Visited DLSU as a Child

When I was a child, my siblings would bring me with them to school. Both were enrolled in engineering courses at De La Salle University and were active in their organizations. I'd go with them to ensure they went home early (haha).

The flour game

I remember one visit so well. My sister had an org activity at the College Canteen. What I remember most from that day was a game where they had to find coins hidden in a pan full of flour. Ate explained that they disinfected the coins since the players had to find it with their mouth. It left a lasting impression on me and I had no doubt I'd eventually study at La Salle. 

c1996 (?) Me and Tappy in the CR, haha

True enough, I eventually walked the same halls and ate at the College Canteen, ten years later. By this time both my siblings were already professionals and had their own families. Everything still looked the same by then, but eventually new buildings were built and the College Canteen was painted. 

2011

The last time I visited a few years ago, I barely recognized some areas of the campus. The College Canteen was gone and the library moved to a new building. I'm sure a lot more changes have been made in the past few years. 

2018

*I still have to scan photos when I was a student

#BeKind #StaySafe

A Memory Triggered by This Week's Hullabaloo

With all the hullabaloo happening in our country this week, I started remembering a lot of childhood memories. It's weird, but the charged political issues happening today are reminiscent of the issues in the 80s. Add the rotating brownouts and it just feels like the 80s again. 

I just realized I'm about my parents' age now in the 80s. They were so protective of us and Tito Ben would always call us to stay put if there were any movements happening. That's why I missed a lot of classes in the mid to the late 80s (EDSA + coup d'etats). 

Late 80s/early 90s? Rockin' 'em teased bangs

Since my mind went back to the 80s, I remembered a few people who were (more or less) part of the off my childhood/memories with my parents. I mentioned to Sweetie that my Dad worked for GSIS for awhile. I remember Mom and I heading there to bring food for Daddy's birthday (that fateful day we experienced a gun pointed at us in Manila). 

I remember meeting Former Speaker Sonny Belmonte on that day. He said I was a very perceptive child because I noticed how rundown the office was (it was the old GSIS building and I was incorrigible even back then). Tito Sonny was my Dad's seatmate in law school (as well as Former Rep. Sergio Apostol). He wasn't successful in convincing my Dad to get into politics (my Mom made sure of it). [This is why I remember my seatmates].

Anyway, I just thought I'd write about this random memory since I'll probably forget about it eventually. My Dad went into government service when I was in elementary school. He always wanted to do that and only went into it when my siblings completed their degrees. His reached his dream to become a judge. He did and eventually moved on to other government agencies. It's probably why I took polsci and legal management. He hoped I'd become a lawyer. But alas, I followed a different path. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Father B

For a few years we had one of the kindest and friendliest parish priest in our neighborhood. We nicknamed him Fr. B whenever we mention him in conversations, but call him Fr. Bernard in person. I found this photo of him with me and my parents when he came for a visit. I think this is already after he had left for another assignment. 

c. March 2008 with Fr. Bernard McEachern, C.P.

I had grown up knowing many priests. First one was Fr. Quaranta who baptized me. He's from the SDB order. When our parish was fully established we had Passionist priests. The first ones I met were Fr. Edward Diviny, CP and Fr. Harry Reusch, CP. They first visited our home when I was still a toddler and I thought they were giants. I remember that moment probably because they were so tall and they had cologne on. Beats me why I remember it, but it's a core memory. I always saw them because my parents were part of the team that helped build the church. 

Years after my troubled teenage years. I was a product manager already by this time.
Thank you Fr. Bernard for saving me :)

Fast forward to the time Fr. B became our parish priest. I'd always remember him because he was there for me during my troubled teenage years. He helped make sure I went on the right path and he baptized Miggy. I was so sad when he left and since felt orphaned for a spiritual advisor. Luckily, I met Br. Gene Tianco, FSC, when I was in college. He helped continue what Fr. B did for me. After Br. Gene passed away I prayed to have another spiritual advisor and Sr. Lirio Guillermo came along. 

