-circle of life-

The irony of life sometimes struck us when we are alone, lonely and terribly missing those people who made a great impact on our lives.
Bittersweet memories of our childhood, always fills us with opposing emotions: chills and delight. 

I am talking about people, well extra special character of our lives. Those we grew up with, fought with, strangle with, cry with, laugh with and dreamt with…

Yes, our siblings.

I am going to tell a story about the 3 person that are so special to me…
I can’t imagine life without them.




My brother Sunday.
My one and only brother (though I have four others on my father’s first marriage). When we were young we were always fighting. He is my punching bag for he is so small. Seems so fragile for a boy…nope he don’t have an angelic face back then…that’s the reason why I choose him to be my punching bag. Ehhehe…
I’m a tomboy when I was younger…I always love to fight with boys…nah! Not of the same age group as mine but those younger than me.
I could remember once that I threw my brother under our sofa chair…and left him crying. Of course I was also beatenn up by my mother.
Sunday is such a sweet boy when he grew up. He started young on his spirituality…he was an altar boy at the age of 9 till he was on his early teens. You can’t see him in the computer shop or hanging with a gang for he will be at the church on his free time. He like what he is doing. He likes it when he is in the altar while other people are just below his eye level…worshipping God…while he is there directly serving Him. My lola Taking and Lola Viven was so proud of him, even though he was mock by some of our relatives. Coz you can’t see him joining us in preparing the house for family gathering. My Nanay wouldn’t mind him not helping us for she is too happy to see my brother in the church doing what’s right.
He is not like any other boys who engage in fistfights and getting into trouble… Will he got into trouble once but it’s not his fault anyways. He was bitten by a dog when he went out one late evening to watch TV at our Neighbor. (We don’t have TV then, we can’t afford one).
I could still recall, he was so scared then coz the dog bite was really huge on his little legs… I even had the scariest thought that he would die after that incident. (chuckle). But thanks God we were able to bring him to a wack doctor who get rid off the rabies. It was such a memorable experience for him.
He grew up serving the Lord as an altar boy till he was in High School. Of course he had some barkadas…and most of them are really funny. Then I discovered he could pass as a comedy actor…my little brother had a funny side.
He has a good sense of humor. He would always make me laugh, well not only me but most of all, girls who had fallen on his charm.
Yes, the not so pretty boy had grown up to be an attractive man. We had a joke then that if he don’t have money he would just go to his Sugar Mommies… He is also attractive to the third sex… that those Gays who later learn that He is my brother would soon be nice to me…coz they like my brother.
My cousins and nieces adore him coz he is so sweet and funny at the same time. Little children would be enamored of him on the way he tickles them and make fun of them every time we are having a get-together.
Sunday, is always a Mama’s boy, he is so attached with my mother. He misses my mom when he got a job in Cebu.
He misses home so much, and maybe that’s the reason why he chose to get a job in one of the company in our town.
He got a girlfriend now…and she’s nice. In fact my brother is lucky to have her. She helped her in his studies and all.
Back then he had a few relationship, but it didn’t work out like what he have now.

He is 24 now, working as a sales representative in an appliance center in our town. His wage is not enough actually but he is happy to be there.
I’m glad that his there, for I’m sure my family would be in good hands with him around.
His only vice is drinking a little and talking on the phone with his girlfriend.

My brother is not my punching bag anymore. The lanky boy in my childhood had grown into a man enough to be a hugging bear to me. He is always fond of hugging us, kissing us when he felt us. He is not afraid to show his adoration to us his sisters. Not like any other guy who is scared to utter the word “I love you.”
My Sunday is always saying I love you, after a phone call, when I go back to Manila…and when situations need those words to be said.
That’s my brother bear SUNDAY.


