Onions, onions everywhere!

"For Good," is hands down my favorite song from the musical "Wicked." The lyrics are so heartfelt, and the original rendition of Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel really pulls the heartstrings hard!

Full disclosure, "For Good" is one of my ugly cry songs. Sometimes, I'd watch the original rendition of the song on youtube, and in rare instances, I'd end up with my face all crumpled and tears running down relentlessly.

So imagine my feeling when I saw this video from "A Very Wicked Halloween."

Not only does it feature the original Elphaba and Glinda, they've assembled different actresses who played the role in different times on different stages.

Gosh! At 2:44, when Idina and Kristin sing their solos and the rest of the cast sung chorus - bawl-o-rama!

It's like someone chopped open a gazillion onions in my vicinity. 

No, really. I'm not crying. It's just there are onions being chopped.

Big babies

No matter how big or old they get, to me, my nephews and nieces will always be our babies.

Hard to imagine that I once carried these teeners (and twenteener) in my arms at one point in my life.

*sniff*

Oh my how they've grown. Part 9!

Last night, we had dinner courtesy of the pilot in the family, my nephew Kevin! It was his first salary as a regular pilot, and he wanted to celebrate it with us. Such a nice and sweet gesture.

It's hard to believe that our little Kevintot who we used to carry around is now flying planes!

The kids have really grown up!

Ora et Labora

Today is the big day!

Batch 2014-2015 of St. Scholastica's College will now go up the stage to receive their diplomas, culminating their 4-year journey in Mass Comm.

This is a special batch for me because it's the first batch I handled as Chairperson of the Department. And while I wasn't there physically, my heart is there, filled with pride, as they graduate.

Congratulations, 4MC-ADV, 4MC-BJ, 4MC-DC and 4MC-PJ! May you always carry the spirit of Ora et Labora in all your endeavors!

Oh my how they've grown! Part quatre!

Jul and Carl are my first 2 nephews. Being the proud Tito that I am, I would carry photos of the 2 boys and show it to my friends and classmates back in UP.

I can still vividly remember when they were babies. Jul was born in 1990, and he was born a few days before the big earthquake. I remember how he was still in the playpen when the ground started shaking, and everyone rushed to shield him from impending harm.

Carl was born 11 months after Jul. And he was so cute with his big eyes, chubby cheeks and very fair skin.

Now, looking at this photo of the two boys, now both college graduates in the U.S., I'm just amazed at how fast they've grown.

And just like how it was 20+ years ago, seeing how far they've gone makes me feel like a proud Tito.

Oh my how they've grown. Part trois.

Look! Even our little boy Javier is all grown up! And moving up! With more than 10 certificates to boot!

Man, I'm old!

Oh my how they've grown! Part deux!

Today, it was Miggy boy's turn to graduate! He's all grown up and going to college!

Sigh. The kids are no longer kids.

Oh my how they've grown!

It seems like yesterday when Kevin and Kurt were just babies that I could carry around. Now, Kevin's a college graduate and planning to become a pilot! And Kurt is an incoming high school senior.

Yes, it's a clear indication that I'm getting old. But I don't mind getting old because it means seeing my nephews grow up to be wonderful young men.

Sentimental Sunday

One of my favorite spots to visit in Bicol is this beautiful and rustic church in a sleepy town called Malinao, Albay. The church is called St. Joachim and St. Anne.

This church has a lot of significance to me and my family. For starters, this is the church where Mom and Dad got married 48 years ago. Second, it's where we used to hear mass during our summer visits to Bicol when I was a kid. Third, the church also doubled as a playground for me and my cousins. I remember going up the belfry and looking at the town from a higher vantage point. It was such a thrill.

Although it's been decades since all these things happened, I remember it like it was yesterday. It helps that the church still looks the same as when I was a kid. And the surrounding areas look like they did back in the 80s. Including this park where we'd breakdance as kids. (Yes, I was a breakdancer.)

After this visit, I can't help but wonder why it took me 14 years to go back to Mom's hometown. I should really visit this place more often.

At the bottom of the box

One of my favorite mythological stories is "Pandora's Box."

It was my favorite when I was in grade school, and I'd read it on our encyclopedia over and over again. Then, when I was in high school, I did my first school play as Prometheus. Needless to say, the play was "Pandora's Box."

In the story, Pandora inadvertently releases different misfortunes and ills to the world by opening a forbidden box. She closes it after she realizes what she did, and feels so much remorse after. But as she was about to keep the box, she hears a stirring from inside.

When she opens it again, she saw that at the bottom of the box was hope. She releases it so that even with all the ills and misfortunes, people can hope that things will be better.

