Random Question

Re House of Flying Daggers. Love scene in the woods (one of many).

Rama: Bakit 'pag naglalambingan sila, hinihingal sila?

Indescribable Pleasures

A couple of posts back, I wrote about how Rama asked permission to close her eyes and sleep. There is a sidenote to that.

The jumpseat area of the vehicle was laden with buko, so 4 adults plus Rama had to pile in the backseat. She was sitting on my lap and her legs were crossing over to Tita Krung Krung's lap. I suppose, absent-mindedly, Tita KK started gently running her fingers around and around Rama's knee. In a few, Rama got drowsy and dozed off (but not after asking permission ha!)

When she woke up, the rest of the adults had gone and it was just us.
Rama: Bago ako nakatulog, gina-ganito ni Tita Krung Krung yung tuhod ko (demonstrates on my knee). Hindi ko masabi kung ga'no kasarap.

Hindi ko masabi kung ga'no kasarap. Like the line?

Come to think of it, Rama takes a lot of pleasure in touch. She loves masahe and will ask for it. She knows 2 kinds: pampatulog and pampagising. Our reconnect at the end of the day is "Lambingan" - this involves getting horizontal and just caressing each others faces and cuddling and rubbing noses and nuzzling. A high point of the day, definitely.

She watches House of Flying Daggers and reenacts - not the fight scenes - but the love scenes. She will nuzzle my neck and ask, "Kinikilig ka?" Yes. "Ang galing ko pakiligin ka no?"

She loves kissing. On the lips. For extended periods. A la movies. I hesitate to correct this behavior; it's harmless, I think (?). At least for now.

But in public, she can get shy and will not oblige me the usual long kiss. Maybe a buzz on the cheek. :-)

Smelly Cheese

On long car rides, we have to find ways to amuse ourselves, no? Rama and I made up a simple of game: name things that smell good. So we take turns: cologne, powder, soap... To throw her off a bit, I try: "Cheese!" She disagrees, of course. "Noooooo! Di ba, yung good, good cheese, baho..."
We taught her well, yes?

Magic?

We caught Peter Pan last Saturday night. The show lived up to the fab reviews. First appearance of Peter Pan was a WOW moment. He descends onto the stage in a flurry of pixie dust (glitter), says one line - Do you believe in fairies? - as he snaps his fingers to world music, then he quickly "flies" up and off. Collective gasp from the audience. I turn to Rama, excitedly, "Nakita mo yon?!" She deadpans, "Kasi may tali..."
*0*
And if that evening we looked as dugyut as if we had just trolled through a cock-and-coconut farm in Lipa and drank buko from the shell earlier that day, it's because we did. Little did we know that a casual request for buko from Rama would lead to a major production of driving off to a fruit orchard and having the farmhands climb trees and hack away at coconuts. We enjoyed fresh buko - juice and meat scooped out with a bit of husk fashioned into some kinda-sorta scooper/spoon. Simply put, in Rama's words, "Sarap!"
I was so glad that this time we could deliver. Rama had her first buko experience in Boracay. When she asked for buko back in Makati, I was stumped and it took me a while to figure out how to grant her request. On our way to Lipa (for a fiesta lunch at Charo's), we thought that coconuts would be on hand. And they were, thanks to our gracious hosts.
After an afternoon of buko, chico, and picking fallen chicken feathers to make into pens ("parang kay Harry Potter..."), we headed back to the town proper. Rama was pooped, but had to ask, in the car, as she was about to doze off in my arms, "Pwede ko na bang ipikit ang mata ko?" Awwww.

I Heart Heart

Rama went through a Panday phase. She found Panday guapo. And Eden, of course, beautiful. In fact, one of the come-ons at the school she transferred to was that one of the main partners, Teacher Gab, is a spitting image of Heart.
One morning, waiting for Rama at Coffee Bean near her school, who walks in but... could it be... Heart Evangelista! I almost didn't recognize her, as she was wearing huge shades. So, whip out the camphone and go to Heart. "My daughter is a fan, can I have a picture?" Game! In fact, she was the one who took the pic from my camphone. And she knows her angle. She even took it twice, as the first one was a bit blurred. Turns out, she just lives in the area and was out jogging. She just popped into Coffee Bean for a cup of water.
I show the pix to Rama. And she wanted to go to the cafe - NOW. "Bakit hindi mo ako sinama?" Me: "Hindi ko alam na andun pala siya..." Rama: "Eh punta tayo..." Eventually she got it that she probably won't see Heart. I'm still hoping to run into her again. This time with The Fan.

New Year's Resolution

OC si Rama. She has always been fastidious about putting things in their place. She obsessively wipes spills. At 1, she didn't have to be told to put back her chair. She was a stickler for rules when she was in that Montessori where teachers were big on rules. "Ground rule #1, Speak softly. 2, put and pull back your chair quietly...." Etc, down to 6. Her teachers find that they only need to say "Pack away" once, and she'll follow. She knows where to find her things. Once, she thought she lost an earring. We were in a hotel room abroad. I had written it off as lost. She didn't, and quietly searched for it. We only heard from her after she found it - way under the bed. So I shouldn't be surprised about her new year's resolution, no?

Kwentong Kota Kinabalu

Went to Kota KInabalu January 12 to 15. With a bunch of other kids and Honey (The Lola). Rama was just happy at the pool with the other kids. Did horseback. Learned to sllide freestyle. And boywatched.

