Loss & Gain

After the death of Raul Roco, another person that I look up to has also passed on. Peter Jennings, the anchor of ABC News has died of lung cancer at the age of 67.

Papa was abreast with the current events. He made sure that he knew what was going on around the world, the world of showbusiness included. He passed that on to us, his children. Every day we have up to a maximum of 5 newspapers and he reads all of them from cover to cover and he encouraged us to do the same thing. He said, it will improve our vocabulary. He told us to read it aloud so it will improve our speech. More than that, he encouraged us to read about what was going on in the world, that there is a bigger world outside of the one we know. For every big event happening wherever in the world, he made sure that we are made aware of it. There were even stories that at the age of 5, I was already skimming through the pages of Time Magazine. This is why we probably know the names of news anchors or at least know them from somewhere since there was a great possibility that we have heard of those names time and time again.

Going back to Peter Jennings, I was really saddened by his passing. He was one of those reporters that I found joy watching. Aside from his good looks, he just had a way of delivering the news in a calm way, which anchors in the Philippines lack. It was never more evident during the chaotic time of 9/11. The last thing that people want is to see more panic in the news and you didn't see it with him. I was in awe because he was calm and collected save for some time that he broke down when he talked about his children. But fear abated a little bit when one listens to him. At least for that short amount of time we felt that things were going to be alright. As people remember him, I am learning more about this anchorman that I admire a lot. I knew that he was diagnosed with lung cancer in April of this year so his passing wasn't an unexpected one but nevertheless still shocking to hear. As I listen how lung cancer took him away, he was a heavy smoker, quit but the events of 9/11 made him pick up the habit again, made me think of my own father. You see Papa was a smoker. Was and I have never been more glad. Though, he wasn't much of a heavy smoker but the fact is he was still a smoker. I think this is the reason why I abhor smoking, I have never taken a single puff in my life and I have no plans of doing so. Almost 6 years ago, he quit smoking. He was doing good until stress got the better of him, he picked up the habit once again. Luckily, it didn't last very long since a few months after he started smoking again, he had a major throat infection which hindered him from talking at the start of the campaign. This made him kick the habit once again, cold turkey. This was 4 years ago and he hasn't picked up a single cigarette since. I know that probably smoking all these years have already done damage to his lungs but quitting improves his chances of his lungs clearing up.

My brother on the other hand is a different story. I don't know how he has come to pick the habit. Maybe peer pressure, maybe stress from school, maybe he wanted to have something in common with Papa. I do not know and I never press. But I do wish he quits while he is still young. Our other cousin has quit smoking and I am glad that he did as early as now. I have even bribed my brother that I will pay for his gym membership if he quits smoking and he joins a gym. He is kicking it slowly. I guess he isn't as strong as Papa to quit the habit cold-turkey. But until he quits totally, sorry no money for gym membership. He cannot fool me since Mama and my sisters are my guards. I also hope that seeing a friend of my dad's who is battling lung cancer now would be a wake-up call for him. In fact, this family friend has threatened my brother that if he (family friend) sees my brother light up a cigarette, he will slap him so hard. I hope it doesn't have to come to that. I just hope that seeing this family friend as he lay on his hospital bed after a surgery would be enough to wake up my brother.

I hope that with Peter Jennings' death, it will bring lung cancer to greater awareness. Lung cancer is the highest cause of death more than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. It is also the most difficult to detect. Technology for its early detection is not available yet. Usually when it is detected, it means it is already in its advantage stage. Like in Peter Jennings case, he was diagnosed back in April and now four months later, it has claimed his life. I hope more people quit while they still can so they wont suffer the consequences later. We cannot and should not put the entire blame on tobacco companies because they will exist as long as there is still one smoker left in this world. People as long as they make a conscious decision to start smoking, tobacco companies will continue to produce cigarettes. No amount of taxation will make these companies disappear but the loss of smokers will. So to those who are smoking, quit now if you want to live long and healthy lives. Sadly, Peter Jennings life wasn't one of those that could be saved. The world of broadcasting has lost a great person in him. I don't think news broadcasting would ever be the same with his passing.

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On a much happier note... I went to a concert of Bamboo last Friday and I have gained a better admiration for Filipino bands. I have always been a fan of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) but it is more evident now that I am away from home. If one looks at my CD collection, it is comprised mostly of Filipino artists with a few US artists here and there but very limited. I also buy original cds to support the Philippine Music Industry because they need it now more than ever. This is my first time seeing them perform live. Even when they were still with different bands, I have not seem them perform, so it was really exciting when I finally did. Being in a foreign country also makes one yearn for the familiar so every chance I get to watch a Filipino artist perform, I grab that opportunity. They sang songs from their two albums and some songs during Bamboo and Nathan's Rivermaya days. They started with Mr. Clay and ended with what else Noypi. They also did 2 songs as encore much to the delight of the crowd. It was a sold-out concert that people were turned away and there were even non-Filipinos there who enjoyed their music as well. I am really glad my camera arrived just in time. Bamboo