And the winner is...

number seventeen!

Happy accident it was that Miguel decided to wear the magician costume this Halloween. And to think that he's had it in the drawer for the past 3 years! He'd put it on now and then as the mood suits him, especially when he wanted to do a "magic trick." Thanks to Tita Nanie who provided the costume, complete with hat and bugs!




Oh, and here's the rest of the gang: cousins Selene, Gian and Dino; cousin-in-law Anne and "baby brother" Jyo, and second cousins Chloe, Chino and Tara (with Anne again).







































And here's the token celebrity pic, with Marvin Agustin, who handed out the prizes for the costume contest:

How to stop a dam

Miguel made this months ago, after I told him about the construction of the Three Gorges Dam along the Yangtze River. There are many arguments for and against it, but what made him oppose it was my remark that man can create many things, but "can never create what God created."

The dam is more than halfway through, and will be completed by 2009. When the Three Gorges gets flooded, mankind is going to lose one of the world's most beautiful natural sites. Not even I have seen it, but if you don't want to miss it, better visit before 2009.

Anyway, so convinced he was about stopping the dam ("Mommy, we have to go to China!") that he even drew out some plans. It's quite comprehensive, and involves: us sabotaging the blueprints with chalk and eraser; throwing pebbles into the turbines to stop them from turning; and releasing termites onto the finished part of the dam.

Not everything he drew is clear in this jpeg, but you can figure it out. Just don't report us to the Chinese authorities.

Supernova Sky

I just heard this over the radio on my way to work, and it's my instant favorite! Granted that it's not new (at least 10 month old) but I really dig it. Just let it load before you hit "play."

Awww

One of the perks of parenthood :)

Conversation with a dog

Saturday night my brother's Minipin Hitler was pawing my mom for food at the dinner table. Seeing him, I said, "I'm sorry Hitler, but it's bye-bye for you." "What do you mean?" Miguel asked. "Well," I said, "now that they have a real baby, Hitler's not going to be their baby any more." I was referring to Dennis and Essie and their new baby Jose Yolo, a.k.a. Jyo. I went on to explain to Miguel that our Jackrussel terrier Rover used to be like a "son" to me. But when I became pregnant, I knew that I would be too busy to pay him attention because I was going to have a real son. "Do you know that before you were born, I had to sit down and say goodbye to Rover?' I told Miguel. "I wanted to explain to him that I would be very busy with my new baby. That's what I meant when I said that it's bye-bye for Hitler." As soon as I had explained this, Miguel got off his seat and said, "Mommy, can I wash my hands after this?" Miguel went over to Hitler, crouched on the floor beside him, and stroked his head. "Goodbye Hitler. I'm gonna miss you. You're cute. I'm gonna babysit now. Okay. Goodbye. I'm gonna miss you. I'm gonna be babysitting now. (Pause) Wish me luck." And with that he got up, went to the kitchen, washed his hands, and then got back in his seat to finish his dinner. Now that's what I call closure.

Everything is evil

The good news is that my thyrotoxicosis is in remission. The bad news is my cholesterol level is up. And she wants me to take Lipitor 3x a week. What?!?

As I said to Alice, Lipitor is for overweight, middle-aged men; not sexy thirthsomething me! (My apologies to those reading this who are taking Lipitor.)

So here are the stats:
Total cholesterol 203; Normal range 50-200
HDL (good cholesterol) 75; Normal range 40-60
LDL (bad cholesterol) 114; Normal range 0-100

Actually this isn't the first time that she wanted me to go on statins. She prescribed it last December, but after consulting with my cardiologist brother, I decided to just change my diet. That meant eating oatmeal everyday and no more Chickenjoy (leftovers from Miguel's kiddie meal). That's because my bro told me that my numbers were not critical and that I'm better off avoiding the side effects of the drug. Or maybe because I'm the youngest in family and it's also hard for him to accept that I'm approaching middle age.

Anyway all that oatmeal didn't make a dent in my LDL (it only went down 3 points compared to the previous test). So after thinking about it, I decided that I have to take more drastic dietary measures. Goodbye evil carbonara! Goodbye pizza! Just last Saturday I had nothing but carbonara and pizza, and the following day I could swear that I could feel the blood dribbling through a clogged artery! Ack!

Goodbye Jollibee and McDonald's! Funny thing is that I really don't eat much fastfood; only Miguel's leftovers I guess. I pondered over this as I ate evil pork sinigang for lunch. Everything is evil.

But then, my blood sugar is okay. So I can still eat cake.

Also, I considered that I should start exercising. I suppose that I have no excuse anymore since it seems that my hyperthyroidism is in remission.

Oh, and I gained 4 pounds. But I'm okay with that. And my doctor tells me that it's okay too.

First exhibit

His is the still life in the upper right-hand corner. Not bad for a six-year-old, but then mommy has a lot of inside knowledge on the trade.

We never missed a single art lesson and religiously did all the homeworks. Mr. Sena gave him a grade of 97 and told him that he was going to get a trophy. We were glad, although at first we told ourselves that maybe everybody gets a trophy.

