Tinkle winkle

So here's Miguel after his piano recital last week with Teacher Ems. Notice the nice trophy and the big smile.

All the recitalists received simple, card-sized, glass-etched trophies. Except for my son and 3 others whose glass trophies broke. ERGO, teacher had to replace theirs with bigger ones. Compared to the other trophies, it looks as if my son won the Metropop.


He was so excited about it, he said, "I want to keep playing piano until I have 10 trophies!"

We're definitely signing up for this summer.

Hair-raising

As requested by mama_aly, here is a new, albeit quickie post. Miguel's hair has a way of standing up every morning. Our private joke is that his hair stands up long before he does. I hope that years from now he won't mind that I posted this.

Yes, yes...I feel bad too about not posting since February; I haven't missed a month since I started this blog almost 2 years ago. And I have so many anecdotes saved up, big and small. I guess the trick is to post right away so you don't forget or get lazy. More to come, even if they're antedated.

By the way, I'm now using a MacMini so some blogger features - such as font color - are not available. Nevertheless, I love my Mac! :)

May 3, 2006: Font color solved

And the winner is...

Didn't I say that Miguel needed a new playmate?

Saturday night he had the bright idea of including Nightcrawler in a pre-bedtime game of Yu-Gi-Oh. This he said while holding a deck of cards that was 3 inches thick. He really is a master of delaying tactics. I agreed to play one game on the condition that each of us have 20 cards each in our decks - a sure way to end the game in time for bed.

It was kinda funny playing against a plastic toy. Since he was handicapped (read: inanimate) I offered to "hold" his cards for him. Miguel played as if Nightcrawler were a real opponent, reacting jubilantly every time he sent the X-man's monster to the graveyard. But then....

Nightcrawler had a Card Destruction spell up his sleeve. He threw it in towards the end of the game, when Miguel and I had already run out of monsters. So yes, dear readers, we lost. In Miguel's words "I can't believe we lost to an action figure!" And a novice action figure at that.

Must be his mutant powers at work.

So guess who was a sore loser. Tsk tsk tsk.

That's what I like about him :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

What the...?

With Miguel, a regular conversation isn't always "regular." This one happened right after I told him that it was time to go downstairs for lunch.

Miguel, picking up his Command Wolf zoid: Mommy, are dogs and wolves enemies?

Me: No, in fact they're related.

Miguel: How?

Me: Well, wolves are a kind of dog. Wild dogs.

(We arrive at the dining room and Miguel puts the Command Wolf in front of our Jackrussel terrier.)

!?

Me: What are you doing?

Miguel: I'm seeing if Rover will fall in love with the wolf.

Well, the sparks weren't flying between Rover and the zoid. But I suspect that Miguel would have been happier if the dog attacked the wolf.

And, uh, I think that he needs a playmate as well.

'I want to marry her!'

Here we go again.

He's said that so many times that I can't remember how many girls he's wanted to marry. And he's only 5.

There was Claire, Nessie, Roan, Sam...

Flashback to the middle of 2005
Miguel, to Roan: Will you marry me?
Roan: No.
Samantha, overhearing: I'll marry you Miguel.

...my friend Marmie, Ninang (arranged marriage), and my friend Jen.

Now he wants to marry Chloe, the 5-year-old daughter of my second cousin Jean. Since they live way down the street from us, you'd think that they'd be bonded. But actually they only saw each other during children's parties and infrequent visits.

Now Chloe has moved to Miguel's school, and on top of that, they're carpool mates. He's absolutely thrilled to have a regular playmate in school and at home. She seems to be excited about him too, and her mom says that Chloe regularly pesters her to pay Miguel a visit. Ever since he asked her to play SD Gundam on his PS2.

When I told Jean that Miguel liked Chloe, she was all for it. Sure. But I think that it's just too early for me to deal with this.

How do I explain this

This I have to tell.

With all the problems that I have, I turned to God. I know he's there and I know that he has the answer. It's just that my faith is sometimes so small and I get impatient. I want to fight, I want to argue, I want to proclaim my innocence...and probably strain a few relationships along the way. But deep inside I know that it isn't right and I wouldn't be walking in faith that way. I have to be patient. I have to wait for his solution.

