I AM STRONG: Bukidnon!

Malaybalay City, Bukidnon is one of the most pleasant cities I've ever been to in the many occasions I have been called to serve on I AM STRONG. The entire trip, perhaps due to the accessibility of the Monastery of the Transfiguration, was blessed by cool weather, warm smiles and wide, generous hearts. And yet Memory is a peculiar muse. She is almost wanton in the experiences that she allows hapless mortals to look back on with fondness. To wit:

1. It was on this trip that I discovered that Nikko Fortades, IEP student, is something of a wacky pose wunderkind. His youthful exuberance and creativity, as well as his masterful poise and execution, allow him to seamlessly pose for "wacky" pictures at the drop of the hat. It's not just a skill, Nikko. It's a gift!
2. Vina Arenal, on the other hand, has just one "wacky" pose. She bends, with studied grace, with just the slightest bob of the head, to the right. It takes talent to willfully suppress the "wacky" poses that I know are in you Vina. You have my sincere admiration.
3. Michee, Carla, and Dez, whom we will henceforth refer to as Destiny's Child, will sing anything. But I get ahead of myself.
4. The context? Kuya Jun Corona, our beloved driver, has the most eclectic musical taste in Mindanao. The shuffle function on your iPod doesn't stand a chance. Given that he burned all those songs to disk, and his songs can just as easily shift from Piolo Pascual to a punk version of the Backstreet Boys hit "I Want it That Way" (ironic, I know) faster than Nikko can adopt a "wacky" pose, what is truly amazing about Kuya Jun's selection was that he deliberately chose them to be played that way.
5. That being said, Destiny's Child will sing anything. Anything!