Lunes, Disyembre 31, 2012
Sabado, Disyembre 8, 2012
exploring an island
After a day at an island in Camotes, I could feel my limbs aching and feet sore from too much walking and from splinters from rough stones and unknown marine animals that I happened to step on in the ocean floor. Age must be catching up with me I thought, but some kind soul told me it was not age, swimming was something i had not done in a long long time.
It was an unplanned trip. I was still on the PC at 7 AM when the call from my friend Marilyn came. "Time to go" she said and I could imagine her phone in one hand and luggage in the other, while I frantically run through my mind the things that I need to do under the situation. Hubby was on an official trip to Tacloban, and I was alone in the house with my daughter Ayn. "Hurry", I told her as she dashed to the bathroom for a quick shower and I packed my bag for an overnight stay at this island in Camotes which took our fancy one day. There was no time to lose, and I was of course grateful for the cab driver who offered to take us to the bank first instead of bringing us to the terminal for ferry boats heading in the direction of our destination, when I discovered I didn't have any money. We made it in record time.
Aboard the ferry boat my friends were searching for friends of friends who were bound for the same destination. It was then that I discovered we did not have any reservation nor definite hosts at the island. Our going there was pure adventure.Luckily they found a man who knew one of our students, and called her up to meet us as we landed. Poor girl, she was too surprised but managed very well in the resolving the crisis of unexpected visitors. First she made us walk single file in a trail between rough stones ( I do not know how they are called)
under the high noon sun. We were
treated to boiled bananas and fish at their humble house. My friends who have been so used to adventures like this brought the lunches they had packed and we had more than enough and were full when we decided to make an inspection of that part of the island where for the first time we saw pineapples and coconuts growing in the rocks and real live serguelas trees. We left our luggage in their house as we decided to choose which beach resort to stay in and we have to walk our way as there were no available transportation. Finally we settled in here, and luckily, there were no guests except us and we had the whole place to ourselves that night and the following day.
It was then that we discovered that leaving our things at Leah's place was a bad idea, we could have plunged into the ocean right upon arriving, but as things stood, we waited until evening for our swimming attire to come
The next day we raced with the morning sun to the ocean and had the best swim in all our lives. The only thing was that the ocean floor was also inhabited by seaweeds and sharp stones. "They should have weeded them out" I complained within the hearing of Ayn who said, "But Mom those sea weeds are home to small fishes." Indeed there were schools of fish that were not really intimidated by our presence, at least some of them. For more of our "adventures" at island, see the latest photos posted by yours truly.
empty nest
My daughter left today to join her brother in Cebu and look for other job prospects there. The house feels so empty now that all my children are gone. Although she promises to be back for the elections in May, it sounds like it is a whole lifetime away. sigh!
Nothing much...just a bit from this blog reader
It seems these days I have been more of an spectator/reader than a blogger. I seem to be more interested in what others have posted than in posting my own. And mind you, my inbox can be very varied and colorful and can contain either mind boggling or mind opening entries.Nevertheless they entertain me no end.
This is a free Saturday as I have told my students in my summer classes, that I will not be meeting them, as many of them will be serving in the National elections on Monday. They need to be prepared as this is the first time that the national elections will be fully automated.We somehow have to make up for this missed Saturday though.
Tomorrow is Mother's day and I will be a mother once more as two of my children are coming home. Unfortunately the reason for coming home is not to see mother, it is only secondary. They want to exercise their right to suffrage, and being first or second time voters, they must be very enthusiastic about it. Whatever the reason, I am glad to have them back, cook something for them, plan, that is if they have not whipped up plans on what to do while they are here.
Today I want to cook Mother in law's favorite dish and visit her as she won't be here tomorrow. Rice harvest time and the elections will have her hieing back to Maybog, her home town on Sunday. With my own mother gone, I would be gratified to share lunch with her and her son who happens to be my husband.
