All about Philippines at GL Brain

I have been writing Filipino articles at GL Brain Please, take time to read and rate my articles there. Here are the articles that I have written. You can click on the titles and you will be taken to the actual pages. You can also leave your comments there. Thanks!

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in the Philippines
Traditional Filipino Games
Things to do in Boracay
Best Places to live in the Philippines
Philippines in International Movies
Most Influential Filipinos
Most Charitable Filipino Celebrities
Hunger Games
Historical Places in the Philippines
Filipino Mythical Creatures
Filipino Festivals
Exotic - Philippine Gastronomy
Biggest Companies on the Philippines
Authentic Filipino Dishes

Pilipinas Gifts: Perfect Time for Flowers

It’s always the Perfect Time for Flowers

Flowers can speak when words are not enough. An online flower shop can help people express their thoughts, let another person know how he or she feels, and send messages that words cannot perfectly state. A flower shop handles different flower arrangements for a vast variety of people and various occasions. A great flower shop is one that customers can trust to send the message that they want to get across using these beautiful wonders.

Everybody loves flowers. Flowers have a way of communicating people’s feelings and with a flower, lives are touched, joys are shared, and strong negative emotions are subsided. These rather soft, sweet, and innocent-looking pieces surprisingly have power over people’s emotions.

Perfectly Delivered

Flower delivery should be done perfectly. It should arrive at the right time, received by the right person in the right place, and send the right message. Otherwise, it would lose its meaning and its significance both to the sender and the recipient. If a flower shop fails in delivering the flowers promptly, then that shop could not be trusted with anything else. An assurance that the flowers will be received at the perfect time means everything.

Before placing orders, the customer should take note of the cut-off time for orders just to make sure that there will not be any misunderstandings about when the flowers will be most likely to be delivered. There are some flower shops that have a same day flower delivery policy. It is perfectly understandable for provincial deliveries to take one to two days so customers who are sending flowers to the province should place their orders earlier. Not making the cutoff will cause the delivery to be done the following day and in case of provincial deliveries, it will add another day.

Customers should also take note of delivery times. These are usually set to make the process more convenient not just for the persons involved in the delivery but also for the recipients. In case of red letter dates and pretty much all important dates celebrated nationally, customers should place orders extra early to avoid the holiday rush.

Perfect Occasions

Although every day is a perfect occasion for flowers, there are days that are extra special. These extra special days include anniversaries to celebrate relationships, professional milestones, and marriages. Birthdays are also extra special as a beginning of life is always something that is worthy to be celebrated. Saying congratulations through flowers will always be appreciated for every milestone and achievement may it be on a person’s personal goals or professional growth. The same goes for wishing someone to get well soon. Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are incomplete without flowers for reasons that do not need stating.

Perfect Flowers

Roses are perhaps the most loved flowers. Roses come in different colors namely orange, pink, red, and white. These roses may also be sent in mixed colors. Customers can choose the recipient’s favorite color or a meaning that each color signifies. Roses are perfectly delicate, attractive, and beautiful.

Pilipinas Gifts: Buzzing Online Flower Shop

Online Flower Shop: What’s the Buzz?

In this age and time, there are a lot of things that may be done online and it is definitely high time for an online flower shop too.  This brings convenience and efficiency for all flower-loving folks who appreciates a beautiful arrangement and acknowledges the love and care that goes with each arrangement. Having this business online makes everything so much easier for those who wants something extra for their flowers or those who would like to send their thoughts through flowers to people they care about.

Finding the Best Online Flower Shop

A lot of years in the business can make a seasoned flower shop.  There are flower shops that are created to fulfill all the flower needs of the people. All the flowers are should be guaranteed fresh and you should be able to rest assured that your loved ones will get nothing but the best. There should also be a lot of choices on the kind of flowers available. A great online flower shop should offer reliable delivery system. Giving flowers as gift requires promptness. When flowers are given as a gift, it should be received at the right time. A little late means it will lose most of the gift’s significance and at times, may even be a bit awkward. The shop should be able to deliver two things: the highest quality of products which in this case are the flowers and how it is arranged and great service which includes prompt delivery.

