Save A Life, Save A Dream

Save a life, save a dream. This is one of the things I hope would come true for a dear friend and brother.

Charles Ansibey has been a part of my life in one way or the other and I want it still to be so. The times I met him as a Supreme Student Government President and as a student has never left my mind. Senior’s Day as a guest speaker for the batch and seeing him so well and healthy has never failed my memory. The time I’ve been brushing elbows and rubbing shoulders with him has never felt a bit tiring or even boring. Charles has this kind of countenance that brings out the best in him, the leader in him, the brotherly care in him, the strength in him. I’ve met Charles lots of times but the best part of it all was seeing him so full of energy and healthy. I haven’t seen him of late but from the stories I hear from his co-batchmates and some friends of mine, tears threatened to fall. I never was so shocked when I heard from Sir Caligtan. It never came to mind that a child that strong and healthy could suddenly be diagnosed of leukemia, cancer of the blood. That’s what’s most disconcerting. A healthy and strong child suddenly diagnosed of leukemia months after he graduated from high school. What hurts the most is that nothing or no one had ever suspected that he is sick. As the pathophysiology of cancer, particularly of the blood, is most concerned, I damn well could say ‘Cancer is really a bitch!’

In this regard, I have been fervently trying to track Charles to the point of sending messages to my friends who were already nurses at Saint Luke’s just so I could be updated with his health and everything; and thus relay the information to those concerned and ask for help. Though I failed to reach him as he already was discharged, I kept praying for him that he would keep his faith and keep believing, that he'd stay strong and that the Lord God give him more strength and make him heal and be well.

I therefore would ardently want to ask my dear readers to please help us in collecting any amount in order for us to help Charles with his 6 cycles of chemotherapy and hospital bills. I am asking everyone to please help Charles heal; and thus, save his dream of becoming a successful person one day. That dream, I’ve lifted off a page from their yearbook at Sagada National High School of which I’ll attach with this plea for help. I do hope that this post would move your hearts and open doors of helpfulness and mercy and lend us a hand in sourcing out funds for Charles’ chemotherapy sessions, hospital bills, and other medical expenses. So, what are you waiting for? Help us save a life and save a dream!

Please feel free to contact us through the numbers and e-mail address specified above. or you can visit our Facebook page. For more relevant information about Charles and donation drives or calls for help, please visit Christian Aligo's appeal to help Leukemia patient Charles.

Royale: The Anniversary Experience

There. I’ve dreamed it. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. I’ve been in it. I’ve been a part of it. And now, I’ll be it.

Just last Sunday, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had in my life. A dream come true. One of the dreams that had turned into reality. Yes, I wasn’t on stage like Sir Yosie Saraniogon or my mentor Sir Junatz Estacio or our Supremo Sir Adrian Alebin but I felt as if it was I in the limelight. Once or twice, I gave my best pose as the cameras flashed and put on my best smile and brandished a beauty queen wave as the video cameras grazed the lower box seats to where I and some of the Dreamteam Jr. Spartans were perched. My heart thudded to the reverberating beat of the drums. A lot of times, I’ve screamed at the top of my lungs, drowned by the thundering yells and boisterous bawls of my seatmates and by the echoing ‘Ooohs’ and ‘Aaahs’ of our guests. A few other times, I rose to my feet and jumped (imagine that!) for joy as people around me clapped their hands and made a cacophony of noises that were caterwauling as well. Yes, I’m not one of the proclaimed winners, but being a Royalista, I for one am already a winner.

Having Sir Junatz and Ma’am Che behind me, cheering on, I’ve realized a lot of things. As I stepped into the portals of Royale Business Club-Baguio, I took a deep breath, sucked in the air, and closed my eyes. This is my new family. No regrets. This is my stepping-stone to better living, a better life for my family. I readily knew that I had more than my own fate in my hands. I’d have to be driven to lead, driven to excel, and driven to serve. These I learned just by being around Sir Junatz and Ma’am Che, and of course my fellow Royalistas. The challenge now lies in my hands. I’ll have fantastic tumbles across, I know, but then I’ll emerge victorious as I learn things along the way. That’s a promise I made to myself.

