Delineating Des

Summer hasn't officially kicked off for my son and me yet. My kiddo is on a brief school break but will be going back on March 23rd. Then in April we both get a week off during Songkran and that's when we start cracking about. Sand and salty waves sound like a season cliche but I still love hitting them. Give me the beach on any summer day and I'm the happiest creature around :) Only last week Cj implied that he's ready for the beach by crawling under the bed to gather last year's sand shapers. He improvised a hat from the bucket, and unaware that the cam was nearby, he goofed right into this shot: Bangkok is boiling almost the whole year round. Except early this year when there was a cold wave and we wore warm clothes. Our electric bill was noticeably lower. I wished the cold went on longer. But for now we ward off the heat with just the AC. We would have gladly jumped on a plane and gone home to Pinas, but I got myself involved in plans that need more time atten...

From the first spurts off the nozzle til the towel is pulled out of the hanger, my shower room turns into a vocalization nook for a Pavarotti score. If I am lucky I get a kick. Little Mr. Bath-hater struggles to master the art of not missing a breath while water cascades down his face. I grapple with the effort of making him comfortable while getting rid of suds the quickest way possible. The pic below shows him having a great time on the tub playing with his cousin in Digos city (I have to tweak it for obvious reasons) . Anyway, how in the name of Thailand's goddess of water and the Philippines' own San Juan, did my ex-mom-n-law, my mother and all talented yayas bathe my kiddo without a single scream from his diaphragm? Three Fridays ago after work, I sat listening to Cj splashing. Number of screams: zero. He even emerged from the bathroom grinning with his proud yaya in tow. I turned purple with jealousy. Bathing my other boy, Mozart is entirely an opposite experience. We are...

Do you love your job? OMG, someone finally asked. Or I finally get to answer the question. My answer hasn't been stark since college graduation. First year at work: I was happy with the lowly ginanggang and an 8-ounce bottle of sprite for dinner. Less than six weeks after I began teaching, my father sent my mother to see how I was doing. It was a bit humiliating to think how he must have thought of my pay to supply me with edible goods stored in a detergent box. But I'm used to my pride being harmlessly dented by the man who nourished me up until I was supposedly ready to be on my own. Students were okay. One got mad at me for giving him a low grade. Later he dated my co-teacher who gave him high marks, lol. The most fun I had was establishing the academy paper. Writing all major articles of its maiden issue, the lyrics of the class song, and arranging the piano accompaniment were extras I decided to just enjoy doing since resources were scanty. An assignment of introd...

Meet Chester. He lives in Beamish . I don't know how I knew his name. There are three probabilities: someone told me his name was Chester; his name was listed in that guidebook on my left hand or I just named him myself. One thing defies my progressing senility - Chester is a heart stealer. Even without a capture, this heart-warming moment will breathe eternally fresh in my stock of beautiful emotions. I held out my palm. He came closer and checked what's in it for him. Mint candies. Chester didn't hesitate. He licked them off as if thinking, "what took you so long to give me my treat?" I forgot the shrinking complaint of my south-east asian blood against the cold of North England. I told Chester to leave some for me. He kept on eating til my palm was empty. I giggled and he understood I had more. It only took a second for him to realize where are the rest. He licked my purse too! The force of his tongue gave me a gentle push. His intelligence sealed my admiratio...

Chess is part of my family history. Papa was particularly immersed in it during his free time. I grew up wondering what does the game have to do with Rapunzel's plight. I thought it was a bit insensitive of him to enjoy his game when there were damsels in distress in dire need of rescuing. He was happy playing with neighbors, friends or visiting relatives. I stuck with Snow White and gasped when she ate the poisoned apple. He tried to explain the rules of the game to me but I walked with Little Red Riding Hood through the forest and was busy worrying what would she look like when the wolf was through gobbling her up. Although I was aware of the significance of chess as a mind game, my curiosity froze at the squares. When Papa retired he spent more and more time on the board, the same one he played on since I was a kid. The decades have captured the king, yellowed the queen, fatigued the bishops, rusted the rooks and flaked the pawns; but he enjoyed them like he always did when...