with Nelia Dingcong-Bernabe

All good things come to an end. It sure is a cliché but not until things really come to an end would we pay any attention, right?

My very good friend Allen, StarLife's editor, just told me (I'm writing this Thursday night, Friday morning there) that this Sunday is StarLife's very last issue. Now that's sad news. Last issue? I felt like I just started writing for the paper and now it'll be over? Oh no!

I remember my excitement three years ago when Allen and I discussed the idea of my writing for the paper. I welcomed it and I was really enthused about the wonderful opportunity that fell on my lap.

He said I can have my own column and it will be published twice a month. I jumped at that chance like nobody's business. From my vantage point, having the platform to express my writing with that unique Ilonggo - American perspective is a privilege that I didn't even think twice about doing. I was feeling all gung-ho and ready to pounce Bacolod City readers with a fusion-style for a column. I was seeing fireworks and hearing carnival-like drumbeats.

I even remember how everything came down. Well almost everything. It was the summer of 2007, and my kids and I just came back from a three-week vacation there. We went home to celebrate my mother's 75th birthday and for some reason, I came back to the United States feeling nostalgic.

It could be that the trip allowed me to see my old stomping ground again through three pairs of fresh eyes - my children's eyes. It was their first time back after 12 years of being gone. It was also memorable for the four of us on a personal level because it allowed us to collectively close one chapter in our life, and continue on to better and happier times. Let me tell you, closure experienced together is a great feeling.

That trip was a big celebration for us on different levels. My mother's 75th birthday was a milestone for sure. My children got reacquainted with the sights and sounds of Bacolod, and to watch them experience the land of their birth once again after a long time and as adults was the closest thing to perfection for me.

Three weeks is so short a time to be going back there for vacation. But three weeks is definitely better than nothing. The feeling of having to cram every second and every minute with all kinds of activities contributed to the intense pangs of nostalgia that hit me after we got back to Chicago.

It was an intensity that could no longer be ignored allowing Flipside to come to life on the pages of StarLife. All of a sudden, I felt the strong urge to reconnect with my past and the people who know me - my classmates and teachers from St. John's Institute, and former co-teachers and former students from NOHS and UNO-R.

Allen who has been very receptive and supportive inspired me. He rarely used his editor's knife to skillfully dissect and dice my articles. Not that I would claim perfection but he was very open-minded about my choices of topics. He would suggest angles and slants from time to time but for the most part, he left me alone.

Flipside and StarLife was a perfect union, the ideal definition for the concept of give and take. The union allowed me to weave day-to-day life in America with the lives of people there. It melded two worlds that are totally different but embody the same values and beliefs. It sat in the center of progressive thinking and open-mindedness on universal issues pertaining to life and what matters the most.

But here's the best part. The union may look like it has reached its end but Allen told me that the StarLife columns will be moving to Wednesdays and Saturdays instead of Sunday. What that means is Flipside will be moving to Wednesdays as part of the Visayan Daily Star (VDS). I was told that's even better since VDS has more readers. Well that sounds like a new challenge and I say, "Bring it!"

The thought of moving my column to Wednesdays is exciting. It brings me back to the initial excitement of the summer of 2007 when Allen and I launched Flipside on StarLife. It's like experiencing the birth of your second child, equally exciting just like the first time.

I am certainly looking forward to this next chapter for Allen and my column as well as the VDS editorial and management teams. In times when newspaper outfits are faced with difficult challenges, the resolve to keep printing and allowing for columns like mine to have some premium space is commendable. In return, I renew my commitment to deliver nothing but responsible, fair, accurate and honest writing. A big and robust thank you also goes out to Allen and the VDS folks who gave us the green light to keep going.

With that said all good things when they come to an end do not really mean all, right? It could also mean that when good things end, bigger and better things could come out of it. In my case, I say my sweet goodbye to StarLife - thank you so much; it has been a fun ride! To those of you who have kept me company every other week and through the years, I say, "See you on Wednesdays and keep the fire going!"

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