On graduation day, a LOT of trophies that were given, although I finally understood what they meant. I like the way Mr. Sena explained it:

"If you get a trophy, you are most outstanding. If you get a medal, you are outstanding. If you get a certificate, you are only standing." Mwahahahaha!

A lot of students got trophies, but not everyone. However, one girl went away with a trophy plus 3 gold medals: one for best in homework, one for best in group work, and one for best card. Those were the additional awards that distinguished the truly excellent ones. This girl, only in her tweens, had a one-woman show that summer and even donated a big amount of the sales to art scholars. She deserves every bit of praise and encouragement.

Another award I enjoyed was one that Mr. Sena made up on the spot. When Miguel's twentysomething classmate Kathy was called to the stage, she came went up in cropped jeans, a brown cotton blouse, and accessories worthy of a gimmick at Greenbelt. Mr. Sena commended her for her outfit and instructed one of his assistants to give her a gold medal for "Best in Costume."

Love that man!

Seriously, he's the best art teacher around, for kids and adults alike. Let me give you another insight as to why:

During his speech, he asked us if we wanted to know the secret of being a good artist. It was so silent, you could hear everybody pricking up their ears to hear a nugget of wisdom from a great master. And he said, "Mahalin mo ang magulang mo. (Love your parents.)" Huh?

"Dahil sila ang magbabayad ng materials mo at magpapaaral sa inyo. (Because they will pay for all your art materials and pay for your lessons as well.)" Wahahahaha!

He really brought the house down.

Disgraced tooth fairy

I blew it.

This morning when Miguel woke up he went to my room carrying a tiny ziploc plastic and asked, "Mommy, why didn't the tooth fairy leave me a gift?"

I blinked. I froze. I didn't say a word. I really am so lousy at lying.

Looking at me straight in the face, he clambered up my bed and asked, "Mommy what are you hiding?'

...

He asked me the same question over and over again, and I looked at him, asking myself if he was ready to handle this. Well, more like I was thinking of how to get myself out of an embarrassing situation. First attempt: "I guess the tooth fairy forgot. Why don't you write her a note and put it under your pillow again tonight?"

But no. He kept asking me the same question, "Mommy, why are you smiling? What are you hiding?"

Sigh.

I hope you other tooth fairies out there won't get mad at me, but I actually told him the truth. Didn't seem like a bad thing to do either because more than once he's already asked me if I was the tooth fairy. But the only bad part is that I didn't just get stripped of my fairy badge; I busted my mom as well. Because she was the one who provided me with a Sudoku book for Miguel one time when he lost his tooth.

For a moment tears welled in his eyes and I asked him, "Are you sad because there is no tooth fairy or because you didn't get a gift this time?" He paused at first, then replied, "Because there isn't a tooth fairy."

"Tell me the truth," I asked.

"Because I didn't get a gift this time." We laughed.

Just like his mom, he's a lousy liar too.

Finally!

Or should I say, finale! After weeks and weeks we finally watched the season-ender for Heroes volume one. I've been addicted to this series ever since my officemate started downloading and sharing the episodes on a regular basis.

For the season ender, we booked the conference room for lunch and connected his laptop to the big screen. Turn out the lights, cue in some chips, and voila! Forty-five minutes of sword-slashing, cranium-slicing action. The most common observation is that the last episode was a major cheesefest. My personal favorite was Ando's parting line to Hiro, "You look badass." :)

Nothing beats episode 20, as in HANEEEEEEP! GRABE TALAGA! This one was just, ah, okay.

But I will always be grateful for episode 20, so yes, I will watch volume two when it comes out. Someone in the office will be downloading it for us; I'm sure of it.

Best Mother's Day gift yet

I gotta hand it to my son, he knows how to make a girl happy.

More than a week ago, he already told me what he wanted to give me: "Mommy, for Mother's Day I'm going to give you a realxing spa." He figured that he can borrow Ninang's foot spa and let me have a treat. No way was I going to stop him.

On the day itself, while the rest of the family was either munching away or swimming after our big Mother's Day lunch, he organized the spa for me. What a delegator! After asking for Ninang's permission to use the foot spa, he asked Aida to get the spa, Yaya to get the hot water, and then asked for a glass of grape juice for me.

And what, you may ask, was his contribution? "It comes with a free car show!" he said. Which meant that as I lay back in his bed, my head propped up with pillows and my feet in a warm foot spa (his is a trundle bed, which is quite low), I watched as he played with his remote-controlled car. After the car show, there was a robot show too - meaning that he tied some ribbons around 2 robots and I watched as he made them fly and crash through the air.

And oh yeah, after my feet soaked for 20 minutes, he handed me a towel and then gave me a foot massage! That was the cutest foot massage I've ever had, if you can call it that :)

By the way, his original plan was to give me the foot spa in Lola's room, so that I can play PS2 while I relaxed. I nixed the idea, but it was a charming thought. I enjoyed the car show much, much more.

Oh, and I know you're going to ask anyway: he got the idea from Cartoon Network, which had a Mother's Day promo, and one of the prizes was...you guessed it...a relaxing spa.

I know what you did this summer

Finally! A picture from Mambusao, thanks to my mom's phone cam. There should have been a lot more, but forgetful me forgot the camera in Manila. This was my second visit to Mambusao after more than 20 years, and while some things have changed, a lot still stayed the same. I recognized the house where we had our first grand reunion in 1983. And while a lot of names sounded familiar, I was able to remember some of the faces too.