I still miss Fr. B. He was really involved in the families of his parishioners. I keep in touch with him every so often and mentioned Mom's passing in my last email. I hope and pray he's doing well. I just remembered him since I also found cards and letters sent by my parents' priest-friends. Of course, I had met a lot of priests along the way and they're all dear to my heart. I was thinking, maybe I should re-publish the articles I wrote about them? 

I hope to have our home blessed again in time for my Mom's first year death anniversary. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Molo Soup

When I was growing up one dish that was often cooked at home was molo soup. I haven't had it for a long time now and saw it on the menu of Lore when we dined there for our anniversary. Their molo soup tasted a lot like how it was prepared at home.

What I love about molo soup is the dumplings that come with it. Eat it together with shredded chicken and the soup, ahh, it's just perfect. I didn't realize it's one of my comfort food dishes. I know it'll probably take time to prepare it at home, so I'll just make sure we order it whenever we go to Lore. 

What's your favorite Filipino soup?

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Daddy Daughter Dates

We've been watching Young Sheldon for awhile now. I'm really glad it's on Netflix already. I had previously watched parts of it whenever I traveled (SQ ftw!). We re-started watching from season 1 and one of the really cute episodes was when George brough Missy for a daddy daughter date. She even dressed as a princess. 

Pasacao, 70s.

The episode reminded me of my daddy-daughter dates with my Dad. We would usually head to Quad and eat at his favorite restaurant, Ling Nam. He would usually get beef noodles and siopao. At that time I was still very picky with what I eat, so I would eat the siopao skin. Daddy didn't like it and I'd eat it. We did that until I eventually appreciated eating the whole siopao. 

Those dates extended to indulgences. It was Dad who bought me my very first cassette tape, Michael Jackson's Thriller album! Eventually I discovered McDonald's. Mom never allowed me to buy happy meals, but Dad would always indulge me. On Sundays, Dad would always buy me a Twin Popsies after hearing mass.

Fond core memories I treasure. Sweetie gives me the skin of his siopao whenever we eat. I still eat Twin Popsies whenever it's available (I think they call it Twin Pops now). I just got an orange one the other day from Makati Supermart. It used to be one of our go-to places when it was still in Makati. Dad and I would usually exit the supermart whenever Mom took so long and we'd eat spaghetti there. 

Miss you Dad <3

Happy EDSA Anniversary! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: Childhood Home Happy Memories

I lived in the same house until the day I got married. Sweetie and I immediately went home to our new home the day after our wedding. Living with my parents until I married gave me the grounding and stability I needed. I could also say I completed Mom's syllabus of life lessons. She didn't know how to cook, but she really knew how to properly run a household and get cars repaired. 

I have a huge bank of happy memories stored in my mind. In time they'll probably start to fade away, so I thought I'd write down some of them today. Here are some:

1. Celebrating birthdays at home

I always celebrated my birthdays at home. I had one every year until I was 13. Miggy also had his birthday parties at home and that was really fun. When we moved out we started celebrating in restos since it was easier to do. 

2. Parties

Mom and Dad loved hosting parties at home. Mom had huge platters for her parties and she had a gazillion plates, glasses and kubyertos. Majority of our family reunions happened in our home. When not hosting parties, they would host smaller dinners. Good thing at that time my metabolism was really fast, haha. Eventually, the parties extended to my friends. I was still able to host one just before the pandemic.

3. Welcoming New Year with a bang

It was Mom who loved to buy fireworks. She and Kuya would set up a drum on the street and throw in  whatever they got. They would also put swirling lights on the palm tree that used to be on the front lawn. I'd usually hide in the sala because I'm absolutely afraid of fireworks. 

