Van Today

Cousin Van is Papa V's and Mama T's son. I was in high school the first time I met him. He was a toddler. He copied everything Papa V did, he danced to every song Mama T played, and Mama T caught it all on video. Today, he cringes when he sees those videos. He's embarrassed to see this little boy who danced, strummed his guitar, and mimicked every little thing his Pa and big cousins did. This little boy that everyone doted on, kissed, hugged, cooed at, and just plain old babied.

Today Cousin Van asked me to braid his hair like the UFC fighter's, Urija Faber.

Because today Cousin Van is into boxing. Thus the braids like Urija's, maybe?

Today Cousin Van is also an avid free runner. I call it jump running because that is exactly what it looks like. Like Jackie Chan running right into a jump onto a platform ten feet from the ground. It's so graceful. See for yourself. THIS is Cousin Van's group of friends free running.

It's been more than twenty years since Cousin Van was swaying his tiny hips to La Bamba. Look at him now, all grown up, with dreams and aspirations, and having a grand old time in between.

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Louie's Pets

Louie is now in pre-kindergarten. For a kid who's first time it is to be in an organized group setting, school can be so limiting. Take his first month in school for instance. Louie is a very free hearted spirit who talks and asks questions incessantly. So he doesn't get why his teacher gets so upset every time he turns his back to the teacher to chat with the kid behind him. He also doesn't care to participate in the dance number his class was to perform in celebration of Nutrition Month. He just downright refuses to dance. Period.

On the same token, school can be a place to share everything he knows about anything. The lesson in class one day was pets. Pets are animals that we keep in our home.

"Louie," asked his teacher. "Do you have any pets?"

"Yes," he answered.

"What kind of pets do you have?" continued his teacher.

"I have a goldfish, dogs, pigs, turkeys..." Louie rattled them off as naturally as he would tell you what he had for lunch. "Oh, I forgot, goats too!"


"Louie," his teacher corrected, "turkeys, pigs, and goats are not pets. They're farm animals."

"But of course they're pets!" Louie insisted. "They all live at Papa B's house!"

That's my boy, Louie!


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Kyle the Brave

These are my nephews, Jeimax, Kyle, and MJ, and Nikka. Nikka is my favorite little girl who lives just down the road.

One of the most fun things to do on Pangangan is to explore the tide flats.

Sea urchins, "hammer" crabs, as Jeimax called them, sea cucumbers, starfishes, sponges, anemone, sea snales, jellyfish are the mercy of curious kids, poking, prodding, collecting, and gawking.

"Hermit crabs," I corrected, but Jeimax just ignored me.

"They're called hermit crabs," I insisted vainly, "because they live in a shell alone..."

"Um, Jeimax did you hear me?" I followed the kids, desperately trying to explain. But alas all Jeimax said in response was "So?"

Okay, so the boys didn't care about hermits. Boys. Boys. One boy, two boys... Where's Kyle?

"Auntie Netty, carry me!" Kyle called. "Pleeeease, caaaaarrie meeeeee!"

Unlike Jeimax, MJ, and Nikka, Kyle scared himself into uncontrollable shivers on the tied flats. "Eek! What's that?! Ack! Something touched my toe!" So he sought refuge on any flat rock along the way.

"Auntie Netty, pleeeeeease caaaaaaarrie me! Pleeeeeease!"

"Just step where I step..." I advised, which was a big mistake because we started doing this dance of sorts, wading in ankle deep water, like a little girl standing on her father's feet to keep in step as he dances the waltz with her.  He was so afraid to be left behind that he kept stepping on my feet before I lifted them off the bottom. So we took breaks on sand patches amidst the seaweeds.

Despite his racing heart and trembling limbs, Kyle, my brave, brave boy, manages a gangsta' pose for the camera.

 "Auntie Netty," Kyle said. "Look, I'm like a hermit crab!"

Yes! HERMIT crab.

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Fiesta Once Again

It's that time of the year again on Pangangan Island, when there is a consistent haze of smoke from cooking fires, and sacks and sacks and sacks and sacks and sacks and sacks and sacks and sacks of rice being brought to said cooking fires from the bodega. Don't get me started with the sound of squealing pigs meeting their makers...

Dear Pigs, thank you for your bodies that nourish ours, and causes mayhem at the buffet because of your delicious flavor. Salud!

Once again, friends and new friends gather from far away places...

Once again, barangay leaders grace us with their presence (and appetities)...

Once again, Kulafu, Fundador, San Miguel and good ole Tuba encourage normally shy folks to open their hearts to distant relatives...

Once again, distant relatives come to eat, yet keep their distance... Nice knowin' ya, let's keep it that way, see ya next year!
 

Once again, neighbors and close relatives come to bring home a taste of the feast...

Once again, said neighbors and close relatives gather to keep up with the latest talk... and laugh...

Okay, okay, be serious now...
 

Wah-hahahahahahahahahah! Weh-heheheheheheheheheh! Woh-hohohohohohohohohoh!
 

No wonder the kids keep to the beach on Sta. Filomena's Fiesta.

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Beach Bums

For Lana, it starts out with curiosity.

She sits behind, careful not to get her feet and bottom wet, watching her big brothers and cousin, and their new friend exploring, playing, building forts on the beach.

Then Jeimax shows up with the first find of the day. A worm...

Then a brittle star.

Nikka entices her with a crab.

Overcome with curiosity, Lana ventures out onto the sand.

*If my kuyas can do it, then I can do it!*

When the photog has gotten all the shots she wants, she tells her subjects that it's time to go home.

*What? Already? But I don't wanna go home!*

If it were up to kids, they'd live on a beach forever.


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Running in Lapulapu City

Running races have become the fad in the Philippines in the last couple of years. Anyone who owns a pair of shoes, any kind of shoes, in fact I've seen a runner in a pair of Vans, and one in a pair of Converse, will sign up for a race. "The t-shirt," says Cousin Obet. "I just want the t-shirt. Oh, and for the recognition of having run a marathon!"

If you've forgotten or haven't read about the last race we did, you can read about it here.

Last weekend Cousin Obet read about the Lapulapu City Health Run hosted by the city's Sports & Tourism chairman Harry Radaza. The race is actually a series of nine races graduating from a maximum of a 5k run to a 10k run. Being of abled bodies and sound minds - well, maybe not sound of mind, for who in their right mind is willing to get up long before the crack of dawn to mill around a crowd of three thousand strong just to run five kilometers in the insufferable humidity? - Cousin Obet, Marlon, and Cousin T and I signed up.

So on the morning of the first race, even before the cock's crow, the four of us gathered for pre-race hoorah and then marched out to the highway to catch a multi-cab to the Mactan Shrine. If it weren't for the fireworks (instead of a gun) that signaled the start of the race, we probably would not have shook the sleep from our eyes.

Without further ado, here's what four ambitious, hungry, and eager "athletes" look like on race day.

WATCH VIDEO

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