Happy birthday Hanni
.
I have a couple more hours before this post is overdue, considering the time difference. She was born in Manila though, so technically this post is overdue. Happy birthday to my dear sister, Johanna. We call her Hanni.
There are four of us siblings. I'm second-born. But I'm the eldest of the girls. So practically, I really am the eldest. Because the only boy, our kuya, had his own world and early freedom, I had to be "Ate" in every sense of the word - caring, involved and often strict. When we moved to Canada, I helped take care of my younger sisters. Hanni was just 7 and Tips (or Pauline) was 5. It was not fun for me.
I can say these things now because there's absolutely nothing wrong with our family. We all get along. We love each other. Proud to say, we have a happy non-disfunctional familiy. We are all each other's closest friends and confidants. You know the story, I moved back here alone by fluke, while my whole family stayed in Canada. So if you ask me where my home is, my heart is still torn. Half my life is still there - not just my family but my dearest friends too.
Going back to Hanni. She was the cutest baby out of all of us. And naturally, she was everyone's favourite. She had the biggest, brightest eyes. I was a skinny dark kid with not an ounce of cuteness or charm. Everyone gravitated towards her. She was born when I was already 6 years old. She stole my sunshine. Haha. I was not nice to her when we were kids. Try being an 11-year old and having to include the little 5-year old sister in your barkada's gigs. I felt very uncool.
I don't know why, but despite my being a sungit Ate, I was always adored by Hanni. When I was already in university and she was still in high school, she looked up to everything I did. She was curious about my women's fraternity, Pi Beta Phi. When it was her turn to go to university, she also joined Pi Phi and took on leadership roles. So did Tips.
When I was 18 I started taping all the episodes of Fashion Television (by Jeanne Beker) every week. I had a library of VHS tapes that I'd watch over and over. I was so fascinated by Jeanne Beker's work. Back then it was still the era of super models. And only Jeanne Beker had the hip/rough way of doing reportage. It was ground-breaking then. Now it's normal. One day when I was back home in the summer (I lived on campus throughout the year), I discovered that one of my precioius VHS tapes of FT was taped over with episodes of Beverly Hills 90210!!! I was so angry at Hanni (she was a major Brenda-Dylan fan). Really angry. It felt like it was the end of my world. I told her, "You destroyed my chance to have a career in TV." Haha! I was so kapal. I was not at all in the running to be discovered or to work my way up the broadcasting ladder. We laugh about it now.
I'm really glad we both have an iPhone4. We are on Face Time almost everyday. Our kids are growing up like siblings. It breaks my heart whenever I get to think about all the things we are missing out on -the everyday non-events. She and her family stayed with us last January. It was magical. We even escaped for a weekend in Hong Kong, with our hubbies. It was great.
Hanni,
You know you're my favourite person in the world. You are everyone's favourite. The only child who never gave mom and dad any stress. The one who everyone wants to be with. Dad always says, you're so masarap kasama. I am so happy that you are happy. I just wish we could live in the same city. Don't kill me for posting your photos here.
Love,
Atsy
Hanni with our maternal grandmother, Nanie. (Han, you have a faux hawk like baby A.)
I was 8, she was 2. She was at her cutest stage. I was at my ugliest and lowest stage. This was just days after I had a really awful bicycle accident - 16 stitches on my forehead and my left face was crushed. I was crushed. I thought I was going to be ugly for the rest of my life. But my family carefully rebuilt my confidence. It wasn't easy. But look at Hanni, how cute she is.
She must have been 7 here. This was my new bedroom in Toronto. As you can see, I loved Michael Jackson ever since! Here we played dress up. I styled Hanni in my clothes, which actually looks very current now. Haha.
Here's something from our teen years in Canada. Hanni, Tips and me.
When I graduated from university - with my two "fans" haha. Years later they went to University of Toronto also and surpassed every thing I had accomplished. Both my sisters graduated with honours. Magna or Summa, I'm not sure.
New Year's eve at someone's cottage in Algonquin, Ontario. This was the new millenium when we thought it could be the end of the world, Y2k etc.
The two of us as mommies. I think this was in Stratford, Ontario. Hanni had just given birth to W. And I had Soph and Lily. This was the time when Lily pooped on my shirt. Funny how we remember the craziest things.
Like I said, half of my life is in Toronto. My true best friends - my sisters. Julia, Tips and Hanni.
Our 3-day break in HK. Hanni at Felix.
At the HK ferry.
Happy birthday, Sugar Hanni Hanni.
