My Christmas Wish

 

The holiday season makes some of us movie fanatics picture Serendipity, Love Actually, The Holiday, The Family Man; the ice skating at Rockefeller Centre; upcountry skiing and tobogganing; snow scene Christmas cards; Santa Claus & Frosty; Christmas specials; and New Year Countdown at Times Square.

 

But for someone who now lives in one of the coldest parts of the earth, it isn’t just all that anymore.  It is all that plus living the cold temperatures of -20s and -30s, where preparing to go out needs double time, where taking a bath becomes torture, where being in the car is like being in a cold storage, where driving becomes unsafe, where your fingertips get ice burn even with gloves, and where even just throwing garbage requires an outfit change.  Needless to say, puffy jackets, knee-high boots, thermal underwear, dry skin, static hair, chapped lips, so on and so forth.

 

The good thing – the only thing I can think of -- about this season though is that you can put frozen food items in the garage if the freezer is full, and you can buy perishables like milk and cheese, leave them in the car, go on with your shopping and not worry about them spoiling. 

 

And what else is good about this season?  I have to say, Christmas.  Although depressing most times, it triggers thoughts of Christmas back home and lots of memories with it:

 

• Christmas bazaars
• Christmas rush in tiangge
• Roasted chestnuts at Virra Mall
• Christmas tree and decors at Shangri-La
• Early Christmas tunes in shopping malls
• Different renditions of Pasko na Sinta ko
• Christmas in Our Hearts
• Children caroling in the street
• Thank you, thank u, ang babarat ninyo,…!
• Giving goodies to street beggars
• Choral contest in high school
• Christmas parties at work and in school
• UP Lantern Parade, Oblation Run & Miss Eng'g
• Shopping for and wrapping Christmas gifts
• Buying raffle prizes from Makro
• Giving away company t-shirts
• Ham & queso de bola, bibingka and biko
• Kris Kringle
• Holiday breeze while in Eastwood
• Beautifully decorated homes in Pasig and Makati
• The parols that line up in Gilmore
• Boom na Boom & Star City
• Decorating Christmas tree in our house
• Christmas dinners at home
• Especially the platefuls of sua-he
• GMA & ABS’s Christmas campaigns
• The Metro Manila Film Fest craze
• Christmas-themed movies like Tanging Yaman
• Watching fireworks from the penthouse
• A-ko’s annual birthday party
• Christmas party at Sai’s house every 30th
• Watusi and fountain, those were the days
• 89.9 & 97.1 Top 100 countdown
• Out-of-town Christmas with in-laws
• New Year in Baguio
• Lots of food, family, and friends

     not

I’m Ù dreaming of a white Christmas.  I want to be home for Christmas.

 

 

Every Cloud Is Silver Lined

Since Stefan is at daycare most part of the day, he now misses Thomas & Friends on TV. So, occasionally, I would just let him watch the DVD if he comes home from school. As I watched with him I saw this sing-along video. I never would have thought that I could pick up something from children's videos, let alone be moved by them. While Stefan got entertained by his favorite Thomas characters (Bill and Ben in this one), I couldn't help but sing along and found the lyrics inspiring and timely. Stefan sang along, too. So, play the video and sing along!

No Interruptions

Our typical eat-out

Sherwin and I went out for lunch without Stefan today for the very first time since he was born.  He was at daycare, exactly where he was supposed to be.  And within that time, so were we.  Getting out of the house and in to the car without having to strap Stefan onto his carseat alone felt liberating.  Typical actions we do often that we take for granted, that without responsibility at that moment, felt really good to do for the very first time.  Taking advantage of his absence made us look and feel like mice running out to play while the cat was away. We rarely had a meal as quick and quiet as we had today.  The first time we could order all the spicy dishes our palate can take, not having to have corn soup instead of the tastier hot & sour soup, and not having to give up my spring roll for the wee little one who loves it.  More importantly, we were able to have good conversation with the great meal with no interruptions.

