It was Conne’s birthday yesterday, December 8th. And we were able to give out a surprise party for her, whose full name by the way, was based on an important Catholic dogma and event coinciding with her birthday, the Feast of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, hence the name, Maryconne.

I’ve been a recipient of some surprise birthday parties in the past thanks largely in part to her. And to finally be able to return the favor to the one I love was indeed very important and special to me. I’d like to thank her ComQuaL buddies and colleagues for making it possible. Thanks Kim, Aileen, Maan, Ester, and Allan. :)

The food was great, and the conversation topics were very entertaining. Eating was a struggle because I was trying to stifle bouts of laughter every now and then largely due to the funny anecdotes given by everyone, particularly on the topic of namesakes, or how a person’s name got to be.

Ah, Oh well. Had Conne not been born, I wouldn’t have had someone to express my heartfelt thanks to for coming into my life, for giving me a chance and changing my outlook for the better. I wouldn’t have someone to grow old and share my life with.

Her two handsome boys (me and CJ of course – Hah!), owe her a lot.

We love you mahal! Happy Birthday!

CJ’s growing up real fast. I can’t believe he’s a year old already. We’re glad that he’s at the pink of health and his development in terms of mental and physical capabilities is astounding. Watching him grow up is definitely one of my life’s joys.

We’re very thankful for this first year. CJ’s journey from infancy to toddlerhood has had its ups and downs. He had a few bumps and bruises here and there, but this hasn’t stopped him from being the brave, confident, bubbly and curious toddler that he is.

His interests vary. He’ll rather have the entire house as a playground instead of being couped up with toys in one corner of the room. We tried putting him in front of a TV, but it’ll only last a minute. He’d rather run, jump and make noise and play with the grownups. But he really lights up when there are other kids around.

There are days when he’d dash to the window and do a full scan of the sky with arms a-pointing if he hears a plane jet by, “maaamaaa” “deeedeee” “whoooo-whoooo”. The same routine holds true if he sees lizards in the ceilings too. (Did I just make a rhyme?)

He’s growing up to be a handsome and adorable kid. Strangers even ask to have his picture taken with them at public places like malls. And we’ve gotten to know quite a few people this way. It’s really quite funny and interesting. :)

A typical weekday routine goes this way: He’d wave and say “bye” every time we leave for work. What’s hard is he’d cry too. And when we come home at night, he’d rush to meet us and squeal to his heart’s content. And if we happen to come home late, he’ll make an effort stay awake as much as possible to greet mom and dad. This makes us particularly look forward to the weekends to spend more time with him.

Parenthood definitely has its challenges and perks. And I’m definitely looking forward to the coming years.

To my anak, CJ, daddy’s here to say, “Happy Birthday! We thank the Lord for bringing you into our lives. We love you!”

Man, oh man. I’m 30. Is that old? Most people consider it so. Well, at least most of my peers do.

Have I matured? The kid in me says “Hell no!”, but the father in me says “Yes!”. I’ll leave that for people close to me to decide. But one thing’s for certain, I did get to pick up a lot of experiences in life over the years. I have my share of wounds to lick, victories to savor and roses to smell.

I’ve experienced puppy love, gone from bad relationships to much worse, and now I’m absolutely thankful to have finally been led into a better one. If you’re down and out, there’s no way to go but up.

And guess what my love has brought me? Ha! I finally have myself a new pair of sneakers for my birthday!

Graying hair or not, life just keeps on getting better. ;-)