have gas, will travel

"Di ba kayo napapagod sa kakaalis!" an obviously exasperated Margie, a good friend of mine once interrupted me in mid-story about our trip from Morong, Rizal to Los Baños, Laguna.

Actually, nothing makes my husband and I happier than jumping into our trusted Chug-a-Bug on weekends and heading off to somewhere.Yes despite the hot summer heat and the fact that we don't have airconditioning. It's my husband's way of unwinding after a whole week of being stuck behind a desk. And I wasn't born with a nunal on my left foot for nothing.

Travel broadens the mind, I've always believed. It is also a good way to test your relationship. If you're still talking to each other after you've traveled together then you're made for life. That is until you find too late that your partner forgot to put your bag of underwear and toiletries in the car. (Solution? Share a toothbrush and borrow his or your son's briefs).

As someone who has travelled with family, friends, colleagues, husband and child, I think myself sufficiently endowed with enough wisdom to offer advice for those who want to set out on a holiday and survive to tell the tale (and show off the photos). Check them out ....

- Explore your surroundings and eat local food. Don't do like the Americans and look for the nearest Mc Donald's (or in our case, Jollibee). Ask around what the local specialty is and try it. If possible, head to the palengke and the most crowded pwesto to find out what all the fuss is about.

- Get off the beaten path. Why take the highway when you can take the side roads and enjoy the scenery. Sure there'll be the usual traffic, the exasperating tricyles zooming in and out, the jeepneys stopping at the most opportune moments but it's worth it to catch the local flavor.

- Don’t buy everything in sight. Staying in budget is the operative word. (Yeah, right)

- Lacking in budget? Don't let it stop you. Take day trips or look for a friend or family to stay with. Don't let the lack of a car stop you. Public transportation is a good and cheaper way to travel, too. Bring baon so you won't have to spend on every meal.

- Go to market. It's the best way to find the freshest food and discover the heart of a barrio or town.

- Go walking and interact with the locals. Not everybody can afford to go on tours so do the next best thing: check out the churches and old houses and explore them on your own. Talk to the locals to get 1. tips on the places to explore 2. get an overview of their town 3. suggestions about what to take home as pasalubong or where to eat. 4. Be courageous and get the history straight from the locals.

See it's not that hard to get the best out of travel..

of photos and wedding receptions...

Since Britain's Prince William and his long-time sweetheart, Kate Middleton did not invite me to their wedding, I'll reminisce instead on why I love attending wedding and baptismal receptions..


You know those pesky photographers in restaurants who sneak in during receptions?  They walk in,  start snapping away at the guests and then line up the photos outside and charge you an obscene amount to get a copy.  Well, most people don't like being put in a position of having to pay for something they didn't order.




I'm guilty of the opposite for a very vain reason. You see, I'm not at all photogenic. Most of my photos show me at my unflattering best (which doesn't mean I'm a beauty in real life but photos do seem to make me look my very worst) and the ones that present me in a different light, I treasure.


The thing is, whenever I feel a camera trained on me, I freeze. Oh I try to smile my very best or appear nonchalant but the effect? Like a cat being run over by a truck.


Recently, I've been extra delighted at the number of "nice" photos I've had. Three occasions produced rather nice results. The first one, during a wedding reception at the Jade Valley was cute. And even though my son nearly died laughing at the picture of my face inside a wine glass with fruits all over, I still bought it for P50. (Remember this was years ago and that was expensive at that time).


Next stop, the wedding of a cousin at the Aberdeen Court. I kept my eyes trained on the food while looking out for the photographer. "Wala yata," I mumbled to my husband as I attacked another chicken wing. Luckily for me, by the time the photographer happened by I had already emptied my plate. Then came the moment of truth -- another cute photo in a wine glass, without the fruits, this time. "Wag mo na kunin," my husband said, "pareho din yan nung isa." I nodded in agreement but paid the man anyway. Hey, I'm not one to let a good photo out of my sight.


