Stem cell therapy, juicing and a lightness of spirit

I thought it would be nice to detail the happenings of one weekend together with my reflections. So here goes:

Toni and Guy

Seven weeks. I badly needed a dye. My sister raved about Harold. Harold is this really sweet person who has been to London four times! He stays a month just to learn how to dye. “Wow!” I said. “Is there that much to learn just about coloring hair?” My hair was too dark so instead of lightening it he put highlights, which gave my hair an overall lighter appearance.

I have to mention Cherry. I have been to many people who cut hair. Without hesitation I would put Cherry at the top of my list. She is good, even better than the ones in the States. She assesses you and quickly knows exactly what to do. It’s interesting to see her cut hair in three-inch stiletto heels. I teased her about it, and she replied she likes to be tall when she is cutting hair.

If you go to Toni and Guy at 6750, you have to try Jeff. Also up there in terms of back massage. One of the best I have had. And I am finicky about massage. I think it’s because he really gets in there. But it’s not harsh; he just smoothly gets in there. The best massage I have ever had is from this lady: Annie Upthagrove in San Francisco. She charges about $110 but she goes to your house. She is so good! My mother also likes her. If you are in San Francisco call her (267)357-2406. It’s more than a massage. She lands a space and provides soothing release to other areas of your psyche. In the Philippines, I haven’t been able to come up with anyone quite like her.

I totally enjoyed my morning at Toni and Guy. I bantered and joked with the three gay fellows who were attending to me — Jeffrey, Gian and Harold. I like gay men. There is a freshness, an openness about them; a lightness of spirit. You can say anything, ask anything, they won’t mind. And I find them so refreshingly funny!

So if you want a good back massage, the best cut ever, and a good dye from a maestro, go to Toni and Guy. This recommendation comes without any strings attached even though one of the owners, Susan Reyes, is a very dear friend. I think they are moving to SM Aura by August. These are their contact numbers: 812-8002 and 812-8559.

Raqui’s birthday

Already very late, I went to my friend Raqui’s birthday at PICC where she is a director. It was held at the Leaders Function Hall that can accommodate all kinds of events, meetings or conferences. That was a treat in itself. The food was catered by Via Mare. So good! If you want a good sumptuous Filipino meal with pizzas, go to Via Mare. Good service and very good food. The price is reasonable. My kids like Japanese and grilled stuff, I hadn’t had Filipino food in a long time.

What I enjoyed most about Raqui’s birthday was meeting her mother and her aunts. I was taken aback to discover that the four Delgado sisters were actually classmates of the four La’O sisters (my mother’s clan) in College of the Holy Spirit. And in fact my maternal Lolo Gabriel (who I unfortunately never met) was the good friend of Raqui’s lolo. They must have had a blast growing up. Raqui was telling me how the four sisters are so close. They eat together and hear Mass in the Delgado compound daily! Now, that is one for the books.

During the lunch I met Ms. Sari Canicosa. 91 years old, with a beautiful complexion and a nice easy smile. She even plays the piano for three hours every Saturday in Rockwell! At 91! She looked to be in her 60s. When I asked her what her secret to a long healthy life was, she had us all in stitches when she said, with a straight face: “I don’t go to doctors.” She said if you go to a doctor, they will see all these things wrong with you — and then give you medicine — and you will just get sick and die. My goodness, and to think her husband is a doctor!  Unfortunately he has passed away! She also said one of the secrets to her health is she doesn’t have children. Such an amusing lady. My take is that what probably keeps her young is her music. She plays the piano regularly. Imagine working for living at 91 years old!

When we were taking pictures of everyone she played the piano and everyone sang Que Sera Sera and other songs, which brought on a wave of nostalgia. I felt I was back in Brixton Hill in Sta. Mesa, with my mother’s side of the family.

I spent that afternoon chatting with Raqui and Suky Lammoglia — two very dear friends in Raqui’s office at PICC. There is something to be said about being with kindred spirits, sharing observations and experiences. The time just slipped away. Then we went to a Travel Expo nearby which was selling travel packages that were so inexpensive. Cebu Pacific was selling trips at one peso! Huh!? So I immediately told my staff to find out what our travel plans were — trips to the States were going for as low as $600! I went for Delta’s offer of a five-day trip to Japan from October to November for $2,000, business class, four-star hotels, all meals, transportation. They have this travel expo every July and February. If you travel a lot I strongly suggest you finalize your travel plans early and make a beeline for this expo. 

In the evening I went to Solaire.  That was another treat. I marveled at the high ceilings, the pillars. Obviously Ricky Razon spent a mint here. The only thing I didn’t like was the smell of smoke upon entering the building. I am allergic to smoke. We were there to watch the WBO boxing championship — the first-ever boxing match held in Solaire in tandem with ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN Sports. This was beamed worldwide via TFC and shown live in Mexico.

I had front row tickets — and cringed every time the boxing match would go on. The Filipinos won. I almost fell off my chair when I heard them mention, “And now Merlito ‘Tiger’ Sabillo is coming in at 104 pounds!” 104 pounds! That’s less than me! And Orle Estrada, the Columbian, was fighting at 103 pounds. That’s pretty incredible. The moment the Filipino came in, I could feel he would win. The mayor of Bacolod, Monico Fuentabella, was beaming with pride because two of the fighters for the world championship were from Bacolod. He smiled mischievously albeit with pride as he said, “You know the people from Bacolod, mga hard-headed.” At 10 p.m. we had a late dinner at Yakumi, the Japanese Restaurant in Solaire. That was another treat: great Japanese cuisine.

I am glad the day ended with family. My brother Raffy, head of ABS-CBN global, was in from the States; Ernie, who heads ABS-CBN publishing, was there. Family time is always special. I also take every bit of time I can with my two sons. I am glad they enjoyed the fight.

It was a good day. Very full.

The next day I went to Healthy Options and bought all the goodies that I liked and went to Ed Morato’s house. He is my mentor. A genius. His life is a story all its own. I got his permission to relate apart of it. He used to be dean of Asian Institute of Management and is now president of Bayan Academy among other things. This is the part of him I want to share. He almost died several times, having had cancer of the kidneys, plus he is diabetic. At one point he was even in a coma. The joke is that he has had six lives — and he has three more to go. Well, his father died at 90 and his mother was dancing all the way up to her late 80s! Juicing: that’s what Ed credits his health to. He drinks fresh juice. He strongly recommends using a “slow juicer,” meaning a juicer that can wangle every last bit of juice it can get from the fruit and vegetable. Whatever, if it works, it works. He has also had stem cell treatments, but he is passionate about his juicing. The other day I saw him in mid afternoon after having talked the whole day, and he was still up and about. Juicing. You might want to try it out.

In the evening I was hosting a dinner for officials from organizations in the States. We had brought them to our ecotourism sites. I needed their help boosting traffic to our sites. They were very impressed with the community. The future is bright.

Finally, because this movie was of great interest to my son, I agreed to watch it: The Imposter. It’s about a 13-year old boy  in Texas who went missing and three years later  was reported found in Spain, of all places! It’s about this man Frédéric Bourdin (played by Adam O’Brian) who has the uncanny ability to impersonate and take on identities of adolescents even though he is so much older. Very interesting movie. He took the identity of this boy who was missing, and then discovered the possibility that maybe the family might have even killed the boy.

So it’s midnight. I need to pack up for a trip tomorrow. It’s been a full weekend. I feel the silence around me. God is good; life goes forward.

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I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.