The American President

We recently got Charly a children's book on famous American Presidents.

I realize that at three years of age, she is a tad too young to fully understand what it means to be a president, much less the American President. But as I watch this historic Inauguration live, it hits me that when it does, Charly will come into that knowledge with President Obama in office.

And while our generation can appreciate what a big step it is to have the first African-American U.S. president, Charly's generation will wake up with one already in office.

And for them, it won't be such a big deal because the Obama years will be all they'll know when they are old enough to be discussing the American President in school.

I think about it and realize that that's a really, really good thing.

And I'm so glad that though Charly was born during the Bush years, the Obama administration is the first one that she will truly experience.

Charly's "25".

As originally posted in Facebook's ubiquitous '25'...here is Charly's version, for all her godparents, aunts, uncles and close friends of mom and dad as she turns 3 today:

1. I like music and always check to make sure mom has Hi-Five or Disney's Fresh in the car's CD player or Ipod.

2. I sleep with the scent of aromatherapy oils from Body Shop (preferably peppermint or grapefruit) and background music of Vivaldi, Bach, Tschaikowsky. Sometimes I request for Benny Goodman and Miles Davis. I also like John Mayer, the Beatles, Billy Joel, and old school rap music. I also love when dad puts on Elton John (Bennie & the Jets) during bathtime. My dad is the coolest, he downloads all sorts of music for me.

3. I'm a leftie.

4. I LOVE books and literally grew up in the kids section of Fully Booked. It's cool that the staff know me by name so my mommy knows where to find me if I run off on my own. Recent book favorites include all things Eric Carle, Dr Seuss books, Maisy (I love that the alligator's name is Charley), Madeleine (I can memorize "In an old house in Paris, covered in vines..."), and Billy Crystal's I Already Know I Love You.

5. My favorite shoes are my baby blue Crocs with Dora, Blue, and Mickey Mouse jibitz on them. Sometimes I'll wear my red Mary Jane Crocs or black Converse hi-tops but only if mom and dad ask really really nicely :)

6. Mom and Dad say I take pretty decent photos (hey, I'm three!) with my kids VTech digicam and our Olympus point and shoot.

7. I wear my baseball caps with their backside to the front.

8. I love pumpkin soup. Especially from Cibo, Press Cafe and Claw Daddy's.

9. I love munching on breadsticks. I like eating Nestle Strawberry yogurt and FIC Butterscotch ice cream!

10. I like bathing with Johnson's Baby Top to Toe Body Wash but prefer Nivea Baby Body Lotion after a bath.

11. My mommy is Filipina. My dad is South American. Although I'm a Philippine-born American citizen, I've got a smattering of Spanish, Portuguese, Indian, Japanese and Chinese blood running in me. Just like mom, dad, and Pepe - I'm a mongrel :) Riggs is the only one with a pure pedigree in our household!

12. I love going to the arcade after Gymboree art classes. I always ask teacher to give me a stamp because my mommy says it's what gets us into the arcade.

13. Pepe and Riggs are my brothers in arms.

14. I don't mind going to the dentist. I always ask Dr. Eric if he has free toys to give me at the end of check ups.

15. I love online shopping with mom, especially for books that we can browse through. The best thing about online shopping is that it all arrives in a balikbayan box with lots of other goodies from Gramma Resa that smells like the USA :)

16. I love watching Word World, Bunnytown, Strawberry Shortcake, Hi-Five, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, and of course Dora. I still can't relate to Barbie and the Disney Princesses and my dad thinks that's a good thing.

17. I'm slow to warm up to people, but talk a mile a minute once I do. I'll even share my cookies with you once we're cool.

18. I love love love my ninang Bev :) I think Ninong Mark has more tech stuff than Inspector Gadget. I think ninong Mario is tall as a giraffe. Tito Manolo is cool for liking Elton John and knowing sorts of music trivia. Ninong Raymond rocks for flying that paper airplane smack on that woman's lunch plate at Fely J's. I know one of these days Ninong Louie will change my nappies. I love when my godparents spend time to get to know me...I know I've got lots of others in the States that I haven't met...

19. I can't decide whether I want to be like Michael Phelps (without the drug suspension) or Dr Cheng when I grow up. Hmm. Sports star or doctor?

20. I get my hair trimmed at Kids Hair in Rustan's. Only Gio or Rustom will do.

21. I'm cheap with my kisses and hugs and only give them to people I really do know.

22. I like cupcakes!

23. I love the impressionists. I know Monet from Van Gogh and Matisse and Picasso. My mommy likes Cafe Terrace at Night, I like the Starry Night more. I want to go to the Musee D'Orsay for my 7th birthday.

24. I dearly love a bearwich (that's a group hug with mom and dad and me in the middle).

25. I love seeing babes and gramma resa shake their booty and dance! One day, I'll teach them to do the pretzel twist just like Jojo :)

Happy Birthday, Charly Bear! We love you for all these and so much more...

