Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Cesar Montano, Borlongans & others' memorable events

A man’s real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor. — Alexander Smith

In memory everything seems to happen to music.  — Tennessee Williams

Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.     — Saul Bellow

MANILA, Philippines - To the question of 52-year-old reader Marissa Hernandez from Cebu on how to age gracefully, this writer’s advice is eat a healthy diet and drink Enervon Prime milk supplement every day to sharpen your mind, enabling you to make more memories plus regular physical exercises. Always keep busy; never think of retirement.

Another important factor in ageing gracefully is positive attitude, for there are very old folks at the physical age of only 19, those who are pessimistic or angry at the world. And there are people in their 50s or 60s who are forever young at heart due to good cheer, indomitable hope, passion, enthusiasm, faith and because of their ageless dreams.

Thanks to the numerous e-mails and other feedback we have received about your recent memorable events for this column, we shall publish them today and the others in the next two Sundays. This a special project of the Philippine STAR and Unilab’s Enervon Prime — an adult nutritional milk for active adults.

Please continue to send your recent most memorable events to willsoonflourish@gmail.com or post at my Facebook account. All will be given gift packs from Enervon Prime.

Enervon Prime aims to help those in their 50s and above enhance and sharpen minds enabling them to make more memories, but since memory starts to slow down in the 40s, it is also ideal for people in the 40s to drink Enervon Prime every day.

Among those who e-mailed their recent memorable events are people nearing their 50s yet still in the prime of their careers — such as 45-year-old ballerina Lisa Macuja Elizalde (who has been performing for 25 years on stage due to her sharp mind and keen skills), and 47-year-old multi-awarded actor Cesar Montano (whose sharp mind helps him create more memories, as well as better films and popular TV shows).

When I asked how old he is, Cesar Montano just replied “I’m fine.” But after doing some research, I’m surprised he’s nearing 50, but he doesn’t look it and he’s still going strong.

Another STAR reader who shared his memorable events is a robust grandfather with a sharp mind, Hen Lin Chinese fast food founder Jun Manas, who also declined to reveal his age when I e-mailed back to ask.  

A couple who e-mailed their memorable events are topnotch artists Elmer and Plet Borlongan from Casa San Miguel, San Antonio, Zambales.

Here are those e-mail responses.

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Dear Wilson,

Regarding your interesting Philippine STAR columns featuring memories, here are recent memorable experiences and events in my life:

 I very recently had a wonderful vacation with my family in Yogyakarta, Indonesia where the largest Buddhist Temple Borobudur is located. I was able to reach the summit of Borobudur and circled it three times (as is the tradition) and made a wish. We stayed in a beautiful, luxurious and tranquil resort called Amajiwo where you can really get away from it all. They don’t even provide a television in your room unless you request it.

 I also recently did a very exhausting but fulfilling three-day, three-city performance tour of “Lisa Macuja: Ballet Masterpieces.” Four male danseurs from Ballet Manila and I performed in SM Davao, SM Cebu and SM Cagayan De Oro all in one weekend. It was very tiring to travel and perform in the same day but I had not toured like this in a while and it just brought back lots of memories of my touring when I was younger.

 Another new experience was dancing onstage with Freestyle in Aliw Theater for Ballet and Ballads Star City’s opening attraction last Friday. I’ve never danced to Freestyle’s live music before. It was fun and energizing!

 Sincerely,

 Lisa Macuja Elizalde

Artistic Director

Ballet Manila

Dear Lisa,

Based on my research, 2009 marks your 25th year as a world-class ballerina. Congratulations and more power! You are a positive role model for people who are adding years, but continue to have sharp minds for making more memories.

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Dear Wilson,

Congratulations for your insightful columns. I wish to share my most recent memorable event, which was my birthday celebration. It was last August 2, which is actually a day after my birthday. About 100,000 Boholanos from 47 municipalities of our province gathered to watch the TV shows Singing Bee and Wowowee live in Tagbilaran City. I was able to see with my own eyes how huge the number of my fellow Boholanos are, hoping against hope for a good chance to be helped, to be heard and to be able to get a little chance of relief from their unfair livelihood problems. I had to cut short the whole show after several games with cash prizes and song numbers, because I wanted to prevent a repeat of the Ultra tragedy. The event was a success, but one thing I won’t forget was my beloved Boholanos calling for help and guidance for a better future.

Cesar Montano

Belated happy birthday, Cesar.

It’s good to hear that an achiever like you never forgets his roots and that you celebrated your birthday bringing happiness to your province. You not only have a sharp mind for making more memories, but a good heart.

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Dear Wilson,

I always read your Sunday and Monday columns in Philippine STAR. My recent memorable event was when our five children and seven grandchildren visited me and my wife at our weekend farm in Tiaong, Quezon. They staged a surprise birthday celebration for me on the Sunday before my birthday. This was memorable to me not only because we all had fun, but more so because I was touched by the loving gesture my children and my wife who collaborated with them.

Jun Manas

President, Hen Lin

Thanks, Jun, for sharing your happy memory and for reminding us that the family is one of the truly priceless treasures in life for all of us, whether rich or poor, young or young once. I wish you more birthdays to come so you can make more memories.

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Dear Wilson:

Two recent memorable events come to mind. September was a month that had me both high in the clouds and walking on eggshells. High in the clouds because my wife, Plet Bolipata, and I were accepted to the Chianciano Biennale in Tuscany. Plet and I proudly represent the Philippines in this international art fair (ongoing until Sept. 27) and it is our honor to be able to do so. And in the same breath, my mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. She was scared and afraid to have an operation so she let time pass by until she couldn’t bear the pain in this “ber” month of 2009. It took us some time to convince her to do some tests to check if the cancer had spread and to do the operation. We were walking on eggshells to get her around to do these tests, making sure we didn’t scare her or upset her. She finally was convinced. She did the tests and had the operation. It was successful. Now there’s a little bit of September left to continue walking on cloud nine.

Elmer Borlongan

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My joint exhibition with husband Elmer Borlongan at the Ayala Museum in August, an exhibition celebrating a marriage of two distinct minds, was exhilarating to a fault. It had me creatively debilitated for a couple of weeks. To see the paintings arrive in the museum, large scale and personal, was to see flashes of my life on a grand scale. I was confronted by these pieces to assess the choices I made in my art and in my life and the compromises I had to endure. And after a couple of weeks floating in a mindset that is the wont of artists, the exhibition was to reveal, confirm and seal this: ‘twas a life well spent committed to each other and to our art.  

And in the interim of the preparations for the Ayala show, there was the death of Tita Cory — a death that somehow brought a nation to a standstill, to mourn and to grieve; a death that now fuels the nation to reassess the players defending our so-called democracy and to make the right choices in the coming elections in 2010. 

Plet Bolipata Borlongan

Dear Elmer and Plet,

Glad to hear your mom is well, and congrats to you on your art now being exhibited in Italy and also recently in Ayala Museum. Your commitment to family and your art is admirable. I agree that all of us citizens should make the right choices in the crucial 2010 elections. A sharp mind for more memories is not only important for love of family and for creating good art, but also for helping us remember who to wisely vote for in 2010 to help us ensure socio-economic progress.   

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Readers are welcome to share your recent memorable events via e-mail to willsoonflourish@gmail.com or at my Facebook account and get gift packs from Enervon Prime. Happy weekend!