Leaving home after attending the 9-10am mass, we reached University Avenue 11am or so. As expected, all roads led to UP for the 2009 UPCAT. Our plan was to have a quick lunch before proceeding to Institute of Physics where Cae was supposed to take the exam.

 

Alex led us to Chocolate Kiss where we had pasta and sandwich. Di naman kami masyadong nagmamadali hehehe Cae was worried she might not get there on time, seeing the moderate-to-heavy traffic inside UP.

 

Buti na lang, because of two previous trips to UP, Alex already was familiar with the area. So, at exactly 12:17, I escorted Cae to the building lobby where a guy told us, “Pasok na kayo.” Akala yata, pati ako mag-e-exam. “O,” I reminded Cae, “Wag kang mag-cellphone. Text-text na lang mamaya.”

 

Alex & I visited some relatives whom we have not seen for quite sometime and stayed there for two hours. We returned to UP around 4:30pm. Around 5pm, some kids were already coming out of the building so I stayed nearby. Ten minutes later, still there was no Cae. Fifteen minutes…wala pa din.

 

It was already dark and nobody else seemed to be waiting but us. Where was Cae?

 

I couldn’t hide my anxiety anymore. I approached the lady guard and asked, “Miss, wala pa yung anak ko. May tao pa ba sa loob?”

 

The lady guard was surprised. “Ah hindi pa po ba lumalabas? Sandali lang po, check po natin.” Then she went in.

 

As I turned to Alex, a text message came. From Cae. “Ma, fin na.”

 

Hayyyy, I texted back.

 

“Sundo neo ko?” she texted again. To which I replied, “And2 kami labas.”

 

She didn’t answer. I texted her again, “Tagal nyo.”

 

I sat down on the wooden bench and waited.

 

After a few minutes, the lady guard returned, with a guy. “Ma’am, sino po ang hinahanap ninyo?” he asked. He had a UPCAT ID.

 

“Ah, yung anak ko, tapos na daw sila. Palabas na.”

 

The guard and the guy looked at each other. Scratching his head, he said, “Ah Ma’am, wala na pong bata sa loob. Kanina pa po tapos, nakalabas na po lahat.”

 

"Ha? Sigurado kayo? Kaka-text lang niya, tapos na daw sila," I repeated.

 

They looked at each other again. “Ma’am, wala na po talaga.”

 

Asan ang anak ko? Asan ang anak ko??? Daddy, asan si Cae? Asan si Cae?

 

Okey ba? That was just a suspense-thriller script Alex and I were creating while waiting for what seemed like an eternity. Parang yun na yata ang pinakamahabang 30 minutes for us.

 

The last batch of kids was coming out one by one. Then I saw Cae.

 

So how was it? “Sumakit ulo ko,” she said.

 

Let’s go home.

 

So we went home – after a quick trip to McDonald’s drive-thru.

Yesterday, I was trying to watch SOP (my Sunday noontime bisyo) but my two kids were competing for my attention. Cae was filling out the UPCAT form, asking for help while Caehl wanted Mommy to get ice cream.

While helping out Cae in some of the questions in the form, Caehl cannot wait for Mommy so he spills some on his shirt, and on the carpet.

Hey you two, I said. It's hard to serve you both at the same time.

While this was going on, Alex was probably tuned in to Youtube or UFC in the computer room, nursing a slight fever.

Belated Happy Fathers' Day!!!

Bought a few items at Save More Supermarket before going home. The woman behind me who had two items kept on making parinig that she was in a hurry. Hindi na nakatiis, she asked the man in front of me, "Kuya, puwedeng mauna." The man just smiled and replied, "Maghintay ka." After a while, she repeated her request. "Kuya, puwedeng mauna. Pinabili lang ng manager ko." The man said, "Eto nga, para sa nanay ko, eh."

I was waiting for her to tell me the same thing and I would have answered back, "Sabihin mo sa manager mo, siya kaya ang pumila."

So, in short, it didn't work. She was still behind me. The cashier and the checker seemed to be taking their own sweet time. The woman said, "Miss, miss, puwede pakibilisan." To my surprise, the cashier replied to no one in particular, "Dun ho sa kabila, maikli ang pila."