I haven't really listened to God for a long time, but now I really want to hear what he has to say. 'Cause I'm tired of crying and being stressed.

So this morning I woke up at 5am. I usually wake up in early in the morning, because I feel cold. I automatically check on Miguel in his bed beside mine, and he's usually curled up so I put the blanket over him and turn down the fan. But this time, after I got back in bed and under the sheets, I waited. What is it, God?

And do you know what he said?

He said, "you're always looking after Miguel even if he doesn't know it. He wakes up every morning without the slightest clue of what you've done for him. Don't you think that I'm the same? How much more would I do for you? You just don't know it, but I'm always taking care of you."

I felt like he just laid a blanket over me.

Anyway, I went back to sleep. And later this morning I got a phone call. Looks like everything's going to be okay. Isn't he great?

Honestly I really feel so undeserving. He's so good even when I'm so rotten. He said a lot more, about me having to learn my lesson. In the same way that I want Miguel to learn his lessons so that he can grow up. Sometimes I think that it's so hard to learn when in fact it's just a matter of doing what he says. Something I should have known by now.

And oh yeah, thank God for my mom as well.

Girls, girls, girls

As told by my mom

Miguel: I don't want to go to Ateneo!

Mom: Why?

Miguel: Because there are no girls there.

Ninang: You know Miguel, there's a school beside Ateneo called Miriam, and it's full of girls. Do you want to go to Ateneo now?

Miguel, excited: Yes, yes, yes! (Jumping excitedly) I love girls! I love girls! I love girls!

(Mom laughs)

Ninang: Hay nako Miguel, I'm glad that you love girls. (Muttering) At least you don't love boys.

Miguel, quick change: I love boys! I love boys! I love boys!

:)

Gentleman

Last Sunday there were too many children in Miguel's Sunday School class, so the boys were made to go to a different room. The girls were left behind. He didn't understand why the girls had to be left behind.

Me: It's better to move the boys than the girls because boys are stronger. You have to be a gentleman.

Miguel: I don't want to be a gentleman.

Me: You mean that if you are in a train and you are sitting down and there is no other seat left, you will not give your seat to a girl?

Miguel: I want to stay in my seat.

Me, thinking fast: What if you are an adult and mommy is a lola, and we are in a train and there is only one seat? Will you let me sit down?

Miguel: I will let you sit down

(I smile)

Miguel: ...and I will sit in your lap.

Me, appalled: But Miguel, you're an adult! You will not sit on my lap as an adult, will you?

Miguel: Then I will sit down, and YOU will be the one to sit in my lap.

Mwahahahaha!

Where did the fun go?

Okay I've been saying this to myself for years, so since I'm on the brink of it I may as well write about it.

Once upon a time I asked myself, "when did life stop being fun?" And after some thinking I concluded, "when I had to go to school."

Think about it. When you're a kid all you ever do is play. Play with your cousins, play with your toys, watch TV, then play, play , play. Then grade school comes around. And all of a sudden you have to wake up early every day, hie off to school, do assignments, and eventually try to make the grade.

(Little did I realize that life becomes a little less fun for the parents too. Big school signals the start of a never-ending ritual of waking up early, saving up for incidentals, and don't forget paying the tuition.)

Despite all that I flourished in a traditional school. I was the kind of kid that didn't have to study yet got good grades. If I were ambitious - meaning that if my parents had pushed me, since I was too young to understand - I could have become one of those nerdy kids with all the honors. Thank God that didn't happen!

But notwithstanding my above-average performance, I resented school. In a way I felt like it was a prison.The rules. The nuns. The box that I had to follow. Remember having to stand 2 blocks (tiles) away from the next student at flag ceremony? Or having to walk in single file on the right side of the corridor? Makes my skin crawl to think that Miguel will have to live that way for the next 8 years. I grew up in that mold and in spite of my being an artist and an ad writer I am still totally anal.

To be honest I would really prefer a non-traditional school where students are encouraged to think creatively. There are a few good ones, just a bit more expensive than Ateneo. But it would be a new concept for my family. (You know, the one where everyone went to Ateneo.)