One of the biggest changes was - surprise! - I was the adult now. I was the one herding a little kid, giving permission to go and play with the cousins, and introducing the clan onstage. Sheesh. My mom and her cousins are getting older and fewer. Last time I was in Mambusao, my grandmother Flora was the senior; now it's my mom.

Anyway, Miguel had a blast there. So much that he wanted to stay behind - with me, of course. I had forgotten how great it was to be a kid from Manila visiting the province. Take this picture for example. Miguel got a kick out of holding that banner as we walked (or danced) around town.

I remember that somewhere there's a picture of Dennis too, circa early 80s, holding up an arch for the Flores de Mayo in Surigao. Those were the little "perks" that we got from our aunts and uncles. (Aside from unlimited Playstation time from mommy.) They sure know how to show a kid a good time - then and now.

Holy mackerel!

Got Miguel's report card yesterday, and guess what, turns out the little tyke has 2 awards!

Sheesh. If I had known sooner, I would have gotten it on time.

Pardon me for my ignorance; I'm a first time big school mom. I forgot to pick it up last March 30. No big deal, I thought; I can pick it up later. But I didn't realize that you need the last report card to enroll your kid the following year. Oops. So off I march to Ateneo the moment the registrar's office re-opens after its summer break, and...holy cow! 2 awards!

The first was the Guardian Angel award, for academic excellence. I knew that it existed, but I didn't know that he qualified for it. I always thought that you had to have perfect 100's to get that award. (Bang head against wall.) Maybe half the class got the Guardian Angel award, but still! We have to celebrate!

The second was a certificate for being "Well-Behaved and Mild-Mannered" in class. Awww. Yaya was incredulous, because she knows how raucous he - and practically everybody else for that matter - is on the bus. She couldn't believe that he was behaving in the classroom. But yes, my dear Reiza, he really is an angel in class. I've been to their room a few times, and I can say that he is very well-behaved.

Gee. Now I really have to give him an "award shelf." I'm really proud because these are things that he earned completely on his own. Like I said, half the class probably got an award as well. But it's just so great to see his efforts validated this way. Way to go kid!

I believe!

I must say, Marlon has turned me into an instant convert. Girlfriends, don't say that I didn't tell you about it. You really must try Olay Total Effects. It's been only 2 days and I'm totally sold.

You must buy it with the cleanser though. Marlon uses the serum as well, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. Right now I'm just too happy with my new facial cream.

And it has broad spectrum sunscreen too! :)

Couldn't resist

See the rest of the pictures here

Ode to Joy

Gueli had his third recital last Saturday. It was nice seeing the same faces again - Ems his piano teacher, Marion the directress of his old pre-school, the familiar moms and dads, and of course the recitalists. It's become a small community that meets on a yearly basis. We all know each other - some by face, some by name, some by face and name. And it's great to see how much the kids have grown - how much taller, prettier, or better at singing or playing the piano.

There were a lot of new gimmicks for this year's recital. Unbeknownst to us parents, Teacher Ems had the kids videotaped during their lessons. She had each child address his or her parents on cam, thanking the parents for letting them take lessons, and dedicating their recital pieces to them.

Call me a sucker but it was very touching. I've always been glad that Miguel and I stuck it out with Teacher Em's piano lessons. In the beginning we had problems about late or cancelled lessons, and there was a time when I considered looking for a new teacher, but my mom advised that I let Miguel continue because she saw that he enjoyed it.

Then, when Miguel had his first recital, that's where I saw Teacher Em's passion for teaching kids, and I really admired that. You don't find a lot of that these days. In the years that followed the lessons became more regular, and Miguel has really become adept at piano. Sometimes he'd mix together 2 pieces that sound alike, or play the same piece on a higher octave or on a different scale. As Teacher Ems said, he has good musical ears.

And he does practice every day.

Oh by the way: another gimmick Ems had for this year was a competition. Aside from their recital pieces, each child had to play a competition piece. For Miguel's level, it was "Ode to Joy." Miguel knows it by heart and can play it with his eyes closed. I knew it would be a cinch for him, but I just reminded him to play the chorus from piano to forte, repeat the chorus, and do his best. He knows that it's my favorite piece too.

And well what d'you know...he came away with the gold medal! Teacher Ems reminded the kids that it wasn't a serious competition, and it wasn't. But of course we were all proud - me, mom and Mike. Miguel said he didn't think he would win, and that if he didn't, he wouldn't cry. Mom said that after hearing everyone play, she was sure that he would get at least silver.

Me? I just had a feeling he was going to win something. He didn't miss a single note. He remembered to play from piano to forte. And he remembered to repeat the chorus.

Anyway.

It was just such a good day :)

(Miguel asked me later on what she meant that the competition wasn't serious. After a bit of thought, I said that if there was a big prize involved it would be serious. Har har!)

For Ms Santamaria

As with any school day, Miguel was sleepy when I woke him up on February 14. But when I greeted him "Happy Valentine's Day," he bolted right out of bed saying, "I have to make a card for Ms. Santamaria!"

