Iya Chronicles - A letter to Sofia

Dear Sofia,

This is not a time-capsule that should be opened after 50 years. Rather, it is an unsealed letter, which I hope you will discover decades from now when some of your forbears have already gone, and the circumstances surrounding your birth may have either been lost or forgotten, in the interminable grind of life.

Even before you were born you were an unseen magnet - a unifier. From Virginia to San Jose and San Diego your busy uncles and aunt trooped to Bakersfield like migrating salmon leaping through rushing rivers to unite at the shallow streams where life starts, because they knew that you would be born.

A few nights before your first yell, your kin were already celebrating your imminent appearing over mugs of beer and plates of delicious food.

In the main limelight was your mom under the watchful eyes of the doctors. Her blood pressure was precariously high and her kidneys were starting to buckle under the strain. The decision to bring you out ahead of the safest allowable date weighed heavily on the doctors' minds. 

You too were being monitored and the first sign showing that your mom's condition was also affecting you was the urgent signal to deliver you by cesarean section. 

While on the operating table the first thing the surgeon noticed as he looked into the incision of your mom's uterus was the umbilical cord neatly coiled around your neck, not once, but twice. The decision to bring you out by cesarean section was then not only the best... it was your only safe option. From then on you would be considered by the doctors as a miracle.

I don't have the slightest idea of what you would have become 20 - 30 years from this writing, but I trust that God's presence in your first breath will always keep you trusting Him and sharing His love to others.

just look at the smile on your grandpa and grandma's faces. Uncle Benny drove 4 hours from San Jose just to be there for you.

 Aunt Elaine and uncle Banjong... from San Diego and Virginia.

The hospital where you were born... don't mind the riotous 

crowd in front.

 your dad and mom dressed and ready for the operating room

 your ever supportive grandmother

finally you're out...but you go straight into our own bubble for a few days until your lungs fully mature. you also had to be treated for a spike of bilirubin in the blood.

The photo before your uncles and aunt head back to their own worlds.

I hope you enjoyed my own perspective of your birth. I'm in Bangkok Thailand - half a world from where you were born, as I tap this letter on the computer. We also had a small gathering here to celebrate your life.

I love you,

Lolo Sunni

you know that you've aged in years when...

...your kids invite you to their housewarming and all you are allowed to do is hold a mug of ice cold beer while everyone else takes care of the chores that you usually do during parties.

chores like cooking...

(i'd really love to cook in this brand new kitchen)

...and arranging flowers

or just simply clowning around

... when every one around the table looks younger than you

...when your kids can cook a better version of your recipes

...and salads are the only dish on the table that don't

have an adverse effect on your body chemistry.

...when your kids tell you not to indulge too much on the yummy ice cream cake that you know is the best because your wife made it.

...when you have a big granddaughter

who is large enough to fit in her aunt's dresses

...when you're not the first guy into the pool anymore.

but the first out of it because you can't stand the cold

...when balancing on these contraptions isn't as easy

as it seems to be.

... and when you can't steady your hands long enough for 

good night shots from the balcony of the condo.

Like they say - age is just a number, which i swear is true. How the people around you relegate you to a spectator from the usual performer that you are is another role that i will in time learn to play well.

How to transition from the old year to the new

Essential ingredients for this activity: 

         1. one old year

         2. one new year

         3. two days and one night

         4. one Family

         5. a pint of wit 

         6. a dash of humor and

         7. all the love in the world

Instructions:

Make sure that all the members of the family are present. non-members may not join just so the attention on each participant will not be spread out too thin to the point of neglecting some legit member. Relatives, friends, neighbors and co-workers will have their time in the course of the year.

Move out of your residence for the moment. A place that you haven't been to and with awesome amenities is best to add a touch of thrill and intimacy. A suite on the 16th floor overlooking the most picturesque part of the resort will hold better memories.

Book a gala new year's dinner and dress up for it in comfortable casuals. Stiff and formal attire may be too restrictive for the dance that is part of this activity.

Join in the count-down activity while making sure that each family member is just an arms-length away. hugging and kissing is imperative at the stroke of 12. Make sure you indulge the alcoholic drinks moderately to give just the right amount of high without falling asleep too early.

Bedtime is flexible. Some games and more food and drink may cap the night before getting that well-earned sleep.

