Goodbye, Daddy

It has been months since anything ‘big’ happened in my life. When I say big, I mean something that would change the daily (boring) routine I follow.

It’s the evening the 19th of this month when my ‘it’s just another day’ outlook was shaken by a big news (No, I wasn’t excited about the super moon).

I was a bit worried that evening because my tatay, who usually goes online early evening everyday, was not yet messaging me. I was worried because there are still dangers after the Japan tragedy. It was around 11pm then when tatay messaged me. It turned out that we really have something to worry about that evening. His message read, “Wala na si daddy.”

Domingo delos Santos, or ‘Domeng’ is my paternal grandfather’s older brother. He is the eldest among 4 children of our great grandparents. He is everybody’s ‘daddy’. He is loved by everybody in the family.

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Family gatherings would never be the same without our beloved Daddy Domeng

Being the youngest in our family, I (admittedly) have the least emotional attachment with most of our relatives. I was the less known by most and oftentimes mistaken as my older brother. But Daddy’s family is different. Our family is closer to them compared to others because my tatay is so attached with Daddy Domeng.

I honestly feel a little aloof and uncomfortable whenever I am in the presence of some relatives but that changes whenever we are with Daddy.

I look at Daddy as my true grandfather since  both of my real grandfathers met their inevitable endings earlier than we wished they did.

My emotional attachment with Daddy strengthened as the years went by. He’s always the one who asks me ”Kamusta kayo?”, “Anong balita?’ , “kumain na kayo.” whenever we meet. Simple gestures like those made feeling comfortable with him and his family easier.

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One of my most treasured memory of Daddy was when they attended my high school graduation. My tatay was the one who suggested that we invite Daddy during that day. I would never forget the smile he wore whenever he accompanied me to the stage to receive awards.I remember how my tatay relayed to me how proud and happy Daddy was during my graduation. That made me love Daddy more.

He was also there during the time when our family hit rock-bottom. We knew we can tell him everything without any fears of being judged. We knew that he’s always there to listen and to care.

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The moment we first visited him after his passing, I can’t help but get teary eyed while I was looking at  him through his casket’s glass. I was thinking, visiting their house would never be the same.

I would always remember how he listens attentively to every story we share. I would always remember his being appreciative of whatever we give him. I would always remember his smile when he gave him a copy of our picture during my graduation. I would always remember the concern he showed our family when we needed it most. I would always remember how he loved the chicharon we always give them whenever we visited them. I would always remember how sweet a husband he is to his wife, Tita Toneng. I would always remember him as he is, the loving and ever-caring Daddy Domeng that he is to everyone in the family.

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Daddy Domeng, we will surely miss you. Salamat po sa lahat ng bagay at ala-ala na iniwan nyo sa amin. Salamat sa pagmamahal at pagkalinga. Hindi po namin kayo makakalimutan. You will be forever in our hearts.

What Shook me More Than Japan’s Aftershock

The world was literally, figuratively AND seriously shaken by the news that an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s capital, Tokyo 2:46 PM of Friday, March 11. Following that massive  quake were several aftershocks which eventually unleashed a 13-foot tsunami. And as everyone stayed glued on news channels delivering blow-by-blow coverage of the disaster, the cyber-world was as hyped as much as the real world. Everybody started sending off their prayers for Japan as it was left devastated by those natural calamities. Micro-blogging site, Twitter was ‘flooded’ by posts meant to send prayers for the safety and fast recovery of Japan, thus making the hashtag #prayforjapan top the trending topics worldwide. Along with this hash was #tsunamiwhich also managed to make it to Twitter’s TT worldwide.

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In this modern age, everyone can get information in just a blink of an eye or a single click via the internet. Along the perks the internet brings with regards to information dissemination was the fact that not everybody is capable of using their so-called edit buttons while posting stuff online.

My father has been working in Japan for decades now. My father’s younger sister and her five children also lives there. Imagine the fear I felt upon reading the bad news about Japan post after post on my Twitter feed.

The first thing I did was message my father via his Facebook to check on him. I am starting to worry because almost an hour passed and he was yet t0 reply. I started to panic a little so I started to look for some information online about the affected areas using my mobile web browser. Still, I failed to get any concrete information on whether my father is situated somewhere safe or not.

This is not the first time that I experienced following an event via social networking sites, but it is the first time that someone close to me was somehow near the place of the calamity.

With adrenalin and blood pressure shooting within my system, I can’t help but be pissed by some insensitive posts on social networking sites. Remember the Quirino bus hostage tragedy (August 23, 2010)? I was really bothered by how a lot of people started posting stuff as if they can do any better than those policemen on duty. I mean, you can say this and that but you really can’t do anything because we are just sitting comfortably in front of our televisions trying to sound smarter than the people risking their lives on the field. Add to that those posts about the offender, Mr. Mendoza. A lot of people started referring to him as if he has never done anything good in his entire existence. I am not expecting everyone to have broader minds when it comes to stuff like that, but come on, it’s just so irrational and insensitive. Also in that same night, everybody started tweeting about Venus Raj, that she should save our country’s image via her bid for the Ms. Universe crown. (That’s another story that I’d rather not talk about) I was affected then. But with this Japan thing, I think I was a bit more sensitive because someone dear to me might be in danger. Imagine how pissed I am by tweets suggesting that this might be the start of the end of the world. You know, nobody can dictate what others should or should not post on their personal accounts but I am expecting others to be considerate about how others feel, at the very least. People posting stuff that they think make them sound smarter also got into my nerves earlier. People saying we should to this, we should do that, yadda, yadda. If you can’t help but post something, you better make it helpful. Just retweet informative posts, we don’t need quotations. Believe me. And one more thing. I find posts with smileys, or ‘frowneys’ if you may, a bit insincere. Really. Because it’s lame.