4. Having pets

Much as Mom didn't really like having pets, she allowed us to have pets. I inherited Ate's dog, Cotton, who eventually gave birth. Kuya had lovebirds, cats and fish. I eventually had an aquarium and hamsters. That's why I'm so bummed my pulmo didn't allow me to have pets. 

5. Mom's garden as my classroom

In the afternoons, Mom would force me to hang out with her in the garden. She'd lay out a banig and that's where I'd play with my dolls. Eventually, she held craft lessons for me during summer. That's where I learned how to embroider, crochet, make bags out of plastic straw, quilt, bead and paint boxes. 

It's now time to sunset our old home and re-purpose it for our current needs. Everyone wants to keep Mom's garden as it is, so we'll see how that goes :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: High School Friends

It's been more than three decades since I've been in high school. Some of my schoolmates have been my friends since we were 8 years old. Funny thing is I've been so bad at remembering the birthdate of one of my friends. I always thought it was November 16. So for many decades I'd always greet her on the 16th. I was only corrected because of FB. Her birthday is actually on November 15. 

Missing one here, I think she took the photo.

I greet her on the 15th when our other amigas send their greetings. Sometimes it's really hard to teach old dogs new tricks. I'm lucky my friend is one of the nicest people in the world. We weren't the popular kids back in HS, not the brainiest ones, and not exactly the most quiet ones. I guess we were the reliable, regular kids. 

We were happy in our own little world. We had our baon and ate at the lunch counter everyday. We'd sometimes go to the canteen to buy a drink or additional food or ice cream. Even until now we always eat whenever we meet up. 

Most memorable though was a tradition we started in HS. We'd celebrate Valentine's together. We spent a night in a friend's house and had a measly dinner at a Japanese restaurant. "Measly" because we only each saved up 100 pesos to dine out. We ended up hungry and ate again at my friend's house. Hahaha. We continued the tradition for many years. 

Our parents were very strict, but they allowed us to spend a night in each others house. The five of us would squeeze in each other's bedrooms. I don't remember anymore what we'd do, but it was always fun. To celebrate times we'd purchase matching blouses/pajamas. Last time we did this was in HK when we got matching bear pajamas. 

It's been very hard to bring all of us together in the past decade. One already lives in China, I just moved back here. We were supposed to meet up a few months ago, but schedules and COVID-19 got in the way. We decided to do it another time when it's safe. I hope it happens before one of us becomes a lola, hahaha. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Throwback Thursday: Ice Scramble Memories

I craved for chicken wings after watching a travel vlog. I randomly saw that the shop was also selling ice scramble. It's been decades since I last had ice scramble, so I added it to the order. Got busy while waiting for delivery and forgot I got it. Only remembered when I saw it on the fridge and Miggy said it was on the receipt, haha. Then I remembered what it was. 

I was surprised when I saw it had a lot of add ons. It had tiny marshmallows, chocolate chips, cream cheese, chocolate syrup and pearls. I used to buy ice scramble often from the street vendor outside the school gate. I think it was just one peso or two pesos back then. It was just pink juice with crushed ice. Manang usually added a teaspoon of powdered milk. 

I would normally put my bag in the school bus and then go down again to buy snacks. Ice scramble is a refreshing snack. I drank it while waiting for my busmates to arrive. Just saw many recipes on how to make ice scramble, maybe I'll try making some one of these days. I'll probably just make the drink and won't put the add ons. 

It was nice to try ice scramble again. I split the order with Sweetie and Miggy so they could try. Sweetie said he used to buy it with his classmates. Miggy can't remember if they had it in their school. Ice scramble brings back warm, fuzzy memories of hot afternoons waiting in the school bus. 

Did you have the same drink in your school? 

P.S. I stopped buying it from the vendor when I saw a coin drop in the styro box. She continued selling! Eeeeep! Well, I never had food poisoning from anything I bought from the street vendors, so I guess it was okay hehe. 

