Last Friday my husband and I went for our annual medical exam. While sitting at the lounge waiting for our next procedures, I happened to glance at the elderly lady sitting on one of the sofas in front of us.
Around her upper chest area she had a port inserted, which looked like one of those used for administering chemotherapy meds.
And just like that, memories of my mother came rushing back.
It's been 6 months. We've tried to get on as normally as we can, knowing that we will never again see her loving smile and experience her motherly ministrations. Never again taste her mechado made from fresh tomatoes. Never again to receive an SMS from her just saying "Kamusta ka na anak?"
All it takes is a glimpse of her books, a peek at her favorite snacks, several lines from her favorite songs, even the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations (she seemed to be happiest this time of the year) -- and then the remembering begins anew.
In many ways we've indeed moved on. And yet, in a lot of other ways, we haven't.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Loading Up on Books (Again!)
I'm an inveterate bookworm. I've yet to pass by a bookstore that did not merit a second glance. Or two. Or an hour inside it. Especially during Sale season.
The allure of new books, with their uncracked spines and freshly printed smell, never ceases to entice me. I think this has rubbed off big time on my older daughter as well, and, to some extent, on my husband too. We now each have our own favorite genres and wish lists to fulfill.
And so the Manila International Book Fair last September was an opportunity that we did not intend to pass up. We got into the car (hubby, older daughter and I) and drove to the SMX Convention Center; we got there a few minutes before the opening time, but there were already masses of people thronging the entrance. Kindred souls.
When we got inside the hall, for a moment I stopped in my tracks and considered the very important questions: "Where do I start? How to make this as efficient as possible?" We eventually settled on an aisle-by-aisle approach, instead of meandering aimlessly along. I figured this way we could cover more ground.
Books, books, and more books! We eventually had to stop for lunch as our stomachs were protesting at our neglect, and our feet were aching for a break. After an hour and a half, we were back in the game once more.
I used to think that young adult books were only for, well... young adults and tweens (except maybe for the Harry Potter series, which had such a huge following). Then I got introduced to fantastic series such as Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson, the Mysterious Benedict Society, Fablehaven. I got hooked.
I got the first volume of How to Train Your Dragon, as well as that of Septimus Heap. I first wanted to check whether I would be interested enough to continue on to the end of the series. I was. I am.
There was also a section devoted to Reader's Digest publications and books. I've always been a fan of their printed products. This, and the fact that they had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, sealed the deal. Tomes on general knowledge are actually good buys, as the facts contained within them would normally not change over the years. A volume on how nature can sometimes turn out to be a very frightening force was particularly interesting, and so was the one on the hidden stories behind popular history. We threw in a book on supernatural and uncanny stories as well for curiosity's sake.
Of course the little girl had her own selections as well, and was quite adamant that we stop and browse through the children's sections. Being an avid reader of the Geronimo Stilton series, she was excited at finding this title among the stacks. Small volumes on the Earth and weather, as well as a Dora activity book and a storybook on fairies were also carefully considered and put in her pile.
A couple of other storybooks caught our eyes too, which we felt would provide not only a source of entertainment, but good moral values as well. They were being sold at friendly prices too -- imagine a hardback storybook for 50 pesos!
A Pokemon game book was also part of her loot. A 3-volume set of a dictionary, thesaurus, and spelling/grammar guide was going to be of use to her in school. Even in first grade they now use a dictionary!
These puzzle books would make entertaining presents to kids, and our daughter asked us if we could give them out as presents to her friends this Christmas.
Of course we did not neglect our toddler, who was left at home during this trip. A number of board books and colorful lift-the-flap volumes were sure to provide her with countless hours of entertainment. Add to that the books in Ate's shelves, and together they can flip through the pages to their hearts' delight.
We left the hall with arms filled with books, with feet sore but contented smiles wreathing our faces.
We're delighted to be able to give our children the gift of the printed page.
And I'm grateful that our parents have instilled in us a love for the same.
The allure of new books, with their uncracked spines and freshly printed smell, never ceases to entice me. I think this has rubbed off big time on my older daughter as well, and, to some extent, on my husband too. We now each have our own favorite genres and wish lists to fulfill.
And so the Manila International Book Fair last September was an opportunity that we did not intend to pass up. We got into the car (hubby, older daughter and I) and drove to the SMX Convention Center; we got there a few minutes before the opening time, but there were already masses of people thronging the entrance. Kindred souls.
