Daddy's Little Girl

A lot of little kids have their security blankets while growing up. Remember little Charlie in Peanuts? Did he ever outgrow his blankie? I'm not so sure (someone help me!) But I do know this man's man who grew up with his very own blankie (no names promise!) and eventually outgrew it. But back then, he held to his blankie like it was dear life.

No matter how smelly these blankies turn out to be with all the saliva and weewee that they've absorbed through the years, kids still cling on to their blankies for comfort. I think quite a lot of kids grew up like this.

I didn't. Well, not exactly.

I grew up not with security blankets but with comfort clothes. And when I say comfort clothes, these are my LARGE t-shirts a.k.a. pambahay/pantulog. They're the type of clothes that you hang out in when you're too lazy to go out of the house. (why call it hang out when you're in?) I wear these clothes whenever I'm just hanging... in or sleeping. And I never outgrew it (the habit, not the clothes.) For the record, I outgrew some of the clothes (a little girl's big shirt isn't so big anymore for a big girl so off they went) but the habit stuck with me.

Like right now, I'm wearing this Double-O-Seven (007) Tomorrow Never Dies freebie shirt that I've had since my brother brought it home after he watched the movie premiere (so what year was that?) And I guess I couldn't let go of the shirt not because I'm all sentimental about it but because it's super comfy! Old habits die hard.

And to whom do I owe this good or bad habit (whichever way one wants to look at it)?

To my one and only DAD, of course. :)

A creature of habit, my dad likes having the same breakfast and merienda, day in and day out (except when we're out of town). Oatmeal for breakfast and toasted bread with sardines for merienda.

My dad is the reason why a 1973 Dodge Colt is still parked in our place although it was my mom's car back in med school (and my mom's not being sentimental about it). He is the reason why I have to take good care of my laptop because he clearly pointed out that he would never buy me another one ever and asked me to treat it as if it were the last laptop I'd ever own in this lifetime. (I guess he took the word "Lifebook" seriously). And he is also the reason why I have old large t-shirts in my closet which I could never ever let go of. He gave me two shirts circa 1970s and made me promise to take care of them. (they won't be part of our upcoming garage sale, promise!)

His main reasons for clinging on to certain objects are (1) sentiment and his (2) innate thriftiness. My reasons for clinging on to certain objects are (1) comfort and (2) lack of money. So you see, I'm still a bit like my dad. And to those who have already met my dad, I swear I'm just like him, only less scary ;)

I've heard enough "terror teacher" stories about my dad from medical interns and residents... And I once joked that I'm thankful I won't have him as my mentor in hospital rounds only to realize that I've got him as my mentor throughout my entire life. Seriously though, I truly think that aside from being a great cardiologist, he'll always be a teacher at heart (no pun intended).

He's not really that terrifying. Yes it's true that he sometimes asks us to quote the author/book from which we get certain information (even while having dinner) or he imposes curfews that vary from 10pm to 1am but I think his strict demeanor in those matters has always been for the best. (Plus I've found legit ways not to have any more absurd curfews. They're called balance and having a front door key.)

From him, I learned that some things are just in our heads, biases and judgment that we've formed on our own... like my childhood bias that veggies are bad food... well, atleast bad-tasting. He made me outgrow that by constantly asking me to eat my veggies until I acquired the taste for them. ;)

From him, I learned that growing up means deciding on your own and not deciding to please other people... I was a bit unsure while choosing a university for my undergrad. Actually, I was a bit scared at first because I always thought my dad wanted me to choose U.P. when in fact all he ever wanted was for me to decide on my own. And so when I reserved my slot in Ateneo, he told me how happy he was to see me make my own decision. Believe me, I felt like a grown-up that time and I was 16 (closely turning 17).

From him, I learned not to take things for granted... He often told us his childhood stories as they chased after jeepneys or how life was more difficult for him when he was younger. One of his favorites was his story about med school. He said that they didn't have much money before so he had to enter U.P. med and told himself to do good there because he wouldn't be able to afford any other medical school. As it turned out, perseverance and integrity were his answers to almost everything.

From him, I learned how it is to have full support. And it's not simply about financial support... Often, the emotional kind matters more... like when I told him that I tried out for GamePlan and he said that he was happy for me because I sounded excited and passionate while describing it to him. (I had to explain because he didn't watch much TV except for tennis matches, golf, and HBO). Oh, I was even more ecstatic after that conversation! Eventually, he turned even more excited with the GP REACT LALA campaign which I guess resulted to the high statistics in the end. And when I didn't get the job, I knew he felt sad too. Aww. But he got through it ;-)

From him, I learned to find happiness in both great and small things. Aside from family and friends, he finds happiness from golf, music, and prayer. These are the things that usually comprise our Sundays except for golf which he solely enjoys. :p

From him, I learned to be on time, to be considerate, to value education, and to
stick to my principles among many other things.

I am thankful that I have one of the best mentors I could ask for. I am who I am today partly or probably almost mostly because of him.

My Dad :)

I'm not writing directly to my dad here because (1) he doesn't check the internet much and (2) I'd rather tell him in person all the other things I want to say although I think I'd have to read this entry to him as well. :)

So... Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there :) And friends, Happy Father's Day to all your Daddies too!