Year 5, Issue No. 23, Feb. 11, 2002

Dr. Henry Lim Yu (Batch '69) will be conferred the title of Fellow of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) on February 28 during the 41st PAFP Annual Convention to be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Manila.  He is a practicing family physician and guidance counselor with clinic located at the Visayas Community Medical Center, Cebu City, where he also holds the position of Director of Continuing Medical Education since July 1999, right after his term as president of the Cebu Medical Society.

Bunz Lim is Linamon contest judge

Dr. Belinda "Bunz" Cu-Lim (Batch '82) went around Linamon as one of three judges in the Clean and Green Contest during the celebration of the town's 42nd Foundation Day or "Adlaw sa Linamon" last Jan. 22.  Site inspection by the judges, covering 30 puroks belonging to 8 barangays, lasted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Accompanying Bunz Lim as guest-observer during the trip was Huang Zheng Jia, LCHS visiting professor from Xiamen. He tagged along with Bunz to get a first-hand glimpse of the rural areas.

Sherjack Siao weds Joanna Uy
By Suniel Lim (Batch '66)

Sherjack Siao, youngest son of Engr. & Mrs. Henry T. Siao (Batch '56), got married to Joanna Karla Uy in wedding ceremonies officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish Church, Forbes Park, Makati, last Feb. 2.  The bride is the daughter of Engr. & Mrs. Jose B. Uy, of Manila.  Dinner-dance reception followed at the Rizal Ballroom, Makati Shangri-la Hotel.  Among the principal sponsors were Rep. Harry Angping and Rep. Aleta Suarez.

In touch with Caridad Collantes-Gillera

Where is Caridad Collantes now?  She taught English at LCHS in the mid 60s. In search of the answer, Victor Chiu (Batch '65) spent his time in Cebu last Jan. 26 tracing the whereabouts of Caridad Collantes (now Mrs. Gillera). After a day's search, Victor located her residence at 568 Magnolia St., Hilltop Homes Subd., Consolacion, Cebu. Two of her sons, Michael Angelo, 36, and Carlo Narciso, 34, live there, while Ma'am Caridad now resides with her daughter Psyche Rose Gillera-Tempero, 32, and son-in-law Brian Tempero, in California, U.S.A. Another son, Paulo Pietro, 35, is also living in the U.S.A. After LCHS, Ma'am Caridad taught in many different schools. She taught in Bantayan Island, hometown of her husband, Jesus Gillera, who also taught at LCHS in the 60s. He died of a stroke in 1993. She also taught at the USP in Cebu City, as well as in Davao City, Tuburan, Cebu, and Danao City where she stayed longest. In Danao she received a Scholarship Grant for a Masteral Degree which she took at the UP in Diliman, Quezon City. She was also sent to Singapore on another Faculty Scholarship Program in 1988. In 1990 she retired from her teaching job and left for America with her daughter Psyche. Now 60 years old, she is best remembered for having raised the level of English standard in LCHS with her impeccable teaching of English Grammar & Phonetics.  In photo at left are, standing l to r, sons Michael Angelo and Carlo Narciso; and seated l to r, Caridad Collantes-Gillera, with grandson Carl Travis and daughter-in-law Malynn (Carlo's son and wife, respectively). Photo at right shows Ma'am Caridad (second from left) in the U.S.A. with, l to r: daughter Psyche Rose, son Paulo Pietro and his wife Alice.  Photos from Victor Chiu, courtesy of Carlo Narciso Gillera. (More about Caridad Gillera in this issue's "Letters" section)

OBITUARY
Luisa Go, 83, passes away
By Roger Suminguit (Batch '73)

Luisa Marcial Go died at the age of 83 last Feb. 3 in Iligan City. Interment is set on Feb. 11 at the St. Michael's Memorial Park, Iligan.  She is survived by her husband, Jose "Chun Na" Go; and children Dr. Orlando Go (Batch '59), now a resident of Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Rosalinda Go-Arnaldo (Batch '62), U.S.A.; Matelde Go (Batch '72), Saudi Arabia; and Tita Go-Eturalde (Batch '74), U.S.A.  The Go family used to reside in the neighborhood of the old LCHS campus along Roosevelt Ext.