#BeSafe #StaySafe

Childhood Favorite: Dayrit's

My love affair with Dayrit's is like a tale as old as time. I was a young child when my parents started bringing me there. I first tried the sizzling spaghetti, but since it was served really hot I still preferred my Tita Olive's spaghetti. It was the ginormous cheeseburger that sealed the deal for me, for life! My family rarely dined out, but whenever we did it was either we eat at Good Earth, Dayrit's or Jade Garden. 

When Sweetie and I were stuck in Singapore for almost 2 years we'd search for Dayrit's on Grab. Haha! We knew it was impossible, but that's how bad we missed it. When we arrived in November a friend promptly sent us goodies from Dayrit's after we finished our quarantine. I was ecstatic and promptly cooked the hamburger steak. Few days later I made some chorizo pasta (recipe here!).

So after my check-up today we grabbed the opportunity to dine at Dayrit's. It felt like stepping back in time because everything looks the same. They just had more goodies available to bring home. We decided to dine in and I was happy to see that most of the waiters were still there. I had my favorite cheeseburger and special iced tea (it's really different!) -

Sweetie had roast beef sandwich -

And Miggy had spam and baked potato. We were wondering though how they made the spam so huge. 

Got home and made telebabad with Mom. Discussed with her what needs to be done to fix her house. I was hoping we'd be halfway through it by now, but there are things holding up the renovations. It honestly took me two years to convince her that we need to fix the house. She finally said yes when I came home. Well, I hope we can get things going and maybe soon we can bring Mom out for a spin too. 

Doing happy things is helping stabilize my health. My doctor though told me this morning I can't have pets. I feel really sad about it since I was hoping we could get a puppy. A friend tried to give me one, but the boys did not agree since I'm already a handful (hehe). Maybe I could negotiate to at least have fighting fish? :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Saving My Childhood Home

Built over a half century ago, my childhood home has seen better days. Back in 2019 I had the structural integrity of the house checked since I noticed a lot of cracks across the house. Surprisingly the house was intact, but the lanai area where the garage used to be has started to crumble. The floors and walls showed evidence that the area was sinking. 

Plans to have it fixed were put on hold due to the pandemic and it was hard to coordinate offshore. When I first visited Mom when I got home I saw the house had deteriorated further. I immediately reached out to the architect who checked it for help. We finally got around to doing a second inspection today and he brought along his team. 

My childhood home is our family gem. I cannot imagine anyone else living in it. My Mom always tells me she wants me to live there again eventually. Our home was built with love. The architect was my Dad's brother, Tito Bert who's probably turning 100 years old this year. We hope we could still find the original plans of the house. It'll be a big help for the team who will fix it. 

The assessment today made me happy. The team said that our home was well maintained especially the bedroom wooden floors. A lot of work needs to be done to make it more livable and I gave the team two tall orders -- reduce the heat and solve the flooding issue. The heat part is easily solvable, but the issue of flooding will be harder to solve. It doesn't flood as much anymore, but fact is it still floods. 

I'm excited to see the plan to save my childhood home. Of course, my siblings would need to approve the plan as well. I promised my Mom we'll bring back the beauty and love for our home. 

#BeKind #StayHome #VoteWisely

Fixing my Childhood Home

Just came from my childhood home. I lived there for more than 30 years. I only moved out when Sweetie and I got married. We lived in seven different homes since I moved out. I must admit, there was always one thing I couldn't get in the other homes we lived in -- space! 

My parents built a spacious home. It ended up that way because the architect, Tito Bert, made it bigger than originally planned. It took my parents 15 years to complete the loan they made for the house. I remember that's one of the things that was celebrated on my parents 25th wedding anniversary. 

The day the house was completed is etched on one of the walls - January 30, 1970. Our home is turning 52 years old already. It has seen better days, but the structure is very much intact. I had an architect check it just before the pandemic and he affirmed that it just needs a little sprucing up. 