At that point I could have whined, "What about me?" but I didn't. I think that it's sweet that my son's knee-jerk reaction to Valentine's Day is to make a card for his teacher. Unless of course his teacher was a man.

Then he went to his toy shelf, and I asked him what he was doing. "Looking for a gift for Ms. Santamaria," he said. Handing me one of his Kiddie Meal action figures, he said, "Wrap this please." I convinced him to give a wooden puzzle block instead. But then Ninang came in and, being a teacher herself, convinced us both to give his teacher a pack of Hershey's Kissables.

Going back to the card, he insisted on a plain paper board, which he wrote and drew on. I would've been contented with "Happy Valentine's Day" but he wanted to say more. The personal touch. It was only after all this hullaballoo was over that he agreed to get dressed for school.

Even over breakfast, he would ask,"Mommy, where is my gift? Did you wrap it? Did you tape the card on?" Such attention to detail. I hope Ms. Santmaria enjoyed the gesture. I sure did...as if I were on the receiving end of that card.

...

When I got home that night, I had a card from Miguel as well. It read "I love you Mommy even when you stink." Sound familiar?

The smurf smile!

Defined as "smiling without showing teeth," this was taught by none other than Ate Mara during our Christmas eve celebration. Miguel picked it up right away and put it to good use the entire night.








I think, though, that the best smurf smile belongs to Ninang Aly :)

Presenting - Mommy Sandy!

Early this week Miguel got up from his breakfast for no apparent reason and went into a monologue at the foot of the dining table.

Let's talk about Mommy Sandy!

(Assuming a booming announcer's voice:)

Mommy Sandy: Talking to her undies.
Mommy Sandy: Always brushing her teeth after breakfast.
Mommy Sandy: Thinks that she is an animal.
Mommy Sandy: Being chased by the police at night.
Mommy Sandy: Forgetting to pass by the bank.

(Bow)

So according to him I am an obbssessive-compulsive animalistic nighttime fugitive with Alzheimer's who talks to her undies. Don't ask me where he got it from. And no, I don't talk to my undies.

"I'll tell you in song!"

Bedtime is the final frontier of your child's day, your last chance to find out the most significant thing that happened to him in the last 24 hours. In the midst of all the cuddling and kissing and good-nights, he is wont to reveal to you his deepest darkest secrets. I always use it as a time to find out what's really going on in his life. A lot of times Miguel tells me things that reveal something about his character, his wants, or his anxieties. But sometimes he just makes me laugh.

Well last Thursday I wanted to find out how he felt about riding the bus, or more specifically, why he only threw up in the mornings. Here's how our conversation went:

Me: Miguel, do you like riding the bus?
Miguel: No. I mean, I don't know.
Me: Do you like it better in the morning, or the afternoon?
Miguel: I like it better in the afternoon.
Me: Why?
Miguel: I don't know.
Me: I'm trying to find out why you throw up only in the morning and not in the afternoon.
Miguel, suddenly piping up: I'll tell you in song!
(Starts singing, to a tune that sounds suspiciously like "The Yellow Submarine")

In the morning, the bus is stinky
It smells like a pinky
Mrs. Binky!

In the afternoon, it's very fu-un
Games games games
Games games games

I couldn't stop laughing. Like I always tell him, I'm glad that he has a sense of humor. I totally believe him that his nausea is triggered by smell, because he's always been consistent about that. The smell could be an accumulation of the boys' sweat (eww) or the exhaust from the tail pipe, but certainly it's the full stomach that allows this to happen in the mornings.

I also suspect that afternoons are more fun for him because it's just the Prep and Grade 1 kids who ride home with him - a smaller, more homogenized group that is bent on play.

'Course, it could also be that he's unconsciously trying to get my attention. In any case, I'm just glad to know that he's a really happy boy.

Faster than a speeding bullet

Guess who flew in for Halloween. Superman was "it" this year. No amount of persuasion could convince him to change his mind because "Superman is Enoch's favorite." Enoch is as close as you can get to a friend among his busmates.

I would have preferred a home-made costume (see last year's outfit), but since the folks at Binondo are already much better at making Superman costumes, off I went to the mall and bought a set. I was so proud that I had the official outfit, endorsed by the Justice League and Cartoon Network. When I presented this to Miguel, he took one look and said, "I need a red brief."

But of course! A quick trip to the tiangge and I had Superman's brief - or rather, panty - to which I sewed on the requisite yellow belt and buckle. A brief with a buckle. Now that's what I call...anyway.

Had to create the red boots too, and sewed on the cape - both of which satisfied my need for a home-made component to this costume. And to complete the transformation, we put a cowlick on his forehead.

He was the most authentic Superman in the village Halloween party (all 7 of them, excluding the Supergirls!) but of course that's me talking. He was upset that he didn't win a prize, and I had to explain that there are just too many Supermans every year. Well, now he's looking for a prize-winning costume for next year. And I say, go for gold! :)

Overdue

And a happy United Nations Day to you too.

This is Miguel's costume for Guyana, lovingly made by mom just 2 days before the UN "assembly." Not bad, I must say (a little self-patronizing here). Felt cloth is always a heaven-send when it comes to these requirements. Sword not included :)

Take a breath

Adults (that's me) can be so neurotic. What seems so complicated and convoluted to us is actually quite simple to a child's eyes. Maybe I'm just reading too much meaning into motives and social contexts.

