Krabi: See Ya Again. Soon

Krabi is beautiful. Serene. Magical! The first time we saw the beach, it was like coming to an enchanted place--the day was new, the sky was cloudy, the water cool, and the whole place was enveloped in mist sprayed by the waves that crashed on the shore. I stood on the shore entranced, my entire being in total surrender to the Majestic Being who created the surreal beauty before me.

A pristine paradise to unwind and relax. A wonderful place to explore. Very few tourists, and the good kind I guess, because the locals are still friendly, the Thai way--unobtrusive and polite. Life is slow and laid-back, my kind of life.

We have to go back. One day. Soon. When Annie is old enough to play in the sand and laugh at the coming and going of the waves; when she can wear a life vest and ride a boat to explore the islands. That won't be long, no. She is growing like a weed and I have a feeling that before I know it, we'll be back there.

One day. Soon.

Now in Krabi

Our lil Annie was a darling throughout our whole travel to Krabi! In the taxi on our way to the airport, she had her hands folded daintily as she sat quietly with her daddy, observing our faces until she fell asleep. She woke up sometime when we were at the pre-departure lounge and was just her usual self, quiet but bright-eyed and carefully scrutinizing the unfamiliar new things around her. We didn't wait too long before boarding was announced but by that time, our baby was sound asleep again. You bet I was crossing my fingers the whole time we were getting settled in the plane, silently willing her to stay in dreamland so she won't feel her ears pop when the plane takes off. But no, oh no! My heart sank when she was jerked awake by all the noise around her, people walking to their seats, overhead bins opening and closing, cabin crew asking if we needed assistance, etc, etc. MY man handed her to me, I had to get myself ready to feed her in case she cries during take off, and although I felt my stress level gradually increasing, I put on a cheery face and talked to her calmly while the plane cabin crew prepared for take off. Why was I stressed out? Well for one, I was concerned that she might refuse to feed because she drank a full bottle not long before we boarded the plane. And mostly, I didn't know what I would do if she started bawling and I couldn't comfort her. I didn't want to disturb the other passengers okay, and hey, I'm normal, I would be very uncomfortable if they shoot out glaring looks at us because of her.

She almost made it. Almost. She was alternatively sucking on her fingers and my knuckle, seemingly unaffected by the air pressure. For a few minutes. Then just before the plane reached the cruising altitude where air pressure doesn't make the ear pop, she suddenly burst out crying. I hurriedly put her in a feeding position and to my relief, she latched on after a few seconds. A few more whimpers and several sucks later, she fell asleep. The rest of the flight was uneventful.

Just as the weather forecast said, it was cloudy and overcast when we landed in Krabi. Even then, as we walked down from the plane to the baggage claim area, we could see the place is beautiful from the wall-to-wall clear windows of the airport. Deja vu. The place kind of reminded us of New Zealand. Thick, lush trees bordered the runways, and oddly-shaped mountains stood straight and tall in the background. A cool fresh breeze greeted us as we walked out of the airport to the parking lot.

We are happy with our hotel--the airport transfer was good and efficient, the staff are polite and hospitable, and our room is spacious and relaxing, looks exactly the way they show it on their website. Rain fell just when we were getting ready for bed, and most of the night, we could hear it pouring, coupled with thunder and lightning. I just loooove the sound of rain! Perfect way to end the night. And start our vacation :D

Yipee Yay!

The search has come to a close. It took me a week but I'm happy and satisfied with my find. We've made bookings and it's final. We're going to Ao Nang Beach, the famed best all-round beach destination. We're staying at Sala Talay Resort & Spa, a boutique hotel right by the beach (actually at Ao Nang Beach, beach hotel means several meters from the beach because there's a beach road separating hotels from the beach). Since island-hopping and other outdoor activities are just not possible for us right now, I had to make sure the hotel has beautiful and relaxing grounds for us to enjoy. I prayed hard for this, and as usual, when it comes to planning all the details of our vacations, God did not fail me. We're getting everything we want... beautiful scenery, room spaciousness, wi-fi access, free baby cot,airport transfer, etc. for a bargain price. Buy 2 nights and get 1 night free not a bad deal, right? ;D

Vacation: Krabi.

