60 na si Ate Guy at ako Noranian pa rin hanggang ngayon. Bakit nga ba?

One of the Nora articles I read says:

"Nora represents the poor girl on the street that sang, danced and acted her way into the limelight. That is why so many people looked up to her, because by idol­izing her they believed that they too could somehow overcome their poverty."

This maybe true for some but for me, it's not exactly the case. Not that there's anything wrong with it. Any inspiration to make ourselves better is always positive. Yun nga lang hindi naman ako na-inspire ni Ate Guy in that way. Kung nagsikap man akong mag-aral para guminhawa kahit konti, labas na si Nora Aunor doon. Hindi ko rin pinangarap na maging singer o artista (kahit sa panaginip pa). Hindi ako pwedeng singer, gold plated ang boses ko di katulad ng kay Ate Guy na golden. Kung sa pag-arte naman, aktres-aktresan lang ako (nag-iinarte kapag may sumpong) samantalang si Ate Guy tunay na aktres. But Ate Guy provided the diversion, spark and excitement to my seemingly monotonous existence noong kabataan at nag-aaral pa ako. Kapag na lolow-batt sa parang walang-katapusan at paulit-ulit na lang na ginagawa, ang mga balitang Nora ay nagsilbing charger (or "electric shock!"). Nalalagyan ng kulay ang buhay kapag may mga kagulat-gulat na nangyayari kay Ate Guy (maganda man o hindi). Natatandaan ko kahit antok na ko noon habang nanonood ng "Nothing but the truth", napabalikwas ako sa balita ni Ate Luds. Hala! Kasal na sila ng lihim ni Boyet. Naging mag-boyfriend pala sila ng lagay na yun? Mawala na kaya si Ate Guy sa showbiz? Diyos ko! huwag naman po sana! Pagkatapos ng halos dalawang taon eh si Boyet pala ang mawawala sa buhay nya. Hmp! kainis, nasandok pa ng iba pero ganun talaga not meant to be sila. At si Ate Guy, namayagpag pa rin (Thank God!). Nakipagbalikan pa sa kanyang first love (never dies! sabi nga nila).

Lumipas pa ang mahigit sa tatlong dekada pero ganito pa rin ang epek ni Ate Guy, kahit pa nga sya ay nawala ng walong taon at naglagi sa malayong Amerika. Maraming unos. Hindi naging madali pero ako, heto Noranian pa rin. Biro nga ng isang kaibigan, magpalit na raw ako ng idol. Lumipat na raw ako sa kabila. Ngeh! No way!

Ewan ko ba, up to now I still can't explain why I got drawn to Nora. Lalo nang mahirap ma-getz ito ng iba. Kapag nga nalaman nila eh malaking HA? at ANO KA BA? ang reaksyon. May kasama pa yang taas ng kilay. Keber! Dedmahin na lang ang hindi makatanggap at makaintindi. Sabi nga ni Cora sa 'Merika: Hindi mo maiintindihan ang hindi mo nararamdaman (or something to that effect).

Bakit nga ba? Try ko lang i-rationalize. First off, mukhang Pinay sya talaga kaya naka-identify sa kanya ang ordinaryong Pilipino (katulad ko siempre). Sa kabilang banda, naiiba naman ang itsura nya sa mga tipikal na artista noon (at ngayon) kaya madali rin syang matandaan (for good and bad). Better heard than seen, mukhang atsay daw (siempre kampi tayo sa naaapi). As if naman na magaganda ang mga namimintas na yan. Hmp! Galing sa hirap kaya malapit din sa mga mahihirap (ang dami pa namang mahirap sa Pinas at isa na ako roon). Simple at hindi pa-sosyal kaya hindi naiilang ang mga tagahanga. Hindi raw nagi-Ingles. Heno ngayon? Pilipino naman sya. Di raw makasagot nang maayos sa interbyu. Siguro nga pero hindi naman sa lahat ng interbyu ha? Depende rin sa mood nya at kung sino ang nagi-interbyu. Walang yabang sa katawan (kahit maraming talento na pwedeng ipagyabang). 'Yun nga lang meron syang mga "topak" times (pasensya na, tao lang eh). Pwedeng mangagat kung nasasaktan (hindi naman sya Santa). Misteryosa at moody kaya nakaka-intriga ang personality. Super-gwapo ang mga naging boyfriend nya ha? At mainggit ba (May gayuma kaya sya?). Grabeng ma-inlove, hahamakin ang lahat, daig ang mga love stories sa pelikula (hopeless romantic pa naman ako). Kontrobersyal, pasaway, unconventional, mapang-hamon, matapang. Di bale ng pumalpak basta nasubok ang kakayahan at maraming beses nyang napatunayan na kaya nya ha? Noong araw ay marami rin syang natulungan sa abot ng kanyang makakaya (no press release please!). Hindi rin nawala ang nanloko sa kanya (at nakinabang). Kapag nadapa, marunong bumangon. Kung matalo, marunong tumanggap. Kung manalo, mapagpakumbaba. Nasa itaas, nasa ibaba, may saya, may lungkot, may nakakahiya at nakakadismaya...ganun talaga kasama lahat sa buhay yan, lalo na sa buhay ng isang Nora Aunor.