More than anything I would need family support to send my son to a different school. Can you imagine the constant questioning, "what school is that again?" and me having to explain why I chose that school. I'd have to have an airtight reason for sending him there. ADD? There's a possibility, but...nah.

And there's also this thing about your child's learning style. That you should put him in the kind of set-up in which he will thrive. Well guess who turned out obssessive-compulsive like his mom?

I know, I know. I'm always denying my obssessive-compulsiveness.

But honestly. I'm so thrilled that Miguel's going to Ateneo. When I got the letter informing me that he had passed the entrance exam, I realized that this was the first time that he achieved something totally on his own. Well, not really the first. Remember that he was promoted to yellow belt in taekwondo last year.

For the entrance exam, he went into the Guidance Department with 20 other kids and came out 40 minutes later. I had no idea what went on inside. I asked him how the test was, and he replied, "it was easier than the mock exam." Well whatever happened in there I guess he had an easy time because he passed.

So now we're bound for Ateneo. Big school. But wait...let me pay the tuition on Monday first. Thanks to my bro Gueli can enroll this year.

So will life stop being fun for Gueli? I really hope not. He really wants to go to Ateneo. Ever since we brainwashed him at age 2 by telling him that there are a lot of corners in La Salle. (As in, "stand in the corner!")

The thing he will miss is having girls for classmates. Oh no! Who will he kiss now? Who will he ask to marry him next? Man, he's got to get over that habit soon.

Exciting, isn't it?

Hello 2006!

Now that my deadlines have been met I can sit back and write again.

The new year started off pretty good. Miguel and I have been arriving at school - and at work - on time. Kinda getting ready for June, when I'll be bringing him to big school instead.

This morning Miguel practically jumped up from bed at 6 a.m. because he wanted to play Yu-Gi-Oh before dressing up for school. I usually wake up at 6:30, and Ninang usually wakes him up at 6:45. Imagine her surprise when she came in to find us with a card game in progress.

Talk about planning ahead. Mom told me that last night he turned of the TV at 8:30 and told the nanny that it was time for him to go to bed. No wonder. This kid is very motivated when it comes to play.

I guess that I should write about the holidays but unfortunately my sis lost her digicam so I will rely on the relatives for images. Let me gather my thoughts a moment. Hmm. Well, we stayed up a lot and ate a lot and played a lot of Harry Potter on the PS2. The Christmas and New Year's eve gatherings and cousins' night out were a blast as usual. Miguel decided that he believes in Santa Claus this year, so it's fortunate that Santa gifted him with a video game.

No, Miguel doesn't have his own room yet, nor his own bed. But at least he's going to big school. Thank God for that.

Shake yer groove thing

What can I say? It was a really great wedding. Miguel dutifully fulfilled his role as ringbearer, and at the reception afterward, he finally learned to dance.

No thanks to me, that is.

The minute I left the dance floor, he took on the 2 flower girls, who were much better dancers - and not to mention, teachers. He started copying their moves, and by the time I got back, Miguel was dancing with everybody else!



The drinks were flowing, the music was great, and all our loved ones were present. My cousin Lina (a.k.a. "disco queen") admitted that her entire table was tipsy even before dinner began. Me? I didn't need a single drink to get me on the floor. I didn't even care that I couldn't dance to save myself.

Good thing that I had a more-than-willing dance partner :)

Zzz Day

Last night Miguel went to sleep on his own.

Big deal, you might say. But for me it really is a big deal. I'm looking to move him into his new room by the end of the year at the latest. My sister's old room is almost empty now, thanks to my brother's housecleaning due to the upcoming wedding.

But I digress.

Last night I came home from work just as he was trying to sleep. After a kiss and a hug, he asked me if I would read him a story before having my dinner. I agreed, on the condition that he go to sleep after one chapter (we're reading book 1 of The Chronicles of Narnia now).

At the end of the chapter, I called the nanny to keep him company in the room, but he said, "Why don't I go to sleep on my own?" The suggestion made me do cartwheels in my mind. Acting very calmly, I tucked him into bed, turned out the light, left the door half-open as he requested, and went downstairs to have dinner.

