The Lady in Green Ruffles

May 23, 2010

Sunday

It has been so long since I’ve posted an entry here in my blog. I was kinda busy with my (new) work and unlike before, we don’t have our own unit of desktop in the office. But still, I am enjoying and loving the new environment I’m in now. Exciting but totally terrfying.

Anyway, so much for that. I know it’s too early for me to wake up this Sunday here in Manila because I usually go to church here in the afternoon and my work needs me later this morning pa. Maybe because I spent my whole day of Saturday sound sleeping. So as usual, after finishing the book I am reading which is FOR ONE MORE DAY by Mithch Albom, I went to my room to check on my K mag collection not to get sleepy but to be inspired again by no less than Ms. Kris Aquino. Randomly, I pick for a magazine and which issue went to my hand? The August-September 07 issue which features Ms. Kris’ shoe collection and guess what’s I reread? The story I need this very moment of lonesome. And this is what I wanted to share it with you guys today. Hope you will be inspired too.

The Shoe Fits: A Story about Shoes and the Power of Prayer

by: Kris Aquino-Yap

I love shoes. Imelda Marcos loves shoes, and loving shoes is associated with her, so I’ve always hesitated about showing off my shoe collection. I’ve limited how many of my shoes I’d allow to be photographed for fear of any comparison.

What convinced me to have my shoes photographed is a story of prayer and inspiration that I’d like to share with you. Shoes have a major, starring role in this story.

Sometime in 2006, Lucy Torrez-Gomez and I prayed in Manaoag. It was a beautiful trip that brought us a sense of peace, and a renewed closeness to Mama Mary. We prayed silent, simple prayers. The day was a near-perfect girl bonding experience. Lucy was already hosting Shall We Dance at that point, and we both lit candles for the special intention that she’d be blessed with a second show.

Lo and behold, in the midst of the 2007 senatorial campaign, Lucy’s second show arrived in the form of QTV’s Sweet Life. On our way home from Manaoag, Lucy had said that once her second show arrived, she’d treat me to a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos. These are the current Hollywood hot shoe, supplanting Jimmy Choo anf manolo Blahnik. Buying those shoes would be our celebration, a pretty exorbitant purchase, beacause a pair is at least $800. She promised to share whatever blessing may arrive because we believed in the power of communal prayer.

A couple of weeks before I gave birth, Lucy texted me at around 8 PM, checking if I was still up. She told me to go to neimanmarcus.com and check their new collection of shoes, make my selection and inform her so that she could fulfill her promise to treat me to my first ever pair of Louboutins. We could shop because she’d already received her first Sweet Life paycheck. her US-based uncle would take care of forwarding the shoes to us.

You may think that I should have politely refused Lucy’s generous offer since they were in the midst of the campaign and money was sure to have been in relatively tight supply. Yet, I accepted Lucy’s generosity because I knew that she appreciated the strength of our joint prayers and she wanted to share with me God’s blessings.

I’ve learned from Joel Osteen that we must never begrudge a fellow believer the chance to express his or her appreciation of god’s abundant goodness. God gives with open arms and we must accept his gifts with equally open arms, and share them with other believers.

I looked at the Neiman Marcus website, and as beautiful as the shoes seemed in the pictures, I hesitated beacuse I’ve never actually triedd them on, and spending so much on a pair of shoes that may not actually fit me seemed like a crime. They had exquisite, pointy-toe, deadly weapon stilettos. They also had several gorgeous, skycraping platform sandals. But, it was scary to commit to an expensive pair of shoes that i’d never tried on.

I called Lucy, but she had fallen asleep while having a well-deserved massage. She texted me an hour after to say that if I didn’t want the Louboutins, I should feel free to choose whatever shoe my heart desired.

During my last order of shoes from Zappos. com (they accept international credit cards, but they require a US address to ship shoes to), i’d included a pair of Stuart Weitzman bejewelled stiletto sandals for Lucy. I wear a size 7 and have no trouble finding my size. Lucy, on the other hand, wears a size 10 and is only able to wear imported shoes or specially made ones.

