Sleepovers and TV Shows

Picture taken while one of Jay and Aiyee's friend, Kiara slept over during one of the kids' school holidays.

As usual they are watching TV, but as they get older their taste turns from cartoons to more TV shows reflecting their ages; like High School: The Musical. It just shows how fast these kids grow up.

Jaylen On cooking TV shows: Honey and I usually watches either travel or cooking shows (or lifestyle) on Foxtel cable.

Jaylen: "Honey, why are you watching that (cooking show)?

Honey: "So I can learn how to cook."

Jaylen: "Honey, everytime I watch that it makes me hungry!" And walks away.

Aiyee on the Beijing Olympics: Honey and Aiyee were watching the weightlifting event.

Aiyee: "Honey, what is he doing?"

Honey: "Oh he is lifting the weights."

Aiyee: "Why is he doing that?"

Honey: "So he can get gold medal!"

Aiyee: "I am not going to do that."

Aiyee: "I am just going to do swimming! Like this Honey... " Demonstrating how he would swim.

So there is still hope that one of my grandsons will be in future Olympics, but don't bet on Aiyee will be lifting weights.

Kallen on TV, even while half sleeping.

Kallen: "Look Honey, look!"

Kallen: "Power Rangers Honey... SPD, I want SPD!"

Playing with Nintendo DS

Isn't Aiyee looks so grown up and cool! What a poser... He is cute though!

Some Saturdays

Some Saturdays, the boys will spend sometime with us by sleeping over the Friday night. In the morning, we will have our usual cappuccinos, while the boys will have baby chinos, which is just steamed and frothy milk.

Then we will have either eggs and pan de sal or Spanish bread from our favorite Pinoy bakery, Starlight Bakery. But most times the kids love my pancakes, as the case here with Kallen!

Pensive Hood

Aiyee in his pensive mood, either that or he is already hungry. This is the same day that they went to the museum and we were just waiting for his mom and dad at the King Street Wharf.

I was going to meet up with them at the museum but was "banned" from going. I guess I have this notoriety for spending too much time at the museum. But my daughter said it is their "family time". Good, I was able to spent time around Sydney CBD and shot some photos.

Our shadows, while feeding these pesky sea gulls!

Coke Addicts

A month ago the kids were treated to their first Australian Museum visit, with the Dinosaurs Just Moved Into Sydney “650 square metre” exhibition. As any other kids, they loved dinosaurs.

After which we met them for lunch at Wagamama at King Street Wharf. That is where the picture above was taken. The kids just guzzling their cokes served in this retro coke bottles.

After lunch, we went into Darling Harbour for a walk, ice creams and mini-train rides. What a day...

Goodbye Amy...

I received the following email (see below) and the above flyer yesterday.

I last saw Amy in our last high school reunion in San Diego in 2006. She looks fine and bubbly and news from the grapevine is that she is recuperating and in remission from breast cancer. I did not spoke or talk about it. The important thing was that she was there, obviously happy to see her classmates. To me, that is all that matters...

So how do we cope when someone we know, someone we love, someone we are close to pass on to the "great divide"? Obviously we feel sad and regretful of what could have been. We could have spent more time, laugh more and shared life more. Death and mortality teaches us that. When the end (at least in this life, as we know it!) is near, when we felt near death or have had a brushed with death; life becomes more fuller and colourful. When our lives passed before us in that single instant, we tend to take stock of our lives and focus on what we want our lives to be. What we want to cross out in our "bucket list"... what we want to accomplish and experience.

Amy, (far right with glasses) seated beside Noi at the last reunion. Photo courtesy of Maria.

So Amy's death (and the death of so many friends and relatives), teaches us to "seize the day" everyday. Carpe diem!

Edna's email:

"Hello Batch Mates,

It has been a week since we met our batch mates and friends, when we paid our last respects to Amy. We shared our love and grief with one another. The following were present: Janet, Beth, Ruby and husband, Lota, Jean, Virginia and husband, Kim and Ben, Butch and wife, Ver, Alan Bravo and wife, and Chato de Castro. (My apologies to some that I probably missed).

