December of 2005 saw the two of us visiting Manila to spend Christmas with the family. It was an incredible feeling to come home and see everyone again after so long. And I could see from Kanittha's expression that she felt very much at home in Manila this time around.
Here's a photograph of my nephew, Jose, and my father, whom he calls "Wowo". the Filipino word for grandfather is "Lolo", but I guess he's having a bit of trouble there.
My two sisters. Via, on the left busy with her phone, and Tessa on the right very much pregnant with their second child, Sofia Isabella Saranglao. More photos of her daughter a little later in this post... when she comes out. We spent all of the first day just hanging out at home and catching up with everyone.
Our second day saw us wandering about the city of Makati doing some last minute Christmas shopping for the whole family. Here's Kanittha hamming it up for the camera right beside an old American Indian chieftain. This is the kind usually set out front of a tobbaco shop, but in this case it's beside a curio and antiques shop. We went with my father to help find a particular antique lamp he wanted to buy as a gift.
Our third day in Manila brought us a visitor, Auntie Celina, my mother's older sister. "Tita Madre" (literally translates as "Auntie Nun") as we lovingly refer to her, has a religious vocation and is a Roman Catholic nun. This was the first time that she met my wife, and they hit it off right away. My aunt later took me aside and mumbled confidentially, "good choice".
My father with a pillow stuffed up his back, pretending to be a hunchback. I guess I should explain that Tita Madre is already retired, so she spends most of her time in prayer and watching television with the other nuns. One of her favorite soap operas is a series entitled "Ang Kampanerang Kuba" (or "The Hunchback Bellringer". It's an addiction for her, and my father gave her a boardgame based on the television series to take back to the convent so they can play with the other nuns. It sounds a little strange, doesn't it.
That Sunday was also an Advent Sunday, so we gathered around to light the candles of the Advent Wreath. With Tita Madre reading some text from the liturgy for that day. This tradition has been with our family for as far back as I can recall.
This was another new one for Kanittha, but she stayed on watching intently at how things went. A bit left out because she couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. I've tried to explain it as best as I can, but it's hard to compress into a few words what the expectant waiting and preparation of Advent is all about.
Here's my younger brother, Nico, with one of the cats in the house. I don't know exactly what it is about pets, but we've always had them around. And while we all really love dogs, somehow the cats all gravitate to our family.
I'm not sure where it is we are going out to, but here is Kanittha all dressed up and ready to go. I think this is one of the many parties that my mother gets invited to go to, and we decided to tag along to enjoy the company and the free food.
We might have spent the evening at a dinner with my mom, but the next day we spent wandering around this really cool shopping arcade called "Market Market" with my father. Kanittha enjoyed herself immensely at this place specially when she discovered all the pickled fruits.
The two of them had this really hilarious conversation...
- Dad: What would you like for Christmas?
Kanittha: (in a cartoon sing-song voice) Lo-ove! - Dad: No really, what would you like us to give you?
Kanittha: (in the same cartoon sing-song voice) Just Lo-ove! - Dad: But, you can't put that in a box and wrap it up?
Kanittha: (still in the same voice) I can put it in my he-art!
On the sixth day of our visit, December 21st, 2005, my niece, Sofia, was born.
Here we all are crowding around my younger sister, Tessa, just as she's been brought back out of the delivery and recovery room. Jose is hovering anxiously and curiously around his mother. My father is standing nearby all concerned and excited.
Eight days into our visit and we have finally finished with all the Christmas shopping. Here's Kanittha wandering around Ayala Center in Makati City. You can just barely make out the Dusit Hotel in the background. Quite a coincidence that a bit of Thailand would be there watching over her.
Only three-days old and my niece, Sofia, has already come home. Here she is visiting with her grandmother.
Here is her older brother, Jose, playing around with Kanittha in the family room. Jose has developed a special relationship with his Tita Nut. He likes spending as much time as he can with my wife.
Later on in the evening, we all went together to the Christmas Eve Mass at Ayala Alabang. This was Kanittha's very first experience of this kind and she was enthralled by it all. From the standing up, sitting down and kneeling parts, to all the singing, the bright lights and all the people dressed up as if for a big party — she really enjoyed herself here.
After the mass, we went to greet the officiating priest who is an old friend of our family, Monsignor Ernesto Joaquin. From left to right, in the front row, is Monsignor Ernie, my mom, my wife, that's me in the reddish shirt, then my dad. Right behind the priest is Jocelyn, my brother's girlfriend, and beside her is my brother, Nico.
From the church, we went straight home to fix up the nativity scenes by adding in the figure of the infant Jesus. We have about a dozen little vignettes like this throughout my father's house in Manila. It is usually the youngest member of the family who has the job of placing the baby in the scene. It used to fall on my younger brother to do, but now we have Jose to do this for us.
Before we all jump in to open the gifts around the Christmas Tree, we all gather around the dining table to share a little feast. Here we've got my sister, Via and her boyfriend, David, already taking up their places at the dinner table.
Here we have Jocelyn and Nico making themselves ready for the feast. Unlike in other cultures where the gifts are opened first thing on Christmas morning, we open them right after the Christmas feast which is about midnight... and this lasts for a few hours. Pretty much Christmas morning.
Unfortunately I don't have any photographs of the happy mayhem and chaos that ensues when gifts are opened, but this was again a unique experience for Kanittha. She was moved to tears when she received so many gifts from everyone in the family. Likewise she glowed with pride and satisfaction when she saw how the gifts we gave to others made them so happy.
The next morning we took our nephew, Jose, out to Makati City where we spent the entire time playing video games with him at this arcade. Lots of screaming and squealing as they went from fighting games, to shooting games to driving simulations. Exhausting, but great fun!
All tired out from the day, Jose and Kanittha just taking some time out to chill in the family room back home.
Here's my father, with his granddaughter Sofia.
Again, here is my niece, Sofia, fast asleep in her special bed with her pink baby outfit and pink floral print pillows.
On the eleventh day of our visit, we spent most of the morning just at home exploring the different parts of the house and reconnecting memories to those spaces and sharing them with Kanittha. Here she is right outside the window of my sister, Via's old room. We used to have a big cage full of "love birds" right outside this window and it would drive Via insane. Now there are only some knick-knacks and a capiz parol — this is a Christmas Star made out of mother of pearl.
Our house literally has a feline infestation and there are always unique photo opportunities that present themselves at random moments.
Later that day, we went out together as if on a date, to see how Kanittha would react to life in Manila. And, how Manila would react to her. Judging from the photograph, you could say that the two are taking kindly to each other. Although that might be because this was taken at a Thai restaurant. That's one thing I have noticed about Thai people... they don't survive very long away from their own spicy foods.
Here she is filling in the shoes of Forrest Gump right outside a theme restaurant called "Bubba Gump" where we went to meet my old friends from high school.
And here is the gang all gathered around. Kanittha is the one taking the photo, so she's not in this one. Around the table, starting on the left is Maita, Ben-G, Pinky, Pia, Bobby, Albert, Mau, Marton and myself. Pretty much the same crowd from the year before.
When I think of home in Manila, I remember most what it looks like all dressed up for the Christmas season. Here is the spiral staircase I designed for my father when we added on a second floor to the house.
An antique cabinet with family photographs and religious icons and images on the wall above it.
A view from the kitchen going towards the dining room.
At the dining room, with Kanittha enjoying a late brunch by herself. While she does like the company of the family she does tend to wake up a bit later than everyone else and she is a bit uncomfortable when everyone starts shoving food at her.
