CALL ME BONG

2024-07-22T09:02:00.003+08:00

Twenty-two years after Papa left us, I still miss him. There are times when I wish everything is just a dream so that when I wake up he is still here with us. But reality says, he's not.

Papa was a mechanic. He worked for companies like General Motors and Ford Philipines. He was from the Quality Control Dept., I believed. I remember he was so proud of Ford Ghia back then. His dream car was not a Ford though, it was Nissan Patrol. He got to drive that when he went to KSA after he resigned from Ford for better and bigger income because our family's expenses is growing.

Papa was a good driver. He drives as fast as 40kph only, hehe! He unflinchingly and safely maneuver his Jeep to the winding road going home when its break failed. But I saw him panicked when he droves me to the hospital about to gave birth to Kevin (my second child).

Papa would have been a great "Lolo". I remember him happily feeding my eldest son, his first "apo", with Marie biscuits. He would also patiently teach him to write as he draw a square with three (3) sides and my son would have to close it by drawing the 4th side. That's how my son spent his time at his grandparents place 3-4 days a week.

What I miss the most about Papa is his rough hands holding mine as we cross the street or shop at the mall and the way he called me Bong...

CALL ME BONG
Published 07.22.2024

Yes, please
Call me Bong.
Very seldom can you hear
A girl with such a nickname
But Papa called me Bong.

One radio drama
Where they got my name
Divina and Divine to friends
Dang and Grace to family
Only Papa called me Bong.

Every father wanted a son
Mine thought I was the one
Nevertheless, I am loved
When a son finally came
Papa was used to calling me Bong.

A daughter and a son
Rolled into one
Following a father's footsteps
Lovingly, willingly and proudly
That daughter called Bong

Twenty two years have passed
Rough hands and smilling eyes
Are memories that I treasured
And, oh, how I long to hear again
For Papa to call me Bong.

Divine for Papa in heaven
07.22.1936 - 02.11.2002

Graduation

2016-04-05T19:48:00.001+08:00

Parents, like us, always look forward to the end of school year. Not because its vacation time but because its recognition and graduation time! A time to reap the fruits of our labor! Yes! Ours! Their accomplishments are also mine - ours! Because they made us proud!

They made us proud of their achievements;

. . . of their diploma

For finishing his Elementary years

For finishing his Junior High School

. . . of their awards and medals...

Perfect Attendance Award

Excellence in Science Award

Sharp Mind Excellence in Science Award

The General Scholastic Award

These are what the school awarded them for doing well this school year.

On our part as parents, what better award can our children offer us than showing us their appreciation. We received that in a form of a letter inserted in my son's diploma. Allow me to share with you the content of that letter.

This is an affirmation that, at least, we did good as parents. This is OUR award from my son who made us proud! They made us happy!

Congratulations, Kevin and Phoebo! We love you and we're so proud of you!

Hugs and kisses,

Mama

A Day Well-Spent

2015-06-29T13:11:00.003+08:00

A day well-spent may not be planned.

(as in our case)

After attending the Sunday mass, we went malling...

and found these Lego Creations that's so amazing...our National Hero in Lego!

had our lunch...

took some pictures

with my three boys...(you can see my husband in the mirror) LOL!

catches their "having-fun" moments (secretly...)

went shopping for his promised toy...

and for his shoes in a blue box.

We visited another shopping mall and was surprised to meet a friend.

We then drop by at my sister's house and these blue gifts are there waiting for us...

a blue Nintendo 3DS from Japan

a Smoked Salmon in blue box from Canada

a blue tshirt from Las Vegas.

Our well-spent Sunday made me realized how blessed our family are.

Thank you, Lord God!

Linking to

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Thankful mom,

Covering Books and Notebooks

2015-05-29T21:16:00.001+08:00

As a mom this is one job
I enjoy doing this time of the year when school is
about to start - Covering Books and Notebooks!

Thankful that my kids still needs my help, even with the tiniest thing, makes me feel important. I will never get tired of giving them a hand. I know time will come that they will all be on their own, doing things independently.

linking to:

momma

Signs

2015-05-28T11:14:00.000+08:00

Signs, I've seen a few

And thought of sharing with you

Hope you'll like it too.

