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January 8, 2005, Saturday Roof Deck, Project 4 Development Cooperative 6:00 PM – 12:00 midnight Preparations were underway as early as 10 A.M. of Saturday. The birthday celebrator was hands on in finalizing details at the venue with the caterer, making her miss phone greetings at home including my call. The food crew had difficulty in setting up as they had to climb 4 floors to bring up all their wares. Thanks to the ever helpful friends of Gaye, Michael Quiñones and his band mates Bamboo and Jeremiah, who assisted in bringing up the cake, the flowers, the give-aways, and whatever there is to bring up to complete the set-up at the roof deck. There was also TJ (Gaye’s significant other) who was not only busy capturing the proceedings on his videocam that night but he was Gaye’s companion everywhere she went securing all the paraphernalia, prizes for the games and whatever little thing you could imagine that needed to be attended to. The place was decorated with colorful balloons all around. Tables and chairs had green accents. The buffet set up was very inviting. The food was lavish and delicious! About 6 PM, guests started to pour in. It did not take long and all the tables have been filled up. From relatives, the families of Nanay Pining, Tio Delfin, Tio Berting, Tia Aida, Tio Domeng, Cho Efren, Chaveens, Tia Zony, the Trinidad & Bernardo families, Tio Rogar Vito and son Eric, the Liwanags (Tita Linda, step sis of Tio Carding), the Bautistas (Tito Ben and Tita Ludy), the Reyes family (represented by Cecil, Henry and their families). The neighbors – Mrs. dela Cruz and family, the Banayoses, the Ortiz clan, the Quiñoneses and the Quintoses. At about 8 PM, I got a cue to start our little program from Tia Aida. Much to my surprise, I was made the emcee for the evening. A welcome surprise though. ‘Twas the least I could do for a very special Tita on such a special occasion. 80 years, WOW! We started off by making Tia blow the candles on her cake while all of us sang the happy birthday song. Next was a dance number from the Macam family (Jerwin, LA, Stacy and Mamu). Sinayaw nila yong Chopeta, Hahaha (tsuba song?) then the Chocolate dance. After their dance jokingly sabi ko sila yong batch ng StarStruck na unang natanggal. Then we had Hazel (Beybee's daughter) sing "Forever’s Not Enough", a Sarah Geronimo song. Graduate si Hazel ng Center for Pop Music at nakapag-recital na 3 times at Padi's Point, Traders Hotel and Ali Mall Activity Center. A really promising young diva! For her second number, nagkaron ng technical problem, in the middle of her song, nawala ang music, kaya parang a capella lang lumabas. Tinigil ko muna and gave time for the crew to fix the problem. Ayaw pala ng system nila ng VCD, kung Audio CD lang or DVD ok. Later on, using the videoke machine, she was able to sing her version of Celine Dion’s "To Love You More". Sumayaw ang mga bagets. Si Tuesday nakisali. Aayaw-ayaw nong una kasi shy daw siya nong pilitin ko sabi ko samahan ko siya, sumama, nasa likod niya ko for awhile then iniwan ko na. From that time on lahat ng music para sa bata, kasali na siya. Siempre pa yong Spaghetti song, Totoy Bibo, Chopeta. Ang gagaling gumiling ng mga bata. Si Viel, Mamu, Hazel, Tuesday, Tricia, Issah. Nakapag-solo number si Valerie at talaga namang ang galing. Kaya pala di siya nakisabay nong una, kaya talagang magsolo. Si Gaye sang "Wag na Wag Mong Sasabihin" (theme song sa Lovers in Paris) favorite daw kasi ni Tia. Live accompaniment yon ng mga friends ni Gaye. Gem-Gem also rendered a song accompanied by the guitarist "Till my heartaches end". I felt so proud listening to them sing. Sabi ko nga after their numbers, I cannot claim na nagmana sila sa akin kasi Ninang lang nila ako. Sayang at wala ang mga mommy nila (Tiel and Emma) who I'm sure would have been doubly proud. Binanggit ko rin na kung yong sa StarStruck issue kina Jerwin joke lang, si Gem sabi ko is a real product of Star Circle. She managed to pass the first eliminations pero kami na ang nagpatigil sa kanya. Ang mommy niya, ang daddy niya, made her stop. Tama lang naman kasi kung napapanood niyo the humiliation that the contenders had to put up with. I believe that she can make her bid to stardom through some other means kasi star quality naman talaga. Nong nagkaron ng technical problem sinamantala kong tawagan ang mga kapatid isa-isa for their message kay Tia. Nanay Pining being no 2 was the first. She was emotional, said her wish pero umiiyak kasi malapit na daw siya mamaalam. Hay, dramatista talaga! Siempre dinedma ko na lang at sinabing hindi totoo yon kasi sa May (29 ang bday niya) may ganon ding celebration. Then I moved on to no 