Time goes by...

Rolly on the phone at the Ayala Museum Cafe, November 2012

Kimi and Kai in Davao City, September 2012

Ze blogger and youngest daughter Ida, Singapore, August 2012

A little more inhalation and exhalation and before we know it, the five of us will be reunited during the most wonderful time of the year. This wife/mother/grandma knows who's gonna have the most fun, too, when the season begins on Dec. 2, the first Sunday of Advent. Already this small person is practicing her twirls and whirls, that thoughtful look, that tender smile all of which turns us into her helpless captives.

Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Hands down it’s Celso, the fellow in yellow Lacoste shirt with black abaniko and our friend working at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. He blew into town last week and rustled us girls (Lynett, Chato and me) for what he called a “wicked lunch.” Mindful that among us was a vegetarian, we chose healthy items from the Ayala Museum Café and didn’t venture beyond the appetizers of crab cakes, which he declared more full of extenders (potatoes and flour) rather than crab bits, sushi and salads. Strangest of all, we were reluctant dessert eaters. When he rose to go to the Gents, he asked me to hold on to his black leather bag. “Is this a Prada?” I asked as I gingerly touched the soft smooth leather and marveled at the zipper work. “No,” he replied. “Emporio Armani lang ‘yan.” Heads at the next table swiveled and gaped at the well-accessorized man. Count on Celso to deliver the best punch line of the afternoon.