Accents

Breakfast this morning, waffles.

Me: C'mon, Rama! Let's have waffles.
Rama: Why do you say wah-fols? Tagalog people say it like that, wah-fol. I'm from the Phiilippines, but I can still say waffle... Or even, Niagara. Honey says Naya-gara. She can't say it like Niagara. She should just say 'water falls.' It's the same thing.

Rama's Christmas Wish 2009

Rama is already thinking of Christmas 2009. She wrote a note to Santa.

Dear Santa Clos.
I wood like a real majik wond.
From Rama

Me: Ano naman ang mama-gikin mo with your wand?
Rama: What would YOU like to have?
Me: Hmm. Nothing really. I have everything I need.
Rama: I didn't say need. I said LIKE. Ok, what's your favorite thing?
Me: Our books!
Rama: You want more books? Like books that we still don't have here in our house?
Me: You're funny.
Rama: What about a spy-er? Like you ask it, what's happening in the whole world, and it will show you?

Boyfriends

Sunday evening. We are watching Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah Zee Movie. Got a new DVD copy during our trip to the Philippines. The first copy wore out after pretty heavy rotation on our DVD.

Watching the movie again sparks some curious conversation.

Early in zee movie, Ada is so sad after meeting Lester. I was just testing whether Rama could follow the story.

Me: Why is she sad?
Rama: Lester left her. He went to a different place.
Me: Why?
Rama: Because Lester's mom doesn't want him to have a bakla girlfriend.
Me: Oh.

She goes on.

Rama: Me, I won't be sad if my boyfriend leaves. Because I won't have a boyfriend. Ever. I don't like boyfriends. I mean, I like boyfriends, but only if they're not my own.
Me: What do you mean?
Rama: Like Tita Pepper. She has a boyfriend, Tito Mark. Oh, wait. No, he's her husband now.

Weekend Round-up

We finally got around to checking out the Jurassic exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. Did other fun stuff too: simple things like rolling in the snow, paper crafts indoors, etc.

When Sunday evening came around, Rama posed a question that I think everyone I know could relate to: Why is the weekend only two days?

Random on Butter

Rama's current food fave is basic butter on bread. We were having some for breakfast, and she was bugging me about putting more butter.

Rama: I don't see the butter.
Me: Meron na yan. Sometimes, when butter melts on the bread, you don't see it. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. Just like god.
Rama: Oh. I like god. And butter.

We Don't Like Botox

While I was surfing (facebook, i think), Rama spotted an ad on the side of the screen. It was a picture of a woman getting injections on her face.

Rama: What's that?
Me: Some people have injections on their face.
Rama: Why?
Me: They don't like lines. The injections take away the lines. It's called botox.
Rama: Seriously? Even here? (points to under-eye area)
Me: Yes. Para walang lines.
Rama: Lines? They don't like lines?
Me: Yes. Here, here, here (as I point out the usual problem areas - crows feet, cheeks, etc)
Rama: You know what, my smile is really pretty. And you know why? It's because of the lines!

We Heart Boracay

The kids spend hours on end in the sand. Sand, then swim, then back to the sand.

On a tip from a dear friend B, we went "helmet diving." Rama went down twice during our trip. At first she was scared (who wouldn't be?). But got the hang of it. Eventually, she was strolling around underwater on her own. 20 feet under for 20 minutes. Amazing.

We got her a shell necklace, as a souvenir. (The necklace is one of her most prized possessions today - she wears it under layers of winter clothes.) She asked to buy another one: pasalubong for Britney. We hope to see Britney on Saturday to give it to her.

One jetlagged night, she said that the next time we visit Pilipinas, we should "go straight to Boracay."

Sharing Movies

This is Rama's way of sharing her movies with loved ones in the Philippines.

The audience in the Philippines views, via webcam, the movie playing on her portable DVD player, propped up on risers of books, CD folder, DVDs, etc. Showing tonight is Aquamarine.

Crying Ladies II

On the early morning flight from Manila to Toronto (via HK). Deja vu!

Rama, teary-eyed: I miss Honey (the lola).
Me: Ayan, naiiyak na rin ako.
Rama: Crying Ladies tayo?

Crying Ladies happened to be one movie on heavy rotation on our DVD player during our short-but-oh-so-sweet trip to Manila.

And the tragi-comedy continues: I hand her a tissue. Which I pulled from my jacket pocket. Which was soaked in White Flower.

Arrraaayyyy!

I talk her through it and manage to curb a panic attack. (The trick was to let the tears flow. Washing with water will only make it worse.) We were both reminded of a scene in Crying Ladies where they used Vicks to bring on the tears. Except Hilda Coronel put way too much Vicks and ended up crying for real.

Club Princess

Rama simply loved her princess make-over by Club Princess at High Street. Damang-dama.

Dancing Queen

"You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen..."

We've been enjoying Mamma Mia, ever since we saw it on the long flight to Manila. This morning's conversation, about the words to Dancing Queen. Rama didn't quite get all of it:

Rama: It doesn't make sense...

I thought she was having trouble with the idiom, "diggin' the dancing queen." So I said, "Yes, diggin' the dancing queen, what does that mean, right?"

Rama: That part makes sense. They're burying the queen.

A Christmas Carol

Watching A Christmas Carol with Rama. She notices the following exchange.

Ghost of Christmas Present: I am the spirit of Christmas present! Now look upon me. You have never seen the like of me before!
Scrooge: Never?
Ghost of Christmas Present: Yet how many of my brothers have you rejected in your miserable lifetime?
Scrooge: I have never met any of your brothers, sir!
Ghost of Christmas Present: You have never looked for them!
Scrooge: But how many of them are there?
Ghost of Christmas Present: What year is this?
Scrooge: 18 hundred and sixty!
Ghost of Christmas Present: Then I have eighteen hundred and fifty nine brothers. Each year at this time, one of us visits this puny little planet to spread happiness and to remove as much as we can from the causes of human misery. Which is why I've come to see you...

Rama: Eighteen hundred and fifty nine brothers?! That's a lot of brothers. His mom must have died.

Adults burst out laughing.

Rama: It's not funny.