What’s wrong with talking about death?

I read the column of my friend Shirley Pizarro of Manila Bulletin about a comment of a viewer on an interview I had with Piolo Pascual as part of the special, 2001’s Most Interesting Personalities with Boy Abunda aired last November.

I would like to set things straight.

I will never wish anybody dead, not even a dead plant burned by the sun and poisoned by the dust in the middle islets of EDSA.

Like every feeling, living organism, I am pained by what is happening in the world. Another airplane crashed in Queensborough, New York. Civilians and soldiers are getting killed in Afghanistan and in Mindanao. Nida Blanca was brutally murdered. People are dying. I’m devastated by these sordid tragedies.

In The Buzz, during our special tribute for the late Nida Blanca, I spoke about how death makes us confront life. How it can make better people out of all of us. How it can make us realize how fleeting life is. I also said that we should seize the moment and live life to the fullest because "tomorrow is never promised."

Back to the Piolo interview.

I asked him if he was afraid to grow old (premised around the fact that he is so gorgeous and young and I wanted to find out how one so fresh and vibrant viewed the idea of growing old) and he said he wasn’t – because he was not going to grow old and that he felt he was going to go (to die) before he turns 40. I was shocked. I asked the same question again to make sure that what I heard was what he meant.

Piolo brought out the idea of dying young. Not I. And I don’t want Piolo or anyone else to die. Besides, it‘s not my choice and it’s beyond my impertinent little self to control somebody’s life in this world.

But for the sake of argument, is it wrong to ask a guest what his views on death are? I don’t think so. Especially if we want to hear a guest talk about how it is to live a meaningful life. Someone said before that one can only live well if he’s not afraid of death.

But anyhow, thank you for watching the special.

The ‘Zero Factor’

It’s scary but trivia enthusiasts have discovered what seems like a curse associated with US Presidents since 1840 called the "Zero Factor" – which means Presidents elected in years ending in "0" either died while in office or were assassinated. In 1980, Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt but some say it was because of Nancy Reagan‘s intercession through her astrologers.

Take a look:

1840: William Henry Harrison died in office (1841)

1860: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated (1865)

1880: James Abram Garfield was assassinated (1881)

1900: William McKinley was assassinated (1901)

1920: Warren Gamaliel Harding died in office (1923)

1940: Frankliin Delano Roosevelt died in office (1945)

1960: John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated (1963)

1980: Ronald Wilson Regan was shot and nearly killed (1981)

Will George W. Bush elected in 2000, survive the "Zero Factor?" "Let us pray for the safety of President Bush," writes Paul R. Mortel in his columns Sari-Saring Trivia.

Merry Christmas too, Paul!

Kuh’s Good News Café

All is not lost for pop diva Kuh Ledesma. Although fire has gutted her Republic of Malate, Kuh has remained steadfast, her faith in God‘s plan unwavering.

This Christmas, Kuh is opening her house in Pasay City and has transformed it to the Good News Cafe. She has long been wanting to share her home (reviewed in various magazines and newspaper articles as one of the best in the country) to the public and Kuh says that after the fire, now is the best time to do so.

According to Kuh, this is just a dry run and if things work out well, she will redo the other areas of her house and turn them into mini-bars, game rooms or even mini-theaters.

Located at 2720 Figueroa St., San Rafael, Pasay City, good News Café will serve Chinese cuisine by the Good Earth team room and Japanese and Italian food as well.