Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
SECOND CHANCES MAY 11,2008
| Life is a challenge for this Mom |
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Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Photo by: Rudy Liwanag Ellen Jane Bocquiron is a woman who loves challenges. And at thirty-six, she again faces yet another challenge in her life: letting go of something that she’s grown attached to for the last eight years. And though it makes her teary-eyed to say goodbye to it, she believes that it is nothing compared to other things she’s been through over the past year. So, with a few tears shed, she cut her own hair and seems quite satisfied with it. From its length being past her knees, now her hair now just falls below her shoulder, with side bangs. "Papagawa ako ng wig, para may remembrance," she jokes. A year before, though, she decided to take on a challenge that has proved to be life-changing. When her son, Philip Joseph, began third grade, she decided to go back to school. When she first got this idea, she thought that she might want to take up an MA, since she had a degree in literature from Columban College in Olongapo City, where she was born and raised. "My husband suggested na mag-nursing nalang ako kasi mas maganda ’yung may nursing degree," she shares. It was a major shift for her. From being a full time housewife for almost ten years, she suddenly found herself a student of a course that was decidedly a lot different from her previous course in college. She did have work experience in hotels and such, but nothing prepared her for the hard work that taking up nursing demands. But once she got the idea of taking up nursing, she wouldn’t let go of it. If, back then, she did reading for pure pleasure and at her own leisure, going back to school forced her to read more and learn more. Since she had to balance studying and being a housewife and a mother, going to sleep early was the main problem. During her first semester, she shares that she started having pimples again, just like any stressed college student. But she considered this a very trivial setback, just another one of the challenges that cannot distract her from her goal. Now it’s been a year since she started, and she’s still at it. "Nung una talaga, umiyak ako. Sabi ko, ang hirap naman nito. Okay naman na ko maging housewife eh. Okay na ’kong inaasikaso ang husband at anak ko." But despite her qualms about nursing, she feels that she has found another calling from God. "Ngayon, ibang tao naman ang aasikasuhin ko. Not only ’yung husband at anak ko ang pwede ko pagsilbihan, kundi maraming tao rin." Because she had a previous degree, most of her minor subjects in college were credited, so it helped. She only takes up 14 to 18 units per semester in Our Lady of Guadalupe College, as opposed to the full load, which helps her in balancing her time for studies and her family. After having gone through two semesters, she feels that this is her biggest achievement as a person yet. Finding encouragement and enthusiasm from her family, she also gets inspiration from other people, like one of her classmates who is already 40 years old and taking up nursing alongside her own child. "Na-inspire ako sa kanya kasi ako 36 ngayon, pag-graduate ko, 39, 40. Eh s’ya 44. Kung s’ya nga, nahaharap nya yung mga ganung challenges, dapat mas lalo na ’ko." She also finds it fulfilling that her new endeavor is starting to inspire her own son to think about his own future career. "Sabi n’ya, ano kaya, mommy, paglaki ko mag-doktor ako, kasi nakikita nya yung mga books ko." She considers going back to school at her age a source of endless learning, not just about nursing in general, but about other important things in life. "Sa school, although mas matanda ako sa mga professors, I have learned the value of submitting to authority." And although she has encountered lots of hardships in school, she cherishes it for what she has learned and is continuing to learn. She also treasures the people she meets. If, back then, her circle of friends was limited to her church, now she meets more people from different walks of life. For all the experiences she’s gained from it, she’s not content with just one year in nursing. She’s not just in it for the experience of going back to school. She finds herself very suited to the course and to the kind of work that nurses do. "Nung nag-community service nga kami, sabi ko, kaya ko pa pala ‘to, ’yung mga pagpunta sa mga squatters’ area, ’yung mga lakad-lakad." She already even has a goal in the field, she says: since she already has a background in literature, why not mix the two and start teaching, just like her professors. She’s also in it for the long haul, as she plans to take up the board exam and pursue nursing as a career. And although nursing has proved to be quite challenging, she says that she will not quit, simply because she’s not a quitter. "S’yempre an’doon lagi ’yung iisipin mo na baka ’di ako makatagal diyan. Pero alam mo, naisip ko na oras na pasukin ko ‘to, kailangan tapusin ko." She credits her mother for raising her with this virtue. "Sabi n’ya, when you start something, make sure na tatapusin mo. ‘Wag ‘yong ningas-kugon, mag-start ka, tapos, ayoko na kasi ang hirap." So whether it’s parting with that great length of hair, or taking up nursing, this woman is surely a source of inspiration to all women out there who want their lives to change. And once you’ve gone one step towards a goal, there should be no turning back. Makeup by Barbi Chan Hair by Letty Lacambra Special thanks to Salon Paradiso
