INTERNET NEWSLETTER OF THE ALUMNI OF LANAO CHUNG HUA SCHOOL
Vol. II - No. 34, December 7, 1998, Iligan City, Philippines

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Mrs. Tee Shu vde. de Ho Kim Sing, known to many as "Sowa", marked her 76th birthday on Dec. 4 with a dinner party at the Picazzo Fine Dining, Dynasty Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City. Her children, James, Otay, Lily, Dodong, Rene, and Tata, with Gloria (Baby Dako), were all on hand to usher in her new friends in CdeO and old friends from Iligan who attended the party. The Fishers of Men, an all-male Christian Chinese businessmen singing group, enlivened the affair with Christmas carols in acapella as this year's celebration falls in December (her birthday follows the Chinese calendar). Happy birthday and may the Good Lord bless you!

More scholarship donors

The LCHS Alumni Association recently released the list of additional donors to the LCHS-AA Scholarship Fund.  The latest donors are: Mr. Sy Chu Pin - P10,000; Mrs. Matea DyChuTee - P5,000; Mr. Robert DyChuTee - P5,000; and Mrs. Maria "Iyay" Cu - P10,0000.

Ernie Yu comes to town

Dr. Ernesto L. Yu (Batch '65), Spectrum New York-based columnist, arrived in Cebu City last Dec. 1, still as boyish looking and as witty as ever. Together with his wife, Dr. Verna Yap Yu, Ernie is in town for the Silver Jubilee celebration of his CIM Batch '73 on the occasion of the CIM alumni homecoming. He had several speaking engagements before medical practitioners and CIM alumni last Dec. 4 to 6.  He leaves with his wife Verna for the latter's hometown of Dumaguete City on Dec. 7 for a week's stay.  They will be back for another week in Cebu before returning to the U.S.A. on Dec. 17. He can be reached at the residence of Dr. Henry Yu in Cebu City, Tel. No. (32) 254-1413.

Time to plan for our grand reunion
 Fri, 27 Nov 1998 12:55:42 -0700

With the year 2000 just around the corner, I think the time is ripe for our Alumni Association to start planning ahead for the proposed Grand Reunion 2000.  It may also be timely for the Spectrum to re-run our series of discussion on the matter published in the March 1998 issues of the Spectrum. This will enable our alumni officers to assess our suggestion of holding the grand reunion in the month July or August in the year 2000.  Since we now have more subscribers receiving the Spectrum's hard copy in Iligan, we may be able to generate more discussion this time among fellow alumni.

Peter C. Dy (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
pdy@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca

Friends forever

Relatives, brothers and sisters are the family we are born with. But friend are the family we choose. Friendship brings extraordinary comfort and joy to our lives. Best friends go a step further. They are there not only to celebrate our happiness, but to cushion our pain ...  "One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aims." --By Henry Brooks Adams, as quoted by Mike Lee (Batch '66), Edmonton, Canada

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

Dub it as a classic case of a foreign bug that has been ambling for years in a planet that has more wide spaces than cars and people; and, in a snap, wakes up in a locale that features a flood of humanity and fuming cluster of spastic Toyotas in a constricted avenue that has no rooms to swing elbows or to stride leisurely without being stunned by piercing symphonies of blowing car horns amplified along stinky diesel fuel residues. This is my first impression of Cebu's traffic scenario. My heart flutters every time I garner the requisite machismo to glide with jaywalkers who attempt to beat snaking jeepneys that have minds of their own. Nevertheless, today, being the ever adaptable learner of new lifestyle, I made it to the other intersection with only a drop of anguished sweat, hanging firm faith on my fine reflexes that dare to commune with the rabid stares of  fidgety motorists with "imbecile" tattooed on their foreheads

It is soothing, after an exhausting 18 hours of flying time, to be back in the motherland, to perceive a whiff of my youth and to savor genuine hand grips with old chums who are, like me, getting "extinct  beyond recognition." Obviously, telephone and e-mail communications can't surpass a face to face barter of friendly compliments and "diluted shocking truths" (Gosh, did you have chemotherapy to bomb out your scalp? Instead of, "Gosh, you are hopelessly bald!").

Cebu reflects the sensation and concentrated glows that leading travel magazines in America have been raving about. A visual lift and thrill:  there is no acre of city land that has been spared by the massive infrastructure spurts and active urban renewal that are currently brewing in this economically mature island. Upscale shopping malls, superlative eateries, first-rate hotels, and pristine beaches wave tempting come-ons that can strangle your pockets without any second thoughts. Indeed, it is a paradise that legitimately deserves the tag "Fantasy Island." Wonder if this five-star rating wraps around its equation the "alluring strangers in the night" along Junquera Street that I used to hear about as a college preppy. Will check with Spectrum's curious duo, Charles and Henry, who monitor, no doubt, this touchy matter!

