The Wheel and Axle

I need help decluttering. Stat.

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We grew up on Sesame Street. It was life, and who could forget this one?

Today is 10 February 2017.

Today, my paternal grandmother, Lola Rosario “Charing” Yambao Carreon, turns 100 years old.

Imagine that.

This is a woman who was born around the time of the first World War and has lived through most of the 20th century… and beyond!

She is resilient and strong as ever.

May she live even longer.

Happy birthday, Lola! We love you!

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Continued From:

Queens of My Heart, Part 1

Here I proceed with the second half of my list of my Top Ten Favorite Miss Universe winners ever, presented in chronological order.

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Still on a bit of a Miss Universe high, and recently I got to thinking who my favorite winners have been. It wasn’t an easy list to make, given that there have been over six decades of queens, but I managed to trim the list to ten.

So here they are: my Top Ten Favorite Miss Universe winners in chronological order, starting with…

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Finland’s Armi Kuusela, Miss Universe 1952 and the first winner of the crown, married a Filipino, Dr. Virgilio Hilario.

Virgilio’s mother was a relative of Nana Enchang Javier-Gonzaga, my great-grandmother. This makes Virgilio a cousin of my maternal grandmother, Mommy Queta Gonzaga-Ignacio (who turns 96 this February!), and her siblings: Lola Belen, Lola Noneng, Lolo Carlos, and Lolo Eddie.

This also thus makes Miss Universe 1952 our relative by marriage.

No wonder I love Miss U. It’s practically in my blood.

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Dream Come True

So yesterday, I fulfilled my dream to be able to watch Miss Universe live as a member of the audience.

It was everything I hoped for and more.

From feeling the positive energy of an international audience (a true melting pot of cultures, though I must say there were especially a lot of nice Thais, lovely Indonesians, and hot hot hot Latin men) to seeing beauty queens past and present, it was an experience I want to live again and again. Steve Harvey was funny, and the guest acts were surprisingly good (I’d been afraid they were too old school). We got to see what happens when the show is on commercial break (hint: not much, really), and over-all, it was indeed worth having won those tickets last minute.

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… smoking 12 years ago this month.

Yup. In January 2005, after about a decade of smoking since high school, I just decided to quit cold turkey. No, it wasn’t a New Year’s Resolution; I decided some time mid-month. Not sure why or how I did it – I’d quite twice before (first for a month in college, then one year after college) – but this time, it stuck.

I still have a lot of friends who smoke, and I don’t judge them. But for me, I’m happy with my decision, and if you’re thinking of doing so, then I encourage you to go ahead and at least try. Bottomline, whether cold turkey or weaning off of it slowly: it’s not impossible as my experience showed.

And it’s definitely worth it.

Amidst all the festivities and gifts and fun and joy, let’s never forget what Christmas is about.

Today, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He is the reason for the season, so let’s take time to remember Him between bites of ham and cheese as we gather with our family and our friends.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

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Well, there’s something guaranteed to spice up your Christmas family reunion.