Ang Aking Munting BONGKITO

Maraming pedeng pagkakahulugan ang mga salitang ito.  At sa totoo lang, marami din ang kayang maapektuhan ng mga ito, simple man silang gamitin o isipin. Heto at isa-isahin natin…

NAPUPUNO…

Ikanga kay da King FPJ, kapag napuno na ang salop, dapat nang kalusin. Pero higit pa d’yan ang mga kadahilan kung bakit tayo ay napupuno sa mga bawa’t dagok sa buhay natin. Sobrang dami ng kapalpakan, paulit-ulit na pagkakamali, katangahan, kabagalang sumunod sa mga patakaran, kulang sa katinuan, di nag-iisip at tira lang ng tira, at eto pa… kakulitan! Kung iisipin mo, maganda sana ang pagpupuno (hindi tree-planting ha!) kasi nabibigyan ng halaga ang mga taong tumatanggap nito, maging ito’y patungkol sa pagmamahal, pagtulong sa kapwa at kamag-anak, o kahit sa pag-iipon ng tubig sa balde o dram. Kaya lang, ‘kung pagpupunong taliwas sa normal na pamamalakad ang pag-uusapan, d’yan tayo mag-alala. Bakit? Dahil dito mo malalaman kung hanggang sa’n lang kakayanin ng mga taong naaapektuhan natin ang pagtitiis at pagtitiyaga nila, maging ito ma’y sa bahay, sa trabaho, mga kaibigan, kaaway o kakampi man. Nakaka-alarma pero ganito lang talaga minsan ang takbo ng buhay. Ang mga mababait, mga walang imik, risonable, at minsang inaakala mong “cool” lang sa mga kaganapan ay s’yang mas may posibilidad na sumabog na lang sa galit at inis. Pero para sa ‘kin, ang pinaka-aantabayan mo ay ang taong magmamanhid na lang sa ‘yo at di na mag-rereact pa makaraan sa sagad sa butong paulit-ulit na kamalian at kapalpakan na ginagawa sa kanya. ‘Yun ang klase ng pagpupunong di na maaaring maisaayos ng maikling panahon. At kapag nangyari ‘yun, well, si Lord na lang ang may alam kung ano ang mga susunod na kabanata. Suma-total, dalawang bagay ang naidudulot kapag napupuno ang isang tao — magsasawa na lang s’ya at magiging manhid sa mga susunod na kaganapan, o humantong sa mga di kanais-nais na katapusan. In short, patay kang bata ka!

NAUUBOS…

Maraming bagay o pangyayari ang nasasaklaw nito. Pagkain, pera, pananalita, kaibigan, sasakyan sa terminal, grocery, baterya ng cell, load, paninda, pasensiya, pang-unawa, pagmamahal… Kung tutuusin, meron pang iba. Pero sa tingin ko, ito ang kadalasan na nararanasan sa pang-araw-araw natin pamumuhay sa mundong ibabaw. Para sa ‘kin, lahat ng mga nabanggit ko ay posibleng masaid at maaaring makapagpaiba sa ating galaw at diskarte sa buhay. Kadalasan, di lang sa ating sarili ang epekto. Kaakibat ng mga nauubos na bagay-bagay ang s’yang sumisira rin sa pakikitungo natin sa ibang tao, mas lalo pa kung sila ang mga taong may malaking kaugnayan sa buhay mo. Tulad ng pasensiya at pag-unawa sa mga pagkakamali, sa umpisa’y kaya pang palagpasin pero sa katagalan, mawawala na lang s’ya ng kusa dahil di natin kayang punuin muli ang nabawas. Tulad din ng pagmamahal, na dating ubod ng usbong sa tuwa at pag-aalaga ay minsang madagok ng mga pagsubok sa buhay ay maari ding manghina at malugmok ng walang garantiyang uusbong muli. Nakakatakot isipin, pero sa buhay natin nangyayari ‘yan.  Ang tanong lang, kakayanin ba natin muling punuan ang bangang nasa napipintong pagkaubos at pagkatuyo? Dapat kayanin kahit ga’no kahirap pa ‘yan. Dahil sa nauubos na bagay o pangyayari ay walang kasiguruhan kung ito’y manunumbalik sa dating sigla at saya nito. ‘Pag ito ang nangyari, isang himala na lang ang maaari mong sanggalang para maibalik ang dati. Hirap no? Oo talagang mahirap… pero dapat kayanin ang lahat ng paraan para maibalik ang dati.

