Friday, August 25, 2006

Great Weekends

Great Weekends
22 August 2006

Making the most of a weekend on a budget:

1. Take the RORO home to Bacolod. (See Related Story.)

2. Enjoy bonding with family. We slept in Sum-ag Friday night to spend more quality time with our Dubai folks. Tito Em was going back to work already and we figured it would be nice if he could sample my siomai and Miki’s chopsuey one more time.

Come Saturday morning, we languidly drank our morning beverage and talked over the coffee table. Tito was busy packing his things, doing a last minute visit to the cemetery, turning over investment papers to Tita Nonette. It was only a matter of time before Lola appeared at the door reminding everyone that if we do not hustle, Tito might miss his flight (his plane leaves at 11am). So everybody was up to their toes taking a bath and eating a hurried breakfast.

Then we sprinted to the airport, Tito Em riding with us in our car so we get to the airport fast. Boznik was hyper, pointing at everything he saw. He even pointed at this truck in front of us and called out to Tito Em, “Papa Em, Big, big, big truck! Dako dako dako truck!” Surprised me there.

Turned out we missed the airport entrance and we had to go straight to nearest curve to make a U-turn. The pick-up got to the airport first. But that’s okay, PAL is always late and that day was no exception.

So we had more bonding time at the airport. Boz entertained everyone. As they say, children remember all sorts of things and they have this eye for minute details. He pointed out that there was an airplane at the control tower, actually referring to the wind vane which had an airplane design. When Papa Bert asked him to look for Batman, he pointed to his cap which was even beyond his line of sight (he was wearing it with the Batman print facing backwards). He clearly remembered that we went to the airport to fetch them some time in the past. Some little guy I got there.

We did pictorials with everyone for keepsake.

Tito Em’s plane took some time to arrive and we got a little tired from standing under a tree so I sat myself beside a waste bin (good thing it was not smelly) where two stones were stacked to form a good solid seat for me. Boz saw me all comfy and he asked me to vacate my seat. Hay naku, if only you were not my child, I wouldn’t give in hmp! So he took my seat and I managed to sit under a signpost (my butt was rather big so I had to sit uncomfortably, but what can I do?)

Lola bought some barbecue from a vendor offered us some but we declined. Then a lady vendor (who I thought the whole time was male) offered Boz a chicken sandwich. When I asked him if he wanted to eat, he didn’t have any objections at all so I bought him one. The sandwich was rather tasty, well it was not really a sandwich, more of a siopao-like filled bun. The texture of the bun was soft (like the Bunwich bun of Dunkin Donuts) and the chicken adobo filling was not too strong for kids. I think Boz liked it a lot that he didn’t even stop to give me some.

Nanay and I interrogated Nancy (that’s the name of the vendor who was also half-Chinese and she understood when I asked Boz if he wanted to chia and later remarked to Boz who was busy eating, ho chia no? (taste good, right?). We were then joined by all my other aunts. They all got interested in her sandwiches that they passed around Boz’s sandwich for taste test. Irene called Boz attention saying, “Boz o, they are eating your sandwich!” And the little boy’s eyes moves from one Tita to another watching them while they take big bites on his sandwich. The horror of it all sent him to tears and that’s when everybody became aware of what they were actually doing. As peace offering, Tita Nonette bought him a new sandwich. It was the first time that they saw him cry like that.

Finally, it was time to board the plane and Tito said his goodbyes, take cares and see you next years. Tita Nonette told Allil and Irene to go to the departure area to wave their final goodbyes to Tito. Turned out the guard was strict and didn’t let them in. But Boz made it through. Thanks to Nancy’s connections, they were let through and he was able to see how things were inside the departure area.

Alas, it was time to go home to Mommy’s house.

3. See Eizen for the first time. After the longest time, Zeny’s baby was already out. We went to Joy’s old house (that’s where they are staying). The house looked forlorn. I’ve seen it during its better days when we spend our weekends there, just sitting around, playing board games and making prank calls to who ever catches our fancy. Oooops! I digress.

Boz was really amazed to see Eizen. She was longer than Boz and much heavier (9 lbs!) and she was all so white and quiet. Some bonding moment they got there.

4. Playtime at Jollibee! Boznik enjoyed himself, but if there is anyone who enjoyed more, it would be Miki, taking pictures of me (the big elephant) while I crawled down and climbed over those obstacle tubes. Whew! Some exercise!

5. Pictorials. Papa Digol’s motorbike, Papa Em’s pick-up, blue tractor, big 6x6 truck, the wheelbarrow, king of the hill, grasshopper and praying mantis. We missed the carabao (mental note: number one priority next time).

6. Bum around mommy’s house.

7. First episode, hopefully the last! Went home Tuesday morning. Boz’s tummy wasn’t okay so we had to deal with the yucky stuff that comes out of the butt. Eeeew! It was all over Boz and so we had to monopolize the wash room for almost 20 minutes, apologies to everyone who had to wait in line. It was the first time that I wasn’t able to bring him extra clothes and so we had to be extra resourceful – just jacket, diaper and sandals all the way to Iloilo. Please, please, please, don’t judge me. I promise it won’t happen again.