Meantime I have papers to read and mark for my Summer classes. That along with having my children home (at least two of them) will keep my hands full in my otherwise uneventful weekend. Happy Mother's day to all of you!
in the afterglow
I was touched by hubby's effort to take me away from my pc in order to see the "world outside". He said I have been so cooped up in my little room for so long that I needed a breath of fresh air. I had a suspicion though that he was trying to lift me out of my self pity after all the children have gone and I tried to find comfort in the internet and the music from the new karaoke that I bought again for the same reason that I needed a diversion.
I was touched by hubby's effort to take me away from my pc in order to see the "world outside". He saihave been so cooped up in my little room for so long that I needed a breath of fresh r. I had a suspicion though that he was trying to lift me out of my self pity after all the children have gone and I tried to find comfort in the internet and the music from the new karaoke that I bought again for the same reason that I needed a diversion.
So we went to an unfrequented place in our city, which used to be the site of the old abattoir, where he said, the setting sun was very visible. Too bad we missed a good view of the setting sun but caught the afterglow instead. True enough, I delighted in the smell of the sea and the fresh air and the sight of the stars coming out of the early evening sky. It kind of brought to mind the good old days when as young lovers at the University where we met, we would sit by the shores to watch the sunset. Then a sudden wave of realization struck me: has it been that long? Are we that old?
We left as the sky was darkening. Then we inspected some goods at a nearby department store. Back at home we had a light supper and he settled into his favorite place to watch the news and the movies while I chatted with my friends in the internet.
One friend of mine commented that our children's leaving has thrown us into each other's arms again, after years of working, surviving and probably forgetting each other. How true indeed. I wouldn't say this is the sunset or the afterglow of our lives, probably not just yet rather, just another chance of rediscovering each other.
Curacha!
Curacha is a dance that is usually presented on especial occasions such as fiestas, meetings of organizations, and has for a purpose not only of entertainment but also fund raising. This is commonly shown in the islands of Samar and Leyte. I dont have enough information of the origin of the word, as it is Spanish sounding and has close resemblance to La Cucaracha, which is a Spanish folk dance.
Curacha is supposed to be an imitation of the love dance between a rooster and a hen, with a music that varies in tempo from slow to fast and very fast. One time we were having a very unprepared impromptu Faculty Federation meeting in one of the local beach resorts here in Ormoc City. Our guests were from Tacloban, fellow faculty officers. Then suddenly a group of folk singers, the kind that bring along their guitar and banduria to serenade you in broad daylight came up to play in the cottage where we were meeting.
After two musical renditions, our guests requested for a curacha number, to which the musicians obliged. Then to our surprise, two of our guests gamely took to the center and danced the curacha and we found ourselves clapping in time to the tempo.
Then somebody spread a hankie(it was later replaced by a paper plate) on the sand while the two were dancing and then a shower of bills and coins fell on the hankie/plate.
The collection was not much but that dance filled in a very important function, that of providing a lighter moment to the otherwise serious discussion.
Meanwhile if you want to see the music and the dance, here is a link
Changes
This school year opening was met with one major change in the work place, one that we, the workforce or the faculty have been working for so hard that we have risked almost everything: money, peace of mind, relationships, etc. The change? A new administrator. We were granted this finally after two years of working it out, writing letters to almost all the authorities concerned and finally God smiled on our little request. and that so far was the greatest change that happened to us and it is the most welcome one.I hope this time the change would last for a whole term/s, not just for a few weeks like what happened before. Now we can work in peace and harmony.
At home comings and goings form part of changes in the family front. A daughter goes while a son comes home. The daughter wants to be freed of my apron strings while the son feels he needs to find a home-based job.Kind of an answer to my silent prayer that one of my children would stay home with us. His coming home was timely as I needed a private nurse to tend to me while i was admitted to the hospital for hyperacidity. Well, he was there all right but as I was an exemplary patient with not so many needs, he brought my laptop to the hospital with him and played through out the days of my confinement and while I lay awake at night I listen to his rhythmic breathing as he lay on the narrow bed beside mine. Well those stories of headless nurses and white ladies did the trick of forcing me back into sleep.
