i'm almost 41

A few days from now and I will be 41. Gosh, that sounds ancient. That old already, yet I'm still busy running after two precocious little girls and getting back aches for trying to catch them as they dive from the bed while shouting "miming!" That's swimming for you.

I am not complaining, though. Except for the occasional money problems, I guess I have a lot to be thankful for. I believe I'm healthy enough to withstand the onslaught of hyperactive daughters for more years to come. Besides, they're not always like that. Sometimes, we play "make-up, make-up" and it's amazing how they can keep still--with eyes closed and lips slightly opened--waiting for me to dig into my invisible make up kit for the pink lipstick and pink eyeshadow and pink blush on. To this day, I still don't know why most girls declare that pink is their favorite color. (Perhaps they had been brainwashed since day one with a roomful of things in pink?)

Anyway, being 40, and soon 41, is not that bad. Just recently, my best friend's mom, whom I have not seen for a long time, commented that I still looked the same.

Well, thank God for bestfriends and their moms.

sentimental journey

Last Saturday, we took the kids on a stroll at UP Diliman, where the air is always fresh. (Do I hear objections?) Well, for me at least, being a regular "inhaler" of the polluted Pasig air, I always welcome the opportunity to go back to my alma mater, even if only to get a whiff of fresh air. I was forced to do some exercise, running after my little girls, who played tag around the pillars of Quezon Hall, making sure they didn't tumble down the steps into the base of the Oblation.

Ahh, the Oblation. After taking some decent shots of the statue and the sun that was beginning to set on it, I suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia. It has been almost 24 years since I first sat foot in UP, full of hopes of becoming a . . . Now, lemme see. What did I enter UP for? I certainly did not intend to become a political scientist. This is one of those vague degrees that will make you more confused about what you really want to do for the rest of your life. It's only now that I have realized that I became a lawyer because I had no inkling then what to do after taking up BA Political Science as an undergraduate course.

But let us not go into these misgivings again. My only point now is that, from 1982 to 1986, I was quite happy going to UP. I was one of those faceless, nameless souls who went around the campus absorbing the culture, enjoying the academic freedom, and exploring new things.

Nakakamiss.

online album

I finally found the time to create my online album. Samples of my foray into digital photography can be viewed at
http://photobucket.com/albums/e260/PhotosByYamTamayo/

Nope, I have not become rich because of photography (richer in experience, maybe), but I have not stopped hoping that someday, I will hit a gold mine. After all, one reader-friend has commented that free is always good. That's why I always make it a point to hoard in abundance forever-free and cost-free dreams and aspirations.

Keep on dreaming, folks!