April 29, 2007
Check out the photos of my niece Tinsel's 6th birthday celebration last weekend. My brother took most of them.
On Saturday (her actual birthday), we went for lunch at Burgoo in Gateway Mall which was followed up in the afternoon with a visit to Active Fun (at their branch in Fun Ranch, Pasig). Active Fun is essentially a blown-up version of a McDonald's "play place." My brother and I took turns accompanying the kids inside; we had to watch over Anton who was too small to defend himself against playground bullies. (Interestingly enough, the "no-play" adult pass is cheaper than a kiddie pass. But when you follow kids around, you have no choice but to play along with them. The adult pass is unlimited too!)
Tinsel was very, very excited to go there. I was very skeptical about the appeal of such a place at first, but having experienced it first-hand, I must say that I probably had more fun than the kids! This is a video of me and Anton on the giant slide:
And here is a photo of Tinsel and Anton in the playground:
On Sunday, we had a kiddie party at their home with her friends. Notice how incredibly pink the party was! This is the birthday girl looking pretty in pink:
On Saturday (her actual birthday), we went for lunch at Burgoo in Gateway Mall which was followed up in the afternoon with a visit to Active Fun (at their branch in Fun Ranch, Pasig). Active Fun is essentially a blown-up version of a McDonald's "play place." My brother and I took turns accompanying the kids inside; we had to watch over Anton who was too small to defend himself against playground bullies. (Interestingly enough, the "no-play" adult pass is cheaper than a kiddie pass. But when you follow kids around, you have no choice but to play along with them. The adult pass is unlimited too!)
Tinsel was very, very excited to go there. I was very skeptical about the appeal of such a place at first, but having experienced it first-hand, I must say that I probably had more fun than the kids! This is a video of me and Anton on the giant slide:
And here is a photo of Tinsel and Anton in the playground:
On Sunday, we had a kiddie party at their home with her friends. Notice how incredibly pink the party was! This is the birthday girl looking pretty in pink:
April 15, 2007
Photos from our weekend outing at Laiya Coconut Grove, from March 31 to April 1. A beach outing with the whole family and Andreé. Lots of sand and water. My nephew Anton really enjoyed the beach:
Photos from our traditional Holy Week escape to Tagaytay (at my tita's house), from April 5 to 7. Billiards (8-ball), more 8-ball, and a trip to the nearby churches. Refreshing. Even at 8-ball, I'm ultra-competitive, as usual:
(This entry should've come before the last few TopCoder posts, but I just copied over the photos today.)
Photos from our traditional Holy Week escape to Tagaytay (at my tita's house), from April 5 to 7. Billiards (8-ball), more 8-ball, and a trip to the nearby churches. Refreshing. Even at 8-ball, I'm ultra-competitive, as usual:
(This entry should've come before the last few TopCoder posts, but I just copied over the photos today.)
February 19, 2007
My dad's finally home! He arrived from Singapore this afternoon along with my sister. He doesn't look like he's skipped a beat. The doctors said he shouldn't do anything strenuous for at least a month, but otherwise he looks like he's back to normal...
...Except for the fact that he's on a health crusade now. There seems to be no end to the advice he's picked up from the doctors in Singapore. Look for all our meals to undergo a mandatory health inspection from now on. But it's for our own benefit too so all's well and good.
I'm very, very happy that my dad's back.
...Except for the fact that he's on a health crusade now. There seems to be no end to the advice he's picked up from the doctors in Singapore. Look for all our meals to undergo a mandatory health inspection from now on. But it's for our own benefit too so all's well and good.
I'm very, very happy that my dad's back.
February 09, 2007
After a successful angioplasty, Dad has been discharged from the hospital. He'll be staying in Singapore (not sure where) for a week to recuperate before heading home. My sister will be accompanying home (I think). (I obviously don't know much of the details... I haven't been able to ask my Mom a lot of questions.)
Thanks once again, everyone, for your prayers and concern.
Thanks once again, everyone, for your prayers and concern.
February 04, 2007
My dad has been in Singapore for a few days now, on a business trip. Last night, over dinner with his business partners, he experienced a mild heart attack (essentially a clogging of the arteries). Fortunately, his partners were there to rushed him to the hospital.
My dad's still in the hospital right now, resting while being monitored and treated. He can still able to talk to us and move around a bit. He is on his way to a full recovery, hopefully.
