Altar-bound

By Tinna Santos Bonifacio

We revisit the Judy Ann - Ryan romance as the countdown to the year's most-awaited wedding begins.

Things have a strange way of happening when you least expect them to. When Judy Ann Santos met Ryan Agoncillo, she wasn't prepared to fall in love. When they were paired up in Krystala, she wasn't even that excited. She was not expecting anything from the show, much less to find someone, or fall in love. Judy Ann wasn't even that hot on the idea of putting on a superhero costume at her age. "Sabi ko nga, imagine, 26 years old na ako noon, tapos mag-su-superhero pa ako!" she laughs, recalling how she felt when the idea was pitched to her. "At saka sobrang haggard ako n'on, kasi sabay mag-e-ending ang Basta't Kasama Kita (her series opposite Robin Padilla) sa pilot ng Krystala." She was shuttling from one set in Tanay, Rizal to the other, which was in Zambales, and didn't have time for romance.

Although Ryan was not her type -- "Inglisero kasi; eh ayoko ng inglisero" -- Judy Ann became intrigued by his demeanor and the fact that during the taping of Krystala, this upper-class, Catholic school-educated boy would disappear from the set, only to be found off to one corner, enjoying isaw. After a few taping days, she realized he was not what he seemed. Rather, he was "jologs but cool". In Judy Ann's book, that was a virtual stamp of approval.

But Ryan had a girlfriend. Still, Judy Ann kept up the friendship. When Ryan and his girlfriend broke up, the two had the opportunity to take their friendship to the next level. True enough, it began to deepen. Through subsequent projects--like a three-hour interview for Cinema One where he was the interviewer and she, the willing subject--Judy Ann and Ryan got to know each other and fell in love.

Being with Ryan taught her one valuable lesson. "To trust...to trust and to show everything...to be very honest. Kasi I must admit, di ako masyadong honest. Lahat tayo, one way or another, may iniiwan pa ring privacy for ourselves. But I realized that when you finally decide to give your life to someone, you have to be very honest, masakit man o hindi. Ibigay mo na agad. That's how you grow as a couple and individual."

Over the years, their relationship would be tested in the most severe ways. But through it all--the quarrel with Piolo and Direk Joyce, the BIR issue, the Meralco issue and the stress of getting Ploning to the Oscars (and being there for her when it didn't make it)--Ryan stuck by her. Last June, after three years of being a couple, he proposed. And now, here they are, on the brink of what is probably the most anticipated showbiz wedding of the year.

The wedding will be typically Judy Ann Santos. It won't be a big celebrity event. She wants everything simple--or a better way of putting it might be to use the phrase 'non-traditional'--from the gown to the little touches that make every wedding special to the woman who will be at the center of it.

Oh, but you can see her excitement. Her eyes shine whenever we ask questions about the wedding. Still, that doesn't stop her from seeing the humor in it. It must be her way of dealing with pre-wedding jitters. "Masakit pala sa ulo [ang preparations]!" she laughs.

Is planning a wedding expensive? "I guess," comes the quick reply.

Do you have any fears?

"None."

Concerns about in-laws?

"Wala."

Her own family and friends? "Ngayon lang nila ako nakita na ganito kasaya," says Judy Ann, her mood suddenly reflective.

Definitely, they intend to start a family after the wedding. Judy Ann hopes it will be within a year of getting married, and that their first child will be a boy. "Actually, kung kailan ibigay, okay lang. Basta, gusto ko ng anak para din may kalaro si Yohan."

How soon do they intend to have another child? Turns out, she wouldn't want to wait that long. "Kapag naka-recover na ako at naibalik ko na ang katawan ko. Pero depende sa experience sa una! Kapag masakit, baka isa na lang!" she laughs.

Taken from StarStudio Magazine: Judy Ann Santos Special Edition

Julian Calendar

the calendar introduced by Julius Caesar. Based on a year of 365.25 days, it remains the calendar in use today although it is modified.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

«««««««««««««««««««

The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus. It has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months, and a leap day is added to February every four years. Hence the Julian year is on average 365.25 days long.

The Julian calendar remained in use into the 20th century in some countries as a national calendar, but it has generally been replaced by the Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It is still used by the Berber people of North Africa, on Mount Athos, and by many national Orthodox churches. Orthodox Churches no longer using the Julian calendar typically use the Revised Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar.

The notation "Old Style" (OS) is sometimes used to indicate a date in the Julian calendar, as opposed to "New Style" (NS), which either represents the Julian date with the start of the year as 1 January or a full mapping onto the Gregorian calendar. This notation is used in reference to dates from tsarist Russia (the country did not switch to the Gregorian calendar until 1918).

