The other day, I was at the NOISE BARRAGE along Katipunan Ave. in front of Ateneo. The theme was for the sleeping majority to wake up to the great danger of the Philippines slipping back to the dark ages, where allied interested foreign investors would leave us. Talk at informal gatherings highlighted the possibility of avoiding this worst-case scenario by fair or foul means.

        This morning, I decide to de-stress, shift gears going back to yesteryears – our familiar good old days as described by a contemporary writer

.

OUR LIFE THEN AND NOW . . .

From I can dream, can’t I?  By Barbara C. Gonzalez 

When she was in her mid-life, her 30s, my mother, who was widowed at 22, of course, went out on dates. Sometimes she would take me along. Usually her dates were pretty boring for me because I would sit alone at the table while she and her date danced. Then one night we went to the Bulakena night club, which was across the side street from Bulakena restaurant.

        OK, what is Bulakena? It was one of the restaurants of my time. It competed with Max’s fried chicken. I think they served chicken with honey. It had a little more class than Max’s. As they became more successful they added a nightclub.

        Now what is a nightclub? A nightclub is the predecessor of the disco. Now I think there are clubs with horrendous loud music and atrocious flashing lights. In the ’50s to the ’60s we had nightclubs, always dark with candles on the tables. There was always nice dance music provided by an orchestra and there was always a torch singer who would sing what we called torch songs. What are torch songs?  They are songs about love, heartbreak, loss, no screaming like they do now, just soft whispery tunes, my mother’s type of music, which I have grown to love much more than the music of my era.

        One night when I was around 10 years old my mom went on a date to Bulakena and brought me along. There I saw the torch singer, Carmen Soriano, perform. She was beautiful and I liked the way she sang. She was wearing a skintight black lace dress with a low neckline and sequins. She looked so sexy and she sang sexily.  While my mother and her date danced, I sat mesmerized thinking  — I want to be like her when I grow up.

        But it was not to be. I got married at 18, went to work at 24. Worked through till I was 57 then I had a stroke. It took me six years to get my old personality back, to teach writing, to learn how to make jewelry, to knit and sew again. One day I realized I was old, I had no more dreams, I was just waiting to die.

        Then one of my friends sang. I loved his voice. I asked him where he studied singing. He recommended Papo Pardo, a friend of ours, the son of Tess Cordero Pardo, who was a friend of mine who passed away young. “He teaches?” I exclaimed. “Give me his number.”

        And there began the dream. I will learn how to sing. I give myself two years to develop my voice. Then I will have a show at a nightclub where I will wear a sexy gown and sing torch songs from the heart. Why not? Eartha Kitt was singing onstage in Paris in her 80s. I can debut at 74.

        So now I am busy planning this show. Starting in May I will start exercising to get my body in shape for my act. Maybe I’ll get into some sexy shape again. Once I was very sexy but I let go.

My father’s older sister, Flor, was a nightclub singer. She played the piano and sang.  She was very pretty and very sexy and she had four husbands. The last time I saw her she told me she thought I was the one who had inherited her daring. So now I shall dare but not without careful preparation.

        One of my childhood friends from the Ateneo sent an email to all his friends saying that to fight getting older they had to learn how to play a musical instrument. This was widely circulated to all his friends. I answered him only, told him of my plans to debut as a nightclub singer at the ripe old age of 74. Will you come and bring all your Atenean friends with you and clap for me? He said, Of course, but you have to find a place big enough to accommodate all of us and our wheelchairs because we’re all septuagenarians.

        I must confess I love having this dream. It has given my life new meaning. I look forward to my singing classes. I go to YouTube, look for the songs I like, watch so many singers sing it, choose the one whose style I like best and learn. One of these days I have to sit and figure out my repertoire. Then suddenly I think, what if I die before I can do a show?

        It doesn’t matter. What matters is that now I am preparing and it gives me many things to do. After all, what’s the cliché? It’s not the destination that matters, it’s the trip!

* * *

Awakened, I realize the stressful plight of our country. We need to get our acts together and do what needs to be done. So, look up from your world of delusion . . .

  http://www.ba-bamail.com/video.aspx?emailid=20444

These developments are unprecedented. I thought this was confined only to my facebook friends. But I now read many respected non-political writers such as the following are suddenly speaking out. It seems the silent majority has begun to come out of the woodwork, finally telling the world who they are voting for. Many of them declare their full and unequivocal support for Mar Roxas for president and Leni Robredo for vice-president.  I hope it’s not too late: the silent majority only has barely 20 days left.

