Your mantra for the week: “Every person I meet is a potential channel of my good.”
Last week I gave pointers that might help make a relationship stable. The first five are Commitment, Appreciation, Communication, Time Alone and Common Spiritual Orientation.
Here are the rest:
Sixth is the Ability to cope with Misunderstandings, Individual Differences and even Idiosyncrasies which are part and parcel of their uniqueness. This only means accepting each other exactly as one is.
The seventh is Freedom. Giving each other freedom to be is essential in any relationship. In my wedding rituals, I do not bind two people but stress freedom by making them release each other to their highest creativity and their chosen direction.
No one becomes the better half of the other—but rather two whole people getting together to share their fullness and are free to break that bond when one chooses to do so. This is rare in today’s world but I sincerely believe this will be the norm of the future.
And for our relationships with others, here are a few tips to improve them:
1) Listen to your own voice. Are you monopolizing conversation with others? Are you contributing anything to it or are you just babbling away?
2) Be considerate of others by knowing whether or not they are interested in what you are saying.
3) Be genuinely interested in other people.
4) Be attentive—look at the person directly.
5) Don’t interrupt. Allow the person to finish what he/she is saying.
6) Be respectful of the dignity of others.
7) Consider the following “stop” signs: stop judging, stop blaming, stop finding fault and stop imposing your expectations, your beliefs.
Let us not be dependent on each other for our happiness, but rather on our individual joys enhanced by our unity.
More Leos
Today is the last day of the Leo sign; I still have to greet Leos who did not make it in last week’s list: stem cell specialist and aesthetician Dr. Almond Derla; Rustan’s vice president for home merchandising Marilen Tantoco; world traveler and consciousness enthusiast Fe Marzan; the witty and outspoken Marivic Vazquez; society photographer Rupert Jacinto; equestrian Nina Huang; the gorgeous DJ Lopez; and my Italian sister Marla Cimma.
‘Do a Grace Glory Go’
Last Sunday I got early text messages from Johnny Litton and honorary consul to Angola Helen Ong.
Johnny said, “I am so embarrassed and apologetic that you did not get your text invitation. The same thing happened to 14 others including Grace Glory Go, who decided to come anyway and confront me for not having invited her. I had to show her the text and the date it was sent. What is happening to our telecommunication system? Don’t they realize the complications (that) we, the customers get into? Oh my God, of all people, how can I not invite you? Next time please just do a Grace Glory Go.”
‘They are free to copy’
And from Helen, regarding the “consular rivalry” item in this column: “I am not interested to be popular at other people’s expense and I can assure you I have no hidden agenda. I am happy where I am and (have) no intention of stepping on other people’s feet for my own benefit. For your information, I am only doing my best to help very poor cancer victims.
“All donations go the Philippine Cancer Society and I also donate my own money to them. You are free to look at my records at Philippine Cancer Society. I even pay for my family’s ticket to enter. I want to reiterate that I have been doing this for the last 12 years with success. The market is open. They can copy and do the same. Good luck!”
Well, Elegant Philippines, another organization, has “copied” with a difference and it is all for free with no beneficiary. But if one digs deep enough, some people stand to benefit socially and or politically. However, the question still remains unanswered, why are both occasions being held on Sept. 22?
MMCO’s 15th anniversary
The Metro Manila Concert Orchestra (MMCO) Foundation’s board of trustees headed by Boysie Villavicencio and Laling Tambunting Ordoñez, including Chinggay Lagdameo and Michael Toledo, presented its 15th crystal anniversary concert season titled “The Romantic Rachmaninoff.”
This was my first encounter with this orchestra, but the concert’s emcees, Miguel Faustmann and Robie Zialcita, made sure the audience would always remember the orchestra’s acronym, MMCO, with their comedic, repetitive dialogue.
The opening number, “The Rock Fantasia, Op. 7” as conducted by professor Josefino Toledo, felt just like a warm-up, but picked up with “Vocalise Op. 34, No. 14” with flutist Crystal Rodis Concepcion.
Part one ended with “Asia’s Got Talent” second runner-up Gerphil Flores’ renditions of “Speak Softly Love” and “The Impossible Dream.” Gerphil is not only an outstanding talent but also an exceptional beauty. She is strikingly lovely as Gemma Cruz Araneta was when she won the Miss International crown in 1964.
Aima Labra Makk’s performance on “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18” drew a standing ovation.
This piece was the inspiration of the song “Full Moon and Empty Arms” recorded and popularized by Frank Sinatra.
More power to MMCO and its coming performances to last until Feb. 5, 2016.
‘A Musical Soiree’
On Saturday, Aug. 29, the Makati Garden Club will present “A Musical Soiree” featuring violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr., who has just finished his master’s degree at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and will work for his doctorate at Yale University.
He will be accompanied by professor Greg Zuniega who finished his undergraduate and post-graduate degrees at the Royal College of Music in London where he was presented the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal for excellence by Queen Elizabeth herself.
A set menu is being prepared by chef Robert Lilja to be served with Rondini’s My Wine.
Show starts at 6:30 p.m.; dinner will be served during intermission.
Call 5527051 or 5527045. Do this quickly, limited seats only.
Heartwarming films
I got to watch two Cinemalaya films at its recent festival: Francis Pasion’s “Bwaya” (which has won the Cinemalaya Best Film, Tokyo’s Filmex, and France’s Cyclo D’Or); and Zhang Yimou’s “Coming Home.”
Both films would touch anyone’s heart unless one has become so calloused as a crocodile’s tegument.
“Coming Home” is the best Chinese film I have ever seen. It stars Gong Li, the Meryl Streep of Asia (or is Meryl Streep the Gong Li of Hollywood?)
If only China could spend more time making films such as this, instead of trying to acquire territories beyond its jurisdiction. May its ancestors come back in this ghost month and haunt them and hopefully enlighten them in regard to this bullying activity.
Shing ngu nga ho di haylo, as they say in Bihonese.