Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 3, No. 21, December 27, 1999, Iligan City, Philippines CHRISTMAS BASH All set for Christmas party Dec. 30 By Johnny Tamala Chen (Batch '83) The LCHS Alumni Association will hold its annual Christmas party and get-together on Dec. 30, 1999 at the LCHS gym, Pala-o, Iligan City. An array of attractive raffle prizes are at stake.  The major prizes are one unit 21-inch TV set for the 1st prize; one unit 5-cubic foot refrigerator, 2nd prize; and one unit microwave, 3rd prize.  Also in store are 15 consolation prizes.  Raffle tickets are priced at P100 each, the proceeds of which will go to the LCHS-AA Scholarship Fund. LCHS-AA president Arturo Samson is in charge of inviting some former faculty members to grace the affair. Designated chairperson of the committee on food preparation is former LCHS-AA president Dy Sio Te. Portland Cement shuts down Another major manufacturing firm in Iligan temporarily shut down operations in the last week of November "due to continuing substantial losses," affecting 176 employees.  In a press statement, the British-run Blue Circle Philippines, who owns the Mindanao Portland Cement Corp. (MCCP), said that the "slowdown in construction activity in Northern Mindanao and most of the Visayas regions" has badly hurt cement plants in southern Philippines. MPCC became the second major company in this "Industrial City of the South" to close shop in a period of one month. The giant National Steel Corp., which is owned by Malaysian investors, temporarily shut down operations last Nov. 7, putting nearly 2,000 employees out of work a month before Christmas. Aside from MPCC, the British company also owns the adjacent Iligan Cement Corp., which it bought from the Alcantara Group of Companies last July.

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 31 WEEKS to Grand Homecoming

A dream for a Filipino-Chinese Catholic church
(An open letter to the Filipino-Chinese Catholics from the St. Michael Filipino Chinese Catholic Foundation, Inc.)

Inspired by the dedicated members of the San Lorenzo Filipino-Chinese Catholic Community of Cagayan de Oro City and the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit through Rev. Father. Daniel Sormani, essp, the Filipino-Chinese Catholic Community in Iligan City has organized the St. Michael Filipino-Chinese Catholic Community Foundation Inc., which was registered with the SEC on July 29, 1999.

The foundation is a non-profit organization tasked to look after the Filipino Chinese Catholics' moral and spiritual needs through various activities, such as Sunday masses, baptism, confirmations, weddings, memorial services, catechisms, and youth group activities, and at the same time instilling into its members the rich Chinese culture, tradition and values.

In this connection, we would like to humbly ask for the financial assistance of our fellow alumni Catholics for the proposed noble project - a lot and a multi-purpose church, to cost P10 million. To date, donation and pledges have already been received amounting to more than P1.3 million.

We and the coming generation of Filipino-Chinese Catholics in Iligan City will be forever grateful for your kind help. May God bless you and your family in doing God's work and spreading His glory!  --Vy Beng Hong, c/o San Cha Trading, Quezon Avenue, Iligan City, Philippines, Tel. No. 221-5301

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

It gives me a pit in my stomach to entertain the thought that I will be racking up another page to my current dreadful count of fifty breathing years in Planet Earth (Listen, dork, I already included the two that I skipped!). It is such a perfect heaven to attempt to freeze time, a genuine impulse for someone who desires to confront the aging process in all angles and curves except head-on! Guess I have to be as cool as a cucumber and take all those devastating punches right on the chin with a grain of salt. After all, you can't buck hormonal destiny: there are always an alligator skin and drooping eyelids that resurface even for those who bathe in daily showers of cosmetics and layer their exteriors with enough arsenal of age-defying creams to peel wall paint.

Nonetheless, whether you hyperventilate or pinch your head to swivel, another brand new year is here to unfold when both short and long hands of our watches align at 12 midnight Dec. 31. The jarring news is however and whatever timepieces you clock yourself in (top of the line, inexpensive or plain clunker), natives of the Philippine archipelago will forever be hours ahead of the chicken wings hustlers of Buffalo. We are talking a difference of half a day, or 12 BIG hours or 720 LONG minutes. I'll give you a few seconds to digest this sorry and stinky fact before you convulse in fits of temper tantrum for the no-choice regional head start, or gamble away a chunk of your pension money in magic potions for denuded scalp and soggy flesh that could be the sad consequences of having this positive-number time zone advantage. Remember: repetitive groans of dismay has been documented in medical science as a major factor in transforming skin texture into that of prunes! For crying out loud, age is nothing but mere markers along the cavalry of Roman numerals! Take heart. Showcase your mathematician instinct: Rely on subtraction and division parameters (never multiplication or addition) to fog your brain with false security.

