Why We Attend Funerals

We've attended too many of them in our lives. During the years of the pandemic, it seemed like funerals and the variations thereof such as Zoom memorials and online vigil masses or services happened more frequently than we would expect. The period of pandemic brought us to a point wherein we all had a dimished sense of shock that would come by when a new name was mentioned as having passed on. The only thing that made a difference in the degree of shock had to do with how close we were to the person who had passed.

Having become a more normal occurence in recent years, it is always good to revisit the main reason or reasons why we attend funerals apart from the physical ceremony of laying to rest the remains of the dearly departed. The most recent one I attended, caused me to think deeply of this because in a great sense, this funeral was surreal. This funeral I attended last Monday was my dear Tita Patching's. Born Josefa Ramos Dizon, Tita Patching was my late mom's first cousin. Tita Patching's mother, Lola Hermelinda "Hermie" Ramos-Dizon and my grandfather, Romulo V. Ramos, were siblings. For those who are familiar with Bacolod and Negrense life, Tita Patching is the very visible dynamo behind Rolling Hills Memorial Park and Rolling Hills Memorial Chapel. She was also at times Bacolod City's First Lady when Tito Monico Puentevella was Mayor.

Having said that, Josefa Puentevella or Tita Patch as we would fondly call her was always there, the very able and ever present one directing the funerals of grandparents and aunts and aunties who have passed on. She was there when my mom was widowed in 1985, standing by my mom keeping everything in place and on sched. She's done this for us in the family and for countless others in the province, and especially for Bacolod City. She stood with us all in our time of grief. That was what made last Monday's funeral surreal to me. She was not there to stand with us in this loss - for this time, the funeral was hers.

I flew in to Bacolod the morning of the funeral and went straight to Rolling Hills Memorial Chapel to view Tita Patching in her casket, and to be with Tito Monico, Nicky Puentevella , Bribri Puentevella , Kalaw Puentevella , Rocky Puentevella and the rest of the family to spend short but meaningful moments of support and comfort during that lull before everything got busy.

As the final mass was celebrated at the San Sebastian Cathedral, I though of why we make the effort to attend funerals.

After the death of a Christian, we unite to do three things. Two are always top of mind. The third is for us to reflect on.

First, we come to thank God for the life of our dearly departed. We thank God in lending Tita Patching to us for the many years that we had with her. She was one who enriched our lives in her own special way.

Secondly, we come to comfort our beloved. This one is the most obvious and often times turns out to be the primary reason for being at such an occasion.

The last is what we often miss out the most. We attend a funeral to seek God for our life, for His comfort and His presence to cover us. We do not just come for the departed, not just for the immediate family, we come for us. We need to draw from the Lord the strength and encouragement so that we can continue to live our lives in this world with confidence and with joy, knowing that in the face of such loss of a person like Tita Patch, we move forward to carry out what noble deeds she may have set as an example for us.

Too many words can be said about how selfless Tita Patching has been to the lives she came in contact with. For me, I've seen how she has stood with my mom during those early years of being a widow. I'm sure those who read this would also remember their special bond with Tita Patching and how she touched their lives deeply.

And for that, 13 hours in Bacolod on a rainy Monday was worth all the trip....we move forward to carry out what noble deeds she may have set as an example for us.

byLloyd Tronco

in Family, Musings, Reflections

September 24, 2023

Why We Attend Funerals

We've attended too many of them in our lives. During the years of the pandemic, it seemed like funerals and the variations thereof such...

Read More

Retirement Strategy : What's so important about being 36

I was going through my old blog and came upon this gem which I wrote on Friday, September 22, 2006.  I had just left corporate work at McCann-Erickson a year before and was doing things as I had wanted.  The title of this piece from that old blog was : What's so important about being 36


What's so important about being 36?  More specifically, 36 years and eight months old.

Let me tell you.

At the age of 36 years and eight months old, you would have only 40 months left before you turn 40.

