Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 4, No. 14, September 25, 2000, Iligan City, Philippines Viva Senyor San Miguel! Fiesta in Iligan! Iligan comes alive this week with the celebration of its city fiesta on Sept. 29 in honor of its patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. Major streets are adorned with buntings and streamers as the city prepares to welcome the hordes of visitors and pilgrims.  The city government, hand in hand with private organizations and schools, has prepared a week-long celebration that includes a grand parade, sports competitions, cultural and musical variety shows, carnival, agro-aqua fair, and the Miss Iligan beauty pageant. City residents likewise are poised to receive visiting relatives and friends with the traditional fiesta banquets in their homes. The celebration culminates on Sept. 29 with the annual street dancing and solemn procession along the city's main thoroughfares. There will be no classes at LCHS on Sept. 28 & 29 to allow students to participate in the civic parade and other fiesta festivities.

EDITORIAL STAFF Charles O. Sy, Editor Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor Correspondents: Iligan - Johnny Chen, Teresita Racines, Vinson Ngo, Roger Suminguit, & Armi Leslie Te. Cebu - Igdono Caracho. Metro Manila - Marie Janiefer Lee. Canada - Peter Dy & Mikee 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

Miss Iligan Candidates

Who's The Fairest of Them All? L-R: Michelle Balanay, Lorene Servando, Marje Maybituin, Sharon Tortugo,
Ma. Felimar Pandaan, Cepris Birao, Wnyve Fontanilla, Sheridzma Ladjabangsa, Belleza Mae Canoy,
Annabelle Cañazares, Faye Wilda Viña, Velvet Orbe, Michaelyn Ledda, Daryl Despojo.  (Photo by Robert Booc)

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Henry Dy chosen CEC outstanding alumnus

Barely two months after having been awarded as an "Outstanding Alumni Achiever" of LCHS, Councilor Henry C. Dy (Batch '64) has been chosen as one of the 16 "Outstanding Alumni" of the Cebu Eastern College (CEC). He will receive the award (for government service) on the occasion of the 85th Founding Anniversary of CEC on Oct. 8, 2000 at the Cebu Grand Convention Center, Cebu City. Among the 15 other awardees are ambassador Frank Benedicto; Augusto Go, president of the University of Cebu; Frederick Ong Jr., owner of Ong Kin King, Inc.; and Dr. Rogelio Chua, neurologist.

John Liu to visit Cebu

John "Lao Kiat" Liu, former LCHS Chinese teacher, is scheduled to visit Cebu City on Sept. 30.  His trip is upon invitation of Fr. Baur, S.J. who is celebrating his 70th year with the Society of Jesus. Fr. Baur is a one of the founding fathers of the Sacred Heart School for Boys in Cebu.  He and Mr. Liu were together when the latter was pursuing his studies in Philosophy in Shanghai, China. The amiable Mr. Liu taught at LCHS in the early 60s.  He hopes to have a reunion with some of his former LCHS colleagues and students in Cebu, namely Kho Siok We, Agustin Wu, and Lydia Sy, among others.

Oh-Leveriza nuptial in Manila

Our congratulations to Virna Sy-Oh (Batch '62) and Dr. Francisco Oh, on the wedding of their eldest son Dr. Dennis Oh and Dr. Desiree May Leveriza of Manila last Sept. 3.  Wedding ceremonies took place at the Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati, and reception at the Rigodon Ballroom of Manila Peninsula Hotel.  A post-nuptial reception was held last Sept. 6 at the Harbor Lights Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City. Dennis is a neurosurgeon at the Philippine General Hospital while Desiree is a dermatologist.