I'm glad I survived these last 2 weeks. Marlon was right - maybe I'm the one who needs a psychologist, not my child.

Just taking a breath before I go under again.

Storm Chronicles

(Annotations added October 10)




























That clump of bamboo is as old as the house - about 30 years. "Mommy, you should see this!" Miguel said. "I wish I was here to see it fall." Well not long after he said that we were having lunch (without electricity) and our makeshift china cabinet came crashing down. That's because it was placed against a floor-to-ceiling screen window with wooden grilles. Who'd ever think that the wind could blow it down.














I was saddened about the broken antiques. Not because of their value, but because I honestly feel that they are a part of our heritage. Granted most of these came from China, but then you have to consider that they travelled hundreds of miles to get to our shores. I felt bad that these vessels survived hundreds of years and they finally came to an end in our home. See, these are the things that convince me that I'm a nerd.

At the time I thought that only dad and I were the only ones who appreciated the value of these things. Gee, maybe dad was a nerd too - a sort of cultural nerd. Anyway the other night I was talking to Fr. Tito Caluag about the incident and he expressed the same sadness that I did over the broken shards. I felt validated by his reaction. I'm not so strange after all. Most of my family members shrugged off the breakage. It's true that we still have a lot of other antiques and they do tend to occupy space and gather dust. But I really do see a historical and cultural value in them. Sigh. Only dad would understand. Well at least Fr. Caluag does too.













As it got darker Leslie and Miguel resorted to odd games to distract us from the fact that there was no electricity. Hence the impromptu costumes, and much later - flashlight games. The piggy bank and candle shot is from my room.

Papparazzi

As you may or may not know, parents are not allowed into the grade school during classes. But on the pretext of being head of the decorations committee for Miguel's class salu-salo, I got to go in for an ocular visit.

Rare photo opportunity like this must not be wasted.

Birthday

Late post I know. Eight days late to be exact. But it was a really great day for me - didn't go to work, then surprised Miguel by picking him up from school.

The pic was taken at Dulcinea, which is Miguel's favorite restaurant because of the churros. Mom and Les joined us there for lunch.

Afterward, we went to Timezone to play his latest obssession, Soulcalibur. Little tyke ended up going home with a few prizes. Seemed like it was his birthday.

Had to do a quick change after that and get ready for my dinner date. All in all a good day :)

What the...?

Joke of the day

Coming back from lunch, I find a bouquet of on my desk. Supposedly from my Anonymous Secret Admirer Mr. "F"

Anonymous Secret Admirer Mr. "F"? Har har! Anonymous na, secret pa!

I must say, I really got a good laugh out of that one. The carnations are almost dried out, for crying out loud. I accosted Ome and Omie but they swear they have nothing to do with it.


Of course they had a field day poking fun at me and our colleague F.

If Ome and Omie didn't do it, then it must be Ace. Just the other day he joked about F giving me an old bouquet of Mondo's. Next time Ace, please make sure that the flowers are fresher. At least it wouldn't be obvious that they're recycled.

We're singing

...so you might as well sing along too. It's Miguel's new piano piece:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the mighty chorus,
which the morning stars began;
Love divine is reigning o’er us,
binding all within its span.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music leads us sunward
in the triumph song of life.

He's already memorized the piece and can play it very well too. And he sings the song at the piano, at the dining table, in the car, while brushing his teeth, and before going to bed at night. Isn't that cute? It's been going on for more than 2 weeks now.

You gotta hear it.

Goal for the day

Yesterday.

Classes were called off for the second day in a row due to bad weather. Miguel's quarterly exams start the following day but by 9:30AM he's already reviewed all his lessons and done his piano drills. Nothing left for him to do the rest of the day.

Me, about to leave for work (ha! late!) : Miguel, I think that you should have a goal for today.

Miguel, playing while watching TV: What?

Me: I know! Why don't we ask Lola (Grandma) to teach you the rest of your piano piece? After all, you were supposed to have piano lessons today.

Miguel, self-importantly: I already have goals.

Me: Like what?

Miguel: Watch TV.

Me: That's not a goal! Okay, that's it...your goal for the day is to learn the rest of your piano piece.

Miguel: I don't want to learn the rest of my piano piece.

Me: I'll give you 5 extra minutes of Playstation time if you learn it.

Miguel, turning away: No thank you, I don't need 5 extra minutes.

Me: But if you don't learn it you'll lose 5 minutes.

Miguel, suddenly running toward Lola: Lola, can you teach me the rest of my piano piece?

How to make a strawberry-flavored cake

Cute, isn't it? That's what you get when you watch too much of Dexter's Lab and cartoonnetwork.com.

In his words:

You get a cannon, then take out the bullets, then replace them with strawberries.

Now that's what I call a recipe for world peace.

Just to enlighten you, the cannon at left shoots icing; the one on top shoots sugar; the one at right shoots strawberries; and the one at bottom shoots butter. The finished product comes out at the lower left corner. He was conscientious enough to draw two legs for the machine to stand. And of course don't forget the remote control!