3. Sinesenyas nila sa aking wala na kasi nga pala ang Tio Nito yon. So I called on GP as the representative. Ang GP walang kiyeme-kiyeme, tumayo siya agad and gave his birthday message to Tia. His wish? Health and wealth. Later in the night, si Ronnie napakanta rin namin. Kumanta siya ng Ric Segreto song "Don't know what to say, don't know what to do". Kaya ang pamilya ng mga Tio Nito well represented, walang hindi nagperform sa anak at apo niya. Yong special song namin na "Through the Years" kinanta ng lahat, I asked Ronnie once again to lead the singing. It was an emotional party, we shed a lot of tears, of joy, siempre. Very touching ang mga wishes nila. Ang Tio Delfin (no 4) rendered his makabagbag damdamin na poem "Ang Pamana". He reworded it to apply sa family ng Tia. There's a part that went like this "Ang stereo kay Ella ko ibibigay, ang mga silya, mesa kay Odette ko iiwanan". Sabi ko sa Tio Delfin kung ako naiyak, nakita ko ang Kuya Boy umiiyak din kasi sa tula niya walang nabanggit na mana para sa kanya. Sabi ng Tio Delfin bale parang siya daw ang Kuya Boy kaya sa ending ng tula ang sinasabi ay ganito "Aanhin ko ang stereo kapag ikaw ay namatay ni hindi ko matutugtog sa tabi ng iyong hukay, ang ibig ko’y ikaw Ina, hinihiling ko sa Diyos na ang pamana ko’y ikaw. Di ka maaaring pantayan ng daigdigan ng lahat ng ginto … pagkat dito’y wala kang kapantay." So we moved on, nag-games naman kami after that tearful number. Unang laro, ang tawag "I-shoot mo sa butas ko", it's the typical Trip to Jerusalem kaya lang the boys had bottles in between their legs tapos ang ladies may straw sa bibig. When the music stops, kailangan humanap sila ng bote o butas to put their straw in. There is a twist at the end pag 2 boys and 2 girls na lang naiwan, di ba ang normal is 2 girls magaagawan sa isang boy. This time the final four stay. We blindfolded the ladies, pinaupo namin ang guys tapos pagtigil ng music ang mga boys will give instructions to their partners kung itataas, ibababa, kaliwa, kanan at kung sinong maunang maka-shoot panalo. Si Titing at Jeh ang naiwan, si Sam at Cris (friend of Gaye's) ang mga lalaki, si Jeh and Cris won the contest. Next was the "Palambutin mo, baby". Para sa mga babae lang, binigyan sila ng talong, they were given 3 minutes to do whatever it takes para palambutin ang talong without breaking the skin. Ang contestants si Bong, Bei at Fe. Si Fe broke her talong and got disqualified. Bong and Bei were both declared winners kasi yong kay Bong though tayong tayo pa nagmistulang plastic na pag hinipo mo wala namang laman sa loob pero tayong tayo siya. Ang kay Bei talagang gulapay. Kaya ang joke kay Bei, "We're not surprised at all." Last game was for the kids, "Stop Dance", pero the reverse. Kung kelan walang music don sila sasayaw at kung kelan tumutugtog titigil sila. Winners were Hazel, Viel and Issah. Pagkatapos ng games balik countdown ako with the brothers and sisters. No 5 wala din ang Tio Virgie (our New Yorker) pala yon. Needless to say, he was there in spirit. No. 6 ang Tio Berting. He left kinda early because he had a bad cough but for this narrative I asked him what he would have wanted to say then. He sent me through email his inputs. He said what he wanted to do then was quote the contents of the birthday card he gave Tia. The front of the card had "Don't open this card." Sa inside right part ng card naman was "Don't read the message below: HAPPY BIRTHDAY." Tapos sa bottom part ang nakasulat "That's the problem with those getting old. They can't follow instructions." Nice card, huh? But what is even nicer is the personal wish that Tio Berting wrote on the blank left inside part of the card. It went like this, Be thankful to Jesus for birthdays, delight in each year that He brings. For even when youth and its glories are gone, life is full of beautiful things. Be thankful to Jesus for birthdays, have faith in His wonderful ways -- He'll love and sustain you as long as you live, and He'll help you rejoice all your days." No 7 ang Tia Aida. She quoted a very nice verse which said, "The wisest people on earth are those who have a hard time recalling their worries … and an easy time remembering their blessings." Tia obviously has lived up to this. No 8 ang Tio Domeng. He said in his wish na "sana umabot din ako ng 80 years old at ang gusto ko nandon pa rin ang Kaka". Why not? 16 years ang gap nila. No 9 ang Cho Ef but he was not around when I called on him. Si Bei ang nagsalita for him. Maya-maya lang dumadating siya ulit. Nang tawagin ko he had a few words to say at ang sabi niya wala na daw siyang wish kasi nasabi na lahat ang isha-share na lang niya e yong New Year's Resolution niya na hindi na siya kakanta kasi sintunado