Wake up the next day anytime you want. Early, will give you a good dose of sunrise while waking up late will give more feeling to the holiday.

Enjoy your breakfast slowly. Make sure the family is all around one table. Offer to get food for someone and help each other out with unfinished food on the plate.

A swim or just lazing around the pool until check out time is the best way to maximize your stay.

After checking out, drive to a place where the family hasn't been to before. Crossing the Bhumibol bridge 1 & 2 will give a feeling of grandeur.

You can take a ferry across the Chao Phraya river to add thrill and excitement. It will also give a taste of how the pre-bridge era people went about their lives.

Exit the ferry and drive to a place that they call the "green lung of Bangkok." the satellite image shows why it is called as such. no malls, no commercial buildings, no parking lots, no congested streets, etc. just country roads and residential structures.

Coffee break at a quaint roadside shop will help shake off the hangover.

Drop by Bang Nam Pheung floating market and try out the slingshots. 

Head back over the same bridge but this time with a better view of the city of Bangkok.

Late lunch of delicious Mexican food and San Miguel beer at La Monita is one great way to end this activity. 

Note: The most important ingredient in this activity is the presence of God and that we acknowledge that He is the giver of life and happiness. 

Thank you Jesus for another year for this family!

a pedal-pusher's confession

Biking is euphoric, but not orgasmic... or maybe - yes.

the following contrasting scenarios prove the point:

first scene: 

8 hours of sitting at the office with your fingers at the keyboard. you shift your butt side-side and forward-back. you stretch a leg and then the other then you take a small stroll to the toilet and back. that's it!

second scene:

you jump on the saddle, kick the pedals and gain momentum through the river of cars. wind pushes on the face and ears. you try to beat the red light at the junction or pass a bus that has just left the bus stop. a high bridge looms before you and you climb it with your heart in a wild gallop. down the opposite side is a rush without a care in the world.

the year 2015 saw the following fulfilled:

1. total kilometers done: 3,524. for an idea on the distance, the  Aparri to Jolo road distance is 1,809km)
2. total elevation gained: 7,982 meters
3. total time on the saddle: 183:16:08
4. total number of trips: 102
5. weight lost: from 82 kg to 75.5 kg = 6.5kg gone
6. waist circumference reduction: 36 to 33 = 3 inches less
7. blood pressure stabilized at 130/75 when before it was 140/90
8. regular prostate massage = BPH gone and voiding is unhindered
9. number of accidents: 1 (had to brake hard to avoid a taxi that    stopped so suddenly, grazing a knee on the pavement in the process)

   

Christmas Ride 2015

Christmas for the filipino staff at Yanhee Int'l Hospital means driving to the farm of Dr. Suphot in the province 55 to 65 kilometers from Bangkok (depending on the route taken). 

This year a bicycle came in handy to take this biker to the farm. It was 12:45 when the trip began and the noontime heat was turned on full blast.

traffic at highway 9 - Kanchanaphisek, was moderate. This is the best setup for biking because the bike travels faster than the cars

and the chance of being hit by a speeding car is much less. That is the Westgate mall at Bang Bua Thong.

Mir beside the icon of Nakhon Pathom province where you can find the

most tasty pato in Thailand. Scramble the letters of Nakhon Pathom and you can end up with Khaon Patho... which means "eat duck" in the cebuan dialect :-)

the boundary marker between Nakhon Pathom and Nonthaburi provinces

dirt road biking with fresh and sweet air, which made this cyclist
miss motherland so much.

party!!!

the next morning finds Mir parked by some prawn farm for a selfie

mr. sun is inching his way over the tree-tops through

the thick haze in the direction of Bangkok.

fields of sweet potatoes - kamote.

breakfast by the road = pa tong ko and coffee-flavored nam tau hu.

this treat was unexpected because the season was long past.

the lady was just putting up her display and this guy was her first customer for the day. the durian was 80 Baht/kg, but she gave it for 60 Baht because Thais don't like ripe and soft durian. they say the smell is too strong and the meat too soft and yucky when it is ripe - just perfect for the pinoy cyclist.

the gps tracing of the trip to the farm

1,138 calories spent felt so good.

the trip back to Bangkok through a shorter route.

Celebrating Christmas on the road at the countryside was exhilarating and fun. Happy birthday to my Savior and King - Jesus.