Finally, a baptism at Max's in Makati.Again, a photographer trained his camera on the guests. Again, I tried to look my nonchalant best while struggling to smile. Lunch over, Ned and I prepared to leave with nary a camera-bug coming to show us our photos. Trying not to look too dejected, I went to the ladies room to freshen up. When I came out, I strained my neck looking out for the last time for the photographer. No such luck. When we got to the car, I couldn't help myself and told Ned, "Di tayo inalok ng photos natin 'no?"


Smiling, he handed over a brown envelope. Bingo! Another wine-glass smiling me. 

Si William at Kate ba may ganyan?

Bagoong at apple -- the perfect combination

BAGOONG  with apples.

People look at me kind of weird when I say that I love to dip apple in
bagoong.  A big yuck, followed by the sticking out of the tongue  is the
usual reaction I get.    I dare you to try it, it's simply  perfect! 
Delicious ika nga. 


 Actually, I wasn't the one who discovered the goodness of bagoong matched
with apples. Cobbie, an American friend who grew up here, urged my
sister and I to  try it after we discovered a bottle of bagoong at the
apartment of a Filipino couple we were staying in in Paris. He told us that
whenever he and his ate felt  homesick for the Philippines, they would
sneak out to eat apples with bagoong. Parang mangga at bagoong lang, he said.
 I was converted.

 Living abroad can really stretch your  tongue's imagination. Until
now, i prefer my kare-kare with Baguio beans (instead of sitaw) and
repolyo (to replace puso ng saging). I also learned to tolerate
sinigang  with the same two ingredients,  though I can't say I liked
that combination as much as I did my kare-kare. Over all, it was our way of adjusting to the environment we were in and enjoy homegrown fare at the same time. You learn
to live with it and learn to love it.


And the bagoong phase? Did I ever outgrow it? Naaah, I extended it to
eating bagoong (alamang or isda) with peaches, pineapples and bananas. 


How about you? What unholy combinations have you tried with your
favorite fruit?

bawal ang pork, bawal ang beef, bawal na ang lahat!

IT'S no picnic to go food shopping for our family. Just think of what I
have to consider when I buy the things that will grace our dining
table: hypertension, gout, rheumatism, goiter, allergic rhinitis,
heart murmur, low blood, cancer. Kind of hard to ponder, huh? But we
survive.

       Armed with my list of things to buy, I then double check it with the
lists from our doctors. Again, I say, no mean feat. But we survive.

       Meat. With hypertension running in both our families, I've eliminated all
processed foods (except for the occasional hotdogs for the babies in
our family, yes, that includes me). I also stick to lean ground pork,
pork cutlets sans fat and pork shoulder. Beef, I've struck off the
list eversince I felt a tightening in the chest (and in the belt)
everytime I ate it.

       Fish used to be easy to buy. I'd point to everything that met my
budget and that was that. Until, my dad gave me a list from his
doctor. Those who have gout should not eat salmon, sardines, mackarel.
To make it easier for me, he said,  fish that don't have scales -- no go.

       Now we come to everybody's favorite. Chicken and egg. For the
hypertensives, no skin, no wings, no yolks. For those with rhinitis,
no chicken, no eggs. You should have seen the baleful looks I got from
my son. If looks could kill.....

       Vegetables. Again the same rule applied. Buy anything and everything.
Until I got another list. No legumes, no asparagus, no mushrooms, no
cauliflowers, no spinach.  Well, at least my son rejoiced.

       Dairy Products and Oil. Our pediatrician said low-fat milk, and
that's what my son's been drinking eversince. As for cooking oil, I
bite my lip everytime I get a bottle from the shelves but if it's good
health you have in mind, then stick to olive oil and maybe sunflower
for frying (if you have to, that is).

       Finally, fruits. With all the experts hailing fruits as wonderful for
the health, I figured it was safe for me to buy plenty. Well, it
doesn't seem to work that way, either. Mangoes a no-no for those with
allergies. Strawberries and anything with seeds are not for those who
have gout. Buco flesh and avocado are not too good for those who love
them but have hypertension.

       Aaargh! Sometimes, I just want to follow my lola's advice. "Bahala
na!" she said and would eat pork taba. She lived up to 93 years and
she was hypertensive! But, still I trudge on to the grocery with my
list and hopefully, make the right decisions....


