Marissa RAMOS
My Current Mishap
I just turned 23 24 25 last November and working as a System Development Staff Programmer Senior Programmer in one of the companies here in EPZA, Cavite (EPZA means Economic Processing Zone Authority). I’ve been committed to a very nice gentleman named Jason since time in memorial (Seven Eight Nine long years to be exact). We plan to get married on December 6, 2007 2009 but until then I am devoted in taking care my parents especially my mom who has been diagnosed with chronic renal failure – a kidney disease. Please do pray for her. (She already passed away last January 18, 2005)
Ang Magpakailanman ng Buhay ko…
What’s in a name? My birth certificate says I am Marissa Ramirez Ramos. But if you ask Tatay, he would shrug his shoulder and say that it should be spelled with a single “s” and not “ss”. My Nanay’s maiden name Ramirez was her stepdad’s surname. Her biological father whom she only acknowledged after 47 years of bitterness carries the family name Cano. So in reality I am Marisa Cano Ramos. I never really use the name Marissa, even in school. My parents called me “Sasa”, they had to come up with Marissa just because simply Sasa would not do in the Roman Catholic Church during my baptism. The peculiar name “Sasa” was coined from my parents’ boss’ daughter. It came from one of the Montinola twins. According to them, these two were too adorable. Upon learning that my mom could be pregnant they made a decision that once they have a girl they would call her Cristina or Tin-tin (the other twin). Unfortunately, it was a false alarm. On the other hand, one of my aunts was the one pregnant and they named the baby, “Christiana”. It was too close to their original choice so they went to the other twin’s name when I came. It is the name Sasa that just perfectly fits my personality: quirky, smart, witty, boyish, sassy, feisty. A true blue scorpion you might say. Plus, if you pronounce my name in a Tagalog accent it would surely sound like bakya. It’s my measure of how people relate to me. Never did I hear those who are dear to me say my name without giving it an extra twist. Laging may lambing, ika nga. It was only lately that I found out that “Sasa” is not that unusual, I read it in most of the society pages of the newspaper and hear from lifestyle tv shows. Oh, di ba pang mga sosi pala yung name ko.
The Ramos Clan
Tatay and Nanay were never really a Sagrado-Katoliko that’s why they did not seem to practice the dogma of “Humayo kayo at magpakarami” at the end of each mass. There is just my older brother and I. Pretty small, huh? But size doesn’t matter, just like any other family, ours is dysfunctional as well and I am proud of it! He, he, he… I would later expound on this idea some other time.
Jase 
This is Yap Xiao Ning my one and only.
To be continued...