Battle of the Bulge – I Need Your Help (Day 0)

Mataba ako, matagal na…pero wala akong ginagawang consistent about this. May pagkatamad ako e…bumili ako ng basketball shoes, pero nung nalipat kami ng bahay at natapos ang liga ko, hindi ko na nagamit uli. Bumili ako ng running shoes, pero after two months of jogging/walking, tumigil na din ako dahil sa injury sa tuhod ko. Nagsimula ako ng diet, pero hinid ko masustain…So in short, tamad lang talaga i-sustain.

Ngayon, hindi ko alam kung tama itong gagawin ko, pero I think I need to document my activity towards a healthier me.

Una, bakit ko ginagawa ito? Hindi na issue sa akin ang magpapayat at magpaganda ng katawan (although bonus na ito). Ang mas mahalaga sa akin is I have to be healthy for my lil boy. I want to grow with my son, and not just watch him grow. I want to live long enough to see him finish school, have his own family and be a hit in his chosen career path.

Second, ang dami kong nararamdaman sa katawan ko, and my latest executive check-up was not encouraging. I am obese by BMI standard, with a BMI of 30+. Body fat ratio of 30%+, high triglycerides, high count of bad cholesterol, at ang pinaka-regular kong sakit, high uric acid count. Simple lang ang doctor’s advice, reduce your weight by at least 20kgs and you will see all of this gone. FYI, I am now at 103 kgs. My challenge is to bring this down to at least 80kgs (176 lbs), which was my college weight. Would be nice if I can bring this down to 70 kgs (154 lbs), my high school weight.

Third, almost everything is difficult when you’re fat. Mahirap maglakad, dahil madaling mapagod. Mahirap maghagdan, dahil sumasakit ang tuhod. Mahirap makipaghabulan sa anak, dahil kinakapos ng hininga…at marami pang iba, na hindi na dapat i-share na sa blog, hahahaha!

Fourth, sayang ang mga damit ko na maayos pa, pero hindi na kasya. At saka mahirap humanap ng size ko dito sa Singapura, dahil karamihan ng tao dito e payat. Kung may malaki man, meaning Western sizes, e masyado naman mahaba sa akin, dahil iyon ay designed para sa mga puti, hehehehe! I end up na nagpapatahi, which is freakingly expensive here in Singapore.

What are the steps that I’m taking?

First, I’ll be treating this blog as a journal of my progress towards a healthier lifestyle. What I did, what I ate, if I slipped up, anything relevant to my journey. In a way, I can review my progress/decline towards my goal.

Second, I’m adjusting my schedule. Sabi nga ni Capt Witwicky sa Transformers, No Sacrifice, No Glory…hehhee, kaya I have to give up most of my late-night viewing schedule to give way to exercise. I’m also updating my work calendar para I spend at least three nights in a week doing some serious exercise, like swimming, basketball or briskwalking.

Third, and this is where YOU can help me…I thrive on feedback and motivation, and I’m calling on all help and support that I can muster para samahan, i-push at i-boost towards a healthier me. So sa inyo, (naks, ang dami!!!) na makakabasa nito, I need your help for this battle.

Tara let’s…Game na! Lesgow!

Here comes the Black Mamba!

My Lakers are back in the finals for the 3rd straight year! Yebah!

I hope this time around they get to exact revenge from the Celtics. I have a serious bet with my boss, kaya Wakanasusha, my Lakers better win! I don’t care if they do it in 5 or 6 or pwede ring sweep, basta dapat manalo sila!

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Damnit! The man who fashions himself as a King, is one big selfish SOB!

Stealing away the spotlight from the history-rich rivalry between the Lakers and the C’s! Ganun yata talaga kapag talunan at wala pang napapatunayan, dinadaan lahat sa daldal!

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Work from home ako bukas para makapanood ng game 1 Live! Bwahahaha! Ano kayang madahilan?!?!?!

Currently: anxious, excited, reflective

Demmit!

