Your mantra for the week: “When I am afraid, I pause and have a conversation with God.”

Let me continue with the 15 ways to make yourself more likeable and loveable. After practicing the first six (in last week’s column), you would have noticed an improvement in your relationships with people.

The difference may not be as dramatic as expected, but notice how easier it has become for you to relate to others.

The next nine will make more evident the attraction you will have for expanded associations and friendships:

7) Instead of gossiping, be ready to share new ideas about health, wealth, relationships and success. It does make for more interesting exchanges, besides being constructive.

8) Make others feel needed and they will surely show their delight and appreciation.

9) Allow others to impress you and they, in turn, will be impressed with you.

10) Be a friend first and others will reciprocate by being your channels of good.

11) You may disagree, but remain polite and agreeable at all times.

12) Always address a person by his/her name—it is not only good for relationships but also a benediction to your memory.

13) Smile a lot. It is a wonderful way to attract blessings.

14) Be kind. You may not be able to love everyone but you can be kind to all.

15) Be at peace with yourself and you will surely radiate goodwill to everyone wherever you go.

Baby Arenas’ gown

Lunch with Pangasinan’s 3rd District Representative Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas and her daughter, MTRCB chair Rachel Arenas, is always fun, sharing issues both personal and governmental.

The most recent was that of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Duterte and the hearing on the provincial seats pitting Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos and Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas.

On the lighter, fashion side, the gown that Baby wore at the Sona was a 25-year-old Aureo Alonzo creation, restyled by Paul Cabral in keeping with the Mindanaoan theme. Baby donned that gown when she met Prince Charles 25 years ago.

From photos that made it to the newspapers, those wearing Muslim-inspired attires were mostly carrying high-profile international branded bags. Sona huwag ganun!

What happened to the local bags that could have enhanced the Sona in local fashion, such as bags by Bea Valdes, and Beatriz by Carissa Cruz Evangelista?

The Scorpio in Patricia

I have never met Patricia “Tisha” Bautista, who is said to “read auras and is into energy healing.”

Looking at her photos and her recent interview with Karen Davila, I suspected she was probably a Scorpio. She was, indeed, born on Nov. 8—attractive, exuding sex appeal and an aura of a Scorpio whose main characteristic has been described funnily as “You can never can tell.” This is what her husband Andy Bautista found out during their marriage. And it wasn’t funny.

Eyeing your soul mate

I know people who read auras and are into energy healing. And because they take these gifts seriously, they make sure they would never get entangled with other people’s mates and create havoc in their relationships.

Tisha denies these allegations, but shares a suspected “loveness” with her rumored lover 3-4 times a week.

This lover, who shares the same birthday as Tisha’s husband, was known to be the live-in partner of a very wealthy, high-profile and well-admired chef—until Tisha set her sights on the chef’s mate, whom Tisha claims is her “soul mate.”

Tisha even had the audacity to tell the chef that she had “third eyed” that the chef’s lover would leave her because he was in love with another woman.

That’s the cunning of a Scorpio. No offense meant to Scorpios. I, too, have a Scorpio ascendant.

A daughter’s choice

It is also beyond my comprehension how any human being gets estranged from his/her mother. And if you, dear reader, are one of them, do yourself the biggest favor and iron out what differences you may have with your mom, if only because she carried you in her womb for nine months and nurtured you thereafter even just for a while. You will find out what a great difference it will make in your life.

I sincerely feel that there’s no excuse for estrangement from a mother, no matter what she has done, unless it’s a threat against your life. In Tisha’s case, as a mother she did not care about the humiliation her own children would go through after making a public spectacle of what should have remained a private matter.

More than close

I’m sure that socialites who call Tisha “weird and crazy” are not saying so because she reads auras. They probably are aware of her strange notions and passions, and with her recent acts against Andy, those have clearly been underscored even more.

When it is finally revealed who arranged Tisha’s visit to Malacañang—she was rumored to have been accompanied by an anonymous lady whose relationship with the former Fuga Island owners can be described as “more than close,” as I had exposed as Conde de Makati in 1972—you will not wonder why this has become a national issue.

Andy had mentioned that “Tisha was probably driven by greed” and was asking for money that he did not have. But those behind Tisha’s visitation definitely have the billions.

Anak ng Fuga, they’re still at it!

E-mail the columnist: [email protected]. Listen to his “Positive Session” radio program over dwIZ 882 AM every Saturday, 9-10 p.m.