Typhoon Yolanda is like Pandora's Box. After reading, watching and seeing its trail of death and destruction, you can see how the typhoon released different misfortunes and ills in Tacloban and the Visayas area.

But despite all that destruction, we remember that there is hope.

Hope that generosity will prevail. Hope that the world is coming to their aid. And hope that this, too, shall pass.

So I pray that the people of Tacloban, Samar and other typhoon-struck areas never lose hope.

Hope is, indeed, a powerful thing.

It's a McCloudy day!

It's been a while since I was moved by a performance by a singer on a talent show. The last one was Susan Boyle's audition on "Britain's Got Talent."

Then today, I saw this:



Somebody please just cut the competition and make Lillie McCloud win already. Her voice is perfection! It has the right blend of power, soul and restraint. And would you believe she's 54 years old and a grandma? How awesome is that?

My forecast for X-Factor is clear. It's going to be McClouds all the way.

FMM: Feeling Phyllis

It's a nice feeling when a song you haven't heard in ages just pops up on the radio. Then, all the fun and sentimental memories of that era just come back and transports you to those carefree days.

That was the feeling I got when they suddenly played this Phyllis Hyman classic on the bus I took to work.



Hearing songs like these is what makes Friday so magical.

The old man who almost made me cry

Who would've thought this "The kid who almost made me cry" would have a follow up.

There's a good Thai food kiosk at SM Makati Food Court called Sen Lek Thai. Their Pad Thai is really good, but it takes them around 10 minutes to prepare it.

Since I was in Makati for an errand, I decided to have Pad Thai for lunch and went to the food court. After placing my order, I took a seat in one of those booth type tables that are scattered around the area.

While waiting for my order, the occupants of the table across me stood up and left. On their table were trays and plates of leftovers. The food they ordered was from KimBob, which is another popular food kiosk which serves Korean food.

A few minutes after the family left the table, an old man came into view. He was short and a bit pudgy, much like Danny DeVito. He was wearing a long sleeved polo with sleeves rolled until his elbows, black pants and black shoes. He had short hair with bald patches, the type of patch that was scattered around his head. He was carrying a black, dilapidated duffel bag, and a big SM Supermarket bag which was bursting at the seams.

He took a seat at the recently vacated table with all the leftovers still uncleared.

Quietly, he took the used spoon and fork from one of the dirty plates. Then, he started eating the leftover rice and chapchae noodles that the previous occupants didn't finish.

By the way he ate, I could tell that he was very hungry. This must've been his first meal for the day, and you could see how much those plates of leftover food meant to him.

It all seemed surreal to me at first, but as the truth sank in, so did my heart.

Here was an old man who didn't have a home and didn't have food to eat. But seeing his dress and demeanor, he was also an old man who wanted to keep his dignity intact. That's why he wasn't out on the street begging for money or food. Despite his hardship, he wanted to remain dignified. For this reason, he was very quiet as he ate the leftovers, trying to avoid drawing attention to what he was doing.

After cleaning up the food leftover on the plate, he found out that the previous occupants of the table also left some fruits, including the seed part of a green mango. And as he did with the rice and noodles, he quietly ate whatever was left of the fruit.

A few minutes later, my Pad Thai noodles arrived. As the server put it on my table, I noticed he craned his neck, looking at my food.

When his eyes met mine, I slid the plate forward to his direction and nodded to him. It was my way of offering my Pad Thai, in case he's still hungry. His reply to me was a smile, then he shook his head and patted his stomach. I took it as his way of saying he's full.

Then, he stood up, gathered his black, dilapidated duffel bag, and the big SM Supermarket bag which was bursting at the seams, and quietly made his way out of the food court.

If I weren't in that busy and crowded food court, I would've probably been crying at that point. I couldn't help but wonder, where is this man's family? Why hasn't he eaten? Where will he get his next meal?

Part of me wanted to stand up, look for him and give him money. But part of me thought that if I did that, he'd probably refuse, just like how he refused the Pad Thai. I think it's part of him wanting to keep his dignity intact, despite of the hard luck he's experiencing.

Honestly, while I was telling Mark about this old man, I could feel tears roll down my cheek. And I feel that if I do run into this old man again at the food court, I'm going to sit down with him and buy him a proper meal.

A dignified, old man deserves nothing less.

Multiplying Memories

Upon Rona's reminder that Multiply is closing down its social networking function, I proceeded to the daunting task of exporting all the photos that I've kept on the site. 

As usual, it's a bit last minute as it was announced more than 4 months ago, and the exporting tools have been made available since November. Maybe it's because i'm still in denial that the multiply site that I opened last September 2007 will no longer be in existence. For more than 5 years, Destraido's multiply site was a repository of photos of a lot of happy moments in my life. So it's naturally difficult to accept that it's about to go away.