Sports rant – Pasensiya na sa hindi makakaunawa…

My Lakers lost today to the 8th seed Oklahoma Thunders!

DEMMIT!

Less than 30% shooting from Kobe…sa sampung tira, pito sablay! Ang nakakainis at nakakapagtaka, Durant gets 13 free throw attempts at wala kay Kobe. Mas nakakapagtaka, Durant made 12 FT’s, Lakers ATTEMPTED 12 FT’s. Ang galing namang tumawag ng referree. Pero mas magaling siguro ung nagbantay kay Kobe, biruin ni hindi man lang na-foul si Kobe, gayung aggressive siya the entire game! Magaling magaling magaling!

Less than 10 seconds, and Jordan Farmar takes a 3-pt shot, wakanasusha! Magaling din ang nag-design ng play! Magaling magaling magaling!

At isa pang magaling, Ron Artest takes the next 3-pt shot?!?!?! Wakanasusha! They should’ve gone for a very quick and aggressive 2-pt shot, tapos foul kaagad. Ang galing, nakakapang-init ng laman! Ang init pa naman ngayon! Wakanasusha!

Di bale, Lakers in 5, I’m sure!

Lagi na lang kami…

guwapong-guwapong anak na manang-mana sa pinagmanahan!

Ang tagal ko ding hindi nakapag-blog: out of ideas, out of time, but mostly, tamad. Pero gusto kong magpalabas ng idea/rant ko ngayon, dahil sa isang article na nabasa ko kanina.

 

History: Bakit ako bothered?
Isa ako sa mga milyun-milyong OFW’s dito sa bayan ni Lee Kuan Yew, dalawang taon na din ako dito, at masasabi kong masaya ako sa buhay ko dito, kapiling ang aking pamilya. Nagtatrabaho ako sa isang bangko, 18months sa Accounting, at ngayon ay nasa Learning & Development space (this is for another blog, kapag sinipag! hehe!). Si misis din ay nakahanap ng trabaho bilang isang clinic manager sa isang maliit (pero malakas rumaket) na dental clinic. Two-income family, kaya ok kami, kahit na paminsan-minsan e medyo tagilig ng kaunti. May isang guwapong-guwapong-manang-mana-sa-pinagmanahang anak, na nagsisilbing inspirasyon sa laban ng buhay.

Mabalik tayo sa aking nagiinit na saloobin ko sa nasabing artikulo. Ang dami kong nakakwentuhan dito tungkol sa isyu ng mga lokal laban sa mga foreign workers. Andiyan na sinasabi nila na kami (as foreigners) ang dahilan kung bakit sila nauubusan ng trabaho; na kami ang dahilan kung bakit mas siksikan sa mga bus at train; na kami ang dahilan kung bakit pahirapan pumasok sa mga pampublikong paaralan; na kami ang dahilan kung bakit ang hirap bumili at naging mataas ang presyo ng mga HDBs (high-rise govt housing); etc etc etc.

Sa mga nagrereklamo, etong sa inyo: WAKANASUSHA KAYO!

Puro na lang sila reklamo, pero potah, hindi naman nila iniintinding maigi ang mga behind-the-scenes ng mga buhay namin sa bansa nila bilang mga foreigner! Why do you hate us, when you clearly don’t have the rights; let me count that ways:

