Unexpected Departure

To many Fil-Estate family members, the demise of Dr. Romeo Vergara was so fast they couldn't believe he's gone. A few days ago, he was up and bouncing in the corridors of the Renaissance Tower. He was quite busy coordinating with a lot of department heads including the ISD, Finance, BDD, Marketing, etc. He was preparing for that big presentation in HongKong with our business counterparts. And then he's gone. He is one of those rare soldiers who died in action. For patriots like the Japanese, this is the best way to go.

For me, Doc Vergara died a happy man. Three weeks ago, we boarded the same PAL Express plane going to Boracay. He was with Ma'am Connie and their children. As it was on a weekend, I would say that it was a vacation by the whole family. But knowing the kind of culture we have in Fil-Estate, his travel is still "pleasure with business". Why, the Boss is there also in Boracay. They paid a visit to Atty. Santos in his recently opened Boracay Sands Hotel where our group is staying. I won't forget our exchange of pleasantries. We were all enjoying our old jokes and we were all blurting out in boisterous laughter. I can't believe that it will be our last casual moment together.

We have lost one good man but his contributions to the growth of Fil-Estate will always be remembered.

My Life is Funny

I started writing feature stories when I was a second year high school student. I was always serious then in my themes. Maybe I thought writing should always be serious. I had no idea yet of writing formats and style. But having a father whose sense of humor flows to the brim, I have been exposed to jokes that he himself contorted or was it copied or heard from I-don’t-know-where. My Dad has a canny ability of converting any dry or tense situation into something relaxed, fun-filled and warm occasion. He is one of those persons who can do a mockery of the powerful, the respected and the not-so-respected-but-feared individuals in our place and get away with it. Unconsciously, I was immersed in a training that I would only discover I have been trained with later in my adult life. Since then, I have been less active in writing but I have been more comfortable telling stories, especially funny stories.

I have discovered that life is funny. Yes, because life is a story. You can write it the way you want it. I would very well agree with Thomas D. Willhite when he said that a person’s future is formed by the thoughts he holds most often in his mind. A person’s life is what he thinks it is at the moment. Life is defined by how you react on a given situation and how you perceive the situation to be. I cannot forget the story told by the father of Frank Avignale in the movie Catch Me If You Can. The story tells of two little mice that fell on a bucket of milk. The first mouse struggled by swimming a little bit but soon gave up and drowned – and died immediately. The second mouse struggled so hard, paddled in circles and turned the milk into cheese – and eventually pulled himself out of the bucket.

Funny is not being carefree and aimless. Funny is a state of mind, very much like being positive and happy. My Dad is a happy person – he chose to be one. And I thank him for the training that I got from him – telling funny stories. That is why I am funny – I chose to be one.