Jollibee is a famous fast food restaurant here in the Philippines.

It is where I resort to when I can't cook my kids meal that they won't mind at all. Just like when I got this picture taken, I was waiting for my orders before picking up my kids from school.

linking to

mothering,

Summer time, Vacation time, TRAINING time

2015-05-27T17:28:00.000+08:00

Summer time, a vacation time for most. For a parent like myself, its a time to let my kids do some extra outdoor activities. It has always been my desire that my kids will engage in those activities instead of indulging in computers and other gadgets.

Finally, this summer, its a bit rewarding for me because I didn't have to push them into training.

They have their own dreams that they wanted to achieve in the future. As my kids mature, they will try to achieve whatever it is that they want. All they need is my encouragement, my support and my love as parent.

One of my son got himself some advance training in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus. He is even interested in studying Mandarin language but we have to defer it for a while due to monetary constraint. :-)

My youngest got himself into basketball as he was inspired by the NBA stars like D.Rose, S.Curry, K.Irving, L.James, K.Thompson, etc. We enrolled him in Elevate Sports Academy and we saw a lot of improvements. He is more active now!

Now, my wish is for us to go out-of-town. . . and enjoy whatever is left of summer time.

Just like before... :-)

Linking to:

Wednesday Around the World

Wordless Wednesday

now dreaming,

Mommy and Me Monday: 16 Years Ago

2015-05-26T15:23:00.001+08:00

Inspired by Krystyn's "crazy-hair-and-no-make" entry, I remember my pictures 16 years ago. A photo taken at the hospital when I gave birth to my second child.

I can't breastfeed yet so I have to feed him this way. :-)

Now, he's taller than I am!

How fast time flies...

Linking this to

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Reminiscing,

DIY-Gift Box

2015-05-25T12:26:00.000+08:00

I'm so proud of this gift box I made as a souvenir when my son received his

Sacrament of Confirmation.

I searched the web for free printable template.

Added some ribbons and labels.

And its done!

for the boys

for the girls

Linking to:

Crafty mom,

Mommy and Me Monday: My Cake, His Cake

2015-05-24T11:37:00.000+08:00

Guess who's excited to taste my birthday cake???

(thanks to www.photovisi.com for this template)

Yes, its him!

Linking this to

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

mommy

Gardening Time

2015-05-23T16:10:00.002+08:00

Gardening, I've read, provides some health benefits so I included it as one of my pastimes.

For me, it helps me to relax. It gives me joy as I see the beautiful results, the fruits of my labor. It also gives me pride to being able to grow my own herbs and vegetable garden (however small).

In my small vegetable garden...

Okra seedlings

Tomato seedlings

My ZZ plant a.k.a. welcome plant which I successfully propagated.

I also wanted to grow succulent plants because it is easy to take care of.

I now have some Aloe Vera which I re-potted which I learned are good for cuts and burns.

Next, is my snake plants, spider plants, and orchids! And I hope my basils will grow too!

gardening mom,

Flower Find Friday: Dona Aurora

2015-05-22T08:00:00.000+08:00

Traveling to Los Banos Laguna every Monday gives me the chance to pass by some plant shops around the area. Finally, I decided to stop and got to take home some flowering plants.

One of those I brought home is Dona Aurora mussaenda philippica. It was named after the wife of President Manuel Quezon, Aurora Aragon.

I was more surprise to see that it has a yellow-orange mini flower in the middle. I taught it's just white all over.

I can't wait for it to grow taller and is excited to see how beautiful it would be!

Next time, I wish I could find and own a Dona Luz (salmon-pink in color) and a Dona Evangelina (red in color) flowering plants in the future.

January

2014-01-07T12:48:00.001+08:00

January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendar.

It has 31 days and the 1st day is known as New Year's Day.

It is named after the roman god, JANUS, the god of beginnings and transitions, of gates and doorways, thus,

January is the door to the year.

Janus is known to have two face, looking to the future and to the past.