As usual, I'm hit by the travel bug. Yes, again. As if I have no baby, yeah? Ha ha ha! What can you expect from one who loves to travel but hasn't gone anywhere for already one year?! No, I cannot say I already know every crack and stain of our walls from being so confined for so long, but the itch to get out is there. And it's not getting any lesser. As my baby's sleep, and my sleep, is getting sweeter and sweeter each night, my longing to explore the world is also becoming deeper and deeper.

So what else should I do if I happen to visit Thai Airways' website (where tickets are always far beyond what we can afford) and suddenly chanced on tickets that are even cheaper than that of the no-frill airlines? Yes, of course (that's Roo's new expression this week! ;D) I keep clicking! And clicking. Until I found myself with a confirmation email that says we have tickets to Krabi!

Ha ha ha! Krabi! With a baby? Yeah, I am crazy! Believe it or not, I realized that only hours after I bought the tickets, and right before bedtime! Yup, you guessed it right. Sleep wasn't sweet that night. One thought after another came. The thoughts evolved into worries. Sigh. I've really got to find out where they sell those "nothing" boxes. So we're flying. So I got rid of the "car seat" crying problem. But what about all the stuff we need to bring for baby Annie? The steriliser? Remember? The stroller? And even if we're not driving to the island, when we get there, we'd still need the car seat. Baby's bath tub, my pillows (yes, I bring my pillows when we go places because the hotel's pillows are usually too high for my neck, gives me neck strain), MY man's heavy cameras, all the baby stuff... How will we lug all these things? Turns out it would be way, way easier for us to just go somewhere near because we can drive our car and bring the whole kitchen sink!

More worries, I booked a late afternoon flight. We arrive there six pm. That's Annie's bedtime. And she doesn't sleep well during the night when we don't follow her schedule. Then I find out the airport is like 45 minutes away from the beach hotels. More worries...drive in unfamiliar territory with the kids at night? The white sand beach, Railay Beach, is accessible only by boat. Can it get crazier than this? You see how much of a worrywart I am??!

Before I became a mother, it was already my nature to worry. Now I'm much, much worse. Borders paranoia sometimes. Good thing I'm married to someone opposite. So in the middle of the night, MY man, while burping Annie, talked me out of them worries. We will make the most of the experience. We bought the tickets, so let's think of enjoying the whole thing. We will travel light (which means no pillows for me, right?). We will arrange for airport transfer. And no, we will not stay at Railay Beach this time. We can do this, my love.

All right. We can do this. I have since stopped worrying and I am now actively looking for a good hotel. Fairly new (read: clean and dust-free). Relaxing ambiance. Near the beach. With free internet. Free baby cot. One that offers airport transfer services.

This is going to be one memorable birthday and anniversary celebration. Can hardly wait!

Heart Disease Eh?

My little man loves to eat anything crunchy and crispy. So he always asks our helper to cook him fried stuff. And indulge him she did. She cooked fried fish, fried chicken, fried beef, fried vegetables. Anything she fried to keep him happy so he'll eat with gusto and finish his food faster than he usually does. So much so that we told Roo that if he keeps eating fried food like that he'll eventually get heart disease. He shrugged that off and insisted that he loves to eat fried. Period.

Well, one day, out of the blue, while the helper was frying food again, he announced, "No more fried stuff, okay, auntie?" The helper nodded okay but didn't think that he was serious. So the next meal, while she was preparing to fry yet again, the little boy suddenly burst out crying. Not just any quiet sobbing. Before I knew it, he was bawling and shouting, "I told you no more fried stuff, auntie! I don't want to get heart disease!" He came running to me and cried his heart out, telling me what his auntie was about to do again. Mommy, auntie T is cooking fried fish again. I'm really going to get heart disease from all the fried food! While I consoled the little boy, our helper hurriedly changed the menu and when the little boy noticed that she didn't continue on with the frying, he dried his tears, smiled, and resumed his play.

