Cory’s Colon Cancer

(photo: TIME.com)

Former president Corazon Aquino was diagnosed recently with colon cancer.

Kris Aquino, fighting tears, read a statement on live television that said her mother had gone in for tests after suffering from high blood pressure and difficulty breathing during the Christmas and New Year holidays, then a persistent cough and weight loss.

"The result showed our mother is suffering from cancer of the colon," she said.

"We know that the life of our family is already part of our country’s history. It was our mother’s decision for us to come out with this statement. Our mother, like all patients … needs time to rest. We respectfully ask she be accorded her privacy. We ask you for your compassion and prayers for our mom’s recovery."

(Source: cnn.com)

Tita Cory has played a large part in our country’s history. Coming after the tumultous Marcos years, her term did not provide a respite from the political bedlam. Her presidency was rocked by several coup attempts and by the infamous Mendiola massacre. She is also known to be the mother of the notorious Kris Aquino. Despite these things, she has proven to be a resilient political figure, trusted by many.

Paano na lang si Kris?

Bulusan Lake

Next stop when I toured my uncle and his wife was Bulusan Lake. The trip was long and the road conditions are bad. Yet these annoying inconveniences are wiped out upon arriving at the lake. Touted as the Switzerland of the Philippines, the lake looks placid enough. A few kids were enjoying a picnic at the time we were there. Fish also seem to abound in the lake as some of the kids were fishing there. Concrete pathways were made for the hikers and nature lovers who want to go trekking up the Bulusan volcano.

Barcelona church

When my uncle and his wife came to visit a few weeks ago, the problem on where to bring them arose. It has been raining for several days and they are not up to trekking. And because of an injured knee, my aunt cannot go swimming in the beach or at the numerous resorts around here.

What I did was to tour them around some of the places here which would interest them.First stop was the old church in Barcelona, Sorsogon. Said to be the first church in Bicol, the Barcelona church stands a few meters away from the sea. A few feet away from it is a building in ruins. It must have been built around the same time the church was built, in 1874.

The church boasts of amazing window art

The church is made of coral. Some parts have been renovated. The roof for instance, is undeniably made during this century. The altar is new too, as well as the choir loft. Yet the degree of preservation in other areas is excellent. When compared to the new additions, it seems that the original will outlast them.

The Gossip Heard Around the Globe

Most everyone love to hear good juicy gossip. For the past few weeks, Manila, the rest of the Philippines and parts of the world are buzzing over the revelations of a certain Brian Gorrell and his blog about a Filipino ex bf who cheated on him and took his money. Sex, drugs, scandals, even murder is mentioned in the blog. Ordinarily, this would not cause quite a stir. What made it last for so long is that the people mentioned in the blog are familiar to many people because we read their names in the society pages. Plus, the comments section is hilarious. It’s a freakin’ free for all show there.

AI7’s Ramielle

I watched American Idol 7 auditions to see the weirdos auditioning. I’ve been hooked ever since a Filipino - Ramiele Malubay- qualified. She has this big voice which would more appropriately belong to a woman with a big frame, maybe like the great Ella Fitzgerald. Instead, the voice comes from a tiny (4′11") frame. Surprising for some but not for Filipinos who seem to be trained to be birit singers.

I’ve been entertaining fantasies of her being the next American Idol but this seems to be impossible. This batch is really talented. Of the top 10, maybe 2 people or so are good enough singers.Many talented ones were dropped early off from the competition (hi Danny N). In this situation, Ramiele does not really stand out. Anyone could be the next Idol. David Archuleta for one, is very popular. In terms of looks, this batch also has the most lookers. Ramiele’s cuteness gets easily lost when placed in a group pic with her fellow AI contenders. But the main problem with her making it to the coveted position is her choice in songs. For the past 3 weeks or so, she has been singing songs which are totally wrong for her voice. The last song she sang which I liked and which was right for her was "You don’t have to Say You Love Me" and this was over a month ago. After that, she’s surviving because of the Filipino and Asian vote. She at least made it to the Top Ten so that means she will join the Idiol tour. As for until when she will last, only time will tell.