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Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School
Iligan, Philippines, Year 5, Issue No.12, September 10, 2001
NEW IMPETUS
Young officers lead fund campaign
By Roger Suminguit (Batch '73)

Youthful dynamism is giving new impetus to the LCHS Scholarship fund drive. With the new LCHS-AA dominated by the younger generation of LCHS alumni, this year's fund drive through the sale of Christmas raffle tickets is spearheaded by LCHS-AA rookies James Booc (Batch '82), as committee chair, and Chester Dy-Carlos (Batch '87), vice chair. The raffle ticket is priced at P100 apiece.  The LCHS-AA hopes to generate P200,000 to augment the Scholarship Fund of  the LCHS Alumni Foundation.  Prizes include a 21" color TV set, 6 cu.ft. refrigerator, washing machine, and 20 consolation prizes.  Raffle draw is set on Dec. 30, during the annual alumni Christmas party, which sports the theme: "Homecoming with a Cause."  All alumni are enjoined to support the Scholarship Program by buying the raffle tickets.  The Christmas party is free to all alumni and their family members.  Raffle tickets may be secured from James Booc, at Electro Tech Enterprises, Quezon Ave., Iligan City, tel. 221-3080; Chester Dy-Carlos, at Hi-12 Appliance Sales & Service Center, Juan Luna St., Iligan City, tel. 221-5639, or any other alumni officers and directors.  Assisting the LCHS-AA in the sale of tickets in Cebu City are Spectrum stalwarts: Henry Yu, Igdono Caracho, and Charles O. Sy.

EDITORIAL STAFF
Henry L. Yu, Editor 
Correspondents: Roger Suminguit, Teresita Racines, Vinson Ngo & Johnny Chen (Iligan); Igdono Caracho (Cebu);  Marie Janiefer Lee (Manila); Peter Dy (Canada); Leonardo Tan (Australia); Ernesto Yu & Aurora Tansiokhian (U.S.A.); and Charles O. Sy, Editorial Consultant
Founded Aug. 1, 1968. Published fortnightly since its revival on April 15, 1997. Distributed free on the Internet to LCHS alumni & supporters worldwide. Postal address: LCHS Alumni Association, Lanao Chung Hua School, Pala-o, Iligan City, Philippines. Web site:
www.geocities.com/lchsspectrum
Spectrum welcomes articles, news reports & comments from LCHS alumni, students and readers. For contribution or subscription, contact: Roger Suminguit, tel. 221-2422; Teresita Racines, tel. 221-3253, or Henry Yu, Suite 101, Visayas Community Medical Center, Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City 6000, Philippines; E-mail: hvty@skyinet.net
Vinson Ngo is PFB manager

VinsonSpectrum staff member Vinson Ngo (Batch '83) has joined the Philippine Farmers Bank as the new manager of its Iligan branch.  He joined the bank on July 23, 2001.  Vinson is also the marketing director of Micro Touch Computer System, Inc. (MTCSi), and the Iligan Global Access Network, Inc. (IliGANet).  He is a Marketing graduate of the Far Eastern University, Manila.  He is the son of Ngo Chin Bon, former Chinese teacher of LCHS.
 

Update: Scholarship fund donors
By Teresita Racines (Batch '67)

The current drive for the Scholarship Fund of the LCHS Alumni Foundation generated the following contributions, in response to its letters of solicitation, as of Aug.  31, 2001: Caroline Sy, P3,000; family of the late Elisa Suminguit, P3,500; Johnson & Irenea Dy, P5,000; Jesus & Melania Dy, P1,000; anonymous alumnus in the U.S.A., US$50; and another anonymous donor from the U.S.A., P5,300.

Spectrum draws more subscribers

More and more alumni are responding to the call of LCHS-AA President Vy Beng Hong for alumni to subscribe to the Spectrum.  Among the new subscribers are (for the Internet edition):  Margarette Booc Cordova (Batch '91), Manila; Sheila Vy (Batch 2001), Manila; Marites Go, Vancouver, Canada; and Chester Dy-Carlos (Batch '87), Iligan; and (for hard-copy edition in Iligan):  Mary Jane Tan (Batch '89); Jorlyn Sy (Batch '83); Jimmy Ang (Batch '83); and Ernest Uy (Batch '89).