***********
Update: 
This was written before I discovered I also had hypertension. And my doctor's No. 1 advice -- nothing fried and only good cholesterol (fish and vegetables, preferably steamed). Eeewww! And now with my sister around, pork is virtually non-existent in the ref as she's anti-pig. Waaaah!

fashion critic

AS THE only girl in our family unit, I like to seek the opinion of my
two "boys" when looking for something new to buy or wear.
       My husband Ned's answer is always positive whenever I try on
something.  I never ever look bad. A dress or a pair of shoes is always
perfect for  me and anything I show to him is always met with exclamation
marks. "Bagay!" or "Ang ganda!" and the usual, "Wow, 'Nay, sexy!" he'll holler before letting
out an appreciative whistle.
       My son, Naki, on the other hand, is a little bit more believable. You see, he doesn't mince his words and really tells it as it is.
       Last weekend, we went to a tiannge  and I spotted a black and white
geometric long-sleeved dress that I loved on sight.
       As usual, I consulted my two critics.
       "Ganda!" said Ned, as expected.
       "It looks nice," said Naki.
       "Reaaally?" I asked Naki again as the sales lady oohed and aahed over
me wearing the dress.
        "Yeah," said my little boy, before adding, "except that it makes you
look big here...." pointing to  my tummy area.
       That was it. Off came the dress while a flustered saleslady asked
what my son had said. After repeating what Naki told me, she could
hardly stop herself from laughing and instead let out a small grin.
       "Pwede naman lagyan ng belt, ma'am," she countered.
       Salamat, I muttered, and thanked the heavens for my son who could be
counted upon to tell the truth, however much it hurts.
       Finally, after a couple more rounds and a little more shopping, we
headed for the car.
       "What did you buy?" Ned asked me.
       "A dress," I said proudly, holding up a beautiful floral pink shift
to show it to Ned and Naki.
       "Wow!" said, I guess you should know by now who.
       And my Number 1 critic? "Great," he responded as I beamed with delight.
       "You'll look like a big flower garden!"
       Next time, I think I'll go shopping alone......

Written december 3 , 2002



**********
Update: Shopping for clothes is best done alone, although when I need a little pick me up in the confidence department, I beg Ned to come along (may tiga-bitbit na, may tiga-bayad pa, hehe).   And as for the "fashion critic"? Let's not go into that, katatapos lang ng holy week.. :)

love + travel = forever?

THEY say that the best way to find out if you and your partner can stand the test of time is to travel together. That way, you find out about each other's idiosyncrasies and can test your patience to the max.


Now whatever differences my husband and I  may have (taste in music, hobbies, jobs, interests), we at least like to travel together (or at least stand each other to last the trip).


Much to our son's dismay, Ned and I can find any excuse under the sun to ride our trusted orange Chug-A-Bug or creamy Dolores (VW beetles) to attend a birthday party in Morong, Rizal, a reunion in Angeles or Guagua, Pampanga; a christening in Bataan and make a side trip to Subic, spend New Year's Eve in Los Banos, Easter in Sta. Rosa, a summer weekend in Tagaytay.


Just say the word and we're ready to pack -- clothes, books, magazines, tapes, firs-aid kit, junk food, juices and water.


"How long will you be away?" my dad has been known to ask me every time he spots our large heavy-duty blue sportsbag which can hold clothes for about a week.


"Overnight," I'll say without blinking, then add, "Buti na ang ready..." while my dad simply shakes his head in amusement. Buti na lang walang limit ang luggage sa kotse.


And while others are content with simply taking the expressway to get to their destinations fast, we prefer to take the loooong and winding road. That way, we are able to look at old houses and buildings, take the off-beaten track, check out if there's something to be discovered -- an antique shop, a small dining place, a bookstore, a museum mayhaps, a second-hand store, maybe even an old Beetle!)


Yup, travel is a sure way to test a relationship, and summer is the best time to do it. That is, if you don't kill each other first. Or your son does. 

Lolo Inggo

My lolo died one April, a few days short of my grandparents" 50th wedding anniversary. It was so sudden it took us all by surprise. Though many years have passed, the pain of losing him still hurts...

