Tres Padres

It's that time of year again when fathers are hailed and recognised. And rightfully so, because without them, whatever our circumstance may be, there would not be us.

To my Papa: I love you and will always do! You were the first man in our life, our first kiss, our first love. We have always placed you above all else. You were the reason why weekends were always important. Our engineer who always had something to tinker with. As a child we'd marvel at the stuff your mind and hands created. During the time when bags with wheels were introduced, you were the only father I knew who did not rush to the mall to buy one. With your creative mind my old schoolbag was magically transformed into one with wheels! That is only part of the story of the kind of father you are Papa. Even in your silence, memories were born. So thank you Papa! Your love knows no bounds... We love you ;)

To my husband: My heart of hearts! Soul of my soul! My only love... I will forever be thankful to the Lord, who answered my prayers. You are exactly the kind of father
I've always dreamed for my kids. You are a man beyond your years. You believe in the power of prayers. That with fatherhood comes great responsibility. You embraced that role. You fearlessly espoused fatherhood without a moment of hesitation. And you continue to prove how much you are committed to taking care of our family. A father in the real sense of the word! I love you and will continue loving you till my last breath.

To Bernard: My favorite brother in law the only one I have :D Even before, you have always showed your involvement in our family. An act evident of your love for my sister. The kind of man I have always prayed for her. Without you to complete the puzzle, there wouldn't be Wis, Quin, and Teapot. Thank you for always being there for each of us. Thank you for loving my sister the way you do.

To the important men in our family, I wish you all the best this Father's day and always!

Cancer Pinoy style

Our country is sick! And the cure is not hard to find. What is tough though is the fact that the masses prefer to remain sick. But notice that they will be the same ones who will complain non-stop about their predicament. The same ones who we will be doing their planking act on the streets of Manila. The same ones who will shout indictments against the government they voted for! This is not the same Filipinos that our heroes died fighting for! Most times I'm inclined to think that I was born in the wrong country. Or inclined to think that we should have remained colonized by the Japanese!

I have always wish good for my country and my countrymen. But if my kababayans only cared for themselves or just do not care at all. What can the little voices do but remain in the dark?

From nothing to Vice Governor, from being assistants to their parents to Senator?! From actors and actresses to political leaders? From being a boxer and the boxer's wife to political partners? the stupid familial list just goes on and on! Who are we kidding???!!!!

These so called politicians will be the same ones you will see gracing the senate floor with their ridiculously expensive gowns and suit and humongous jewelries. Those are the people You voted for! And because of your wise vote, thank you! The Philippines will be a great nation for them to squander our hard earned money for their family and for their vices.

I hope one day the Filipinos open their eyes! We need people who will do anything to save our country from the rotting persona of the wicked politicians, from political dynasties who sees being in the government a good investment for their family! For the actors and actresses who,(both young and aging), will strut their stuff in the political arena because their managers can no longer find good projects for them. Good luck to us! I don't think stem-cells therapy can even cure this kind of cancer!

Votes for the future

Today I exercised my right as a Filipino! I voted for the people I feel would bring our country to at least normalcy. Funny, how after several times of voting, I felt like a cry baby as I entered my voting precinct. I cried a litte as I looked around at the rest of the the voters across the room. I thought to myself, I hope that they vote for the ones who will make the Filipinos believe in the system again. I hope they do not vote for those actors and actresses who cannot really contribute to the greater glory of the Philippines. I hope they do not vote for political dynasties. For politicians who do not honor delicadeza, or those who only have vested interests. I have friends in politics, and I know I will be hurting them with what I have to say. But I hope they understand my thoughts being a Filipino who wants our country to be a country of hope, a nation served by our govenment not the other way around. A country where the Filipinos are served not enslaved. A safe place to live in, where criminals and terrorists will fear to tread.

My dear Filipinos please, for the sake of our children...let us not put our own interests first. Think of the future of our country and to whose pair of hands you wish to entrust our children and our children's children.

The choice you made is marked on your Index finger either way it's the same one that will point back to you. Let yours be the right one!

My thoughts on Mother's Day

There is no real peace in conflict....

Today's sermon is about Love and Peace so fitting in my quest for answers. What I found interesting is the way the priest explained how easy it is for people to love but how difficult it is for them to continue to do so...how much more easy it is for people to forget.

My Mama despite her old age is still alert as probably the day she was born... This is perhaps of the fact that at an early age, her growing up stage fast forwarded right before her eyes. Being the eldest of a brood of 8, she had to forego the usual teenage route. Why? Because at an early age she lost a father... And had to partake of her own mother's troubles. With 7 younger siblings in tow, that was a lot to take for a 15 year old whose worries should have only been limited to what to wear to the prom, what course to take up in College, and whatnot. But because she had to grow up, she missed all those stuff and instead ensured that her siblings are well taken cared of...that all their properties are intact...that whatever assets her father (my maternal grandfather) left behind is safe for the sake of the future generation. Not limited to physical assets but those that has been taught by my maternal grandparents. A legacy of hope, of love, that the family remain bonded despite the storm.

