Laura’s Big Mistake

It was time to pick up Paige from school.

Erbe was asleep and I had no choice but to ask Laura to pick up Paige. Don't ask me why I didn't want to do it myself – or why I choose not to. I blame everything on pregnancy. Yes, even before I was pregnant.

Anyway, I went downstairs and looked for her. Alma, Mommy's other eager help, was not around. She was busy visiting the quack doctor for her bleeding that just wouldn't stop. The theory is that the spirits are sucking the blood out from her vagina. Again, don't ask me why these bleeding spirits chose a really disgusting method of making Alma suffer for whatever imagined offense she may have committed against the spirit clan.

Anyway, Laura was busy marinating chickens. (Luna, that's the parents' business. They run a couple or so chicken grills located around the city – thus, the need for boys, girls and gays.)

Anyway, Laura, as I have mentioned before is about 80 – 90% deaf. However, I refuse to shout when talking to her. In my way of thinking, I am insulting her if I do so. I thought I'd be very insulted if I were in her position and I'd see people literally screaming at me when they talk - their veins outlined against their neck. I'd likely smack them. I imagined that she could very well understand me regardless of how I speak to her. Boy, was I wrong! So, there I was carefully instructing her to pick up Paige from school. She was nodding and blinking and nodding and blinking. She put down the chickens and readied herself.

"Okay," I thought, "she understood me. That's the way to do it. I didn't even have to shout." I was pleased with myself and my "talking" skills.

I followed her outside the house and watched her walk away – walk away towards the entirely wrong direction.

At first, I frowned and then when she continued to walk, I thought, "oh boy, oh boy! Where the hell is she going?" (Yes, I do tend to think in English. :))

Daddy's farmer, who was standing beside me on the porch, started talking. He irritates the hell out of me. He just wouldn't shut up and he can talk and talk and talk… He butts in on conversations and he dishes out advices like he's Owl of the Hundred Acre Woods.

I ignored him. I could hear him saying, "Bungog baga kaya yan ne. Garo baga may raot yan sa payo."

Fucking homophobic.

Anyway, I couldn't follow Laura outside the house, so I decided to just let go wherever she thinks she's supposed to go and I rushed upstairs to wake Erbe up.

While, I was trying to explain to Erbe that Laura was seemingly walking towards Gainza, she knocked.

As per habit, she doesn't wait for you to say anything, her head would just pop up and it did. She gingerly held up two eggs and asked, "Ano gibuhon to ta tugok?"

Erbe and I looked at each other and started laughing and laughing and laughing.

Anyway, to make the story short, Erbe ended up picking up his daughter from school. I've also learned to speak to Laura loudly – and I mean, LOUDLY. Lady, that I am though, I refused to shout. Don't argue with the lady part.

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Paige's Drawings

Here are a couple of Paige's latest drawings.

The first one is here drawing of me and her. Notice that we have both dangling earrings. It's because I was wearing one when she drew me. :)

The second drawing is a picture of an ass defecating. Blame my mother for this disgusting drawing.

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Happy Birthday Cori

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Not One of Those Days

We hired another gay person to work for us the other day.

He lasted only two days. He left this morning.
Without any say so.
And with 20,000 worth of cash and stuffs.
Unfortunately - or fortunately - for us, he took the stuffs of our other helpers.
Needless to say, every one - excluding Laura and Alma - is considerably pissed.

They have their own "kubo" or as jokingly call it, "mama's servants quarter". So, they all sleep there. The kubo has girls' and boys' rooms. Pidong, the thieving homosexual, sleeps in the boy's room, so he was able to get all their stuffs. The girls, including Laura (who really thinks of himself as a girl) were spared.

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Laura

For almost a month now, we have Norman Sanchez working for us as our helper. He was initially hired to take care of Paige - or actually to follow Paige around. He is so freaking industrious, however, he puts every one of our helpers past and present to shame. He's a busy, busy ant all the time.

There are two things, however, that makes him distinctive:
1. He is gay.  He wants us to call him Laura - and so we do.
2. He has speech defect.

Earlier this morning, we were having breakfast and Mommy asked Laura for his family name. (Notice the irony here, the use of the word "his" after the Proper noun "Laura").

He answered, "Tantes."

We didn't understand at first and so we kept asking him to repeat the word.


"Tantes"

And so I said it just like that, "Tantes???"

He nodded vaguely.  Since, I was speaking softly, he didn't hear me.

Oh, yeah, that's the third distinctive fact about Laura, he is a little deaf, no scratch that, he is about 90% deaf. You really have to literally shout so he could hear you. So, don't think badly of my mother if you see her instructing Laura at the top of her voice, "Magbakal kang sarong kilong asukar sa tindahan!"

Anyway, I digress.

