"There,that should do it." I said to myself with some degree of satisfaction, as I gave the plumber's wrench one final turn. Now, all I had to do was turn the main water valve on to see if I had done a good job at replacing our kitchen sink faucet.
All in all, I had been working on this project for four days already.
It all started one Saturday when our maid,Cheche, pointed out that the leak coming out of our kitchen sink faucet was getting stronger. My kneejerk response of course, was to regulate the water flowing into the faucet by adjusting the water valve under the sink. Easy to do...no major expense.
"If I lessen the flow of water going up the faucet, the leak just might stop. Right?" I reasoned.
"Eeeehh. Wrong!"( to the sound of the buzzer in "Family Feud.")
To my dismay I found out that even if I completely shut off the water valves, water still continued to come out of the faucet. Major problem!
So now, even the water valves...not only the faucet... were defective and needed to be replaced.
Since this was going to be a major undertaking, I decided I might as well change all the pipes and fittings that were old and rusted.
I have to admit I was excited about doing this project by myself. I just recently had success installing a new handheld bidet in our bathroom so I figured I could do this.
SUNDAY:
The following day,Sunday, I bought a new Danze kitchen sink faucet assembly which had a flexi sprayhose attachment. This, plus the pipe fittings,teflon tape and water valves cost me a little over two thousand bucks.
The first thing I decided to work on was to remove the metal plug that was covering the hole for the sprayhose. This should have been a breeze except that I found out that the screw which kept it in place was so covered with rust I couldn't just unscrew it.
" No problemo! There's always WD 40 to take care of these things," I told myself. So I took my can of this all purpose anti-rust cleaner and generously sprayed the stuff on the screw. After a few seconds I tried turning the lock nut...nada! Zilch! It didn't even turn a wee bit.
This was supposed to be the easy part, and I had already hit a snag. If I couldn't remove this plug I wouldn't even be able to install the sprayhose.That would render the whole project useless, and would mean P 1,894 down the drain.
"There's a solution to every problem!" I psyched myself as I surveyed the situation and thought of another strategy.
After closely studying the metal plug and how it had been put in place I had an "Aha!". I discovered it had been glued to the sink so all I had to do was cut around it and I would be able to pull it out!
Taking my trusty old NT Heavy duty cutter, I slid its blade through the edge of the plug and started cutting through the glue. In just a few minutes the plug came off! I was back on track.
I was pumped up by this minor success so I proceeded with the next major step: removing the old faucet assembly.
This wasn't going to be a pushover. I accepted this fact when I saw how rusted the retainer screws were under the faucet. In vain, I tried to give it the WD 40 treatment but I must have been hoping for a miracle! (I was also beginning to lose faith in the product.)
What complicated the whole thing was that I had to do the work under the sink in a cramped little space. I didn't have much leverage with the wrench or the pliers I was using to turn the rusted lock nut of the retainer screw.
I decided to give it a rest for the meantime and come back to it after siesta. Perhaps I would figure out a solution to rusted screw problem by literally sleeping on it.
After my nap,I told Jaja about the obstacle and she suggested we call in Mang Dolpo, the resident plumber to have a go at it. Grudgingly, I agreed to having the expert brought in.Well after all, he doesn't even charge anything for a job. So...
When Mang Dolpo arrived and we told him what the problem was, he didn't say much. He just got a wrench,asked for a flashlight (which unfortunately we didn't have) and crawled under the sink and tried doing what I had unsuccessfully done earlier.
After some time, Mang Dolpo came out from under the sink and mumbled,"Ang hirap.Kalawang na talaga."Before he left, he suggested that an option would be to just use a steel saw and cut through the whole assembly. I said I'd give it a thought. Jaja gave him some money for his trouble.
I felt vindicated by his failure after all he was supposed to be the expert. I also felt challenged by the whole thing so I resolved to get this done within the week.
MONDAY AND TUESDAY:
During the next two days I went back under the sink and tried everything I could think of to get the lock nut to budge. In desperation I even tried using my power drill on the nut hoping the shock treatment would dislodge enough rust from the screw for me to turn the nut. Still nothing!
