Wonderful Lullaby

Wonderful song by Billy Joel. I could never finish this song. I always get a lump on my throat... then my eyes get watery. I'm posting the lyrics for fathers and future fathers: 

Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another dayI think
I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heartYou'll always be a part of me
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullaby
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me
Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabyes go on and on...
They never die
That's how you
And I Will be

 

Daahhdee!

I couldn't believe what I heard this morning while half-asleep. Lorenzo was vocalizing his usual pre-dawn coos and saliva-bubbles play when all of a sudden he exclaims: Daahhhdeee! ... It felt like a shot of espresso to the brain. What a wonderful feeling!

It Takes A Big Man To Cry

The sight of interviewed grown men holding back sobs while clearing mud, muck, and debris is heart-rending. After relief goods have been given, we must endeavor to help them regain their confidence, dignity, and pride. Hope may be too vague a word but they will surely need a lot of it. We also need to look beyond the relief efforts... look beyond ourselves.

Bravo, Juan Manuel Marquez!

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has got to be pound for pound the most boring fighter in the world. No wonder "Money" Mayweather is not as popular as our Manny.  Even though Juan Manuel lost to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., he showed he had the brave heart that great and honorable fighters possess.  Floyd Jr (or Flop Jr.) is a great fighter but he lacked the showmanship to earn the respect of the hard-core or even regular boxing fan (*yawn*).


On the other hand, Floyd Jr's. kind of class (or the lack of it) reared its not so handsome head when he was interviewed post-fight.  He almost picked a fight with Shane Mosley who got up the ring to congratulate him. I thought: Hmmm... was that an act to play up an upcoming fight of Mosley vs Mayweather?  Looks like "Money" is chickening out (again) in the fight against our Manny.  Oh well. 


Bravo, Juan Manuel Marquez!  You're still a winner in my book.  

Ninoy

I showed a file video of Ninoy Aquino (delivering a brilliant speech) to class today. I started the video without introductions. When the video ended, I expected them to be wowed by his eloquence or simply impressed by his wit. 


Then one student whispered: "Diba siya yung nasa limandaang piso?"  It was an interesting day. 

Turning Japanese

When my niece was a toddler she overheard her Nihongo-speaking aunt making an overseas call to Tokyo. "Moshi moshi!" her aunt greets her friend over the phone. With wide delighted eyes she turned to me and proudly exclaimed: "Washing Machine! Meron kami nun, ninong!". I gave her a hug while I enjoyed the biggest belly laugh.

Hinulugang Taktak!

This morning, I attended an observation class of 6th grade Social Studies. The teacher asked if anyone can sing the song about Hinulugang Taktak waterfalls in Antipolo. After about 3 seconds of awkward silence, a male student renders a loud song unannounced: "Itaktak mo...Itaktak mo...Itak itak itaktak mo!". I bawled with laughter that was impossible to stifle. You had to be there.

The best text message I have ever sent.

It's been a while. I have not posted anything since after our first trimester. My bad.

Exactly 14 days ago I was sitting in the cafeteria of The Asian Hospital and Medical Center. It was 9 AM and I was composing the most exciting and happy text message I have ever sent to all friends and relatives. My coffee and bangsilog were getting cold and I did not care. I was too excited.

Looking back 4 years ago, in 2005, I sat in the same cafeteria with the same breakfast getting cold while I composed the most morose and saddest text message I have ever sent to friends and relatives. It read: "Our dad, Pepe, is experiencing end-stage cirrhosis of the liver and is now being given the best comfortable medical care possible. Please continue to pray with us for his recovery. Thank you and God bless." After 1 difficult week, my father peacefully passed on.

Two weeks ago, August 15, 2009, 9 AM, I texted everyone: "Hello, World! Jose Lorenzo Grande Gaston born this morning at 7:45 AM, 6.75 lbs, handsome and healthy. Rovie and I thank you deeply for praying with us for a safe delivery. God bless you."

Two text messages, four years apart, same cafeteria, same hospital. I imagined my old man giggling heartily while happy water welled from my eyes. His shoulders bobbing up and down while he enjoyed his signature semi-silent laugh. I can almost swear he was there... at the delivery room even.

I finished sending my messages while replies arrived almost instantaneously. I wiped the water off my eyes, ate my cold breakfast, and looked forward to a long day of replying my thanks to the many congratulations.

It was a great morning.

What To Expect When Your Wife Is Expecting

I've been reading the "What To Expect When You're Expecting" series lately.  When I was still single, I thought these books were simply informative and, well,  cute.  I did not even remotely think that I was going to read up on the series.  There is the original "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and a host of other books that complements the original like, "What To Eat When You're Expecting". While these books also discussed the participation of the fathers in the pregnancy and birth, it was all just discussed in passing in an Oh-by-the-way fashion.

I thought it'd be nice if they also wrote for the father and concentrated a little bit more on their needs and anxieties.  I know. You may already be protesting and saying "but you're not the one who's carrying the baby and not the one who will give birth!" True but I thought these books would be nice for us fathers too. Here goes:

1. What Not To Expect When She's Expecting (hmmm...).
   
2. What Not To Eat When She's Expecting.
3. What Not To Say When She's Expecting. (How to be nice even if she can't be.). 
4. What Not To Do When She's Expecting. 
5. What Not To Watch On TV When She's Expecting.
6. What Not To Have Her Smell When She's Expecting. (Lest you get pushed away.).
7. How Not To Vomit When She's Vomiting. 
8. How To Try Not To Snore While Asleep When She's Expecting. 
9. How Not To Move Too Much When You're Beside You're Wife Who's Expecting. 
   
