Raising Boys

Sea sojourn April 9, 2007

Somewhere between one island and the next, I got stung by a jellyfish. I felt something like a thread wrap itself around my left leg like an anklet before a confusing mix of pain and itchiness hit me. It was a horrible sensation.

I hobbled to the motorized outrigger boat that we rented for our island-hopping adventure off the seas of Mactan in Cebu, and one of the boatmen suggested that I put ice on it. It worked and, thankfully, no one else got stung.

The boat was anchored a few meters away from Sulpa, an island so small you can go around it in less than 20 minutes.

I was on my way to the islet from the boat docked several meters away when the stinging happened; the children in our party were already brought there to swim and play in the shallows.
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Some fun in the sun April 17, 2006

One hot, lazy Saturday, we made our way to the beach for some fun and sun, and boy, did we get both in abundance. My sons couldn’t wait to jump into the sea when we arrived and it was not even 8 a.m. yet.

No amount of remonstration could get them to break their communion with the sea and when they finally stopped, some six hours later, no SPF lotion–even at a high of 50 and applied at least four times–could stop Lennon’s sunburn and no amount of rest alleviated Dylan’s dizziness and nausea. Serves them both right.

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Afternoon trip to Cordova February 5, 2006

No. I don’t mean that city in Spain. I’m referring to the only other local government unit in Mactan, an island east of Cebu, aside from Lapu-Lapu City.
I live in Lapu-Lapu City and I work in a company that is located three cities away. Cordova is less than 30 minutes travel from my home yet the last time I remembered going there was some eight years ago.

So yesterday, out of the blue, I told my husband that we should go there. So off we went.

Because it was late in the afternoon already, we decided to go directly to the town center, which we had trouble finding because the town has sprouted several roads that branch off in various directions. There used to be only one main road that led to the town hall.

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Skywalk artist July 29, 2005

While on my way to lunch, I chanced upon this man sitting in the tiled floor of the skywalk in the Robinson’s-Osmeña Boulevard area. He was sketching a tree using a cheap ballpoint pen. His finished works, really exceptional ones, were displayed on the skywalk floor beside him, priced at 345 pesos each.

Home at last June 10, 2005

Came back yesterday from my Manila trip. I really want to write about my trip but I’m tired so that will have to wait another day.

My sons were so happy to see me. Lennon developed a slight fever at the mere thought of another separation. He fell asleep beside me when I took a nap shortly after I arrived. He held on to my shirt all day.

Dylan’s first question when he arrived from school was if I was home already. He grumbled and protested when his dad told him that I had to stay a few days more in Manila.

Lost in Manila June 8, 2005

So obviously, I did not change my mind and am now here in Manila. I was last here 10 years ago and the changes to the metropolis since then seem overwhelming. I had quite forgotten how big this place is: wide roads, huge buildings, gargantuan malls.

It was a long ride from the airport to the Parc Chateau Condominium in Ortigas Center in Pasig City, where I’m staying, and I passed by Makati City on the way there. The financial district’s skyscrapers dot the skyline and everything else seems small in comparison. The flowing stairway of water at the entrace to The Peninsula was eye-catching. So was everything else, I guess.

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