• we pay taxes; through our purchases and our income. At dahil taga-ibang bansa kami, iba ang aming tax scheme at maraming tax reliefs ang hindi available sa amin. Madaling sabi, mas malaking buwis ang binabayaran namin!
• hindi makakapasok ng basta basta ang mga anak namin sa mga schools dito, dahil sa estado namin, nasa hulihan kami ng bunutan (balloting) para makapasok sa schools dito! Prayoridad pa din ang mga locals, that’s fair, wala akong problema dun, pero huwag nilang isisi sa mga foreigner kung bakit mahirap sa mga schools, gayung priority sila!
• sa pagbili ng bahay, kapag foreigner ka, selected condo lang ang pwede mong bilhin. Kung HDB ang trip mong bilhin, at least kayong mag-asawa ay dapat Permanent Residents (PRs), kung hindi, dehins ka pwede bumili!
• sa trabaho: hindi mapili ang mga foreigners. Payag kami sa mas mababang sweldo at mas maraming oras, dahil alam namin na hindi kami priority sa trabaho, kaya kami tanggap lang ng tanggap! TRUE STORY: Isang restaurant owner at kung bakit gusto niya ang mga foreigners: locals lack the personal skills (meaning pleasant ang attitude ng mga foreigners) to handle client-facing roles; at isa pa, kapag local ang inalok mo ng trabaho, ang unang tanong nila e ”Can we have weekends off?”; samantalang kapag foreigner naman “Can we work overtime?” Napuna niyo ba ang kaibahan ng ugali pagdating sa trabaho?
• on hygiene: teka lang, baka maakusahan na naman akong racist nito e, i would just want to defend the Pinoys, I don’t speak for other foreigners this time. The Pinoys are noted for being very particular with cleanliness; from personal hygiene, to food and most especially surroundings. Enough said na ito siguro

Madami pa akong pwedeng idagdag, pero ito ang mga unang lumabas ng sinimulan ko ang entry na ito. Ewan ko talaga, I like this country, the system and its government. I just don’t like the fact that those people to whom much is given, sila pa ung putak ng putak! Wakanasusha! Siguro para sa Pinoy, we came from a very hard working, but poor country, kaya ganito na lang ang level ng pagsusumikap at pagtitiis natin.

O well, nailabas ko na ang gusto kong sabihin:

On a different note: my sporting bets did great yesterday. Pacquiao outclassed the Ghanian punching bag named Clottey, and Ferrari finished 1-2 in the inaugural race of the F1 season! Woohoo!

Para sa Magandang Panimula ng 20-oTEN!

Galing sa e-mail sa akin, sana ma-enjoy niyo, at sana mai-apply niyo din sa mga buhay-buhay niyo ngayong taon ng metallic TIGER! Happy new year intarweb people! Miss ko na kayo sobra! Hahahaha!

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants…

4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games. [Huwag lang maglalaro ng APOY!]

7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily; and while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits. [But still, don't forget to challenge yourself, once in a while!]

14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18.. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. If you think these/they haven’t been useful, beautiful or joyful for the past year, chances are, these/they still won’t be this year!

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Para sa iyo Chubby Feet

ABC

Noong October 23, nagone-year old na ang anak ko, WAKANASUSHA, ang bilis ng panahon, kinakabahan baka bukas e naghihingi na ng pang-gimik sa akin ito, hahahaha! Umuwi kami ng PI para i-celebrate ang knayang birthday with family and friends. I’ll post the pictures soon.

I came across this prayer in one of the FB status update, and it was really touching. I will forever remember this prayer and I hope that my son will also live with it.

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A Prayer For My Son

This is one of my favorite things ever written. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wrote this prayer for his son.

A Prayer For My Son

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee — and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, give him, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

Bagong Buhay

Kahapon ang unang araw na sumali ako sa bago kong work. I’m still staying with the same bank, pero this time I’m doing something REALLY REALLY new for me!

Accountant ako by profession kaya ever since na nag-work ako…it’s always been related to finance…business consultant, cost analyst, financial analyst & recently payroll accountant.

Wakanasusha, masyado pa-suspense, o eto na! This time I’m going to do Learning & Development, full time. Kahapon sobrang kapa pa talaga ako, wakanasusha, hindi ko maintindihan ang pinagsasabi nila. Kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko, full immersion for one month para maka-relate ako sa kanila. Panalangin ko na sana eto nga ung niche ko, alam sobrang off sa career ko, pero baka dito ako maging successful at dito ako maka-build ng pangalan ko sa bank at sa industriya. Kaya mahal kong readers, please wish me luck!
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11 months na ang aking chubby feet sa wednesday! picture to follow soon! Ang bilis ng panahon grabe! Active na nga e sobra, nakikipag-wrestling na, hehehe! Kaya ngayon pa lang ako kailangan ko ng magipon ng todo para sa magandang kinabukasan ng anak ko. Mahirap na masarap… Kaya sanang lumaking matino ang anak ko!
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o yun lang muna, gusto ko lang subukan uli itong wireless blogging na hindi micro-blogging, hehehehe!