Alumni news roundup

"Tracers" this week scoops up more bits and pieces of alumni info.  Georgina Sy Lee is now teaching at the Cebu Eastern College.  Lilian Syis also in Cebu.  She manages her own boutique called Aqua Rose Style Shop, located at Jakosalem St., Cebu City.  Lilian is the younger sister of Glenda Sy Cabilan (Batch '72). Jennifer Samson (Batch '94), in photo at right, eldest daughter of LCHS-AA prexy Toto Samson (Batch '59), is working at the Cebu Chong Hua Hospital as a registered nurse.  Jennifer's younger sister Janice Samson (Batch '95), in photo at left, is now also working in Cebu.  A cum laude graduate from the University of San Carlos (USC), Janice is connected with the foreign department of China Banking Corporation at the SM City Mall.  Two others siblings are still pursuing their studies at the USC. Jacque Lynn Samson (Batch '97), in photo at center, is taking up Hotel & Restaurant Management, while John Arthur Samson (Batch '99) is into Electrical Engineering.  Aida Lim Uy (Batch '61), manager of Cebu Fortune Travel, Inc., was a Gold Awardee of the Philippine Airlines "Daghang Salamant Awards" for topping international passengers sales for 1999-2000.  Roderick Ngo (Batch '70), Igdono Caracho (Batch '66), and Glicerio Uy (Batch '65) traveled to Xiamen, China, last Sept. 5-10, to attend a trade fair with the delegation of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce. Sherlita Racines (Batch '77) is on vacation in Missouri, U.S.A., with her batch mate Zelda Chiu.  Also on vacation in the U.S.A. is Glenda Siao-Lim (Batch '59). She's due back in Cebu first week of October.  Soon to migrate to Canada are Maria Josiefel "Jojo" Ello (Batch '83) and her family. Jojo bids adieu to Iligan next month to pursue a new career in Vancouver.

Condolences to Te family

Mon, 11 Sep 2000 08:57:46 -0600
Please extend our deepest sympathy to the family of the late Waya Te.  -- Hesing & Melania Dy, Edmontonn, Alberta, Canada, Jesus.Dy@gov.ab.ca

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

Dub it as Lady Luck in full, glamorous swing with a pinch of satisfying bang: Bumping into long-lost LCHS classmates during the Reunion with faces and traits as exuberant and dynamic as 35 years ago. Really poured hi-octane gas in my tank! They never seemed to change with the foliage. Moreover, competing against them for the almighty flash bulbs during Kodak moments reboot the chemicals of the good old days. A hormone renaissance, in a way. For a dear pal to remember that I still owe him lunch money during the dinosaur era, that was really something. Tells me that some "borrowed" events in life never wrinkle with advancing age! I was fortunate to deal with a mortal who finds pure horror in recalling the details of the faded credit slip. A simple, hand-crippling handshake erased everything that was written in the water. Forever.

New chums were disappointed to discover that I was not the extrovert Ernie they envisioned in their profile book. Sorry, friends, for not living up to your projected standard. With my calculated, numbing, and occasional cold behavior, I'm pretty positive you juggled the impression that I am deficient in social skills. You see, I have been married for 25 years. As such, I have mastered the art of opening my mouth sparingly to save myself from deadly quicksands (hehehe). Seriously, the honest truth: it takes me a good while to unwind my emotion and calibrate my wirings to newly minted gangmates, especially to those whom I can just decipher the unspoken words dangling in their eyes. Why do you  think I have embraced and cherished the sound of silence? Besides, my dad instructed me to carve a science out of timing perfectly my vocal outbursts. He championed the assumption that there's gold in muffled whispers and murmurs. Of course, he was also married for decades. Score one for Charles Sy and Vinson Ngo for preserving the liberated status of their gonads!

Here's my GAH evaluation: (1) The parade of native delicacies and feel-good calories sacked mercilessly my table manners. I must have exclaimed "wow!" one too many. It set free my taste buds for shameless stomach adventures in front of a hypercaffeinated crowd who swayed recklessly without bowing to any fat detectives or vigilantes. (2) Everyone connected with unraveling the kinks of the 3-day affair showed so much class. Their delightful sincerity to help us "outsiders" deserves a shower of superlatives. Each one was so genuine, cordial and generous in his/her offer of help, from airport pickup to eventual paddling us out of Lanao Bay. (3) Getting hugs from all the sparkling people of my remote past removed the crumpled grief and nostalgia on my face. It was vivid delight, as refreshing as gulping a 16-ounce Nawasa juice during the dog days of summer. It made me regroup the fragmented puzzle pieces of a lost civilization. (4) Acquiring the technique on how to trace faces in order to have them stored in my memory vault was so rewarding. Until now, I can paint in my mental canvas the figures I've learned to treasure and daydream without missing a single brush stroke. What a way to always feel alive with the fleeting moments. An entertaining joyride to vibrate in the Pepsi Generation, to feel young in an aging frame with faltering stamina.

By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

It's Olympic season once again and it's the main topic of conversation everywhere we go these days.  The spectacular opening ceremony and the different events that are in both local and international news all day everyday. You might think that there's some mistake in the title of this article.  Maybe it should be "defeat" instead of "the feet," right?  Well, you're wrong. This is about our feet.

