Friday, August 25, 2006

Friday 13

Quite possibly the most verbose 13 list ever. However, I felt like divulging what to me are the highlights of my childhood.

1. I once kissed a hot kettle on the stove because I didn’t want to get my fingers burned (I wanted to see if it was hot, you see). I went around with toothpaste on my burned lips for a week.

2. My sister kissed the frozen ice in the freezer because she was feeling hot. Her lips promptly got stuck (runs in the family huh?). What followed was pandemonium as my parents and Lola tried to figure out how to break her lip lock with the freezer. My youngest sister came by and while everyone was distracted, suddenly pulled my sister from the freezer. After the screaming, we all looked (fascinated) at the chunk of flesh from her lip that was left in the ice.

3. My grand-aunt has lived with us since I was four months old. She’s still with us, together with her older sister (my grandmother), and they have a grand time teasing my kids.

4. There are currently four generations of women living in our house: my grandmother, my mom, me and my daughter Faith. One of these days, I will get around to taking a photograph.

5. (Whisper) I have a goofy dad. He used to wear a makeshift grass skirt (made out of coconut leaves) and dance the hula in the street in front of our house. Now he’s a goofy grandpa and the kids love it.

6. My sister once fell naked from the guava tree in our backyard (she wasn’t hurt) because she was hiding from our maid who wanted to give her a bath.

7. Remember the infamous brownouts that plagued Manila years ago? My sisters and I spent the hot and humid evenings up on our roof, looking up at the stars and daydreaming for hours about who we were going to marry.

8. We were at the top of a mountain where my grandfather grew dalandan trees; I started running to catch up and couldn’t stop because of the incline. I was going faster and faster, screaming for my dad and in desperation, I grabbed my sister as I sped by. She was picking her way slowly through the trees and she got dragged with me – we kept going until my legs gave and I stumbled on the wet grass. She ran smack into a dalandan tree. I laughed my head off while she was (understandably) furious at me.

9. My cousins and I loved to swim in the river whenever we visited our grandparents in the sleepy small town of Sta. Maria, Laguna. One time, after swimming for more than an hour in the river we noticed this huge mound of carabao poop floating in the water.

10. Favorite past times in the province – playing shatong (which I was never good at), catching dragonflies, racing up and down the baboy kural, and when we were older, endless games of pekwa and pusoy dos by the light of the gas lamp.

11. At the height of the manananggal scare in Manila, my sisters and I got hysterical when we saw a shadow move across the bay window of our room. We ran screaming from the room only to be blocked from opening it by my youngest sister who got squashed across the door in our rush to open it. So there we were, alternately calling for my dad (who couldn’t come in because the door was locked) and trying to shove each other out of the way until we could drag our sister from the door to open it. I think we all slept in my parents’ room that night.

12. Weekend mass and dinner out afterwards is a sacred family ritual that we all look forward to. Boyfriends allowed. :D

13. If I don’t post anything after this one, it means my sisters have killed me.

7 comments:

Ces Adorio said...

Menchie!!!

This is a fabulous Thursday 13. Not verbose at all. I loved every word. It meant more laughter.

You have a wonderful family.

You were full of mischief. You Father is so cool.

Please, please,please Menchie - do not delay. Take photos of your four generations. You are blessed. I never knew my grandmothers. I heard they were fabulous women.

Take photos as often as you can. Take photos of your children with your parents, with you.

My parents passed away but I have so many memories and photographs - my Father was a photographer.

I understand if your sisters go berserk, but they probably share your great sense of humor.

Menchie said...

Ces,

Yes, it's a riot when all of us get together. Can you imagine our family dinners? Someone I know got it right when he said, "magkakakabit ang mga bituka ninyo." Promise to get on the picture project right away (am so tamad) -- and post it.

Have a good weekend. :D

Anonymous said...

hey, mench! haven't been here in a while, glad to see things are great as ever (if not better). let's meet up with the old carpool soon - maybe elisa's housewarming. cheers, Jong

Maria said...

Hilarious! I couldn’t stop laughing here, good thing my boss is out, otherwise, he’d catch me making P.O…

Grabe, ang saya talaga ng mga posts mo!

kj said...

hello. ces told me you were a riot, and it is true. i hope you post more thursday 13's. i loved learning about your life.

kj

Menchie said...

Oh kj, hi! I've visited your blog too and love the pictures of your house. It looks so cozy and peaceful -- the outdoor jacuzzi is so cool!

Anonymous said...

Funny! Grabe! naiyak na ko sa kakatawa! esp #8...i imagine you running down that mountain, not knowing how and when to stop...hehehe!