Earlier Years


I was born in the pacific islands of the Philippines and raised on the other side of the world in the legendary Robin Hood city of Nottingham, the British Isles. I grew up fortunate enough to experience two very different countries, climes and cultures equally. 

Nottingham is indeed a city of legends. I can think of its obvious, infamous hero and another - the marvelous Miss Morrison - a teacher of dance for almost 80 years. Miss Nora Morrison has inspired countless pupils and has also specialized in teaching, through dance, the blind to “see” and the deaf to “hear”. For 14 years Miss Morrison was my childhood teacher and mentor. She taught me how to meet challenges, overcome obstacles and that anything is possible with determination, practice and hard work. She taught charity and kindness, to do things out of enjoyment and love and to do it for others. She is likely the most inspirational source of my career and charity work. To this day, this living legend still teaches and is almost 100 years old!


"The greatness of a person is not in what they can do, but what others can do because of them."

In 2009 I decided to nominate Miss Morrison for a Queen’s Honour. A Queen’s Honour is a means of rewarding an individual for outstanding achievement, service or personal bravery to the United Kingdom. They are the highest of awards given by the British Monarchy and extremely difficult to attain. Miss Morrison's application was successful and in October 2010 I accompanied Miss Morrison to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. For photos CLICK HERE

 

If there is one thing I have learned from Miss Morrison, it is this: The greatness of a person is not what they can do, but what others can do because of them.

To see childhood photos CLICK HERE