That day of the year (again)

(This column appears in today's edition of the Leyte-Samar Daily Express)

Hi there! It’s Friday the 13th, an eerie prelude to that day of the year which is almost there - Valentine’s Day, what else? Last Monday, I promised that I’ll try to write something about it today, and what do I have? The same rant that I’ve been saying the past so many years: What is it with Valentines’ Day that if one is into it, one is a hopeless romantic; and if one is not into it, one is frigid. Ah, l’amour! I rest my case. (Smile, it’s a weekend; and hearts day is just hours away!)

So love is in the air. Many claim (can I include myself?) that love makes one happy, glow, feel young, vibrant, and what have you. Suddenly, I’m tempted to ask, what about gay love? I had the luck (or is it unfortunate chance?) to be a guest in one of the shows of Jullie Yap Daza. In her intro for that night’s program I remember her saying something about special occasions (Valentines included) and the gay guys and their loved ones, or objects of affection (to say the least) which in the Philippine setting is usually the straight guy. Many will always appear just that - gay, happy - but during special occasions (like tomorrow?), he will be alone. Many will cry rivers. But then, in a few minutes (or hours perhaps) he is happy or at least smiling again. How do we call it? Survival instinct? Or coping mechanism perhaps?

And with Valentine’s Day comes the Prom season. Before it even hit the news on national television, some schools were already having proms for elementary students. And I call that kiddie prom. So what about it? I’m not questioning the money spent on the affair, it just that I don’t think it’s a case of starting ‘em young, it’s simply that’s too soon. And while we are into the topic, watch high school kids trying to dress up (and along the way act) like adults. All of us passed through that phase and we all have our own (happy or unhappy) memories of that experience. On the other hand, it bothers me that in some schools while students (and their class advisers) dressed to the nines, most teachers invited to the affair just don’t bother wearing the appropriate attire (how is that different from proper?). Ah, the difference between into the manner born and being not.

And in faraway Berlin. Move over Oscar night, after being snubbed many films (or oscar awarding seasons) ago, Leonardo Di Caprio finally got a trophy, not from the Oscars, but a more prestigious one if I may say, with no less that Mikhail Gorbachev honoring him for his contribution to the cause of the environmentalists. Needless to say, it seems like it’s the in-thing, I mean environmental causes, and hopefully it doesn’t end up as just another fad.

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The Rotary Club of Calbayog is currently hosting the four members of the Rotary International District 7870 to 3860 Group Study Exchange. They paid a courtesy call on Mayor Mel Sarmiento last Wednesday. The group members who are from New Hampshire are Tony Gilmore, Amy Wheeler, Katie List and Chelsea Conaboy.

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Makati Mayor Jojo Binay was in town. He made a courtesy call on Mayor Mel Sarmiento yesterday. Calbayog was in his itinerary in his second day in Samar. (As reported in this paper) he inked sister-city agreements with Catblogan, Villareal and Sta. Rita.

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Wedding Bells. Zenen Santos will get married to Anabel Tayab tomorrow. The wedding mass will be held at the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. Reception will be at the CKC auditorium.

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Let me leave you with something to smile about this weekend.
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, ' my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

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This is it for now. Have a nice weekend everyone! Ciao!