Same Day Flower Delivery: Nice and Easy

The shipping policy of a flower shop should always be considered. There are some shops that offer same day delivery policy. This is very important for sudden needs and for unexpected occasions. This will let the receiver feel extra special because it will be most likely, unexpected. It is also perfect for times when a special occasion is actually forgotten. It is important that customers search for all available information about the shipping policy of a flower shop. Things that they should look for are the cut-off times, time of delivery, and delivery rates. They should also look for the difference between same-area and provincial deliveries in case they will need to send flowers in different places in the country. Same day flower delivery will surely be appreciated by everybody.

Flowers have great powers in touching a person’s emotion. It can heighten happiness, triumph, and love. On the other hand, it can minimize negative emotions such as sadness, failure, and loss. There are different occasions in a person’s life when they deserve to have flowers. Flowers are much appreciated in anniversaries, child delivery, graduations, promotions, engagements, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and untoward happenings such as sickness and death.

It is better if a flower shop can deliver flowers even in different parts of the country. People who live far from the city should not be deprived of the emotions that receiving flowers can give. This ability can say a lot about the core values and missions of the flower shop. It will also say a lot about a store’s capability and reliability.

Wedding Traditions

Please read and rate my article about wedding traditions in different countries. Just click here. Thanks! :)

Exotic Filipino Dishes

What's the best exotic Filipino food that you've tasted? For me, that will be the good old Balut. The young balut without the beak and feet sticking out, that is.

Please read and rate my article about Exotic Filipino dishes. Just click this. Thanks! <3

April 20

Today is my cousin, Jojo's birthday. He should've been 20 years old now, or 21? It's so sad because he missed out on lot of things. Like his very own daughter, Pau.

I am so happy to have her as my niece although the last time I saw her was two years ago? I miss her. It's so sad because Jojo could've let his baby feel really special and loved. Well, maybe he can still do it now, but not like when you're here...

She looks like her dad. I know that he's up there right this very minute, celebrating his birthday with Tatay, maybe a little party going on while they're watching over us. And I have only one birthday wish for him. That may justice be served. Or better yet, may Karma do its job.

And since this blog is for the "best things", I'd like to emphasize that I am not losing hope. And hope is really important in times like this.

Maybe I don't make any sense. I am really sorry but I can't find the best thing for today.

Oh, now I remember... On this very day, twenty years ago, Paul Julius M. Roque was born and he touched our lives deeply that we'll never forget him no matter what... I miss you Jo!

*Posted on April 20, 2007

Lazy Day and a Bad Dream

This is the most, super, laziest day of my life to the highest degree. I know because I felt guilty this afternoon looking back at how my whole day went. We woke up and after having  breakfast, we went here to the shop. Then, Bath from Knowledge Ventures called me up and told me that they'll be renting out the shop for today and from now, they'll be holding their tutorials every Tuesdays and Saturdays. So we went back home and watch TV, nap, eat lunch, watch TV,nap.

Then I had this scary dream. I was in the plaza here in our place. I am walking alone in the dark when a jeepney came by to pick me up. Inside it are my cousins. They are not my real cousins but in my dream, I know that they are my cousins. Then, it started to rain, after it, came flood. We were really getting scared when I started to ask them questions. I was about to ask them a question about them having experiences of losing a loved one. I wasn't able to finish the question because we heard loud thunders and the soon, we found that the jeepney we are riding is now on a very big ship. We were in the middle of an ocean. It continued raining and what scared me is that there were pieces of meat with blood that are coming down from the skies. And I heard someone said, God's Blood. Then clumps of mud followed. We were running around the ship when my husband woke me up. Now I am gonna look for a significant meaning of my dream.

Here's what I found:

Cousins 

To see your cousin in your dream, represents something or some aspect of your character that is somewhat familiar. Perhaps you need to spend more time in cultivating and developing some emerging ability or character.

Rain 

To dream that you get wet from the rain, signifies that you will soon be cleansed from your troubles and problems. Rain also symbolizes fertility and renewal.
To see and hear rain falling, symbolizes forgiveness and grace.

Flood

To see a gentle flood, indicates that your worries over a certain matter will be soon be swept away.

Ship 

To dream that you are sailing the high seas in a ship, denotes that you are standing tall in times emotional turmoil.

Meat

To see raw meat in your dream, signifies that there will be many obstacles and discouragement in achieving your goals.

Blood 

To see blood in your dream, represents life, love, and passion as well as disappointments. If you see the word "blood" written in your dream, then it may refer to some situation in your life that is permanent and cannot be changed.

