Belated Happy Birthday Mom

My New Year was spent as a busy one. Before new year, it was mostly packing up things in preparation of moving to a new house my sister-in-law bought. And when we got here, it was mostly moving things from the garage to the room, helping out with Mama and Papa (my in-laws) with their stuff as well.

At the new location, we had no phones yet with overseas capabilities. My computer was still into separate parts, so I could not go online either. And once I got online, the data-center unplugged my server due to another hack attempt.

When I got online it was mostly web server upgrades, system software upgrades, and whatever security updates I could find and do. Then I messed things up with some scripts but finally got it working before any of my clients got mad and called me up.

Right now, I still can’t call my Mom to greet her a happy birthday. But I am taking this opportunity to write a letter for my Mom for her belated birthday greeting.

I guess mostly everyone thinks their mother is a great mother. I am no exception; I believe my mother is great mother too. And let me enumerate why.

1. My Dad was a chef, my Mom was a housewife, but my Mom cooks very well. She tries new things she sees on TV sometimes, and sometimes her first shot at it may not be the best, but you know it will get there. I see her as a evolving cook. She still finds it a puzzle on what to cook per day. She feels paulit-ulit na lang niluluto n’ya. (her cooking is just going over and over again) And she finds it hard to think on what to cook next. But whatever she decides to cook, I am sure it will taste good. Comparing it to my Dad’s cooking, Mom is no match, but comparing Mom’s cooking with every house I have eaten at, Mom cooks better than most.

2. Mom prioritizes others before her own children. Even in simple things, the food dishes she chooses, she makes sure that everyone will like it. She keeps in her head, the list of dishes the people like and do not like. And prepares everyone’s favorite. She makes sure she has something for everyone. If Rene, Marcia, Allan Go are at the house, she secretly prepares the foods she knows they will like. When she gets that done, then she will think if I and my sister will eat it.

When she buys clothes when she has a lot of money, like when she wins Mahjong, she’d go out to SM and buy something. She buys things for Rene, Marcia, Allan Go, syempre kung may sobra lang, saka kami ni Ats. (of course, only if there is excess, that’s when she buys something for me and Ats)

But I totally do not feel bad about it. In fact I feel good about it. Because this is where I can see how she values the people we love too. Unahin muna ang hindi kadugo, bago ang kadugo. (Treat first those who are of different blood before those with the same blood.)

3. As a kid, even until I grew up, Mom never got mad at me in front of other people even if she is really mad already. She will just say let’s go home or stuff like that. But once you get home, that’s when you have to prepare. If you are already at home with some friends, she will even call you in a very nice tone, pretending she needs some assistance with something in the room. She makes it a point that you do not get scolded in front of other people.

4. When me and my sister were young, if ever I had my girlfriend at home, or my sister had her boyfriend at home. And are left in the living room with no one else around, I could sneak a kiss or two, or even a good smooch while my Mom was in the room. And whenever my Mom goes out of the room, she’d be humming a tune of an unknown song. Pretending to be humming something, but she is just actually warning us, saying like “hey, I’m coming, so you better stop whatever things I do not supposed to see.”

5. Mom balances friends well. She befriends anyone and is often in between two people who are not friends, even enemies at times. But she still manages to handle everything well.

6. Mom is not at ease when she knows someone is mad at her for some reason. Even when they are not, she just thinks they are.

7. Mom is the only person that gives me no-interest, no-definite payment time loan. And even if my credit record is so bad with her, I can still avail the emergency loan as long as I promise early payment time.

8. Source ng tsimis. (of gossips)

9. Mom has a guilt feeling that Ats did not grow up the way I did, since she did not allow Ats to go to parties and other celebrations.

10. Mom loves her own son-in-law and daughter-in-law like her own children.

11. Mom is very religious

12. Mom is paranoid, always thinks I will get into an accident I BMX and Taekwondo.

13. Mom is humble. Hindi nakikipagsabayan sa mga mommies na walang kinuwento kundi ang magaling nilang anak. (She does not compete with stories of other mothers that tell nothing but great stories of their children.)

14. Mom believes in you. And she worries about my problems even if I do not consider them problems.

15. Mom is my number 1 cheerleader even for the simplest achievements that even I do not celebrate since they are no big deal to me.

16. Mom always gets up in the morning to prepare breakfast for everyone that is leaving the house early in the morning.

17. Mom dresses up well for any occasion, looks young and strong for her age.

18. Mom does not know how to get mad at others, she just bangs the whole place up, slamming doors and everything so you need to be a good decipherer of her actions to get the picture.

19. Simple lang naman kasiyahan ni mommy, mag shopping pag may pera. (Mom just has a simple happiness, to go shopping when she has money.) So if she gives you something, even if you do not need it, accept it and say thank you. It will make her happier than say something like, naku saying naman Mommy, hindi ko kailangan yan, pinera mo na lang sana. (oh no Mom, I really do not need that, how I wished you gave me money instead.)

20. A natural talented ballroom dancer. She did not need any ballroom lessons, she just danced a lot when she was young.

21. She is afraid of the dentist, so she brushes her teeth well. And she did a good job, all her teeth are strong and just has one false tooth. That she takes off when eating. She has the best way of doing it. She just gets a small piece of tissue, gives out a small cough, and presto, that’s it. Her move is as swift as David Copperfield. Now you see it, now you don’t.

22. Mom is not that good in math, logic or analytical thinking. But for some reason, she is good in Mahjong. And Mahjong requires good analytical thinking just like any other thinking game.

23. Mom did not finish highschool, but all the lessons in life I needed to learn outside of school, mom has filled up a large part of it. Although I believe Mom was over protective and served me too much, it did not make me too dependent and lazy, just a little bit lazy. Nyahahaha.

24. Mom can read people well. She can tell if someone is really a good person or not. She kind of just has a hunch, it may be wrong sometimes but often they are true. I can see she kind of detects liars in a way, but I wonder why she believed all my lies when I was kid? They were not too many, but maybe she was just pretending she believed me.

25. Super babaw tulog ni mama. (Mom’s sleep is super shallow) And a ring of the phone will always wake her up no matter how deep her sleep it.

26. Mom never gets sick. Well nearly never gets sick. But when she does, she is really, really sick.

27. Mom does not really like the dogs and cats 100%. But she keeps them there since they are pet’s of my Dad and me. I hope Cornicor is still alive, Cornicor is the only pet that knows Dad. And I think Mom has a good bonding only with Cornicor. But Babycor is starting to follow her mom Cornicor in being malambing and not wild that much.

28. Mom is part of the digital divide. The older generations somehow cannot embrace technology that well. But Mom is a texter. She learned well her cellphone talents. And knows how to set the time in the TV with remote control. Give any washing machine and she can figure it out. I guess that is the only technology she has embraced. 😀

I want to say more about Mom, but three clients are chatting with me. One redesign deal, one about billing and another for their testimonial.

Well isang dakilang ina ni Mommy (Well she is one great Mommy). I would not be how I am if not for everything I learned from my Mom. Thanks and Belated Happy Birthday!

I love you and miss you.

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