Encouraging Treats

Dear Dad,

Today is the day! Happy 25^th! I mean, 55^th birthday! HAHA. I hope you’re enjoying your special day despite the rainy weather. I thank God because we get to have an extended rest time at home with you today. I pray that God would bless your heart even more as you walk closely with Him each day! We love you! :)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9]

Oh, and because 55 is quite a special number, I wanted to document 55 facts about you! But, I guess for now, 25 na lang muna. Hahaha.

Here goes!

25 Things About My Dad

1. Dad is an Ophthalmologist, an EENT (Eyes-Ears-Nose-Throat) doctor, a Pastor, and a Christ-committed follower.

2. Some of his favorite food are kimchi, durian, buko sorbet/macapuno ice cream, potato salad, and sansrival cake.

3. He was part of Kundirana (High school music group) when he was still studying in La Salle.

4. When we call his name at home, he usually responds with a high-pitched voice saying “yeah?” and then clears his throat and says “yeah?” using his normal, low voice. Haha

5. Dad and Mom have a special whistle. They whistle whenever they call each other from afar.

6. Dad loves music. While we were growing up, He let us listen to songs sung by Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Don Moen, Papuri, Windsong, and a lot more bands, artists, and musicals. He also taught my older sister (Michelle) how to play the guitar and sometime later, my sister taught me how to play the guitar. Yay! Haha.

7. Dad lost 25 pounds (I think) two years ago and he is still able to maintain his weight.

8. He always likes to tell corny jokes. -__- Okay, sometimes, they’re funny. Haha.

9. When I was in the second or third grade, I drew a parrot and he posted the drawing in his private clinic. Love it. It looked something like this. Hahaha. Thanks, Dad!

10. Dad’s a good sport. Sometimes, he lets the dogs stay on their bed and he lets us take photos of him wearing silly hats and Krispy Kreme donut masks.

11. He loves animals. No wonder we love them too!

12. He encourages us to sing as a family during Christmas, even if we usually don’t feel like doing so. Dududu. HAHA. Peace, Dad!

13. Whenever we would eat fish and have fish bones stuck in our throats, he’d gladly take them out using his special scissor/tweezer-like tools. Yay for our throat doctor!

14. He initiates bible studies at home and conversations over dinner.

15. He sincerely loves his parents and my mom’s parents. And of course, the rest of both families.

16. Dad taught us how to do the L.A. walk.

17. Sometimes, he randomly makes animal sounds/sounds you here in the jungle when we’re at home. (e.g. eerie sounds; sounds of exotic birds, vultures, etc.)

18. He gives random words of wisdom.

19. When our house was burning down last 2004, he instructed us all to go out of the house while he stayed a bit and tried to extinguish the fire using buckets of water. But because the fire was quickly spreading, he decided to leave and get the car out of the garage too, just before the roof fell on the floor. Hooray for our brave Daddy-O! #grace

20. He personally taught me how to save money and be content with what I have. I wrote more about these values HERE.

21. His favorite duet song with his brother is “The Way You Look Tonight”. They sing this song every time we have a family event.

22. Dad is always to the rescue! (e.g. when the car breaks down, when we suddenly need a ride home from a party, when our house in Cainta got flooded during Ondoy, etc.)

23. He loves spending time with Jesus and sharing Him to the people around him.

24. When he plays with our two dogs, he sometimes says “Moo” to them with a deep voice. Because he actually sounds like a cow when he does this, our dogs usually tilt their heads and end up getting confused.

25. He gave us (kids) unique nicknames:

Camille – Camiling

Glenn Michael – Miguelito

Michelle – Mishow

Nicole – Nicholas

Gabriel – Gambrelli.

Haha. He calls mom “Darl”, which is short for Darling. And we, kids, refer to him as The Polar Bear.

Encourage yourself one treat at a time. :)