OBITUARY
Ex-LCHS principal passes away
By Vinson Ngo (Batch '83) & Edwin Co (Batch '68)

Henry J. Tan (aka Tan Hai Kwan), former principal of LCHS, died of cardiac arrest in his hometown of Initao, Misamis Oriental, last Sept. 3.  He was 65 years old.  Interment will be at Initao cemetery on Sept. 8.  He was the elder brother of Calix Tan (Batch '57) and Spectrum columnist Aurora Tansiokhian (Batch '58).  He is survived by his two children, Anthony (Batch '83), married with three children, and Judy (Batch '83), married with one son.  Members of the Resurrection of the Lord Filipino Chinese Catholic Community held a memorial service for the late Henry Tan last Sept. 6.  Henry Tan taught at LCHS soon after his return from Taiwan in the early 60s.  He became LCHS principal in the 80s.

TracersFeet

Alumni in tours & travels

The Cebu Fortune Travel Inc., owned and managed by Aida Lim-Uy (Batch '61), was a recipient of the Daghang Salamat Silver Award for international sales in the Visayas region given last Aug. 25 by the Philippine Airlines.  Another alumna in the travel industry is Remedios Tan-Wee (Batch '64).  She owns Airtime Ticketing, Travel & Tours in Cotabato City.  Remy arrived back last Sept. 4 from a 4-day vacation in Hong Kong together with Marciano Tan (Batch '65) and wife Helenita Sim-Tan (Batch '68), and Ricarda Tan-Lee (Batch '66) and husband Primo Lee, along with a few other relatives. Speaking of travels, Spectrum columnist Ernesto Yu (Batch '65) flew back to his home base in Buffalo, New York, last Sept. 1 after a brief vacation in Cebu City and Dumaguete City, where he attended the Silliman University Centennial Celebration.  Come Sept. 15 Ernie and wife Verna will take off again for a two-week holiday in Spain and Portugal.  Meanwhile, Mike Lee (Batch '66) and his family arrived home in Edmonton, Canada, last Aug. 31, from a two-week holiday in Vancouver and Victoria Island, Canada, and a pleasure cruise in Alaska, U.S.A. The cruise covered Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, and Katchican, among other famous tourist spots.  Currently in Cebu City for a brief sojourn are Spectrum correspondent Peter Dy (Batch '66) and wife Mansueta.  They arrived in Cebu last Sept. 5 and are visiting friends and relatives around the city before they head back for Iligan on Sept. 8.  Peter and Mansueta will fly back to Edmonton, Canada to join their children next month. Joseph "Kangkang" Siao (Batch '68) is currently also in Cebu, where he owns a plush condominium unit.  He and his wife Gloria, who is a registered nurse, are scheduled to leave back for their home base in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. later this month.  Currently vacationing in Manila is Gregory Dy, son of Greg Dy (Batch '59).  The Chicago-born Gregory, now 25 years old, is drawing raves as a part-time signature model for the world-renowned Bench labels in Manila.

CampusSchool
By Jian Leih C. Racines, 3rd Yr., LCHS

LCHS celebrates "Linggo ng Wika"

LCHS celebrated "Linggo Ng Wika" last Aug. 31 with a program of meaningful music and poetry.  The theme of the program was "Wikang Pilipino: Mahalagang Salik sa Pagpahayag ng Karapatang Pantao."  The program consisted of the following:  Tula ni Jose Rizal, Balagtasan, Awit ng Balagtasan, Sayaw Etniko, at mga Awit. Some of the parents joined the program by rendenring the song "Ang Tanging Yaman." The program was directed by school teachers Rudolfo Gaite Jr., Normita Alivio, Elizabeth David, Rosalia Lariosa and Aida Acuba.
 
Henry Life's Journey
By Henry L. Yu, M.D.
Batch '69

Philippines Circa 1972

The year 1972 started quite well as in the other years of my past life. It was the year I turned 20, such age when I considered myself not so young and not so old, no longer a child but not yet quite a man, caught in between hello (Cebu) and goodbye (Dumaguete). I was then a graduating senior student of Silliman University College of Arts and Sciences. Four years of college life in a campus by the sea.

