My Baby

They told me to take care of you. That was about six months ago.

Naked and crawling ,,,cannot stand alone.

I accepted the responsibility.

Patiently, day after day I nurtured you and showered you with all the needed attention and care. In fact,I can't even sleep at night thinking about you.

Never minding the extreme heat ,the sandatorm and dust which I am not used to ,I take them all in stride just to be with you .

At your age you were behind in every aspect. They say you are hopeless and needed extra care and attention

I persevered until after just two moths you have shown progress

.. and they again look and took interest in you.

That’s life…..somebody has to take charge while others grab the credits…

Life has to go on, I have to do my job,that's my main business anyway ; while you,,,

you continue to grow and bloom.

I can still see you from a distance…

I just hope someday ,you will still remember me,,,,the hands that nurtured you, and

took good care of you since the day nobody dared to touch you…..

What could have been

Here's an excerpt from a younger sister's longing for his kuya...an essay made by my palangga,Alyanna Desabilla Malabanan on his Kuya PJ's 20th birthday...


PETER JOHN DESABILLA MALABANAN
July 23,1989-July 25, 1989

Twenty years ago, my Brother died. He lived for two days. I never saw him, never talked to him, never played with him, and never met him. I never had a chance to know him. and everyday I always ask myself what could have been. Now I listed down things that he could have done and could have been doing right now.

• He could have studied in Phil. Sci with kuya Ram
• He could have been another support system for Bajjio
• He could have helped Bajjio during his toddler and elementary days
• He could have taught me how to play the guitar, how to sing, and dance
• He could have kick kuya Ram's a**(joke lang )
• He could have faught on Bajjio's side when me and Kuya Ram bullied him.
• He could have been the first Malabanan to graduate Valedictorian
• He could have been there for mama when Daddy worked abroad
• He could have stopped me from going to LB
• He could have helped me with boy stuff
• He could have taught me how to play Basketball and Volleyball
• He could have played DOTA with Bajjio
• He could have been kuya Ram's Kuya
• He could have listened to my problems
• He could have shared his IPod to me
• He could have taught Bajjio Algebra and Geometry
• He could have thought Kuya Ram Chemistry and Kuya would have someone to look up to
• He could have played golf with Daddy
• He could have gone to the highest mountains with mama
• He could have bullied the kids who bullied Bajjio
• He could have jogged with me on weekends
• He could have lend me his baon when I had spent all my money
• He could have lend me all his books so that I could read them
• He'd be studying here at UP Manila here at UP Manila, fourth year, Intramed
• I'd be living with him in a condo or apartment
• He'd be driving me to school with his car
• He'd be fetching me from UPM and drive me back home
• He'd be guiding me during the first days of class
• He'd be partying with me and my friends
• He'd be helping me with my Philo 1 TTD
• He'd be helping me study for the DepEx in Math 11
• He'd be disciplining me with my diet
• He'd wake me up every morning and cook our breakfast
• He'd jog with me on weekends
• He'd teach me how to ride the LRT/MRT
• He'd go to Church with me every Saturday
• He'd lend me his allowance so that I could buy a new pair of shoes
• He'd be playing basketball with me, Bekai, and David on Wednesday mornings
• He'd examine the guys I want and make sure I don’t get hurt
• He'd shop with me and buy groceries with me.

• He'd be my KUYA PJ :))))


I'll see you in heaven Kuya PJ. And let's do all these when I get there. :))

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ

Today is the birthday of my eldest son.

The most charming and handsome among my sons. He’s the darling of his Lolo Aning and Lola Marcy, him being their first “apo” .

You can’t help but admire the look of this angel , the look of innocence ,the cherubic shape of his face ,his perfect nose and his finely chiseled chin. You can’t miss to notice his hairy arms and thick black hair that compliment his fair skin. His features are mostly from his mom ,for his dad loves his mom very much, that is why ,so they say.

He could have been 20 years old today. God gave him to us for just 36 hours but we are so grateful for having been blessed to be his parents for that short span of time.

He died in the early morning of July 25,1989 at the nursery section of Ricardo Limso Medical Center. His nurse christened him before he died….He was given the name….


PETER JOHN DESABILLA MALABANAN


Happy Birthday PJ. …………We’ll see you in heaven

Perfect Diet

Eat breakfast like a king, then lunch like a prince and supper like a beggar.Well in times like this,who wants to be a beggar when you can have the luxury of a kingly diet,that is three times a day.

Eat you heart out.Make eating a passion,the Arabian Way.No frills,no guilt feelings,whatsoever.

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Ask any middle aged working individual nowadays and they will tell you their number one problem. STRESS.

Now stress as defined by Thesaurus is pressure, strain, anxiety, tension, etc….

Since stress is the number one factor affecting most of the working individuals today, it's not farfetched that more and more are seeking solutions to reduce if not remove stress. Depending on the marketing strategy , it comes in every unimaginable shapes and forms. Drugs is number one(..have you noticed how stress tabs flooded the counters lately?...),then comes seminars/ lectures and the use of professional help .They are just among the more popular choices. Stress management has become a household term which was alien then during the 60’s, 70’s and even during the early eighties.

