Life As I Know It

There are three persons inside me. These are them: 

(Awesome illustrations by my awesome daughter, JAS)

 

1 - Casilda, a.k.a., Dang, Mommy Dang, Ate Dang, 'Nang Dang, Sis Dang, Danggit, etc. She is wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. She talks a lot, laughs a lot, cries a lot. She always wants to do the nicest things... she tries, although sometimes in vain.

 

She can cook... that might be what everyone thinks... but if she gets in a pickle, ready made food can taste just as good. She is patient, always trying and trying, until... yey, success!... well, not all the time, and she can get really frustrated and angry when things don't go as she would want them to... but, oh well, nobody's perfect!

She is the one to call when you need a little advice on how to sew, embroider, cook, craft, or whatever else... she might not have all the answers but a little chit-chat with her can be fun. She's not rich but she'd be happy to share with those in need.  She is what everyone expects her to be.





2 - Super "C". She is what everyone expects her to be...  and MORE.





She can definitely sing and dance at the same time.... that is, in her own private time and place. She is a multi-tasking, confidently calm, do-it-all, she-can-do-it, she'll-find-a-way, go-get-her, she-knows-what-to-do, she's-here-and-there-all-at-once, never-tired type of a gal.

Though, sometimes she needs help with something she needs from the upper shelf of the cupboard. This is because, it's really no big secret, she has yet to learn how to fly. She asks people to wait and be patient because, it's really no big deal, first things first, then on to the next.





She can remove any type of stain from any type of clothing... or can she really?  She can do laundry while she's cooking the perfect dinner and do a little embroidery on the side... how hard can that be?!  Whew! that is quite a task in one normal day.



3 - Casilly-dilly. She is a little girl who loves to have fun. Being silly and disorganized is her specialty.





She can be very forgetful that she cannot even remember being angry with anyone. She is afraid of being alone in the dark and much more, of scary movies.





She gets a little cut here, a little bruise there from being so sloppy with doing things... but there's nothing that a band-aid and a little XOXO can't fix.





Beautiful things in display windows at the mall make her eyes twinkle... ahhh, dreaming makes them hers.





She doesn't like making her bed or cleaning the house... but that's what mommy Dang wants. Sad movies make her cry... even sad songs make her cry. She can't help being sluggish sometimes, she just wants to curl up on the couch and watch TV. She does not care about everything that's happening around her, she's just so happy and thankful that she is being loved.





Super "C" and Casilly-dilly do not get along well, while Casilda just sits back and watch this conflict. But in the end, they have got to somehow be in agreement with each other, otherwise, you know where to find me.



This is my crazy existence, I call LIFE. What is yours like?







My Golden Boy!

Half a century!  Bong celebrated his 50th birthday a year ago today.   We were in the Philippines for Thaad's graduation and this is how he spent his birthday...

 Waiting for his guests, the less-fortunate kids of Nonoc.

 

 Please fall in line....

Packed Spaghetti lunch for each kid.

 A little sometin'-somethin' for each one.

 

 Bong's little buddies, helping with the drinks.

 KB Kaye, in-charge of the guest list.

     

 Psssttt.... focus on the guests, not on the camera.

 ... more guests,  will there be enough?

 No child left behind... everyone gets a present from Tito Bong.

 Even the little helpers had fun!

 Not even the rain could stop the party.

 JK and Jojo, errand boys.

 Hungry helpers did not mind left-overs.

That was a milestone marked with a lot fun... and love.  Today, he celebrates another birthday.  I thank God everyday for the gift of his life.  Happy Birthday to the man who makes my life special... Happy Birthday, my darling, Bong!

 

I Bid You Adieu

Last year, Thaad, Bong and I spent Christmas with Mommy Tit in Zamboanga City.  We missed Jas and Gem who stayed home in Michigan with Lolo Buddy and Lola Fe.  But that proved to be a most precious Christmas since it would have been Mommy Tit's last and we had that chance to celebrate it with her.

She spent her last years in the house that she raised her family in... where every little corner reminded her of her children's resounding laughter... where all the walls witnessed her joys and pains... where it was home. 

 

Very strong willed and opinionated, she was often misunderstood and misjudged.  Yet, for those who truly know her, she was encompassed in kindness and compassion.  She might have had a different way of showing affection but she loved so much, her woes were made insignificant.

To my children, Jas, Gem and Thaad... Lola Tit's gift to you is your daddy.  He is what he is is now because he was raised by a great woman that is Lola.  Her kindness shines in daddy everyday.  Her strength is manifest in how daddy deals with all of life's stresses.  Her inner beauty glows in daddy's good works.    

 

To Mommy Tit... I shed a tear for you today because you have left.  But your life here on earth was never in vain.  I thank you for Bong.  I thank you for the love you gave me.  I thank you for the lessons you have taught me.   I thank you for the family I am blessed with thru you.  You will be missed, but for now, I bid you Adieu.  It was a pleasure knowing and loving you... until we meet again.    

 

A Piece of the Apple

Some  56 years ago, way way before 'Roe v. Wade', a woman's choice was always life.  So when graduate student, Joanne,  learned of her unwanted pregnancy, she had no choice but to proceed with it.  She gave birth to a little boy and gave him up for adoption.  The new parents, Clara & Paul, named him Steve.  The rest is history.  We all know Apple co-founder and CEO, Steve Jobs.  News of his passing a couple of weeks ago saddened many.  People remember him as the great entreneur who revolutionized personal computing.  Some, who worked with him, have stories to tell, nice and not so nice.  But I remember him everytime I open my iPad, thank you Stevie!
    

If abortion was legal 56 years ago, and Joanne would have opted to kill that baby she was carrying, would we think differently now?