Happy Birthday, Riggs.

Riggs.

Named for Mel Gibson's character (Martin Riggs) in the Lethal Weapon series. The guy with the crazy, manic eyes. Incredibly high strung. Totally wired. A guy with a death wish who was loud, yet totally charming. Any movie buff familiar with the character will think oh yes after spending a few minutes in our boy Riggs' presence.

It took us some time to finally hit upon the name for our mini pomeranian. David and I are firm believers that a dog's name comes to you. It's not something you pull out of a hat or randomly assign, just because it sounds cool.

And so, as we welcomed the tiny (yes, less than a pound and fitting comfortably into my two cupped hands) adorable fellow into our lives exactly 3 years and 11 months ago, we watched him keenly for signs as to what we would name him.

When we first saw him, tiny thing that he was, we thought it would be fun to call him Samson (the name we officially had printed on his pedigree papers). But it didn't seem to fit. Neither did other numerous names that we tried out.

Then one day, he tried to jump off the kitchen sink. For a pup less than a pound, and barely 6 weeks old, such a fall could be dangerous. Nevertheless, the little guy did it again. And again.

And his yapping was incessant. The sound of the softest footsteps in the hallway could trigger a bout of barking. Clearly, this was one high strung puppy.

He also became very attached to David (to this day, he thinks David is his mommy). Separation anxiety translated into high pitched barks.

One day, I came home to the sight of David and Pepe looking shell shocked from too much barking. No amount of shouting could shut the little guy up. He was wired and manic.

But did he ever love being cuddled. He was very well behaved in public and was a natural people magnet. A total charmer.

Thus the name, Riggs.

Not much has changed in four years. I can't be sure if his barking has lessened or we've just become more immune. We try to keep him as calm as possible. Some doggie training aids have helped us calm him down a bit. We've learned to adjust our movements so as not to trigger an anxiety attack.

And the charm thing is still going strong. When we have him groomed, it never fails that people stop by to pet him. Numerous times, random people have even asked to have their picture taken with him. He now has 2 print ads under his belt.

And is he ever a ham in front of the cameras. In some ways, it's like living with a movie star. A diva.

Happy Birthday, Riggsy.

Crazy dog that you are, all of us - especially Charly - loves you to pieces.

Studio Shot.

This shot was a little too Brokeback Mountain for us.

And I thought by limiting Riggs to gender-specific outfits (no pink tutus, no ribbons), that dressing him up wouldn't make him look gay.

Hmm.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." so "The Christmas Song" goes.

Now here's a random thought. "The Christmas Song" was written by Mel Torme in the middle of a heat wave, in an attempt to stay cool, by thinking cool.

Wishful thinking, really.

Here's our version - AKA the door to our kitchen.

Wishful thinking for a family in Asia whose favorite season is winter.

Although it's been said, many times, many ways - MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!!!

Favorite Body Parts

No, it's not what you think.

Charly's latest comfort thing, after having outgrown her beloved 'wubbie', is drinking her bedtime milk and either running her hand along my arm or David's beard (well, he doesn't really have one, but she seems to like his stubble or five o'clock shadow).

In her words, it's either "Mom's arm" or "Dad's beard". She looked indignant one time when she rubbed a hand against David's chin only to discover it smooth and stubble-free.

Last night, she actually said "Good night, Dad's beard. Good night, Mom's arm".

It's a good excuse for David and I to snuggle up next to her. She drinks her milk, while scooting up close and rubbing a hand on my arm or David's cheek.

I hope she doesn't outgrow her favorite body parts too soon.

Metal Lunch Boxes

...whatever happened to them?

As Charly begins to go to a more structured nursery school where the kids are required to pack their own snacks and juices, David and I feel a little frisson of excitement over the thought of....lunch box shopping!

One of the coolest things about being a parent is that we can unapologetically get excited over going shopping for things that we had left behind in our childhood. Muppet Show characters, Paddington Bear books, Legos, Mr. Potatohead, Tonka trucks, Playdough...

But I digress. Back to the lunch boxes at hand.

As we headed for the houseware section of Rustan's and SM, we were disappointed to find lame looking lunch boxes for kids. There were utilitarian looking Rubbermaids, the solid - but old looking - Thermos bags and bottles that I have opted to pack my lunch to work in, and some flimsy looking plastic lunch pails featuring today's more popular cartoon characters. And let's not forget the expensive Japanese lunch bags whose insides are so stuffed with little microwaveable food containers that they would need a Tetris expert to fit them all in.

None were deemed cool enough to merit the honor of being Charly's first lunch box.

David and I reminisced about our own metal lunch boxes during our grammar school days. Most Gen-X'ers probably don't have an affinity for metal lunchboxes. You would have to be old enough to be carrying a lunch box to school in the 70's to feel nostalgic about these metal lunch carriers. Needless to say, we were.

