Unusual Channel
By Ma. Renette B. Uy

The days of wine and roses

I just would like to borrow the title of a song “the days of wine and roses”, in writing this article; no offense to those who love this song. For those who may have a different meaning for this beautiful song, hold on to that meaning because I am not trying to steal it and give it a different sense. I am just borrowing it and give it a different essence on how I lived my life a long time ago.

There was a time when I was in Manila and all that was important to me was my job. I was the typical career-oriented person. I would spend hours working and forget that I have to go home and take care of my daughter. I was confident that she will be taken cared of by her yaya and she will be alright. I was a single mom then… well technically, I was. Anyway, after working, instead of going home, I would call my friends and go out and drink till the wee hours of the morning forgetting I have a daughter and she needs my attention more than anything. But it made me happy minus the hang-over, of course, so I didn't really care.

The next morning I would be useless to my daughter because I have a bad hang-over, I can hardly utter a word and all I did then was nod my head to her because I was too weak to move. She would grab my hand and kiss it and I felt nothing. I would mumble something and since my daughter was only two years old that time, she couldn't understand a word I'm saying then and she just stared at me. How feeble I must have looked like.

My drinking days once upon a time almost lead me to be an alcoholic. I would drown myself in vodka, wine or anything with alcohol every night, because I simply wanted to forget how pathetic my life was, being a single mom, with no one to share my happiness and success with. I was so selfish and just thought of myself. I had momentary happiness and satisfaction when I was intoxicated. When I am sober, I would drown myself with work and nothing else mattered. My life then sucks! Or I thought so! Let me share this anecdote passed on to me by a friend through email. Once upon a time this friend was my drinking buddy. She is still my friend but because of the distance, we just “cheers” each other through text and email. Read and laugh…

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done. The monsignor replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip.” So the next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door: Sip the vodka, don't gulp. There are 10 commandments, not 12. There are 12 disciples, not 10. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated. Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass. We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the spook. David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him. When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass. We do not refer to the cross as the "Big T. "When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said, "take this and eat it for it is my body. "He did not say "Eat me". The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry.” The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, Yeah God. Next Sunday there will be a taffy-pulling contest at St. Peter's not a peter-pulling contest at St. Taffy's.

By the way readers, I did not turn into an alcoholic no matter how I tried so hard then to drown myself in vodka and wine then. I realized that my daughter is more important than my work; and, I finally understood that there is no point to getting drunk and having momentary loss of memory. I still drink, occasionally though but not because out of depression but it's to celebrate an important occasion or to celebrate how lucky and happy I am for the life I have now. Cheers!

“When you learn not to want things so badly, life comes to you.”

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John Clements Consultants Inc. is going to have a JOB FAIR here in Iloilo City on the 18th and 19th of April 2005. Please call 337-7191 and look for Virgie.