all 'bout the bots

Happy 6th!

2006-10-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ella

(tawa naman d'yan)

Unang Tatlumpung Araw sa Aotearoa

2006-01-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

::6IX::

2005-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

To the one person who truly knows me: Happy Anniversary!

Reflections

2005-12-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
by Janine Ghannam (Dec. ’01)

Why do people get to open presents on Jesus’ birthday? Why don’t we give Him presents? And why is it that some people don’t even believe in God or go to church, but they celebrate Christmas? All these questions can be summed up in one answer; many people do not know what the true meaning of Christmas is anymore.

Christmas, in society’s eyes, has turned into a commercial holiday. It’s merely another Valentine’s Day, which was a day created by the card companies. Christmas gives shopping malls great business. Stores that sell decorations also benefit. But why are these people going to shopping malls and decorating their houses? For them, Christmas is just about giving and receiving presents, winning the neighborhood’s decoration contest, and getting a few days off work and school.

“Christ is born, big whoop. I need a new bike.” Some would conclude from this comment that material things have taken over this holiest of days. People have become selfish and greedy on Christmas and that is terrible. Christmas is a time when we must give to those who are less fortunate than we are and stop thinking about ourselves for once in our life. Almsgiving is a very important thing to do at this time. We should all give God a present on his birthday, and I’m sure He would love the gift of almsgiving.

Snow, caroling, chestnuts roasting on an open fire — all those things are great, but those things aren’t what make Christmas meaningful. The birth of Christ is such a great day. We can’t mix with the material world because it makes that holy day corrupt with greed. We are not seeing what this day actually means. Christ is born… our salvation has begun. That’s why we should give gifts, to celebrate the birth of our Savior, not because we need new clothes or a Playstation. We should decorate our houses, not to make them prettier or win the neighborhood contest, but to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We should take time off work and school, not to do our last-minute shopping or sit around and do nothing, but to go out and give to those less fortunate and to go to church, to celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Christmas isn’t just a time to give gifts, decorate your home, or watch the parade on television. It is a time to spend with our families, to love one another, and to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. People need to realize that. They need to ask themselves, if they didn’t exchange gifts or decorate this year, would Christmas be the same or mean the same to them? If the answer is no, then the true meaning of Christmas is indeed lost.

One Sunday in Tagaytay Zoo

2005-11-16T04:15:00.000-08:00

No Sigfried & Roy

King Kong sighting in Tagaytay

Ella & Pa-Francis

Crocodile damsel

Double trouble

Mga babae sa bintana

Bisita sa Nanay at Tatay

2005-10-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

October 30, 2005 - Matapos ang ilang attempt na umuwi sa Calamba, sa wakas natuloy din kami. Sa pagkakatanda ko, mahigit nang 3 buwan nang huli kaming makabisita sa mga Nanay. Sa ilang ulit na di kami natuloy, naipon na yata ang lahat ng okasyon: birthday ng kapatid kong si Mike - Oct 2, birthday ni Ate Odit - Oct 4, birthday ni Ella Bot - Oct 12, at birthday ng pinsan n'yang si Annika - Oct 17.

Pasado ala-una na kaming nakarating sa bahay kaya pagbabang-pagbaba namin sa sasakyan ay pagkain muna ang inatupag namin nina Daks at Ella. Pagkatapos kumain, naglaro sina Ella at Annika habang nagkukuwentuhan naman kami. Marami-rami bagong kwento sa kanila at sa amin:

Sa amin ni Daks:

1. Lalo raw akong lumalaki.

2. Malaki na raw si Ella at mukhang namayat.

3. 'Di pa pala alam ng Nanay na pareho na kaming nag-resign sa trabaho.

Kay Mike:

1. Sa Crossing na ulit siya naka-assign, matapos sandaling mapalipat sa Los Baños.

2. Ganun pa rin, laging palaban sa mga katrabahong may attitude problem at maging sa mga pasaway na customer.

Nanay:

1. Ang bagong official yaya (tumakas kasi ang yaya ni Annika matapos makuha ang sweldo).

Ate Odit:

1. Malaki na ang tiyan n'ya, sa December yata ang labas ng bagong baby.

2. Pananahi naman ang bagong pinag-eexperimentan.

Annika:

1. Mataba ngayon ang pinsan ni Ella. Sabi ni ate Odit, nakaka-12 na boteng gatas araw-araw (kaya pala!).

2. Papasok na pala siya ulit sa school sa Nov 7.

3. 'Di pa rin kumakain ng kanin, puro ulam lang. 'Di pa rin nakakatikim ng softdrinks (kawawa naman!).

4. Ayaw kumain ng "Quake" choco bars kasi daw may letter "A." Ayaw n'ya ng "A" kasi 'di n'ya raw type ang pangalan n'ya na nag-uumpisa din sa "A" (Annika Paige), kaya imbes na Annika, "Nikka" na lang daw o "Ms. Paige."

5. Camera shy daw s'ya (hindi halata sa pictures).

Pagkatapos ng kwentuhan, nagpunta kami sa panchong (?) para bisitahin ang Tatay. Medyo umuulan noon kaya k'wentuhan ulit habang panay ang kain ni Ella at pangungulit naman ni Annika. Nagtirik ang Nanay ng ilang kandila at pagkatapos ay umuwi na rin kami. Ganito lang kasimple kung idaos namin ang todos los santos. Nitong mga huling taon, hindi na rin kami tumatapat ng bisita ng 'saktong Nov 1 para iwas traffic at siksikan.