Napupuno… Nauubos… magkaiba man ang pagkahulugan pero magka-ugnay ang sinasalamin sa buhay-buhay. Andito ako ngayon. Minumuni-muni ang mga ‘yan… sana may pagkakataong pang maipuno ang nauubos na magandang simulain sa darating na mga araw. Dahil sa minsang tayo ay nagkamali, habang buhay ang ilalaan natin upang maitama at maibalik ang matiwasay at masaganang buhay na inaasam lagi para sarili at sa mga taong mahalaga sa s’yo.

Kung nais n’yo akong samahan, sige lang. Igagalak ko ang inyong pakikisama.

Bakit ganon?

Isang tanong na laging nabibigkas kapag tayo’y nailalagay sa isang matinding sitwasyon  na di natin alam ang kung bakit iyon ang kinalabasan o kinahinatnan. Marahil, marami sa atin ay naipit na, nadamay, naapektuhan o nagsisisi sa isang pangyayari o karanasan na, sa kaguluhan ng ating isip, ay ang naisasabi na lang ay “bakit  ganon?”

Nung ikaw ay nagsusumikap na mag-aral, nagsusunog-kilay, nagsasaliksik at nakikilahok sa mga recitation sa klase, at sa dulo ng semestre ay ang nakukuha mong marka ay di man lang sa inaasahan mong grado, di ba ang masasabi mo na lang ay “bakit ganon?”

Nung nag-aaplay ka ng trabaho, pinagbutihan mo ang pananalita sa una, pangalawa at huling interbyu, nagpasiklab sa mga possibleng maging bossing mo, at minsan pa’y mababalitaan mong ikaw na ang napupusuang makuha sa posisyong nakalatag sa harap mo, tapos di ka matatawagan at malalaman mong may nakakuha na ng pwesto mula sa kras mong receptionist, di ba nanggagalaite kang magsabi ng “bakit ganon?!?”

Nung naggagawa ka ng isang proyekto para sa kliyente mo, nakumpleto mo lahat ng materials at mga larawan na kailangan , naisumite sa mga “kinauukulan,” nirebiso, sinumite ulit hanggang sa ma-aprubahan ng lahat ng mga dapat makakita, nabigay ang FA (final artwork) sa kanila ng maaga,  tapos makaraan ng ilang araw na pagrerelak ay malalaman mo sa isang tangang miyembro ng grupo na biglang meron pa palang konting babaguhin sa ginawa mo, di ba nakakainis at wala kang magawa. Kaya tatawa ka na lang ng medyo naiinis  at sasabihin mo na lang na “Ngek! Bakit ganon? Labo ah!”

Nung minsan kang nagmagandang loob sa isang kamag-anak o kakilala, tumulong ng matiwasay at inakalang maayos ang lahat, tapos mababalitaan mong pagwala na sa iyong harapan ay may tinatagong galit o inis pala sa inasal mo sa kanila, susmaryosep, talaga namang, bakit ganon?

Nung sumubok kang magluto para sa iyong mga kaibigan, kapamilya o ka-irog, naghanda ka ng husto para maimpress sila, sumunod sa bawat hakbang ng gusto mong putaheng lutuin at nakita mong pagkatakam-takam sa paningin at amoy, tapos pagdating sa hainan ay nanibago ang panlasa ng lahat… nakow! d’yahe naman! tapos lalakad patago ulit sa kusina at iisipin “Bakit ganon?!? Tama naman yung nasundan kong procedure sa pagluto nun ah?!?”

Sa mga lalaki…

Nung mamulat ka sa mundo ng pag-ibig, makatipo ng isang babaeng nakikitaan mong maging potensyal na makasama panghabang-buhay, sinuyo-suyo ng sobra sobra, at ramdam mong malaki ang posibilidad na maging kayo sa huli, binigyan ng mga rosas, buwan at kung anu-ano pang pwedeng masungkit para lang makuha ang matamis n’yang “OO,” hatid-sundo kahit bumagyo, minsan pa’y nayayaya sa mga gimik kasama ang ibang mga kaibigan, tapos ‘pag malapit na ang hinihintay mong pagkakataon na kung pwede maging kayo ay biglang mong malalaman na di pa s’ya handang makipagrelasyon, o may asawa na pala s’ya, o di kaya’y di ka lang n’ya tipo at iba ang tinitibok n’ya, o sobrang basted ka lang talaga kasi kulang pa rin eports mo… hay susme!!! naman!!! Bakit ganon?!?

