Newborn Additions: A Sweet Surprise

We woke up to the sound of my son screaming "Popcorn has babies! Popcorn has babies!"



and the next thing Cow said was, "They don't have hair mommy! They look like worms!" Hahaha! what a sight to behold, very pink and delicate little squirming hamsties.

Funny thing was, we missed the whole birth part. It was my son who actually saw the Mommy hamster give birth. He described it as Popcorn making poopy!



One very tired Momma, Popcorn snoozes off for the day with her babies underneath her. She's our big breeder.

Dark Nights under Typhoon Basyang

Internationally known as Typhoon Conson, Basyang may not have brought down dreadful rains like Typhoon Ondoy, but it still pummeled the country with its strong winds. Knocking out powerlines, crippling the capital Manila with blackouts which shut down all commuter trains - LRT, MRT and PNR trains.

The long commute. A lot of workers were left stranded. My Dad had to endure a 3-hour ride from Monumento to Makati via bus, only to find out most offices had no electricity (these private companies however still required employees to come to work despite the bad weather) .

Blackouts in Makati. We had to endure having no electricity for 2 nights which meant no functioning rice cooker and electric stove. With meat spoiling in the fridge, I was near crazy and adamant to find a friend's house to cook everything. My cows were starving and even the fastfood stores were closed. Some fastfood outlets suffered the brunt of the storm terribly.

Even the tempered glass at KFC was unable to withstand the strong winds of Basyang.



Luckily, no one was hurt when the shards came falling down.

I went to Salcedo street really early to meet up with my Dad who was bringing us emergency food from Pampanga. There were a lot of debris and tree branches were strewn about in Legaspi village. In other places in the city, you had to look out for flying tin roofs during the storm.

Mom & Dad Saves the Day. My mom is amazing though, she could have just made us some soupy treat or sent us canned food instead she still managed to cook Stuffed Chicken Gallantina and Lechon Paksiw then packed it in banana leaves just in time for my Dad to bring it to Makati. Haay, the Kapampangan spirit talaga when it comes to food, kailangan laging espesyal :) 

The long wait. It was too dark inside our unit, so me and my son spent our time singing nursery rhymes at the corridor. Our building's generator could only sustain light at its hallways and power up its elevators.

By morning, Makati was back to normal again and I'm now back online blogging about the whole thing. Hope everyone was safe inside their homes!

Cow's Favorite Bedtime Story Book

Our bedtime staple "Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type" written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin.

I got this book when I was still pregnant with Cowcow and I would read it to my tummy out loud :)

By the time, he was four, our son would go through the pictures before bedtime. He loves the animal sounds Tatay would make. Mooooooo! Moooooo!

My son just turned 6 yesterday and he reads this book on his own! This is his favorite bedtime book and his fave characters are the ducks in the farm. The illustrations are lovely and the story itself is very engaging for kids his age. 

Happy Father's Day, Tatay!

Dads are tough, but really soft on the inside. They like to butingting (tinker with stuff ) and fix things even when its not entirely broken. All kinds of Dads like sports on TV - boxing, basketball, sabong, football, jai alai, golf and tennis. The Dads I know work hard all week and sleep through the weekends.

Tatay is the person to turn to when Mommy says No!

Tatay and Grandpa deserve the best hugs. I'm so glad its a Father's Day weekend!

A Mother's Day Sonnet for Rosario

I've been going about town like a headless chicken looking for something special for my mom. I can't foresee my son doing this for me in the future, shopping for mommy presents. Maybe in 25 years, in some distant future when I finally throw a tantrum over getting another cardboard heart for Mother's Day. For now, I'm happy with the cardboard cut-outs I get from my giddy preschooler. As for my mom, she's always been picky with presents, it always has to be something practical, fashionable or worth the buck. Or else. Haha.

This was the best photo ever taken of me with my mom. My father took it with his SLR, back when cameras used film rolls and had mechanical apertures that made an authentic shutter click.  

Mom & Me at the beach. The Red Sea, 1981. 
I remember how windy it was, I could taste the salt in the air.

I got this sonnet thru my friend Rhamar's facebook account, she posted it as a tribute to her mom. Its a very apt piece for Mommies and since Mother's Day is on May 9, I think it sums up all the best thoughts on Mother's Day- definitely for Moms everywhere. Thanks Mrs. Seastres!

A Sonnet for My Incomparable Mother

by Joanna Fuchs

I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.
I am a mother now, and so I know
Hard work is mixed together with the fun;
You learned that when you raised me long ago.

I think of all the things you gave to me:
Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,
Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--
All these you spent on me throughout the years.

You loved me with a never-failing love
You gave me strength and sweet security,
And then you did the hardest thing of all:
You let me separate and set me free.

Every day, I try my best to be
A mother like the mom you were to me.

My Son's First Heartbreak: Goodbye our sweet Ring!