I dreamt of my Lolo Inggo last night. In my dream, he was his robust old self and just rarin' to see his latest apo (supposedly my newborn daughter). I woke up very happy because that's the only way I get to see him now -- in my dreams.


Inggo was my first grandparent to pass away and it hit me really bad. He was the one closest to me in proximity (we were next-door neighbors) but he was the one farthest from me emotionally. A little on the strict side, he was not very showy in his affections. Still, I knew he loved me in his gruff kind of way.


When he died, I couldn't get over the fact that he was no longer there, that my lolo just ceased to exist. That he wouldn't be there waiting for me at the kanto or by his window when I came home late at night. That I would no longer hear the kalampag of the sandok as he fried rice for my Lola Maria. That he would no longer exchange giggles or tease her unmercifully. And belatedly, I realized I also never told him how much he meant to me.


Until that day, I just assumed that my grandparents would be there forever. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening. When I anaylze things now, however, it seemed that my grandparents waited for major events -- graduation, wedding, the birthdays of their apo sa tuhod-- in my life and shared them with me before they left me. It was as if they were creating positive memories and I reveled in them and made sure they realized how I treasured their love and presence.


But no matter how fond the memories are, there will always be regrets -- that you cannot hold or touch or hug them ever again.


So while we go out and contemplate how Christ died for us, remember also our dear departed ones and don't forget the ones who are still alive and a part of your lives. Spare them a hug, shower them with kisses. Better still, tell them you love them a lot. Good memories start this way...

of childhood memories and kimchi

SOME of my fondest childhood memories were spent watching my Lola Maria make buro (fermented sauces).
       I remember slumping on the table as she would take a clean and empty large bottle and alternately place bangus (which she had rolled into salt) and boiled rice in it. Fascinated, I would watch her patiently arranging the fish and rice. Back then I didn't like burong isda and would liken it to kaning baboy whenever she would saute it in garlic,
onion and plenty of tomatoes. Well, times change and now, I could just about kick myself for not asking her for the exact recipe.
       While I hated burong isda then, I just loved taba ng talangka and the adventure  it presented when my lola prepared it. My lola would choose those that were literally still alive and kicking and then place them in a pail. She would then take them out one by one to squeeze the fat out. Later, she'd add vinegar and cook it on low fire. You can be sure
that I'd have more than a plateful of rice come dinner time.
       I think watching my lola make sauces was the start of my love affair with them. Nowadays I can't seem to eat fried anything without the requisite sauce.
       And then there's kimchi. While many have raved about it to me, my parents included, I still can't find the guts to quite eat it yet. A Korean couple friend prepared some in our house the other week and it did look mighty delicious. Maybe one of these days, I will find the courage to eat it.  Meantime, I'll just share with you courtesy of Choi Eun Young and  her husband, Rev. Park Sun Ho how to make kimchi.

      

KIMCHI 


Ingredients:

 10 pieces (5 kg) of Chinese cabbage or Baguio pechay,

 2 kg Salt, 

100 ml of kimchi sauce (juj kal)

 400 gm. ground dried red chili, 

12 cloves of garlic, 

3 onions, 

medium ginger

2 cups of ground rice, cooked.

       Cut the Chinese cabbage/Baguio pechay into 4 laterally (pahaba, then

into about 2 inches long. Sprinkle some salt on strips. Wash the cut

strips. Arrange strips into layers in a basin and sprinkle salt on

every layer.  Keep for one hour or two.

Cut finely the onion, garlic,

ginger and ground cooked rice. Mix these thoroughly, use blender mixer

if available.  Rinse the salt-soaked strips of Chinese cabbage/Baguio

pechay. Feel the texture if tender, not hard or soggy. Squeeze strips

and taste. If salty, do another rinse and squeeze. Spread strips and

sprinkle red chili. Add according to taste preference. If you like it

hotter, put more chili. The red color is natural. Add mixture of

onion, garlic, ginger and ground rice. Add kimchi sauce juj kal (patis

for Pinoy) to taste. Add 2 tbsp. Sugar.
Taste to suit your

preference. Put in bottle or plastic container.

