I don’t think I can take a real long blog hiatus. LOL!
My daughter, the only girl and youngest child in the family, just turned 18 last month and she complained that I have not blogged about it.
I really find it amusing that my kids unashamedly take pride when I blog about their milestones in life.
The month of July is birthday month for all my three kids. They’re all July-born. True, having to celebrate birthdays in the family all in the same month saves us from party costs. However, it strips the excitement from the other months. After marking the birthdays in the family in three successive months — June (my birth month), July (the kids’ birth month) and August (hubby’s birth month) — the only remaining celebration that we can look forward to is Christmas time. Quite boring, isn’t it?
I am so thankful to God that my kids are now grown, though I admit to be missing the kids they used to be when they would goof around the house and be rowdy and ‘makulit’. Our baby girl is baby no more now that she has turned 18. She had long traded her Barbie dolls (all of which she “beheaded and dismembered”, out of her childish curiosity! LOL!) with kikay items, and is presently obsessed with Apple gadgets. (Note: You have to save up if you want any of ‘em gadgets, girl!)
When Gem was about 12 or younger, we would watch “Princess Diaries” over and over. And excitedly, we both decided to have her debutante dress patterned after Anne Hathaway’s beautiful ecru gown which she wore in the final scene of Princess Diaries Part 1. We also planned on having her wear a tiara so she would be like a real princess even for just that night of her 18th birthday. Sadly, none of that happened as we were not able to hold a big debut party for her. I know she feels bad about it, yet I am sure she understands we could not afford to spend for it. If we splurged on a party, her college education (which is not cheap!) would be compromised. It’s not a difficult choice to make, really, because obviously the latter weighs much much more since it holds her future.
But not throwing a party did not mean no fun at all for the family. A day after Gem officially turned 18, Marco treated us to dinner at Little Tokyo in Makati - sort of a joint birthday celebration for the three of them, which also came at a perfect timing because Aypee and I had to be in Manila that weekend to attend my niece’s wedding. It was unfortunate though that their dad was not able to join us because of already pre-scheduled engagements connected to his work.
Let me share with you a couple of photos taken that night.
Full, satisfied Marco could only lean on the wall after gobbling up his favorite Japanese dish. Or maybe - he was thinking how much the bill would cost him. hehehe.
Of course, mother and daughter photo op was inevitable. 
To my three children: Happy belated birthday to you. Mama loves you soo very much!
happy birthday to Gem, Marco and Aypee! so lucky to have a mother who loves them perfectly well!
Happy Belated Birthday to all of them!
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Belated happy birthday to your daughter and to your other kids.
Manang-mana sa yo ang daughter mo. Mestiza din.
this is super late na but belated Happy Birthday to your kids!
I admire Gem for her understanding of not having a big party. At this age and time, it’s better to be pragmatic
Bawi na lang sha sa wedding nya hehe parang yan din kasi sinabi ko nung 18 ako…”sa kasal ko na lang” hehe
belated happy happy birthday to your pretty daughter!
hello! belated happy birthday to the four of you. not to worry, i didn’t give any of my two daughters a debut or extravagant party either when they turned 18 because of same reasons you have trying to save the money for college education.
first off… belatedd happy birthday. hmmm, i am a july “baby” too. a leo.
i read your response in my blog. geesh, me and my big mouth. now i get these text messages from my friends asking if i am still breathing. well, i have no intention of cutting off an ear and offering it to one of the g.r.o.’s or barmaids here in pasay, neither do i have any inclination to climb up my roof and shake my clenched fist to the heavens like a crazed lunatic. that’s too passe and utterly banal for an artist to do.
i just simply say c’est la vie and move on.
Now about your “please, please…” request for your daughter to interview me for a humanities paper… is she sure? i mean, am just an insignificant dot in this big wide complex world of artistic blah-blahs. the last time i let my mouth spew out my thoughts to some college kids, they ended up in stitches and did one thing i dissuaded them from doing, and that is finish their course in fine arts. i fully recall telling them to get a nice, cushy job in a company and put some of their money in life insurance or something more practical. sigh… i just found out some of them are actually painting full-time. some of those kids are really good though, i give them that. oh well… c’est la vie.
regarding that interview, ’tis quite fine by me. just blast me an email.
oh, if i am not home painting or drawing, i am at fort bonifacio hanging at our gallery in serendra. if it’s a face-to-face interview thingie she wants… she can find me there. i am so easy to spot. just look for a big bald man who looks more like a bouncer or a security detail rather than an artist who has a thing for rotundity.
cheers!
Hahaha! Thanks, Daniel! Yes, my daughter will see you at the Fort. You will receive an email soon.
Happy birthday… although I might need to say… happy Christmas…
Thank you, Sidney! And a happy new year to you! LOL!
I’m really so glad you’re back to blogging.
Belated Happy Birthday to you Gem
May you be successful and be able to attain your goals