Ties that bind

Mother’s Day is here again. Just like any other season, it comes and goes. But for some, not only are their moms revered and honored on this particular day. For them, it is a lifetime commitment to love, respect and care for the one person who gave life to them.

For careerwoman Mia Nolasco and Roa sisters Gabby, Timmy and Georgina, they don’t remember a time when they didn’t need their mothers’ love and support. And they can’t imagine a time when they won’t. So as much as they can, they keep connected with their moms not only on Mother’s Day but on every single day of their lives.

Shoe connection

In one of their many trips abroad, Bibay Xerez-Burgos Nolasco and her daughter Mia particularly went crazy over the bargains in Rome and laughingly found themselves hiding their purchases from their family. This happened again in Singapore when after frenzied shoe shopping, the two almost covered the carpet of their hotel room with all the shoes they bought.

“We are both shoe addicts. We have an insane habit of buying too many,” exclaims Mia. Her mom Bibay adds that devotion to God, their families and to shopping are the common traits she shares with her second daughter. Bibay advised Mia to keep a happy home life by spending a lot of time with her kids even if Mia is all the more busy now that she’s general manager and director of Luxasia Philippines. To take the kids everywhere she goes was what Mia learned from her mom through example. Bibay, who was with Pan American Airways before, was able to take her kids around the world. “It was a bit difficult (to be there for Mia and her siblings most of the time), but my job allowed us to enjoy the traveling perks with our kids,” Bibay asserts. 

But whenever she was at home, Bibay made it a point to show her kids how much of a doting mom she was. “Before, my home was a Grand Central Station,” she smiles. “I would have at least 20 teenagers in my house, swimming and sleeping over on the weekend,” Bibay shares, referring to Mia’s friends who would spend a day or two in their welcoming abode. “They always made me a part of their gang. I am so happy that my children are all very sociable kids,” she says. Mia couldn’t agree more. “I remember she would make me sing and dance in front of a group and I was willing to do it in exchange for a toy,” she fondly recalls. “I must say this is where I developed my social skills. I now don’t know how to be shy.”

Now that she has a family of her own to nurture and nourish, Mia admits that she still sleeps over at her parents’ house and still sleeps in between them when they go out of town. “My mom and I talk every day. She calls me to check what I am eating,” she blushes. “She calls me so often no phone call seems too urgent. But I feel guilty about not picking up especially when I am in meetings.” Bibay explains that she and her daughter have always been very close and that they are closest now that they are going through the same things in life.

According to Mia, she and her mom both trust their Nokia E90 Communicator, a premium business device with high-speed mobile broadband and integrated mobile office that keeps them effective even when they’re out of the office. “In her last trip to Shanghai, I was able to track her route as Mia would send me MMS pictures of where she was,” Bibay says. “She wanted me to see what she was enjoying.” And Mia was successful in that pursuit as her mom’s handy phone allowed her to be in constant communication with her. With Nokia E90’s 3.2 megapixel camera, she was able to take good quality photos of her whereabouts in Shanghai and successfully sent them to her mom. It also helped that both their phones have built-in GPS receiver with pre-installed maps, which made Bibay keep track of where Mia exactly was. “Thanks also to the texting technology, I am in touch with my kids all day,” gushes Bibay.

Connected by food

“Without communication, how do I find out where lunch is?” jokes Ruby Diaz Roa when asked how important it is to get in touch with her equally busy and lovely daughters Gabby Roa-Limjoco, a nursery school teacher; Timmy Roa-Antonio, an architect and businesswoman; and Georgina Roa-Remulla, a pediatric dentist.

Food is where mother and daughters agree on. They may not have a common say on some things, but food is where their different paths cross, so to speak. “We can’t keep up with her because she is always running around,” describes Timmy of her mom. Gabby adds, “We need to talk to her every day to get an idea of what’s going on because my mom talks in bits and pieces. You need to catch up and figure out what she’s saying because she doesn’t usually give every detailed instructions or stories.” Georgina agrees with her two sisters and shares, “My mom can talk about 10 different things at the same time while backseat driving.”

That is why Gabby, Timmy and Georgina realized the importance of keeping the communication lines open with their mom. It’s only by talking to her every day, Georgina believes, that they can piece things her mom tells them. On the other hand, Timmy has learned that it is not worth arguing with her mom as everything her mother warns her about proves to be correct. They have learned that with their mom, it is best to listen more and argue less. Gabby furthers that if they want to be with their mom, it’s important to get an update on where to find her because even if her mom isn’t working, “she is actually all over the place.”

But this does not make her less of a loving and caring mom to her kids. Her three daughters look up to her as their role model and want to be just like her — like the great mother that she is. “She’s my babysitter. She takes care of my kids,” exclaims Gabby nonchalantly, aware of the fact that she can always leave her own children in her mom’s good hands. Ruby is also a surrogate mom to Georgina’s kids as she takes them to places when Georgina is busy with her work. “Just by observing my mom, I learn how to be a good wife and mother. She has so much energy,” she says. Timmy furthers that her mom, who always have a bright idea in mind, inspires her architect husband to think out of the box when he designs.

Ruby also shares that she enjoys cooking with her daughters. “It’s the way to keep that husband in tow,” she always reminds them. Although she is quick to reveal that her daughters are now doing better than her in the culinary department. Timmy shares that one of their most memorable childhood experiences with their mother was going to fun exotic places, befriending the locals, asking for their recipes and even convincing them to cook for them! Georgina even goes on to narrate, “The most memorable was our trip to Nepal in 1990. While we were buying shawls, my mom got into a conversation with the owner of the shop about (how to cook) curry. Next thing we knew, we hopped on a cab with the store owner and ended up in his house.” She continued, “His wife gave us a quick curry cooking lesson.”

And so, gathering her three busy daughters in a lunch or a dinner date means the world to Ruby. A few clicks and presses on her sleek and sophisticated Nokia 6500 Classic, which features dual band 3G technology for fast and easy downloads and browsing, allows her access to the Internet anytime and anywhere to look for their next gastronomic destination. “Through my phone, the search and discovery for our favorite ultimate pasta becomes easier,” Ruby says excitedly. “It seems the whole Manila is in search of the same. Wherever we go, everyone we know is there!”

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Both Bibay and Ruby agree that their relationship with their daughters have been better than ever — thanks to their handy Nokia mobile phone units and their continuous desire to keep the lines of communication with their children open — literally and figuratively. Just like them, mothers and daughters can also make their own connections through Nokia’s latest line of black phones available at all Nokia stores — the Nokia 6500 Classic, Nokia 6500 Slide and Nokia 6300 Black.

Maybe this time, Bibay and Mia are on their way to getting their new pairs of shoes as rewards for their excellent jobs as mothers while Ruby and her girls Gabby, Timmy and Georgina are now seated at their favorite Italian restaurant and savoring the best pasta dish in town. What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than spending it with the special person whom we pay tribute to on this day. But before meeting up with her, remember to send her an SMS or MMS Mother’s Day greeting!