Macky and His Chubby Cheeks

How time flies! Almost two years ago, my eldest nephew was just a little kid to my eyes. He is the typical “cute” kid who has a fatty body and chubby cheeks. Looking back, two years is considerably not that long ago but the changes in Macky’s physical feature have been very noticeable. Thanks to the presence of digital and cellular phone cameras for the accurate documentation. 

April 2011

December 2013

Just two years ago, our Kuya Macky was so sweet and he would even allow me to kiss his chubby cheeks but now, he look like a grown up man at 14 and he'll be embarrassed if I show him affection especially in front of his friends. He would often say “ayaw na Tita kay dako nako”.

Sometimes, I wish he would never grow up so I can kiss and cuddle him anytime I want without him complaining. LOL. I know I should learn to accept the fact that my dear nephew is growing independently although I can't help but be overprotective sometimes. He may be grown up but to me, he will always be a little kid.

33/365 A-Snap-A-Day

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Holiday Selfies

Christmas and New Year celebration at home is one the busiest times for all of us. Aside from the busy preparation of food for Noche Buena and Medya Noche (Medianoche), my parents are also particularly busy with their sari-sari store.

Together with Bella, her Tita Den Den and Tito Dodong, we attended the Midnight Mass. It has been a family practice to wear the same color of shirt or dress every Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This time we went for Royal Blue or any shade of Blue for Christmas then Red for the New Year.

Another exciting part of the celebration is the photo op with our friends and the rest of the family. The most excited among all of us is our Kuya Macky who are into taking endless selfies. He was so enthusiastic about taking selfies for him to post in his Facebook Account. I actually labeled his shots as holiday selfies.

We also deemed it necessary to take photos for the occasion to send it to our family members who could not spent the holidays with us. Even if we are physically apart, in that way, we can share with them the joy of the season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!

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He is Sick

It was Sunday after attending mass when Macky complained about his stomach. He said he has difficulty defecating so I asked him to go to my mom for medication. He was given minor massage using menthol liniment oil thinking that it was only caused by air and the sudden change of temperature. I have also let him drink tea for him to feel better. In our own dialect, we usually called his condition panuhot or kabag. 

But even after what we did, he said that he was still not feeling better and that he didn’t have a good sleep that night but he still went to school on Monday morning but went home in the afternoon due to the stomach ache. He is sick and he needed to rest early. 

Mama has given him some herbal medicine in fact, I have even found some leaves on his stomach earlier this evening when he was about to go to bed. I am awake almost the whole night monitoring him because I started to get worry about his condition. I told him that if he feels that the pain is still there, we will see his doctor today. I'm just glad that he didn't have fever so at least we know that he didn't have any infection. I really do hope our Kuya Macky will get better from his sickness soon. It scares me every time someone in the family gets sick especially the kiddos.

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Healthy Summer Routine

Kuya Macky has started a healthy summer routine right after his elementary graduation. He would woke up at half past three in the morning to prepare for his daily jogging schedule with friends and basketball teammates and start at around four in the morning. When he reached home after jogging, he would take a rest for a while then eat breakfast prepared by either Mommy or Daddy. After eating  breakfast and cleaning up the dishes, he would then start with cleaning and organizing the living room and do other chores I assigned to him the night before. And as a compensation, I would pay him at least thirty pesos (P30) but most of the time higher than that if I am happy and satisfied with his work.

Relaxing after a hard day's work...

It has been more than a month that we don't have a house help and I admit it was really hard on my part at first but thanks to Kuya Macky who volunteered himself to clean up the house every day as his part – time job for the summer break. Waking up each morning seeing how organize things are inside the house makes me sigh with relief. With the dining area and the living room clean, I can at least focus on some important chores in the house. I am so grateful for Kuya Macky's new found energy and maturity.

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Hospitalized

Early in the morning last Tuesday, Macky told Mommy (my mom) that he would like to be excused from class in the morning because he is not feeling well. Mama just allowed him to rest in the morning thinking that Macky was just tired from playing basketball the night before but when she checked on Macky she noticed that he has fever. She immediately asked Jing to get the thermometer and check Macky's temperature. They said that the temp is 36.7 degrees centigrade and since it is normal they thought that Macky was just tired and getting the needed rest would be enough.

