Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 3, No. 19, November 29, 1999, Iligan City, Philippines FACULTY UPDATE John Liu recovers from brain surgery John "Lao Kiat" Liu, former LCHS teacher, is back in his teaching job at the St. Peter the Apostle School, Paco, Manila. He was hit by a speeding jeepney while crossing the street in Manila sometime last August. He underwent a grueling six-hour surgery to remove a blot clot in his brain. The operation was a success. He is now back to the single most cherished career of his life - teaching.  Meanwhile, he sends his congratulations to a former LCHS colleague, Kho Siok Wee, on her recent award as one of the outstanding overseas Chinese teachers in the Philippines. Photo shows John Liu with his LCHS students in 1962. Left to right: Lydia Sy; Elsa Ang; Corazon So; Elita Ong; John Liu; Wilson Lao; Elisa Uy; Nelly Co; Leoncia Sy; and Victoria Go. Inset photo shows Mr. Liu with his family in 1994.

EDITORIAL STAFF Charles O. Sy, Editor Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor Correspondents: Iligan - Johnny Chen, Alfred Lai II, 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 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 35 WEEKS to Grand Homecoming

The Dept. of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) will pour in P465 million for the concreting of the 97-km. Iligan-Aurora road. The project, set to start next year, includes the construction and repair of 26 bridges along the highway traversing the towns of Kauswagan, Bacolod, Kolambugan and Tubod. The DPWH is currently constructing an overpass in the vicinity of MSU-IIT in Tibanga. A school building is also being built at the Tomas Cabili Barangay High School, while eight more will soon be constructed in the city.

New Spectrum subscribers

More alumni have recently been added to the Spectrum mailing list. The latest additions are Jerumae Lee, Iligan; John Arthur Samson (Batch '99), Iligan; Jessita Leonar Williams, Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada; Clark Lai (Batch '98), Cebu; Bryan Bruce Lai (Batch '94), Cebu; Newton Siao (Batch '57), San Diego, Calif., U.S.A.; Sally T. Vy (Batch '99), Manila; Lucio Choa Tan (Batch '67), Cagayan de Oro; Anthon Louie Te (Batch '99), Cebu; Kho Siok Bin Yamamoto, San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.; and Janet Chun Uy (Batch '87), Iligan.

Reviving old memories
Tue, 23 Nov 1999 20:03:33 -0800

What a great thing it will be to have a school reunion! I envy you to be able to meet all those old friends again. I'm sure you'll have a great time. I should think it will be quite a chore getting all the folks together, but I guess with perseverance you will succeed. Memories are one of the great things in one's life as you get older. Old photographs are priceless pieces of such memories. I hope you'll have such photos too among the highlights at your reunion. May you all have a super time reliving the fond memories, and get to see lots of the friends of the distant past, and that they are in good health so they can enjoy the fellowship to the fullest.

Robert Myers, San Obispo, California, U.S.A., rmyers@silcom.com

That was a juicy gluttonic crack Ernesto Yu dished out for Thanksgiving in his recent article (Spectrum, Nov. 15, 1999). The scene behind his home facade makes good material for a TV sitcom. Congratulations, Ernie, for the attempt to be the home chief cook. Luckily your downgrading had you instead upgraded (by mistake?) to be the home or rather the kitchen manager, with a ragtag bunch of cohorts playing your caprices. After all, it is Thanksgiving and in America, it's a solemn family affair which can translate to the children's wish of getting the parental nod to beef up their allowances. May the Yu dynasty reigns forever.

Rene Tio (Batch '70), Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, fishers@cdo.weblinq.com

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

What makes rattles out of kneecaps or violin notes out of the rhythmic pacing of one's heart? Choose from the following:  (A) Hello from comrades of the old world; (B) Christmas card in mid November; (C) Both A & B; (D) None of the above. Pardon me if the above question-format revives some sweaty college exams where you have to make tough, sink-or-swim choices that would either let you do the galloping strides of successful graduates or be dragged into a repeat performance in a classroom filled with new classmates but handled by the same teacher-devil with a crucifying smile.