Today, as I began exporting some 1,500 photos, I couldn't help but smile and feel nostalgic as I looked at the events that I've shared with my family, loved ones, frendz, colleagues and friends. It was like watching a flashback of the best moments of my life.

There were weddings - from my parents' 40th wedding anniversary to the nuptials of Bonique and Vince, as well as Ivy and LJ. There were trips - like the journeys that Mark and I took to different parts of Japan, to my solo sojourns to Shanghai and Singapore. From fun family events such as outings, parties, dinners, Christmases, and reunions, to many D' Frendz events such as the baby shower of Bonique, our welcome party for Becca, and birthday parties galore.

So, so many happy memories, all packed in this one page that has been part of my life for 5 years. Heck, it was enough to make me misty-eyed at certain points of the downloading process.

As Multiply's social networking function takes its final bow, I'd like to thank multiply for multiplying the memories, and making sure that the years don't divide nor subtract the feelings and emotions from these milestones.

FMM: Here's to them

As the Christmas celebrations come full steam and as shoppers fill the malls and cash registers ring non-stop. As revelries intensify and gifts pile up under the tree. As the season of joy reaches it's peak, let's remember those who might not have celebrations, or means to shop, or revelries, or gifts that pile under the tree.

To those who might not know that it's Christmas, here's to you!

The kid who almost made me cry

Saturday, 8:40pm.

I was outside Dexter's Bakeshop waiting for someone to open the locked gate.

While waiting, a little kid on a bike arrived. He was a scavenger, and the side car of his bike had black bags that were filled with odds and ends that he could sell. From my estimate, the kid looked like he was less than 10 years old. He was scrawny, had a harelip, was shirtless and wore a pair of shorts that looked like it belonged to his Dad.

Carefully, he started opening the big, black trash bags which were left outside by Dexter's. One by one, he sifted through the trash and started setting aside things that he could sell. Plastic bottles, soda cans, discarded boxes - he was bringing to life the adage "one man's trash is another man's treasure."

He glanced at me once and proceeded to collect more trash from the big, black bags. That's when I had the opportunity to strike a small conversation with him.

ME: Kumain ka na ba?
HIM: Hindi pa po.
ME: Late na, ha. Bakit hindi ka pa kumakain?
HIM: Mamaya na lang po, tatapusin ko muna ito. Para makadami din ho.

At that point, tears were welling in my eyes. Part of me admired his hard work and the fact that he'd forego dinner just to gather as much trash to sell. Part of me felt sad because it's almost 9pm and he hasn't eaten dinner yet. Then I thought, when was his last meal? Was he able to eat lunch?

Suddenly, I saw the lady who was about to unlock the gate so I could go in. Before she arrived, I instinctively took my wallet and handed over some money to him. He look surprised and a bit baffled, and I told him:

ME:  Pagkatapos niyan, kain ka muna, ha.
HIM: (eyes wide and with a smile) Salamat po, Kuya.

Then, I left to meet Ate Bullet, and the kid continued to gather as much useful trash as he could.

While walking away, my mind was racing, asking myself if there's anything more I could do for this kid. If only Dexter's was still open, or if there was a nearby restaurant, I would've bought him dinner myself. I'm sure he was hungry after pushing his bike and going from store to store, opening each trash bag and looking for something of value.

But I wasn't able to. And I'm just hoping that the money I gave him was enough for him to buy a good, warm dinner.

It's the least a hardworking kid like that deserves.

Strange Songs that make me teary-eyed

1. Anima Christi - This song was playing in the background during the last retreat I attended back in 1998. The activity that time was writing a letter to the person who meant the most to us, and in my case it was Mom. Since that episode, I get misty eyed each time I hear this song. Problem is, they play it most of the time during the 4:30 pm mass at Edsa Shrine. Ergo, I have to struggle and fight off tears each time I hear mass.

2. Biyahe Tayo - Yes, it's the Wow Philippines! theme song. During my last trip to HK, they played this song's MTV on-board the plane. After hearing it, there was a great sense of longing in my heart and I suddenly missed my country so much. Then I felt tears welling in my eyes, so the immediate reaction was to yank off the earphones lest people see a grown man crying in a plane. (Strange thing was, I was only gone for 4 days...)

3. Lucky - How in heaven's name can a Britney Spears syrupy pop ditty make a guy teary eyed? I have no idea, but my heart wrenches each time this song is played. Maybe it's the underlying story that no matter how perfect your life seems, there will always be something missing. Or that the concept of true happiness is something that no one will ever achieve. Or accomplishments really mean nothing in the bigger scheme of things. Nope, I haven't figured it out yet. But that doesn't stop the feeling from pervading.