I asked her permission to choose from Stuart Weitzman collection. These shoes are a premium brand, but not super expensive like the even more exclusive designer brands. Since the first year of primetime Game KNB, this brand has been my favorite. In fact, I’ve kept every single one of my Stuarts since my first purchase.

I chose a beautiful pair of gold, peep toe wedges, with my favorite Lucite heels. Lucy, bless her soul, told me that since she’d budgeted a bigger amount for my shoes, that I could include another pair. I’m a firm believer in having a comfortable shoe in several colors. Lucy said to go ahead and get the silver pair as well. Hurray and yehey!

A few days before my first Deal or No Deal taping for the second season, the shoes arrived. It felt so wonderful to unwrap the package. I can’t deny the fact that I was very nervous to be going back to work. What if my memory was no longer as sharp? What if I’d lost my ability to make easy conversation with my players? What if the show was no longer as much fun?

On that first taping, I wore my gold shoes. And they gave me strength, Lucy’s generosity reminded me to just have faith. We prayed for her second show out of the belief that if you make your intention known to God, ask Mama Mary to further help by providing her intercession, and if it is for your personal betterment, it will come, for as long as you trust in God’s perfect timing.Thank you, Lucy for sharing your blessings with me. May I continue to be a blessing in the lives of even more people.

The shoes symbolized an answered prayer, and the fulfillment of a promise made by one true friend to another.

I’m very blessed to have a job I love, that allows me to indulge in beautiful shoes that can actually be considered part of my work uniform. More than that, I’ve been blessed with a friend who further instilled in me the belief in the power of prayer, in the truth that with God, everything is possible. My gold and silver Lucite wedges are a constant reminder in the importance of faith in God’s way in gratitude for His goodness. We are blessed beacuse God wants us to share His blessings.

Thank you, Lucy for sharing your blessings with me. May I continue to be a blessing in the lives of even more people.

“I wanna end this friendship.”
“cause I wanna start loving you as my girl.”

Isang paraan ng pamamaalam na hindi masakit sa puso nino man. Pamamaalam sa mas mababang lebel ng pagmamahal. Kaysarap ulit-ulitin na mapakinggan na animo’y isang magandang awitin.

Nitong mga nagdaang araw, sa pulitika, showbiz o ordinaryong buhay, ay nakasaksi ako ng iba’t-ibang klase ng pamamaalam.

Unahin na natin ang pamamaalam ng Ruffa and Ai. Oo, hindi ako fan ni ai-ai (kahit natutuwa ako sa mga pelikula nya at hindi talaga maitatatwang xa nga ang Comedy Box Office Queen at Comedy Concert Queen) at lalong hindi din ako fan ni ruffa (kahit finofollow ko xa sa twitter). Pero naging malapit na rin sa aking puso ang programang ito kahit pa sabihing may kabaduyan at talagang nakapagpalungkot saken nung ipalit sila sa super love kong Boy and Kris.

Kasabay ng pamamaalam nito sa ere ay ang longtime running noontime show na Pilipinas, Game KNB? Hindi ko akalaing aalisin nga ito ng ABS-CBN sa kanilang line up dahil nagrarate naman ito at very educational pa, (unlike SIS na walang kakwenta-kwenta/koreanovela) kahit matagal nang naging topic ng bulong-bulungan na si Edu nga ay nagbabalak na kumandidato bilang mambabatas sa darating na halalan.

Ano kaya ang nagtulak sa management ng Kapamilya Station para alisin ang dalawang programang ito sa kanilang Big Time Trio? Ito ba’y isang paghahanda (at the same time ay pagsasakripisyo) para sa ilalaunch nilang Pilipinas Got Talent(kung saan isa si Ms. kris Aquino-Yap sa magiging hurado)?

kung ano man ang dahilan sa pangyayaring ito ay hindi ko lubos na mabatid. At lalong wala akong kapangyarihan at wala ako sa posisyon para kwestyunin ang kanilang desisyon na ito.

Malungkot para sa ilan pero alam kong meron naman ding mga nasiyahan sa pagbibigay ng bagong programang ito.