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

It was Sunday - August 30, we woke up late after a good night's sleep with a cooler weather. Our first day tour of Ontario was to Niagara Falls which took us two and half hours' drive to reach, courtesy of our hosts and guides Josie and Tessie. We first toured a place close by called Niagara At The Lake. It was a quaint village reminiscent of a bygone era. Except for the modern cars on the streets, the place looked just like a flashback to the Victorian times. From the horse-drawn carriages to the lampposts. And colorful flowers were everywhere. The atmosphere was just like the main street of Disneyland! Everyday thousands of tourists invade this little picturesque village. After a couple of hours here, we proceeded to our main destination, which was the world famous Niagara Falls itself. We drove for another 30 minutes and there it was teeming with tourists!

The place looked like a giant crack of earth separating Canada and USA by about 250 meters apart. And from the American side, the water of Lake Erie just kept coming down which forms the very wide semi-circular cataract of Niagara Falls. From a distance I could hear its rumbling and see the floating cloud of mist created by its awesome force. We even went down and took the boat ride which brought us very close to the gigantic wall of million galloons of falling water. We were issued raincoats as the condition there was just like in the middle of a rain storm. It was a spellbinding sight indeed! I was told that Viagra means "vigor of Niagara."

It was already about 8 p.m. when we left the falls and crossed once again the USA boundary. It was an easy crossing. The border guards did not even check thoroughly our Aussie passports. Once again the road signs were in miles instead of kilometers. About half an hour later we arrived at the suburb of Buffalo. I reckoned it was an upscale section of town as the houses were relatively more beautiful and bigger. I was so happy to see our prolific writer of "Dateline Buffalo," Dr. Ernie Yu, who had been waiting for us since early evening.  But I was even more surprised to see him. He has not aged! He still looked the same boyish Dodong whom I last saw 30 years ago. Had he discovered the fountain of youth? After a quick introduction to his lovely wife Verna, we were then invited to their convenient "kitchen" which was just a block away for a Chinese buffet. We were still having dinner after the restaurant's closing time.

When we were back at the Yus' place, we had a mini tour of their elegant 5-bedroom Tudor style mansion which was only occupied by the couple at that time. The house was decorated with many beautiful pictures which I first thought were bought somewhere from an expensive photo gallery. I was really impressed when I learned that they were taken by Ernie himself. He studied photography through correspondence and he has his own darkroom down in his very spacious basement. He has won a few photo awards in some very prestigious competitions. We stayed until a little past midnight. Ernie invited us to stay overnight the next time around. Perhaps another "Ambush - Australian Style" someday.

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

It was very nice to hear from Jeanne Nacague Te concerning my "Little Blue Pill Handle with Care" Viagra article.  Thanks Jeanne.

Hello to my brother Engineer Calix (Haipin, Siopao) Tan and his family in Iligan.

Black Friday (USA) is the Friday after Thanksgiving (the last Thursday in November).  It's the busiest shopping day in America and heralds the start of the holiday season.   It is the Friday of the season in which most retail financial ledgers either go "black" or "red". Merchants either make it or break it with the sales of the holiday season. Shopping malls are packed with people, newspapers are filled with sales flyers.  Stores open early and close late. It is the capture by the capitalist market mentality of a season that at one time primarily celebrated the birth of Christ. The "X" in Xmas may symbolize the eXile of Christ from Christmas.

I am not against the commercial aspects of Christmas if we remember  "Peace on Earth Goodwill to Men".

Warning to airborne travelers. Viagra (sildenafil) inhibits an enzyme in the retina (eye) thus causing transient abnormal vision, usually a color tinge or increased sensitivity to light. There maybe a difficulty in distinguishing blue from green. There was a recent and as yet unexplained air crash where a Viagra prescription bottle was found with the dead pilot's name on it.  He could have died of a heart attack unrelated to V.  But you might still want to check more than the pilot's flying record.  "Excuse me Captain, have you taken Viagra within the last 6 hours?"

A distressing and embarrassing side effect of the blue pill is priapism (persistent erection).  It may last for more than 4 hours in which case one should seek prompt medical attention.

Latest cigarette pack warning:  "Impotence".  For years, scientists have been warning that smoking can contribute to impotence as well as sterility problems in men.  In California, an anti-smoking campaign launched in June includes a commercial showing a cigarette drooping limply.  The message: "Cigarettes.  Still Think They're Sexy?" Perhaps more fearsome than lung cancer to some.

Enough.

Till next time.

Facing the kiosk of the old Iligan plaza was the Rizal Monument, where a full-size statue of a dignified Jose Rizal stood atop a huge pedestal set within a small rotunda.