Sa mga babae…

Nung may ma-sight kang gusto mo na talaga namang makalaglag P (bahala na kayo manghula) at pinapangarap mo na s’ya na lang ang para s’yo, kayang magbigay ng ligaya s’yo sa lahat ng pagkakataon, magalang, misteryoso, malinis at swak na swak na ideal man para mapakilala sa iyong mga magulang, tapos malalaman mong magpapari pala s’ya o kabaro n’ya ang mas kanyang inaasam… hay saklap! Bakit naman ganon?!? (mas masaklap kung mas pogi pa sa kanya ang tipo n’ya)

Nung minsan ay maiisip mo na sana mamimiss ka rin ng isang taong inaasahan mong maalala ka n’ya ay s’ya pang di nagpaparamdam s’yo na miss ka n’ya, tapos makikitaan mo ng ibang kagalakan kapag kapiling o kausap ang ibang mga tao, di ba nakakatampo isipin at maramdaman na may mali ba sa sarili mo na ang tanong e “bakit ganon? di ba ako mahalaga rin sa kanya?” (baka siguro kailangan muna mawala ka para ma-realize siguro, di ko rin alam)

Nung madalas na gusto mong manahimik, huwag na lang umalma, o di kaya’y maging matiisin nalang sa mga bagay-bagay na sa tingin mong mali at di dapat gawin, ay s’ya pang pinagmumulan ng kaguluhan, o inis, o pagsisisi, at di pagtitiwala lalo sa yong kakayahan dahil wala kang ginagawa… e ano pa ba naman ang magagawa mo di ba? kaya lang… BAKIT GANON?!? Di ko naman kayo inaano ah!!!

Haayyy… di ko na alam kung bakit talaga ganon ang buhay. Madaya at minsan, walang pakisama. Kakainis lang pero kailangan mo pa rin sabayan. Kaya minsan dapat ride ka na lang.

Kaw, sa tingin mo, bakit ganon?!? Ah ewan! Basta ganon!

Hmph!!!

Photo from nytimes.com

Too late… to realize what things one may have done until only you see how other have reacted to it. It may become a dilemma in the long run, but at some point one has to rectify it.

Too late… to feel sorry of the steps one has made just to make things easy or appease people, presumingly things will be a lot better. Sometimes, we thought it right to do or say things but, on the contrary, it made situations worse, especially if those involved are people we can always depend on or we can rely in the long run.

Too late… to be able to restore things back when one should have made amends instantly as the issues are still “hot off the grill.” But you may not lose hope for each day that you wake up to brings you another chance to change things for the normal, if not the better.

Too late… to say “I apologize for small things I’ve said or done,” since we never see these small things we thought of “small” may turn out to be big things in disguise. Now, toppling or going over it may not be as easy as it looks.

Too late… yes, I guess it’s too late to move backward and wish one never really made those things…

But then again, well maybe I guess, it won’t be too late to restore things back… but as to how long, that is something one will just try to be patient with and live with…

Anways, let me think… for I’m about to trek that road again…

Like what the title says, this entry is just a short one that I want to share with you guys. Apart from Kaye and other family members, only a few (like some friends in the office) knew about the special treat I got for Father’s Day. Not only did I get to spend with the kids, the good treat I had that day was the anticipation of seeing the McDonald’s Father’s day ad published on three main broadsheets. The ad was sort of a tribute to all dads all over the country, but with a twist — images were caught in their most candid, uncompromising way while enjoying McDo treats.

Here’s the ad:

Can you guess where I am?

