I've been attending Ateneo Grade School fairs as a family event ever since I can remember. I've also sort of babysat my brothers during fairs whenever a parent or both my parents couldn't make it. This was sort of a huge deal for my brothers back then. Who could blame them? Who didn't want to get caught during fair days due to the fact that your grade level and pe class color (or even specific class numbers) was just asked by the dress up booth, jail booth or even worse- LE GASP- the marriage booth to be captured; this was an order from students who man the PA system/dedication booth and DJ your doom. If you weren't vegan then you'd say yes to all the free food. All you had to do was wear something in your younger brother's class color,and you were set for free munchies. Also you might get the undivided attention of little boys or their scary parents who think you're going to brainwash their darling angels. Who can forget the rides. The rides that are oh, so scary when you're barely four feet nothing. The rides that the boys beg their parents for the money to pay for rolls of tickets to. Also plus points to seem like the cool kid, especially when he starts giving these away.
It was cool when we had two brothers still in grade school, but by the time Cyril was too old for sisters I was stuck having to watch over the younger brother. Now? I have to babysit the youngest brother.
What a wonderful thing this age gap holds for me as an older sister to this boy of nine years. Ced is half my age and I still have to hold his hand. Or I always have to due to the fact that he is too pocket sized, even for his age. People still think he's six years old, and in the U.S. people thought he was three.
Checking out the bazaar at the cafeteria. It is too early
This kid. Gaaahhh, where is my ninja head protector??
Finn!hat :D
Kalantiao. The name of Ced's section. Didn't have the heart to tell him that this dude does not even exist. Kaspil2's fault.
I've been up all night last Thursday, so I was like a walking zombie. Me, dragging my boots as I walked to Ced's classroom. I took a nap as soon as I got to sit down. I was still not fit for public viewing at around 7 in the morning okay. Also, Ced woke me up by rubbing it in my face that it's so much better on the other side. The non-vegan side. Curse you donut for looking so sexy all smothered in icing.
Okay, now this was just adorable. So glad I woke up at the right moment
Ced's teacher. How she puts up with him for hours every school day is because she is a cool teacher. Also being paid is a good incentive too. But I'm his sister so I do it pro bono.
I'll admit that I wasn't there when the program started. Before the whole babysitting thing, I've been seriously planning on how I would sneak out at around 8 in the evening just to watch this band She's Only Sixteen. Been spazzing over their sound and their catchy tunes. I think they're amazeballs and when I found out about the EP launch they had on the same day as the fair, I could not help but plan. Plan like a crazy evil scientist. But sadly, no matter how badass I want to be, I still could not simply sneak away for the evening. I was actually too afraid of getting punished by le parental units, so I decided to go with my Plan B. Plan A was sneaking out, getting my butt to Katipunan at 8, buy the album, and then make it back home before my parents does. Plan B was buying the album already, so that even if I don't go I'd still be assured that I have a copy of the album before they jump start their band career into... well, until everyone stops saying, "Who?" or "Who's still sixteen?" whenever I ask if they knew She's Only Sixteen. Anyway, so being the best older second older sister that I was I leave him for a few so that I can pay someone who knew the band members. I think I will call her my music savior, along with the triplet who reminded me of the savior's connection to the band. So yeah, I was victory dancing all the way back to the Kalantiao classroom with happy thoughts that a She's Only Sixteen album will be in my hands very soon.
In order to make it up to my bb bro, I waited in line at the toy store just to get him this robot thingy that he's been begging me to help him buy since 7 am. He kept asking for 40 bucks just so that he's use up all his fair money on that toy. I can't help but roll my eyes because he's 9 years old, he'll get over it. It's a toy he'll probably regret buying when he doesn't have anymore money to spend. Since I am made of soft sensibilities and girly feels, I braved the long line and handed in my crisp bills in order to buy him the toy. I just didn't want him to experience such sad feels during their school's fiesta. It wouldn't be fair to the kid, and it wouldn't be fair to the toy that's just waiting for a coolio owner.
By the time I got back, they were all eating lunch. Except for Ced, as usual. You'd have to actually sit him down and force a spoon down his throat. But I'm actually relieved that it's so easy to feed him now compared to a few months ago. It didn't take him an hour and it didn't take any, "Sige na Ced. Eat your food na" from me. It's tiring. I would want to give myself a pat on the back for buying the toy in the first place. I think his eyes were about to pp out of his sockets when he saw the box. Also it was the perfect distraction so that he'd finish his food right away. I am so freaking awesome with kids. HA>:)
Lunch for champions
When I took this photo I was really shocked. This is my baby brother. And he's starting to get my traits or my weird habits. Exhibit A. When I hold up something I just bought or something I get- I make a face. He is doing the face. I don't know if I should shed a tear of joy or slap myself in the face. I have to keep reminding myself that I have a younger brother not a younger sister.
Ced making the face and with his new toy
Oh no. The Bb. Pilipinas wave. Arielle darn it what are you doing?
Okay so this kid was just adorable, I couldn't resist taking his picture. Also, hello? Pirates FTW
Ced's current fanboy obsession besides Star Wars: Spider-man.
Ced pointing out to me where he is in his class picture. I will not take sole responsibility for the fact that he looks absolutely weird in their photo. It is NOT my fault. I did not teach him how to smile.
Oh, dear lord.