As I was saying, Laura nodded when I asked him if his family name was indeed, "Tantes".

I was wrong.

My cousin, who was having her breakfast too, asked, "Sanchez?"

Laura once again nodded vigorously, "Iyo! Iyo!"

Dabeng, my cousin, said, "Sanchez man ako"

Laura answered, "Ay 'ayop ta dai ta tatabi, pintan ta ka payan!"

Mommy and I were taken aback by the use of "ayop" but we started laughing. Yes, we're like that.

Laura continued, "pintan to itong atista ta tv."

I asked, "Si Sylvia Sanchez?"

He nodded, "o-ho"

I continued, "Si Korina Sanchez?"

He nodded again, "iyo! iyo!

Again, he turned to Dabeng and said, "dai ta tatabi! pintan ta ta!" He then promptly stood up and disappeared.

After several minutes, he returned with an ID of his mother. He turned to Dabeng and said, "hitingun mo, tantes."

Oh, yeah, the word Sanchez was clearly printed. What surprised me, however, was his mother's picture. His mother looked like a man. Apparently, his mother is as gay as Laura.  :)

Well, here's our Laura.

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Happy Father's Day Chudi!

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Paige Reading (for the first time!)

After finishing nursery last year, Paige received her diploma. So, we were thinking that she is going to be in Kindergarten 1 this year. The teacher, however, recommended that she repeats Nursery because she is "too young for Kindergarten 1". Since her classmates in Nursery, however, are already in Kindergarten 1, we asked the teacher to allow her to join the class and we promised to make sure that Paige will be able to cope up with the lessons.

cope up with the lessons.. effing stressful for an almost four-year-old girl. Anyway, the teacher agreed and since we have decided that Paige will start "proper and formal schooling" next year in a different school, we thought we'd grab the opportunity that she'd be in Kindergarten 1 and enroll her in Kindergarten 2 next year.

Mommy, a retired teacher, was highly insulted, however, that the teacher thinks her granddaughter is not equipped to handle Kindergarten 1. So, I think she got hold of Paige this evening and started teaching her to read.

When I woke up this evening, she gleefully asked me to test Paige's reading skills. And here's the video of Paige reading. :)

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Interesting

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Sigh

I feel stupid for crying like this. I can blame my hormones, but no. I always get like this whenever he's not around.

I hate this.

On a lighter note, you have got to watch Leap Year. It kind of drags at first, but it picks up and it becomes interesting. I love the last 10 minutes of the movie. Of course, you will not be able to appreciate it if you will not watch the whole thing. Oh, oh, it's a chick flick. So, if you are a guy reading this, you probably won't like it. Still, it's good.

Just download it now and watch it.

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Secret Regret

"I regret falling for you. I regret not being good enough for you. I regret the irony in that. Most of all I regret that I think of you every day, all day and I just can't stop."

• Grabbed from Secret Regrets
  

Regrets and lost loves – these things seem like a common theme. Sad.

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Just a Thought

Should you ever settle when it comes to marriage? Should you wait for your soul mate or should you just grab whoever comes along?

If you choose the promise of a soul mate, how long will you be willing to wait?

Some people will likely wait forever.

Some people may have found theirs and have lost them already.

Some people are just plain lucky.

One thing I know though that there is only one person in the world for whom you would willingly walk through the pits of hell for.

This is the same person who has the power to light up a room the minute he walks in.

This is the same person who could make your heart beat faster the minute you hear his footsteps.

In the end, the question remains.

Should you settle for just anyone, or should you wait for your soul mate?

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The Chudi Misery

The last time I was ever away from hubby for more than 48 hours was in 2008 and that was when his grandmother passed away.

I am miserable without him.

You'd think we are still dating or something.

You'd think I'd welcome his absence after all we're together practically 24/7.

But no, here I am crying. It's embarrassing.

I have a huge headache and I am even more miserable because he's not here to massage the pain away.

A week is too long. I really hope he'd come home sooner, but then again, he needs to have a break from my pregnancy-induced complaints and have some fun.

I just wish I don't miss him so much.

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11 Year Old Girls No More

I met Che and Nette when I was 11 years old.

Che had a huge fight with this boy in our class and she was made to sit next to me. Huffing and with her nose bright red from crying, she plopped down next to me.

I didn't know how we became friends, but we did.

That was 19 years ago.

Her nose still turns huge bright red every time she cries.

Nette and I, on the other hand, became friends by sheer circumstance. In truth, we had no choice but to become friends. We were part of the same group of girls who got together to – well, for the lack of better description – to form a group. She was there and I was there – and the next thing I know, she became part of 19 years of my existence.

These two girls – women, rather – are amazingly different.