I even searched the internet for an answer and would you believe I found one! This guy suggested using an impact screw driver, and if this didn't work use a tool that would cut the rusted nut. Finally, if all else failed he recommended using an acetylene torch!
WEDNESDAY:
The idea I got from the Net about cutting through the nut appealed to me, so this evening I gave it a try. I had a hacksaw with a carbon blade that could cut through metal and used this to do the job.I made some progress but it was tiring.
For one, the hacksaw blade was already dull on some parts. Also, because of my cramped position I had to take frequent breaks from sawing and drink lots of water since it was real hot under the sink. When I finally called it quits and checked my progress I realized I had almost cut through the whole nut. I'd be able to remove it the following day! Although I was tired and aching from all the sawing, I was able to sleep well that evening.
THURSDAY:
This was going to be the day I would make a major breakthrough in my project. After office, I went to Ace hardware in SM Megamallto buy new blades for my hacksaw.Then I headed for home excited about the prospect of finally getting one screw out of the way! That one lousy screw stood in the way of my being able to install a new faucet!
I continued work on the project after dinner. With a new blade on my hacksaw, cutting through the nut was easier. It took only about 5 minutes and I felt the nut drop! I had finally sawn it off!
My victory was short-lived though because when I tried pushing on the faucet assembly to see if it would budge, it didn't move an inch!
Adversity is the mother of creativity, it has been said, but in this case it was more like despair looking for a miracle! Perhaps it was out of frustration that I decided to give Mang Dolpo's suggestion a try.
I positioned my hacksaw on the base of the faucet assembly and started sawing away.
At first, there was some resistance as the blade cut through the rubber mount of the assembly.But as I picked up speed I started to see rust getting on the blade of the saw, then all of a sudden I felt the saw cut through something and the faucet assembly moved! I had done it!
There was another retainer screw on the other side of the faucet base so I sawed it off in no time. I quickly disconnected the brass copper tubings attached to the faucet,then afterwards removed the whole assembly from the sink.
I cleaned the area where the old faucet had been. It had a lot of rust and there were spots where glue had been applied before. When this was done, all I had left to do was put on the new pipe fittings and attach my new Danze Kitchen faucet and that would be the end of the project.
Since all week I had already visualized what I was supposed to do, I managed to connect all the pipes,angle valves and flexi hose tubings quickly. The faucet assembly itself was easy to install. The only thing I wasn't sure of was if I had wrapped the teflon tapes correctly on the threaded pipe fittings. But, I thought that was just a minor inconsequential detail. (Big mistake! I was to find out soon enough.)
Now the moment of truth. I opened the water valves under the faucet and went outside the house to open the main water gate valve.
When I returned to check on my handiwork I got a shock from what I saw.
There was water everywhere! Water was dripping from the joints of the water valve fittings. Water leaked from the flexi hoses connected to the faucet, and there was water coming out of the spray hose even if it hadn't been turned on. But the worst was yet to come.
When I lifted the lever of the faucet to the OPEN position no water came out!
Since it was starting to flood under the sink I placed a small washbasin under it to catch the dripping water. I shut off the angle valves but it only worsened the situation because now, water started spurting from the joints where I had wrapped teflon tape incorrectly.
I tried tightening the joints but that did not stop the leaks,it just lessened the flow of the water leaks. I must have looked like the cartoon character who tries to shut down a leak only to find out two more spring up somewhere.
As I was busy doing this Tasha came up behind me and asked, "Dad, can Vika, Ayana and Alex sleep over tonight?" Since I didn't answer her immediately she repeated her question.
"Tash! Can't you see I'm busy!" I snapped back at her. The deluge I was trying to control was getting on my nerves so her pestering only made me more irritable. Tasha backed off realizing that now was not the time to make a request.
After some time,I realized the futility of my efforts and accepted the fact that I just had to re-install everything again. But, I wasn't going to do it that night because I was wet and I was tired from the ordeal.
My main concern though was the water was continuing to leak at a very fast rate and I had to shut down the water main or else the whole ground floor would be flooded overnight.
I instructed the maids to put bigger basins under the sink and advised them to wash everything that needed washing because we weren't going to have any water until the next morning.