As an added surprise, a mysterious friend of mine (whose cell number I still haven’t identified. sorry and thanks ulit sa tip!) texted me that I also appeared in another front page of a famous broadsheet with no less than Fr. Jerry Orbos. To my curiosity, Kaye tried to find the page through its online version. And true enough, it was indeed ME on the picture… with Fr. Jerry Orbos! As I recall, the pic was obtained from this blogsite through a post I did a few months ago. Though, I felt violated for the writer (or someone from that publication) just acknowledged my site and not even bothered to ask permission or find out my name as proper courtesy of using and publishing the picture.  Though it was something unacceptable, I felt in a way cool about it nonetheless.

Anyhow, here’s the picture that came out with that surprise article below.

The feature article on Manila Bulletin

Again, Happy Father’s Day to me!!! Hahahaha!!!

We never expected her then, thinking that Jeremy was just 4 months old, and Kaye was still on recuperation stage. But as they say, our baby girl Cassie came as a good surprise when we least expect her to appear.  I was a bit scared then when Kaye felt she might be pregnant again that soon. So to settle our worries, we consulted to our OB-GYNE friend doctor Doc Joana Lozada in Manila for Kaye’s initial check-up.  Lo and behold, Kaye was confirmed pregnant! I saw this coming after Kaye guessed it. Actually, we thought of having another baby after Jeremy turns 2. But since the unexpected surprise is underway, it was just a matter of days and months ahead before the Cassie comes.

Of course the worries are back again. Knowing Kaye has APAS (Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome), she has to take again heparin shots for the whole duration of her pregnancy. Panic attacks were also a concern for Kaye (even me). Moreso was the stress of traveling, since Doc Joana’s is in Don Santiago Bldg in Taft Ave. So trips to & from her Manila clinic required longer travel time. But we were not complaining. After all, our level of excitement were at spiking points for the arrival of Cassie. Imagine, there will be another kid to arrive, and soon enough, we would now be five (Even before Jeremy, we had difficulties of conceiving our first baby). Talk about more bundles of joy!

A few months after, around May 2008, Kaye & I were already preparing for her eventual delivery. Doc Joana informed us that the only hospital she can deliver Cassie was in M-Tech Hospital, a medium-scale hospital located in Makati.  Since it was the only hospital she can operate on Kaye, we agreed on it.

By May-end, Kaye was already experiencing slight contractions and movement from baby Cassie, but it was nothing we were to be worried about. We thought that she may even the same date as his kuya Jeremy if that would be possible. But since baby Cassie’s growth is doing smoothly,  we weren’t surprised that Kaye made it tohru the first week of June, just finishing Jeremy’s 1st birthday. In fact, we could say that Kaye’s pregnancy with Cassie is considered the safest and I guess stable for that matter. But on the night of June 5, Kaye said that it’s more probable that Cassie is already coming out. So from our Sta. Rosa home, we traveled to M-Tech Hospital in Makati so we can already be admitted as a precaution for baby Cassie’s delivery. Doc Joana was tipped by our possible admission that night, though I know she was coming from a dinner party with his soon-to-be hubby Glenn.

By early morn of June 6, Kaye was already prepped for operation. I accompanied her, as the nurses wheeled her out to the ground floor of the hospital up to the OR entrance. After giving her a kiss, there she went inside, with Doc Joana already waiting to “dissect” her and bring Cassie finally out to the world. After a few hours, I was called for but not to join Kaye in the OR but just to view for the first time my bunso, Cassie who was already placed in the nursery.  I was speechless when I first saw her, sleeping soundly, not hinting a difference whatsover of her new environment. A few moments of watching her, she abruptly woke up and kinda looked at my direction. Of course, new born babies still don’t have eyesight yet, but seeing her look at me made me feel like she knew I am there, her one and only Daddy.

Cassie at the nursery

Since that day when we first brought Cassie home, it made me think. Cassie may have been unplanned, unscheduled when Kaye & I had her. But you know what? We were glad that she came that early. We may have missed a lot of fun, memorable and worth it times if ever she did come 2 years after. Besides, her beautiful face, charming smile, and energizing kakulitan (for lack of the right translation), I wouldn’t want to exchange those 2 years of waiting before enjoying and experiencing how Cassie lights up our spirits and lives everyday!

Cass, I thank you for being here with me and Mama. I know that most times you were overshadowed by your kuya Jeremy or even being bullied fo that matter (sorry anak!), to us you’re not one less of a precious gem to us. You’re truly the best bunso we could ever have and we thank the Lord that He did plan of bring you to us the soonest! Darling, we love you and we do hope to serve as very good role models for you as you grow in the years to come, with your ate Kara and kuya Jeremy.

