Old friends & new things

Ed Trivino is an old friend. We met when I was in high school at Maryknoll and he was a college freshman across the creek at the Ateneo. He was tall, dark and two out of three ain’t bad, as another friend said about 20 years later. Ed and I were friends, not very close, but I remember we did a show for Father Reuter then, directed by Father Trent and we sang on TV, something I’ve never quite recovered from because I cannot sing. We sang On the Street Where You Live. Ed could sing. He had a wonderful voice.

But that’s not the only thing I remember him for. It was the first Sunday after our honeymoon. My spanking-new husband and I went to Mass at the Ermita church with my mother. There I saw Ed and introduced my husband, then burst into giggles. It was the first time I had introduced a man as my husband. All of us found that rather amusing.

Early last week I got a text from a friend who received a text from another friend that said Ed Trivino had passed away. I felt sad but this memory kept spinning through my head. So through this column I send my sympathy to his family, whom I’ve never met. I’m sure Ed is happy where he is now. I would be if I were in his shoes.

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Do you have an Apple computer? I have and have no problems with it except for the dock port, which I thought initially was a duck port and could see a little white duck in my mind. The dock port is the plug. I don’t know why two of them have broken on me. The first one I managed to replace but the second one gave me problems. They were out of stock and I did not know when it would come again.

I called my son Gino, who advised me to go to a True Value store and look for an audio-video cord called Digital. It fits and you can work your laptop without a problem, he said. And it costs less than P120, while the dock port costs close to P1,000. I went, I saw, I bought and was conquered. It does fit. It is sturdier. No problem. So I write about it just to share. If you have a problem with your dock ports, just bring them over to a True Value and you can solve it immediately.

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Let’s go back to the Legazpi Market. There you will find the booth of the Happy Star Child where you can buy hand-painted cards and children’s T-shirts, all original, very charming. Next to it is an Eco-Sack place, cloth bags to replace plastic grocery bags for the environment. They sell small pouches for P70 and belt bags for P300, then you can buy hippie buttons to pin on for P20. Then there is that marvelous store that sells woven pencil cases for P75, resin shells that range from P300 to P475, and in between various sizes of plastic bayongs in different colors.

Human Nature sells natural beauty products, from lip balm at P49.75 to a body scrub for P280. Then there’s a bag and pants store. The handbags are P300 and what they call Thai dongs or wraparound pants are P800. They are followed by a couple with two children, Vito and Bubu, a little boy and the market’s baby girl. They sell scents, from hand sanitizers to sprays for your bed and laundry to eau de toilette. Hand sanitizers are P75 and the eau de toilette — I buy Sampaguita for myself — is P450.

After the aromatherapy place is an antique booth whose cheapest item is an P800 bangle and most expensive, a Chinese goddess of mercy for P12,000. Then there’s a basket place that sells everything from pandan boxes for P50 to clothes hampers for P1,400. Across them is a table linen place, wovens, where the cheapest item is pretty hand towels, three for P55. They have pretty napkins for P400 a dozen and placemats and runners.

They are followed by a fan and basket place. The cheapest fan is the anahaw fan for P30 and the most expensive basket is the one with a cover, which the owner refers to as a “canister.” That is P1,150, but very pretty.

After that is another wonderful store with art and doodads, where I bought the head of the lioness that sits on my desk now looking attractively crabby. This store sells Inday paintings and other charming knickknacks. I couldn’t interview their makers because they were at another bazaar when I did the rounds.

Then you go to the store of Mylene and Joey Casimiro, jewelry, original necklaces and spoons and stuff for your table. This is how I got into the market. I used to shop there, buying jewelry and the most charming bookmarkers and even paper clips. The cheapest item is a book clip for P50 and the most expensive a fancy necklace for P2,500.

As I do this — amble and interview — I find that this is really an interesting market where I should also shop, but who will watch my store? And we haven’t even hit the food yet. Come over; walk around. I assure you of fun and amusement.

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