Ten minutes later as I'm eating my fish and veggies I hear tiny footsteps on the second floor landing and a sweet voice: "Mom-my!" Getting up from my meal to meet him, Miguel tells me that it's too dark in the room. Take two. I go back to the bedroom, turn on a lamp, tuck him in, close the door, and go back to my meal.

After another ten mintues I pass through Miguel's future room, into our connecting bathroom. I can hear him playing in my bedroom. He hears me puttering around the bathroom and opens the door, quickly shutting it the moment he sees me. I decide to go check him out. He is lying on my bed, saying that it's too bright and that he can't sleep. I decide to turn off the lamp and turn on an insect-trapping lamp that's dim enough to serve as a night light. He asks if he can sleep on my bed, and I say sure. I tuck him in a third time.

Five minutes later, as I'm about to take a bath, I hear only silence in my room. Finally.

After my bath I enter my room to see a cute bundle on my bed, surrounded by pillows. I smile. I'm gonna miss it when he's in his own room, but I'm thrilled at the thought of his independence. One day he's not even gonna want to hang around me. Well hope not. I enjoy being on his pedestal, and I kinda hope it'll last forever.

I decide to wait a few minutes before I move him to his own bed.

Won't be long now.

Hereeeeee's Cable

Two Saturdays ago I told Miguel everything I had learned about Venom - that he was a symbiote (a fancy word for "parasite"), that he was an alien, and that he had possessed Spiderman at one time. Guess what? He got scared. He didn't want to hear any more about Venom and insisted that he be Cable instead.

So four days before the office Halloween party I pushed the panic button and made plans for a quick Cable costume. Helloooo glue gun.

To those not in the know, Cable has a robotic left arm. I was supposed to paint some cables on a stocking for Miguel's arm, but since he didn't want me to paint his gun as well, we decided to forego the silver parts. As for the platinum white hair, he didn't want any powder in his hair. The scar on the face? Good grief, if I was gonna skip the silver arm and gun, why bother? It was getting to be too much for me to deal with.

Well I got a lot of good reviews for the costume. The good news is that a lot of people recognized that he was one of the X-men. The bad news is they all though that it was Cyclops. As in, "where's his visor?" Oh well. I can't have it all can I. Especially in four days' notice while I have to atend a shoot.

And did you know that Cable is the son of Cyclops and Jean Grey? See the family resemblance?

Next year he has to decide on his costume by September.

Venom

My son wants to be Venom. At least for a day. This Halloween.

That's what you get from playing a lot of PS2. His favorite game is Marvel vs. Capcom 2. I know that it's a very old game, but he's acquired such a proficiency for it. And besides it was the only game we could play for the longest time when the left toggle button on both controllers were busted.

He's been deciding about his Halloween costume since last year - that's how excited he is about scaring people. And it seems to him that Venom's look would be the scariest.

So I've been checking up on Venom today, and this is what I've found:



Of course the hardest part is recreating the face. I was ready to put my UP College of Fine Arts skills to the test. I warned Miguel that he would have to wear a mask to get the tongue right, but he said, "why not a hat?" I thought to myself, "Aw, shucks. So much for the papier mache."

Oh well. The whole circus is for the kids anyway so a hat it will be.

As for the body, I found a solution when I saw this image on the net:


All right! So now I'm excited. With 2 weeks to go I'll have just enough time. I still haven't figured out the hat, but I'm sure Miguel and I could work something out.

My 2 favorite boys

The first picture was taken during Mike's birthday brunch; the second last Sunday after a trip to the arcade.

I can't resist taking a picture of the banana split. Miguel insists on sharing it with his tito. He thinks that it's more fun to have a contest as to who can eat most of the bananas. Guess who won.

Miguel has a new game

It's called "hit the monkey." Can anybody guess how it's played?

I haven't signed my name in 6 years

My aunt needed a wedding gift and wanted to know if I had any paintings left over from my old series. Not wanting to turn her down, I suggested that I make her a new one.

So after 3 almost-sleepless nights (not consecutive, thank God!) I'm done and quite tired but happy that I'm painting.

Some compositions are a piece of cake, but this one was a bit more complicated than my previous one. I remember sitting there in the middle of the night thinking how I was gonna mix pink and green without getting things muddy and still convey volume. Pardon me, I can't help it. Sometimes I just miss the shop talk.

