Five and a half years ago, several months after having my son, I decided to publish my personal diary of thoughts and experiences on the web; or as in this generation’s parlance, blogged.
It came after a genuine realization that parenting really is a difficult and challenging task to accomplish. It was also purely out of a deep gratitude for God and for my parents -especially with the home and the family they provided me.
My dad and my mom brought us all up, their EIGHT children in the best possible way they could.
My parents both taught me to value where I come from, above all. They had enriched my childhood with stories about my father’s hometown -Catarman, Camiguin and of Tagcatong in Agusan, where my mother grew up.
– Stories including that part where they had to walk for a few kilometers just to get to school.
– Or how my dad had to go up first to Bug-ho and Si-siman, places uphill just to feed his father’s carabao. (tigway Lolo Dodong’s kabaw. )
– Or my mom’s fixation over curtains, for they never had one, till she in her teens, relentlessly prodded her father (my Lolo Pedro) to buy one.
-While my dad was often times away, working really hard for us, my mom was there to give us the best care and learning in the home. ( read voraciously, write meaningfully, speak clearly and prepare food wholeheartedly. )
My mom had taught me innumerable nuggets of wisdom, -my whole blog site “falls short” in presenting them all. ( excuse me, Yao.)
Today my siblings and I honor OUR MOM on her birthday…
( while I of course had already written something about my dad in this blog site. )
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY! May God always protect you, give you good health and peace of mind.
1. PIER ANGELI B. ANG SEN
Mother of Rafa, wife to Richard.
Blogging as The Soapbox Filipina
” Mommy taught me to Eat, Pray and Love . She taught me to love my family, my roots, my country and my God. Mom taught me how to fold a mosquito net. ” Start at the sides and fold towards the center so it would not bunch in the middle. ” Although mosquito nets are not as popular nowadays in homes of Filipino families, I would still know how to fold one. She taught me how to be Filipino in ways one could ever imagine.
Growing up, she taught me to give all the time for ones children, to fight for my man, to be a proud Filipino, to read books for mind-power, to speak up from the soul, to write truly from the heart and to laugh with all my might. “
– Pier Angeli
2. MIRZI REINA B. RAŃOJA
Mother of Kelly and Tyler, wife to Jong.
Cum Laude, Bus. Economics, U.P. Diliman and a Registered Nurse.
” Mom, you may have not taught me ALL the things I needed to know in life. While it may be partly because I am stubborn at times, believing my way is the better way, I guess it was more on having a smart mom like you who allowed me to experience life in actuality, so it could satisfy my curiosity, spark my creativity and temper my personality.
Now that I am also a mother, and trying to venture into this exciting business of molding and guiding my children to find their rightful places in this world, I find myself trying to stay close as possible to the same motherhood path you have successfully walked with us. I may not have the same experience of your sacrifice, hardship and trials, but in my own path of the good and the bad, I would want to take with me the same sense of pride, humor and quiet strength that you have even up to now.
Thank you Mom for being the wind beneath my wings. My take-off in my life was already spectacular, but you still pushed me more with all your strength and might that only a mother’s love could sustain, so that I could reach my fullest potential and pay it forward to the rest of the world. Happy Birthday Mommy, I love you! ”
– Mirzi Reina
3. ENGR. PERIOLO GIEREK E. BANAAG
Dad of Alexi, husband to Rubinett.
Electronics Communications Engineer , Singapore.
Being a first time dad magnified my appreciation for my mom, nine times more. I am grateful of her -nurturing, sharing, teaching, supporting and doing everything that she possibly can even up to this day. To us her four boys, she will always be our very first girl-bestfriend. Happy birthday mommeh!
-P. Gierek
4. ENGR. VITO FILIP E. BANAAG
Civil Engineer , Singapore
1. She taught us to look for things with our eyes, not with our mouth.
“Manang Linda ( our help ), asa ang akong brief?!” When mom would hear/learn about this, she would scold us and constantly reminded us with her quote: “pangitaa kana sa imong mata, ayaw sa imong ba-ba!” Mom, thank you for helping us learn to be less dependent.
2. She taught us to be more thoughtful and to share our blessings.
Before every meal time with our siblings, she would make time to equally distribute the food for all of us. Thank you Mom for teaching us to be thoughtful and sharing, especially to our love ones.
3. She taught me to how to be good in public speaking.
During my grade school years, my Mom would always convince me to join the elocution contests whenever there was a chance. She would teach me how to properly deliver speeches with conviction and to deliver poems with great narration. Mom, thank you for believing in me, for helping me build my confidence and for boosting my morale.
4. She taught us boys to do household chores.
I learned to wash dishes, do the laundry, iron the clothes, clean the house and run errands with dedication and pride. I learned to cook and prepare dishes too! Thank you Mom for trusting me to do the household help. I developed my sense of responsibility and importance starting with these chores. I knew how to prepare pancakes, halo2x, polvoron and other desserts for my younger siblings even when I was young. My mom cooked and prepared meals with great love.. Now, I am cooking delicious meals for my girlfriend.