Paulynn Sicam of Philstar declares:

        I have never done this before. I have never directly endorsed candidates in my column. But the times are different. The stakes are high; the possibility of the wrong persons getting the top jobs in government is abhorrent. 

I like Mar and Leni’s quiet strength and dignity. No bells and whistles. No drum roll. They speak the truth and you just know they will get things done. They are hard-working, reliable, can-do and will-do people. And they have the track record to prove it. They will bring our country and people forward with our national integrity and dignity intact.

Every president he has served knew that they could count on Mar Roxas to deliver. Didn’t Erap, who had a distinguished roster of technocrats and academics in his Cabinet, say that Mar was his best Cabinet member? And President Aquino gave him the toughest jobs: among others, on the scene in Tacloban when Yolanda struck, and in other disaster-hit places; on the scene in Masbate for the painful search for the remains of Jesse Robredo and his companions after the plane he was riding crashed; and the security and physical arrangements during the historic visit of Pope Francis last year.

   Mar is a generous soul. He gave up his plan to run for president in favor of Noynoy Aquino whom the public practically anointed when his mother Cory died. He agreed to run as Aquino’s vice president, but was blind-sided by disloyal party mates who supported Jojo Binay. But Mar is a good soldier. He plodded on, serving his president and his people willingly, diligently, purposefully.

    Politicians who knew that Mar was the heir-apparent began their demolition job on him early on. Nothing he did went un-noticed. He was vilified, maligned, his efforts belittled. But he remained focused on the job, rolling with the punches, trying to keep his famous temper under control.

     You have to admire the man for his focus and fidelity under pressure. This is why I know I can count on Mar to be consistent, diligent, and fair. Good, honest hard work is what I can expect from Mar Roxas as president.

     Having served several presidents up close and personal, Mar has a clear plan on how, given the chance, he would run the country. As head of some of the most important agencies of government, and with his distinguished career as senator, he has the broadest experience among all the candidates. In his talk before the business community two weeks ago, he showed a good grasp of the problems bugging the country and came up with impressive solutions. In fact, he was so thorough in his presentation, the panel of interrogators had only a few more questions to ask him.

     Given the chance to lead, I know Mar will surprise us all. He has served his presidents well, taking on any and all challenges thrown his way. But there is more to him than an obedient and reliable worker. He has a mind of his own and great ideas about governance. I am particularly grateful to Mar for the millions of jobs created by call centers, the expanded benefits I enjoy as a senior citizen, the increased access of the Filipino youth to education, and the financial support given to entrepreneurs starting small and medium businesses. And I consider his efforts in Tacloban after Yolanda to be no less than heroic.

     To my mind, among his best accomplishments is convincing the amazing Leni Robredo to be his running mate. As I knew she would, she outclassed all the macho vice-presidential hopefuls at last Sunday’s debate with her firm knowledge of issues, the courage of her convictions, and her cutting repartee that she delivered with dignity and grace.

     What a great team Mar and Leni would make at the helm of the government! What excellent examples they are to the Filipino youth. What upstanding representatives they would be of our country and people to the world.

Some people like their leaders brash, aggressive, forceful, larger than life. They like the swagger of the tough guy, the glib talker, the neighborhood-bully with a dirty mouth. I like my leaders thoughtful, steady, constant, reliable, decent and dignified. And she and he must have wisdom and an inner strength that comes from a strong spiritual core. In a field dominated by caricatures of macho comic book superheroes, I am rooting for the quiet strength and hidden powers of a Clark Kent, the serious, under-rated, but totally dependable intellectual who turns out to be Superman.

     As for Leni Robredo, she has no equal, in comic books or in real life — the best person for the job. May the best woman win.

Election Role for Seniors by Chit Roces-Santos of PDI:

        In six years, I reckon I’ll be in no condition to get involved in any election campaign again. In fact I promised myself in 2010 that I’d stay off politics after Noynoy won.

        But just when I thought our campaigning days were over, the nation, just one month before the elections, has been plunged into a state of emergency, as my husband diagnosed the situation. What else do you call a situation where a Duterte and (not or!) a Marcos lead for the top positions of the land?

        No matter how late in the game, there’s  no way serious old fogeys like us could just sit this one out.