As we juice up ourselves with lessons in life, we reach a crossroad where we conclude that this number game is all but in the head. Your best outlook depends heavily on how you comfort yourself in believing that those dark spots on the face and leathery feel of the hands are mirror images of mental maturity. In a give-and-take world, I'm sure you'd favor intellectual glows over physical attributes that eventually sour and be ready for beyond-novena projects that require sandpapers! What grinds life into a delicious morsel of silliness is: There are always squadrons of cheerleaders who will air glorifying comments that you long and cherish to hear night and day ("Holy cow! you look like you just got out of high school."). These are the very rockers of delicate egos who would twinkle with a waltzing compliment ("Thanks. You are as smooth and soft as a lamb yourself."). For each stroke of exhilarating salute, someone is getting back a compensatory pat on the shoulder. Ultimately, it is stunning how your world winds down to propagation of self-worth. There is nothing anomalous in this realm as long as no one gags at your narcissistic tendency by making "the obvious very clear." Meaning: you don't wave your flag too high.

So, we are in the cusp of a new millennium. Another rounds of annual birthdays to celebrate in sorrow and cheers depending on how you wish to score in the playing field. Who cares? Life is a propulsive forward motion. I myself stop by the mirror a few minutes a day for some solitary reflections and a quick chat with my twin - "You are one handsome devil, Charlie Brown." And I tug along this fake badge of pride and confidence all day long.

"Life is a stage of actors. For those who can't act, bless your heart. For those who can carry the role, bless your heart more...” - Ernest O. Yost (recently died with a clown-size smile stretched on his jaws).

By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

We see over-weight kids and teen-agers everywhere. Yes, they used to be cute and lovable babies but not anymore.  As parents, it is our duty to make our children healthy, so we have to distinguish between being healthy and over-weight.  Is being over-weight healthy?

After having raised two toddlers of my own, I finally learned my lesson: That it pays to listen, not only to the small voices but also to their "body language."

Before, I wouldn't let them leave their chairs if they didn't finish their food.  We would both end up getting frustrated.  As a mother, I'm afraid that they might starve if they don't eat enough. The kids on the other hand are telling me that they had enough.  So what seems enough for them may seem not enough for me.  For them a few spoonfuls is enough while for me it has to be the whole plate.

Then there's the issue of what to feed our kids.  We're always told by our elders to feed our kids meat, especially beef, because this is a good source of protein. But why as adults are we told to minimize the intake of this red meat for our heart's sake? As children, are they immune to this cholesterol thing? Should we sacrifice their future health just so they would look chubby and cute today?

My sons are not very fond of beef and pork, they always complain that it's very hard to chew. They'd rather have fish, chicken, or vegetable.  Whenever my mother-in-law sees them eat this way, I'm in for a long "talk" about the benefits of beef.  But even if I want them to eat beef they just couldn't, or rather wouldn't.

Should it take a hammer on the head to realize where we go wrong?  For one, we are talking about their stomach.  So when the kid says he's full, then chances are he is.  Like my second son Justin, whom we labeled as a picky eater.  Because he just seems to taste a little of his food then declares he's full.  But later we realized that he is just being a "sensible" eater because later on after an hour or two he'd go to the kitchen by himself and says, "Mama, tukom ako."  "Tukom" is his own version of "gutom" or hungry.  It just shows that they know when they are hungry.

By letting him eat in the way and in the manner that suits him, which is the "installment basis", doesn't make me an irresponsible mother, does it?  Nor is it making him a malnourished child.  By showing him that you respect his ways he'll also learn to respect yours.  We may start out on two different routes but in the end we are actually heading towards the same destination ... GOOD HEALTH.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

Ho! Ho! Ho! It is Christmas! May you all have a very joyous celebration! And what a very special occasion this is with the 2000 years jubilee for the Christian world.

I just could not imagine Christmas to come in a better time than just a week before the end of every year. It has become a universal practice including those non-Christian believers as a time to share and a time to say hello even if one does that only once in a year!

