Category Archives: Special Occasions

Magical Eight

Something magical started on the sixth of January, eight years ago. It was a Saturday, and yours truly was then a young bride about to be given away by my father. The church was decorated by crimson-red flowers and ribbons. The bridesmaids all wore red gowns. I held a bouquet of red and white roses in my hands. You’d think that it was a Chinese wedding, but really it was just your average church wedding, only that the bride’s choice of color was bloody red, her favorite color. The redder, the better. 😀

108-0823_IMG I could still remember it as if it were yesterday. While Baggy and I exchanged our vows, we looked straight into each other’s eyes. That was the highlight of the ceremony for me. Baggy’s unwavering gaze, showing how firm and resolute he was about deciding the spend the rest of his life with me. I gazed back with all intensity I could muster. 🙂 Fraught with emotions, my Daddy cried. It was probably the first time he openly cried in public.

Eight magical years later, and we find ourselves in another land far away from our home. Actually, we’re not one of those couples who’d go to extra pains to celebrate anniversaries. We want to keep it simple, without much fanfare. The important thing is that we’re together. What’s more, our darling daughter is with us, making our family complete. She’s the light of our lives.

Eight years, and counting. Here’s to more magical years ahead!

Reminiscing on Father’s Day

I have a lot of fond memories of my late Dad. Of course, not all memories are probably worth reminiscing, and if we had a choice, there are certain memories which we’d rather bury. But for me, those memories – good and bad – are made even more precious now that he is gone.

daddy lilet baguio 1976
Daddy and his pouty little girl. Trip to Baguio, 1976

If I were describe a specific memory with my Dad that is fondest to me, it would be the time when I got back from Baguio during the Holy Week of 1995. I was spending the Holy Week in Baguio with my Mom and cousin, but I had to make an emergency trip back because I went down with chickenpox. (I know, I know, I was a late bloomer!) Prior to the trip, Daddy and I were not on speaking terms because he had just found out about my relationship with Baggy. I kept it as a secret from the rest of my family because I was afraid that they would not be able to accept him. He was very mad at me, and he was really hurt because I had somehow “betrayed” his trust.

When Dad opened the door to our house that night when I arrived, he gave me that dagger look which sort of demanded, “What the heck are you doing here?

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The Reluctant Birthday Girl

Yep, that would be me. Sigh.

When we were young, we looked forward to birthdays.  Birthdays are always happy occasions – cakes, parties, gifts, friends. We simply couldn’t wait till the next birthday celebration.

But as we grow older, more often than not we wish that the birthdays wouldn’t come anymore. We wish that we could skip that particular day and not have to count the years anymore. We wish we could just hide from the world and let the day slip by without anyone else remembering. Or maybe that’s just me. I usually start getting depressed at the start of my birth month – March – and this continues until the very end of the month. I always wished that I could breeze through the days and get to April…fast.

But then the birthday greetings would pour in – and no matter how fervently I wished that nobody would remember my birthday, exactly the opposite happens. Friends and families will never make you forget, hahah. 😉 The only way you could get back at them is to do the same thing to them when their own birthdays come.

birthday card

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Happy Birthday (Part One)

It’s February 18 today, and I’m happy. And it’s a big deal.

with dad
With Daddy (beaming with pride, I believe!) on my wedding day (January 6, 2001).

You see, it’s my Dad’s birthday, and today I remember him with happiness in my heart, instead of sorrow and grief. This day is unlike the previous birthdays which had been punctuated by sadness and longing for the man who left us some four years ago. This day, I feel more alive than ever, and grateful that he had been a part of my life.

Had he been alive today, he would have been 69.

Continue reading Happy Birthday (Part One)