INTERNET NEWSLETTER OF THE ALUMNI OF LANAO CHUNG HUA SCHOOL
Vol. II - No. 27, October 19, 1998, Iligan City, Philippines

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More interesting photos now adorn the LCHS Alumni Home Page. A new page labeled "Vintage Photos" has been added to the web site. It features vintage photos of LCHS recently unearthed from the archives of Tonga Dy Shek Tong (Batch '57). It includes photos of the first LCHS basketball team, first drum & bugle corps, first troop of scouts, and many more.  Another addition to the home page is "Christmas Party '68" featuring rare photos, never published before, of the alumni reunion and Christmas party held on Dec. 29, 1968 at the old LCHS auditorium. The photos were taken by Suniel Lim (Batch '66) for the Spectrum, 1968 edition. Another highlight on the web site is the coverage of the birthday bash of Sy Tiong An in Iligan City last Oct. 10.  Pictures of some scenes at the party, courtesy of Spectrum's paparazzo Rene Tio (Batch '70), are posted under "Spectrum Pictorials."  Check them out at http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni

Co siblings pursuing law in the U.S.A.

Remember Dr. Eddie Co, the brother of Johnny and Rudy Co, et al?  Well, here is good news about his daughters. Eddie's eldest daughter, Yvonne Janette, graduated cum laude from the renowned Harvard Law School recently.  She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, graduating magna cum laude, from Smith College, North Hampton, Massachusetts, U.S.A.  A member of Phi Beta Kappa Sorority of Smith College, she is now connected with the McDermot Will Emory Law Firm in Washington, DC. Before that, she also worked at Sidley & Austin Law Firm, Washington, DC., for a year as Legal Assistant. Her younger sister, Elizabeth Ann, is also pursuing law.  She is a law student at the University of Minnesota. Both sisters plan to visit the Philippines for the first time next summer.  Eddie Co, himself a successful doctor who has carved a name in his profession, is now the Medical Director of a prestigious medical center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  He and Newton Siao (Batch '57), also a doctor,  were among the first few LCHS graduates to migrate to the U.S.A. to pursue their chosen career.

Preparing for La Niña
Sat, 19 Sep 1998 05:03:35 +0800

I came across your Chung Hua Home Page listed among the Webby Awards web sites.  I hope you will help disseminate to your Spectrum readers about a matter of great concern to all of us. Several countries have recently been devastated by massive floods and I hope we can avoid such calamity here in the Philippines. We don't really know what will happen when La Niña comes and we wouldn't want to regret not doing anything when the time comes. I have talked with some people in our barangay; they've started a declogging project in our area. But it needs a lot of cooperation. The project would not succeed if we don't cooperate since flood water won't pass smoothly on drainage and esteros if other areas remain clogged.  We must act collectively as conscientious citizens in taking care of our environment. The government may help but only up to some extent.  So let's start contributing our share to make our country a better place to live in.

Sharon W. Que, Manila, Philippines
sharonq@mnl.cyberspace.com.ph

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

Being startled by Loloy Tan's hello on the phone (still snaps that distinct Eddie Ilarde resonance) after all these decades of disconnection was nothing to write home about when matched against the wondrous pleasure of hugging greetings and swapping high fives with the Australian legend himself, under the backdrop of Buffalo's sunset. His guttural laughs, folksy pitches, goofy energy and "adulation" of Chinese-Japanese buffet were as Eddie as before, except for the supplementary modifiers "more rabid."  Being a host to a cherished colleague who's been on my desirable missing persons list was indeed wholly gratifying and psychotherapeutic. How he cultivated a head of vibrant hair growth, rehashed the extinct ode of adolescence in laser-like precision, displayed a gait devoid of any hints of the familiar pang of arthritic pain, and managed to layer an extra flesh around the waistline without dislocating the body's center of gravity are beyond me. Could these be adverse effects of Viagra? Nah, this manly chemical enhancer of glandular hydraulics has only front effects!

To Louie (a hip and footloose Loloy), your Buffalo sojourn did thaw remnants of our Iligan escapades when we were both nursing our crops of acne and buffering the ecstatic powerhouses of our testosterone, some of which replayed only after you sped away: Your being an ever-reliable basketball two-pointer on the sideline; the Lola Basiang tale of how "Balbal" was affixed in your file; your cooing passion over an angelic lass who breathed from across the old LCHS campus; your flash of insensitivity to hordes of precocious, hormonal girls who had your number in their fertile and fevered fantasies . To Lillian (Louie's beloved) and troop: I appeal to the power above to bless us very soon with another chance encounter in the land of the Bills and chicken wings, way before we age into old grumps who'd slam meals with the impotent grips of false dentures.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

We stayed in Orlando, Florida for seven days. The first and the last were spent at Universal Studios with 2nd day free admission. And in between, we visited Epcot (which we missed on our first trip 18 years ago when it was still under construction) and the newly opened Animal Kingdom of Disneyworld. We made a side trip to Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, less than an hour's drive from our hotel. Unlike in the theme parks, everything here at the Space Center is for real. Space Shuttles are being launched here every few months. Yet I was disappointed when I saw a real moon rock. It looked very ordinary. I thought I had seen it before at the corner of our old bathroom in Iligan which we used for rubbing dirt off our skin.

