Gardenia Ramos-Banos
Gardy Banos is a part time writer who is a mother and wife first. She's had three romance novellas published in the nationally circulated MOD Magazine on top of many other articles, mostly on motherhood and the art of "wifery." She was a fellow of the 9th Iligan National Writers Workshop and works full-time with a food company based in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
Contact Information
Articles by Gardenia Ramos-Banos
August 05, 2006
"Penny for your thoughts... "
“Huh?" Soleil wasn’t aware she had been lost in thought again.
It had been six months since she came home, back to school and her old life. But every now and then she found herself musing about her summer in Cebu - and Freddy.
“You got that far away look ...
August 05, 2006
She waited for the soft tap on her door but it never came. Soleil liked to think she was relieved that Freddy didn't wake her up for their morning ritual, but somehow, she felt a pang inside her.
It doesn't matter...I'm leaving today, anyway, she consoled herself.
There was something o...
August 05, 2006
“Sunshine... ,” Soleil heard the familiar tap on the door early in the morning. “Are you coming?”
“Yes. In a minute!” She rushed out of bed to put on her walking clothes. It was a cold morning. Freddy handed her a cup of hot chocolate before they set off for the beach. He held her hand as they...
July 31, 2006
For two days, Soleil managed to avoid him. When she didn't answer his wake-up call, Freddy would go to the beach alone. She kept herself mostly in her room, coming out only after he had left the house. She couldn't face him. Not yet.
“Something wrong with you, 'Langga? " Manang Pepay asked w...
July 22, 2006
After that, they would go to the beach at daybreak.
Freddy would wake her up with a tap on her bedroom door.
“Sunshine, “ he would say.
It was like a magic word with which she began her mornings. They would walk the short distance together, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence....
July 17, 2006
When her parents left the next morning, Soleil felt suddenly lonely.
For the first time, she was all alone and away from home. I won't cry...I won't cry...I'm a big girl now.
The house was too quiet for someone like her who was used to living with five sisters and four brothers in their cr...
July 17, 2006
It is mid-day. The heat is shriveling and people are half-running to catch the red light. Soleil was about to cross the busy intersection when she froze.
A portrait hung in an art shop window, so achingly familiar, it made her heart flap an old throb and her knees to turn jelly...
July 17, 2006
Nothing can be more exhausting than a couple who always ends up fighting. It makes one wonder why they ever got married in the first place, if there's not a single thing on earth they can seem to agree upon. Although it's absolutely normal for couples to have arguments now and then, such “innoc...
July 01, 2006
We’ve changed houses six times in the past ten years. And each time we moved, our nuptial bed had to be dismantled and re-assembleded (just like the boys’ LEGO parts); new curtains had to be tailored ( a “new” home has to look fresh ); floor mats had to be replaced (cleansing off negative vibes ); ...
May 10, 2006
Every mother should take her time off to celebrate Mothers? Day. For it is only in this one-in-every 365 days cycle that we get ?tolerated ? for having a break from our daily marathon of childcare and housekeeping duties.
To a working mother, it may seem less significant that way, but for those ...
April 29, 2006
Since year one of our marriage, Michael and I dreamed of having our own house.
Who doesn't? But we had to set aside that dream in favor of more urgent priorities: pre-need plans, home gadgets and gizmos, the kids, etc..It's been a constant back-breaking struggle for both of us - he the provide...
April 16, 2006
Being a full-fledged housewife has opened up a whole new world for me. Although I?ve never been on a magic carpet ride with Aladdin, my experiences are not that too different with Princess Jasmine?s - a lot of bumps and surprises along the way with emotions soaring high or low in every turn. And lik...
April 04, 2006
THERE'S something about golden weddings that has always touched me. Something beyond the grand ceremony, the fabulous suits and gowns, the superb church decorations, or the excellent hotel reception afterwards. Something about staying together...for 50 years! How could they do that? I used to ask my...
March 13, 2006
When Sarah found out her 17-year old daughter was pregnant, she thought she would die. "How could Nikki do that to me, to us? " was all Sarah could say.Theirs was a closely-knit family and she had dedicated most of her life as a hands-on mother. Sarah just couldn't believe it happened to her own chi...
March 10, 2006
Donnie was my classmate in college. He was tall, slim and fairly good looking - but at 17, I was too young to fall in love yet. Though it might have been easy to fall for him with those Italian-bred eyes, I was just not ready for romantic involvement.
Besides, my brother Othello (who happened to ...
March 05, 2006
For eight years now since I left my job in favor of my growing family, one thought ( or shall I say doubt? ) never left my mind. Did I choose the right path? And as Grandmother Willow in the cartoon movie tells Pocahontas to "listen with your heart", I did my own soul-searching today to ...
March 05, 2006
Lolo would fetch her from kinder class and together they would walk the short way home.
But before that, she would make a quick stop and stare longingly at the musical carousel displayed in the toy shop window.
For her, it was the most wonderful thing on earth, and one that she couldn't ...