BWI forever!

See the graffiti that Lisa made of our group in Facebook! Such a sweet and talented friend! So lucky!

Bedtime prayers

It sorta went like this:

Setting: Miguel's bedroom
Time: Night

Me: ...and thank you for Ninang, and Ninong, and Tita Essie...
Miguel: ...and Jyo...
Me: ...and Lola and Tito Alan and Tita Grace. And please bless Tito Mike.
(Slight pause)
Miguel: (Serious tone) Mommy. When you break up with someone, you have to stick to your decision.
Me: But I am sticking to my decision. (Looking at him) Are you afraid that I might get back together with Tito Mike?
Miguel: Uh-huh.
Me: No, I'm not.
Miguel: Then why are you praying for him? It's supposed to be for family.
Me: Well, we also pray for friends.
Miguel: How come?
Me: Well... (I have to think about this one) Tito Mike is going through a tough time because we broke up, so I'm praying for him too. But we'll be friends one day.
Miguel: Don't you mean boyfriend? (Teasingly, although I know this question is loaded)
Me: No, friend friend. Are you glad?
Miguel: Yes. Because I don't want you to have a boyfriend.
Me: Why?
Miguel: (Hugging me) Because he's going to take away your attention from me.
Me: (Thinking as I speak) Well it doesn't have to be that way. What if I find somebody that you like, and instead of taking my attention away from you, he's someone who gives you more attention?
Miguel: (Smiles and nods) Uh-huh. (Then turning serious) But mommy, there's a very small chance of that happening.
Me: (I almost chuckle) You know, you're right.

P.S. There was also a discussion about him having a girlfriend one day and going "smoochie-smoochie" with the woman he was going to marry, but I won't get into that now.

Don't ask

You just have to see this costume!

Since I needed more time to make his Deoxys (Pokemon) costume for the Sunday party, Miguel decided to make his own costume for Lola Perla's trick or treat party on Saturday. As he explained to ninang beforehand:

"I'm going to wear my magician costume, plus my Cable costume, plus my Superman costume. And then I'm going to hold my light saber."

Ninang: "Okay."

Miguel: "And then I'm gonna hold a sign that says Don't ask!"

It was a hit at the subdivision party! The emcee described it as "three years' worth of costumes" - so right he was - and kept on saying it was his favorite. Needless to say, Miguel won again for best costume!


The best part was, it was all his idea.

His new favorite shirt

It's soo him!

"If you can't make a move, make a stupid move"

(Sung to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it.")

So this is about Miguel's latest thing.

Two Saturdays ago he started attending the SECOND Ateneo Saturday Chess Clinic. What happened to the first one, you may ask? Well, that was offered some time in the first quarter, but he was already had an activity during Saturday mornings. So when the second one was offered, he begged me to let him attend.

You've gotta hand it to the boy; he knows what he wants.

So for the past 2 Saturdays, we've been trooping to the Blue Eagle gym for chess lessons. To my surprise the place is filled with (by my estimate) fifteen young, noisy, active boys who are truly excited about chess. They relish the challenge of a game and have a lot of energy. I don't know what goes on inside that chess room during clinic hours, but I got to witness Miguel playing against a classmate after hours. With them, a game of chess is not at all quiet, but punctuated with a lot of animated conversation, side comments and antics.

I've discovered that there's a lot of etiquette involved in chess, and they will learn the rules eventually. But right now they're just having a lot of fun while learning.

I knew that he had an interest in chess, which is why I brought home a beautiful chess set from China last year (pictured above). But I never suspected that he would really take a shine to it. Well, at least for now he does. I daresay it satisfies his intellectual curiosity.

"I Have To Pee"

You've got to credit these two for coming up with a crazy movie idea. 212 hits already and it's been only 4 days, without advertising support. Hmmm.

World premiere!

And heeeere it is! The famous light saber fight that we've dying to show you!

Thanks to the following who made it possible:

Actors: Mommy & Miguel
Director: Ninang
Producers: Mommy & Miguel
Screenwriter: Miguel
Stunt Coordinator: Miguel

(Document reproduced above indicates the director's consent to waive all property rights in favor of the producers.)

