Mama's Day

I grew up with Mama. Papa is working in the middle-east for almost 10 years and she’s all we got in the house. I’m the fourth child of 5 and the youngest of three boys that’s why I consider myself as a mama’s boy in so many ways. I suffered two 50/50 medical conditions because I’m a hyper kid, perhaps I have ADHD and I also have a weak heart so I’m always in her radar no matter how busy she was.

I remember when I was in grade 5, I took a periodical exam and I got a perfect score in one the tests so my teacher could not believe it and start speculating that I could have cheated, so I went home with a disdain mood and told her the story and she got so mad and confronted my teacher the following day and said to him, “Don’t ever call my son a cheater, give him another set of exam to prove you wrong!” and so he did and I still got 100 and Mama was so proud of me…

She is my inspiration; the five of us look up to her as our guide.Happy birthday, Ma! All our love is yours forever…

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One

In 2004, my wife and I went to Toronto from Ottawa for a 2-day trip to visit her mom's childhood bestfriends before heading to LA. Kuya Abel drove us after dinner for a City tour and asked me if I know Wayne Gretzky or any NHL player. I told him that I'm not familiar with the name and only knew about the Disney's Mighty Ducks movies.

So he told us about him and that Gretzky's Restaurant is on our way but its already closed so I hurriedly took a shot. It's blurry but it's the closest thing that I can be with the greatest hockey player. He said if we've stayed longer, he'll take us there and the food are great also.

In 2005, I bought a 12' McFarlane figure of Gretzky in Kings uniform from Amazon. This year, he bought two more figures, one in his Oilers team and second in Rangers' uniform.

In 2007, I bought the ESPN's DVD of Gretzky in LA but our friends Jack and Niel insisted that they'll pay for it as a Christmas gift for me. So the following morning before my flight to DC at 9PM while waiting for the FedEx delivery of my NBA ticket at the Verizon for the Wizards-Phoenix game, I watched the DVD and was mesmerized by his story as a hockey legend.

Great Experience. Great Figure. Great Gift. Great One!

The Madrids of NY - A Family 8,506 Miles Away

After TRU, I took the F metro at 42nd & 6 Ave. and get off from Bergen station, walked a little to Bond St. and stopped at 210 Wyckoff, and I'm at the door of Atty. Andy & Marivic Madrid, my cousins in Brooklyn with their handsome boxer named Jesse who’s already waiting for me at the stairs and all exited for me to come up...

The last time I saw them was in 2004 when my wife and I visited them for a couple of days. Chuck the youngest of the Madrid siblings toured us together with Tito and Tita Tina throughout New York and even to New Jersey to watch the NBA. We had a great time that year and I’m lucky enough to see them again after three years.

This time it’s the couple only. Chuck’s family is on vacation but I was able to say hi to Tito. We went to Pink Tea Cup for lunch and rested for few hours before going out again.

That night, we attended their Dojo class Christmas party. That same night I heard the phrase “Osu!” quite often. And so I ask Kuya the meaning, I remember him saying it’s a way greeting to a fellow Dojo practitioner and as of showing respect or something like that.

I had a great day during this weekend visit and head back to DC the following morning. It was so cold but Kuya Andy gave me a leather jacket before I left which helps me a lot with the winter breeze...

Our Wedding Coin - For Distribution

I was cleaning our display cabinet and noticed that there are still unopened souvenir boxes. Those are for our Ninongs and a Ninangs who could not make it to our wedding from Canada and US.

I collected them and took a picture of two coins showing both sides with our unity coins as the background. We have collected several coins during our travels but this has been one of my favorites.

We'll be celebrating our 6th anniversary in a couple of days and God has given us so much blessings and love in our family...

Commemorative U.S. Quarter Dollars - 50 of 50

Finally, I have completed my coins through the generosity of my colleague who attended a training. I was hoping to collect these last two coins (CA & NE) personally but my I was sent to another continent…

It was a great day to start working after being gone for almost a month. She handed it to me this morning and I was just happy the whole day…

Though I’m more excited to go home early to see our kids and spend some playing time with them since arriving yesterday afternoon and back to work few hours after. I’m still feeling desynchronous but I have to go after spending a boring training yet enjoying one of our greatest vacations as a couple.

