Family Chat

Last night I had a chance to chat with my 3 sisters back home with all my nieces and nephew. It's been awhile since I've talked to all of them together.

Since my moms sisters move to Canada, my moms side of the family always had a "family chat" over the weekends, Friday nights in North America and after lunch on a Saturday in the Philippines considering the time difference and all.

This time it was just our family. I got home after a day at the park to watch my volleyball friends play an outdoors grass tournament down in Coulon Park. I was never a fan of outdoors volleyball, or should I say I used to be. I injured my right ankle years ago and since then I just play for fun and not competitively. It was good to see everybody in a different setting besides indoors volleyball while sharing some drinks and laughs.
Anyway, I was supposed to just freshen up and change when I got home but thought of stopping by my parents' apartment which is across the hall from me (about 3 steps away from my doorsteps literally). Upon opening the door, I saw my dad making food while my mom and brother was by the dining table with my moms netbook and my dads laptop. Why two you ask? They were using my dads laptop for YM! and mom moms netbook for Skype, both with webcams on. I guess my sisters was doing the same coz we had two different screens while watching them as well.


I immediately saw my sister Drei, Ate (pronounced as at-eh meaning older sister) Drei as I call her growing up. We barely text or call each other but if we have a chance we chit chat a bit. First thing I heard was about a pledge in August. She is 7 months pregnant and already has 2 girls and this time she is having a boy. I'll be a godparent to her baby boy and I'm super excited. I immediately laughed and said "I'm broke, I have nothing to pledge". Haha!
I probably talked the longest with my eldest niece Nicole last night. I can't believe she is 11 now. Before I left the Philippines, she is this tiny (well not so tiny) lil gurl that would run to me whenever I get home from school. She'd give me kisses and tons of it. I would tell her "yokyok" and she would raise her hand and show her armpits. I don't remember how that started but she would have a huge smile on her face anticipating what's gonna happen and u would tickle her armpits and she had one of adorable laugh that can just make anyone smile. A year or so ago I saw her chatting with mom and I jumped in and told her "yokyok". My mom then told me that she get embarassed now coz according to her, she is a big girl now.
Last night my mom and I asked her to sing for us since she told us that she will be focusing on singing this time rather than playing volleyball like the rest of us did. Nicole and her sister Carla would sing for us and bribe them with Barbie dolls, this time around it didn't work. I asked myself, hmmm, whatelse can I bribe them. My third niece who is my goddaughter went in the room and u tried to ask her sing... of course with a bribe. I suddenly thought of my $ on my small wallet, five $1s to be exact. My third sister Ate Lai took advantage of the opportunity since I haven't really had a chance to send anything to her and she immediately started singing some kids tunes. She had this very tiny voice and it was so adorable.
Nicole went back to the room where everybody was loudly cheering after Julias song. All of a sudden she wanted to sing. We requested our once favorite song that she used to sing, "Hawak Kamay" by Yeng Constantino.


I'm so excited for her to go to her singing lessons. Her voice has matured so much since the last time I heard her sing. And yes she got $20 from this performance courtesy of his grandpa Lolo Abu.
I made the right decision staying in. It's been awhile since I really had "family time", it was great to see my sisters together. Somewhere along the chat, Ate Drei asked me if I'm going home next year on Febuary. Itnmade me think but naturally I jokingly answered "I have no money" haha! Ok maybe I wasn't joking, that reason and not enough vacation hours for work. It made me definitely think though. Maybe it's time to visit home. I miss my sisters company, I miss our laughs and our stupid jokes. I miss our bickering growing up that makes me laugh now when I think about it. I can't wait to give me nieces Nicole an Carla big hugs and maybe try and see if I can lure them on doing "yokyok" again. I can't wait to meet my two younger nieces from my third sister, Julia and Justin. And i can't wait to hold our familys lil angel, Angelo who's been really strong with all his operations for the past months for his cleft pallet, atta boy! And of course carry the new lil baby of my second sister.


We ended up chatting with them til 3am. Thata how you know it's good times and how I missed all of them. Looking forward for next time!

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