 Aloha, and mabuhay. Welcome to another great episode of Think Tech Hawaii, our show, Pinoy Power Hawaii. My name is Amy Collado Ortega Anderson, your host. And today, we're going to have a heart-to-heart conversation with my BFF, my girlfriend, my sister, and her name is Aileen Parubrublam. So before we officially start, again, I want to thank the entire wonderful staff of Think Tech Hawaii for giving us the opportunity to come to your homes weekly to share with you wonderful, inspiring stories in line with our mission to enrich and lighten, educate, entertain, and we hope to empower. Today, we have a really special subject that is closest to my heart and also closest to the heart of my guest, my sister, Aileen Parubrublam. How are you today, sis? Thank you for having me, and I appreciate the opportunity to express my thoughts today also. I can always turn to you and come to you if my house is on fire, I need a home, I need a shelter to belong. I know you're going to be there for me. I will, sis. Anything for you. Thank you. So anyway, we had just celebrated a wonderful memorial for your wonderful parents. And I think that's one of the first ones that I have attended here in Hawaii anyway. And keep in mind, you're going to get a lot of language and English, and we'll be doing just that. So the ones that I could relate to attending in memoriams are, umras, when we do the annual thing, the Gitae food offering, the Gitae busi, the Gitae basi, it log with the Niño Gan. Okay. But when I attended the memoriam for Nanang and Tatang, I was so amazed of how much love, how much reflections, remembrance, lagip ken ayat. Yes. Tell us real quickly about that, and why did you want to do it? Well, my beloved mom died one year ago, August 6th, and my dad 25 years ago. And it's customary that we do a remembrance, I know, a year after. And I wanted to make sure to round out our families, my three brothers and their families and our children, so that they remember, they continue to have in their hearts their grandparents and especially us, our younger generation, my dad died 25 years ago. 25 years ago. And it's not every day that we talk about my dad, but I wanted them to at least have a memory of the evening and to remember their hearts that they continue to live on in our hearts also. I wanted to do that for our parents. There was a lot of love in fact, it got a little bit emotional. I got emotional because I wanted to think back, reflect back on those that have gone, that are closest to us, our loved ones. And I love the way how everyone took part and participated and shared. So how, and this reminds me about the importance of unity. Yes. So explain to us your role on that because you seem to be like the core of getting people together. Well, I think that would be my gift in life. And I had wonderful mentors, my parents, my dad always told me that, you know, he shared his stories. I'm the oldest. And he came from a family of eight. Eight, wow. And his dad, they came from a very humble family, both sides, my mom and my dad. And my dad's dad, when he was 42, my dad was only five. And my dad, you know, would tell me that he couldn't even recall what his dad looked like because he was so young. His youngest brother was only a few months old when his dad died. So he made it his mission in life that when he had a family that he would do the best he could to provide and to love his family, his wife and his children. And so did my mom. She came from a family of eight also. So families, priority, everything. Yes. Right. Families, everything. And my dad was such a hard worker. I remember him saying to me that when he was 19, he came to Hawaii. He had the opportunity to come here. And by this grace of God, he lived the American dream. Yes. And that's he did. Right. But in between, you know, for 10 years, he struggled, you know, like everyone else. You know, he was the last, came on the last wave of cicadas. And he knew the value of money. You know, he worked for McKay-Pamilton Arena for 44 years. And he started off as a longshoreman carrying 100 pounds of sugar or flour on his back. Wow. One dollar a day going up and down the stairs. Dollar a day. Dollar a day. Wow. And it took him 10 years to save to go find a wife in 45 days. That story in itself is amazing. That has, that's a story in itself. And so he was fortunate enough to, he and my mom had four of us. Yes. They were really good examples for all of us as family. We were the first to, my mom, my dad and I were the first to come to Hawaii. So my dad's siblings, my mom's siblings, they all came through our, through our house. Yes. And I remember all the aunties and uncles were pretty much single then. So I got to know my uncles and aunties and I got to develop a relationship with them. Yeah. I have to interject. I agree with you. Your house is like the meeting house of everybody. When they came to a house, the food, the laughter, the camaraderie, companionship, love was felt at your house. Like you belong. Always. Always. So I really looked up to your family because as far as my growing up, nothing compared to your family