Remembering my Dad, a Father's Day thought

Dad.
Everytime i write a post, or look at my old-style hand-written journal entries, i am reminded of my Dad.
He had a meticulously kept medical journal as well as a regular journal. 

I was able to read one of his journal - on the Death March.  Made me cry.
I was thinking perhaps other people might like to read it, so i am asking my Dad to send me a dream so i will know it is alright to have it published......

i havent found his other journals, but then i havent had the time to really go over the papers.

As for his medical records. i saw it, he would have time and date he had his bp taken, when he took what meds, and if there was any reaction.

Remembering my Mom

my Mom.  A wonderful homemaker.  gorgeous woman. she is the exact duplicate of my grandma.

of all her children, i was the one she spent the most time with.  i am single you see.

she told us that we should all learn the basics of homee-making. all of us learnt how to cook, iron, wash, and  clean the house - even the boys because she said what if they married women who knew nothing.  they should show their wives how to do things - and as for us - girls, we mentioned we would try to marry rich men and that we would have kasambahays to help manage the house.  she said, all the more we should know because how would we know what to teach if we didnt know how to do things.

yes, i know how to cook.  the hard stuff, too.  you know, things like pancit luglug, karekare, lechon sauce, embotido, morcon, galantina, bibingka, ensaymada and regular food....

easiest thing i learnt to cook ... meat loaf.  delish meat loaf, but just meat loaf.

one of the hardest things i've had to iron is a man's pina barong tagalog.  yipes.....

i remember times when i slept in the master's bedroom because my dad was away, or when both of them were seniors and my mom was experiencing vertigo, and since i was single, i was nominated to help her stand up, take a bath, go the bathroom, what-have-you since my dad couldnt manage ....

Happy Mother's Day....

to all moms, would-be moms, and those that are-were like moms

how do you show someone  you love them?

mainly by being there - to discuss things, to assist when needed, to argue when necessary, and to hug
i loved hugging my mom.  she was smaller than me and that made it just perfect for hugs

we filipinos arent into saying i love yous, we are more into doing ...

my mom is a great cook, and it gave me pleasure to treat her to great food she didnt cook
especially her  favorite kakanin
or buy a dress she would look good in but didnt need

she would say it especially on my birthday by cooking pancit palabok
her palabok is the best i have ever had - par excellance bar none - same as my lola's

Remembering Erpats

Today is the birthday of my Dad, or as Kuys and his friends and brods coined it, Erpats from the Latin word Pater, meaning Father. i miss my Dad.  he wasnt given to much words, but he was deeply caring man.  his word was his honor, and he taught us that honor was one of the most important things a person owns.

Dad graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, and as they say, he was muy pogi (very handsome) and girls were very attracted to him.  (well, my mom was gorgeous so Dad went loco over her)

He was very disciplined, and had, as they say, a mole near the sole of his foot - an indication that he loved to travel.  Oh he did.  He traveled a lot.  Part of the travel was during his army days.  And when he retired, and had gone to the USA (being there helped his asthma) he traveled a lot, too. he didnt drive, but since he was a senior, he had a discounted RTD bus pass and went to all the beaches ... i think, in California.

i only hit a few beaches there .... Long Beach, Venice Beach, and Huntington Beach, to name a few but he went to a lot of beaches and even did some fishing.  i would have wanted to try fishing  but we couldnt find common down time to go fishing....

he loved to tease my mom, who was a bit pikon - perhaps the easiest English translation is .... not teasable?  but he was very very supportive, in all my endeavors.  one of the things he taught me is to finish things that i start.  he said to leave nothing pending.  one might not finish things at once, but once started, must be finished.  i still honor this teaching to this day.

Dad was a strong person, usually quite quiet, and had a wonderful control of his temper.  His kids, that is, us - the family - will always remember his words of wisdom that he imparted to us

Less talk, less error.  No talk, no error.

perhaps not original, but definitely true.  What he really meant was, you just dont blurt out what you think, it has to go through a thinking process, an evaluation, you might say.

Especially true when one is angry, and apt to say things that might be later wished unsaid, but what is said, cannot be unsaid.  Said things are like blossoms in the air, when good ... and stink bombs when not.

Choices - 1

There will probably be a series of posts on Choices.

i hope some of them will be funny, and not all serious.  

i choose to find laughter in this world, and better, to help spread laughter.

 Rachel Olsen writes these words in my crosswalk email

• We always have a choice between hope and despair - no matter what circumstance we are in.

• We always have a choice between fear and faith - no matter how bleak things look.

• And we always have the choice to give and serve - no matter how little we own.

and i agree. we choose. part of God's Will for us. To give us that choice

it is not always easy to choose rightly, and many times we may not choose what is best for us. or sometimes the hurts in our hearts take over the goodness.
  

pray with me that we may choose what is best in most times.

also, today is my lola - Petra Galvez Ongchangco's biological birthday. 
she used to scold me at lunch because i couldnt hear her (she was right beside me) call us to lunch as i was reading on the dining table. 
we ate lunch at the kitchen table in her home at Lardizabal, Sampaloc.

Special remembrances to my Tito Pepe

Tito Pepe.
His complete name:  Jose Galvez Ongchangco
Brother of my Ermatzi (her maiden name) :
Aurora Galvez Ongchangco