SOME MORE KIDDIE MOMENTS

Since going Global and moving to the Visayas, my time with my niece and nephew are so precious and far between.  I try to visit them every month and in every visit, Isabel, my 3-year old niece, never fails to surprise me what can now do…or say, for that matter.

OMG  - Isabel’s favorite expression these days seem to be “Oh my God!” “Oh my gosh!” “Oh my golly!”  

When I heard her say these, I thought to myself, “Oh my Lord! Where does she hear all these?”

Stuck – My sister, Miles, tells me Isabel accidentally locked herself inside one of the bathrooms.   From inside the bathroom while trying with all her might to wrestle with the doorknob, Isabel called out to her mom, “Mom! I’m stuck here…forever!”

Miles, in a frantic, kept saying, “Isabel, unlock the door! Open the door, right now! Turn the lock and open the door! OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!!!”

Isabel calmly replied, “OK! OK, Mom, don’t panic”

Don’t panic ka dyan!!!

Drowning – When I’m in Manila, I stay with Miles and family.  One night, after coming home from a tiring meeting in and an exhausting commute from Makati, I was sooo drained.  To relax, I went straight to Isabel’s room and joined her watching a Pirates show on Disney Junior channel.  In one of the scenes, Isabel excitedly pointed out the hole in the pirates’ ship and narrated, “Look at the ship, aunty ninang! The pirates! They they they put a hole!”  

Aunty Ninang Maan, even in exhaustion, tried to join in the story-telling and continued, “Oh no, the ship is…the ship is… the ship…”  my brain cells apparently too tired as well, grasped for the right words, “the ship is…drowning!”

Isabel looked at me strangely for a second or two and corrected, “It’s sinking, aunty ninang. Sinking!”

Hehehe Drowning daw?

Poker face -  Lady Gaga music video clips have been so visible on TV with all the promotions for her concert.  Isabel picked up a line from one of Lady Gaga songs and she keeps singing over and over, “Kevin slice, Kevin slice, don’t wanna be a poker face….” 

I guess it’s true- the controversial lyrics to Lady Gaga’s songs are just a matter of interpretation. 

Math - Isabel is fascinated with numbers (it’s no surprise really with a math genius for a father).  One time, while punching out and reciting the numbers in the calculator, she asked her mom what the plus (+) sign was for.  

“It’s for adding numbers” Mommy Miles explained.  To illustrate, she cited an example “Say, you have one dog you and you have another  dog.  So, using the plus (+) sign, you add 1 dog + 1 dog, and you’ll have….?” Mommy Miles asked Isabel.

Isabel answered excitedly, “Many dogs!!!”

Oo ng noh?

Inigo – In the car on our way home after a long day of lakwatsa, Inigo, my 5-month old nephew, started getting fidgety and sleepy.  As he cried in frustration, his mom, yaya and I all but tried everything song and jiggle and bounce to settle him down.  Nothing worked….until Isabel held his hands, said, “Hey ‘Nigo, it’s ok ‘Nigo.” and started singing to him in a soothing voice, “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder….”  

Inigo calmed down until we got home, soothed by his ate’s  singing.  Awwww! What a beautiful sight!

Bless the food -    Isabel leads the prayer before meals anywhere we may be, at home or in a resto.  One time we were in Shakey’s and amidst the noise inside the full resto, Isabel, in a voice loud enough to carry out her words throughout the nearby tables, led the prayer, “In the name of the Father….Bless us oh Loooord, en this this gift,  which we’re aaaabout receive, thru Christ, Lord. Amen! In the name of the Father…”    

After the prayer, Isabel blurted, “Oh no! I forgot again ‘from thy bounty’!”  

 She then made the sign of the cross and started praying again…and, of course, forgot again the line “from thy bounty”  

Kiddie Moments

 

My sister and I were “testing” 3-year old Isabel on family names...

 

What’s the name of mommy? – “Miles” she’d say.

What’s daddy’s name?  - “Daddy Ricky”

What’s your brother’s name?

 

Isabel got stumped at that, surprising both me and miles.  Inigo, her 10-month old brother, was sleeping in the adjoining room and so mommy miles thought of asking the question in a different way.   “What’s the name of the boy sleeping in the other room?"

 

“Iñigo!!!” Isabel excitedly answered. 

 

So we asked, “So who is Inigo?” thinking Isabel would answer “my baby brother”.  Instead, Isabel answered, “the boy sleeping in the next room.” 