When we got inside the hall, for a moment I stopped in my tracks and considered the very important questions: "Where do I start? How to make this as efficient as possible?" We eventually settled on an aisle-by-aisle approach, instead of meandering aimlessly along. I figured this way we could cover more ground.
Books, books, and more books! We eventually had to stop for lunch as our stomachs were protesting at our neglect, and our feet were aching for a break. After an hour and a half, we were back in the game once more.
I used to think that young adult books were only for, well... young adults and tweens (except maybe for the Harry Potter series, which had such a huge following). Then I got introduced to fantastic series such as Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson, the Mysterious Benedict Society, Fablehaven. I got hooked.
I got the first volume of How to Train Your Dragon, as well as that of Septimus Heap. I first wanted to check whether I would be interested enough to continue on to the end of the series. I was. I am.
These books caught my fancy too: Fun FAQs is really a collection of fun facts, and the trivia addict that I am, I just snapped it up. My daughter now enjoys flicking through its pages, and asks me questions about random facts that she picked up.
Songs of Ourselves is a very readable collection of writings by Filipino women authors -- poems, short stories, essays. It heartens me to think that the issues surrounding women today were also grappled with by women a few decades far removed, and in such eloquent pieces at that -- love, raising a family, acceptance, friendship, betrayal.
With my budding interest in photography, I looked for and saw a number of Canon photography guides at big discounts in the National Book Store section (which was a huge one). I spent a couple of minutes internally debating which one to get. The one in the picture below (Magic Lantern Guide) won out. I'm having fun tinkering with my camera and applying what I've gleaned from this.
There was also a section devoted to Reader's Digest publications and books. I've always been a fan of their printed products. This, and the fact that they had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, sealed the deal. Tomes on general knowledge are actually good buys, as the facts contained within them would normally not change over the years. A volume on how nature can sometimes turn out to be a very frightening force was particularly interesting, and so was the one on the hidden stories behind popular history. We threw in a book on supernatural and uncanny stories as well for curiosity's sake.
Of course the little girl had her own selections as well, and was quite adamant that we stop and browse through the children's sections. Being an avid reader of the Geronimo Stilton series, she was excited at finding this title among the stacks. Small volumes on the Earth and weather, as well as a Dora activity book and a storybook on fairies were also carefully considered and put in her pile.
We found a number of books featuring Fiipino folk tales and legends at the Bookmark stall, and at such mark-downs that they were practically steals. Lola Basyang stories are timeless, and we wanted her to appreciate these stories that generations of Filipino children have grown up with. The little girl had a number of folk tales already, and these two other volumes below rounded up the series.
A couple of other storybooks caught our eyes too, which we felt would provide not only a source of entertainment, but good moral values as well. They were being sold at friendly prices too -- imagine a hardback storybook for 50 pesos!
A Pokemon game book was also part of her loot. A 3-volume set of a dictionary, thesaurus, and spelling/grammar guide was going to be of use to her in school. Even in first grade they now use a dictionary!
These puzzle books would make entertaining presents to kids, and our daughter asked us if we could give them out as presents to her friends this Christmas.
Of course we did not neglect our toddler, who was left at home during this trip. A number of board books and colorful lift-the-flap volumes were sure to provide her with countless hours of entertainment. Add to that the books in Ate's shelves, and together they can flip through the pages to their hearts' delight.
We left the hall with arms filled with books, with feet sore but contented smiles wreathing our faces.
We're delighted to be able to give our children the gift of the printed page.
And I'm grateful that our parents have instilled in us a love for the same.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Kids Say the Darndest Things!
Oh yes, kids do say the darndest things.
Us: Oh look, there's Dora! and Boots!
Baby: Ga-ga!
Us: Can you say "Do... Ra..., Do-Ra"!
Baby: Ga-ga! (Claps her hand gleefully)
Us: Where's Dora?
Baby: Ga-ga!
Us: How about Do... Ra?
Baby: Boot.
Yes, without the "s".
This stemmed from the time when she could only gurgle and coo and say just a couple of syllables, one of them being "Ga". When we introduced her to Dora cartoons, she was so happy she kept on saying "Ga-ga!". The preceding conversation pattern then became commonplace.
Well, at least she can say "Boot".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Us: Do you want to go out to walk?
Baby: Go-go! Go-go!
Us: Let's go and walk outside!
