I found several of this posted on several walls, doors, and furniture inside our house a couple of days before December 8.
It was made by Marielle, of course. She’s quickly becoming an expert in desktop publishing.
Thanks a lot for this Marielle. Your mom and I appreciate it a lot.
Now you may remove them from the walls, doors and furniture. And don’t forget to clean up any marks from the adhesives you used.
THE WORD NANNY has always assumed a female gender, and there really is no word for its male equivalent, is there? I googled it just now and all I got is “male nanny.” I guess I’ll just stick to “nanny” in referring to myself in this very short tale I would like to share. After all, it was just for a day. Only for a few hours on August 5, actually.
Parents and nannies waiting for their wards in a pre-school in Paranaque City
Johan and Mario
MARIO celebrated his 2nd birthday on July 28. Marielle read somewhere that a dog year is equivalent to approximately seven human years. That would make Mario 14 years old!
Johan finds the idea that Marielle is no longer the eldest “kid” in the family somewhat amusing. My ex-exgirlfriend and I suddenly realized that we have an adolescent in the house, and find the idea somewhat unsettling. Are we supposed to be worried?
Mario, meanwhile, has grown much bigger and heavier. We never thought a shih-tzu would grow that big. But of course Mario is not just a Shih-tzu. He’s a Pug, too.
At two years of age Mario behaves much like a 14-year old adolescent would; He gets excited every time a lady dog is nearby; He would pick fights with other male dogs, even those twice or three times his size; He eats a lot; He has a bad case of body odor; And he is as adorable as ever.
Happy birthday, Mario. And no, you cannot bring girls home. And yes, you have to take a bath more often.
WE CELEBRATED two birthdays at home in May — for my beloved Nanay (May 3) and for my niece, Mhaio (May 27), who is currently staying with us. We did the celebration for both on May 26.
There should have been one other birthday for us to celebrate in May. My father’s birth date is May 11, and we used to celebrate his birthday at home, too, together with my mother’s. He passed away in October last year, however.
We sorely missed Ama. Marielle would often sob in her sleep when she dreams of him. Johan would remember the activities they did together. But Ama is no longer with us and we have to move on with our lives without him.
There were only two cakes last May 26 when there were supposed to be three. Even our photos seemed incomplete and lacking in color. We all felt sadness deep inside, for in our hearts Ama left a gaping hole. But there were enough reasons to celebrate and be happy. So we celebrated with lots of food and even more laughter. Ama would not have wanted it any other way.
MARIELLE celebrated her 8th birthday on July 8 with a simple family dinner at home. Of course she had her cake — not one but two — and she ate it, too!
Wearing a shirt from her mom (she loves wearing her mom’s clothes and they fit her like they are hers), my baby looked very much like a full grown girl. It’s just a matter of time before she would be a lady. Oh, how I dread that day.
I read the book, The Little Prince, when I was in college. Or so I thought. But I couldn’t seem to recall anything from it, which is strange because I always retain something from books I read no matter how long ago I’ve read them.
Oh I did remember something from my first encounter with The Little Prince. I distinctly remember the Boa Constrictor that swallowed an elephant. In fact it was my first time to discover the word “boa” and what it means so it was my little take away from reading the tiny book. Continue reading
MARIELLE TURNED FIVE on July 8.
<Click this link to play Marielle’s favorite dance tune:† makulay-ang-buhay
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We started her birthday celebration by giving her Nursery 2 class in Merville Sacred Heart School a little blowout. We brought a birthday cake and ordered snacks from Jollibee. We prepared loot bags, too, for Marielle’s classmates.
Her mom gave her a High School Musical dance mat, an item she’s been looking forward to have for some time now.
She also got surprise gifts from Tita Ket and Tita Winnie, her mom’s officemates at PHILIPS. Actually, she asked for these gifts on a visit to her mom’s office a few weeks back during which Ket and Winnie asked her what gifts she would want on her birthday. Without hesitation she specified a Mariposa Barbie doll and a dress, and these are what she got.
After school we went out for a late lunch at the back of Mall Of Asia (MOA) where there is now a row of Dampa-style seafood restaurants.† There were nine of us: Marielle, her mom and dad, her brother Johan, her Lolo Rocky, her Tita Orchid, their yayas Ate Baby and Ate Lalaine, and our kasambahay Ate Bitang.
From MOA we proceeded to the Manila Ocean Park where we spent the rest of the afternoon. #