daw siya. Yon nga ang tema pero kinakanta niya yon sa tono ng "Maalaala mo kaya". Ang lyrics nong song niya "Ayaw ko ng kumanta, hindi na ko kakanta, pumusta man kayo, di na ko kakanta", mga four lines lang siyang paulit-ulit na basta ang sinasabi hindi na siya kakanta pero kinakanta niya naman. Ang kwela. Nagising na naman ang lahat. No 10 ang Chaveens, she quoted a saying in the Bible and made mention na ang average life span natin is 70 years, if you live beyond that is already a bonus and a blessing kaya ang Tia daw is indeed blessed and is a blessing to the family. Then we moved on to No 11, si Tia Zon yon. She said that she is sure Tia Dels (No. 12, also New York based) wishes Tia happy birthday, too, and that the whole family’s wish is to have more years with Tia around. Tia Zon also rendered a song for Tia yong kay Chiqui Pineda's "How did you know". Earlier on pala tinawagan ko rin si Odette. He sang "Hanggang" by Wency Cornejo. He was almost in tears when he was singing the song. Very fitting ang lyrics sa situwasyon nila ng Tia. May part na ganito ikaw ay aking lilisanin, di ko magagawang lumayo sa 'yong piling at nais kong malaman mo kung gaano kita kamahal" Ang tono ay talagang mellow, dramatic. Sabi ko nga narinig ko na si Odette sing a number of songs at yong version niya ng song ni Marco Sison na "My love will see you through" talagang may tulog si Marco pero he chose "Hanggang" kahit mas saulo niya ang iba kasi very meaningful nga yong lyrics at very applicable sa situation nila ng Tia. Nag-render rin ng special number yong Father and Son tandem ni Boy and Billy Quintos (immediate neighbors ng Tia). The father was on keyboard and the son played the violin. They played "Zardas", Russian piece yata yon. Then Tio Berting requested for them to play "Fascination", it’s a Waltz number para maisayaw ang Tia. I took the chance to call in "the important men in Tia's life" and I started off by calling Kuya Boy, Odette, the brothers, brothers-in-law, other relatives including Uncle Buddy Bernardo and Tio Rogar. Pagkatapos non siempre hindi papatalo ang ladies. Kaya nag "Achy, Breaky Heart" naman ang ladies to do the L.A. walk led by Chaveens. Then Jerwin read out a very nice article he chanced upon that morning from Philippine Star titled "Counting your Blessings". Pinagsalita ko rin ang mga apo niya. Si Viel simply said "Sana Nanay nandito ka pa sa debut ko and ITALY (I Trust and Love You)". Lahat kami napa "aaahh". Both of them were in tears when they embraced each other. Viel is now 11. Then it was Gaye's turn. From beginning to end, her voice was cracking, sinabi niya na sabi daw ng Tia, natutuwa siya at nagpapasalamat sa lahat ng pagod at panahon na inukol ni Gaye sa birthday niya. Ang sabi ni Gaye "Nanay, nothing is ever enough to repay you, sa pag-alaga mo sa akin, sa pagmamahal na binigay mo ...". Grabe talaga, luhaan kaming lahat. Sabi ko nga sa kanila saan sila nakakita ng emcee na gaya kong sobra mag-emote. At sabi ko totoo yong sinabi ni Gaye "nothing is ever enough to repay Nanay" kasi ang Tia played a dual role rearing up Gaye as her Lola and Mother since we all know that she practically grew up without her Mom. If only Tiel was around, she would have been the proudest of Moms had she seen all of what Gaye did to make the affair truly memorable! Siempre pa hindi kumpleto ang gabi kung hindi ko pasasalitain ang Tia. She spoke very briefly but coming from the bottom of her heart she thanked everyone who made her big day really special. Nagpasalamat siya sa pag-abala ng lahat sa pagdalo, sa mga regalo. Matibay ang Tia, she was in tears, but unlike most of us, kami talagang tulo ang luha, siya very poised, ayaw siguro mamaga ang mata kasi pangit sa pictures, haha. We were almost done, it was 10 minutes to midnight, and I spotted Sam with Bong. I asked him to sing "Green, Green Grass of Home" (sabi nga ng mga Chaveens after all green is Tia's favorite color). In fact, most of us came in green or with shade of green in our outfits para talaga sa Tia on the suggestion of Tia Zon. Sam was gracious enough to do so and sang not just that but "A Certain Smile" as well. Then it was time for me to end our little program. I took the chance to thank everyone who was instrumental in making Tia's affair a big success, from the technical crew to the food attendants, the presence of relatives and friends and wished them all a safe trip home. How do you suppose did I end my stint as Tia's emcee? E di by saying "This has been Chona Villegas, hope you had fun as much as I did. Thank you and good night!" O di ba, i-career daw ang pag-emcee!? Kapalmuks ko no! HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY ONCE AGAIN, TIA. WE LOVE YOU!!! Titon |