Masterful presentation

        One day a group of like-minded and like-hearted fogeys came together, and quite serendipitously a daang-matuwid idea was hatched that involved a semiretired journalist with 50 years’ experience. He was enlisted for a sort of town hall in our own barangay to speak on the stakes in the elections.

        After a brief but masterful presentation of the story of our democracy by a kagawad, a teacher of history by profession, our journalist came on and began to challenge and provoke his audience of 200 or so homeowners, kasambahay and other household staff in our own and a few neighboring barangay. A lively exchange ensued, one marked by a boldness and openness rarely observed in such a mixed-class audience.

        A request came for a second forum for the same communities. That’s where we met a philanthropist couple, no strangers to us, really, who themselves began arranging similar forums elsewhere. Word flew fast, and campuses and civic clubs were themselves booking. Meanwhile, my journalist and I had to set aside our own regular senior concerns.

Due appreciation

        I cannot quite understand why Noynoy does not get due appreciation for his strong economic and moral performance, as validated by reliable polls and ratings. And his anointed, Mar and Leni, don’t get their due numbers. It’s a strange disconnect.

        To sort out such things, my journalist tells his audiences that straight does not mean perfect: “Ang daang matuwid ay hindi daang perpekto. Walang daang perpekto.”

        Indeed, he adds, in societies like ours, in which the distribution of resources and opportunities has been too lopsided, it would take great and sustained effort to strike enough measure of social equity. But understandably, owing to their tremendous privations, the poor might have expected far more of Noynoy.

        Still he has made no small accomplishments. Growth, personal income and investor interest have not been higher and steadier.

        And do we want wangwang back? Do we want the big crooks freed and the inquiries into anomalies kept secret?

        I’m reminded of Noynoy’s mother’s own anointed, Fidel Ramos, who won by a mere plurality but proved himself a hard-working, high-achieving president. He, too, had good ratings, but the nation chose yet to gamble away the fruits of his good government and handed the presidency by a landslide vote to Joseph Estrada, an indolent, fun-loving character who would end up being convicted of plunder. He was followed by the similarly scandal-ridden, nine-year regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

        It’s almost pathological how we seem to prefer change by radical and reckless measures to a more prudent and more consistent, if slower, pursuit of a good thing. This is why Duterte, who started out as a joke, leads. How, in all conscience, could we remain on the sidelines, even if probably excusable due to age, at a time like this?

Useful counsel

        Well, we’ve found a way, as we all must if we can, to contribute to society with philanthropy not only in material terms but also in whatever useful counsel we can dispense. Whether it helps the election or not, surely it cannot be for nothing.

        For our own sakes, this possibly absolutely last campaign for us has given us a unique opportunity to be in touch with our less fortunate fellows and to learn that we have a common hope and common dream: a better future for our children and grandchildren. Until our visits to their community, I could only imagine how terrible it must be to be so poor.

        Relating her own experience, my dear friend Dr. Chit Reodica, Ramos’ health secretary, who goes around the countryside with her philanthropy, has told me: “After I met the many poor people in the countryside, I could no longer forget their faces. I don’t think I can ever stop trying to do what little I can to help alleviate their plight. They have changed the way I live.”

        I have only begun to understand what she means. Until our visits to Leveriza and Pandacan, the poor had no faces and names. I now see them, hear them, and I have realized even more that elections are critical to them.

Moral Challenge by Vergel O. Santos:

        The specter grows with every affirming poll, yet we remain unprovoked, unmoved. But then, again, it’s very much in our character.

        Ferdinand Marcos knew us only too well. His martial law could not have come unexpected. Enunciating the exact dreaded phrase, he himself had announced that he would not hesitate to impose “martial law … if it would redound to the upholding of our democratic institutions.”

        Grown smug in our unrestrained exercise of freedom, we were not impressed. Thus, we got our dictator. And now we have got his son counting on the same default in our character that allowed his dictator dad to run roughshod over us for 14 years.

        If we think EDSA has done enough for us, we are in for a rude awakening from our generational sleep. That million-strong street vigil, which booted the Marcoses out of power 30 years ago, has proved fluky. After a mere six years of exile, they were back unrepentant, in fact plucky and unpunished, in fact welcomed. Orphaned by Ferdinand but fortified by untold loot and circled by paid or fanatical and considerable following, they have had no problem regrouping and re-entrenching themselves.