 

Today is Stefan’s first long day at daycare.  Dropping him off was pretty easy.  He didn’t refuse to stay, neither did he hold on to me to make me stay.  The hard part was driving back home and realizing he was okay while I was not and that the one who would have the separation anxiety after all was me, and not him.  For the past weeks I was preparing the family for this transition - the change in routine and schedule - but I guess, there can never be enough preparation for the emotional transition.  I was never seperated from him for the last three years, so – trust me - this is not going to be easy for me.   

 

I am not used to being at home without Stefan.   He keeps me on my toes all the time.  Now all of a sudden, the tasks I would normally do all day long vanished with him.  I didn’t have to go up and down to check on him, to keep wiping the floor so he can walk barefoot, to read him books one after another as he would often demand, to pick up his books he lays on the floor all the time, to constantly check if he’s on his bed for nap or if he has already sneaked out of his room, to prepare his meal and snacks, and the many other things I do for and with him.  With time on my hands now, I can finally do my laundry, wash the dishes from breakfast, watch the morning shows I haven’t watched in a long time, read the books I got from the library, water the grass, prepare ingredients for dinner, send out resumes for job application, check email, write on my blog, and do other house chores… this time with no interruptions.

 

Shortly after I get done with all these, he’ll be home and he can have my time and attention, with no interruptions, too.

 

Daydreaming is My BusYness

 

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?"

- Henry David Thoreau

“Busy” is often my answer when asked how I am doing.  Busy with too much I don’t run out of things to do and sometimes busy doing nothing.  I was emailing nobela to Harriet today and found it strange that I didn’t just pick up the phone and call her.  There’s always this notion that she might be busy or I am busy when she’s not. 

The idea of time - having time, making time and no time – here is different from what I’ve been used to.  Back in Manila I have the privilege (yes, I call that a privilege) of meeting my family almost everyday while also seeing my cousins and friends every now and then.  Because Papa lets me use his car is a different story.  I also get to talk to my sister every single day.  Here, people who live as close as even just 30 minutes away may not even have that luxury (yes, it is also a luxury).  One might meet grocery cashiers more often than he would anybody he knows.  Guilty!  While I would telebabad in Manila, here our phone just sits and collects dust.  And while before I would exceed my text messaging limit with my cellphone, here I don’t even own one.  Sherwin does, but he charges his phone more often than he uses it.  Texting is a long gone hobby. 

 

One would say, I’m a stay-at-home mom, I don’t have work, what makes me busy?  To that I say, I have a 24/7 job and it’s the hardest job on earth.  Now is that enough explanation why I am often busy?  I am not complaining though.  I am a happy homemaker.  But there are times I wonder if my life would be any different if I had not migrated, except only to realize that the what-ifs would be a waste of time to delve into.  After all, there will never be a finite picture, only imagination.

 

A plane ticket to go home is pricey.  To hire a maid is even more costly.  To sit down and do nothing would be like dead.  This is where daydreaming sets in.  It allows you to be with anyone anywhere anytime in thoughts.  It feels good while it lasts.  It takes you away from the so-called busy life for a while and puts you back giving you a different aura.  It makes you appreciate and embrace reality – where you are, where you come from and where you’re going to be.

 

And did I say it is free?

 

 

When Serendipity Makes Friends

Her name rang a bell before we’ve even met. It must be our common ground. She was editor/writer for one of ABS CBN's fashion magazines. I was the avid reader. We were not yet born when our mothers were neighbors in Caloocan. Serendipity brought our mothers to meet more than 30 years later at Alex III restaurant.  Traded stories about their children until finding out they have daughters in Canada.  Auntie Gloria recounts how my Mom could barely pronounce Mississauga - where we both currently live.  What a coincidence!  It must have been a brief meeting to catch up, to think it's been years.  So Auntie Gloria paid Mom a visit shortly after.  Dropped off a book for Harriet.  Traded more stories.  Had halo-halo J

 

Then finally Harriet and I met, thousands of miles from where I first read her name, in a different time zone, with a now different occupation, but still in that common ground. Although she reads more and writes better, we share the same enthusiasm for magazines, and for celebrities, food, fashion, lifestyle and most recently, blogs. Add to that, since we are now mothers ourselves, we share parenting tips (with more experience, mostly she does).