If you were to make a list entitled "Forty things I would like to do before I turn Forty", this would mean that you'd have at least one item to do every month as you wind down the days to the big 4-0.  That way, your list would be more realistic as you could rename it to "Forty things I would like to do in the Forty Months before I turn Forty".

Not unless of course you are a crammer and you would prefer to have a list entitled "Forty things I would like to do in the Forty DAYS before I turn Forty"

byLloyd Tronco

in McCann, Musings, Reflections, Retirement

May 22, 2022

Retirement Strategy : What's so important about being 36

I was going through my old blog and came upon this gem which I wrote on Friday, September 22, 2006.  I had just left corporate work at McCan...

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Cuadra Street, Bacolod Chicken Inasal, and the Beginnings of Manukan Country

What You Didn't Know About Cuadra Street, Bacolod City

Bacolod City's famous chicken dish inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread far and wide across the globe reaching not just the United States of America but also the Middle East.  Unknown to many is the fact long before it reached foreign shores, inasal's humble beginnings are traced back to a small street in Bacolod known as Cuadra.

Before the legendary Manokan Country of Bacolod found its way on the culinary map, there was a series of small stalls along Cuadra Street, near Bacolod's public plaza which earned the name as Chicken Alley.  This was started by the Velez sisters, Elisa Velez-Garrucho and her sister Nena, and the other Velez siblings.

Given its proximity to the public plaza and because it was near jeepney stops, people flocked to the area to buy the barbecued chicken we now know as Bacolod chicken inasal.  One has to be reminded that back in the days of the 70s, the tasty dish we know of today was simply "inasal".  "Bacolod chicken inasal" as used in one phrase was still a long way off.

As its popularity grew, inasal found a new home in Bacolod's reclamation area which is known today as Manokan County (translated as Chicken Country).  Soon, the people of Bacolod started flocking to the stalls of Manokan Country which now offered seating to the diners.  As Manokan Country got too crowded, Elisa Velez-Garrucho decided to get out of Manokan Country and put up Chicken House in San Sebastian Street, near the Garrucho residence.  Eliza's sister, Nena, also followed soon.

Vincent V. Garrucho, one of Eliza's sons relates, "My brother Jomi Garrucho and myself, as well as my sisters, were trained since grade school to know the recipe by heart.  Honestly, we can do the ORIGINAL INASAL with our eyes closed.  Almost everyday, our packed lunch to school was... FRIED chicken inasal. People haven't tried that yet."  Vincent adds, "Me and my siblings as kids were trained to make the mix every morning before going to school and cook and serve in our resto after school."

Eliza Velez Garrucho is credited to have contributed greatly to making inasal the mainstream dish it is known today after exiting Manokan Country and starting the famous Bacolod Chicken House.  Eliza V. Garrucho sold Chicken House to the Cajili family in 1976 and the rest is history as the new owners have taken Chicken House and its distinct taste to inasal lovers like us.

Chicken House in Metro Manila is located in Makati along Chino Roces Ave., fronting Makati (Cinema) Square.



The writer, Lloyd Tronco, is from Bacolod, a chicken inasal lover and addict who always eats inasal with garlic rice and a stick of baticolon (chicken gizzard). 

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Of People and Language : Ilonggos, Negrosanons, and Hiligaynon

This post is a long overdue piece because the idea for writing it came about late last year when an article appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, delving into how the lifestyles of Negrenses (inhabitants of Negros Island) were supposedly laid bare through the architecture and the ancestral homes seen across the island......Read More

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byLloyd Tronco

in Musings, Stories

August 15, 2021

Cuadra Street, Bacolod Chicken Inasal, and the Beginnings of Manukan Country

What You Didn't Know About Cuadra Street, Bacolod City Bacolod City's famous chicken dish inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread ...