Last week, my adrenaline surge was propelled to an astounding height when I received a phone call from two Iliganon schoolmates - Terry Racines and Elsa Lagrosas - who have found leisure time to waste away in the States. The surviving hair follicles on my crown curled from the pleasant surprise! Mind you, I have not heard from the duo ever since Julie London hit it big with "The End of the World" and Elvis convulsed in "Jailhouse Rock." They were both in New York City and were wondering how far is my hiding place. "A good 10 hours by bus or train, one hour by plane," I calmly replied. They must have dislocated a jaw joint because after their big scream of "What!" utter silence escorted the exclamation point. I could just visualize the stunned look in their faces: "You mean in order to unroll Erin's wrinkles, we need to cross 600 miles one way?" Sadly, they were not the very first ones to be jarred by such lesson in geography. Most tourists-friends assume that I'm just around the block as I carry a New York State label.

At any rate, I gathered first-hand info on how the committee members of our Millennial Reunion, lead by the ever boyish Suniel "Boy" Lim, are flapping their wings to insure a momentous assembly for all alumni; how Fe "Guat Ching" Quimbo, stellar matriarch of the three MJs, dedicates quality hours in LCHS affairs. We recounted our lovely days as adolescents: The girls (Aida, Charmaine, majorettes...) who set our hearts to flutter with their melting glances; the crew-cut boys (Robert "Toto" and Edwin "Patti" Co...) who are now prime movers in the business community. We touched on Terry's addiction to numerical stuffs as a Math professor in MSU and Elsa's temporary - three blissful months! - farewell to medical science. Capturing theeir voices after 30 years was enough to drive me nostalgia-crazy. Heaven knows how much I wished they'd stomp on the red carpet welcome that I have spread specially for their visit, even for a few hours of nothing but a quick recycling of weathered memories down the ancient LCHS lanes - the crossing through Baslayan Creek, the aroma of fresh bread from Elite Bakery, the sterile smell of Sacred Heart Hospital. I even sweetened the pie by charmingly enumerating the major sights and sounds in Buffalo (other than me, of course): Chicken wings that will twist any taste buds and cause coronaries to moan; Niagara Falls in its splendor and uniqueness during the Fall season. I guess it was a blessing in disguise that we didn't savor the chance encounter to trade live hellos and hugs: The following morning, Buffalo's weather dipped into freezing point. I would have preserved two frozen Pacific Islanders. Definitely, they would be prized trophies in any house. But, I prefer them to be entertaining, not ice chilled martinis!

The other unanticipated joy was a Christmas card that caught me off guard, in mid November when I'm still oblivious of the jingle bells and winter wonderland of my surrounding. Omigod! It's that time of the year again to do some holiday shopping; to compete with a swarm of bargain hunters and mall rats for parking spaces; to rub elbows with Santa's clones who give you a health perspective on how your mid-section would balloon out if you gobble junk food recklessly. Indeed, it was an uplifting Yuletide greeting that shook me off from my unconscious refusal (?) to have a decorated pine tree in the living room. What was so dramatic about this paper-cheer was the fact that it came from a dear friend who has an amazing way of painting a night into a day by adjusting her brush and palette to the time zone factor. Then again, perhaps anything that jogs from her remote paradise is considered an energy booster, a friendly persuasion that reminds me not to ever let the sun catch me crying in the morning. Perhaps.

By the way, using a Mongol pencil #2 (imported!), I aced the test from the standpoint of emotional resonance.

By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

Last November 14 was the birthday of my uncle Henry Dy.  Let's just skip the how old part because honestly I don't know either.

They say that a good wine takes years to become perfect.  I think like a good wine, this uncle of mine who I call "si- ko" has probably come of age.  Or as the saying goes, he's been "aged to perfection."

You might be wondering why, or you might be thinking that I'm just saying this to make sip-sip or because I need a favor or I need some money, but sorry it's none of the above.  This is just something most of us cousins have observed.

When we were kids, around 6 or 7, the mere sight or the mere sound of si-ko's voice would send us ducking to the nearest exit.  We couldn't even casually mention his name for fear that he was just within hearing distance.  Whenever we saw him it was always wiser to go the opposite direction than meet him face-to-face.

Thinking back, I really couldn't figure out what brought about this si-ko phobia.  Maybe it's just that back then he was always in a hurry.  We were afraid that he might tell us to do something and because fear usually overtook our hearing we ended up not understanding a word he said.  Everything he said would sound German or French to us.  Then we were even afraid to ask him to repeat his instructions.  If we turned around to ask anyone if they heard it, chances are there was nobody else brave enough to stand near him.