To you, darling Cassie, Daddy loves you very very much!

Mama feeding baby Cass at home

Cassie at 4 months

Ate Kara & Cassie in Tagaytay

Cassie fun bonding with kuya Jeremy

Father’s Day ngayon, nabati n’yo ba mga tatay n’yo? Kung hindi pa, batiin n’yo na sa kahit anong paraan… itext, email, tumawag o i-Plurk nyo sila (kung tech-savvy sila ha!) para mapadama n’yo kung ga’no sila kahalaga kahit man lang sa araw nila.

Pero bakit nga ba may Father’s Day? Ang alam ko kasi sobrang angkop ito sa mga tatay na sobrang nagsusumikap at naging uliran sa bawat aspeto ng buhay nila — mapa-pamilya, trabaho man, kapitbahay o kahit sa pag-praktis ng pananampalataya nila. Pero pa’no yung mga di naging maayos sa buhay nila? Yung mga nanloko, nakasakit sa kapwa nila, nandaya o di naging uliran sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay? Tama rin kaya silang batiin ng Happy Father’s Day?

Mahirap mang isipin pero sa wari ko lang, minsan mapapaisip ka kung dapat ka bang mapabilang sa mga tumatanggap ng greeting mula sa kaibigan, kamag-anak, ka-opisina, kabarkada, kapamilya o kapuso, lalo pa’t kung alam mong sa lumipas na taon ay may mga pagkakamaling nagagawa tayo at umuukit ito sa karamdaman ng marami sa atin. Gano’n ang pakiramdam ko minsan, lalo pa’t nitong nakaraang taon ay sobrang maraming pagsubok at pagkakamali ang napagdaanan ko. At ngayong Father’s Day, napaisip ako… karapat-dapat ba talaga akong mabati?

Pero sa kabila no’n, malaking pasasalamat at kahit papa’no, andyan pa rin ang aking pamilya, kahit na isa sila sa mga nasaktan sa mga ilang bagay-bagay na nagawang pagkakamali ko sa buhay. Bilang haligi ng sarili kong tahanan, sila pa rin ang nagbibigay ng lakas at inspirasyon sa ‘kin upang maging mabuting ama sa araw-araw na ibinibigay ni Lord. Oo, maraming beses na akong nagkakamali, nakakasakit at nadadapa. Pero di ako tumitigil na magsumikap para mabago ang sarili ko, upang maging  isang karapat-dapat na kaibigan at karamay na mamamayan, at lalo pa’t isang matuwid at ulirang ama sa aking mga anak at asawa sa aking kabiyak.

Ngayong Father’s Day, sa wari ko’y di ako dapat nabibilang na batiin dahil sa mga dahilang ako na lang ang nakakaalam. Pero dahil sa pagmamahal ng aking pamilya at sa bawa’t pagkakataon na laging ibinibigay ni Lord sa ‘kin na mabago ang aking sarili, salamat pa rin at naging kabilang ako sa mga milyung-milyong ama, tatay, papa, daddies, ‘tay at kung ano pang tawag sa ‘min, na nabati ngayong araw na ‘to. Siguro, sa dami ng mga paglilihis, siguro may matuwid pa rin akong nadaanan kahit papa’no.

Para sa lahat ng mga ulirang ama na nandyan ngayon, saludo ako sa inyo! Sa ilang mga ama na nagkamali na ng minsan, mayro’n laging pagkakataon na baguhin natin ang mga sarili  kung mamarapatin natin. Dahil at our own right, ang pagiging uliran at modelo sa ating pamilya’t mga anak ay natututunan din.

Para sa mga kaibigan kong bloggers na tatay ring tulad ko, nawa’y maging maganda ang buhay sa bawa’t oras at pagkakataon na handog ni Lord para sa ‘tin!

Happy Father’s Day po!

I remember the time when I first heard from Kaye that she was again pregnant way back 2006. My excitement went from 0 to 100! It’s like a different kind of rush actually, especially knowing that prior to this, we had a couple of miscarriages. What added to this rejuvenating joy was that Kaye had had a dream about a little boy being called by somebody from a distance. And the name the boy was called was Jeremy.

