An Irregular Mom

Not that I have forgotten.  I was just too busy delivering bead orders for Moms and Moms at heart on their special day.

On Mother's Day, Owen posted a borrowed photo on my timeline (plus a few other timelines of his virtual friends)   with a note that said..."Because you are not regular Moms, I salute you today. Happy Mother's Day to the cool Moms in my life.".  That was sweet.  So I replied with a screaming "I LOVE iiiiiiTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!". Owen came to my life as a trainee at the height of my Advertising and Promotions career.  To this day, he keeps in touch.

Thanksgiving 2010.  Three months after my medical scare.

After a brief thought, I must say that there is  truth to what Owen  said. For sure, I am not your typical and regular Mom.  There is in fact absolutely nothing that can somehow define  a part of my being as Mom.  First, no child has yet been pushed out from my womb even while on my sixth year of marriage. A situation made not by choice, but out of a medical situation that I have long and will  for the rest of my life deal with.  I used to think of my state as a battle, but not anymore.  I had finally made amends two years ago, only after a scare. 

A Chinese Temple in Cebu, circa-2002.

Don't get me wrong. I, of course, come across what ifs once in awhile.  Nothing is impossible, right? I had once prayed in an unknown territory,  a Chinese Temple, and had questioned two wood blocks if children were part of my life's plan. The blocks landed by my feet with NO for an answer.   I did this thrice.  I was single but semi-attached to J. Bond then, and marriage was yet far  from our minds.   Flashforward to ten years after, adding one more doctor to my list of ten, which I believe will entail added hospital visits and costs, seem no longer a wise choice.  But if there is in any way of skipping the doctor/hospital part, I would by all means go for it. This year by the way marks my  30th year of "friendship with my illness", and my endocrinologist had recently claimed that I am one hell of a survivor.  Hopefully one day, I'd be brave enough to share more details of this part of my life in cyberspace since my illness is much more rampant these days compared to 30 years back.  But not just yet. 

One year old Bugsy, taken last night.

Playing the role of Bugsy's human mother speaks of what an irregular Mom is all about.  I love him to pieces, but he drives me crazy too. A hilarious test of patience on bad days  given that I don't speak his language, nor he does mine.  In fact, barking remains unheard to this day.  Oftentimes,  I bark to teach.  (FORtunately!), not a tiny bit of progress have  manifested yet.  

La Luz 2009

Of course, I've had my share of "temporary" motherhood too, first of which was my Metropoint team.  We did business together, worked on the same goals, and along the way, we had evolved into a close-knit second family.  I was called Mother and I thought of them as kids in adult bodies.  Some  needed guidance, while others excelled. Definitely a team with diverse personalities, but defined by two words,"Noisy! Nuts!"   When pressure and nagging  were practiced, I became their Wicked Stepmother. But even after years of having parted ways, they address me with the same name and have consistently kept in touch despite my frequent absence. All have moved on and have made meaningful marks in their own personal lives ...marriage, kids, careers...and these make me truly proud and happy. In June, my former Ad and Promo girl is set to walk down the aisle.  I look forward.

Our parting photo taken in January 2012

I thought of Generika as one "motherhood roller coaster ride".  In this case, a huge load of emotions and attachments were  part of the 2-year deal.  I saw how each and every member of the team had started, how they grew in time, how joy and pain were managed, and how each one lived. I laughed and cried with them, jumped on  triumphs, scolded disobedience (a lot!), and when the time had come to let go, we all felt the tinge to keep hanging on.  Letting go surely left us pain, but it was  time for us to grow and spread our wings.

I  understand what Owen  meant by his message.  Though I have not initiated any move to clarify, I took upon myself to assume that he had posted such message to friends and relatives who had simply made a significant impact on his life.  In this case, here are my "MOTHERS" who have made life crazily happy. Of course first and foremost my own Mother dearest.  Despite years of living physically apart, my guts say that  I am in some way evolving into my Mother's ways. Clumsy for sure and we both depend on companions to be our lookout or more so pick us up when a fall happens.  She had taught me how to live life independently, yet see life in all possible angles.

Regular Sunday Lunch/Dinner with Tita Cyn

My second Mom and Daddy's only sister, Tita (aunt) Cyn.  Nothing to be alarmed about.  She normally looks this way when we talk about my health, lapsed visits to the doctor(s) and diet. On normal talks, she smiles a lot =)

In a reunion last year

Tita Nene, who untiringly serves as my creative mentor. She had sewn all wedding gowns in the family, including mine and my Mom's.  Now, she occupies her busy days with Flamenco costumes and lightweight bags made from scrap materials on top of her long lived bridal finery.

