FLOWERS AT THE BACKYARD

After typhoons Neneng and Milenyo hit our place, I realized that some of my precious collection of flowering plants were either traumatized or died of long hours of soaking from floodwaters.

At least a number of my shrubberies survived the onslaught of typhoon that lasted for about a month and a few of my ornamental plants could still be rehabilitated.

Initially I lost interest in gardening when I saw the destruction to my backyard.

I feel quite guilty when I didn’t salvage my collections when the first typhoon came.

Soon as I got back from Davao City attending the meeting, I immediately attended to my garden.

MASK OF ZOMBIE

I was awaken by a loud shrill. At first I don’t know what to do because the room was so dark and I cannot make out where was that noise came from. Finally my sanity and consciousness returned and I realized my son John Kenneth was the one shouting and crying.

In darkness I hold him closely assuring him that nothing’s wrong, but the reality is I don’t know the reason why he was shouting and crying.

I carried him and he is quite heavy as he is turning 4 on October 27. We put on the lights and went to the dining room to let him drink his water.

After that, I again feel sleepy and asked my son if we can go back to bed but he strongly objected to getting back in our bedroom.

I asked what’s wrong and he said he saw something moving beside him.

I checked the bed while he was watching the Nick channel.

There I saw a zombie mask which we bought earlier from a local shop. Kenneth loves the mask primarily because of its color violet.

The zombie mask is made of rubber with real hair glued and looks frightening in the dark.

I brought the mask outside to show him if the zombie mask was the cause of his earlier fear and Kenneth nodded saying, “I saw it moving, I was afraid of the mask.”

So I just urged him to give the mask to his cousins but he strongly objected saying, “its mine and I like it.”

“I just thought it was moving but I am fine now,” Kenneth adds.

When I asked him if we can go back to sleep, he agreed, but still bringing in back to our bed his precious mask.

A POSE I CAN'T RESIST

John Kenneth insists that we go to the Lady of Fort Pillar at Pettit Barracks because he wanted to light a candle.

Well, I dont have much choice but to visit our patron, known as the Miraculous Mother that saves the city against any disasters.


After lighting some colorful candles, Kenneth requested to have a brief rest at the concrete benches facing the altar.


Again, I granted his wish, but out of the blue he meekly whisphered to my ear, "Mama can you take pictures of me here?"


"What? It's not allowed here, Mama Mary will get angry at us," was my response to his wish.


Without a word and apparently ignoring my reply, he started posing facing the altar, dancing and singing loudly the song "Till I Met You!"


He made several poses that I cannot resist, so with all the people around silently expressing their thoughts and prayers to our patron, I am kind of busy taking shots of my son's daring poses.

JEFFY'S IMPRESSIONS

Sunday, October 08, 2006

He seldom smiles and when he does, he lights up the entire room so bizarrely that the energy emanating from his sweet and lovely face defies the nasty sight of his decayed teeth.

His presence is just illuminating that it exhausted the weariness of the stale aft

ernoon as he moves around while humming a familiar television fantaserye theme, walking comfortably despite the oversize shoes and distracting the passivity of the hour just like how a sudden blow distracts the doldrums.

So like how a strong brewed coffee amuses an octogenarian’s cracked and thirsty lips.

Lovely.

Sigh. He’s such a darling. So young. So sweet. So handsome. And so bitch!

John Kenneth is just three years old. But believe me, a three year old boy who is, by all barometer and yardstick, already way up gay. Mother is proud, someone that John Kenneth should be very proud about when time comes that he is mature enough to realize what it is to have a mother like Julie.

Julie has “warned” me about the gayness of John Kenneth, whom I later christened Joana Kimberly. She, however, failed to warn me about the tactlessness of the kid. Oh please, sometimes, I would like to think that John Kenneth, er…Joana Kimberly, is not really tactless but just true and blunt about what he sees.

Besides, the kid doesn’t have the idea yet about the art of being fake disguised as being tactful.

My initial encounter with the kid was really a disaster. At least for me. He was restless as he roams around the bureau office cuddling Ansherina, the mermaid toy Julie bough him the last time she was in Davao.

“Bakla ka? Hindi ka pwede maging bakla kasi may balbas ka,” the kid told me that

left me turning purple.

The kid has a sword tongue that victimizes everyone, including his mom.

