THE GREAT SUPER BLAH-BLAH!! October 2006

One day, my then 4-year old boy, Basti, jumped from nowhere and went, "Tantananan... It's me!!! Super BLABLAH!!"

Not being in the best of moods, I totally ignored the entrance and just said, "That's nice, Moymoy," without looking.

"No, Mama... Look at me...Look at me... I'm a super hero," he emphasized more seriously.

After reading loads of parenting books and not wanting to kill the imagination and creativity of my sumo wrestler, I decided to play along.

"So which Superhero are you this time? Are you Superman, Batman,Spiderman...etc...?"

"I'm Super BLAHBLAH! And I'm cute too," answered my little hero.

Puzzled, I asked..."What's your super power?"

"Aside from flying, when my enemy is there, I just say 'BLAH!' and he disappears! I'm galing 'no, Mama?"

"Okay...and where did you get the name?" I insisted in knowing.

"O, kasi Mama when you're on the phone and talking to your friends, you say, 'Apparently... and then she said...BLAH BLAH BLAH.' I looooove your stories, Mama."

Okay, okay, okay ....the mom is a great story teller. Worst...I'm raising an eavesdropper! "So may I ask who is your arch enemy, Super BLAH-BLAH?"

"Oh, he's the evil "Bad Word Master!" he replied with much gusto. All right, this boy can pull together a great theme for a short story.

"Do you have a side kick?"

"But of course... He's my good friend Polite Expression!" What can I say... brilliance runs in the family.
After being drowned by hugs and kisses from Super Mama... off went SuperBlah Blah to his next adventure and/or misadventure.

After several days, I heard a brawl happening between Kuya and Moymoy. I heard Moymoy saying 'You're STUPID!' to his kuya.

"I thought you're Super BLAH BLAH, why are you saying bad words?!"

Struggling through the hikbis, Basti replied, "Mama, don't you know that I'm also my worst enemy....and I can't help it."

If that's not depth, I do not know what you call it....Have a great day!!

Super Mama with Super BLAH-BLAH, now 5 years old, Monterey, Ca. April 2007.

WHY IT'S HOT TO BE 40 AND OVER - A Mother's Day Greeting!

For a Mother's Day gift, a good friend of mine introduced me to the wisdom of Andy Rooney. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet him personally. If I did, we would've been immediate best friends.

Well, for one thing he nailed my sentiments about the big 40 right on the head. As we get older with age, we struggle for time with concerns related to family, finances, household, and what have you. As much as we would like to get on with all these priorities, we often fail to attend to the single most important person ... OURSELVES. "How can we love our spouses, children, others, if we can't simply love ourselves?" goes my mantra.

True, there is an art in aging gracefully. It takes, time, effort, support from our spouses, and a deep love for oneself. Though the intent is strong, it is sadly often neglected.

After I got widowed, I opted to go back to corporate life in an effort to regain some sort of structured routine. In the process, time for exercise and gym became early buffet breakfast meetings, south beach diet became North Park cuisine instead, and my disciplined bed time hour of 9pm, was replaced by happy hours until the wee hours.

Oh boy! The result was an aged, sluggish, overweight woman who started looking like her own mother in her 50's. The 15 pound weight gain was too much to handle that it actually added to my depressed state. In an effort to find structure, I lost my wellness routine.

I needed to learn to love myself again. I have no husband to assure me of acceptance inspite of my new shape nor to support me in trying to look good again. Besides, have no significant other to look good for. I just had myself to work on. More importantly, I got reacquianted to the wonderful world of choices. It's back to selecting activities and companions that make me happy and comfortable. This time, I made a sound choice to care and love thyself. The rest was history.
Please read on and feel empowered that inspite of the dissappearing abs (at my heaviest, the 4 pack became 1 big ab), sagging triceps, bottoms "up" (or mostly down), racoon eyes, and crows feet, the big 40 is not something to dread about. There is a deeper insight to the following reading below and a bountiful of wisdom for us mature and spritually enriched women who are about to reach this age or going through the wonderful adventures the 40's can offer.

For the "Hot Moms" out there, consider this my advanced Happy Mother's Day Greeting and for those about to or yet to be moms, something to ponder about.

Take care of yourself. More importantly, engage in activities that will make YOU happy. Learn to enjoy your own company. Make time not only for your health and wellness but also for the ONE who sees and knows all the desires of your heart. As I would always say, "In the midst of sufferring, NEVER EVER look the part." Be well and remember God loves you in whatever shape, size or form. :-)

"There is definitely a GOD!!!"
Palawan, May 10, 2007

60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

1. A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.
2. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.
3. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.
4. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.
5. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.
6. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk or if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?"

Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage! Andy Rooney is a really smart guy!?