Yet until this very day, I am still mystified by the power of the Christmas card. Of course, I am always happy to receive such cards from friends and relatives who are afar and away. Ever since I started to be on the Internet, I became converted to e-mail greetings than posting a card with a beautiful stamp affixed on its corner. I know some people would prefer to receive the card with handwritten notes on it than the very impersonal electronic mail, even though how beautiful the moving graphics are with Christmas carols attached to them. But we have to move with the times. We are now in the age of information superhighway. And my e-mail Christmas greetings will be received on the other side of the globe in just a matter of a few seconds! If you think I am giving myself some justifications for not sending any Christmas card this year, you are exactly right! If only I had the foresight of writing Christmas cards, I should have done it in the middle of November so that it will reach you on time. I did not realize that it is now Christmas day. The year 1999 just went by that fast.

During my elementary years, we used to place the Christmas cards we wrote for our classmates at the window sill of the faculty office. Then every morning students would scan the cards and take the ones with their name on it. And I am always surprised as to why my best friend who was seated next to me in class would do that - giving me a Christmas card. When, in fact, he or she could easily greet me personally! A phenomenon which I admit still exists till this very day. I still wondered a lot during our club's Christmas party last weekend, when some of our club members were busy distributing their season's greetings in a form of card inserted into an envelope. What a waste. When shaking of hands or a hug or a kiss could express one's best wishes much much better. But then afterwards, when I came home, I forgot about the handshakes or the hugs and kisses but gladly displayed the cards I received! The cards are there to remind me of my friends and their good wishes.

This brings to my mind a recent revelation of my batch mates - Emma and Gloricita. After a few e-mails, they went back to the old traditional letter writing as their form of communication. There is a very good reason for this. Letter writing is very personalized. It has the direct connection of the person writing it. What would you prefer, an e-mail message or a letter from your love ones? Of course, I will treasure the love letters. It has the sweet smell of perfume plus the expression of longing and missing and loving in her very own distinct handwriting. They are priceless!

Maybe that is the reason why millions of people still prefer sending their handwritten Christmas greeting cards around the world jamming all the post office boxes this time of the year with the timeless message of  MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my Christmas Card to you!

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

In exactly 4 days from today, we shall be bidding farewell to 1999 - the last year of the 20th century. At last, the countdown will soon be over!  Then we shall say hello and welcome the new millennium, the year 2000 - the first year of the 21st century.

As the last page of the calendar is about to be torn, my memories are drifted back to the years of my youth - the so-called hellos and farewells of the distant past.  I remember the many occasions when "goodbyes" were said as well as the "hellos" of yesteryears.  There was farewell to grade school when we graduated from the elementary grades way back in 1965, then we said hello to high school which also had us saying goodbye after four years in 1969. We were then the excited batch of high school graduates so very eager to start college. And so, we said goodbye to high school life, and welcomed college in a city away from Iligan.  After four years, we again said goodbye and welcomed another chapter in our life, and so on and so forth.  In the many years of our life, we uttered this same word over and over again, until such time when we said goodbye to bachelorhood and welcomed family life and parenthood.  Life goes on as a cycle.

How many goodbyes and hellos have we said in the more than four decades on this earth?  So many events happened in our lifetime which made us smile or cry for sentimental reasons.  How many more goodbyes are we going to utter from here on?  It's a matter of time.  I hope this won't be the last yet, not in the tradition of Dr. Jose Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios". Not yet, oh God!

For us kids of the 60s, we are indeed fortunate to have witnessed and be around for the Y2K celebration.  We thank God for the many trials and tribulations that we have surpassed, for good health, for friends along the way, for everything that's light and gay.  We thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed on us, for our beloved alma mater which has made us what we are today, for classmates and friends who have formed part of the fabric of our youth.

Goodbye 1999, welcome 2000! May the new millennium be as beautiful and wonderful just like the past years of our life. With God, I'm sure we all will have peace, harmony, joy, and love filling our world.

A very happy new year to one and all!