Meanwhile I anticipate a major physical change in me as I say goodbye to my gall bladder and the stone that has lodged in it for three years now. What would it be like to live life with out that little organ appendage to the liver? It remains to be seen as i submit myself for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I looked it up and very careful not to misspell it. On of my cyber friends tried to comfort me by saying the procedure is so common now and it is not really a "major" operation.
Well changes are inevitable in life. We just have to face them. According to Charles Darwin,"it is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
tHE bLUE mANTLE
When I opened the east side of my room at the hospital where I was admitted, this was what met my eyes. A statue of our Lady and her blue mantle. It was such a lovely and peaceful sight. I contemplated on her presence, my faith telling me she was there holding my hand and covering me with her protective blue mantle, because I was scared.
There were two things bothering me. A phone call from home told me the worst has happened at school. I would not talk about that here, but it was a concern I can not dare to ignore. The other one was my fear of pain. When they stuck the IV into my hand the following day and i could no longer look outside the window, her picture was etched in my mind...kind eyes, and a smile that tells me not to fear,
Now as i have gone through everything, not a prick or hint of pain did I feel during the whole process, and when I went back to school, the atmosphere did not prove as formidable. God has been kind to me. Our Lady with the Blue Mantle has interceded for me.
. When I was a child I used to join in the singing of a song (Bless O Dearest Mother) at church on Wednesday afternoons. There is one line which lingers in my mind until now..."spread thy loving mantle over all of them. drive away all evils, bless each heart and home." Young as I was I realized then how important it was to subject ourselves to the protection of Mary, the Mother of God, the mediatrix of all graces.
That is the reason I gave my space in the web, "The Blue Mantle"
BECLOUDED
There are times when life just seems so dark as clouds block the sun. And when it happens the heart is mute, the pen refuses to move, the mind is blank.
It takes a lot of courage to face the clouds undaunted. Somehow I feel a powerful Hand will lift the clouds and show the silver linings once more.
SOMETHING TO SMILE AT
After a period when I felt I was so down, (probably post surgical blues) I feel I can smile again. I just needed to look around and there were indeed many reasons to smile for.
Foremost, I had this friend who came from down under to pay a visit to her country and to lay her beloved mother to her final rest. I was confined in a hospital when that happened, it was a friend of hers who broke the news to me via a phone call.
Our lives had run parallel, getting married, raising children, losing parents. After a short period of mourning, we tried to bridge the gap of years between us. We talked about our husbands, (she had been widowed twice) our children our lives as young wives. That was where the parallel ended. I continued with my career as teacher, while she settled to being a housewife and mother.
Like her last visit last year we had good times together relieving the past and looking forward to the future. I can smile at us, despite the passing of many years, still giggling over girlish jokes and silly banters. We could not be together as frequently as we would like to, as I have work and she had other business to attend to as well. Yet we managed to share quality time together, going to the cinema ( to watch "Esclipse" and sit beside young people idolizing those vampire actors lol) eating out or sitting and chatting in her hotel room until the late hours of the night. I realized how little the years have changed us, a few lines here and there in our faces betray the years we wanted to camouflage, but still deep inside us we were the same, still nurturing the friendship that surprisingly is still alive after all those years.
Yes it is true. Some good things can indeed last.
for FRIEND
I hope this blog and the previous are not too late for friendship day celebration which as researched falls on the first Sunday of August. My topic is again about friends, rather what I did for a friend.
There are friends that are there for you through all the times, the good and the bad, there are so called fair weather friends and there are friends whom you haven't personally met yet but who in a short time have endeared themselves to you.
