My Suddenly Shy Boy

Gabi met cousins Ben and Gwen last Sunday and all he could give was this nervous smile.

Maybe he never imagined them to be that big. Maybe he thought they didn't look at all like the characters he sees on TV.Or maybe because he was wearing a shirt with a rival action hero.

Of Phones and Remotes

Telephones, from cordless handsets to mobile ones, remote controls for the tv, aircon or dvd player, working or non-working iPods or Palm Pilots... these are a few of Bela's favorite things.

Dolls and teddy bears and crayons? Forget it! These are her toys. And she will only play with the real ones, mind you. She shuns all plastic imitations that we've tried to trick her with.

 

  

So why the interest in these gadgets? Is it because these are the things we normally take away from her? Is it because she can't have them and therefore she wants them more?

Or is it because she sees that these are the things Papa and Mommy use regularly and thus wants to use them too?

Tell us, Belly, why is it so?

Water, Water Everywhere

"Why is it still flooded?" my four year old son asked me as we watched the evening news.

"Because too much rain has fallen since two weeks ago," I tried to explain."And the soil can no longer absorb the water and therefore, flooding happens."

"And you know what else the soil cannot drink, Papa?" my son asked. "Do you know what adds to all the flood?"

"Bad garbage!" he explained. "Garbage like plastic bags and plastic spoons. Garbage that the soil cannot use."

"That's why we should always have two garbage cans," he concluded. "One for good garbage like leftover food. And one for bad garbage like plastics."

All this from a four year old. Gabi knows more about today's pressing issues than most of us adults do. Shame on us.
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This is my contribution to Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change.

Lunchtime Banter

"So what's your favorite pizza, Gabi," I asked my son as we both munched on leftover slices.

"Hmm ... I like pepperoni pizza, Papa," he replied. "But without the pepperoni."

"Me too," I answered. "I like pepperoni pizza. But without the pizza."

 And so together we finished all the leftover pizza.

Mommy's Little Helper

Throughout Patty's food relief operations, Bela was her trusty sous chef.

Bela helped prepare the ingredients ...

... taste Mommy's concoctions ...

... measure the portions ...

... and pack the boxes.

 

Good job, Belly!

Gabi Learns to Share

We brought Gabi with us last night to help distribute the cooked food packs Patty had prepared for typhoon victims. It was a spur of the moment decision. We thought it would help make Gabi understand the gravity of the calamity. We also hoped that the experience would make him value the importance of sharing. And thus make him stop grabbing Bela's toys from her and start sharing his toys with her.

So off to Marikina we went. To the Malanday Elementary School which was now an evacuation center for more than 300 families. Last week there were more than 1,000 families there. But most of them were already sent home. Those who remained had no more houses to go home to.

Gabi patiently gave out the food packs in each of over forty classrooms in the school. And he chose to give his packs to the kids. Many his age. Many more much younger.

Gabi went about his task enthusiastically. It was obvious that he felt good about what he was doing. And that he was having fun.

After an hour and a half, after all 300 or so food packs had been given away, I pulled Gabi aside and asked: "So, Gabi, what have you learned tonight?"

"I learned that it's important to give," he started. "And that it's important to share."

"And how do you feel now?" I asked, already convinced that Patty and I made the right decision to bring him along.

"I am a little sad, Papa."

"Why, Gabi?"

"Because we didn't bring toys," he reasoned out. "Can we come back tomorrow to bring them toys? I want to share toys with them."

"Sure, Gabi," I was so proud of my four year old son. "Why don't you put together some of your old toys and we'll bring them here tomorrow."

"No, Papa! Not my toys... I want to share Bela's toys with them!"

Quo vadis, Bela?

At 14 months, Bela already has a mind of her own and once she has decided on something, nothing will stop her.

At lunch time today, while Mommy and yaya were busy cooking for Typhoon Ondoy victims, and with only Gabi and me to watch over her, Bela chanced upon her swimming floaters in the closet. She quickly put them on, tried to blow air into them and without asking anybody, went out the main door.

Without hesitation and oblivious to all our calls to her, she went down the road towards the clubhouse ...

And straight to the swimming pool!

What confidence and determination for such a young girl! Made me so proud. And so scared at the same time.

Of course, I ended up disappointing her by not letting her jump into the pool. But I did let her soak in the batya as a consolation.

That's the Spirit!

Here's the video of  childhood friend, Luis Cuervo, wading through waist-deep water in Rosario, Pasig during the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy. Despite the obvious discomfort and hardship, Luis remains optimistic and even cheerful.

Luis was one of our kuyas in the old Kulyawan Boys Club. He was one of the older ones. The ones who always lorded it over us younger ones in football. The ones who always made fun of us younger ones during summer camps. Okay, Luis was one of the bullies.

Luis always had a great outlook in life. He was always smiling. And laughing. And always had practical jokes up his sleeves.

In his Facebook profile, Luis describes himself as "a Londoner with an American brain, a Spanish heart and a Chinese stomach ... hence, a PINOY!" Luis is a proud and loving father of eight. And he's a colon cancer survivor too. I guess that helps explain his positive attitude towards life.

And just where was Luis going that fateful 27 September morning? He was on his way to San Juan from Antipolo to attend his mother's 80th birthday.

Bravo, Luis! Thanks for showing all of us that come hell or high water,  kayang kaya pa rin natin ito!