Edna Reynoso Anton, lover of life, defier of death

I am writing to Blossom Dearie’s 1958 version of the song “They Say It’s Spring” while birds on a wing tweet their Tuesday song. I am thinking of the time writer-jazz singer Gou de Jesus and I accompanied restaurateur Edna Reynoso Anton to buy a karaoke at SM Baguio’s appliance center for home use. Once the machine was installed at her house, we took turns singing. Gou’s and my scores were in the 90s. (That was back when I wasn’t a croaking soprano yet.) When Edna’s turn came, the help got so alarmed by the sounds she was making. Maybe they thought that something was amiss—they came running to the sala from every corner of the house to check if everything was fine. Everything was fine; it was just Edna singing her heart out. Never mind if her scores were in the 50s. Continue to sing she did! The Edna approach to song must’ve been how she approached life, even her death. She passed away peacefully on March 9 after a long struggle with cancer. A priest gave her the last anointing while surrounded by family and love in her home, not in a hospital (that last detail gave me a source of relief). Her struggle lasted more than 10 years in my calculation. She lived up to her prediction at a Baguio Country Club breakfast when she announced to everyone present that she was leaving for treatment abroad and would even outlast some of the people present. And she did. While some of her contemporaries died one after the other, Edna just went on and on like the Eveready battery, attending birthday lunches (I saw her at either Des Bautista or his Auring’s birthday celebrations at Rose Bowl), masses (she heard soprano Myramae T. Meneses sing “Panis Angelicus” at St. Joseph the Worker Church in one anticipated Saturday mass because she couldn’t attend the Viva Voce Voice Lab concert), her own surprise 80th birthday party at the Forest Lodge with a luau theme. The last was where I saw her, still smiling and laughing with gusto, thrilled that her daughters, in-laws and grandchildren came home from Hawaii to help mark her milestone. The emcee gave away boxes and boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts in a game of trivia about Edna and other things like her liking for the music of Elvis Presley.

Lovely Edna (seated) surrounded by her children and children-in-law

With her favorite grandson I felt privileged to see the somber side of Edna apart from that bubbly one. In 2015, as I was coming out of a long depression, she got in touch and invited me for coffee and dessert at O’mai Khan Restaurant. She picked the corner window where it was quiet. Then she told me in minute detail her battle with the cancer that had her yearlong schedule divided in this way: part of the year for treatment with Stanford doctors in California and recovery in Hawaii and another half of the year to pick up the threads of a life in Baguio where she was a community influencer long before that term came into vogue. She showed me her colostomy bag that explained why she could only take small meals at a time and would have the rest of the food wrapped as takeaway for a later meal. Even as she talked there were still hints of girlish giggle in her voice. I guess she wanted to demonstrate to me how all the burdens we carry could be aided by a certain outlook, one that always sees the lighter side of things. We continued to correspond through email wherever part of the world she was until her last years were spent with husband Mike who suffered a stroke. Of this she wrote, “It’s difficult to grow old, but I’m thankful Mike and I are still alive. Feeling pain means there’s life to fight for! Mike has been a fighter, too, after several bouts with pneumonia (three-week stay minimum in a hospital ) and even shingles! He’s blessed that the super itchy band was on the right side of his face which at that time was still affected by his stroke, so he was able to endure the pain, thank God for that!” In June 2021, writing from San Francisco, she said, “I’m… waiting for my eighth cancer surgery tomorrow at Stanford at 7 a.m. I had to leave Mike with Carlos (their son), his two nurses and two caregivers (all live-in due to Covid precautions) because my tumor has overgrown to about three kilos and needs debulking asap. I hope it is a simpler surgery than the one in 2014 where I stayed for two months at the Stanford hospital and another two months in a Stanford home care where nurses came three times a week to dress my wound and bathe me . “I want to go home soonest so I can be with Mike through his long healing journey. Health is really wealth, and as we grow older we realize that time is precious. “Be with Rolly as much as possible, continue showing your love for one another, and thank God you can enjoy life with your family as you can all lose it in a blink! Will write and update you soon. Love, Edna” To top it all, she suffered a fall, not a deadly one but enough to fracture her wrist. Let Edna tell it in her unique words: “Lately, I have been going down to Manila for the constant fitting of my new caps and dentures (matanda na talaga) and my visits to my orthopedic doctor regarding the nasty fall I had on the 13th of September. I didn’t realize I had a fracture above my wrist until I finally visited him and he ordered an X-ray done several days after. He warned me another nasty fall will be bad, hence I’m limiting my movements and no treadmill for now. I love the book you gave me... so touching!” Post-haste I shared with her my novena to the Blessed Mary to prevent falls: Take my hand, O Blessed Mother, Hold me firmly lest I fall. I grow nervous while walking And humbly on Thee I call. Guide me over every crossing; Watch me when I'm on the stairs; Let me know that you're beside me; Lead me to my destination safely. In every undertaking, my duties for the day, till evening creeps upon us, I'll never be alone. Once again, O dearest Mother, Take my hand and lead me home. Amen. She emailed quickly: “What a lovely prayer. Thanks Babeth. Love” So we send you off, Edna, with love and on a wing of another prayer for eternal peace. May the dessert table where you are now be as generous as the ones you used to prepare for your near and dear ones. And if you must insist on joining the heavenly choir, I say, why ever not?