Everytime I visit my Mom I make notes on what needs to be fixed. The ceiling was leaking when it rained last month and I've been trying to find a reliable roof service provider. I tried an app, but the provided was overcharging us. Geez, it's really hard to find trustworthy help. I found a roof service provider that's been around for 29 years. Let's hope they give a better quotation. 

The one thing that's stayed beautiful as ever is my Mom's garden. It's always stayed so lush. It takes at least an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon to water her garden. I know because I covered for my Mom whenever she traveled. I spent a lot of afternoons playing on a banig in her garden when I was a child. It's where my Mom taught me how to sew and do other crafts. I hope I inherited at least half of my Mom's green thumb, haha. 

Anyway, looking at my childhood home I realized my dream home is almost a replica of it, just a much smaller version. We looked at many houses in the last few years. I was drawn to our current home mainly because it looked a lot like my childhood home. At least now I can no longer complain about having enough space, haha. 

#BeKind #StayHome

*Tito Bert is probably turning 100 years old this year. 

My Childhood Home

I think I can never live far away from my childhood home. We lived a few streets away when we moved to our first home. It still felt too far, so we found a new home on the same street. Eventually we acquired a condo unit which was within the same barangay. It just doesn't feel right to be too far away and our community is pretty tight knit. 

Went over to visit my Mom today. The frontage of our home was full of foliage which was a welcoming sight. Mom has a green thumb and anything she touches flourishes. I had her tour me around her garden and chided her for putting ornamental plants on Kuya's hydrophonic garden, hahaha. She really prefers taking care of flowers and ornamental plants than growing veggies. (Shhh don't tell my Kuya!). 

I spent a lot of summers hanging around in my Mom's garden. She would lay out a banig in the afternoons and that's where I used to play with my dolls. Eventually she started teaching me how to sew and quilt. We spent a lot of afternoons sewing under the tree. Sometimes I would take a nap in the hammock. At that time I just enjoyed the garden, but I wasn't really interested in learning how to tend one.

It's been two years since I've been back. I realized it's a good that I've come home already. Aside from Mom needing one of us here, our home also needs tending. The first order of the day though is to plan for my Mom's upcoming 86th birthday and bring her for a check-up. Christmas is fast approaching so we'll see how best we can celebrate as a family. 

#Home20 #NewG224 #Xmas32 #StayHome #BeKind  

Reconnecting 10 Years

I always knew that I would eventually go back home. That made it really hard for me to adjust to life in Singapore. It did not help that I had to travel a lot. It was impossible to put down any roots or establish deeper relationships. I did make some friends, but between traveling and being sick half the time it did not really leave me enough time to socialize. I'm grateful for the friends who have been patiently been there for me the past ten years. 

Two years ago I realized I needed to make a better effort at keeping in touch with my friends back home. It's not really enough to let your presence felt by liking their posts or leaving comments. I missed a lot of important occasions already and I felt I needed to be physically present for get togethers. So in 2019 I organized a get-together and then I went home again to surprise someone for a birthday. It made me really happy and it helped my healing journey. 

I'm so blessed to have friends who are always just there for me. It's really important to have a solid support group. Last night we had a farewell video call for one of our friends who's moving to the US. We ended up looking at our old photos and it felt like no time was lost. The funny thing is when we're together we don't feel we've all aged. I really look forward to going home and being able to send them stuff from my kitchen. And hopefully have those get-togethers again (eventually). 

Day 22 Minimalism Challenge, Evaluate your storage. I have been doing this by part in the past week. I started with my fabric stash since I realized I just kept ordering fabric without checking my stash haha (#fabricaddict). I made a list of projects and then a list of fabric I need to complete those projects. Now I just need to make sure I stick to those projects haha. We're also evaluating our freezer today since we need to start emptying it before we go home. I'll be making a list also of things to cook for the next few weeks and won't be doing groceries anymore. 

