just made this for my aunt and uncle in california. they’re actually my lolo’s sister and bro-in-law, but i got used to referring to them the same way my mom and titas do. i’ve met them only once, way back when i was just 11 years old. but i wanted to do a little something for them that my lola can take when she visits next week.

laya got me into this digi-scrapbooking craze a while back, but this is actually the first time i made anything. i’ve been downloading free design kits like mad, staying up ’til 2am just waiting for the download to finish.

there’s one thing missing here though: why i actually wanted to do all this. a few weeks back, i read arlene chai’s novel the last time i saw mother. and while i don’t particularly like it (because the sentences. are. constructed. haltingly.) i appreciate its project of retelling the second world war thru the experiences of three women. while fictional, the stories are based on real-life accounts and made the war something more real and tangible to me.

uncle is a survivor of the bataan death march. i wanted to tell him how grateful i was for the part he played in defending our country. but i don’t know how to put it here, not just because it’s something i find rather emotional, but also because he seems to begrudge our country. he absolutely refuses to come here, even for just a short visit. perhaps because of the whole war veterans compensation issue?

whatever it is, i hope this will be enough to make him smile.