These past several years we've noticed a big change in him.  How he seems to have more time.  We're just shocked that unlike before, he is now approachable, he has time to listen, or rather to ask questions. That means he's aware that you exist and that he's aware of what's been happening to our lives.  My two sisters think so, too.

So as late as this may seem and as short as this may seem, I hope that I'd be able to convey the message that on behalf of all my cousins, we wish him more birthdays ahead and we want to thank him for showing that he cares.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

If ever there is something that I am really annoyed of in this decade, it is about this business of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS that has gone out of control. I don't know about it's impact in the Philippines as we are not actually an English speaking country. But being a predominantly Catholic nation, I am sure many must have heard about the attempt to change the wordings of "The Lord's Prayer" so that it would conform with the trendy movement of offending no one and staying sex neutral.

So the prayer should now start as "Our Parent, who...". I could no longer remember how they tried to change the word "kingdom". It could not be "queendom" either.

Chairman is gone. It is now Chairperson. The word actress was dropped a few years ago and everyone was referred to as actor whether male or female. Are we going to hear "personslaughter" instead of "manslaughter"? And so many more that the English language has become a strange landscape full of land mines of political correctness.

Now here comes this obscure local government close to the capital of England - City of London, banning the word "Christmas".  According to the local ordinance, the word is no longer politically correct as it may offend some of its residents who belong to a cultural minority groups and may have some other religious beliefs. So instead of Christmas, the ordinance decreed that the word "festive" is the right one to use. Festive Tree, Festive Season, Festive Lights, Festive Card and so on. Can you believe that? And how do they greet each other? "Merry Festive"? Somewhat awkward and redundant.

A public school here was stopped by a court to hold Christmas parties, put some Christmas decorations or a visit by a Santa Claus last year. Why? Because a father of one of the students of the school filed a case against the school administration accusing them of discrimination because he and his daughter were not Christians and don't believe in Christmas and so could not participate in all these Christmas activities. Therefore her daughter studying in that school felt being discriminated. And he won the case! The whole school missed the Christmas spirit last year. This just demonstrated how ridiculous our world has become because of this new invention called political correctness.

That father should visit Iligan during Christmastime and perhaps be shocked to learn how our Maranao brethren also accept Christmas by greeting their Christian friends - "Merry Christmas!"

Yet I have to end this article by congratulating my fellow columnist whom I admire very much - Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, for always giving us her very interesting thoughts straight from her heart. For once I welcome political correctness and I agree with her that "sua-ting" is not the right word but "chiu-ho".

Well, have a "Festive Season"!

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

Lesson #2 - Life is Simple.  What is life?  Time and again, we have asked our lonesome selves this question specially in moments of solitude.  We have come up with several definitions depending upon our moods or situations.

In actuality, life per se is simple.  We come into this world with only a shrill cry as prerequisite that signalled the beginning of life.  From the Delivery Room we were ushered into the Nursery.  We were discharged from the hospital after 2 days.  From then on, it's home sweet home.  Thereafter, we started learning things by observing, imitating, wanting, needing, or dreaming.

The environment or surrounding which we are in is very crucial in one's personality development.  Unconsciously we pick up values or traits and apply or practice them in our own lives.  That starts the ball rolling.  And life is never simple again!

Through keen analysis, it is actually the people who make life per se complicated.  We are given a free choice: To live it simply or in a complicated way.  Just like when we take those exams in school, life is a multiple choice.  We choose the best answer.  We follow the instructions carefully.  No erasures allowed.  Cheating will be dealt with accordingly.

See, life is really simple.  In black and white. But then, as human beings, we tend to want more, more, and more; to dream big, even to the point of dreaming the impossible dream, and make life in accucolor.  And along that line, life becomes complicated.

Again, the choice is all yours.  The earlier you decide, the better.  If you believe that life is simple, then by all means, live simply.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Be contended with what you have.  Be happy with what you are.

Heaven and hell - the real difference

A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell." They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering  was terrible.

"Come, now I will show you heaven," the Lord said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first  - the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well nourished.

