Ladyspartan Feature on EPH

by: JON

Hi virgz, on the 29th of June this year (2012) would be the first anniversary of your open heart surgery at the Philippine heart center, how are you now after the lapse of one year of the surgery, what are your most memorable thoughts of such an incident?

I am recovering just fine, in fact I am starting to enjoy some of the activities that I used to do before with some restrictions pa rin of course. 

Memorable thoughts? That incident made me closer to my family, and made me realize who my true friends are. One more thing about that is totoo nga pala ang sundo. I thought it was just some folklore that was made up. During the time I was being operated on sinundo naako ni lolo. We were floating sa air above chocolate hills, wearing white clothes. When he was about to reach for my hands when he told me “BUMALIK KA DI MO PA ORAS”. That was when I felt that my life force was being sucked back into my body. Nagising ako sa ICU na with 6 to 7 doctors monitoring my situation. They said na himala daw nangyari sa akin. 

Another incident na di ko malilimutan was when I was about to undergo hemodynamics (in preparation for my operation) on my birthday last June 17, 2011. My friends visited me sa hospital and brought me some cake and siomai, hehehehe! Simple lang siya but it made me feel loved that time. I was scared during those trying times. I was thinking about the possibility of not waking up during the operation. But they were there being strong for me.



Were there any lessons that you’ve learned after undergoing the surgery that still remind you to this day?

Marami. I will enumerate them here:

·         I found out who my real friends are. That time na nakaratay ako sa hospital some unscrupulous individuals came up with schemes to destroy my reputation and family. I realized that there are people who will stop at nothing to cause you pain and destroy you. Kung kelan wala akong kalaban-laban saka nila ako tinira. Masakit that time kasi I was facing life and death and yet kaya pala nila akong ganyanin. All the while kala ko they were my friends. Now I know kung sino talaga maaasahan sa oras ng kagipitan. Family and some real friends, yung tipo na kahit walang-wala ka na ay nandyan pa rin sa tabi mo.

·         Love fearlessly and unconditionally. With what happened to me I realized that time is gold, that life can be taken away from you. Dati kasi I am scared to open up myself and love wholeheartedly for fear of being rejected or hurt. Nangyari na kasi dati sa akin na tinalikuran ako ng taong inaasahan ko. I said to myself na wag na akong aasa. Mali pala, dapat magmahal hanggang kaya mo pang magmahal, magbigay hanggang kaya mo pa because in the end love is all that matters and how you have lived in the eyes of people who count.

·         Good fences make good neighbors. Dapat maglagay ng gap sa mga kapitbahay kasi minsan kapag masyadong close eh umaabuso. Familiarity breeds contempt, di ba?

·         Live in the moment and hope for the best. Before I was so worried about the future na puro aral at trabaho ang inatupag ko. I was always the serious and the worrier type. Lagi akong nag-iisip on how to improve and give my family the best. Nakalimutan ko yung self ko, so now ginagawa ko yung mga bagay na di ko nagagawa dati like traveling, night-outs, pa beauty, shopping galore, etc. No one knows what tomorrow will bring kaya di rin tama na puro fast forward and ginagawa natin sa buhay. Just sit back, relax and enjoy life.

Was the surgery the most difficult trying times that you’ve encountered compared to what you had to go through with the birth of Cindy, your daughter, and how is she now?

It’s one of them pero marami na rin akong trying times na napagdaanan. Naranasan ko nang masaktan, talikuran, gaguhin, maghirap at magutom. But nothing compares to that time when Cindy was fighting for her life. Kasi kung ako lang kakayanin ko kahit ano, pero kapag anak ko di ko alam ang gagawin. I felt so helpless, and that is a feeling na pinaka hate ko. Bilang ina nasa isip namin ang kapakanan ng anak, na kahit buhay namin kaya naming ibigay at isakripisyo. Greatest fear ko kasi is to fail her as a mother.

Cindy is doing great ngayon. Matalino at madaldal, napa curious niyang bata. She will be attending school sa pasukan and she will be turning 3years old sa June 1, Thank God.