Aba, aba at sumasagot pa. I should have told her, "You know it's not the point. Whether the line is long or not, huwag kayong magchikahan while working." But I remained silent.

Eto pa. While the man in front of me was waiting for his change, here comes a bagger (or clerk, I don't know what to call them) who just barged into the counter to retrieve the used baskets. As in dire-diretso. Hindi nga ako tumabi, I was waiting for him to say, "Excuse me." But no, he just got the baskets and when he couldn't get through (nakaharang kasi yung mama sa harap ko), he just stood there.

Finally, nagalit na ko. "Hindi ka kasi nag-e-excuse, eh. Kaya hindi ka niya pinapansin." What do you know, he had a smart answer: "Eh tinitingnan ko na nga siya, eh (referring to the other man)." O di ba? Short of saying, makuha ka sa tingin.

Whatever happened to courtesy, huh, Save More?

After Lawrence Sanders, Caehl is now focusing on my Sue Grafton collection.

Sue (Taylor) Grafton is known for her alphabet series (or the Kinsey Millhone mysteries), starting with A is for Alibi, the latest of which is T is for Trespass and U is for Undertow. As you may know now, I am a sucker for contemporary detective novels. and I won’t be surprised if Caehl follows suit. He is now memorizing the titles.

Right now, I can’t decide which of them is my favorite.

Kinsey Millhone series
"A" Is for Alibi (1982)
"B" Is for Burglar (1985)
"C" Is for Corpse (1986)
"D" Is for Deadbeat (1987)
"E" Is for Evidence (198
"F" Is for Fugitive (1989)
"G" Is for Gumshoe (1990)
"H" Is for Homicide (1991)
"I" Is for Innocent (1992)
"J" Is for Judgment (1993)
"K" Is for Killer (1994)
"L" Is for Lawless (1995)
"M" Is for Malice (1996)
"N" Is for Noose (199
"O" Is for Outlaw (1999)
"P" Is for Peril (2001)
"Q" Is for Quarry (2002)
"R" Is for Ricochet (2004)
"S" Is for Silence (2005)
"T" Is for Trespass (2007)
"U" Is for Undertow (2009)

For more on Sue Grafton and her novels, visit http://www.suegrafton.com/

Lawrence Sanders has always been my favorite author. Back in my folks’ house, our books were regarded as “shared”, meaning the family owns them, even if the books were individually purchased. But when I moved to my own house, I think it was a given that the books were mine so I brought them along.

The collection, which consists of 35 (36? 37?) books, occupies a prominent place in our library. I have the complete Deadly Sin series, two Timothy Cone titles, and most of the Commandment and Archibald McNally series. Some were bought from local book stores while some were sent by my aunt and uncle (Hi Mama Bee and Uncle Stu!). If there’s one thing Sanders’ protagonists have in common, it’s their tummies. Capt. Edward X. Delaney is a sandwich junkie, Cone is clearly a take-out guy, while Archy saves the best for last - dinner. They love to drink, too.


Our daily “quiz” starts with “How about the one with the…”

1. Tapes? The Anderson Tapes
2. Butterfly with blood? Answer: McNally’s Risk
3. Car inside the egg? Answer: McNally’s Gamble
4. Mask? Answer: McNally’s Folly
5. Buddha? The Timothy Files
6. Girl with snake as hair with blood? Answer: The Seduction of Peter S.

And so on and so forth.

All in all, Sanders published 38 novels. He died while living in Florida in 1998 at the age of 78, and I quote, “…was one of the greats in mystery writing and will be sorely missed.”

