Athrun Zala Soldier of ZAFT

These were the words of our OB Gynecologist when we paid her a visit last Saturday. By those words she was referring to my wife, Christine, who on that day is already on the 9th month of her pregnancy. Our pregnancy I should say. By those words, I felt a sudden gush of excitement overriding the whole of my body. The feeling of  relief that the 9 months of waiting is almost over and that in a few days time, I shall be carrying on my arms is nothing short of magical.

Well it has really been a roller coaster past nine months for us. I did not expect to be experiencing this at some point especially since I really do not see myself as the marrying type. Close friends of mine and other people might disagree but I see myself as a happy-go-lucky and laid back person. Until recently, I never really cared much about how I look. Much more will you even see me ogling at the latest trend in fashion or even dream of getting high paying job for that matter. Yup, for me it all falls according to plan and they will come when it is time.

Those things have changed now. I know and have faith that things did fell accordingly but more than that, I am much much blessed that I am having a little girl soon. And I mean soon! The small and petty things  that used to take up much of my time in the past now seemed so... well petty and little. No more magnification of things. Much more, I have learned to value those things that matter. Including those that I have, I could have and even those that I could not have. Right now, all that matters is this little angel that I will soon call my child.

Heck, I don't even care if I am making any sense right now!

The last time I felt this sick was about two or three years ago... this time however, I am down with cough and colds. No body aches whatsoever just coughing and a lot of sneezing. Occasional fever also comes at night. Good thing is that its over now, I hope.

I can't be like this! Not with the little baby coming out in a few weeks time. In less that five weeks, I am gonna be a daddy! No way am I going to be sickly when my daughter comes out. She has to see Tatay all healthy and well for her. Heck, how I can protect her from the creeps of this planet if I could not even stand up due to any kind of illness.

This will be the last time that I am going to be sick like this!

It has been a really long while since I last posted in this blog. Not that I have any readers but really, at least I have this space where I can shout to the universe my thoughts and emotions.

A lot has happened since my last post. My wife and I are now on the 8th month of our pregnancy and we are really seriously both excited and anxious for the coming of our little girl. We have had one-a-million trips already to the baby section of department stores, made surveys on which baby bottles are best, shopped online for baby bottles and even remodelled our room for the baby.

But that doesn't stop there. We had to let go of some of our stuff and throw away those that we have been hoarding for quite some time in order to literally make room for the little tyke. We even measured the dimensions of our microwave oven just to be sure that the sterilizer would fit! I figured that things would go crazier from here and I am very much anticipating things now.

On the hind side, I am making major adjustments as well. It has been four months already since I transferred to my new office, ok THE World Bank, and I am loving it here. This coupled with the good things happening to my life has somewhat brought back the confidence in me to do things.

I thought that I would be in limbo right now, but I guess not. I have come to accept things as they are and to quote a good friend of mine, "now I know that I do not know..." An interesting view for an interesting life such as mine.

Bring it on will you?!

My next few entries would be about local TV and the shows that I have been watching these past few weeks. I am a certified TV addict... and a Kapamilya at that! I grew up to watching ABS-CBN shows for as long as I can remember. Probably because it is the only channel that our trusty rooftop antenna can receive. And to start of this series on TV addiction that it is only fitting that I present the station IDs that I like the best. Sorry to those who are Kapuso out there, they have not mastered the art of making stations IDs. All that comes out of their creative team, sad to say, is crap!


Its the summer season so here are my favorite summer station IDs. Mind you, I am not after the parade of talents (or the lack thereof) in the station but the creativity and the colors that go with it. It somehow really makes the viewer capture the vibrance and excitement that comes with the coming of every summer.


2002  - I Feel Free 


This is the most memorable and very first station ID that features all of the station's talents (and those that have none). Aside from that, when this was released, it was the same time that my dear grandmother died. There is the contrast that everytime I see it on TV with all its colors and smiling faces, I remember one of the saddest times of my life.


