#JCFLY #JC Birthday in the Skies: A Blessed & Happy New Year!

By: Jovie Calma

 

Life is like an airplane ride. We take off. We ride. We land. There will be turbulence and there are delays. At certain connecting flights, there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy; some will result in profound sorrow. Likewise, I compared my life in an airplane ride. June is my birth month and on June 1st, I was en route to NYC to celebrate my pre-birthday with one of my best friends in the University whom I haven’t seen for such a long time. I was more jittery than usual. With every bump, dip and change of incline, I felt twinges of genuine fear. This was how I felt too, when I co-piloted a Cessna 172 on June 5th, my actual birthday.

Life, like a plane ride, is kind of terrifying when you think about it. Let’s face it: we live fragile lives in a broken and uncertain world. We will all experience periods of great pain, misery, and loneliness. Each of our daily decisions might affect the courses of our lives. And the scariest part is the realization that much of life is out of our control. Thinking about it almost makes soaring through the air in a metal tube seems tame. This understanding of powerlessness is hard to swallow, but also incredibly healthy. It causes you to take account of the true nature of things. It makes you ponder who is in control and decide how much you are going to trust whoever that is.

When we were born and first board the plane, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey. They are our parents. Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them. They, too, have journeys they must complete. We live with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance, and their ever presence. There are others who board the plane and who eventually become very important to us. These people are our brothers, sisters, friends, and acquaintances, whom we will learn to love and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along. Others will encounter many upsets, tears, losses on their journey. Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need. Some people on the plane will leave an everlasting impression when they get off. Some will get on and get off the plane so quickly, they will scarcely leave a sign they ever travelled along with you or ever crossed your path.We will sometimes be upset that some passengers, whom we love, will choose to sit in another seat and leave us to travel on our own. Then again, there is nothing saying we cannot seek them out anyway. Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because the seat may already be taken. That is okay, everyone’s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setback, and goodbyes. We must strive to make the best of it, no matter what. We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone.

Remember, at any moment during our journey, any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help. We, too, may vacillate or hesitate, even trip, hopefully we can count on someone being there to be supportive and understanding. The bigger mystery of our journey is we do not know when our last flight will come. Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last trip. Not even those sitting on the seat next to us. Personally, I know I will be sad to make my final stop.

My separation from all those friends and acquaintances I made during the flight will be painful. Leaving all those I am close to will be a sad thing. But, then again, I am certain one day, I will get to the main destination only to meet up with everyone else. They will all be carrying their baggage, some of them checked them in and others may have hand carried them when they got on this flight. I will be glad to see them again. I will also be glad to have contributed to their baggage and to have enriched their lives, just as much as they will have contributed to my baggage and enriched my life. We are all on this flight together. Above all, we should all try to strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we landed and reached our destination.

Before I end my article this month, allow me to express my special birthday wishes to Thandi Apoderado (June 1), Arabel Alva Rosales (June 1), Ryan Alvarez (June 6), Tita Cora Sanchez (June 7), Andre Gabriel Zamora (June 14), Paul Ruffin (June 15), Jon Cotay (June 16), Jhun Patron (June 19), Jersey Drew Pantuhan (June 24), Chip Payos (June 24), Chaz Patron (June 24) and to my loving Mom Connie Calma (June 10).

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads, special mention to Nongni Joe Mauricio and to my loving Daddy’o- Daddy Ricky Calma. June is also my birthday month and my T-REX size thanks to all my loving family and friends like family who remembered and celebrated my NEW YEAR by sending me your gifts of love thru FB messages, SMS or text messages, flooding my FB wall, Instagram posts, Twitter, email, mail and snapchats.

I’m beyond grateful to my God for giving me another blessing of precious life. Major love and happy belated birthday on May 31st to my Publisher and Executive Producer, Mama Nangni Veronica Leighton for including me along with other June birthday celebrants on your birthday celebration at CPRTV. I can’t thank you enough for being such a wonderful mentor and my second Mom here in Chicago. Congratulations on your Humanitarian Golden Heart Award from PASS. Very well-deserved and proud of you!

No words that could fully grasp, my birthday wish this year is that may everyone who sent me great blessings of love, generosity, prosperity, good health, harmony, bottomless happiness and grand success will also receive the same blessings tenfold! Happy NEW YEAR to me!!!

To all Via Times Readers and CPRTV viewers, thank you for your continued support. Until the next issue of Wassup?! Jovie Calma LIVE! Please visit www.viatimes.net and be our Facebook Fan!

God Bless Us All!##

An Epic birthday eve for Jovie at Dick’s Last Resort in Chicago with family and friends like family!

– #JCFLY #JCBirthdayInTheSkies VT/CPRTV’s Jovie Calma co-piloted a Cessna 172 to celebrate her birthday on the air!!! Flying next to the Sears Tower (now, Willis Tower) was an EPIC experience!

VT/CPRTV’s Jovie Calma had a pre-birthday celebration with her friends and cousins at Haven Rooftop in New York City, VIP style! (L-R: Jovie, Leoda Pili, Ian Gongora and Joan Untivero) .

VT/CPRTV’s Jovie Calma’s most favorite birthday photo with her boys, Alric and Rovic. Photo credits to Ihman Esturco.