As researched, the name Jeremy is defined as “exalted by the Lord. ” Learning about this, indeed it gave me & Kaye a great sense of hope that this baby will be the best blessing we had been asking for as a married couple. And what’s more overwhelming about it, the name itself suggests that our baby would be a boy! “YAHOO!” was all my mind could shout out since we already have Kara, so a boy is definitely a wonderful gift for our growing family.

After more than 8 months of waiting, the time finally arrived. Coming from her final check-up, Kaye called me and said that her water is already depleting. So eventually, she has to be admitted in Asian Hospital in preparation for her delivery. Me, I went straight from the office to Asian, with all the jitters and coldness engulfing my whole body. Arriving at Asian, Kaye was already prepped and was given last instructions before the big moment. Around almost 1opm of June 1st, 2007, Kaye was already brought inside the operating room. As I waited, I was asked to dress in scrub suit for later I would be called inside. I could hardly contain myself as I imagined how it would be to see baby boy Jeremy for the first time. I was excited, at the same time afraid, since finally I’d get to find out how it was to become a full-fledged dad.

After an hour, a nurse from the OR came out and fetched me. And then, there he was. Only armed with Kaye’s Nokia 6300, I saw Jeremy for the first time. He was the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen in my whole life. I couldn’t express the elation I felt being so close to him as he was cleaned by an assisting doctor. A couple of times, a thin tube was inserted in his mouth and nose to  remove excess amniotic fluids that he fed on when he was still inside his Mama’s womb. When the doctor did this, he often cried and boy, was he loud when he cried! But for me, his cries were music that you wanted to hear over and over. After removing the tube, and some white thingys (di ko alam tawag dun e basta puti hehehe!), the doctor made her measurements on Jem. Surprisingly, Jem was 5.30 lbs upon delivery, quite big considering he was premature on the time of birth. After they’ve finished with all initial statistics, Jeremy was  covered with a clean cloth, and finally, for the first time,  he was handed to me so I could carry him.  So how was it like? Well,  it it was really like God handed me a precious angel to take care for all time. He looked so peaceful and felt so fragile. I thought to myself, I am so lucky to have Jeremy as my son. I couldn’t really describe the awe and outpouring of love that I felt when I embraced Jeremy for the first time in my arms. At that point, I realized that Kaye was still on the operating table. I brought Jeremy  near her and tears flowed on her face. And of course, we did our first photo-op with baby Jeremy, eventhough Kaye still felt a bit groggy.

(Video to follow)

Afterwhich, baby Jeremy was taken to the nursery where he’d stay for the whole duration of our Asian stay. As I went back outside, Kaye was sewn up and brought to the recovery room. I went there afterwards until we were moved to a regular room the following morning. During the next few days and nights, I would frequent the nursery to look at baby Jeremy and see how he was. I never minded staying up late or not sleeping as much, as long as I got to see my boy. He was really a handsome baby, I should say! And more than that, he was mine. I never felt any prouder than that instant of just seeing him, holding him, and keeping him secure in my arms. And I thank God because finally, he’s already here, adding more sweetness and spice to my life, growing old with me, with Kaye and with her Ate Kara. Maybe, that’s also the reason why we added David to his name as giving praise to the Lord for his wonderful blessing to me and Kaye.

First carry of Baby Jem (few minutes after delivery on June 1, 2007)

Mama Kaye n' Jem

Ate Kara n' Jem (late 2007)

Dad n' Jem at a pictorial at home

Now, Jeremy is already 3 years old. But I always look back to the time when he first came out of this world. He is still my little boy… the little boy I swore to give a good life to… the little boy who’s meant to capture so many young girls’ hearts… the little boy that I will never be tired of loving, kissing and embracing whenever I have the chance. To you, Jeremy David, am looking forward to more years together. And everyday I thank God because you get to inspire me to do more and be a better Dad for you, Ate Kara and Cassie. Sana nga di ka na tumanda, as what Kaye always says. But even as we age, always remember… Daddy & Mama are so proud of you!

My Jeremy David

I love you, my Jeremy David! And thanks for giving me the privilege of being your Dad!

