Category: Family First

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The Last Graduate

The last remaining student in the family will be graduating soon. It’s on May 13th, to be exact. The entire family is beaming with pride. Indeed, we are proud of Jodie, our bunso who is graduating with a degree in Bachelor in Banking and Finance from a state university. We’re also glad that all four of us siblings in the family have already finished college. Our parents have finally fulfilled their dream of giving us the best gift they could give us — education.

Anyway, Jodie’s journey to graduation wasn’t an easy one. For one, she was a working student (though it wasn’t forced on her). She really made use of her time wisely so she could earn money while studying. Her patience and faith were also tested during her final semester where she had to complete her graduation requirements before getting into the list of candidates for graduation. She was lacking her form 137-a, of all documents! I didn’t know what happened there but it must be the result of some kind of negligence from either the university, the high school or my sister herself.

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Post Valentine’s Day Celebration: Double Date in Tagaytay

This morning, the hubby and I went to a double date with my parents in Tagaytay. We met them up at McDonald’s St-Dominic in Bacoor and after having breakfast there, we drove straight to the country’s second summer capital. Upon arriving there, we were welcomed by the chilly breeze. I liked that there was still no traffic but more people were already starting to come out in groups.

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It was my parents’ first time in Tagaytay. So, we took tons of pictures for posterity’s sake. For lunch, we availed of the eat-and-drink-all-you-can offering of Celina’s Cafe and Restaurant. Price was P325 per head plus 3% city government tax. The food was okay but nothing special, just your simple home-cooked meals. What we appreciated more was the setting, it was cozy enough and gave us a nice view of the famous Taal Lake.

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Working Momma

My mom has always been a homemaker. When she and my dad got married in 1984, she stayed in the house and took care of their home and children. Yes, we had a one-income household which was quite okay for a family of six like ours back then.

My mom has had a few jobs when she was still single, though. Given that, she really knows how it feels to work and earn money. She’s in her late 50’s now but is still very active and young-looking (according to her). During the past three years, she’s been privileged to do part-time work at her friend’s flower shop every Valentine’s Day. We didn’t really force her to work there, though. It’s just that she enjoys doing it and she can’t say no to her friend. The money she earns from it goes straight to her “shopping funds.” Haha.

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Job Leads

My sister Jodie is graduating from college in a few months. While she works part time and already earns her own money, my two other siblings and I still help her occasionally when school expenses pile up.

Just the other day, she was telling me about how the restaurant where she works part-time allows her to meet potential employers. Like one time, she said a guest who’s a manager from the Bangko Sentral adviced her to apply for a job there as soon as she receives her diploma. She’s taking up Banking and Finance, that’s why.

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On Helping a Friend

When you have a friend in need, it just feels right to help him. When you have a friend in need, you just help right away. You don’t ask for something in return, you just help with good intentions in mind. This is especially true when you have the resources that could lighten your friend’s burden. It could be time, energy or money. It could even be just emotional support. The right thing to do is always to help.

Helping a suffering friend stops only when you have run out of resources to offer him. It also stops when he doesn’t listen to your advice anymore and starts to solve his problem his way. It doesn’t have to continue when he makes you feel more involved with the problem than he is. It doesn’t have to continue when you have started to make it your life mission to get him out of trouble. Furthermore, the helping should end when it starts to get in the way of your priorities in life: family, career, daily activities, etc.

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Daddy’s Girl

My father and I are close but we’re not as close as I am with my mom. It must be because I’m a girl and my dad and I have different interests. But that fact didn’t stop me from loving my dad the way I love my mom. For me, he’s a great dad and that’s all that matters.

I have lots of fond memories with my dad. I also know a lot about him because I grew up with my grandfather who had lots of stories to tell about his big family. (My dad has 9 siblings, can you believe it?) As I spent more time with my dad after he stopped working in 1999, I learned more about a man whose life has been dedicated mainly in the service of his family. He’s such a family man with a big heart and with the way he provided for our needs before, we can never ask for anything more from him.

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