Looking back to the year that was, three of the most important dates and events that took place that year which up to now I still vividly remember are:

April 25 – May 1, 1972.  The Zamboanga Memoirs. It was my first time to be in Zamboanga City for the National Convention of the CCYO (Chinese Catholic Youth Organization) of which I represented Dumaguete as its chapter president along with six other officers and members. One beautiful and uplifting song that I remember and associate with that event was “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It was a song beautifully rendered with much feelings by our retreat master, Rev. Fr. Santiago L. Ner, a La Salette priest-doctor whom I have looked up to as my idol simply because we spoke the same language representative of religion and medicine. Up to this day, I still remember what he told me: “Finish first your medicine and decide later if you really want to be a priest.” The rest is history.

June 21, 1972.  It was when we started organizing the General Science Society from among those of us taking up this course, with our class (1973) as the pioneer group out to make an entrance to the medical school the following year. It was indeed a memorable year for all of us seniors, it being our last hurrah in that campus by the sea. Most of us then were sporting long hair with matching flare pants, polo shirts with huge collars, and clogs, while the ladies were in micro minis or momos with lioness hairdo.

September 21, 1972.  The inevitable event happened that Thursday morning when DYSR announced the declaration of Martial Law all over the Philippines by the then president Ferdinand E. Marcos. For us who were non-activists, we rejoiced at the thought that classes would be suspended. On the other hand, we were also dead worried as we were graduating then. What if it would take months before classes would reopen? As classes were suspended then, we hurriedly joined the long queue at the ticketing office of William Lines to purchase our boat tickets. We were just as excited as the rest to be homeward bound, to be with family and friends back in our respective hometowns. It was Iligan for me during that three-week break. The airwaves were dominated with such songs like “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Mac Arthur Park” “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, among others. It took Silliman a long time to open again, probably the last of the private schools to resume classes for the simple reason that “Silliman was full of rebels. It had that impression because the campus paper printed Marxist writings, and there was hardly a week when some pictures of Fidel or Che did not grace its pages.” And that’s according to military non-intelligence. But anyway, classes finally resumed, and that’s all we cared. So, on October 15, 1972, we’re back to a place “where the white sands and the corals, kiss the dark blue southern sea, and the palm trees tall and stately, wave their branches in the breeze”, to the so-called New Society, with the prescribed semi-army haircut at one-inch above the collar. We were required to wear our university ID, otherwise it was “No ID, no entry” to the campus. I remember one writer who described Silliman as a place with “some wire fences which had to be put up per instructions from the military. The presence of the wire fences and the uniformed security guards manning the gates made the campus look like one huge garrison.” It was a period of cessation from student activism, social unrest, Marxist writings, anti-Marcos rallies, and all that fuzz and jazz. There was peace on earth with the birth of the New Society. We led life like contented cows bound by a 7:00 p.m. curfew and certain prohibitions. Night life in Dumaguete was on an absolute zero point with us turning ourselves to reading our books and saying goodbye to crammings. Indeed, a most appropriate time to fully concentrate with our review for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) which we took in Cebu March of the following year.

The National CCYO Convention. The birth of the General Science Society. The proclamation of Martial Law. All these somehow contributed to what I have become today. It was a turning point for a man of certain indecisions in life that was me. Looking back, I thank God for these events and the people behind them because these have made me realized many things. They have helped me decide on what I really wanted in life, to go ahead and walk straight right on, without turning my back to what’s left behind, to whatever uncertainties and doubts at the back of my mind. And that’s all of 29 years today.
 
Straight from the Heart
By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee
Batch '87

Hogs and Kisses

It’s now September, the fiesta month of Iligan.  I can still remember how it was like years ago when we would celebrate Iligan’s fiesta every year.  Those were the years when my father was still in the best of health.  Those were one of the fondest memories of my childhood.

Our celebration would start a day or two before the 29th.  There’ll be lots of “imports” who’d come to help around. These were mostly family members of our land tenants who were always there. They were the same people who’ve seen us grow up. To us they were our manongs and manangs, more like aunts and uncles.

