100 Things I Want To Tell About My Mum

1. She thought of naming me from my grandmothers’ names. However, the outcome sounds so manly that many are misled. But mind you, my name’s one of the most unique names in the world. 🙂
2. She also named my elder brother from our grandpas’. The outcome? While mine sounds masculine, his is feminine. Hahahha. The serious side of this whole thing though is his gender in the birth certificate – being a female.
3. She used to put bro on our biggest cooking pan and light the stove when we were still young every time his pain-in-the-ass behaviors were  unbearable.  4. And I would never forget how she gave bro the most embarrassing punishment ever (which I find unfit to be written in here).
5. Yes, she IS a disciplinarian.
6. But some people take it wrongly.
7. They think she’s a beast. (You’re not under one roof with her for two decades, so don’t ever think of her like that.)
8. Behind such mean disciplinary acts is a pure motherly heart filled with overflowing love for us.
9. She used to prepare my undies when I was still in grade school.
10. And she would put my socks on my feet, as though I were a princess while she’s the maid.
11. She loves sewing dresses for me and I wore them during my birthdays when I was in grade school. And yeah, I’d never forget that during United Nations Week, I wore her sewed Filipiniana-style gowns. I was awarded as the Best in Costume, and she was so happy about that.
12. She’d never do my assignments/projects because she wanted me to do those by myself. “So that you would learn,” she always says.
13. She’d spoon-feed me, even when I reached high school. 😀
14. She loves applying the natural hot-oil on my hair.
15. When I had that high fever once, she panicked and really brought me to the nearest hospital.
16. She used to brush my hair a hundred times. Yeah, with the count ever.
17. She’d always tell me to greet and smile at my neighbors when I walk through the neighborhood.
18. One time she got mad at me for not greeting the teenaged guys who stayed outside our neighbor’s house when I passed by. She really took that seriously that it seemed like she wanted me to go back and greet them.
19. She’d always encourage me especially in times of disappointments and failures and heartaches. Just hours ago, I texted her “Ma, I feel so sad.” Her reply was, “Don’t be sad. Be happy.” That simply made me smile. And she does conjure smiles on my face effortlessly. She always does.
20. She witnessed me cry for a hundred times due to my want of giving up this bloody course that I don’t really love. She made me realize I shouldn’t surrender and just hold on instead.
21. She taught me how to be humble.
22. And she taught me to value education.
23. She loves bro so much that she didn’t give up on sending him to high school for nine long years.
24. She doesn’t want us, especially me, to skip a meal or starve myself thinking that I could get an unsound mind anytime.
25. She always puts goodies in my bag, so that when I feel hungry, I have something ready for munching, anytime, anywhere. 😀
26. 14 years ago, she learned how father cheated on her.
27. And she was extremely devastated that everybody thought she’d get crazy.
28. Then there was not a night that she wouldn’t sob.
29. And she would bang her head forcefully on our wall.
30. But she would stop when she’d she me crying.
31. At daytime, she’d wait for father outside his workplace.
32. And one time when she waited at the guardhouse, father’s other woman made the guard shoo mama away.
33. And the guard followed, dragging mama outside father’s workplace. She looked like a beggar being pushed away. 😦
34. It took her a long time to recover, but bro and I made her recovery a bit quicker.
35. She engaged in sewing clothes, selling RTWs, dried fishes and longganisa.
36. She even made rags just to catch up with our everyday needs.
37. But she wanted to give us a wonderful and comfortable life.
38. So 9 years ago, she went to Doha, Qatar and worked as a domestic helper.
39. But her wonderful dream turned out to be a nightmare.
40. After four short months, she came home with arthritis on both feet. (I just wish she didn’t leave for work).
41. She always pushes me to sing even if I don’t want to.
42. During singing contests, she’s my gay-handler backstage.
43. When I’m onstage, she’s my audience and she does much of the clapping and cheering. Haha.
44. She feels so proud of me every time I sing, though at times I fail to reach those high notes. *evil laugh*.
45. She always requests me to sing Sarah Geronimo’s How Could You Say You Love Me.
