Found Mama Lola's Froggy!

We finally wiped out all the boxes from my childhood home. I put all the kitchen stuff last since it's easier to sort. I got help from Ally Canita and her team since I won't be able to physically work on it.

Getting help is probably one of the best decisions I made to manage clearing out my childhood home. With help from Anabelle, Ana Ginalyn, and Rowel, I managed to decide on what to keep, donate and throw. Yasss!

One of the most important things I found was my Mama Lola's black froggy. She had it in her cabinet eversince I could remember. I was fascinated by it and hoped it would someday pass on to me. 

It stayed in her cabinet until we cleared the house one last time and I finally found it today! I washed it immediately and will place it on my dresser so I'd be reminded of Mama Lola. She's one of the strongest, most resilient women I know.

Mama Lola, thanks for sending the black froggy to me!

#BeKind #StaySafe

My 3 Grandmas

Found a rare photo of my 3 grandmother's together today while sorting some old photos. Here's my Mama Lola, Ma Edad and Lola Iyay.

I got to spend time with Mama Lola since she lived with us. She was the one who taught me how to use a manual sewing machine. I would see Lola Iyay whenever we went home to Pasacao. She cried easily, but had the most memorable laugh.

I rarely saw Ma Edad. I don't remember where she used to live and only remember that the three of them had a huge age gap between each other. My titas though said that Ma Edad was really strict. 

I didn't get to meet any of my grandfather's. They were long gone by the time I was born. I had my grandmothers who were all a character on their own :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Dear Mama Lola, Look! I Did It!

Happy Lunar new year everyone!

I got a huge surprise today! And I think my Mama Lola would be happy for me! I have been trying to grow some peppers for a few years now. I've tried, failed, tried, failed and just kept trying again. 

I have memories of my Mama Lola growing sili plants in my Mom's garden. Mom always grumbled about it because she prefers to keep ornamental plants. Mama Lola's sili plant was what fascinated me about growing vegetables. 

I managed to grow some bell peppers while we were in Singapore, but have been unsuccessful since we got home. I would save sili seeds from delivery food since we rarely eat them. I also save bell pepper seeds from the grocery. It's fairly easy to propagate, but something always goes wrong whenever they start growing.

Anyway, I was surprised today while I was watering the plants. There was one big pepper hanging nicely on the plant. I honestly didn't notice it growing since the avocado plant covered it. I moved it a few days ago and only noticed the pepper today. Yahoo! The plant probably likes the fish water we've been feeding it weekly. 

So happy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Getting to Know My Mama Lola

As the youngest in my generation, I only got to spend time with my Mama Lola (grandma) whenever she lived with us. Half the time she was in the US and oftentimes in Naga City. I did get to spend time with her since she had her own bedroom in our home. 

I would spend time in her bedroom in the afternoons. I didn't like sleeping in the afternoons, but she made it mandatory before I could play with her helpers. Eventually, she taught me how to use her sewing machine and that's what I remember most about her. I loved her sewing kit and that was eventually passed on to me. Her sewing machine is also with me now. 

A lot of my relatives say I'm a lot like my Mama Lola. I inherited her quirks. I've been scanning old photos my Mom left and today I scanned a lot of my Mama Lola's photos. Some of them were when she was much younger. I discovered a lot about her and I now understand why my relatives say I'm a lot like her.

I always thought it was only my Mom who was part of the CWL (Catholic Women's League). Apparently, my Mama Lola was active in it too. I found some photos where she was inducted as an officer. I always thought she was always just home since she was always just home while I was growing up. My Mom was active in the community, Mama Lola probably encouraged her and my Dad. The bug eventually found me. 

My Mom probably organized my Mama Lola's photos after she passed a way. She had a lot and some even had notes on them. One funny polaroid photo of her in winter clothes said she bundled up but ended up buying food for herself because Tito Butch probably forgot they were supposed to meet. That's so much like my Mama Lola. She never forgets anything and I'm the same, hehe. 