He even drew instructions on how to set up the machine:



On my birthday, he wants me to make a strawberry-flavored cake using this diagram. Piece of cake, huh?

It rains, I sneeze

So it takes an allergy at 2AM for me to blog.

It's not unusual for me to wake up early in the morning just because I feel cold - even in the summer. What's worse is when I wake up feeling cold,and then I sneeze.

Once that happens, it's goodbye peaceful sleep.

To the fortunate, oblivious ones, it poured this morning - as in typhoon-grade downpour, the kind that makes you wonder where in the city it's flooded right now and whether classes will be suspended.

Checking at my cellphone, I saw a message from my co-parent that came in at midnight: classes suspended according to the news. Yahoo!

That means I don't have to get up early, my son doesn't have to get up early, he won't get caught in the rain, and more importantly - he has a chance to recover from his month-long cough.

We've been to the pediatrician 3 times in the past 3 weeks. My son was getting frustrated that his cough hadn't gone away. Since he had no fever and it's persisted for so long, the doctor suspects that it's brought about by allergy. Another possibiliy is primary complex, so we took an x-ray to help us find out.

And he had to prescribe stronger medication this time. He was even apologetic about it - I can see that he's not too keen about giving prescribing antibiotics and other such medicines.

So unlike Miguel's other pedia, who always brought out the big guns at the slightest symptoms. By age 3 my son was no stranger to corticosteroids; he was even taking puffs from a babyhaler. We were at her clinic once a month, without fail. That's why I left her.

When I switched doctors Miguel's visits were limited to maybe 3 a year. And I like Tito Doctor's less aggressive approach. That's why I'm still sticking to him.

During yesterday's visit, I frustratedly asked him why Miguel's cough won't go away, and he pointedly told me, "because it runs in your family." Well I am exhibit A right now, with my inflamed sinus and post-nasal drip brought about by a 2AM downpour.

I'm trying to comfort myself with green tea right since there's no Claritin in the house. It seems to be working. But more than that, my son is sleeping soundly. His medication seems to be working too.

Fingers crossed, please. And prayers.

Art attack weekend

Thanks to Neil Buchanan for the snake activity. Thanks to Ninang Aly and her Fun Factory book for the pull-down puppet activity.

65/100

Checkmate

Miguel hit the jackpot this weekend: 2 Superman movies, trips to Powerstation and Egg, coming-home gifts from my bro and his wife, plus his latest object of fascination - a chess set that he coaxed out of my sister-in-law G.

While we were eating a post-movie merienda he took his tita's hand, ostensibly to show her the baby grand piano that was playing on its own. Then I saw them heading for the arcade and the toy store, and I knew that my beloved sis-in-law was about to be hijacked. Or rather, held up.

They were in the toy store by the time I caught up with them, and sure enough, G had asked him to choose a toy. Well, she did miss his birthday so it was a kind of belated gift. He pointed excitedly at wooden box that had sported a chess board. I suggested that he get the classic "barrel of monkeys" instead. But he liked the box because it read "5 games in one." In other words, he wanted something for 2 or more people.

G gladly bought the set, which contained pieces for chess, backgammon, checkers, dominoes, and pick-up sticks. He was so excited that the moment we got home we played a game. Surprisingly, he was quite good for a first timer. And not surprisingly, I made a lot of mistakes. Much like my billiard and bowling games, I'm lousy at chess. But I discovered that it's so much nicer when you're playing just for fun.

I won in the end; it was probably the first time that I've ever won. But it was a good game. I've never really had an interest in chess before, but with Miguel's new fascination for it, I'm already looking forward to the next game.

63/100

Mr. Potatohead as you've never seen him before

Here, tucked inside Miguel's latest art attack...is Mr. Potatohead.

I really like it.

I know that my brother would be appalled if he sees this, it being so girly.

You can blame me for that, because most of the stuff is mine. And I was the one who gave Miguel the violet paper. He asked me for colored paper, and that was the only unused sheet that I could find.

The round box came from a craft project I made in one of Mama Aly's children's parties, and some of the beads came from a broken bracelet of mine. That's why everything looks so girly. And that's why I like it.

The earthworm, of course, is his.

But honestly, as an artist, I find it quite good. It's an example of unbridled creativity, and I totally support it. Except that I don't know if anybody will pay money to buy it off him.

Actually, you could call it a collaboration, because I was the one who wrapped and taped the potato, "so that you can see the shape," as he instructed. And I was also the glue gun operator.

The sweetest thing is that Miguel made it for Ninang, who just left for camp Friday night. He made it for her because he will miss her. Awww. Too bad she won't get to see it for 21 days.

I reminded him that since he has to keep it intact, he cannot play with Mr. Potatohead until she comes back. His response: "Grr. I knew that I should have put holes in it."

62/100

Die, varmints!

Okay, so I've been waking up around 2AM or 4AM for the past 4 days. And guess who's responsible? No, not my wisecracking, hyperactive, super inquisitive, ADD-suspect son. But scores of tiny, sneaky, stubborn, insiduous, stinging ants! In my bed!

What did they think I was, a midnight snack?

Lately ants have been invading strange parts of our home, like my mother's bathroom and the computer table. They must know something that we don't.