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Bacolod Chicken Inasal : Beyond Food, A Ritual

Over the past two decades, Bacolod City's famous chicken dish, inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread far and wide across the globe, reaching the United States of America and to the sandy borders of the Middle East.  In the wave of Bacolod chicken inasal’s popularity, different restaurants specializing in inasal (the Hiligaynon word for grilled or spit-roasted) have aspired to be the servers of the most authentic of this Visayan chicken delicacy.  To examine where this all began, nothing comes close to going back to Bacolod City itself to unravel the mystique of this fowl favorite.

Our travel takes us back not only to the heart of Negros island, the “sweet spot” of the Philippines where sugarcane fields stretch endlessly to the horizon, but also chronologically to a time when Negros relished a boom in sugar production and exportation.  Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental was then a place with a laid-back lifestyle having a fair amount of urbanity within the backdrop of a rural landscape, beautifully enclosed by a natural border of rugged mountains.

We are transported to the decade of the 1960s, where we find the beginnings of Bacolod inasal as we know it now.  The downtown area of Bacolod sees an emergence of low-rise buildings built in art deco, meant to serve an economy revolving around the sugar industry.  Back then, people employed in the downtown offices and stores would clock out at five p.m. to go home to their families and have dinner by sundown.

To highlight of the end of a workday, some would buy a few sticks of grilled chicken from a small stall beside the Floredith Theater along Araneta Street, right next to the Bacolod City Hall.  It was here that Sabel Velez opened the first chicken inasal stall, serving what would eventually be among the most popular fowl viands of the Visayas.

Barbecued chicken is the more common description of what inasal really is.  Nevertheless, beneath the simplicity of inasal’s description lies the embodiment of Negrense island life, the agricultural abundance of the island finding its way into a stick of paa (leg) or pecho (breast).

Before the chicken hits the grill, it is quartered, segmented, and marinated in a concoction of ginger, garlic, calamansi, brown sugar, rock salt and native coconut vinegar.   Though sugarcane may be the main produce of Negros, coconuts abound too.  From here comes the vinegar which is an integral element for the inasal marinade, having the right amount of sourness to create that distinct, tangy flavor for which inasal is known for.

Equally important as an ingredient to the marinade is the right amount of brown sugar.  One can’t put too much sugar lest the sweetness overpower the other spices, the garlic and ginger, that lend flavor to inasal.

We’ve also found some home-made experiments on inasal wherein the sugar is substituted by ounces of Sprite, the carbonated beverage.  Such experimentations, perhaps inclusive of some random incantations, are what makes the quest for the most flavorful inasal exciting.  The timing as to how long the chicken is marinated is also part of inasal’s mystique – some want it longer, others want it short.

Skewering the chicken is also a ritual in its own right.  Most prefer to put it on skewers immediately after the chicken is quartered.  Yet, some opt to marinate the chicken prior to placing on the bamboo skewers.

With so much said about the marinate, it is easy to skip the importance of the chicken itself.  While most chicken inasal used native chicken, I learned from Toto Tarrosa of Aida’s, one of the best chicken inasal grills, that Aida’s was the first to use white leghorn chickens for inasal.  The reason why they opted to grill white leghorn chickens instead of the usual native chicken back in the day was partly due to the timing and availability.  Native chickens were sold out in the market by the early hours of the morning for various uses.  Given the timing of when to grill inasal, which is usually in the afternoon towards the end of the work day, the short supply for native chicken led to a happy discovery of a delicious version of inasal with the use of white leghorns. 

As it is, chicken inasal is really a viand meant to be eaten after five p.m.  For those who really understand the beginnings of this delicacy, eating inasal is not just about having it to fill one’s stomach come dinner time.  Eating chicken inasal more than anything else, is viewed as a subdued yet meaningful celebration of simple victories in life.  Honest work well done at the close of day, the joy of having family close by, it is the humble yet flavor-rich inasal that brings Bacolodians together in modest jubilation.  Eating chicken inasal is more than just having another chicken dish.  Wherever in the world it is eaten, it is a sacred communion that ties Bacoleños and Negrenses back to their homeland, Bacolod…Negros Island…the sweet spot of the Philippines.

