My husband and I clearly made this a rule: “Love thy neighbor.” We consider our neighbors as our second family. It’s nice to be giving and receiving foods from them. We look after each other’s kids when the mother is busy doing her household chores. It’s a nice set up. I love it!

We are also neighbors to the barangay hall so it’s expected that there will be noisy days sometimes. It’s okay if what they’re noisy about is for public service but it’s never okay with me if what they’re noisy about is for their own merry-making session.

I usually keep my cool. Unbelievable but true. It will take sometime before a person gets on my nerve. Humanda ka lang pag napuno ako, you don’t want to see me angry. I did not have a good sleep last Saturday night so I woke up groggy Sunday morning. I put Adi to sleep after lunch and at around 2PM, I was awakened by a loud noise, a siren coming from the barangay patrol. Adi was awakened and cried so loud; frightened. Miel took him and brought him downstairs. Then somebody threw a firecracker near our apartment and I heard Adi cried so loud, more frightened.

I am a peace-loving person but I can be very brave when it comes to protecting my family. I opened the window and checked who threw the firecracker. Around seven barangay tanods were there, also looking at me. I gave each of them a dagger look. Yes, maybe it was not them who threw the firecracker but as a barangay tanod, they should have reprimanded whoever threw it, debah? I shut the window loudly after checking on them.

Look, it’s not the first time that they acted like hari ng barangay . Nobody wanted to oppose them for whatever reason. I could have let the incident pass by had what they did did not frighten my little one.

I will always stand by my family especially if the one affected cannot defend himself.

My daughter, in her most poker face, asked me what would be my reaction if her grade in Math would be 78.

“Of course, that is not acceptable to me. You are studying very hard, waking up early to prepare your breakfast and staying late at night to do your homework. Then what could have gone wrong?” I replied.

I asked this question to dig deeper what could have happened to her grade in Math. Should I hire a full-time maid so that she won’t get up at 5AM to prepare her breakfast? Should I hire a tutor to help her with her assignments? I am not a supermom. I know my limitations. I cannot be like my mother and it frustrates me that I am not Adora.

Adi and I went to our room after dinner. Chang knocked and asked if she could show me her report card. Was I sleepy when I read the card? I kept on looking for the 78 but her grade in Math showed a 92! Wow! From 81 during the 1st grading, it went up to 92! Attagirl!

Most of her subjects improved during the 2nd grading. She was ecstatic when she succeeded in making me believe that she had a failing subject. I texted the good news to my sister-in-law.

Physically, Chang and I do not look alike and somehow, I know deep inside that she wants to look like me, maybe even be like me (in a positive way).

Here are our differences:
1. She took most of my ex’s genes and sometimes, she tend to compare herself with Adi (who’s a spitting image of his mom).
2. I love to read. She doesn’t. I gave her a copy of Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends and Influence People.” Ewan kung binasa. Hehehe.
3. She’s headstrong for a tweener. I was easily intimidated when I was her age.
4. She likes kikay kits. I consider them a thrash.
5. She is very very moody. I am less moody. Hahahaa!
6. She loves fruits. I only eat fruits when dieting and when I’m sick.
7. She loves to dance.Nobody would like to dance with me because I am not a good dancer. Loser! Hehehehe.
8. She’s expressive. I’m secretive. She has a social networking site, I hate to have one.
9. She loves to spend. I watch every cent. Hehehehe.
10. She loves noodles for breakfast. I can’t eat breakfast without pandesal.

With these differences, I told her that she could never be like me because she is her own person. I could only be her piece of amusement or maybe disappointment but she could never be my clone. She’s got a different life, a different destiny. Thank God, she both love her biological and surrogate father. She is also close to my father and my younger brother.