Buwan ng Wika

Jake, Andre, DD

To celebrate the last school day for the Buwan ng Wika (month of the Filipino language), Jake wore Barong Tagalog (national costume for men) to school this morning. My crazy imagination gave me a visual of how my boy would look like in about 20-25 years, when he decides to wear the same type of outfit for his wedding. Eep... Erase! Erase!

So anyway...

There may be a high percentage of non-Filipino students in his school, but, to the delight of parents, that didn't stop them from singing Filipino songs and dancing to Filipino music. :) They even re-enacted the "bayanihan" spirit where an assigned group of high school students jointly carried on their shoulders a hut made of nipa around the gym.

It was a short affair that lasted for about 2 hours max, just enough time for me to get back to work right after. To cap the morning session, Jake's class had a feast of all-Filipino food that the parents were requested to bring. We contributed pansit palabok, heheh... Is that even Filipino? On our way home, just like the rest of the mommies, I managed to bring pieces of budbud and bibingka that I wasn't able to finish.

Face, Manga, Avatar

Yes, I work in an IT company but I'm far from being a developer or a software engineer. I belong to the hr/admin/finance group. But when you're surrounded by the young and the tech-y, you couldn't help but try what they've been up to.

Take for example the Faceyourmanga site. I noticed contacts in my Twitter and YM accounts have changed their avatars. So I joined in the fray and made an avatar for myself as well. Hahaha... Gaya-gaya. Though the word "manga" seems strange to me, however, the site wasn't really anything complicated. Check out the image above. Do I look (even remotely) similar to the avatar I made? Would I change my avatar pics on Wordpress or Twitter or Yahoo Messenger using this?

I guess not. :) The avatar kinda looks cute though... Hehehe...

Litratong Pinoy: Mithi

repost ng aking paboritong panandaliang aliw

Simple lang ang pinaka mithi ko sa ngayon - mas maraming oras para makapag-relax. Heh. Mayroong mga pagbabagong nagaganap sa aking trabaho sa darating na mga araw, kaya mukhang luluwag ng konti ang aking schedule.

Magkakaroon na ako ng oras para mag-spa. Ang babaw ba? :D

Gawin nating malalim ng konti... Mithi ko rin na magkaroon ng oras para makapagbakasyon kasama ang buong pamilya kahit ilang araw lang...


Ang sarap gumising sa umaga kahit sa isang lugar na malayo basta kasama ang buong mag-anak.

Ano naman kaya ang mithi ng ibang litratistang Pinoy? Paki-click dito nang makita...

A Little White Lie

In the car after a trip to the mall....

ME: (Tapping Matt's knee as he was listening to his iPod) Matt, don't drink Jake's Chamyto alright? Please tell Kyle...

MATT: Yes, Ma...

ME: Did you hear me Kyle? (Just making myself clear.)

KYLE: Yes Ma. (goes back to listening to his iPod)

ME: Ok... If you want to, you ask Jake's permission.

JAKE: But, but... I will say no!

I told the youngest to share what he has as long as the elder brothers ask his permission... but I realized he sure knows how to fend for himself.

---

Earlier this afternoon, while walking in the mall between my two elder boys...

ME: Ugh, I feel my tummy jiggling as I walk *chuckles*

Kyle laughed but Matt chose to say something:

MATT: Yeah Ma, I see it!

ME: Che! Boosit. :P

And all three of us started laughing. Sometimes, a little white lie goes a long way, I figured. :D


Jake, Matt, Kyle - eating mami noodles and halo-halo with gusto

Saturday in Makati

I used to work in SGV Consulting in Makati in late 1989 up to 1992. Spending most of my waking hours in that area from Monday to Friday familiarized me with the ins and outs of "old Makati". Why do I say old? Since moving to Cebu 16 years ago right after getting married, a lot in the place have changed. Every year that I got to visit Makati, a structure got renovated or torn down and replaced by another. It's sad that I didn't have photos of how the Makati I knew looked like.

Last Saturday, Jerry and I strolled down memory lane as we tried to recall the old places. I couldn't help looking for Gibson's where I usually took colorum mini-bus or jeepney rides to Las Pinas back in those days. Now, Jerry tells me it's already part of Park Square. I asked him where the Tia Maria Mexican bar/resto we used to frequent is located, and he tells me it's actually Max Brenner now. Larry's Bar, San Mig Pub, and Max's Fried Chicken, the resto where my parents and siblings once ate to celebrate a grade school graduation is now GB5! I couldn't help but shake my head... Haha! Ganun??? I'm feeling lost...and old! :D

Even the SGV Development Center along Perea and Dela Rosa Streets, where Jerry and I worked and met in 1989 is no longer there. In it's place is a high-rise condominium.

Change happens so fast it's dizzying...


With Pa, Ma, sis May, niece Zia (Pics taken at GB5 and Glorietta)

Liwaliw

View from Greenbelt 5 (GB5)

"Mall" agad ang pumasok sa isip ko sa temang liwaliw. Tamang-tama. Ang litratong aking lahok ay kuha ko habang ako ay nasa loob ng Greenbelt 5, sa parteng malapit sa bagong mamahaling boutique na Adora. :D

Nasa Manila kasi ako noong 080808 para sa opening/blessing ng aming opisina. Kaya noong sumunod na araw ng Sabado, inilibot ako at ang aking hubby ng aking mga magulang at mga kapatid sa bagong GB5.