CB///*Yr2/133 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/156 #NewG313 #Home71 #StayHome #BeKind

Spinning My Way to Biking Again

I finally completed 5 days of spinning on our exercise bike. Yay! I was also able to complete 18 minutes on it non-stop. That's a huge achievement for me! It's a far cry from doing "one minute on, one minute off" which I used to do with my physiotherapist. Before she left she told me that I could increase the minutes, but stop if I have a hard time breathing. 

I'm half-way to my target -- 30 minutes non-stop. I chose to get an exercise bike because biking is the one "sport" I really liked when I was growing up. I used to go with my Dad and his friends when they went walking around the village on Sundays. During summer vacation I'd go biking with friends around the village. 

My first bicycle was a red BMX. I learned how to use it on my own while the EDSA Revolution was happening. Mom's garden was the perfect learning space. I remember I would be called to go inside whenever helicopters would pass by. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the red BMX because it was stolen! My parents eventually got me a yellow BMX bicycle. 

I super loved my yellow BMX bike. It had a basket and a cute bicycle bell. I made a lot of happy memories with that bicycle. I eventually outgrew it and I think my Mom gave it away to one of our workers. I still think about it fondly. 

And that's one of my intentions. When I go home I want to be able to bike around our village again. I hope it'll be with Sweetie or Miggy. I could bike to my Mom's home and bring her some pandesal from our neighbor. And go to the park and spin Pokestops. Ahh, it makes me so excited to go home! 

Do you have a favorite childhood hobby you'd like to do again?

Day 16 Minimalism Challenge, Don't spend money for 24 hours. I could go for days without spending money. It's the advantage of just being home. Part of my recovery process includes doing more chores. I've been trying to cook more the past few weeks. I was really happy when I was able to bake cookies last week because I was able to share some with my neighbors. Hopefully with increased energy and stamina I can do more and have more days when I don't spend money. 

CB///*Yr2/127 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/150 #NewG319 #Home77 #StayHome #BeKind 

Friends Reunion!

We finally got to watch "Friends Reunion" the other day. We didn't have an HBO subscription so had to figure out how it works. Just signed up for a month because I want to try out Disney+ too. Anyway, so we finally watched the "Friends Reunion". Ahhh the nostalgia was really strong. It brought back nights when I'd watch it for laughs. 

I watched the series on and off via TV. I was in my 20s then and it was the time I used to watch movies I'd rent from Video City. I eventually got to watch the whole series when my best friend gave me a DVD set. If I remember correctly it helped me get through a breakup. Friends was really good company and they made me laugh. 

As the creator said, the show was created for that time in our lives when friends become our family. That's probably why I loved watching the show. It was a reflection of who I was at that time. Me and my childhood friends had grown up at that time. We had all graduated from college and had jobs. We'd come together every weekend to hang out much like what Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey would do. 

And much like how Friends ended, we all had to part ways eventually. We all used to live in the same village. Now we live in different parts of the world. I expect, much like the cast of Friends, it's going to take a long time before we all get together again. Hmmm... maybe on my 50th? 

CB///*Yr2/69  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/96 #StayHome #BeKind 

Virtual Walk Through My Childhood

Last night I chanced upon a vlog of someone who walked through our village. It was a one-hour video of her just walking through the streets. I was fascinated since it's been over a year since I've been home. It was like seeing my home with a fresh eyes. 

Photo by Kuya June <3

The video was long, but I ended up watching it. I bored Sweetie with my commentary haha. I pointed out memorable places, homes of my friends/Titos/Titas, areas where it usually floods, history of the houses, homes we visited for caroling etc. I was surprised to see many new houses and renovated houses. There were very few empty lots left. 

The most exciting part for me was when she walked through our street. She even stopped to take a close-up of my neighbors flowers. I immediately pinged my friend the link to the video. She's in the US now and I'm sure she misses her home too. I appreciate the effort of the vlogger who walked through our village because it reminded me of many happy childhood memories. 