By the 28th, our house would already be bustling with life.  I could remember that when we get home from school, the house would already be smoking.  The men would be in the backyard either slaughtering another hapless pig or goat or roasting a lechon.  While the women would be busy cooking and chatting in our little “dirty” kitchen or preparing ingredients for the usual party favors such us Kaldereta and Papa-it, among others. It was one of those times when there seems to be freshly cooked food round the clock.  Aside from the dozens of sweet Torta and Suman, some of which would come from as far as Jimenez.

My father was the director of the whole show.  Aside from making the best Kaldereta I’ve ever tasted, he was the life of the whole celebration. That’s why when he passed away we also stopped celebrating fiesta.  So for 16 years now, our house hasn’t been how it used to be when my father was still alive.

Back then fiesta for me meant only one thing and that’s FOOD.  But now, being a lot older when I think back all I could see is that it was actually a big reunion. An occasion to rebuild old ties and strengthen family bond.  Because it was only during fiesta that we’d see some relatives from far places. Or meet some new relatives like some cousins who we didn’t know existed. Or see some family friends who’ve been away too long.

Fiesta back then was the real barrio-style.  Where the cooking and the eating never seems to cease. There’s a steady stream of people to the dinner table all day long. That’s the kind of fiesta I really, really missed.  For me that’s how a fiesta should be.  That’s how a fiesta should look like.  The last time I witnessed the same scene was in Tagbilaran last May.  I wonder when will be the “next time” and next chance. Any invitations?

Fiesta may be a sorry and dreaded day for the hogs but it used be a day of kisses for us.  How I wish it’s easy to turn back time and revisit that period.  How I wish it’s just a plane ticket away.  I’d love to see how it was like at our house just one fiesta day.  And hopefully I’d get a glimpse of my father once again. And if it’s not asking too much, I might be able to get a real hug and kiss from him.
 
Ernie moody BLUES, 14221
By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D.
Batch '65

Beyond Heavens And Skies:  Traveling by plane, either for business or pleasure, has always been a major production for me.  First, my head can't easily shake off the overpowering engine gurgles that split my ear bones into mini-instruments for migraine attack.  Secondly, the mere thought of being cornered and coerced to chow on microwaved meals flashes before my eyes dreadful memories of being home alone with nothing to greet my starving stomach other than loads of frozen TV dinners.  Nonetheless, there are real pluses to this recital of real torment: Am closer to the heavens and skies where the writer's itch mellows down my restless juices, spreading an adventure field where I can scan my gentler thoughts endlessly. Furthermore, being strapped on a cushion at 30,000 feet above the ground offers a test to the behavioral problems of my hemorrhoids, a temper tantrum that burns to the heck! Truth be told, when I resort to reciting the Serenity Prayer (“Lord, help me accept the things that I cannot change ...”),  I learn to value any occasion for all its fullest worth. Besides, flying is the speediest route to reach remote places in the cheap if you pump into the equation the significance of time investment. An ocean liner is another viable alternative except that I can't entertain the odds of being smashed by unforgiving waves and be shredded into chewables for the Pacific sharks!

Whatever, some forms of joy and exciting surprises always await those who brave the storm.

Dream Lover Within Us:  At whatever stage of the game is it traded, the swapping of farewell against one's will bogs down on the utmost tingle of heartache. Somehow, rewinding and replaying preserved memories in one's mind is utterly different from hugging warmly the very stars in those endearing scenes. The feel of actual skin can't be surpassed by mere imaginary dances, no doubt.  No way. To brush cheeks that have bundles of sweet things splattered in all diameters renders the former second best - letting the mind stretched beyond its power to weave dreams -- a tad like chanting a tune off-key or liike a trickle in a pool of lovely possibilities.  Really, nothing comes close to the encounter of the physical kind. After all, there are so many unspoken words dangling in the eyes that can be fuels to one's habit to fly without wings. Regrettably, borrowed moments have a sad course, way beyond your control.  Once again, goodbyes are exchanged, kisses are blown, inner sobs drip ... but the promise of a new dawn is always there to soothe anyone who has a heart. Bet your bottom dollars, the dreamers in all of us will reach out for the old refrain even if such exercise in futility spills silent tears as goodbye reverberates in the air.

Like the lyrics, "I need you tonight/ I need you right now ..."