I remember during our last year in college when we had to present our projects in business attire and therefore it was a must to wear high heels. It entailed being in that get-up the whole day.  So the usual question we would ask each other at the end of the day was: "Sasama ka ba sa libing?" followed by "ililibing kase yong mga toes ko bukas."  We were referring to our dead toe nails because it would always feel like it's all dead after being in those very uncomfortable shoes all day.  Since we lived on a pair of rubber shoes for the first three years in college, it was during those times when we all wished that somebody would make rubber shoes that would look business-like enough for special occasions.

I can just imagine the agony of our forefathers, este our foremothers, who had to live through all their life with their feet bound as in pak kha.  But this also tells us what women would go through or force themselves to go through for vanity's sake.

Shoes have really evolved into something else these days. Before it's main purpose was to protect our feet, the main form of transportation. Now it's a fashion statement.  For some, it's even a status symbol. And to someone very popular, it could also be good collectibles. Everybody knows the Madam, right?

My mother used to tell us that during her younger days they would wear 3-inch high heels and could even run after the bus or jeep. I wonder how is it that we could just be in 1 or 2 inch high heels for a few minutes and it would feel like our whole legs go numb. And to think that we're mostly sitting.  I wonder if there's a difference between how we are "manufactured" now compared to how our mothers were molded.  I'm not questioning the quality of our shoes because I assumed that they are supposed to be better now being in the computer age.  So I have to ask if there's something wrong with the women today compared to the women before.  My husband calls me a "factory defect."  And since I know a lot of women who share this agony, then this must mean that there's a lot of "factory defects" out there.

So kick those high heels, I mean get rid of it -- it's really harmful to our back, too. Now, it may cause "agony of the feet" but later on in life it will cause "agony outback" as in agony to our aging back.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

Exactly seven years ago to the day, I woke up at around four in the early morning to watch the announcement broadcast live via satellite from Monaco of the decision by the International Olympic Committee as to the Olympic host city for the year 2000, dubbed as the New Millennium Games! It was a very tense moment and I jumped with joy when IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch finally pronounced the word SYDNEY after a long pause which seemed to be eternity. I woke up my wife and my two sons and told them the exciting news. And they all said I was crazy waking them up that very early morning just to tell them that. Such is my passion for the Olympic games. And to have it in our own city is a very rare opportunity which doesn't come in all our lifetime.

And how quickly seven years have passed. All of us here in Australia are still over the moon after a very successful and breathtaking Opening Ceremony of the 27th Olympiad a week ago. Everyone here was kept in the dark as to how the Olympic cauldron would be lighted. Remember the archer in Barcelona and the great but shaking Muhamad Ali at Atlanta? It was a total surprise to everybody. There was even no cauldron at all at the 110,000-seat stadium. Then water came cascading down forming a mini Maria Christina Falls with a circular pool. And the Australian Aboriginal champion dressed in what looked like a silver space suit lighted the ring of fire shaped like a flying saucer rising from the pool! What a way to open the Games of the New Millennium!

So for two weeks in September, Sydney will be the focus of the world's attention. The US NBC Network's top rating Today Show is now temporarily broadcasting from the different scenic spots of this beautiful city. There are more than ten thousand athletes and five thousand officials who will have pleasant memories of their host city. And the more than twenty thousand news correspondents from every corner of the globe report back to their home countries the wonderful news about Sydney and its people. And the more than 1.5 million tourists that are here catching the Olympic fever. Sydney will no longer be the same. She will now be known as one of the most picturesque cities on earth. This Olympic games is costing Sydney a few billion dollars but every cent proved to be a great investment.

I had decided long ago that I will not get involved directly but just stay home instead in total comfort and in passive mode, and to be just contented by watching the games on the TV. Not until I caught the Olympic fever at the very last minute. I just could not believe the thousands of people greeting the Olympic flame as the torch relay reached their suburb. Just for a giant cigarette lighter? But then I realized that it was just not any flame but the Olympic spirit! I told myself, one major regret this millennium year is enough. Yes, I missed our LCHS GAH last month. This time I should watch some actual Olympic games or I may regret it for the rest of my life.