Marami rin akong naging kaibigan dahil kay Ate Guy, mula sa yahoo group, icon and lately, sa Facebook. Nakakatuwa na palaging nagku-krus ang landas ng mga Noranians. Walang kawala! Pare-pareho kasi ang pangarap at hinahanap.

Ok, patung-patong na dahilan nga yata ang pagiging Noranian. Kailangan pa bang banggitin na sya ay isang henyo ng sining? Naiiba ang timbre ng boses, magaling kumanta. Pero sabi ng iba eh marami pa raw mas magaling ngayon at si Ate Guy hindi kayang bumirit. Bakit pa kaya? Hindi naman kailangang mapatiran ng litid sa leeg para patunayan na mahusay kang kumanta noh? Sige na nga, i-respeto ang type ng iba. Basta ako mas gusto ko yung nare-relax ako habang nakikinig ng awitin at nagagawa yun ni Ate Guy. Sana bumalik na ang boses nya at makakanta sya ulit. Kung sa pag-arte naman ang pag-uusapan, hindi gumagalaw, hindi nagsasalita pero naipapahatid ang totoong mensahe. Tagos sa mata. Nararamdaman. Parang hindi umaarte. Pano nya nagawa yun? Magic kaya o himala? O talagang natural ang galing. Pilipino man o banyaga ay humahanga. Nag-iisa lang si Ms. Nora!

Kung nabawasan man ang kasikatan nya ngayon, tanggap ko na rin yan. Pana-panahon lang naman pero ang panahon ng isang Nora Aunor, mahirap nang mahigitan o matularan pa. Maraming sumibol na bagong singer at artista. Namayagpag sandali at pagkatapos ay nawalang parang bulalakaw. Hindi kasi sapat ang kabataan, kagandahan, kasikatan at pagsunod sa kalakaran. Mahalaga na mapatunayan ang tunay na talento na mas pinagyaman sa pagdaan ng panahon at nagpabago ng panahon... ang talento na hindi inaangkin na pang-sarili, bagkus ay ipinamamahagi at ibinabalik sa lahat, ipinagmamalaki at nagbibigay ng karangalan sa bayan. Sino pa ba ang nag-iisa at natatangi? My Only National Artist!

Haay, at magtaka pa ba kung bakit ako naging Noranian?

Maraming salamat Ate Guy at maligayang bati sa iyong ika-60 kaarawan!

Dasal namin ang iyong mabuting kalagayan at mapayapang kaisipan. God Bless..

The One and Only @60 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATE GUY! 

                                     The One and Only @60

                                     The golden voice lingers

                                     A haunting serenade

                                     On the silver screen the eyes always twinkle

                                     With love and hurt that never fade

                                     A life coloured rainbow

                                     To see it through, endure the rain one's told

                                     Roller coaster ride 

                                     Not to fall, with faith the everlasting hold

                                    The road is bent 

                                    A journey reached by extra mile

                                    Still endears the heart 

                                    Many faces wear a smile

                                    True art is the gift 

                                    The person hides but people remember

                                    Grateful is the sky 

                                    Smallest but brightest star shines forever 

My Lola Noranian 

My Lola's sister. She's 94 now. Sya na lang ang natitira sa kanilang magkakapatid. Mahina na sya. Di na nakakalakad but Thank God, maayos pa syang kausap. Nearly 5 years ago when I last saw her and I was soo glad to see her again. Sya ang original Noranian sa pamilya namin, ang nagkaray sa akin sa mga movies ni Ate Guy. Sabi nya pagkakita sa kin, "O ang idol mo nagbalik na!". Sagot ko naman "Eh di ba po kayo ang may original na idol sa Superstar?". "Ay, ayoko na sa kanya mula ng nagkahiwalay sila ni Pip", hirit pa nya. ha-ha Ngayon ko lang naisip, diehard Guy & Pip din talaga sya kaya pala halos mga Guy & Pip movies lang pinapanood namin noon. At kaya pala nagpumilit sya pumunta sa Sampaguita compound kahit di nya alam kung saan yun para lang makita sina Guy & Pip sa kanilang anniversary celebration. 9 yrs old lang ako noon. First time ko makakakita ng sandamakmak na tao. Natawa sya ng ipaalala ko ang kwento. Natatandaan pa nya kahit ang Donya sa lugar nila na nakasalubong nya sa Sampaguita. Ubod daw ng yaman pero Noranian din pala. I wish I could have spent more time with my Lola. Parang sabik pa rin sya makipagkwentuhan tungkol kay Ate Guy. I'm sure hindi kami mauubusan. Di bale, pagbalik ko ulit. Sana, andyan pa rin sya, naghihintay. 