True Confession

Spiritual conversion?
It was a slow afternoon in the clinic. Then a patient came in, a Muslim sister. She was crumpled, age lines clearly marked on her face. With her was a young girl, not yet eighteen, slim, long-haired, white-skinned. I thought she looked sad.  The old woman pleaded with me. The clan is going to harm the girl because the father of the girl's child is a Christian.  She was willing to pay whatever price, as long as I do raspa to her grand niece.  My God! of all doctors, ako ang napili-an! I couldn't believe my ears. This was not happening to me, was it? But I guess every doctor gets to experience something like this sooner or later at one time or the other. Did I do it? The raspa thing?  Well, “whatever the price,” she said.  NO, I DID NOT! Did you ever doubt it? If  she is willing, I can adopt  her child.  Hmmm ... the Resurrection of the Lord Chinese-Filipino Catholic Muslim Community.  It does sound weird. Don't you think? -- Contributed by Belinda Cu-Lim, M.D.  (Batch '82), Iligan, Philippines

FeaturesStar

Was LCHS Founded in 1938 or Earlier?
By Charles O. Sy
Batch 1967

As LCHS prepares to celebrate its 63rd Foundation Day come November this year, the question arises anew concerning its exact year of birth: Was LCHS really founded in 1938?

An account of the history of LCHS, published in the Spectrum, Mar. 2, 1998 issue, by Fe Dy-Quimbo (Batch '55), mentions Batch '401938 as the year when the Tsinoy residents of Iligan, led by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, pooled their resources to establish a Chinese school in Iligan.  It has also been the general impression among people in the know that LCHS was founded in 1938. Yet,  that remains an assumption more than an established fact.  For up to now there has been no incontrovertible documentation confirming 1938 as the year when the school actually started operation.

Some alumni among the early migrants to the Philippines at the height of the pre-war Chinese diaspora recall that LCHS (then called Lanao Chinese Elementary School) was already in the thick of operation at the time of their arrival in Iligan in 1938.  While this itself is far from conclusive, the observation somehow raises the possibility that the founding of LCHS could probably have preceded 1938.

So far, the oldest available record of LCHS's early beginning is a photo of the first batch of graduates taken during the celebration of Children's Day in 1940 (see accompanying photo). The photo, courtesy of Luis Kho (Batch '56), shows three graduating students belonging to the Class of 1940 together with the first LCHS principal Kho Pic Yong (father of Luis Kho), and the first generation of LCHS teachers, which includes Ng Pue Heng (mother of Luis Kho) and Lim Keh Siu (mother of Sy Chu An). The year 1929, inscribed in Chinese characters in the picture, apparently refers to the Chinese traditional calendar (which trails the Roman calendar by 11 years).

In the absence of other documentary evidence, it may help if we can determine the number of years required to finish grade school under the pre-war system of Chinese elementary education in the Philippines.  It is significant to note that LCHS had its first batch of Chinese grade school (kou shio?) graduates as early as 1940, as indicated in the accompanying photo. Assuming that LCHS indeed started in 1938, could it have taken only two school years for this first batch to finish grade school in 1940?  Did the pre-war Chinese elementary educational system require only two years to complete?  On the other hand, might it be possible, too, that the old system had two years each for primary and intermediate grades in the elementary level, thereby covering four years altogether, so to speak?

Thus, if the system covered four years altogether, it may be possible that the school started in 1936, in order for the school to produce its first graduates by 1940.  But then again, it is also possible that the members of Batch 1940 already had one or two years' headstart at another school in Cebu City or elsewhere before they transferred and resumed their schooling at LCHS after it opened in 1938.

The answers to these questions can be the key that can unlock the mystery of LCHS's inception. The sooner the facts are ascertained, the better it will be for us to commemorate LCHS founding anniversary without any specter of doubt on its historical accuracy.


Forgive and Forget
By  Evelyn Yu Go
Batch ‘77

It's easier said than done, especially if you're not the one who went thru with it. Though many times, people would say, I know how you feel, but they actually don't. No one but yourself really knows how you feel.

