I encountered the Big O way before GandaEverSoMuch.com was born. It was during one of my 'pumapapel' stints at the Yaman Gensan 2009. The Sir Orman was one of the judges in the Business Plan competition, and I was one of the representatives of our university whose business plan was to be bashed with no mercy by the judges.

Yes, our paper was judged and critiqued to our hearts' despair. He delved into the complexities of our business plan, as we have expected and prepared for. But as the session came to an end, the Big O complained of our below-standard thickness of paper, as well as the single-spaced document that we submitted. "Wala bang matinong photocopier sa school n'yo?". My colleagues know me as someone who'll never stop defending something that we worked on for a week of bloody, sleepless nights, but instead of speaking further to defend myself, I was amused and got no words to speak anymore! (Speech cloud above me: "'T*** **a, 'di ko naisip yun ah!") 'Hell, he's right. Our school in the desert lacks a decent photocopier, and we have misunderstood the instructions for the business plan.

Sir O is someone who makes it big in almost everything that he gets his Royal Gandaness into, but this experience made me realize one thing: sometimes, our expectations are just too high, or we look for something fabulous or extraordinary in a deed, but what really matters are the basics - the tiniest details make up all the great things in the world. But, still, he is one Big and Nasty O!

If dogs could surf the web and, by any possible means, could come across GandaEverSoMuch.com, the Big O's bedroom must be 'dog heaven' and the Big O is the master to die for. I, along with some blogger-friends, had the chance to become refugees/adopteds by the Big O in his castle. I just could not helped but be WOWed at how the Big O loves his 'son' so much, and how loyal Chad is to his Royal Gandaness. Just by looking at them having a great time cuddling in bed makes you think that his heart is indeed bigger than his waistline.

There is no way that three refugees could fit with the Big O on his huge bed in his castle. It's fine for me because I can sleep on any flat surface with a good pillow. I could not get my mind to expect for anything because I was too tired to even move. But the Queen of the House, no matter how tired he is, prepared a cozy place for us to sleep on, and even gave us nomnomables before we retired to bed. We had a sound sleep despite Chad's(?) snoring.

The morning after that night, Sir O was nowhere to be found - he went to a church event, which explains the sound of bags of coins earlier that night. By our feet, on the table, is breakfast for the two lazybones sleeping on the floor. SPEECHLESS. The Big O that everybody looks up to has just prepared us breakfast! I just felt like my mom heartily prepared breakfast for me. Despite his busy schedule (we saw him dancing with his churchmates later in the day - one big surprise!), Sir Orman did not only play host to a bunch of refugees, but also did so in a motherly way. Our treatment at the Manansala Castle was, by far, the most motherly in all of the homes-away-from-home that I've stayed in. Parting words: "At least, alam n'yo nang may matutuluyan kayo."

Sir Orman might not be who you expect to be, but this O is the cuddliest and the most lovable of all the Big Os that you could ever meet.

Posted as an entry to GandaEverSoMuch.com's Week 7 Contest Finale: Blog-Writing & Photo Contest, and as a BIG thank-you note for being the Big O with the big heart. :)