January's birthstone is GARNET.

It means purity, truth, faithfulness and friendship, constancy and loyalty.

It is also known that garnet is a stone for successful business by putting 3 or more garnet on your desk.

They say it can also cure depression by putting a stone under your pillow.

Wearing garnet as jewelry can make a person popular and have self-esteem.

(I haven't tried these yet, though...)

January's birth flower is CARNATION.

It represent pride, beauty, admiration and gratitude, fascination, distinction,

divine love and woman.

It is also a symbol of a mother's undying love.

Personality traits of person born in January:

Ambitious and serious

Love to teach and be taught

Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses

Likes to criticize

Hardworking and productive

Smart, neat and organized

Sensitive and has deep thoughts

Knows how to make others happy

Quiet unless excited or tensed

Rather reserved

Highly attentive

Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds

Romantic but has difficulties expressing love

Loves children

Homely person

Loyal

Needs to improve social abilities

Easily jealous

Very stubborn.

I think this is all about it for January.

For me, January is the month where I have high hopes. It's where I start to plan to better my life. That its still never too late to change for the better.

Welcoming the new year with new hopes, new smiles, new life!

God bless us all!!!

Family Day Sunday

2013-03-27T21:22:00.000+08:00

This Sunday is truly a "family-day" for us.

We're glad to have been visited by my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law

and his family. After attending the Sunday mass, we ate at the nearby

Chinese Restaurant.

We were so fond of our niece, having to deal with boys

most of the time.

Every action she does, made us laugh.

My kids even had a good time taking care of her.

Its really good to just play and fool around with little kids

and not have responsibility to raise them up. LOL!

Since its summer vacation, my boys are awaiting for their cousins'

next visit...

Linking to

Blog Photo Challenge (17/31)

Confirmation Souvenir

2013-03-27T20:55:00.000+08:00

This was already a long overdue post.

When my eldest son received the Sacrament of Confirmation last year,

I search and looked for an appropriate souvenir.

I found this figurine with a cross and doves.

It is also a candle holder.

And a remembrance of when he received his Sacrament of Confirmation.

Linking to

Blog Photo Challenge (16/31)

Little Thing Thursday

Papaya

2013-03-27T18:52:00.002+08:00

My first time to harvest ripe papaya from my backyard is really exciting.

I always give out my papaya fruits to my mother and mother-in-law so

they can cook it or make some pickled papaya out of it. They never get the chance to ripen.

Luckily, I missed one and here it is - my ripe papaya!

It's sweet!

I loved it with calamansi and a bit of sugar.

Fresh ripe papaya for breakfast! Yummy!!!

Linking to

Blog Photo Challenge (15/31)

Clouds

2013-03-27T17:14:00.001+08:00

"Clouds come floating into my life,

no longer to carry rain or usher storm,

but to add color to my sunset sky."

~Rabindranath Tagore~

Linking to

Wordless Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday

Blog Photo Challenge (14/31)

Skywatch Friday

Rosal

2013-03-27T12:39:00.003+08:00

Rosal.

I just found out that its "Gardenia" in English.

Its been sitting in my garden for 3 years now.

I'm patiently waiting for its flowers to bloom because of its sweet scent.

I'm also wanting to see to grow taller but I guess I have to add

more garden soil in my garden.

I will never get tired of taking care of my Rosal nor will I remove it

in my garden because I just read that it produces fruits too. And it is also use to

perfume tea in China.

Linking to

Macro Monday

Wednesday White
Blog Photo Challenge (13/31)

Boys in Red

2013-03-26T22:06:00.001+08:00

My boys in red went out one morning,

and came back with a gift from my son's godmother,

another Beyblade set!

Courtesy of his cousin from Canada...

thank you so much.

I am just so glad there was something for me,

M&M chocolates!

A long and fruitful day for my son and my husband,

my boys in red!

Blog Photo Challenge (12/31)

Ruby Tuesday 2, Rednesday

Color Connection

A Special Trip

2013-03-26T20:50:00.001+08:00

My son and I originally plan to go to SM Department Store after school. I promised to buy him his favorite toy (Beyblade) for diligently studying for the final exams.