I love you my Lola and Thank you so much sa iyong "Nora" pamana.

Guy & Pip and my Lola

Two concerts and One song                                                                                 

...And the world is like an apple/  Whirling silently in space/  Like the circles that you find/  

In the WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND.  

Haunted by the lyrics and melody of this song again. I really like Nora Aunor's interpretation the best.  She sang it in her HANDOG (1991) and GOLD (2003) concerts, both held in Araneta.  

Arrangement- wise I like the HANDOG version with the slow beat and guitar instrumental.  

The GOLD version had faster beat on keyboard.  

Singing-wise, I cannot fault both versions.  In HANDOG, it was consistently slow and dramatic with a fuller and huskier voice while in GOLD, it was snappy with dramatic high note at the end, the voice a bit thinner but more refined.  In both versions, there were some similar emotional slicing of lyrics and accentuation of notes.  Twelve years apart... the same intensity and heartfelt rendition was unmistakably there.   

Ate Guy said that this is one of her favorite songs and I don't wonder why.  The song's lyrics tell the state of one's mind when thoughts run in circles, which mostly happens after an unfortunate event or during random recollection of persistent memories one would rather forget.  Ate Guy must have experienced this not just a few times.  Will the windmills of her mind ever stop revolving?  Probably not but hopefully soon, the torture will ease out and calm ripples will be left behind. For this, I pray. God Bless, Ate Guy!

Sa Iyo Pa Rin.. Ms. Nora Aunor 

Happy 45th showbiz anniversary Ms. Nora Aunor!

OLD MEMORIES MAKE US FEEL BRAND NEW...How's that?

Yesterday, as I was trekking through the grocery aisles and stopped to reach for the breakfast juice on the shelf, I almost froze when I heard a familiar 70's song, the original version at that. I remember during my younger years I used to hum and sing this song a lot.  I have so many good (and one bad) memories of it and so hearing it again after so many long years brought back those old memories.  Literally and this is no exaggeration, I just stood there and no one knew where I was...actually where my mind was. How come? I didn't expect to hear the song.. not in the grocery shop.. in Australia.  Surreal! The song did make me feel brand new again.. well at least I felt like I was back to being young again. And who would not feel that way when you hear someone sing "You make me feel brand new"?

 
Nora Aunor connection 

I realize that somehow it is the same effect that Nora had on me and most likely, on my fellow Noranians too. When sometimes we find ourselves being nostalgic and remembering the good (and bad) old days, it would be almost certain that the events when we once experienced extreme emotions will come flooding in.  During Nora heydays, there were lots of those emotions.  Actually, even up to now Nora still keeps us on our toes. And so when I listen to her songs and watch her movies, I REMEMBER...at the same time, I feel that those emotionally-charged events are happening again. The songs and movies marked points in our life's timeline. When I watched "Bongga Ka Day", whola! I was back in my college days again.  I even thought of [of all people] my super terror professor in a Law subject. I watched "Atsay" and I felt the chill and excitement of the "Best Performer" award announcement.  I heard "Sige na naman bati na tayo" and I saw the face of my special friend in school (whom I had a love-hate relationship with) flashed before my eyes.  These are just a few memories...there are lots more and they will surely come back for as long as I still have the gift of hearing Nora's songs and seeing Nora's movies.  Well, physically I didn't really feel brand new again but the mind certainly did...at least for that short precious time.    

40 YEARS IN SHOWBIZ?  WHAT A FEAT!

Ate Guy, Thank you for the memories... 

GOD BLESS YOU...YOU MAKE ME FEEL BRAND NEW...

Our prayers for you as always...Come what may...

(written and posted October 2007)

Fast forward to 2012 ...
 
This year marks your 45th year in showbiz. Congratulations on your anniversary.
God Bless you.. You do still.. and always make me feel brand new..

All the best in Venice, Ate Guy!

 

Nora Aunor, the actress does not act. She becomes her character. 

She transforms. Like water..

Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle, you put water into a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash, be water my friend... - Bruce Lee