Gaaahhh the purple bag. It is gay and it's channeling its qualities to my brothaaaa. Nooooo
The rest of the day was spent taking care of my brother and his friends whenever we ended up picking one to tag along with us along the way. Here we are with Ced's best dude since birth, making our way to the Kubol Ng Katakutan. If your three foot nothing and still in Grade 3 you'd probably think that this haunted house was the bomb and was very scary. I could do nothing but hold their hands and be a human shield to all them "ghosts" and "monsters". I had to exert all my ninja and vegan powers whenever we were inside the Kubol, defending little boys, with kids cowering behind me and trying to keep my balance was no easy task. Also the shredded paper all over the floor did not help.
Wow.
(I won't be a hypocrite tho, this is actually one of my crazy high school fantasies: to be married at a marriage booth. If to a complete stranger who turns out to be macho mucho like me, then that would be really cool. But if thy love of my life actually proposes and asks us to get married at a marriage booth at a fair? Still pretty cool if you ask me. I have a romantic soul okay. Shut up.)
After surviving Kubol. This picture of the two best dudes made me go, "Awww. To beautiful best friendships" and then "Ced you're so tiny"
Up next was riding the Octopus. It is every primary school student's dream to be able to ride this and live to tell the tale. Apparently, if you weren't 10 years old you couldn't ride this alone. That is why I was given a ticket by Ced, because he was just using my age as a reason for him and his best dude to be able to ride. God, I feel so used.
Also I really thought that the Octopus was all lame and stupid now, since I got to survive Six Flags. But yeah. I was supposed to be all brave and the "cool" older Ate for these little dudes. I was actually freaking in when were already inverted, with our legs pointing sky high. I think my soul left my body just a bit. And it wasn't because I was scared. Sheesh. I was just freaking in for the two boys, okay. I've always had this thought that I'm too heavy for this ride and that my weight will bring down the cart we were riding and along with it, me and the two innocent passengers crashing down.
My overactive imagination is still not of bombastic personality levels, but it was still enough to freak anyone in.
Stalked this kid, because after how many years he still looks adorbz. I used to babysit him too when he was younger. I swear, I am not going raging pedo on this beautiful child. Blame it on having a brother who was in baseball. It's too long of a story and involves me having to go be an Ate to kids I'm not even related with. Yup, because of baseball.
Check out those crazy clouds. We knew the fair was over when it began to rain. Tsk tsk. I feel bad for all those who bought so much tickets.
Since it started to rain and we had nothing else to do, there was no other choice but to go back to Kubol. Thank Gerard they were on their lunch break. I could sit and just watch little boys try to figure out how to build the toy I bought. Nice to know that my moolah seriously did not go to waste. Still pretty bummed about the lightsaber I wasn't able to buy, but whatevs. Seeing Ced actually doing something besides watching tv or playing with a gadget is enough for me.
High schoolers. Someone got caught for the dress up booth
Seriously, being a babysitter your work is never really done. I had to go full-time and actually babysit another kid as well. He sort of got misplaced and I was bound by my ninja way, my bushido code to make sure that this kid was far from harm's way. It involved me texting and calling his mother, buying this not-brother food so he would not starve, me asking the dedication booth to holler for his mother that her son was waiting for him, me giving him extra money just in case. Basically just me being too motherly.
Back at the bazaaar, I knew Ced would thank me for not allowing him to spend all his moolah in one go for a toy. He was actually able to buy more shizz than he thought he wouldn't be able to if he got the toy himself. Ahh, the powers of being an older sister.
"Oppan"? Still bought it even for the huge spelling error. Psy was still adorbz and I still had a pin
Still not a real wallet, but at least now I wouldn't have to pay with crumpled bills from my Gloomy paw. The day I get a normal wallet is the day I have stopped being a kid. I fear that day.
Ced drawing me. I told you I have amazeball eyes, why do you think he started to draw them first?
Drawing!Arielle is so darn sexy. One day I will be like her. For now, I have vegan powers
Getting to spend an entire day with Ced is just like any other day that I spend with him at home. But today, it made me realize that you really can't choose family and that there will always be a part of me that will regret not baby-ing my other two brothers like how I am with Ced now. I call Ced "babe" and when his brothers where about his age I never called them with pet names or held their hands because we were too busy wrestling each other ala WWE style. I can never call Cyril or Cajo that anymore because they are far too old for that, and the fact that they think that I'm their weirdo Ate is enough for me to get disowned by my own siblings. But God gave me another chance to make things right and help me be a candidate of the best second sister awardee and well, my parents helped. They helped all night long and now I have a brother who is half my age. I can still buy him things and I can still hold his hand. I can take care of him when he's sick and sing with him whenever he has the sudden urge to burst out into song. I can still tell him stories of the dudes I like and make him laugh and ask me, "Why are they always so pangit Ate Roele? Why don't you tell me a story about you and Spencer Smith?". And yeah, I think Ced is the only one who really knows about my crushes and people I am in like with. Because his only reaction to all them feels would either be laughing manically or saying, "Gross." It is much too embarrassing to tell Ate for she is a harsh critic, even if I love her too much. That's what little brothers who are half you age are for.
So yeah. Babysitting was tiring, but still worth it. There's a reason why my STC people call me mom. Gaaahhh, the fact that I am too domesticated and motherly is kind of sad.
I will never ever say no to babysitting you brothaaaaa >:D<
- >:)
LUIGI HAT!!!!! Where do i find one now? T^T
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