In the movie “It Could Happen to You” which I watched last night on Q, Charlie meets a waitress named Yvonne who waits on him at a diner. Charlie doesn’t have enough money that day to pay the tip so instead, he promises to split with her his prospective lottery winnings. Charlie eventually wins $4 million in the lottery and to Yvonne’s great surprise, he keeps his promise and gives her $2M! She thinks that he is out of his mind to do that but Charlie insists, “A promise is a promise.” Too good to be true but the story is based on an actual event.
If that happens to me, I would probably do the same thing. I may not have kept some promises in the past but in major commitments such as that, not keeping one’s word is somewhat nakaka-konsensiya. After all, winning the lottery is just an added bonus in life. Blessings are meant to be shared and promises, kept–especially if you know in your heart that you may not just be saving a face but someone’s life as well.
Respect and honor is definitely greater than $2M. If one wants the money all by himself, however, simple lang naman eh: Do not commit if you’re half-hearted or do not make a promise if you can’t fulfill it. Because once you’ve given your word, much is already expected. Saka di ba, “losers make promises they often break; winners make commitments they always keep.” I assume nobody wants to be called a loser.
I was browsing the other day the Comelec-backed PoliticalArena.com website, an election portal designed to be a “socio-political networking site” that will link all candidates to their respective supporters. It features all decided and undecided presidential and vice presidential aspirants and so far, there are 22 of them! I find the number amusing and at the same time, irritating.
I have watched the two ANC Countdown to 2010: Leadership Forums shown over ABS-CBN a few Sundays ago and I was not impressed with most of the presidential hopefuls. Based on their answers, only three of them gave sensible and honest assessments on the various issues tackled. The rest, they were just either trying to look endearing by being funny, trying to sound intellectual by giving statistics, trying to look heroic by citing past achievements, or just this: simply trying hard.
While there are candidates who are very qualified to lead this country, what we need is a man of action with untarnished reputation and strong political will to do what is legal, just, and ethical. More than words is all what we Filipinos need to see and consider before casting our votes in 2010.
Today marks the 43rd wedding anniversary of my folks! Grabe, they have lasted together this long? Hahaha! Pardon me for the laughter, I am just amused and at the same time pressured. Tough act to follow, huh.
This is the first time that I will be writing about my parents. And I decided to share some good pre-school childhood memories with them that I could not forget:
- The night I did not sleep just to find out who “Santa Claus” really was. I was pretending to be asleep when before 12 midnight one Christmas Eve, I heard my parents talking about how much money they would put inside the socks that my sisters and I excitedly hanged by the window earlier that day. Of course, I was shattered to know the truth because “Santa” never came back after that. Goodbye socks. Goodbye gifts.
- The day my dad brought me and my younger sister Beverly to watch The NeverEnding Story, D.A.R.Y.L. and Candy (starring the then bulilit Sheryl Cruz) at the Rodela Theater in Dagupan City. Cute.
- The day we went to Manila via a train. We went to a mall and it was my first time then to eat pizza and ride an escalator. I saw this mascot with the second name “Kamatis” because her head looked like one big red tomato! I could not remember the first name though. Aarrrrghh.
- Our daily walks from home to school with my mom. I was only four then and my younger sister, three. We didn’t have nannies then so my mom was forced to take us to the school where she first taught. There, we would play, drink milk, eat, and sleep. What a sacrifice for a working mother to make!
- Our kantahan nights. Before going to sleep, they would teach us some children’s songs and the first song I’ve learned in my life started with the words “smile a while..” and ended with “’til we meet again.” I could not remember anymore the words in between. That was almost 32 years ago ‘no.
- The days our dad would catch us children one by one and crack all our toes. Hay naku, hulihan talaga to the max and we would all roar in pain and laughter! Hahaha!
Those were the good old days when life was still much simpler and less complicated. And I could not blame my parents for blurting out the words “noong kapanahunan namin” every time they try to put some good sense into our heads. Looking back, probably they are right. Having a good family life is not a matter of luck but a matter of choice.
Happy Anniversary!
“Ayoko nang magkuwento sa ‘yo, baka i-blog mo!”
Hahaha, that’s one of my good friends speaking. Of course, I beg to disagree! I don’t blog about things which are classified as confidential or top secret. I do not name names which may put a person in shame or embarrassment. Besides, I usually write about the good things, not the bad. I may rant sometimes but I rarely specify or detail the acts that earn my ire. So my dear friend, what’s there to fear about?
Just asking. 
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