Mud 

To see mud in your dream, suggests that you are involved in a messy and sticky situation. It also suggests that some internal cleansing is needed.
The interpretations I got are really useful and kinda appropriate with my situation right now. Thanks to the ever reliable Dream Dictionary.

*Posted on April 11, 2007

Hottah! Hottah!

It's so hot! I want to have an endless supply of Ice Monster or any Ice Cream right now. I would love to go swimming but it's so hot I'm sure to have sunburn after.

My father-in-law and sister-in-law paid us a surprise visit.

I have a new phone. It's a Nokia 6600. I know it's not that good but I'm satisfied with it. I asked my sister, Roxanne to look for a new housing and USB so that I can start uploading pix soon. It's much easier.



*Posted on April 9, 2007

Makahiya

This morning, while Franz, Kim and I were going to the shop, I felt like walking really slow without any reason at all and even it's really hot and sunny. Franz keep on looking at the roadside to the plants. And then he stopped and shouted "Makahiya!" then bent down to touch the plant. It didn't closed like what it's supposed to do when touched. And he said "Sampalok yan nay, di yan makahiya. Pag malaki ang dahon, Sampalok yun". And we walked again looking for makahiya but we didn't found any. I remember when we first arrived here and we were waiting for a bus to Kalibo, we saw lots of Makahiya plants and Franz had so much fun touching them. Again, I felt really happy seeing Franz appreciate a simple thing.

Then when we reached the market, he said "Nanay, don't walk too close to me, you don't have to because there isn't any vehicle around". Then I felt sad at how fast he is growing up.

Now he's here playing Computer games after eating some jellies.

And here's how the lot looks like now. They took down the building that was there before:

We talked to Ryan Masula, who's going to make the plan of the house and the shop. He's going to prepare a sketch and we can tell him if we want anything on that sketch to be changed.

*Posted on March 30, 2007

Sandshine

Franz- my Precious Sandshine

Franz loves the sand... It's one of the reasons why he'd rather be in the resort than to go with us here in the shop. He loves making sand castles, drawing in the sand and playing with sand in any way that he could imagine.

I see the simplicity of his growing-up years being spent enjying doing things related to nature. Living here in the province helped in teaching him how to appreciate nature and the simple things in life.

Instead of seing lots of cars and sniffing pollution, he wakes up to fresh air, with the sounds of the birds and see cows and goats and carabaos on the way to the resort.

One tough decision that I made for Franz is about his education. About his school. At first, I was insistent about enrolling him in a private school in Kalibo, which is 30-minute ride away from here. I want to give him all the best that we can give. All the best things in life. Kim and I even argued about it because he thinks we should save the money first and use the money for Franz's college. But I didn't want to. I want him to study in a private school from the start. I want him to have the edge. I experienced studying in public schools and we're always behind our supposed to be lessons. I wasn't convinced. I was really firm about my decision that even if we have to find another job and break our backs working as hard as we could, we're gonna enroll him to the most expensive school here.

That's until I get to talk to Tita Ning-ning who studied about Child Psychology. She said that pre-school is just about two hours a day and it would be a waste of time and energy and money to go there for just a couple of hours everyday when basically, they will just be thought the basics no matter where he'll be enrolled. Then, the reason that changed my decision: He needs to get to know and be known to the kids his age here in  the place where he will be growing up. He should have the chance to bond with them and make friends with the kids around him, who will be growing up with him.

Now I've decided that we'll be enrolling him here for pre-school, kindergarten, and elementary and to the private school in high school instead.

*Posted on March 30, 2007

Our Nest

This is definitely one of the greatest gift that someone gave me... Our nest... A place where we can start a life of our own... A place that will be a learning place for us... A place that will be teaching us lessons of life and lessons of love...

>

I don't know how I can ever thank Tita Hedy for such a wonderful gift.. I haven't even thanked her enough for giving us our internet cafe business... I also thank Tito Fidz for the "starting fund" that he sent us...

I have such a wonderful family... I was told a lot of times... Be it with my family on father's side or my mother's side...

I just hope there'll be a way to repay their kindness and love... But I have nothing else that I can offer except for my love, care and eternal gratitude... For they have touched our lives with such an impact that would leave marks in our hearts forever...