At Brewed For You on Easter Sunday 2012

And lastly, J. Bond's Mom, Mama Espie. Her strong faith and love has kept everyone well grounded.  I must thank her for having raised J. Bond  well one of these days.

Owen's right.  Those who have made life extra special deserve a hats off as well. In my case, I have my Mom, three others, and I'm sure that there are more. How about you?

Cheers to all regular and irregular Moms out there!!!



J. Bond's Challenge (and mine too)

O!M!G! J. Bond woke me up at 5am last Saturday only to have his photo taken. 

He was off to conquer the summit in this year's Globe Cordillera Challenge, and represented number 215.  

The day began at 4am with room service breakfast -- a case of disrupting Casa Vallejo's kitchen operations since they normally begin their day at 6am.  But thank you Casa Vallejo for making special arrangements.  He reached the highest summit at 12:30pm, then returned back to the hotel close to 3pm feeling more energetic and ecstatic.  He committed to participate again next year.

While J. Bond conquered the summit, I conquered my own short summit called Session Road. 

I had fun strolling along except for the going up part.  I did these four times (end to end), but with numerous shopping, coffee or photo shoot breaks.  Unlike J. Bond, I culminated my challenge out of breath and with swollen leg muscles.  Obviously, there's a major lack of exercise here.

Thank God, I only knew of very limited details (just date and time) of J. Bond's challenge.  Otherwise, I would have freaked out and denied him of his participation.  Details were only shared after (J. Bond's way of sharing bike stories these days) -- a total of 27 kilometers of biking uphill towards the highest peak of the Cordilleras, and with 3 stations to complete (a part of which where all had to carry his/her bike).  A co-biker only reached station 1, station 2 was the steepest and J. Bond completed all 3 stations!

Watch this Part 1 video that shows where J. Bond and his co-courageous bikers were off to.  Can't wait for Part 2 to be posted.



Casa Vallejo, Baguio

Lots have been said regarding Casa Vallejo's ghostly apparitions.  As soon as I confirmed my 3-day room reservation, a number of "Why there?"... "There are ghosts there!".... were said with an unshattering conviction.  In fact, the wonder and questions continued all throughout my stay ... "Did you see or feel any ghost?".  "How about that old mirror that is believed to be a portal?".  But no one amongst who asked and wondered experienced the ghost firsthand.  All are based on stories, hearsays, and the net.

I ignored and swallowed a brave front for choosing convenience over ghostly stories since this boutique hotel is less a block away from Session Road.  Yet, in a location relatively secluded and semi-quiet.  If we speak of ghosts anyway, I am, without a doubt, have seen something odd in a suite where J. Bond and I stayed last year.  You'll see last year's accommodation here.  Imagine a shadow that crossed your path while at the height of prepping up, then ended its stroll by entering a nearby walk-in closet and never to be seen again. I froze. J. Bond, on the other hand, felt a blow on his nape while on a  conference call.  While a friend took solace under his sheets when the bathroom shower turned on then off by itself. We have not returned since then.  I don't think we ever will.

The fact is, I was drawn  to Casa Vallejo's story.  A structure that long stood since 1909.  A detention center for German prisoners of war in 1917.  A dormitory in the 1920s, then transformed into a hotel by an entrepreneur named Salvador Vallejo. A British and Indian refugee center in 1940.  Survived World War II's Japanese bombing. Hit by an earthquake in the 1990s.  And, one of the oldest remaining American structures in Baguio.  I am inspired by stories, structures, and things from the past.  Unfortunately, old and past in some way connote ghosts.

Old photos  that speak of Casa Vallejo's story.

Except for a black butterfly that hovered around our room door for 3 days, no ghostly apparations were seen nor felt.  But I believe this experience would have been on the peculiar side if my third eye Mom and Sister Anna were around.  I have no third eye (thank God!), but I can sense (Only if  turned on. Most of the time, it is on off mode.).  So for now, I hold on to my own happy experience and leave it at that.

Like what I said, I was inspired by Casa Vallejo.  Its story I believe will continue to loom like a ghost for as long as it stands, but it is precisely in its nostalgic sense that had led me to choose this place for this year's Baguio trip. I thought of booking a room during our multiple trips last year.  But fear from overheard ghostly stories took over. This year, I took the risk.  I enjoyed.   

