Remembering Gig Robles

"Appreciation represents the 'A' in the word HAPPY" according to Bishop Honesto Ongtioco who officated the mass this morning for the first death anniversary of Gig Robles who passed away exactly a year ago at age 17.
Bishop Ongtioco started his sermon with a quote from Gig's poem [that appeared in Mandy Navasero's column last Saturday]:

Thank you, Lord
For my home
For the Philippines
It's a wonderful country.
This life
I hope I live it properly.
Thank you for this earth,
This uninverse, this dimension.
For the air I breathe, the water I drink,
For the people around me,
And for the rest of the world.
Thank you, Lord
For the Pope and the Dalai Lama,
And all those who advocate peace.

I met Gig and his mom Marissa last year at Mandy's Batanes Photo Safari. He struck me as one of those renaissance man, well-traveled, well-mannered, has good grades and involved in music, poetry and sports. The poem which appears in the book Read to Bridge Oceans shows his sensitivity at a tender age of 17. I'm trying to recall what I was up to at that age... Nope, I was more like frivolous and selfish definitely not concerned about peace or thanking God. We do take things for granted - even today, who would think of appreciating the minutest of everday existence like the air we breathe and the water we drink? And to go beyond planet earth and 'this dimension'?
Even Kabalist Yehuda Berg advises to "begin the day with gratitude and realize life itself is a miracle. Recognize the precision and wonder of nature." A 17-year old recognized this. I guess today is a wake up call for me to be mindful and thankful each day for everything life has to offer and I'd like to start by being thankful for giving me the opportunity to meet Gig at this lifetime.

Plet's new project: Earth Tales

Bravo Plet! Another feather in your cap. I've known Plet since 1985 in Ixelles. We were both taking our masters and serendipitously next door neighbors on Avenue Derache. She was a preppy IT student then garbed in bright colored cardigans, checkered skirts and knee-high argyles and when she left 2-years after, she turned punk! That should've been my sign of her constantly evolving nature. She started out in IT (yes, computer programming), then to law school and finally, found her calling in Art.
Plet has always been bursting with energy and ideas. If she's not working on her canvas, she'll be doing some craft - anything from mosaic tiles (mural at the entrance of CASA), knitting, architecture (she already built two homes and two studios) and now gardening.
She is one of the three artists in Earth Tales, a collection of three environmental stories for children. The book, published by the Center for Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development (Canvas) was launched today. Plet did mixed media art for the japanese fable “The Hummingbird,” London-based Ivee Olivares-Mellor rendered Paul Aird’s “The King and the Royal Trees,” and Liza Flores illustrated “The Star Thrower.” The works of the three artists are exhibited at 1/of Gallery in Serendra Boni High St. this March. (Shown in photo: at the launch with David, Non, Rica, Plet and hubby Elmer).

Follow me on twitter..

Its really a very wide world web out there and I"m getting entangled in it. I joined twitter this morning. Shonali from D.C. wrote in her email "did you check out my blog yet? The link is in my e-signature. Would love to have you read/comment."
I scrolled down to her e-signature and got intrigued with 'follow me on twitter'.. so I did and the only way to follow her is to sign up. Lo and behold, I'm surprised that a number of people I know in the Philippines are already hooked up! And a number of celebs are famous twits!
Lifestlye guru Martha Stewart who signed up two weeks ago (Feb 19) had 20,000 followers this morning and now, after 9 hours, jumped up to 21,241. She's only following six twits - that's, Barack Obama (who has 348,172 followers), rapper-Snoop Dog, pet dog lover Cute Overload, gardener-Maragaretroach, late night host Jimmy Fallon and gossip blogger-perezhilton. Her latest twit is "I made a nice lunch for some visitors at my house this weekend and ends with a link to her blog. With a 140-character space limit I guess all you can do is link to a blog for more info.
Aside from friends, I've decided to follow D.C. correspondent George Stephanopoulous (note: I've been intrigued since Primary Colors) and some news twits like CNN and IHT (which i may take down due to information overload) and The Moment.
Twitter is a free social networking utility developed in 2006 by Evan Williams to connect 'real time' with family and friends. He's another genius like 24-year old Mark Zuckerberg who developed Facebook in 2004. As of today, there are 90 million active Facebook-users vs one-million twits.
Now that I'm a twit plus a blogger and also connected to facebook, youtube, flicker, ASW and yes, multiply... how on earth will i find time to enjoy the real wide world out there???? I must be a nitwit to fall for all these...

Dark Chocolates good for cancer

"As long as its more than 70% cocoa" says my friend who's enjoying her Godiva 85% dark from Dr. P and offering me a piece while I'm sitting right next to her searching the web for clinical trials in the United States (U.S.).

She was recently diagnosed of metastatic malignant melanoma in her small intestines. Her oncologist recommended to go to the U.S. for treatment options since the Philippines has no experience in treating melanoma. According to wiki, melanoma is one of the rarer types of skin cancer "due to uncontrolled growth of pigment cells, called melanocytes."

Melanoma is rare in dark-skinned people - like us, pinoys. Statistically in the U.S., more than 50,000 people are diagnosed each year. It is the sixth most common cancer in men and the seventh most common in women. The median age at diagnosis is between 35 and 45. Most malignant cases occur in people over 50. White Americans are 20 times more likely to develop melanoma than African Americans.


She's been reading David Servan-Screiber's book, " Anti Cancer a new way of life" which details the author's
research on lifestyle changes that would prevent a relapse. The author has undergone chemo and surgery for his brain cancer. He said that a poor diet, unhealthy habits (like smoking), some hormones, and environmental toxins increase risk. He recommends eating organic foods, avoiding red meat and processed food, and eliminating household chemicals as well as strongly advocates a positive, life-affirming attitude.

Specifically he said to avoid foods with high glycemic index such as Sugar (white or brown), honey, syrups (maples, fructose, dextrose), all white bleached flours, potatoes especially mashed potatoes, corn flakes, Rice Krispies, jams and jellies, fruit cooked in sugar, sweetened drinks (commercially fruit juices and sodas) alcohol (except during meals). And he recommends to replace with low glycemix index foods including chocolates as long as its over 70% cocoa.

Acutally the compound used in chocolates was discovered that it can stop the constant division of cancerous cells in laboratory trials. The study, published in the April issue of Molecular cancer Therapeutics, found that the compound pentameric procyanidin inhibits cancer's progression by targeting and deactivating the proteins involved in the proliferation of malignant cells.

Well with the earth's protective ozone layer thinning rapidly, white skin and/or brown are at risk of melanoma today. It is best to be familiar with your skin's moles, freckles and other "beauty marks" especially the size and change in color or shape. The most common site in women is on the legs. In men, the most common place is the back. Or maybe best is to eat more dark chocolates !!