Chilling prospect

        In fact Ferdinand Jr. has come to within grasp of picking up where his father left off; he leads the race for vice president, a position that puts its occupant “a mere breath away,” as they say, from supreme executive power, which in his case raises a particularly chilling prospect: The front-runner for president, Rodrigo Duterte, although not a partymate, is a man of decidedly Marcosian bent.

        Duterte is running on a one-dimensional platform: He would rid the society of crime in no more than six months—an obvious pyramid scam, if you ask me, but a platform apparently widely resonant even so. Crime is, to him, not merely a symptom of a complex condition, but the disease itself.

        But what do you expect? The man is rather slow, by his own admission, thus averse to strenuous mental work; he prefers extralegal, death-squad shortcuts. Marcos was definitely quicker, his shortcuts shorter but subtler.

Anyway, if anyone yet doubts Duterte to be a worthy Marcosian, he vows to pay Marcos the ultimate tribute by burying him a hero. Two of his rivals, Jejomar Binay and Grace Poe, have made the same vow, but neither possesses the consistency of character to be a credible Marcos heir or disciple. As for Mar Roxas, he is simply too decent to even be considered for that league.

        If the trend holds, it’s history repeating with a vengeance; it’s not only Duterte we’re getting, but an authentic Marcos, too. But are we really so irremediably doubly doomed?

        In fact I somehow find something inspiring about it all, a long shot maybe, but a chance at self-redemption, a chance to come clean of any residual Marcos taint, a sort of second EDSA, where the nation once again rallies around a figure of widowed virtue.

Conscience choice

        Leni Robredo happens to be the only candidate for vice president uncontaminated by Marcos. 

************************************************

The term "the media" is thrown around a lot but is very important to the world, as it exists to tie the human race together and keep people across the globe up to date.

Mass media has a purpose, and forms have two or three, which include to:

However, free-wheeling Philippine media are basically profit oriented – especially during election campaign period. - profit for the media entity/ owner and all the way down through the opinion makers, writers and reporters. Broadcast media usually say they take no sides in a political mudslinging but encourage dissensions to up their own ratings. The selfish motive becomes evident when they shift sides as election time nears.

I still have to see media persons working at exposing mainly wrongdoings anywhere while trying to steer protagonists toward the truth for the common good.

ni Wilfredo G. Villanueva

Nakasimangot ang mga lolo’t lola ko. Akala kasi nila pa-abante ang bayan, na sa kalaunan, siguro isang daang taon magsimula ng sila ay pumanaw, eh, maganda na ang hinaharap ng mga salinlahi. Hindi pala.

Paano ba naman sila matutuwa kung:

Una, ang matibay na pwesto sa mga survey, eh, ang isang taong hitik na hitik sa mga allegations ng pandarambong. Dati kasi, nakitaan lang daw ng isang ginintuang arinola—isang paninira lang at walang katotohanan—si Presidente Elpidio Quirino, eh, sapat na yun para hindi siya manalo sa re-eleksiyon laban kay Ramon Magsaysay. Ganun katindi ang pagkasuklam ng tao sa korapsyon. Noon yun. Ngayon, tila yata baligtad na ang mundo, mas korap, mas kinagigiliwan ng tao;

Pangalawa, anong kabalbalan ito? Ginawa ni Francis Tolentino at Duterte, yung magpakita ng kalaswaan ng Play Girls at manghila ng babae’t lapirutin sa harap ng madla, maraming nasuklam, akala natin, ‘di na mauulit, ngunit mali tayo. Inulit ni Jonvic Remulla. Kinarga pa, ginawang parang sex toy ang babae na pakiwara ko, eh, nagtititili sa tuwa’t galak. Nasaan na ang dalagang Pilipino na mahinhin at mayumi? At nasaan na ang lalakeng Pilipino na inilalagay sa pedestal ang kababaihan? Tila yata baligtad na ang mundo, mas bastos, mas kerengkeng, mas katawa-tawa’t kinagigiliwan ng tao;

Pangatlo, ang kagilagilalas na si Leni Robredo, na-traffic na sa pangalawa-pangatlo sa mga survey. Kailangan pa bang pag-isipan yun? Abogada na nag serve sa mahihirap. Economist na nag-aral sa UP Diliman. Ina ng tahanan. The other half of the Robredo miracle in public service. Tinatalo ni Bongbong? ‘Di maabutan si Chiz Escudero na makata ang pananalita pero trapong-trapo sa isip at gawa? Tila yata baligtad ang mundo, mas magaling magneobra ng tao, mas magaling magbalasa ng prinsipyo, mas kinagigiliwan ng tao;