If Cheryl is into girly stuffs, Nette likes to keep it simple. She can be boyish, but she has her womanly ways as well.

One time, we all decided to watch a movie. Cheryl wanted to watch Madrasta – and yes, being a Sharon Cuneta fan that I am, I went with her. Cheryl wouldn't stop crying throughout the whole thing. Was Nette with us? Definitely not! She scoffed at the idea of watching a tearjerker that she considered "corny for words" and decided to watch an action-packed movie instead.

Che can cry at the drop of a hat. Nette, on the other hand, needs to be angry in order to cry. I've never seen her cry because she was hurt or in pain. I've only seen her cry when she's mad and I mean, really, really mad.

Tonight, I met up with them to buy shirts for our friend. We had fun checking out shirts while we gossip our way through SM Department store, Folded & Hung and Bench.

We had fun going through baby stuffs. While Che and I checked out milk pumps (insert an image of me rolling my eyes), Nette was busy buying everything for Lex, her baby girl.

I love eating out with them. They have really voracious appetite and you wouldn't feel bad about eating a whole plate of rice and getting an "extra rice" because they eat just as much. And boy, do we love to gossip!

We live different lives.

We are moms now.

We have husbands – well, two of us.

We have bills to pay and kids to think of.

But at the end of the day, we are still ourselves – the 11 year old kids who were forced by circumstance to become friends.

And I am blessed to have these wonderful women in my life.

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Paige Cut Off Her Hair

Paige came in with a pair of scissors in her hand.

She beamed at me and asked, "Mama, guntingun ko hair ni papa?"
Amused at the suggestion, I told him, "no, you can't cut papa's hair."
She was looking eagerly at Erbe's head, seemingly imagining how she plans to cut his hair.

It was only then that I realized that she already did the horrible deed. She already cut her own hair!







In fairness, may style!
Now, we are debating whether to have it fix or let it be.

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Blame the Rain for My Melancholy

I love the feel of the rain. I love the cold air that comes with it and embraces me. Every now and then, flashes of lightning streak through the sky and the whole sky lights up. I can actually see it from where I sit.

I am working, but every now and then I'd stop and think about my friends and how their lives are unfolding. I do that sometimes.

I received a text a while ago from a friend telling me how tough things are for her right now and she seems to find comfort and relief from crying. That's not a good thing, but I guess she's dealing.

Love… *sigh*

It screws up your head and your heart.

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An Open Letter to Erbe

It has been a while since I wrote you a letter.

It has been a while since I said thank you for being such a wonderful husband and father.

I have been a cranky, sore-tempered, ill-mannered, foul-mouthed pregnant wife and you don't deserve that – but for the life of me, you never seem to get tired of being patient and kind.

These days, I don't deserve you, so thank you for being my steadfast comfort and sanctuary.

Marrying you is one of the best decisions I've made in my life. You will always be the love of my life.

And I am happy to be making this journey with you.

We will get there. It may take a while, but we will.

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Major Rant

I am so pissed. I am so incredibly, incredibly pissed.

No, scratch that. I am furious. The fucked up thing about this is that I am impotently furious. I cannot do anything about it. I cannot scream or even show my anger. How can I?

I am beginning to really hate this person. Sometimes, I wish this person would just disappear from the face of the earth.

Breathe. Breathe.

I need to remind myself that nobody can put me down unless I allow them to.

Breathe. Breathe.

Nobody has the right to make me feel bad about myself and my life.

So, yeah, screw you. Screw you to hell and back. You can go to hell for all I care.

Breathe. Breathe.

You are fucking incredible.

You are not any better.

Your life is not better than everyone else's.

You are just as screwed up as we are.

Your life is just as shitty as the rest of us.

Someday, yeah, someday, you'd fucking swallow every screwed up thing you said about me.

Someday, you will be all alone with your bitterness and hypocritical judgment.

Breathe.

I will not let you get into me.

Can you just disappear? Now!

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Down the Rabbit Hole

Its funny how things turn out and how people react differently to things. I have realized a lot of things tonight last night.

So, what have I realized?

I realized that if push comes to shove, my husband comes first.

This gives way to realization #2, I am truly, irrevocably and irrefutably in-love with my husband.

I have also realized that my twitter friend is right. Once you do have feelings for someone, those feelings never truly disappear.

However, there are some people who remain in-love with each for the rest of their lives – this is truly sad, sad, sad…

There are people who will always be in-love with their past loves (regardless of whether or not their feelings are reciprocated)

There are people who will react completely out of character because of love. Jealousy can be such a bitch and it can ruin friendships.

Some people are completely oblivious to truths, while others simply refuse to admit or even acknowledge them.

When you want something or someone so badly, you can always find justifications for your actions.

You can never truly judge people. There are shades of gray to everything.

There.

