Sep

3

Say ‘Friday’!

Filed Under Announcements, Blogs & Blogging, Family & Friends, Photography | 7 Comments


How many times have you heard a photographer instruct you and your loved ones to “say cheese” every time he or she takes your photo?

A thousand times, perhaps. But there seems to be a better alternative, according to my younger brother.

He and his daughter (my niece Yannah) told me on a train ride to Zurich last April that I should instruct my photo subjects to say “Friday” instead of the standard “cheese.”

When my smart-alecky niece saw my puzzled look after this statement, she willingly demonstrated it to me: “Fridaaaaay!” she shouted at the top of her voice all of a sudden. I was quick enough to capture the moment, though. (Note: Kids, don’t do this on a Swiss train, especially during the rush hour. Some noise-sensitive Swiss passengers might not like it.)

I like the visual effect, actually. I guess any day of the week will do. But Friday is symbolically a joyful day for almost everyone, a day that heralds the weekend of rest and recreation. (I later learned that it was my cousin’s A-1 wedding photographer who asked my family and relatives to say “Friday” during the photo shoot at the wedding reception. All the guests liked the end result.)

So the next time you have your photo taken, say “Friday.” But don’t just say the word. Say it out loud and with a cheerful disposition, and you’ll look truly joyful — just like my five-year-old niece in the picture above.


Aug

28

Intelligent Nephew

Filed Under Family & Friends, Life & Leisure | 4 Comments


On his last day in Switzerland — that was in April — my nephew Ethan drew a camel on the magic slate I gave to him as a going-away present. A camel! I was really surprised because…he’s just three!

Asked how he learned to draw a camel, he said in his sweet, tiny voice: “My teacher in Israel taught me.”

Ethan was born in the Philippines, but was later raised in the US and then in Israel. Like his five-year-old sister Yannah, he’s an expat’s kid. Along with his Ate (older sister), he went to an Israeli preschool or what is called Gan, where he played with lots of Israeli children (he now speaks Hebrew).

In July 2006, he was featured in CNN International as the Filipino baby sleeping in a bomb shelter in Haifa (read the story here). His photo, the image of which made me sad because of its innocence amid a war climate, was telecast non-stop.

So it was with great joy that I got to bond with my nephew for the first time when he and his family came here in Switzerland for an eight-day visit.

Ethan grew up to be a little bit makulit, yet charmingly so; his smile has the power to melt people’s hearts, my sister once said. And she was right: many Swiss strangers warmed up to him almost immediately. (I’ve been here for 5.5 years, and I’ve never had that kind of effect on our Swiss neighbors. LOL)

He loved the snow up on the Swiss mountains, the lake paddle boatride, the mini golf “tournament,” the feeding of the birds, and of course, the legendary Swiss chocolates. He also enjoyed watering the plants of my husband in our tiny balcony garden. I really think he has a future in gardening, unlike his aunt.

An asthmatic like me, Ethan unfortunately got sick during our trip to Neuchatel brought about by the cold weather and traveler’s fatigue (he had a bad cold when the photo above was taken at the train station). But that didn’t dampen his spirits. He even drew a camel while waiting for our train. What a trooper!

His family is now back in Manila, where he’s now enrolled in a private school (nursery level). According to my mother, he passed the entrance exams in May with flying colors. And just recently, he scored 100 in math, science, and language. Amazing. I kept telling myself, “But he’s just three! He’s just three!”

I miss him and his sister tremendously. Hope to see them again sometime next year, either in Switzerland or in the Philippines.

SEPT. 29, 2008 UPDATE: Ethan turns four today!

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