Kambyo

The other day, I got fined $150 dollars. For an overspeeding ticket. I was running at 53 kph on a school zone. I would have gladly slowed down to 40 kph, that is if I saw the sign. But I never did and the GPS didn't beep either. It was a classic case of bad luck.

It almost ruined my day, but I figured. I wasn't so unlucky at all. I got the house we wanted on my birthday and our family was not affected so much by the flood. So any stroke of misfortune would just be peanuts.

Lesson learned. Slow down and down shift your gear when the signs say so.

Come to think of it, moving to Perth is a way for Tatay to slow down. Here I can sleep 8 hours a day again, work during the day and sleep at night. I was also able to cut down on my eating so now I am less overweight. If you haven't noticed, I am able to write on this blog again.

I made a few revolutionary changes too. From www.penaranda-twins.blogspot.com, our blog is now:
www.penaranda-kids.blogspot.com.\

Why the name change? Because we are speeding up to Third gear!

Thirdy, its your first birthday today! This is one of  my favorite pictures of you.

Your smile makes me smile. You may not look like me, may not be my mini me but you always be my Thirdy. I gave you Lolo Ben's name and call you by the nickname Mama Ellie calls me with. "Doy".

That's it for now. Need to slow down and get back to sleep. Mission has been accomplished.  I , your Tatay am the first person to greet you on your first birthday.

No one can top that.

Tatay's 35th

A few hours ago was Tatay's 35th birthday. Yes, you kids probably have a fairly older father than your friends'. Nanay and I got married later in life, I guess because we wanted to be wiser before settling down.

Wisdom comes with age, anak and sometimes bits of it come to you when least expected.

For the past 3 weeks, Tatay had been looking for a house for us to settle in. I am in Perth now and you and nanay are still in the Philippines, at Mommy's house in Marilao.

Geez, there are too many stories and details I have not written about since my last post. In summary: you now have an almost 1 year old baby brother, Thirdy; Tatay was able to transfer to the Emerson office in Perth as a Service Engineer, Tita Ninang She had a baby, Sheng Sheng; Tito Ninong BG too is a father now to Bennedict. We have multiplied like rabbits over the past two years.

Fast forward back to the present, August 8, 2012. Yesterday was my birthday, perhaps one of the most memorable ever. I was worried sick in the office after seeing pictures in Facebook and videos in Youtube showing how deep the flood is in Manila. The North Luzon Expressway, which was just a few kms from Mama Ellie's house got flooded, with busses submerged halfway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWs5XTcGgO

I tried texting Nanay, Mama Ellie, Ninang She and Ninang Mae for updates but wasn't receiving replies as prompt as I wanted them to be. To make matters worse, I misplaced my Philippine phone. So I had no idea about your whereabouts. This, anak, for a family member abroad is torture.

Later that day, Nanay and Mama Elie finally texted back to my blackberry and I also found my other phone. It was such a relief for me to know that you were all safe and dry. I was able to breathe normally and then the phone rang.

It was Priya. The beautiful australian-indian girl I met last week. We exchanged numbers and got in touch. If I were to receive simultaneous calls from Nanay and her, I would choose her in a heartbeat.

Priya, is an angel disguised as a real estate agent. For the past weeks, I have visited more than 15 houses and applied for around 7. I got rejected 6 times already and my heart has been broken each time, like peppercorn through a grinder. But Priya's call was an exception. She was calling to confirm the number I have given for Kuya Eddie, a Fil Australian whose room I am renting. It meant that she was actually considering me as a tenant to the property. So I gave her Kuya Eddies number, called Kuya Eddie to give him a heads up and sat still...and prayed, right in my cubicle. Discreetly, as if I was just thinking, but
it was heartfelt.

I prayed to God to grant me my wishes and provide for our needs. I let him be God and surrendered everything to him. Your Tatay is not a pious person but for some reason, the heaven's seem to have been throwing bits of wisdom my way. A couple of weeks back, the homily was about God providing our needs, being able to feed thousands with just two fishes and 5 loaves of bread. Courtesy of google, I am attaching it here for your reference, anak:


John 6:1-13

"[1] Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), [2] and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. [3] Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. [4] The Jewish Passover Feast was near. [5] When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" [6] He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. [7] Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" [8] Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, [9] "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" [10] Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. [11] Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.
He did the same with the fish. [12] When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." [13] So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."

Then, on my way to a real estate agency last week, as I was drivng and looking for the real estate agency's sign, a different sign (literally and figuratively) met me at eye level.

" Worries end where faith begins".

I clang on to these bits of wisdom today. Right before 5 PM, Priya called again.

We got the house.

God answered our prayer's, on the day of my 35th birthday. How cool is that.