Then we go back to reality. Great weekends are worth remembering, ergo this account.


Thursday, August 24, 2006

RORO Experience


RORO Experience
18 August 2006

Nothing beats the excitement and adventures that we all go through everytime we go home to Bacolod. The weekend that passed is no exception with added treats from new experiences.

17th August

8:00pm. Home after some shopping stint at SM Delgado, brought some food stuff and treated Boz to Jollibee. Bumped into Notchka and learned some truths about Ellen and Ian (they broke up!). Sad news, but then I guess, life must go on.

9:30pm. Was all ready for sleep. I had to if I want to be up by 3am. Boz was still jumping around the room.

10:00pm. Finally dozed off. Boz, still jumping around and Miki still on the PC.

18th August.

2:30am. Alarm clock rings. Miki was up before I was (or did he even sleep?) Toilet habits. Sipped my Quaker Oats Honey with Hazelnut. Tried to wake up Boz without getting him all squirmy. Managed to do so (Thank God!).

3:15am. Walking the streets of Mapa and Peralta to get to the pier. Didn’t have to worry about carrying Boz. In his excitement, he had the energy for walking. On the way, we saw the moon (got him pretty excited there too), dogs and he pointed on some trucks and cars parking by the road. When we reached the pier, there were already people falling in line to buy their tickets. The counter guy was still sleepy. At some point, he might have dozed off while serving a client, hehehehehhe.

3:45am. Already on board the Montenegro Shipping Lines. Miki saw some former Lantech clients also patronizing the early morning trip. Bruce Lee was on the tube. We were seated on the 2nd floor while the cars were down below. There were benches for everyone. Since there was not really many passengers, others had the luxury of having a whole bench to themselves to sleep on. At the back portion of the boat was a small canteen serving hot beverages including some of these Japanese tea concoctions which I have never heard of before. There was also a Videoke machine which I guess, they operate during day trips.

4:00am. Boat left for Bacolod. Dozed off.

5:30am. I was awakened by the pain in my back. Bad sleeping position - sitting with Boz sleeping while sitting on my lap. Unfortunately, my movement caused him to stir and he wasn’t in the mood for some more sleep. Miki ventured into some sight seeing on the starboardside but Boz was just not up to it. He was more interested on the two ladies (the Lantech clients) seated two rows behind us who were still deep in their sleep.

After a while, he decided to go out of the bench area and see how things were doing outside. But first, we had to secure his get up. Hood on and jacket zipped to the neck. Then off we go.

I pointed to him a coconut floating in the water, the island of Guimaras, where we were heading and where Bacolod was. He pointed out to the sun, happy that is was already out. We looked at the foamy white bubbles formed by the boat’s moving on water. Clever little guy, said they were soap suds. Had to explain that they were caused by the breaking of the body of the boat into the water .

We moved to the aft straight to the canteen. There were also passengers there. One guy was busy listening to his iPod, another sipping his coffee. There was also this gang of three ladies - a mother, her daughter and a nanny or some sort. The little girl's name was Karen. Turns out she was also two. At first, Boz was shy, hesitant to come near her. But when Karen showed him her Barbie watch, the bonding occured. Karen was talking to Boz in some incomprehensible language even her mother could not understand. But Boz listened intently. He examined Karen's watch, pointed at the star figure next to Barbie. Then blurted with excitement "Estrellas! Dora hambal estrellas!" (Stars! Dora said those are stars!) Now my son speaks Spanish too!

He told Karen about the coconut that we saw earlier. But Karen was not interested. She still wanted to about her watch and so Boz grabbed my hand and led me back to our seats. He was up to something. As a mother, I already had an idea what the rush was all about. We were heading back to get his watch. He made me put his watch on his wrist and head back to where Karen was. Then, their bonding moment continued.

I couldn’t let the moment pass without taking pictures of them together. It's good that her mother did not protest. I mean, well, I was practically a stranger. I didn't really like to volunteer information about myself so I just tried to answer her query about where I lived. She then proceeded to sharing info about an older son whom they are coming to visit in Bacolod. And the nanny, was not actually a nanny but a niece who she took from her folks in Cebu to have her properly treated of her hypothyroidism and at the same time help her out in her taking care of Karen. Despite the exchange of bits and information about our lives, I didn’t stop to get her name or even her last name. Rude eh? I think not. Sometimes, it's just nice to maintain your anonymity amidst familiar faces.

6:30am. The boat docked early, I guess. And so we had to wait for Tito Em to bring the car to the pier. It was quite a while before they arrived. Then we went home.

Positives:

1. Saved money

2. A first for all of us

3. Boz enjoyed the whole trip

Negatives:

1. Had to sleep early, wake up early

2. Good choice if you don’t mind the 2 and a half hour trip

3. We had to sleep the whole morning to regain our energy drained from waking up so early

4. Had to deal with Boz’s upset stomach. Everything that comes in goes out. Had to deal with mess and the fuss that went with it.