I couldn't sleep that night because I had to keep checking if the basins under the sink were starting to overflow. Fortunately, the leaks had been reduced to just water drips so the basins didn't really fill up as I feared.
I remembered a Russian proverb: "The morning is wiser than the eve." Thus consoled I managed to grab a few zzzs.
FRIDAY;
I decided not to report for work today. Since we were going to need water in the morning I opened the main water valve partially. After breakfast, I instructed Cheche to look for Mang Pablo and tell him to come over.
When he arrived I gave him a quick briefing on what I had done and what had happened. Like before, he didn't say much. He just stared at the maze of leaking pipes as if thinking of what he was going to do,(or perhaps he was chuckling to himself that I had made such a big mess!)
I watched as he started to remedy the whole situation.
He disconnected everything I had done. He tightened some of the pipes I had installed. He wrapped more teflon tape on the threaded parts ( I realized that I had used too little tape.) Then, I noticed that he didn't connect all the flexi hoses after he had re-insralled the angle valves. Rather,he turned on the water main and checked if there were leaks. (So that's what I should have done!)
When he was satisfied that there were no leaks up to that point, only then did he connect the flexi hose and the faucet assembly.
After tightening the last hose, all he had to do now was turn on the valve under the faucet.
I expected water to come out of the faucet this time, but to our surprise, water came out only from the spray hose!
(Oh no! I thought to myself. Had I bought damaged goods?Would I have to go to all the trouble of disconnecting the assembly and returning it to the True Value store at Shangrila Plaza?)
Mang Dolpo must've been puzzled too, so he did what a plumber would do in this situation. He opened up the faucet and studied its mechanism trying to figure out what was going wrong. I observed as he dismantled the faucet and I noticed that the principle of operation was simple enough.
When he couldn't unravel the cause of the malfunction, Mang Dolpo put the faucet back together and told me he had a faucet just like this one which he wanted to try out on our sink. He left to get it and while he was gone I had an idea.
I dismantled the faucet as I had observed him do it. Then I fiddled around with a part called the deflector valve which was supposed to be movable. I tried pushing and pulling it but it was stuck. I gave it one more pull and it came off. That's when I saw the cause of the problem.
Inside the hole where it came from were tiny bits of dust and dirt. I cleaned it up, re-assembled the faucet and waited for Mang Dolpo to come back.
I told him what I had done and suggested we still use the unit I bought. He reconnected the hoses and this time when we turned it on...voila! It was working properly.
Mang Dolpo did the final checks on the water lines and made sure there were no more leaks. I gave him some money for his services and made him take home some pancit for his lunch.
That Friday afternoon, I had a good siesta.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Monday, May 16, 2005
WHY I'D RATHER READ THE FUNNIES THAN THE NEWS
Yesterday I had some time to kill before going to the airport to fetch Tasha and Jaja who were coming home from Iloilo after the Palarong Pambansa. So I leisurely went through the newspaper and after reading several articles and commentaries all I felt was aggravation.
PDI was continuing a series on the PPI case and the writer painted PPI as having rigged the whole thing so they could get away with their obligations to their 34,000 plus planholders.
Ex-NEDA chief Cielito Habito narrated his experience of having to go through about 2 hours of traffic just to get to Laguna, a trip that would just take about 30 minutes if traffic had been managed properly.
There was a piece on the VAT law which basically said that the lawmakers passed on to GMA the responsibility of raising VAT to 12%.
The problem with the way journalists present news is that in the end you get a feeling that nothing's going right in this world and that we're basically doomed.
Thank God there are the funnies (aka Comics.) At least they give us something to laugh about.
PDI was continuing a series on the PPI case and the writer painted PPI as having rigged the whole thing so they could get away with their obligations to their 34,000 plus planholders.
Ex-NEDA chief Cielito Habito narrated his experience of having to go through about 2 hours of traffic just to get to Laguna, a trip that would just take about 30 minutes if traffic had been managed properly.
There was a piece on the VAT law which basically said that the lawmakers passed on to GMA the responsibility of raising VAT to 12%.
The problem with the way journalists present news is that in the end you get a feeling that nothing's going right in this world and that we're basically doomed.