5:00pm- Uwi na ang mga Bot. Tapos na ang pagbisita sa mga buhay at patay...

Annika at "Cousin Ella"

1 lola, 3 nanay, 5 anak: 3 henerasyon

Trinity II

2005-10-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is the scariest of them all?

Happy Halloween!!!

Alamat

2005-10-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sa mga nagtataka (kung meron man) kung saan nanggaling ang "bot" basa:

::5IVE::

2005-10-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

Send in the Clones

2005-10-09T00:54:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share with you some of Ella's funny pictures. Usually, people pose in front of the camera imitating some celebrities or some recognizable figure or personalities. What I did was the opposite. First, I browsed through my collection of Ella's pictures and picked some which resemble someone or "something." I then searched the internet for pictures which more or less look like ella's. I then pasted the photos side by side and the result is a funny face-off between Ella and her clones. Tawa!

Exhibit A: "Stay Puft"

Exhibit B: "Fidel"

Exhibit C: "Laughing Buddha"

Exhibit D: "Sadako"

Exhibit E: "Yawning Queen Kong"

Now top this: Ella (taken when she was 2, left), and Daddy Bot (yeah, that's me on the right!) in Batman costume

You can't be too crazy about your own child right? Here's some more:

Snow White Ella & Batman Ella wallpaper

Ella & Francis wallpaper

Collage of some ella stuff: oil portrait, laser etched portrait on key chain, cross stitched portrait, monochromatic and color pastel artwork, and old cellphone picture message

Batang Milenyo

2005-10-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Sa Wednesday, October 12, 5 yrs. old na ang Baby Bot. Ka-birthday n'ya pala si Pavarotti, kaya pala malaki rin ang t'yan, err, mahilig ring kumanta.

Flashback ng konti...October 11, 2000. Kung maayos pa ang memory ko, around 11:00pm noon ng dalhin namin si Mama Bot sa ospital dahil mukhang nagle-labor na s'ya. Expected na naman namin 'yon kaya nung nakaramdam siya e ready na ang lahat ng dadalhing gamit. Buong gabi kaming nagbantay kung anong mangyayari pero mukhang ayaw pang lumabas sa mundo ni Baby Bot.

Kinabukasan, ganun pa rin ang eksena. Nakauwi na ako sa bahay at nakabalik, tatlong beses na akong lumabas at kumain sa fastfood, pero ang dapat lumabas ayaw lumabas. Sa sobrang pagod nga ni Mama Bot sa pagle-labor, gusto na n'yang magpa-CS, pero ayaw ni doktora.

Finally, mga 6:00pm, after more than 18 hours tinawag na kami ni doktora. Tandang-tanda ko nung binuksan yung kurtina nung nursery at nakita ko si Baby Bot, di ako makapaniwala. Xerox copy! Sabi ko nga kay Nanay: "Ako 'to ah!" Sa tingin ko kasi e kamukhang-kamukha ko. Pero mga 10 seconds lang yun kasi isinara na agad 'yung kurtina. Buti na lang nai-video ko at nakuhanan ni Nanay ng picture kahit saglit lang.

Simula noon, napakaraming beses na kaming napasaya ni Baby Bot. Lokong-loko kami sa kaniya, lalo na ang mga lolo at lola, kasi nga unang apo siya. Kahit nga ang taba-taba nya noon na parang longganisa, ang tingin namin eh ang ganda ganda niya. Ganun siguro talaga 'pag sarili mong anak.

Sa ngayon siguro ay wala na kaming mahihiling para kay Ella Rei. Maganda, matalino, malusog at mabait din naman kung tutuusin. Masarap siyang kasama kasi kung kausap mo siya ay parang matanda rin. Madali kaming nagkakaintindihan. 'Yun nga lang minsan di ka makapagpalusot kasi napakagaling mangatwiran. Basta sa kaniya, bawal na iibahin mo 'yung unang sinabi mo o 'yung dating ginawa mo. I-expect mo na na hihingan ka niya ng explanation. Tama lang naman 'di ba?

Napakabilis nga ng panahon. 5 na si Baby Bot. Mamaya lang teenager na siya, dalaga na, nanay na..."Mama Bot" na. Kami naman "Lola Bot" at "Lolo Bot" ("Kulu Bot," he, he).

A day in the life of the bots

2005-09-13T02:46:00.000-07:00

Fast-paced is not exactly the most appropriate word to describe a typical bots' day. Now that we are no longer working (papa & mama bot), we have the one luxury that most of you have very little of: TIME, lots of it! Certainly a loooong break after 8 years of non-stop work is very much welcome. It's like having your early retirement (minus the pay, he, he); takes away all the stress and pressure of work from your system. So how do the bots spend their day? The pictures tell it all.

Trinity

2005-09-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

May tatlong bot sa loob ng isang bahay,
Si papa bot, si mama bot, si baby bot...
Si papa bot ay matakaw,
Si mama bot ay mahimbing,
Si baby bot ay napakasutil.
Tingnan n'yo, tingnan n'yo, ang tamad nila!