Baby: Wo. Wo.
Us: Do you want to chase the butterflies?
Baby: Chesh, chesh. Bat-ta. (Then goes running after them)
Us: You look tired now. Let's go sit down.
Baby: Syit, syit.
She does not have a pure "s" sound yet. When she tries it out, it comes out as "sh". Like "chipsh", "gipsh" (grapes).
Go on, try saying "syit" out loud.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Us: Wow, look at the birds flying.
Baby: (While craning her head upwards)Ba-dee, ba-dee.
Us: And there's a dog.
Baby: Hi de, do. (Hi there, dog.)
Us: And there's a cat.
Baby: Cat, cat.
Us: And look, there's a frog.
Baby: Fwok.
Us: Can you say "frog"?
Baby: Fwok.
Us: How about "froggie"?
Baby: Fwok.
She can utter the hard "g" sound for Dora/Ga-ga, but not for frog.
We can't win.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baby: Mi-mi! Mi-mi!
Us: Oh, so you want milk?
Baby: Mi-mi! Mi-mi! (Happily chugs her milk)
Baby: (Upon seeing a glass of water)Cok, cok.
Us: That's water, not Coke. Water.
Baby: Cok. (Then cheerfully drinks the water)
Baby: (Upon seeing a pitcher of juice)Cok, cok.
Us: That's juice, not Coke. Juice.
Baby: Cok. (Then eagerly drinks the juice)
When the little one saw a bottle of Coca-cola, she pointed to it, and kept her finger up until we told her what it was.
We told her it was "Coke". Then she saw us pour it into glasses and drink it.
Thereafter, everytime she wanted a drink (except for milk), she would say just one word.
"Cok" is it.
Us: Oh look, there's Dora! and Boots!
Baby: Ga-ga!
Us: Can you say "Do... Ra..., Do-Ra"!
Baby: Ga-ga! (Claps her hand gleefully)
Us: Where's Dora?
Baby: Ga-ga!
Us: How about Do... Ra?
Baby: Boot.
Yes, without the "s".
This stemmed from the time when she could only gurgle and coo and say just a couple of syllables, one of them being "Ga". When we introduced her to Dora cartoons, she was so happy she kept on saying "Ga-ga!". The preceding conversation pattern then became commonplace.
Well, at least she can say "Boot".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Us: Do you want to go out to walk?
Baby: Go-go! Go-go!
Us: Let's go and walk outside!
Baby: Wo. Wo.
Us: Do you want to chase the butterflies?
Baby: Chesh, chesh. Bat-ta. (Then goes running after them)
Us: You look tired now. Let's go sit down.
Baby: Syit, syit.
She does not have a pure "s" sound yet. When she tries it out, it comes out as "sh". Like "chipsh", "gipsh" (grapes).
Go on, try saying "syit" out loud.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Us: Wow, look at the birds flying.
Baby: (While craning her head upwards)
Us: And there's a dog.
Baby: Hi de, do. (Hi there, dog.)
Us: And there's a cat.
Baby: Cat, cat.
Us: And look, there's a frog.
Baby: Fwok.
Us: Can you say "frog"?
Baby: Fwok.
Us: How about "froggie"?
Baby: Fwok.
She can utter the hard "g" sound for Dora/Ga-ga, but not for frog.
We can't win.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baby: Mi-mi! Mi-mi!
Us: Oh, so you want milk?
Baby: Mi-mi! Mi-mi! (Happily chugs her milk)
Baby: (Upon seeing a glass of water)
Us: That's water, not Coke. Water.
Baby: Cok. (Then cheerfully drinks the water)
Baby: (Upon seeing a pitcher of juice)
Us: That's juice, not Coke. Juice.
Baby: Cok. (Then eagerly drinks the juice)
When the little one saw a bottle of Coca-cola, she pointed to it, and kept her finger up until we told her what it was.
We told her it was "Coke". Then she saw us pour it into glasses and drink it.
Thereafter, everytime she wanted a drink (except for milk), she would say just one word.
"Cok" is it.
Do Not Disturb
No, we did not put that pillow over her eyes. She did it herself.
Yes, she really does sleep like this. This was not staged.
No, she normally does not sleep holding a bottle of milk. She must have been very tired that night though, so she fell asleep like a sentinel holding her weapon. A vicious, scary.. bottle of milk.
Yes, she does want her stuffed toys around her, esp. the Barney dolls and the colorful Care Bear, as well as the violet elephant.