You may keep in room

temperature for one day and refrigerate after that. Can keep for a

month or two but after a few days the Kimchi will be ready to eat.

graduation day

"Make a promise that you'll always be around for your children's graduation (and other special occasions)," the assistant director of  Discovery Pre-school, where Naki went to, told us during their closing ceremonies way back when. (It seems the graduation ceremonies at the University of the Philippines last Sunday brought back a lot of memories.)


Judging from the numerous parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and yayas that were present, she didn't have to do a lot of convincing.


I grew up in an environment like that. i didn't have to be the most intelligent, the most gifted, the most bemedalled student to merit my whole family's attendance. 


There really is  a different high in being able to share that special day with your loved ones -- a reassurance that you are indeed treasured. If only all families were like that. Alas, in this world of ours, not all our wishes and prayers can come true.


One of my closest friends used to tell me that she loved to come over to our house because she envied my family. She liked to be with us because she wanted to belong and she felt that she was most welcome in our home. And to think that she came from a family of 10.


My friend's the gutsy type -- cowboy na cowboy -- she's emotionally strong and you'd never believe she has problems 'coz she handles them so well. Though she has always regaled me with tales of her weird family, I always thought she go through unscathed, unaffected 'coz I'd always end up laughing at her stories. But, boy, was I wrong. I didn't know how hurt she felt inside.


Just before she left for the States and right after she passed the Medical Board exams, we got together to celebrate and ended up talking about heartaches -- hers. 


The daughter of a Chinese immigrant and a Filipina, she had to battle against a lot of prejudice. "Babae ka lang," her parents would tell her, so she had to make her own way through college, unlike her lucky "sustentado" brothers. Whenever there were arguments, she couldn't voice out her opinions -- her brothers were always right. If she dared to insist her own way, she was branded, "magulo, mataray, unreasonable". Eventually she learned to make it on her own -- to accept critical, harsh words instead of praise. She learned to forgive her parents and carry on even though they invaded her privacy by opening her mail and listening in on her telephone conversations. Despite it all, she loved her parents and craved their approval.


Her mother, my friend told me, was such a miser that she never bought new clothes. If she was given a new dress, she would leave it in her cabinet to rot. She preferred to wear the same clothes since 19-kopong-kopong. She also hated to go out and would only do so if circumstances forced her to. Well, anyway to get back to the story, on her graduation day, my friend begged her parents to attend  and even brought her mother a new dress.


During the ceremony, my friend nearly broke her neck, checking to see if her mother was there. Teary-eyed she went up the stage alone when her name was called. Diploma in hand, she turned and saw her mother there. Dressed in her old clothes, with a run in her stockings, her mother was nevertheless there. And that was enough for my friend.


--------------------------------
Written March 31, 1998

Lenten Recipes

Meatless and fish recipes --   perfect for this Holy Week -- and heart-friendly, too. 

Naki's former Manang, Narda, tweaked this recipes to suit the needs of our mainly hypertensive family. 

SQUASH SOUP

1/4  kalabasa (squash)

shrimps

red pepper

carrots

dahon ng sibuyas (shallots)

garlic

 onion 

2 cups water

1/2 cup milk

Boil kalabasa until tender then mash. Saute garlic, onion, shrimps until brown (or in the case of the shrimps, pink). Pour two cups water, the mashed squash; sliced very small shallots, diced carrots and red bell pepper. Let it boil before adding milk.

Mmmmmmmmm!

Now, you may also want to gry the fish recipes that are Narda's specialties that are not only delicious but also light on the budget.

SARDINAS NA TAMBAN 

(TAMBAN SARDINES)

1 kilo tamban

4 sili (labuyo)

1/2 c pickle relish

carrots

salt 

pepper

bayleaf

1 cup vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup oil

Clean fish. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, oil and add to fish. Cook in pressure cooker until even fishbones are tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for another 30 minutes.

GULUNGGONG NA

 LUMPIANG SHANGHAI

1/2 kilo galunggong

1 carrot

1 small turnip

2 onions

10 pieces lumpia wrapper

1 egg

1 cup oil

1 red bell pepper

Boil fish and then remove moves. Dice onion, turnip, red bell pepper and add to flaked fish. Season with salt (and pepper if desired). Wrap one spoon of mixture in lumpia wrapper. Dip in beaten egg and deep fry.