I've been putting off blogging about my son's first pets- we got hamsters! I guess I should have decided a lot sooner. Today, one of them died.

I am weathering my son's first heartbreak right now, our hamster just died an hour ago. 

My son found him very still, when he touched it, the hammy started vomiting. Our hamster was suddenly very sick, he was fine the day before. Our hamster wasn't moving, but he was breathing heavily. He still responds to his name. He was vomiting and in pain. Ring would really look at us pleading. Daddycow held Ring till his last breath.  Watching our pet die was emotionally wretching, there wasn't enough time to take him to the vet a few blocks away. Now everyone's crying at home.

Ring was such a sweetie. We love him so much! Cowcow named him Ring because he has this single white stripe around his body. He choose him from the litter because of this cute stripe.

My son is asking me why his pet suddenly died and where would his pet go? He told me its unfair his pet died and he doesn't want to lose the rest of the hamsters. Wish I could really comfort and assure him, but really its hard enough to see him cry like this. My son has never cried like this before.

Daddycow placed Ring inside a box with soft tissues as pillows. My boy has cried his eyes out and by the time, my son has cried himself to sleep, Daddycow and I will go out secretly to the planter boxes and bury this wonderful creature who came into our lives.

Table Talk: The Tale of the Preschool Table

I went to pay our Meralco bill near the Makati fire station and from just across the street, I saw a man selling wood tables.

I immediatedly approached him and inspected his tables, some of which he was still sanding to a smooth finish. He told me his name was Mang Danny and that he was from Bagong Barrio Caloocan (which means The New Village in Caloocan). Mang Danny looked really tired as it was really hot that day and Caloocan where he lived was around 2 hours from where we were. But he was gracious enough to answer more of my prodding questions.

I asked him, why I hadn't seen him before near Meralco. He told me he carries the tables around from spot to spot wherever he is permitted to and not shooed away by security guards. He is like the Aparador sellers (Cabinet sellers) the ones that carry huge shelves or beds on their backs peddling from street to street. This thought really tugs on my heart strings, such labor is not easy to endure. But as Mang Danny puts it, at least he has work.

On closer inspection, the tables look rough and raw on the edges. The kind I like because they really look handmade. Then Mang Danny started sanding the table I was checking up close. I told him not to bother because I like his tables as they are. For they look natural and wonderful!

The table may look rough, but not that bad that my son would get splinters from it. I think it's the perfect portable preschool table for my boy. And it only cost me P350! ($7.50) I think that's rather cheap for a wood table considering the alternative would be a plastic table which I'm not so thrilled about.

Next month, I hope to find Mang Danny sitting on the same spot under the tree. As I hope to buy more wood tables from him. He has bigger ones that fold, such a table would be perfect for my laptop when outdoors or as a craft table when I'm sewing.

Happy Valentine's Day to Mommies Everywhere!

Today is a great day to hug and kiss everyone you love ♥ well, every day is! ♥ I wish you all the best kind of love the whole year round wherever you are :)

"Let love be your highest goal..."
1 Corinthians 14:1

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

Monsoon Weather: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I love the whimsical ride that goes with this movie. This universe of food weather exists on their own terms. The movie doesn't tug on the emotional heartstrings as much as Pixar often does with its films.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is all about gluttonous fun, a laugh trip over junk food we loved as children and the guilty pleasures we suffer over food even now as adults. 

If this kind of food weather was to suddenly replace our monsoon weather. I guess Manila would be flooded in: 

• Dinuguan
• Balut
• Fishballs
• Banana-Q
• Crunchy Kropek
• Suman Mais
• Giant atis
• Sago at Gulaman
• Bibingka
• Jollibee Chicken Joy
• Danggit
• Durian

I think I am just as eager to get crushed by a giant lumpia too. 

SpongeBob Square Pants Spotted at Glorietta

I was on my way to a meeting when I stumbled upon Bikini Bottom at Glorietta. This was taken a few weeks ago. 

I felt really bad my son wasn't with me. He would have gone bonkers seeing Spongebob and Patrick Star!

Even Patchy the Pirate was there. Aaaw. But no Mr. Krabs in sight! He's such a cheapskate!

Saying It With Love: Worries Over Delayed Speech

This was a forum post I made at the GirlTalk boards. I think it's long enough to be a post on its own.

My son was a delayed talker and I had so much anxiety and fears over his development. It becomes difficult when people start asking "Ilan taon na anak mo? bakit ganyan magsalita?" (How old is your boy? How come he talks that way?) or "Ano raw? anong sinasabi nya?" (What did he just say?)

Matipid sya mag salita (He doesn't talk much). At age 3 1/2, he would only ask for water or whatever he needed at the moment, he would rather point at it because it made things easier for him. There would be no random storytelling unlike other kids who would just blabber about anything that strikes them funny or interesting.