 

This true-life "Serendipity" gives me shivers upto now, to see how two people who had an almost negligible connection could find their way to each other and become friends.

 

P.S. Auntie Lesian (in yellow shirt) was Mom's classmate from PCHS '55-'58. She lives in Toronto. Her daughter Diane (not in the picture) happens to be a close friend of Harriet. Serendipity it is!

 

Favorites Things: At Home

 

• Camp chairs on our deck I can keep if it rains or if it’s winter, but, truth is, I want to keep it from collecting dust.
• Artificial tree to bring the outdoor in
• Historic Boston candle, a gift from Gyneth
• Twigs to liven up a boring corner
• Rattan-base lamp shade
• My files neatly tucked in my Billy bookcase
• Stefan’s clock, a mix of wood and steel
• Remote control holder that is Bali-feel
• Sherwin says the 2 trees in this painting are the two of us, together wherever we may be... eeew!
• Vanilla-scented candles
• Soft cushions
• Teflon pans in pucci and damask prints
• Picture frames of families
• Green-stripes armchair and curtain to match
• Sungka my dining table centerpiece that Mom bought all the way from Manila
• Another vanilla-scented candle for the bathroom

I adhere to the same fashion statement when it comes to my house.  My home is pretty much an extension of myself.  I want people to walk into my home and know who I am, where I have been, what I like and what moves me.  Things don’t have to be expensive to look good.  I’m more of function and style.  Paintings don’t have to be original.  I’d rather it has meaning to me - aside from its decorative purpose - than it is going to be a Picasso or Malang (aside from I cannot afford them).  I have often wanted my home to look like a page from a magazine, but that’s hard to achieve now especially when you have a train track in your living room, or when there are always Stefan’s odds and ends in all other parts of the house.  I still make a conscious effort though to keep the house neat and clutter-free (that’s my obsessive compulsive behavior).  I want my home to be a place where I would love to come home to at the end of the day, or where I could just stay home, sit down and unwind.

 

 

My Fashion Statement

 

I love fashion, but I don’t follow trends.  I am not a mallrat either.  Hard to be one when there’s so much things to do at home and for the family.  With four “fashion” seasons, a preschooler, and bills to pay, I update my wardrobe only when necessary.  I buy new makeup when the old ones expire.  I jazz up a plain old outfit with accessories.  There’s SALE season and there are outlet malls where you can indulge once in a while.  And then, there are gifts.  It is a different story if I see something I “love at first sight”.

 

But then, there will always be the clothes that I will wear until the color fades, the perfume that I will use until the last drop, shoes that are so comfy I'll slip on until it’s worn out, jacket I'll wear season after season, and other pieces I so love that I just couldn’t depart from.  Here are just some of them:

 

A) The light and fresh scent of Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea;

B) Blue and pink eyeshadow;

C) Bedside staples I put on every night;

D) Talc-free face powder;

E) A favorite t-shirt;

F) My plain tees;

G) Hair pieces;

H) Spring trench with beautiful embroidery;

 I) Belts to accessorize (and in case the pants get loose);

J) Chokers, lariats, bracelets, earrings and my wedding ring;

K) My obi with chinese textile design;

L) The often-mistaken-as-Gucci tote bag;

M) Ipanema flipflops with its attractive pattern and writings;

N) Ballet flats that never go out of style;

O) Adidas-looking sneakers;

P) Toiletry bag I love for its print

 

 

Fashion is what catches your attention when you see them, what you can afford if you want to buy them, what makes you feel attractive when you try them, and what makes you comfortable wearing them.

 

 

Cure for the Heartache

 I’ve been down and low for the past many weeks after a petty squabble with someone that hugely grew out of proportion.  The argument had its roots, but as in most cases, we ended up arguing about how to argue.  It was heart-wrenching to go through the hurting for so long especially when I am the type who would sulk in silence rather than dish the dirt to just anyone I would talk to.