Indulge not! Remember it is  Lent. Instead, contemplate with these heart-friendly fare.

Two for the Road

http://www.drivepast.com/poster.php?pid=611

http://shutupilovethat.onsugar.com/category/Audrey+Hepburn

I wrote this piece for a Valentine's Day issue but realized it's as relevant for the Holy Week. Kasi naman, as we all eventually realize, ang pag-ibig nga naman ay puno ng kalbaryo, it's how we deal with it and add God into the formula that makes love a winner...


2 for the Road trailer 


Two for the Road by Henry Mancini

TWO for the Road.


I don't know what it is about that movie that hooks me so. No matter how many times I've watched it, I can't help but watch it over and over again.
      
 Maybe it's because I adore Audrey Hepburn. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for British accents and Albert Finney has a fine one. Or maybe it's the combination of cars, clothes and  the movie's love theme.....I don't know what it is, I just know that I really, really love it.
     
 So anyway, when I found out that  it was showing Valentine's night, I made sure I was in front of the TV set. The Two for the Road magic worked, I was hooked again.
       
The story is simple. Boy meets girl. They fight, they argue. They fall in love.They fight, they argue. They fall even more in love. Basically, that's it. If you compare it with Audrey's other movies -- Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany, Charades, Sabrina -- it probably would suffer in comparison. Why? Because it presents love the way it really is, arguments, broken hearts, included.

There's no princess here, no fashion model, no rich girl. Just an ordinary girl and  an architect who start out  hitchhiking together and end up together for life. Of course, Two for the Road being a full-length movie,we are taken on a roller-coaster ride as we see various stages of their life criss-crossing throughout the film.
      
 If I had my way, I would recommend that couples planning to marry watch Two for the Road. In the movie, Audrey and Albert start out as penniless singles, hitchhiking their way through Europe. In the midst of the film, we see them marry, have a kid, grow a bit more comfortable in life (as visualized in their clothes and cars). As they progress in life, their fights become vicious, hurtful and petty.  Is the marriage then doomed? Not if you're determined to make a go out of love as we learn from Audrey and Albert.


Update:






Uy, two for the road, remarks Ned as he hears the song playing. Parang tayong 2. So maybe, that's why I like the movie? Infidelities aside, the love for cars, road trips, pamimikon and arguments does sound a lot like us. If only, I had her waistline and fashion sense. And only if Ned had Albert's accent. Or maybe I should settle for, if only we had their VW bus...




****************
fyi:


two for the road on wikepedia


  

pikon

 As the Holy Week nears, I reached into the baul to bring out another column that seeks to promote peace and non-violence.....i think
 ++++++++++


       "Don't resort to violence," I always caution my son, Naki. "If somebody
teases you,  fight back with words."
       "Ang pikon laging talo," I reminded him of the local saying.
       The following day in school, somebody told him that he was vertically
challenged (please translate to kid speak as I may get heavily trounced by my eight-year-old son if I dare say the word and he reads this).
       "So what did you do?" I asked.
       "I told him that if I wanted his opinion then I would rattle his cage!" he answered proudly.
       "That's good", I told him. "Remember, avoid violence at all means. Ang pikon laging talo." 
         "Sure," my son answered, his nose stuck in a book of quick retorts and smart- alecky answers (Garfield, in other words).
       "By the way, 'Nay," he added. "If he comes at me again tomorrow, I'm going to tell him to, 'Impress me! Say something intelligent.'"
       In my resolve to stir him to non-violent action, I have realized that I am developing a kid with a quick retort to everything (well, except for questions like, "have you done your home-work?" or "are you going to take a bath na?  when a very innocent "ha?" becomes the standard reply).

       One time, while we were tucking him in for the night, my husband hugged Naki and began showering him with kisses. He  stroked Naki's hair, stared at him fondly and then pointed out to me that our son was beginning to look more and more like him every day.     
       