So on Day One, I went to the Sydney Entertainment Centre and watched two games of women's volleyball. This is my first time to witness an Olympic game between different countries. The first game was between Korea and Italy, which was followed by China against USA. Our version of Araneta coliseum was filled to capacity. What an atmosphere with different nationalities cheering for their national teams. I was lucky that I brought my pair of binoculars as I was seated quite a distance to see enough of the games but not clear enough to appreciate those very tall and beautiful players with long well-shaped legs of the women Olympians. Now you know why I chose women's volleyball. I am now looking forward to my next game to watch, which is basketball. Women's of course! Ah, what a great Olympic spirit I have. Ooops, where is my binoculars?

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

How fast time really passes by. The last month of the third quarter of the Y2K epoch will soon be over, with another September coming to an end to join the ranks of those historical SEPTEMBER OF OUR LIVES, without the promise of Mac's "I shall return." But the memories, yes, the memories will forever remain intact, untarnished with the passage of time, and as fresh as the early morning breeze. Each time.

September holds a certain meaning in our lives as former students of Lanao Chinese High School and as a true-blue Iliganon. It is the month when Chinese schools celebrate Teacher's Day on the 28th (in honor of the great Confucius), and the Iligan City Fiesta on the 29th (in honor of St. Michael, the Archangel), among other occasions.

There's one thing more about September. Ah, when the month starts to have a BER for its suffix, can Christmas be far behind? Truly, nowhere in the world other than the Philippines does the Yuletide Season start as early as SeptemBER, when Christmas songs start to dominate the radio stations. And each time we hear these songs, we couldn't help but reminisce our wonderful childhood, bringing back to our midst those past experiences when we were our teacher's pet, making sipsip to our class adviser, preparing for the Literary Musical Contest, going on a field trip, sharing baon, quarreling over some petty things, like who's more sikat: Amalia or Susan? Nora or Vilma? Remember those days when we would cut classes just to see Fernando Poe or Joseph Estrada on the big white screen at King theater? Or Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson over there at Century or Queen? Oh, those were the days when we found pleasure in the simple things that life could offer, such times when simple love notes written on an intermediate paper meant so much, when we preserved even the petals of the roses and considered these as valuable treasures of the love we once felt. Beautiful indeed were the feelings of "love at first sight," infatuation, puppy love, in the tradition of "first love never dies." But that was all of yesterday. The September of our youth.

Today, September has taken on a different hue in our lives as adults. For now, we no longer appreciate the things we used to enjoy so much. Gone are the perky feelings of being excited about life's many prizes and surprises, the twist and shout, the ohs and ahs. We have indeed grown up to even dismiss the idea of finding happiness by just smelling the flowers or watching rainbows and the rising sun. Gone are the nonchalance of being young and innocent, the zest, vim, vigor, and vitality. Time has changed and so has our priorities in life, likes and dislikes, our goals, dreams, and aspirations. Today, as parents, our focus is on our children. They are the apples of our eyes. We live for them. When we go to the grocery store, we think of our children  of what to serve them for breakfast, lunch, and supper, or what baon they would bring to school. When we go to the department store, again they are foremost in our minds, with us going directly to the Children's Section to buy this and that with the thoughts that this dress would look great on our daughter or that toy would be a delightful one for our son. In other words, we now think less of ourselves. Seeing how our children's eyes glow when we buy them the things they like is enough happiness for us.

Tomorrow, September will definitely come. But on a different meaning. By then, we shall be lolos and lolas, the guardian angels of our apos. We shall be their Lola Basyang or Lolo Carpio to whom they go to for some fairy tales, lollipops, or just a simple parayig

Indeed, life is a cycle. We were yesterday's kids, today's parents, and tomorrow's grandparents. We all have our own Septembers. What we do with these times in our lives is really up to us. Yesterday's September is already part of the past. There's nothing we can do about it. But here is today's September. Let us make the most out of it for tomorrow's September will have its own doings. What it will bring, nobody knows. The future is not ours to tell. Meantime, just hold on and enjoy these SEPTEMBERS OF OUR LIVES while our tourist visas on earth are still valid.

Here's to all of us happier Septembers in the years to come. Our kind. Their time.

You know you're a gen-X tsinoy if...
--You make today's rice tomorrow's fried rice.
--The only first aid kit you bring with you is White Flower.
--You greet a friend on the phone by asking "dee chia beh?" or "deh tshong shia?". --Contributed by Vinson T. Ngo (Batch '83), Iligan, Philippines, vinson@iligan.com

As we are about to celebrate this momentous affair, the 1st Lanao Chung Hua School Grand Alumni Homecoming, many ponder:  How is our Alma Mater?  How are our former classmates?  All questions continue like unstoppable waterfalls.

