Hollywood

I was touched with the welcome I received from my cousin Dave and other Californians. Some friends from ISM who live in the Bay Area- Marni, Maiko, Kenny, Emil, Yumi, and of course Trish- even organized a dinner in Oliveto's in Oakland.

Trish, Gari and Tita Nora drove me to the Sisons in Beverly Hills. The house where I stayed was the hub of anti-Marcos activities in the US during Martial Law- among its visitors then were Steve Psinakis, Heherson Alvarez, and Raul Manglapus.

The Sisons live near the house of the late Dovie Beams who, according to Dr. Mon, revealed as early as December 1971 that Marcos was going to declare Martial Law. "I should've told everyone then," he said, "but I didn't believe her. Marcos told her during their lovemaking- she knew about his plans nine months before Martial Law was declared."

Gari took the above picture of me and Trish before we left their hotel to have a traditional Filipino dinner of fish and tinola with the colorful Sisons.

enchantment

I fell in love with San Francisco even before I had set foot on its soil. When I emerged from the darkness inside the plane into a clear starlit night in this other city by the bay, the cars zipping across the sky and buildings walking past us went into slow motion. I'm swimming beneath the surface of a dream and would only wake up from the spell when my right hand touches the Golden Gate Bridge.

At right is a still image of my dreamcraft: Mayor Gavin Newsom leading last Sunday's San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade along Market Street.

Thanks to San Miguel Master Chorale for "Kahit Isang Saglit" in the podcast.

expression

In my undergrad junior year, someone touched a deeper place in my heart: somewhere I have never travelled. I confided this to Dona, then the outgoing Features editor of Kule, one evening while we walked around the Sunken Garden discussing the section I was about to lead. Her advice: quit being circuitous and say I love you, pity the beloved who doesn't hear those words.

Now you know who to thank- or blame- for my candor!

Seriously, I've come to realize that expressing and accepting expressions of love fulfill a vital human need and are part of the process of self-actualization.

Here we are as professional journalists in the Ramon Magsaysay Center: Dona Pazzibugan as a reporter and president of the union of the Inquirer and I as a freelance writer who had begun writing creatively again.

Earlier, I had interviewed Haydee Yorac, Ramon Magsaysay awardee for government service, for MenZone. I approached Dona after Ms. Yorac gave her RM Award lecture to media and invited guests. It was to be the heroic Ms. Yorac's last major interview and public appearance before passing on.

Thanks to Joey Ayala for "Walang Hanggang Paalam," a favorite love song in Kule, playing in the podcast.

la vie en rose

After we had ordered our food, I asked, "Excuse me, Mireille, I've forgotten some of my French. Is it correct to say, 'Vic a épousé?' or 'Vic est marié?'"

"What?" she asked. "Oh! J'ai entendu."

Mireille is the daughter of my French teacher Mme. Ferrari and, like Christine, was crowned Ms. IS in her senior year. She's now happily married to Danny, a writer and former AP correspondent, and expecting her first child.

Whereas Christine is queen, I see Mireille as a modern-day Juliet: What's in a name? that which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.

We had lovely memories of high school, when things seemed simpler.

Every Valentine's Day, there would be a rose sale and boys and girls would buy flowers for friends, teachers, and of course people we liked. In my junior year, I liked one of Mireille's classmates, a new student named Geni Psinakis. As a professional model and entrepreneur, she has been gracing the pages of magazines these past couple of years, but back then she was just a new kid on the block.

Anyway, that year, I bought three pink roses, but I wasn't used to giving flowers to someone I liked. I tried the indirect approach: I went to Mireille's math class and gave two flowers to her; a couple of minutes later, I passed by their classroom again to give one pink rose with a note to Geni.

I thought that was the end of our tale, but that afternoon while hanging out outside the Media Center someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and it was Geni, her pink rose in hand and beaming a luminous smile.

"Thank you." That was all she said before walking away to her own constellation, but it was a most memorable Valentine's for me.

Thank you to Chin-chin Gutierrez for the song "Pagbabalik ng Mutyang Paraluman" ("The Lady Returns") from her Mater Vitae sampler CD in the podcast.

cityscape

Inbox

from andreapasion@y...
to ...
date May 29, 2007 1:23 PM
subject The 11th Philippine Book Development Month

Hi friends,

The National Book Development Board (NBDB), a government agency mandated to help develop the local book industry, is once again spearheading the celebration of the Philippine Book Development Month. Every month of June has been slated as book development month to focus attention on the importance of books.

This year, we are celebrating it in partnership with the Filipinas Heritage Library. The theme "Love Your Books" aims to bring books closer to the hearts of Filipinos. We have lined up a series of lectures and activities for specific audiences but the highlight of the celebration is a literary exhibit dubbed "Portrait of the City: The Literary Imagination" featuring places in the metropolis that have inspired great works in Philippine literature.

The exhibit is open to the public and will be at the Glorietta 3 Park from June 27 to July 1 and at the Trinoma Mall from July 4 to July 8. There will be many events lined up for many evenings during the exhibit, like storytelling, poetry reading and book club meetings. But the event to watch out for is the Portrait of the City Tour on June 30, an actual tour of the places themselves that have inspired these great works. This one-of-a-kind (and one-time!) tour promises to be an enriching experience especially for reading enthusiasts and for those who wish to learn more about Philippine literature. Limited seats available so book early.

The exhibit is free of charge but the tour is only five hundred pesos (P500) to cover meals, transportation and materials. Guided tours at the Glorietta Park and the Trinoma Mall are available for classes on June 28 and 29 and on July 5 and 6 at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. For information regarding these exhibit tours, call the NBDB at 928-0048. To join the Portrait of the City Tour, please call the Filipinas Heritage Library at 892-1801.

I hope to see you all there!

Andrea

____
Andrea drafted the first editorial, Time to Move On, published during my term as Collegian editor-in-chief. Since then, she has held editorial positions in Cosmo and Good Housekeeping. She is now executive director of NBDB. Bob Marley's "Redemption Song"- in the podcast- was one of our anthems in Kule.