KNIGHT ADVERTISING

As we drove over a bridge overlooking the city, Nicolas noticed a floodlight at a distance. He was amazed at the intense light illuminating the night sky. He started a conversation with his brother...

Nicolas: Kuya, look at the light. Is that for Superman, Batman or The Flash?
Savion: No, Nicolas. That is for Advertising.
Nicolas: Advertising? What is advertising?
Savion: Advertising is like selling.
Nicolas: I see. So, are they selling flashlights?

AGE GAP

Savion asked us about our age difference. "Six years.", we told him. "So you mean to say, Daddy, when you were eight years old, Mommy was two years old?" And with a hint of disbelief, Savion asked further, "So you mean I can marry a pre-schooler?"

THE FALLEN ANGEL

I had an animated breakfast conversation with the children and their cousins (their ages are 5, 7, 10 and 13). There were questions on:

Souls - "Do we really have souls or are we just organisms?"
Heaven - "How will I look like in heaven?"
Fallen Angel - "Why did the angel disobey God?"
Love of God - "How much does God love us?" and
Santa's Elves - "How do they sneak around and hide the gifts?".

It was a balancing act receiving and dishing out information from these topics. I made sure to keep light of the topics and not make it a theological discussion. I already had a tough time answering Nicolas' question, "Did you see Santa in the mall? What did he look like?"

Savion was interested to ask more about the fallen angel. He thought of how God must have felt when the angel disobeyed Him. The children wondered whether the fallen angel could ever go back to God and return to heaven? Was there a chance of this happening?

Savion then said, "When I die, I will go to hell and tell the devil to say sorry to God and then He will let him in heaven. Then I go to purgatory and I then I go to heaven."

PYTHON

The children have been watching a lot of features on cable channels, "Discovery", "National Geographic" and "Animal Planet". Nicolas saw a feature on snakes and was instantly fascinated. He went on asking questions about the cobra and the python and went on to inform everyone how these creatures shed their skin and devour their prey.

A bit worried, I inquired, "Are snakes amazing or a bit frightening?" Nicolas replied, "Snakes? They're beautiful."


Check links:
http://discovery.com
http://nationalgeographic.com
http://animal.discovery.com

ROW,ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT

"THE SEVEN CONTINENTS"
Seven continents of the globe
Count them all with me
North America, South America, Africa makes three.
Europe, Asia, Australia, the three more that I know.
And don't forget Antarctica, the seventh way to go.

"ARE YOU HAPPY?"

I often, just out of the blue, ask the kids this question, "Are you happy?". They always say yes and they give good food, tasty snacks, a great movie, computer time, a funny T.V. show, or gummy worms as reasons for their happiness.
Today, I asked the same question, "Nicolas, are you happy?" "Yes!", he replied. "And why are you happy?" "Because of you."
Today, I am equal with the gummy worms.

PUPPY LOVE LETTER

Nicolas accompanied his mother during her tap dance class. There, Nicolas met his mom's 12-year old students. Nicolas was particularly smitten with Maddie as evidenced by this letter:

HIGH EMOTION

"Is he excited or is he mad?" remarked Savion, after learning that his uncle was brought to the hospital after a sudden increase in blood pressure.

TOO MUCH T.V.

Savion asked, "Dad, what's the English Channel?" I quickly said, "The B.B.C. The British Broadcasting Corporation." Savion respectfully remarked, "Dad, the English Channel or strait is a body of water that connects two other large bodies of water." I sheepishly replied, "Uh, you're right, my son."

BAG TAGS

The kid's school bag tags created by their mom.

Savion loves Calvin's adventures. Nicolas loves the Cat's mischief.

"Calvin & Hobbes"
by Bill Watterson"The Cat In The Hat"
by Theodor Seuss Geisel

FALSE FALSETTO

During the commute to school, Mimi hit the high notes of a Vhonda Shepard song*. Nicolas, seated at the back seat, wondered,
"Who's singing? Mommy or Daddy?"

*"I Only Want To Be With You"
Songs from Ally McBeal Featuring Vhonda Shepard

FIRE ADDENDUM

Savion was inquiring about the phrase "amendment of the constitution". He asked why there are appeals to have the law amended with regards to the burning of the American flag. Further discussions touched on impeachment of Presidents of a nation. Listening intently, Nicolas inquired, "Can we BURN Presidents?" which he then amended to, "Can we FIRE Presidents?"