5. She taught me to re-build things… after I have them broken.
When I was very young, I had a curious habit of exploring things, especially gadgets and appliances at home.. I opened them up, unscrewed them and checked where the wires went and what the buttons were for. I had always tried to learn how to operate those things. Most of the time, I ended up having them broken. Thank you Mom for your deep compassion and understanding. You still believe I can make things work again. With that, I didn’t stop my curiosity and pursued to repair and rebuild what I destroyed. I learned a lot from my mistakes and dedicated a lot of my future in to building and rebuilding things…
Thank you Mommy.. I am now a Civil Engineer.
– Vito Filip
4. MARCO SANDINO E. BANAAG
Software Engineer
Hi Mom, Even though there are eight of us your good looking, talented and smart children, you never fail to make each and everyone of us feel special. We all feel we are unique in every possible way because you showed that to us. You had also shown us the importance of growing up as a team with my Ates, my Kuya and my other siblings. Team Banaag that is. I love you very much Mommy! Mwah! Mwah! Tsup! Tsup!
– Marco Sandino
6. PIA LUCIA E. BANAAG
Registered Nurse
1. QOTD
In our family, it’s not about the “outfit of the day”. It’s about the Quote of the Day. For every situation or occasion, Mommy has a fitting quote for that. An opportunity? “Strike while the iron is hot.” Laughing at someone’s bad luck? “Do not laugh at the misfortune of others.” Angry at someone? “Practice the pause.” Facing a possible adversary? “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” Peer pressure? “Choose your friends.” And now, whenever I find myself quoting, I think of my mom.
2. Mind power.
When I was a kid, I was shy around strangers. She immediately addressed that and enrolled me in a personality development class one summer. While I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the class, I still had my Mom to thank for. She saw that I am a capable person and knew that I just needed a little prodding. I would say, things have changed since then. Even until now, whenever I feel a little backward, I would mentally push forward and not allow my shyness to overcome the situation. And that’s how I came up with my personal adage, “Mind over matter.”
3. It’s more fun anywhere I go.
While Mom is a tiger mom, like all tigers, she is playful. She sees the comical side of things. She appreciates the lighter part of life. Growing up, I remember when there would be a birthday celebration at home (which happens 10 times a year), the celebrant would be given the traditional birthday cake. While the rest of us non celebrants would not have the opportunity to blow the coveted birthday candle, we were allowed to repeatedly poke our tiny fingers at the cake’s icing and happily lick off the sweet. “Tambal sa ibog,” she would say. But we were allowed to touch the back portion of the cake only as the front part was saved for photo ops. She allowed us to play and run in the living room, destroying curtains and breaking vases. She helped us squeeze into pillows so we could slide down our 14-step stairs. She didn’t say anything when my younger sister, Steffi and I murdered our Barbies (off with their heads!). And with some resignation and to Dad’s chagrin, she allowed me to experience what it felt like to be a caroler several Decembers ago. Yes, going door-to-door showing off my singing chops was worth the gross income of P20. And now as an adult, I can laugh off stress and take things one day at a time.
4. Mom taught me how to be maldita.
Char lang. Pero tinuod. 😀
Happy birthday Mommy!
– Pelucci
7. STEFFI REIZZA E. BANAAG
U.P. College of Law
Cum Laude- B.A. Philosophy, U.P. Diliman
” My mom is the walking dictionary, the book queen, the trivia machine, the resident astronomer, the hurt buffer and the most sought after counsel.
Being the youngest girl in a big family was challenge enough for me growing up. Not to mention having to look up to my elder sisters and my elder brothers who really had strong personalities. I thank my mom for helping me find my niche in this world.
She has made me see and believe in my strengths while keeping me grounded with my weaknesses. She helped me organize my life and my dreams. She had always been instrument in making me reach for the stars.
Mom, I love how you taught us to love to laugh. The home you made definitely has that aura that makes it so easy to be cheerful, so conducive to big belly laughs.
You nurtured that atmosphere where you made us feel that smiling for no reason or laughing over follies are symptoms which are not limited to strange people on the brink of nervous breakdowns.
In fact, smiling at people and laughing at the foibles in life should be the norm! You taught us that no matter how dire our mistakes can be, we can always pick up the pieces and look positively to the future.
I will always be thankful to you for fostering in me the magical love of reading.
[Now, if only I can find out how to apply this love of reading to my law books. . .]
I love how every bite in your kitchen is always punctuated with a hilarious quip.
At present, even if the 8 of us aren’t eating on your solid Narra la mesa, we can still bring that mood wherever we may be dining—albeit, of course,the food can never, NEVER, be as good as your love-infused home-cooked meals.:)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I LOVE YOU!
Mom, thank you for taking all my calls and listening to my rants and raves.
Thank you for listening to me talk about my law school heartaches. Thank you for making me feel better after each and every phone call. I love you mom! ”
– Steffi
8. GEO SANZIO E. BANAAG
Computer Programmer, Malaysia
” My mom taught me to place big faith in God. And that even if you have done the best of your abilities and yet everything goes wrong, always have faith and remember that there is a God to help. I may not have been the most religious person that time when she told me this. But I know and I am sure that He exists. This is one great lesson I learned from her that I carry with me as I go through life. Thanks Mom! Happy Birthday, I love you, mommy! ”
– Geo