Warning on Morgenthau bond scam
Mon, 28 Jan 2002 02:38:18 EST

There is a US dollar bond currently in circulation called Morgenthau bond that is bogus. I want to share this info with our alumni so that they will be forewarned. A friend in Taiwan sent me a xerox copy of that kind of bogus bond.  For detail, please go to this web site:  http://www.fdbase.com/swg/swg21.html, and scroll down to item #1095.  I looked it up on the above-mentioned web site and discovered some intriguing stories about this scam. --Gloricita Racines-Kinnan (Batch '66), Keno, Oregon, U.S.A., WGKINNAN17@aol.com

To Charles O. Sy:  Sometime ago, my son-in-law, Brian, was surfing and found my name on your LCHS web site, and great was our excitement when we came upon our school and the Grand Alumni Homecoming. We had a great time going through all the write-ups and I even had my son-in-law print out some pictures and texts to show off to people I know (but which I never did because I might seem like bragging).  I felt very proud when I read your comments about me, and prouder still that you came out the way you did, a respected figure in journalism.  Now, the tables are turned. You are much better than I am. Thank you for putting me in the Internet.  Of the thousands of students I have had, only you had given me that kind of pride. We just went over the pictures of our school on its web site and I suddenly missed you all so very much.  I particularly remember that Junior-Senior Prom photo of my first six class girls: Elizabeth Co, my Declaimer; Florcita Tiu, my Flight Stewardess; Nora Uy, my Accountant; and, if I remember right, Remedios Tan and Carmen Lee. But the girl captioned as Mary Go does not ring right. I remember her as Teresita Yu and she played a Nurse in a play that I showed in school long ago. Anyway I wonder where they are now and how they spent all the years since I left LCHS.  I would love to hear about them. I also remember Leonardo (I just forgot his last name) who played a plane Pilot with Florcita as the Flight Stewardess in that same play.  I do hope they are okay now.  I also remember Lucio Tan, Salvador Booc, Suniel Lim, the Rodriguez brothers, Alexander and the other one. Back to that photo of the six pretty girls, that was special to me because I was the one who required them to wear what they were wearing, including the garlands on their hair.

As of now I am living with my daughter, Psyche Rose G. Tempero and her husband, Brian, in Hollister, California. I work in an electronics company as I could not handle the teaching burden anymore. The culture gap, the generation gap and the age gap are too much for me to bridge.  I am just coasting along now, so to speak, until all my kids are here in America. Then I might go back home to the Philippines for good. This is just the beginning. I know we will get in touch with each other again.  Say hello to all of my former students for me. Tell all of them they have a special spot in my heart because they were the first ones I had when I was fresh from college. I would love to hear again from you and from the others that had been under me. Till then. With warmest regards. --Caridad C. Gillera, 1990 Carousel Drive, Hollister, California 95023, U.S.A., epsyche@sbcglobal.net

Traveling alumni

Tracers paparazzi spotted several alumni sailing off to Bohol and Cebu over the last few weeks.  Last Jan. 27, a group of alumni swarmed the city of Tagbilaran in hordes (see photo). In the group were Fe Quimbo (Batch '54), Carlos Dy (Batch '58), Henry Dy (Batch '64), Bebencio Palang (Batch '56), Christopher Chua Teck An (Batch '55), Marie Janiefer Lee (Batch '87), Marie Joan Quidlat (Batch '87), Joe Tan, Charina Dy-Carlos Yu (Batch '85), Honey Dy-Henry (Batch '93), Cristina Dy-Carlos (Batch '90) and husband Pepo Deleste.  The entourage attended a wedding in Bohol.  Also sighted last Jan. 26 was Victor "A-E" Chiu (Batch '65). He was in Cebu to visit his sister Ayling, who lives in Ingles along V. Rama St.  Victor also journeyed to the town of Consolacion, Cebu, where he was able to trace the residence of former LCHS English teacher Caridad Collantes. That was quite an accomplishment for just two days in Cebu. Also seen in Cebu last Feb. 5 was Johnson "Bon Pin" Sy (Batch '65).  He accompanied his wife, Mally, for a medical checkup. Johnson is now retired from politics and is now occupied with his business in Luga-it, Misamis Oriental.  His younger sister, Lorna Sy (Batch '66) also lives in Luga-it but commutes regularly to Cagayan de Oro where she runs a construction firm with her husband who is an engineer. Soon to travel to the U.S.A. is Antonio "Dodo" Chan (Batch '65), who will be visiting his sister Nene Chan.  Meanwhile, back in Iligan last week for a month-long vacation are Jesus "Hesing" Dy (Batch '63) and wife Melania, from Edmonton, Canada.