(see July 24, 2007 "Heaven & Fire")

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

Mimi asked the children what they wanted for Christmas. Nicolas replied, "A bicycle." Savion replied, "Wisdom and power." Nicolas commented, "Santa Claus can only give gifts, not power." Savion rejoined, "Okay, imagination and knowledge then."

SAFETY CHECK

Before driving off, Nicolas' mother, Mimi, asked, "Are your seat belts buckled?" Nicolas replied, "Yes." But suddenly panicked, he checked his lunch bag and asked - "Strawberry donut here?", as he continued to search his lunch bag. "Yes!!! It's here!", Nicolas shouted with much relief and delight. We were good to go after that.

LEVI'S NEW STYLE

Nicolas asked, "Are you wearing your Button-LESS jeans?"

CURIOUS SAVION

Savion asked his teacher, "Should I do something bad so I could go to the Principal's office? I want to feel what it's like to be inside the Principal's office. I want to feel what it's like to be in trouble."

FAVORITE THINGS TO DO - 2007

Savion says his top favorite things to do are the following:

1. Watch T.V.
2. Play the PS2.
3. Physical movement.
4. Resting after a hard day.
5. Eating cheese popcorn.

GRANDMA'S GRANDPA

This is a story of an eight-year-old little girl who was the most popular and smartest girl in her school. Her grandfather, a school superintendent, was very proud of her and her achievements.

One day, her school held a fund-raising project where raffle tickets were sold. She decided to get a handful of raffle booklets hoping to be able to sell the most. But alas, an eight-year-old can only sell so many tickets and so the little girl ended up very disappointed with a lot of unsold tickets. The next morning, the little girl saw a clump of money, her mother's budget, on the kitchen table. Wanting to retain her school status, the little girl decided to take the money and give it to her teacher as part of her ticket sales. The teacher, suspecting the situation, called up the girl's parents. The little girl’s parents were furious and each had a turn giving her a spanking.

But what frightened the little girl more was when she was told that her grandfather wanted to see her. She dreaded the punishment her grandfather would inflict on her. She had brought shame to him and the family. Arriving at her grandfather's home, she was led to the library where she saw her stern-looking grandfather sitting on his office chair. Her grandfather then motioned to her to come over. She approached slowly fearing the wrath of her grandfather. Her grandfather then picked her up, sat her on his lap and hugged her tight. The little girl was surprised. Still waiting for her much feared punishment, her cheek became moist. The tears of her grandfather fell uncontrollably on her cheeks. At that moment, she felt the grief and disappointment of her grandfather, not the anger. And at the same moment, she felt the forgiving love from her grandfather envelop her.

That little girl never stole a single cent ever again.

Story from A.Y., mother of three, grandmother of two.

LIFE IMITATING ART

Nicolas asked, "Is there any future in the Philippines?" I was struck by the question and grasped for an answer but I could not think of one. Nicolas asked further, "Where can we find it?" I could only throw a question back, "Where do you think?" Nicolas thought a while and replied, "Far, far away."

A tough question from a little boy? Or maybe just his insights from the movies, "Back To The Future" and "Star Wars".

VEGGIE KING

After hearing the word "kangkong" (a leafy vegetable similar to spinach), Nicolas asked, "Isn't that the gorilla that died?"

"HI, CORNELIUS."

As the 2007 NBA season begins, I dig up (from June 1998 files) a story written by Bob Greene...

In this game when nothing matters but the swish of the net into that iron ring, a poignant story to remind us that there is more to it than just the suffering after a loss or the joy after a win. This is the 1^st and maybe only article on Mr. 23:

“HI, CORNELIUS.”
By Bob Greene

I had been writing a newspaper column for almost 20 years. As part of my work I had seen some of the darkest and unhappiest aspects of human nature, and I had written about them. It was beginning to get to me.

There were nights when I would go home from work and question the very nature of humanity, and wonder if there was any answer to the remitting cruelty I was observing and writing about so often. Part of this had to do with a particular case I had been covering. The case involved one of the worst crimes I had ever encountered.

A beautiful, bright-eyed, four-year-old boy name Lattie McGee had been systematically tortured over the course of a long Chicago summer. He had been beaten, he had been starved, he had been hanged upside down in a locked and darkened closet for nights on end.

All that summer his life dwindled agonizingly away in that closet, and no one knew he was there; no one heard his muffled cries. After his death, when the police discovered what had been done to him, I wrote column after column about the people who had murdered him. So many cases of impoverished children from forgotten neighborhoods get lost in the court system. I wanted to make sure that Lattie McGee received justice, or something close to it.

