IngliseraKuno

I woke up to missed calls and a text message from Mary Ann, my true friend, confidante, sister and in many ways, my source of strength and hope. For two decades this woman is like the sun and the stars, I know she is there despite us not seeing each other often. Constancy. She gives me that, and I know that whatever happens, whatever decision I make which may or may not be the wisest, she will find meaning to all that because she knows me to the core. I returned her call, and she was distraught. I could barely make sense of what she was saying in between deep sobs, but I knew. Emma, her sister, and my inaanak (with her Johnny) has passed, after a couple of years' battle with breast cancer. We were just talking about her, Mary Ann and I, couple of days back. Mary Ann told me that after relief from remission, the cancer is back. In reply, I told her to be ready for the worst, from my experience when cancer decides to invade a body once again, it is with vengeance. She pleaded that I ...

Stage Mom. That's what my son's friends (and a few teachers, wink-wink) call me. My son has this passion for the theater and a member of their school theater guild, Teatro Lousiano. Every chance I have to watch him in some of the productions, I jump on. Complete with the hugs backstage after the performance. I had a rooster made by hand as props, asked the help of my assistant one time, because we could not find one from toy stores.  My son was sent as one of the many delegates to a competition somewhere in Tuguegarao, and I had a list of all the stuff he needed to bring. I bought a first-aid kit, had medicines for fever, tummy ache, allergies and the like, complete with a small note with the names of the meds and when to take them.  Not satisfied with that, I got his teacher's number and monitored where they were at points during their 12-hour trip. I gave him my pocket wifi, loaded it with a weeklong surfing credits, so that if and when there is no signal where he would b...

Today's gospel told the story of the prodigal son. While listening to the priest, I thought only of one word: forgiveness. It is easy to say, let us just bury the man, get it done and over with and move on. It is not that simple, complex is the dynamics from which this issue stems. Splashed across all forms of media are the sins of this family, as individuals, their violation of the Filipino humanity to the core. Stories of corruption, torture and killings, abuse and what-not, do not end. My son, who has no idea about who this family is, read plenty to have his opinion about the matter, and his are remarkably kinder. Not that he knows of our family's history with them, he does not. I have just recently forgiven myself for my shortcomings. I feel that is crucial, for me to be able to forgive others for theirs, even if forgiveness is not asked for. And while I feel free from the weight of anger and hatred, one word, one memory would still gape open wounds I did not realize st...

I asked my daughter before this year's elections who she would vote for. She gave me her answer without hesitation: Miriam. I told her, 'Anak, she is going to lose, you know that right?' And her answer was like a slap across my face: 'I will not waste my vote on someone I do not believe in, Mom. Even if she is going to lose. It is my vote.' So this Mom knew better then than to influence her daughter's choice. I wanted her book, 'Stupid Is Forever', and two people dear to my heart, bought them for me. It was a good read. It had her quips and one-liners and jokes, oozing with sarcasm, one would have a nosebleed trying to get the point and laugh. Although, there were also some easy ones in the book, those which I understood straight away. Senator Miriam has my admiration, the kind which made me really sad when I learned of her passing. She was a feisty woman, she would not back down from any fight, even with cancer. She was not only intelligent, she was wit...

Prof. Nihal of the Asian Institute of Management described the one-week course aptly: studying at AIM is a learning experience. The course was one of the condensed versions of their graduate studies, and it was attended by a mix of managers from the public and public sectors: there are bankers from India, government executives from Sri Langka and Papua New Guinea, heads of non-government organizations, representatives from large corporations in the Philippines, and several of us from government in the country.  It was one tiring week, not only because we were deluged with case studies we drowned in them day by day, but most of us seem to be under the weather. I could hear snifles and suppressed cough in the hall. It was a bit cold in the conference area, then it was humid and raining outside. Today is our last day and we are about to present our learning group cases, and everyone seems happy that tomorrow we can sleep late. Our friends from foreign countries made the week interesti...

Could not shake off today's homily. It really hit home for me. There are times I do rant, complain, and say this of one person, laugh at another's humiliation, sneer at those who do not agree with me (nostrils flared), and make fun of someone's smell. To be undeserving of what I have today, really, comes in many forms. The past week was so challenging for me both physically and mentally, it brought out the best and the worst of me. Then we celebrated my daughter's birthday the best way we could afford yesterday. I was all over the place that night: I was agitated that the husband came home late and we had to pick up the cake; impatient with my son that he was not excited about the video a kind friend spared time for (my son's laptop was on low battery, of course he had to charge it first, in the restaurant); the soup was getting cold and my Ana's lalove was still driving his way over.  But then again, when my son said grace, everyone and everything all set, I br...