It was the fourth one. It is celebrating journalism excellence in many categories. I was elated to see a good long-time friend, Dr. Jorge Emmanuel win for his frontlines work in Ebola intervention, practically stopping the epidemic by teaching others how to autoclave the medical waste and training technicians on how to operate the autoclave. It was such a breakthrough and such a humanistic gesture to sacrifice in order to save lives. Hooray for him!
I was glad to also see Allyson Escobar score three awards for best youth voice, best food and best news story. It was good to also see Agnes Constante get it for best profile and best feature while Christina Oriel got the Plaridel for best tourism feature.
I was nominated in four categories: best commentary, best personal essay, best in-depth and best profile writing. While disappointing to me personally, I was happy that I lost to great writers. That I was nominated in the same field as great writers, I was validated in a big way. Thank you for this Philippine American Press Club!
I heard the best acceptance speeches from Cecile Ochoa and Christina Oriel. To Cecile, she equated these awards as honoring true journalism of writing original stories that matter, and not the “cut and paste journalism” that we have seen in the community papers in the past.
I also appreciated Christina Oriel’s acceptance speech, delivered in her absence, by AJ’s office manager, and in her speech, she highlighted the best parts of what makes it more fun to be in the Philippines and a challenge for all of us to emphasize those aspects: its people, its beaches, its landscapes, its food.
I was with 500 reporters on the gardens of the White House, led by our beloved President Barack Obama on Sept 26, 2015, when he welcomed our beloved @Pope Francis. Thank you dear President Obama for my press credentials and enabling my representing Asian Journal, with honor and pride.
Natural joy-giver, my beautiful, loving grandbaby, raised by a #superdad, #supermom, doting #abuela, #superlolo and an “in love” grandma. She was born with grace, smarts and a tank of love. Mom gave me permission to post.
The key: “Presence, fully present to every cue and signals she gives us. It is not about crying, she can cry, but she chooses different ways of getting our attention: like being limp to tell us she is sleepy, like sitting up to tell us she wants to go outside in a sling, to babble and to hold my finger to tell me she is happy that her diaper has been changed and when we have really done our best best job, she gets me laughing for so long, as she coos, babbles and blows saliva. We cannot be contained in showing her how much fun she is every time we see her. The reward: while she naps, I can write.” Thank you for this bundle of joy!
June 26: Three A’s describe her weekdays with us: alert, active and affectionate. Alert to appreciate the orange tree leaves, kicking them; gently holding the small avocados; and kicking the leaves of the calla lillies. Active to play with her toy, to grasp the face towel this week, to hold onto fingers solidly, to babble and to stay focused while I read her four books. Affectionate, as before napping, she placed both of her arms and rested them on my shoulders and rested her lips on my cheek, so solidly. As I appreciated her kisses, she would not let go, so we were in joyful laughter, both of us. Oh my, can one be this crazy in love? Ay, my granddaughter has surpassed my barometric capacity for loving my spouse, my children and my friends. When I think of her, a smile comes to my face. Three A’s this week, matching the three pillars of a tripodic, triumphant change in America: Trade Transpacific, Obamacare and Gay Marriage, or should I include also Fair Housing, making it a Four Corners’ Change in America. Hooray America!
June 17, She fell asleep on my shoulder and after an hour, she woke up. Unsolicited and spontaneously, she hugged me and gave me kisses. I became a crazier in love lola even more. Ay, she is just beyond words at times to describe. When I held a strawberry to her nose, she was still and she smelled it. I wondered what she was thinking, it turns, out she was also introduced to lime in the garden by her lolo.
June. 9, Her focus: turning over and mastered that this week. Her frustration comes from not mastering turning back over to be mobile in both directions. Tonight, babysitting her while parents catch up being adults again. She smelled me, wanted to play with me, but I remained still and took high degree of self-control to restrain myself from responding. After half an ounce, she went to sleep, as predicted by her parents. Now, I am enjoying writing about her, while her parents enjoy the night out. She is truly my fountain and reservoir of joy!
June 2: For two days, she kept practicing how to turn over, and slid down from her bean bag pillow and turned over. But, her right arm got stuck under the weight of her body. She was grumbling, no tears though. I figured she was a bit frustrated but I did not want to rescue her as that would interfere with her journey of acquiring body wisdom. She kept trying and today, with much success, she glided into position and smiled each time.
That is just half of the movement she learned, she kept sucking her big toes, that is how flexible she is. The other half of the movement is to be able to return to her original position, she is stuck in that mode today and tomorrow, I am confident she will succeed.
Today, she also made music, singing to herself before she took a nap. She is truly a one-woman show, ever unfolding in wondrous miracles. I am learning patience from her, where at one point it took us 40 minutes for feeding as she was half asleep. I wanted to respect her pace. She woke up after 30 minutes and vigorously finished the entire bottle. How about that? She has her own individual ways and definitely, a very unique personality.
She gives a lot of love now, she hugs with both of her hands resting on our shoulders, she holds onto our fingers as we feed her and she wants folks to say goodbye to her. When #hubby forgot, she kept looking for him and was inconsolable. Good thing, we were in the beach and she kept looking at the schoolchildren marching back to their school bus. When she saw two young women in their swimsuits and their kayak, she got excited and babbled loudly, she must have thought it was her mom. Nope, she was at work. It was a great day at the beach with her!
