Turning 63 on October 12

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW
Linggoy Alcuaz
10/10-12/2011



After a full year, a month and a week of faithfully writing and submitting my weekly “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” column, I finally failed last week.

That was after writing and submitting an even dozen of columns on a twice a week basis since OpinYon entered its second year.

I failed to write and submit both my Regular and Lite columns for last week.

Actually, I now write four columns a week - two in English for OpinYon and two in Pilipino for Diaryo Pinoy.

A Deadline Writer
The pace was taking its toll on me. I usually write at night. I usually end way past midnight. That means that I’m “puyat” four out of the seven nights of a week.

In spite of that, I have to wake up at 6 am from Monday to Friday to bring my daughter, Maria Teresa Margarita “Cuchie” to work.

I’m a deadline writer and I don’t have a reserve of timeless columns.

So, by hook or by crook, I have to finish my columns even if I’m way past the official deadline.

The problem of the hook and the crook is that at my age, I can no longer make “puyat” until morning.

At a certain point after midnight, not only my body but more so, my mind gives up.

I like to listen to oldies music while writing. I know that it’s time to give up and go to bed when I can write less than a paragraph per song.

Of Laptops & Wi-Fi
I don’t have my own computer. I rely on my son, Manuel Hermilo “Miko” to lend me either his desktop or laptop computer.

Usually, I use the laptop because I can choose my place, table and chair.

When I finish writing and have to Email my column, I have to look for a spot in the second floor of my home where the Wi-Fi signal reaches.

However, more than a month ago, the laptop broke and I was forced to use the desktop.

Then, my troubles multiplied.

I could no longer choose my place, table and chair. I was forced to go down to my son’s room and use his desktop, his computer table and his revolving chair.

Soon, my eyes, my back and my legs all ached.

I could no longer write my column in one seating. I had to write by installments.

I had to rest every two hours. I was submitting my columns later and later until it was the absolute deadline.

Ergo, I failed to submit.

Warm up from a Cold Start
Then, it became a pile up.

In one week, I failed to submit my Friday Diaryo Pinoy column.

Then, I also failed to submit my Monday Regular and Thursday Lite columns.

I rounded out the week by not submitting last Monday’s Diaryo Pinoy column.

So now that I’m back on the ball, I find out that it is difficult to warm up from a cold start.

Since I also missed submitting two of my Pilipino columns for Diaryo Pinoy, where my schedule is Mondays and Fridays, my mind is gone “kalawang” and my fingers feel heavy.

I used to paraphrase the PLDT ad, “Let your fingers do the walking” by saying that for me column writing is, “Let your fingers do the marching.”

Now, I feel that the physical side of writing is more difficult and less healthy than marching.

P-Noy goin' Bananas
While we were taking a well-deserved though enforced break and rest, P-Noy was going bananas.

The island of Luzon was struck by two typhoons – Pedring and Quiel.

P-Noy had just flexed his tourist muscles.

First, he went to the USA. There he succeeded in not having a hot dog, pizza or play station photo op.

Just back from his transpacific sojourn, P-Noy went to Japan. There, he donated a million dollars for the victims of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami.

P-Noy did a Linggoy
When he came home, P-Noy disappeared from view. Maybe, like Linggoy, he got exhausted from his travels and took a break.

However, Linggoy only has to answer to his Publisher and Editor.

P-Noy has almost a hundred million bosses. Several millions of them were in distress due to the floodwaters caused by Pedring, Quiel and the monsoons.

They were waiting for P-Noy or, at the very least, his relief goods and rescue efforts.

P-Noy is the President. Linggoy is only Linggoy.

Linggoy, a Blue Baby
Jose Luis “Linggoy” was born in the morning of October 12, 1948 at the Lourdes Hospital along Shaw Blvd. in Bacood or Santa Mesa, Manila. His parents were Rosa Zaragoza Araneta and Manuel Tuason Alcuaz.

Rosa was the daughter of Carmen Zaragoza and Gregorio Araneta of Iloilo. Manuel was the son of Aurelia Tuason and Santiago Alcuaz of Intramuros, Manila.

Linggoy was almost a blue baby because of his delivery weight of over 12 lbs.

Since I am turning only 63, and not 75, 50 or 60, it is not mandatory for me to have a big celebration.

I had a big one when I turned 60 in 2008.

I cannot remember how big my 50th birthday party was.

Earlier, in mid-1996, I treated myself and my wife, Baby, to a trip to the USA.

I do hope that I can make it to my 75th Birthday.

Couples for Christ
I’m not sure what kind of a party I will have on Wednesday or Friday or Saturday or Sunday.

While I was asleep during our last bi-monthly Couples for Christ Household Prayer Meeting, my wife agreed to host the one at our home on my birthday.

She must have assumed that we would not have the resources to have a big celebration.

Our CFC Household has decreased from the original seven couples in 2003 despite three additional couples to the present four and a half.

The half is the widow of our Nonong and Letty Ignacio leader couple. The husband died at the UST Hospital last March on the eve of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Of Deaths & Births
In 2003, when we were in our first year, two members immediately died.

The first was Jojo Ong, the wife of Andrew Ong. Jojo died of cancer in August or September. Andrew owns the Kirin Restaurant in Boni High Street in Ft. Bonifacio Global City.

The second was Dr. Cesar Reyes. Cesar graduated and practiced Medicine at the UST. He died of Heart Disease. He owned a hospital in Paranaque. His widow is Atty. Emma Reyes, the Secretary General of the Senate.

If I don’t get to throw a party, I will have other parties to go to.

Last Saturday was the 60th birthday of my oftentimes best friend, Herman “Mentong” Tiu Laurel.

It was also the 51st (Forgive me!) birthday of whistle blower par excellence, Sandra Cam.

Then, I can also expect to cut costs by having a joint family birthday party with my sister-in-law, Maria Rosario “Chona” Ramos Ahorro who celebrates her birthday on Oct. 13.

Happy Birthday too, to Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato “Rene” Coronado Corona who celebrates his birthday on Oct. 15.

Rene was my classmate in the Ateneo grade school, high school and college.. We were both cadet officers in the AFPMT as well as the AFROTC.