Here’s some of Joana Kimberly:


Kimberly: Anong pangalan mo?

Rolly: Ako si Juno.

Nico: Ako naman si Markadan ay siya naman ay si Sabina (pointing at me)

Rolly: At boyfriend ko si Argo.

Kimberly: (pointing at Rolly’s crotch) Alam ba ni Argo na meron ka nyan?

Nico: Ay! Chaps na bayot!

Kimberly: (Instructs Rolly to cross his legs) Ganito para hindi makita ni Argo ang iyong lawit?

Rolly: (Crosses legs) Ganito?

Kimberly: Ay maraming ugat ang paa mo.


While I was discussing something with Nico, Julie talking in, Kimberly asked his mom: Mama bakit ka sumasagot na hindi ka naman nila kinakausap?

And a lot more:

Mama, ano pong ibig sabihin ng digmaan?
Mama, galit ako kay Gloria (macapagal-arroyo)
Nye! Inggit ka lang at marunong akong kumanta nyan (Majika)
Mama, pwede ikaw huwag magsuot ng sleeveless kasi maitim ang kilikili mo.

Sigh. Kids.

Posted by bananas at 7:52 PM 21 comments (www.bananachoked.blogspot.com)

INNOCENT QUESTIONS

Kenneth: Mama bakit ako white (fair),ikaw black (morena)?
Mama: Kasi magka-iba blood natin.
Kenneth: Ano pala kulay ng blood mo?
Mama: Red
Kenneth: Eh, ano kulay ng blood ko?
Mama: Red din.
Kenneth: Sabi mo iba blood natin, bakit pareho tayo red?
Mama: Naalala mo nung natumba ka at nasugatan sa tuhod, di ba red ang kulay ng blood mo?
Kenneth: Opo!
Mama: Eh, yung nasugatan si Mama sa finger, di ba red din ang blood ko.
Kenneth: Opo, eh bakit sabi mo kaya ka black kasi iba blood mo?
Mama: Teka... isip muna ako.
Kenneth: Aha! Alam ko na! Pareho tayo red ang blood, pero blood ko lalake, ikaw, blood ng babae, di ba correct ako?
Mama: Korek ka nga!

LESSONS FROM A CHILD

MAMA… NO SMOKING PLEASE?

We, meaning Kenneth, my almost 4 year old son and I were watching a news program on television when something catches his attention.

In between breaks of the said program, an ads on cigarette brand flashed on screen where a sexy woman in red luring a male friend to fetch her for a date.

After the ads, a white bold letters appeared on screen advising viewers that “smoking is dangerous to health.”

Suddenly out of the blue, my son innocently inquired, “Mama ano ibig sabihin sa nakasulat dyan, yung white na letters ba?”

“Aah! Ibig sabihin nuon, masama ang manigarilyo,” was my short reply.

“Bakit?” Kenneth asked still not convinced with my translation.

Choosing proper words for answer, I explained that “kasi masama ang smoking, magkakasakit ka tulad ng ubo, serious pag cancer na.”

“Mama wag ka na mag smoke, magkaka-cancer ka, tingnan mo o umuubo ka na, me cancer ka na siguro, no smoking na Mama ha?”

With his instant reaction, I realized that small kids like my son (a keen observer and meticulous) noticed everything I do inside our home.

I also realized that whatever I forgot or misplaced something inside the house, he is the first to locate it and get it for me like my pair of eyewear, a cellular phone and even my car, bedroom or cabinet keys.

Whenever I watch television or listen to radio and (unconsciously) I could utter such negative or positive words against a certain tv or radio personality, he could easily recall it.

He was then 3 years old when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared Proclamation 1017. I was muttering some words to myself while my son snugged quietly at my lap.

The next day, he said, “Mama look at Pangulong Arroyo, she is there again o, she might be harassing again reporters like you, she is not good.”

Lately, when Efren Bata Reyes went home victorious, I told his yaya that “hey that’s my real idol, a humble person!”

After that, every time Reyes is featured on television, my son immediately shouts “Mama, your idol is on tv, hurry you might miss him!”

Well, Kenneth keeps on surprising me with his intelligence, with him, my mother does not need to remind me the do’s and don’t’s. I have a son whom every time he calls my attention, not only embarrasses me but actually reminding me what I am supposed to do as a mother to a child. (end)