2007 - Araw Natin To


I do not know what happened to those that came before this but this one for me is the most catchy and dancy station IDs that they did. The song is very upbeat and the dance step is very infectious. I remember this was spoofed by a show in the rival station wherein one of the characters was humming to its tune and he got hit in the head by a co-star.


2009 - Galaw Galaw sa Tag-Araw


This one is not as catchy as the 2007 version but it certainly made it to my list. I like the message of the song. It was about the same time that I was seriously contemplating on losing some weight. Well, I did lose weight but that did not happen until a few months later. :-)


2010 - Summer ang Simula


This one is the most recent and is very relevant with their theme for this coming national elections. It targets the youth and those who will be voting for the first time. It also gives a sense of hope that it is during this summer, things are going to change for the better in this country.

Tine and I saw this Sharon Cuneta and Aga Muhlach starrer the other night. It is about two best friends who could not find love and ended up with each other in the end. People will say that this is quite a predictable plot and I agree. What made this film click for me is that the characters are not googly eyed teenagers nor are they a couple of yuppies that got no clue. They are a pair of middle aged people who were best friends for as long as they can remember? Seriously, what kind of single people these days remain best friends until they reach 40? Oh well, its fiction and everything is possible in the movies. Anyway, do check it out if you have the time. Its a good movie and definitely worth the while.

I grew up in a house of seven people where the only woman is my mother. People would imagine that my Mama would have been this poor girl doing all the chores that boys don't usually do.... Contrary to common notion about this patriarchal Philippine society, things in our house are different. My mother is usually the head of the household and she literally calls the shots. No pun intended on my father because I believe that they both love each other so much.

My mother made sure that all of us, well at least most of my brothers, know the ropes of doing household chores. At an early age we were all taught how to cook rice, clean the house, cook our own food and even some laundry, although she would not entrust that to us because her standards are so high when it comes to it. I was usually in-charge of our household when I still lived with my parents.

Things did not really change when I left home for college and eventually settled in my own home. My wife knows little in the kitchen and honestly, I could not fully entrust my tummy to her cooking. Haha... Aside from cooking, I also do the laundry from time to time since my wife could not really do so much load because of her pregnancy.

I have no problem doing those things. As a matter of fact, I enjoy doing things at home as it somewhat takes away the stress and keeps me focused on things. It is very much like exercise for me. I thank my mother for letting us do those things when we were young. We could have easily excused ourselves from learning since we always have hired helpers around the house but she insisted that we learn.

Today I can proudly say that armed with these skills, I can live even in the most desolate place on the planet. And yes, I will teach this to my kids as well. I still have laundry to go back to, by the way....

I have this blog for some time now and for some time I have been writing about anything and everything I could think of. This after all is my personal space and that I could write on whatever it is in my heart. But lately, I am doing some thinking. I could write about anything or I could focus on something. Hmmmm....

I do not really know. I am an activist, albeit in my own way and I do not want to overdo it. I am a brother to many, maybe I could write about that. I am somebody's husband -- that could be something... I am going to be a daddy soon -that too. Somebody's boyfriend, hmmm... interesting but then again this is nothing serious (more of an internal joke between my best friend, wife and brothers). I am a student, but student writing is something else. A researcher perhaps? Too technical.

Anyway, this is just some random rambling of my head right now. But to make this blogging all the more "relevant," I think will try to write my thoughts on some social issues as well. I can share may opinion on things. Not as a seasoned columnist or critic but more as a concerned citizen wanting to make a difference.

Yup. Probably I'd do that.

Here is one music video/song that never fails to make me smile and start my hear pumping. This one is from Super Junior, a Korean Idol Group that I like very much..

I always take pride in being able to show courage and wisdom during the most stressful times. But yesterday, I had the scare of my life. I was with a friend when I saw an SMS from Tine saying that she is bleeding. My wife and I are 6 weeks pregnant and I couldn't just imagine losing that which we have so much been preparing for the last three years. 