Then yesterday, apparently missing his favorite food, he quipped, "Auntie T, it's okay to fry once in a while. Just once in a while, okay?"

On Dreams and Insecurities

I was on my way to school. I was supposed to catch a jeepney. I was with my friends and I remember telling them my stop. The next thing I can recall was the feeling of frustration as I suddenly found myself stuffing laundry into a bag full of hangers. The bag was already bursting at the seams, and I still had books to put in it. It's like the more I try to fit the books in, the more clothes there seemed to be. I was in a state of panic as I know I had to be in class but there I was, stuck with all the laundry in the middle of nowhere.

Another time, I was in the classroom. My teacher announced a quiz and as my classmates scrambled to get paper, I was panicking because I didn't study for the test. How come I didn't know we were going to have a quiz? I remember opening my book really fast, and trying to cram whatever I could into my brain while everybody else was already writing their names on the paper, ready to start.

Still another time, my classmates were excitedly telling me about their project. We were discussing their work when one of them turned to me and asked me where my project was. It was only then that it occurred to me that I hadn't done anything! And the deadline was only a few hours away! I remember trying to come up with something, but the more I tried, the more I realized that I had no clue as to what I was supposed to do! As usual, I was panicking because I just don't know anything about it.

My dreams (or are these nightmares?) occur in different places, different settings. The characters change, sometimes I'm with my classmates in grade school, sometimes my friends in high school, and several times, the people in it were from university. One thing constant about these dreams are the feelings of frustration and panic. They're so vivid that I'm jerked awake with my heart racing. The dreams seem so real that it takes me a few minutes after I wake up to realize that they were just that--dreams! And they're becoming more frequent, used to be just once in a while, but now it's like every other night I have a dream of this kind--the kind where I'm always in school, but never able to do anything I'm supposed to do in school.

So does this mean I want to go back to school? Are my insecurities surfacing and showing themselves through my dreams? Probably. I've been yearning to study again, to engage my mind in learning things other than raising children. Don't get me wrong, I love what I'm doing, I'm having fun watching my kids grow. But I won't be completely honest if I don't admit to a tiny part of me that sometimes wishes I'm somewhere else, doing something else. When that time will come, I do not know. In the meantime, I am determined to stay at home with my children and live life with its ups and downs, with them and for them. I am after all preparing them for the Kingdom, and that to me, is of the utmost importance.

On My Princess

I remember daydreaming about my own little girl even before I got pregnant. I wondered if she would be as active and full of life like her kuya (big brother), or if she would be a totally different personality, quiet, prim and proper. In a previous post, I mentioned how nice it would probably be to have another child in the house who would just play quietly in a corner, a welcome change from the chaotic and messy state our place is always in.

Well, our little princess is now three months old. She's a preemie--born about a month too soon--so her adjusted age would be two months. She has blossomed from a sleepy, tiny newborn into a robust, healthy infant. Her good appetite and ability to sleep through all the noise her brother makes have enabled her to catch up with her weight, and catch up pretty well at that! I have no idea anymore as to what her developmental milestones should be at her age (I'm not as bookish about this as I was with my firstborn) but just the fact that she's now very bright-eyed, alert, and interactive are enough to ease my worries about her being born prematurely. Baby Annie wakes up with big smiles in the morning, and coos and 'talks' to us, her eyes focused intently on our faces the times she is awake during the day. She can lift her head effortlessly, and yesterday I even caught her trying to sit up on her own. When read to, she puts her hand together, her body all tensed, her toes curled in rapt attention as she looks at the pictures of the book, cooing every now and then as if she understands the story. She responds to her big brother's adoring looks and cuddles with her toothless grin and follows him around with her eyes as he moves around the house during his play. I just love every minute I spend with her--it's delightful to touch her soft, silky skin, and breathe in her sweet baby scent! Needless to say, my panic at not being able to bond with her right at birth is long gone, and I am head over heels in love with my princess!