I have met such a friend here in this virtual world of the internet. But he is so real as he is celebrating his birthday today. I told hubby I was going to cook for him a vegetarian spaghetti as he is vegetarian and my better-half good naturedly went with me to the grocery to buy all the things that I needed. And when it was done I took a picture of the dish and sent it to him. Too bad the new kitchen was not yet ready (renovation still going on) so I had to put it in a side-table in the sala for the photo shoot. I did not serve any meaty dish with the spaghetti and my son who does not like veggies gingerly forked through it then declared he liked the mushroom and the bean curd as he helped himself to another serving, then again and again. Then later declared that at midnight he would have the left over spaghetti as snack.
My friend would not be able to share my labor with us but he said he will be there in spirit. lol. All he gets is a photo and he's happy. As to my family? They are starting to become vegetarians. lol
Good news, bad news
In this day and age when almost anything that happens can echo up to the farthest corner of the globe, everyone must have heard of what has happened recently in my country, Yes we have given the world a share of our good news and bad news. Whatever others feel because of these, the condemnation, reprisals, sympathy or praise, we deserve them all. No nation or system is ever perfect, but I am sure everyone and anyone would do his best in the face of any crisis, be it in a knee shaking question and answer portion of a beauty pageant or in a resolving a life or death hostage taking drama. Only at times, our best is not good enough in the eyes of others.
Whenever some bad news had to be told at the domestic level, hubby would match it up with a good news ( he'd always manage to think of one) and then he'd break it to us like this: I have good news and bad news, which do you like to hear first?
Whatever your choice, you would know for sure that the good one would offset the effect of the bad one. Then it would not hurt as bad anymore.
In life both the good and the bad happen. They co exist to make us appreciate the good better. How could we appreciate light if there was no darkness? How would we know of beauty if we have not known ugliness? It is these dichotomies that make life go on, that makes us hang on to hope.
A friend, when I told him about the violent hostage taking news and how embarrassed I was for my country soothed me by saying, " O h I saw good news too. You are a land of beautiful women."
I smiled because I wanted to say that was not necessarily true. But he sure knows how to sidestep the topic. That set our conversation to a more positive note.
Cherishing our National Langauge
Buwan Ng Wika culminated with a kaleidoscopic and colorful activities deliberately planned so students could manifest what they know about their race and culture. Laro nga lahi depicted games children play on the streets when the traffic was not that heavy. Games seen that day included sia tum, a game played by two teams, with two sticks of different sizes, patintero or warring-warring and takyan and a modification of tumbang preso.
The Malong band this girl wears signifies she belongs to the Muslim minority group. Here she adeptly displays a winning stance for step one of sia tum!
This girl does not feel any discomfort in a her baro at sayaoutfit in canary yellow. Tumbang preso is the name of the game, where they fell empty milk cans with slippers.
Patintero players stretch their arms ready to tag any opponent who crosses the line.
Takyan is another local game done by kicking a shuttle cock or a beribboned washer. The player who makes the most number of kicks win. The player has to send the ball to a height higher than the level of his head.
These two players are caught scrambling over a slipper.
The afternoon was devoted to another literary musical show, and the participants enjoyed displaying unrehearsed performances. Among the favorites were this girl's rendition of Rosas Pandan, a lively song about modesty and pride in one's cultural roots. The other was a modern Visayan love song, Pahaloka Ko Day, (May I kiss you Miss?) with the dancers using folk dance steps to interpret the song.
Pasayawa ko day? Rosas Pandan
...and they look so cool and comfy watching the show from under the trees.
In the mood
I reviewed my journals in Tagged and rediscovered this poem I posted some four months ago. I am sharing it with you here.
I'd rather love you with open eyes
than be blinded by the glare of
misleading, seeming, perfection.
I would rather see the feet of clay
than bask in the dizzying excitement
in the magic of your deluding charms.
I prefer to walk in the truth
rather than be blocked by your walls of defenses
Let me love you then with open eyes
Let me take in good and the bad
in what you have been
Together we shall mend and bend
Together we shall walk in the light
of what is and will be. -CRA
Reflections
Here I am waiting for this date to end. It has been truly amazing. The greetings, the well wishers, I did not expect them all as I intended to be by myself this very especial day. My mobile kept ringing, my facebook and my ym were continually buzzing with greetings. How could the whole world have known it all? One of my cousins said its because I posted my birthdate in all my accounts. Well I acted as tho I did not enjoy all the attention!
