THE PERKS OF BEING THE YOUNGEST

My name is Paolo Benedict  and I was born in June 2005 – the same year Pope John Paul II, the Pope most loved by Filipinos, passed away and succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI.  Yes, I was named after the 2 Popes, and that is no accident.

I am the youngest in a brood of five (5).  The eldest is Patricia, a graduate of Doctor of Jurisprudence from Ateneo Law School, and is preparing for her bar examination come January 2022.  The second one is Michaela, a Certified Public Accountant by profession and working at SGV & Co.  I consider her as the strictest tutor among my siblings.  Third in line is Miguel who taught and inspired me to play basketball.  Us is a classic example of a mentee becoming better than his mentor, as I beat him several times in our pick-up basketball games.  The fourth one is Antonio, the techie in our family, who would be always there for me to set up my gadgets and computing needs, in return for which, I prepare his midnight snacks with my perfected skills of cooking different kinds of one-meal fried rice. 

My interests include playing basketball and golf, and reading during my spare time.  I am the only one in the brood of five who wants to follow the footsteps of my Dad as a CPA-Lawyer.  I plan to take up my law studies in Ateneo Law School, which according to my eldest sister, is one of the top, if not the best, law schools this country has to offer. 

Being the youngest child in the family, I enjoy several perks — from selecting restaurants where we would eat after Sunday masses to remaining as the apple of my Mom’s eye.  In fact, one of the most contested claims in our household is my being the favorite among the 5 children, especially by my Dad.  My siblings would refute it at first, but would eventually concede that my claim as the “favorite bunso” is a top secret – one that even my dad knows nothing about. 

Some people say, however, that being the youngest also has its disadvantages.  Being told to “just follow!” instead of being encouraged to be a leader; “just listen!” instead of being encouraged to be articulate of my thoughts; and to “just obey!” instead of being encouraged to stand my ground for my beliefs.  Despite all these, I still see the world differently.  I see it through more colorful and hopeful eyes.  As a young man, I am determined to find my passion, discover and maximize my potential, and most importantly, live a life free from judgments, comparisons, and restrictions.  As my Dad would always say:  “we are all unique with different gifts to offer the world.  Make sure to use them to make the world a better place to live in not just for you, but also for future generations.”  END.

The Middle Child Syndrome

WRITTEN ON AUGUST 18, 2018.

    My name is Perfecto Miguel, the eldest son but the middle child in a brood of five.

    Being the eldest son, I was given the privilege to be named after my father, Perfecto; while Miguel was taken from St. Michael The Archangel, the patron saint of my father’s hometown. My friends call me Miguel but at home I am affectionately called Jun Two – a nickname coined by my father who is called Jun by his families, friends and associates.

    We are five (5) broods in the family which at today’s standard is considered a big family. The eldest is Patricia who is now in her junior year at the Ateneo College of Law; while the next in line is Michaela, a recently graduated Accounting student at De La Salle University, and preparing for her CPA Board Exam in May 2019. I am the middle child in the family but the eldest son as well. I am fondly called by my mother as her Millennium Baby as I was born in year 2000. The fourth among the broods is Antonio, whom I called as my Irish twin brother as we were born 11 months apart. Interestingly, he was nicknamed Anjun which is short for Another Jun. The youngest in the family is Paolo, 13 years old, and nicknamed Bonjun – obviously a play of the words “Bunso of Jun”.

    My father is a practicing certified public accountant and lawyer; while my mother willingly gave up her career as human resource person to take up the more challenging career path of being with us all the time. As a family, we love to travel on weekends and holidays. When my maternal grandmother was still alive, we spend our Holy Week in Naga City, Cam Sur, and attend the Feast of Penafrancia every September. During those trips to Naga City, I remember we always stop for a break at the Quezon National Forest Park in Quezon Province for fresh buko juice and simply be awed by the landscape from the mountain top and the fascinating varieties of flora.

    Summer and Christmas breaks are spent at in Zambales where we learned those childhood games of my father such as slingshot, river swim, bird hunting, bike-all-you-want in the farm, frolicking in the beach, and simply enjoy the carefree days of our boyhood without the wires and gadgets. In between these holidays and long breaks, we go to Tagaytay, Laguna, and as far as Legaspi City in the south; and Subic, Clark and Pangasinan in the north.

    I went to O.B. Montessori Center during my preschool and grades school. The Montessori System is an approach to education that takes to heart the needs, talents, gifts, and special individuality of each child. It is a process that aims to help children learn to become self-reliant, independent and foster respect and understanding for values and skills necessary for creating a sustainable future. O.B. Montessori substantially contributed to my personality development which enables me to carry myself with confidence in the outside world. I was given the Leadership Award during our grade school graduation, an award which is normally reserved to the Graduating Class Valedictorian. Hence, I considered such award as recognition not only of my excellent leadership skills but also in excelling in other extracurricular activities.

    From Montessori System, I went to a traditional school, Westfield Science Oriented School, for my high school. Westfield provides a caring environment in which the pursuit of learning excellence is complemented by the development of the student through a discipline-oriented curriculum and proactive Math and Science programs. I believe that with the curriculum focused on Math and Science programs, it will help me prepare for my college education and carve my future as a medical doctor.

