Lola Aning 1908-2005

A sad day for me. Lola Aning joined our Creator this afternoon.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to spend most of my summer vacations in the "Big House" in Aringay. Even without the conveniences of city life, I had everything I needed in the province... good food, peaceful surroundings, loving family.

Here lived Lola Aning. She was the town doctor. She finished medicine at the University of the Philippines and since graduation, practiced medicine in her little clinic at the Big House. People from all walks of life were her patients... from the town officials to the simple farmers and tricycle drivers. She never received financial payments but her patients "pay" her with fruits, vegetables or anything they can afford to give.

She was my Lola. She is my inspiration. Before I went to Japan, she told me that she would like to see me graduate with flying colors from the Academy. She promised me that. There was even a time when her health was near collapsing, I visited her and she said to me with all efforts, "Diba I told you I will wait for your graduation? I'm still here."

Now her body fell, but not her soul. I can still feel her presence everywhere. I can still hear her say, "I'm still here." And I am sure that she will be there, present, in my graduation.

Lola Aning, in a little more than 6 months, I will grant your wish to see me graduate the Academy with flying colors. This, I promise you, as you had promised to wait for me and be there at my graduation.

Till then.

bunny

bunny
Originally uploaded by kadete.

There are times when you wanted to hold on to something but you also feel the need to let go. Life is full of choices like this. Take for example a stuffed toy you used to keep. You just like to hold it close to you all the time, but in maturity we have to give way to other things that really matter to you, or things that you really need.

I've held this bunny for a long time (well, actually, it's a teddy bear... i just want to call it bunny). And now, I've learned to let go. I just hope that I made the right decision.

My English Suck!

Aaarrgghh!!! Hindi na ako marunong magEnglish! I had this realization just before I wrote this blog entry. I was intending to post about my long absence here and my short stay in the Philippines but I was at a loss for words. I didn't know how to start or what to write. I had to look for some ideas from other blogs out there, pero reading them makes me more... makes me more... aarrghh!!!.. I don't even know the word for it! Would someone teach me English again, please.

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Well, we had our summer break... and this year's summer break was, so far, the longest break I ever had in the Academy. I was in the Philippines from 01 August until the 26th. But here's the catch... two weeks of that were spent entertaining my Japanese classmates and my foster parents in Japan. which leaves me only a little more than a week to do my own business like giving courtesy calls to people who have short hair and have stars or suns on their shoulders, or just hang out with friends.

We (with the Japanese) scuba dived in Batangas, did a little firing in Baguio, toured historical sites in Manila and Baguio (of course, PMA) and had a picnic in Tagaytay overlooking Taal Volcano. And before they went back to Japan, guess what, I made them eat... Balot & Durian!!! And to my surprise, most of them liked it! (except maybe for the smell of the durian and the stare of that poor little duck...iieeww) Mama loved the way those Japanese reacted when they saw the Balot.

I had a lot of fun naman eh. Siguro, it's one of my excuses para lang makagimik. I just wish I had more time...