City today is just as normal as it could be! All its roads are full of traffic with every vehicle blowing its horns every now and then, with people everywhere carrying on with their daily business. Most of them sporting that Filipino trademark smile. And our Maranao brothers with their families commuting down from Marawi City and other parts of Lanao del Sur giving their Christian neighbors lots of business from Jollibee to department stores, from moviehouses to hardwares, and hopping from central market to supermarkets. Christians and Muslims here are coexisting in great harmony!

I would rather not write anything in this column if I could not uphold the truth. And the truth is: Iligan is very much alive with day to day normal activities. I even went for a swim at the Timoga Resort, which is only a few minutes from the battle grounds of Kauswagan, last weekend. It was full of vacationers like me. I had never imagined Timoga to be like the way it is now. It is simply fantastic with perhaps 30 or more multi-tiered pools which should impress every overseas visitor. We feasted with lechon and boiled banana! We still can find paradise in our beloved Iligan City. There is really no reason why I should not return for the August big event!

By Aurora H. Tansiokhian, M.D., Batch '58

There are times when time becomes so scarce that there is little time.  It is the story of my life as I prepare to leave Bunn Hill for a week. I will miss Rene Tio's visit.

Therefore, it is both a pleasure and an honor to offer to you the following prize winning poem written by a talented friend.

STAYING WARM IN THE COLD

I OFTEN WONDER HOW A PERSON STAYS WARM
IN A WORLD THAT APPEARS TO BE COLD?
FOR MANY LIFE'S A WILDERNESS JOURNEY
NO MATTER HOW YOUNG OR HOW OLD

FREQUENT TIMES, IN MY LIFE, I'VE EXPERIENCED
TRAGEDY, HEARTACHE AND PAIN
BOTH AVOIDED AND FACED DISAPPOINTMENT
WISHING NEVER TO SEE THEM AGAIN.

BUT WITH EACH CIRCUMSTANCE I'VE DISCOVERED
AS MUCH AS IT HURTS IN THE CHILL
IF I RIDE OUT A STORM AND TRUST ALL IS WELL
PEACE TAKES OVER AND ALL BECOMES STILL.

FAITH IGNITES WITHIN ME A SPARK OF WARMTH
FORGIVENESS MELTS THE ICE
HOPE KEEPS THE FLAME IN ME BURNING
PATIENCE MAKES ME A LITTLE MORE WISE.

LIKE SILVER THREADS THROUGH A GARMENT
ONCE THE TAPESTRY IS SEWN
ALL EVENTS COME TOGETHER FULL CIRCLE
AND MY DESTINY IS SHOWN.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I'VE LEARNED
TO SUSTAIN ME IN FUTURE HARM
IS THAT THOSE WHO CARRY HATE AND BITTERNESS
BECOME COLDER AND NEVER GET WARM

By LEA TARTANIAN

Till next time.

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

Remember that "Lost and Found" box below our school bell near the faculty room? It rang for us to signal the start of the flag ceremony, as it did during recess and dismissal times in the afternoon when we were to assemble for the flag retreat. That was some forty something years ago.

What is the significance of that box to my write-up today? Just read on ...

The recent event that shocked and took Cebu by storm - that is, the tragic and untimely demise of Susan Uy-Go - brought forth the reunion of the Go family with myself. This model family whom I have always looked up to with much admiration. All of thirty-two summers.

It was in l968 when I last saw the Go family Henry Sr., Inday Salud, and their good looking and well behaved children:  Sammy, Jane, Henry, Mario, Edwin, Edna, and Fedo. Except for Edwin and Fedo (who had their medicine proper at CIM, the same school I graduated from) and Sammy (who is based in Cebu as a banker at Solid Bank), all the rest I have not seen for such a long time. It would have been a perfect reunion in blissful spirit had it not been for one tragic occasion that the death of Susan brought forth. Nevertheless, it was such a wonderful get-together between me and the Go's, no matter how ephemeral it was.