    To prepare me to meet new set of school mates and friends in a bigger scenario and environment, I enrolled at De La Salle University, Manila Campus, for my Grades 11 and 12.

    I believe that education provided by the four (4) corners of a classroom may get the job done but it is not exactly as fulfilling or effective as going out of your comfort zone and travel in different places. Traveling broadens your cultural, intellectual, and spiritual knowledge. I am fortunate to travel with my family to places like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and United States.  I admire the discipline of Japanese people, envy the cleanliness of Singapore, impressed by Hong Kong’s skyline which is breathtaking from a multitude of angles, and inspired by the fabled land of riches and endless possibilities in the United States.  I look forward to travelling alone as it will test my will, patience, fortitude and independence.

    I love music too.  I have been attending piano lessons since I was 5 years old, and a regular selected participant to various piano festivals organized by the Piano Teachers’ Guild of the Philippines, the latest of which was in March 2018.  I remember that I braved that usual Friday traffic in Paco, Manila that day to perform together with my brother, Anjun, at the Concert at The Park.

    I always say to myself that every great dream has no defined parameters.  It is only thru our own fear that we set the limitations in dreaming big.  These words serve as my guiding principle to come out of the don'ts and impossibilities to realize my dream.  END

Patrese's Solo Piano Recital & 15th Birthday

20 March 2011 @ The Palms Country Club, Filinvest City, Alabang. In the company of family and friends, we celebrated . . . life . . . music . . . and beauty. My heart was brimming with a father’s pride as I introduced our daughter Patrese.Patrese is the eldest of our 5 children. At a very young age, she was exposed to piano music through the loving influence of our late Mommy Ton, Patrese’s maternal grandmother whom she fondly called Mimi, a piano teacher herself. We enrolled Patrese to take piano lessons under the mentorship of Teacher Girlie, who incidentally was a piano student of Mommy. This March, Patrese turned 15. She has grown into, and continues to become, a beautiful and graceful lady. And with continued mentoring, I am confident that she can mature into a real artist in the field of piano music. Johanne Sebastian Bach once said which I quote: “I PLAY THE NOTE AS THEY ARE WRITTEN . . . BUT IT IS GOD WHO MAKES THE MUSIC.” Indeed, life . . . music . . . beauty . . . are gifts from God. And as we celebrate these gifts, it is only fitting that we offer the said celebration as a thanksgiving to the Almighty God, the Giver of the gifts. Below is a video creation of Tricia Paras, a student of Fine Arts, Advertising at UST, and a friend of Patrese.

Mica's 12th B-day

28 January 2010. It's Mica's birthday before she turns teenager. To celebrate her birthday, we had a simple family dinner at Sharmila Restaurant at Dios Mac Avenue. We shared shrimp tempura (my girls' favorite), baked scallops & crabs in chili sauce (both request of Pia), fried chicken in adobo sauce (Tat's must have dish), and pancit canton for long life (courtesy of the Restaurant owner who happens to be the mother of Mica's classmate at OB Montessori). We had our stomach full that we simply issued raincheck to Pia's supposed dessert treat at Cafe Breton!

Anjun's 1st Holy Communion

03 December 2009. "I will always keep your name in my heart as I receive Jesus, the Living Bread." It is Anjun's First Holy Communion at the Presentation of the Child Jesus Parish at BF Homes, Paranaque City.
Both Pia and me took a leave from our office work to witness said momentous event for Anjun. Jun2 who had his First Holy Communion at the same church in December 2008 was also there as a member of the school’s choir.
We took turns in pinning the crucifix to Anjun.
After the mass, all the First Communicants gathered at the altar for a chorus song.
The next stop was Zong, a Chinese restaurant at Filinvest Alabang.

A Night of Glamour & Fame

18 Oct 2009 @ Makati. It was a night of glamour and fame as we joined the celebration of the 18th birthday of Lorie De Leon, the favorite and the only daughter of very good friends Wig & Rose. The party used Hollywood as the theme complete with red carpet at the entrance. Jun came in as the debonaire New Yorker Richard Gere in the film Runaway Bride; Pia as Zsazsa Gabor; Anjun as Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone; and Patrese as the sweet Jessica Alba.

Blessing of Our Place @ Highlands

We took advantage of the long weekend last week (August 29-31, 2009) to have our place at Tagaytay Highlands blessed. Pia woke up early to prepare some food and the house for the blessing.
The Priest arrived past 12 noon for the blessing. In his homily, he emphasized the significance of a house blessing -- which is, the welcoming of Jesus Christ as part and center of our home and of our family life rather than casting out evil spirits.
We were joined by Jem and Madz and their partners, my officemates; DJ, Mary, Vangie and Jo Altura, my friends from my previous employer; Maxime, classmate of Patrese; and Brother Wig and Sister Rose, and shared lechon kawali, shrimps, fried chicken, beef kaldereta, pansit, grilled talakitok, vegetable laing, macaroni salad, and leche plan.