Maganda... Kumain pa nga kami sa Travel Cafe kung saan unang natikman ng aking Ma, Pa at sis ang coffee alamid, ang isa sa pinakamahal na kape sa buong mundo. Sa Pilipinas lang yata ito nakikita. Sa umpisa nag-atubili akong subukan pero nang matikman na, masarap pala.

Kakaiba ang naging pagsubok ni Ma. Sa una, sarap na sarap siyang lagukin ang coffee alamid. Parang capuccino daw ang lasa. Pero di maipinta ang mukha ni mader nang malaman nyang galing pala ito sa dumi ng alamid. Nai-imagine kasi nya na pusa ang alamid kahit ito ay mas mukhang "mongoose". Hahaha.... Makikita dito >>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4896230.stm ang karagdagang kaalaman tungkol sa pinagmulan ng sikat na coffee alamid.

Eto naman ang litrato naming mag-anak na kuha ni hubby habang nasa Travel Cafe.... bukod sa napakalaking halo-halo na di namin naubos, Coffee alamid ang hawak ni Pa sa kuha na ito.



Saan kaya nagliwaliw ang ibang sumali sa Litratong Pinoy? Puntahan natin...

Cebu Pacific and NAIA 3

On my recent trip to Manila last 080808 to 081008, I flew via Cebu Pacific with a P3800 roundtrip ticket (heh, budget traveler, I am). Thus, I had the chance to be in NAIA 3.

I was expecting delayed trips and / or long queues at the terminal after hearing horror stories quite recently. However, none of these happened to me (must be the 080808 phenomena, hehehe). In fact, my flight from Cebu departed 15 minutes and landed in Manila 30 minutes ahead of schedule! Same thing happened on our flight back (Jerry flew with me from Manila to Cebu). No delays = pleasant surprise!

And at the NAIA 3, the directional signs were enough to guide you where to check-in and board at. Without these, one would easily get lost in that monstrosity. So how did the NAIA 3 look? Here, see for yourself.

Now if only the airline ground personnel would call the attention of those sleeping passengers who are lying down and occupying 3 seats while waiting for their flight/s....

Want Some?

The other night, I spotted Jake in the dining room busily doing something. I thought nothing of it at first since his nanny was next to him overseeing whatever he was busy with. And then I saw Jake cutting something with a pair of scissors.

ME: Jake? What are you cutting?

JAKE: I'm making spaghetti, Ma.

ME: Oh...

I worried a bit about 2 things: 1) He might cut himself accidentally and 2) He might be cutting real noodles and thus wasting food needlessly. So I got up from the couch to check that everything was ok. It turned out I had nothing to "fear". He was dexterously maneuvering the blunt scissors (sigh of relief) to cut through his play doh (double sigh of relief).

JAKE: Here Ma, have a taste...

Planning for College

My eldest son is in 3rd year high school now and soon will be off to college. As my brother and I were chatting earlier today, he suggested for Matt to consider going to NY, Boston or Toronto for a degree. Our conversation went this way:

Me: How much ang tuition sa NY, Boston or Toronto? Baka makuba kami ni Jerry.

Junnie: 45,000 per year

Me: *Gulp* Wala bang scholarship?

Junnie: ...but the student can loan that and pay when able

Stop, you had me at "pay when able", I told mysef. Hahaha....

Me: Matt! Tito Junnie said you should prepare for college as early as now. Where would you prefer? NY, Boston or Toronto? (Naks, as if I could really afford)...

Matt: (Voice coming from the 2nd floor) Ok Ma. How about NY? (Sakay naman sya. This guy is playing along.)

Me: And you Kyle, where would you want to go?

Kyle: *Shrugs his shoulders and smiles* (Perhaps he thought I wasn't being serious. Hmm.)

Jake the 4yo: Ma, I want to go to Boston! Now...

Me: Ooh-kay... :D



Jake and Kyle

Say What?

My boys have the habit of mumbling words that are weird or senseless or just out of the blue. Sometimes Matt would call his younger brothers, "Kyle, Kaloy, Kaloyan"... or "Jake, Jacob, Jacobly". And if he's in a playful mood with me, he'd sometimes address me as: "Mother" just for the heck of it.

So today, as I was getting ready to put on clothes and garbed in my bathrobe, Matt was about to step out of my room after watching tv when he said: "Ma...Mother...Elephant" (of all animals!!!!).

I threw a sharp look at him and caught his stunned expression. "I didn't mean you Ma! It just came out!".

I glared at him. His eyes looked back at me as he tried to figure out if I was serious or just playing along.

I stood there enjoying the moment but kept my stern and frowning expression. "I sometimes call Kyle that too," Matt reasoned out and began grinning after he realized it got him into more trouble. "Woops...".

I started to walk toward him and said "What did you just call me? Ha???". "No, no, Ma. I wasn't calling you... honest! I was just mumbling," he replied. He now looked confused as he sat down squeezing his adult-sized arse into Jake's kiddie chair,. He lowered his head and meekly uttered. "Alright Ma, pull my hair if that would make you feel better...."

Kulit talaga.

I did pull the hair of my eldest bull. Jokingly of course. Truth be told, I was called worse names before and I'm not one who would be too sensitive to words (unlike one family I know too well who went bonkers and waged an all-out war over the word "bullcrap". Crazy.). :P



Pic of mother elephant with the rest of the herd. :P

*Photo taken by Junnie and intentionally cropped by me.