After savoring kalamay and peanut kisses in Tagbilaran, this group of alumni
wanderlusts swooped down in Cebu for yet another round of food trip.
From left: Igdono Caracho, Fe Quimbo, Charina Yu, Cristina Deleste, Pepo Deleste,
Honey Dy-Henry, Marie Joan Quidlat, and Marie Janiefer Lee.

By Glenda Sy-Cabilan (Batch '72)

Getting set for Mindanao Chinese Language Seminar

The LCHS campus is abuzz with preparations for the 3rd Mindanao Chinese Language Seminar to be hosted by LCHS on Mar. 2-3, 2002.  Delegates from different parts of Mindanao are expected to attend the seminar sponsored by the Mindanao Chinese-Filipino School Association and the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center. The seminar is aimed at upgrading the standard and methods of Chinese language teaching among Chinese Filipino schools.  The first such gathering, held two years ago, initially involved only schools in Northern Mindanao. It was held at the Oro Christian School in Cagayan de Oro City.  However, the second seminar, held the following year at the Misamis Union High School in Ozamis City, saw the participation of more schools, including those in Marbel, Surigao, Pagadian, and Cotabato. Because of the growing interest among other schools in other parts of Mindanao, the activity has been expanded to cover the entire Mindanao. This year no less than 150 delegates, teachers and school administrators from all over Mindanao are expected to converge at LCHS, including officials of the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center and the Mindanao Chinese-Filipino School Association.

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

February is known worldwide as the Love Month, it being one that caters, represents, or bespeaks of anything that has to do with love, by anybody who is in love, in any place where love is in the air. The Philippine Heart Association calls it the Heart Month primarily because love is always associated with the heart, the prime mover of life, the one important organ that provokes one to write love notes, and one that sets the pace to other such emotions, agony and ecstasy included.

The question as to “What is love?” has often been asked several times over since time immemorial. Different people have come up with different definitions based on what they’ve read or on what they feel deep inside. There is no single formula on love and loving. Each person creates his or her own. It is a feeling of being happy when you’re near each other, and being sad and lonely when you’re far apart.

Several songs about love have been composed and interpreted by different singers and divas, just as several movies have been scripted and screen played along this theme. People always patronize love songs and movies simply because love is a universal feeling that all of us experience at one time or the other, whether young or old, rich or poor, male, female, or otherwise.

Love is a mysterious feeling. And indeed it is. Come to think of it, our brain is situated way above our heart in order that we think first before feeling. Yet, why do we still see a beautiful lady marrying somebody with obvious physical deformities or disabilities in the tradition of the beauty and the beast? Truly, love is an abstract feeling that only the ones concerned could ever fathom and understand. True love sets no limits nor conditions. It is loving the whole person, from head to foot, not just the physicality but the inner beauty as well, without reservations whatsoever. As the book of Corinthians would put it: “Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. These three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. And the greatest of these is Love.”

In celebration therefore of the Love Month, let me share with you these immortal love songs with the word LOVE in their titles. Let’s go over them one by one and try to reminisce the happy and wonderful times, and experience once again the thrill divine of that one special feeling of being in love. How many of these do you remember?

I LOVE You Because – My Pledge Of LOVE – No Other LOVE – True LOVE Ways - LOVE Me With All Your Heart – My LOVE For You – My LOVE Will See You Through  – Prisoner Of LOVE – This Guy’s In LOVE With You – You Are The LOVE of My Life – LOVE Is A Many Splendored Thing – LOVE Me Tender – Dedicated To The One I LOVE – Can’t Help Falling In LOVE With You – Never My LOVE – To LOVE Somebody – World Without LOVE – You Don’t Have To Say You LOVE Me – Portrait Of My LOVE – And I LOVE Her – I’ll Never Fall In LOVE Again – If We Only Have LOVE – I Just Called To Say I LOVE You – Put A Little LOVE Away – I LOVE How You LOVE Me – LOVE Means You Never Have To Say You’re Sorry – Look of LOVE – I Will LOVE You – Our LOVE Affair -  LOVE Letters In The Sand – Our Winteer LOVE – Sixteen Reasons Why I LOVE You – Somewhere My LOVE – What Now My LOVE – Where Did Our LOVE Go – Where Is LOVE – Young LOVE – Secret LOVE  – April LOVE  – Puppy LOVE  – One LOVE  – The Greatest LOVE Of All – LOVE Me For What I Am – My LOVE And Devotion ...

Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

Valentine’s Day is just a few heartbeats away, and  “love is in the air,” so they say.  For me, love has been in the air since the last weekend of January when we attended an aunt’s wedding in Bohol.  It’s nice to see two people so in love with each other. That’s one thing I love about weddings, it’s one occasion which is full of love and hope. If it’s just some kind of virus I would love to be infected by it all the time. If love is that tingly feeling we get when we’re among family and friends, then I had that during the trip.

The first time I heard about the wedding in Bohol I was still undecided whether to go or not. For one thing, it’s been awhile since I last saw that aunt and I was afraid we’d just have awkward moments once we meet.  But on the other hand, I know I need to take my mother there since I don’t want her to travel on her own. It was quite a dilemma at first. But I didn’t have a hard time deciding upon hearing that my sister Joan, my cousins Charina, Cristina, Pepo and Honey together with my nephews Lance and RJ, and my uncles Mr. Carlos (Bonnie) Dy and Mr. Henry Dy and family friends Mr. Christopher Chua and Mr Jose Tan Sr. were going too. I knew that I shouldn’t miss this chance. And I came back feeling proud of myself knowing that I did the right thing.

On our first night it was a non-stop chit-chat until we could feel that our next door neighbors, A-ko (Bonnie) and Tito Joe,  were already knocking our walls telling us to quiet down a bit. We knew that we had to sneak out just to give the “young once” and the “young ones” some peace and quiet.

Wrapped in our jackets and pajamas we headed for an open deck where we all continued catching up with each other’s lives, unmindful of the giant mosquitoes hovering overhead. It was already so late that the resort staff had already put out the lights in that area. It was only the bright moon above that was making it possible for us to see each other’s faces. The occasional chilly wind that passed by would remind us that if we didn’t go indoors soon we’d all come down with colds the next day, or so the old folks would say.

Sometimes we get so engrossed with a topic and everybody wants to say something that it was hard to even sneak a word into the conversation.  Aside from scrambling to say something and the roars of laughter, we all agreed on one thing though, that we’re all going to wake up next morning with no voice at all. It was already way past midnight when we decided to call it a night. I think we have chosen the right location for that chat-marathon because it was just the velvety sea that could hear us.  Had we opted for the poolside near the cottages, I know that sooner or later we’d see UFO’s coming our way.  From those irritated inhabitants nearby.

The next morning I was planning to sleep until noon, but I was barely into the next chapter of my dreams when I could already hear my cousin Cristina outside our bedroom calling our names.  Telling us that it was already breakfast time.  Then one by one my cousins came parading into the room, making me realize that my initial plans of prolonging my ligid-ligid is really hopeless.

We spent the rest of the morning sight-seeing.  We all crammed into one van, I’m glad they make vans this big.  It was big enough to carry four generations of  Dy’s from my grand-uncle Mr. Lee Kim Seng down to my nephews.  That’s what we call travelling in sardines style.

By the time we all got to Cebu we were still unprepared to part ways. That’s why when the boss Mr. Charles O. Sy invited me for lunch I had to send a warning that I was with a big group, less he’d put me in his “undesirable guest list.”

After being together for days it was still hard to say our good-byes.  My mother was telling us how we were like cats and dogs when we were kids.  She’s wondering what happened along the way.  Well, so was I.

I think one of the factors that made us this close is the fact that most of us have already tasted how life really is.  That it’s not always a bed of roses, and we’ve also learned how gratifying it is to know that we’ll always have allies in each other. We now share an elastic bond that stretches with time and circumstances.  We came back from that trip with renewed and reinforced belief that no matter how life’s road twists and turns in front of us we could always count on each other.  That’s the power of this bond we share; the bond I call “rubber bond.”