Thank God there are the funnies (aka Comics.) At least they give us something to laugh about.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
THE PPI DEBACLE: A REFLECTION
Like many PEP educational plan holders, I was concerned when I got word about PPI's inability to pay the tuition fees of students covered by their plans this year. My kids tuition fees cost about P 180,000 all in all, so that would be a big drain on our finances if we had to shoulder these expenses ourselves.
When I resigned from Jollibee in August of 1999, paying for my kids' education was one thing I was worried about until my wife, Jaja, told me not to because they were all covered by PEP. I was somehow relieved then and was even thankful that she had purchased these plans (in spite of my objections then.)
Now this...
I read an article in the papers one day, and the columnist mentioned that some banker-friends of hers had been badly affected by the PPI collapse. They were bankers and yet they did not see this coming! One of them had actually invested in PEP because when he had lost his job once he realized he needed to guarantee that his kids got an education. He thought that since PPI belonged to a solid group of companies, his kids' education would be taken care of.
When Jaja went to pick up the checks for our kids' tuition this year (the last they'll be availing of) she told me stories of parents who were venting their anger at what seemed to be the unfairness of it all. One mother told her:" Pano na'yan ...di ko na mapapaaral ang anak ko sa St. Benilde."
What surprised me about the whole thing was my calmness about the matter. If this had happened about 5 years back maybe I would have worried myself sick. This time though I just seemed to take this in stride... as one of those things in life we have to cope with.
Jaja even put the tragic event in a positive perspective. She said that PEP had already paid so much more than what she had actually paid for the plans! We were lucky it had not experienced financial woes years back.
This takes me back to an insight I gained when I left Jollibee. We can make plans, and dream dreams..but in the end these are all subject to change depending on the Master Plan God has for us. So my attitude should be...since I'm not totally in control anyway...I should let God do the worrying. I'll just trust that He will in fact get us out of this jam...as He always has.
I had planned on us going to the USA next year...maybe this has to wait a little.
When I resigned from Jollibee in August of 1999, paying for my kids' education was one thing I was worried about until my wife, Jaja, told me not to because they were all covered by PEP. I was somehow relieved then and was even thankful that she had purchased these plans (in spite of my objections then.)
Now this...
I read an article in the papers one day, and the columnist mentioned that some banker-friends of hers had been badly affected by the PPI collapse. They were bankers and yet they did not see this coming! One of them had actually invested in PEP because when he had lost his job once he realized he needed to guarantee that his kids got an education. He thought that since PPI belonged to a solid group of companies, his kids' education would be taken care of.
When Jaja went to pick up the checks for our kids' tuition this year (the last they'll be availing of) she told me stories of parents who were venting their anger at what seemed to be the unfairness of it all. One mother told her:" Pano na'yan ...di ko na mapapaaral ang anak ko sa St. Benilde."
What surprised me about the whole thing was my calmness about the matter. If this had happened about 5 years back maybe I would have worried myself sick. This time though I just seemed to take this in stride... as one of those things in life we have to cope with.
Jaja even put the tragic event in a positive perspective. She said that PEP had already paid so much more than what she had actually paid for the plans! We were lucky it had not experienced financial woes years back.
This takes me back to an insight I gained when I left Jollibee. We can make plans, and dream dreams..but in the end these are all subject to change depending on the Master Plan God has for us. So my attitude should be...since I'm not totally in control anyway...I should let God do the worrying. I'll just trust that He will in fact get us out of this jam...as He always has.
I had planned on us going to the USA next year...maybe this has to wait a little.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Thursday, May 12, 2005
BEYOND 50:LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 50 YEARS
What has been said about turning 50 is true.
You find yourself slowing down a bit.
You look forward to reunions...not because you want to see your former classmates..but more to compare how young and better-looking you are compared to them.
You miss how your children were when they were cute little kids, and wished you really did spend more time with them during their growing up years.