Last Monday,  most of us once again exercised our right to choose the best person to run the country. As a matter of fact, in just a span of a few hours, we already saw the trend of who the people have chosen best for the Presidency via the first-time automated voting system. Indeed, this was the first and hopefully, not the last since elections have always been plagued with controversies and unreliable counting when it was done manually. I for one, have been witness to such conflicts and there were times I wished things were a little different in the manner of voting then. But thanks to open-mindedness, COMELEC made history by pushing for the automated elections. Not only did it make counting easier and faster, but I also hope that it made the elections a lot credible and believable (but again, expect more protests from stubborn politicians who don’t want to concede yet).

Me against the crowd

As early as 6 in the morning, I prepared myself to come home to Manila, my former hometown, just to vote. The trip from Sta. Rosa Laguna was just a relatively short bus ride, since there was no traffic going home. I arrived at F. Guerrero School along Pedro Gil around 7:20am. Guerrero has been my voting precinct since the time I started voting for Barangay and Local elections way back 1992. Generally, the time I spent on voting was, hmmm well… short. The only thing I spent a little time on, was finding the precinct room I would vote. So to make things a lot easier, I celled (manner of calling someone thru cellfone; my own coining not Webster’s) Papa for the location. Good thing it was just in the first floor. What’s more relaxing about voting was that Papa already got a number for me and Mama. So there. I got my first shot at voting via Smartmatic PCOS machine hassle-free. Good for the numbers actually, since on my way to the room I got to pass by the other rooms with scary long lines. Imagine if I still lined up  (Kaye and her family didn’t have the same luxury as I had since they waited for more than two hours to be able to vote. Kawawa talaga!).

Inside Guerrero during election day

Anyways, when I finished, I lined up a bit before placing my ballot through the PCOS machine. I was able to finish everything and get out of the hot voting room in 30 minutes. Just then, the people in-charge began letting in senior citizens.  Hehehe lucky me indeed!

I went back to the area where the PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) table was located. I stayed with Mama for a while before going home to my old Manila house to freshen up and have breakfast. When I got home, Papa was getting ready for bed since he hadn’t gotten any sleep as he was an assigned COMELEC officer at Guerrero. So I said “good night” to him as he went up the room to sleep. For me, I just had a few pandesals and spam for breakfast, with fresh hot kapeng barako from the coffeemaker, and then I freshened up a bit before going back to the precinct.

At the PPCRV Station where Mama stays

I stayed at the PPCRV station for a while. It was just weird being there since I used to be active in PPCRV when I was still in Manila. But those times were far different from today. Me, am just a mere voter. And no more concerns with what’s happening around, just a plain spectator to everything that’s going around the school. Kaya siguro am proud of my parents because they remain vigilant to situations during elections. Amidst the pricking heat and lack of wind in the area, their dedication to such taxing volunteer work is truly commendable. I really wish I could stay and be with Mama during that time, but I was already missing the kulets back home in Sta. Rosa and I promised Kaye to get home ASAP.  So after saying my goodbyes to Mama and friends I knew back then, I left Guerrero with its huge crowd already overflowing at the gates.

At last, I boarded  the jeep going to PRC Makati. But as I looked back from the moving jeep, I smiled and thought that maybe this would be the last time I’d vote in Manila. I don’t know much about the politicians in the Manila district, anyway. Probably next year, I’ll try to work on registering myself in Sta. Rosa so for the next elections (local and senatorial), it will be at a new place for a change. But I’ll truly miss voting in Manila, especially since my parents and I usually vote at the same time. Well that’s ok. At least my last election ended with something unique, that is, via automated voting. Now that’s something to remember as I close the chapter of election voting in Manila.

Thanks Guerrero… hello Central!

Ps. This is just my post-election observations that I just want to share here.

… that despite the good show of results, some politicians will still insist that they were cheated, the reason for them to lose the race.

… that despite the plunder cases and crimes against the country which proved him guilty (but was pardoned a few years later), Erap was still a crowd favorite.

… that the election has enticed rather more celebrities to run, and they surprisingly won in the campaign.

… that the election, for me, remains to be a popularity contest in general.

… that those good men who are much better off for the positions at stake, are the ones who usually found themselves close to the bottom of the list.

… that in all of these observations, I’d say the elections was a swift and orderly one compared to the past years.

I’d stop here. If you have your own observations, feel free to share here too!