I’ve always thought joining Royale Business Club was going to be somewhat of a part-time job, something that would only cater to and purge the doubts people around me are eliciting in addition to my desires of having to socialize and communicate with others and my ultimate desire to improve my family’s socio-economic status. I never thought that it would make me feel this way – above the clouds. Watching all the testimonies of those who had made their dreams come true has heightened my desires of not just having a support system but also rather aiming to stand on stage and also testify that, “I made it. All my hopes and dreams have come true. You’re next.”  As one person after the other had their VTRs up on the screen and as they came up on stage in person to testify, I got more and more enlivened and exhilarated. Now I realize what Up Junatz really meant by dragging me to all the supposedly previous trainings I had to attend. Royale Business Club’s 6th Anniversary was the inception of all trainings and the foundation of many more activities and events for the year and the years to come.

Until this day, I couldn’t get that astounding and incredible feeling out of my system. The experience was phenomenal and mind-blowing. I’ve gone crazy. I’m out of my wits. I’m mental. I’m at the verge of falling into a realm which I haven’t encountered before – a mysterious and deeper realm posing challenges and escapades encumbered with unending dreams, everlasting hopes, undying beliefs, unyielding faith, and inviolable trust towards people around no other than my fellow Royalistas. Yes, this is just the beginning. The best is yet to come! Dahil dito sa Royale, payaman ka!

And for that, I thank the Lord God for guiding me through this unforgettable life journey and for getting us safely to SM Mall of Asia Arena for the event, my mentor Junatz for his perseverance and for giving me this great opportunity to be a part of Turbocharged Jr Spartans, my mentor Ate Che for patiently coordinating and being so understanding, Tito Boyet and Tita Loui as with Tito Noli for the positive response and for the ride, Pia, Ate Mai and Ate Annie for the camaraderie, and for every other Royalista who in one way or another has helped me in this venture. Mabuhay kayong lahat! God bless!

(To be continued…)

Remembering my Dad, Robert 'Bravo' Bacayan Capuyan: A Father's Day Special

I thought of you with love today but that is nothing new

Living up there in Heaven a handsome angel are you

Oh, Daddy if I only knew

Verily I would have told you that I’ll miss you too

Every hour every minute every moment every day

You are the perfect dad, the best in any way

Oh Daddy if I only knew the day you passed away

Unshed tears, untold words I should have fired away

Daddy, I love you, I know that much is true

And now in His keeping, God has embraced you

Daddy, I miss you, the days are so blue

Daddy, all I have is memories of you and your picture in a frame

You may be gone from this world but I love you all the same.

Robert ‘Bravo’ B. Capuyan – a name that stridently screams ‘DAD’. I was a wee bit of a bundle of diapers and I knew Dad had always been there for me. I’ve glanced at pictures of me evidently cuddled in his arms, of him blatantly rocking me to sleep, of him palpably feeding me. Dad had been to me a mother and father rolled into one just as Mom is these days. Stories I heard from my mother made alligator tears inch down my cheeks as I imagine how Dad had single-handedly taken care of us every single day as Ma was teaching in school, also painstakingly working hard for our future – the now. It is impossible to speak of my father without also speaking of my mother, because they were one. Together, they showed me what true love was like, taught me what a marriage should be. And Dad loved us all more than he loved himself. When it became too hard for him to live on, the pain that was the greatest for him was never his own, but rather the pain that he saw in us.

With Dad, Lynette and Lyan

My father was one of those curious, intuitive and logical fathers who are always fiddling with even the smallest of things. He was the most tenacious person I knew. Ferocious, focused, and fueled by a need to be his own man, which he accomplished in countless ways until the very end. He was not a carpenter but he could restore a dilapidated doghouse or build a chicken coop from scratch and other things that needed revamping. He was not an architect or an engineer but he helped plan and oversee the construction of Grandma Basali’s house in Dao-angan. He was not a mechanical engineer but he was so adept at fixing car troubles. He was not a chef but he could cook a scrumptious meal that would have your growling stomach shut up with elated satisfaction and a surreal experience. He was not a blacksmith but he could get anything metal and iron, shining and razor sharp. He was not a dressmaker or a tailor but he could stitch the worn out clothes of my dolls and stuffed toys. He was not a teacher but he taught us how to spell, read and write among other things like what is right and what is wrong. He was not a dictionary but he had lots of words up his sleeve. He was not a doctor but he could kiss away the pain from having my knees and elbows scathed. He was not a nurse but he gave us his tender, loving care. He was not Superman or Batman or Spiderman but he was and still is my hero. A lot of things he was not; but more than anything else, he was my Dad.

