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.

Her last trip

Working in an office along Ayala Ave. has its perks. It's not only cool to be working in the midst of Makati's commercial and business district, it's also convenient -- there are many modes of public transportation readily available, from taxies, to PUJs, to FX rides to buses.

Given the prominence of the businesses lining Ayala Ave., it is also host to many cause-oriented rallies and activities - a fact I appreciated for the first time last Monday when it became part of the route for the transfer of the late President Cory Aquino's flag-draped coffin from La Salle Greenhills in Quezon City to the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros.

Happy Birthday

This is a tribute to my sister, who celebrates her birthday today.

She doesn't know it but she was the first one who broke my heart. She did it when she left our home to work as a flight stewardess abroad. I remember wondering how to fill the gap she left and how lonely I felt. This was not the age of mobile connectivity and Internet access. It was a long time before I was able to fill in that gap.