And like they all say when you're blessed with a precious child, I don't think I'll ever be the same again.

David Foster Tickets, Anyone?

Ever since we found out that David Foster is coming to town, we've been talking about buying tickets for his concert. But the past few weekends have been really busy, we've never had time to stop by the outlet to buy. We could have bought them online but there's a 10% discount if you bring the Bangkok Post newspaper to the outlet. So today that's what MY man did during his lunch break.

Now what would you do if you received a call from your husband saying that you can get the tickets for free using your credit card points? Would you still buy the tickets you planned to get, with your budget appropriated for them, or would you upgrade and buy tickets closer to the stage instead? Well, yes, we were so elated that finally we could make use of those credit card points that MY man chose gold package seats that included access to the lounge, entrance at Gate 1 (my knees are hoping that means no climbing of stairs), a premium gift, and free drinks. I just couldn't believe the whole thing that I kept asking him if he was sure we didn't have to pay anything, and he kept assuring me, no, not a single baht! Wow! Great deal eh?

Ha ha ha! Too good to be true! Not even an hour passed when my phone rang again. MY man apparently checking the documents he signed to see for himself that everything was not just a dream, realized that he was still charged for the tickets! All this time he thought he had signed only for the redemption of his credit card points! Turns out the credit card points that were used up were only equivalent to like 10% discount of the tickets! Talk about miscommunication! Sigh. Part and parcel of living in a foreign land, I guess.

So, it's either we find people who can afford to pay them almost front seat tickets, or we swallow the cost, charge everything to experience, and enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime chance of seating up front. Whaddya think?

Then Sings My Soul -- Gentle Saviour

When I wake up each morning, I ask God to come into my heart and lead me through the day. Still, many times during the day, I stray away from Him and do my own thing, say my own words. I forget. I fall. Yet He is faithful. He is ready to forgive. And He is gentle with me. My gentle Saviour, thank you for everything that You are to me and my family!




Visit Amy for more songs that will make your soul sing!

Here's Why...

With Annie snoring quietly on her bouncer, and Roo off to play in the living room, I settle down on the bed thinking I should catch a quick snooze. I wonder how long I can do this--I'm sick and haven't really been feeling well for two days now, and now MY man is also sick himself and cannot help me with the night duties. Had very little sleep for the past 48 hours. I feel light-headed from last night's baby duty and my back aches like somebody hit me hard with a big plank of wood. The painful back, not so much because of carrying the baby this time, but because of the hard massage I got from the spa yesterday. So much for getting relief from back pain--I thought I'd get a back and shoulder massage because I was so sore from the solo night duty the other night. Big mistake--the massage made it worse, my shoulders are much more sore and painful! Can't blame it on the masseuse, yeah she did apply a lot of pressure and kept kneading on that knot in my shoulder like she had a score to settle with me, but hey, I could have told her to stop, right? Anyways...

I close my eyes but as usual my mind is a whirl of thoughts. How I wish I have a "nothing" box--you know the kind that they say guys have? That state of mind that they enter into when they stare into space and look like they're in deep thought but when you ask them what they're thinking about, they invariably reply, "Nothing." My mind never thinks of nothing. There's always a gazillion thoughts going on in it. I will myself to think of a blank piece of paper and within seconds the paper is full of my to-do list. You really need to catch some zzzs now, you have only a few minutes left, I reminded myself. Ha ha! As if that would make me fall asleep. My mind is more awake than ever. Oh well, might as well allow myself to think.

As I organize my thoughts, I could hear Roo playing in the living room. He's apparently fighting in some sort of war because he shouts "Ready, aim, fire!" with subsequent ka-boooom! explosions every few seconds. An occasional stray bullet (piece of block) hits the bedroom door and jerks Annie awake. I get up to check on her but she closes her eyes and dozes back to sleep. Lunch, take a shower, feed Annie, give Roo a bath, buy gas, drive to the supermarket to buy rice, then off to violin lesson. Just thinking of the afternoon ahead makes me more tired. I close my eyes one more time. If I can't sleep, I'd at least get some rest.

