Thaad's Crib

In 1986, at the height of the contractual workers' lock down strike against NSC, I was almost ready to give birth to my first child. Bong, being unable to get into the plant to work, constructed this crib. We painted it yellow and white because we were unsure of the sex of our baby, which proved to be a wise choice because we had girls... Jas and then Gem. Then the crib went on an adventure... from friend to friend to friend... home to their precious little ones too. At one time, it was repainted, it became blue and white. That was great because soon after that, we had to get back the crib... and yes, I had a baby boy this time.

Raise your hand... you, who slept and played and p#@*d on this crib!

Candidly,
Dang S.

Ahhh... School

Jas was barely three but she really wanted to go to school. This photo was of her first day... waiting outside our apartment for the St. Margaret mini school bus. It was not raining and neither was the sun so hot... the umbrella was just to 'show off' and to compliment her excitement. On her first school day, she bravely went alone... no need for daddy or mommy.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Apple of Daddy's Eyes

Jas at three years old was Bong's perfect little model. Here, taken outside Cafe Hermoso in Iligan City with just an apple for props (or payment)... smile!

Candidly,
Dang S.

Jas and Gem are 1 year and 5 months apart. As little girls in the Philippines, Jas was always regarded as bigger/taller than the girls her age. Gem, on the other hand, was so little, she gets away with punishment. We used to have these descriptions for each of them:
Jas : Katawang sapat (translation : just the right size)
Gem : Katawang payat (translation : not enough size)
Now, Gem has caught up with Jas... and amazingly become the more active and atheletic one.

Candidly,
Dang S.

We Match!

Just hanging out in their favorite spot, on our little porch, and in their favorite attire, matching house clothes. Lola Tit always made them matching house clothes and they would be very happy every time they get a package from Lola Tit. They would wear them until they were really worn out.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Follow the Leader

Usual day for Jas and Gem at our Del Carmen home. Ate Jas always the leader and Gem always happy to follow. So who's prettier? This has always been the debate between our friends, Francis & Gigi, former sweethearts now Mr. & Mrs. Patalinghug. I'd say, they both are! ... they are mine, you know.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Mission Possible

Why not Joshua? Well, when I was still carrying this little boy inside me, I told Bong, "enough with Joshua!" because it always turns out to be a girl if he insists on the name, based on experience. During that time also, I never miss my favorite TV series 'Mission Impossible' who starred Thaad P. (I am not sure about the last name anymore) and I thought the guy was really cute. So, that was how Thaad came to be.

Thaad is the first Sabolboro grandson. One day, Tatay Lito, Bong's dad, surprised us with a visit... just to see his little boy. This picture was taken during our weekend picnic at the beach. Grandpa and grandson talk... they understood each other.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Bath Time

This could have been my Joshua but I decided that if we prepared another name for my last pregnancy, it would just turn out to be the boy we hoped for... and that is how we had Thaad.

Bong and I were both working at National Steel Corporation and I always saw to it that I have had given my baby(ies) their morning bath before I left for work.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Daddy's Gem

Bong always wanted to have a child named Joshua. We could not use the name with our firstborn because I had a girl. So when I was pregnant for the second time and everyone was excitedly telling me that it would be a boy, he thought he could now have a Joshua. But alas! came out a little girl. Who could not love a baby with that face? She was a gem... she is a gem... and we call her Gem.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Ms. Muffet

"The eensy weensy spider..." Jas was always willing to pose for daddy. Only equipped with his Canon EOS 650, a stool, and a very cute model and.... click! click! click!

Jas did not need clothes. At home at our Andrada compound apartment in the Philippines, she was commfortable in just her diapers. One day, we went shopping at Gaisano Dept. Store, she was feeling so hot, she started to take off her clothes. After a while of sweet-talking her, she finally decided that her nice dress was worth showing off.

Candidly,
Dang S.

Game of Fencing

One day, Thaad and his best buddy, DJ, decided they wanted to play a game of fencing. Aha! They each took a bamboo stick from the garden, the ones that were used to guard Lola Carling's (DJ's grandma) new plant from the animals. No one was watching and they were having so much fun until Thaad got hit on the forehead by the pointed end of DJ's stick. This happened when Bong and I were at work. The grown-ups inside the house were now in panic mode. They were concerned and afraid and did not know what to do. Here's Lola Carling's first aid:

1. Washed the wound with soap and water.
2. Pounded some garlic and added a little vinegar.
3. Applied the mixed condiments onto the wound.
4. Tightly put band-aid and wait for dad & mom to get home from work.

Sounds like a recipe for inon-unan? Of course, we brought him to the doctor when we got back from work. And I guess, Lola Carling's potion worked because doctor said the wound would heal well.

What a cutie! This picture and the scar on his forehead will remind Thaad of his happy days in Iligan.

Candidly,
Dang

Small Package

Bong's other [unpaid] model was this little princess. Aptly named, she was daddy's gem (also mommy's)... she still is. Born the longest (or is it tallest?) among my three babies, we expected big of Gem... or...maybe not so. She was tiny... hmmm... how was she able kick her pediatrician, Dr. Alagar, so hard he had to lean on the wall for support, when he was about to stick that needle in her arm? She was small... she got in trouble in school for putting a boy on the ground because she just wanted to defend Ate (big sister) Jas who was then much bigger than herself.

Do not judge by the size... Gem, help me lift this BBayan box. 'atta girl!

Candidly,
Dang

Stand Up

Looking through old pictures, I found this of very young Jas and Gem together with neighbors, JanJan and JD (Escudero brothers). I showed this to Jas and her comment: "Look at me at the back. I look like the kid in the movie 'The Grudge'... just at the back there and looking mean."

Looking back, Jas was always in trouble in preschool for biting another kid or punching another kid. I remember Teacher Daisy telling me, "she did it but if you look at her face, you want to believe she did not." And always there is a story behind the trouble... she was standing up for those who were too good to stand up for themselves. That's my girl!

Candidly,
Dang

My Little Calendar Girl

There were no digital cameras yet. Bong was just a budding photographer. It was one hobby that cost a lot. But since it made my husband happy, I agreed to buy his first camera, a Canon EOS, which he still keeps. This is one of his first photographs of his favorite subject, my daughter, his daughter, Jas.

It is an old picture, frayed and scratched, it is a reminder of the art that has been put aside to make way for some other things that can't be put off for now. He says, "someday....".

Candidly,
Dang

P.S. This is a post from my other blog, Kalidadis. I like looking through old photographs and remembering events that go with them. I thought a blogspot dedicated to such will be like a scrapbook, not necessarily replacing it, serving as an e-memento for the generations that will follow mine.