Bakit ako raw ang nag-sasalin ng kuwento ko?
Trudis wants to know: Why am I translating my own story?
Marahil nagtataka rin ang kaibigan kong si Trudis kung bakit ang tagal ko na mag-post ulit. Naku, saksakan ng busy at gulo sa bahay naming Heaven ngayon! Ganyan naman lagi kapag malapit na ang Pasko. Lahat abala sa kung anu-ano . . .
Maybe my friend Trudis also wanted to know why it is taking me long to post again. Our house Heaven is pretty messy and everybody's busy nowadays. But that is how things are every time Christmas is near. Everybody is busy with something . . .
O, eto ang gwapo kong mukha.
Ayan ang pinag-aabalahan ko ng mga nakalipas na linggo. Puro "kodakan" at picture-ran. Para sa Gretting Cards namin ang mga litratong iyan na ipapadala sa mga kaibigan namin. Sus, nakakahilo at nakaka-atsing, kasi naman galing pa sa lumang baul ang mga costume naming iyan. Eh, alam naman ninyo ako, saksakan ng kulit. Sukat ba namang sugurin ko at singhutin ang baul namin! Ahahay!!!! Over-mega-atsing nawalangkasingtagal. Di' bale, okay naman ang kuha ko. Walang sinabi ang mga pa-kyut kong anak . . .
Here's my handsome face.
This is what kept me busy the past weeks. A week full of picture-taking. This picture is for our greeting cards to be sent to all our friends. Geez, it was nauseating and made me sneeze because our costumes came from our old trunk. And you know how pesky I can be when I rushed to snoop and sniff the old trunk. Ohlala!!! It is over-mega-never-ending-sneezing! But that's okay since I got a good shot. It beats my trying-to-be-cute pups. . .
At eto ang isa pang makulit!
And here's the other pesky one!
. . .aba, sukat ba naman humiyaw ng sangkaterba dahil 'di raw niya type ang card namin! Susmaryosef! Alam naman niyang super busy ang lahat aba sasali pa sa gulo. Naku, ayaw patalo niyang Sweepy na yan. Gusto niyang ulitin ang cards namin! Eh na-mail na ang iba! Nakup, ayaw tumigil sa pagtahol, kaya napilitan si Lui na ulitin ang ibang cards namin na siyang nagpatagal pa! . . . imagine howling non-stop because he did not like our cards! ForBarkingOutLoud! He knows how busy everybody is but he wants to join the mess. And that Sweepy won't bog down. He wants to redo our cards! But some were mailed already! But he won't stop howling so Lui was forced to redo some cards which further delayed our schedule!
. . . at dahan dahan nagdaratingan ang mga sulat at regalo! Aba, Nobyembre pa lang may mga regalo na! Naku, naloka na naman ang mga anak ko! Pero ako, hindi importante sa akin ang mga iyan. . . Iba ang hinahanap ko . . .
. . . and the letters and gifts started arriving! It was still November but there are gifts already! My pups went crazy in excitement! But the gifts are not important for me. . . I am waiting for something else . . .
At dahil over-mega-excited ang dalawang iyan, madalas tuloy nasisira ang tiyan nila! Hala, tahol dito, tahol doon, hanggang nag-alburoto ang mga tiyan nila! Naloka si Lui ng kakalinis at kakaisip kung ano ang gagawin sa dalawang iyan. Kaya ayan ang kasagutan sa tanong mo Trudis. Kasalukuyang masama ang tiyan ni Bogart at sumisegundo naman si Sweepy. Pasasaan naman at lilipas din iyan . . .
And because those two are over-mega-excited, they always get bum stomachs! They bark non-stop here and there until they have upset stomachs! Lui went crazy cleaning their mess and worrying what to do with them. And that is my reply to your question Trudis. My translator has bum stomach and Sweepy is following behind. Anyway, this will all pass . . .
. . . sa gitna ng gulo, palipat lipat si Lui ng gawain. Siya ang taga-ayos ng bahay. Siya rin ang tinatawagan para bumili ng mga gamit sa bahay kaya madalas siyang wala! Busy rin siya sa mga art workshops niya. Naku, pati ang taga-post office humihiling na bigyan din sila ng libreng workshop. Eh alam mo naman si Lui hindi maka-hindi. Nandoon siya ngayon nag-wo-workshop.
. . . in the midst of the noise, Lui is busy going around. She is the one who decorates the house. She is also called upon to do errands to buy stuff which is why she is always out! She is also busy conducting art workshops. Even the people from the post office are requesting her to conduct free workshops for them. And Lui can not refuse. She is presently there doing workshops for them.
Busy rin siyang kinakausap ang mga lider para gawan ng paraan ang pagsunod sa batas tungkol sa mga hayop tulad namin. Gusto niya higpitan ang pagkupkop ng mga hayop tulad namin. Naaawa kasi siya sa tuwing makikita ang mga hayop na hindi na-aalagaan ng mabuti sa ibang bahay.
She is also busy talking to leaders to do something about the animal welfare laws. She wanted the community leaders to strictly regulate the ownership of animals. She gets affected when she sees animals that are not treated well in some houses.
At dahil kapaskuhan na, super busy si Lui sa pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan. Iyan naman talaga ang tunay na diwa ng Pasko. Ang muling pagtanaw sa mga pamilyang gumagala sa daan na naghahanap ng tirahan, at walang makain, o kasalukuyang may karamdaman. Ang pagsilang sa Panginoon na hindi pinanganak na marangya. Ang Hari na pilit mabuhay ng simpleng pamumuhay katulad ng ordinaryong tao. . . .
And because it is Christmas, Lui is super busy helping those in need. That is the real essence of Christmas anyway. To look back at families wandering the streets looking for shelter, or in need of food, or those sick and in pain. The birth of our Lord not in wealthy surroundings. The King who chose to live simply among ordinary people. . . .
. . . iyan ang hinahanap ko. Ang mga taong patuloy na haharapin ang Pasko at hahanapin ang mukha ng Diyos, hindi sa palamuti, o kasayahan at regalo, kung hindi sa mga mata ng mga taong hinaharap ang hamon ng kahirapan. Marami akong nakikitang mahihirap sa paligid. Marami rin namang tumutulong. At iyan ang tunay na Pasko sa akin!
. . . and that is what I am looking for. People who chose to face Christmas by looking for the face of God, not in the decorations, the festivities or gifts, but in the eyes of people who chose to face the challenges of poverty. I see a lot of people in need around me. And I see a lot of people helping too. And that is the real Christmas for me!