I'm sure I'll discover more about my Mama Lola, Mom, Dad and all my titos and titas who have gone up to heaven. What I like best is seeing their photos when they were much younger. I still have boxes upon boxes of albums to scan. I'll try to scan at least once a week. Let's see where this goes :)

Miss you Mama Lola.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Watched "Lolo and the Kid"

I randomly selected "Lolo and the Kid" on Netflix yesterday. The boys were napping so I thought I should watch it. The boys are not fans of drama films. Also it was my Mama Lola's birthday and I wanted to feel the vibe of having a grandparent again.

I read reviews that the film is a tearjerker. I survived to almost the end without shedding a year. I started bawling towards the end. I was only 13 when my Mama Lola passed away. 

It was a strange day. I was dressed up for school and waiting for the school bus when the phone rang. I answered the phone and the person who called just blurted out that Mama Lola was gone. I immediately called my Mom and she took the call. 

I was in shock and just stood there. There was a sudden flurry of activity and they forgot about me. I started to cry, but was told it was nothing and I was sent to school. My parents didn't know I already knew and I hopped on the school bus and went to school.

During the day I was selected to be the prayer leader. During my prayer I mentioned that we should pray for all who died. My classmates didn't know, but I basically forced them to pray for my grandma.

Growing up I got to spend a lot of time with my Mama Lola. She lived with us for many years. Her past time was sewing and I usually hang out with her in the afternoons to play with her helper. Eventually she taught me how to use her sewing machine. That was the reason why I aced sewing class projects. I never learned to make clothes like her though.

My relatives told me that I was like my Mama Lola's mini me. I inherited all her quirks and I realize now that she was an introvert too. She left me her sewing kit and I now have her sewing machine. I'm looking for someone who can turn it into a console table since I don't think the machine will still work (vintage Singer electric sewing machine). 

Just like lolo in Lolo and the Kid, my Mama Lola always wanted what was best for me. I still miss my Mama Lola and I miss her paramdams. Mom didn't leave any of her stuff anymore, but who knows maybe I'll still find some random Mama Lola item.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Creative Happy Tuesdays: My Pamana from Mama Lola

I used to hang out in my Mama Lola's room whenever she sewed. She had an old Singer sewing machine in her room. Eventually she taught me how to use it. She also helped me sometimes in my sewing homework. I never learned how to make clothes though or knit. Those were the two things my grandma loved to do. 

One thing I was fond of in her room was her sewing kit. I loved opening it and I would look through the contents. Of course, I always got scolded whenever I did that. What attracted me to it was the colorful pearl pins. I always told my Mama Lola to just give it to me when she got tired of it. 

She did leave it for me when she passed away. She had gone back to Bicol and lived there for a few years. She only came back to Manila when she got sick and was hospitalized. I unfortunately got the call from the hospital when she passed. I was just about to go to school then. I went to school without telling my parents that I already knew. I did not know how to deal with the news. I was on auto-pilot in school that day. 

It's been 33 years since my Mama Lola died. It was her birthday the other day and I completely forgot about it. I only remembered when a huge brown butterfly circled around me while I was watering plants. My Mama Lola loved the color brown. She always told the story that she stared someone down when she saw a lady wearing blue staring at her across a room. She soon realized it was her. She wasn't used to wearing blue and thought it was someone else staring at her. Maybe Mama Lola was color blind. 

I still have the sewing kit. I haven't really used it and kept the original contents in it. I opened it when I took the photo earlier and found some materials I used when I was in high school. I always kept the sewing kit close to me. The only time I didn't have it with me was when I lived in Singapore. It's now here in my craft room and I think I'll go through it soon.

I miss you Mama Lola. Thanks for finally finding me in my new home. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Remembering

I was washing the dishes after a hefty lunch when my Mom told me why the dogs in the neighborhood (and our dog) were going arf arf crazy last night. A nearby neighbor passed away last night, a son my parents' friends. He is their second son to pass away this year.