Taken from Wikipedia

Choosing a Career: Where Do You Start?

One of life's biggest questions concerns what we will do with the rest of our lives. What will you do 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year?

A career may be 10 years in the future for you, but it's not too early to start planning.

I started working when I was 16. One year later, I had a different job. Later, I had five jobs within one year! I was certainly successful at getting jobs--but not the right job!

Somehow I thought my high school guidance counselor was there to counsel other people. Career selection seemed in the distant future.

Later my university told me where their career planning office was, but they didn't force me to go. I wish they would have.

Take a look at your interests. Take a look at jobs that are interesting. What do you enjoy doing? Look at adults you admire. What do they do? Would you enjoy it? Could you learn those skills?

If you know you want to be a farmer, auto mechanic, librarian, rocket scientist or dentist, that's great. Begin planning now.

Talk to your school's guidance counselors. Even if they don't know much about your interests, they have books that can help. Those books list possible occupations, average salaries, job demand, education needed and many other facets of employment success. Counselors can also help you determine your employable interests and skills, and what people with personalities like yours enjoy doing.

Your counselor can't do the decision making for you. But please go. You don't want the race to start without you.

- By Michael Morrison

Taken from Youth 90 magazine

I am a 9-year-old girl who has everything I want. I have loving parents and grandparents and would like to know how to show my appreciation.

A. We appreciate your taking the time to tell us how happy you are. Go ahead and tell your parents and grandparents what you told us. Next to "I love you," the words "thank you" are some of the most pleasant to hear.

Also show your appreciation by your actions. Being helpful, obedient and kind will not go unnoticed. Even though they will love to hear words of thanks, they will be absolutely sure of your sincerity by your actions. Thanks for your letter!

- Answer prepared by Victor Kubik, a minister of the Worldwide Church of God

Taken from Youth 90 magazine

Wanna Bet?

Gambling is big business. In the United States, legal and illegal gambling add up to about $240 billion each year-- $1,000 for each person!

Illegal gambling is widespread, such as bets on football games. Lottery tickets are sold in corner stores, reducting the stigma against gambling.

Why do people gamble? Most people say they play for fun. But it wouldn't be fun if they didn't also hope to strike it rich.

But almost no one does. The chances of winning a lottery jackpot are one out of several million. The more you play, the more you will probably lose. Lotteries are designed to make money for the administrators, not the players. The players, on average, get back only half of their money.

Instant wealth is the hope of gamblers. It often leads to the poor house.

Advertisements for lotteries and racetracks often suggest that wealth comes easily. The hope of quick riches has a strong appeal, especially to the poor. Poor people gamble more often than the rich do, and therefore lose a larger percentage of their money.

"The message of lottery advertising is a slightly subversive one, that success is just waiting for you to pick the right number," write Charles Clotfelter and Philip Cook, Duke University economists. They suggest that lottery advertising may reduce people's willingness "to work, save, and self-invest in education and training."

- By Michael Morrison

Taken from Youth 90 magazine

Trading Rain Forests for Deserts

Fourteen-year old Jacinto Garcia and his family are settlers in the Amazon jungle town of Jaru, in Western Brazil.

Typical of many who can't afford to live in the city, the Garcias moved to the jungle to try to make a living. Clearing away the rain forests is their hope for the future. It means fuel for cooking and land for crops and livestock.

The rain forests around the world are being cleared at a rate of 27 million acres (11 million hectares) a year.

At this pace, most of the rain forests could be gone in 20 years. Without them, many scientists claim, the whole world could be affected.

Trees and plants in the rain forest soak up poisonous gases (such as carbon dioxide) that add to global warming or what is often called the Greenhouse Effect. The less plants, the less carbon dioxide is soaked up and the hotter the earth.

Scientists are also worried about the deserts created in the forests' place. Shortly after the land is cleared, it becomes nearly useless. Most of the soil is too poor to support agriculture and it bakes as hard as brick under the hot sun of the Equator.

The loss of thousands of species of plants and animals also has scientists concerned. The tropical forests are home to more than half of all life forms on our planet. As the forests are destroyed, so are the plants and animals dependent on them.

Who has final say on what happens to the tropical rain forests? This question has become a big controversy.

Some Brazilians claim other countries want to prevent them from tapping the jungle's wealth, perhaps so they can obtain the riches foe themselves. American scientists say it is not a local issue, but a global one. What happens to the Amazon forest may affect the whole world.

No simple solution is in sight. One thing's for sure, until a solution is found, the threat to the rain forests will continue.

-By Becky Sweat

Taken from Youth 90 magazine