I was busy that day since I need to go check my grandfather in the other hospital. My grandfather was also hospitalized due to the infection on his left toes and since he is diabetic his toes was scheduled for amputation. I was in the hospital the whole day and went home at around 10 in the evening that night.

When I arrived home and after changing my clothes that night, I immediately checked Macky's temperature and I was a little scared because he has high fever as his temperature reaches 39.7 degrees Celsius. We gave him paracetamol and Mama and I alternately giving him sponge bath. But despite everything, his temperature did not lower down but instead goes up as I checked every now and then.

I was already worried seeing him cold and almost chilling so we decided to brought him to the hospital for proper medication.

Note: This article was posted using iPhone 4s while I am watching over Macky in the hospital. Today is officially his 7th day in the hospital.

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Family Dinner at Buffet Palace on His 13th Birthday

Since I have convinced Macky to have a family dinner instead of having a pool party on this 13th birthday, everyone in the house prepared early for dinner that night. We are supposed to go downtown using Bren's car but since he will go out late from work, we just decided to take the taxi instead to be able to arrived in the restaurant in time for dinner.

I first thought of having a dinner in the nearest mall which is the SM City but changed my mind when I learned that Victoria Plaza will be having a midnight sale. I am very excited with the thought of shopping with the rest of the family after dinner so I told everyone that we will have our eat-all-you-can dinner at Buffet Palace inside Victoria Plaza compound.

We arrived at Buffet Palace just in time for dinner. The restaurant offers a complete selection of main courses from soup, fish, vegetable, chicken, beef and pork dishes. Also included in the menu table are the ingredients for fish kinilaw which Papa enjoyed so much. Aside from the wide selection of mini-cakes for dessert, there were mango float, macaroni salad and the complete ingredients for halo-halo and many others which I failed to remember. Sorry, I am not a sweet tooth eh :(

With the kind of food to choose from, everyone of us really had a great time at our family dinner at Buffet Palace. Kuya Macky had a second trip to the buffet table for additional viands and a third round of mango float plus a bowl of halo-halo for dessert not to mention a plate full of pork chicharon. LOL.

The little girl is becoming a photography aficionado who loves taking pictures of people and things and of course demanded that I take her photo with Kuya Macky too. She actually consumed a handful of pancit guisado, a bowl of soup, few slices of  soy chicken and fried pork chop and a cute bowl of halo-halo Tito Dong made for her :) And mind you, she is free of charge since she is just two years old.

And while Papa is paying the bill and just before I finish eating, Macky asked for the camera and took photo of himself inside the men's restroom. LOL

As planned, we immediately headed to Victoria Plaza to do the midnight shopping after the dinner. I bought Bella few pairs of dresses and nothing for myself, as always. Macky got himself a new polo shirt to be used in their Christmas Party, a new cellular phone as a birthday gift, a Bench hair gel and cologne.

It was a tiring night but it was very fun and fulfilling because it seldom happens that the whole family eat out in the restaurant. Thanks to my brother for the budget and for always keeping Macky's birthday and happiness in mind. 

Happy 13th birthday Kuya Macky! I hope you'll feel blessed now and for always! We love you very much.

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He Is Officially A Teen!

Today, Macky officially turns 13! He has been wanting to be a teenager because for him, it is the time to be more  independent and of course to be extra attractive to girls his age. He would no longer be labelled as  "bata" or "totoy" by his  basketball playmates or by any young girl in the subdivision. He wants to impress all the girls eh!

He first wanted to have a pool party for his 13th birthday celebration just like last year but I am too lazy to move and prepare all the needed stuff for the party so I just encourage him to have a family dinner in the restaurant and then buy him a new cellular phone as a birthday remembrance.

As much as possible, we also do not want to spend so much for a party considering the status of our finances. My brother (Macky's dad) sent some amount for Macky's birthday so we will just work with the budget and hopefully save some for Macky's Christmas party expense at school *wink*. I am just thankful that our teen agreed to the idea of celebrating his 13th birthday in the restaurant with the whole family minus his friends.