We ended up tagging along with our friends (his and mine).

Moms in front, kids at the back. Coincidentally, we are all mothers of boys!

We can see that they were all so happy to be together in a different venue other than their school.

S&R will hold a sale the following day that's why we visited the store ahead of time.

But the boys didn't enjoy doing the grocery.

Instead, they turned the store into a playground! We're just glad they didn't broke anything, or else...

It was just a short trip but we knew our boys had a real GOOD TIME!

Eating and playing together...

My son have not forgotten the promise I made. We still planned to go to SM the next day and get him his toy. (That will be posted later on... ^_^)

Blog Photo Challenge (11/31)

Picture Frame

2013-03-26T18:43:00.002+08:00

A decorative picture frame which fascinates me so

The roses,

potted plants,

pots on wooden table with nails,

flowers on pail pots,

the garden tools,

the grasses and the wagon,

don't miss the wooden window

made me so glad and proud to be the

owner of this wonderful creation.

Blog Photo Challenge (10/31)

Mickey Watches

2013-03-26T17:19:00.003+08:00

I never realized that I had collected a few Mickey watches.

All of them were gifts from my mother and sisters who lived in Japan for a while.

This originally had pink bracelet but I cannot an exact replacement

so I ended up with a black one.

This one with a RED bracelet is my very first

Mickey watch.

This key chain watch was a gift from my sister but I haven't got

the chance to use it yet...

And, here they are....My Mickey watches!!!

Blog Photo Challenge (9/31)

From Garden to Table

2013-03-09T23:00:00.001+08:00

This is our home-made "Atchara"!

It is pickled papaya appetizer.

Mom made it for us.

We harvested some papaya fruit from my garden.

When flowers started coming out, I never thought it will give me sooo

much fruits.

I was planning to cut it down but it is still giving me fruits,

so I regret to do so.

It is still growing taller and taller and bearing more fruits

and reward me with the tasty "Atchara"!

Linking to

Blog Photo Challenge (8/31)

The Fragrance of my Kamuning Flowers

2013-03-09T22:37:00.001+08:00

I already taken for granted my kamuning plant.

Just last month, I started taking "extra care" of it because I felt guilty.

It started to show me its flowers again.

And I'm so glad to smell its wonderful fragrance once more.

BLOG PHOTO CHALLENGE (7/31)

Toy Car

2013-03-08T14:44:00.001+08:00

I thought my nine year-old boy is over his toy cars. But when hubby brought home the completion of their collection from Petron, his love for car came back.

He asked me to make a post about it, the way he want it to appear. And here it is...with lights on!

They were able

to collect all five colors

but he was allowed

to play only the white one.

The rest stayed in their boxes!

I, myself, was also amazed on how toys was made to the smallest detail. So I can understand why my son so love playing or even by just looking at it!

Sharing this to

BLOG PHOTO CHALLENGE (6/31)

Magnetic Clips

2013-03-08T11:20:00.002+08:00

I got fascinated by its cute animal designs

that will be educational at the same time

during that time, thirteen years ago (13).

an elephant

a giraffe

a panda

a lion

a sheep

a monkey and "Winnie the Pooh"

chipmunk and a cute kitten.

Yes! They have been with me for thirteen years and counting...

together with these Pokemon ref magnets.

Sharing this to

Blog Photo Challenge (5/31)

Little Things Thursday

Color Connetion

Day by Day with Divine

CALL ME BONG

Graduation

A Day Well-Spent

Covering Books and Notebooks

Signs

Summer time, Vacation time, TRAINING time

Mommy and Me Monday: 16 Years Ago

DIY-Gift Box

Mommy and Me Monday: My Cake, His Cake

Gardening Time

Flower Find Friday: Dona Aurora

January

Family Day Sunday

Confirmation Souvenir

Papaya

Clouds

Rosal

Boys in Red

A Special Trip

Picture Frame

Mickey Watches

From Garden to Table

The Fragrance of my Kamuning Flowers

Toy Car

Magnetic Clips