     A not- so-sleepy boy bolted out of bed and then begged us, "Tell me I'm adopted!"
       
      Just the other day, my mom was telling me that I had forgotten to lock the door of her cabinet. "But I never even opened it," I protested. And so we sat there thinking how it could have happened,  when a little voice piped in, "Well, it couldn't have been me. I'm not into picking locks." Picking locks he may not do but listening in on other people's conversation he has no qualms about.  Little jugs have big ears, eh?
       
       And finally, I was happily  recounting to my husband that during a reunion with some of my high school classmates, one of them had remarked that "pumayat daw ako."                                "Was he serious?" my smart-alecky son remarked as I turned to see a chortling red-faced Naki.

       "Am I talking to you?" I asked frostily, wishing very hard that I hadn't espoused the value of non-violence.
       Ang pikon laging talo.


------
Written 10 years ago. 
To those who smiled, chuckled, laughed, became hysterical at the phrase:   one of my high school classmates  remarked that "pumayat daw ako, "...mabilaukan sana kayo! :)

Cinder-Naki (if the shoe fits, get five pairs of it na!)

First written when Naki was in grade school:

If I could have one wish at this very moment, I'd wish for the powers of Cinderella's fairy godmother. I want to have the ability to conjure shoes up from nowhere. Why, you may say, would I wish that above all other things?

Let me tell you why...

A month before school started, my husband and I bought our son, Naki two pairs of sneakers to use. "Wag na muna black shoes", I told Ned, para makatipid. I believed the ones we bought a year ago was still in good condition and as I made sure there was a lot of allowance for Naki's feet to grow in, I was confident enough that they would still fit him. I didn't account for one growing boy who seems to have taken his feet size from mmmmm....his nanay (he!he!he!).

Well, day one of the school-year began and guess who couldn't fit into his black shoes? "Can't you just wear your sneakers the whole year?" I asked Naki only to be met by big worried eyes that said it was imperative that they wear black shoes all the time. 


Thus began our venture into the Shoe Capital of the Philippines -- to look for a pair that would fit our "Cinder"boy. Happily we found one that fit him at the right price. The story should end there, right? I mean, the next time he needed black shoes should really be before June next year di ba? 


Wrong! 


 June had barely bid us farewell when I caught sight of his slightly new shiny black shoes. Oh they were still shiny alright -- on the top, that is. When I checked more closely, they were also split right into two at the bottom. Well, I guess that's what happens when a kid uses black formal shoes during PE.

That's it, I figured, I'd just have to buy a new and more expensive pair to make sure they last a long time (well, until the end of the school year). So off I ventured to SM, armed with my credit card, to select the sturdiest and most well-crafted pair of black shoes I could see. If the price was a little higher than his previous pair, I was reassured by the fact that this new pair would last.

 Boy, was I in for a rude suprise.

Fine craftmanship and sturdiness had no defense against a third-grader who forgets to put his shoes into his bag after changing into sneakers for his PE class.

"You what???????????," I screamed when he came home with a woebegone look on his face.

I will spare you the gory details -- of the futile search, of the endless sermons and the sniffles and the tears -- and just sum it all up in three words -- NEW SHOES LOST. Those beautiful expensive shoes are kaput, gone forever,  and I have no more strength to even think of how to replace them.

Where's Cinderella's fairy godmother when you need her?

 * * *

2002 Update.  My son has a new pair of black shoes. His tatay's!!! he he. And our problem   is getting a good pair of sneakers.  

 2011 Update. Naki's in college   and my husband and I lobbied hard for him to choose Diliman over the other school in Katipunan. One of our bribes? Tsinelas. We told him he could ditch the black shoes and sneakers for the comfy thonged slippers and no one would take him to task for it. I'd like to say we won that round.Goodbye to black shoes and sneakers.  He, in fact, got so comfortable in his tsinelas that it became his  standard foot accessories. Until one rainy day when he came home soaked and bearing a tsinelas in one hand. Turned out that there was a mini flash flood inside the campus that bore one of his tsinelas away. "Hinabol ko, 'Nay! But the water was too fast.." 

 Mayron kayang Tsinelas fairy godmother?