I don't know him personally, but my Ate and Kuya did and my Mom's announcement got me thinking about what I have lost in the past.

1. My Mama Lola (maternal grandmother) - there's a drawback to being the youngest in our generation in both sides of the family, I only met one grandparent, my Mama Lola. I grew up with her puttering around the garden (fab green thumb I tell you) and her sewing on the manual makina (sewing machine).

I was 12 when I got the call at around 5ish in the morning from the funeraria. I had no idea how to handle things, so when the schoolbus arrived I still went to school. I was tulala in school the whole day and just cried in my Dad's arms when I got home. I still miss Mama a lot since they say I got a lot of my eccentricities from her and I used to hang-out in her room a lot of times (it was where I'd hide whenever my Mom would force me to take a siesta). Mama passed away in her sleep at the hospital right after a butterfly suddenly appeared in her room (believed to be my Papa Lolo).

2. My Lola Iyay (maternal grand aunt) - my Mama Lola's sister. Lola Iyay absolutely hated going to Manila. She lived by the beach with her lovely dogs. It took me a long time to figure out that her dog Whitey wasn't immortal and that she just kept getting a new white askal whenever the last Whitey died. Oh yeah, and she's very funny too. My Lola Iyay spoke English like she was born speaking it. She was an English teacher and had many, many stories to tell and absolutely loved hearing about my love life. (I have so much to tell you Lola `yay!). She passed away in her sleep about 2 years ago.

3. Papa Lolo (maternal grandfather) - Papa Lolo died 5 years before I was born, but my Mom would always tell me stories about him and what a good story teller he was. I met him though, in San Francisco. I was 4 years old then and was playing by the window in a hotel room when he appeared right in front of me. He was wearing a white uniform with gold buttons and had this stiff hat on (he was in the army and was part of the Death March). This was our conversation:

"Hi Papa!"

He smiles and beckons me to come closer to him.

"Papa, are you going to tell me a story now?"

He nods yes and asks me to come closer to him.

"Talaga Papa? Story? Story now?"

At this point my Mom interrupted and asked me who I was talking with. I told her, "I'm talking with my Papa Lolo!" She then snatched me away from the window. I know I was just 4 years old then, but I do remember to this day how my Papa Lolo looked. A few years later I saw a photo of him in a white uniform and realized that I did somehow meet my Papa Lolo.

Last year, my nephew, Gabby had the same experience. What was funny was he didn't have any idea how Papa Lolo looked and he turned all white when we showed him his photo wearing his white uniform. We must've gotten our being pilyo from Papa Lolo!

4. My Pets - it took me a long time before I considered having another pet when my oscar (fish) named Oscar was killed by the ugly janitor fish. I had Oscar for about 3 years, so you can just imagine all the stuff that we've been through. Prior to Oscar, it took me about 7 years after Cotton (a japanese spitz) died to have another pet.

You see, I do really get so attached to my pets and it takes me a long time to move on (longer than boyfriends mind you, coz one doesn't live with a boyfriend right? LOL). To Bullet (a dog), Cotton, Ham & Egg (hamsters), and Oscar, Lucky and Pork & Beans (fighting fish) I hope you guys are very happy in pet heaven. (The janitor fish is probably still alive coz we left him go in the creek behind our house, hmph!).

5. Dead Toenails? (I don't have any.) Dead hair? (they fall off every day)... ahhh and I this cute ceramic bowl just caught my eye here in my study room, Ashes of my Ex(es). Well, I know I'm being funny (#1 to 4 was making me teary eyed already) and I seriously have that pot (I wonder if Sweetie noticed it hmmm)... I'm referring to dead relationships, friendships that fell apart and stuff that just didn't work out. That's life and it's normal. We all go through that cycle, but what's important is just letting go of everything that's in the past and move forward by cherishing what you have now.

Live and let live. I say, "Love and just love because that is why we are here."

To Mama, Papa and Lola Iyay, I know you are watching over me and the whole family. I will be with you again someday.