Kiddie games in a grand ballroom

A provincial government official says the Cebu International Convention Center is the "cheapest convention center" in the world. No problem. But Confucius said: "Cheap things are not good, good things are not cheap."

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If the critics insist that the CICC is expensive, well, let me quote Confucius again: "Good things are not cheap."

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The Aboitiz Group will be staging a Christmas party with the local media on Dec. 1, 2006 at the Marco Polo Plaza ballroom. Wow! You think there'll be ballroom dancing? Think again. No dancing. Just games. Games we loved to play when we were kids with dripping noses.

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This will be the first time that kiddie games like bato-lata, tubig-tubig, buwan-buwan, siatong, sungka, takyan, etc. will be played in a Christmas party and in a luxurious ballroom. The game I used to play is not included in the "events" to be played in the media party. It's called balay-balay. That's where I bumped into a girl who later became my wife.

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"Celebrating our Childhood Christmas" is the theme of the forthcoming Aboitiz-media Christmas party. The "childhood" referred to here is the first, not the second. He, he, ha! The Aboitiz people have assured us "this promises to be the most fun and nostalgic Aboitiz media party ever."

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Marathoner/sportswriter Raffy Uytiepo is a tired man these days. He has not been running much lately but he's tired. He spends hours on end in the family owned Casa Ilongga at the Robinsons Place food court which he finds fun but tiring.

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"Mas kapoy mag-manage og kan-anan kaysa mag-apil og marathon," stressed Raffy, an organizer of many fun runs in Cebu and Iloilo cities.

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Raffy's "sacrifices" as manager of his Casa Ilongga at Robinsons has been paying off handsomely. Genuine Lapaz batchoy, the eatery's specialty, is drawing lots of batchoy addicts to Raffy's place, where everyday is Kung Hei Batchoy.

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The following is a brief article sent to me by my good friend, colleague and fellow senior citizen Kriss Relatado. It's entitled "Be Nice to Everyone." It's about an experience he had which he wants to share with readers of this column. Here...

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Be Nice to Everyone

I had an attack twice already due to my acute sinusitis and mild bronchopneumonia. This happened during night time and had it not been for my boarders who had to wake up my relatives who live in another house, I could have been dead in the first attack. Had it not been also for my tender loving nephews and nieces and grandchildren, nobody could have run errands for me during that time. Perhaps nobody could have brought me to the hospital in the first place. Perhaps too, nobody could have cared for me, if I myself never cared for them. How fortunate am I to have loved, and be loved in return. I feel that I should share my experience to others, especially the elders, who never cared at least for the needs of their children and other member of their kin, and anybody who need a bit of help.