Mother of 2

A month ago, about the same time that my father passed away, a very close friend of mine sent me a message that she was going through in vitro fertilization for the nth time. My friend has been trying to get pregnant for years, ever since she married her husband several years ago. When all else failed, they turned to in vitro fertilization, a method of assisted reproduction where the man’s sperm and the woman’s egg is combined in a laboratory dish where fertilization occurs.

Unfortunately, after the nth time of trying and spending hundreds of dollars for the procedure, the result is still negative. I am personally incapable of saying anything that would provide consolation. I have never had difficulty conceiving a child. As a matter of fact, I have to work hard not to get pregnant otherwise, our family would be one of those listed in the Guinness book of world records. I could only feel for her. I knew that it was a depressing and challenging time for her. I wished then that pregnancy were contagious so that somehow I could send some fertility vibes in her direction.

That is why I hate hearing or reading about people who hurt their kids or abandon their kids or terminate their pregnancies simply because they are not ready to have kids, or feel they do not have the time or the space for a kid or they cannot be inconvenienced by a kid or is a kid herself and cannot bear the shame of a bulging belly at age 14. Many people would give an arm and a leg just to be able to conceive and yet it is so easy for some people to disregard the gift of life they were given. I cannot guess what they must be going through but I also cannot understand it.

I hope my friend does not stop trying to conceive even with so many failed attempts. Sometimes there’s no end to the number of times we have to work to get what we most want. Strength is key and support is invaluable. Chin up G!

In today’s times, I think parents are forced to be creative when coming up with activities that would entertain their children. Otherwise, they may turn to settling with the latest gadgets to give their young ones. Although my eldest son would probably love to get a PSP or the latest toy, I have long decided that my kids will not be raised with their heads buried in gadgets, so I chose another path of entertainment.

For his birthday, I promised to take them to the zoo for an afternoon with the animals. My plan was met with jumps of joy and screams of glee. That confirmed that my sons have not yet been brainstormed into thinking that computers mean everything and there is nothing else greater (they can learn that later on in life - hehe).

Entrance Fee to the Ark of Avilon is P200 per kid and P250 per adult and you can go in and out the whole day as many times as you want. I guess since we were there at 11 am on a weekday, they figured we planned to spend the whole day there.

Unlike other zoo’s that I have visited, this one was pretty spacious, airy, tidy and stink-free. The atmosphere inside the ark was surprisingly cooler than it was outside where the summer heat engulfed us earlier. I guess the spaciousness was partly due to small number of groups that were visiting at the same time we were.

There were several animals that were not inside cages (mostly birds) that were as quiet as they could possibly be. So quiet in fact that we barely noticed them until we went for a second round of viewing.

Carrots at P10.00 per piece

The second floor was where we had the most fun as this is where you can feed the animals. My kids had a grand time feeding the rabbits, chickens, the tortoise and the noisy sheep so even if I felt robbed at the price of each carrot or okra used, the happiness my kids felt was truly priceless.

You will be able to tour the entire zoo in an hour or less if you did not linger in any particular area. We finished our tour a little after noon which was perfect for us to have our lunch. The trip was a successful celebration of my son’s birthday and I applaud the owners of the Ark of Avilon for providing children (and adults) with a place where they can commune with Earth’s creatures and have a naturally enjoyable time with friends and family.

More pics here.

Ark Avilon Zoo
Frontera Verde Ortigas Avenue Corner C5, Pasig City
Tel. No.: 706-2992/ 706-2993
Website: http://arkavilonzoo.multiply.com/

My writing is inspired by extremely emotional experiences that are either happy or really really sad. Usually I do not find it hard to come up with the words I need to create a full post. This time, I am challenged.

A month ago, my father suffered a heart attack. He was in the intensive care unit for 3 days but luckily recovered and eventually discharged. Last week, he passed away after being in a coma for 4 days. He had a smile on his face as his heart stopped.

You are probably wondering why I am not mourning and I must say I am fulfilling my father’s wish to feel happy instead of sad as his physical suffering has ended and he has now met with his Creator.

Recalling the weeks after his first attack, I realize there were tons of "signs" that my father was not planning to stay long. There were the heart to heart talks with all of his children; there were the casual references to dying that drove my mom crazy; the instructions he made sure we knew in case he has another attack; his last day spent at Fun Ranch for his grandson’s birthday. He filled his remaining weeks with as much fun as he could squeeze out of it. He left us with a happy image of a man who had an awesome life instead of a suffering one.

The whole family was wearing an assortment of colorful shirts and tops as we bid him goodbye when he was laid to rest at Loyola Memorial Park. If anyone else found that weird, we didn’t. We were celebrating my father’s happiness and black was not allowed, although tears were not exactly forbidden. We would have brought balloons if that were not overly outrageous.

I asked my sister that day, why I did not feel like my chest would burst with heaviness. She said it was because there are no regrets and no what ifs with the death of our father. He lived a full life and a happy one so why grieve?

Back to my dilemma. I am neither extremely sad nor am I happy that my father is gone. I am just at peace. Now isn’t that a great?