I was born on the 16th of March almost four decades ago to loving parents that wanted four children. I was the fourth, but the first one to be alive. My mom wanted to name me Pierre Dominique (after my two grandfathers, Pedro Fructuoso de Castro (of Alaminos, Pangasinan) Misa (of Zambales) and Domingo Consolacion Garcia (of Quezon Province) Sr.) when I was still in her tummy whether I was going to be a girl or a boy. But my dad, after watching Dr. Zhivago, decided to name me Lara Mia Veronica (you can call me either Nicca/Lara/Larissa/Vip/Nix/Nixca---it's your choice). I was his first junior (his name is Rufino Plaridel Comentan Garcia (He was named so because the favorite hero of my grandfather was the great Marcelo H. Del Pilar), a retired flag officer, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense, former columnist: THE MANILA TIMES, a consultant for foreign businessmen and Politicians, a member of the board at ATI-Asian Terminals Inc.) [Karl Marc Tomas, Plaridel Emmanuel Victor Joseph, Rufino Josephus] Up to now, I am still single, but I am not looking ANYMORE for my lifetime partner (I guess IF I am to get married someday, HE should find me).

        Although I am single, I have "surrogate children": Inggie and Jeff Tagle, Lady May Lopez (who is also my godchild), Mabel Cortes, Jay Roque (and his Shawie nee De Guzman), and last but not the least, my "adopted" daughter, Salve Garde. I also am a proud godmother to more than 50 godchildren (some of them are adults now). I'm very proud of "my" kids. Most of them are very mature and I can run to them when I have problems too (and they give good advice!). 

        I find it funny that the people in the village where I live in treat me like a kid (I'm almost everyone's niece in our village---even those only seven years older than me treat me like their niece or daughter or something---YEAH, YEAH, I'm not talking about those kids who either look up to me or think I'm too strict---I'm talking about the slightly older ones---coz it's okay for those WAY older than me to treat me like their child---some of the people in their 20s think I'm too hard to reach---I wonder why because I'm really very nice ;p)  while the people outside treat me with  utmost respect (well, almost everybody anyway--hehehehe).  You see, I have friends in all ages and all walks of life. Looking younger (except when I'm dead tired) than my age has its advantages and disadvantages (well, my age is catching up with me...hope I'm gaining wisdom ;p). One of the advantages is that I can blend in with the young and the young at heart (believe me, I'm glad I look young---it's a blessing). On the other hand, it is so tiring to explain that I am old enough to be a guardian. I recalled one time I was at  Table Mountain, a quaint place in California (Friant near Fresno where a small casino can be found---they have the best pies in town!), that since gambling is not my cup of tea, I just took charge of the youngest son of my host family. I was told by the casino security that a minor cannot take care of another minor. I had to show him my players card that I got in Las Vegas (only issued to people 21 years and older) and another identification card. They kept saying sorry, but I just told them I was flattered.

My lineage

      I am a typical looking Filipino, but I have a salad of different ingredients inside of me. On my mother's side the blood running through my veins is a mixture of Belgian-Spanish-Chinese-Filipino. On my father's side the blood that gushes through my arteries is a blend of Armenian-Japanese-Spanish-Indian-Filipino. Plus, my first formal education years were spent in the States (Monterey, CA-I have been educated here in the Philippines and abroad).

