Mission Accomplished

Patty and her staff finished cooking and packing at 8:00 pm, a good twelve hours after they started. We then brought the food packs to the Mega Tent Relief Center in Ortigas.

Thanks to Teri, Jacq, Christine and Elias for a whole day of cooking and packing; to Miguel for lending his kitchen, to Maman for lending her pots and pans; to Therese, Rocio, Luis, Beeto and Gabi for lending a hand; to Maman, Mommy, Monica and Carla for their kind donations; and to Bela for being patient with babysitter Papa.

Cooking Up a Storm

Patty is on a mission. She wants to help Ondoy victims by doing what she does -- and loves -- best: cooking!

She went to the market early this morning and with the generous help of family and friends, bought supplies good enough for an army: 25 kilos of meat, potato, 200 bananas, 12 trays of egg, sack of rice, etc.

She borrowed extra pots and pans from her lola and then commandeered not only her kitchen but also that of my brother Miguel to achieve her goal of preparing and packing no less than two hundred ready to eat meals by this afternoon.

Her menu: adobo, torta, hard-boiled egg, saba and rice.

"Isn't that a bit too much for relief goods?" someone made the mistake of asking her. "Wouldn't sardines and instant noodles be enough?"

"I don't like," was Patty's curt reply. "If you're going to do something, might as well do it well."

Atta girl, Patty. That's why I love you so. And I love your cooking too!

Kwentong Barbero

You were only seven months when we first brought you to the parlor. And we chose one with lots of distractions since we didn't know how you would react to a pair of scissors snipping your hair away.

But you were a good boy. Well behaved. Hardly complained as the barber went about his work. Thanks in large part to Barney who kept you company on the small TV in front of you.

In less than fifteen minutes it was done. Your first rite of passage from a baby to a young boy.

From then on, at least once every three months, we would go back to the same parlor. Barney was still there. And Dora and Boo too. And you looked forward to each trip. Because of the goodies the barber gave you after each haircut. And because of gym play in nearby Gymboree that inevitably followed.

After you turned three, you chose not to go to the same parlor anymore. You were now a big boy and wanted to go to a big boy barber shop. So off we went to Bruno's. Papa on one chair and you right beside him. And for the first time ever, thanks to the large mirror in front of you, you witnessed how hair was actually cut.

You were so fascinated with what you saw that upon reaching home you got your own pair of scissors and cut your own hair!


And so back to the barber shop we went, where in less than five minutes, the electric razor left you hairless. Lesson learned. And so we hope.

And now that you're four, our barber tales continue. Like the time we went to this shop where instead of powder and a white brush, the barber used a vacuum to remove the bits of hair around your neck.

Haircuts, my son, are milestones. Bonding moments between you and me and Mommy. Memories we will keep forever. Even when we no longer have hair.

Sunday Mornings with Gabi

Early Sunday mornings are spent with Gabi in Starbucks. Papa with his tall cafe mocha and Gabi with his honey glazed doughnut. It's what Gabi calls a "boys only" meeting: no Mommy, no Bela, no yayas.

This weekly "chat" is something I learned from my own father. Though he was a very busy man, he made it a point to chat with each of us kids for one hour every week. And it was scheduled. And complete with an agenda, resolutions, next steps and timetables.

My chat with my four year old son is less structured. And it's a meeting that Gabi dominates. He sets the agenda. He does most of the talking. And he asks all the questions.

The conversation topics are varied. And many times profound. His queries admittedly baffle me from time to time.

"If junk food is bad for us, why do they sell it in the groceries?"


"Why are we celebrating (President) Cory's death? Is dying good?"


"So Papa, if God made everything ... who made God?"

I may not know how to answer all his questions but I always give him an answer in terms that he would understand. And when I don't know, I tell him that I will try to find out.

I love it that Gabi expresses his curiosity. And I encourage this sense of wonder in him by being there to try and answer all his questions. For just like with my own father and our weekly chats, I hope to be there in the future for Gabi to run to when the bigger questions in life arise.

For now, I'm just thankful there's Google to help me find answers to Gabi's questions!

A Peso for Their Future

Tonight at family dinner Granny gathered the grandchildren present around the table and took out a yellow can which she had earlier asked Patty to prepare for the occasion.

"Today a nice man said that he wants to be our president," Granny began.

"He is a good man. And we will support him. All of us. We will tell others to vote for him. We will each give one peso everyday to help him."

And so the kids began to drop a peso each for Noynoy's campaign, a peso each for their future.

Un fuerte abrazo

We need ...
... 4 hugs a day for survival.
... 8 hugs a day for maintenance.
... 12 hugs a day for growth.

- Virginia Satir, family therapist