33 Things About My Papa

Originally posted in FB for Father's Day.

1. My father's name is Oscar but he is called Bobby by family and friends.

2. He can fix anything - from small electronics, printing press machines, cars, etc.

3. The most "violent" act he ever did against me when I was young, was to act like he's going to 'flick' my hand (that flick with the pointing finger and the thumb) when I was doing something wrong. But he only motioned, he didn't really even flick.

4. As far as I know, he did not have any training in drawing, but he is great at it. He used to make these funny sketches that usually starts with boob-like sketches, so you'd think it's green, but end up being a cute dog.

5. He is always cracking jokes during meals - like asking if you're going to take a bath when you want him to pass the water jug over. OR he'd tell these awful, yucky jokes about different nationalities trying to outdo each other like eat their own phelgm which will usually turn people off their food. Well, I got used to those from an early age, so I will still be able to eat. He can eat through anything. He'd even refer to how an oyster looks like a big blob of pheglm or a man's eye before gulping it down. He will not eat kohol (snails) though. No matter how you tease him.

6. He always encouraged me to draw. Buying me a different-shaped pencil for shading, telling me to keep old drawings even those I didn't like so I can see my progress, and saying I should try different mediums.

7. He loves to cook. He'd rustle up fried rice, throwing every edible leftover in the fridge to make a great combo.

8. He will not say I'm sorry, but he'll cook something and ask me to eat as a peace sign.

9. He also, always encouraged my itchy feet, though he didn't say it. I never heard him tell me not to go anywhere. And when I started mountain climbing as a hobby, he gave me his old stove which he used to bring when hunting, and brought me stuff every now and then like a new tent, a portable shovel, pocket knives (emphasis on the 's', since I kept misplacing em), even those army food packages which were not really tasty.

10. He loves to go fishing; we'd compete on who gets more and he always wins!

11. He always supported my school projects - I was doing a report on Philippine herbs and he bought me a book from a door-to-door salesman. Then in second year high school, I needed sea invertebrate specimens for my Biology class, so we drove up to the beach house in Batangas and we collected there.

12. He made a foot-long boat made of popcicle sticks just for fun. He's always doing stuff like that. Once I got him a gift - a model car for his birthday or was it Christmas? When I got down the next morning, he'd already finished assembling it. It was a piece of cake for him - he can assemble real cars, after all.

13. He loves guns. He's a mean target shooter. He taught me how to aim and shoot well.

14. His standard reply when asked how he is 'okay lang'.

15. He's not very showy when it comes to his emotions. Not very verbal either.

16. He is a chain smoker and I am still hoping and praying that he will stop.

17. I can ask him to drive me to LB (where I studied which is about two hours away from our home), I can ask him to drive us to the beach house in Batangas (about 2 1/2 hours away) or even to Pampanga (about the same time) just because I wanted to shoot photos during Holy Week (the local procession with flagellation - show of penitence) but I can seldom, seldom, drag him to the mall.

18. He does not wear plaid shirts - he says it's 'too busy'.

19. He can be very blase, very impatient and sardonic.

20. After one of his relatives passed away, and he was not able to visit him before that, he saw a white dog in our garage - there was no way the dog could enter our garage. It stayed beside him as he drank his ritual beer. He left the dog when he went up to sleep and by the next day, it was nowhere to be found. There was also no way that dog could have exited since the gate was closed all night.

21. He does not call nor text. He'd talk to you when you call him but he'd be itching to give the phone to somebody else, my mom perhaps or whoever is nearby. He's not big on telephones.

22. He loves to play games - mahjong, casinos - and he has pretty lucky streak too, always winning. With sungka, when we were young, he won a lot (two of his tricks were very quick calculations or 'ipit' lol).

23. He used to go hunting. I just don't know where and with whom. He has a taste for exotic food - snakes, bayawaks (monitor lizard, as galo explained), wild boar, deer, etc. He made me taste roasted pig brains once. 'Think this is where I got the 'will trying anything once' with food. But he knows we love dogs, so once, when we attended a party with hosts who eat dogs, he warned us not to eat any dish with bones we can't recognize.

24. I would say he loves travelling. Even as young ones, we were always being totted around by our parents - Bicol, Cavite, Tagaytay, Subic, Bulacan, etc.

25. He is a very confident driver but very nervous when I was behind the wheel. I think he only got in once when I was learning how to drive. Only once.

26. He buys those kitchen gadgets made easy - the grater-all-in-one, the mixer-all-in-one, etc. Some, we were able to use often, others just got stock in a cabinet somewhere.

27. He's also a mean billiards player.

28. Our pet Smart, a cranky doberman pincher with undescended balls, claimed him as his master. He would 'guard' Papa whenever he's sleeping. He'd sleep on his side, or right on top of him. He'd really growl if somebody he does not know well approaches Papa.

29. They used to have a piano in their home in QC. Then with us, he bought those Yamaha keyboards hoping we'd learn how to play. I took some lessons, till my teacher said I don't have rhythm. My Papa though, he had a feel for it. He can widow.

30. When he sings, he has a good voice.

31. He has a jar back home which he calls 'magical'. He would usually fill it in the morning with coins but by afternoon's time it would be nearly depleted, with me and my brothers digging in.

32. He does not like food to stay long in the fridge. If it's there a day and nobody seems to want it, he's bound to throw it out.

33. If pressed, he'll say 'I love you' back. ;)

Happy Father's Day Papa! I love you!