Old Too Soon

All this talk about kids growing up too fast has me thinking about the good old days. Call this a cautionary tale to my kids, who read my blog from time to time, but you are going to get old soon enough mwahahahahaha




Here we all are, oh so young and oh so happy! This is my high school class. I love these guys! And it's great that we still see each other, some more often than others, after all these years.





Yes, that's me on your rightmost. I remember that we had to go all the way to Taft to get these photographs taken by this popular portrait photographer whose name escapes me at this moment (Yes, I am old! Mwahahaha)





Here we are now! Not too shabby :)

All Too Soon

When my son K told me that they were going to have a graduation ball, I was quite surprised. After all, he was just in his sixth grade. How could he already have a graduation ball?! But it was going to be his first "dance" and he was very excited about it.

On the day of his graduation ball, we had to take a quick trip to the mall to buy him a new pair of black shoes. And while we were enjoying the mall's airconditioned comfort, he would ask me every so often, "Mom, what time is it?" And I would be like, "K, you still have lots of time." This went on for a couple of rounds until we finally got home.

And so, he dressed up in his dress pants and polo and vest, and when he came out of his room, I was taken aback by how grownup he looked. He looked like ... a teenager! Nyak!!! True, he turned 13 last January but now he really looked like a teenager! My youngest son is a teenager! Waaahhh!! Where did the years go? Where did time go? I can still remember singing him lullabyes and feeding him spaghetti. And now, here he is having crushes and dancing with girls.

I don't quite know how to end this except to say, cherish every moment with your child; all too soon, he'll be dancing in his own world.

P.S. I wish that I could post his grad ball photos but I am pretty sure that he wouldn't like that :)

Applause! Applause!

When my friends ask me how I'm able to raise four kids all by myself, I tell them, quite honestly, that I do not know. Being a single parent is difficult but I find that thinking about how difficult it is only adds to the aggravation. So I just don't think. I just take it one day at a time with each day presenting a new challenge, a new surprise.

Last weekend was particularly exciting for our family. Two of my sons graduated; my son K from grade school and my son F from high school. I've jotted the dates down many weeks ago but the significance of the occasion just occurred to me: two of my sons are graduating, two children growing up to be the fine adults that they will eventually become, two individuals reaching out for their dreams. And right then and there, I got all teary-eyed.

I've always been the kind of mom who would scream the loudest or clap the hardest when her kids have done something, anything during school programs. In recent years though, I've had to dial it down a little because my kids are actually taller than me and the last thing they need, the boys most especially, is to look like they're a bunch of mama's boys.

And so during the two graduations, I was proud but well-behaved. When K said the opening prayer with calm confidence, I actually wanted to clap my hands right after we said "Amen." When F was given an award for his achievement in campus journalism, I let out a big, fat smile. I remembered the essay he wrote just a few weeks ago when I discovered that he had an ear for writing.

My heart is all fat with love and pride now. And all those days of working to earn a living, of reminding them to please wash the dishes, of worrying that they might be watching too much television or spending too much with their games just don't seem to matter.

I love you, guys!! :)




I took this photograph of F right on the stage; I couldn't wait.




I was asking K to please give me a big smile but this is all I got. Teenagers! Mwahahahaha

Baby Bath

Clueless about baby care basics? Hop on over to Market Market to learn with the pros :)

Easy On The Eyes

I am babysitting today so this is going to be a quick one. Since it's an easy breezy Saturday, I wanted to share with you my easy breezy crush these days...





I love, love, love his buttery voice and his naughty smile. Yes, you've seen him around. He was the smartest guy in the world in the absolutely fabulous The Watchmen.





And played the gruff Irishman in the run-of-the-mill rom-com Leap Year.





But I love him most as the jilted newlywed in Imagine Me and You.





Can't wait to see him, brilliantly lit and all, in Tom Ford's A Single Man.




Happy Saturday!