You look at your kids now and tell yourself:"How time has flown!" and sometimes you wonder to yourself:"When will they ever finish College and get a job so they can take care of me!" :-)
You wish you had more wild sex when you still could do it! :-)
You watch your health a little bit more. You eat more healthy food, take your vitamins religiously and pay more attention to what the doctors tell you (although you don't necessarily follow what they tell you to do.) You can do away with the unhealthy food you used to gorge yourself with because you know how they taste anyway.
You start drinking more wine and enjoy more quiet times.
You're more aware of how short life is specially when your contemporaries start dying and you're attending more funerals than birthdays.
You find yourself praying more and being thankful more than ever.
You also feel great because you've reached an age other people younger than you might not even reach the way they're being stressed!
You realize you still can do a lot..it's a matter of choosing your battles because you don't really need to prove anything to anyone anymore! (Been there...done that.)
Still you find out that you still have more to learn about life, in spite of your age...and you are still fascinated about old things seen in a new light.
You are thankful for both good and bad experiences...and appreciate having gone through difficult times..because these made you a better person.
You realize that eternal love...a long-lasting love can and does exist...as long as both of you want to make it happen!
You realize that all the plans you've made and dreams you had are all temporary...and dependent on a Bigger Planner. And it would be wiser for you (and you'd be happier too)if you let Him do the worrying!
I turned 50 January 18 this year. I didn't feel any older. I know the white hairs are straining to show themselves thru the dyed hair. I can still bench press a lot of weight though it's taking me a little bit more time to recover. I can still play a mean guitar and in fact, am learning to play riffs I couldn't do when I was younger. Now, that we don't have to worry about my wife getting pregnant,we still enjoy some wild sex together.
I still can do a lot of things...and am learning a lot of new things that's making the next fifty years look a lot interesting!
You find yourself slowing down a bit.
You look forward to reunions...not because you want to see your former classmates..but more to compare how young and better-looking you are compared to them.
You miss how your children were when they were cute little kids, and wished you really did spend more time with them during their growing up years.
You look at your kids now and tell yourself:"How time has flown!" and sometimes you wonder to yourself:"When will they ever finish College and get a job so they can take care of me!" :-)
You wish you had more wild sex when you still could do it! :-)
You watch your health a little bit more. You eat more healthy food, take your vitamins religiously and pay more attention to what the doctors tell you (although you don't necessarily follow what they tell you to do.) You can do away with the unhealthy food you used to gorge yourself with because you know how they taste anyway.
You start drinking more wine and enjoy more quiet times.
You're more aware of how short life is specially when your contemporaries start dying and you're attending more funerals than birthdays.
You find yourself praying more and being thankful more than ever.
You also feel great because you've reached an age other people younger than you might not even reach the way they're being stressed!
You realize you still can do a lot..it's a matter of choosing your battles because you don't really need to prove anything to anyone anymore! (Been there...done that.)
Still you find out that you still have more to learn about life, in spite of your age...and you are still fascinated about old things seen in a new light.
You are thankful for both good and bad experiences...and appreciate having gone through difficult times..because these made you a better person.
You realize that eternal love...a long-lasting love can and does exist...as long as both of you want to make it happen!
You realize that all the plans you've made and dreams you had are all temporary...and dependent on a Bigger Planner. And it would be wiser for you (and you'd be happier too)if you let Him do the worrying!
I turned 50 January 18 this year. I didn't feel any older. I know the white hairs are straining to show themselves thru the dyed hair. I can still bench press a lot of weight though it's taking me a little bit more time to recover. I can still play a mean guitar and in fact, am learning to play riffs I couldn't do when I was younger. Now, that we don't have to worry about my wife getting pregnant,we still enjoy some wild sex together.
I still can do a lot of things...and am learning a lot of new things that's making the next fifty years look a lot interesting!
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
TASHA WINS GOLD IN GYMNASTICS AT THE PALARONG PAMBANSA
I received good news yesterday that my youngest (daughter) Tasha won the gold medal as overall champion in gymnastics (elementary level) at the Palarong Pambansa currently going on in Iloilo City. This is another feather in her cap because this time she's competing with the best among the regions all over the Philippines.
Jaja (my wife) and I unfortunately were not around to witness her victory. Jaja was in Cebu for a training program, while I was in Manila due to some prior commitments. But the important thing is Tasha won it anyway.