Pang-apat, hirap din si Mar. Malagihay ang boses niya sa mga infomercials niya, parang statesman ang dating, pero mabagal ang usad. Tingnan natin kung makatutulong ang endorsement ni Guia Gomez, na hindi raw pinababayaan ni Mar ang San Juan kapag may kalamidad. Kausap ko nga ang isang taxi driver noong isang araw. Mabait siya, kapwa kasi kami Bicolano, pero kinakampanya, ulit, kinakampanya raw niya sa mga kaibigan at kamag-anak niya na huwag iboto si Mar. Kahit daw kasi local government ang may kasalanan kung bakit nabulok ang mga bigas na dapat daw sana ay para sa mga nasalanta sa Tacloban, eh, si Mar pa rin daw ang may kasalanan. Basta daw. Tila yata baligtad ang mundo, mas matindi pa ang kakulangan sa tao, gaya ng pagnakaw, pag-misrepresent at mambastos sa mga institusyon ng bayan, eh, mas kinagigiliwan ng tao, at;

Pang-lima, ano ito, ang isang senador na walang ginawa kundi lokohin ang tao—

Ambush daw, hindi naman; Maka-people power daw, hindi naman;

Maka-Diyos daw, hindi naman kasi nga may chika-babes; May sakit at lulugu-lugo daw, hindi naman

—eh siya pang may ganang halukayin ang nanahimik na isyu ng Mamasapano. Hindi naman sa ayaw natin malaman ang buong katotohanan, pero binabaran na ‘yan ng husto, alam na ng tao kung sino ang nag-utos at ‘di nag-utos, ginawa naman ng administrasyong Aquino ang nararapat gawin para maibsan ang sakit na naramdaman ng mga naulila, ipinakita na ito ay battlefield circumstance—fog of war o kalituhan ng digmaan—at focus on objective—Marwan at BBL. Matagumpay ang misyon, napakalaki ng epekto sa war against terror, pero ginagawang issue na paulit-ulit laban sa Pangulong Aquino, para pabagsakin siya. Tila yata baligtad ang mundo, yung maraming kasalanan sa tao, mas pinapanigan at dinidinig yata ng tao, o media lang?

Nasaan ang kabayanihan kung kailangang-kailangan? Nasaan ang kagandahang asal, ang respeto sa babae, ang paggalang sa awtoridad na ginagawa naman ang tama, bayan bago sarili, dalisay sa mata ng Diyos at tao?

Pero, teka, huwag natin tuldukan itong artikulong ito sa kawalan ng pag-asa. Marami din namang pagbabago, na sa tingin ng marami ay hudyat para angkinin natin ang magandang kinabukasan:

Isa, buhay na buhay ang mga tao sa social media laban sa kasamaan. Sa aking small circle of friends, maraming dati ay tahimik lang, eh, nangangalit na rin sa mga gawaing Binay, Poe at Duterte. Paisa-isa nga lang, pero dati kasi zero, ngayon namumulaklak at namumunga na. At maraming consistent sa paglaban, mga keyboard warriors, sila Cynthia Patag, Mary Grace Gonzales, Ramon Bautista, Jim Paredes, Leah Navarro, Irineo Salazar, ang Netcab (Netizens Coalition Against Binay), at marami pang iba. 

May good news nga ako. Ang isang kaibigan ko na anti-PNoy ang pakiwari ko, ‘lam nyo ba, sa huling pagkikita naman, eh, PNoy, Ro-Ro daw siya? Epekto ito ng walang humpay na paglaban ng mabubuting tao sa mga troll, walang magawa, basta galit lang sa yellowtards daw. Malakas ang kabila, pero determinado rin ang mga keyboard warriors na patumbahin ang consciousness na wala na tayong magagawa diyan, mananalo talaga ang kadiliman, itiklop na natin ang dilaw na tabing;

Pangalawa, halos magkakakilala na ang mga mabubuting tao. Alam na ang next move. Palagi kasing buhay ang networks of friends sa Facebook, mga blog katulad nito—The Society of Honor—at ng Rappler, kung baga, well-oiled na ang makinarya para sa paglaban at pagtaguyod ng tama. Walang kaduda-duda na malapit na naman tayo sa critical mass, tipping point o puno na ang balde, katulad ng pagtawag ni Cardinal Sin sa EDSA, handa na ang tao. Ang pic ni Binay na nakatawang parang nakaisa, ang reopening of the Mamasapano Senate hearings ang maguudyok sa tao para magpakita na puputok na ang bulkan, may kaakibat na kidlat, kulog at lindol.