WHAT DO I LIKE & DO? I've been dancing before I could even walk---yup, that's what they say. I had ballet lessons, ballroom dancing lessons and street dancing lessons to improve my craft.  I also play the piano and I'm a struggling organist (I had formal PIANO lessons since I was six years old [well, I had organ lessons too---had this *ILLUSION* that I was very good, but I accept it now---I am NOT a professional organist]---made noise since I was three, but I'm not a virtuoso-my paternal grandfather was a maestro in Music and I have a lot of musically inclined relatives in both sides of the family---I also collect piano books/pieces---to tell you the truth, I tried to be a bona fide musician/composer via a certain college of music, but my mentor told me I cannot be a good composer---instead of being challenged I took another course---which I am not practicing except when I am researching or "have to" use it---my path is different), sing songs (my voice range is contralto to mezzo soprano-I give voice lessons too (singing, enunciation [I also taught Speech Empowerment somewhere in Malate, Manila and somewhere in Makati City out of LOVE for the craft---imagine I was being paid per hour for A WHOLE CLASS less than what I'm usually being paid per hour per person--and I didn't complain at all! I love my "work"], articulation etc.---believe me, although I'm a very good performer, I'm a better teacher---I say that with conviction!)-if you live in the Parañaque (or anywhere in Metro Manila) area and you'd love to learn how to sing (or to enunciate or to host), why don't you e-mail me?),
I can play the flute (due to my asthma I seldom do---close to never) ,I listen (and dance to depending on the beat) to broadway/Jazz/Bossa Nova/ Classical/Spiritual songs,

I love to read and most of all, I love to write.  Actually, I'm an international freelance writer/researcher (I also do legal research). I contribute my stories and articles to different magazines and stuff (basically a ghostwriter for certain people, etc.). Right now I'm compiling my short stories and poems into a book. Hopefully soon it could get launched. I'm also trying to improve my illustrations/storyboards for my kiddie books (BTW- I also write screenplays (I've been a semi-finalist so many times in contests abroad...I have yet to win. As Shakespeare once said (was it really him?), "Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!"). Right now, I'm still in limbo (because I have to study more for this), but one day, we'll all see my plays on the big screen-My ultimate dream is to work for Dream Works or George Lucas -or why not for both of them like in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?-{BTW, I have other scripts not in the net for obvious reasons}-and I also make web pages for a very low price---I usually make other web pages better than mine[I included this info because it is another form of writing]).

In connection to writing for the big screen, I love watching (and collecting---DVD/VCD/VHS formats and screenplays) movies & the television.  

Next to collecting movie stuff, I love solving crossword/logic puzzles (there's this new Mensa Crossword for the Super Smart series---if you like to give me puzzles, one of these should do---they're available at PowerBooks). This is something I inherited from both my parents. If I'm not solving puzzles, I occasionally play tennis (for fun---coz I'm terrible), a sport I loved since I was small (for some reason I never played tennis in the village...hmmmm?), I just had to stop a while due to my asthma (from 18-22), then I found out a lot of tennis stars have asthma so I started again. I tried playing badminton, but I just am not as good as my mom (because of my peripheral vision-my macula lutea [yellow spot, literally, but mine's actually a blind spot] is a little bit bigger than others-I just can't seem to see the shuttle cock when it's up in the air---I'm a little bit better now-but not really as well as my friends) and my other friends who love the sport so much. Yet, the sport is really addicting that's why BADMINTON is my favorite sport of all (I also play basketball ---I'm just glad I'm not twelve anymore---when I was twelve, I was better during practice. I just shamed my team when my crush came, instead of being inspired, my knees got weak--we lost due to me (just recounting coz it's something I laugh about), but I love that game!---and volleyball? The sport really is not for me [my knees kind of got dislocated]---I also used to bowl by the way, but now, I am not even close to being a very good amateur (like for instance when I went out with my friends recently, I was so horrific---to make things worse my right thumb had a sprain that I had to use my left hand...but I had fun with my friends--BTW, I also used to play kick ball [now I couldn't even catch the ball or kick real hard] and soccer).

I guess I must also inform you that I also cook and bake (I'm an occasional taste consultant [for people I know only...I'm not really a professional, but they trust and pay me---maybe because I've seen most of the world and studied different cuisines] and sometimes I'm an undercover food critic...I became a "mystery shopper" for different food establishments before too...