46. She loves my version of Shakira’s Objection Tango.
47. And she finds my Tunay Na Mahal like that of Lani Misalucha’s.
48. She’d always get mad every time we have videoke at home and I purposely wouldn’t hit those high notes. Hahaha.
49. She had always wanted me to join this big singing contest but I always fail her because I don’t want to and I don’t have the guts. Yeah, sadly, I don’t have the guts.
50. But she believes in my talent.
51. Now, she dreams of me joining The Voice Philippines and trying my luck.
52. Because she believes in me. And oh, she’s my number 1 fan.
53. She imposed this NO SECRET POLICY between me and her.
54. We became best friends because of that.
55. She never gets tired of listening to my endless narration on how my days went by.
56. She laughs at my not-funny-at-all jokes.
57. She listens to my every single story. Even the nonsensical ones.
58. And she knows of my crushes.
59. We always play beauty pageant stuff at home: I, the contestant; her, the audience. And then we’d always burst into laughter.
60. She loves to run a sari-sari store. She’s always loved selling stuff.
61. She’d sell sleeping foam bags in a market and go home late at night which made her arthritis worse.
62. Her arthritis gets worse each day and I cried when she said that the doctor told her that an operation couldn’t guarantee her to walk normally like she used to 9 years ago. T_T But we believe in miracles.
63. Despite that, she still works really really REALLY hard for me and bro.
64. And she has sacrificed A LOT for us.
65. She even continuously does. I doubt she’d stop. Because for her family, she’d do ANYTHING.
66. She’s very sensitive. One has to be really careful in words and acts when dealing with her.
67. She’s frank.
68. And she looks really fierce that one time my classmates thought mum scorned at them. XD
69. But her face doesn’t speak of her real attitude.
70. She’s actually kind-hearted.
71. She even dreams of riding in a cab, wandering through the city and distributing packed food & goods to the street people.
72. She packs goodies and gives it to the children who carol at our house during Christmas.
73. But she could transform from being a sheep to a mad lion in certain circumstances when she deems it fit to be such.
74. She’s sooo simple. Faded t-shirt & shorts, and plain slippers will never really matter to her.
75. One time when she entered a pharmacy, the personnel mistakenly thought of her as a shoplifter.
76. But she didn’t care.
77. Her favorite singer’s Imelda Papin and she loves my Katarungan Nasaan.
78. She idolizes Angeline Quinto.
79. And she’d mischievously call my Julie Anne San Jose as “suwang” or chin in english. Haha. See, this Julie girl actually has a chin that’s kinda not normal, but which I find as one of her best assets.
80. She could live with malunggay as food alone.
81. She loves cooking food for us.
82. And she loves cooking vegetables with fried fish because she knows it’s my favorite.
83. And I love #81 not because I don’t have to do the cooking myself.
84. She used to bake macaroons and cakes.
85. She’s always good at doing things.
86. You wouldn’t want to argue with her because she always ends up winning the heated discussion (which makes me think she could be a good lawyer).
87. She’s an effortless joker (and I wish I inherited such trait from her).
88. She always says I’m beautiful.
89. She ALWAYS does. :))
90. Her world revolves around me and kuya.
91. Every time I leave home, she always tells me “Amping” (take care).
92. When I was in high school she used to tell me “Payt manok!” (Fight fight fight) Haha.
93. One time when I studied at dawn, she suddenly hauled herself up and hugged me. I was shocked so I checked if she was dreaming, but she was wide awake when she did that. She just said the three magical words then got back to sleep. I was so touched by that. Oh, mum.
94. She always makes me and bro feel how much she loves us.
95. And I could say that she loves us more than she does to herself.
96. She’s VERY responsible.
97. She has firm and solid principles.
98. The very first word that came out from her mouth when the 7.5-magnitude quake hit last October 15 (which was her birthday) was “Lord!” and she called Him over and over again til the quake finally stopped.
99. She has too many imperfections.
100. But her goodness dominates that I always see beyond those I-don’t-care imperfections.

* * *

Oh, I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

She’s my best friend.

My life.

My world.

My mother.

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