of togetherness, complete, you know, I'm from a broken family. I didn't even have a chance to get to know my father, but your dad, Tatai, was like my father and your mom also served like my mother. Yes, I know. You're my special sister. Yes. I appreciate that. And I get teary-eyed. So tell us your early recollection of how these values that you, you saw in the videos, saw them, you watched them apply, comes handy to your daily life. So many stories. Yes. Tell us. My dad, my dad had asthma to begin with, okay, so he, he always, I know I'm getting a little teary-eyed too, reflecting on my mom and dad and my dad worked so hard for his money and he always wanted to share that dollar with the family. And he'd say stuff like, you know, I don't, I don't smoke. And the reason why is because I save my money so that I can buy a pie so that I can share it with the whole family. We can have ice cream a la mode with our pie. And that was his way of gathering the family together. I remember growing up in Kahalu. I grew up in Kahalu on the windward side and my uncles and aunties would come over and they would butcher a cow, butcher a pig, they'd put all their money together and it was a big family day where everybody would take part in having the cow butchered, having the pig butchered and everybody would all help to clean it. Everybody would have their quarter of a meat and have a barbecue and, you know, those are the fun and good old days that I remember. And things like that, just the camaraderie of family just being together no matter what we're doing, you know, growing up in Kahalu, where Temple Valley is right now and all the houses there. I remember going to pick guavas on Sundays and filling up the guavas, the truck with the guavas and we'd sell it to Hawaiian Sun. Wow. And again, that would be something that we all could partake in. Benefit from. Benefit from. My dad's selling all the truckloads of guavas and having those monies just to have another dessert or another meal together. What a resourceful dad that he was always thinking about the well-being and the goodness of the family. Yes. And it seems to me that Tatai always had a straight and narrow rod that he followed. Yes. Wherever that rod took him, he always stayed in the straight and narrow path. And his family was his number one priority. And this is the substance of our show today. How we could teach our future generation. We will be back to having that solid foundation that we really need at this space and time. We're going to come back more of these heartwarming stories. You're listening to Pinerpah Hawaii. Thank you again, Think Tech Hawaii. Aloha. I want to invite all of you to talk story with John Wahee every other Monday here at Think Tech Hawaii. And we have special guests like Professor Colin Moore from the University of Hawaii who joins us from time to time to talk about the political happenings in this state. Please join us every other Monday. Aloha. Hey, Stan the Energyman here on Think Tech Hawaii. And they won't let me do political commentary, so I'm stuck doing energy stuff. But I really like energy stuff, so I'm going to keep on doing it. So join me every Friday on Stan the Energyman at lunchtime, at noon, on my lunch hour. We're going to talk about everything energy, especially if it begins with the word hydrogen. We're going to definitely be talking about it. We'll talk about how we can make Hawaii cleaner, how we can make the world a better place. Just basically save the planet. Even Miss America can't even talk about stuff like that anymore. We got it nailed down here. So we'll see you on Friday at noon with Stan the Energyman. Aloha. Welcome back to the second portion of our show. My name is Amy Ortega Anderson, the host for Pinoy Power Hawaii, where we have a chance to discuss subjects that are closest to the heart. And today we are having a heart to heart conversation with my BFF, my good friend, my sister. And she's my resource person. Every time I need help, I go to my sister Eileen. And she's always ready, like she's the warrior, the conqueror. And we are talking about the valuable lessons and the wonderful tools of life that she has learned from her wonderful parents that are now in a better place, a better life. But these pertinent lessons, these tools, the character, the voice, those that she learned growing up, has become a very, very important role or tools for the future of her family and, of course, her well-being. So we're going to go back and reflect, Lagip Ken Ayat, or Ayat Ken Lagip. Either way you say it's about being well-rounded, having love, which is the main sustenance of our family. So tell us how you applied the teachings of, especially Nana, who is such a warrior, she's a ninja in today's term. How are those lessons that she taught you became pertinent or valuable in your life? My mom, I give my mom credit. She was 25 years old when she came to Hawaii. I was two years old. I was born in the Philippines. And my parents bought a house in Kahalu and where there's no Filipinos except for one family. It was Peter Aduja, who was the first judge in Hawaii. That's