When I attended the Holy Mass for Mama Mary's birthday I was surprised because everybody who knows me either poked me or whispered to say their greetings. How come? Most of them were not internet users. So I whispered to one, how did you know? and she said it is easy to remember. You shared the same birthday with the greatest woman who ever lived.
Boy, wasnt I lucky! But the feeling was tinged with guilt. I should not in anyway try to take one single moment of the worshipers' attention from her. But it wasnt my fault. Did my mother choose my birthday the way I did when I chose the birthday of my eldest child? Nobody is to blame of course. God willed me to be born on this day and I am happy everybody who meant so much to me remembered.
I did not have any celebration for my intention was to spend the day alone. With hubby of course. But things were not as I planned. I shared the day with many. Thanks to modern technology I was able to connect with relatives and my children. That is one blessing that I count. Somebody up there willed my life to reach this point, when a parcel from my son miles and miles away takes less than a day to reach me. and phone calls from my other children make them seem so near.
The world is wonderful, people are good, I am happy to be alive.
when life hands you a lemon
When life hands you a lemon
...make lemonade. That is the message that I got from the speaker of the seminar that we attended yesterday. There was this question during the open forum, about how one of our colleagues, for reasons only the concerned official knows, was "removed" from his former post as designated accountant of our College and was moved to position of assistant to the school carpenter/electrician who does menial repair jobs in the school. He felt he was being made to feel redundant despite the fact that he knows he had been good at the job, and the school needed him. What was most unthinkable was that his replacement does not have the necessary qualifications for the job which, on the contrary, he possesses.
The speaker went ahead to cite an example from her own career history mentioning how she survived in a job for which she had no training. It was obvious that she had no knowledge of the background of the circumstances of our school and how designations are made on the basis of trust and confidence, not competence nor academic qualifications or experience required for the post. Our College has no items for major administrative positions, so many of the faculty are designated to some of these administrative posts. And as these are only designations, not appointments, our administrator can remove or move them as he pleases.
So what should our friend do given the circumstance where he is given a job for which he has no preparation and which has given him low employee morale?
Talking it out with the Administration is out of question.Previous conferences and face to face confrontation have resulted in one undeniable truth which is the loss of trust and confidence from both sides.
There is of course another alternative which was to beat the hell out of the system. But that would give the other party a sense of triumph. In many cases, one reason for making an employee suffer in his job is so he would opt out. Unless he has a sighted greener pastures, I would not advise to do this especially in this era where jobs are hard to come by. The other alternative that would remain is of course, our seminar speaker's advise: make lemonade. The situation has become sour like a lemon, then of course we can sweeten it up a little by adding a little sugar.
The sugar can take the form of a little attitude adjustment, which can result in many desirable effects. We think of that specific change as demoralizing, but we can also look at it as a favor. Our friend can follow this line of thinking: Perhaps my boss doesn't want me to get so stressed out on a difficult job, so i am given a job with which i do not need to use my gray matters so much. Or I can learn to become a good carpenter. Christ, was himself a carpenter.Which of course is a long shot.
Well in effect that was exactly what our speaker was saying. Sometimes we can not help the things that are occurring around us. We just have to accept them and adjust to them. It would take a lot of patience to do that. But it will pay off in the long run especially if it is coupled with positive thinking.
According to James Allen, (author, "A man is not rightly conditioned until he is a happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with the outer of the man with his surroundings. "
one boring Saturday Afternoon
It is almost ten o'clock and it is raining. I am alone in the living room and its kind of scary. I could have stayed in my room for this blog, but since last night I have failed to connect to the net by wifi, I dont really know what happened. Maybe our IT expert at school did some changes to the setting which halted its automatic connection.I know I need to see him again. To be sure, I brought Ace's extra cables which I stored in my table drawer at school. So now I could connect, but I can not go up to my room as the cable is not long enough.