Tito HENRY GO, SR. (one time branch manager of William Lines-Iligan in the mid-60s) died in July, l997 in Davao City. Tita SALUD "INDAY" ANGBETIC-GO, now 80 years old, is still such a beauty to behold, ever regal and amiable as the day I first met her when I was in my teens. She is now staying with daughter Jane in Cagayan de Oro. JOSEPHINE JANE GO-LIM (Class l966) is married to Stephen Lim of the Lim Kit Tho family. She has not changed a bit except for some extra poundage added to her "Miss Iligan of l968" figure.  Still a beauty in excelcius despite being a mother of three grown-ups. JOSE SAM GO (Class l967) is assistant manager of Solid Bank-Fuente here in Cebu with two daughters and one son. He resides at Villa San Lorenzo, just a stone's throw away from our Villa Salud II subdivision. HENRY JAMES or Bobot (Class l968) is manager of China Banking Corporation-Butuan City. Still the handsome, bedimpled kind of a hunk that many LCHSians used to consider their prince charming or a knight in shining armor. MARIO LORETO or May-May lives in Ozamis City as a successful dealer of Beer na Beer. He has maintained his youthful looks except for some excess baby fats which make him undeniably a married man with children. EDWIN LINO is an OB-Gyne specialist who lives and practices his profession in far flung Nueva Ecija. Still single, very good looking, and very much younger than his actual age of 45. Equally youthful-looking and regally demure MARIA EDNA GO-ONG lives in Caloocan City with husband Delfin, who works for their family business. FERNANDO DOUGLAS or Fedo is a Pediatric Hematologist who holds clinic at the Maria Reyna Hospital in Cagayan de Oro. Still single and able (as in amiABLE, sociABLE, lovABLE, and humBLE) at 38. If only I could bring back the hands of time, he could very well qualify to be my brother-in-law. No, overqualified would be the right term.

Seeing them all made me feel young again, just as it did make me feel old. Young in the sense that when I met Tita Inday, it seemed like I was back to the 60s in the city of my birth that's Iligan. After all, "48 is the youth of 80." But old in that when I met the younger siblings, notably Edna and Fedo, who were just too small to be part of our play group in the 60s, it made me feel like a real midlifer in evolution. In totality, I am super glad that I found them again after losing them, just like bubbles in thin air, in l968 when the family went back to Davao where Tito Henry was reassigned in that durian city.

Indeed, it was such a brief moment of togetherness but it brought forth everlasting memories, enough to rekindle our kind of camaraderie. I'm glad I have found again such friends whom I have lost for a long time. It is my penultimate pleasure. Until then. See you all in Iligan come August. Cheers to a friendship that lasts a lifetime!

The Go family with Henry Yu.  Seated (left to right): Sammy, Edna, Salud "Inday" Go, and  Josephine Jane. Standing  (left to right): Edwin, James,  Fedo, and Henry Yu. (Not in picture is Mario Loreto)

For the third time, we have requested the Spectrum to remind all of you about the first ever Search & Awarding of the Outstanding LCHS Achievers during the LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming on Aug. 3-5, 2000 in Iligan City.

It can be recalled that this announcement was distributed to some alumni in the first week of November in Iligan City. Later, this was published in the Spectrum in its Nov. 29, 1999 issue. Subsequently, a  second announcement was published by the Spectrum in its Feb. 7, 2000 issue.  Recently we sent copies of this "Open Letter" along with nomination forms individually to all registered LCHS alumni to encourage more participants and entries.

We are reminding our fellow alumni to submit their respective entries/nomination forms on or before May 30, 2000.  All entries will be held confidential.

If you have not received the nomination forms and would wish to participate, please log on to the LCHS Grand Homecoming website at -- http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/reunion.htm

Although only a few entries have so far been received, we expect to receive more nominations because of the countless successful LCHS alumni throughout the Philippines and abroad.  Your prompt response will be greatly appreciated.

"Here comes the bride, all dressed in white ..."  Such a beautiful and memorable occasion to remember for a lifetime. Everybody with the best close-up smiles -- say cheeez! Everything has to be superb: expensive wedding gown by renowned designer, the tallest wedding cake, VIPs as godparents, tremendous crowd of invited guests at the reception, the wedding gifts, and the whole nine yards, including the ancient Chinese tradition of showing off to the public what you've got on display from appliances, like refrigerator, colored TV, Betamax, sewing machine to expensive jewelry -- the more carats and gold, the better. Clothes, bags, make-up set, perfumes, Chinese baskets full of goodies, etc! The more you've got, the higher is the rating and more pleasing to your in-laws.  "I do" means I do marry you and YOUR FAMILY.

