Three Years of Christmas Blessings | 2010

Christmas is a time to be jolly and bright. The problem is, when you are spending Christmas far away from home. We were so used to Christmas eve as the night we all walk to church and celebrate the birth of Christ with families and sometimes even friends that we meet along the way. Then off we go home, eating puto bumbong while walking back (walking is faster due to the traffic). Then Christmas dinner with ham and salad and whatever it is that is shared at the dining table. Let's not forget the gifts that we receive after the small feast.


All that changed when we came to live in this foreign land. In as much as we want it to be like the old days (getting gifts at 30 years old was kind of fun), the absence of family really takes a lot out of Christmas. But that wouldn't really stop us from celebrating what it's all about. So we don't get to walk to church together as family, but at least we have prayer time together. We don't get to eat puto bumbong anymore, but there's still cake and there still is a small feast. Alas, gift giving is not a big affair (with only the three of us), but it's a great moment nonetheless, especially for Jakjak.

It's not about the gifts, or so we would like to believe. But happiness and prosperity are gifts that cannot be measured tangibly. And they are given and received without anyone really noticing. The blessings that we had received over the last three Christmases was all worth the smiles and the thank yous. It has been a tremendous gift for myself, Judy and of course, Jakjak. All of these, we thank our Lord God for. All these blessings, not just this Christmas, but all throughout the years. Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Smiles and Frowns | 2010

Sometimes, Jakjak's silliness peaks at the most awkward times. And it brings us endless joy and laughter to see him at his best.


It's not always smiles and giggles though. At his worst, he can become an onslaught of naughty. It brings me endless frustration when he is at his worst because it becomes really hard to control him. And he will taunt you to death until you both get cross. So let's not delve into that part of his personality.

Happiness comes in all forms when it comes to Jakjak. He can make you laugh just by sitting there and making faces. He can even make you laugh just babbling about nothing. He will tell you endless stories with characters weaved from different books and movies with the most interesting plots. He will do stunts. He will make things out of paper and clay (with some crayons and paint thrown in for good measure). He will "wow" you with the new things that he discovers day after day. He will even amaze you when you realize that most of the things he knows, he has learned from mum, dad and the discovery channel. 


It is all of these amazing things that make you negate the simpleton tantrums that he throws at you. But you can't ignore it either. We do our best to educate him about the folly of his ways, but after that (lately, that includes a bit of crying and whining), we go back to being "normal" kids.

Grandma and Grandpa | 2010

The problem with living in a far off place (overseas) is that you tend to be away from the whole family. This is the reason why I made it a point to bring my own family with me whenever and wherever I am. We continue to keep our relationships close, or as close as we can to as many family members as we can. This is especially true for Jakjak who left for a new home when he was but 3 years old. No one misses him more than his grandparents. So what did they do? Well, they decided to visit.


Jakjak was very happy when Mamu and Papu arrived. Surprisingly, he warmed up to them immediately this time. In the words of Mum, he had matured. Quite quickly actually. He just turned five! As much as we love him and want to be with him, we know he needs a balance in his relationships. So we sneaked out while he was having fun with his grandparents. Okay, so maybe we had other plans at the back of our minds, but hey, children need to be in touch with their grandparents. It's like a right of passage. I did it when I was a kid. 

We spent as many days as we had to go out. Bring them to sights, bring them to have good eats, bring them to where Jakjak goes. Jakjak has actually been a good tour guide and a good host. He entertains, he sings, he dances and he shows that he likes them being there. In fact, I believe that the last two weeks with them has been good for everybody. Jakjak has enjoyed the stories of Mamu and Papu. Mamu and Papu have enjoyed Jakjak's infectious happiness. Mum and Dad have enjoyed a few moments on our own as well.

Those were good times. Short but sweet. As it turns out, growing up does have it's perks. For both children and adults. But I think most especially, it was grandma and grandpa who enjoyed it the most. 

I Am Five | 2010

Five years ago, I was in the operating room of Asian Hospital in Alabang, Muntinlupa. I was in a daze because my wife is in labor and we were about to be on the receiving end of a 7-month pre-term baby who was very impatient and wants to come out early. Days and nights in the Neo-natal ICU followed. Days of visits to doctors and specialists soon came after. Followed still by a few hitches and a few glitches later on.

But five years on, we never would have imagined Jakjak to be this irresistable little huggy-bug that brings endless joy to his mum and dad (and most of everyone else that he knows).

I can still recall how he worried us when he got his first fever and could not sleep. When he had his first cold and could not breathe. When he had his first operation for hernia at 6 months old (God, that was unbearable for a parent, especially a dad). And that time when he fell from the bed when he was but 3 months old. He still worries us every now and then, it's just not as often as before. He still falls and fumbles every now and then, but it's just because he is too much of a scrambler who does not look at where he's going most of the time. And we love him to bits.

He likes presents. He likes toys. He likes pretty much whatever it is you give him (except for food during lunch and dinner). But he doesn't ask for toys that often. He asks if what he wants is expensive or not, and leaves it on the shelf if it is. He will often shout "I like that" when he sees the TV ad, but he never throws a tantrum just to get it at the toy store. In a way, I probably did that to him. I was like that when I was small, but for a different reason than what I was teaching him. Because today, I can give him the toys that he wants, but we control our buying sprees simply because he has so many toys already that he knows what to do with. And we fell it's healthy for the both of us (I did not have as much toys as Jakjak has when I was his age).