Melody's dad. Yes. Yes. And their family owned two houses on one lot. So they're our neighbors, along with Hawaiian family, a Portuguese family, a Chinese family. We had just about one of every kind in our neighborhood. And we were so fortunate to be in that type of surrounding because culturally it sort of all melted us together and learned from each other. And that was wonderful that my mom learned and adapted herself to the people around her. So my mom took care of us until she learned how to drive. And after that, it was like you couldn't stop her from... She's like the energizer bunny. Every time I turned or every time I was around Nana, I couldn't help but feel her energy. And I wanted to be so much like her because everything that she touches, excuse the term, but turning to gold, she has a green thumb. She would plant anything on the ground and it would grow. Like the 10 salmon coconuts that she left me at my farm and all the air plants. She knew about air plants when air plants was not even popular. She maintained a beautiful yard and we tried to upkeep it. So all the things that my mom did raising three young boys all became Eagle Scouts and we were a scouting family. Scouting and Girl Scouting family, thanks to you. So that carried on into my life. All the things that my mom did, I tried to emulate because the things that she did I knew were good. Oh! She's a perfect role model. So she was a wonderful role model for me. So I wanted to emulate her and make her proud because she had really high standards. She did. She had very high standards. My mom was never the type to gloat over any kind of accomplishment that me and my brother has reached. As Christopher says, she'd probably just nod her head or I would never be able to get a compliment from her like, okay, job daughter or anything like that. I would actually have to ask her, Mom, was that okay? But to her it's like an everyday happening, everyday thing. Nothing was a celebration to her because life goes on. And my observations of her, she never wasted a minute. She could work 24 hours a day. She would till the land. She would work in a garden. She would cook or just basically what she does best, entertain and extend her warm hospitality and make people comfortable. And that's what I remember most about Nana, her warm heart and warm hospitality. I was so fortunate that I, you know, my husband and I stayed in Hawaii. We never ventured off. But with that, from the day that our son was born to the day she died, she cooked five meals a week for myself and my brother's family. And I find that amazing that she did all the groceries and, you know, with my dad, she was the typical, I guess, Filipino wife where my dad worked hard. So she'd have like everything from salad to his soup, to two main dishes, to his rice, to his dessert, to his coffee. She really adapted to the perfect American standard. And with that, she was raising four of us and had a job also and maintained her house. And I remember growing up, she was teaching me how to iron. And she would starch, you know, the boiling water with the starch and mix it up. The old fashioned way. Yes, they'd dip it and dry it and then having to sprinkle water on it and roll it up. And then after that, when it's all nice and evenly moist, then I'd iron it. You'd never see anything like that, sis. So those are really valuable lessons. If they were white, I'd have to put it in the bluing. Mrs. White's bluing solution to get it looking. And, you know, it just amazes me the things that she taught me and passed on to me where all our sheets had to be iron and our pillow case. And I could never figure out why it's going to get rumpled anyway. But that was within her standard, again. She's had this vision, this way of life that she wanted to keep. But she did it in a way where she didn't want any accolades, like, oh, all right. The Paruba family are very quiet, very, they don't brag or boast, and it's quite opposite from other Filipinos that I know that always like to brag about their accomplishment. But it brings me to your quiet way of doing things, sis. And this is why we are... Your name has been turned and nominated so many times for the Empowered Award, Empowered and Influential Filipina, that doesn't wait for things to become public. But yet you go about your little way of making a difference in your own quiet way, yeah. If I didn't brag about you having those talents where you win every year the best Christmas, the best decorated tree in Honolulu Halle, they would never know the talent behind that. But today I'm going to take the time to have all these bragging rights. This arrangement that Aileen arranges for everybody and shares with everyone to enjoy. You never really had a serious course in, is it ecobana or the flower arranging? That's my newest passion, ecobana. That she can turn driftwood into something magical or something so artsy that it becomes a masterpiece. Oh, sis. And then you go to the kitchen. You go to Aileen's house and you always get a taste of her wonderful way of cooking and making the dish so delectable and enjoyable. All