Detail of Edna Anton's 80th's birthday cake

Paella bella

My tiredness from preparing and cooking today's lunch has dissipated after my grandchild Kai rated the paella I served a 9.5. Even the other picky eater, Rolly, was so pleased that he asked me to duplicate the dish on his 70th birthday early next month.

Daughter Kimi, who took the picture below, said I should issue a disclaimer saying that I was not responsible for the uneven cutting of the hard-boiled eggs. Kai was. Maybe that's why the dish's rating is point five short of perfect.

I owe the cooking knowledge for this particular paella to Des Bautista's wife Auring. Weeks ago she demonstrated how it was done and even gave me the Paellero seasoning (it's a brand) and saffron threads for the day when I would find the courage to inaugurate our paellera with this well-loved dish. The paellera had idly sat behind our oft-used pots and pans for years waiting for this day.

What went into this one-pot dish? Onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil, Chinese chorizo, bite-size pieces of chicken breast, green peas, green bell pepper and jasmine rice. I made sure there was also burnt rice (tutong) for Rolly to dig into.

Next time, if budget allows, we add prawns, mussels and squids for the truly decadent paella of his dreams. Rolly's message to Ernesto V Enrique: "Sayang hindi tayo magkapitbahay. Otherwise, you get half of this."

Human bonding

No, the season ain't over till it's over, to quote legendary Yankee catcher Yogi Berra. Just when I thought I could tighten my belt bit by bit by going on intermittent fasts and yes, dieting to take the weight off my aching knees, who should text to announce they were in town and would like a reunion of friends?

It was the Big J herself, as her husband and sports writer-editor Al Mendoza refers to Soly Ferro Juvida, our colleague in the Women Writers in Media Now, Marcosian years. It's always a pleasure to meet up with Al and Sol and their son Dayong Mendoza from whom I pick up painting tips.

Baguio art patrons Des Bautista and wife Auring hosted early dinner at Iggy's Inn: kilaweng kambing, goat caldereta, fish sinigang, nilasing na hipon, lechon kawali with kangkong, etc.

Before the evening was over, chess grandmaster Eugene Torre strode in with wife Marlene, she with the pixie salt and pepper haircut that we admired. Marlene has earned the nickname "My love" because of the endearment with which she calls Eugene, even in public.

The chess whiz brought out a black handsome box marked "Lakan"; it contained an elegantly packaged bottle of lambanog (coconut wine) which the men proceeded to drink apart from their red wine. Rolly Fernandez being the designated driver, he just sipped water and later, hot hibiscus tea.

Here we are, pausing from our merriment to preserve a different kind of family get-together for posterity.

