Monday, April 28, 2008

Phases of Life 2: Century Milestone

Photo shows my Nanay on the left, with the celebrant Nanay Cion.



I believe this is my first 100th birthday party that I've attended, and I just turned fifty!

Which means, either I don't have too many friends who have their parents or grandparents turning 100 years old or I wasn't just invited for being "too young"... heheheeee.

My friend Tony's mom, Mrs Maria Resureccion Hernandez or Nanay Cion for short, celebrated her 100th birthday the other week. She even got all these congratulatory letters from the Queen herself, HRH Queen Elizabeth; The NSW Governor and the NSW Premier and Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. How cool was that?

I remembered several things from this party, aside from the food and drinks and the fellowship.

I vividly remember and was impressed with the retelling of the story of Nanay Cion's life. Compressed into an hour's worth of presentation; as narrated by son, Tony. What a colourful life of courage and determination. Of a love story coming into fruition. Of sons and daughters coming over from different parts of the world to celebrate her centenary.

You must be wondering what was the second one was. Was it the food and the company? The speeches... not really but the odd request of the celebrant to have a gay stand up comic! So enters Ursula Diva, the Queen of Comedy, as Corregidor Entertainment Centre and Restaurant bills "The Queen". She's funny in a Pinoy sense, and was entertaining enough to keep us awake.

I do hope that Tony, who is a phenomenal writer, would put into a blog his mother's story complete with the illustrations reportedly done by his brother. It makes good reading and chronicle on the net his mother's story.

Happy Birthday Nanay Cion. I hope I will be as lucky and as sharp as you when I turn 100!

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