All these times of staying in all sorts of hotel rooms has influenced my son.

He now wants to be a hotelier when he grows up!

He now says with glee…

“I want to be a butler!

or… an elevator boy!”
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Because God gave you to me

I shall not love one but two. And three.

I shall not stare on two eyes but four

And when we hold our hands together

We shall be counting six. And eight.

Holding on for the better

And hopefully not

for the worst

How blessed that I shall always hear

your two hearts beating in your sleep

and your beautiful smiles peering at me

wide awake

soothing my soul with all your beauty and your sweetness

Your lives are God’s masterful work and miracle

at work in me, and I shall not ask for more.

I love you with my life

Happy birthday my twinnies!

My dear kumpadre, Dr. Romy Echauz, passed away last week. It was something that caught me by surprise and brought tears to my eyes, having known about it after the funeral already as I have changed phone numbers. To those close to him, he will always be the esteemed banker and billionaire businessman, having founded one of the Philippines’ largest non-life insurance companies. But to me, he will always be a cherished mentor, benefactor and loving godfather to my twins whom he fondly called hijadas.

I met Dr. Echauz close to ten years ago when he introduced himself to say how he liked one article I’d written for our newspaper. A meeting over coffee ensued and from then on he called me his “associate,” something that flattered me coming from a man of his stature. Not only did he tap me for his professional projects, I was also privileged to be part of their extended family. Memorable were the countless vacations we spent in their sprawling retirement subdivision which Doc Echauz relentlessly promoted till his death. For the past several years, the kids also enjoyed attending the Feast of the Three Kings at the Casino Espanol in Manila courtesy of Ninong Romy.
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kimono

Originally uploaded by annalyn.

Am now a proud recipient of a kimono like this one, but there’s no picture of me wearing it since am still trying to figure out how to. Actually it’s a Japanese yukata (summer kimono) in a black and white fan-like design with an accompanying maroon obi. According to this website, the basic premise is to “wrap the right side of the kimono over the body, then overlap it with the left side.” But other than this, you also need to put on white tabi socks, Japanese sandals (most often the zori), the white collar that goes around the neck called eri-sugata, plus of course the obi and obi sash to keep the whole thing in place. It seems that wearing the kimono is a meticulous ritual that there are schools for this in Japan. Except for the fact that am so fascinated with it, am still trying to figure out my use for the kimono – maybe use it as a houserobe or don it for a costume party one of these days. I can’t wait to see Memoirs of a Geisha all the more!

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The kimono was an unexpected gift from my Tokyo-based blog friend Atinna who is one fascinating person to meet and undeniably has a heart of gold.
Well, it seems that most of my pals who visit the Philippines have killer schedules and I could just sympathize. I had to meet the lovely Miss A in Starbucks Araneta Center en route to her next destination: Bulacan. Even though it was out of my location, I had no regrets since (aside from the meeting) it was my first time to see the newly-built Gateway Mall, an urban oasis in the heart of the Cubao jungle. I admired the landscaping that is like Greenbelt and I can’t wait to try all the restos and the state-of-the-art theater which reportedly boasts of La-Z-Boys for a unique viewing experience. Some of us can’t help but wax sentimental over the old Cubao which consisted of the Fiesta Carnival, Ali Mall and the Farmers’ Market but I could say the present one is definitely an improvement.

twinswithphone

There were other gifts from Atinna and these were these cellphones for each of my kids. They’re real ones except that you can’t call or text with them, hahaha. Ms. A says they’re “decoy” phones, the ones you can find being displayed in mobile phone stores. Whatever, the twins had a fun time tinkering with them:)

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Finally, here’s a picture of the twins being settled with their toys.

I concede that they’re more good-looking than the mom and super lovable, di ba? *smile

Arigato A….hope to see you in another part of the world soon!

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Originally uploaded by annalyn.

Anna meets Annal. It doesn’t matter that weeks before she came to Manila, my Norway-based tokayo (in Pilipino, meaning a person with which you share the same first name) Anna Lyn and I were in constant YM conference, discussing plans about shopping in Divisoria and meeting with our high school classmates whom we haven’t seen in 20 years! But as it turned out, we were too busy for our own good – me with my work and she with touring the islands with her family. It took extraordinary determination on both our sides to finally meet, then be introduced to her lovely youngest daughter Tanya and her nice husband John.I was amazed that she looked almost the same as when I last saw her. Never mind our stray white hairs AL but how could you give birth and not gain an inch on your hips while I agonize over mine? Lol.

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Originally uploaded by annalyn.

It was good coincidence that AL’s apartelle was located beside the Hong Kong Golden Pavillion Restaurant, one of my fave Chinese restos in Manila. We were joined by another classmate Magnolia and reminisced on the old days while munching on pork buns, fish cakes, seafood noodles, fish fillet hotpot, garlic spareribs and my favorite Vietnamese spring roll. I was glad that John liked the beer which came from the resto’s own mini-brewery and I wondered if the beer went well with the whale steak which is the Bjornstads’ specialty back in Norway.Before we knew it, it was time for our marathon meeting to end but I was certainly glad to see AL again and luckily we now share the same world in this blogosphere.

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Originally uploaded by annalyn.

Saturday, on the other hand, had me attending the first birthday of my goddaughter Ichi. When I read the invitation to “please wear your dancing shoes” I knew that this would not be your run-of-the-mill party or a children’s party at all.

ichi2

Originally uploaded by annalyn.