In the end, when I finally got the effect that I wanted, I got that "hey, I did it" feeling all over again. I remembered what I told myself every day I was in art school: "The more I know, the more I realize that I don't know." No, that wasn't a tongue-twister. Trust me it makes sense. And do forgive my rambling on; my brain has been reduced to slush after only 3 hours' sleep.

Mom saw me through the process - she of the late nights at the computer. At half past 5 she passed by my room to see how I was doing. I mentioned that I was hungry and she got me some hopia on a tissue because my hands were stained with paint and linseed oil. Now who else can you count on to give you hopia at 5 AM? I thank God every day for the mom that I have.

I told my mom that I was planning to sign my name on the back since the painting was relatively small. She disagreed. "Of course you should sign it," she said. It got me thinking. I'm sure that my aunt would want her friend to know that I had done it. And after all, I've signed and sold scores of paintings.

So I chose a spot and mixed my color. And that's when I realized - I hadn't signed my name in a painting for 6 years! My last show was in November 1999. After so many years, I'd forgotten why I kept such tiny, fine-haired brushes! I thought they were just for irises in tiny portraits, or for baby's breath stems. Gee, it's been a long time.

Do pardon me; I really am so tired. Just wanted to share the good news. In spite of the late nights, painting does make me happy. I just have to figure out a better way to do it. Maybe I should stick to a smaller sized canvas. Or just use pastels. Whatever. I'm glad.

Kitchen insanity

Last Saturday I decided to cook for my family and friends. Just 2 dishes, since I really don't cook: our famous carbonara, and Lemon Chicken Caper, a recipe from my officemate.

Here's what I learned from the whole experience.

1. Women who can cook a delicious meal and still look good are goddesses.
How do they do it? I only had to cook 2 dishes, but I had help from my mom, my sis, and our kitchen helper. And don't forget other details like the salad, garlic bread, serving dishes, and ice.

2. Never cook a first-time dish for a big group.
It looks easy enough when you read the recipe - but it's a different story when you're doing it from beginning to end. First-time dishes are fine for a regular day, but you don't need the pressure when you have to entertain guests as well. Thank God that these people are all family to me.

3. Stick to the recipe.
Improvising is okay, but not for first-time recipes. Save the fine-tuning for later. No matter how much of a hurry you're in, resist the temptation to pour in the whole bottle of capers when the recipe calls for only 4 tablespoons. :D

4. Have mom in the kitchen.
Or someone like her, to build your confidence. Though she isn't a cook, my mom's always supportive, never puts anyone down and always helps out. I'm a lucky gal ain't I?

5. Taste the salad dressing first.
I just grabbed the first bottle I saw, assuming that it was the one my mom told me about. By the time I sat down to eat most of the guests had finished their salad - too late! My apologies to the unsuspecting victims, myself included.

6. Have at least one back-up.
One sure-fire dish that you didn't cook yourself. Grill Queen to the rescue!

7. Prepare post-meal snacks and/or activities.
Some love coffee; others like nuts. For us, Doritos and and Playstation 2 did the trick. Not to mention chocolate truffles (including take-home) for Gai.


But what I learned most was that my family loves me. Because my sister fussed over the carbonara. Because my mom stuck it out in the kitchen with me. Because nobody complained about the sub-standard salad dressing. (Fie Craving's Ceasar's salad dressing!) And because they ate everything that I served.

I didn't get a rave review that day but the fact that all that carbonara was wiped out the following day convinced me that it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was quite good.

Well. Practice makes perfect. But I promise myself that I'll take up a cooking class someday. Fiiind.

INterRupted

Okay, so I was posting a new entry to this blog but then my officemate Mondo came in with a tray full of cold cuts and cheese - his birthday treat.


L-R: Lala a.k.a. Babes, Joaqui, Sonny a.k.a. Buboy, Ace a.k.a. H_ _ K _ E , the birthday boy, Bernice, and moi

Judith offered a bottle of cabernet suavignon and would you believe that after only 2 glasses (I mean, mugs) I already have a buzz. Suffice it to say that as far as I am concerned the workweek is done (at least until this happy-happy-joy-joy feeling wears off).

Long live MOnDo! Cheers!