 



The writer, Lloyd Tronco, is from Negros Island.  This piece was written for the 2018 Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award.  The entry did not win, but it captures the richness and beauty of Negros Island, the land where Doreen Gamboa Fernandez grew up in.

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Revisiting Cuadra Street : The Street Which Made Bacolod Chicken Inasal Popular

Bacolod City's famous chicken dish inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread far and wide across the globe reaching not just the United States of America but also the Middle East.  Unknown to many is the fact long before it reached foreign shores, inasal's humble beginnings are traced back to a small street in Bacolod known as Cuadra......Read More

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byLloyd Tronco

in Musings, Reflections, Stories

August 15, 2021

Bacolod Chicken Inasal : Beyond Food, A Ritual

Over the past two decades, Bacolod City's famous chicken dish, inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread far and wide across the globe...

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Teach Us To Number Our Days

 

And just like that, half of the year (2021) has gone,and today is a Friday, so the week has already gone. The sands of time are trickling through the hourglass of our lives and so our prayer is, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90: 12).

This verse is often treated as if it were a proverb that means, “Life is short, so live wisely.” But in the context of the whole psalm (Psalm 90), it means much more than that. It is a key part of a meditation on God and on living as the people of God. 

Psalm 90 allows us to reflect on how good God has been to us with the lens of seeing things from a "cradle to grave" perspective. Amidst all the struggle and strife we have been through in our lives, we can still definitely say, The Heavenly Father has been really good, sustaining us to this very day.

Psalm 90 ends with this:

14

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

16

May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children.

17

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

byLloyd Tronco

in Family, Featured, Musings, Reflections, Retirement

July 02, 2021

Teach Us To Number Our Days

  And just like that, half of the year (2021) has gone,and today is a Friday, so the week has already gone. The sands of time are trickling ...

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What Bro. Roly Dizon said at a funeral totally changed the way I started living

 

April 25, 2021.  Today is the ninth death anniversary of Bro. Rolando R. Dizon, FSC.  Bro. Roly, as he is fondly known by the many who have met him and loved him has always been a person esteemed for the wisdom that would flow out of his mouth.  Very articulate in his words, I would always be careful to listen to the nuggets of truth that would be delivered with his well modulated voice.

Bro. Roly, for me was not just the Bro. Roly we commonly know.  As it was, Bro. Roly was also my uncle.  A cousin of my mother through the Ramos family of Bacolod, Bro. Roly (or Tito Roly when I first met him as a 6 year old) was the first one to welcome me to La Salle Greenhills in 1974.

Through the years and by way of the many occasions Bro. Roly would have the chance to speak, be it at a lectern on an official school occasion or over the dinner table when we had the chance to be at family gatherings, I likened myself to a beggar with cupped hands waiting for his next few lines of wisdom to be handed out.

Yet nothing prepared me for what he would say at the funeral of one of my great aunts in the mid 1990s when he was already based in Bacolod as President of the University of St. La Salle.

At any funeral regardless of who is speaking, we often hear the same thing over and over again, that is how good the person was throughout his or her lifetime, or even how Christ-like he or she was. 

What Bro. Roly said about my great aunt that morning totally changed the way I started living and gave me a good mental picture of what to aim for.  In today's business-speak, it was as if he had outlined a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) for goodness.

In reference to my late great aunt, Rachel C. Estrebillo, Bro. Roly said, "Rachel was a person who enriched the life of others".  When I heard that, it struck me so deep that it made me realize that it's not just all about being a good person, but really being good and making impact to enrich the lives of the people around us.

I'm sure we all know of people who may not be rich in the way the world measures financial wealth.  Yet they are the people who bring more than wealth into our lives and by doing so enrich us in a way deeper than what money could bring.

From then on, I have always borne this in my mind. "How could I enrich the life of this person?".

As a husband I ask myself, "How could I enrich the life of my wife today?". 