With all the public interest in Lattie because of the columns, the story of his brother, whose name was Cornelius Abraham, did not receive as much attention. The same things that were done to Lattie were done to Cornelius, too. Somehow he survived. He watched his brother slowly being killed and was unable to stop the killers. Cornelius' brave testimony in court is what helped to convict them.

By the end of the trial Cornelius had just turned nine. He was a thin, extremely quiet boy; with his little brother dead and his mother and her boyfriend in prison, he was living with other relatives. The two great loves of his life were reading and basketball.

In one of the columns I had written about Lattie, I had mentioned Cornelius' passion for basketball. Steve Schanwald, a vice president of the Chicago Bulls, had read the column and left a message at my office. Though tickets to Bulls' games were without exception sold out, Schanwald said that if Cornelius would like to come to a game he would be sure there were tickets available. Jim Bigoness, the Cook County assistant state's attorney who had delicately prepared Cornelius' testimony for the trial, and I took him to the game.

To every Chicago youngster who follows basketball, the stadium was a shrine. Think of where Cornelius once was, locked up and tormented and hurt. And now he was in the stadium, about to see his first Bulls game.

We walked down a stairway, until we were in a lower-level hallway. Cornelius stood between us. Then a door opened and a man came out. Cornelius looked up, and his eyes filled with a combination of wonder and awe and total disbelief.

Cornelius tried to say something; his mouth was moving but no words would come out. He tried to speak and then the man helped out by speaking first.

"Hi, Cornelius," the man said. "I'm Michael Jordan."

Jordan knelt down and spoke quietly with Cornelius. He made some jokes and told some stories about basketball and he didn't rush. You have to understand - for a long time the only adults Cornelius had any contact with were adults who wanted to hurt and humiliate him. And now Michael Jordan was saying, "Are you going to cheer for us today? We're going to need it."

Jordan went back into the locker room to finish dressing for the game. Bigoness and I walked Cornelius back upstairs to the court. There was one more surprise waiting.

Cornelius was given a red shirt of the kind worn by the Bulls' ball boys. He retrieved balls for the players from both teams as they warmed up.

Then, as the game was about to begin, he was led to Jordan's seat on the Bulls' bench. That's where he was going to sit - right next to Jordan's seat. During the minutes of the game when Jordan was out and resting, Cornelius would be sitting with him; when Jordan was on the court, Cornelius would be saving his seat for him. At one point late in the game Jordan took a pass and sailed into the air and slammed home a basket. And there, just a few feet away, was Cornelius Abraham, laughing out loud with joy.

I wanted to thank Jordan for taking the time to be so nice to Cornelius. The meeting between them, I had learned, had been something that Jordan had volunteered for; he had been aware of the Lattie McGee case, and when he had heard that the Bulls were giving Cornelius tickets to the game, he had let it be known that he was available.

After the game, in the locker room after the last sportswriter left, Jordan got up to retrieve his gym bag and head for home. As he walked toward the door of the locker room he saw me and stopped, and I said, "I just wanted to tell you how much Cornelius appreciated what you did for him."

For a second I had the strange but undeniable impression that perhaps this was a man who didn't get thanked all that often - or at least that there were so many people endlessly lining up to beseech him for one thing or another that all he was accustomed to was the long file of faces in front of him wanting an autograph, a favor, a moment of his time, faces that would immediately be replaced by more faces with more entreaties. He stood there waiting, as if he was so used to ceaselessly being asked for things that he thought my thanks on Cornelius' behalf might be the inevitable preface to petitioning him for something else.

When I didn't say anything, he said, "That's why you came back down here?"

"Well I don't think you know how much today meant to Cornelius," I said.

"No, I'm just surprised that you came back down to tell me," he said.

"My mom would kill me if I didn't," I said, smiling.
"She tried to raise me right."

He smiled back, "Mine, too," he said.
We shook hands and I turned to leave and I heard him say,
"Do you come out to a lot of games?"

"First one," I said.

"Well, you ought to come back," he said.

END

QUOTES Part 1

Savion (b. 2000)

"Why are they wearing underwear?"
- while watching a vintage 1970's NBA basketball game.
(April 1, 2004)

"You don't wake up anymore. Then you go to heaven".
- answer to what happens when we die.
(June 6, 2004)

"My classmate is Ma-kulit. Me? I am just kulit."
(August 18, 2004)

Nicolas (b. 2002)

"I don't want to release the balloon. It might touch the sun."
- during a purple balloon-releasing event.
(December 14, 2005)

"Please believe you."
- 'Peace be with you' greeting at mass.
(June 11, 2006)

"Daddy, did you buy us from a baby store?"
(October 22, 2006)

SOCCER PET

From Savion's school newsletter:
"We commemorate St. Francis of Assisi during October 4th of every year.
As we all know, St. Francis was a lover of pets as part of creation. St. Francis used to contemplate God by admiring nature created by Him.
Just like St. Francis of Assisi, the Grade 2 class also loves pets. Here are their thoughts about their pets or what kind of pet they would want to have."