5. My tummy did some rumbling too.


Monday, August 14, 2006

It's Just Super to be Superman!


It's just super to be Superman! My son is into the Superman mode too days following the worldwide release of the Superman Returns the movie. We bought a KFC Kiddie Meal to avail of the Superman toy and upsized our drink to get the Superman tumbler. The one thing that we had to add yet to our collection was the the toy we saw at SM Deldago with Superman carrying on his shoulder a pick-up truck. I don't quite recall which scene was that but the toy resembling such act is seen all over the entrance of SM Delgado and I have been plagued by pleas of another car purchase. Hay.... this time my son, you can't make me give in. It's a good thing that at a young age, he understands when you tell him that you can't buy what he wants because you don't have money yet.
However, persistent that he is, he revised his plea into buying a Superman toy carrying a pick-up truck to buying any pick-up truck! Still with no money, he was left with a promise from his mom that the pick-up truck will have to wait until money comes. Perhaps, he prayed really hard for it that he got what he wanted from his Ninang Eliz who gave him this big red pick-up truck for a very very long overdue birthday gift.
The new pick-up truck lost its front bumper after a day of tinkering. But that's ok, all is saved at the end of the day. Boz got his pick up truck and his cape to complete his superman repertiore!







Headache and Chivas Regal - Perfect Duo!


Feels good to just cuddle up on a rainy Sunday morning. I did just that while the hubby was busy tinkering the computer and the son was busy with his toys. The TV has hovering in the background and I somehow fell into deep slumber when suddenly I felt some pain on my back. Something just bit me! By impulse I snapped away from the culprit of the pain only to realize that it was my son who actually inflicted the pain on me. My reaction to the pain caused the chain of events that followed:

  1. Boz's head hit the bulky dump truck toy lying in bed next to him.
  2. The shock caused him to wail at the top of his lungs, primarily from the shock of what just happened and secondly, from the pain of the impact.
  3. I had to endure the excruciating pain in my back caused by tiny teeth marks that seethed through my skin.
  4. Damage control. I asked Miki to go get something cold from the freezer.
  5. Tadaaaaah! Miki entered the room carrying with him the bottle of Chivas Regal.
  6. Boz went quiet.
  7. Miki placed the bottle on the area where Boz said it hurt.
  8. Boz went to wailing baby to quiet baby.
  9. Miki and I laughed our hearts out!
Hail, Hail to Chivas Regal!

Overheard Conversation:
Miki: Boz, ano gani gusto mo imnon? (What would you like to drink?)
Boz: Inom Chivas Regal!


Some bonding they got there eh?

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Cars: The Legendary Lightning McQueen

My son is into cars ever since I can remember and he was not about to let go of this one. Cars the movie starring The Rookie, Lightning McQueen. Thanks to Hockney for the good copy of the movie, and Ninang Nanaks for letting us into this secret society of good-find-movies hehehehehehhe.

Anyways, we have been hooked with Lightning McQueen since then. By that I mean we had no choice but to play it on and on and on on our DVD player. I take my hats off to Boz’s Nanny for her unwavering support to his cause.

And since McQueen is a car, as expected, we had to have one too to add to our car collection! We missed the McDonald’s kiddie meal toy series on the movie (I can’t believe I actually missed it!). I saw though that Nestle was featuring the movie on its cereals. I have to admit that I was a bit stingy about buying one for my boy. For one, nobody eats cereals at home. Two, I had apprehensions about the car's appearance. For all I know, it might not be anything close to the real thing! And three, it’s just not on my grocery list (hehehe, just way too many excuses, eh?)

But just like any other time, I don’t get things done my way with Boz. We were in Bacolod one weekend and we had our usual trip to Lopue’s Grocery Store. I made it a point not to take the baby boy near the cereals lane. But with him running around and his father calling his attention to the very thing that I was avoiding, the inevitable had to happen.

Boz was all ecstatic carrying with him the box of cereals chanting, “Mama, McQueen! McQueen! McQueen!”

“No, baby, you don’t eat cereals!”

Ran to his papa. Papa motions him back to me mouthing, “Go ask Mama.”

“Mama, please! Please, Mama McQueen!”

“I won’t pay for that! Tell Papa if he wants you to have it he should pay for it.”

Ran back to his papa. Papa takes out his wallet, hands his son a 100-peso bill. And the baby runs to me waving the money shouting “Mama, money! Money ara!” and the sight just melted my heart. Hay….. And so, again, the mighty Boz won over me.

As expected he never even sampled the cereal. It's a good thing though that the free toy exceeded my expectations in terms of quality and appearance (see photo below). We've been taking McQueen along with us in most of our trips these days. He's been to church, to the mall, to the doctor's clinic. We've been sleeping with McQueen too! Who's to know for how long will his presence be felt in our lives. But I guess, until something new catches my little boy's fancy, he will be loved and adored.