During Santiago's cremation, my mom whispered to him: "Santiago, please help your Tito Jun and Tita Chie have a baby."

A month after, I learned I'm pregnant.

We love you, Santiago. Thank you.

The pre-school downstairs and my school bus days in St Scho

There's a PAP pre-school at the ground floor of our flat. On most mornings, I would see parents hurriedly bringing their kids to school. Last Saturday, I think they had some sort of a program because they were wearing these colourful costumes. Here's some of the pics I took:

And oftentimes, Jun and I would have conversations starting with "Siguro kung may anak na tayo, diyan din sha magpepre-school."

And I would answer hubby: "Ay naku, magrereklamo yun bakit ang lapit lang ng school nya. Bababa lang sha ng ground floor, school na nya! Hindi exciting."

I guess this reaction is just natural for me who spent my grade school and high school days in St Scho taking the school bus (ermm, actually it's more of a "Fiera" than a bus)--Mang Joe during my grade school years, and Mang Goody during my high school years. It was then that I formed friendships, friendships that until now--though we are millions of miles away with separate lives of our own--are still alive.

Realities are much simpler then. You only need to know that the good seats--the ones near the door or in front--are reserved for the seniors. That you HAVE to buy snacks before going back, such as hilaw na mangga with bagoong or Cheese Tortilla and Melon Juice from Manang (who was able to send all her kids to college from the fruits of selling snacks outside Gate 6. That it's so fun to write and pass notes to each other inside the bus (ermm, fiera) even though you're just seating beside each other. And that you feel so mature when you are allowed to go back late and you can say: "Mang Goody, second trip po ako ha." That the best stories--tsismis, horror stories, love stories--are shared within the hot confines of Mang Goody's service.

Then as you step into your junior and senior years in high school, you develop different interests--some into boys, some into books, some into barkadas. Sometimes, you would even skip riding the bus anymore because you'd rather carpool that day or you would rather commute with your friends (Manang, pakisabi kay Mang Goody di ako sasabay.). But when you do decide to take the bus that day (Mang Goody, sasabay po ako ha!), you are still the same person that has boarded the bus (fierra pala) every morning, for more than ten years of your life.

And if life is indeed a "one great ride", like what most people say, then my ride would be my school bus ride. And no matter how long it arrives or no matter how many rounds it takes, no matter how I look or how I act outside of it... it will still bring me safe home, amidst the bumps, the tiriks, the heat (hindi sha aircon, shet), and sometimes even the smell (if the Don Bosco grade school boys share the bus with us, yuck amoy pawis!).

And when I reach home, I'll still be the same person that I am, only wiser, stronger, and many pounds heavier now.

make your momma proud

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. One day he asked God: "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

GOD replied, "Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you." "But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy."
"Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy."

"And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don't know the language that men talk?"

"Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

"Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"I've heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?"

"Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

"Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard. And the child in a hurry asked softly: "Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

"Your angel's name is of no importance, you will call your angel: 'Mommy'."

+++++

To my mama, my sister Cha, Inay, Nanay, Maver, Mamu, Tita Tessie, Nang, Chinks, Tins, Lics, Fe, and to all my cuzins, titas and friends who are all mothers...
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.
Saludo ako sa inyo.

"Of all the rights of women,
the greatest is to be a mother

would you want to see your kids only on weekends?

For this month til February, I am attending some GST classes at the Tax Academy of Singapore. Just like any other classes, students would make chika during breaks.

While on a chika break, me and some other locals were talking about the difficult situation of looking after a child when you have a full time job. Like, classmate 1 had to knock off at exactly 6pm because she has to pick up her kids from the baby sitter's place.

Classmate 2 told us about her neighbor, who leaves her kid at the baby sitter's place while she goes to work. Nothing wrong, it seems. But guess what, she actually leaves her kid with the baby sitter Mondays to Fridays (as in the kid stays there for five full days ha), and the mom just gets the kid on weekends.

Whew! I don't think I can stand just seeing my child only on weekends! It's like being divorced and granted only weekend visitation rights by the courts!

Aisle No. 3

I pass by with longing
Taking a glimpse of the future
that I could possibly have
One day the heavens shall bless me
One day I will bring this blessing here
And together we will stroll down
along Aisle Number 3.