So much goes into that simple statement. He was the example I looked up to. He was my friend and was sometimes my enemy. He was my mentor and protector. He showed me what life was all about, and he showed me at a very young age. I used to fear him for being austere but I never thought he was already teaching me one of the most valuable lessons in life – standing up for what you believe in. I learned and understood a lot of things as I grew up in his care. I learned that the most important thing he had was us, his family. Though he may never had said it out loud, I know that he was really proud of what we have become. We are who we are now because we had a father like him. My father never showed his feelings. You would only see that look that told you that you did something great, and seeing him like that made you feel like you owned the world. That’s the way Dad was. He was intuitive. He somehow knew what to say and what to do, even in those times when you had not spoken. And though he knew what to say, in so many ways, he was a man of few words. You could always count on one important thing, though. Whatever he said, though the words were not expansive, they were the right words.

One big happy family... Luke was still under construction... hehehe... :D

Daddy was an angel long before he died. He was very strict as a father but that’s only because he cared for us and loved us. He was a very kind person and was always ready to help. He always had a solution to every problem and had his ways of making things simple. He never asked anybody for help but he was a very generous man, and he never wanted to be acknowledged for anything he did. When he helped, he simply helped. Dad was a strong and proud man. Quiet and reserved as well. You’d probably be surprised to know that his artistic ability was marvelous. I used to ask him to draw my art projects for me when I was a kid. He’d usually do these for me but then he would tell me to try drawing them on my own or otherwise he’d show me how it’s done. This artistic ability was not necessarily a trait that he displayed to his friends – he came from a time where art was not always the way to survive.

Happy and contented children
forebodes a happy and content family.
Thanks Mom! Thanks, Dad!

Love. That’s what always prevailed and the only way to survive. I never doubted that he loved me. Even at times when he came home late drowned in alcohol, seething and smoldering in cigarette smoke, I never doubted his love for us. No, my father was not perfect, but who in this world is? He was, however, a warrior... a jack-of-all-trades... a hero… a man of integrity and dignity... and for that, I am forever grateful. And I never doubted my father’s love.

With each spoon he fed us, with each shoelace he tied, with each bathwater he heated, with each shampoo and soap he lathered us with, with each caress he gave us, with each tear he shed for us, with each fishing pole he'd taught us how to cast, with each picnic in Danum Lake he'd prepared for us, with each smile, camera in hand, as we opened our Christmas gifts with much anticipation, with each ribbon he pinned and each medal he hung on our necks, with each and every little thing he did for us, he showed us how much he loved us. The tender and loving care he showed us was for me, more than enough to cover up and make up for all his imperfections. He may be an alcoholic and a smoker but he never ever failed to be a loving father and faithful husband. It may have been too hard for him to change his ways but he managed to do away from alcohol and cigarettes. I’ve seen how difficult it was for him but because of his love for Mom and us, his three daughters and a son, he’d succeeded. That is the greatest gift that a father can give to his family – love.

I miss you so much, Daddy. This world may forget that you ever lived but I will forever cherish your memories and would always remember that you have lived a fulfilling and dignified life. Daddy, to me, you are not dead. You will never die. Because I know that in my heart, you still live. I know that every hand you shook, every cheek you’ve pecked, every tear you’ve wiped away, every shoulder you’ve cried on, every arm you’ve brushed gave life to your own memories; that you still live in everyone who ever knew you. This I’m sure of, Dad – you will be dearly missed and your memories treasured, safely kept and locked in our hearts. I love you, Daddy! Happy Father's Day!