My son would say "Mommy water" If he needed a drink. But that's about it. He nods when asked. But from the get go, I know he understands me and what I ask of him. He understands basic requests like "Please close the door" or "Button your shirt, honey". In a day, he would make play sounds, but not talk at all.



At age 4, he tries to talk but gets frustrated because his sentences come out weird, it becomes this secret code that only me and his Dad could decipher or comprehend. His playmates couldn't understand him, so he really gets frustrated that the other kids won't play with him. His speech would have mixed sounds like "Aaaaah" or "Mmmm" to fill in actions or words he's trying to describe. I could see it in his face that he's really trying to explain his thoughts, but fails to articulate it properly.

My sister tells me, because he's a boy, he won't talk as fast or as early as girls do. Maybe. My niece was already a loud and fast talker at age 1 1/2 years old.



Cow is 5 years old now. His speech has improved, he talks a lot about everything that piques him, madaldal super! It surprises me how he overcame that non-talking phase.

But it wasn't easy. We made it a point to talk to him and always engage him in conversation. We always ask Cow questions that will force him to answer beyond the usual 'yes' or 'no'. Like instead of asking, "Do you want a glass of water?" We ask Cow, "What would you like to drink?"  Something like that, it sort of became like an exercise for us.

His Dad was the uber patient one who made all the efforts, he showed my son how to pronounce words, demonstrating with his own mouth and lips. I guess he's the reason my son's speech is 'good' or now appropriate for his age.

Now my son can be glib at times, especially when it’s about food. Now he tells me "Kissy love makes ice tea bubble. I can taste it with my heart and brain!”

Pacquiao-Cotto Fight Live in the Neighborhood

You know when there's a big Pacquiao fight going on, there's absolutely no traffic in Manila, not one single car on the road.

We had breakfast early, we were anticipating the telecast of the boxing match on local TV. We had planned to lock ourselves in, turn off our mobile phones and avoid anything online that would reveal the outcome of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. Until the delayed telecast would finally be aired.

photo from the Inquirer

But our self-imposed lock down was ruined by the sound of the live broadcast being blared into the streets of Makati. Somewhere along the stretch of our neighborhood, someone had this bright idea of turning his speakers a few earsplitting decibels higher, letting the details of the fight spill round after round. Just listening to it made us completely miserable. So we hunted down the source. 

This led the Cows right next to a construction site, a small pub called Jobsite Grill. We couldn't get in anymore, the joint was packed inside, but they weren't turning people away from their gates. In fact, they welcomed everyone who wanted a sneak peak of Pacquiao's fight.

It drew in all the men in the vicinity particularly those who had to work on a Sunday. The Filipino everyman was there - the security guard, the delivery boy, the tire mechanic, the bus boys, waiters, barkers, construction workers, street vendors, the garbage guy and the taong grasa. And yeah, some expats too.

Of course, it smelled.  It smelled of sweat, beer and cigarettes. The place ran high on adrenaline and reeked of testosterone. But it was the perfect place to be in at that very moment, the right place to be with pinoys (men and women alike) in watching one of the greatest fights in world boxing history. Naks!

It was fun. Everyone was cheering to every quick punch and jab at Cotto.

By the end of the fight, there was so much applause and people calling loved ones on their mobile phones with the news- Pacquiao won! The People's champ won! I can imagine the same thing spreading like wildfire throughout the country. People were just collectively happy, drunk on victory and some strange community spirit.

photo from the Inquirer

Now if we could only see the fight again on local TV without that much TV ads.

A Devoted Father and A Hero's Funeral

We attended the funeral of a hero, he is my bestfriend's father, his name is Colonel Esperidion Domingo.



He served in the army and fought in wartorn places in Mindanao throughout his career. When he retired, he decided to join the Philippine National Police force. He wanted to remain in public service for as long as he could.

He succumbed to lung cancer: his final battle. He was a man, dearly loved by his children, most especially by his only daughter Ligaya who decided to come home from New York and care for him during his final months.



I took my son with me to the funeral that early morning, he behaved really well. He was wearing his soldier gear and was constantly waving, saluting the policemen and soldiers during the funeral march. He was in awe at the ongoing funeral rites and the huge throng of people in attendance.



That day was the first time, he asked me questions about Death. The whole experience seemed to overwhelm him.


I am immediatedly piqued by the sight of the trombone player during the march.


Handing over of the National flag.
Ligaya's strong will and adventurous spirit probably comes from her Papa. Namana niya, she inherited it.



During the burial, Cow asked his Tita Vi.
Cowcow: Why is He in a box?
Tita Vi: He is sleeping.
Cowcow: But its not night time and he's sleeping na?
Tita Vi: because he's tired.



On the way home, Cow asked another question, "Why they put lolo grandpa in the ground when he's sleeping?"

Aah so many questions, even to this day. I just have to get my answers right enough to satisfy his curiousity.


The traditional gun salute by the honor guards