The function room of the Hyatt Hotel was decked with pastel-colored balloons and a lovely-three tiered cake designed like a gift box. How lucky this baby must be to have such doting parents who are willing to give her the best of everything early on ( & never mind the ninang who is broke, hehe) Us guests feasted on the full-course buffet which didn’t taste bland like most hotel food. I savored the smoked tanguigue (taste akin to smoked salmon) which is my favorite appetizer of all time. And the ladies like me had fun being twirled around the dance floor by the dance instructors hired for the occasion. My DI Giovanni was so good that it felt effortless grooving to the swing despite the fact that I haven’t danced in ages. And when it was time for us to leave, we were even given loot bags and colorfully-designed cupcakes as souvenirs. Whew, what a party!

If there’s anything good that came out of my horrible vacation that just passed, it’s the fact that I got to be reunited with a few important people in my life: my college friends, members of my immediate family who came from the US, and my long-lost half-sister Jinky.

I don’t know what it is about reunions which give me the greatest joy. Aside from the obvious fact that you miss the persons concerned, there’s the excitement in starting again where you left off, the sharing of all the juiciest anecdotes you can remember, all the laughter and the food, plus physical observations you are otherwise not aware of. Common lines in these gatherings are: “whatever happened to… ??” and the dreaded “tumaba/pumayat ka ngayon ~ you gained/lost weight!!”

First, I got to see my elder sister who is based in the US with her Pinoy husband and three boys (!!) I last visited them in Missouri in 1999 when I didn’t have the twins yet and now her kids are fully grown. How time flies!! Then I finally got to meet my half-sister whom Papa was always talking about when he was still alive. After seeing her pictures in the past, I wondered about her and I am happy now that I met her, to know there is another member of the family to relate to. We have our own lives now and it is better to move on rather than be glued to the past, which is not always pleasant. Hopefully, half-sis and I will always be in touch.

Lastly, some of my college blockmates and I finally got together after 15 years. Geez, that is such a long time but having met them again, it’s nice to know that things hardly changed. Fortunately, my classmates remain simple and ‘grounded’ despite the fact that we’ve made a mark in our different careers. Benjo owns an events company, James is an advertising tophat, Ray is the right-hand man of Congressman X, Windsor writes for a Korean newspaper while some others are scattered all over Asia writing for various publications (hello! magparamdam naman kayo) Some remain single and it is only best friend Cecil and I who appeared to be rabidly maternal. And if anybody asked me what has been my greatest accomplishment all these years, probably my answer would be that am a blogger am a single mom to three kids which is like, the hardest profession in the world!

Class reunion

I wish I can remember something exciting about my college life but there’s hardly none. There was no boyfriend, drugs or alcohol; malls and the Internet were not yet in vogue then and so I went home straight after laboriously researching in the library. Worse, Mom just gave me enough for my transportation fare and meals in the canteen. Working early appeared to be the most sensible thing to do and the end result was that I was independent at an early age. I am most proud of the fact that I lived away from home and supported myself through college ~ there’s been no looking back since.

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Anyhoo, our college reunion went well and we had a blast trying the song selections at Redbox. If not for its prime location in the heart of Greenbelt and the fact that Filipinos are suckers for karaoke, Redbox should be congratulated for having the blandest-tasting buffet this side of town. What more, they didn’t seem to be prepared for the long lines during the holidays and took a long time to refill the food. Please do better next time fellas, or better yet change the chef. Natch!

family

Originally uploaded by annalyn.

To My Beloved Paolo, Dianne & Dionne,

Did I ever tell you I really don’t like Christmas …. all the traffic, the impatient drivers, the pushing and shoving in public areas, the frantic search for perfect gifts, the exorbitant prices in most shopping centers, the pressure to cook for noche buena, meeting relatives you don’t like in family reunions etc etc? By some twist of fate, your Mom is also at her lowest in Christmas this year because I have lost some very valuable things. This is exactly the reason why I can only blame Christmas because it creates a spirit of needless want in others, fosters unrealistic expectations and breeds loneliness.

Yet all is not lost between Christmas and me because I have you, or rather, that we have each other on this special day. Having you means I can look beyond the material veneer of Christmas and see it in all the childish anticipation in your eyes. Having you means searching the world for all the toys in the list you gave me because that is what a good mother must do. Because that is what I must do to compensate for these guilty feelings I have for leaving you at home and working instead.For making that painful choice of having an ‘incomplete’ family instead of coping with an ‘unhappy’ family.

So Christmas will be one of those rare times when your harassed mom finds herself puttering in the kitchen to bake those cookies and prepare that roast. When we make our pilgrimage to Bulacan to see your lola, your titas and nephews.

If you ask me anak, my greatest souvenir of Christmas was when you gave me those cards you made in school. when I thought “Merry Christmas Mom & I love you” were the best phrases I read the whole year. Of course I also can’t wait for you Paolo to open your piggy bank and see what gift you have in mind for me. *wink

Yes I have my shortcomings and I can never claim to be the perfect mother. But Christmas seems to be the best time to tell you that I love you and will never leave you. To thank God because he has given me the opportunity to be a parent to the three of you ~ not the most coveted job in the world but certainly the most rewarding. There is no greater joy for me than hugging and kissing you all and thanking Him for giving me beautiful creations in all of you. There will be more frenzied December days to come but we will survive everything with God’s help.

Love always,
Mom