The bedroom door bursts open. The big brother really still has a lot to learn about being more quiet around the house when his baby sister is asleep. I kept my eyes shut and feigned sleep. He marched straight to my side, and stood there for a second. I can smell his sweat and imagine big beads of water glistening at the end of his spiky hair (he's growing his buzzed head so the standing spikes of his hair now make him look like a porcupine). I thought maybe this time he's learned his lesson. He's not going to wake me up. Please don't disturb me now, I silently willed him. But no way this boy is going to be deterred from his mission. Nah-uh. My son bent down, wrapped his wet arms around my head, planted a kiss on my cheek and whispered, "Mommy, I love you!" Then without waiting for me to reply, he ran back to the battlefield and resumed his fight with the fervor and ardor of any patriotic soldier.

Sigh (now that's a contented sigh). I smiled to myself. Now this is why and how I survive long and lonely nights, and equally long and sleepless days.

Down but not Out

One downside to my mommying job, I don't have sick leave. I get sick, I take care of myself and still have to take care of the little ones. The daddy tries his best to lighten my load but he has to go to work so I have no choice but to "report to work" myself and just pray really hard that my kids don't catch what I have. No success with Roo, he caught it the second day. Annie is still holding strong-- now I see once more why I have to stick it out with breastfeeding no matter how exhausting it is--apparently, she's getting a good dose of antibodies from the breastmilk, enough to fight against this nasty bug.

The other day, the daddy came home sick. We had to put him in isolation in the other room--had to take precautions just in case he caught a different bug from work. Made it all the more difficult for me--I had to take the whole night duty with the baby all by myself. Two nights in a row now, very little sleep. Can't catch up on sleep during the day too because there's a flurry of activity around the house with our sick-but-still-active boy. Just have to forget that I'm sick--it's a wonder how the mind can control the body. Think that you cannot be sick and your body copes and you manage to take care of your precious ones like you're not. Just have to ignore the pains and aches--no choice but to be strong for the ones I love.

I'm a mommy, I can do this. God help me!

Small Talk

Now what do I write about? Do I start with small talk and say something about the weather? Like, (clearing my throat, ahem!) "And now for the weather report..."

Bangkok is currently enjoying rainy days (mostly nights, actually). Yup, we are so glad the rains have graced us with its refreshing presence. The extended summer season had brought so much heat and humidity that these daily downpours are a welcome respite to all of us. Loud claps of thunder occasionally interrupt what little sleep we get in between feedings at night but I don't mind them a bit. I'm so sleep-deprived that I just go right back to slumberland, my sleep so sweet that I'm oblivious to the loud pitter-patter on the window even if it is right by my side of the bed (MY man was telling me that the other night it sounded like we were under a waterfall but I still didn't hear that!). Then when morning breaks, I find it a joy to wake up to raindrops on our windows, and sights of green and lush trees all around us.

So with the rainy season in full swing, MY man cannot take the river taxi to go to work like he used to. He's been driving to work everyday and that means his commute is longer. Rainy days in Bangkok is synonymous to really bad traffic (meaning, cars don't move at all for like thirty or so minutes at a time). The daddy is rarely home by five pm as was his old schedule. Some days our baby is already in bed settled for the night when her daddy arrives.

And that's the weather report : Rainy (but still hot and humid when it's not raining) with widespread thunderstorms. This is Mommy IA reporting from the Land of Smiles. Good day to y'all!

Back for Good? We'll See...

Hellos! It's been ages! I'm hoping to make a comeback to blogging. I've been itching to write, so many stories to share, just no time to put everything down in words. Crossing my fingers I'd have enough quiet time to at least give an update.