YES HE CAN! NoyPI!

NoyPi – Noy Aquino for President Initiative.

Mga kapatid, kababayan, kapatid na OFW, naka-rehistro ka na ba para sa halalan ng 2010? Ayoko sanang gawing political blog ito, pero nais ko lang i-share sa inyo ang article na ito na nabasa ko, na isinulat ng kolumnistang si Conrado De Quiros. Baka sakaling ang boto mo ang maging sanhi ng pagbabago sa ating bansa.

Sabi nga namin dito sa Merlion City:  CAN, NO PROBLEM!

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Yes, he can

by:  Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The thought, or challenge, persists: Can Noynoy do it? Or variations thereof: Is he qualified to become president? Is he prepared to become president? Does he have what it takes to be president?

The question doesn’t just come from Arroyo’s people, who ask it with dutiful sneers. The question comes from readers who ask it with dutiful concern. One e-mail I got put it this way: If you’re applying to become CEO of a company, you have to submit a résumé. What commends Noynoy to become CEO of this country?

I’ve written about this in past columns, but a couple more things need pointing out.

First off, the question, “Will Noynoy be a good CEO?” is a wrong one. The job at hand is not CEO of a company, it is janitor of a building. What this country needs today is not someone to manage things, it is someone to clean up things. What we need today is not someone to make a business flourish, it is someone to make a dwelling place habitable, one whose previous tenant left it in a condition only cockroaches, rats, and real-estate speculators, in ascending order of predation, can appreciate. Who better to do this than Noynoy?

Or if you persist in using the CEO image, the job at hand is CEO, but only of a company that has been bankrupted by a bunch of crooks. Whom would you hire to revive it? An efficiency freak with a long résumé but who has business interests that compete with the company, who is a known tirador or beholden to people who are, and who therefore can only be trusted to efficiently pillage some more? Or someone you can trust?

Again, a no-brainer.

The applying-for-CEO idea presumes these elections are normal elections, or a peaceful transition, or a routine transfer of power like 1992 and 1998. They are not. These are extraordinary elections, a fitful transition, a still uncertain transfer of power. We need in the first place to make the transfer happen—like 1986. The pissing contest of submitting résumés presumes moreover that the contest is just elections. It is not, or it has gone beyond elections. The elections are just a battle, they are not the war. The war is not between candidates offering relative merits (or demerits), the war is between Good and Evil, between yoke and freedom, between oppression and liberation. As with 1986 and last year’s US elections, the cry is the epic “We shall overcome,” not the miserable “We shall underwhelm.”

Noynoy represents the first, the rest of the field the second.

Second off, the question “Can Noynoy do it?” is a wrong one. The real question is, “Can we do it?” To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, what we need today is to ask not what the president can do for us but what we can do for the president.

That’s what makes trustworthiness the most decisive qualification of all. If the president is just an InGlorious Basterd, why on earth would you want to ask yourself what you can do for your president? You would want to ask yourself only what you can do to her, particularly if she refuses to go.

Indeed, that’s what shows the folly, or danger, of the CEO template. A CEO is accountable only to the stockholders, not to the hundreds of men and women employed by the company. The hundreds of men and women he can order around and fire as he pleases. Its political equivalent is that the president is accountable only to the taipans and coniotics who spent for his campaign, not to the citizens of the country. The citizens he can bully around and screw as he pleases.

That may be so for a dictatorship but not so for a democracy.

The power of a democracy does not lie in a strong leader—or heaven forbid, strong republic—it lies in a strong people. The power of a democracy does not lie in excluding the people, it lies in including the people. The folly of our elections is that it is premised precisely on excluding the people, in looking for “presidentiables” who can fill the role of Savior or Padron, who can save us from ourselves, who can spare us the need to apply ourselves to improving ourselves.