 

Oo nga naman.

 

 

Melanie Marquez moment

 

Isabel loves to bake...or rather loves to help out and “put in her own flavour”  while mommy miles or daddy ricky bakes.

 

One time, as mommy miles and Isabel were putting finishing touches on a fudge brownie, Isabel placed pieces of coco crunch as toppings on the cake.   Mommy Miles said, “Wow! That is so beautiful Isabel.  Good job, honey!”

 

Isabel replied proudly, “Thank you.  I couldn’t have done it without myself.”

 

Idol si Melanie Marquez?

 

 

Bisaya moment

 

Isabel has a Baby Alive doll which actually drinks and wets her diapers.  One time, while playing the doll with her yayas, yaya Lingling asked jokingly, “Totoo kayang umiihi sya?

 

Isabel answered in a firm voice, “ ‘ Di man!”

 

Ay! Bisaya ka ‘day?

Parking angel

 I have just got to say this...God hears all our prayers...even the smallest, most trivial of them all.

I was rushing to the mall one late afternoon to buy a very vital piece of item - SHOES! And not just a pair of high heeled comfort sole shoes but a pair of high heeled comfort sole shoes on sale!   With a sale going on, I knew parking was going to be a challenge.  And so as I neared the  mall, I kept praying, "Lord, please send me your parking angel! Please, please open "slots" of opportunities for me." 

Even with the "Full" sign on, I went in the parking area inside the mall.  I drove past rows of jammed parking spaces.  I turned around to try my luck on other lanes only to find them packed with cars.  As I made yet another turn, I heard a whisper, "Slow down".  It was so clear and  pronounced that I turned my head in reflex at the sound of that soft voice.  Slow down I did and drove the car to a crawl.  After a few seconds, a couple appeared from nowhere and rushed to get in the car where I waited.

Swoosh! The car glided in the space so tightly guarded by my parking angel.  

So here I am, about to head out and face the traffic.  Will be calling my "hawi" angel sson. : ) 

Iñigo moments

My 10-month old nephew is such a delight to be with.  He smiles at everybody and everything...and I mean EVERY THING.

One time while being carried by his mom at the mall with the whole family (and by whole I mean the whole she-bang - mom, dad, granma, granpa, cousins, uncle, aunt, yaya and driver to boot), they saw him smiling at no one ...or so they thought.  They looked around and no one was nearby for Iñigo to give a smile to.  Granma looked at the direction of Inigo's smile and, lo and behold, he was giving a wide toothless smiling at the poster of  a K-pop star endorser with a big toothy smile.  

__________________________________

Iñigo has limited vocabulary as is expected from a 10-month old baby.  But I just love the words he has learned so far.

The first word he learned was "A-te" for ate Isabel (awwww)

Then he learned to say "Dad",  then , "Pop" (for papa which we all lovingly call granpa), then, "Ma" (for mama which is the endearment for granma).

But my favorite word so far is his term for his mommy which he calls (braze yourself) ..."Dede!"  He cries out for his mom, "Dede! Dede!"

our own little Vietcong

NEGA-star

There really is no need for you blink twice, it won't change. And no, it's not a misspell. I am a Negastar.  But with the birth of the Transformer Robots, I guess it’s just in style to call me a NEGA-tron instead...well, at least I was a  NEGA-tron.

I used to worry like crazy it made the people around me go crazy.  I was so panicky, it stressed people out.  I was always on edge. I’d go into frantic and anxiety attacks about things that have not happened and might actually never happen. 

In my travels, if I’m not en route to the airport at least 4 hours before my flight, I panic and go into a mantra saying, “I’m going to miss my flight. I’m going to miss my flight…”

My sister tries to calm me down and tells me to think positively.  And I try! I change my mantra to, “I’m positive I’m going to miss my flight. I’m so positive I’m going to miss my flight….”    

I’d easily get anxious about the traffic, the weather, the bills, my work, my bosses, my friends, my sister and her family, my health, my love life (weeeeeh! char!)… I worried just about everything else.   I did mention I was a NEGA-tron!  

But I have come to see that every moment – that moment in a heavy traffic, that moment when my laptop crashes just when I need it for a presentation, that moment when the queue is sooo long breakfast has turned to dinner, when a loved one is sick, when I’m amidst strangers speaking in a strange language in a strange island called Cebu, that moment when I’m slapped with more work than anyone can handle   - is where God is.  And to complain, to worry, to panic, to stress IS to show ingratitude to where HE has put me at that moment. 