My guess is that they invaded my bed because I sorted Miguel's pre-school artworks there a few days ago. I suspect that among all those drawings, stained glass windows, mosaics and mixed media, there must have been some sugar. For the record, I do not eat in my room...and neither do I store snacks there.

I thought that vacuuming the mattress would do the trick, but apparently not. They may be tiny, but their bites really do sting! By the 4th night I had had it with the rude awakenings. So instead of brushing them off my bed or crushing the nasty biters between my fingers, I decided to be more methodical in my extermination.

No, I did not burn the mattress. I just got pieces of scotch tape and stuck them in between. A bit labor-intensive, but sure to get the job done.

By now you're starting to worry if I have a sick mind. But if you ask me it's more humane than what I did to that cockroach in my bathroom when I was in college. Never again! Besides, it would ruin the marble tile.

Now I've got a tiny collage of scotch-taped ants on my bedside table. I'm thinking of posting them on my headboard, just as a warning to other intrepid ants. Kind of like Vlad Dracula impaling victims in the front of his castle.

You can run, but you can't hide!

61/100

Portfolio

Woke up at 2AM, and as I sometimes do when I wake up in the middle of the night, I started to fix my room.

My first target was a clear book filled with a hodgepodge of stuff, namely Miguel's piano pieces and bits of my portfolio. It's about time that I organized it, since he practices piano every day. I keep forgeting to buy another clear book, so we'll have to share this one a bit longer.

Going through through my partial portfolio, I noticed that I had included a short story and a children's poem. Those were from the days that I wrote for children's educational TV. I looked at them side-by-side with my print ads, and then I realized: my short stories are way better than my print ads.

Not to say that I haven't had any ads that I'm proud of. They're all decent, some are cute, and a few I really like. Just a few. But the stories - now those I really enjoyed writing.

It takes a little blood and sweat too to create a story. But sometimes you can call it "sweet sweat." You don't mind the effort. Other times you work too hard that the story becomes "tired" and you have to throw it out. And then there are times when the work is effortless; when you crank out a good piece - or a good painting - in just 30 minutes. But that's rare, I must point out.

By "good" I mean "good enough for me." Keep in mind that your friends are a different set of critics, you colleagues another, the publishers yet another, and the general public still another.

Gosh, when I think about it I have so much output - in terms of paintings and writings as well. At the time you make them they are all okay, but when you look at them after a few years your opinion changes. Except for the ones that you're really proud of.

But what matters I guess is that you're satisfied at the time that you produce it.

Gee, I talk too much. Gotta get back to bed.

60/100

Peace

All right, all right. Saw the bus operator this morning. She's okay. I'll stop calling her crazy.

Erase erase erase.

59/100

Rock 'n roll

As my son discovered, it ain't so grand missing a day of school.

Good thing that I was able to sleep in all morning while he was in school, because when he got home, he had a lot of assignments: review this, answer that, and prepare for the quiz tomorrow. Not to mention that he had to go to his piano lesson. We were on a tight schedule just to get everything done.

Poor kid had to answer the worksheets that he missed, plus I insisted that he answer his textbook as well. Turns out he had to do 10 pages just for his Reading subject. Towards the end of his review session, he was already getting tired. I had give him a breather, so guess what we did instead? We reviewed Math, his favorite subject. AAAAAUUGGGHHH! That's how tight we were for time.

He said it so well, "I knew that being absent wouldn't be a good thing."

Now we know. Beware the Friday quiz.

Anyway, when he finally reviewed all his lessons, I said, "congratulations, you're finished!" And with that he let out a big sigh of relief and plopped on his bed. I'm not kidding; in that moment he looked 3 to 5 years older. He was mentally tired. And I was emotionally drained too - from nagging him to finish his worksheets in time.

We zoned out on his bed, and after a while he stood up to get his musical instruments. He grabbed his harmonica and gave me his drum. I was just as stressed out, so we tooted and banged and made a whole lot of noise. "Follow my beat!" he said. The neighbors might have found it weird, but I didn't care; we just had to get rid of this stress, both mother and son. Besides, it was still early.

We kept changing instruments: xylophone, tambourine, maraccas. At one point I even made a louder ruckus just to get some release. My son did good, and I'm gonna let him make some noise!

After about 30 minutes we were ready to wind down.

What a relief.

Don't be surprised if we have another concert.

58/100

Looking for home

(For Wednesday, June 28, 2006)

So there I was in Miguel's old pre-school waiting for him to finish his piano lesson. He bounced back to health today and was well enough to go to school, but I was still recovering from the flu. Meanwhile, his nanny came down with something much worse, so I took it upon myself to accompany him to the 1-hour lesson. It was low-stress anyway, and I had a driver.

While we were there we saw so many friendly faces: his friends, his ex-teachers, co-teachers, and even parents of ex-classmates. People greeting you and your son by name, asking how you are. It was so comfortable, so much like home. That's the benefit of going to a small school.

I was wondering, when am I going to feel that way in Ateneo? Who knows, maybe it'll happen. Maybe I'll find some semblance of "family." Maybe in that guard who's always there when I see him off, or the guidance counselor who escorted my tearful son to his classroom during the first week of class. Maybe that co-parent with whom I swapped contact numbers with during PTC day or maybe even that crazy bus operator.