As a parent, I ask myself, "How could I enrich the life of my kids today?". 

As a friend, I ask myself, "How could I enrich the life of my friend today?".

As a newly introduced acquaintance, I ask myself, "How could I enrich the life of this person today?".

That was how Bro. Roly impacted me.  I hope that this has enriched your life too.

God bless you, reader.  Have a great Sunday!

byLloyd Tronco

in Culture, Family, Featured, Miscellaneous, Musings, Reflections, Stories

April 25, 2021

What Bro. Roly Dizon said at a funeral totally changed the way I started living

  April 25, 2021.  Today is the ninth death anniversary of Bro. Rolando R. Dizon, FSC.  Bro. Roly, as he is fondly known by the many who hav...

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While Europe is in Lockdown, The Province of Negros Occidental Opens a Window to the World

 

Neatly tucked in the center of the Philippine archipelago is a sock shaped island known as Negros.  Negros, known for its vast sugarcane plantations set before scenic mountains as its backdrop is also known as the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines.

I personally call it, The SWEET SPOT of the Philippines.  The term SWEET SPOT has so many connotations to it given the different facets of sweetness this island brings to me.  There are so many sweet stories of Negros to tell - there just hasn't been THE perfect medium to tell it through.

That was then.  This Thursday though, everything is bound to change.  The Angelica Berrie Foundation will be launching a website that hopes to become a global messaging platform to promote Negrense heritage and culture.

The launch aptly falls on November 5, 2020 at 8pm Philippine Standard Time and 7am for those in New York ( and 12 noon for those in London).  November 5 is the day the province of Negros Occidental celebrates its annual Cinco de Noviembre feast to commemorate the day Negrenses revolted against Spanish colonizers and won in 1898.

The November 5 revolt in Negros led by Generals Juan Araneta and Aniceto Lacson.

In the same manner, the launch of the Negros Season of Culture website is a revolution of its own.  The Negros Season of Culture was meant to be an extended slew of on-ground events which would highlight the art, food, heritage homes, people, and handicrafts of Negros.

The pandemic changed all of that as everyone around the world got locked-in by way of quarantine.

The silver lining is found in the fact that as everyone spend more time on the internet, the Negros Season of Culture becomes a window for all the world to discover the beauty and uniqueness of Negrense culture through this online channel.

Its underlying purpose : "to promote the cultural assets of our heritage and traditions, the unique identity of this province and the talent of its people," according to Angelica "Angie" Berrie through a Zoom meeting which took place two weeks ago.

Suffice it to say that the Negros Season of Culture is not just an online platform but an online celebration of Negrense uniqueness neatly stated in the tagline, "Rooted. Taking on the World." 

The Gaston Mansion at Hacienda Sta. Rosalia in Manapla

By threading stories of creativity (for which Negrenses are known for) in a platform that dramatizes a regional narrative, global audiences can discover what makes Negros special.

Personally, what I am excited about is being able to showcase the heritage homes of Negros.  While so much has been said about Negros' food, art, handicrafts, and agriculture, the heritage homes are for me, an item where attention must be drawn to. 

The Ruins - remains of the ancestral home mansion of the family of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and Maria Braga Lacson.

Every other island or province has  their own culinary story, their own art and handicrafts.  But all of these take on a different dimension as the stories are framed within a physical place where the stories are anchored to.  Such is the case with the ancestral homes on Negros Island.  The stories are amplified and emotions are heightened as they are set within an actual place that people can see.

All these stories will be aggregated into that website which will be launched this Thursday with famous Negrense actor, Joel Torre and his daughter Marela.

The Negros Season of Culture, this is Negros Island's Window for the World.

Join the Negros Season of Culture launch this Thursday by tuning in and following the Negros Season of Culture Facebook Page.

byLloyd Tronco

in Art, Culture, Musings, Negros

November 03, 2020

While Europe is in Lockdown, The Province of Negros Occidental Opens a Window to the World

  Neatly tucked in the center of the Philippine archipelago is a sock shaped island known as Negros.  Negros, known for its vast sugarcane p...