Photo courtesy of Dayong Mendoza

The American Songbook goes places

I haven't blogged in ages. Busyness, grief, demands of running a house, much needed time with family are not valid excuses when you're in the writing game.

But today, after a seconds-long power brownout in our part of Baguio, I decided to write something on a project of which I am one of many organizers (the others being Joseph Uy, Alan Andres of the Cultural Arts Events Organizer and retired University of the Philippines Baguio economics Prof. Ben Tapang).

Ben and I are going to incorporate ourselves into a non-stock, non-profit outfit called Guacamole Productions whose mission/vision is to spread the good news about classical music in the city of Baguio. We intend to bring up our most promising classical musicians whether soloists, chamber instrumentalists, vocal artists or, God willing, symphonic orchestra players. The end goal is to make Baguio the Salzburg (northern musical capital) of the Philippines.

Logo of the new creative enterprise Guacamole Productions designed by Jenny Carino

So far, we have been encouraged by the support shown by President Ray Dean Salvosa of the University of the Cordilleras and his staff, particularly Onie Aguinalde, vice president for administration, and Vicky Molina, Salvosa's executive assistant, Des and Auring Bautista who've consistently been with us since the Baguio Summer Music Festival began in 2015, University of the Philippines Baguio Chancellor Raymundo Rovillos who greeted us with a friendly "Is that a cultural proposal you are about to bring to me?," friends from the Baguio Association of Restaurants like Edna Anton of Sizzling Plate, Ninj Sabado of Arca's Yard and Marie Therese Jison of Mother's Garden and Restaurant who immediately signed a check for the dinner of the visiting artists even if her venue is closed for major renovation. Therese said she believed in the project and would like to help. She went to the extent of delivering the check to me. Therese, it'll go to a dinner for 10 persons at the beloved hangout for unlimited Korean barbecue, Korean Palace.

Why Guacamole? Well, we found "pine tree" bordering on a cliche. And avocado trees also abound in Baguio. Plus guacamole implies halo-halo, a merry mix of European classics, American classics, original Pilipino music, Broadway and movie themes, opera, etc.

Salvosa has been some kind of guiding guru, making us understand the taste buds of our city. One time we proposed a chamber version of La Traviata to him and sent him videos of the Viva Voce performance at Ayala Museum last year. He nixed the idea, explaining that his students and employees were not yet ready even if some arias in Traviata were popular.

But when I watched The American Songbook recently (May 12) at the Insular Corporate Center auditorium in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, something clicked in my head. This was what Salvosa meant! Millennials could relate to the songs from the pillars of American classical music (George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Oscar Hammerstein) and the ones written for contemporary Broadway musicals like Wicked and A Chorus Line. Millennials could also appreciate the sight and sound of their fellow millennials singing the old fogies' songs.

With barely two weeks to prepare, Joseph, Al, Ben and I punched phone numbers, designed and redesigned the e-poster and e-vite, sought sponsors (Musar School of Music was the most recent to step in), composed ourselves into a text brigade to help fill up the UC Theater and UPB's new Teatro Amianan. Salvosa, Bautista and Rovillos were one in saying that the songs from the songbook they were familiar with and they were food for the students' souls.

The American Songbook premieres tomorrow in a matinee at 4 p.m. at the UC, followed by a 6 p.m. performance on May 26 at the UPB and finally, a by-invitation-only engagement to celebrate Bautista's birthday at the UB Centennial Hall on May 28.

The singers Jasmin Salvo, Jan Briane Astom and Mheco Manlangit Photo by Bianca L. Susi

After all these, the songbook team of tenor Jan Briane Astom, sopranos Mheco Manlangit and Jasmin Salvo and original pianist Michelle Nicolasora will reprise the concert on June 17 at Ayala Museum in Makati and in a dinner-concert on July 1 at Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe on Roces Ave., Quezon City.

But nothing like watching the show in good ole Baguio in the summer when the living is easy!

Our thanks also to our other partners: National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Genesis Transport Service Inc. with its de luxe Joybus ferrying the performers, production and documentation teams to and from our fair city.