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Thursday, May 08, 2003
Magsaysay: A double celebration
By Jo Magsaysay
Whatever
Avril, an uncommon name, soft, sweet and exquisitely feminine for an uncommon girl, sweet, cool and exquisite Avril Hermosisima, whose mother has an even more unique name, Afcyone, lyrical and mythical in fact, named after the daughter of the Greek god, Aeolus, god of the winds, the brightest star of the Peleides constellation. To think that I had been referring to this daughter of the lesser gods in the more prosaic nickname of “Siony”.
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Anyway, graduating from the College of Medicine on her birthday, there was cause for celebrating a double whammy, that Avril’s doting aunt, Azon Mercado had every reason to go all out and splurge. ‘Why not a brand new car for a gift?’ suggested a friend. Fine but ‘Day! Diamonds are forever, replied Azon, with the air of one who knows her priorities having a collection of jewelry that can only be described as fantabulous! Not for Avril’s gift to be shown off that day, but that everyone should share in her pride and joy, Azon threw a splashy dinner that turned out all the branches, saplings, offshoots and sprouts of the Mercado-Guangko-Hermosisima family tree.
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Unprepossesing from the outside, Azon’s house shines with untold wonders inside. A stunning collection of Chinoiserie accumulated from frequent trips to Hong Kong over the years decorate the house: antique celadon plates, blue and white porcelain jars and vases, camphor chests and sandalwood cabinets inlaid with coral, jade, opal, amber and other semi-precious stones, ebony coromandel screens embedded with ivory carving of landscapes, porcelain figures, lacquered nests of tables, jade and ivory artwork and temple brass urns. In front and back yards, a sea of orchids, breathtaking waves of vivid colors and shapes.
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More priceless than her jewelry and orchids however are Azon’s nieces and nephews whom she practically reared and schooled from youth, now doing her enormously proud of their achievements. There’s Fr. Antonio Pernia who has risen to the exalted rank of superior general of the SVD in Rome; his brother, Joseph, a director of World Bank in Washington, another brother Ernesto in the upper echelons of ADB in Manila. Of 10 other nephews and nieces scattered around America, outstanding are two Santiago sisters, Alma Ratchiffe, an executive vice president of St. Clare’s Hospital in New Jersey and Sandra Ruckdaschel who is manager of treasury operations of Sony Pictures in Los Angeles, and a special favorite, Amy Guangko (Mrs. Henry) Reyna with the nursing staff of a New Jersey hospital because she is so sweet and thoughtful. So who needs diamonds and orchids, Azon, bless her, has all these gems.
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Creative Cuisine on the buffet spread out on one end of the house for the Cebu Institute od Medicine (CIM) classmates and cousins of the young doctora and for Azon’s own kith and kin, her colleagues and amigas another buffet at the other end. As if Derek Dytian’s delectables were not enough, the ubiquitous lechon soon was whittled away to a mere carcass just as the guests swarmed over the specialties of the house, the Mercado home-made callos incredibly tender and saucy, the fish salad of lamon-lamon, milk white flesh coated with mayo and peppered with crunchy celery; the ultimate of all sausages, relleno, embutido bar none that you can name is that old-fashioned stuffed sausage well-loved by Cebuanos best known by its outrageously crass name “lubot”!!! And of course, Cyone’s tortas, a foretaste of heaven on earth.
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Among amigos and amigas were Den and Lolly Diez (she unusually chic in a buttery yellow outfit), Pina Velez Poblete, the “awesome” CIM dean that medical students cower from but venerate anyway for being responsible for the 100% success of medical board examinees year after year; Luz Ortiz the math guru, Mario and Lita Ortiz (remember him as Big Man On Campus in the College of Law, UST and her as raking in awards and medals for best declaimer and best debater); Del and Marilou Ordoñez (haven’t heard his marvelous tenor in sometime but heard about her successful Via Crucis pilgrimage that calls for a repeat next year); Charing Alfaro looking infinitely better and perkier after a long bout with an unexplained malady and the Happiness girls of course: Millie Sembrano, always terrific in red, making sure her celebrated peanuts were served and that every guest had masi and her special leche flan on the dessert plate. Rapt and enthralled Loring Victorino, Marisol Putong and Milagring Borromeo listened to the shocking revelations disclosed by Jimmy Picornell whose queridisima Cecilia punctuated with nods and murmurs of agreement. A prodigious reader particularly of the history and capers of royalty, Jimmy gleaned that the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson was sent to the Bahamas with her king-that-never-was to become a CIA spy, that an 18th century Spanish queen so crazy in love with her husband traveled all around Spain bringing the corpse of her dead king; that Princess Diana was not all she was said to be, because… Well, wouldn’t you want to know?
(May 8, 2003 issue)
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