Savion's "Soccer Pet" entry:
"I would want another fish, but it would be an angelfish. Its name would be David and his last name Beckham. Its size would be small like a hamster. It would be a boy. I'd teach it how to play soccer and give it its own ball and goal. I would keep it in a special aquarium. It would be fun to watch David score a goal but it would be very hard to teach him how to play soccer because there's only one person in the world who knows how to teach a fish to play soccer. And it's not me."

REMEMBERING LOLA LINDA

As Nicolas and Savion walked the aisles of a toy store, they chanced upon a Star Wars light saber that was purple in color. Nicolas then asked, "Lolo, can we buy the purple light saber for Lola?" The kids remembered their grandmother whose favorite color was purple. She became their Jedi Angel on October 09, 2004.

DARTH SPIDER

My wife hollered that there was a spider crawling on our bed. I quickly grabbed hold of the nearest object I could get my hands on which happened to be my child's Jedi Light Saber toy (from the movie Star Wars). Retracting the plastic saber blade, I whacked at the more-than-normal-sized spider and killed it after two strikes. Seeing this whole episode transpire before his eyes, Nicolas was amazed at my ability in wielding his Jedi Light Saber. "Whoa, wow!" he exclaimed. But then he backtracked on his initial admiration and strongly remarked, "But Dad, you can't kill spiders. Spiders are good."

Grasping for a justified answer, I replied, "Yup, you are right. We should not kill good spiders. But that one," as I pointed to the dead spider, "That spider was an evil one. I had no choice."

FRENCH WATER

Nicolas asked why soft drinks are not good for children. I told him that there are alternative healthier drinks children can take like orange juice or apple juice. I then asked him, "What do you think is the healthiest and purest drink you can have?" Nicolas thought for a bit. "It starts with the letter 'W'.", I added as I gave him a clue. Nicolas then answered, "Wine."

FALSE HOPE

Over lunch, Savion informed me that his Lolo (Grandfather) promised being around for another 15 years, making it to age 85. This made Savion think of aging and death, consequently asking, "Daddy, until when will you be around with us." Sidetracking the question, I mimicked a very old man walking with a cane, speaking as if all my teeth were gone - "Mmmmh, Ay ammmhhh showww owwld my shhon." (translation: "Mmmm, I am so old my son.") Savion laughed hard.

Afterwards, as Savion sat in the rear seat of the vehicle I was driving, he again asked the same question hoping to get a response this time. I went on with my old man mimicry. Savion smiled and laughed again. Then after a few moments, he turned serious. Looking thru the rear view mirror, I saw Savion lean forward and assuredly remark, "Don't worry Daddy, I'll work hard."

As I fought back a tear or two, unable to utter a word, I just thought to myself how my son will be taking care of me during my twilight years. I felt much relief and gratitude.

Then Savion leaned forward and belatedly asked, "By the way Dad, how much are false teeth anyway?"

TEARS FROM FEARS

At "Grandparent's Day" at school, Savion was asked to read the 1st Reading during the celebration of mass. Savion read with much confidence and success. Afterwards, he shared to me what he experienced - "I was very nervous. The crowd was bigger than any from the recitals (violin recitals). The tears were about to get out of my eyes. But, I held them back. Whew!"

GMAIL KIDS

For the past couple of weeks, Savion had been asking, "Are we going to be included in the final video?" Today, his question was answered as Savion & Nicolas make GMail history through the Gmail Video - "Gmail: A Behind The Scenes Video." Entries came from more than 65 countries submitting more than 1,100 videos.

View the final Gmail video:

See Savion & Nicolas at 0:32

View the original video entry - "Gmail Strut":

HUSBAND & WIFE

Nicolas had a puzzled look when he heard my wife say the word "husband" when I was introduced to an acquaintance. Nicolas wanted the words "husband and wife" explained to him as it was the first time he encountered these words. Since we were hurrying to get him to school, I offered the quick explanation via the "For example, you are married to your classmate Sophia. Then you are the husband and Sophia is your wife." Satisfied, he nodded his head.

We found out later how Nicolas explained the new words he learned. He went on to say, "Teacher, I am married to Sophia. I am the husband. She is my LIFE."