The semester is fast coming to an end and my slowfooted students are trying to catch up and their effort compels me to spend extra times with them too. It could be taxing but whenever I see them learning, I feel so compensated.
Last Saturday, I was among the few instructors that were in the whole campus for part time classes. While my students were busy with their reading tasks, I busied myself with papers that needed to be marked. I was feeling hungry but snack was out of question. No canteen opens in the campus o n Saturday. Neither could I go out as classes were going on. So I was listening to my grumpy tummy when all of a sudden two boys in chef attire came to my room with what they labeled as fish cracker s for me to savor and give a rating. I was surprised pleasantly as it was like my prayer was answered.
The boys were Hotel and Restaurant Technology students who had laboratory classes on Saturdays. Usually they let culinary expert evaluate their products. Well as there was nobody else around that Saturday, I was promoted as evaluator, therefore culinary expert too. On the second thought, those boys did not err in choosing me. I once dreamed of becoming a chef, and that dream was privy to the number of cakes that failed to rise, cookies and muffins that were as hard as rocks and calderetas that were as salty as the Pacific Ocean. But oh, hubby and sons liked them, to them I was the best. Those were the best memories in my child rearing career. I remember my eldest son called one of my creations (supposedly beef burgers) eagle's droppings. But they ate then despite how the patties looked.
Well I have given up my culinary career long ago, but those HRT boys should not know it. I rated their product like I knew the business and rated it generously as it filled my need for the moment. Of course I thanked God for His providence never fails to come when needed.
The birthday season has begun. For my family a birthday is never complete without a birthday cake.
At home i start the birthday season. This is followed by hubby whose birthday was last Friday, October 8. Ace's birthday is in November, while two of my children celebrate it in December. The last to celebrate is son number one, born in January.
As much as we planned to celebrate birthdays very privately, certain relatives would not want it so. On hubby's birthday last Friday, two sisters came with their greetings expressed in their most artistic culinary creations.
Sister number one came with a very unique
"birthday cake."
It was actually an assembly of several
cupcakes with blue flowerettes as topping/icing and a single birthday candle for the"blowing" ceremony. The assembly was unified by a blue ribbon to give it a semblance of wholeness.It was something one could whip up in a jiffy, and very inexpensive too.
We had fun of course even if the rest of the preparations were ordered from nearby restos.
Sister number 2 who is another cake expert came with one of her masterpieces: a dozen puto cheese with lots of cheese melted on top. She probably had to time to bake something more ornate like previous cakes she made for my birthdays of the previous years. I wanted to upload one but can not find the right files.
Two of my children are coming home by the end of October and right now I can imagine the shrieks and giggles from my daughter who until now is still the baby of the family.
dream walking or sleepwalking?
Neither. I woke up at 4:30 and saw the moon in all its majesty reigning the skies. I hurriedly took a picture and remembered the many photos I needed to upload for the sake of my students who have been wanting to see my photos of the last Tugob Festival of Ormoc. I will do that later as today is the last day of classes and i have to report to work. Sorry guys, first things first!
Once more, with feeling
I got tired uploading photos for the grandest Ormoc festival of this season which was the Charter day. The time it takes to upload plus the comment that the pictures were amateur really wore my patience thin. So much for theTugob Festival. I have posted most of my photos in Facebook anyway.
Tomorrow is the local elections. Filipinos go to the polls once more to elect barangay officials and the youth representative to the Council (SK or Sangguniang Kabataan) Last year during the national elections my daughter lambasted the Board of Election Inspectors for not knowing their job in a blog in FB. I took a picture of the long lines.
I hope this will not happen anymore as the BEI after a year would have been able to think of a way to solve the overcrowding at the voting precincts. This is just one of the problems of course and not half as much as the fact that the traditional politicians are already corrupting the young voters through vote buying. If only the old people who are supposed to know better do their best of giving the right examples...