*Posted on March 13, 2007

Basang Cold Spring

We went to Basang Cold Spring earlier today... We went to Kalibo coz my youngest sister, Rose Gell have to take an exam in her Basic Math subject...While waiting for her to finish her exam, we went to the Kalibo Public Market and bought Sea foods to bring with us... Then we went to Royal Mall to buy a cake since Franz is requesting for one and bought Black Forest... Then we bought butter and mineral water and fetch Rose Gell from school...

Then we went home and picked up Mama, Lola Totz, Franz, Roxanne, Xandie, Tita Celia, Tito Perling, and Dang-dang... Then we went to the Spring...

When we arrived, it wasn't as hot as the past few days... And the road is closed for vehicles... We had to pay for parking area and had our things carried in a "kariton"... For those who don't know what a kariton is, it kinda look like this: >>

Then we walked until we reached the cold spring... When we arrived, Hubby and Tito Perling grilled the Tuna, "Banak", and "Danggit" that we bought... And Hubby cooked my fave: Buttered-Garlic Shrimp...

After we ate lunch, we jumped into the water- the very very very cold water...

We went home at about 2:00 pm... Hubby and I went straight to the shop... Franz came with us asking me over and over to buy him another toy car when he already have one big box full of them... He ended up playing games at Starfall ... Then asked to be brought home coz he felt sleepy... We brought him home and we bought him hotdogs that he asked for on the way home...

Now I'm preparing the prizes that we'll give away on the 2nd Anniversary of Girl Forum ... It's a fun day... I love spending time with my family... A day to remember...

*Posted on February 27, 2007

A Day of Laziness and Fun

We woke up at 8:00 am, Franz went to our room and watch @ the Disney Channel... I went outside and asked where Mama and Lola are and Tita Celia told me that they went to church... I came back to the room and cleared up the mess in my desk... After some cleaning, I went outside and Tita Celia told me that they're going to the market with Mama and Lola to buy breakfast...

When they came back, they have suman and Shrimps with them... Mama asked me to cook rice and I did... Then we ate breakfast...

After that we left for the resort... We played guitar and sang, eat chips and bukarilyo then play cards... Then we had Pork Sinigang and Grilled Pork Chop and Shrimp Paste for lunch... Then we played cards and took a nap...

When we went home, we took a bath and went to the shop...

It was a very refreshing day after a long time of staying here in the shop for more or less 10 hours everyday... I missed the breeze, mostly of seaside air... I would swim in the pool if there weren't much visitors...

                                 

We are planning to go to Hurom-hurom cold springs on Tuesday... I'm really excited.. :) And I'm so looking forward to being in touch with nature again...

*Posted on February 25, 2007

The Men in my Life

My Beloved Husband- Kim and our Dear Son, Franz

September 2001, I met Kim in a band practice in my Tito's house... He's the lead guitarist, my Tito's the lead vocalist... He became my friend.. I even called him "Kuya" before...  Well, he's five years older than me... He was courting another girl... I saw how much he loved the girl, disregard all the hurtful things that were said and done to him, and did his best to make it work... But the girl didn't appreciate what he did...  And then I wasl also in a relationship with one of his friends.. I did everything and more... But he took me for granted.. Both hurt, we started talking to ach other a lot... I write him little notes with quotes and stuff... He calls me everyday from work... We became best friends... And then it happened... Time came when we weren't able to deny what was there... What's happening between the two of us...

January 10, 2002, we became officially on... I broke up with the other regretfully, I did it after my relationship with Kim started... But I was confused then and I don't know how to do it... The other bandmates/friends learned about it too... Many bonds were broken... I was bothered with hate phonecalls, even letters...

February 13, 2002, we decided that we can't bear to be away from each other anymore... We started living together... And I got pregnant a month later...

November 05, 2002, we got married- civil wedding...

December 11, 2002, Francis Albert Domingo was born..

---

Named after his Grandfathers, Francisco and Alberto, he made everyone who saw him smile. Born 9.4 lbs., at 7:15 am, he never failed to made me feel happy since then...

Now he's 4 and will go to school on June... He loves counting and counts everything that he see... Coins, birds, doors, pillows, everything...

---

Papa and Christian

Papa, my best friend, and even when given a chance to choose a father, I will still choose him any time of the day... Who would trade having a Rod Stewart look-a-like for a father? And have the coolest collection of Pinoy Rock music playing in the background while you do your thing? a father who's always ready to bail you out of trouble where school is involved? And tries his best to give you everything that you need... Yeah... I am a spoiled Papa's Girl... Live with it...