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

Down with the love letters' pyramid fabricated out of seemingly jazzy syllables with a hint of sophistication and ambivalence. For a special spread on Valentine's Day, I'll go all-out for the finger-snapping high spirit of my heart's dictates. Plain and simple. Out of the loose, funny, velvety "straight from the heart" style of my kumadre from Paranaque.

It is punishingly obvious, if I have to amplify a stirring version of amore, scores of paragraphs will be entangled in unintelligible cross word puzzle snags. Quite literally, the bruising tenderness enmeshed in the freshly percolated language from my heart will be diluted. That is like chewing over the mere thumbnail sketches of the real McCoy. The pulse-pounding premise: As I skim the lazy prose, I better the odds of pocketing the orgasmic swirl of romance's true shine; halving the incidence of pounding on an emotionally hollow poetry, in a way. Thus, strap yourself by my wings and let's scout the open field for the richness in human love drama.

Oftentimes, I wonder out loud if my kissing the passing breeze really does the trick. I have ceased counting the times when I have to expand the scope of my imagination in order to grab that twinkle in your eyes and that dangling heaven in your hair every chance my windblown teases of lip service land. Nothing can muffle the echoes of simple joy, even if bundled in tough hope, that I somehow sneaked by my mental fog and stirred your paradise. There are runs of moments where the moon flashes an assuring message, "Don't worry, lover boy. She licked every inch of your passionate murmur, down to the very last alphabet!"

I don't know what virus am I harboring lately. I am swinging between the range of being antsy and alone. Again, I strain the limits of my reveries, to snatch you from wherever you are and whatever you do. I do some math exercises out of the minutes and hours of my share of lovely possibilities had you been plastered next to my side, trapped under the hugging might of my right arm. To pick that quick energized smile on your face after you regain your usual pace of breathing is such a stolen moment that really melts whatever ounces of thwarted yearning I have learned to possess. In a wink, I ignore the fact that the moon retires when the sun peeps, that goodbye inches along after hello, that whispers tumble with the wind. I could care less. Am just glad that there is you at this particular frame in time, weaving rosy memories for me to unpack when the urge to feel loved and wanted eventually exists.

Luv, you always have a natural winning manner to charm and appease my heart, teaching its beats how to write off a bad hair day with the mere juggling of you in my thoughts. Those qualities have molded me into becoming a master among daydreamers. After all, if drops of love are what I need, you flood me with abundance. More than I can take. The world would have been dark without your glow, freezing without your warmth, lonely without your caress, dry without your laughter, scattered without your mind ... lifeless without your life. Cheers for lighting up my fire. There is no way I'll trade you for all the roses and chocolate that commercialize cupid's arrow tips. Your scent is more addicting and lasting than those red blooms. How about the heart-shaped box of the dark brown goodies? Hmmm, let me think ...

There's a catalog of sacred chapters in our tarnished past that reinvents itself when remnants of its documented literary tidbits that used to jog smiles and coo the psyche (love letters, diaries) thaw out. Filtered through the dustbin of exhilarating collectibles, we enthuse breathlessly in sheer enchantment over the twitching doses of yesterdays' sappy sentiments. The quirky truth is while our in-a-blur-of-time-passed fondness for unrestrained hyperbole and adoption of pet nouns and modifiers to mummify these colorful marvels of nostalgic bosh are nape-tingling that can knock our socks off, the ferment of these historical tone poems and soothing symphonies for the senses maneuvers us along channels of sunsets and moonlights that stream languidly for hours.

Hopefully, as silence resonates as quiet as a thought, you got an intriguing peep at my assortment of via heart's dictates. Check if my steamy hormonal stew of emotional nakedness, hushed longings and joyful quiver penned years ago makes tender references to segments of your own flight to "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" era; and mesmerize your circuitry to sample the exquisite moments of romantic air of silly sweetness of the once upon a time, the moments when the clock tiptoed on the scale of love and dreams. After all, love is love at whatever colors of the rainbows are arching in your skies.

If nothing tingles your spine, there's always a box of chocolate to drown yourself in and be sweet in other ways.

.

February is here once again … the month of love, also the month of those born who are said to be sapoton, kulang-kulang, bulanon, to name a few.

