My first job with ACCRALAW was supposed to give me a good start in the legal profession, lol! But I am now legal head of my own household, hahahaha. Anyway, that part of my life gave me good memories and good experiences. One of which was the rare opportunity to work with Nick Joaquin (yes! the National Artist) when he was commissioned by ACCRA to write a book.

And one of the unforgettable interviews we went to was his interview with the late Statesman, Doy Laurel. For me, he happens to be the last remaining Statesman of the country. And I am so honored to be bringing home this:

It’s an old book about his life written by Nick Joaquin. I noted down after reading it in 1999 that reading his life story is like reading Philippine history. Who else can claim such a life?

The events in his family’s life happens as Philippine history unfolds… and they are IN it. They play a major role in it. Who else has this kind of family history? GMA, perhaps. The Aquinos, too. They go back generations. But they they are not Statesmen in the level of the late Salvador Laurel. Far… very far.

What made the book extra special for me was this:

Oh yeah! This happens to be one of my most precious book! And I found this again on my little bookshelf in my room in Iloilo.

Wartime President Sotero Laurel had an autograph for Imelda (which Imelda showed Doy when she tried to persuade him not to oppose the Philcag bill) which goes like this:

“To my dear Imelda, at whose home I spent an evening of music and memorable laughter. I hope that someday one of my sons will find you in the same beauty as I see.”

Indirect emotional blackmail that didn’t work:-).

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive … that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

December 30 is the Philippine’s Rizal Day. It is so named after the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Of course, much has been written about him.

But look at this: Our national hero has had a total of 10 women in his life… and this was during the nineteenth century… and he does not even stand over 5feet tall. What a gigolo!

Check these interesting portraits of Jose Rizal’s loves as painted by Fr. Armand Tangi in Inquirer’s article today.

We laid to her final rest Manang Bini, my grandmother and my mother’s aunt, last Sunday, December 14, 2008 at the Santa Barbara Cemetery. She was the one who took care of me and my brother when we were toddlers. She continued to take care of us during vacation time when we spend our summers in Santa Barbara during our pre-teen years.

The necrological mass was held at the historic Santa Barbara Church. I took the time to revisit history, as well.

This is where the Ilonggo hero, General Martin Delgado, “convened the junta that raised the first Cry of Revolution against Spain outside Luzon. Its churchyard that time was packed with Filipino soldiers, armed with bolos and eager to fight for freedom”. Thus, the church was aptly called “The Cradle of the Ilonggo Revolution Against the Spanish Rule”.

This is according to a CNN report today.

How ironic that a peninsula has two conflicting countries divided by a demarcation line running between the established demilitarized zone. More ironic is the contrast with the two countries’ respective lifestyle.

Seoul is a global financial center and is the third most expensive city in the world as of 2007 (Mercer Consulting). Little is known about Pyongyang, or even about North Korea, as information is controlled by the government. The signs of prosperity built (condominiums) in North Korea were later discovered as mere pretensions just so the South Koreans could see that the North Koreans are gaining progress. These infrastructures could be viewed from the Unification Observatory Tower in Paju City.

Public execution. Isn’t that so archaic? But then again, North Korea is the remaining reminder of the Cold War.

It’s such a pity. The division of Korea was a result of the agreement between the US and Great Britain on one side and the USSR on the other side to attack the Japanese forces so as to bring the war with Japan to an end. The USSR accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces in the North and the US accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces in the South. If the agreement was followed, Korea would have reestablished itself after the occupation forces left the country. But history tells us otherwise. Cold War came in, the leading nations reconciled, Germany was reunited… but the North and South Korea retained the tension.

The result: Present-day great disparity between lifestyles of the two nations. While South Korea’s leading news would be the suicides of its top stars, North Korea’s deaths would be from the public executions of its people. South Korea’s very advanced technology allows its people to watch television shows in their handphones, while the North Korean people had to “watch clandestinely video and TV programs from the south”.