Sit back, bring out the microwave popcorn, and enjoy the show, folks! :)

GREEN: "Nuninuninuninu..."
RED: "Cha!"
GREEN: "Waaah!" (Fighting sounds)
RED: "Hey look over there, a monkey!"
GREEN: "Huh? Where?"
(More fighting sounds)
RED WHISPERING: **Cut off my hand!** (RED attacks)
GREEN: "Aaaaaah!" (GREEN falls)
GREEN: "Ooooooh!" (DIES)
RED WHISPERS: **You're not yet dead!**
GREEN: (GAG! GAG!)
RED WHISPERS: **You're not yet dead! You're not yet dead! You're not yet...**
DIRECTOR: **Stab her!**
GREEN: "Yaaaaaaaaaah! I'm dead!"

Life is measured in clicks

(Phone rings, I answer.)

"Mommy, there's something in your room and I want you to post it on the internet." "Oh, you mean you left something in my room and you want me to take a picture of it?" "Uh-huh. And post it on the internet." "Is it an art attack?" "You'll see. Okay I love you, bye." Click.

(Go home, get the phone camera.) Click.

(Go to work, turn on the internet.) Click.

(Click here...)

Broadcasting now

Miguel has a very good piano teacher. I say this because not only has he learned to play the piano, but he loves doing it as well. I can tell too that Teacher Ems's other students enjoy playing because they keep at it year after year. It's like a mini-reunion twice a year: the same students, the same parents. Everything the same except that the kids keep growing bigger and getting better.

Playing the piano has become our ritual just before going to bed every night. I know that he finds school very stressful, but in contrast he says that piano is "relaxing." Just so he can enjoy his practice sessions even more, I encourage him to play a piece twice: first the correct way, and second any way he wants. I feel that it's a way of releasing his creativity, of which he has a lot.

He has a very playful mind, so what he'd do is mix up passages from different pieces that have similar chords. The result is an an impromptu medley. Or sometimes he'll change the notes on the right hand while keeping the left hand chords. Or keep the notes while changing the speed. All these and other stuff as well.

Well last night he tried a new trick: crossing his hands to play left notes on right hand and right notes on left hand. That's when he asked me to take a video and post it on YouTube.

So now I'm a member of YouTube. Except that this video isn't about a cris-cross performance. This is Miguel playing "Ode to Joy" with his eyes closed, just to prove that he knows it so well. The show-off...

And all of a sudden we were the clowns running the show

How could we possibly fill in their shoes? They were giants, morally and professionally. We're not worthy.

Presenting Psyduck and Psyduck

Miguel's first official pets. Fished them out of Uncle Benny's pond last Saturday, with Ate Chloe. Which also marked Miguel's first official fall into the pond. It just so happened that I was trying to take pictures of the cousins together when it happened, see....

These are red swordtails, and there were 4 of them in the beginning, 2 for Miguel and 2 for Chloe. I even instructed them to name their fishes. Chloe decided to call hers "Blue" and "Goldie;" taking his cue from her, Miguel decided to call his "Bluey" and "Gold."

But on Saturday one must have jumped out and slid down into the nearby sink. And on Sunday, I found another one dead on the floor in spite of the glass cover that I placed on the fish bowl. (Cue in Chloe and Miguel arguing, "YOUR fish was the one that died!" "No, YOUR fish!")

Anyway, it all started with the acquisition of a fish tank (advance token of the Grade 1 field trip to Bio Research on January 26th), which led to the acquisition of the fish, which led to the acquisition of a bigger fishbowl, an air pump, plastic sea plants, and a canister of fish food.

Somewhere along the way Miguel changed the names from "Blue" and "Goldie" to "Psyduck" and "Psyduck." One day when he has a son, he even wants to call him "Psyduck."

He can call the fishes anything he wants, as long as he leaves my grandson out of it.

Well yesterday he arrived from the field trip with a gold fish. I suggest that we call him "Golduck."

Who's afraid of the big bad tiger?

I was rather blasé about it while I was there, but when I went to bed that night I thought to myself, "OMG! those are killers!"

I was imagining being on the other side of those bars. Went to sleep hoping that I wouldn't have any nightmares about it. Can't believe that I actually looked into the eyes of a tiger and lived to tell about it.

Miguel looks scared in this photo, but he's quite okay about it. He totally loved our trip to Subic, as did I, tiger fears aside.

I've asked him a few times what his favorite part of the trip was, and the answers always change: the swimming pool that looks like a beach," the bubble fight in the jacuzzi, and feeding the camel at Zoobic safari.

My favorite was the bubble fight. Dennis was right; the jacuzzi rules. Special thanks to him and Essie for the weekend at the Subic Yacht Club :)

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.