The past and her desire to save a generation of heritage is the source of her wisdom and the source of her strength.

My mama has been a mother for so long that she couldn't help but be one to all. This is a privilege that only a few can handle and truly understand. One cannot be a nurturing mother if she has not nurtured younger siblings or truly put others before herself! And this is a fact that people tend to forget.

And so this Mother's Day which is celebrated every 2nd Sunday of May let me honor my own Mama. I did not make life any easier for her but I love her beyond the confusion, through the tears, for every spat we had. But for me and my siblings, there could only be one Mama... And no one else can fit into her shoes.

Advance Happy mother's day Mama!

Fervent Prayers and our life in KSA

I have always been a firm believer of the power of prayer. But I was not expecting mine to be answered too soon! Not that I am complaining :). Indeed God works in mysterious ways. His plans never fail and they always come as a wonderful surprise.

You know my kids and I would pray the Holy Rosary and part of our prayer is for my husband to be able to land a good job that would give him so much better opportunities in terms of career growth, better benefits, a package that will ensure that our family will be well provided for. And a job that will bring us to a country where we are able to attend mass. Never did I expect that He would bring us back to the Philippines, I was thinking more of Canada or Singapore. But the Lord can also be a good comedian I laughed when I realized later on that I was not specific about the country of my choice hahaha!

But still my husband and I are humbled by the continuous blessings He sends our way. First, the Lord's plan. A decision. And then acceptance.

It's really funny that I should be missing Saudi Arabia, when the first time my husband told me that he'd bring us there, I was adamant. For me it meant giving up my Señorita days. I had to give up our loyal nanny for a life where I would be her predecessor. Lol!

But life in KSA turned out well, oh forget those times we had to wait long for payday. Overall, our life was simply lived, our kids became more tolerant of each other's shortcomings, we were far from problems though not our own, we carried as if we were part of it. Best of all we learned how to deal with the locals, the Indians, Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Nepalese, Bangladesh, Sri Lankans, South Africans, and the other OFWs.

Despite what the word "abroad" connotes let me tell you that our life abroad was not all a bed of roses. But we all learned. My eldest, though reluctantly at first, learned to wash the dishes. While her two other siblings developed skills of their own... Cooking rice, keeping the room clean, folding fresh dry clothes, extra pair of hands in the kitchen ;) My husband and I, on the other hand, learned to be self-sufficient. We both learned how to bake bread! Our own pandesal. And I became a hands-on mom to my children. I realized that my role at home is not bad at all. Saudi definitely changed us and it was a good change.

For now this is all I've got to share...more

later...so keep posted ;)

My all around abaya

You were my security blanket for almost 3 years. The only fashionable piece of clothing that I owned. The same one I used when hanging our laundry, greeting visitors, buying groceries, malling, eating out, attending pta's, and other activities that required me to step out of our abode. You symbolized a tradition as old as time. Helped embrace a culture I was not really prepared for. It did not matter whether the temperature outside was almost 50 degrees C. The weather is not an excuse to even open the top button. But I wore you for a long time... For me, you were my second skin, my protection from the weather, the mutawa, and the roving eyes of the male populace.

It's ironic how I used to hate wearing you and now that I won't, I feel a bit of sadness.

But then I have to store you. You will be a part of my KSA memories. I can't really say if and when I will wear you again or if there would ever be another chance or another time. Let me say for now that (to the tune of Loving you) "wearing you was such an easy thing to do..." ;)

Life in Saudi...in retrospect...

We've stayed in this country and embraced its culture for almost 3 years (4 for my husband). Our life though very much secluded, was lived simply. For me and my husband, it was enough that we were all together. Enough that he was earning modestly to be able to send money to our loved ones. That I was able to discover inner yearnings and be able to put them into good use.

Last February 27, (2013) though unaware of our fate back home, we went through the whole nine yards of packing our stuff. In our minds we would be back. As we all stepped into the service that would take us to the King Fahad airport, I stared long and hard at all the sights. It was as if I knew that it would be the last time I'd ever set eyes on everything KSA.

Indeed it was the last time and my heart cried through it. And then acceptance.

Though it was a hard decision to make. I believe that the Lord's plan will always be the best for our family. And so after thinking things over, we decided to embrace this new adventure... This time in our own land.

Once again folks...it's Hello back Philippines! ❤