---

Christian, my brother that I sooooo soooooo miss sooooooo muuuchhhh.... I dunno how else I can express how much I miss him...  I feel like I'm losing alot... He should be growing up somewhere near me... Or I should be somewhere near him while he's growing up...  But time will come that we'll be together again... And we're gonna bond over kicking some butt... Well, in a game maybe...

---

Tito Freddie, Tito Tony, Ferdinand, Derick, Mike, Jeff, Red, Kurt

Tito Freddie, my kabarkada Tito, has a great singing voice only not taken good care of... Make him sing "Think of Laura" and you'll agree...

Tito Tony, I will never forget all of his efforts for me... May it be for my debut, for Santa Cruzan, and for our family out-of-towns...

Ferdinand, my chatter cousin who never grow tired of talking to me over nonsense stuff and shares my addiction to MU Online..

Derick, the Guitar Man, He used to be so absorbed whenever I tell him scary stories...

Mike, Jeff, Red, Kurt, The younger ones more likely to be Franz' playmates...

---

Tatay Nanding and Tatay Arnulfo

Tatay Nanding, I miss him so much... Wish we had more time together...

Tatay Arnulfo, I'm looking forward to his moving back here to the Philippines...

---

Tito Fred and Tito Romy

---

Jojo

Really, really missed... Okei, I'll scan a better photo of you... It's in our bedroom wall so I'll try tomorrow Okay?  I know you'll be waiting for us, Jo... I'm sure you are... Wish I could hug you again...

---

Of course, I won't forget the Women in my Life... And you're next...

*Posted on February 24, 2007

My "Online" Friends

One thing that I'm thankful of aside from my family are people I met online and became part of my life... This entry is dedicated to them... A big Thank You will never be enough... Hope I can hug you all really tight...

First, my APU Family... I learned a lot from them from the smallest to biggest things like how vaccines are not that safe, my view regarding spirituality and religion, how to handle difficult situations, how to remove heavy stains, how to deodorize the fridge, how to cook healthy but yummy foods, even helped me interpret my dreams... Thank you for always being there, for listening, for understanding, for being patient, for being generous about sharing your knowledge, for helping me get to know myself better, believe in myself, and know that you'll always be there to listen and talk whenever there's something I need to get off my chest... Thank you for sharing your life and letting me share my life to you guys... You're the best...

Next, to my second baby, My Girl Forum Family... Soon, it'll be two years old... I would like to thank all the moderators, old and new for helping me out with the board and loving the forum as your own... To all the members,To Lhianne-for getting my hopes up about giving a new life for the forum, To Anne-for the respect and support, To Bea- for being honest, For Nicole- for sharing your talent, to Belle- for making us laugh, To Jelai- for your loyalty, to Hannah- for being caring and responsible, to Tina- for sharing your knowledge and experiences, to Kat-for taking care of the forum in my absence, To Chesca, Chloe, Ronnie, and Sparco- we miss you, and to Ghel, Gracie, Bianca, Yam, Mhyne, Neriza, Gale, Xyla, Ellaine, and Jhen- Thank you for helping out when GF needed help and hope we'll all grow old here together till time comes that we'll need to pass the forum to our great-grand daughters...  You girls rock!!!

Third, my MU Online friends, the Aklan Guild, and people I met during training and hunting... You know who you are...

And last but not the least, my Neopet friends and the whole Illusen Guild... Minnie, Kayla, Alvin and Coco... It's nice sharing an addiction with nice people who knows the meaning of respect, responsibility and care... Neopia won't be the same without you...
                                    

I love you all!!!

The Best Things in Life

A positive blog? Why not? Well, some bloggers create blogs to vent, to whine and complain about how life is unfair, express their fears, problems, doubts and to write about negative stuffs... Blog becomes the outlet of people ho feels sad, afraid, insecure and helpless.. Not all though... There are those people who creates blog to keep their friends and loved ones updated about what's going on in their lives... There are those who shares their works of art through it...

I've had blogs before... There's the one on my Fun Page , on my Multiply< , and even on my Friendster account which I don't use anymore... Well, I guess I'm not into complicated things... Not that I found those sites too complicated but I get really distracted when I see other things that caould or should be done in those other sites... I would like to have a blog just for blogging...

