Brookside Baby: Max and Jared Susi

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Fab at 88

My old office stood at 88 East Capitol Drive. The bungalow on an elevated lot that used to house Raya Media Services Inc. is gone, and in its place is Shine Special Education Center, Inc. Sharing a space in the Shine building is Rub, a ribs and manly fare place that Mom likes to call in for orders of their baby back ribs with sidings and extra barbecue sauce when she's in no mood to prepare a meal for her hungry hippos (that's us her children).

When I think of mom and many things I associate with her, she really stands for the appeasement of hunger. I don't think we ever had to go to bed hungry in our lives in the years we've spent with her. As for intellectual and spiritual nourishment, we each follow what gives us bliss.

The feeder in the family just had to cut short her "staycation" at the Linden Suites courtesy of her youngest born Gigi because she had to attend again to the food preparations (to welcome the stuff she had pre-ordered, not to cook) for the Sunday celebration of her 88th jubilee.

Photo by Gigi Lolarga

When my sister Embeng asked what words should be iced on Mom's Hizon's mocha cake, I didn't have to think twice: "Fab at 88 Mommy dearest."

Mom had a contingent of willing candle blowers to assist her: youngest grandchild Bianca and great grandchildren Kai, Max and Jared.

Photo by Embeng Trinidad

It's still your birth month, Mom. Enjoy enjoy And Joy!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

When April gives way to May...

...our April-born girl will be in another part of the country, in the hot lowlands playing in a shallow pool filled with water from the garden hose with cousins Max and little Jared and shy LJ, our help's three-year old kid in Pasig, for company.

When Kai/Butones dressed up to get ready to leave for a long-postponed trip to the lowlands yesterday, I asked her who she wanted to see at my mother's house. "Max, Jared and LJ," she said. There was absolutely no mention of the family elders. Children say the darndest thing. When needy me asked if she'd miss me, she said, "No. We've been together too long."

Well, that put Booboo in her place, and I've been filling up the space left by her absence with nothing but work, readings and music in that order. But the music I miss most is her playing her xylophone by my side while I work, her calling out for me to sing every note she picks out on that do-re-mi scale. "Sing it, Booboo," my little bossing commands. And I have no recourse but to stop whatever it is I'm in the midst of, and I sing, often off-key, and she turns to me with a frown.

Before she, her mother Kimi and Granny Suzy left, we had time for a few pictures that I wish I can use for my passport photo, but fat chance in hell will the Department of Foreign Affairs allow any of these. These are my souvenirs for April of 2015. Ahhh, Kai, you are the sunshine and moonlight in my life!