Chinese baby

A Chinese couple, Mr. & Mrs. Wong, are about to have their first baby. When the baby comes out, the hair is curly, complexion is black, and eyes are big. So they name him "Sam Ting Wong." --Submitted via cellphone text message by Igdono Caracho (Batch ‘66), Cebu City, Philippines

Oftentimes, we don't know everything about ourselves. We tend to focus on big things: Academic excellence - those medals and awards, full scholarship, board topnotcher, completed graduate studies from the best university in the country! Career achievement - the titles with our names, job promotion, high ranking position, being featured in the newspapers as "one of the top tens" or interviewed on the media. The family name and its heritage along with power and prestige, etc.

But how about the little things - don't they also count? No matter how minute it is, it substantiates and needs to be acknowledged.

There's always something special with every person, something unique that makes us different from one another. Take a good look at yourself in front of a big mirror and ask: Who am I and what am I here for? Unless you'll give it a try to see how far you can fly you'll never be able to find the answers. Our life is a gift from God and what we do with that life is our gift to God.

I had never been an honor student all my school life. I was not a popular girl in campus. I didn't come from an affluent family. I don't speak Chinese very well. I thought I was not good enough until I came out from my shell and crawled out into the farthest distance and explored the new horizon. Life is full of discovery and learning process. Truly, you are the key to your own happiness.

Merry Christmas, everyone, from Texas!

What started with a positive note in the early part of the year did not turn out so well for the Spectrum as 1999 draws to a close.

The year ushered in three new Spectrum recruits, increasing the number of staff members from 12 to 15. Marie Janiefer Lee (Batch '87) joined the Spectrum as a columnist of note. Her column, "Straight from the Heart," features candid insights on the ups and downs of family life.  Her verbal jabs on the whims and caprices of the human race offer added sugar and spice to an already varied menu of column themes provided by Spectrum's seasoned mainstays, namely Henry Yu, Ernesto Yu, Leonardo Tan, Aurora Tansiokhian, and Alex Rodriguez.  Roger Suminguit (Batch '73) and Vinson Ngo (Batch '83), on the other hand, joined the Spectrum's pool of correspondents in Iligan City. Both reinforced our coverage of alumni and community news manned by Spectrum's reportorial squad composed of Igdono Caracho, Terry Racines, Johnny Chen, Alfred Lai II, Peter Dy, and Mike Lee.

The Spectrum list of subscribers increased 43% from 108 to 151 by the last quarter of the year. No mean feat by any measure, considering the limited attention given to the aspect of marketing. Much of the editors' priority has been focused on improving editorial content and the desperate hunt for relevant news.

Contributions from readers have been no less encouraging. The Spectrum continued to receive steady inputs from readers offering a smorgasbord of suggestions as well as commentaries on events involving the LCHS community and other subjects of general human interests. Among the more notable contributors were Marie Josiefel Ello, Jane Dale Racines, Evelyn Go Yu, Rene Tio, Larry Sy, Jesus Dy, Antonio Leo Te, Greg Dy, Fe Quimbo, Roderick Ngo, Dominic Siao, Gloricita Racines, Edmund Samson, Suniel Lim, the late Jeanne Te, Willy Dy, Christopher Chua Teck An, and Janet Lee.

In an effort to bring alumni closer in touch through the Internet, the Spectrum launched two allied projects during the year. These were the LCHS Chat Room, a private online chat room for alumni; and the LCHS E-group, an e-mail discussion group for alumni worldwide. Both projects began fairly well with a handful of participants. They were later discontinued due to inadequate patronage.

The later part of the year saw a diminishing turnout of news feed from hometown Iligan.  Which is ironical.  As we move closer to the grand alumni homecoming, information on such an important event has correspondingly become scarcer, if not absolutely nil.  This development does not auger well for a community heading for its very first grand reunion in the coming year.  The lack of inputs from home virtually severs the Spectrum from the very heart of its main information pipeline.

The Spectrum looks to the coming year with the hope that the people concerned will find it in their hearts to reciprocate with the cooperation that the Spectrum badly needs to perform its job. For the Spectrum to continue its mission as a purveyor of information about the LCHS community and the forthcoming grand reunion, it will need the cooperation of people at the helm of alumni affairs as well as those upon whom the Spectrum depends so much for the supply of essential data. Otherwise, we shudder to think that this Internet newsletter may suffer the same fate as the other projects initiated during the year by the Spectrum.

How our alumni back home respond to our predicament will determine the life and death of this newsletter in the coming year. If such a dire eventuality occurs, it shall not be the Y2K bug that will do us in.  It may yet be our own follies within our alumni community itself that will spell our doom.