It's a difficult time for us. Our dad has always been the strong one in our family. Even at his age, he still works long hours, travels a lot, and maintains a healthy, active lifestyle. He's our superhero. And for this to happen to him all of a sudden... it's really painful. The distance makes it doubly difficult. He's always been there for us, and now, we can't be there for him. My sister is flying over to Singapore soon to accompany him back home as soon as he is able. But for the rest of us, we can't just drop by, check on him, bring him fruits, or keep him company.
Although all signs point to a total recovery, the possibility of not being able to see him alive and healthy again is still there. And when I think about that possibility, it breaks me down. I'm doing my best to be strong... or at least to appear strong. Inside, my heart is already grieving.
(Update: Dad had angioplasty surgery today. Mom says it went well, and Dad hopes to be discharged from the hospital by tomorrow. Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and caring thoughts.)
My dad's still in the hospital right now, resting while being monitored and treated. He can still able to talk to us and move around a bit. He is on his way to a full recovery, hopefully.
It's a difficult time for us. Our dad has always been the strong one in our family. Even at his age, he still works long hours, travels a lot, and maintains a healthy, active lifestyle. He's our superhero. And for this to happen to him all of a sudden... it's really painful. The distance makes it doubly difficult. He's always been there for us, and now, we can't be there for him. My sister is flying over to Singapore soon to accompany him back home as soon as he is able. But for the rest of us, we can't just drop by, check on him, bring him fruits, or keep him company.
Although all signs point to a total recovery, the possibility of not being able to see him alive and healthy again is still there. And when I think about that possibility, it breaks me down. I'm doing my best to be strong... or at least to appear strong. Inside, my heart is already grieving.
(Update: Dad had angioplasty surgery today. Mom says it went well, and Dad hopes to be discharged from the hospital by tomorrow. Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and caring thoughts.)
November 12, 2006
My brother left for Taiwan this morning. He's going there on official company business (Trend Micro). He'll be staying there for a month and will be back in time for Christmas. It won't be the first time he's lived abroad for an extended period of time. As for myself, I haven't been out of the country for more than a week. It must be really lonely to be in an unfamiliar place, away from the people you love, but it's probably exciting as well. I'm looking forward to the same experience some day, if that's what the future has in store for me.
On a related note, my dad also left for Cebu today. He'll be back by the middle of next week. Just a normal business trip.
On a related note, my dad also left for Cebu today. He'll be back by the middle of next week. Just a normal business trip.
October 18, 2006
I have this 13x13 goban (go board, 19x19 is the standard board size) which Miguel gave me some time back. On Monday night, I taught my brother how to play go. We played without him getting a handicap and I overwhelmingly beat him. With all the stones I captured (which we use to fill up his territory at the end), he didn't have any territory left and even got a "negative" score.On Tuesday night, it was my mom's turn. Who would've thought my 50-plus-year-old mom would be willing to learn such a mind-wracking game? Without a handicap, she actually fared much better than my brother; I still garnered a decisive victory but she had some territory left after counting.
I really enjoyed teaching them and playing go again; the last time I played was probably over a year ago. It's a game I want to be good at but I never had the time to practice. I think I'll start playing go online and watch recorded games to build up my skills.
Labels: board games, family, go
October 02, 2006
On our way home from church yesterday, I asked my dad if I could drive us (five of us: me, Kuya, Ate Tricia, mom, dad) home. Just to see if he'd trust me enough to put our safety in my hands. He (reluctantly) agreed. We made the switch after a brief stopover in Rustan's Magallanes and it was probably less than ten kilometers to home.
Following the advice of my driving instructor Alfonso, I tried to keep it relatively slow and safe: no overtaking, no changing lanes, no shifting past 4th gear until told to. His advice made a lot of sense: if I went ahead with my own driving style and my dad found it too reckless (for him), then I won't get a chance to drive the car again for a long time. But less than a minute into driving, he told me to speed it up and do some lane-changing and overtaking. We ran into a bit of a roadblock near Sun Valley but I managed to get past it. By the time we got home, my mom was sweating profusely from nervousness but my dad told me "Pasado na. (You pass.)" He did give me a few tips about following jeepneys and trikes but aside from that, I'd say he was very proud.
Later in the evening, my mom and dad left for a four-day travel tour of Shanghai, China. They're traveling with their mahjong barkada so they're in good company. It's been a long time since my parents went on a vacation together and they really deserve this break.
Before they left, my dad told me "Ikaw na bahala sa sasakyan. (You're in charge of the car.)" Yeah right, as if I'd pay for the gas.
