This beautiful ancestral house is inhabited by ghosts. No kidding! I’ve been ignoring the footsteps, the weird sounds, odors and the cat getting spooked for the past 8 years. We moved to Makati in 1998 and thought it was the best decision we ever made. Sure, it took only 15 minutes to my husband’s office. Luijoe was only 4 years old. He cried every night the first few weeks because he wanted to go back to our cute bungalow in Pasig City. He often said that “This house is not beautiful. Let’s go back“. He’d stare forlornly by the window sill.
In early 2000 we already knew that this house didn’t bring in good vibes. This led us to purchase a house and lot somewhere in Sta. Rosa , Laguna and thought of moving the whole family to the south. That meant looking for a new school for the girls and Luijoe. Unfortunately, Luijoe died May 27, 2000 and our plans got shelved aside. Moving out took a backseat because we were too stressed out in our bereavement. The house is being rented out to a Japanese family who want to hold on to the house because it gave them “good luck”. We can’t move in there yet. So I don’t know. Can a house affect good or bad vibes? I think so.
I was quite apprehensive over the production of Ali’s Sotto Mother’s Day Feature. 
Sports should have been one of the children’s activities. Yes, there were swimming classes but no volleyball, soccer, softball or basketball. Sure, L kicked her way to Kung fu lessons while M took rock climbing and fencing during the summer. I think the reason I didn’t encourage contact sports was because I was also brought up that way. All of the siblings studied piano lessons and my mother didn’t want our delicate hands to be injured. So in the same manner, I also discouraged my girls to take up sports that had the highest risk of injury to their hands. “Sports is the only thing that we lacked.” Not that my kids are ungrateful. They appreciate me for the arts and crafts, ballet , piano, voice, theater and the light sports lessons. It’s just their bodies needed more physicial exertion.
Oh well , mommy is not perfect and besides they can always start something on their own like badminton or tennis. It’s never too late. The only consolation I can offer at the moment is membership at the fitness gym. Team spirit may not be present during the exercises but bonding with their mother and the other members can be just as rewarding.
The love of my children are enough to see me through any day. A kiss and their love greeting is a wonderful gift. I managed to survive all these years inspite of losing a son because I still had to take care of 2 girls. During those bleak days, they somehow were a reminder that I had to live for them . In honor of Mother’s Day, I was spared the job of cooking for lunch. Butch went to the grocery to buy some meats and vegetables for our [tag]Korean Grill[/tag] lunch. Even if it’s not [tag]Mother’s day[/tag], my husband does the marketing. He loves doing this task every sunday.
It’s not that I’m vain. That’s a test shot. I checked to see if the makeup artist placed too much cake on me. Okay, I’m vain. I was invited as one of the guests for the taping of a Mother’s Day Special for Ali Sotto-Bsaies’ 
I am not surprised that after the 
I told my daughter , Lauren ” Did you know that [tag]belly dance[/tag] was taught by mothers to their daughters for easy childbirths?” She raised an eyebrow. I added, “At least you’re learning it now while still single“. Lauren rolled her eyes. She decided to tag along with me last week for belly dancing . Ahh, we had so much fun. After the belly dance session, she went to the “Girl Shoppe” at Market! Market! and bought me red hip scarves with coins while she got the purple for herself. This morning was our second session. The second time around is so much easier . Belly dancing reminds me a bit of the “hula” or “hawaiian dance” which was the craze for pre-teens in the late sixties. I know how to sashay my hips like a graceful hula dancer. But belly dance is different. 
I was at the pet shop of Makati Cinema Square, looking for an anti-flea medication for the pets at home when I spotted these kitties. How adorable. This Birman kitten mewed as I approached the cage. So cute. Then did a cutesy pose. He looks like a cross between a 
I don’t think my husband will approve of a third cat at home. He’s asthamtic. But out of his love for the girls, he allowed them to have pets. In fact, he surprised me by buying “
If I narrate the whole story on how I fractured my leg, perhaps “
I seriously thought I would die. Being diabetic and with a heart condition, the operation was delayed until I was cleared for operation. Around 8 screws were nailed into my ankle and tibia. It felt so much better although I was still in pain. Do you know how hard it is walk with one foot? I wasn’t allowed to put weight on the right foot for 6 weeks. I had to learn how to use the crutches before leaving the hospital. We bought a wheelchair and built some ramps around the house. Taking a bath involved 2 monobloc chairs: one for my casted foot and the other for me to sit and bathe myself. Fortunately , my husband is the type of person who knows how to take care of the sick. He doted on me like a sick baby, not complaining if I had to wake him in the dead of the night to get the bedpan.