Remembering Susan Fernandez...

July 2... i miss a dear friend and my ate, the late Susan Fernandez. There was a time many years ago when Brownbeat had gigs in bars like hobbit house and inner space when small groups of just three tables were watching us on a weeknight and one of those tables is ate Sansu , alone, just there to watch us.

Then we had memorable Friday night hangout at Balai Kalinao when i was starting to sing standards. We will talk about our relationships, music, and how her most beloved guitar got stolen by someone who entered their house posing as a relative. I remember she insisted that i should attend lamaze classes when i was pregnant. When i was about to give birth she also wanted to wait outside the delivery room just to make sure that my baby will not be given milk formula... that was ate Susan to me. 

When i asked her if i could make a rendition of the song BABAE KA, she was so ecstatic and introduced me to sir Ani Montano to ask for the final blessing to record it. A week before that she went to the doctor for a check up we were together driving around ateneo area, she mentioned that she was feeling a kind of heaviness in her tummy.  After that doctor visit she texted me that she will have an operation , a tumor needed to be removed for biopsy.  Two weeks later, the news came.... it was cancer. my jaw dropped but her voice on the fone was Cool, like there was nothing wrong.

While undergoing alternative therapy, she still went to ten 02 just to hang out and she requested that i come up with a kind of pasta without cheese just fresh tomatoes and fresh basil and olive oil. That is why we came out with TEN02 pasta which was then exclusively for ate Sansu. She had a show there for the bossa group of Al Juarez. but it was around that time that she needed to lay low. 

July 2, 2008 she sent me an email knowing that i assist some people via my Heart Of Music. A year after same day july 2, 2009... she joined the almighty.  Me and a lot more people , specially women, who look up to her as ate , a women's rights activist , a friend , a musician and our hero, were left with a hole in our hearts. 

i miss you ate Sansu... you are sorely missed. It' s been 8 years na pala..😔we love you...