The wedding day is just the beginning, the door has opened up to a whole new life. Just like a seed you've planted which requires water, sunshine and fertilizer to grow and live, so must marriage need love, respect, trust and fidelity as the basic ingredients to last "till death do us part."  Marriage is not a bed of roses. There is no such thing as "perfect marriage" or "perfect mates." Marriage requires so much time and attention; never ever take anything for granted. Marriage needs some degree of freedom; the freedom to be who you are and not what I want you to be. A person would change because she wants to change, and not because she needs to meet someone else's expectations. Marriage is a "give and take" relationship, not a winning competition of who's the boss. You make mistakes and learn, you correct them so history doesn't repeat itself.

It's difficult to concentrate and solve a problem when someone else behind is dictating the rules and regulations. It creates confusion, frustration and anger. One unresolved problem will keep building up and lead to another till it falls apart. It's always easy to point a finger on someone else than accepting your mistakes and take the blame. The in-laws could either be the bridge that holds the bond between man and wife, or the barrier that separates what God has joined. The in-laws could either be your best friends or best enemies. The in-laws, depending on their degree of power, can control your marriage and relationship.

So, just say "Yes, ma'am! Yes, sir!" all the time?  No way.  Be sensible and fair. Sometimes in-laws are right and you're wrong while other times you're right and they're wrong. You're a human, not a robot. God did not create you to be a slave of the tyrant. Speak up if you're right, listen and obey if you're wrong. But don't incarcerate yourself for the rest of your life -- you deserve to be happy. That's why it's important to thoroughly research about your mate and the future in-laws before tying the knots, and ask yourself: Do I belong to this regime? If I squeeze in, will I fit in without suffocating myself?  Good Luck! 

Slow Down.  And Don't Forget To Take Your Pills.  Evelyn Yu Go's comparison between Cha-cha and life in her article, Cha-cha In Life (Spectrum, May 1, 2000), is a wonderful touch of awareness and imagination. Who would have ever thought that there are stark similarities between life itself and the dance, Cha-cha. Like Cha-cha, as Evelyn indicated, life is fast-pace just to get away from the daily grinds. Nevertheless, because of the endearing belief that "fast" is the best way that can give us a better life, some of us are constantly rushing through life as if in fast-forward. For by being "fast," we believe that we can achieve and accomplish more. But "fast" has not really given us a better life; "fast" has only given us ulcers and heart attacks as it robs life of its savor and flavor. It's not really "fast" that makes life better but the ability to know when to snatch the whip of hurry from the hand of time and break free from the tyranny of the clock so we can glide, flow, or dance with the tempo of life.

Shall We Dance.  Unlike Tango which is virtually impossible to do without a partner for it takes two to tango, Cha-cha, like life itself, can be done and enjoyed individually alone or in group without the embarrassment of looking like a fool. While Tango speaks of infinite sadness, longing for love, and the knowledge that all that makes life worth living is in the hands of another to give or withhold, Cha-cha speaks of joy, triumph and independence. As we dance Cha-cha, we become obedient and responsive to the rhythm, and at times it would look as though it is a contest between the music and us, as if the music is daring us to follow - which of course we do. Cha-cha's music has the rhythm that can never express anger or pain or fear or sorrow; all it can express is gaiety and every shade of emotion pertaining to the joy of living. Cha-cha conveys a sense of discipline as well as a sense of life as if to say, "Yes, this is how I should feel, and I am having fun."

A Bridge Over Troubled Water.  All learning, whether it be dancing or moving forward in life, involves struggles. Having the optimistic or positive attitude, however, would make a lot of difference between being able to learn fast, slow, and not at all. Learning often entails enthusiasm and perseverance. The poet, Yeats, said, "Learning is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Thus enthusiasm and optimism are crucial. For without them, in the presence of difficulty, instead of thinking of a way to stay in and persevere, one would lose faith and confidence, and would readily succumb to the choice of giving up as the easy way out. Giving up is often done too early making learning as nothing more than a sad memory. When we lose faith, we lose confidence, and it becomes easy for us to doubt if we're good at anything. Faith, to quote Simon and Garfunkel, is "the bridge over troubled water." Faith helps us find order in the presence of disorder.

