Your mantra for the week: “My acts of kindness make me healthy.”
As more Filipinos turn health-conscious, getting into the keto and intermittent fasting diets, I suggest another system that does not involve food, but its practice could have immeasurable benefits in one’s life, not to mention, its specific impact on one’s health. It is what IAMISM calls planting-of-the-good, which means unlimited acts of kindness from one’s thoughts, feelings, words and actions.
Here are 10 specific benefits one can expect:
1) An increased and enhanced immune system
2) Strengthened heart because you are doing loving things
3) Lower cholesterol
4) Reduced stress levels
5) Relief from chest pains; body aches and pains are indications that one is lacking in acts of kindness
6) A sense of well-being is felt even just thinking of doing good things
7) Deeper, restful sleep
8) Easier bowel movement
9) Increased production of endorphins (the natural anesthesia)
10) Marked improvement in sexual prowess
‘Citizen Jake’ screenings
If you failed to watch the regular screening of “Citizen Jake,” catch it on June 12, 13 and 14 at Cinema Centenario along Maginhawa St. Quezon City. It may not be the best Mike de Leon film, but its relevance to our present situation makes its viewing of great importance.
The script is cowritten by de Leon, Atom Araullo and Noel Pascual. Having de Leon as director and Araullo as lead actor turned out problematic, and the online skirmish that followed between the two proved it.
De Leon surely had his own concept of how things should appear on screen, and Araullo as writer and playing the title made his own judgment.
Running for almost three hours, “Citizen Jake” tried to put in so much information that it could easily lend itself to two full-length movies. Rina David wrote that it was “messy but meaningful,” precisely because of what it was trying to say in one movie.
I believe it would have been revolutionary in cinema history if the writers had instead produced two films—one from the purely storytelling point of view, and the other from lead character Jake Herrera’s stream of consciousness. But, it’s still a must-see for all Filipinos.
2018 Italian Day
Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino experienced his first hosting of Italian National Day on June 2 at The Alley at Karrivin Plaza, Makati. This is the first time Italian Day was held between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m., instead of the usual cocktails in the ambassador’s residence.
The Alley is a brainchild of Mara Coson, whose mother Tessie is chair of Banco de Oro. It was nice to see Aiza Seguerra and Film Development Council of the Philippines chair Liza Diño among over a hundred guests.
I remember that The Alley was once a warehouse where Via Mare’s Glenda Barretto had a restaurant called “Warehouse 55” and behind was housed its commissary. This was when Barretto could easily prepare three-day caterings for 10,000 people in Ilocos for “you-know-who’s” events.
As promised, there was overflowing prosecco, or Italian white wine, with accompanying music and food that could add a lot of calories to figure-conscious people. The only detriment is that the air-coolers were not enough to beat the heat and, therefore, many guests took comfort in their air-conditioned cars and did not stay until 4:30 p.m.
The ambassador himself, after awhile, had to remove his tie and jacket and surrendered to the weather. By the way, the ambassador is single again and could prove to be exciting for the single ladies.
It is nice to know that in August, the Italian Embassy is giving to the Ateneo Art Awards an additional prize titled “Embassy of Italy Award” to a young Filipino artist who shows great potential. It desires to build a significant collection of Filipino art to adorn the residence of the ambassador and its chancery. Molto meraviglioso!
Most well-attended
The most well-attended event last Wednesday night was that of the 13th Philippine Tatler Traveller magazine. It focuses on the art of luxury travel so, of course, the guests were those who jet travel and cruise all over the world frequently.
The always stylish Mia Borromeo, its editor and an Epitome: Dressing at its Best 2017 awardee, was stunning in pleated orange and earrings that are surely conversation pieces.
The crowd relished the food of the Raffles and Fairmont Makati Hotels, with David and Marilu Batchelor and the indefatigable Monique Toda present. The evening’s favorite was a giant bowl of pork chicharon, which went fabulously well with the champagne that flowed on and on.
I remember attending in New York a cocktail event that served only champagne and hotdogs. Well, chicharon is a better match.
Mario Katigbak and Mike Toledo were busy gobbling up the crispy Filipino fare until Toleda was “sequestered” to help emcee the program. “There is really nothing free in the universe,” he joked.
It was nice conversing with Gigi Montinola, whose mother Lourdes I see more often in concerts and social gatherings. I ran into the constantly glamorous Linda Ley whose absence from the social scene was caused by an accident in Lake Como just two days before she was to come home.
She spent nine hours in the hospital, which was nothing compared to four months of no partying. “It gave me a chance to read more thoroughly the first portion of your column, which gave me a more positive outlook,” she told me.
Also present were Babette Aquino, who now lives here half the year, looking pristine and sensual in white, most probably due to her living the other six months in Paris; the youthful looking Bettina Osmeña, whose popular Gourmet Corner is now the talk of the town because of the premium ingredients she sells, and who gladly takes orders for libertine and lush meals, and has imported the various outstanding specialties of other eating places and serves them in San Antonio Plaza, Forbes Park.
Yesterday, Irene and Randy Francisco left for a three-week European sojourn.
Other frequent travelers seen that evening were Paqui and Lilibeth Campos, Jaime Augusto and Lizzie Zobel, Jun Jun and Mellie Ablaza, Vicki Belo, Yoli Ayson and Alfredo Roca.
Tatler Traveller magazine really inspires people to travel more.
Mind our own
A rabid born-again Christian has been trying to convert her Catholic friend to her belief system, to which the exasperated friend said, “We must mind our own when it comes to our souls and our vaginas.”
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