Dinner, Day 3.
Rama: (pasimple) May nakikita ako....
Honey: Ano?
Rama: Gwapo.
Honey: Sa'n? (Looks around). Ay, oo nga.
Rama: Oo, kamukha ni Troy.

So as we wait for our ride to the airport, guy-who-looks-like-Troy is there, too. So Honey points him out to me.
Me to Rama: Gusto mong mag-pa-picture with him?
Rama shakes head, no. So I just go over to their family and ask for a picture. I explain to him (and his mom) that "my 4 year old daughter has a crush..." They find it sweet. Turns out, his name is Malcolm. Here.

The rest of the trip home, between bato-bato-pik and running around with the other kids, Rama would come up to me and ask, "Patingin nung picture ng gwapo." So I whip out the camera. She even demands that i zoom-in! "Lakihan mo..."

Is she kerengks or what?

Eto pa. I leave her at the Kids Club where she was quietly coloring, drawing. I step out for a few minutes. When I go back in, Rama has left her group at the kids table. She was inside one of the rooms, watching cartoons, sitting next to this blonde, blue-eyed Swiss boy. When she saw me, she went back to her coloring. Did she worry that I would disapprove of the TV or the sitting-really-close to this boy?... I got his name, Moritz. But when I tried to take a picture of him by the pool, he wanted to play hide-&-seek. I would've, except I was on pool duty watching the other kids. Trust me, cutie siya.

On another note, Honey scores souvenir T-shirts at the market. Which all the kids wear on the way back home. KK airport pa lang, the shrits are stained, of course. With food and whatevs. One of the more fastidious kids (Daniellie, I think) points out to Rama: Dami na mantsa t-shirt mo.... Rama: HIndi, design lang yan.

... And this is how it all ends.

Honey packing up to go back to her place.
Rama: Bakit hindi ka dito matutulog?
Honey: Kasi kailangan ko mag-work bukas
Rama: Bakit kailangan mo mag-work?
Honey: Para may pera
Rama: Bakit kailangan mo ng pera?
Honey: Para may pambili ng food
Rama: Bakit mo kailangan ng food?
Honey: Para may makain. Chaka para may pambili ako ng cigarettes
Rama: Ay, sabi ko na nga wag ka na mag-smoke...
Honey: O sige, para may pambili na lang ako ng coke.
Pause.
Rama: Sige, mag-work ka na bukas.

Senti... NOT!

Kilitian and lambingan this morning. Exchanges of "Saya ko ikaw ang anak ko..." and Rama saying, 'Saya ko ikaw ang mommy ko..." etc etc. I just thought I'd play on a senti note so I said to Rama:

Me: Wala akong mommy...
Rama: Oo, pero meron kang muta.

Foodie?

Lunch was baked fish. Rama was calmly eating by herself. As usual, about half-way through her plate, she would want a change of scenery. Gusto kong kumain sa kanila, meaning she wanted to go to the area where her Yaya and other household help stay. Should I feel insecure that she prefers other people's company, even if we have precious little time together?! But then it works out because it seems like she eats better when with them. I don't know if it's the blaring TV or the fabulous Kuya Junior (the gay houseboy/gardener with wild curls down to his waist - but that's another post...), or could it be their food? Upon entering the area, with just a whiff of the ulam, she loudly exclaimed, UY ADOBO!!! Na-excite. Yup, it's the food... But I suppose it's the whole experience, no? Adobo + live drag show + Wowowee - how can I compete?

Noo-Del!

Friday night, it was late and Rama was playing outside with Ate Rona (yaya) and other neighborhood kids. I stepped out to check on them and caught Ate Rona laughing with the other Yayas and Yayos:

Ate Rona: Noodle… hi hi hi… Noodle
Me: Ano yun? Bakit?
Rama pipes in: Kasi, sabi nila, pasok na daw kami. Eh wala naman akong school bukas, di ba? Kaya, no deal! (complete with Kris A hand gesture)
Ate Rona: Noodle... hi hi hi... Noodle...

Deal? Or...

Snippets Lang

Car rides with Rama are almost always a delight. Here, a couple of exchanges that made me chuckle.

Rama: May DVD ba tayo na Gagamboy?
Me: Wala 'ata. Ano ba yun?
Rama: Spiderman, pero tagalog.
-0-
Rama: ... Si Rapunzel, big smile, long hair...
Me: How long?
Rama: Kasing-long ng building.
Me: Paano niya sinusuklay?
Rama: Giant suklay.

Disney Memories

Adult: Bakit ngapala wala si Jasmine sa Disneyland? Hindi siya kasama ng mga princess...
Rama: Kasi naka-bra lang siya.
Adult: So nahihiya siya...
Rama: Hindi. Malamig.

Tech-savvy Baby

A while back, Rama asked me this, to my amusement:

Mawawalan ka ba ng load?

As in cellphone load. I suspected it was prompted by comments from Yaya about, well, running out of load. So I reassured her, “Hindi, Rama, kasi naka-line ako.”

I had forgotten about that exchange until today. Part of Rama’s Christmas loot is a toy cellphone. So, playing with her, I said, “Rama, pa-text naman ako…”

Rama: Hindi ka na ba naka-line?