'Could've beens'

I ran into an old friend recently. It was a surprise running into him on a busy street in Makati City. I knew him way back in college, when I was still in Cebu City.

To say that I knew him well isn’t very true. There were encounters and some calls. Let’s just say that he was a guy who could have been interesting had I been interested and had he been interested enough to make the pursuit. Let’s just say that he was one of the ‘could’ve beens’. Ask any girl. There are almost always one or two in our lives.

When she was five

My daughter turned six just this month. I am amazed by her development, this little being who seems to be me and not me and more herself every year. So, before she gets any older, I would like to keep these memories intact by writing them down.

When she was five…

• she’d move her chair from the head of the table to the side, where I sat, just so she could be close to me when we ate breakfast.


• she loved hiding the remote control from her Dad; it was a game between them.

Family Day

Last August 15, we attended the annual Family Day at our kid's school. We were there at 7:30 a.m. and the first order of the day was the general assembly for the parents. It started at 9:30 a.m. or thereabouts. It took less than the waiting time and the subsequent games, even less.

It's probably unfair to compare but the only experience I can cite is that in my kid's former school. This was a smaller school, definitely, and maybe that's why it was better organized (but I still think this isn't an excuse).

The food we don't eat

Last August 7, I attended an assembly in a hotel where we were served snacks. It was impressive. We had a choice of about five food varieties on our plate - a combination of bread and pastries.

I managed to finish what was on my plate because lunch had been a sandwich, finished hastily to get to the assembly on time. But the many others who had a full lunch had a lot of leftovers.

Drowning out airplanes

I still get a high from seeing airplanes fly so low over cars just before they go over the fence and touch down on the runway on the other side.

This, despite the fact that I live near the airport and see this with regularity – not every time, but a lot of times on our way to and from home.