February is such an interesting month. It’s about love, good fortune and the arts, and all three, like it or not, end up blending. It’s not strange, for example, that a suitor visits a girl and gives her not just flowers but also a box of tikoy (Chinese sticky delicacy) which suitably represents togetherness.

But guess where they found a common joy? I’ll get ahead of the story. The answer is God

One of the launching ceremonies of the Arts Month, which celebrates Philippine arts, was held at the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, again not oddly since there’s that tiny part of ourselves that’s Chinese. Our number one example, of course, is our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

CARLOS and Camille with their principal sponsors. This happy blending of three cultures, may sometimes be obvious, and sometimes subtle.

Valentine’s Day and the giving of roses is, of course, American (if I am entirely right), including the sending of cards which, unfortunately, have been replaced by text messages and social media. That we wear red outfits, however, could mean two things — because it’s the color of love and it’s the color of good fortune. Of course, we want both in our lives.

A wall of roses for the bride and the groom. Anyway, I am sharing all these with you, the happy blending of three events — Valentine’s Day, Arts Month and Chinese New Year, because this column is dedicating this issue to such a mix-match and I am using less words but more photos because, as they say, and don’t say it ahead of me, pictures speak a thousand words.

First is a marriage, or call that love, between a Filipino and a Chinese-Filipina. On top of it, it’s not just about two races blending, it’s also about a couple, the man starting out naughty, and the woman rather conservative although simply regular. But guess where they found a common joy? I’ll get ahead of the story. The answer is God.

My second story is about parents’ love for their child, a special child with such tremendous talents any parent can only be proud of her. Samantha sings and paints like a pro, and in our story, she has even inspired the creation of special-edition perfumes. This is a Valentine’s story made in heaven manifesting on earth.

The third is about self-love practiced by someone who is into one art that everybody loves, which is dancing. Through her dancing talent, she expresses her love for herself, which we all must have before we can love and be loved by others. While we can analyze this by delving into all the -isms that emerged through eras and epochs, it is enough to say that dancing has made her voluptuous, so forget about Aristotle or Erich Fromm when you see my friend, and when you see her dance and attract all those worshipping eyes. Besides, dancing, as art form, has transcended generations and civilizations, and dancers do not just entertain. They also lose themselves in the process, and transform into the persona who is on stage, whether she is Cinderella, an Argentine señorita, or a Brazilian beauty.

Congratulations and best wishes to Alexander Carlos Martinez Pascual and Edelynne Camille Samson Tanteko who tied the knot just recently at the Christ the King Parish Church, followed by a reception at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. The two met in a seminar at the parish hall, one of those that seek to get parishioners, especially the youth, closer to Jesus Christ and to become more active in the community’s activities.

Carlos was a volunteer while Camille was a reluctant participant. She was planning to do a French leave while one of the speakers was talking but since she was there already, and just for the sake of the friend who invited her, she stayed put. This led to her meeting her future husband who, it turned out, was a “convert,” if one could put it that way. The future groom, who grew up in this part of Manila, but who had been traveling with his parents, and even stayed in India, had a different upbringing so one could say he was a little bit on the wilder side, not crazy wild, but just someone who loved going out at night and sleeping by day up to noontime.

STARTING a lifetime of sharing. You’ll be surprised he grew up rather spoiled being the son of a surely sensible couple, Alfredo Pascual, the former president of the University of the Philippines (UP), and his wife Menchu.

Well, let’s just say the son was the playful, cheerful one when he was growing up. The kind who would give the neighbor his parent’s table clock, all because he innocently thought it was a nice gesture — giving the neighbors something personal and precious. And since he had a fascination for science, he would submerge his parents’ water-proof watches in a basin full of water for hours just to check if indeed they were durable as advertised.

Well, to move forward, the two would start dating, but first just to welcome her birthday. “I was going to drink,” recalls Camille, “and he was the ready driver, since he was not going to drink that night.”

That one initial date led to another birthday party and on and on, until he asked her to join him when his father would take his oath of office as the president of UP. Now, that was quite fast of the guy, and it turns out, he had something serious in mind. By the time the oathtaking took place, they were already officially a twosome. The two would go steady for a long, long time until he finally decided to propose, after he, of course, discussed the matter with his parents.