There are two things in life you would never forget: failure and success. Needless to say, everyone wants the throne of success. Who doesn't anyway? But how about failure especially the major one? Just forget about it? Pretend that it never happened and go on with your life? Can you really? If you crumple a piece of paper and straighten it out, will it look the same? Absolutely no. It would never be the same again. You can never undo what has been done. It will forever be a part of your life. It is not a matter of how high is your pride or level of maturity, but you were wounded and got hurt. But do people really realize that? They tell you what to do, expect something from you, but how about what you want to do?

What is forgiveness? It is to give up hard feelings at or toward. No more of those get even sort of feelings. Forgiveness is freedom from guilt, shame and hatred. It is an acceptance of reality, facing tomorrow with a positive attitude and not giving up hope. Unless you have accepted the truth of what had happened instead of pretending or wishing it did not, you will never really be able to forgive. You can't let go what you don't know or refuse to know. Trying to forget the past like nothing had happened is denial. But to look back at the past with no bitterness is forgiveness. You can't forget, but you can forgive. After all, we learn from our mistakes and stupidity. That's how we grow up and mature.

There is freedom in life, and you are entitled to it. You decide on what is best for yourself, and don't let anybody dictate you and ruin your future. To forgive and forget is a choice, and it's entirely up to you. Just remember, it takes time for a wound to heal depending on how deep it is. So, if you're not ready, don't force yourself. Give yourself some time to heal and feel good. Good Luck!


Self-Inventory
By Cle S. Estrera, Jr., M.D.  (CIM ’72)
(Last of two parts)

Ain’t They Heavy…
The following is a classic story from ancient times taken from one of  Shad Helmstetter’s books.

There is a story of an old man and a young boy who lived in ancient times. The old man was named Sartebus, and the boy was named Kim. Kim was an orphan, living on his own, making his way from village to village in search of food and a roof over his head. But most important of all, even more than his search for a full stomach and a comfortable dry place to sleep, Kim was looking for something else – he was searching for a reason. “Why,” he wondered, “do we travel throughout our lives in search of something we cannot find? Why must things be as difficult as they are? Do we make them so ourselves, or is it just meant to be that we should struggle as we do?”

These were wise thoughts for a boy as young as Kim, but it was just the kind of thinking that caused him to find along the way an old man, traveling the same road, who, Kim thought, might help him with an answer or two. The old man was carrying on his back a large, covered, woven basket that appeared to be very heavy, especially for someone as old and weary as he was. When they stopped to rest beside a small brook along the road, the old man wearily settled his basket on the ground. To Kim it looked as though the man carried all of his worldly goods in that one basket; it seemed to be much heavier than even a much younger stronger man could carry very far.

“What is in your basket that makes it so heavy?” Kim asked Sartebus. “I would be happy to carry it for you. After all, I am young and strong, and you are tired.” “It is nothing you could carry for me,” answered the old man. “This is something I must carry for myself.” And he added, “One day, you will walk your own road and carry a basket as weighted as mine.”

Over many days and many roads, Kim and the old man walked many miles together. And although Kim often asked Sartebus questions about why men must toil as they do, Kim did not learn from him any of the answers, nor could he learn, try as he might, what treasure of such great weight was in the basket the old man carried. Sometimes late at night, at the end of a long day’s journey, Kim would lie quietly, pretending to sleep, listening to the old man sorting through the content of his basket by the flickering light from a small fire, and talking quietly to himself. But in the morning, as always, he would say nothing.

It was only when Sartebus could walk no more, and he lay down to rest for the last time, that he told the young Kim his secret. In their last few hours together, he gave Kim not only the answer to the riddle of the basket he carried, but the answer to why men toil as they do.

“In this basket,” Sartebus said, “are all of the things I believe about myself which were not true. They are stones that weighted down my journey. On my back, I have carried the weight of every pebble of doubt, every grain of the sand of uncertainty, and every millstone of misdirection I have collected along the way. Without these I could have gone so far. I could have lived a life of dreams I saw in my mind. But with them I have ended up here, at the end of my journey.” And without even unwrapping the braided cords that bound the basket to him, the old man closed his eyes and quietly went to sleep for the last time.

Before Kim himself slept that night, he untied each cord that bound the basket to the old man and, lifting it free, carefully sit it on the ground. When he had done this, he just as carefully untied the leather straps that held the woven cover in place, and lifted it aside. Perhaps because he had been looking for an answer to his own question, he was not at all surprised at what he found inside. The basket, which had weighted old Sartebus down for so long, was empty.

