Dads' Day

I've always believed in love but just like anyone else, my idea of love has always been ever changing. As a little girl I thought that the little crushes I had were love. When gradeschool came around it transformed into the concept of me liking a boy and him liking me back. Around that time there were a few schoolmates who caught my eye and there's this childish thinking that young love like that can actually be serious. I had a fair share of experiencing "puppy love" but that's all it was--immature infatuation, no commitments, no pressure, merely face value.

As I grew up into a young lady things changed a lot. I eventually thought about the possibility of being a married woman someday. I later understood that a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship shouldn't be a temporary thing but instead a drizzle before a rainbow or a seed that grows into a tree. A romantic relationship is the previous stepping stone to marriage if a couple chooses to be wed.

I wondered a lot about who I could end up marrying. Each romantic relationship I had opened up the possibility of "forever after" but there was just no spark to assure me that they were "THE ONE." Deep inside I knew I wasn't meant to be with them. So I started to ask myself, what kind of LOVE am I looking for, anyway?

I knew I wasn't looking for a father figure or someone like my dad. Some girls have that standard but I don't really believe in that. My father is a good man--a GREAT man--but I know Mommy has always loved Daddy for who he is and not because Daddy is a lot like my grandfather (hardworking and good-looking top the list).

Everybody knows my dad has always been the strict kind, but actually, the memories that stand out among others are the happy ones from my childhood. He used to play with me and my sister a lot. He would hang blankets around the living room for us to play house. Sometimes, sis and I would also go piggyback on him and no matter how silly it might have looked, he had no trouble being on all fours crawling around like a donkey in the living room. All for the happiness of his little girls.

I remember how he always had Juicy Fruit and Double Mint ready in his pocket. I found it odd that he used a piece of paper to do a toothpick's job but nevertheless I was impressed by this innovation. I'm just not sure if he's still doing this though.

He's always been fond of reminding us how to take care of our skin, getting up early, making ourselves presentable before breakfast, how to dress appropriately, attending church every Sunday of the year, etc. He's a very organized man. But I guess, among all things, he was especially good at teaching us important moral values including how to be obedient daughters. Mommy and himself were a tag team. They could go on for hours (LOL) but I have to admit, I wasn't actually 100% obedient. But he still loved me no matter what, and I think that's the most incredible thing about Daddy. He's a good provider, a loyal husband, a very loving and forgiving father.

There's this thing about Daddy by the way... He never wanted me to have a boyfriend while I was still in school, but being the former self-proclaimed black sheep that I was, I did.

One day, a mysterious film buff came into my life. He kept sending me online messages, relentlessly trying to start a conversation, and while I was still in another relationship, I entertained this man without even knowing I'll end up marrying him the next year.

The more I tried to avoid him, the deeper I fell for him. And I fell hard.

I found myself in love, a new and different kind of love which gave me the courage to fight witches, dragons, and venom fanged hydras for him. He gave me superpowers and made me believe that we would have a great life together.

I've always believed.

This man is now the father of my 4 month 2 week old baby girl who we named Iaine Sivela Feona, and she looks more like him that she does me. Iaine falls asleep faster in his arms, doesn't need 2 seconds to flash a smile once she sees him, and she's got his hair, his nose and lips, his height, his fingers and toes. She is his mini-me, and he couldn't be more proud to be the father of our first-born baby.

This man, who has a disco ball at the center of his black and white striped bedroom has a collection of hundreds of DVDs and books, doesn't eat vegetables, and doesn't comb his hair. (Why? Because he doesn't have to. His hair is beautiful as it is and I love combing it with my fingers.) He has a scar on his hand which he got from an unusual computer-related circumstance, a scar on his belly from an appendectomy, a white patch on his neck which just came out of nowhere, and a wish to have his very own straight jacket. These are just some stuff that I know and love about him. I have yet to discover a lot more things that define him but who's in a rush? Because just like how mommy loved daddy, I should love him for who he is and not look for something that's not there to begin with. The human perception of love may be ever changing, but the love that I'm giving my husband will never falter.

Jai isn't as organized as my dad, they work in different fields, they get along well but rarely see each other and talk even less... But even though they have a number of differences, I love them both and I'm sure they have at least one thing in common...

They're both GREAT FATHERS!

I can't expound more on that because their GREATNESS doesn't need an explanation. To me, they just deserve to be loved and respected, just like how they are with other people. If it weren't for them I wouldn't find out what true love is, so I'm giving back the unconditional love that they have for me.

To the greatest men in my life,

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY, DADDY & POPPA!

Also to Lolo Victor & Lolo Benito (+)

I LOVE YOU ALL!