We prayed so hard to have a child. We actually planned that we would not get pregnant during the first two years of our marriage and then have a child afterwards. God has been so good to us that He answered our prayer when we asked for a child. But this time, we have to take care of that precious gift. I am not romanticizing but that is the way I want it to be right now. I love my wife and I will take care of her. But yesterday's experience made me think. What is it that we really want to happen?


I have faith that this pregnancy will push through and that we will have our baby in November. I am just anxious right now. It is a normal feeling and a way of humbling myself that at these time, I do not need to be in control. I have to reassure myself that God is really the one in control...

It is really over us now. It came earlier than usual this year and it is very much here to stay for a while (no thanks El Niño)! As I my mantra goes, might as well enjoy it while it's hot. For this summer, I have listed down a few things that I want to do:

1. Go to the beach - What is summer without some frolicking in the sand and some salty water? We did that last year and it was really fun. This year we are doing it again. By the way, beach does not necessarily equate to Boracay, Galera or some overrated destination frequented by the haves and those pretending to have. Beach is that deserted spot my family goes to every year and have already called our own.

2. Go to the beach looking better - Last November I decided to take control of my body's fitness. I was around 170 lbs back then and in denial. Four months later, I can say that I have never felt so good about myself until today. I lost 20lbs and still losing some more to reach my reach my ideal weight of 130 lbs. Not bad for someone who has always felt so insecure about his own looks. Diet and exercise really work! Not to mention that fact that I have decided that eating is not my reason for living.

3. Drive professionally - My brothers always tease me for my driving skills, or the lack thereof. Don't get me wrong but I did drive before but since it has been a really long while since I drove something with four wheels and runs on gas, my skills have gotten really rusty. So rust that it would not budge anymore. So this year, in anticipation of that car that we are getting in December, I will re-acquaint myself with the love for the road and the proverbial pushing pedal to the metal.

4. Spend some more quality time with my wife - Our schedules have been all mixed up since Christine moved to her new job. Due to the physical stress of the long commute and waking up extra early in the morning, we find ourselves usually asleep before 10 pm. This is further complicated by my schooling, volunteer work, and some other extra-curricular which gives us very few quality moments together. I know I am not a wonder maker when it comes to allocating time for personal stuff but since I have a baby on the way, I think my wife deserves a little more that what I usually can give.

5. Read - The last piece of literature I have read from cover to cover was the Twilight Saga. That was in 2008 when Christine was in Geneva and I had nothing better to do. I have been always yearning to do it again but heck, I always find an excuse not to. This summer, I think I am going to give it another try. Probably I'll start with some Filipino literature.

6. Practice some more of that thing called self-confidence - Not that crazy "swagger" type of confidence but REAL confidence. I can be unstable at times especially if I see or I am with someone who I think is much better than I am. I realized that I am training myself to become someone else's copy or worse, someone else's staff for the rest of my life. Right now I am just saying NO and declaring that I am my own personality. I have my style and I have my taste. It has been proven so many times already that if I put my mind into something, I get it. This summer, I will most definitely have it!

7. Practice becoming a Tatay - Yup. I will be a father very soon. This early on, I want to learn everything I can in being a good one. I know its one of those you don't really learn until its in front of you but really, a little headstart will not hurt. Now I just need to find some brat to practice on... (evil grin). Seriously, I am so excited that there are times I wish I was inside Christine's womb so I can take care of our baby some more.

8. Blog - Yes. Blogging. I started this blog three years ago and then I got hooked to Facebook and Twitter. There is nothing wrong with those two but for me, I want to consider blogging as my therapy. It is also my pensieve where I can put down all my thoughts and still be happy at the end of the day. Pwede ang angas pero wag naman sosobra. Life has been great to me so far and I just have so many good things to say. And it's a great way to enhance my writing skills, if any.

That is the last on my list. I was hoping for a top ten sort of list but unfortunately eight is all I have. And as we are trained in project management, it is best to stick within realistic goals rather than promising things you cannot do. This will just leave you frustrated in the end. It seems so much actually but I have a good two months and a half to do it all. I will be updating this entry from time to time to see what have been accomplished so far. :-)