A friend was asking about the birthday of my daughter Jamie and I said, “February 8th.” Then she said, “Uy ... Pebrero diay ni.” So I asked what if she is born in February, my friend said, “Didn’t you know that those people born in February are sapoton and much worse kulang-kulang?” Trying to make me feel better, she added, “I don’t think Jamie is any of that because she is born in the early part of February.” I just silently laughed because she didn’t realize that I was born on the latter part of February.

On another occasion, another friend was telling me that her sister and her boyfriend didn’t end up in the altar because both are “Pebrero.” So again I asked, “Ngano man diay kung Pebrero?” She said that those born in February have an attitude that makes them difficult to get along with fellow Pebrero.  “Oh is that it?” I said and added that me and my daughter are both "Pebrero."  She then said, “But the Pebrero are smart people.”

The people born under February are stereotyped as such and instead of  being mad at it, I find it funny to see the reaction of people when I tell them that I am “Pebrero” as if  to prove them wrong.  But have I really proved them wrong or rather ended up telling them that they are correct?

The never-ending search for happiness
Happiness is one of those magical qualities of life that is impossible ever to have too much of. And it's certainly clear that many of us never get enough of it. But why is it that happiness seems to come so easily to one person and is difficult for another to find, even when both persons are in the same situation? What is it that creates happiness for one and withholds it from another? Why do some people find happiness day after day, while others fail to find or never have enough of it? Could it be that happiness is a choice, an attitude, and it's always up to us to own it? Perhaps a different kind of New Year's resolution may help us understand and find us some answers.

Every time we think of a resolution for the year, we always focus on what we should do for our own benefit like dieting, exercising, lowering our blood pressure and cholesterol, etc. We rarely if ever think for a moment of something we can do that would benefit others as well as ourselves. We take things for granted. We reason that after all, we have given our children this and that, attended and celebrated our friends' birthday, and so on. And life is good. Is it, really? I certainly hope so.

Suggestions for your Resolution
If life is not really that good because frustration, anger and irritability seem to come too easily, then why not try a different kind of resolution.  Simply resolve to focus on being nice and kind to others to your own friends and family in particular and to every one in general regardless of who they are. And for crying out loud, get rid of the I-told-you-so mentality for at least a year. Because with this mentality, there is a tendency for you to complain and blame as if they are a natural thing to do. Unfortunately, blaming and complaining put the problem in control and take the control of the situation away from you. They create negative attitude. And even if the complaint is long gone and perhaps forgotten, the feeling lingers on - it affects everything about you. Your attitude would adjust to respond in a negative way. You look at the worst first and the best last. You see the dark instead of the dawn. And the life of the ones you are supposed to love becomes filled with black days and blue weeks. When one small thing goes wrong, everything can go wrong. How many times you and your wife and perhaps your children blame each other just for small things because you either listened and followed what they wanted against your wishes, or you followed what you wanted and things did not go well? It ruined everyone's day. Didn't it? How many people you know of whose entire vacation was ruined by just one flat tire?

Here is my other suggestion. As a part of your resolution, when someone like your daughter or a friend comes to you troubled by some mistake she just made, simply listen and don't judge, and understand that she is already hurting. She is seeking for comfort, not insult; emphatic words, not blaming or accusing ones; tact, not wise crack; solution, not problem. If you cannot think of the right words to say, keep your mouth shut, or simply hug her or hold her hand. Because many people who, when they get hurt, they want to go to someone they love and trust. You don't want to turn your daughter or friend into someone who becomes like a dog. When a dog gets hurt, he would run under the nearest porch to be alone so he can lick his wound.

Maybe through this kind of resolution, you'll begin to realize that by being nice and kind to others, you'll learn to see things the way others do. In doing so, you'll accept them as they are and treat them as equal. Kindness helps you understand better because it doesn't make rules, it doesn't make judgement, and it doesn't make pain. Instead, it makes you respect other people's feelings. Often you seek not for control, but for cooperation to get what you want. And when you do, you apply persuasion with the use of logic and reason, not manipulation using guilt, threat or intimidation. Perhaps next year, you might find yourself looking back at this year singing to yourself the Sinatra song, "It was a very good year ..."