Broken Glass

Just like always, Baby S was puttering about all over the house. She went to the living area, past the television set, onto the side table, and then CRRACCKKK! Baby S scampered away from the scene of the crime and started whimpering. She had just broken her first piece of drinking glass. Not that there's plenty to break, actually.

I've pretty much given up on the whole crystal glass thing. I don't know how many boxes of drinking glasses I've bought since my eldest was born. Because I have to tell you, once they start walking, they start breaking all sorts of things. We've had big chubby glasses, tall slim glasses with elegant etchings on the side, square glasses, blue-tinged glasses, and other whathaveyous. Not one of them managed to survive the fidgety hands of toddlers nor the slippery fingers of high schoolers.

I particularly remember this handsome set of cocktail glasses that I received as a Christmas present. They were from Debenhams and they were lovely. There were four pieces of white wine glasses, a couple of champagne flutes and goblets, some hi-balls and some martini glasses. Anyway, they were really lovely. I initially kept them in the cupboard but, I thought, such beautiful things should not be left unused. They looked so lonely up there. Because the kids were already in their tweens at the time, I thought those glasses would certainly be safe. And so, we started using them every day. A glass of water never tasted better. But one by one, just like before, the glasses went a-cracking until finally, there were only some flutes and goblets left. I finally saw the light and immediately put the remaining lovelies high on the cupboard, away from tiny fingers.

And so now, we are using an assortment of plastic cups and ceramic mugs. I don't have any intention of getting glass ones soon; I've learned my lesson. But every so often, I would imagine myself drinking from a crystal goblet again. Not yet though. Debenhams would just have to wait.

I Want A Drumstick!

Have you ever been so hot that you wanted to stick your head into the freezer? Well, that's exactly what I did the other day. Stuck my head into the freezer till my brains felt all cool and calm.

We are at the Creamline Ice Cream factory in Pampanga, and while the sun was hot, hot, hot outside, we were easy breezy freezing inside. When I was in grade school, we used to take field trips to all sorts of manufacturing facilities. We'd go to a softdrinks factory, and get to drink all the Coke we want. We'd go to a bread factory, and get to bring home loaves and loaves for our moms. But my favorite had always been a trip to an ice cream factory because well, who doesn't love ice cream? So this was trip was kinda nostalgic, bringing to mind all those memories of hot summer months, stuffing my face with drumsticks.




Road trip! The sky was so clear that even from the tinted windows of our van, everything was blue (and hot!).




We had to wear these thingies to be allowed to get into the factory floor. Too bad pictures aren't allowed because the ice cream machines looked really fascinating. We ended up staring at the one making the drumsticks; it was just hypnotic how the machine worked.




At the Creamline ice cream house, S and J can't help but "eat" the menu.




Can I take this home?!!




This is the ice cream house's specialty: the Pinatubo! It's mounds and mounds of chocolate ice cream with chocolate pieces and syrup. It was explosive!

Go Forth and Multiply!

My friends have been telling me to go online already with my chain wear. And so, over the weekend, I put my writing on hold to make my Multiply site. Although I already have some photos in stock (my daughter E and I had a frenzied photo shoot a few weeks ago because I wanted to have laminated photographs for the Rockwell bazaar), I needed to take new ones for the bibs. I didn't want to just shoot them on a mannequin but not being a product photographer, it was difficult.

Next, I went crazy over at picnik playing around with exposure and colors. That was really cool. I felt like an art director saturating the images to death Mwahahaha

Finally, I went over to slide.com to make a nice little video for my opening page. I love it that you can do almost anything now over the Internet. A few years ago, making a slide show is something that a writer like me wouldn't even think of doing. But now, everything is just a click away. Coolness!

Check out unshackledchain.multiply.com

Here's the video slide show :)

Enjoy!!

P.S. G, the song is Take My Hand from Simple Plan. It's so different though from Colbie's so I don't know if you'd like it as well :)

Happily Distracted

One thing I've learned about working at home is that it's terribly easy to get distracted. A few years back, there were just cable TV and music; the Internet was still crawling along so it wasn't as attractive a time-waster. Today, spending a day away surfing is just too easy. It takes discipline to stay on track. Here is what happened to me, for example, one day last week.