Note the judicious sprinkling of purple toys around her. I think she gets it from me!
For some reason that we cannot fathom, she wants to cover her head with her pink pillow before she can sleep. For nap-times this ritual can be skipped. Night-time beddie-byes are another matter.
Apparently she wants complete darkness when she is about to fall asleep at night. Even though all the lights are turned off already, she still persists in this habit.
The pillow is light enough so it cannot smother her. She also does not cover her nose, just the eye portion.
Sleep masks, here she comes!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Serenity and Contentment
It's a beautiful Saturday! The sky may be overcast and the day may be a bit damp with drizzles here and there, but for me, it might just as well be drenched in sunshine, with cheerful bird-song and warm soothing breezes all around.
I am in quite a buoyant mood -- and it's not even lunch time yet!
No, the daily cares did not suddenly vanish magically, nor did a fairy godmother unexpectedly appear to wave all our worries away. It was the realization that these things would not be solved by the extent to which I frowned and ranted and moped all day.
Solutions will be found, and new joys and sorrows will surely come, but I could in fact choose to live in the moment and be happy.
Happiness is a choice. It is a state of mind.
Early this morning I had a walk with my two daughters, just meandering around the residential area we live in, peering at a neighbor's pet dog (my younger one likes to 'visit' the dog and say Hi), marveling at the butterflies that darted amidst the flowers, watching a caterpillar make its way slowly across the ground.
We then swept the fallen leaves from the driveway and gathered them into a pile, after which the two little girls jumped around and over and on it to their hearts' delight.
Then came a round of deciphering secret codes -- our older daughter is currently in an "I-want-to-be-a-secret-agent-someday" mode. She went and got a book about secet codes from their school book fair, and she lassoed me into hunkering down and solving the codes with her. It was surprisingly interesting -- it's my inner geek peering out again!
Simple pleasures, simple joys.
When I accidentally erased the draft of this post and had to do it over, I had a brief flash of irritation. But only for a moment. Then I went ahead and rewrote it -- I have to say that I find this version better.
I find that the Serenity Prayer sums up my feelings quite well. This oft-quoted prayer, commonly believed to have been written by the American theologian Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr, has been widely adopted by twelve-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Its appeal stems perhaps because of its plea for help while acknowledging one's all-too-human limitations.
There are a number of versions of this prayer, and it os commonly only the first part that is widely cited, but I like this one best:
Happiness is a choice. It may not be easy to come by, but with some Wisdom from Above, it's well within our grasp.
I am in quite a buoyant mood -- and it's not even lunch time yet!
No, the daily cares did not suddenly vanish magically, nor did a fairy godmother unexpectedly appear to wave all our worries away. It was the realization that these things would not be solved by the extent to which I frowned and ranted and moped all day.
Solutions will be found, and new joys and sorrows will surely come, but I could in fact choose to live in the moment and be happy.
Happiness is a choice. It is a state of mind.
Early this morning I had a walk with my two daughters, just meandering around the residential area we live in, peering at a neighbor's pet dog (my younger one likes to 'visit' the dog and say Hi), marveling at the butterflies that darted amidst the flowers, watching a caterpillar make its way slowly across the ground.
We then swept the fallen leaves from the driveway and gathered them into a pile, after which the two little girls jumped around and over and on it to their hearts' delight.
Then came a round of deciphering secret codes -- our older daughter is currently in an "I-want-to-be-a-secret-agent-someday" mode. She went and got a book about secet codes from their school book fair, and she lassoed me into hunkering down and solving the codes with her. It was surprisingly interesting -- it's my inner geek peering out again!
Simple pleasures, simple joys.
When I accidentally erased the draft of this post and had to do it over, I had a brief flash of irritation. But only for a moment. Then I went ahead and rewrote it -- I have to say that I find this version better.
I find that the Serenity Prayer sums up my feelings quite well. This oft-quoted prayer, commonly believed to have been written by the American theologian Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr, has been widely adopted by twelve-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Its appeal stems perhaps because of its plea for help while acknowledging one's all-too-human limitations.
There are a number of versions of this prayer, and it os commonly only the first part that is widely cited, but I like this one best:
God, grant us the
Serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.
Patience for the things that take time,
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles.
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.
Happiness is a choice. It may not be easy to come by, but with some Wisdom from Above, it's well within our grasp.
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