I went to sleep dreaming of the day I can come back home. The video made me realize that everyday things will always be there and we take it for granted. If you ask me I'd still want to live in the village where I grew up. Perhaps I can find a smaller home where we can live. I hope it can just be a stones throw away from where my Mom lives. 

Thank you Kuya June for lending your photo for my blog post.

CB///362  #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/25 #StayHome #BeKind   

Sweater Weather with Cobra Kai and Karate Kid

Ohhhh yesterday the weather yesterday was pretty cool here in Singapore. It's quite rare for the temp to go down to 21'C during the day. It was raining all day thus the cool weather. It was one of the rare days we did not use the a/c. The wind blew so hard it made low town howling sounds. 

Since the weather was cozy we spent the day watching more episodes of Cobra Kai. I loved Karate Kid when it came out in 1984 and I had a crush back then with Ralph Macchio (who didn't?). I super loved the movie I named one of my programs as Project Miyagi. 

Only discovered Cobra Kai a few months ago and we loved watching it, so we looked forward to watching the third season. Glad it came out earlier than planned. It's really interesting to see the story continue 35 years after the movie came out. We're now retracing the show and just watched the original Karate Kid which is finally available in Netflix. We'll probably watch the other installments next weekend. 

I was just in third grade when the original Karate Kid was shown. My other favorite movies at the time were ET and Star Wars. I guess it was an impressionable age because I carry thoughts about those movies to this day. I told Sweetie that Kreese from Cobra Kai is like the new generation Darth Vadar, haha. What about you? What movies from your childhood would you want to see resurrected 30 years from now?

CB///269 #StuckAtHomeDay/299 #StayHome #BeKind 

My Dream Job When I was a Child

There's a meme going around asking people what you wanted to be when you were a child. This got me thinking and I was amazed at how my interests swung from one thing to another when I was growing up. 

I do remember when I was in elementary school I wanted to be an architect. I was four years old when I got my first Lego set. Back then Lego sets were just a collection of Lego pieces. They left it to your imagination to build things. I remember building different types of houses and I was always fascinated about home layouts. I guess that was why I wanted to become an architect. It didn't happen because I lacked the drawing skills (although my niece pointed out that it requires more technical drawing). I did live this dream a bit when I helped my Mom in her export business. 

Frowning even as a child, I was never into sports. 

Eventually my interest changed and I wanted to be an archeologist/anthropology. I got interested in it when we started learning about Asian civilizations in history class. I wanted to discover more about old civilizations, how they looked, how they lived, what their culture was about. It was a cross between archeology and anthropology. My parents though were quite concerned and had me talk to Tito Ed who explained to me more about the field. I got a lot of pressure not to pursue it. My passion for history remains at a personal level, my family and friends always go back to me when they need old photos and past information (lol). I also binge watch on shows related to this topic. 

My Dad was grooming me to become a lawyer and I ended up getting degrees in Political Science and Legal Management. Midway through my LM degree I realized that becoming a lawyer wasn't for me. Needless to say my professors were also disappointed I did not pursue it. It would have tied up nicely with my third dream job - to be the mayor of my city! I would have been on that path because I was being recruited to run for office when I was in university. Of course, Mom got in the way and that fizzled out. 

It's funny thought because all the things I wanted to do I'm in a way doing now at my current job. It's not what I envisioned I would be, but I think I'm where I should be right now. And that's what's important. Whatever degree or job you get, your childhood dream will always be there and it's up to you how you define your mission in life.

What about you? What was your childhood dream job?

CB//198 #StuckAtHomeDay/228 #WFH135 #StayHome #BeKind

That Time the Red Opel Car Disappeared

 One of the things I remember are all the cars we had when I was growing up. It was just a few since my parents like to keep using things until the end of its life. I have a lot of happy childhood memories with the cars we had growing up. I only realized today that the cars we had when I was a child are all European cars. This is because my Dad used to work for a car distribution company. 