"I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"

The Lord smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other." --By Ann Landers from "Chicken Soup for the Soul"

We are pleased to announce the holding of the first ever LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming on August 3-5, 2000 in Iligan City.  All LCHS alumni throughout the world are expected to participate in the 3-day sentimental affair to renew and rekindle sweet memories of their LCHS days and to get acquainted with each other's status and whereabouts.

One of the highlights of this coming nostalgic event is the awarding of Outstanding LCHS Achievers.  This is in recognition of the achievements of exemplary alumni.  More specifically, the award will be given to alumni who have worked hard for their family and society yet still managed to smile and keep a pleasant stance ... those who can be our role models in these changing times ... whom we will crown as Outstanding LCHS Alumni.

Attached herewith, you will find the following:  (1)  Criteria for the search for Outstanding LCHS Achievers; and  (2)  Nomination forms for the said Search.  (Also available on the Internet at the LCHS Grand Homecoming web site: http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/reunion.htm)

We, therefore, invite everybody to spread the news about this unique search and to fill in the nomination forms to recognize and appreciate the efforts and community contributions of your nominees.

Your prompt reply with your nominations and comments shall be greatly appreciated.  If you have any question, please feel free to contact the Secretariat at telephone no. (063) 223-1555.

Every year LCHS sets aside a week for the celebration of its Foundation Day.  This year marks the school's 61st anniversary. LCHS observed the occasion from Nov. 8 to 12 with the theme: Soaring towards academic excellence to meet the challenge of the new millennium.

The five-day festivities reeled off with the first high school search for "Mr. & Ms. LCHS '99." Piscean Mae Aranton (3rd yr.), was crowned "Ms LCHS '99"; with Mae Kimberly Siao (4th yr.), first runner-up; Cheerine Dy (2nd yr.), second runner-up; Katherine Yu (3rd yr.), third runner-up; and Lonielyn Loa, fourth runner-up.  Crowned "Mr. LCHS '99" was Mark Erwin Go (2nd yr.); Jan Emmanuel Lao (2nd yr.), first runner-up; Ryan Lua (4th yr.), second runner-up; Earl Migriño (4th yr.), third runner-up; and Bjorn Kerwick (4th yr.), fourth runner-up.

Special prizes were given to Edwin Go, who won as "Mr. Fuji Film"; and Jean Rose Babatido, "Ms. Fuji Film." Adjudged "Best in Talent" were Earl Migriño and Mae Kimberly Siao. "Best in Ethnic Costume" were Mark Erwin Go and Piscean Mae Aranton. "Best in Formal Wear" were Katherine Yu and Ryan Lua.  "Best in Sports Wear" were Mark Erwin Go and Lonielyn Loa. "Best in Production Number" were Mark Erwin Go and Cheerine Dy.  The panel of judges was headed by Rodolfo Yu, as chairman.

After the first day, the celebration had its opening program in the morning, hosted by Jane Dale Racines and Sheila Vy (3rd yr.). The program had Councilor Henry Dy as guest speaker. Following the program were the flag raising contest and the cheering contest. The winners of the cheering contest were Fourth Year, 1st place; Dream Team, 2nd place; and Third Year, 3rd place.

Ball games were the highlights in the afternoon, which continued until the morning of Nov. 11. In the afternoon of Nov. 11, there were the pop dance and ballroom contests. The winners in ballroom dancing were Jonalyn Dy & Arnil Angkee (Fourth yr.), 1st place; Armi Leslie Te & Jan Emmanuel Lao (Second yr), 2nd place; Jian Leih Racines & Raffy Earl Tan (First yr), 3rd place. Winners in pop dance were Fourth yr., 1st place; Second yr., 2nd place; First yr., 3rd place. Activities on Nov. 12 consisted of the city parade, which began and ended at Kim San & Co. compound. A field demo followed thereafter at the school gym.

The celebration culminated with the cultural show in the evening of Nov. 12. It had special performances such as a ballet dance by Anne Aubrey Oliverio & Lionel Yap (grade VI); group singing and harmonica by 1st & 2nd year students; and a drama by 3rd & 4th year students.

One day a father and his rich family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night at the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"Very good Dad!"
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Yeah!" said the son.
"And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon."

When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!"

Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have agape love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life -- you've got everything! You can't buy any of these things, but still you can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc. But if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!