Lawrence Sanders bibliography
The Anderson Tapes (Edgar Award) (1970)
The Pleasures of Helen (1971)
Love Songs (1972)
The First Deadly Sin (1973)
The Tomorrow File (1975)
The Tangent Objective (1976)
The Marlow Chronicles (1977)
The Second Deadly Sin (1977)
The Tangent Factor (197
The Sixth Commandment (1979)
Dark Summer (as 'Mark Upton') (1979)
Caper (as 'Lesley Andress') (1980)
The Tenth Commandment (1980)
The Third Deadly Sin (1981)
The Case of Lucy Bending (1982)
The Seduction of Peter S. (1983)
The Passion of Molly T. (1984)
The Fourth Deadly Sin (1985)
The Eighth Commandment (1986)
Tales of the Wolf (1986)
The Loves of Harry Dancer (1986)
Dream Lover (1987)
The Timothy Files (novellas) (1987)
Timothy's Game (novellas) (198
The Dream Lover (198
Stolen Blessings (1989)
Capital Crimes (1989)
Sullivan's Sting (1990)
The Seventh Commandment (1991)
McNally's Secret (1992)
McNally's Luck (1992)
McNally's Risk (1993)
McNally's Caper (1994)
Private Pleasures (1994)
McNally's Trial (1995)
McNally's Puzzle (1996)
McNally's Gamble (1997)

For more on Sanders, here are some good links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Sanders
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/sanders.html
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/lawrence-sanders/

This may not be the most graceful exit, but I know when the bottle's empty.
---Doug, Cocktail 1988

When I was in my early 30s, I used to down four to eight bottles of San Mig Light. But now, when I go out with friends, it would take me forever to knock back two bottles. And lately, I’ve been favoring cocktail drinks than beer.

I am no cocktail drinks expert but my favorite Alabang watering holes are Tia Maria’s, Gilligans, and Aplaya. I think I’ve been to most of the bars in Festival Mall’s Green and Grills area. Aplaya’s piña colada (rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice) tastes better than Gilligan’s, and it goes with a paper parasol. But I like Gilligans’ daiquiri (rum, lime juice with cherry as garnish), both the banana and mango variants. Tia Maria’s strawberry Margarita (tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim) is too sweet. I have also tried Payao’s version (rating: good enough), while I find the one served at VoxBox (a videoke place at the 4th Level of the mall) too warm.

There was also a time that I thought Long Island Iced Tea (gin, tequila, vodka, rum on the rocks) was simply an iced tea variant. I didn’t know that it was just named such due to its resemblance to the good old iced tea. May amats pala.

But yes, I would still enjoy a bottle or two of SML with Alex at Antakya (4 bottles for Php100 during happy hour) while listening to a band or watching the stand-up comic acts, and at our Pacita hang-out, Big Cha (where they usually play 80s music) with our usual pulutan of french fries, pork sisig and calamares. When we spent a night once in Mauban, we went to a local pub in front of the hotel and drank beer with garlicky peanuts (for him) and inihaw na isaw/tenga ng baboy with super spicy vinegar dip (for me). Simple pleasures for simple folks like us.

Cheers.

Yup, Alex and I just turned 17. I always pass on this joke to my friends that only half of that were ours, referring to the years when we truly loved each other. The other half, well, were spent (or wasted) on other things. 

Seventeen is a great number. It’s one of my favorite numbers actually since I was born on the 17th of September. It’s a number that is often cited in songs, “She was just seventeen. You know what I mean.” “'You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only 17”. Did you know that “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian was originally written as "I learned the truth at eighteen”? But the singer found that the word "seventeen" worked better than "eighteen" when she tried to put melody to the lyrics.

I often write about me and Alex, our anniversaries, our relationship in general – what we have and have not done; what we have done right and what we have done wrong; how we come clattering down once in a while and how we get up each time we fall; how I thought I knew it all, that I knew everything.

But not quite, I know that now.

Reality check: sadly, some of the ideals I used to believe in, stand for and hold dear do not hold true anymore, and I have accepted (and am still trying to accept) that. There are actions that I cannot undo, events that I won’t be able to foresee, and people that we certainly can do without. For things that I just can no longer change, wala na kong magagawa kundi tanggapin, try to control what's left (and what can be controlled) and go on with life as happily as we could.

At seventeen, I know better.

Disclaimer: You don’t have to agree with me, you don’t have to believe me. You’re entitled to your own opinion. More so, these do not really sum up my life. Random thoughts lang.

Life and love are more than these, of course.

