Welcome to Amanda's Page

A man who rose from humble beginnings, my dad has achieved a lot in his life. His family always comes first and irrespective of any problems that he may have faced, his one triumph has always been in keeping his family close and together. He loves to be in the center of organization. His greatest joy is when one of his children asks for his advice. A strong-willed and often quick tempered person, he is also one of the most sentimental and loving persons I have ever met. He is very out-going and can make friends with any body. Of course, our friends who have had to face a barrage of questions every time we decided to stay out late certainly didn't think so! Born on the 8th of January, he has all the stubbornness characteristic of the "Goat"! Of course, I should not forget to mention that another of his big achievements, is giving up smoking after over 40 years, last year. He is also an avid fisherman and spends endless amounts of time studying the tides and moon positions, finding out when is the best time to go to the beach and fish. He will even get up at four in the morning or stay out till two at night (much to my mother's despair) if the tides are right.

Born on July 2nd, my mom is the quintessential Cancerian... the best care-giver and most dedicated mom. She is also one of the most honest people I have ever met. She is in many ways the direct opposite of my father, quiet and reserved to his natural tendency to seek out friends. She has always stood by my father no matter what his decisions... If I were to think back, I guess one of the most important things, she has ever taught us is the importance of God in our lives. She is a beautiful person and has always been there for us. A very good cook, my mother's food is a favorite among many family members and friends. I remember there was this one guy, who was doing some work for us when we moved down to Goa. He was a bachelor then and he would always stop by at lunch time with some silly reason or the other. Of course being Goans, we have to invite a person who stops by at lunch time to eat with us... it's an unspoken rule!

I guess one of the most important things my parents have ever taught all of us has been the importance of being independant, of not relying on anybody financially but still maintaining a balance in our lives so that ambition does not get the better of us. The family rosary has played an important role in our lives and while we often complained when we were younger (especially if we were watching something enjoyable on the television), we now appreciate our parents for their dedication and the importance of their guidance.

Being three girls, we have always been really close knit. I must admit that when it comes to talent, my sisters far outshine me. They have lovely voices, they can sketch pretty well. They can sew better than me... and the list goes on and on!

Wendy, is my twin sister and we have always been very close and shared all our secrets. I guess, I never lacked for a friend, because no matter how many new places we went to, no matter how many new schools and colleges we joined, we always had each other. People, often, ask us - How does it feel to have a twin? How does it feel to have someone look so much like you?- how can we answer them... we do not know, how it feels not to be a twin! Wendy got married a couple of years ago to Ralph Pereira. They met at a Travel agency where Wendy started her first job and Ralph was a manager... a little office romance, eh??!! Ralph currently works in Saudi Arabia and Wendy is home with dad and mom, where she works at the LIC Housing Finance Corporation where she continually impresses her superiors with her willingness to work hard. Ralph is a very hard working person and always gives his best to his job. I was honored to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in October 1997. If Wendy ever gets around to getting a site up for herself and Ralph, I will definitely point to it!!! (Wendy this is a hint... get off your duff and get to work girl!!!)

P.S. Being my twin, she of course shares my birthday - July 23rd...

Sarita is the baby of the family. And Boy! does she hate to be called that! Younger than Wendy and I by four and a half years, she was born on the 10th of January. A talented young lady, she sews, does machine embroidery and has even taught herself to crochet. She also loves to sketch. And she love animals! Any creature from a bird to a squirrel to a dog. She gets so attached to them. I remember, when she was in school, some one gave her a baby squirrel, they had found on the road. She brought it home and got it a small cage. She would feed it milk and play with it. One day she came home from school and found the squirrel dead.... she cried as if she had lost a family member. She has a very extroverted personality and makes friends like a flash. She is however also a very moody person and can be known to be very, very uncommunicative when she is in one of her moods! Like my father, she is stubborn and their clashes can be pretty explosive!!! Does she have a boy friend??? I have no idea!!! So if anyone has a clue, do let me know!!!

Tammy died on March 11, 2000, from complications resulting from sclerosis of the liver. A very patient and forgiving dog, she also took a lot of time to adapt to strangers... but she never bit or attacked a human being. She made friends with other animals very easliy irrespective of whether they were cats, dogs, or goats! She will be sorely missed by our family...She was with us for 8 years and I can only say that she was a member of the family. One of our favorite pastimes was me irritating her by catching her tail or ears... while she would try to catch my hand before i reached her... I last saw her when I went home on vacation in October... she still remembered me even though it had been a year and a half. I am sure she is in doggy heaven.

We also had a dog that all of us really loved. His name was Snoopy and he was a Pomerian. He was really smart and loving and very protective of us. He died a few years ago of a very high viral fever. We were all pretty upset and sad, but dad and Sarita were the hardest hit. They are the animal lovers in our family.

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