Our little kiddo is officially a teen and I pray that he will continue to be healthy and focus on the things that he want to achieve. Kuya, now that you are 13 I hope that you will be a better man setting good example as big brother to Yoshi and Bella. We will always be here to support you all the way.

We love you! Happy 13th birthday! 

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He Is Not Feeling Well Today

I woke up late this morning because of the schedule that I currently have at work since my system is still adjusting on my routine. I was told that Macky did not go to school today because he is not feeling well. When I checked on him, he told me that he do not have fever but he feels like he do not have enough strength to move even a finger.

My father has already given Macky a paracetamol and my cousin, Jing has also given Macky his vitamins. When inquired about the possible cause of his sickness, he said that he got wet with the rain yesterday. Knowing how he feels, I just don't reprimanded him of his absence from school today. I encouraged him to eat the fruits that hubby and I bought yesterday.

We usually have fresh fruits on our table most of the time. This is to encourage everyone especially Bella and Macky to munch fresh fruits instead of junk foods when they feel like eating. In the absence of imported fruits such as apple, ponkan and grapes, we are happy and contented with having unlimited fresh bananas in the house. Macky has consumed a lot of fruits yesterday, that's according to him which I considered a great news.

I started to get worried about his sickness this afternoon  when he suddenly got up from bed and  joined us for a snack this afternoon. He even went out to play basketball after that. I really thought that he was sick but he told me that he is already feeling better and that he wants to play basketball to relax.

I am thankful that Macky is strong enough to combat sickness and responsible enough to take care of himself in times like this. I just pray that he will continue to be strong physically and emotionally to be able to cope with life's challenges.

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Absent from School

I was  so surprised to see Macky in the house when I woke up this morning. I seldom saw him in the morning because most of the time he is already in school. When I asked him why didn't he go to school today, he did not answer directly but gave me an alibi that he wants to tend the store because Daddy is away. He decided to be absent from school and Daddy allowed it. :(

I am a little upset by his reasoning especially the manner how he answered back. When I asked the people in the house about his activities the other night, I was told that he went home late last night. I don't want to tolerate this kind of attitude so to teach him a lesson, I decided not to let him go out of the house the whole day. He is actually grounded today.

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Basketball Team Captain

Macky has informed all of us earlier today that after the basketball try-out he attended at their school last Saturday, he was chosen as the captain of their school's basketball varsity team this school year. Although he was already one of the school's varsity player last year, it is a must for them to still attend the try-out for the sake of fairness and equality. 

We are so happy and proud of  Macky's recent achievement. The whole family has been very supportive in all his endeavors especially his Papa Rollie who is really doing his best to provide for his needs. He is already on his last year in the elementary grade and being chosen as the varsity team captain is such an honor.

Congrats Kuya Macky. We are so proud of you. Keep it up!

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A Big Boy Wannabe

I went to Macky's school this afternoon to pay for his books. I purposely went their late afternoon thinking that we will come home together since  his class is almost over by that time. While waiting to be entertained by the school cashier, I saw him joining the basketball game played by high school students but when the official game started he was just seated near the stage.

I called him to ask why didn't he join his classmates who are playing just beside the court, I was so surprised when he answered "I don't want to join them because what they're  playing is only for kids."  I realized that he don't want to be identified as a kid anymore although he is only 12 years old. He preferred the company of big men in the school because he wanted to be one of them. He didn't even came home with me but insisted that I should go first because he is still playing basketball and he already knew his way home.

It is just so ironic because while most of us at home are trying to treat Macky as a kid, he on the other hand, is striving to be a big boy.  He now insists on doing things on his own and he demands more independent. Kuya Macky really wants to grow fast and indeed he is. The thought saddens me because I always see him as a baby but  I think I need to accept the fact that our eldest baby  in the family is not a baby anymore but a big boy in his own world.

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Bronze Medalist and Most Sociable Awardee

It is always a joy for every parents to see their kids excel in school. I am just an aunt but I am so happy and proud on Macky's achievement this school year much more on his parents especially his father who works really hard to provide for his needs. Aside from his achievement in sports as a member of the school's  basketball varsity,  Macky is a Bronze Medalist and Most Sociable Awardee on their recognition day this morning.