Sabi nga ni Ruffa, kung may pintuan mang nagsara, may dumating namang bagong oppurtunidad sa kanya.

Sa kabilang dako naman ng Pilipinas este ng Edsa lang pala ay nagpaalam na rin ang programang naKKaaliw na naKKainis, ang ALL Star K. Last episode nga ay yaong kay Pia Guanio na nanalo ng computer showcase na ibinigay niya sa Dad nya.

At sa kabilang ibayo ng QC ay may nagpaalam na isang pulitiko sa kanyang pagkabinata at isang “batikang” brodkaster ang ngayoy nagpaalam sa pagiging (matandang) dalaga. Tama ka jan sa iniisip mo. Sino pa nga ba ang aking tinutukoy kung hindi ang kasalang Korimar (mar-ina) na naganap bago ang isa pang malaking pamamaalam sa larangan naman ng pulitika.

Isang pamamaalam na katulad nang nasa aking halimbawa. Hindi nakakasakit ng damdamin bagkus ay nagpapataba dito. hindi ko man alam ang kanilang totoong motibo sa kanilang pagpapakasal sa panahong nalalapit na ang eleksyon at panahon ng kampanya, ipagdarasal ko na lang din ang kanilang pagsasama na sana nga’y mauwi sa maganda.

At sa usapang halalan, habang papalapit nang papalapit nga ito’y, maraming pagbabago ang nagaganap sa ating lipunan. Hindi lang ang mundo ng pulitika ang nakakaramdam nito ngunit maging ang mga tagashow business industry, telebisyon, radyo at maging pahayagan. At higit sa lahat, ay tayong mga TAONG-BAYAN. 

Ano nga ba ang patutunguhan ng ating bayan na nalulugmok sa ganitong kalagayan? Patuloy na lang ba nating hahayaang magpaalam sa atin ang TAGUMPAY na minsan na nating nakamatan.

Minsan naiisip ko, mas mabuti pang nakakaranas tayo ng hagupit mula kay Inang Kalikasan kesa naman sa mga ugaling hayop na nanunungkulan sa pamahalaan.

Binulaga tayo ng pamamaalam ni Chiz Escudero sa kanyang partido – ang National People’s Coalition na lehitimong pinamumunuan ng business tycoon na si Eduardo “DANDING” Cojuangco.

Sa ilang oras makaraan ang kanyang pag-aanunsyo ay marami na kaagad ang nasulat tungkol sa biglaang pagtiwalag niya sa grupong kinabibilangan. Nagbandera sa pahayagan ngayon ang mga salitang “ESCUDERO BOLTS NPC” at ESCUDERO QUITS NPC.” At kahapon nga lamang, naging maugong na ang usaping iyon na inakala ng marami na ang gagawing anunsyo ay ang kanyang pagtakbo sa pagkapangulo sa 2010.

Marami ang naguluhan. May mga akdang nagsasabing, pera o kakulangan sa pondo ng partido ang naging dahilan na mariin namang itinanggi kaagad ng kanyang kampo.

Ang pananaw din ng ilan ay upang maibalik daw ni Escudero ang kanyang pangalan sa unahan ng listahan sa mga ginagawang surveys.

Ang kanyang pansariling dahilan naman ay upang makakilos ng malaya at walang nagdidikta.

Sa kanyang mga binitiwang salita, totoong marami talaga ang nagulat. Parang roller coaster na nga ang bugso ng balita dito sa ating bansa. Dinaig pa ang bagyong Pepeng sa pababago-bago nitong routa.

Ngunit sana, sa kabila ng lahat ng ito’y maging buo pa rin ang ating loob sa pagharap sa bawat bagong umagang darating.

Huwag sanang magkaroon ng hangganan ang ating tibay ng loob at pag-asa para sa ating muling pagbangon.

Simulan mo ito sa pagpaparehistro. Bomoto ng tama at bantayan ang boto!

Happy Hunting!
ingat sa mga uuwi ng probinsya at pupunta ng sementeryo.