Cueshe's "Walang Yaman"

My family has been watching GMA Pinoy TV's Asian Treasures for a while now and we really enjoy this particular program. My 4 year old daughter also likes the show. Recently, my husband was able to get a copy of the show's theme song, "Walang Yaman" by Cueshe (pronounced Cue-shay), the band who sang it and I've been listening to the same song in the car while driving around Al Ain.

There's this part in the lyrics where the band inked: "Di man ako tulad nila, Walang porma, walang pera"

My daughter listening at the back of the car suddenly exclaimed, "Ay kawawa naman pala yan sha mommy!" (Oh he's quite pitiful mom!)

I couldn't help but laugh because she was so innocent thinking that the singer indeed is poor and destitute.

ILYSFTBOMH*

I’m always thankful for my lunch breaks. Since my daughter has been coming to school, I get to drop her off and pick her up everyday. We’d share lunch at home and it has given me time to forget about work for a while and enjoy my daughter for at least an hour during these mid-day breaks.


But my favorite time is when I’m about to leave and return for work. One cannot describe how my heart swells as I see her little form standing by our door, blowing these imaginary kisses to me while saying “See you later mom!” or “I love you mom”. This is the time I send a short prayer of thanks to God above for giving me the gift of motherhood and an extra prayer for my daughter’s well-being.

Last night, I was snuggling with my gift, Amber, while watching Naruto (a Japanese anime) when she just blurted, “I love you mommy, straight from the bottom of my heart*.”

I had to fight the tears from falling as I know now, what it exactly feels like when “my cup runneth over.” This moment I will forever keep in my heart. And when there will be times in the future that you would do or say something hurtful to me, I will recall this moment so I will not forget that you are my sweet child and nothing could tear us apart. That whatever you may be then, does not change what you were – right in this minute where you are mine and you uttered these words that made me cry of intense happiness.

I close my eyes and send a prayer of thanks again for being able to experience love at this level. I count myself one of the luckiest people in the world to have found a love like that of a mother and her child.

Bye Buluts! Hopefully by May-May?

Amber's better now, her chicken pox have all dried up and have slowly gone away. She's been outside of the house, both to Jimi Mall and Al Ain Mall to scour her favorite shops for new toys and books that amuses most four-year-olds. She's declared herself to be "cured"! And celebrated by eating a whole pouch of Maltesers, her favorite chocolate junk food.

She is now checking out the pock marks and have been making sure they go away by telling herself that Hyuga Neji (a character from famous Japanese anime, Naruto) will come and erase them all. She's also declared that she has a huge crush on Kiba! (another character from Naruto) but I suspect that it is only becuase Kiba has a cute, tiny dog named Akumaru. She is afterall, fond of dogs and cats and sleeps with a plethora of stuffed animals dominated by dogs. Her favorite stuffed toy "May-May the dog" which she's been hugging and tugging along wherever she goes (yes, even outside the house but only up to the car) has been with her since she was one. She is now four.

I've been trying to wean her off Maymay and have offered newer, cuter options to the toy and still she refuses. I've even gone the scietific and clinical explanation that constant use will wear and tear Maymay and she should be given a bit of R&R to live longer; but I was met with an adamant, "No."

Obviously the toy had been washed and sun-dried through the years and has been looking rather sorry lately. Despite this, it is the most loved and most hugged critter of the bunch. I remember my favorite shirt, worn thin from laundry and constant use, seams gone at some parts, color - an undefined beigey hue...and yet I wore it until my husband, fed up, used it to wipe my daughter's vomit one time she got sick. I still miss the soft, comfortable feel of that shirt and hesitate to end Amber and Maymay's relationship. OK, perhaps not just yet...

Chicken Pox

Amber's got the chicken pox and has been whining about how itchy her "butligs" (the postules) are! She called them "wheezy patchouli" the evil cousins of her normal "itchy patchouli" (what she calls he ticklish parts and brother to "outchy patchouli" (the name she gave the bumps and bruises she gets).

In the hospital last Thursday, I took her immediately as soon as I saw several pimple-like formations on her neck for I had suspected she will get it from the classmates as half her class have had the same illness going round. She's been particularly close to one girl who had just had it and I was sure she'd also get the same being exposed to this classmate of hers.

She immediately told her doctor, in a matter-of-fact way that she doesn't want any injections and that she only wants to have the stethoscope used on her. Then she said that she only wants Calpol as her medicine as that tastes like strawberry.

The good doctor from Oasis Hospital, Dr. William Kuttrum, gave her Calpol, antihistamine and calamine lotion for the itchies. She was very happy with the way her hospital visit turned out, being not too scary at all, compared to her previous visit where she had to do an x-ray as well as blood tests!

She's been looking at herself in the mirror, vain girl, and saying she wants all of these patchoulis to go away. She's also been using the pox as an excuse to eat more ice cream and chocolate claiming they are the medicines to this illness, as if I don't know any better :-)

So far she's doing OK despite some itchy episodes and is enjoying the time home. More updates and pictures in my next post.

Amber's Very First School Picture

So this wasn't exactly the best shot and imagine taking a photo of more than ten wiggling, constantly moving, eyes always roaming, heads forever turning, fidgeting, jumping bunch of kindergarten kids?! But here it is, Amber's class picture with her Junior KG-C classmates. Her teacher was Mrs. Sabina Sharif but she had to go back to India. Now, her new teacher and the one on this pictures is Mrs. Fatimi.