These past days,  the hot weather has really become a pain in the neck.  Or literally, a pain to every part of our body — our face, arms, nape, even to our hidden parts (censored!). The worst part of it, it can really hit hard on anyone’s health. For the last couple of days, I felt so stressed easily even if you stay indoors. Whether at home or at the office, the heat is something you just wish is gone for good. But that’s the sad thing. It doesn’t. Even when the sun has gone done, and you’d expect a cool breeze to ease it down (well, at least at home for that matter),  the heat wave that has bombarded your place for the whole day, stays… and I mean hindi nawawala or umaalis! Frankly, this has been the worst kind of summer that we have to experience to date. Imagine, temp records of around 38 to 40 degrees of scorching heat… now that’s very alarming! But what’s more alarming, especially in my family’s case, is the concern to my kids who are prone to asthma attacks especially in an erratic weather like we’re having now.

Unfortunately, the worse part did hit. My kids were admitted again at Asian hospital last April because of their asthma. Little did Kaye & I know that their exacerbations were already due to something worse… they have pneumonia already. But good thing that we had them admitted so they could get utmost care and medicines will address it. We decided of bringing them in since both Cassie and Jemy haven’t been eating at all. If not for their usual rounds of milk, they could have been dehydrated already. But even the milk intake has waned. So that was really a wise choice to do.

After a few days, both of them have coped up with meds and liquids. Soon enough they were eating more. I guess the only thing that made difficult for us to have them admitted was the fact that they’ll be inserted with the needle again. And that is really to difficult to bear, especially for Cassie who’s veins are overshadowed by her chubby built. Siguro, we just thought they’ll recover faster thru that so we’ll just bear the sight of the procedure.

Thank God the kids recovered from the infection. But still we weren’t taking chances since the heat is not going down. So when we got back from the hospital, we had everything on round the clock meds regimen, as advised by their pedia (incidentally, the one that took care of Kara has become their pedia na rin!). And after a few days, Jemy is again back to his kulit self, if not doubly kulit pa! Cassie still was selective with food then but eventually became her old self as well. Kaya we’re still grateful that the kids are back to normal now.

I guess we just have to deal with the heat wave better this time. Despite the rising electricity rates, I guess I’d rather keep them comfy all the time in a aircon-cooled room, so as not to be affected by the heat again. And maybe keep the fans running downstairs when they play around the sala just to be ventilated from the trapped heat of the whole day.

Last week, Jemy has showed signs again of mild asthma, as evident of his coughing. But before it got any worse, we already had him nebulized for a given schedule. Now he’s coughing is less but manageable. I just hope his condition will soon be over so I wouldn’t be as worried of him since Kaye and I are working. Though he may be nebulizing, Jemy is still as bubbly and playful most of the time, as well as talkative and matakaw especially during meals and merienda. With Cassie, haaay… she’s really adorable at the same time super kulit! Besides we think she’s really a lot stronger than Jemy. But overall, we’re not as alarming as the one last April. We just hope and pray that the heat wave would finally come to an end. Because more than just dealing with the sweat and scorching, sunburn feeling, it’s really hard to bear of seeing the little ones suffer again because of this climate problem, where anyone and everyone can’t do anything about… for now.

Hope everyone can stay cool if we can help it. And let’s deal with the heat wisely, for summer, I think, is still a long way to go…

Hi everyone! Sorry for the short notice but this is actually a treat for you my blogger friends. My friend from Gadgets magazine (who is sponsoring the event as well) is inviting bloggers to attend this one-of-a-kind Bloggers Convention on April 17th at the Richmonde Hotel. It is actually open to all, however, you have to pay around P2,500 for registration.  So as a treat, all you need to do is email me your name & email addy at kermiteah@yahoo.com so I can submit your names, and you can get in on the event free of charge! If you are interested, email away for I need to submit the listing by today until tomorrow after lunch. Those who will be attending will have the chance to meet prominent bloggers, bring home giveaways and may even win great prizes in their raffle (the last event I attended their event they gave out iPods and cellfones as prizes, so you get what I mean when I say prizes hehehe)!

To know more of the event, just click here about the ad: Pinoy Blogfest

So if you have time on Saturday, do come to this big gathering of bloggers from all over the metro. Kaya, email na!