Which in any case is a monumental exercise in self-delusion. Or self-flagellation. We demand heaven but expect only hell. We ask of candidates the virtues of a messiah, but expect from the winner only the conduct of a cur or asal aso, as we say. Who seriously believes the candidates with the résumés will deliver on their promises? We get a moderate (the greed) crook, we’re happy; we get an immoderate one, we say, “What else is new?”

We want to change the equation, we change ourselves. We change the way we are governed by including ourselves in our governance. Which is what a democracy is. Look at all the successful democracies and see if they are not premised on an active people, a vocal people, a people demanding to have a say in how they are governed.

I’m perfectly serious in pushing “Noypi,” both in the sense of “Noypi” as “Noynoy for President Initiative” and as “Noynoy’s People’s Initiative.” (I am aghast that another group is using that very name to promote their own political agenda!) We need to unleash the power of the people in everyday life, not just during elections, not just when things have gotten so bad we need to act to save ourselves. We need to unlock the key that makes People’s Initiative—the young and feeling-young Noypi—a force in everyday life.

All this is premised on a president we can trust. All this is premised on a president who does not crave power so badly she or he won’t part with it at all costs, least of all to the governed. All this is premised on a president who is as much willing to believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God as the voice of God is the voice of the people. All this is premised on a president who is one damn good person.

Can Noynoy do it? Believe it:

Yes, he can.

I am TOUCHED!

Habang nagbabasa ako ng inquirer, nabasa ko ang article tungkol sa pagyao ng daughter-in-law ni Mayor Jojo Binay.  Mababaw ang luha, kaya aminado akong medyo nangilid ng kaunti ang aking luha, lalo na ng nabasa ko ang mga regrets ng kanyang naiwang asawa na si Councilor Jun-jun Binay (nepotism at its finest, that’s for a different posting!).

His voice cracking, he related that Ken-ken had often asked him to stay beside her but he was usually unable to.

“For one reason or another, hindi ko po laging nagawa ito. She told me ‘hon, I cannot sleep when you’re not beside me. For some reason, hindi ko rin po maipaliwanag how men can be so insensitive with the little requests that our wives or loved ones ask from us,” said a teary eyed Binay.

Siguro mas naka-relate ako dahil may asawa’t anak na din ako, at dahil sa isa sa mga pinaka-gusto kong films ay ang Click (which deals with family relationships and balancing your professional life). Napa-isip talaga ako ng husto…tama ba ang binibigay kong oras sa aking mag-ina…is there such a thing as sapat na oras? Ewan ko…Ito ang isa sa mga pinagkaiba namin ng tingin ni erpats; while he believes that a good father is a good provider…ang tingin ko naman e a good father is a good provider and the source of love for the family. Na-gets niyo? Si Papa, work work work yan, ang mahalaga para sa kanya may matinong pinagsasaluhan, matino ang buhay, at magandang kinabukasan ang mabibigay niya sa amin. Ako naman work, work, work, pero dapat may oras, not just the quantity, but also the quality, para sa pamilya mo. Hindi sapat, para sa akin, na maibigay ko ang kailangan at gusto ng pamilya ko, pero dapat kasama nila ako sa pag-harap nila sa buhay, at kasama ako sa every milestone ng buhay ko. I do not fault my father for this, dahil he was there too every step of the way for us, pero para sa akin gusto ko balanseng lang…not neglecting the material aspect, pero dapat din busog ang spiritual and emotional side. Nung tumanda na lang ako ng nagkaroon kami ng chance ng tatay to connect emotionally.

Ano ba para sa inyo ang definition ng good father?

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At gusto ko din pala i-share sa inyo ito. It’s a children’s tale about love, sana mai-relate niyo sa buhay niyo.

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
by Sam McBratney

Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare’s very long ears. He wanted to be sure that
Big Nutbrown Hare was listening.