Siguro another difficult time was when my mom had a brain operation to address her aneurysm. I was in Second year law school and working at the same time. Naiiyak ako sa tuwing tatanungin ako ng sisters ko if mom will make it. Ako naging nanay that time. Maaga akong namulat sa ganitong mga sitwasyon. Toni was only in HS then, and my other sis was in Japan. It was also the time that I had a falling out with my boyfriend. He chose his career over me, at the time na mama was fighting for her life. He left me during my most difficult time. Napaka unfair. Parang nagsabay-sabay lang lahat, pressure ng law school, si mama being sick, work and love life. That time gusto ko nang sumuko, but my dad and sisters needed me kaya kahit pinanghihinaan na nang loob di ako sumuko.



Your previous username was virgz2426 and as i remember it you said the numbers 2426 is related to the dates of Cindy’s father and you, could you elaborate...

and now that you have Lady Spartan as your new username, why the change from the previous one?

24 was my age when I got married, and 26 was the age of my husband. Virgz is something that a close friend of mine came up with. Instead of s eh Z daw para may spunk. Lady Spartan or Spartan lady has always been my pen name ever since. I was tagged as a Spartan lady during my law school days kasi sa mga pinagdaanan ko. 



How did motherhood changed you in the aspects of:



Nightlife: Limited na but I still go out with friends. I still know how to have fun. Sometimes you need to go out and breathe, getaway from the pressures of family life and motherhood and relax.

Outlook in Life: My daughter comes first no matter what. All the decisions that I make now must include her. I feel that life is beautiful because of her, and I feel blessedbecause God gave her to me. I want to make her proud and be the best Mom that I can be.

Religion: I am a Born-Again Christian, and I believe that God is in control of my life.

Family: Through thick and thin, no matter what the circumstances are your family will be there for you. My family is very important to me. Sometimes we may not see eye to eye, but at the end of the day kami pa rin ang magmamahalan at magkakampihan.



You are a product of a political science course and a graduate of law from the university of Negros occidental-recoletos, why did you pursue such educational degrees, Was it a personal decision or were you influenced by whom and why?

I have always wanted to become both a Journalist and a Lawyer.

I originally wanted to take up Journalism kaya lang walang Journ sa Bacolod, MassCOm lang ang inoofer. I had to go to Siliman University for that, and that is in Dumaguete. My dad was against me being far from him so I had to choose another course and that is Political Science. Importante lang sa akin that time is to choose a good pre-law course in preparation for Law School. Ang ending I ended up becoming a Journalist, and hopefully someday become a Lawyer. 

You have been Eph friend with reveille (who took and passed the bar exams) do you still have plans of taking the bar exams in the future?

Yes, I will not give up on my dream that easily di ba? Di ako susuko ng ganoon lang. Kahit nagkasakit at sumemplang ng ilang beses, and importante ay bumangon ulit. Sana malasap ko ang sarap ngtagumpay…



Do you think that the changing of the bar exams from the purely essay type questions in the past to the current mix multiple type and essay type of questions a step in the right direction as far as bar exams for law students is concerned? (any schools of thought you could share)



Honestly for me it does not matter. The exam for me is not the true measure on how great a lawyer will become. Nasa tao pa rin yan. Perhaps that only good thing is that lesser ang human intervention when it comes to checking of the test papers. Mas mabilis na ngayon malaman if you passed or you failed.



You have stated that virgz is a “survivor.mom.fighter”, define the phrase “survivor.mom.fighter” in not less than 150 words

SURVIVOR. Like I have said I have overcome a lot in life, survived and still hungry for more challenges.

MOM. That the best interest of Cindy will always be my priority.

FIGHTER. I will never yield, I will bow to no one and I will never give up. I will always fight back.



What is your mom’s name, can you say that you and your mom share the same “survivor.mom.fighter” attitude, why or why not?

Me and mom have our own ways of being a survivor. She has overcome her own share of hardships in the past, ¦unfortunately she has changed so much. We no longer see eye to eye on some things. Maprinsipyo kasi akong tao, while she has her own ideas on life. Basta ang hirap niyang intindihin minsan, ako naman may pagka headstrong din.



You sister Toni minces no words in expressing her closeness to your dad, what is the name of your dad and could you described him as a father to you and toni and your siblings (160 words at least?)



My father is the best dad in the world. It is because of him I have learned to be a fighter. He is not perfect, but he is the best father I could ever ask for. He has to swallow his pride at times for us, and be strong in his way. He has his own way of coping with pain, pero marami siyang na sacrifice for his daughters. I love him so much, and my respect for him runs deep. Nobody can tell me any differently.