Many times I fail miserably and  let my negative thoughts get the better of me.  But I bounce back, allowing God’s grace and divine providence to work it’s miracle in my chaotic life.   I’ve come to learn that when I offer and lift that moment to my Father, everything works out and falls into its proper place. 

My transformation from being a NEGA-tron is a slow one.  But I’m moving along and am so looking forward to becoming OPTIMISTIC Prime! 

TRANSFORMERS - Volt in! (Ngyeeee! Naging Voltes V) 

Me time

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon in Cebu City.  It was “alone” time for me  - a rare treat for me not to be in the office as is my usual sched on a Saturday; I didn’t join the tour of the city by officemates from our Panay office;  I didn’t go to the mall.   It was “me” time, donned in comfy clothes (a.k.a “pambahay”), enjoying browsing through the internet on my laptop while having coffee at the Brown Cup Café, a cozy coffee shop just a minute’s walk from my apartment building. 

I had come across a video of this 10-year old girl, Jackie Evancho, belting out an operatic rendition of the Lord’ Prayer.  It was amazing! It was gripping! Her performance was touching! And I thought to myself, “I have GOT to show this music vid to mommy.  She’d enjoy this!”   

It took about 2 seconds for reality to sink in – my mom’s not here anymore.  It has been five years and I think of her all the time…but for the nth time, I had actually forgotten I wouldn’t be going home to her funny and loving presence.  For the nth time, I had forgotten she wasn’t waiting up for me on a late night.  For the nth time I had forgotten I wouldn’t be able to buy this blouse I saw in the mall which I thought perfect for her.   For the nth time I had actually forgotten she is gone.

My view of the laptop screen blurred as my eyes filled with tears, threatening to fall and ruin my make-up (J).   I looked out the window, avoiding the eyes of anyone looking on.   Surprisingly, while there was pain and heartache, I felt, more than anything else, blessed…wonderfully blessed!  Blessed to have had the fun times with mom, the long talks, the lessons, the love. 

Am once again reminded of how short life is, of cherishing the here and the now, of appreciating – and showing it to – the ones we love, of overlooking the flaws and centering on the good, of how beautiful life is, of how generous and merciful our Father is. 

Am once again reminded that though mom has gone on, I am not alone.  I have been gifted with an awesome presence – YOU.  

Father

Wally, a colleague in the office, is a proud new father to a cute 5-month old baby boy, Elijah.  One time, he was showing off pics from his mobile phone of baby Elijah with a big toothless smile, of Elijah sitting awkwardly in-between cushions, of Elijah doing absolutely doing nothing but look curiously at the camera.   Wally was beaming with pride!  And I wondered why…Elijah was doing what every baby boy does.

Not to be outdone, I showed a video of my 7-month old nephew, Inigo, being turned-over in a forward roll by his teacher at Little Gym (Yes, 7-month old Inigo is already in school doing baby school stuff).   I showed a video of Inigo crawling eagerly to get a toy, of inigo drooling over a ball, of Inigo doing absolutely nothing but look curiously at the camera.  I was a proud aunty!  And then I understood why Wally beamed with pride and joy.

I recall these moments with a smile….because as proud as Wally and I were, I realized that must be exactly, may be even more, how our Father looks at us.  How loving and tender He must look at us as we come to Him in thanksgiving.  How He must look at us with compassionate and kindly eyes as we come to Him, humbly asking for favors.   How He must look at us with joyful eyes as we show our love and compassion for the unlovable and generosity for the needy.  How He must beam with pride at us…we are, after all, His children.

But children grow up.  And sometimes we grow to forget to give thanks.  Sometimes we grow to think we can rely on our own reasons and strengths.  Sometimes we grow to be indifferent and petulant and even unforgiving of those who have less.   Sometimes we forget our Father.  And it is at these moments when our Father looks at us with eyes of pain and heartache. 

 Many times I have caused that sad look in His eyes.  Many a times I have caused His heart to break.  But still, I feel His hand reach out in love as He blesses me in more ways than I deserve.  He loves me still… in spite of my sinfulness.  In fact, He sent His son FOR me.  

I long and will try my darndest to put that beam of pride and joy in my Father's eyes.  It IS going to be tough.  It IS going to be long.  It IS going to be a challenge.  It may take days....nay, years, maybe decades even. No matter if it takes me 7... or 70 years...the beam of joy in my Father's eyes will be well worth it.