May 26: “180 degree miracle” A great morning with our grandbaby. After a diaper change, she tried to sit up three times. That was my cue she wants to do something else than feed. I put her on this sling, and we went to the backyard. She played footsies with the orange tree leaves, touched the avocado (about an inch long), and touched the leaves as well (no grabbing yet). When her lolo greeted her, she got excited, gave him the biggest smile and rocked her feet back and forth. He wanted to do something first but he could not resist her cooing, so he took over and put her on her favorite sling. He started his juicing and my grandbaby watched him cut carrots, celery and more. When she looked limp, our cue that she is sleepy, I took her and fed her. She enjoyed her newly pumped breast milk and finished it in ten minutes. After burps and more, I laid next to her on the floor. She and I were laying side to side, when she decided she wants to turn over and kept moving her body until she moved herself 180 degrees. No turning over yet, but she is able to crunch up, sit up, and now moving her body 180 degrees. This afternoon, she got hold of her feet and held them as if doing calisthenics. Oh my gosh… So today, she had time with the trees, leaves and birds, time with lola to do her 180 degree miracle, time with her lolo to do juicing, time with Mommy kisses and time with herself, like holding the soles of her feet. She is now feeding at 20 oz and of course, a fast metabolism, meaning lots of diaper changes. It is such a joy to hold her. While waiting for mom, she slept on this sling, held by her lolo.
May 15-17, our granddaughter joins us for early graduation dinner. She is such a trouper and as long as we are ministering to her needs, she is likewise allowing us to have our early dinner in peace. Then, during graduation ceremony, she does not cry at all. Her attentive parents were so busy changing her diapers and feeding her that she felt quite loved. Imagine two adults making her feel comfortable and loved all the time. Even during her plane ride, I was informed she was happy, calm and serene. How do you raise and nurture such a loving, joy-giving human being — by being one yourself while carrying her. When I got to hold her several times during the weekend, she just let me hold her as she touched the leaves with her feet. So much aware of the tweeting birds around her. Ay, so in love with this precious one.
May 13: Such wonderful to see my grandbaby make twenty attempts to sit up today, crunches, we call them today. In her last three attempts, she managed to sit up, yup, sit up for a few seconds and rocked herself back and forth. Of course, her balance is still tentative, but she has been practicing this for two days now in my presence. So, after reading to her four books: Feely Bugs, Cat in the Hat, First Book of Numbers and Go, Dog, Go (while she flipped some of the pages), she babbled and kept blowing saliva and was so happy sharing her own inner joy. I took her outside to feel the leaves of the trees and she listened intently to the tweeting birds. Now, the wind chimes accompany her in her nap. Mozart’s music stopped playing.
May 7: The blessings and grace of the Santo Niño. I have an ashen black Santo Niño, handcarried gift from very good friends, and blessed by another good friend priest. I prayed with my grandbaby to the Santo Niño yesterday and asked for heavens’ blessings over my grandbaby. She was fussy when she came to our place and would not feed. As soon as we prayed and with holy water over her head, she calmed down, she ate and she went to sleep. She stayed up to play for a few more hours and when she got sleepy, we fed her again until her papa picked her up. This morning, we prayed again to the Santo Niño and while praying, my grandbaby, only 3 1/2 months old, uttered sounds as if talking to Baby Jesus. Today, she played footsies with the tree leaves and listened to the tweeting birds. We sat in the swing for awhile, her favorite is to be outdoors listening to sounds and looking at trees. When she wanted a diaper change, she uttered some sounds and when she felt sleepy, we fed her. She even held her bottle for awhile. She is now asleep to Mozart. Reflections: Each encounter with her is a moment of joy, of filling up her love tank. As we enjoy each moment of carrying her, of diapering her, of feeding her, she shows unsolicited affection: she grabs my finger and does not let go until end of feeding, she smiles after her diaper has been changed and she is naturally pensive, sociable and observant. We do not alter her natural state by distracting her, but a deep respect that she has wisdom to know what she wants and we simply need to radically listen and focus all our attention on her. She is my inspiration when I write. Sometimes, I spontaneously cry like yesterday, reflecting on the three generations coming together: me, my daughter and my grandbaby. When I related that to my mom yesterday over the phone, she was so happy. God is good all the time! Thank you for your blessings Santo Niño!
My house used to be a gathering place of an American family whose grandfather served to defend America during WW I. The house seems to be buzzing with good energies each time I am hosting dinner with family and friends. I call them family as in my ripe age towards the end of a life’s chapter, chosen friends become your extended family while your grown up children grow their own families. Posting this photo as we were non-stop laughing, though there were a lot of back stories that became preludes for wonderful beginnings. Happy Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 to you all! I am the one reminiscing, instead of Facebook randomly choosing for me.
(C)2013 {E.DLZ Phototography}, all rights reserved
This two year old, Katrina Rose, taught me how to dance with the wood flappers. She said, “Dance, dance, lift leg” at the Paddle to Quinault Festival. I had the best time as it was spontaneous and she would not stop following me until I followed her by dancing.
I was walking down the trail from Mirror Lake when I said that my shoes were causing me cramps. My hubby offered to re-tie my shoe laces and even illustrated a new way of tying a knot that did not need me to double tie it. Now, I considered that so loving and quite generous. I was quite happy, even if tired at the end of the trail. When we got back to the campsite, I pan-seared salmon for both of us and paired it with pan-sauteed asparagus and fuji apples. Like Raymond Oliver said, “”Cooking is like the fruit of a great love: a strong and slightly egotistical love on the part of the men, altruistic and sensitive on the part of the women. Be it one or the other, it is always present, demanding its share of gratitude and recognition. Isn’t this natural? For therein lies a basic principle. Cooking cannot, without risk, be stripped of its intentions, of its rites, of its symbols. It must create happiness at any price. There can be no happiness without love, that goes without saying, whatever the form of the latter. ” I create happiness through my cooking…
