HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Getting to know...

ANGELINA B. GONDA aka MOMMY
Vitals: Met when I was a mere twinkle in her eye – 26 years and counting
Role In My Life: Most Influential Female Role Model – My mom can cook practically anything, sew up any split seams, hem any skirt or pair of pants, repair any stained shirts and sweaters, make everything sparkling clean AND keep dad and us girls in line. After a long day at the office, she still manages to come home and cook dinner for us and we all love her because we know that if she weren’t who she is, we’d all be lost. Aside from this, my mom is also one of the most spiritual people I know. I not only learned WHY religion is so important in my life, but I also realized HOW it’s so significant just by knowing her. My mom’s a true example of how sowing sacrifice and devotion can reap good fortune and endless gratitude. If I’m lucky, I’ll be half the woman she is now.
Good Times: After my dad left for the states when I was only a year old, my mom and I did what we could to get on without him for the next 4 years. I know 4 years seems like a long time to be apart, but my wonderful parents were up to the challenge. One thing that stands out in my mind is how my dad (who lived with my aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousins in New Jersey) used to send me clothes that my Ate Cheryl had outgrown and I would have a fashion show for my mom, my grandparents and my aunts and uncles. And then there were times when I would cry when my mom would leave for work. So she’d come home everyday with pasalubong for me; not just candy or useless knick-knacks. One time she brought me a hamster, and then another day she brought me home a bird!
In her own words: The following is a conversation I had with my mom over the phone when I was in Hawaii last year:
ME: Hello?
MOM: Hi Leng!
ME: Hi mom!
MOM: Kamusta na? Are you having fun there?
ME: Yeah!
MOM: Anong gagawin ninyo ngayon? (What’re you guys gonna do today?)
ME: We’re gonna go snorkeling!
MOM: You’re gonna go swimming?
ME: No mom, snorkeling.
MOM: Surfing? Oh that’s good.
ME: No mom, SNORKELING.

MOM: Aaaaaaaaaahh…norkeling.

(AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!)