Fearless

Laila really is a fearless girl.


We took her to Manila Zoo during the weekend where she took a ride on Erika the Ostrich's back, fed goats, crossed a hanging bridge, allowed a parrot to sit on her head.

She's so daring and full of life, I can't get over it. Things that scared other little chidlren--the bridge for instance--she took on with a broad smile, sparkling eyes and her good sense of humor.

I could tell she was scared of the 'Troll Bridge' a bit, because she gripped my hand tight--or was it me?--as we inched our way across the bridge. She was muttering: 'Oh my God, Oh my God, I'm scared.'

But she walked on from end to end, sometimes even jutting her head out beyond the ropes the held the bridge together to take a better look at what was floating in the water, sometimes jumping excitedly at whatever it was she saw.

Lails's more adventurous than me. I remember my Mom and Dad took me to watch a dolphin show when I was young. The host was asking kids to come over and pet the dolphin. I wanted to, but my feet wouldn't obey. I never got to pat the dolphin and up to now I'm wondering how it would've felt.

No doubt, Laila would ride one if she's given the opportunity. That's my little girl!

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I love these weekend sorties. It gives us the opportunity to really be together, just the three of us. And it's my chance to fully concentrate on Laila, take care of all her needs and be a fulltime Mom to her.

We had lunch at a Chinese place inside UST. Yup, it's a real Chinese restaurant, though not the high-end type, inside the old school. And there are other restaurants that opened right inside the campus also.

When I was in college, there was only a very limited number of cafeterias and carinderias available. Which is good since I never would have been able to afford those restaurants.

They also transformed the area in front of the Main building into a park--it had a Tiananmen Square feel to it--and installed a modern fountain at Colayco Park, which they renamed the Quadricentennial Square or something. They also dismantled the unsightly tin roofing over the walkway that cut through the garden leading to the heart of the university.

Amazing! It reminded me of the universities I visited in Beijing.

I doubt if my parents would be able to afford to send me to UST if I had to enroll today. It's a reminder to seriously start prearing for Laila's college education. I bet it'll cost somewhere around a million pesos to put Laila to college when her time comes.