Before I start writing, I usually go scouting around the Web, updating myself on what's happening. And this is when I chanced upon the newest Internet game in town, Chat Roulette.

chat roulette from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

I wanted to try it immediately but I really didn't have time to be "nexted" a hundred times over that day so I moved on, and stumbled on Digna Kosse's minimal dresses. She's a Dutch designer who came up with 15 wispy, whispery dresses for Dutch Design Week late last year. The dresses are lovely and just what I needed to inspire me for my next round of chain wear.






At this point, I do some turbo-writing. It was great that we had a lot of leftovers from dinner so I didn't have to cook lunch. Soon enough, my son K arrived from school and reminded me that we absolutely have to buy a pair of black shoes for his graduation ball that night (He's on his sixth grade so I do not understand the grad ball concept but more on that later). My other son S says he wants to come along. And then, because it was too hot, I thought of taking along Baby S. So what would have been a quick run to the mall turned into a mini family excursion.






My son K was quick to pick up a pair of shoes (I love shopping for boys. They're so easy to please!) while Baby S walked all over the mall with my son S keeping an eye on her. After a few more errands, we found ourselves eating spaghetti and ice cream. And yes, Baby S spilled a glassful of drinks on the floor (Why I did not see this coming after having taken care of four babies I do not know! Mwahahaha).

When we got home, I cooked dinner before facing my notebook again. The sun was down. The baby's asleep and before long, I was typing myself a symphony of words. It was a good day :)

Pristine Palawan

It's been called the Philippines' last frontier, and I could understand why. Palawan is just so pristinely beautiful! Take me back!!!

Eating Pampanga

I'm in my own time zone now. My sleeping habit is so whacked out these days that I have turned my nights into days, days into nights. I blame it on my deadlines. After my slow Sunday, I was met by deadline-riddled Monday, Bicutan-interview Tuesday, writing-transcribing Wednesday, and writing-again Thursday. But I am only too grateful to be writing, too happy to be doing what I love doing.

What I am looking forward to is Monday. That's when I troop to Pampanga and hopefully, get another taste of Aling Lucing's super scrumptious sisig.

It was last December, I think, when I went to Pampanga with my bestest girlfriends B, E (yes, E, you're a girlfriend mwahaha), and our cool guide Angelo. Working on the vacation issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, we chomped our way through Pampanga. First stop: lunch with Tita Butchie of La Moderna Bakery, which had us feasting on steamed crabs, hilabos na hipon, humba, green mangoes with bagoong, and a most heavenly corn soup. This is not your ordinary corn soup; this is the almost whitish corn, finely grated, so that it becomes part of the thick broth. Delicious!

Merienda had us munching on La Moderna's maza podrida while eating some malunggay-flavored ice cream (Yes, you read that right, malunggay. And surprise, surprise, it actually tastes good!). And of course, we could not leave Pampanga without getting some halo-halo and tibok-tibok so we stuffed ourselves silly with those.

But for me, the piece de resistance was Aling Lucing's sisig. It was she who invented this cholesterol-laden dish made of thoroughly chopped pig's ears and other pork innards marinated in a secret blend. I have had many happy memories eating sisig with bottles and bottles of beer. I remember eating a chili-filled version of it in Camiguin, drinking beer like water to drown out its spicy aftertaste. I remember cooking my own version, with the help of Monterey, and actually fooling my parents that I had prepared it on my own. I remember eating a crispy version of it at Aysee's, hanging out with colleagues after a long day at work. So when I found out that Aling Lucing had already passed away (murdered I am told), I felt a little bit sad. She was a genius, and to her, I owe many drunken memories.

You will be missed ALing Lucing!

One Voice

I never wanted to talk politics in my blog. I wanted this to be a happy space. But just this once, I break a personal promise.