Memorial service is a time for mourning but we know in our heart that this is also time of joy. Amy ran the race, and fought the fight. Now she is resting with the Lord and will receive her crown of glory from the Savior that she loved and served.

We learned from listening to her family and close friends that her battle with pain and illness is over. We know that she is now in a better place. We know that she is finally at rest after a long time of battling sickness.

After the memorial service, some of our batch mates went to Chow King to continue our catching up on how each other were doing; because we know that after we separated from each other who knows when we will have the time to see each other and sit down and talk.

We decided that we need to keep in touch more often on better circumstance. Our first OCNHS Batch 74 get together will be on September 20, 2008. We just want to sit down and talk awhile, and also to set aside this time in memory of Amy."

I know how "busy" your lives are, with work and family commitments. We only ask that you spent this day, 20 September 2008; with us. Take a leave of absence from whatever you are doing, rest and recharge with your batch mates and friends... and finally say goodbye to Amy!

SYD WYD 2008: In the Eyes of the Pilgrims (Irene)

Hi Nanette,

Thanks so much for sharing your SYD WYD 2008 experience. I am so envious with you and Irene and all our brethren and sisters who were and are fortunate to experience this WYD 08 (even if are no longer "Youthful", but I am sure very youthful inside!).

Irene and workmates were at the crowd of well wishers at the parade yesterday as well. Funny, they were testing their mobile phone cameras so they can take a photo of the Pope and the Pope mobile as it passes. She said all you can see are the myriad hands with cameras and what not. When the Pope mobile whizzed thru, no one in their contingent managed to get a picture. It was that fast! I think I got a better view on the news on TV. I guess being there; the experience would be totally different....

Mar

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The Three Sisters with the Pope

Auntie Chit messaged (SMS) my wife if she wants to come to the Sunday mass of the SYD WYD 2008 at Randwick. She said she could get extra tickets as she was a "homestay" host. At first she was lukewarm to the idea, as they were not on speaking terms. I told my wife that this might be the her way of making up with her. She relented and called her back. They spoke of Auntie Chit's recent travel to the Philippines and she said it would be good for them to go to this mass. Especially since the Pope would be celebrating.

So last Sunday, together with their other sister, they met up at Central and trekked by foot to Randwick to join the more that 400,000 pilgrims. Although the walk was pleasant enough, it took them more than an hour to get there. From what my wife tells me, it seems that the whole "ordeal" was an experience she could not forget.

According to her, there was this eerie spirituality with the whole experience. A pilgrimage of sorts with her two other sisters, as if they were being egged on by their late mother: to forget past differences and hear the Pope's message in this historical ode to young Catholics. I am sure the more than 12 hours makes up for the past conflict they had. Her mother, I am so sure; is only too glad to see her three daughters on this pilgrimage!

SYD WYD 2008: In the Eyes of the Pilgrims (Nanette)

"The Papal Boat", part of the Papal boat-a-cade. Photo courtesy of Manny Placido.

"Hi Mar and Irene,

I joined the many pilgrims yesterday to see the Pope. It was just a fantastic experience to just be there amongst the crowd. To see so many young people have the kind of faith that they have is very uplifting. It makes you think that "Hey, the next generation will be in safe hands after all".

I went with my friend Lorna. We had tickets that got us inside Barangaroo. We were supposed to go to Gate 1 which was at the end of Kent Street at the Rocks. It should not really have been a long walk but because we did not know where the entrance to each gate was, we ended up taking the longest route passing through all the gates, ie. from Gate 25 (I think) down to Gate 1.

Nonetheless it was a pleasant walk, as we were greeted warmly by the many volunteers. Along the way, we met friends who were actually volunteers. There was actually one volunteer who told Lorna and me, "You are nearly there..." I told Lorna, "We must look very tired to her". :)

We walked with the pilgrims who were singing songs, cheering and chanting. How I wished I knew the songs.