I had an eventful night, right Tinapay? I am sorry though for suggesting that we do bushes crouching. That was certainly weird. Anyway, it was definitely a good decision not to show myself – and that was a decision made before I even learned that the Great Bitch of Eastwick was there. Sorry, she is. She should not have said that to Chin. That was a low blow and she certainly didn't have the right. Stupid schmuck.

Enough of that.

On a lighter note, I learned that there are two typhoons expected to arrive this month. Forgive me, but I feel happy about the rain. I hope though that the typhoons stay far, far away. I just want the rain they'll bring, but no treacherous pouring please. I also hope that they wouldn't come on the third and last week of June. (crossing my fingers tightly for this one).

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Addressing Jinx’ Query

"Really, hanggang imagination na lang ang mag hotel for a week na sulo, right? Pag may agom ka na and lalo na pag may aki na, guro naging extra extremities mo na sinda. *sigh* Guro kada luwas mong sulo sa harong, may madadangog kang "don't leave home without it" Nag cha-chant sa talinga mo. Ngonyan na agom and mama na ako, I sometimes miss me. i know, it sounds selfish, but...I sometimes miss me!!! Ika, tere? Miss mo naman ika?"

Do I miss me?

Yes, I definitely miss me. I don't think of it though as being selfish. I feel a bit guilty though because I've asked the Husband the same question and he seemed happy about being married and he doesn't seem to miss anything about being NOT married. I, however, miss a lot of things. Of course, like you Jinx, this doesn't mean that I would rather NOT be married. I enjoy all the perks that go with having all that extra extremities. :)

Let's see what do I miss?

I miss having my own bed. As much as I like sleeping next to the Husband, I especially dislike the fact that I often find myself clinging to the the edge, practically falling off while he hogs the bed. I especially dislike the fact that he sometimes snores or makes those nocturnal sounds he does.

I miss having my own room. I miss being on my own sometimes and not having to share.

I miss eating and not having to share. Unfortunately, I've discovered that as a mom, I cannot seem to bear to eat a morsel of anything that Paige wants. I always have to give in.

I miss not being able to pick up and go. It's nice to be able to go somewhere at a moment's notice. Not that I did that all the time, but I loved that fact that I could.

I miss being the master of every aspect of my life. It's something I can't truly claim once I got married. I can never just make any decision. The extra extremities always come first.

Of course, we both know that all these things are inconsequential when we put it into perspective. Like you, I am very lucky to have a husband who forgives me for my idiosyncrasies and occasional bitchiness -- not that you're bitchy like me, are you? :) I know though that we have husbands who humor our whims. So, come to think of it, what's a bed hog in the greater scheme of things? :) Still, I would like to stay in a hotel room for a week – just me alone and my books and a whole lot of movies. :)

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Verbal Diarrhea

Staring at the page…

I swear I started out with solid thoughts, but I've erased several paragraphs over the last few minutes. Nothing seems to work well. So, I will just ramble –

• My stomach hurts. I have been having stomach cramps since this afternoon. I don't know if I should be worried. I think I am just stressed out and tired. I really need to sleep at night and work in the morning. This is not working for me. I am missing meals and this is why I think I am not gaining weight when I should be getting fatter and fatter like a huge, huge, huge cow! (Yes, I am resigned to that happening!) The baby is sucking me out of nutrition and I am not compensating for it by eating. I feel hungry all the effing time though.

• Speaking of baby, she's a kicker and a puncher. She kicks and punches all the same time. Sometimes, I feel like I have Pacquio and Mayweather inside my uterus. Eww. Not a pretty picture. There goes a little vomit.

• I think I may have offended someone – and frankly I DON'T CARE!!! I know you are reading this. But you really are one hell of a conceited schmuck. I do not know where you think you get the right to demand anything from me. Anything at all! Geeze. We are not even friends

• I have been reading about Amanda Knox. Have you heard of her? I spent precious minutes poring over articles of her. She is really pretty and I cannot believe she actually helped murder that poor English girl. But drugs can make people do anything – like as if I have tried drugs. St. Joseph has scared me off the stuff for good. Brainwashed me thoroughly which – yeah, is a good thing.

• I miss Tinapay. I hope you are feeling better. You really have to get out of that depressed mood. After that Sorsogon trip, you should be feeling better.

• Erbe wants to go to Manila on the 11^th to attend an SEO seminar. I'm still thinking about it, but he is definitely dead-set on going.

• I really want to stay in a hotel room for a week – no, just a couple of days. I want to read all the pocketbooks I can get my hands on. That would be pure bliss.

• I am a crappy wife. I must have done something right though because the hubby loves me to bits and forgives my eternal crappiness.

I am drawing blank now. I should continue this some other time. Ciao.

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