I myself was not spared from this stress malady. But unlike most of the other “ stressed “ individuals, I have my own way of managing or reducing stress. Ukay ukay.

Yup!, the popular craze among working housewives and even lady executives living in urban areas and even in some rural towns in the provinces. I consider it as a good stress reducing activity. Ask any Ukay ukay buff and they will nod in agreement .

You cannot explain the feeling whenever a new bundle of items is being opened. The feeling of excitement and smell of the aroma coming from newly opened package is beyond compare.

Now, ukay ukay is also a very good exercise. You need to walk from one stall to another. Or if you are like our Accountant , she doesn’t mind walking from one ukay ukay mall to another just to satisfy her curiosity and find what she is not looking for. The element of surprise is always there. You seemed to find something every time you search for another thing. That’s the exciting part, finding something you are not suppose to find. Besides, exercise is good for the heart and it relieves tension.

It stimulates your brain. You have to take note and memorize the price of an item in comparison to the price of one similar item from the other stall. It enhances your mathematical mind since you will have to compute mentally how much discount you are going to have if you buy it in bulk. You can’t explain the feeling of satisfaction every time you won on the bargaining battle.

As you move from one stall to another, you’ll be surprised when you see those familiar brands which you see worn only by celebrities in movies and in TV.

Your reasoning ability ,your sense of logic and alertness if the owner showed some weakness are fully utilized. Aside from your patience are going to be tested , your acting career will also be developed since you have to pretend not interested that much in an item even though deep inside it is the otherwise.The art of pakipot.

These activities relieve you of your worries and aches whenever you are in an UKAY UKAY hunting mode. Nothing beats the feeling of buying a branded item at a price almost 90 percent lower than it’s original price.

For some lucky souls, they even got the luck to find such new, unworn, and branded items yet for some unknown reasons found it’s way to the ukay ukay territory. They usually got it at a very bargain price.

But mind you, very few are involved in this activity for business' sake. It’s just the fad, the feeling, the thrill that keep’s them going whenever they find something interesting and worth wearing for.

Oh!!! Whattaday.Gotta leave the ofice and find relief for my tension......

Stress management,,anyone?

A DAY IN A LIFE

This is my life....these are my toys and they are my playmates

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA

Today is July 11, the birthday of the greatest mom of all.

She will be 71 today.

We fondly call her Mama Marcy. She is not only Mama for us her siblings but to the whole of Los Banos SDA church as well. The word Mama fits her in every sense. Loving, caring and willing to share everything that she has. Her greatest asset is her soft heart that is always open to us her flock, to her friends and even to total strangers.

She is one of the three most important women in my life. The other two, being my wife Beth and my unica hija, Alyanna.

I admire the courage and the wisdom of this special woman who moulded me to where I am today and for her unending love and guidance to us her kids .In times of trouble she is our hiding place, the shoulder to cry on and the ear who listens to our woes and troubles .

Her faith in God is so great that’s why her blessings are bountiful. Through good days and in the times of trials her faith is unwavering. Yes faith, the greatest legacy she has imparted to us. Never question God’s faithfulness. Just pray and ask for wisdom is her constant advice.

May God bless her with long life, good health, stronger faith and many more blessings.

Happy Birthday ma.



( P.S........I made this post early since I might not have access to internet on her actual birthday…)

HOW I LOVE SUNDAYS

Sunday, the second working day of the week,,,,,, here in KSA. While most of the pinoys in my nativeland Davao are still lying lazily ;either wide awake or perhaps half asleep at about 9 in the morning, here am I in the land of sand and camel, working my butt out under the scorching heat of the summer sun. Whew,,it’s 49 degrees celsius outside as per today’s forecast. The blow of the wind in my nostrils reminds me of the air coming from the back of the aircon unit in our bedroom. Slightly humid but the thing I hate is the sandstorm that is expected at about 2 pm today. I'm daydreaming ,,,at about this time in my country I'm already at the kitchen preparing the sinigang na silik ng Malasugue with my favorite, kinilaw na malasugue and inihaw na panga. With Coke litro and yellow mangos at the lunch table of course....pass the siling labuyo please...I love Sundays …That is in the Philippines, huh? Here in Saudi,we'll be feasting on the scheduled lunch for today.Pritong manok just like the ones we had in every Sundays I can rememb. No concrete pouring today .We will focus on the precast elements to be erected today. The hollow core slab for the third floor and the remaining beams at Phase 3.. What bothers me is the erection of the Pre cast beams at the Phase 3 since the 250 ton crane has already left the site and I am forced to use the 80 ton for the remainder of the Pre cast erection. It will be a hell of a job but we can do it as long as the weather will cooperate. I am relieved thinking about this coming Tuesday .We will be casting the last portion of concrete slab and after this, we are no longer responsible for the delay that may hamper the operation.I am safe from the blame of the Precast contractors. We are not the cause of the delay , it’s them. What a relief .The pressure is not anymore in my shoulders....... For the mean time.