So, I am a new mommy! To the most adorable baby girl in the world! We call her Annie--her big brother, a.k.a. Kuya Roo insisted that Annie is her nickname--so we willingly oblige. She is my princess, just the darling baby girl that I've always dreamed of! God is so good! I am so blessed! Nothing more I can ask for. I am a content, happy mom of two.

That said, I'll see you around. Stories about my precious ones and my own bumpy but happy adventures in mommying coming right up!

Miracles Do Happen

What do you say to a child whose pet is clearly breathing its last few breaths? How do I explain it to my son that no, his fish has not learned to swim upside down, but that it is upside down because it is dying? His voice was full of pride and excitement when he told me that his Dorothy has finally learned to swim upside down like the janitor fish! With my heart jammed in my throat at his news, I rushed to the aquarium and saw his fish floating with its belly up, gasping for breath.

A quick call to MY man had me running to the kitchen. Since I am not able to change the water in the aquarium in my pregnant condition, he suggested that I fish Dorothy out of the aquarium and put him (yes, this Dorothy is a boy ;D) in a bowl. The daddy has been very busy lately and has not made time to change the water in the aquarium, and that could be the reason why Dorothy was dying again (yes, this happened before). I hurriedly scooped Dorothy into a bowl, then transferred him into a tiny aquarium. From the way the fish gasped for breath, it was time to say goodbye. He was mostly floating motionless on his back, and he hardly minded our prodding to get back to his business of swimming. Still, I encouraged Roo to get down on his knees and pray. I told him only a miracle from God can save Dorothy. We prayed together and his initial tearful prayer was this: Dear God, we are sad that Dorothy is dying. Please give us strength to take care of him. Amen.

In my mind, I was praying that God help my boy to accept the reality of death. This would be the second fish that he loved that he would be saying goodbye to, and he is so attached to anything/anyone he loves. I heard him praying again by himself a while later, and while we took turns encouraging the fish to keep swimming, I kept talking to him to make sure he understands that Dorothy might not make it. Just before he took his afternoon nap, he urged me to pray with him again.

My boy didn't make a fuss about napping--he usually does. He dozed right off to dreamland without a trace of worry in his face. His problem is in the hands of God and he trusts that the Creator is faithful in answering prayers. Me, the mommy couldn't even sleep. Never mind that I'm missing my needed rest, never mind that today I'm very tired from walking all morning at the baby fair. I had to check on Dorothy. So as soon as my son started snoring, I slipped out of our room. As I walked into the kitchen, my heart sank-- the fish that was hardly moving, hardly breathing and was floating upside down just before we went into the room, was not moving at all! But as I looked closely into the tank, I noticed that it was on its right-side up! And as I tapped the side of the tank, the Dorothy suddenly snapped into motion, swimming around like it had just awakened from deep sleep! A miracle! Praise the Lord!

The earnest prayer of my little boy was answered once again. I really have a lot to learn about faith from this little child that I am so blessed with.

Girl, Boy, Whatever.

Inspite of the practical side of me and the fact that I just love the way my boy adores me, I've been finding myself praying fervently that God answer my boys' prayers. They really want the baby to be a girl, and for their sakes, I've been wanting the baby to be a girl too. Maybe it won't be so bad to have a princess in our family--would sure teach my Roo to be more gentle. I know I would enjoy shopping for a girl--there are just so many cute and adorable outfits everywhere just waiting to be picked off the shelf. And it would perhaps be a welcome change to have a baby who wouldn't be all over the place all the time she's awake, just like the older brother, that is, if she won't be anything like my Roo. I envision my princess, quietly reading in her corner, or playing with her dolls without turning our place upside down. Such bliss that would be!