I had a dome-shaped Peanuts tin lunch box with an Alladin water bottle inside. When the Bionic Woman became popular, I went off to school with Lindsay Wagner on my lunch box. The year after that, I had Jill, Kelly and Sabrina - Charlie's Angels! As a kid, I seriously looked forward to the lunch box of the year. I would even dent it a bit towards the year's end, just to make sure my mom would buy me a new one for the next school year.

Like an old song, thinking about our old metal lunch boxes took us back in time, bringing to mind school days, a favorite food, or an old friend.

So when I think about picking the lunch box that will eventually find its way to Charly's memory box, I hesitate to pick just any old generic lunch container. After all, I have such vivid memories of mine.

And so the search goes on...

Makin My List and Checking It Twice, Thrice...

Last year around the first week of December, I put in an order to the Baguio Country Club for 100 loaves of their famously yummy raisin bread.

By the third week of December, our family driver, Arnel, was making scheduled trips around town delivering the abovementioned loaves to various friends, an assortment of cousins, aunts and uncles, and former co-workers.

I was also in a frenzy, combing bazaars and malls for last-minute gifts for my immediate family and godchildren.

And that didn't even include the number of presents I had to buy for my current co-workers.

Our dining room table had morphed into Santa's worktable, strewn with gift wrapping paper, cards, and various gift-wrapping accessories like scissors, ribbons, and tape.

It was Gift Giving Gone Wild.

This year, I look back and think. I have not seen or hung out with 100+ people during the year.

You might say I'm a Scrooge, but this year, I am going to throw caution into the wind and apply the rule of Christmas Presence. Meaning, if I don't see you or your family during the month of December - when the Christmas parties, reunions, get-togethers start rolling in - then we must not be that close that we haven't managed to make the time to so much as catch up for coffee or a quick dessert to exchange presents. Busy schedules be damned. The holidays are supposed to be meant for people who matter to us. And making life better for others. And giving of yourself. Not 100 gifts sent out by routine to people who you haven't seen, probably will not be seeing for some time - because they are too busy, you are too busy, or you just plain don't want to make time for each other.

After all, if you matter to me, I sure as hell will be making the time to catch up with you during the holidays (and vice versa). I will even make a concession and consider the latter part of November or early part of January (for a post New Year celebration) as within the gift giving period.

But if we haven't made the time to meet up at all for the last quarter of the year, let alone the entire 2008, then it doesn't matter whether you've been good or bad. I'm not Santa Claus. So, me...I'm going for simplicity and crossing one more person off my gift list.

It just doesn't make sense to give presents mechanically and out of habit, does it? And all that spare change - or money that would have gone to buying gifts out of routine...I will make sure they find their way to a good cause and help some other people who are in need of something more than the obligatory fruit cake.

Happy Birthday, Lola

Today would have been my Lola Juliana's 105th birthday. Sadly, she died almost 18 years ago. Her husband and my lolo, Gregorio Zamuco, lived for another 17 years, only finally saying goodbye to all of us last year just a couple months shy of his 107th birthday.

Charly's middle name - Julianne - is after her great-grandmother. Even in the ultra-sound pictures, I could see that Charly had inherited my lola's chin.

It doesn't feel like 18 years since lola passed away. I still remember how her face used to light up when the whole family would come over to Los Banos, as well as her home-cooked dishes and the fruits she used to make 'pabaon' to us on the way back to Manila from Los Banos. How she used to tut-tut and shake her head when my dad always arrived late (thus also making the whole family late) to yet another of our reunions. Most of all, I can still see how she would sit on the front porch, her hand tucked into lolo's hand.

On one of our visits, she gave my dad a small grafting that he planted in our backyard. That grafting is now a big, solid tree that doesn't flower much year round.

But every year, around her birthday (and mine - for my birthday is only 6 days away from hers), that tree comes in full bloom.

A sure reminder that she is still watching over us from somewhere up there.

Happy Birthday, Lola. We miss you guys.

Hopefully Not A Sign of Things To Come

Earlier this evening, I was on the phone with my mom while the hubby was reading Charly a bedtime story.

15 minutes later, Charly comes out of the room looking for me.

Charly (plaintively): "Mom, Dad is asleep."

Me: "What do you mean? He fell asleep while reading to you?"

Charly: "Yeah. He's asleep. Mom, please come inside with me."

I quickly got off the phone, just as the hubby comes out shaking his head at Charly and - come to think of it, at me too for having fallen for Charly's latest scam.

David: "Charly, you said you were just going to give mom a goodnight kiss."

Charly (looking caught): "Oh. haha. I want mom to go inside the room too."

Did she just do what I think she did? She actually conned both parents to get them to do what she wanted.

She knew David would not let her go out of the room just to bug me to come in. And she knew I would not go in without a good reason because she was already supposed to be in bed.

It was cute. We had a good laugh at her sneaky mind and tactics.

A sense of foreboding however tells me that a few years from now we will not be laughing if she pulls something like this on us as a teenager.