Officers and members of the LCHS Alumni Association, fellow alumni, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. All those questions have only one resounding answer: This comes from the famous songs Together Again, Happy Together for once in our lives via this Alumni Homecoming.  Yes, nobody knows when the next homecoming will be, but meanwhile, the best thing for us to do is: "Let's paint the town red," for tomorrow is another day.  We just cannot allow this gathering to pass us by, so we have to make every minute of it worth our while, something to remember indeed -- "An Affair to Remember."

We have many exciting activities in store for all of us, for our spouses, and for our children. Let us make them memorable and successful.  On behalf of the officers and members of our association, I therefore welcome you all to our historic 1st LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming.

In the middle of a class discussion I sit on my chair feeling bored.  What occupies my mind is what to do to let this sense of boredom go away. My attention veers away from the discussion and turns to a scene outside the classroom where I see other students chatting merrily and giggling with their classmates. Then it pops in my mind: I still have a report to do for the Spectrum.  Ah...at last! I got an idea what to write. Why not write about our students of today?

How do our students of today behave? Compared to students before, today's students are of a completely different breed.  They are relatively more liberal and open-minded. They tend to make their own decisions without consultations. Generally, they much prefer going out with their barkadas rather than staying home locking themselves up inside their room to study.  Deplorable as it may seem, let's face it, that's a fact.

On the other hand, students today are also more cooperative and demonstrative. They don't keep their talents to themselves.  They readily show and share their talents with other people. They are likewise more outgoing. And going out with classmates and friends is also part of their learning process. Education, after all, is not confined within the four walls of the classroom.

I think not all "gimmicks" or other forms of social indulgences are necessarily bad or destructive to one's studies.  On the contrary, they provide the needed balance to a healthy campus life. Students need some enjoyment and recreation to ease out stress. Stress like what? Well, assignments, exams, projects, household chores, and of course, their "love life"....oops!

Anyways, every student has his or her own individuality and aspiration.  In the final analysis, it all depends on how they manage themselves while interacting with others in our society, and how positively they channel their energies for their own well-being and personal growth.

Obsessive? Compulsive? Maybe. Sort of. Some of my co-workers, when I first started, used to tease me that I was hyper. So, I teased them back: Because I'm a Go woman! The fact is I'm organized and conscientious -- I value the essence of time and I would do what I'm expected to do instead of passing it on to the next shift.

Some of our personality traits are acquired from experience. I think mine were mostly from nursing -- especially being attentive and elaborative.  I believe that patients have the right to fully understand what's going on. I appreciate doctors who have excellent bedside manners. I remember when we were still in nursing school some attending physicians horrified us to death with their tantrums. My gosh! Just seeing them making rounds made us "boto-boto ang dughan, nangluspad, namognaw ang kamot, ug nagkurog ang tuhod!" Plus, stuttered speech. Well, sometimes I just pretended I had a sore throat or just got over a flu.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to become an artist when I grew up. Oh, how I loved to draw, color, design clothes and do artworks. But when I was a senior in high school, I kind of chickened out: What if I couldn't find a job then I would end up a starving artist! It was at that point when I decided to take up nursing thinking I could come and work in America.

It was a rigid training especially when we started with our internship and had to go to classes and clinical rotations, including 11-7 shift. I remember during OR rotation when we were required to attend 10 major and 10 minor surgeries, and let the OR staff nurses (majority of them were terrors) sign our notebook after bunch of brain twister questions. We were also required to attend certain amount of vaginal deliveries and C-sections in DR that whenever somebody was about to pop we hopped with joy! Oh, I remember those sleepless nights cramming for the midterm exams, had diarrhea (must be from stress) and eye bags showing off! The Psych rotation at Southern Islands Hospital when I called a patient with a wrong name by mistake and she was furious about it. She was holding a cup of hot coffee and said to me: "Dili ko si Rosie, gusto ka nga iyabo ko ning kape sa imong nawong?" I looked around and there was nobody closed by except us -- I was terrified! But that didn't stop me to pursue; I still like nursing. It is very interesting to understand and correlate the signs and symptoms to the disease process, and how to treat it. It is such a rewarding feeling to be able to connect and help another human being in their utmost times of needs, to alleviate their pain and suffering. How a simple greeting and smile would make a world of difference to the patient.