1. First love dies. I can’t even remember who it was.
2. Kay tamis ng una mong halik is not true. Again, I can’t even remember who it was.
3. It takes two to make a thing go right. In saving a marriage, hindi pwedeng isa lang ang may gusto or nag-e-effort. Dapat pareho kayo. And do it because you want to, not because you have to.
4. In a relationship, there are three versions: the girl’s, the guy’s, and the truth.
5. The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase.
6. God made many puzzle pieces, but only those two 'cut out' for each other can fit together to create a perfect and beautiful picture. Kung hindi ikaw ang missing piece niya, wag ipagpiltan ang sarili. Kung mali, mali.
7. The life and love we create is the life and love we live. There are people who intentionally, deliberately mess up other people’s lives. Once in our lives, or maybe not just once, we encounter such careless people.
8. Huwag matigas ang ulo. Iyan ang ikapapahamak mo. We live only once. Live it well, live it right.
9. I used to tell my mom, life is short. And she would ask back, why make it shorter. Sabi na nga ba, makinig sa magulang. Parents know best. Since I have become a parent myself, sold na sold ako sa idea na ito. Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska.
10. From Alex: love is something that must be worked on on a daily basis.
11. Sabi nila, sometimes love is not enough. Well siguro nga, but perhaps love could make everything easier. Sabi nila, love makes the world go around. Well siguro nga, but perhaps love just makes the ride worthwhile.
12. Metaphorical, but I like this: Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots.
13. From Alex again I learned) to subjugate the "self" in favor of the family.
14. Walk the talk. Kung ano yung sinasabi mo, yun din ang gagawin mo. Hindi yung puro salita, tapos iba naman ang ginagawa sa totoong buhay.
15. Sabi nila, for a relationship to work, there must be trust and communication. Sa akin naman, the person to whom you’re according that trust should be trustworthy, too. And you must find out what method of communication suits you best. Different strokes for different folks.
16. There are questions that seem to have no answers. I once read that the key is to be patient and not to search for the answers which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. Maybe someday, you will gradually live your way into the answer. In His time.
17. Move on.

*Copyright © Janis Ian/her co-writer(s) if any/their publisher(s). All rights reserved.

I always like to think that my daughter and I are good friends.

That's why it saddens me when we fight. Or when we misunderstand each other. Or when she locks her bedroom and shuts me out.

The way it saddens me when she and her dad fight. Or when they misunderstand each other. And she locks her bedroom and shuts him out.

Cae is turning 15 this month. And as a mom, it is my desire to create as many bonds and experiences with her. That's why I always make it a point to be into everything she does and to get into everything she likes or wants. But sometimes, the generation gap comes in (even though our age gap is as short as Ogie Alcasid's stay in show business). Sometimes, what she wants is not always good. Or proper. Perhaps in her eyes (and in the eyes of teens like her), this or that is cool. Or this or that is perfectly all right. But you're not called a parent for nothing. Para ke pa na naging parent ka if you can't put your foot down, if you will always give in to what they want, even though you know in your heart na hindi naman nila ikabubuti, so to speak.

During conflicts like this, it pains me that no matter how I try to explain things to her, no matter how I try to be patient and calm, there are just some things which she can't or refuse to understand. Ayaw mag-sink in. And she cries and won't eat and stays in her room forever.

I always tell her, "I'm your mom and I know you too well." I could tell if she plucked her eyebrows or cut her bangs. I make it a point that she has her private time, and I don’t lurk. There are times that I understand her better than her dad does. Although I scold her and stick to my mom role often, as much as possible I would like to treat her as an adult. I like being with her and I treasure the moments I am with her, especially because I know there will be times that I or her dad may find it difficult to reach out to her.

More than once, I blogged about how my sisters and I have never been open to our mom about crushes and boyfriends. Mama has always been prim and proper, certainly not the type who will scream or gush over the opposite sex or one who understands today’s love and relationships. I could be a strict mom if the situation calls for it and I will not hesitate to give her the "homily" she deserves if she has done something wrong, but I can always be the open and fun-loving mom she prefers me to be and is proud of. “Para lang kayong mag-ate,” people would tell us.

And like sisters, I guess, we’ll have some “fight scenes” once in a while. But unlike her perhaps, I won't close my door on her and shut her out. Because I'm her mom.