When Marcos fled the country, my friends and I were cooling our heels in a Fiera. It had been a long, exhausting day, marching from one point to the next, manning the barricades. I was about to nod off to sleep when somebody, I forget who, banged on the Fiera and screamed, “Wala na si Marcos! Umalis na sila!” ("Marcos is gone! They are gone!") It was surreal, and for quite some time, I couldn’t believe it.

When I tell my children that I had walked from the Ateneo to Malacanang, and that I had done so countless times, they could hardly believe it. When they saw me crying helplessly as Corazon Aquino was laid to rest, they asked me why I grieve for her so.

My parents were never political but they are patriotic. While so many of their friends and peers left in the ‘70s, my parents chose to stay in this country, the land of their birth. My parents believed that you don’t have to carry placards to show love for your country. You just have to be a good citizen: live honorably, live simply, obey the laws, pay your taxes. I was brought up thinking thus and it was actually some kind of minor miracle that I found myself involved in student politics, carrying the placards that my father never really approved of.

And so I marched. I rallied. I went to countless meetings, attended so many caucuses. I screamed. I shouted. “Ibagsak!” “Ibagsak!” I remember most of all, praying the rosary every day, and praying more fervently during those four feverish days. EDSA was an answered prayer. We asked and we were given.

And now, here we are. Here is EDSA reduced to a sound bite by the daughter of Corazon. She it is who would brandish the name of her mother and her father and their sacrifices at every opportunity. Must we always be reminded of their deeds every time she is involved in another personal controversy? Must the good names of heroes be always sullied by scandal?

I do not doubt their sacrifices; they are real. But there are countless, nameless others who sacrificed their young lives to get us to where we are today. Lean Alejandro. Evelio Javier. They lost their lives so that we may be free.

We asked and we were given. And it is up to us to honor those who have fallen by living our lives honorably, living our lives simply, just as my parents always believed.

Slow Sunday

Been busy the past few days. I participated in another bazaar; this one organized by students of the University of Asia and the Pacific at the Makati Sports Club. Although my sister B says this venue isn't really bazaar-friendly, I just wanted to go out there, test the market, and see how people react to my chains.

It was a slow, slow day; and the fact that Pacquiao had a fight scheduled that day didn't help things any. When I first walked in, I was expecting the same stall setup like the one we had at Rockwell, instead I was greeted by tables. I had this one rectangular table to show my stuff. This required some fast thinking, which was hard because I only had around three hours of sleep the night before. After moving things around, this is what I came up with:






My son K was my bazaar buddy that day, and he was very helpful. We entertained ourselves while waiting for shoppers by making paper cuttings, coloring them, then taping them onto the mannequin.









After the bazaar, we hopped on to Sentro and K drank some malunggay tea; his tummy was sort of iffy (That might be because of all the yummy cookies he ate. You see, our neighbor table was a teenager selling cookies and cake. They were delicious and I think we were his best customers!)






We then feasted on grilled and oh-so tender baby back ribs (K's favorite!) and this absolutely gorgeous kare-kare! Yes, there were many reasons to rejoice. First, I am so proud of my son; he has grown up to be such a helpful and responsible boy. He helped me all the way without any complaint. Second, despite the fact that there were so few shoppers who came to the bazaar, we still made money. I think I am on to something here. :)





It was a slow but fulfilling Sunday. This photo was taken by K on our way home :)

First Words

Baby S has been babbling like crazy for the past few weeks. She has discovered the wonderful world of words, and tries with gusto to express herself at every opportunity.

We already know some of her cues. When she starts rubbing her right ear while squinting, it means she's sleepy. When she starts reaching for something, it means, "I want that 'toy,' 'food,' or 'bracelet that I know I'm not supposed to be playing with but I want nonetheless." She has a special fondness for chewing on batteries, which we know is very bad. What she does is she gets the remote control, slams it on the floor, grabs the batteries, and runs!

And so now, she is talking, well baby talking. After Mama (for her mommy) and dede (for her bottle), her favorite words these days are mamam (when she feels like drinking water, which is almost all the time) and ta (which means "tara" or "let's go" because she just loves going on walks).

