Daisy and Tina reconcile in Barcelona

The last time mother and daughter saw – and were cordial to – each other was more than two years ago.

So when Daisy Romualdez and her "prodigal" daughter Tina Paner had a reconciliation last month in Barcelona, Spain, where Tina and her beloved Luigi are now based with their six-month-old daughter Lucien Kristiel, they bridged the gap with quiet tears right at the Barcelona airport.

"I was so excited to see my apo that, after giving Tina a quick hug," recalled Daisy who travelled with husband Manny Paner, "I handed to her my bag at inagaw ko sa kanya si Kristiel. And then I kissed and kissed her. I couldn’t stop kissing her. Ganyan pala ang feeling ng isang lola."

Tina invited her Mama and Papa to Barcelona not only to grace the baptism of Kristiel (born last Feb. 17) but also for them to see for themselves how her and Luigi’s life is in that Spanish city.

"I was touched while watching Tina bathe the baby, change her clothes and feed her," said Daisy who has put behind her – them! – her and Tina’s away-bati/away-bati episodes. "Tina was telling me, ‘Mommy, now I realize how it is to be a mother; now I know how much you really love me’."

In Barcelona, Tina and Luigi (who comes from a prominent Spanish-Filipino family in Manila) live a simple and quiet life. Tina works at a bank while Luigi has his own business. The two met in Manila early last year and fell in love at first sight. Soon, they flew to Barcelona to start a new life together, away from the topsy-turvy life in Manila.

From Barcelona, Daisy and Manny made side trips to Rome, Paris, Madrid and Portugal where they visited the Fatima Shrine. There, according to Daisy, "I asked forgiveness for hurting some people and I forgave people who have hurt me. I came home minus the load in my heart. Bumalik akong magaan ang pakiramdam."

Joed Airs His Side

Reacting to the Funfare item about him being quoted as saying that the F4/Meteor Garden guys have "disbanded," thus incurring the ire not only of F4 fans but also some people at Sony Music (which is releasing the quartet’s albums), Joed Serrano said he never said that the F4 has broken up.

"I only said that the four guys have their own individual schedules, that they’re very busy, that’s why only Ken Zhu and Vanness Wu are coming for the concert on Sept. 13 at the ULTRA, minus Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou."

Joed, whose main occupation is sending talents to Japan, added, "Why would I say anything negative about the F4 when I am involved in the marketing of their concert which is being produced by Susan Lim? Please make the necessary clarification. Ayokong magalit sa akin ang mga F4/Meteor Garden fans."

There. Loud and clear.

Meanwhile, many F4 fans are disapppointed because of the prohibitive ticket prices that start at P10,500 and P5,000. Well, the F4 promoter is asking for a staggering talent fee for F4 and that’s the only way the local producer can ever hope – if she can – to recoup her investment,

Women’s Favorite E-Mail Of The Year

Can’t resist putting out this interesting story (sent by "Azil999"), said to have been voted "Women’s Favorite E-Mail of the Year":

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed:

"Dear Lord:

I go to work every day and put in eight hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen."

God, in His infinite wisdom, granted the man’s wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the check book. He cleaned the cat’s litter box and bathed the dog.

Then it was already 1 p.m. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed.

At 9 p.m. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren’t finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said, "Lord, I don’t know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife’s being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You’ll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."

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