THIS is about family. When we think of many things, it doesn’t mean that we have a lot to say or write about. It is one of those moments when we lose focus that may result in coming up with nothing. Or is it? My granddaughter Koleen, excited over her having her own e-mail account, sent me this Father’s Day greeting” “Happy Father’s Day to you, I hope you aren’t blue. Father’s Day is not just for fathers but especially for my Angkong (grandfather), too. We both live in different countries, and so we chat to each other monthly. Still, no mere words can describe, how much I love you.” I obliged with a reply: “Thank you, sweetheart, and for the nice poem you wrote. Simple as it is but not its thought. You seem to have grown up and the words you used. No longer of a child but a young beaut. " Koleen loves to write and has a few poems to her credit. I don’t want to speculate from whom she got it. She is her own person like her Mom, strong and independent.
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In the last few weeks, my time on my computer has been devoted a lot to research on small farm houses. Pinterest Weekly and Houzz help me browse through sizes and designs. A few pictures have been taken to serve as guides and references. Until one day, I decided to ask my niece Karen, an interior designer, to draw me a farm house with my specifications. The result was superb, giving me one good reason to end my research. The remaining question is, would I be able to see it come to life when I do not have a farm? Aha, that’s like putting the cart before the horse. But the dream must go on.
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Life in another country is unpredictable. It all depends on one’s initiative to fit in, to strive and to learn to live within one’s means. My youngest child, my Nightingale (a nurse), has been in Singapore for only a few months. My wife loves to tease me. “You’re going to miss your baby a lot.” On Father’s Day, she posted on Facebook our selfie at the airport, moments before her flight. She wrote, “Happy Father’s Day, Paps. I know you miss me. Haha... love you, Papsy!” Of course, from my Kathy, Koleen’s Mom, she sent me this: “Hi, Angkong. Happy Father’s Day.’ My son Kevin who was in Davao also greeted me. And like I said in my previous column, it’s going to be good for restaurants. We––my wife and niece Karmel––had our lunch at Frankie’s, a western-style eatery somewhere on JR Borja Extension and Macajalar, Camaman-an. It was my wife’s treat, of course!