What keeps me busy if I'm not writing or doing all those other stuff? I draw and paint. Gradually, I'm getting better. If not painting or drawing, I'm bargain hunting or nature tripping. Or maybe I could be in one corner composing (gees, another form of writing-hehehe---Yes, I'm composing even when some Dr. of Music said I can't compose---I'm still learning about Liturgical music, but I'm good when it comes to songs about life and love---I'm also good in putting lyrics to these types of music) something for me or for someone else. *Sometimes*, I'm even bar hopping (depending on who I am with). If not those things, I may be burning the lines with a friend of mine over the good old telephone (or mobile phone). If not that, I'm walking around the village with my walking buddy Eise (I also love to go distance biking (I wouldn't dare call it cycling because I'm not fast enough---hehehhe) just to enjoy nature and feel the wind on my cheeks. What else? Oh, I love collecting USED stamps, stuffed animals (btw, I'd rather receive them than flowers---I love flowers, but I'm allergic to most of them---I'm not allergic to sterling roses, tulips, and orchids---I also love to receive mugs, figurines, porcelain dolls, sugar free or sweetened by SPLENDA chocolates etc.) Oh yeah! Since I *USUALLY* work at home I have time to watch tv (telenovelas (SOMETIMES even those cheesy ones), Arirang TV [the defunct Contenders, the defunct Quiz Champion, the Mini Series etc.], KBS, TVE,  Disney Channel and StarNetwork etc.) Hmmm...What else? If I have extra money or if I have to go attend something important(like conventions, contests, research work, etc.), I travel (sometimes I get to go for free).

 I know I must also inform you that I take care of my autistic brothers PG (I took care of him) and RJ (I still take care of him). One of the reasons I am not married is because of this. I have always said that my future husband has to accept and love them because they'll know if he's faking. I love them so much, but I must say it's a hard task to do, especially when RJ has tantrums and stuff (most of the time he's so lovable).  PG, besides being an autistic savant, had epilepsy too, and his seizures were nightmares to us. He's the one "assigned" to me. On the 11th of May 2003, he liberated me of my duty to him. He died in my room due to a cardiac arrest. I will surely miss him. He was laid to the 14th of May 2003. It's so hard to accept that he is gone, but I know he is in a better place.

  BTW-The other members of my immediate family are my Kuya Lito Lumanlan (He works at WG&A-he's my first cousin, but he's practically my big brother (we sorta kinda adopted him...he lived with us until his son, Mico, was three...they live in New Manila now)-I rarely see him because of his super duper busy schedule) and his family (Ate Marissa-his wife->of North West Airlines, my very handsome teenage nephew Mico, and little Denise Aileia), my brother Karl (he used to work at ATI-now he just finished taking his MBA at De La Salle University) and his lovable wife, Arleen (she worked at PhilSoft-now CIS--as a computer programmer---Now she's in the IT department[Oracle] of Accenture) and their very cute son, Brian Alexander (he's got my mom's dark grayish blue eyes...but you know what, sometimes it's blackish blue...sometimes it's even in the graying brown shade...my auntie Paulynne says his eyes are more like hers...they give away the current "mood" ...you know, like a mood ring) and unfortunately, my feet---at least we have feet (thank You, Lord), my very loving and patient mother (nee Ma. Rosario Cauwenbergh [of Belgium] Misa), and my dear dad (Rufino Plaridel Comentan Garcia) who is our human stronghold (As I've mentioned before he's a retired naval flag officer and a former Assistant Secretary of National Defense, but now he works as a consultant for certain companies and for some POLITICIANS-I work for him too---we both work at home when writing or researching ---but if I'm not at home, I'm on the field or at our restaurant[this business is "alive" but sort of sleeping...It'll awake from its slumber SOON, I believe]. (If you wanna reach me to talk about anything under the sun, just e-mail me and if I'm comfortable with it, I'll give you my number...don't get offended if I don't...I'm sure you'll understand because you just don't give your numbers to just anyone, right?) Anyway before I bore you to death I wish to tell you that you can run to me when you have problems. I know I have problems of my own and I can't solve them. I leave them up to God (but I try to solve it too with His aid and with the aid of others---like friends and family), but I can be a good listener...someone you can release your tensions to. It helps me too, whenever I'm down for I know I'm not alone in the struggle. God bless us all. Drop me a line or two  (You can write me in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian or German)  if you have more questions or if you wannabe my friend. If you're just going to be invite me to be your mistress or send me illicit email, GET LOST! SCRAM! BEAT IT! Anyway, if you still write me, you won't get any answer.