And I choose to focus or give emphasis to the highlights of each day... Things that I'm thankful of... Things that made me smile that day... Things that made me feel good... I know it's impossible not to post some negative things since it's a blog- it's about me- it's about my life... Coz I want it to be just that... But I'm gonna focus on positive things... It would be the main dish... Those negative stuffs will only be the spices or the side dish...

I don't know how many people will be able to find this blog-or if there will be any... But I am glad to meet my new friend, BestThings2007 <3 

*Posted on February 22, 2007

Mylot

I discovered a couple of months ago, there are ways on how to make money online. I know that lots of people have already written different information about making money online. I will be sharing mine from experience specifically in referring.

I am not good with referring people. But here are some things that you should remember based on my experience:

1. Make sure that the site is legit. I never ask people to join a paying website as long as I'm not paid through it yet. Yes, I struggle because most often, it is hard to earn money or points without any referrals at all but I try until I reach the minimum payout, all with my own sweat and blood. When I get paid, that's the only time that I start referring people. It will be hard but you should take care of your referring reputation.

2. Be accurate. Be accurate in everything. Make sure that they know all the information that your prospective referrals need to know. The basics are the link, the rules and regulations, the process on how they can make money on that specific site, what's the minimum payout, how will they be paid, and if possible, an estimate of how long it would take them to reach payout.

3. Keep in touch. Send your referrals a simple thank you and remind them that they can send you a pm if ever they need help with something with that site that you referred them too. You can also inform them about updates and new features from time to time.

4. Don't be greedy. This is something that is applicable to life in general too. Sometimes, when hoping for a lot more than what we are entitled to have, we lose more than that.

Now, think twice before posting your referral links. ;)

*Posted on April 22, 2008
**Mylot stopped paying on April 2013

Basang Cold Spring

Whew! Are you feeling the heat of summer? Now that summer's here, I know that there are lots of people who are planning to go swimming or go to colder places like Tagaytay or Baguio here in the Philippines.

If you would like to go swimming, I highly recommend The Wassenaar Beach Resort in Jawili, Tangalan, Aklan. You can go there then proceed to Boracay or vice versa. It's a nice place if you prefer peace and quiet compared to the busy night life in Boracay. I also recommend Basang Cold Spring which is located in Nabas, Aklan. The water is really cold that may make you forget that it's summer. It's a lot better because it gives you more satisfaction than halo-halo and ice cream minus the additional weight.

Now, that's three destinations already. So if you ever decided to come and visit Aklan, you'll know where to go. If you're adventurous and would like to maximize your vacation here, you can add Jawili Falls, Sampaguita Gardens and more to your itenerary. If you would like to know more, just post a comment. ;)

If ever you decided to go here or go outing somewhere else, here are some things that you should remember:

1. Travel light. No, you don't need to bring all of your shoes. Just bring one for comfort, one for formal parties, and one that will go with most of your clothes that you're bringing.

You also don't need to bring all your clothes. Just pick safe and comfortable ones. Bring just one or two formal dresses.

You also don't need to bring all your friends and family's and pets pictures. Just leave them at home, If you really can't do that just bring one of each.

2. Don't forget the essentials. Your make-up kit, yes, that's on top of the list. Tools for your car, first aid kit, insect repellant, Swiss knife, and your personal stuff. With the last one, make sure to kip tip number one in mind.

3. Turn the main switch of electricity of your house off if no one will be staying at home. Make sure that all the windows and the doors, and the gate is locked.

4. Bring a book or magazine or MP3 player just in case you get bored.

5. Never forget your camera and extra batteries.

Now those are just the basics. There will be a lot more tips next time. Thanks for reading and always be safe. :)

*Posted on March 11, 2008

On Stage

Yeah, I know I already talked about my son's graduation but what can I say? I am really proud and I have other lessons to share with you guys.

Here they are:

1. If you really want to enjoy the graduation program, have someone else take pictures. Just make sure that you give clear instructions on when and how to take pictures or better yeat, have a professional do it. I'm still not over my failure to take the picture while Franz is being given his diploma because I led him to the stairs to the stage and when I came back to my spot to take his picture, he already went down the stairs on the other side of the stage.

2. When that happens to you, when it's too late to take the picture, don't be shy to ask the people there to repeat the giving if diploma so you can take a picture. I don't know why I didn't do that. You have every right to ask for that because that happens only once- your kid graduating from pre-school.

3. When your kid was given a damaged medal, ask for it to be exchanged. I wasn't able to take a picture of Franz on the stage with his two medals because the other medal fell off.