What trait do you think have you inherited from your dad and your mom that made virgz a “survivor.mom.fighter”?



Being headstrong, palaban and my dad’ s enduring character. Mom is a bit impatient but she will fight until the end.


If you have three wishes to make in your life, what would they be and why?(describing each wish)

·         That my family is safe, healthy and secured;

·         That I make it as a lawyer;

·         That I will never fail as a mother, sister and daughter.

How old is Cindy now, what makes you proud of her?

She will turn 3 this coming June 1!

I am just proud of her and I am excited of what she will become in the future. 



What are the five traits of virgz that you would wish to pass on to Cindy?

·         Enduring spirit;

·         Intelligence;

·         The ability to see things in various perspectives and not to become judgmental

·         Loyalty to a cause o yung may pinaninindigan na prinsipyo;

·         Insatiable appetite for life, not to be afraid to trying things and making calculated risks.

Having gone through a heart condition and the love you have for cindy, how would you define love, is it overrated or underrated, why?

Love should be unconditional, all-encompassing, and fearless. When you love someone, you just do. You just feel it. Wala ka dapat na hinihinging kapalit. It can be both rational and irrational. Basta for me love is the only thing that makes sense in this crazy life, naks!



Have you suffered a heartache (figuratively) pre and post heart surgery, what’s the story behind such heartache?



Who hasn’t? Oo naman naranasan ko nayan, at nararanasan ko pa rin yan. At baka maranasan ko pa yan in the future. The only good thing about break-ups is that after all the pain you get the chance to love again.

My first heartache ay yun ngang tinalikuran ako for his career. Topnotcher sa Academy yun. Tapos I do not know why but after I got married for six months eh tumawag bigla at gusto daw akong pakasalan. Ayos din ang trip eh noh. Yung masakit lang is that he told me after the break up is that no one will ever love and accept me again.


On love and your perception of the opposite gender, must a man be imbibed with passion to add to his manliness for pogi points?

Definitely! It is a must for me. My man has to be full of passion and energy to keep up with me. But that passion has to be grounded on something solid. Ayoko naman yung go lang ng go at walang plano. Yung lalaking alam kung ano ang gusto sa buhay. Yung me sariling paninindigan at hindi yung mama’s boy. I hate guys who are like that yung di marunong mag desisyon for themselves.



Is the standard tall dark and handsome a perfect depiction of a good partner, why or why not?

Nope, kahit pangit siya eh me Belo at Calayan na ngayon hahahaha! Mas maganda if you can have both looks and character but if ako papipiliin mas gusto ko yung may x-factor, yung my dating at yung may magandang character. Yung marunong dumiskarte sa buhay, someone who is street smart. Looks will fade, sexual prowess will go away too pero yung ganyang katangian di basta-basta nawawala.



Do you believe in the belief that to each one is assigned a soulmate why or why not?



Yes I do. Each of us has our own soulmate and God has assigned one for us. Not all of us find our soulmates though, or we find them but we cannot be with them. Soulmates are supposed to be our witnesses in our life, ¦basta di ko siya masyadong ma-explain.



What is your story on how you became part of eph?

I got tired working for the bureaucratic newspaper industry, and that time I was waiting for my bar exam results in 2009. I decided to give it a try when I received a notification from Jobstreet. Noong una nagdalawang isip ako kasi baka scam, nabiktima na kasi ako dati ng ganyan. But I am happy with EPH and I love working here.



You said in your about me that you are “A passive observer of facts and events”, does the phrase refer to you, if so what are your thoughts on the ladygaga issue ( concert protested by pinoys)...



I am for her right to perform and to express herself. 

It boggles my mind to no end sa totoo lang. Ano ba are we still living in the Dark Ages? For heaven’s sake naman lawakan naman natin ang pag-iisip natin. Bakit di pa ba tayo liberated? I find some people hypocrites. Eh di yung ayaw manood ng concert wag manood. Ganoon lang ka simple yun. In the first place kung ayaw nila ke Lady Gaga noon pa lang nag protesta na sila. Yung iba nga naman oo they have so much time on their freaking hands lahat na lang issue sasakyan nila. Tsk.



Your thoughts on the corona impeachment (should he or should he be not impeached by the senate?