“Guess how much I love you,” he said.

“Oh, I don’t think I could guess that,” said Big Nutbrown Hare.

“This much,” said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go.

Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms.

“But I love you this much,” he said.

Hmm, that is a lot, thought Little Nutbrown Hare.

“I love you as high as I can reach,” said Little Nutbrown Hare.

“I love you as high as I can reach,” said Big Nutbrown Hare.
That is very high, thought Little Nutbrown Hare.
I wish I had arms like that.

Then Little Nutbrown Hare had a good idea.He tumbled upside down and reached up the tree trunk with his feet.

“I love you all the way to my toe!” he said.

“And I love you all that way up to your toes,” said Big Nutbrown Hare,
swinging him up over his head.

“I love you as high as I can hop!” laughed Little Nutbrown Hare,
bouncing up and down.

“But I love you as high as I can hop,” smiled Big Nutbrown Hare-
and he hopped so high that his ears touched the branches above.

That’s good hopping, thought Little Nutbrown Hare.
I wish I could hop like that.

“I love you all the way down the lane as far as  the river,” cried Little Nutbrown Hare.

“I love you across the river and over the hills,” said Big Nutbrown Hare.

That’s very far, thought Little Nutbrown Hare. He was almost too sleepy to think anymore. Then he looked beyond the thornbushes,
out into the big dark night. Nothing could be farther than the sky.

“I love you right up to the moon,” he said, and closed his eyes.

“Oh, that’s far,” said Big Nutbrown Hare.

“That is very, very far.”

Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves.
He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by
and whispered with a smile,

“I love you right up to the moon-and back.”

Para sa iyo, Pats!

Hindi mo mababasa ito, kaya hayaan mong ibuhos ko ang nararamdaman ko ngayon sa entry na ito…

Special ang araw na ito para sa iyo, dahil birthday mo ngayon Pats! Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, today is your 55th birthday, pero controversial ka, kaya hindi ako sigurado kung 1955 or 1954 ka pinanganak! Hahahaha!

Malungkot ako ngayong araw na ito Itay, for the second straight year, hindi kita makakasama, hindi kita mayayakap, hindi kita maililibre ng lugaw kay Ogo o kay Aling Sabel…dahil nasa ibang bansa ako, pinaghihirapang maigi ang pagbibigay ng magandang buhay para sa pamilya ko naman…gaya ng ginawa mo para sa amin, nung panahon ng kaunti pa lang kayong mga OCWs sa Gitnang Silangan. Pero masaya ako dahil sa araw na ito nakausap ko kayo kahit na sandali at kasama niyo ang mga malalapit niyong kaibigan. Salamat sa kanila, at kahit sandali ay malilimutan mo ang problema na halos gabi-gabi mo na ding pinagdadasal…kagaya ng ginagawa ko.

Nagpadala nga pala ako ng kaunti para sa iyo Pats, panlibre mo ng Jollibee kina Mama at sa mga kapatid ko; pasensya na at yan lang ang kaya ko ngayon, hirap pa din ako ngayon dito. Alam ko namang ma-aapreciate mo yan, pero I’m sure mas matutuwa ka kapag malaki, dahil madadala mo ang pamilya sa walang kamatayang Century Park Hotel.

Sana Pats, makaraos na tayong lahat sa krisis na ito, sa matagal na nating problema sa pera. Alam mo napapansin ko na medyo nawawala na ang sigla mo…ika nga, you lost your bounce in your step…Nawawalan ka na ba ng pag-asa na malalagpasan natin ito? Hindi ka ganyan Pa, you’ve always been a warrior, at alam kong hindi ka nagpapaapekto sa problema…pero siguro may hangganan din ang pagiging strong ng isang kagaya mo.

Alam mo sobrang bilib ako sa iyo, ang galing mong magdala ng problema, hindi halata, kaya for a time, mas mukha pa akong matanda sa iyo, hahahaha, pero siyempre, your age catches up, you start to show signs of ageing…the white streaks, which I thought was a sign of your wisdom…the laugh lines, dahil sa hilig mong tumawa at magpatawa…at ang wrinkles, for bearing all those problems ever since I can remember at ang iyong patuloy na paninigarilyo, na higit sa 15 years ko ng sinasabi sa iyo na itigil mo na.