.
I have a couple more hours before this post is overdue, considering the time difference. She was born in Manila though, so technically this post is overdue. Happy birthday to my dear sister, Johanna. We call her Hanni.
There are four of us siblings. I'm second-born. But I'm the eldest of the girls. So practically, I really am the eldest. Because the only boy, our kuya, had his own world and early freedom, I had to be "Ate" in every sense of the word - caring, involved and often strict. When we moved to Canada, I helped take care of my younger sisters. Hanni was just 7 and Tips (or Pauline) was 5. It was not fun for me.
I can say these things now because there's absolutely nothing wrong with our family. We all get along. We love each other. Proud to say, we have a happy non-disfunctional familiy. We are all each other's closest friends and confidants. You know the story, I moved back here alone by fluke, while my whole family stayed in Canada. So if you ask me where my home is, my heart is still torn. Half my life is still there - not just my family but my dearest friends too.
Going back to Hanni. She was the cutest baby out of all of us. And naturally, she was everyone's favourite. She had the biggest, brightest eyes. I was a skinny dark kid with not an ounce of cuteness or charm. Everyone gravitated towards her. She was born when I was already 6 years old. She stole my sunshine. Haha. I was not nice to her when we were kids. Try being an 11-year old and having to include the little 5-year old sister in your barkada's gigs. I felt very uncool.
I don't know why, but despite my being a sungit Ate, I was always adored by Hanni. When I was already in university and she was still in high school, she looked up to everything I did. She was curious about my women's fraternity, Pi Beta Phi. When it was her turn to go to university, she also joined Pi Phi and took on leadership roles. So did Tips.
When I was 18 I started taping all the episodes of Fashion Television (by Jeanne Beker) every week. I had a library of VHS tapes that I'd watch over and over. I was so fascinated by Jeanne Beker's work. Back then it was still the era of super models. And only Jeanne Beker had the hip/rough way of doing reportage. It was ground-breaking then. Now it's normal. One day when I was back home in the summer (I lived on campus throughout the year), I discovered that one of my precioius VHS tapes of FT was taped over with episodes of Beverly Hills 90210!!! I was so angry at Hanni (she was a major Brenda-Dylan fan). Really angry. It felt like it was the end of my world. I told her, "You destroyed my chance to have a career in TV." Haha! I was so kapal. I was not at all in the running to be discovered or to work my way up the broadcasting ladder. We laugh about it now.
I'm really glad we both have an iPhone4. We are on Face Time almost everyday. Our kids are growing up like siblings. It breaks my heart whenever I get to think about all the things we are missing out on -the everyday non-events. She and her family stayed with us last January. It was magical. We even escaped for a weekend in Hong Kong, with our hubbies. It was great.
Hanni,
You know you're my favourite person in the world. You are everyone's favourite. The only child who never gave mom and dad any stress. The one who everyone wants to be with. Dad always says, you're so masarap kasama. I am so happy that you are happy. I just wish we could live in the same city. Don't kill me for posting your photos here.
Love,
Atsy
Hanni with our maternal grandmother, Nanie. (Han, you have a faux hawk like baby A.)
I was 8, she was 2. She was at her cutest stage. I was at my ugliest and lowest stage. This was just days after I had a really awful bicycle accident - 16 stitches on my forehead and my left face was crushed. I was crushed. I thought I was going to be ugly for the rest of my life. But my family carefully rebuilt my confidence. It wasn't easy. But look at Hanni, how cute she is.
She must have been 7 here. This was my new bedroom in Toronto. As you can see, I loved Michael Jackson ever since! Here we played dress up. I styled Hanni in my clothes, which actually looks very current now. Haha.
Here's something from our teen years in Canada. Hanni, Tips and me.
When I graduated from university - with my two "fans" haha. Years later they went to University of Toronto also and surpassed every thing I had accomplished. Both my sisters graduated with honours. Magna or Summa, I'm not sure.
New Year's eve at someone's cottage in Algonquin, Ontario. This was the new millenium when we thought it could be the end of the world, Y2k etc.
The two of us as mommies. I think this was in Stratford, Ontario. Hanni had just given birth to W. And I had Soph and Lily. This was the time when Lily pooped on my shirt. Funny how we remember the craziest things.
Like I said, half of my life is in Toronto. My true best friends - my sisters. Julia, Tips and Hanni.
Our 3-day break in HK. Hanni at Felix.
At the HK ferry.
Happy birthday, Sugar Hanni Hanni.
.