Di ko na masyadong nasundan ang impeachment case recently but if you will ask me if they can come up with a solid, irrefutable and convincing evidence then by all means why not? Pero sa pag draft at pag present pa lang ng kaso ng prosecution eh palpak na. Nakaka highblood manood ng impeachment, especially with me being a law grad na nakakaintindi ng batas at procedure. Nakakaasar yung pagka engot nila. Puro hearsay and with the kind of evidence they have at kung susundin lang ang legal procedure at yung quantum of evidence mukhang malabo. But we must remember that this is also a political exercise. Marami ang gustong mag grandstanding dahil nga malapit na ang election. So anything is possible. Anything can happen.



Being a law grad, do you think that the impeachment proceedings ( as allegedly masterminded by malacanang) undermined the integrity of the judiciary as a co equal branch of the government, in what way, if your response be in the affirmative and in what way if ur response be in the negative? 

NO it did not. Maganda nga ito kasi we are exercising our democratic right to check out our officials. This is a real test of democracy. I have covered the justice beat for a long time, and for me this is a breath of fresh air. At least ngayon they will not feel that they are untouchable. Me iba kasing nasa justice system na akala they are above the law.



You are both a blogger (memoirs of lady Spartan) and a journalist and you’ve blogged about the difference between a blogger and a journalist, where would you be more comfortable and partial (blogger or journalist) and why?



Mas masaya mag blog compared to complying with the stringent rules of journalism. But my heart will always be close to journalism. Blogging is more of writing about the lighter side of life.



Personals:

Height: 5’0

Weight: 110lbs

Fave color: red

Fave comfort food (excepting siomai, with all due respect to nile) ice cream

Fave hangout: Bluewave!

Average Hours of sleep: 5hours

Shoe size: 8

Fave legal maxim: Res Ipsa Loquitor (The thing speaks for itself)



You said that your interest could be “anything that makes sense” do you think it makes sense for the whole brouhaha regarding the Judas song of Ladygaga. Do you think she is a good persona to embody the ideals of the present generation women, pros and cons?

I find the brouhaha stupid. Wala nabang magawa mga tao ngayon?

I am in no position to judge someone, famous or not if he or she embodies the ideals of the present generation. Kanya-kanyang trip lang yan. Kung ayaw eh di wag nilang tangkilikin, but these people with a holier-than-thou attitude should not shove their freaking beliefs on the throats of some people who choose to appreciate artistic expression and the right to entertain of some artists. I think it is best to live and let live nalang, besides the last time I checked we are still living in a democratic society.



Where in Cavite are you staying no need for specificity (generic place would do)

Ngayon somewhere in Bacoor but soon to be Imus.



I’ve asked a former feature regarding women being of superior of the sexes, do you agree, why or why not?

I am for the equality of the sexes, that both genders must complement one another. No one is above or inferior over the other.



I’ve heard that the chief editor visited you during your hospital stay after the operation, could you impart your first impression of her the very first time you’ve met her and what are the not known qualities of her that you believe every eph writer should know about her, (at least those not listed and divulged in her feature) 



Before when I haven’t met her I was intimidated, but when she visited me sa hospital she was very warm, caring and napaka down to earth. Walang kayabangan sa katawan whatsoever. She goes out of her way to help you, and dami kong natutunan from her when I was strong enough to go back to work. Thank you po Ma’am.



You said that writing is your passion do you have other things and activity that you are passionate about?

Yes, singing and dancing!!!! I used to join competitions and sing to my heart’s content. When I am feeling sad I just turn on the magic sing sa house and sing away and all my probs disappear into thin air. Toni also plays the guitar and me, her and our other sis sing during our tagay sessions, hehehe(“,)



Having gone through the gamut of life experience you’ve had, Could you share a message for other eph writers, black, brown, green and blue?

Giving up is not an option. There will be ups and downs in our writing gig here, but it’s not reason enough to just quit. Be polite and respectful towards one another and to the editors as well. Di madali trabaho nila. 

Lastly, matuto kayong makisama. Maraming professionals dito na matatalino rin like you guys. This is not merely a workplace but a community as well. Learn how to make friends here and refrain from antagonizing others. Maliit lang ang mundo, mamaya magkita kita pa tayo o magkasama sama in the future outside these virtual walls. 



And lastly,



Have you received the strawberry from danielted in behalf of toni? 

NO. Danielted still owes me some strawberries from La Trinidad, hahahaha!

(Cge ka wala kang piaya)