Oct
19
Last night, when I turned over my throne computer chair to Donald, he said “Sikat lagi ka sa blog ni ate By?” (You are famous in Ate’s blog.) He asked me if I have read my sister Crislyn’s latest entry and I said not yet. Of course I was grinning from ear to ear like a goat because I did not know she sees me as a “reader” more than she. This post was inspired by her blog about my habit.
I remember when I was 6 I’d rent comics at the sari-sari store in the neighborhood. I’d follow the lines with my eyes and move my lips. This was all a pretense. 
When I finally learned to read, I was crazy over children’s books at school library mainly because I like the pictures. These are books donated from the US and I feel like I am a part of the story. I then learned about the stuff that we don’t have here like trailers and campings; Thanksgivings and turkeys; Halloweens, pumpkins and trick or treats, the 4th of July….then I got to know about the farms, barns and that people there wear shoes and nice clothes at home!
When I stepped to 5th grade, I have read more than a dozen times all the children’s books that my mother has in her bookshelf and books of my neighbors as well. I went to another school that year, a bigger school with bigger library. I had there my first library card. I’d loan books for a day or two then go back to return and get another one. The Librarian was always warm and accommodating not because she knows my mother who teaches 3rd grade in the other school but because I was the only student coming there to read and borrow books.
Hey I am not making an impression that I was a nerd. I was actually not good in Math, does just fine in other Science, Filipino and English and do very well in arts and PE. I have been in the honor roll each year but I am not like my sister Crislyn who always win quiz bees and either be on top or the second honor every end of the school year. While she is always on top of her class, I am always the leader during Field Demonstrations or Calesthenics. Those silly exercises we do holding pom-poms, wands or hoolahoops. 
I high school I was still the same easy go lucky girl. Once my Statistics Instructor when I was in 2nd Year told my sister (who happens to be her favorite teacher) that I got low score in the exam and she replied, “Hay naku Ma’am, tinutulugan lang n’yan kahit Periodical Exam.” That’s true but I do study my lessons too. It’s just that I can’t figure out the lesson on that subject and forcing my brain to understand it might trigger my migraine so I might as well sleep. I am not into books from the library that time because I could not find books that would awaken my imagination. I was into Reader’s Digest and Nancy Drew which are still my favorite to this day.
Oh how I wish there are libraries like what they have abroad because libraries only has reference books and few book that I want to read. Glad that there are Book Fairs in Davao where I could get book at a very cheap price. It is almost a steal at a price of P35 each (.73 USD) with an Oprah’s Book Club logo. 
They say “Do not judge the book by its cover”. I was a believer in that old adage before but when I started going to Book Fairs, I judge books by its cover. Checking if it has the logo then I’d get it, no questions asked and if it doesn’t bear the logo, I’d simply ignore it even if the picture on the cover and the title appears to be so appealing.
So this was all a history and we will talk about what happened today.
I woke up early. Checked emails. Cut flowers from the frontyard. Put it on the vase in the chapel. Went back inside the house. Donald was up after 15 minutes. Ella woke up. Had breaskfast together. Took a shower. Got dressed.
By the time I and Ella are ready for the worship service, kids came. Like last Sunday I gathered them inside the house. They enjoyed the singing very much and we all felt dizzy with the action song Father Abraham. Our lesson was about Christlikeness. I usually had my lesson in Tagalog (our National dialect) but since there are smaller kids who can’t understand well, Ella became my instant Cebuano interpreter. Donald overheard us when she went in to have a glass of water and she also laughed in disbelief at how good Ella was. She could speak Cebuano very well even if we don’t let her speak the language for a reason that Cebuano has no PO and OPO. (The words we use when speaking with older people as sign of respect). Wondering why Ella have learned the language? Because I and Donald speak that at home. 
Donald was raised in a home and a place where Cebuano is the language widely used. I, on the otherhand was raised in a home where my father is Cebuano and mother was Ilocano. Since my mother could not understand Cebuano, we speak Tagalog at home. My hometown, Kabacan, Cotabato, is a place where you could find almost all the tribes all over the Philippines and to understand each other, Tagalog was used especially in the schools, offices and other public places.
Back to out topic….after the lesson, we watched a movie. I was sleepy but have to watch with them. After the movie we went to the chapel and just after the announcements, rain poured heavily. Like the previous days, it was so heavy yet quick. We had lunch afterwards and finally I was able to lie in bed for a nap. While I was trying to close my eyes after a short chat with Donald, the neigbhor who makes furnitures decided it is good to start running his machine while everyone is taking a nap. Then there was also a noise of hammering steel from I don’t know where. How I wish I was in one of the vegas hotel room’s so I could get the rest I really wanted. Even so, I was still thankful that the neighbor’s pigs have not decided to join in the chorus and started squeaking.
Hey I also got an award which inspires me to blog more as you can see, I blogged MORE.
This award was from my sister Crislyn who I have not expected in all honesty that she follows and likes my blog. Maybe because I am her sister and she wanted to know how we are doing here in the province but hey, as she mentions in her blog, she is not much of a reader who reads only those who interests her. So my blog interests her and not just the sister thing. 
This is an award for the kick ass. I was like, what is that means? I read the rest of her entry regarding this and was elated that I was chosen by her. I think I need not put the mechanics or rules in here as it will make this Loooooooonggggerrr. So guys, please check it HERE.
I am passing this award to Cielo, Beverly, Michelle, Julie (even when she has just received this award) and Crislyn (am I allowed to return or shall I say pass it back?) These are the blogs that I keep coming back for more.
October 20th, 2008 at 3:02 am
hey, congratulations for the award
that’s a very long story to write and tell
October 20th, 2008 at 4:20 am
I was always into reading too, and always checking out books from our school library.
Thanks for the award!
… I’m trying to figure out how to add it, without the cuss word on it. *lol*
*hugs*
October 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
hi carol, thanks for the visit.
you got a nice theme, here.
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Wahhhh Lexie….. sis mo pala si Cris? Ahehe.. ngaun ko lang nalaman.
Have a nice day!
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Hahahaha! Natawa naman ako sa iyo Ate Bing! Cute mo naman, para kang nakakita ng multo.
Oo ate sister kami simula pa nung ipinanganak ako.