And to think that about a month ago I had planned on pulling her out of gymnastics for good because she didn't seem to be interested in it anymore.
It happened during the National Ranking of gymnasts. She was in the top ten who were to be ranked and they had to go through the usual 4 events: beam, bars, vault and floor,after which they would be ranked based on their performance.
Before she was to do her routine at the vault: a Tsukahara, she had an attack of the yips and started sobbing and pleading with her coach just to do a simple layout. Because she was not focused she ended up with an incomplete routine and got a zero for the vault. Although she got the highest score at the bars and second highest at the beam and floor in her category, the zero was enough to pull her to tenth place.
When word got around that I was intent on pulling her out of gymnastics,she must have been told by the other mothers to convince me that she was still interested and that she wanted to continue. She sent me a message via text stating precisely that.
When I finally got to talking to her I told her my reason. I pointed out to her that if she was to keep getting cold feet before any event she might get injured. Specially now that the skills required of her are more demanding and more dangerous. So I told her that if she was going to continue she had to pay attention to her coach and dedicate herself to practice so she wouldn't get the yips in the future. I also warned her that if I heard from her coach that she was slacking, I would pull her out.
It appears my threat may have worked.
I don't know what happened during the Palaro competition. I don't know if she made mental errors again. But am sure that Tasha must have been back in her competitive frame of mind because she won!
Jaja (my wife) and I unfortunately were not around to witness her victory. Jaja was in Cebu for a training program, while I was in Manila due to some prior commitments. But the important thing is Tasha won it anyway.
And to think that about a month ago I had planned on pulling her out of gymnastics for good because she didn't seem to be interested in it anymore.
It happened during the National Ranking of gymnasts. She was in the top ten who were to be ranked and they had to go through the usual 4 events: beam, bars, vault and floor,after which they would be ranked based on their performance.
Before she was to do her routine at the vault: a Tsukahara, she had an attack of the yips and started sobbing and pleading with her coach just to do a simple layout. Because she was not focused she ended up with an incomplete routine and got a zero for the vault. Although she got the highest score at the bars and second highest at the beam and floor in her category, the zero was enough to pull her to tenth place.
When word got around that I was intent on pulling her out of gymnastics,she must have been told by the other mothers to convince me that she was still interested and that she wanted to continue. She sent me a message via text stating precisely that.
When I finally got to talking to her I told her my reason. I pointed out to her that if she was to keep getting cold feet before any event she might get injured. Specially now that the skills required of her are more demanding and more dangerous. So I told her that if she was going to continue she had to pay attention to her coach and dedicate herself to practice so she wouldn't get the yips in the future. I also warned her that if I heard from her coach that she was slacking, I would pull her out.
It appears my threat may have worked.
I don't know what happened during the Palaro competition. I don't know if she made mental errors again. But am sure that Tasha must have been back in her competitive frame of mind because she won!
Monday, May 09, 2005
My Mom: Third Year in Tontology but a PhD in Life
My Mom's name is Anastacia "Tas" Mendoza. She never finished High School and she claims to just have reached Third Year that's why whenever she's asked about her educational attainment she proudly says:"Third Year in Tonto-logy!" (tonto- Spanish for "stupid,""dumb,""uneducated") But Mom was far from "tonto." She could talk about any topic under the sun...she had varied interests...she read the news and when she talked you wouldn't believe that she did not have a College degree.
I guess that's because she possessed a degree that many don't have...a PhD in Life.
She possessed what many men would desire of their women: beauty and brains. When I show other people the picture of my Mom specially during her younger years they always remark that she looks like this and that actress. I took pride in the fact that when I was in Grade school I had one of the prettiest moms there was in the campus. No wonder Dad fell for her.
My Dad, the late Col. Jose Mendoza, a romantic by heart wrote many a composition and even a poem about her. Our favorite was " Copper Old Gal..Can You Keep A secret?" where he talks to his horse Copper about having fallen in love with Mom.
I remember when I was still a 4 year old kid residing in Bangkok where my Dad had been assigned as an aide-de camp for the Commander in Chief of the AFP; my mom would often go to cocktail dinners dressed in an elegant cocktail dress...and she looked to me like the most beautiful woman there was.