 

While the misunderstanding has yet to be resolved (or no not never, I hope not), I am moving on and moving forward.  Although it’s easier said than done, I am getting by with the endless love and understanding from my all-time confidant – Sherwin, who else.  I realized that I don’t have to look too far and ask where’s everybody else when you already have him right in front of you.  He telling me “You always have me” is just icing on the cake.

 

When the weather hit above 35C the past week, knowing me as a tightwad esp with utilities, he sent me a note from work asking me not to scrimp on electricity, turn on the A/C and he will just work extra hours to pay for our comfort.  When eating, he gives me the best part of the chicken (but the leg is non-negotiable).  He gives me the last piece of sansrival because he knows it’s my favorite.  He gets the burnt pork BBQ stick so I will not have it.  He washes the dishes for me if I am tired.  He changes Stefan when I have had too much to deal with already.  He listens to my bakya showbiz and blog talks.  He watches Entertainment Tonight, America’s Next Top Model, Desperate Housewives, and the likes with me (but I watch Prison Break & NBA with him, too).  He allows me to leave the curtain open to sleep so I can see the moon and the stars from my side even if it’s bright at his.  He is always concerned if I am getting enough rest, enough sleep, enough drink, etc.  He would let me drive the nicer car.  He trusts my fashion sense.  And my opinion about everything, to him, is just as important as his own. 

 

These are just a few of those sensitivities that you never would have expected from someone.  In high school these could be the equivalent of what would have been kilig moments.  But to me, it’s the cure for my (every) heartache. 

 

Wedding & Anniversaries (July 2002-2007)

 

"It seems right now that all I've ever done in my life is making my way here to you.  This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime."

– Bridges of Madison County

Mango's Cheeks

 

 

‘Tis the season for Ataulfo mangoes!  Whatever it is called in the groceries, be it Ataulfo mangoes, Champagne mangoes or Manila mangoes (an obvious hint), it’s a must buy.  It is often sold in cases of 14-18 pcs at the chinese grocery.  But for a family of just three, which already includes Stefan, I buy it loose, even if I'm lugi. Because Mom would always remind me that mangoes, despite its nutritious element and superb taste, are diyet.  Eaten too much will increase the body heat, hence cause your skin to break out in the form of the dreaded pimple or singaw.

 

Despite the warnings, mangoes have always been a staple in our dishes/meals.  It is julienned with crabstick and cucumber with Japanese mayonnaise to make California Maki.  It is diced with onion and tomatoes and spiced-up with bagoong for an appetizing ensalada.  It is balled as with watermelon & melon, and mixed with strips of coconut for that lovely fruit salad.  It is pureed into the mango sago dessert that punctuates a Chinese laureate feast.  It is also be processed further to make dried mangoes, sherbet, mango chutneys, gelatin and many others.  But I find that mangoes are best eaten naked.  And I like it sliced sagad sa buto to have the biggest cheek possible.

 

In the absence of Philippines mangoes, the Ataulfo is truly a wonderful discovery, because if I haven’t done so yet, my mom would not stop at bugging every person coming to Canada to bring me mangoes (because she stops over USA in every of her visit, she cannot do the personal delivery).  The Ataulfo is smaller than its relative, the Philippine mango, but it has the thinnest seed of any mangoes which makes the meat portion large for its size.  And for a bonus, the meat is string-less. 

 

I have always loved mangoes for as long as I can remember.  Back home, the extra piece or slice of mango, no doubt, goes to my plate.  When I was still that little picky-eater, mangoes with rice makes a meal (a combination I would only eat now if at a sushi house).  My dad would often tease that I have eaten thousands of kilos of mangoes already to this day.  Thanks for spoiling me!

 

The three of us would normally share two pieces of mangoes.  Stefan gets his fair share of one cheek which leaves an uneven portion to split between me and Sherwin.  Three mangoes would have solved the imbalance, but then one of us would be eating beyond the acceptable serving size with the diyet warning in mind.  But knowing my track record with mangoes, Sherwin surrenders 2 big cheeks to me, leaving him with a cheek and two seeds that are messy to eat.  If this is not an extension of spoiling me with mangoes, what a sweet and luscious compromise! 