He knows his letters and his numbers. He knows his words and his vocabulary is quite big for his age. He would often ask what a word means if he hears it for the first time and will use it while talking to you until he understands how to use it. He knows how volcanoes erupt and that Saturn has rings made of gas. He knows which is a Ferrari and which is a Porsche, and he also knows which is a Mazda. He makes cake and ice cream from Play Doh. He draws helicopters, buses (with 3D wheels) and mum and dad. He makes trains out of empty boxes and water bottles and a rocket booster from cardboard and paper (decorated with green highlighter pens). He's an imaginative thinker, and he makes good use of his talents to bring love and happiness to people. And we appreciate it most, because we love this boy to the core.

Appetizer | 2010

For the longest time, Mum had been coaxing Jakjak into eating to make him, well, look healthier. He is healthy, mind you, it's just when you look at our sizes, he seems a bit underwhelming. The problem we found with Jakjak is that he eats only what he wants to eat at a certain time. He eats most of anything, in his own time. And when he wants to eat, he really wants to eat. Lately, he's been chomping his way on late night dinners and milk before going to bed (that's dinner at 11 PM!).

Of course, as with most of anything that we allow him to do, we still need to watch what he eats. The way we are now, and the problems that we have (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.), we believe it prudent that Jakjak learns which foods are good for him and which are not. Thankfully, he likes what we give him (most of the time) and is easy to teach and control. We let him have his way as long as he has eaten healthy at least 70% of his total intake.

One problem that we have always assumed to be the cause of Jakjak's non-capacity to gain weight is his over-hyper-dooper-active lifestyle. When he's not sleeping, he's talking. When he's not talking, he's playing with his toys. When he's not playing with his toys, he's running around like a headless chicken trying to juggle a gazillion things at the same time.


At the very least, we are now happy with his eating habits. It took a while to get him to eat right, but a little bit of persuasion from Mum and Dad helped. We taught him how to cook (by engaging his help while Mum is cooking), we taught him how to make sandwiches (the messy kind), we had him help make pancakes (after which the kitchen looks like snow city) and just ask him to be there while we eat. Of course, now he has his own toy stove with a complete set of pans, a tea party set, an ice cream maker and a bunch of Japanese style miniature food replicas. Girl stuff? Nah, chefs are men with balls after all.

Mister Maker | 2010

One of Jakjak's favorite things to do at the moment is to "make something". He had just gotten a new Play Doh ice cream making set which he saw on the telly (it was on sale!) and was having a jolly good time pretending to serve ice cream swirls, when he finished his Cookie Crisp cereal. At the back of the box was a cut out rocket which I helped him cut and tape together. After a while, he had a great idea and put on the cut up box on his head and started mumbling airline blabber (you know, the kind that goes "we are now at 1800 feet above Singapore ..."). He had so much fun that he forgot about the ice cream maker. 

This is a pilot helmet. Really.

There seems to be something about empty boxes that call out to children. He once used a big empty computer box (one I used to carry my stuff out of my old office) as an airplane. He used a "balik-bayan" box as a hide out. He even used one of medium-sized ones to make himself a Jakjak in a box. If I had only realized that it would be this cheap to get creative playtime with him, I would have just put all those Hotwheels cars in a box (one that says "Dad's") and bought him empty cardboard boxes from the local grocery. It would have made our place look like a warehouse though, and Mum probably wouldn't approve.

This is a train. Really really.

During their free time, Mum usually home schools Jakjak with letters, numbers, words and the sort of things that you learn in school. Most of the time though, Jakjak is just playing or watching the telly. Television shows nowadays seem to have evolved, and I meant that in a good way. Back in the day, the only choice I had was Sesame Street and the News. Today, we are watching Word World, Captain Y, Mister Maker, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora and Diego and all the other education biased shows. Which is a relief, because those are the shows that Jakjak likes to watch (along with Flapjack and the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy). With some parental guidance, he's been learning stuff that I didn't know until I was thirteen. It's good to see him use what he has learned, and it makes him proud to see his work appreciated, which is why our kitchen has now become an art wall. We like to think of it as, free wallpaper.

Home | 2010

We always tell Jakjak that home is where all of us are together. Dad, Mum and Jakjak. This is because he was born in the Philippines and has grown up there until the age of three, before we moved to Singapore. And as young as he was back then, we made some pretty good memories with families and friends. Sometimes, Jakjak would see something familiar, like a toy or a photograph, and he would just say: "Dad, I have one just like that in the Philippines!". He is always so happy (and sometimes a bit surprised) to see something that he remembers from his younger days. So we brought him back home for a vacation (the problem that comes with a job, is that you rarely get chances like these).

Surprisingly, those locked up memories that he used to blurt out seemed to disappear when we were there. It was like, it was in his subconscious, but it failed to unearth itself during the time he was actually there. Mum felt a bit sad, because those memories seemed so vivid at the back of Jakjak's mind during all that time. So we decided to make as much memories as we could. Ten days is just too short for making memories. Specially since Jakjak had no sense of time whatsoever. He still woke up at 10 in the morning and slept at 12 midnight. He still played as much as he could with whoever would play with him at the time (sadly, Dad had to go to hospitals for check ups and doctor's appointments for his gallbladder).

At the very least, we managed to let him ride a horse, have a picnic and play with his cousins. There were still a lot of things we wanted to do and places we wanted to see. But the weather was not as cooperative as we would have hoped and my trips to the doctor went on longer than what we expected. Still, it was as good as it is. And at the end of the trip, Jakjak, naturally did not want to go back.


It had been a great time off from everything. We managed to lay back and relax for a bit of time. We managed to get Jakjak some time to be with his cousins and grandparents. Memories are all that we made on that trip. But they were memories that we would always cherish. Hopefully, we would be able to do it again in a few months time. Until then, it's back to living our lives in our home (with Dad, Mum and Jakjak, wherever it may take us).