Her being intelligent had nothing to do with getting a College degree because she never even entered College. But she extraordinary "common sense," and raising seven children with a military man's salary must have given her an education in life that one does not get from lectures or books.
I remember Daddy telling me that whenever he had to make a major decision in life, he would confer with Mommy and more often than not he would go with Mommy's instincts...and he claims Mom turned out to be right!
When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I noticed a laminated certificate hanging on the hallway of our house. It was awarded by the Philippine Army to Mom for "Pushing Hubby Through Course." I didn't understand what it was then and when I asked Mommy about it she just smiled. It was only when I was older that I learned that Dad had been going through the Adjutant General's Course and completed it. The certificate for Mom was a token award for providing Dad with moral support.
It was Mom who coaxed the best out of me. When I was in Grade 1, she noticed that I was starting to excel in academics so she encouraged me to participate in contests that were held in school. So I joined in Declamation contests, Spelling bees, and even a contest on Religion. She was may coach in all these and she worked me hard! Second best was not the object...I had to win the gold.
When I started winning medals and certificates of achievement, my confidence grew and I started gaining recognition. Of course, when I received those awards Mom was always around.
I know I made her proud and I felt good seeing her that way.
My Mom died of cancer in March,1983. She never saw me get married, and didn't get to see my kids,whom I consider my proudest achievements so far. I named my youngest child and only daughter, Natasha,a "modernized" version of Anastacia. She has taken up gymnastics and has won numerous medals in various competitions. Symbolically, I have come full circle because I am now always around during these events,the way Mom was when I was competing in contests during my elementary days.
I guess that's because she possessed a degree that many don't have...a PhD in Life.
She possessed what many men would desire of their women: beauty and brains. When I show other people the picture of my Mom specially during her younger years they always remark that she looks like this and that actress. I took pride in the fact that when I was in Grade school I had one of the prettiest moms there was in the campus. No wonder Dad fell for her.
My Dad, the late Col. Jose Mendoza, a romantic by heart wrote many a composition and even a poem about her. Our favorite was " Copper Old Gal..Can You Keep A secret?" where he talks to his horse Copper about having fallen in love with Mom.
I remember when I was still a 4 year old kid residing in Bangkok where my Dad had been assigned as an aide-de camp for the Commander in Chief of the AFP; my mom would often go to cocktail dinners dressed in an elegant cocktail dress...and she looked to me like the most beautiful woman there was.
Her being intelligent had nothing to do with getting a College degree because she never even entered College. But she extraordinary "common sense," and raising seven children with a military man's salary must have given her an education in life that one does not get from lectures or books.
I remember Daddy telling me that whenever he had to make a major decision in life, he would confer with Mommy and more often than not he would go with Mommy's instincts...and he claims Mom turned out to be right!
When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I noticed a laminated certificate hanging on the hallway of our house. It was awarded by the Philippine Army to Mom for "Pushing Hubby Through Course." I didn't understand what it was then and when I asked Mommy about it she just smiled. It was only when I was older that I learned that Dad had been going through the Adjutant General's Course and completed it. The certificate for Mom was a token award for providing Dad with moral support.
It was Mom who coaxed the best out of me. When I was in Grade 1, she noticed that I was starting to excel in academics so she encouraged me to participate in contests that were held in school. So I joined in Declamation contests, Spelling bees, and even a contest on Religion. She was may coach in all these and she worked me hard! Second best was not the object...I had to win the gold.
When I started winning medals and certificates of achievement, my confidence grew and I started gaining recognition. Of course, when I received those awards Mom was always around.
I know I made her proud and I felt good seeing her that way.
My Mom died of cancer in March,1983. She never saw me get married, and didn't get to see my kids,whom I consider my proudest achievements so far. I named my youngest child and only daughter, Natasha,a "modernized" version of Anastacia. She has taken up gymnastics and has won numerous medals in various competitions. Symbolically, I have come full circle because I am now always around during these events,the way Mom was when I was competing in contests during my elementary days.
Now I can feel what she must have felt back then.
Thanks Mom!
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