The Boys at Age Two [almost]

Our family's next generation has been blessed with two handsome boys and two lovable girls. today's entry features the two boys. soon as i get new pics of the girls, i'll be putting them here too.

Similarities between the two:
AJ's first word: Mama [of course!]
Geof's: Mama [of course also!]
AJ's fave toy: Daga
Geof's: the neighbor's cat
AJ's fave food: hah! everything he sees!
Geof's: pretty much the same!
Where AJ got his looks from: his dad [daw]
Where Geof got his: from his papa [am sure of this]

Difference between the two:
hmmm...i'll need help on this...

Three Angels

I was having a truly miserable day yesterday. i was fighting the urge to shout and throw my car off a cliff when three angels decided i've had enough beating for the day and decided to turn things around, finally and mercifully.
first, i was told that my cousin who has been expecting her first child has finally given birth to a healthy baby boy. then, i was told that a truly special friend is out of danger already in another hospital in france. lastly, a most precious ally called me up, let me have a good cry, and helped me break down anxieties in manageable proportions in my panicked mind.
someone up there still remembers me.

Not One, but Two!

hats off to my two lawyer uncles who recently got promoted to judge: tito caloy and tito ruben. when i was in college, i stayed at tito ruben's home. i saw his and tita brenda's children--my cousins--go through their adolescent years, and know them well in the process. i particularly like my memory of the youngest, ruth, who was only a baby when i first appeared on their doorstep. now she's graduated from college and is based in the u.s. lilian, the second to the eldest, was the one i got to relate to more as her age is, well, closer to mine. she is now the proud mother of two-year-old arielle, and, with hubby Peter, are also based in the u.s. then there's lovelyn who used to be the most reserved of the brood but has become less of that now and waits in anticipation for the coming of her [and doc soc's] son any minute now.
tito caloy and tita julie's children are geoff [doctor], belle [lawyer], jenny [teacher] and christian [college student, although i think he might have graduated already].
congratulations my uncles!

Cathy and the Armchair Reader

Cathy Guisewhite is the author of the daily 'Cathy' strip, which started in 1976. Her caricatures are simple and I like her haphazard way of self-satirization [is there even such a word?], particularly when she is faced with major dilemmas in the form of a bag of chips or uncooked cookie dough, haha!
anyway, I used to be able to read her comic books at Armchair Reader, a library located at shopping malls where people could just come in when they’ve gotten tired of window shopping, sit themselves in the one of the plush seats with overstuffed back cushions, read books, and drink coffee or tea for FREE! some books could even be taken home for a minimal fee. back then, I could borrow cathy comic books for only P10 per day. it’s such a pity that it stopped its operations. I guess it was ahead of its time. if only it would reopen, I’m sure my son would enjoy the place. these days, when we enter a bookstore, my son finds himself a corner, gets a copy of Dr. Seuss or a book of maze, and tells me to come back for him after a few minutes. maybe there ought to be an Armchair Reader for kids?

The Horse Whisperer

Well, the setting isn’t exactly the inter-mountain West, but well, there are horses in Europe, too, aren’t there? And the actress in this picture is Asian, so I guess we could say that this is the Europe version of the movie---with a slight Asian twist :). But if one’s not familiar with the movie, let me say that it was based on the novel written by Nicholas Evans and published by Delacorte Press in September, 1995.

While I’m at it, let me explain the term “horse whispering”. It is a kind of euphemism for a state of being, a relationship between a human and a horse [according to the director of the movie, Robert Redford] He also said that it is a way to be with horses that sends a message of understanding and compassion, that is, instead of beating a horse into submission, or using punishment as a tool, it's a way of developing trust and understanding---understanding who you are and respecting your place with one another.

But well, enough of that. my system now craves for coffee, and lugaw [the café downstairs should sell this everyday!] which I hope chickpeace will write about, and give a recipe for.

Was I Wrong? I Couldn't be Sure

NEWS FLASH:

The teacher responded to my query by adjusting my son's test paper results! she said she even consulted the grade school coordinator. she acquiesced to my view that there really was confusion in the instruction. am so relieved! perhaps it was a small issue really, but it's just that there was one other time when my son got another minus, this time for not following instructions. so every test thereafter, he really took extra care to read his paper before answering questions. am glad this minor issue was received well by the teacher. the added score is definitely a bonus!

My son presented to me his quiz results yesterday. As always, he got cool scores. But when i got to his Reading subject results, i got dismayed. he made a mistake on the last portion of the exam which instruction said to put a check on the statement that tells the main idea of the story. my son checked one box. he got a minus 2 for that segment. why? because, apparently, there were three statements that tell what the story's about. so i asked my son why he checked only one. it was puzzling because this little boy really loves to read. he answered, "e mama, the instruction said to check 'the' statement. so that means, one statement only." technically, i'd say he's correct. otherwise, the teacher could have written "check all statements that tell etc etc". i asked one other sister what she thought of it, and i got a quick reply of "e di all statements applicable!" ek! was i wrong? was my son wrong in interpreting the instruction? other kids checked more than one box.
cases like this, i think what's important is that instructions shouldn't be vague. to put my mind at ease, i made a note to the teacher. i would not want my baby to encounter the same thing come periodical exams. i would know tomorrow what she thinks.

Crazy over Pretzels

I skipped breakfast as i normally do and had one coffee after another instead. i can even afford to skip lunch if i want to. there's one thing, however, i simply do not have the heart to turn my back on: pretzels! two salesladies dropped by our office carrying samplers of Auntie Anne's almond pretzels with sweet glaze topping and viola! there goes my lunch money! but it sure was worth it. i particularly love its fresh butter taste.

the other brand of pretzels i am completely bowled over is Snyder's. my sister who is based in hong kong willingly and lovingly [ahem!] buys me bags of this, as, for some reason or another, i couldn't find it anymore in any supermarket here in the philippines. just how crazy do i get over a bag of snyder's? particularly cheddar cheese? i wouldn't even share it with my son!

Jilly Baby!

Super duper adorable! I mean, next to my son, of course, hehe.