All In A Day

The alarm goes off at 6:15, I snooze a bit, then get up, make breakfast and get ready for work.  Sometimes I don’t catch Stefan anymore, or if I do, he and Sherwin send me off the door.  I leave behind my mommy hat and off I go to work.  Sherwin’s in charge of Stefan, sends him to school then go to work himself.

 

Different things happen at work, such as today I was assigned to help out in a different department, therefore had to absorb completely new information from a short training period, apply it and be sure I make no mistakes.

 

I would have only about 30minutes, that is behind the wheel, to look back on what I did for the day at work cos I was heading to pick up my son from his school, where once I get him, I would be putting my mommy hat back on. 

So the teacher told me that my son misbehaved today and he had time-out.  So driving home I was juggling my thoughts between the training I had at work and what Teacher had just told me.  But instantly when I got home, I got other things to do that I had to put these thoughts aside for the mean time.

 

I give my son snacks while I get dinner ready.  And while I chop the ingredients, I answer to his never-ending questions and look at the pictures he tries to show me and in between them have to put him on the naughty chair for more misbehaving.  With the chicken in the oven and my chayote simmering, there is a load in the dishwasher that has to be put back to the cupboard, at the same time the hubby goes up with the laundry basket, like an instant reminder that there’s some folding to do afterwards.

I become more at ease with dinner time as my son now manages to eat by himself.  Hubby helps with the cleaning up.  But I would still have to sweep the crumbs off the floor, wash the dishes, and clean up the kitchen, while father and son go for bath.  We finish about the same time.  Then we read bedtime stories alternately or together and tuck my son to bed.  Moving forward, it’s our own personal time.

 

We always make it a point to share a nightime snack as we watch TV, surf the net or go through the flyers.  And, if not forgotten, retrieve those thoughts I have set aside a while back, discuss or just vent during our rare uninterrupted chats.  Then it would be time for bed.  I would squeeze in some time for yoga/stretching while classical music plays along to release myself off the stress of my groundhog days. 

 

I look at the time.  It’s 11:00.

 

*   *   *

 

A realistic poem I read from surfing brought about by some occasional frustration why so many things have to be done and why there becomes less and less time for oneself.  If this would be some kind of consolation, it ain't that bad after all.

Hats Off to Mothers

My mommy's a nurse who fixes and patches
All of my hurts and my sores and my scratches.
My mother's a chef who fixes each dinner
Fit for a king - a blue-ribbon winner!
My mom's a chauffeur who drives pretty slow
But gets me to places where I need to go.
My mom's a detective, and no one is greater
At getting the truth from me sooner or later.
My mommy's a gardener and works really hard,
Planting and weeding and grooming our yard.
My mother's a maid - at least that's what she said -
'Cause she cleans up the house and makes every bed.
My mother's an angel - a queen in disguise -
Who teaches the gospel with tears in her eyes.
Today take these hats off, and please wear no other.
Let me do your work, to show I LOVE YOU, MOTHER!

 

 

Bei Ying

n.

 

1.  Mandarin word for the back image of a person

2.  a feeling or cause of gloom or unhappiness (that is to me)

3.  one of Ahia’s short skit in the 80’s, which also starred Mom (if you would believe)

 

While stopped at an intersection driving to work this morning, I came across a mother sending off his grade school son to the school that is diagonally across the corner where they both parted ways.  I noticed the mom watched his son cross the intersection until he disappeared off her sight.  It reminded me of the bei ying moments I had with my family.

 

When I was in Grade 2, Nat was in Grade 5.  She always stayed in my classroom until the bell rings.  She would then go to her class and would keep looking back at me.  And I would look at her until she disappeared.  We did that about everyday.

 

Everytime I would leave Taiwan after visiting Ahia & Dich, Ahia sends me to the airport.  He would stay with me until boarding and we would keep looking back at each other until either of us was gone.

 

On my family’s first visit to Canada after we migrated, we spent our last breakfast at Tim Hortons before they all went back to New Jersey.  Sherwin and I watched them drove off until their van was no longer visible.  Mom said, they also were looking back at me and Sherwin as we were walking back to our condo.  Of course, that was with matching crying a bucket of tears.

 

While we still lived in Oshawa and Sherwin worked in Oakville, I sent him to the train station everyday.  I would look at him until he got into the train, he would look until I drive away, and we would wave goodbye at each other one too many times.

 

We don’t do that anymore now.  Well… maybe just not as dramatic, because I find that everytime we both leave for work in the morning, Sherwin still waits for me to drive away a distance before he drives away in the opposite direction. 

 

You can say we have a thing for bei ying, hence the feeling of gloom it brings, because I really miss my family.  There is yet another bei ying moment waiting to happen should we meet again.

 

 "Tandang-tanda ko pa noong ikaw’y papalayo; tinitingnan kita, hanggang wala ka na."

-  Nonoy Zuniga's Kumusta Ka

How Much is Gasoline Today?

Going home from Stefan's school everyday we pass by a Petro Canada.  Stefan would always tell me how much gasoline is... in his own denomination.

"Nine hundred ninety eight."

"Ten hundred nine."

"Ten hundred thirty three."

"Ten hundred seventy two."

If not that, it's bus numbers, car plates, and house numbers... 267... 556... 9517... 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 ... until he reaches 41 -- our home.