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SECOND CHANCES MAY 11,2008
| Laughing Her Way Through Life |
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Kannika Claudine D. Peña, Photo by: Rudy Liwanag Spending a few minutes with Rose Novenario is enough to convince anyone that this is one woman who has lots of stories to tell. Full of anecdotes and observations about everything and anything, one is bound to take a back seat in the conversation and just let her do all the talking because indeed, she has lots of interesting and admittedly funny things to say. She is the person that everyone likes being with, because her jolliness is contagious. She shares that when they have out of town coverage in her work as a reporter for Tanod, people flock to where she is. "Ginagawa nila akong payaso," she says, laughing. For someone as cheerful as she is, you would think she had it easy all her life. Perhaps it is this disposition that helped her breeze through life as a single parent for the past ten years. Mother to four children, with ages ranging from 13 to 21, and a Malacañang reporter for the past seven years, this juggling act has not been easy, but rather than seeing these as obstacles, she saw them as even bigger reasons to persevere. She did not pursue a career in journalism at first. Although she had a degree in History from the Philippine Normal University, she used to be a full time housewife. But after giving birth to her first two children, she decided, why not look for a job? Journalism was not the first thing that came to mind, as she did not have any experience in it. However, she saw it as a challenge when her friend, a reporter, suggested she become one as well. She started out with the police beat, covering robberies and holdups, among other things. She recalls one of her experiences with the police beat while pregnant with her third child. "Nung sumakit yung tiyan ko, nagko-cover pa ko,so sabi ko sa pulis, ‘Masakit na ‘yung tiyan (ko).’ So ang naghatid pa sa ‘kin pag-uwi, pulis." But Rose did not mind this at all. She already loved her job because it quenched her thirst for excitement and challenges. Her other beats included the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. After years of hard work, Rose finally became the paper’s Malacañang reporter, which she says most people consider a major feat. "Ang tining kasi pag ikaw na ‘yung Malacañang reporter, ikaw na yung pinakamagaling na reporter sa diyaryo n’yo. Ganun usually ang notion sa diyaryo. O kaya ikaw ang pinaka-senior, alin sa dalawa." From being a police reporter, now she is usually in the company of the President of the Philippines--and of other countries as well--a privilege that not a lot of reporters get the chance to have. As focused as she is on her career, she’s also determined to raise her children with values that she considers important, such as prioritizing education, loving one’s family, and loving one’s country as well. "Importante rin ‘yung mahalin ang bansa. Hindi lahat ng bata tinuturuan nang ganoon." Unlike a lot of parents nowadays, she does not encourage her children to go abroad. "Dito muna sila magtrabaho," she says. "At least two years, nang mapakinabangan muna ng mga kapwa Pilipino natin ‘yung pinag-aralan niyo, hindi dayuhan ang nakikinabang." And Rose can be quite the disciplinarian, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness. She shares that once, when her eldest son brought a girlfriend home, she hovered near them, armed with a walis tambo. "Bigla ako nagwalis nang nagwalis sa harap nila. ‘Di ko namalayan, salita ako nang salita, nagpaalam na pala, ‘di ko pa napansin. Magsimula noon, ‘di na bumalik," she says with a laugh. Up to now, her children always bring up this incident in jest. But she knows that even though she can be quite strict, at least her children know the value of finishing their studies and having a job. More than anything, she’s proud of her achievement as a mother. Rose beams as she says with pride that in their neighborhood, her children are always brought up by parents as examples to the other young people. And even though she can be quite stern with them, it is obvious to anyone who visits her home how much her children love her. In fact, they’re so close, there’s a running joke among them that no one in their family is going to get married, ever. They’re quite unconventional with their bonding moments. "Ang bonding namin, would you believe it, tulung-tulong kaming naglalaba, naglilinis, namamalengke, basta household chores." She taught her children how to perform household chores when they were still young, she says. And because of the discipline she instilled in them, now she doesn’t even have to monitor their every move. She can leave for an out-of-town coverage, and still find her home intact after a week of absence. And she takes everything in stride. Maybe she’s superhuman, or most probably, it’s her infectious positive attitude about everything. When asked about the most fulfilling thing that happened in her life, she cites her eldest son’s graduation. After having passed the licensure exam for teachers with flying colors, her son landed a job without her help. Given the opportunity to get a makeover, she said yes to it without any qualms, just as she has with everything that she has been faced with. She welcomes changes without any hesitation. The makeover was just icing on the cake, compared to the challenges that she’s gone through, and all the achievements that she’s had in her two full time careers: as a reporter, and, most importantly, a mother. Makeup by Barbi Chan Hair by Letty Lacambra Special thanks to Salon Paradiso