ART DICAPRIO

Nicolas proudly showed off his artwork and proclaimed, "When I grow up, I'm going to be an artist." I asked, "Ah, like your Tita Pam and Tito John?". Nicolas politely responded, "Yah... but more like Jack."

Check links for artists,
Jose "John" Santos and Pamela "Pam" Yan-Santos
http://thebostongallery.com/home.aspx
http://www.artsentralasia.com/docs/artists/jose_john_santos_iii.html

COLORLESS TOYS

On November 9, 1936, German Jews were ordered to move out of their houses and leave Germany. They could only take with them what they could carry. The Jewish children brought out all their toys and left them at the sidewalks fronting their homes. A young boy excitedly looked at all the toys and wondered what he could take home to play with. He did not have any toys because his family was poor. His aunt would however tell him, "No. Those are not ours. Leave them as they are." The young boy understood what his aunt meant.

In that German town, no child ever played with those toys again. The toys became a reminder of the Jewish children's joy left behind and lost forever.

Story shared in 1996 by John Surmann, the young boy.

GOOGLE CHEESE

My friend's daughter 9-year old Isabelle turns on the computer, then gets a puzzled look on her face. "Dad, Mozzarella Firefox doesn't work." Her dad goes, "Sweetheart, you said Mozzarella." She does a double-take, then guffaws "Hahahaha, I said Mozzarella...! Mozzarella Firefox...! hahaha...!!...sigh..."

TOUGH HEELS

Nicolas remarked that he did not want to transfer to another school next year. I told him that his girl classmates will all be going to all-girls schools. I kidded him that he can join them as long as he wears a skirt as his school uniform. He reacted by saying, "Nah. I don't want to be a girl." And added, "I hate high heels."

HEAVEN & FIRE

Nicolas quote: "I don't want to die alone and go up to heaven. I want to die with my whole family."

- o -

During bedtime, the kids played a role-playing game of fireman. They used jackets and caps and got up from bed 7 times and pretended to put out fires around the house. Both kids experienced the hardship of getting up, putting on the jackets and caps and rushing to the pretend-fires every time the pretend-fire alarm went off. At the post-play discussion on the lives of firemen, 7-year old Savion asked, "What will happen if the fireman doesn't get up when the alarm goes off?" I answered that the fireman will probably get FIRED and probably lose his job. I explained that it was part of their job to get up and do their duties no matter how tired they were. Most workers who don't do their jobs usually get fired. The kids acknowledged that indeed, firemen are heroes. And after a few more questions, 4-year old Nicolas then asked, "Why do they BURN the fireman when he doesn't get up?"

NOW

I started jotting down short notes on my small notebook (the one with the paper with lines kept together by a white coil spring) sometime in 1996. And on April 8, 1996 I started jotting down these notes on my computer. The entry: "April 8, '96 Monday Back in shop. A lollipop. U2's "Stay" song." Nothing interesting there. Just things I considered as gifts or blessings or just something I wanted to remember. And everyday for the next decade I jotted down notes I felt was important to me for the day. I still used a notebook to jot down on the fly daily stuff since it is hard to remember at day’s end all the things that happened during the day. Then I ended up using a Palm II. Then I lost, on a system crash, a week’s worth of files. I went back to my small coil-held notebook for the next couple of years. Then a cell phone feature arrives, “Notes”. I have used this ever since to jot down my daily “ipisnippets”. IPIS for Insignificant Pieces of Information and Stories. SNIPPETS for snippets. By the way, Ipis means cockroach too. We don’t care for them yet they disrupt our lives once they make themselves aware to us. And as I heard somewhere, they’re the only creatures that will survive a nuclear holocaust. I’m blogging now to hopefully make my ipisnippets survive from system crashes and other modern digital disasters via the protection of Google Inc. Almighty.

NOW, I commit to “posting” / jotting down snippets, that I hope will, at the minimum, elicit a smile from my dearly beloved. I am particularly inclined to post children quips because these are the purest, funniest and loveliest. I will be sharing my children’s quips from this day onward. Occasionally, I will pull snippets from my decade worth of files where nephews’, nieces’, friend’s children’s quips, quotes, questions and stories have been graciously shared to me. I was planning to share these quips still years from now when the children are all grown up. But I guess NOW is the time to celebrate their youth. It is time to appreciate them today.

A wise philosopher once said, “To be truly a man (woman) we have to go back to our child’s heart.” Children’s thoughts, insights, questions and quotes will help us rediscover ours. From their purity we will rediscover and then recover.