The Inventory
All of us have collected thoughts and beliefs and ideas about our selves that weigh us down and hold us back from reaching so many opportunities that life holds in store for us. So how do we find out what is in our basket? What is the weight that is holding us down? What limitations about our selves have we imagined to be true when they may not be true at all?

Youth should be the best time to make an inventory of the contents of your mind. Energy, enthusiasm, and creativity come with youth while age replaces youth with wisdom. Now if you’re not doing too well or not too happy with the way things are, then may be you’re carrying a heavy load. So lighten up and throw away those that are holding you down. Never let ideas, opinions, and thoughts filter into your mind to let them pull you down to where you don’t belong, or to where you don’t really want to go. They’ll only make your basket too heavy to carry. Discard them before you resume your journey. It’s your life that is at stake whatever risk you take. You’ve got to learn to do it your way so that one day you’ll be happy to sing the Sinatra song, “I did it my way.”

Sartebus, unfortunately, did not know that he could throw away his imagined millstones. He was left, instead, to sit at night, inventorying his limitations and wishing things could be better.

Particularly for the young and the restless, don’t just keep on wishing on achieving your ambition. Do something now. Otherwise, as the world turns, you may only end up becoming the king of wishful thinking. So set realistic goals and then make plans to achieve them. Work hard on those plans. Plans are very important. If you know your destination but you don’t know the direction, you are likely to get lost. If others think of you or say something about you that is not encouraging, just say what Rhed Butler said to Scarlett O’Hara at the end of the movie, Gone With The Wind, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” May the force be with you.
 

LCHS ALUMNI DIRECTORY (18th of a Series)
The LCHS-AA, in coordination with the Spectrum, is currently updating its alumni database -- in preparation for distribution in the next GAH. The directory is presented here by batches, based on initial inputs. If you have any correction or additional data, please e-mail the Spectrum at: charlesy@i-cebu.com.ph

BATCH 1972
Cecilia Bernardo, c/o Urcen Marketing, Aguinaldo St., Iligan City, tel. 221-2039; Conchita Cabanlit, LCHS, Pala-o, Iligan City; Pokin Chan, U.S.A.; Josefina Chua, Cagayan de Oro City; Arlene Co, Milwaukee, Winconsin, U.S.A.; Anderson Dy, Iligan Apollo Electrical Supply, Aguinaldo St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3416; Luzvelo Dy, Manila; Robert Dychutee, Midtown Hardware, Badelles St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3062; e-mail: rbd@mozcom.com; Betty Go, Manila; Methelde Go, Labao St. Ext., Iligan City; Roberto Lagrosas, 839 Sabayle St., Iligan City, tel. 221-1274; Betty Lee, Tibanga, Iligan City; Marilou Lim (Bordalba), 2-854 Tabunok, Talisay, Cebu, tel. 273-0014; Linda Ong (Galenzoga), Baybay, Leyte, e-mail: logalenzoga@hotmail.com; Leonila Rosario, Pala-o, Iligan City; Lily Soy, Pala-o, Iligan City; Reynaldo Suminguit, Tan Lam Glass Palace, Inc., Quezon Ave. Ext., Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-3255; Glenda Sy (Cabilan), Teeny-Weeny, Tibanga, Iligan City, tel. 221-5034; Larry Handumon, Burnham, Illinois, U.S.A., e-mail: LVS2000@aol.com; Eloisa Tamaño, Iloilo City; Carlos Tan, Initao, Mis. Oriental; Prudencio Tan, Iligan Apollo Electrical Supply, Aguinaldo St., Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-3416; Jackson Wong, Midtown Hardware, Badelles St., Iligan City; tel. 221-3062; Remedios Wong Ling, Surigao City; and Gregorio Yu, Davao City. [Next issue: Batch 1973]

Flashback

LCHS, 1941
LCHS '41
The first generation of LCHS teachers and students pose for a group picture
at the school premises located at corner Quezon Avenue & Roosevelt
Street (now B. Labao St.) in 1941 (or March 1930 under the Chinese calendar).
Photo by Iligan Studio, courtesy of Luis Kho.


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