Of course, we can't understand her at times. She will warble like crazy but we'd still have no idea what she wants. I am mighty sure that in her mind, she's saying something like, "Why can't these people understand me when all I'm saying is put me down because I'm tired of all this carrying around. I just want to walk on my own two feet!" Mwahahaha

No Sweat

I have four children. And when they were very little, I remember always being sleep-deprived and attending birthday parties every other weekend. I did not feel healthy at all. I was always at the point of exhaustion.

So when we meet Christine Jacob for the cover story of Smart Parenting magazine, I was kinda blown away. Here was a woman with five kids, one of whom she still breastfeeds, who runs and does yoga and who looks absolutely fantabulous!

What's her secret? No, Christine doesn't have magic beans or a fairy godmother. She is just blessed with an incredibly positive and practical attitude towards everyday mommy concerns.

Kids fighting over one toy? She doesn't interfere. She lets them resolve things by themselves. If all else fails, she takes the toy away. Problem solved.

Kids want to eat some hotdogs? No problem, just as long as they eat other foods as well.

Kids hitting each other? They're made to stand in a corner.

Put simply, Christine doesn't sweat the small stuff, and she always chooses to look at the bright side than the dark. Now that's advice we moms could certainly use.

Kisses!

I got so wrapped up in some personal drama that I forgot to send a whole lotta lovin' to FemaleNetwork. The first Philippine Web site for women, FemaleNetwork was relaunched a couple of days ago. It's a humongous site filled with tons of practical factoids for women. There's something in there for everybody, from quizzes and how-tos to inspiring stories and beauty tips. The super duper nice part: Hypermom was featured under its "Blogs We Love" section. Super thanks, FemaleNetwork! Mwah!

The Hulk Makes Bracelets

A few days ago, I was on a warpath. Thankfully, the issue has been resolved. Thankfully too, I have somebody who's always on my side whenever such concerns arise, my sister B.

There I was huffing and puffing like mad on the phone, and B just listened and listened and listened. At the end of our conversation, she asked me if I wanted to go to her place, which I did. Since she and her husband were in the process of finishing a big order, she asked if I wanted to help, which I did. My thoughts are clearer when I'm doing something else.

I am a patient person but, in the words of Bruce Banner from The Incredible Hulk, "Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry." And so there I was, ranting and raving while making bracelets. It was very therapeutic. At the end of the day, I was cooler and calmer and even managed to be productive; I just hope that I didn't break my sister's eardrums in the process. Thanks, B!




All those lovely stones waiting to be made into things fantastic.





My sister "stitching" one of her beautiful bracelets.





Shining, shimmering, splendid!

Together

My marriage ended in failure. Despite the best of my efforts, a happy ending just wasn't in the cards for me. And that is why I am always in awe whenever I meet couples who are still together for gazillions of years, and happily at that. That's how it is with Tito E and Tita C.

Invited to their home in Palawan, I was immediately struck by how light and easy everything was, and it wasn't just because of the open layout. This is a happy place and I can almost feel laughter in the walls. When I finally meet the owners of the house, I understood why: Tita C is warm and gregarious. Tito E is witty and authoritative.

We were served dish after delicious dish, prepared meticulously by Tito E. He is the master of the kitchen, and walks to the market every day so that his family gets only the freshest. And every year on their wedding anniversary, Tito E cooks up a storm. For their 32nd anniversary last year, he cooked up 32 dishes, representing each loving year of their marriage. How awfully romantic, I thought. Some people are lucky in love; others are lucky enough to see that it is possible :)





I love the layout of the kitchen/dining area. Everything is open and there are windows all around.





I could not stop eating! The assortment of fishes were smoked by Tito E; he has this gadget that could make smoked anything from fish to bacon.




Mangoes, suman, and halaya for dessert! The halaya was home-made and it was so good!





