MANILA, Philippines - Muriel Scrivner, wife of an American airman at the Mactan Air Base, came to Cebu in 1968.

She befriended Remedios Avilla Cañizares and the rest of the ladies of the Garden club. In no time, she taught them the intricacies of Ikebana.

The Japanese art of arranging flowers appealed to many such as Zelia Borromeo, who arranged for lessons to be conducted at her family?s Celebrity restaurant.

Noting the enthusiasm and dexterity of her students, Scrivner put forth the idea of forming an Ikebana chapter.

Approval from Tokyo came in 1970 when Muriel wasn?t around anymore, the American detachment at Mactan having left the year before.

Thus, this year, the Ikebana International Cebu Chapter 145 celebrated its 38th anniversary with a grand exhibit at the north wing of SM City Cebu.

Varied styles, especially of the classic Ikenobo, carried the theme, ?Colors of Ikebana.? Guests and viewers brought cameras to document the colorful array. ?Click before it wilts,? said someone.

Guest of honor was world acclaimed pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria. Welcoming her warmly were Ikebana Cebu president Carmen Aguirre Go and past president Norma Sanchez, exhibit chair.

Juliet Basa hosted a brief program with Ingrid delivering an allegorical message on the discipline of artistic pursuits.

To quote: ?In music, melody has pitches and rhythms organized in an order that gives pleasant effect. In Ikebana, flowers, leaves, branches and other materials are arranged in a certain order?heaven, man, earth?that give meaning and delight.?

Serapion Metilla, president of the Ikebana/Ikenobo Society of Manila, nodded in agreement. He scheduled a lecture demo open to the public together with Zelia Borromeo, Corito Abalos and Urduja Santos.

Well-attended affair

Also in Cebu for this occasion were presidents of other Ikebana chapters like Nonette Hubilla (Manila), Evelyn Clavano (Cagayan de Oro) and Genette Lon (Davao). They were happy to interact with the Cebu officers.

Aside from Carmen and Norma, they include VP?s Sue Gray and Betty Eustaquio, secretary Marlene Inocencio, treasurers Becky Peralta and Gemma Castro, PRO Linda To and adviser Mariter Klepp, former president.
Zelia and Corito are directors along with Carmen Garcia, Margie Sy and Helen Yap.

Filipiniana attire had been requested and majority of the ladies present complied by wearing dazzling gowns. Standing out were the Rodriguez twins?Marielou R. Cañizares and Marissa R. Unchuan who belong to the oldest families of Cebu and Ormoc. Ma. Teresa Dumon opted for a Muslim-inspired outfit in flaming red to match her floral arrangement.

Malou Hyden came with her son Karl who introduced his girlfriend Mckinley Muir. They are both seniors at St. Andrew?s University of Scotland.

Angeling Labucay Escaño was also escorted by son, Dr. Clint Escaño, who is on a vacation from his duties at a hospital in Florida.

With so many friends around, one just had to linger on. Besides, Helen Uytengsu kept replenishing the buffet table with delicious stuffed cabbage leaves. But something drew me to the nearby escalator that leads up to PowerBooks.

In the Biographies section, I picked out a book from the lowest tier if only because its title was darkly unclear. It turned out to be something I have been searching for for the past 30 years.

The book?s title is ?Lost Splendor,? one of three autobiographical works written by Prince Felix Youssoupov (1887-1967), the man who killed Rasputin.

First published in 1953, it had been out of print for many years. A new edition came out in 2003 and was sold out. A reprint was made in 2006.

With the book in hand, I hurried down the escalator, waved goodbye to the Ikebana ladies, rode the car and switched on the light. Before I reached home, I had read the entire last chapter.