But after the visit with the sonographer, alas my hopes have been taking a nosedive, and I'm trying ever so hard to believe that things could still turn around. While it is still too early to tell definitely the gender of the baby, we saw 'something' several times that could mean we're getting Roo a brother. The doctor didn't want to confirm it but like MY man says, it's more like 80% positive that we're having another boy. I didn't know how to break the news to my little man, and when I did it, he was busy romping around with his lolo. When the news finally sank in and we were getting ready for bed that night, he had tears in his eyes, and he was fighting not to cry over the disappointing news. Despite that though, he's been telling people ever since that he might be getting a brother. But when he's alone with me, he talks about how sad he is that he cannot have a sister. My heart goes out to him, and I wish I have the power to give him what he wants. We keep telling him God knows what's best for him, and that we should be happy no matter what the baby is, we'll love him/her for who/what he/she is. And while there's still a chance that we might be wrong, the big brother is slowly starting to accept it, and talks about the games he will play with his brother. Whenever we discuss names, and we'd suggest a girl's name, he'd remind us that we should be thinking of boys' names instead because the baby is a brother. My little Roo sure is showing maturity that I'm so proud of--I don't have any doubts that he is going to be a wonderful big brother!

Happy 2010

A blessed and happy new year everyone!

We're safely back in the land of smiles--the trip was too short; too many family and friends we were not able to meet, still too many dishes we haven't tried (mainly because MY man specialized in eating bangus for almost every meal), and too much shopping money leftover (read: holiday crowd gave me the dizzies every time I attempted to do some shopping)--but we had a great and relaxing time in the homeland. It was just heavenly to be back in a place where help abounds, so we woke up to the inviting smells of breakfast every morning, we didn't have to worry a thing about cleaning up, nor doing any laundry. For the four days we were there, we were spoiled to the max, thanks to Sara and N. Flor!

'Twas refreshing too to have spent some time with my mom's sisters, and cousins who didn't go home to Roxas--felt good to have laughed like the old times, and catch up on each other's news. Roo had such great fun romping around and playing with his cousins, he didn't want to leave! He played and played with the boys, riding trikes, building blocks, blowing bubbles, painting pictures, building forts, kicking and shooting balls, the whole afternoon we spent at their place till he was dead batt. His daddy had to eat dinner with one hand, and hold him with the other hand as he snored and recharged all through dinner.

Can hardly wait till we get to go back--next time around, we hope to stay longer so we can get to meet everybody.

Hope you all are starting the new year with smiles! Have a blessed and wonderful 2010!

Selling or Begging?

I first noticed the boy as I was walking towards the taxi queue. He was a chubby one, between ten to twelve years old, dressed in an over-sized dirty tee shirt and short pants. In his hand was a bunch of stringed sampaguita flowers which he was trying to sell to a lady waiting in line. For a minute or two after that, my attention riveted to how long the queue was, and how long it would take for us to get a cab to go home. Exhausted from walking in the mall for about two hours, this pregnant mommy was all but ready for a nice, warm shower.

The next time I saw him, he was about two feet behind me. This time, he was sitting down on the curb, still holding on to his flowers. Then and there, he got my full attention. His tears were flowing down his cheeks and he was wiping them furiously with his free hand. I glanced at MY man who was in the queue with Roo--they were about five feet away from me and he mouthed something which I couldn't really decipher. When they finally reached the point where I was standing, MY man explained to me that he overheard the boy telling the woman that he'd get beaten if he doesn't sell off the flowers. Whether that was true, or just an act which is really hard to tell, we don't know until now. What I know is, parental instinct hit me, and I wondered why his parents would do that to him--started imagining my Roo in the same situation and my eyes watered. MY man reached into his pocket, got fifty pesos out, and handed it to the boy. Still sobbing, he accepted the money, then counted five strings, with about five scrawny-looking flowers in each string, and gave them to us. That was the last we saw of him as we finally reached the end of the line and took a taxi home.

There's a big chance that the boy was part of a scam, that the crying was all an act to sell the flowers and make money. Or to give the boy the benefit of the doubt, his lazy parents, or whoever was in charge of him, was just using him to get money from people. Not exactly begging, but it could still pass as another form of begging.

Oh that children be spared from this heartless practice!