Next…
(Sigh)
The MINI ME. My sister Mizziel.
Yes, the little Jinny, according to my friends.
We are so much alike in so many ways. She looks like me, act like me, and sometimes talks like me.
You think I like it…. NO.
I hate her beyond words.
You can’t put us to sleep without fighting. A day won’t end without you seeing us fighting and arguing about any thing above the earth.
She annoys me in so many ways…her action, the way she talks, the way she put herself as the center of attention every time we have family gatherings.
As a child, Mizziel is weak. Literally. She falls down every time she tries to take a step when she was a toddler.
My mother tried to abort her when she was still a fetus, for she likes to have two kids meaning my Brother and I are enough for her. Well that explains it all.
She’s sickly yet she’s so strong, well, that what I think. For she won’t mind her being so weak as long as she can play and do whatever she want to do.
She’s talented, she can sing mind you.
Although she’s not brainy but she’s street smart and madiskarte.
I could still remember when she was 5. She joined a beauty contest. She is so confident in every sense of the word. She wouldn’t let us teach her what to do coz she knew what she’s doing. She knew how to walk in the runway at that age. She wouldn’t let us tell her what to say for she knew exactly what words to say. In short, she don’t need our help.
Yes, she’s stubborn.
Then the pageant day came. In fairness to her she did well. For me she could have won the best in talent award for she got the talent anyway. She sang Donna Cruz’ rain in perfect notes.
Question and answer portion came: HI MIZZIEL, HOW ARE YOU TONIGHT? Without any apprehensions, oozing with confidence, my little sister answered… “ARE YOU!” and then smiled.
From then on, she was called ARE YOU! Because of that historical answer. LOL.
She never looked at it as an embarrassing moment of her life. But it was a challenge for her.
Do you know why I hate her?
Because she always follow whatever I do.
She had a diary.
She love to read… just like me… in fact she loves it when I sent her my old reader’s digest copies.
She would always join every curricular activity she could join in high school.
Our penmanship is quite similar.
She was an honor student in High School…while I am not.
She was an officer in CAT and had a higher position than me, I was just a PLATOON LEADER while she’s a BATALLION LEADER. Beat that.
On her first day in college, old teacher and friends called her JIN thinking she was me.
Yes, that’s how strong our resemblance is.
She sang in the acquaintance party representing the whole Region 8 students enrolled that year. (I just had my share of the limelight few months after the school opens; I joined the theater group in our school). Kalokah divah.
She joined the school choir, and had the chance to do the workshop alongside the Philippine Madrigal Singers… isn’t that amazing… She beats me on that.
Ito pa… She took up Bachelor of Science in Food Technology while I took up Bachelor of Science in Development Communication major in Community Broadcasting.
Back then, DevCom’s and Food Tech’s are always in competition…coz both are really difficult courses…
But my God, I didn’t take that course coz I hate numbers…and my sister was courageous enough to take it.
I had just an internship in college coz I hate to write a book/thesis. You have a choice to have a thesis or go on internship/field practice. Every course in our university are given that choice.
Of course, I took the easier part.
While my little sister is again doing what she’s best at, she had a thesis before graduation.
Hehhe… Funny.
So you know now how much I hate her???
Back in High School I had the opportunity to join some beauty pageant. I joined twice, in our school, Ms. Campus Girls…I just garnered the Ms. Congeniality award and landed on the 5th place.
I also joined the Ms. Teen Baybay. Well, it only shows I’m not good in this.
My little sister joined the first ever Mutya ng Baybay.
She didn’t make it to the top5, but she got two major awards. Ms. Friendship and Ms. Congeniality.
Well for me twas enough. Coz even though she didn’t make it to the top5, she managed to get a higher monetary award compared to the fourth runner up.
But still…she beat me on that. Her first pageant and she got two awards…
Argh…. (she got good feedback though).
I got my first job few months after graduation…wanna know ho my little sister beat me on this aspect?
Well, in just the same span of time she got her first job.
You think it’s ordinary ??! no…
She got her first job in Brunei. Abroad mga amiga! And she’s a supervisor in Brunei Meat Corporation.
Wah….
Beat that!
Yeah she’s amazing.
She’s trying to outbeat me in any thing on this earth.
Well, I have to admit…I’m proud of her…
Maybe the reason why my blood boils whenever I could see her, it’s because I can see more of myself in her. My flaws, insecurities, my faults in a bigger picture.
She’s like a mirror to me…maybe that’s how other people perceived me without me noticing it.
We are alike in so many ways but I have to admit…she did a much better act in this eternal play called life.
Whether I like it or not… I have to admit…I do miss her a lot… …and yes I do love her…in every sense of the word….


Mirasol – sunflower…
My youngest sister.
Among the three of us…she’s likely to be the most secretive and different.
Though she’s like that… unlike Mizziel we do agree a lot on so many things. Even though she’s too young but we have the same likes and dislikes.
Among all others, Mia is the strongest and ang pinakamaldita.
She was nicknamed Mia because she’s my tatay’s Favorite. He was infact the one who gave her name.
She’s a tomboy when she was young. The kind who would go home with a scrape on her knees, her dress with a tear and act like she’s one of the boys.
She would like to be a police then.
If Mizziel is oozing with confidence, Mia is the opposite.
She’s shy. But she’s got more talent than any of us. She sings really well but she’s afraid to show it.
In high school she was in the honor lists, which made us proud coz she is really the aloof type.
She loves to spend time with her friends, which is awkward coz her classmates looked so tiny with her around…not that she’s the bulgy type, but she’s tall and lanky.
Really tall for her age.
Most of the time she stoops coz she’s the tallest among her peers and she really stands – out.

Mia grew up with the looks that could pass as a runway model.
She took Animal Science in college, and has some changes in her interests.
Instead of fighting bandits on the streets, she fought cows and cattle in the field. She’s suddenly interested in Rodeo.
One time she went home with a swollen face. She was kicked by a horse right on her face. Funny. Really. But it’s a mark that she’s tough.
My tatay never made it to watch in any of my performance back in college. But he really made it sure that he could watch Mia strangle a cow in our school during the local Rodeo.
And I could say that he is really proud of her.



Mia, is the most challenged among all of us. She got pregnant at 19. She bore a child without a husband. And was the center of intrigues and mockery among relatives and acquiantances. My nanay was so disappointed with her.

But, I never ever judged her. Upon hearing it i never got angry and disgusted with her. I understood her right away and accepted the fate she got. Not that I am agreeable on what she came through...but I can't do anything about it.

I supported her all the way till she gave birth to our Little Angel... Zain Leona.

Mia was forced to act as an adult when Eona came to our life. She tried everything to be serious in her studies and do everything for her to be a good mother to Eona.

Our baby sister has turned into a mother in such an early age.

I am so proud of her, for she didn't think of aborting Eona even though she was so confused of her situation back then. And most of all, she never made a big mistake in marrying the man who failed to show up and be a father to our little angel. She know that the man whom sh trusted once was irresponsible and afraid of commitments.

Mia is one hell of a strong woman...even though she's our youngest yet she managed to show us...the way to handle obstacles in our lives...