10. How To Prepare Food At 3 AM While Half-Asleep When She's Expecting. 
11. How To Hunt For Hard To Find Foods When She's Expecting. 
12. How To Sing  Lullabies To A Big Tummy. 

There's plenty more book titles I'm sure. I'll have more new titles soon.  Feel free to add.

Mr. Sensitivity

I realized I'm a little bit edgy and irritable these past 3 months. Good thing the pregnancy books we bought and the web pages I browsed explained to me the complexities of the Couvade Syndrome I've been experiencing. The increased appetite, sluggishness, irritability and lack of patience are the dominant feelings I've been experiencing lately. My brother sarcastically says I've found a convenient excuse to raid the refrigerator and binge on the leftovers. Well, he may be oversimplifying it but then again he is not entirely wrong...and it irritates me to accept that.

Anyway, back to talking about irritability. Watching television is perhaps the best way to de-stress and relax. Incidentally, Philippine local television has done the opposite. I have been succesful at avoiding hearing the sound of the voice of Boy Abunda, or worse see him on TV. Sundays have been stress free if and when I am away from the TV in the afternoon. Now, they gave him more airtime. We all now get to see Boy Abunda (and his sensitivity) on TV every F#%@*ing weeknight! Let's see...we get to see him weeknights...and then we see him on weekends, too. Hey, we see the bloke everyday! What is the world coming to? Is this country running out of talents? I sure hope not.

My wife is laughing her head off listening to me talk about this. This Couvade syndrome can be sarcastic indeed. Inhale. Exhale. Owmmmm....Forget it! I'm raiding the ref! You want anything? The Angel and the Boy. The Beauty and the...ummm... Sensitive guy.

The Most Sensible Diet Program

The Couvade syndrome I've been experiencing is in full swing. Hopefully, I'm about to experience its tail-end along with the end of my wife's first trimester. I've been packing on the pounds and feeling the sluggishness.

This email made my Monday more bearable. Interesting points of view. Read and laugh: Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables? A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system.. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio? A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc. Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program? A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good! Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you? A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach. Q: Is chocolate bad for me? A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around! Q: Is swimming good for your figure? A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me. Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle? A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

Sonograms make my eyes hurt.

On the 10th week and 3rd day of my wife's pregnancy we went to the OB GYN for her periodic checkup. She (my wife) was starting to feel a little queasy at the sight and scent of various food groups. The food aversions have officially announced their arrival and I had to personally welcome them to avert their attention on her. I've gained a little over 5 pounds since. I wonder why. I have to admit that my ONLY food aversion is to lychee. All other food types and groups are my friends. Lychees are a different food group altogether. To my mind they are not carbohydrates, not vegetables or fruits, not proteins...they are just lychees and they can leave me alone for all I care. Anyway, the doctor did her routine checkup and prescribed the necessary supplements for the duration of her first trimester. "Let's do an ultrasound today." she said. We excitedly agreed and proceeded to the sonogram room. The sonogram room is about 6 square meters and a bit dark. The only lighting it had came from the large TV monitor that displayed figures. I'm guessing from the sonogram apparatus. My wife lay down on the bed and doktora scanned her belly using the sonogram watchamacallit thing that probed the external of her belly. I sat at the corner of the room observing doktora do her sonogram probing on my wife. I took several pictures while she prepped the machine. Then lo and behold the fetus was displayed on the monitor. I was dumbfounded. It was surreal. Doktora explained several things which made me hear her as if she was speaking gibberish. I was hypnotized. I looked at my wife. She was wearing a genuinely happy smile and looked incredibly beautiful. I saw she was simultaneously smiling and crying. I directed my attention back at the monitor. The light and images from it were overwhelming. Then all of a sudden, the fetus moved as if attempting to jump and gave what i thought was a wave as if saying hello. "Uy sumipa! Nagpapakitang gilas siya! (Hey it kicked! It's showing off!) doktora amusedly said. After seeing it, I felt as if my astral cord jumped off my physical body and my head felt as if it swelled with my nape hairs raising uncontrollably. My eyes hurt from staring at the monitor. Several tears fell involuntarily. I'm pretty sure it was eye strain from the monitor staring. Ummm yeah...it's eye strain...pretty sure it was eye strain. Eye strain it was. Believe me, it's just eye strain...right.

What To Expect When You're Expecting...in 8 months.

Our baby in my wife's womb is 46 days old . He or she is about the size of a pea and growing fast each day that passes. I've been reading up on books about pregnancy. The most popular of which is the book "What To Expect When You're Expecting". Interesting read that book is. I must say perspectives do change. I was never a fan of reading these types of books and left it at that. I preferred reading the funny pages, Bob Ong's books, and (I daresay) Men's magazines with "artistic" pictures. I guess a man's sudden interest in these literature is brought about by necessity and excitement as well. Hearing my wife make sounds as if she's preparing to hurl (vomit), burp, or fart (due to first trimester symptoms) makes me more interested in an amused kind of way. Imagine that, a being the size of a small goldfish and rapidly increasing in size is growing in my wife's tummy...and we were responsible for making it happen...with the farting, burping, and pseudo-hurling and all. The book and all its 500+ pages say there's more to expect. I'll read some more. This is interesting.