"Shopping spree in Escolta. Birthday parties in our ancestral house in Tanza. My own little bed in the master bedroom. Cabinets full of toys. Home cooked lunch and snacks personally delivered at the doorsteps of my classroom. Dates at the Tennis Club in Rosario. Sunday mass. Hide and seek at the Public Cemetery LOL. Lessons on Japanese Occupation, Philippine folklore and mythology, love for education, and stories of their youth. My scratch free knees and elbows. Tangle –free hair. My fresh and crispy school uniforms. My nannies. Walking First Aid Kit and anti-mosquito repellant. My school bus. My personal security. My Pep squad. Coddlers. Financiers. My first line of defence. My allies. My Fans. So they say I have his sense of humor … I wish I have his pride, too. They say I have her brains, I wish I have her grace. All the perks I got and enjoyed for being the first grandchild. There are no trade-offs with grandparents. Thank you for the love and all the wonderful memories, Lolo Tatay and Lola Nanay. I wish we still have you guys around. Love always --- your Ebey."
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| My Lolo Tatay wearin his typical Kabitenyo swag ala The Great Profile ... the superrrrr duperrr dark skin, wide forehead, high bridged nose, eyes deep set ... while my Lola was of Filipino-chinese-Portuguese descent was a woman of character, substance and grace. Their terms of endearment was "Deng", whatever that meant, or may be it was a shorter, more discreet version of "darling", jusz my theory :) ... Lolo succumbed to esophagus cancer in 1979. Lola never remarried, and joined her "deng" eventually 28 years after. |
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Easy Sunday morning, my daughter and I visiting memorials of Lola Meding (mine) and Lola Miles (hers). Next month, I'm planning to bring her to Naic, for Lolo Tatay. May be jusz a little pep and preps, small old public cemeteries are oh sooooo far far in many ways from upscale memorial parks. I've always planned to have my Lolo interred with Lola but with due respect, it was Lolo's dying wishes to be buried together with his parents.
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| Narra Hills * Pink Malaysian mums * my daughter with her abuelas * Me complaining about the tree LOL * See that Mac NY Apple right smacked on my lips LOL * our very abled caretaker, Manang Vivian --- she taking care of Lola's and Mama's plot |
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