Everything Happens for a Reason

Last month I met our neighbors Tarek & Heba for the first time at the playground where our kids were playing.  They invited us to their house for tea.  We talked mostly about the neighborhood since we moved here almost the same time last year, and of course we talked about our kids.  Their 4-year-old daughter Maya goes to daycare while both parents work.

It suddenly dawned on me, as if I was awakened from my coma, that such an arrangement does work after all. Papa has always wanted me to go back to work after I had Stefan, and I kept dismissing the thought all along.  My reason, I will be putting everything I will earn just to pay for Stefan's daycare.

One month later.  I now have the preschool's Parent Handbook in my hands.  My days with Stefan are numbered.  No, I'm not going to be in coma, not again.  He's just going to start preschool next month, while I am finally going back to work.  I am still job hunting at the moment. But that will be an entirely different story to write about.

Heba & Maya had already left when we got to the playground after dinner on that evening last month.  We only caught Tarek who was checking the mailbox on his way back to their house.  Moments later, they all came back to the playground. 

I have always believed that everything in this world happens for a reason, even the smallest details that merely pass us by.  If we had not decided to go for a walk that evening, or if our neighbors had not gone back, we wouldn't have met them.  The conversation would not have taken place and we would not have arrived at the decisions we have made today.  Papa may still be convincing me to go back to work.  And his words could still be falling on deaf ears.  And I may still keep wondering when I can ever put Stefan in an environment with other kids for social interaction and more active play, which are harder to teach and learn at home.

Yesterday I was slammed with pages of forms to be filled-out and a list of "Items to bring in" to school.  While I am excited about the thought of Stefan going to preschool, I am also getting emotional to see him thrive in the world outside Mommy's arms of love and protection which I have gladly and so unselfishly provided for almost 3 years.  I am comforted though by the fact that 'to everything there is a season,' and for everything there is a reason. 

And the season is now; the reason, big enough to just let it all happen.

 

My Daily Dose of Happiness

 

-         Waking up and snoozing for another 10 minutes

-         Toast with butter, sugar and cheese

-         Checking email and receiving anything but none

-         Email-ful of photos from family and friends

-         Getting an offline message from YM

-         Text messages from friends back home

-         Finishing that last load of laundry

-         Finishing just any chore you’ve been putting off in your to-do list

-         Stefan singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars while pretending to wash hands (from the Potty Power DVD)

-         Stefan reading out anything numeric around the house, eg. microwave clock, calculator buttons, model code on the telephone shower, ml of his shampoo, telephone numbers in leaflets, prices in the IKEA catalogue, page numbers, etc.

-         Blogs that keep me entertained on boring days

-         Showbiz gossip as if I’m back home

-         Finishing a meal with Stefan

-         Having the last piece of chocnut and polvoron from Aunt Judith’s pasalubong

-         Stefan eating a whole peach

-         Stefan excited over his glass of milk

-         Taking Stefan out for a walk

-         Updated photos of my Friendster friends

-         Checking on Stefan to find him still napping, which means more “me” time

-         The sound of kids playing on the street

-         Rain pitter-pattering on the window

-         Phonecalls, except from telemarketers

-         Finding that last Thomas & Friends DVD at the library

-         Sherwin coming home from work

-         An excited Stefan to see his daddy

-         Daddy and son doing storytime

-         Stefan’s asleep which gives me and Sherwin our own personal time

-         Stefan sleeping through the night

-         Midnight snack of ice cream, chips or just green tea

-         Watching Friends reruns          

-         The highway/grassfield view outside the window

-         Aircraft noise, that I have become immune to, that makes me imagine a trip going home or a vacation

-         The tons of magazines that Harriet has lent me, she got from Phils

-         Self-help books that help me become a zen parent

-         Classical music or Enya that put me to sleep

-         Waking up to another day where greater happiness awaits        

 

The secret to finding eternal happiness, to me, is finding joy in the most simple things.

 

 

Stefan's first walk, Feb 2006

Thinking Out Loud

That is, my stomach.  It's thinking...

