Happy Mother's Day, Mrs. Brown!

Smart Communications Inc.  recently rolled out their #MothersDay video and the message did not fail to hit the nail on its head. Spot on! A gentle reminder for all of us  who are too busy chasing the red light living in the concrete jungle to even make time for our love ones.

It's a bed weather  today and  I cant help but be abstracted as I sit alone in my cold office.The liquid sunshine seem to pull me back to random memories and  suddenly I found a virtual portrait of my Mommy in my mind- my Daddy's Whitney Houston, my Daddy's "Mrs. Brown".

It's been years since my siblings and our respective families lived separately from Mommy and although she keeps a humble hut just a few blocks  from where I live, I seldom find time to even have a cup of coffee with her. Come to think of it, when was the last time I went there ba?

My subconscious mind, coming to my defense, blames it to my "busi-busihan" schedule. Kesyo I got my hands full of "trabaho here and trabaho there", kesyo I need to burn candles at both ends so we can survive and cover for various monthly bills.  Minsan naman, when Mommy suddenly appears at the doorstep, I would be running late for a meeting so a quick kiss on the cheek would do and "Babay, Mi" na agad. There are also times when she would come over and root out all the grasses from the front yard under the scorching heat of the sun and we would end up bickering till one of us walks out from the squabble.

Ascending from my thoughts, I found myself checking on my messages and felt a pang of guilt reading through our exchanges. The last text I sent her was to ask her to keep my daughter company  while my husband and I were away - exactly one month after her last text wishing me luck and telling me she loves me. 😯

Have I been that busy? All these time, Mommy has been there. She has her share of shortcomings as a mother, but my siblings and I cannot deny the fact that Mommy tried to be there in every milestone of our lives. And all these time, I might have thought that filling a basket full of groceries for her from time to time  will compensate for the lousy job I perform as a daughter. Gaaaahd!

Mommy aint savvy at all . She doesnt dig facebook but thank God she knows how  to text and call (lol!) Its a good thing how Smart , the country's leading tele-communications company, makes it possible for us to connect and re-connect with our love ones in a breeze.

Few months from now and Mommy will be turning 75 years old.  I love you, mommy! And even though I dont say it nearly enough please know that I am truly grateful for the gift I have in you . I pray that you will stay in the pink of health always and I wish we could celebrate each day as if its mother's day everyday...

Dont forget to watch Smart's Mother's Day video guys and let's all give time for our moms, not only on Mothers Day, #likeneverbefore.

Calling Mrs. Brown now...

Koronadal City Hosts 1st Motorcycle Festival and Attempts to Break Guinness World Records

All roads led to SOX as hundreds of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts around the country converged for the 23rd Annual Motorcycle Convention and the 1st Motorcycle Festival that was held in Koronadal City in the Province of South Cotabato, highlight of which was the attempt to break Guinness World Records on the largest parade of motorcycles, the most number of motorcycle engines started and the most motorcycle horns sounded simultaneously.

My eyeballs literally jumped out from their sockets the moment them "toys-for- the- big- boys" drove around town carving smoothly along the curves and corners of the highways. I can't help but drop a jaw in awe. Aww, the vrooom-vrooms are nothing but eye candies to me! Ay ka-pogi eh! ( Channeling Andeng!)

OFFICIAL ATTEMPT

Here comes our first rider. Photo by : Shem Torre Longakit, CCSP

India currently holds the record of the largest parade of motorcycles with 1,700 participants inked on the pages of Guinness while RP holds the record for  the most number of motorcycle engines started and the most motorcycle horns sounded simultaneously with 1,400 participants gathered at the Mall of Asia some years back.

Mayor Peter Miguel of  Koronadal City, also the President of the National Federation of Motorcycle Clubs in the Philippines (NFMCP), mentioned that organizers were hoping to get at least 2,000 registrants but lo and behold! More than 3,300 motorcycle riders and enthusiasts revved up to convert the long stretch of the General Santos Drive into a sea of white-topped bikers in the morning of April 29, 2017 with the famous Big Five of the motorcycling world very well represented. All check for Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. But of course, I got my eyes on some very handsome BMWs and Ducatis, too!

Sea of White. Captured by : Shem Torre Longakit, CCSP

Registration opened as early as 5:00 in the morning and took around three hours to accommodate this throng with the Guinness Team making sure that parameters set by GWR were met and participants  each given a RFID-ready wristbands.

A big number of spectators, locals and tourists alike, gathered within the event vicinity all excited to witness the country's official attempt to steal the record from India and to break our own record. I guess the early morning wake up call to the tune of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake brought this multitude here. Thankfully, nobody got hurt during the shake.

"RIDE FOR CULTURE, RIDE FOR PEACE"

The Local Government of Koronadal City together with the Department of Tourism Region 12, led by the ever hardworking Regional Director in the person of Ms. Nelly Nita Dillera,  jointly spearheaded what was dubbed as the biggest motorcycle show in the country, bannering the theme, "Ride for Culture, Ride for Peace" hoping to show the world that Mindanao is actually a magnificent place to ride in, live in and do business in.

