A full day

and I'm tired now.

This a.m., my son and I competed for the bathroom. I gave in to him because he had to meet up with someone to gather their requirements for their application to study abroad. When he was done, I bathed and before I was done dressing up, my tutee arrived. Had her wait a bit before finally joining her. How I wish she would relax a bit. She seems so tense, algebra intimidates her no end.

Meanwhile, while I was tutoring, the driver of the Wheelmobile texted. He was outside. I had told him 10:30. It was 9:30 and he was here. So I told husband to use him to go to the doctor. Yesterday, at Punta Fuego, husband was taking pictures and jumped for a better angle. But instead of grass, he landed on a hole in the ground and fell on his side. And he was alone. Son chose to stay in the casita, reading, as did I. Luckily, husband managed to get up and drive back to the casita. The fall was nothing, he said, possibly a sprain. Son drove back from Batangas to Manila. Stopped in tagaytay for a late lunch. Details on the PF experience soon.

While husband had his foot x-rayed in a lab along our street, he had the Wheelmobile go back to the house. After he assured me he could walk back, I left for the bank to get a bank certification which is required for my son's application. Then off to Makati.

Initially I thought of dropping by my sister's to get the receipt of Alliance France for translations requested. I had asked her to bring it to AF after I faxed it to her to save one trip to Makati. But I was famished. I texted my friend who's in town from The Netherlands and we agreed to meet for lunch at Power Plant. I decided AF and my sister's house could wait.

While waiting for friend in Banana Leaf, I listened as an old person played on the piano. At first I was sure the person was female because he had on a pink long-sleeve top . Then I thought, he has a hat. And the build was so masculine. I thought he might be male.


What music did he play as I sat alone waiting? Song for Anna. I think I posted in this site or some other blog how the song pierces my heart and those of my sisters each time we hear it, because we so associate it with Mama. A year or so before she died, she'd play this piece on the piano, she who hadn't touched the piano for years. Maybe to leave us something to remember her by? And a few months before she passed away, my friend from The Netherlands who was then my college classmate gave me a cassette tape, one of whose songs was Song for Anna. Remembering that now, maybe Mama wanted me to recall that connection. We played that tape as her remains were carried out of the church to the cemetery after mass in our home town. Anyway, as I listened to the music this morning, I was confused. More than anything emotional, I was just tired and hungry. So why the music from Mama, which always signifies for me comfort from her because I usually hear it unexpectedly when I'm worried about something. Perhaps I was worried about my husband's foot more than I cared to acknowledge? And the piano player played the piece whole or maybe more. See the melody goes round and round and there is always the tendency not to know where to go next and when to end. And the song the pianist played after was Love Story which mama also loved. What was Mama trying to tell me today? I don't really know.

After lunch at Banana Leaf with best friend, hied off in the Wheelmobile to my sister's to get the receipt so I could claim the translations. Payment for the translation of one birth certificate and one affidavit of support is P2120. The affidavit of support is P1220, balance of P900 is for the birth certificate. Steep? Left an affidavit executed by best friend for translation and that means another P1220. And guess what, as I was on my way home, I read the translation and noted some errors; my mother's family name was listed as BIEN. and the corrections on the side of my son's birth certificate weren't typed as they should have. But my maiden name or my son's middle name was spelled correctly. Hahaha. Did the one translating know one of my sisters? How come she unwittingly spelled it correctly? Funny...