Our family car was Daddy's 1967 W11 190D Mercedes Benz. I blogged about the Chedeng it last July. The car serviced us until into the 90s. Daddy super loved the car, but it eventually had to retire since it became hard to maintain it. The other car we had at that time was a red Opel car. I'm not sure what model it was, but it was mainly my Mom's car which was eventually used by my Ate and Kuya to go to school. 

That's the red Opel car. And that baby is me!

I remember riding it because the only way my Ate and Kuya can borrow the car on weekends was when they would bring me along. I remember once going to BF with my Kuya to bring a gift for his then girlfriend, Gerry (I don't know why I still remember her name haha). Then there were weekends when we'd go to La Salle when they had org activities. My Mom said that the car serviced the family from when my Ate and Kuya were in elementary school (I wasn't around yet). 

The most memorable bit about the red Opel car was revealed on my Kuya's wedding day. He shared that the car was carnapped somewhere in Taft Avenue. I'm not sure if it happened when he was still a student or when he was teaching in La Salle. But it happened. It just disappeared. He said he sweated buckets and walked up and down the streets to look for it. He found the car about two blocks away from where he parked it. The car being so old conked out in the middle of the street. He was so relieved to find it and only told us about it on his wedding day. 

I don't remember what happened to the red Opel car. I think it was eventually sold. Mom eventually got a white Volkswagan Passat car (B1? I'm not sure). Now this car deserves a blog post for itself. It's action movie levels blog post. I'll write about it on another day. 

Those three cars were part and parcel of my childhood. We eventually used cars that were office issued so they came and went. We did keep Kuya's first car, a Toyota Corolla. We kept it for almost 30 years! Mom finally sold it a few years ago. Ahh that car saw me through high school, college, grad school and Miggy's HS graduation. We also had a red Lite Ace which was used for business and I vaguely remember a yellow pick-up when I was in HS. I'll leave those memories for another day. 

So that's how a red Opel car disappeared and thank God it was old and conked out in the middle of Taft Avenue. 

CB//166 #StuckAtHomeDay/196 #StayHome #BeKind

My Childhood in Camangui, Pasacao

I'm feeling child-like today because I'm finally moving on to what I really like doing. My new teammate told me I sparkled when I talked about what I love doing. This triggered happy childhood memories.

My parents started bringing me to out of town trips when I was less than a year old. We'd go to my Mom's hometown in Bicol every summer. That was when I earned the nickname "kutong tubig" (water flea) because they always had a hard time getting me out of the water. The only time I learned to voluntarily get out of the sun was when I had a very bad sunburn. Oh my it was so painful and since then I don't stay long under the sun anymore.

Villa Merced was the name of the our place. It was named after my Mama Lola (grandma). Back then we didn't have electricity so every night the trees would be filled with fireflies. I tried catching some of them, but never did. I feared the tuko though. It's a gecko with a big voice. You'd know it's near you because it chirps "tuko". It's quite loud so I always thought it was a huge gecko.  I was scared of it because they told me it would cling to you if it gets near you (thus the term "kapit tuko".

Taken from the rooftop of Casa Moderna (called Moderna Bakery back then). 

When you go up early in the morning you can see the beautiful Mayon Volcano.

I was quite mischievous when I was a child and my Mom would always tell me, "Ang malikot nakakadampot ng ipot!" (A naughty child will pick up poo). I remember one time I was collecting cats eye and stones and my Mom was telling me to clean up already because we were going to eat lunch. I ignored her and continued to poke on interesting looking stones and shells. I saw a shiny, brown round stone and I was ecstatic to find a very nice piece. I poked it and it wasn't a stone... so since then I became obedient!

I was really happy whenever we went to Pasacao. I loved that we would sleep in a nipa hut and bathe in the poso (manual pump). It was a very simple life. Uncomplicated and I'll always remember being with my family there. I'm happy Miggy experienced that also when he was a child and I hope he keeps it in his treasure of happy memories too.