.. Haagen daz cookies & vanilla bar
.. Haagen daz coffee ice cream
.. Mrs. Fields white chocolate macadamia
.. DQ's ice cream cake
.. strawberry fruit shake

 

.. Mauna Loa chocolate macadamia nuts
.. roasted peanuts with lots of garlic
.. Boy Bawang cornicks
.. Swiss Delice's Prestige du Chocolatier
.. Guy Lian Belgian Chocolate
.. Lay's curry potato chips

.. Cinnabon cinnamon buns
.. Wang's Kitchen's fried ice cream
.. Pork BBQ buns
.. Egg tart
.. Redenbacher jalapeno popcorn

 

.. Starbucks green tea frappuccino
.. Johnny Rockets' cookies&cream milkshake
.. Bubble Republic's chicken poppers and taro pearl milk tea
.. Phillip's premium crab cake
.. Johnny Rocket's chicken club house
.. corn on the cob w/butter & salt
.. ice-cold diet Coke

.. pizzapizza's chicken bruschetta parm
.. Burger King's chicken fries w/ yummy buffalo sauce
.. fresh salmon sashimi, an all-you-can eat is great
.. ika sushi w/ a dot of wasabi in between
.. shrimp and vegetable tempura esp broccoli
.. soft-shelled crabs
.. crabstick in wasabi mayo sandwich

.. grilled lambchops
.. Hakka cuisine
.. Indian butter chicken & palak paneer with mango lassi
.. Pho beef noodle soup
.. Malaysian seafood laksa
.. anything Thai - curry, Pad Thai, basil chicken, Tom Yum & Tom Ka

 

.. fried turnips or lo bok go (say the cantonese term for quicker order)
.. anything broccoli that i can never have enough of
.. fresh lumpia w/lots of ho-thi
.. hot bowl of soup on a cold winter supper
.. ube, langka & keso sorbetero ice cream
.. the taho vendor's taho w/syrup & sago
.. green & yellow mangoes, fruit or shake

.. Spiral's all you can eat fresh oysters... and dessert.
.. all-time favorite Alex 3 chicken bbq
.. Seaside's seafood galore that I should go back to
.. Grills & Sizzles cheap but good steak
.. Yellow Cab salsa chicken pizza
.. Iceberg's mango con hielo

.. Mini Shabu Shabu hotpot, love your own!
.. but I love Gloriamaris' too
.. sisig, laing, bicol express... anything similar
.. KFC chicken, esp the refillable gravy
.. Jollibee chicken joy
.. bacolod chicken

.. crispy chicken skin
.. Lapids chicharon
.. Chivalry pusit
.. Jack n Jill potato chips
.. sansrival & sylvanas
.. Sugarhouse ensaymada
.. chilly dalandan shake 

.. home cook meals that include but not limited to alimango con gata; grilled shrimps; steamed suahe; chayote; mom's own version of Chicken Joy & KFC chicken; bulgogi tenderloin; boneless chicken BBQ; roasted porkloin; bouillabaisse; maki mi; sotanghon; chamisua; sharksfin soup; lychee gulaman; and any dish you request that never disappoints

I never thought listing these would be just as fun as having them.  I doubt that my stomach can contain all these, though.  Well,... but at least in thought... and out loud.

February 05, 2007

The Station

by Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long, long trip that almost spans the continent. We're traveling by passenger train, and out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of biting winter and blazing summer and cavorting spring and docile fall.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. There sill be bands playing, and flags waving. And once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true. So many wishes will be fulfilled and so many pieces of our lives finally will be neatly fitted together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering ... waiting, waiting, waiting, for the station.

However, sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"When we reach the station, that will be it !" we cry. Translated it means, "When I'm 18, that will be it ! When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it ! When I put the last kid through college, that will be it ! When I have paid off the mortgage, that will be it ! When I win a promotion, that will be it ! When I reach the age of retirement, that will be it ! I shall live happily ever after !"