Sometimes, smile begins by seeing the number 50.

Commemorative U.S. Quarter Dollars - 8 More Less

After six years of collecting these coins, I’m glad to have collected 48 out of the 50 states. The remaining are the two illusive states of California and Nebraska. Plus 6 more territories which was released last year namely District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands.

In 2004, Howell and I visited friends in L.A. and invited us to stay in Vegas for two days. While we’re playing the slot machines in Circus Circus, I have won a hundred dollar of quarters. When I’m counting the coins in our room before dinner, I’ve noticed different designs and sorted those and keep them in my bag while the rest I’ve squandered hoping to collect more commemorative quarters.

During my US travels in 2007 and 2008, I have collected several of them. And thanks to our friends Neil and Jacq who even now still sends me my missing ones.

According to Wikipedia, “The 50 State Quarters program became the most successful numismatic program in history, with roughly half of the U.S. population collecting the coins, either in casual manner or as a serious pursuit. The U.S. federal government so far has made a profit of $4.6 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation.”

I hope to complete them this year…

Pascual Madrid Laguerta - The Greatest Boxer

It’s past four in the afternoon and its beginning to get dark early, fishermen are getting their bangca and gears ready for the night catch and students were walking on their way home to Bisita while I’m busy playing with my toy, an old bicycle wheel which used to be my dad’s.

Dad used to be a grade school teacher at Boton, the next baryo from us if you’re going to Matnog or Casiguran. We have cousins there and a small rice field which my dad, uncle and older brothers used to toil during summer and harvest time. He uses his bicycle everyday and be back for lunch meal with the family and ride again for the afternoon class and arrived home before five. Classes back then were held from morning till three or four in the afternoon where you can join the flag raising as well as the flag retreat ceremonies.

On weekends, if he’s not busy finishing our concrete house which he build by himself and some friends help for minor jobs, he takes us to the sea which is 20 minutes boat ride from our house. Across the street from our house is a suba leading to Sorsogon Bay on the west side and to Plaza on the east end. We used to have a bonoan where these long bamboos are place in the ground underwater and fishnets all over it allowing small openings for the fishes to be trapped. If not him, somebody harvests the fishes for us which we get percentage of the cash earned from selling them in the market. He used to have a strong arms to do all this work. Our house became a shelter for all sorts during typhoons. It can accommodate most of our neighbors, their pigs and chickens, dogs and cats and sometimes carabao. And we kids loved the typhoon season where we all sleep together, listen to stories, listen to radio and eat hot porridges.

But this night is one of the unforgettable days of my childhood. I can see my dad with his bike and parked it. I can see someone talking to him and then he walked away briskly and sometimes run, so I never got to say hello to him. But I followed him and some others are also following his path. So I was wondering why the commotions and the next thing I knew, we’ve walked for less than five minutes to reach a house of distant cousin and saw him in front of the door and when it opens, he knocked the man down with a single punch.

In my mind, I’m still confused and he went back to the house and I was catching him but people started gathering and talking what just happen. The following hour, we are in a hospital in Casiguran where my mom was admitted. She suffered a heart attack because of the people who are jealous of her public and civic achievements. These people remain the same until we left our hometown for a life in Manila.

A year after, we all transferred to the new schools in the main town of Sorsogon to continue our studies. The following year, my dad tried his luck to middle-east as an OFW and we moved to Manila following my brother while he attends his high school in the seminary in Makati.

Those people who hurt our family did not leave long - they soon died few years after we left. I guess life made a joke on them and may they rest in peace. Our family will always remain a Sorsoganon for our lives will never be same without those memorable moments that made us happy and the struggles that she brought us to make us strong.

That night will always remain as the greatest fight I have ever seen. You will always be our hero and strength and my personal inspiration.

Happy 66th birthday, Papa! We love you!