No wonder, the young South Koreans have little desire for a unified Korea.

Three months ago, I finished reading “A Garden of Eden in Hell”. The book is about Alice Herz-Sommer, her life, her experiences in the concentration camp, her music and how she shielded her son from the reality of the Nazi atrocities. The book was a present from my husband from one of his business trips. He chose the book because the front cover says “Where a mother’s love triumphed over the Nazi’s” without really knowing that at one point I was engrossed with stories about the Holocaust. Naturally, I was engrossed with this book. Alice Herz-Sommer is a pianist who performed before, during and after her years in the Thereienstadt ghetto. Her musicality, aside from her optimism, played the greatest role why she lives to this day at the age of 104 years old.

While I love listening to instrumental, particularly classical, music I have zero knowledge when it comes to music in general. Hoever, I read in awe how Alice’s, and other Jews, life in the ghetto was presented through her recital of Chopin’s 27 Etudes, said to be the hardest to master among the piano pieces. The pianist herself thought that “the ability to master all of the 24 Etudes and then to perform them on stage was a proof of the highest achievement and seemed quite unthinkable”. But she performed the pieces and the writers (Melissa Muhler and Reinhard Piechocki) were masters in relating the lives and the happenings in the concentration camp as each piece iis performed. If the reader is musically-knowledgeable, I am sure he/she will be able to appreciate it more than I did. I only appreciated the way it was written. I can’t relate much to the emotions of the pieces (Etudes) but I did relate to it emotionally by way of my little knowhow about the Holocaust.

In the earlier part of the book, I was struck by the wit with the way Alice and her twin sister, Mizzi, were compared. Early in their childhood, Alice was already seen as the optimist while Mizzi was the pessimist. In one of their classes, they were asked the difference between optimists and pessimists. Alice forwarded “Optimists always see the best; they spread happiness. Pessimists are the worst, they scatter gloom”. Mizzi’s was “Pessimists see the truth; optimists ignore it”. Which do you subscribe to?

The optimism that Alice subscribes to was very dominant throughout her life. To this day, when I googled her up after I finished reading her story, she has this to say why she survived (Theresienstadt, the loss of her husband, deaths of family and her only son):

“My temperament. This optimism and this discipline. Punctually, at 10am, I am sitting there at the piano, with everything in order around me. For 30 years I have eaten the same, fish or chicken. Good soup, and this is all. I don’t drink, not tea, not coffee, not alcohol. Hot water. I walk a lot with terrible pains, but after 20 minutes it is much better. Sitting or lying is not good. In any case, life is beautiful, extermely beautiful. And when you are old you appeciate it more. When you are older you think, you remember, you care and you appreciate. You are thankful for everything. For everything.”

When I was in high school, I found many old books many old books from my grandmother’s house. I never thought my find would define my love for reading. For some reason (I know that my grandmother was passionate about mahjong but never read books) I was an accidental recipient of osme of the great novels ever written. In high school, while I was devouring Mills and Boons, Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele and some pf those thick romantic novels modeled by Fabio, I was spradically attacked by the desire to open one of those finds. To this day, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Anna Karenina and Leon Uris’s Mila 18 accumulate dusts in the small bookshelf in my room in Iloilo. Two worn-out small books of classical poetry are also waiting for the next interested hands.

Those books came to mind because Leon Uris’ Mila 18 was one of them. My high school mind never expected to be immersed into the tragedy that was the Holocaust authored by one madman, Hitler. But I was engaged. Honestly though, I was really engaged by the love story more than the entiments in the ghettos. But it was the start of my awareness of the ghettos and what they represented.

The negative emotions I associated with the Nazis, the swastika, the Holocaust, the ghettos, the gassing f Jewish children were actually healed by the untarnished positive outlook of Alice Herz-Sommer. She, who went through the atrocities, lost a husband, lost a mother and who had to go through every day in the ghetto not knowing if the next day she would still be facing life or death lives to thus day saying “Life is beautiful, extermely beautiful”.