The attractions at Universal Studios were more enjoyable to me. Perhaps it was because we are already familiar with their hit movies such as Earthquake, Twister, King Kong, Back To The Future, The Terminator, E.T., and many others. A pavilion is dedicated to the king of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The audience here is treated to a filming of the shower scene in "Psycho." Only this time there were more twists and turns with a member of the audience in the role played by Anthony Perkins. Our senses here were totally being tricked, especially our eyes. A sudden jolt of our seats by a few inches would frighteningly signal our minds that we were being hurled into outer space. In many of the shows, it was well demonstrated that the technique of 3-D has almost been perfected. The images were so clear and sometimes were just so scary close!

It was really very hot with temperature soaring well above 100 degrees (F). And the queue to every show was just very long, sometimes taking even an hour. These theme parks in Orlando have devised giant electric fans with water being sprayed around them creating water vapor in the somewhat never ending zigzag line. It was a great temporary relief. After a while it became so tiresome. But sometimes I just didn't mind at all as I was lucky to be queuing up right behind some sexy girls with model-perfect body and beauties with only little covering on top and a pair of micro short pants as if fresh from the beach! Heat wave had its advantage too.

For the other 2 days, we devoted these to the favorite theme parks of my wife and her sister. Here we went rolling and sliding! These parks are called Factory Outlets where we roll our money and slide our credit cards! Shopping is always women's paradise which I still could not comprehend. And while they are at it, time and hunger were all but forgotten. We always went separate ways to avoid arguments. Somehow I always would drift toward the food court when hungry. And my eyes would always scan for shops with Chinese characters for there would always be some chicken teriyaki or honey ones stabbed with toothpicks free for my pickings. A few trips to these food shops and my hunger would be pacified. They say the USA is the land of the free. It is also the land of milk and honey. For me, this is the land of "free honey chicken"!

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

Fall or Autumn (Ch'iu) arrived officially on Sept. 23.  It is my favorite season. On Bunn Hill as the nights lengthen, the green leaves of some deciduous (from a Latin root meaning "to fall off") trees change to orange, brown, gold, and fiery red. It is a magical and beautiful display of colors. It takes my breath away. I walk instead of jog to absorb the beauty around me. In a few weeks, the leaves will die and fall, leaving the trees looking bare and dead, ready to burst into life next Spring. All of this is in preparation for winter to minimize or prevent damage from cold. Plant cells switch from the production of chlorophyll for growth, to the production of sugars and amino acids, which act as antifreeze for plants. Chemicals in the leaves are drawn into the stems and eventually into the roots.  In contrast, the evergreens, e.g. pine trees, stay green all year.

I  love the cool misty mornings, the colorful foliage, the falling leaves, the luster in the sky, the cold nights and the clothes of fall.  It is the time for pumpkins, blooming chrysanthemums, apple picking, Halloween, and influenza shots.  It is also the time for field mice to venture into my garage and build their nest in the heater fan compartment of my Toyota truck.  Two years ago, a mechanic found 6 acorns (oval nut, the fruit of the oak tree) stored in the compartment. Toyota design defect?  I must remember to park my truck outside the garage!

We return to Eastern Standard Time on Oct. 25th (we gain an hour). We lost an hour in the Spring when we went on Daylight Savings Time. I do not like this changing of the time!

This week is also the time when the full moon is at its biggest and brightest and when the Midautumn Festival is celebrated in China. This morning, I saw the moon glistening with the beautiful Chang-E and her pet rabbit.  The moon looked unreal, unnatural, just hanging there, ready to be plucked. Awesome!

According to the Wall Street Journal, moon cakes, meant to commemorate the Midautumn Festival have become more of a bother than a bounty in China's bigger cities.  It used to be a prized gift, a rare treat that would keep well into the icy winter months when most people subsisted on cabbage. Food is so plentiful now that the cakes get passed from person to person until the festival ends - and the last one holding the cakes has to eat them or quietly throw them away.  Traditions!

Shakespeare wrote:  "The teeming autumn, big with rich increase."

Come and enjoy the spectacular show!