I'm just looking forward to feeling that way there.

57/100

Get well soon

I come home from work with a bouquet and Miguel asks, "what's it for?" I smile and say, "it's because I'm sick." Then he pipes up, "but I'm sick too!" I laugh and tell him that the flowers are for both of us.

Yeah, we got the bug.

Later at bedtime he catches me taking a cellphone snapshot of the bouquet. "Why are you taking a picture of the flowers?" he asks. "So I can remember them," I say. "I want a picture with the flowers too," he says. So, voila!

Well, a little confession here. I always take a snapshot of the flowers Mike gives me. And like I said, it's because I want to remember them.

I so love flowers! Wouldn't you guess by the many arrangements I've painted already? And I know my mom loves them too; I'm like her. Well come to think of it, it's a rare woman that doesn't like them.

I'm of the belief that it's better to give flowers to people while they're alive to appreciate them. As long as I get them during my lifetime I won't mind a simple flower-free funeral. Maybe I'll put out a sign, "in lieu of flowers...."

Anyway, I'm just glad that I've got a guy who loves giving them as much as I love receiving them.

56/100

Nerd

Exam week is one month away and I'm already thinking of making a reviewer.

Nerd! Nerd! Nerd!

I have a good friend whose son is a consistent honor student in Ateneo and I remember him telling me that whenever it was exam week, his wife would take 3 days off her extremely high pressure work (she was an accounts head in advertising) just to review their son.

Man, I don't know if I'm ready to do that. Talk about commitment. But then of course my friend's wife comes from a family of consistent honor students. Her son has good genes. Good study habits are probably transmitted through their DNA.

I was also a bit scared - is that what it takes to get through Ateneo? It's not uncommon to hear of Ateneo kids spending their afternoons with tutors. But I - I just want my kid to have a life after school.

A couple of years back I consulted with another friend, who taught at the Ateneo Grade School for several years. She now holds tutorials in her home in Katipunan. She told me that the only reason that parents send their kids to her for lessons is because they don't have the time to review them after school.

Bingo.

Doesn't that sound just like me. I'd be happy if I could just get home in time for dinner. (Cue in guilty thoughts. Fade in video of Miguel waving his finger at me and saying, "Follow my finger...you will let me play Cartoonnetwork.com everyday." Nice try, bud.)

The good news is that my OC son seems to have good study habits. After settling down at home and eating lunch, he will automatically do his assignments before going off to play or watch TV. Thank God for that. And thank God that I read Queena Lee and Maribel Dionisio's article about good study habits when it was published in the Inquirer several years ago.

Now I understand why his teacher makes him review the work sheets almost every day.

And to think that he's only in Prep.

55/100

So that's how ganglion cysts disappear

Yesterday as I was in the shower I hit the cyst in my wrist against the wall - OUCH! - that gave me a dull ache for a few hours.

This morning instead of a shiny, bulbous protrusion I have a wider, flatter bump where it used to be. Maybe the impact ruptured the sheath and the liquid's dispersing into my hand.

I just hope that it doesn't recur.

53/100

Explaining the silence

(For Friday, June 23, 2006)

If you noticed I've been skipping a few posts.

Over the past few days I've had to deal with a silly - correction, wacko - school bus operator who had me confused with a different client.

I will spare you the petty details.

But suffice it to say that the incident was so annoying that I actually witnessed my mother lose her patience at the woman. She actually got mad. But in a very dignified way. See, she's human after all :)

And for that, the incident will always stand out in my mind.

52/100

Hallelujah!

I finally put my son on the bus this morning! No tears, no trouble.

The kids made a fuss over him the minute he got in. Maybe because they're used to seeing him only during dismissal time, when he rides with them without a hitch. As the bus drove away, Miguel turned and blew me a kiss.

I even called the bus driver afterwards, and he assured me that Miguel was okay during the ride.

My secret: I told him that if he makes a fuss on the way to school, he doesn't get to watch TV for the rest of the day PLUS he loses 5 minutes from his weekend Playstation time. But if he goes to school without any trouble, he gets to watch TV and gets 5 extra minutes playing video games this weekend.

I've been doing this for the past few days while I was bringing him to school myself. So far the technique seems to work.

And it's amazing what I was able to accomplish in the 2 hours before I headed off to work: cleaned my drawers and one closet. Who knows, maybe one day I might even muster the energy to paint :)

50/100

Escape

As my sister the teacher says, parent-teacher conferences are a way of giving teachers a break. Well we parents know how to take a break too. After meeting Miguel's teacher for the PTC, I took the rest of the morning off...helloooo spa!

I haven't had a full-body massage in months! It was so good to just lie down and have someone kneading my muscles. It's probably the only time I don't mind being treated like a piece of meat.

Soothing music, the soft hum of airconditioning, the smell of eucalyptus, clean sheets against your skin, and expert hands skillfully rubbing the stress away. Sigh.

It would've been great to take the whole day off, but I have to make judicious use of my vacation leaves. Besides, I already committed to a couple of meetings today. Work is work.

But man, play is way okay too!

48/100