Remembering Cory Aquino

After a brave fight with cancer, Corazon C. Aquino, passed away
last August 1, 2009. Tita Cory, as she was fondly called, is known
as The Mother of Philippine Democracy. The multitude of Filipinos
who showed up in streets to participate in her funeral march is an
indicator of the great respect the Filipino people have for her.

"Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino (Jan 25, 1933 –
Aug 1,2009) was the 11th President of the Philippines and the
"Mother of Democracy", serving from 1986 to 1992. She was
the first female president of the Philippines and the first
female president of any country in Asia.

A self-proclaimed "plain housewife", Aquino was married to
Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., a leading figure in the political
opposition against the autocratic rule of President Ferdinand
Marcos. After her husband was assassinated upon his return
from exile in the United States on August 21, 1983, Aquino,
who had no prior political experience, became a focal point
and unifying force of the opposition against Marcos. She was
drafted to run against Marcos in the 1986 snap presidential
elections. After Marcos was proclaimed the winner despite
widespread reports of electoral fraud, Aquino was installed
as President by the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution.

Aquino's presidency saw the restoration of democratic institutions
in the Philippines, through the enactment of a new Constitution
which limited the powers of the presidency, restored the bicameral
Congress, and renewed emphasis on civil liberties." - Wikipedia

Her achievement in Philippine and world politics made her
Time Magazine's Woman of the Year

Rest in peace Tita Cory!

Inspired by Michelle Obama

As I was waiting for H at the dentist's office, I read through the Time
Magazine article on Michelle Obama. It was a good read; something
that left me inspired and eager to face anew life's challenges.

I must say I am a fan of the Obamas. No, I do not necessarily share ALL
their religious, ethical, political, etc views. But I do admire what they
have achieved thus far in their lives. They, to me, are the epitome of the
American Dream; one can be all one can be if one really works hard.

I'm sure Michelle Obama has a lot on her plate. But somehow, she has
managed to do a very good balancing act. She is doing a great job of
being a role model to men and women of this generation and the next.
I hope that she and President Obama get to accomplish all that they had
set out to do when they aspired for the White House. And that they leave
the political arena in the same high note that they entered it.

Here are some excerpts from the online version of the Time Magazine
article...

On being Michelle Obama:

The great-great-granddaughter of slaves now occupies a house built
by them, one of the most professionally accomplished First Ladies ever
cheerfully chooses to call herself Mom in Chief, and the South Side girl
whose motivation often came from defying people who tried to stop
her now gets to write her own set of rules.

Michelle O on making choices:

The one thing that I said in one of the interviews, which is one of my
personal philosophies... is that in life you've got to make choices
that make sense for you, because there's always going to be
somebody who'll think you should do something differently.

So you might as well start with what you like and what you
care about, what your passions are, what makes sense. That's
my message to women, if anything, over the course of this, is, find your
space. Find your spot. Wear what you love. Choose the careers that may
have meaning to you, because there's always somebody who will say,
"I wouldn't have worn that color, or why didn't you work at that job."

But if you're comfortable in the choice and it resonates with
you, then all that other stuff ... it's just conversation. People
have the right to have conversations. But I think that's one thing we
as women sometimes do; we don't make choices that have meaning to
us. And then when those things fall apart, you have to have yourself
to fall back on. You have to own the choices that you make,
and hopefully they're yours to begin with.

Michelle O on counting one's blessings:

So when you grow up in communities where you see, where you're
surrounded by, and you grow up with really bright, talented kids
and you slowly see people slipping through the cracks, you know
that there but for the grace of God.