Following the advice of my driving instructor Alfonso, I tried to keep it relatively slow and safe: no overtaking, no changing lanes, no shifting past 4th gear until told to. His advice made a lot of sense: if I went ahead with my own driving style and my dad found it too reckless (for him), then I won't get a chance to drive the car again for a long time. But less than a minute into driving, he told me to speed it up and do some lane-changing and overtaking. We ran into a bit of a roadblock near Sun Valley but I managed to get past it. By the time we got home, my mom was sweating profusely from nervousness but my dad told me "Pasado na. (You pass.)" He did give me a few tips about following jeepneys and trikes but aside from that, I'd say he was very proud.
Later in the evening, my mom and dad left for a four-day travel tour of Shanghai, China. They're traveling with their mahjong barkada so they're in good company. It's been a long time since my parents went on a vacation together and they really deserve this break.
Before they left, my dad told me "Ikaw na bahala sa sasakyan. (You're in charge of the car.)" Yeah right, as if I'd pay for the gas.
September 12, 2006
September 11, 2006 came and went and America was left unscathed. My sister Vanny's in New York right now for company-sponsored (Philam Life) marketing training. And she's on Wall Street, of all places. She was understandably apprehensive about being at a high-profile potential terrorist target on the 5th anniversary of 9/11, but now our family can breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm glad she's safe.
I'm glad she's safe.
Labels: family
August 29, 2006
For the longest time (not counting my dorm days), I've been sharing a bed with my brother. It's a double-size bed that probably 20+ years old which used to belong to my parents.
Don't get me wrong; we don't do it out of "brotherly love" (yuck) or anything like that. We all sleep together at night in the master's bedroom: my parents, my older brother Jerome, and me. It's basically two to a bed. That's been the arrangement at our home ever since we discovered the energy-saving benefits of using just a single large bedroom with an airconditioner running. My brother and I have an actual room of our own but the last time we slept in it was when I was seven years old (if I recall correctly). My two sisters had their own room which was similarly "abandoned" (my eldest sister Vanny moved out this year).
But since my sister Tricia moved back into the house (she used to stay in an apartment near the Internet café she runs), the family bedroom became a little bit more cramped. Because there was no extra bed in the room, she had to squeeze into my parents' bed. Now, a month later, my parents decided that we should move out. My brother and I moved to our sisters' old bedroom which already had two single beds. My sister took the double bed with her and settled into my old room. There are aircons now in both rooms but we don't use them to save on electricity.
To be honest, I'm having difficulty adjusting. For one thing, there's no television in our room. And I'm used to sleeping with the aircon on. But I really miss being in one room together with my family. I don't miss sleeping uncomfortably and having to jostle for the remote control. I simply miss being in each other's company, even if we don't talk to each other a lot. Our family doesn't have many problems, but admittedly, we're not very close to one another. Even if it is a little bit forced, it'll be hard to replace the quality time we spend together every night.
I'm going to miss my dad's incredibly loud snoring. I'm going to miss watching my mom do her novenas before going to bed. I'm going to miss those moments when we all decide to watch a movie on HBO or a golf tournament past midnight.
I feel like a part of myself has already been lost.
Don't get me wrong; we don't do it out of "brotherly love" (yuck) or anything like that. We all sleep together at night in the master's bedroom: my parents, my older brother Jerome, and me. It's basically two to a bed. That's been the arrangement at our home ever since we discovered the energy-saving benefits of using just a single large bedroom with an airconditioner running. My brother and I have an actual room of our own but the last time we slept in it was when I was seven years old (if I recall correctly). My two sisters had their own room which was similarly "abandoned" (my eldest sister Vanny moved out this year).
But since my sister Tricia moved back into the house (she used to stay in an apartment near the Internet café she runs), the family bedroom became a little bit more cramped. Because there was no extra bed in the room, she had to squeeze into my parents' bed. Now, a month later, my parents decided that we should move out. My brother and I moved to our sisters' old bedroom which already had two single beds. My sister took the double bed with her and settled into my old room. There are aircons now in both rooms but we don't use them to save on electricity.
To be honest, I'm having difficulty adjusting. For one thing, there's no television in our room. And I'm used to sleeping with the aircon on. But I really miss being in one room together with my family. I don't miss sleeping uncomfortably and having to jostle for the remote control. I simply miss being in each other's company, even if we don't talk to each other a lot. Our family doesn't have many problems, but admittedly, we're not very close to one another. Even if it is a little bit forced, it'll be hard to replace the quality time we spend together every night.
I'm going to miss my dad's incredibly loud snoring. I'm going to miss watching my mom do her novenas before going to bed. I'm going to miss those moments when we all decide to watch a movie on HBO or a golf tournament past midnight.
I feel like a part of myself has already been lost.
