Mom created a beautiful home environment filled with love, music, laughter and prayer. Because mom was a Piano major at the College of the Holy Ghost, we had a piano in every room of our home. I opted to write the lyrics for her music. Writers have to find their own voices. Since I couldn’t sing, I learned to write. My mom, in an aesthetic sense, affected everything I did. It was a cardinal rule at home to dine together and enjoy whatever blessings were prepared on the table. At an early age, we learned to appreciate what we had and not look for what wasn’t there. Mom always reminded us to thank the good Lord for all our blessings and pray first before any endeavor. When I think back on the meals we had together as a family, I remember the fresh lavender orchids on the table, the food arranged attractively on the plate with color in mind. To Mom, truth was beauty lived each day. Every act and word of kindness spared was a daily ritual. Not only did Mom teach me to appreciate beauty by her example, she also taught me an invaluable lesson – the importance of creating beauty each day and how to do it. Not only was she a stunning, statuesque looker, more importantly, she was the epitome of inner beauty and conveyed that generosity, compassion for others and selflessness were essential for happiness. Truly, mom was an alloy of unconditional love.
The wanderlust in me was nurtured as early as when I was in my Mom’s womb. Traveling back and forth to Japan, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, New York, and Italy was my mom’s task as a jeweler in search of the most lustrous pearls, precious gems, gold components and polished diamonds to complement her unique designs. When Miladay started as a backyard industry in the garage of our Forbes Park home 40 years ago, I was finally born. My dad called me the jewel baby because our business started to flourish the year I was born. My baby book attests that at five months old, my parents would fly off to Japan and Hong Kong for short business trips, and I would be left in the care of my dedicated Chinese amah. Trying to lip sing and dance for business dinners to entertain my parents’ associates were part of my routine and the gifts they would give me, I would in turn share with my siblings. Today, things haven’t changed much even if Mom and Dad have moved on, after they both succumbed to lung cancer 20 days apart in 1997. They continue to live on in our hearts and minds as we continue our family traditions and values as they desired.
Our family, whom we fondly refer to as the Dayrit orphans, are as close as ever. We camp out together at our ancestral home every single occasion. My older sisters Jaqui and Michelle arrange theme parties for each member of the clan on their birthdays, wedding anniversaries, graduation of my nieces and nephews, any celebration for us to get together. Summer, semestral break, and Christmas vacations are often spent bonding here or abroad believing that the family that works, eats and travels together shines and stays together.
Looking back at cherished photographs of our youth brings sweet memories of love and laughter during our many travels. The closest places to my heart are destinations that were once frequented by my parents, like Baguio City where my folks first met; Caliraya, which my late father Vincent "Ting" Dayrit loved to visit in the ’70s; Salzburg and Vienna in Austria where The Sound of Music and apple strudel originated from; the Great Wall of China in Beijing, which we painstakingly hiked; New York where we watched many beautiful plays together; and Boston where my brother Mark, youngest sister Yvonne and I finished our graduate studies. I can never forget how Mom and Dad arrived at our Boston apartment driveway in a chauffeured stretch limousine and transformed our barren lodging into a fully furnished haven, like in the film Back to School. They gregariously threw us a housewarming party and welcomed all our friends in great style. My very first silent film for my directing class was shot in Pilgrim’s Rock, Massachusetts and Cape Cod in Hyannis Port, just a brief drive from Boston. Mom gladly became my star actress as she gamely enacted her role with grace. My brother Mark was the bird trainer as he threw bird seed in a particular direction and exact time so I could capture the birds in flight. Dad thought for a while we were filming a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller. Speaking of birds, I will never forget our trip to a bird farm in Malaysia where our family held an amusing contest. Whoever made the best bird sounds would win a prize and mom was the judge. You can just imagine how the pink flamingos, colorful parrots, ostriches and toucans reacted to our wild sounds. My sister Michelle won the plum award as the hornbills and geese swarmed towards her as she re-enacted the call of the aves in birdland! Many family vacations were spent in the former crown colony Hong Kong, Bangkok known as the City of Smiles, Mt. Kokiosko in Canberra, Australia where I first saw real snow, Napa Valley in California where we sampled the best wines and champagnes, pearl hunting in Japan and Tahiti, exploring diamond mines in Africa and attending jewelry fairs in Basel, Vincenza and Las Vegas.
Mom and Dad also introduced us to the wonderful world of cruising on luxury liners. While their last cruise was aboard the Holland America Liner to the Baltic Sea, my sister Yvonne and I had the privilege to ride the luxury ship from Cebu to Hong Kong. Next on our family itinerary would be via the Silversea Cruise. I’ve always had a fascination with the ancient peoples of the Americas – the Mayas, Aztecs and the Incas, those mysterious temples that even today are being uncovered in the lush jungles of Central America, the intricate and enigmatic carvings of gods, monsters, kings and the monuments to the passage of time, where each day was believed to be divine.
Traveling has been imbibed in my lifestyle. I even came out with my own Rendezvous Travel jewelry collection inspired by the different places I have visited. Colored stones from India, Cambodia, Burma, and Tibet have found their way into exquisite jewelry designs. Now that I am the chairperson of the International Film Festival Commission, part of my work includes going to different countries to join film markets and support Filipino films that have been invited to compete in film festivals. Being the chairperson of the Cinema Evaluation Board, I, together with my board, rate the films shot in beautiful scenic spots here and abroad. The CEB and IFFCOM are both under the aegis of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
My late Mom’s vision is for every Filipino to own a Miladay jewel, no matter how small. Mine, on the other hand, is for every Filipino to watch and enjoy a well-crafted local film. A thing of beauty is indeed a joy forever.
Old habits are hard to break. My siblings and I inherited our parents’ passion for food. At every place we explore, the very first stop on our list is the local supermarket to fill our bags with goodies to share. Every place we visit, we made many good friends who have become our guardians to this day. I truly believe that our parents bequeathed us unto their loving care. I can still hear their voices ringing in my head: "An act of kindness comes back tenfold." With all the many blessings, gifts of love and friends around me, I am convinced, to quote Mommy’s favorite song in The Sound of Music, "Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good."
Happy Mother’s Day!