Rizal Monument.  Second to the kiosk, this was where we spent a great part of our playtime at the park.  The pedestal upon which our hero stood was a four-sided structure, each side of which was layered with thick slab of white marble.  The front panel bore the inscription: Jose P. Rizal, Patriota y Martir, Por El Pueblo de Iligan, Lanao. Which gives us a fairly accurate hint that the monument was erected during the Spanish colonial period, or shortly thereafter.

It was a magnificent structure, a fitting tribute to the martyrdom of the boy from Calamba, Laguna.  Little wonder, therefore, that the monument also became the ideal site for boys like us to act out our own brand of heroics.  Our afternoons at the park were never complete without a game or two of catch-me-if-you-can around the structure.  The fun involved clambering up the monument and chasing down each other around the narrow ledge of the pedestal.  It was quite a hazard.  Once in a while, a few of us were bound to trip and fall, and bring home a few slight bruises on an arm or a leg.  But what the heck!  We were playing with our national hero. How else could we be bound for glory if we trooped home unscathed?

The Fountain.  Another fixture of the old plaza was the fountain facing the rear part of the kiosk.  Surrounding this fountain was a pond adorned with water lilies. When they were in bloom, the water lilies were sights to behold. Dotting the pond were figurines of herons (or were they flamingos?) and frogs, each one set on top of a concrete base.  On Sundays, or week nights, the fountain teemed with promenaders around it.  Some just lazing around.  Others found comfort by lounging on the pavement of its rim.  There was a time when visitors, desirous to make a wish come true, threw coins into the fountain. Stalking right behind them, however, was a band of boys who would just as promptly hop into the pond to retrieve and pocket the coins as soon as the visitors turned their back. The magic of the fountain really worked wonders to make a wish come true.  The boys' wish, not the visitors'.

At certain  hours when the fountain was less populated, this virtual oasis in the park became the setting for us to match raw guts with juvenile derring-do. We chased each other down by clinging perilously to the ledge of the fountain's inner rim.  The daredevils among us evaded the reach of the pursuer by leapfrogging across the pond to the base of the fountain.  Which was no mean feat.  A few of those who tried to follow suit often  landed short of the distance and plunged instead right into the pond with a resounding splash.  The frogs in the pond could only laugh at our display of human clumsiness with their croaks of amusement.  (Next & final chapter: Tragedy in the Park)

Before applying for the VISASCREEN certificate, the applicant must undergo an English test. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) have been recognized by INS as being "approved testing services" for competence in the English Language. This means that the tests administered by ETS or MELAB are acceptable to INS. It should be stressed that the applicant must complete the three sets of exams under the ETS service with the following scores:

Test Of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL); Paper-based 540, Computer-based 207, Test of Written English (TWE): 4.0; Test Of Spoken English (TSE): 50. While the MELAB final score must be 79; Oral interview: 3+.  Nurses who have graduated from a college, university or professional training school located in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom (England), and the United States, are exempt from the English language requirement.

The interim regulations become effective on December 14, 1998. The interview dates of the nurses for the immigrant visa will be dependent on the priority dates on their notice of approval, the current backlog of their respective countries and the number of applicants applying for that certain visa category. For more information and the complete interim regulation, please e-mail me: lai@iligan.com 

1995 - December.  I used to have a small store along Aguinaldo St., Iligan City. After two years, it was destroyed by a big fire that hit Aguinaldo St. on the fateful night of Dec. 22, 1995. The fire totally burned down my store together with the other establishments on that street. I was left with nothing.

1996 - January.  No business, no money, no job; house and lot mortgaged to the bank.

1996 - February.  I was abandoned by my Filipino husband, who left me with nothing whatsoever to support my two children, aged 17 and 14.

1996 - May.  Siansi Olay called my sister Juanita Jo and asked her if I would like to work at Lanao Chung Hua School as an assistant teacher to the teachers from Xiamen. I called up Siansi Olay to inform her that I was interested in the job.  Immediately, she advised me to see Mr. Sy Chu Pin for an interview, and after that I went to see Mr. Henry Siao for another interview. He then told me that I was hired and so I started working right away.

1998 - December. Next year will be my 3 years in LCHS, my alma mater.  I love this job a lot. Through this job, I was able to gain more friends  in the person of my co-teachers, staff members, and of course, my students. All of these I owe to our Savior, God Jesus, and to my Siansi Olay, who was my teacher in my elementary days.

Now it is already Christmas time. I already have a job, money in my pocket, and my house and lot are no longer mortgaged to the bank.

To you, Siansi, I really don't know how to thank you. Words are not enough to convey my thanks and gratitude for the help you gave me when I was down and in dire need of a job that would help me and my family.  I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I will pray for your health and happiness always.  God bless and more power to you and my alma mater, LCHS.