Camille, for her part, was having a good time working. At one point, she was tutoring children in a nearby study center. She actually grew up first in the United Nations Avenue area in Manila, and later, in Chinatown where she had a bit of a sheltered life. She was the kind of a kid who, even when her parents had not told her, would invite the neighborhood children to her birthday party. “I thought it was a given that when it was your birthday, you invited friends. My mom had to rush preparing food,” she relates laughing. Her father, a pure Chinese, was a businessman engaged in selling office supplies. Hers was a typical Chinese childhood that involved a lot of observing her father do business in his office. ‘If you wanted something extra, aside from your regular allowance, you worked for it,” she shares.

Carlos went to college at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston while she attended De La Salle University. Thus, an interesting part of the prenuptial video showed the two in Boston, just so she would know more about that phase of his life. “Even as a college student, he had a night life,” says Camille.

The two now live in a high-rise condo in the Ortigas area. They decorated it together before their wedding. It is a house full of gadgets since he loves these things. She is learning how to cook. Carlos is in real estate brokerage while she works in East West Bank.

To Carlos and Camille, may your love remain strong, and may you continue to enjoy every moment of your togetherness!!!

My second story is a celebration of talent. It is about Samantha, who is special, and who grew up filled with her parents’ love. She was one year old and a half when she was diagnosed with autism.

TALENTED Samantha. Martin Stephan Kaspar, a chef-entrepreneur, and his wife Mitzi (nee Aragon), made sure that Samantha would grow up as normal as possible. With the early signs of her talent for singing and drawing showing, the couple enrolled her in the appropriate classes. As it turned out, she could paint well, and her works now adorn L’Entrecôte, the French-Swiss restaurant that her parents own.

Samantha will be part of my series on the women I admire this coming March, which is Women’s Month, but I am taking the opportunity here to congratulate her for the launch of “Aware,” “Inspire” and “Embrace,” three scents that she inspired her US-based businesswoman godmother, Vilma Lorenzana Walsh, to develop and manufacture.

THE groom with his parents, Alfredo and Menchu Pascual, and family in auspicious red. It is, of course, her godmother Vilma’s way of contributing to Samantha’s advocacy, which is “to help to shine a light on her condition, its potential, the problems, and prospects of cure and prevention,” says Mitzi.

And I agree with Mitzi. We just can’t assume it is just one of those things that happen naturally. There is a cause, there is a way of dealing with it so children with the same condition can live their lives as normally as possible, so they can use their talents and gifts, and so we around them would know how to relate to them. They are God’s gifts to us, and let us welcome and embrace them.

The three fragrances came about because “Samantha’s godmother, Vilma, who is a manufacturer in the States was inspired to develop the scents for her, but she gave her several to choose from. So the choice of the scents was Samantha’s input,” says Mitzi.

MITZI Kaspar, Jessica Kienle Maxwell and Martin Kaspar. Tea Notes Parfum is how Vilma’s new fragrance line is called. It was originally just tea that she produced because she loves tea, but she expanded into perfume production, and had requested Mitzi to ask Samantha to choose a fragrance, but Samantha set aside three scents when she was given the small testers.

The first scent, “Aware” smells like a Japanese citrus fruit, which Vilma blended with other fragrances. This one, Samantha could easily appreciate because she loves citrus.

For “Inspire,” Vilma blended lavender and lime, while to create “Embrace,” she combined lavender and talc. The last, I noticed, can be both for men, the metrosexual kind, and women.

All three, as of now, are limited edition and can only be bought in the Philippines.

Again, our congratulations to Samantha, whose more detailed story I am sharing soon.

I knew her from way back because we were together in a number of research projects. She is also the niece of a former boss of mine. Marisse Cojuangco Reyes, one of the Philippines’ top ballroom dancers, if you see her now, is voluptuous and enchanting. Once upon a time, she was simply intellectual and a good manager. While she continues to be an astute executive of the family business, she has also evolved into the dancer who has been reaping prizes and accolades in various parts of the world.

Marisse Cojuangco Reyes, one of the Philippines’ top ballroom dancers. Just recently, she celebrated her birthday. The theme was a return to the 1970s which, obviously, was the best time of her life. Although I would take it that today is even better what with all those award-winning performances. The wonderful number 70 also refers to the fact that she has turned 71 so gracefully. And yes, the party was also intended to pay tribute to and promote the skills and talents of Filipino dancers and choreographers of all dance forms all over the world. There is only one word for them – namamayagpag or dominating the dance universe .