You're Only Human.   In life, we can easily take pride in our successes and gains, but mistakes and losses have a way of throwing us into a tailspin. In Cha-cha, we can readily take pride in our precision and graceful steps, but missteps as Evelyn Yu Go said, would throw us off the rhythm. Indeed mistakes and losses are often hard to deal with, but Billy Joel has these comforting words in his song, You're Only Human, "It's okay if you mess up. You should give yourself a break." "Mistakes," Nikki Giovani wrote, "are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts." Even God makes mistake according to Jack Nicholson in a movie, The Witches of Eastwick. He was referring to the creation of a woman whom he blamed as the source of man's trouble or downfall. Just to maintain his balance, Nicholson had to fight against the windstorm emanated from his own women's witchcraft practices and he was forced to take refuge inside the town church where he gave his own sermon in frustration."When man makes mistake," Nicholson complained, "it's called, sin. But when God makes mistake, it's called, nature." Mistakes or missteps should be looked at not as obstacles to learning but as parts of the learning process; not as a dead end or a brick wall that completely blocks our way but as a speed bump to be driven over carefully to reach our destination or goal. And goals should be seen not as another beginnings for another struggle but as building blocks that make our fantasies come true.

Know When To Hold and Know When To Fold.   Some of us must have noticed that there are those, no matter what happened to them, no matter how bad their days have been, they always manage to "whistle a happy tune." Yet there are also those, no matter how good their days have been, or how easy their life has been, they seem to be always "singing the blues." Life inflicts the same setbacks and tragedies on optimists as it does on pessimists. The difference is that the optimists weather them better than pessimists do. Optimists know when to stop, step back, and look at their mistakes and setbacks in a different perspective in order to learn from them. They would bounce back from defeat by understanding the importance of learning from the past setbacks and using the information to move forward. Pessimists simply give up. Somehow they know when to walk away, but not when to stay. To paraphrase Kenny Roger's song, The Gambler, the pessimists seem to "know when to fold." but not "when to hold." Moreover, the pessimists allow their mistakes or setbacks to embarrass and paralyze them. One interesting aspect of life though is that some mistakes are so bad and some experiences are so terrible that anything after that seems like a bonus.

Sweat and Tears.   "Keeping a positive attitude," Allen Klein warned, "does not always guarantee positive results or things will turn out exactly the way we want them to be." And to remain positive while facing the negative is tough but it can be done as illustrated by the classic story about two brothers, an incurable optimist and a diehard pessimist. When asked what they wanted for Christmas, both had the same reply. Each of them wanted a pony. Christmas morning came and both ran excitedly out to the barn. They flung open the door but found nothing except an enormous pile of manure. Disappointed, the pessimist brother ran back to the house in tears. The optimistic one, on the other hand, picked up a shovel, started to dig, and declared, "With this much manure, there must be a pony in here somewhere."

Let's Face The Music and Dance.   It is obvious that Cha-cha is my favorite. Not that I dance well, but it's just that of all the ballroom dances, Cha-cha is the only one I know of enough steps to be able to dance and have some fun. Although I rarely if ever attend a party and dance, I often dance Cha-cha alone in our living room particularly after a couple of beers and slices of pizza. It's sobering. Well, as they always say, life is too short. We might as well pay heed to the words from a beautiful song of one of the greatest female jazz vocalists, Diana Krall:

"There may be trouble ahead,
But while there's music and moonlight and love and romance,
Let's face the music and dance .... "

(Editor's Note: The author, Cle Estrera Jr., is a doctor based in Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.A.  He is a friend and regular reader of the Spectrum.  Cle belongs to Batch '72 of the Cebu Institute of Medicine.)

Take a trip down memory lane. Relive the glory of yesteryears.  Reminisce the fun of the good old days. Retrace the old beaten tracks of our campus frolics.  Rekindle old ties with your former classmates and teachers. Be there at the first ever LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming!

Onward with LCHS in a New Millennium: The Beat Goes On!

For more info, contact:  Suniel S. Lim, Chairman, Steering Committee; Tel. No. 063-221-6773; Mobile: 0915-203-3273; E-mail: boylim@iligan.com.  Johnny T. Chen, Chairman, GAH Secretariat; Tel. No. 063-221-3883; Mobile: 0917-722-0888; E-mail: johnchen@iligan.com. Roger Suminguit, Co-Chairman, GAH Secretariat, or Michelle Batara, Secretariat clerk Tel. No. 063-223-1555.

GAH Website:  http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/reunion.htm