When we reached our designated area which was Gate 1, Area A, Section 7, we saw a Filipino contingent. Lorna and I went across to them and spoke to a group of young boys aged 16 and over. They were calling us Titas (Aunties) and were telling us their experiences so far. How they are feeling the cold and how they did not know initially where they were going to stay as the school they were billeted had double bookings. So from Bossley Park, they were moved to Meadowbank. Some members of the group were asleep but the boys we were talking to were very jovial. You knew that they were happy to be part of such a momentous event.

I was told that the Philippines had 2700 delegates to WYD, bigger than the number of delegates from the rest of the Asian countries combined. The Cross, I was told, originated from UST and that the Pope mobile was made in the Philippines. At least this was what my Tita Pat said.

The crowd, arriving at Barangaroo, got bigger and bigger. Being young, they were noisy but you can say it was a happy, friendly noise if you know what I mean. There were nuns (some looked really young) and priests (good looking ones I must say).

With the crowds increasing, Lorna and I were worried about not being able to quickly get out when the Pope leaves so we decided to leave the area even before the Pope arrived and find a good vantage point instead. And we did found one at Argyle Road, atop Hickson Road.

From there we could see the stage, the big screens and heard the songs, etc. There was a big crowd where we were too, mostly office workers in the area, police, children with their mums, young adults and many more.

When the Pope arrived, everyone cheered and though we may have been in a different area, we knew that we were one with the crowd. We participated in the prayers, in the singing, in everything.

I may have switched off a bit when the Pope was delivering his speech as I could not hear some parts. When the Pope blessed the crowd, you have this feeling that you were really among those people blessed.

We knew the Pope was going on his Pope mobile along George St, but from where we were standing, Lorna and I really did not know where to go. We just decided to go to George St from Argyle St. Lorna had a bit of a sore leg so in my attempt to get to George St, I ran as I've never run before and in doing so, I unintentionally left Lorna behind. And you know what, just as we reached the end, the Pope passed. I thought that was amazing and I was waving like a lunatic.

Believe it or not, the Pope mobile was speeding (no speeding tickets issued though) but I think it was because they were behind schedule. It was a fantastic experience and I am just glad I was part of it.

I saw Pope John Paul when he was in Sydney. I don't remember what year that was but I was working in North Sydney then. He was in the Pope mobile and I saw him from our office window. Though I may have been far, you still felt his presence. I guess Pope John Paul had a special aura about him.

Anyway, I consider myself blessed that I got to see them both right here in Sydney!"

:) Nanette

(Barangaroo is located in East Darling Harbour, to read the full text of the Pope's speech, click here.)

SYD WYD 2008: In the Eyes of the Pilgrims (Manny)

From the Matilda, "Approaching Barangaroo". Photo courtesy of Manny Placido.

"Hi All,

Firstly, Sis Nanette's account below captured it all.

Secondly, what I forgot to tell you beforehand is that, as home stay hosts, your Sis Dodo and I were selected to be part of the flotilla accompanying the Papal boat on the Papal boat-a-cade.

Amongst an escort of about 10 big boats (plus a big collection of smaller boats and police jet-skis), we were at the Matilda yesterday. At the Matilda, we found Bro Dan and Sis Amy on the upper deck with some friends.

We also saw Chito and Pilar Perez.

On the way to the bridge, the sun is right in front of us so it's difficult to take (good) pictures - but here's some (see above picture) taken using Rosanna's camera. Your Sis Dodo has taken more (and perhaps better) pics with her camera."

Manny

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Thanks Bro Manny for the pictures, especially sharing your experiences at the boat-a-cade!

Also I have to mention that aside from you guys, Bro Jack and Sis Elvie Sta Maria are also hosting some pilgrims. I believe their "pilgrims" are from Italy.

Sweet!

My sweet tooth got the better of me. Mom made me banana and sweet potato (kamote) in sugar syrup. Served hot with cold milk, brought back childhood memories.