Hill Station, Casa Vallejo's in-house restaurant. The charming discoveries in every nook and corner were a feast as well. J. Bonds claims that the entire structure and its positioning are my cup of tea. Let's put it this way, if I were to open my bead store in Baguio, Casa Vallejo would be my top choice. And if I were to take things a notch higher, I dream of building my own quaint boutique hotel someday just like Casa Vallejo.

Inside Hill Station,  a ballroom in the olden times.  Lovely.

Hill Station's little bar for after dinner cocktail drinks.

Way to Mt. Cloud, Casa Vallejo's quaint and lovely bookshop, and Cinematheque,their home of art films.

Charming accents found around Mt. Cloud .

Cinematheque.

A gift and novelty store that sells scents, candles, oil burners, wind chimes and the like.

I treated my aching back to a one hour and 30-minute Hilot session on our 2nd day at North Haven Spa.

 The only ghostly figures I saw displayed near the spa.

Another batch of ghostly figures for sale.

This shirt hit it right...The mind is everything.  What we think we become. - Siddharta Gautama... No ghost was seen nor felt. I may have shut it off.  What I saw and brought back home were charm and  a dozen of inspirations.  The supposed ghosts of Casa Vallejo are all in the mind.  But let's see on my next trip.  I told Anna (Casa Vallejo's front desk attendant) and Mitos Y. (Hill Station owner) that I will definitely return.  Hopefully soon.



Thank You

I am in Baguio.  And before I get going with my activities lined-up for the day, I'd like to take time to give thanks.

Thank you for the cool relaxing weather.  I froze last night but I did not mind.  This rarely happens anyway.

The reason why I am in Baguio, J. Bond's participation in Globe's Cordillera Challenge.  This photo was taken at 5:30 this morning.  Thank you for keeping J. Bond safe (and in one piece) despite accidents and bruises from his previous courageous acts  of conquering rocky and thorny mountain trails.

Christmas 2011, our annual get-together.  I am grieving and I am still in denial.  I thought it would come easier than expected.  But I was wrong. This morning came the realization and tears.  Thank you dear LUKE  for the left and right shoulders I have once cried on (which you have never ceased to tease me about), for being an obedient driver on days I needed a ride, for spending time with me and the rest of the gang in the south whereas you live in the north, for the plenty treats and the money loaned when Market Market was launched (which took years for Patti and I to repay.  Lol!  I know this drove you crazy.), for being my beck and call Kuya (older brother), and for the many many years of true friendship.  I will miss you!  Rest well... Lukey (in yellow).



A necklace for Moms on Mother's Day

Times Square, New York, Nov '09.  This photo was taken while we waited for Mom get off from work. Times Square was our designated meeting place. I think of this photo as extra special since it was at this moment when By Beaded Story's Mother's Heart necklace came to mind.

Early 2010, I came out with my very first Mother's Heart necklace as a form of tribute to my Mom on Mother's Day.  With a mix of glass, ceramic and wood beads, the arrangement highlights lovely medals of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Earlier arrangements were long in length, and may be worn long or in double loop. 

The first pieces were sold in a bazaar.  I sold only three, out of ten, and those who purchased were devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Surprisingly, the weak outcome was no bother at all.  I continued making more even with no sales.

Tita Cyn's Lourdes pilgrimage in 2011.  Around her neck is a Mother's Heart necklace (less the green ribbon which served as I.D. holder).

Tita Cyn wore the Mother's Heart arrangement of the Our Lady of Guadalupe all throughout her pilgrimage.  She returned home with lots of stories regarding great praises for the necklace she wore.  I was fluttered.

Then, my journey with my Mother's Heart collection took a great turn by end-2011.  All my pieces were sold in bazaars and in Sonya's Garden.  I thought a miracle happened :)

This year, I enhanced the arrangement a bit.  It is now composed of eight-layered beaded strands, with charms and crystal beads as new features.  The arrangement highlights one big medal and two same sized medals.

Length is shorter compared to previous years due to painful hands and shoulders.  Sorry about that.  But I can customize the length only if requested.

One thing sure, this journey had evolved into something grander than originally planned. I devote and commit to making more for as long as my hands can.

Visit FACEBOOK to view the collection in detail.  For queries or orders, you may send your email to bybeadedstory@gmail.com.