The happy couple :)





The 32-dish menu for their wedding anniversary last year

Walking

When my sisters and I were little, we looked forward to afternoon walks with our yaya. All garbed up in white (yes, our mother insisted that we wear white all the time because it makes us look nice and clean), we would traipse around the village, meeting up with friends, picking flowers, and "barking" at a dog or two. I love those walks because I love the sun; and late in the afternoon, when day turns slowly into night, its heat touches my skin like a sweet kiss.

And so, for the past few days, I have taken to walking Baby S in the afternoon. And she is absolutely enjoying it. I haven't had time to enjoy walks like these. For the longest time, late afternoons would find me stuck in my cubicle. And while I could see the waning light of the sun from my window, it's just not the same. I couldn't feel the heat ensconced as I was in an air-conditioned environment.

And so we walk. Baby S grabs my hand and starts walking. Everything is new in her eyes. She stops at every honking of a car. She stops to observe a woman sweeping her yard. She stops to better hear the dogs barking. I am forced to take the same little baby steps that she does. I am forced to listen, to look, to see things through her eyes. I slow down and it is wonderful.

Hotness!

Jun de Leon's studio is drowning. Water is all over the floor, seeping onto photography books, coming dangerously close to the equipment. As movie star Robin Padilla takes another shot at a plastic bag filled with water, the assistants are busy hauling water out of the room. This has been going on for the good part of an hour but Robin was not giving up. He wanted to get that perfect shot.

I am at the shoot for one of FHM's Men of the Decade, cajoling their ed in chief to please, please, please give me this assignment. And why shouldn't I beg? Robin Padilla may be 40 and all but he is still hot, and his thoughts on Filipino society, his dreams for his children, and his seemingly unending search for peace only make him hotter.

P, FHM's art director, made Robin do all sorts of thing. First, he was submerged in water with a humongous snake. Next, he had to throw punches at plastic bags filled with water. Last, he stood on a motorcycle with arms raised to the heavens. Just watching him work made me tired but he didn't flinch, not one bit.

Here, some photos of his hotness. Swoon, swoon, sigh, sigh ;)

Soleil: A Happy Epilogue

It was the first time that I was going to participate in a bazaar, so I was extremely nervous. The night before, I had all sorts of questions going through my head: What if I couldn't sell a thing? What if nobody came? What if I forget something? So many questions. I was a bundle of nerves, which was not a good thing to take to a social shopping event.

So it was great when my sister B texted me the next morning, wishing me well and telling me to have fun. Right! Have fun! I've made the stuff. I did all the preparations. All I needed to do was have fun, and I did!

Truth to tell, I am not a leisurely shopper. I'm the type who'd go into the store with a purpose. I'd go in and out, fast and easy. So seeing all those people, observing them, and talking to them was a great learning experience. There were those who instantly liked a piece, tried it on, paid, and left. There were others who had to try several pieces before deciding on that one special one (or two). It was quite a thrill seeing my pieces worn by real people (I make them with a mannequin). And it was more thrilling for the pieces to be appreciated and bought and brought home!

In the end, all those stupid questions were just that, stupid. Because not only did I have fun, I also made money, which was a really good start to my Unshackled experiment. Wahoo!

P.S. On the second day, my friend P and her cute boyfriend, the Chadster, dropped by our booth, and quickly observed how fashionable the shoppers were. And indeed they were. I am used to the laid-back lifestyle down South where people walk around the malls in shorts. At Soleil, the shoppers were all chic and dressed up, walking around in four-inch heels. Pity I didn't have time to take pictures!

Another P.S. Thank you so much to everybody who wished me well: family, friends, colleagues, and mommy bloggers. Mamma M even said a prayer for me. You are so sweet, M! Most of all, thanks to my sister B, who gave me such expert advice, and my mom and dad, who fetched us after the event and treated us to a late dinner and even bought me a new pair of flats! You guys are the best! Mwah!





Another look at my stuff :)





I brought my tools with me. Here, am making adjustments for a client.





You gotta have a card.





Surprise: A former colleague, B, with her hand-made brooches.