Current social dictum motivates women to burst out of their shells and land a career of their own giving rise to the ever-growing number of mothers who augustly cope with the irresistible demand and forcible mandate aside, of course, from being conscientiously driven to augment existing family resources.
Motherhood, for modern-day women, has been presumptuously disputed neither as an impediment nor as a lame justification to furthering personal aspirations that were either abandoned, fragmented, or unattained. Being tied down to the tensioning bondage of domesticity, home-making and raising children are never deemed barriers for career-oriented housewives but more of a challenge to such situational vulnerability.
Focused and well-driven, working mothers of today have widely preferred to be struggling assets than pressing liabilities before the judicious eyes of the scrutinizing public. These and much more aggrandized dilemma profusely fueled their insistence to take a breather in a favorable workplace outside the home.
One quintessential proponent of such stimulating set-up is recently crowned 2014 Mrs. Kalayaan Josephine Villar Rafael of Long Island, New York. Besting eight equally gorgeous ladies, Joji (as she’s fondly addressed), arrestingly exuded with enviable grace and regality in her pristine white billowy Filipiñana gown, was formally bestowed with crown, sash and scepter by her predecessor 2013 Mrs. Kalayaan Rose Pacia Labelle, Honorable Consul General Mario Lopez De Leon and PIDCI President Fe Martinez.
Now on its third year Mrs. Kalayaan Pageant, a prestigious one-year Goodwill Ambassadress title, is an annual popularity contest earmarked as one of Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc.’s (PIDCI) fundraisers participated in by married Filipinas and Filipina-Americans.
Her being crowned 2014 Mrs. Kalayaan tremendously boosted her already bolstered self-confidence that justifiably induced her to be more focused and determined to what she does best — solidifying her family’s bond while simultaneously being of service to her community. Her audacious decision to accept the clamor of friends to join the contest more than sufficed to conclude that Joji’s ferociousness to take up the challenge and try new things has never ceased to dwindle but all the more ignited.
A stunning beauty with celebrity deportment in her own right Joji has successfully defied the aging process while effortlessly raising her own bar and social status. Wearing the most coveted crown and owning the esteemed title that goes with it, she was heralded as a change-maker, not only because of her staggering victory when she garnered a landslide lead during the pageant’s final counting but more so due to the dazzling phenomenon of how she instantly modified the game of pageantry among similarly lovely candidates.
Seemingly a new face and moniker in the Filipino-American community, Mrs. Kalayaan 2014’s recent foray into the local social scene has already created a remarkable impact and instantly stirred curiosity with her disarming charm, electrifying demeanor, stately poise, and unprecedented wit. She maybe just slightly off from being petite (she wears sizes 0 to 2) but this eye-catching bundle of womanly pulchritude innately possesses the sterling qualities of a career-oriented mom with a definitive mission to accomplish.
A typical Virgoan (born September 20), Joji is by nature mannered and a clever dresser. A voracious fashion plate with impeccably discriminating taste and exquisitely distinctive preference, she could indefatigably make the rounds of popular shopping malls, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales (just to name two), in search for new arrivals, the latest in scents, trendy wardrobes with matching shoes and bag and rare-find accessories. And what woman won’t love to shop?
“I don’t know…but mall-hopping or an all-day shopping, for me, is tantamount to working out in the gym or having that same amount of resistance and energy after an early morning jog.” Joji coyly rationalizes as she releases a convincing look laced with her patented smile and a gentle shrug. “For me, it’s more of a therapy and stress reliever than merely spending. I’m actually neither the typical shopaholic nor an impulse shopper but more of a wise spender. But sometimes, impulsiveness occurs and I always rely on my husband once I changed my mind…he’s always available to return the items!” Then cast a playful wink.
At home, especially during weekends when she’s off from work and not in her usual mood to shop, the ever vibrant Joji is all around the Rafael abode. She could simultaneously juggle between the floor areas with her vacuum cleaner as early as 4 or 5 in the morning and the kitchen checking on whatever she prepares for breakfast.
A self-made chef and self-proclaimed kitchen wizard (with sumptuous products to prove), Joji substitutes her crown and sash with headgear and apron and could delectably come up with a complete menu for her family and visiting friends. She whips, chops, stirs, dices, bakes, and concocts with such ease and expertise.
