“Often the best way to win
is to forget to keep score.”
— Marianne Espinosa Murphy

WOW-wee---lovely lady Linda Sia won the title of Queen of Charity USA 2005 by a landslide. At the last and final counting on Sept. 3 at Our Lady of Mercy in Jersey City, N.J. Linda raised $46,000, which automatically gave her 46,000 votes. Cool.

Counting of votes was done by the Board of Canvassers behind closed doors. Each candidate was represented by their manager and, in Linda’s case, it was her ever-youthful and adoring hubby Moises Sia.

Money garnered was through the sales of dinner-dance tickets, journal ads and donations from family and friends. Proceeds of this fund-raising are for the construction of feeding and education centers for malnourished children of Molo, Iloilo and Hagonoy, Bulacan. How wonderful.

This is a project of the SCA Foundation in Jersey City headed by Fr. Donato.

The coronation night and ball will be on Oct. 22 at Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel in Newark, N.J.

With maestro Moises, expect glitz and glamour and a howling good time for everyone. Be there, honeypies!

Rockland County’s dancing queen Ging Velasco, a beloved and popular figure among Filipinos in Rockland County, celebrated her 50th birthday on July 10, 2005 at the Holidome in Suffern, N.Y. amidst a gathering of 150 loyal and grateful friends.

Ging has earned a reputation in Rockland County as a much sought-after line dance leader for every major occasion involving the Filipinos with a love for dancing.

In fact, she is a regular mainstay at the St. Joseph’s church in Spring Valley, N.Y. where they hold regular dance fund-raisers every second and fourth Friday of the month. She considers this particular trait as her calling since she is fond of dancing. She is a member of a line dancing group in the United Nations and has been with the U.N.D.P. Staff Recreation Club since 1989, being a staff member of the U.N.D.P. Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Ging is also active with the Filipino Bowling League in Montvale, N.J. and serves with the NY/NY Horticulture Society. She has been supportive of the Annual Sport Fest Games-Palaro held at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point, N.Y. each summer in August.

Ging resides with her husband Ben in Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.

Our very own Paolo Montalban, the talented Fil-Am actor who portrayed Prince Charming in the 1997 TV version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic “Cinderella,” will reprise his famous role, this time it’s at the Paper Mill Playhouse (Brookside Drive) in Millburn, N.J., in the season opener for the Millburn theater.

He’ll again sing such songs as “Ten Minutes Ago” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”

Playing Cinderella is Angela Gaylor, who appeared as Anne, a conservative’s daughter, in the recent Broadway revival of “La Cage aux Folles.”

We caught up with Paolo last Aug. 10 at the New York premiere of “The Great Raid” at the Intrepid Air, Sea & Space Museum in New York City. He has a small role in the World War II movie opposite Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Joseph Fiennes and, of course, Cesar Montano.

One of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the late 90s, the dashing Broadway star and recording artist was accompanied by a stunning beauty at Miramax’s New York premiere.

“Cinderella” runs Oct. 19-Dec. 4 at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Performances are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Tickets are $19-$68. Call (973) 376-4343 or visit www.papermill.org 

Just for amusement sent via e-mail from Jeffrey Ruiz:

A 5-year-old boy went to visit his grandmother one day. Playing with his toys in her bedroom while grandma was dusting, he looked up and said, “Grandma, how come you don’t have a boyfriend now that grandpa went to  heaven?”

Grandma replied, “Honey, my TV is my boyfriend. I can sit in my bedroom and watch it all day long. The religious programs make me feel good and the comedies make me laugh. I’m happy with my TV as my boyfriend.”

Grandma turned on the TV, and the reception was terrible. She started adjusting the knobs, trying to get the picture in focus. Frustrated, she started hitting the backside of the TV hoping to fix the problem.

The little boy heard the doorbell ring, so he hurried to open the door, and there stood grandma’s minister.

The minister said, “Hello, son, is your grandma home?”

The little boy replied, “Yeah, she’s in the bedroom bangin’ her boyfriend.”

The minister fainted.

Greetings to September-born Angie Cruz, Erno Diaz, Marshall Factora, Aldrew and Alyssa Ignacio, Mary Lou Repiedad, Joey and Junalyn Reloj, Prescy Toribio, Bongbong Marcos, Mary McCarthy, Tess Venturanza, Steve Latuja, Marilen Paderon, Baby German, Norma Garcia, Chris McCarthy and son Tyler, Menchee Fulgado, Megan Kagahastian, Girlie Tuballes, Daisy Ramos, Mike Arguelles, Divina Luna, Raul Estrellado, Tess Ibarreta, and especially you, my dear reader born this month.

Light and love.