By Henry L. Yu, M.D.,  Batch '69

Edna Tan Chona - The bedimpled naive girl who was my classmate, too, both in English and Chinese classes since Grade I. A girl of few words.
Richard (Hon Tok) Lim - He was my classmate in English since Grade I.  He was one class ahead of me in Chinese. A very active member of the Student Council; a Math wizard.
Benito Tiu - He was that guy with sticky Tancho pomade in his hair.  Well groomed and neat looking, chubby, and indisputably handsome, who didn't graduate with us.  He transferred to another school when we were in first year high school. He was the son of the manager of London Biscuit.
Elizabeth (Yu Bin) Lim - She was our first honor in our Chinese class. Naive and intelligent. She cried a river on that night of my despidida party at the house of Alex Handumon when the song "Am I That Easy to Forget?" was being played.  She was regal in many ways.
Felicitas Ly - She was the daughter of the owner of Hong Kong Restaurant who always brought food to school.  The number one enemy of Josefina Lim.  I was a witness to one of their sampalan & sabunutan blues one early morning when we were in Grade V under Miss Demeterio.
Guido Samson - A cute, debonaire, clean-cut guy who was one class behind us in Chinese and English.  I remember his Aguinaldo hairstyle and his frail-looking complexion, and his perfect set of teeth.
Gloria (Ki Dian) Tecson - She was our third honor in Chinese.  Together with Jane Sy, Shirley Co, Sio Hua Vy and Elizabeth Lim, they formed an inseparable group.  A volleyball player, majorette, declaimer and star dancer.  We often went to their swimming pool at their Tibanga residence or played pelota with Alex Handumon and Rene Tio at LCHS in the early 70s. She is the daughter of the owner of Lanao Arkay Radio located then at Cabili Avenue, along with siblings Victor, Delfin, and Cristina.
Shirley Co - Also a volleyball star and a majorette.  She was one of those who loved to dedicate songs over radio station DXIC, and one of the danceable girls during jam sessions to the tune of "Black is Black," "Diamond Ring," and other hits of the era. (Continued next week)

By Alex S. Rodriguez, M.D., Batch '65

It is a fairly common kidney disease among children but can also affect adults. The most important point about this disease is that it will result to end-stage renal failure and one is hooked up to hemo or peritoneal dialysis (artificial kidney machine) for the rest of his/her life unless a kidney transplant is done. I have seen some of my friends' children who had positive laboratory findings but sometimes misdiagnosed because of one's inexperience in such a condition. Most people are not aware of what is going on when this disease sets in nor is the patient.

It is a glomerular (kidneys' filtering apparatus) disease that usually occurs 2 weeks after a streptococcal infection of the pharynx (sore throat) or, less commonly the skin (noka-noka). Now, remember that it involves certain bacteria, which is the Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococcus, to produce this disease to the kidneys. It is not during the active infection but after the infection. The bacteria will secrete toxins that will initiate an immune response in the body forming an antigen-antibody complex which will attack the kidney cells and destroy them.

Clinically, it is characterized by an abrupt onset of hematuria whether seen grossly as reddish or blood tinged urine or microscopic hematuria (presence of blood in the urine). It is usually associated with edema (panghupong) and hypertension. Then the patient feels normal again. For somebody who does not know this disease, one will dismiss the condition as insignificant because the renal failure will gradually progress unnoticed and the course is subtle. The end stage renal failure will develop for years until nothing could be done to reverse the process. The worse part of the situation is the diagnosis of renal failure because it is end stage and there is nothing that one can do to cure it.

Treatment and prognosis: Over 95% of children recover spontaneously and respond to short course of steroid therapy. The recovery rate is lower among adults. In small minority of cases, the disease may develop into rapidly progressive glomeruloneprhitis. The lesson we have to learn here is that early diagnosis is essential when the disease is treatable and reversible.

My advice is do not take blood in the urine lightly whether macroscopic (can be seen by the naked eyes) or microscopic after a sore throat or skin infection, check it out with your nephrologist (kidney specialist). Hemodialysis is no joke in the pocket and even peritoneal dialysis.

Of Art & Morality

"All artists are eccentric in varying decrees.  The range is very wide: from the highest sense of morality to the lowest.  But morality then is another thing. It is the standard set by society. And what is a society but a bundle of "wise heads" that constitute a form of insanity exactly tuned with the times?  In a society, people learn - or are forced to learn - to sacrifice themselves to conform with the norm.  And morality is a norm.  Hence, morality can be equated with conformity.  It is just the same face behind another mask."  -- Victor L. Chiu, Batch '65  (quoted from the Spectrum, November 1969)

With the onset of other health professions, other nursing functions can be extended to them, like the Surgical Technicians, who assist the surgeon during an operation; the Respiratory Therapist, who performs respiratory care to tracheotomy patients.  These other branches of the health team help ease the workload of the RN.  Not bad, after all, for a back breaking hospital duty.

As the 21st century approaches, the demands of nursing profession require us to be abreast of new developments in meeting the needs of our diverse clientele. To be competitive, certification in special areas of training or experience like in the Intensive Care Unit, Medical Surgical, to Rehabilitation, etc., is an edge to the job market.

Advanced studies are now available in the field of Informatics, where nursing and computers will be working hand in hand; to the Nurse Practitioner, in the  areas of Adult Care, Family Practice, etc., to diagnosing/prescribing medications to their client; to the Nurse Anesthesiologist, giving anesthesia to the operative patient during surgery; to the First Assist, suturing the post surgical wound of their post operative client..

Nursing will be more redefined according to one's special areas of expertise in the next millennium.

(EDITORS' NOTE: Carlo Bodiongan, Rn., C.,  is a Registered Nurse, Certified in Geriatrics, based in New Jersey, U.S.A.  He was editor of the Plumblossom, student publication of LCHS in 1989.)