Ibang-iba ang tingin sa iyo ng mga tao…mula sa mga kasama natin sa community natin sa Tugatog, ang mga may-kaya at ultimo ang mga tambay sa court, lahat tawag sa iyo Boss o kaya Manager. At kung may medical mission tayo, Doc na din ang tawag nila sa iyo. The irony of it though, is alam din naman nilang baon tayo sa utang, and yet sa atin pa din sila unang lumalapit. Call it faith in you or whatever, ang alam ko, that’s what you call RESPECT.

Sa kabila ng mala-Napoleon Bonaparte mong temper, mahal na mahal ka pa din ng tao, lalong-lalo na ang mga taong nabigyan mo ng trabaho. Pero minsan may mga umaalis kasi sobrang strikto mo, at walang preno ang baga mo sa pagbigay ng instruction sa napakalakas mong baga. Gayun pa man, people loved you.

Ang daming lumalapit sa atin, minsan para lang makipagkwentuhan, makipag-tong its, makipag-darts, dati pa nga pati table tennis, pero madalas para hingan ng tulong. Ang bahay natin pag Pasko, daig pa ang bahay ni Santa Claus sa dami ng tao…at lahat na lang sila tawag sa iyo Ninong…

Pero alam ko dumating ang panahon na ayaw mong bumaba ng kuwarto dahil wala kang maiabot sa mga bata kahit na tig-bebente man lang, kaya kinuha ko ang bungkos ko ng pera para lang may maipamigay ka. Maligaya ako noon dahil nakapagpasaya ka, pero alam ko deep in your heart, medyo frustrated ka kasi hindi na sa iyo galing iyon, at alam mong nagiipon na ako that time para sa kasal ko.

Pa, marami pang pagkakataon na na-frustrate ka kasi kami na ni utol ang gumagastos kada lalabas tayo noon…wala sa amin iyon, in fact, kulang pang kabayaran iyon para sa lahat ng nagawa mo para sa amin.

You’ve been a warrior and a steadying presence sa pamilya natin Pa, and I think it took a toll in your body. Salamat for always being strong Pa. We don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, pero we do enjoy our long conversations/arguments. Naaalala mo ba nun, one month bago ako ikasal, nag-usap till 4am…wala namang alak sa harapan natin o pagkain man lang, pero pareho nating hindi namalayan ang oras, until bumaba si Mama para sabihin sa ating pumanik na tayo at matulog. Tapos nung kasal ko, huling-huli ng camera, lumuha ka, kaya ako naiyak kasi naiyak ka! Hahahaha! Excuses!

Ang dami kong natutunan sa iyo Pa, mula sa mga simpleng drawing hanggang sa mga diskarte sa pamilya ko…at lahat yun buong pagyayabang kong sasabihin na turo iyon ng tatay ko.

Sobrang miss na miss na kita Pa, iba pa din ung magkasama tayo, o iyung tipong kada weekend magkakasama tayo. Nami-miss ko ang mga usapan natin, nami-miss ko din ang mga payo mo at ang mga biro mo. Iba ka dumiskarte sa buhay at madala naka-pattern sa iyo ang style ko para sa pamilya ko.

Pats, be strong, huwag kang mawalan ng pag-asa, lahat ng hirap na dinadaanan natin ngayon may hangganan din ito. Pinagdadasal ko na maging malakas ka at bigyan ka pa ng maraming years ni Lord. Gusto kong makita mo na nagtagumpay ako at napalaki ko ng tama ang anak ko at nabigyan ko ng magandang buhay ang pamilya…dahil lahat un sa mga turo mo sa akin.

I miss you so much Papa. Hope you are proud of me, as I am very much proud of you Pats!

Happy birthday Manong! We love you!