Forcing him to pose with his medal and ribbon... ;-)

Congratulations Macky and thank you for making us proud once again. Keep it up and always remember the lessons and the responsibility that comes with that award. God bless you and we love you!

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One Cool Day

Macky didn't have much activities during our CDO vacation because he went  home with my parents  a day after Yoshi's birthday celebration. Aside from playing with Yoshi, Bella and Tep, he spent most of his time playing on the internet and just chillin' in the sofa trying to keep cool from everything around him.

striking a pose while resting from online games...

He still enjoys his vacation although it was a bit short. He was so happy because aside from his first airplane ride experience he was given an opportunity to spend longer time with the family especially with Bella and Yoshi.

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Night Swimming at Gabby's Pool Party

We were invited to attend Gabby's 4th birthday party celebration some two weeks ago. Although it was declared a holiday, Bren was scheduled to go to work thus I tagged along Macky and Tita Jing. Together with Bella, we attended Gabby's party held in at DCG Family Swimming  Pool in Toril.

Among all of us, Macky were the most excited because he's been meaning to go swimming the moment we got there. And right after dinner, Macky could no longer contain his excitement and headed on to the pool. As always, he was enthusiastically showing his swimming prowess. Yay!

Already getting cold...

Taking a pose for the cam...

We went home late that evening because Macky wanted to stay longer. He was even happier when somebody asked him if he is a swimmer. Haha!  He had a blast  that night saying that he wanted to have a pool party on his 12th birthday too. Good luck Papa Rollie! Lol!

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Gelled Hair

My nephew is only 11 years old and yet he is already conscious with his hygiene and  his looks especially with his hair. A few days ago when he learned that I am going to the grocery store he asked me to buy him cologne and hair gel and he even specified the brand. Axe for his cologne and Gatsby for the gel. And sinceI claimed to be a "doting Aunt", I have no choice but to get those things for him.

Smiling big although conscious with his teeth. Lol!

Look at his gelled hair!

Macky was so happy and excited about it.This  was the second time time that I bought him cologne but with the agreement that it should be consumed for the next two months.Lol!

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Hair Tripping

One afternoon Macky asked  his Aunt Jing ( my cousin)  to do  some styling on his hair. He was the who instructed his Aunt Jing to do  the hairstyle that he want. And look at his hair...

proudly showing his new hair trip...

posing in the middle of  the street

I have been trying to research on what  this type of hairstyle is called but I haven't found one. This hairstyle is somehow similar to the braided ( but not really) hair of some reggae artist and I think some of the Afro-American guys I saw in movies  it's just that Macky has a shorter hair.

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Feeling Good

I did not go to school today. I felt uneasy and feverish last night although I went to bed early, I still don't feel better when I woke up this morning. Mommy told me not to go to school today for me to get some more rest.

I ate breakfast and lunch earlier today.I took some rest for a while then watched my favorite show on TV. I felt good after eating a lot and drinking my vitamins. I think I got better also because Mommy and Tita Jing cooked my favorite viand... egg omelet.

I felt even better because Tita Rovs allowed me to play in her computer for a while. I thank my family for taking care of me. After this post, I will be cooking my own version of egg omelet.

I had fun playing with Bella in their air conditioned room while playing online games on a borrowed laptop. I pray that one day I will be playing with my own computer. One day... and I hope it is going to be soon. One day soon...

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Feverish

It is a beautiful day today. The weather is good and everything is fine at school. I just had a few discussions with Mommy about my school uniform because I outgrown it somehow. It was actually an old uniform from last year. Mommy went to the mall today and bought some plain white fabrics for her to use in sewing my new uniform. I believe she plans to make two sets of uniform for me.

When I arrived home after school this afternoon I somehow felt uncomfortable. I usually play basketball after eating my merienda but this afternoon I just lie down and sleep. I felt feverish and I don't know why. My Tita said maybe due to fatigue since we are practicing hard at school. At around eight in the evening I woke up and eat dinner and drink my vitamins. I was advised not to drink anything but vitamins.

I somehow felt better after eating and drinking my vitamins but I still need to get some rest so I will going to bed early tonight. I hope that my fever will be gone tomorrow and the Lord will give me a goodnight rest.

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