A milestone I passed by and struggled along the way, but when I looked back to those footprints, I must say, I'm in the right profession. I'm a happy camper. As an OB nurse, I think it's great to be a part of the family new bundle of joy, a celebration of life, the new beginning. I enjoy helping new moms in taking care of themselves and their newborns, to warn new dads of "postpartum blues," to spend time listening to and answering their curiosity or confused minds, to make them feel comfortable and cared for in a more personalized way. Yes, the tremendous changes in the health care system may affect the delivery of care, it can get frustrating at times especially with understaffing and high acuity patients load, but that's reality and it's everywhere.

For how long do I plan to work as an RN? For as long as I can walk without a cane, and see without a magnifying glass. Tah-tah! 

It was still early in the evening of Aug. 6, 2000 when I finished a quick meal of pochero at an eatery by the plaza in Iligan City.  I deliberately steered clear of the company of friends.  It was the night after the grand alumni homecoming.  My friends deserved a good rest after the homecoming frenzy.  I, too, needed to lie low.  I had lost my voice to laryngitis.

The night was still young.  There was plenty of time to kill. I lazed around at the plaza under an ancient mabolo tree, the same tree that sheltered us during our afternoon frolics in our youth. Save for a few kids playing chess, nothing else stirred in the park.  It was a Sunday evening but the park was as melancholic as the fading moon in an overcast sky.

From the plaza I crossed Del Pilar street toward a shop called "24-hour On-line" to while away the time by surfing the Internet.  The shop, it turned out, was no Internet cafe.  It was a convenience store that opened 24 hours. Talk about proper names! So I circled the block and headed for Quezon Avenue. Along this main thoroughfare only a few stores remained open at 9:00 p.m.  Clad in my military fatique jacket, I sneaked into an airconditioned video shop to cool myself awhile.  The security guard eyed me constantly as I went aimlessly from shelf to shelf without picking up any tape to rent.  Unable to speak, I gestured to the guard that I was just looking around.  That didn't help any.  He became even more suspicious. So off I went for a stroll around Iligan, whose night life I once knew by the palm of my hand.

The area near the St. Michael Cathedral still hummed with life. There was a sizable crowd milling in the vicinity, drawn ostensibly by the 24-hour service of a Dunkin' Donuts outlet. On some sidewalks and dark alleys nearby still roamed the denizens of the night -- hawkers and hookers alike vying for patronage alongside some itinerant balut vendors. Around this vicinity, nothing else was abuzz except for some bake shops and a few outlets near the boy scouts statue offering lechon manok, and a music lounge in what used to be the Cuyugan clinic that showed no sign of life whatsoever.

At the opposite end of the stretch toward the pier, there was even less visible sign of nocturnal attractions.  The Ludo building along Cabili Avenue that once housed the stately Al Toro Hotel has now become a Gaisano warehouse that looked more ghostly than stately in the shadows of the night. The whole vicinity didn't seem to offer much enticement for the incorrigible night owl except for a few rundown carenderias, honkytonks and videoke joints manned by sleepy waitresses.

Everything stood still along Quezon Avenue by 10:00 p.m.  Back at the Maria Cristina Hotel, I ventured out for one last expedition around the block, unthinkable as it was for me to settle for the night at such virgin hour.  Across San Miguel street near where the Century Theater once stood, I tried poking into what looked like a folkhouse.  In the dim light I had misread its sign post as "Kaibigan."  The place turned out to be a beer house offering calderetang kambing. The place was named "Kambingan," and not "Kaibigan."  Opps! Pardon the fading eyesight of an old goat.

A stone's throw away from "Kambingan" was a KTV joint curiously called "Famous Restaurant & KTV."  The girl by the door showed me in. Once seated, I motioned to the GRO for a bottle of San Mig beer. She promptly returned with my drink, sat herself by my side and handed me a wornout song book. I indicated to her by sign language that I lost my voice and could neither talk nor sing at all.  She turned to her colleague nearby and said, "Gi-ahak!  Abi pa naku mokanta siya, apan amang man di-ay!"  They both laughed without restraint. They must have thought I was a mute.  I kept my silence and let them be.  Funny it didn't occur to them that some mutes can hear.  Without a word spoken, we spent the rest of the time communicating with each other by clumsy gestures until it was time for me to call it a night.

As I paid my bill and prepared to leave I said "thank you" in my hoarse voice and planted her a goodnight kiss.  She was stunned.  Not by the kiss.  But by the realization that I could utter "thank you," and was not a deaf-mute man di-ay.