Unfortunately, once we get it, then it disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. Rather, it is regret over yesterday or fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

April 19, 2006

The Long and Short of It

After months of anticipation, my Mom and sister Nat arrived New Jersey.  A day later and still jetlagged, they embarked on yet another long bus trip from NJ to Toronto.  I could just imagine how exhausting it was on their part, to travel half way around the world just to visit us – me and Achi.  After an almost 24-hour flight from Manila to NJ and the 12-hour bus ride from NJ to Toronto, simultaneous with my sleepless nights and excitement, we finally met!

How long - or should I aptly say how short - is their stay?  8 days, to be exact.  And that was after weeks of debating about and dividing their time between NJ and Toronto.  How quickly did those 8 days go!  Days went pass another so fast you’d wish you could save time in a bottle.

 

Mom and Nat have gone back to NJ to spend another week with Achi.  After which Nat makes a side trip to Taiwan to see Ahia & Dich, while Mom heads straight to Manila. 

It’s so oft said, time flies so fast.  It does indeed and so felt by our family.  Ahia once said, our life is like paintings and pictures passing through our eyes.  The anticipation of seeing each other is always longer than the actual time we spend together.  Someone also wrote, there is much beauty in sharing during the time you spend together what each of you did during the time that you spent apart.  The only thing is, the time spent apart is far too long.

We’re flying to Manila in June.  It will be our first time in 3 years.  The anticipation for this visit goes far back as when the plan was just conceived.  Between now and then is 10 long weeks (yes, I’m counting).  Again, that is way too longer than our actual stay in Manila.

Will there ever be a time when there will be shorter wait to longer bliss?

April 12, 2006

The Four Men in My Life

My Pipi.  The person I have the ultimate respect for.  Simply because he's my father.  And for all that he is.  He is known for his sense of humour that can bring the house down.  He has the wit and charm that make him adored by many.  And the kindness that makes him loved by everyone.  I recall, he would often buy me street taho in the morning and ask the maid to bring it to me in bed.  And he would always pull each of my toes while we're watching TV together.  He isn't great with english, but he plays very good Scrabble.  And every game would surely have a laughing moment.  Even now when we chat by YM - yes, he chats - he'd make me laugh with his remarks.  Our chat would always start with a "Hi Istafan!" (Stefan is my son's name, heehee), and a "Mom still sleeping".  For those who know him, you'll know what I mean when I say he's so cute, isn't he? I love him and I miss him soooo much.  For the mean time I have only the countless fond memories of him to reminisce.



My Ahia.  The most influential person in my life.  A genius himself, he has taught me so much when I was yet so little.  We'll have our own SRA classes.  Made me memorize the 13 countries of South America and their capitals.  Taught me Spanish when Dora was not yet conceived, (ask me now the only sentence I can say is Los libros estan en el pupitre).  And he'd reward us with Ladybird Classics storybooks and Barbie dolls.  He has an unbelievable vast knowledge in history and current events.  He loves and knows movies like no other.  He was the instrument to my taking Industrial Engineering in university, and would have been the instrument (again) if I had taken up Dentistry instead.  I left the Philippines also because of his influence.  Perhaps indirectly.  To this day, he is still the "lifeline" in all my decision-makings, and in any trivial matters.  He is just that person I will always revere and look up to in all categories of life. 


My husband. 
My kabarkada-turned-boyfriend-turned-husband.  Who'd ever thought we're gonna come together?  One tiny favor started it all.  My lifelong companion.  Couldn't ask for better.  I am always grateful for every single  detail in my past that has put me where I am today, because I'm with him.  And there are no "what if's".  And while this phrase sounds formulaic, he truly makes me a better person each day.  We've been through a lot together.  And in any place where you'd seem to feel alone, we have each other.



My son.  Stefan.  A relationship that started not long ago.  He has changed my life in so many ways.  Allow me to say, that meant he has made it harder.  But he continues to amaze me day by day.  Someone that may not get at par with the other three men in my life, but would similarly make a huge impression.  I myself would make a strong one on him - for sure - while attending to him 24/7.









I am truly blessed to have these four men in my life.  And I am writing my first blog entry in honor of them.

January 17, 2006