Pangatlo, nakaposisyon na rin ang simbahan at ang Armed Forces of the Philippines. Dapat lang na neutral sila, pero dapat din malaman ng masasama na hindi papayag ang dalawang elementong ito sa pagyurak ng mga institusyon, ng konstitusyon, ng tamang asal—galit sa korap, magnanakaw, lantakan sa pagsisinungaling.

Pang-apat, maganda ang nakikita ng tao sa Ro-Ro team. Professionally handled ang campaign. Malakas lang talaga ang ugong sa ginawa o ‘di ginawa ni Mar sa Tacloban. Bagito si Leni Robredo sa larong ito, pero mukhang palaban ang ale. Si Mar naman, parang nag-reinvent ng bahagya. Tila mataas ang pinanggagalingan, moral ascendancy o angat sa matuwid na kaugalian ang habol na imahe. Nakatutuwa ang passion ni Leni, at hindi siya tatahimik na lang kung may kailangan sabihin o sagutin. Proactive din siya dahil sa kanyang mga outreach. Tila pinagsamang Magsaysay at Cory. Si Mar Roxas at Leni Robredo naman ang dapat manalo, pero the position is still up for grabs hanggang sa huling yugto ng kampanya, kasi nga malaki ang nakataya:

Babalik ba ang maka-Marcos?

Okay lang ba ang may corruption allegations kahit na maski sino’ng tanungin mo, eh, guilty beyond reasonable doubt, gawa nang ayaw naman sagutin ang mga paratang?

Kung maliit na tao pwede bang patayin nang walang isip-isip, pero kung malaking tao, dapat may due process?

Pwede ka na bang maging presidente dahil idolo ng marami ang tatay mo sa sine?

Hindi pa naman talo. Marami pang mangyayari. Andyan ang nagbabadyang disqualification ni Grace Poe at ni Rody Duterte. Pero kahit na ma-clear pa rin sila ng Comelec o ng Supreme Court to run for presidency, kailangan pa rin talagang paghandaan.

Nakakabagabag din, para kang inilaglag sa gitna ng karagatan, malayo sa pampang, kailangan lang huwag masindak sa matataas na alon, relax (cool lang parang Mar at Leni) to conserve energy at para hindi lumubog, focus and enjoy the swim to shore. May Diyos naman. ‘Di niya pababayaan ang mababait na tao.

Sana naman mapangiti na rin ang mga lolo’t lola ko.

I now find myself in the new normal year of 2016. Like the original New Normal TV series in the US, the year 2016 echoes a frightening reality. There is no such possibility as going back to normal times. What with the tumultous pre-campaign word war and tabloid media where certain quarters are entertaining the possibility of resurrecting the horrors of martial law, the threat of terrorism, the subtle creeping invasion of China, the escalating traffic mess, population explosion, divorce, same sex marriage, etc.- all happening in my progressively sensitive senior years.

Added to these, I am now unable to send my thoughts to my contemporaries, friends and relatives. Gmail has branded my email messages as spam and has therefore blocked and bounced my bulk mail. So, I have temporarily stopped writing blogs waiting for feedback from my favorite email recipients. Unfortunately, I got very few queries.

I am now in the process of trimming my emailing list, maintaining those who showed concern and some interest. I need to keep writing to exercise and stimulate my brain cells to keep them from shrivelling.

Part of my realization for the new normal is that time marches on unempeded and determines my chronological age. My biological age is determined by my health conditions and can therefore slow down plummeting chronological age. Psychological age also hinders or accelerates aging and is determined by how old I feel I am. While we don't have control over chronological age, we can take care of our health with good diet, exercise and a cheerful mental outlook. A positive attitude and optimistic thinking can reverse the third psychological age – an age that is greatly enhanced and affected by one’s self-esteem.

Apart from deep Faith, the most relaxing and recreating forces are healthy and religious attitudes, good sleep, music and laughter. But our secret should be on the internal satisfaction and happiness we derive by knowing in conscience that we are doing our utmost to ensure that our grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will inherit a country that is better than what we inherited from our ancestors.