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I’m not saying that I am the most sensitive person when it comes to posting stuff online. I am just saying this in a point of view of someone who knows someone who is somehow involved in an unfortunate event. See, anyone in this situation gets a little bit more sensitive than the usual. All I’m saying is that everyone should be more considerate on posting stuff online.

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I would like to send my sincerest prayers for everyone’s safety and for the fast recovery of Japan from this misfortune. Thank God because my tatay, my Tita Del and her children are all safe and are far from the affected areas of Japan. I am hoping that everyone with relatives in Japan has contacted their loved ones. Let us also pray for the souls of our Japanese brothers who died in this calamity.

#128: Solenn Heussaff on FHM March 2011

It is March and we know what this means, it’s FHM’s anniversary. They are turning 11 this year, like a kid experiencing puberty had the magazine been a real person. We all remember that phase in our lives- awkward voice, things popping out of our skins, hair growing here and there, and some skin and blood being moved out of our systems and all that jazz. But FHM is not like us humans. And this 11th year marker of this magazine is anything but awkward.

What do we have here? Oh, it’s a lucky horse kissing this month’s cover muse, the multi-hyphenated (READ designer, make-up artist, model, singer, Survivor finalist, painter, product endorser, movie star, soon-to-be TV star, It Girl….) Solenn Heussaff. The timing for her much anticipated FHM appearance couldn’t have been more perfect. After her stint in Survivor Philippines, she has captured the hearts of the Filipino masses despite the ‘socialite’ tag given to her by the said reality show. The public asked craved for more of Solenn. Although she has been a hot item for the longest time now, it is the mass appreciation brought about by Survivor Philippines that made her the next big thing on the local tinsel town.

COVER

I think this is the second time that the magazine used translucent color for their logo. (the first one was for Ehra Madrigal’s ‘white’ cover for June 2008)

That’s my only observation (MML). You be the judge.

LAYOUT

There are minor changes (or is there only one?) on the layout. Thankfully it’s the table of contents that they changed. It is less confusing now. (Wait, who reads the table of contents anyway?)

COVER STORY

Lucky horses. Lucky, lucky horses. Solenn, being the refined lady that she is, smoldered on the pages of FHM. Her shoot made up for the (somehow) lack of spark of last year’s anniversary issue cover shoots. Kudos to the photographer, the stylist and the make-up artist for the classy photos we are enjoying. Kudos to the FHM team for yet another classy photoshoot. Solenn was indeed polished to perfection for this one.

I can’t help but smile while reading Solenn’s interview. I can imagine her speaking whenever she was quoted in Filipino. She talked about her career plan, her Survivor experience, her passions, her life before the stardom and she managed to clarify some misconceptions about her and her lifestyle.

She truly heated up the 11th year of FHM with her cowgirl/equestrienne themed photos. She managed to show enough to ignite our thoughts while keeping some to tickle our imaginations. Plus her tattoos are hot.

Check out some of the behind the scenes photos of her pictorial:

PS. I have a strong feeling that Ms. Heussaff has a BIG chance of topping this year’s sexiest list. LET’S DO IT!

*I love the transition from Solenn’s warm hued photos to Paloma’s photos in cooler hues. It’s rad.

FEATURED BABES

It is March and we know what this means, it’s summer time. Aptly so, FHM did their Bikini Special this month (they did last year’s on their May issue). I liked this year’s Bikini Special because they featured girls with tanner complexions (some of them are Filipinas). Last year, the bikini special featured more white chicks  (although I have nothing against them, it’s just that bikinis look better on tanned skin).

I also commend FHM for doing the photo shoots around the Philippines. They shot FHM favorite Paloma and car show model Shanna Solideo on the shores of Baler in Aurora Province. The shores of Subic, Zambales became witness to Australian-Pinay Richelle Prickett’s and Brazilian Model Ana Corado’s bikini-clad bodies. Jenny posed along the shores of her hometown Davao and Cebu’s  Aireen Estel, in her bikini, posed in one of the Queen City of the South’s A-list resorts (Maribago Blue Water Beach Resort). Not to forget Australia’s bet, Half Filipina Shiralee Coleman.

Other girls featured were Incoming babe, Lae Lusung and March GF Janna Tiangco (it’s kinda disappointing that they reduced the GF’s photos to two, again.)

PLUS Sam Pinto’s San Mig Light ad is there again. 🙂

FEATURED READS

Among the featured articles this month are 60 driving tips, Extreme Sportsmen, Vanity for Men, Dog Breeds and the Death of ‘Pinoy Rock ‘n Roll.

I liked the article about the dogs because it gave everything an aspiring dog owner needs to know. From the behavior, health, intelligence, price and the impact it will give the ladies.

The article on the ‘Death’ of ‘Pinoy rock ‘n roll caught my interest even though I am not a big fan of the genre. It managed to tell how everything started, from underground to mainstream, the impact of NU’s downfall, the signing of indie bands for major record labels and how the genre is slowly losing pace with pop music, which is more appreciated by the majority.

EXTRAS

*or my queries*

• So Pauline So is the ‘real’ Premiere Vixen. Whatever happened to Christine and Karen?
• What is the font name of the ones used for the Bikini portion?
• How about the one used for Solenn?
• Why is this issue worth every peso spent?
• Will I ever get answers to my questions?

*images courtesy of fhm.com.ph and Solenn Heussaff’s Twitter page