these things. See? I think I was born to serve others. I was my role in life and I think a lot of it has to do with my Catholic faith in serving others. Yes. But certainly the characters and those traits that you learn from your mom growing up and even your dad who passed on 25 years ago, those lessons in life makes a really big difference. I think we turn those boys into men, wires. If I need someone to do a little fix-it for my house, I would call an Edwin, Max, Walter, and I'm sure they would come. They're quite handy. Yeah. Quite handy. And in today's world where everything is about technology or you push a button, you get it fixed, but that's not how it works. There are times when we still do need the physical labor, physical know-how to apply these things that they learn from their father who serves such a great role model for the boys to emulate and today they are very, very successful. Tell us a little bit about your brothers that have followed your dad's advice and footsteps. Well, my oldest, the brother below of me, they're all younger than me. They used to be called three Bambinos, three Musketeers, that's what my dad would call them. And my brother, Max, he is with the Mitchell Waterworks Division in California. So he's been there for over 25 years. I'm not quite sure what his real title is, but I know he has another co-worker that they've developed the technology for the Mitchell Waterworks Division in California. That's a big task. It has to do with the drones. So that's his new program that he's working with. So they have quite a few problems and they're making it so that the drones can be up there to find the spots where they have the problems. So they're going to be trying to work that into the different California systems of the Waterworks. Wow. That's a big job. It is. Okay. And then my other brother is in San Jose. And he is with a company called Piccaro. And he is the guy that develops these software for companies for security. Again, I'm not quite sure that's how you're doing it. We don't want to give away their secret, but very important role in society. Right. And my brother, Edwin, this year. Edwin. I'm really proud of him. Yes. This year, we kid him that we call him General at home because that's what he's kind of equivalent to. I'm not quite sure. I always gave him the five-star salute. So he is the commanding officer for the National Guard. They have an officer warrant academy and he's in charge of all of that for the state of Hawaii. Wow. Quite proud of him. See? Success stories, but none of your brothers would ever brag or boast about what they have fulfilled in life. But I know that Tata is sitting up in heaven and saying, oh, that's my boy. And very, very proud. And it also transformed into your boys because they grew up watching these wonderful uncles that they also copied and followed their footsteps. What else were all quickly about your boys? Oh, I have three boys all. So I think it was, again, destiny that I would follow my mom, one girl and three boys. So the boys, my boys are well underway. My oldest son is the finance manager for the Navy Exchange here in Hawaii. And he's setting up his own business now to do with the bags, the recycle bags. So he's going to be the, he has a company set up already. Wonderful. So conscious. I have another one that is in California. Metro. Right. And he is the director for a glass company. In fact, they're making that, they put in the glass for that new bank, that American Savings Bank, that's coming up across of the Alapark. That's their company. They do big business, blast work, right? They did the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. So real quick, Daniel, of course, Daniel, yes, he just graduated with Honolulu's Finest and class 180 with the police department. I was there for that wonderful celebration and, don't forget our princess. I got to put in my princess, Princess Marissa there. She's on her way back to school in about two weeks, back to Oxy Occidental in California, where President Barack Obama went for two years. Wonderful. It's always good to hear such great success stories. I wish we had more time. You know, the time has gone so quickly and we have come full circle. But what I wanted to leave was the things that you shared about keeping unity, these valuable lessons in life that you learned from your parents growing up, which transformed to your own family, and you've all become a success story. And those are the things that we need more in this life to inspire us, to give us hope, to help us feel empowerment, that anything that we set in our mind can be done if we believe and, of course, we keep our faith. And I know that faith is a strong foundation in your life and in your family. So we want to encourage you again. I want to thank my guest, my sister, Eileen Paroub-Rublam, for the heart-to-heart stories that she shared with us. We invite you to tune in again to Pinoy Power Hawaii, where we aim to enrich and lighten, educate, entertain, and we hope to empower you. Thank you again, Think Tecawaii, for the opportunity. Mabuhay, maraming, salamat paul.