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Thoughts on Time

I just remembered that there are two words for time in Greek. Chronos, from where we get the word chronometer, refers to the measurement of time; seconds, minutes, hours, years. 

Then there is Kairos - the opportune time. That singular moment when everything is in place and everything is ripe for the picking. The appointed time in the purpose of God. Our best response is to move in that window of time as guided by the Holy Spirit and not under compulsion.

I pray that despite the chaos that COVID brings, we will find some Kairos within ourselves. It's not even Carpe Diem, or seize the day. It's more like "the decisive moment" in photography.

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Reviving The Lost Art Of Riding The Boat To Bacolod

This past Christmas season has been highlighted by so many horror stories of air travellers experiencing flight delays, bump-offs, and other inconveniences brought about by airlines which lacked the foresight to staff up given the hectic holiday season. Much noted was the chaos which took place at NAIA Terminal 3 when ......Read More

byLloyd Tronco

in Musings, Reflections, Retirement

April 30, 2020

Thoughts on Time

I just remembered that there are two words for time in Greek. Chronos, from where we get the word chronometer, refers to the measurement of ...

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The Road to the Fields of Memories.

While most people know me as coming from Negros, I was actually born in Manila. Sometime in the mid-1970s, my late dad gave up his advertising and graphic design business in Makati to move me and my mother to Bacolod City.

This is what brought us here. I have ceased to question whether the move was right or wrong. In the end, the entire sequence of events from 1975 when I moved from La Salle Greenhills to La Salle Bacolod (in the middle of the schoolyear!) to the time my dad passed away in 1985, is what shaped me to become the person I am today.

These are the fields where I meet my 7 year old self. The little boy who would always tag along with his father and try to shoot birds with a slingshot, chew fresh sugarcane every visit, be fascinated with farm machinery which I would endlessly draw sketches of on my Grade 1 pad when I was in school.

These are the fields where to this day, old farm folk could still speak of how kind my father was to them and how efficiently he managed both the people and the farm as a whole. Stories of which I am grateful for, for these are stories which reinforce what have already been passed on directly by my dad as teaching or admonition to a young boy.

These are the fields which have made me remember what the writer of Ecclesiastes has said, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

These are the fields where I meet myself - be it the young boy or who I am today. And the most interesting part, is that this road, the Road to the "Fields of Memories" could also be the same road to the future.

byLloyd Tronco

in Featured, Makati, Musings, Negros, Reflections

June 28, 2019

The Road to the Fields of Memories.

While most people know me as coming from Negros, I was actually born in Manila. Sometime in the mid-1970s, my late dad gave up his adve...

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Stray Bullets and God's Protection

Earlier this week a friend had plurked of Conti's being open at Greenbelt.  That plurk prodded me to take the family to Conti's for lunch earlier today.

I dropped them off at the Greenbelt 2 Streetside where Conti's was and proceeded to go around the block to park in GB1.  After parking, I took the walk from GB1 to GB2 cutting through GB5 where Omega and Rolex was.  It was just a few minutes after I passed that 7 armed men in Bomb Squad uniform entered GB5 under the pretense that they were investigating a bomb threat.  Reports said that as soon as they reached the Rolex shop, they smashed the glass casings and began to loot the shop of the watches on display.  It was learned that this plan had been foiled unexpectedly when a Metro Manila mayor's bodyguard was within the vicinity and shot back killing one of the robbers.

Two hours after the incident, my family and I were ready to leave the area.  Problem was, the car was still at GB1 parking which was still closed at the time.  I texted a guard who used to work for our ad agency and was now posted in GB, inquiring if I could get the vehicle.  He replied to say that he'd accompany me to the carpark so I could take the car out.
At the ticket gate, a different guard was taking down every detail such as my driver's license number and vehicle registration to make sure I wasn't one of them culprits trying to slip out.  The procedure was understandable because at this time, the 6 other culprits were still being hunted in the basement of GB5.  And since GB is just one big maze of entrances and exits, I still had my eyes peeled lest the hoods spring out of nowhere and hijack the vehicle.  Crazy thoughts one may say.  But these are the crazy thoughts which fortify stuff such as Murphy's Law.

