Fill in my blanks

"You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." - Jodi Picoult

You know how I get around the "write every day" discipline? I post pictures! I have hundreds of them in my hard drive that need to be backed up soon. The four-year-old laptop is showing signs of wear and tear.

I reviewed some pics and found myself acutely missing Kai, the Curly Tops of our lives. She left to catch the last day of "Disney on Ice" at the Araneta Coliseum (decades ago, it was my Dad who set the annual tradition of taking us children to "Holiday on Ice"). After this last full show, Kai returns to her Baguio home. She left wearing an aquamarine Elsa (from the movie Frozen) dress, a Mickey Mouse hairband complete with Mouseketeer ears and her trusty Nike sandals. I wasn't prepared with my point and shoot so I ended up looking for past pictures of her.

The first photo shows her boarding the back of the neck and shoulders of her Papay (her term for her father) so she can be taller than anyone at the Manila International Book Fair and easily spot the head of white of her Grumpa Tats. In the second photo I think she's holding a box of puzzles that her Mamay got for her.

I may not be writing well today, Kai, sweet granddaughter of mine, but you are filling up my mind and easing the blank space in my arms where I held you during your afternoon nap today and yesterday.

Photos by Babeth Lolarga

'Let me take your picture'

Portrait of Booboo taken by Kai Curly Tops before the kid left for school today

If you don't find me in our family pictures some of the time, it isn't because I am elsewhere. It's because I'm taking the pictures. Remember what they say about the TV's remote control? Whoever holds it holds the power. Taking my family members' photos has enabled me to discover their most flattering angle.

I like how Kai presents herself as photographer or portraitist. It's with a polite preface: "Let me take your picture." She knows the settings of my old Canon PowerShot better than me and is unafraid about fiddling with the buttons (she once was Butones, after all). When I need the camera and want the settings restored to its former state, I turn to Kai's techy mother Kimi.

Yes, she takes selfies, too. But they're over at Instagram.

Thanks, Kai. You made my Wednesday. I grade you "Excellent" in use of lighting coming from the computer and office window on a gray gray day. Love, Booboo

Dangerous beauties

Brother Junic, who's out there in Calgary, Canada, poking around the neighborhood with his camera 'round his neck, sent us, his siblings, this image earlier today.

It reminded me of the time I took a different path during a morning walk in Baguio with Curly Kai and I ended up rushing home with a necklace of rashes.

Junic wrote about these harmless-looking flora:

"They look beautiful but good thing I didn't proceed to hike in this area. There was so much hogweed. If I had gone near, I would have ended up with rashes."

Send more hogweed, bro, but only images of these dangerous beauties, not the real deal. Scratch that itch!

Hogweed--do not touch or don't let one of these babies touch you. Photo by Junic Lolarga