ben...

today would have marked the 69th birthday of my father, ben, short for buenaventura. i would like to believe that i was also papa's girl, next to my only sister. hehehe

please don't get me wrong. i was never jealous of my sister or any of my siblings. my papa had his special ways of letting me know that I was also his favorite child. i remember during my early childhood days when he would sit me on his lap. he would fondly call me, "bhalah", which he mimicked from me every time i was asked about my nickname. of course, i could not correctly pronounce "guia" then. (yeah, i know. i could not see the connection. hehehe)

to my papa, happy birthday. i love you very much. you will always be the best father in the world.

i hope to see you again, in God's time. :)