Overall, it was good to get out safely.  We live in precarious times.  Thank God for His promise of Divine Protection.

byLloyd Tronco

in Family, Musings, Reflections

October 18, 2009

Stray Bullets and God's Protection

Earlier this week a friend had plurked of Conti's being open at Greenbelt.  That plurk prodded me to take the family to Conti's ...

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Lessons in Golf as Lessons in Life

----

March 27, 2005. Babes Romualdez in his regular column in the Philippine Star writes about the game of golf. I quickly email feedback to him which reads:


Dear Mr. Romualdez,

I have always thought that golf was an idiotic game not finding sense in continually chasing a white ball which one continues to drive further away by 150 to 200 yards at a time.

I have to admit that this concept changed from the time my 2 year old son showed interest in wielding a toy golf club.

Not only do I agree with the statement in your column that golfing is one of the most effective ways to connect and get to know the character of a person, I believe that it is also one of the best ways to bond and form character within children. In a day and age when parents are usually busy at the workplace, golf provides the perfect venue where parents can mentor children not only in the game of golf, but also in life.

I love how Earl Woods, father of Tiger Woods, delineated it in the preface of his book, "Playing Through". This is how he put it....

The game of golf can be a metaphor for life. My life, for certain. I have experienced my share of birdies and a few eagles, yet it seems I have encountered more sand traps and bogeys than I care to recall. With every obstacle or challenge I've faced, however, I've managed to work through it and come out stronger and wiser. And as I walk down the 18th fairway of my lifetime, I hold my head high and make no apologies for the decisions and statements I have made. I realize now that everything happens for a reason, that there is a plan for all of us, which includes both good times and bad. The more astute among us are able to learn from our misfortunes and become stronger individuals. I have been a survivor, a living testimony that others like me can beat the odds, withstand the cruelties, indignities and setbacks that life can offer. I certainly hope the experiences I'll share in these pages will serve to motivate others to press on when the going invariably gets tough.

What a poignant parallel made by a champion's father! On my end, I may be a bit late in having learned to play golf but I am definitely on time with respect to replicating the feat of "fathering a champion" .

As I write this, I cannot wait to wind down the last 15 days of working for a multinational advertising agency. With all the daily demands of keeping clients' business, more time on the fairway will surely be a welcome respite.

More power to you and your column as I do hope to meet you one of these days on the course!

byLloyd Tronco

in Family, Musings, Reflections, Retirement

April 30, 2005

Lessons in Golf as Lessons in Life

---- March 27, 2005. Babes Romualdez in his regular column in the Philippine Star writes about the game of golf. I quickly email ...

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Sunset Fever

I visited the agency today to download into the company issued laptop I had left, the remaining files I had promised the Outdoor Media team. The time was a little bit before six. In the distance, the sun was performing its usual yet nonetheless exhilarating exit as it slowly sank into the Manila bay horizon. I was more than glad to know that people at the agency had now been taking the time to watch the oft-neglected lightshow.

My former seatmate, UniversalMcCann AVP, Josette Feliciano, proudly exclaimed that she now regularly took the time to watch the sun set. "And, with coffee in hand!", she added triumphantly while raising her mug. Yes, sunset fever has slowly creeped into the afternoon (or shall we say 'early evening') routine of my former colleagues.

If ever you find yourself pausing at the end of the day to watch sunsets, I will grant you every right to blame the habit on this blog.

byLloyd Tronco

in Featured, McCann, Musings, Reflections

April 27, 2005

Sunset Fever

I visited the agency today to download into the company issued laptop I had left, the remaining files I had promised the Outdoor Media tea...

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