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SECOND CHANCES MAY 11,2008
| Creating a Beautiful Chain of Hope and Inspiration |
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I believe there are no rules for makeup," Maybelline New York’s official makeup artist for the Philippines (and the first Asian to be accorded that honor) Barbi Chan says. Looking at her work and her credentials, you’d never suspect that she only began doing makeup four years ago, let alone that she is one of the pioneers of airbrush makeup in the Philippines. Trained at the Los Angeles School of Makeup, the Dinair Airbrush Institute, the Pamela Taylor Makeup Academy, and in advanced airbrush techniques at the Powder Group New York, one would think that Barbi has nothing left to prove. Wrong. Barbi wants to do so much more. Perhaps it’s because she has been "through so much; I’ve been through hell and back again and back." Left with nothing after a painful separation, Barbi decided she would choose to live her life. "But of course there are consequences when you choose to be free." It was a struggle she calls the "dark night of the soul," but Barbi found that beautifying herself gave her back what she needed: a sense of control. "I started taking care of myself again; I might feel bad inside but at least my spirit was lifted when I realized only I could make myself feel better, and I started taking care of myself again." That’s why she believes makeovers are significant. "I feel women tend to forget about themselves when they go through so much heartbreak. When you get a makeover, you focus on yourself again; you look at yourself in a different light . You realize, ‘I can look like this,’ and you want to improve yourself. It’s empowering; you realize, ‘I can look good, I can feel good, I don’t need anyone to make me feel good’ I believe makeovers are aspirational and inspirational at the same time. Barbi says, "I want to do these makeovers because they can be something that will impact someone’s life." She hopes that in the next 2 years those she has made over will be able to make a difference to their own lives because of that one simple gift: showing a woman her best face and helping her cope with a society that is, sadly, superficial. "Beauty does matter; no matter what we say about beauty being skin deep, society is superficial. We are judged based on our looks. A makeover helps a woman face the world, literally, and allows them to be more confident; they are equipped to deal with the kind of world we live in. Women have it harder in a society like ours; you get judged if you’re sloppy or fat. It’s all about image, and a makeover helps a woman create an image, one from which she can draw the confidence to face the world." In the end, Barbi says, "You have to ask yourself, were you able to make a difference in someone else’s life?" And what better way than to help someone take her first steps in the direction of making a difference to her life first, so that she is better equipped to help herself, so that later on, she can help others? Hence "Second Chances" is Barbi’s way of paying tribute to the women who deal with the real world, with all its roller-coaster situations that stretch their emotions to the limit…and yet makes them the beautiful beings they are. It is her hope that women will band together, spreading a chain of hope and inspiration that will eventually reach every beautiful woman in the world.
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MY NEWEST BABY!
i started last sunday a column for manila bulletin that ,hopefully,will encourage women from all walks of life to stand up and fight for what is right, what is noble and what they truly deserve. everybody deserves a second chance and everybody deserves a new lease in life. my column will not just do make overs on pretty women...my aim and goal is to inspire and encourage women who went through difficulties in life ,who suffered not because they chose to but because they had to, who battled life threatening diseases and emerged as winners,women who wants to start again but don't know how...the lists are endless but the bottomline is i want to be an instrument on a womans' personal road to recovery... whether it be an emotional, physical or psychological one... life is too short to wallow in ones' misery..we have to stand up and claim what is truly ours... our freedom..the freedom to love, live life again... it doesn't matter how old we are, whether we are fat or thin, ugly or pretty.. what's important is our desire to have another shot in this so called "life". to make things right again and to make amends... that's why i called my column "second chances" .. because all of us deserves a second chance...
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