MIDWAY MARITIME FOUNDATION Cabanatuan City

Compilation in Rizal

Padolina

MT-6A1

Frorence Flaviano

Instructor 10 Things You Didnt Know About Rizal

1. Rizal was a penny-pincher.

As chronicled in Ambeth Ocampos Rizal Without the Overcoat, Rizal was once invited to a New Years potluck party where he was assigned to bring champagne. He did not like the idea, and throughout the merrymaking, he lectured everybody and advised against drinking, gambling and womanizing the key points of the night. Then, Rizal stood up, announced that "inabonohan niya lang" and requested everybody to pay their share of the champagne bill. Stunned, the partygoers thought it was a joke until pre-national hero Rizal passed his hat around. 2. Rizal had psychic tendencies. There were many instances when Rizals dreams mirrored the future. One such dream was the one he had on Dec. 30, 1882. According to Rizal Without the Overcoat, Rizal wrote in an entry in his journal dated Jan. 1, 1883: "(Two nights ago) I had a frightful nightmare when I almost died. I dreamed I was imitating an actor in a scene in which he dies, I felt vividly that my breath was failing and I was rapidly losing strength. Then my vision became dim and dense darkness like that of nothingn ess overpowered me: the anguish of death" Disturbingly, Rizal was executed on the same day 13 years later. 3. Rizals favorite foodpancit, mangoes, and lanzones. Rizal also had a predilection to eating pancit (the closest to Pinoy food he ever had in Europe), lanzones and mangoes. He didnt drink wine, preferred his water with ice, and drank beer to avoid calling attention to himself in Europe. 4. Rizal was sometimes too proud. When Rizal was in Europe, his allowance sometimes took too long to arrive from the Philippines that he would run out of food funds, narrated Ocampo. Too proud to let his landlady learn he had no money, Rizal would go out during mealtimes, walk around town cursing his misfortunes, then return home with a straight face. Everyone assumed that he had eaten. 5. Rizals mother could have been an illegitimate child. Rizal, being the only member of his family to use this surname instead of "Mercado," also thought he was an illegitimate child. However, his family insisted on using "Rizal" to avoid association with brother Paciano Mercado, who was involved in the Gomburza issue of 1872. 6. Rizal once had a run-in with a Chinese merchant and vowed never to buy anything from the Chinese again. 7. Rizal once won the lottery. Not only was he extremely gifted, Rizal was incredibly lucky too. According to First Filipino, while Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, he won P6,200 in the lottery with ticket number 9736. He used half to buy some land and sent the rest to his father. 8. Rizal remained calm during his execution. On the day of his death, Rizal was described as "serene," according to Ocampo. He was pale but it was not because of his forthcoming execution, but because he did not have any breakfast. In jail, he was served three hard-boiled eggs, which he dismissed as "for rats." 9. Rizal was a gym buff. Contrary to popular opinion, Andres Bonifacio, the leader of Katipunan was not at all brawny, says Ocampo. The paper fan vendor was, in fact, a bit scrawny. Ironically, scholarly Rizal, who wanted to compensate for his 53" stature (contested, others claim he was 411" based on his clothing), turned to weight -lifting to amp up his physique. His waist, measuring 25"-26" had a 12-inch difference from his chest, 37." Cement barbells were discovered in his Dapitan home (trust our genius national hero to be resourceful in a time of exile). 10. Rizal allegedly appeared in seances. Rizal also took the opportunity to criticize the Filipinos use of foreign languages. Ironically, according to First Filipino, Rizal, who was usually mistaken for Japanese in Europe, once taught himself Japanese to appear as someone who loved Japan.