“I just love cooking and baking native delicacies like puto (steamed rice cake), kutsinta (steamed glutinous rice cake), suman (glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves), sapin-sapin (layer of colored glutinous rice cake), maja blanca (steamed corn cake), and puto bumbong ( purple-colored powdered rice cooked in bamboo tubes. Actually, my latest kitchen apparatus is a puto bumbong maker…complete with bamboo cylinders… which I brought from the Philippines.” She confidently brags which Nonoy, who was just seated across her, proudly supported.
Beauty is relative and so is talent. But Joji’s natural endowment has more than what is expected from this low-keyed lady for she has more of them rolled under her dainty sleeves. This down-to-earth beauty queen mom plays the piano unlike any stereotyped virtuoso but playing for self-expression and exclusively for private entertainment. From her early acebederian years at St. Joseph School where she learned the rudiments of piano lessons from the Franciscan sisters up to this day, Joji could still play with accurate efficiency, masterful precision, and polished technique.
With high melodic sense goes along dancing and Joji is lucky to be gifted with a pair of terpsichorean feet. “I just so love line dancing, swing, Latin dances and, of course, the Hustle. Obviously, my musical orientation easily paved way to my dancing inclination.”
Incidentally, Joji Rafael is a Medical Technology graduate from the Philippine Women’s University back in 1983 and obtained her Board Certification from the American Society of Clinical Pathology before she worked as a Laboratory Supervisor for 7 years and as a Senior Technologist at the New York Presbyterian Hospital following her job as a Laboratory Inspector for the College of American Pathologist in leading hospitals in New York. For thirteen years, this low profile Laboratory Scientist was a Quality Management Specialist of the Department of Laboratories at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York where she was deservingly voted the “Best Employee of the Year” for the Hematology Department.
A devout catholic and active parishioner of the Holy Spirit Church and contentedly enjoying the blessings of her three decades of blissful married life to Vitaliano “Nonoy” Rafael, an engineer and realtor and the son of former Justice Vicente Rafael and Dr. Felicita Villavicencio, DD., the couple raised three children: Justin, the eldest, is a registered pharmacist and works as a Supervising Pharmacist at CVS for 3 years; Jermyn, fresh from college armed with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St John’s University and also employed at CVS; and Jacqueline, the youngest and only girl, is currently enrolled at St. John’s University taking, what else, but Pharmacy.
With their kids all grown up while transcending the limitations of their upbringing, almost established, and starting to build a life of their own, Joji and Nonoy have nothing but Momo, their 4-year-old Yorkie, to cuddle and pamper. “Life has been good to me… to us…I could not ask for more. My world of ever- changing challenges became manageable together with my husband which we both dealt as a team and never individually like opposing forces in a war zone.”
“I meet his needs without compromising my own while consistently maintaining our own identities. We create and shared dreams. He’s my best buddy as I am to him. Ours is a two-way thoroughfare as we thrive on a give-and take and on please-me-as-I-please-you situations which effectively worked for our marriage as a lifetime commitment.” Joji profoundly conveyed her personal thoughts about having a harmonious marital relationship.
Her life’s perspective may have changed with the passing of time and her foresights have aged with the years but the startling reality of her youthful charm has never seen its revelation and has forever remained furled. Effervescently looking with the right curves still perfectly proportionate to her svelte frame and sylphlike stature, newly proclaimed 2014 Mrs. Independence Day is touted to reign supreme while rightfully guided by her inherent motherly instinct and socially-relevant dispositions.
True enough, Joji fittingly suits to the enlightening words of Proverbs 12:4 that goes: “A virtuous wife of noble character is her husband’s crown … but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.”
Meet Joji and see her in person, together with the members of her royal court, when she joins numerous celebrity guests and Filipino-American community organizations in a colorful PIDCI annual parade celebrating the Silver Anniversary of the Philippine Independence celebration along Madison Avenue in New York City on Sunday, June 1, 2014.
Hail, Josephine “Joji” Vilar Rafael, PIDCI’s Mrs. Kalayaan 2014!
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