Eleven Carpio Brothers
I belong to a small fraternity, a band of brothers, and a fellowship of blood brothers. Our tallest member is six feet three inches and the least tall is five feet and seven inches. We all look alike. We are often called the Carpio Brothers.
We have our own frat words like “kestag”, and “bidang lang yan”. We would frequently have bonding over beer and sing our hearts out on Videoke. We have different sports tournaments from table tennis, basketball, Monopoly, Chess, Scrabble, Cluedo, Poker, and family computer games.
Each of us have our own designation in the team. As team players we take our role seriously. We have our own brand of sense of humor. Furthermore, our nephews and nieces just laugh out loud when we get really playful. To put it simply, they find our humor as corny. Or a few times they could be outdated, meaning anecdotes that happened when we were still children.
Looking at our past the cliché, “boys will be boys” is apt and the sibling rivalries are one for the record books as well. Some of us really loved to rattle each other’s cages.
Our voices are similar as well. And, our many laughter are loud to say it bluntly. We enjoy Italian cuisine with our all-time-favorite spaghetti topping the list, lasagna second, and pizza as the third. We are our Papa’s bambinos.
One of my brothers’ favorite song is “O Sole Mio” and another brother had a CD of Andrea Bocelli. Some of my siblings still could speak Italian. I just speak basic Italian.
Whenever one would have engine trouble the other available brother would be ready to come to the rescue. We have our own lawyers, engineers, and in-house doctor.
Now, during reunions we could stay up late until the wee hours of the early morning. There are more myriad stories to tell and share.
I am blessed to be born into that brotherhood. Looking back, I had become street smart because of my older brothers and one younger brother. I have unforgettable fond memories of the many adventures that we had embarked on during my early and young life.
I am looking forward to a bright and happy future ahead of all of us. Come to think of it the only way to become a member of our fraternity is to be born into it. And the membership is for a lifetime and beyond.
Being the shyest among the eleven brothers I am just amazed how funny the cards now had been dealt because, ironically, I joined the Media. It is a direct opposite of the usual introvert lifestyle. With it, meaning, the role and responsibilities of belonging in the Media, I have to be steadfast in dealing with people, with the utmost purpose of maintaining harmonious, cordial transactions with the public.
Having said that, I have become keen on what is going beyond being too personal and the thin line which is drawn beside what is common knowledge and what is good enough to share to other people for the purposes of education and entertainment. They call it edutainment. A branding which is synonymous to excitement. Or in other words fighting the trap of becoming a boring article.
In the final analysis, whatever that is intrinsically a good thing is always a good thing. If it would help other people, more so, if it would not hurt anyone then it is good and worthy to be discussed. Knowing that not a lot of people are in my shoes or having ten brothers I had surmised that it is interesting enough and rare even to share to others.
The most significant lesson I had learn from belonging to such a big family is that I had learned to adjust to the different personalities of other people. I have an easier time relating to or the development of my interpersonal communication skills are solid. I have become more meaningful and life-changing because of my family background.
That explains why I am what I am now and I am reminded by one of my older brothers that if ever I become out of line, he will be the first one to remind me to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.
Who wants more friends when you have brothers like I have? And, our caring three sisters who make the family complete. Need I say more?