2022 @monsterenergy skate pro team #ambrillantengrund.
.
And Thursday 30th they’ll come again among a bunch of other pro’s from the Vans and Carhartt pro team for the @gnarathon_vienna
For my papa, us and me.
As the oldest of 7 siblings, he moved from Palawan to Manila, leaving his business studies to assemble radios. On the side, he collected and repaired defective umbrellas to sell. Later, he became a mechanic and spare parts manager at Ford Motors. He repaired endless cars, TVs, or other electronic devices for friends.
He brought his siblings to Manila and repeated this when he moved to Vienna after our home and small businesses burned down. My mum, sister, and brother followed in 1978. These changes required determination; there was no room for sensitivities or doubts.
Everything had to work out.
For him, his family and later me.
Papa was a game changer of its generation , a 24/7 DIY enthusiast, an artist of his own unique style, wisdom and humor.
Dad divided a 20 sqm room into two halves: one with 3 sleeping bunks, two in ceiling corners for my brother and me, one for my sister, while my parents had a 10 sqm bunk beneath. The other half served as our dining room and mini table tennis area. I felt like a little prince in a castle with 4 big rooms. Mission accomplished papa!
He was not into dealing with emotions and unintentionally he distanced himself from us and me by keeping himself involved in work to stay happy, especially to ward off loneliness. However, loneliness captured him in recent years, and the information from the doctors, insisting that he couldn’t fly back home, broke his heart to death.
I noticed how you tried to reconnect, especially how you loved your grandchildren and how they loved you, along with your family and me.
Few more moments I should have gathered and a few more words I should have exchanged.
For you, us and me.
And I knew it before, but I didn’t.
Those very few memories are gold and fundamental elements of my existence.
It all might have felt like a strange and mystical relationship. I thought you didn’t care about us and me.
But you did and just couldn’t because you were always verbally blocked. Now I realized that your love was 100% real. To us and me.
Especially now I will take over your torch of love to do so too and pass it on to your grandchildren.
For us, me and YOU. Ciao Papa ✨