A convergence site in Malungon, Sarangani Province and pit stops in General Santos City and the Municipalities around Soccsksargen were set up to offer water and local delicacies to bikers passing through ---an opportunity to showcase the hospitality and diversity of the people as well as the beautiful portrait of nature in this part of Mindanao.

 Creation of  Ivan Raborar, Captured by Shem Torre Longakit, CCSP

DOT Region 12 also hosted a sumptuous dinner for the participants, guests and stakeholders of the National Convention spreading out the Flavors of SOX on the table : from the freshest tuna of Gensan to the sweetest fruits of Tupi. Guests were also entertained by a wonderful cultural show featuring the talents of the region including the amazing collections of Ivan Raborar, a fashion designer who hails from Koronadal. A grandiose display of fireworks made the celebration even more spectacular.

Bombastic fireworks light up the sky during the Flavors of Sox Dinner hosted by DOT 12. 

Photo by : Shem Torre Longakit, CCSP

A Unity Convergence Ride from Koronadal City all the way to Lake Sebu followed right after the official attempt to break the Guinness World Record giving the bikers more time to explore the breathtaking places of South Cotabato, enjoy a breath of fresh air and feel the warmth of its people.

SOX IS NEXT!

With the happy faces and positive feedback from the convention's participants, we are optimistic that Koronadal will not only be victorious in its attempt to break a world record but will also be triumphant in positioning SOX  (SoCCsksagen) as the next "Best-place-to-go-to" for all the wandering souls who hunger for a new destination! Masaya dito!

 As for me, I wish to express my gratitude to DOT 12 and LGU Koronadal for inviting me to their Media Tour - it felt like a homecoming of sorts! Hahaha! I immensely enjoyed meeting new friends and  wandering around SOX, albeit fleetingly. Making a mental note to come back for more!

Special shout out to Master Shem for giving me 

permission to use his photos.

 Mine got wiped out. Ugh! My heart!

My Funny Mommy Momenti

Ever had that silly-mommy moments? They say becoming a mom doesn't come with a package instruction and somehow, this mother's instict thingy drives us mudras to do stuff we would one day be laughing about.  Everyone's entitled to a serving of hilarious scenarios in a lifetime, anyway. Well,hello May! It's almost mothers' day and I can't help but look back and let out a  grin at the thought of my own funny mommy momenti!

cto

Air-drying used diapers.

Yes, I always notice passers-by taking a second look at my clothesline back then. Why wouldn't they when gel-less diapers are left hanging there to dry up together with other baby stuff?! Well I actually thought it was street smart! 😜Teehee! I would normally take out the gel from the soiled diapers of my baby and wash clean the plastic cloth, making sure that the cotton lining remains intact and the belt still elastic. Remember Kimbies? The diaper brand whose free belt doubles as headband of mommies, too! Never tried it tho'. Once dried, I would tuck in a neatly folded cheese cloth lampin ready to be used by my baby during daytime. I actually saved some bucks by doing this! 1) I dont get myself wet whenever he pees while I am carry him (meaning di nakakadagdag ng labahin, therefore tipid sa sabon!) 2) Blankets stay dry in case he wets himself .

Tip: Of course you need to make sure that you change into a fresh one to keep baby clean and dry.

Shop-Leaving.

No, not shoplifting! Hahahaha! I had this side-splitting habit of pretend-shopping before! I would deliberately fill a cart with stuff that I could only buy in my dreams! Lol!Like I would fill my cart with big sizes of Zwitsal baby products: from powder to lotion to baby wash! Big packs of the most expensive baby diapers, biggest can of the most expensive milk, etc.etc. Imagine me spending my time meticulously shopping for the best items from the baby lanes in the supermarket. Meyemen! Tapos, once happy with my make-believe shopping, I'm gonna leave my cart in one corner and get a shopping basket for the real thing! Tapos, uwian na!

Karton Krib ni Kuya.

Experienced bringing babies in the office because yaya cannot be RICHED? Translation: Bitbit baby kasi walang pambayad sa yaya! Yep! Been there!☺I was quite lucky because our office back then has purchased a brand new unit of Risograph and oh what a good material it's box was made of! Just perfect for a makeover karton krib! I can still recall  Atty. Torres blurt out, " may bata dito!" (There's a baby here!)

Rock a Babay-Baby.

Yung uso ang duyan-kumot to put your baby to sleep. You sing a lullabye while you swing the DIT hammock to and fro till the poor bloke falls asleep sucking his thumb, or if you're not lucky, you go and fly to dreamland before the baby does!

One day, I was trying to put my baby boy to sleep and so I was swinging the duyan and singing at the same time. The swinging motion must have hypnotized me untill I noticed that the duyan seemed light. EMPTY DUYAN! Aguy! Nahulog na pala ang baby! Mabuti na lng, he landed on the bed. Whew!

The early years of motherhood was tough, but heck! Nothing like a badass mom would rock! Lol! How about you? Any funny mommy-stories you want to share with us? 

To all confidently beautiful, harworking, loving , caring, passionate, supportive,best-ever-moms-in the-whole-world like me, Happy Mothers' Day!