Lucky Mom
Three of my children are home for the Halloween. We're not exactly treat or tricking but we are having fun just being together. When we get tired of talking and bantering, we retreat to our rooms with the internet. Yesterday was especially fun as hubby's side of the family was here. In fact MIL will have been with us three days in a row now since Saturday. Hubby enjoys cooking for them while I enjoy the tete a tete and sometimes the occasional silence since Nona and MIL could also get preoccupied with their laptops in between chats. Me? I enjoy taking pictures with my new camera gifted by son no 2.
Nothing fancy or sophisticated just a new digicam for a Mom who is trying to grapple with the intricacies of technology. Son could not have chosen better than this point and shoot gadget for someone who is going to be Lola (not Techy) soon. That is the biggest news from son no. 1.
Then yesterday I ran out of money as the banks were closed (ahem as if I had plenty in there).Well, not really the ATMs were available but i did not want to go there for obvious reasons. I needed flowers for our visit to the city of the dead today and for the envelopes which we bring to the church for the Holy Mass. Who should come to my rescue if not my darling sweet daughter who saw to all of my expenses yesterday. Lucky lucky Mom am I indeed, ain't I?
Today we will have a trip up the cemetery for the visit to the graves of our dear departed ones and then attend the Holy Mass there. After that we will be coming down to dinner at our house. By the way we have a sponsor for dinner tonight. Paco, hubby's brother in CDO saw to it that we wont be inconvenienced by planning and preparing for dinner. So nice of him, isn't it?
Blog written with harry Potter in background
I woke up and saw the sun already up before I did, and heard real chirping of birds, not canned effects, but real. and I look out my window and saw the pomelos hanging from out the branches. These are among the blessings of living in theprobinsya. The rustic scenery somehow lifts your mood. I can hear the whirr of the wheels of early motorists from a distance, telling me this whole provincial city is awake. Well this is a special day.
My grades are done but I have to go to school for other random duties as a teacher. The semester starts next week and I have new courses to teach. I wouldn't want to think about them for the moment because today is my second son's birthday.
He fills the house with his laughter.Now that he is here, the house comes to life again. Last week when three of them were here, the house reverberated with their laughter and stories of their adventures.Always, his laughter was the loudest.
This was the lively toddler who hugged me tight when ever I came home from my master's classes...those summers when I had to leave him to the yaya during the weekdays. I felt guilty because I could bring only one child alone and that was the older one.
He remembers how I used to let them listen to audio books when they were children. Now he brings home an e book of the Harry Potter series. He says he plays it to put him to sleep at night. That is reminiscent of those days too. And he says the type of music that I love to listen has the same effect on him as his e books. So this house now echoes with the harry Potter reader if not the music of Michael Buble', the Beatles and Josh Groban Evanescence which are among my favorites.
When he was in high school he drove me crazy when I discovered he uninstalled my windows program twice. It was the time when I was the only one who had a pc in the neighborhood and I was wondering how he did it. and I wondered even more when he reinstalled it all by himself, without help from technicians.
I do not know if he is trying to make up for those mischiefs he did to my computers when he gifted me with a netbook last year. But he was right for giving me that. It has become my favorite companion and past time. Lately he gave me a camera. But this Mom who does not have aesthetic sense, still needs a lot of tutelage before she could become a brilliant photographer.
Well he did tutor me, but not in taking pictures but on how to use the excel program. He taught me how to key in formulas so I could compute grades easily. He ended up doing my grades. At school when I tried to print out my grade sheets, I discovered the flash drive did not save the corrections. I forgot all the steps he taught me so the student assistant who helped me had to go back to the "mano-mano" (write over the data since I forgot the formulas) system I was so used to.
Well I should park my pen here as I am planning a surprise for this son who wants desperately for his Mom to be Techy (my that word again!).
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