That will be all for now. I am not promising that this will be my last post about graduations because I will post more when I see more lessons to be learned. ;)

Very Special Announcement


Congratulations to my cousin, Engr. Marie Antonette Fe M. Borja for passing the board exams. May you have many more blessing to come. We're all so proud of you. We love you! :)

*Posted on April 2, 2008

Bonfire at the Wassenaar Beach Resort

We spent a night at The Wassenaar Beach Resort a month ago as a late celebration of Valentine's day. We celebrated it with our son and we had a bonfire. We toasted marshmallows and cooked hotdog and just talked. We slept early though. We woke up and went straight to making sand castles when we woke up. We really had fun, especially Franz, our son.

Now there are some things to remember when you're going to have a bonfire. And they are:

1. Make sure that you apply insect repellent to keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
2. Don't put too much gas on the bonfire.
3. Don't toast the marshmallow for so long.<
4. If the marshmallow tastes like gas, don't eat it.
5. Bring a guitar or a radio, or play a game to make it more fun.
6. Bring a flashlight with you.
7. It's nice when you do it once in a while with your family and friends. It's really fun and it doesn't cost too much.

*Posted on March 24, 2008

Graduation Day

March 14, 2008. My son graduated from pre-school. He made me really proud not only because he graduated but he also earned two medals: one for being getting the Top 7 spot and the second one for getting the Model Student award. He also joined in their dance performance to the tune of Rochelle Pangilinan's "Bayle, Bayle". They also sang "Hawak Kamay" by Yeng Constantino as their graduation song.

We were supposed to have a party in their classroom afterwards but two of the other parents told me that there will be no party because the other parents decided not to cook any food. We we're supposed to bring food and I was in-charge of the fruit salad. After hearing that, we just went straight home after the graduation ceremonies.

The teacher came to our home the next morning saying that there was a party but only four parents attended it. I've heard some rumors that lots of other parents were not satisfied with the top students that were announced.

Now, here are some lessons that I learned from there:

1. Don't forget to bring drinking water, a fan, face towels and food for your kid when attending graduation ceremonies.

2. Practice with your child for their dance performance if there's any. It will help your child be more confident and it is a good exercise too.

3. Do not lose sleep over your child not getting into the top students when it's only in pre-school and no examinations are given and no actual basis for choosing who will be there.

4. Do not give wrong information to innocent people just to get even with the culprit.

5. Do not believe in hearsay. If there's something important that you need to know, ask the teacher.

6. If you're in a province, make sure that you have a gift for your child to be given during the graduation ceremonies.

7. The togas are returned right after the ceremonies.

8. If you are giving a speech on preschooler's graduation, make it short.

9. Do not wear glittery clothes if the ceremonies are held in the morning or early afternoon. It's distracting and annoying.

10. Do not forget to congratulate your child.

11. If you can, spend the rest of the day together with your child. It will be best if the whole family is there, and have a special meal together.

*Posted on March 19, 2008

We celebrated Franz's birthday in his school, the Poblacion Daycare Center. It is more of a school than a daycare actually, unlike what people from other country would imagine when they hear the word daycare. Classes there starts on 8:00 AM in the morning, if there are enough students present, and ends at 10:00 PM. At some point of the school year, the DSWD Officer suggested that we make it up to 11:00 AM but it was implemented for a week or so. Parents stay outside the classroom, gossiping and browsing on Avon,Natasha, or Marikina Ex brochures and catalogs, during the class. It's funny now to think that the school year is about to end in a couple of weeks.

On Franz's birthday, mama bought a cake for him, we bought chickenjoys from Jollibee and held some games. It was fun. Franz enjoyed the party and from the smiles on his classmates' faces, I'm sure that they had fun too.

Now, for the lessons learned in this party:

1. Before you start with the games, make it clear that the parents are NOT allowed to join. Or you might want to end up having the biggest bullies going against the other children and your lucky enough if the bullies themselves, fight. You might want to alert the police and the paramedics if you're hosting a children's party and their parents are going too.

2. If you're expecting thirty guests, make sure that you have food enough for sixty. Expect at least one company for each guest and do not forget about the Filipinos' love for "take home".

3. Do not worry about the teachers' restriction about junk foods. Every rule is forgotten during a party.

4. Keep an eye on the cake. I'd recommend taking a picture of it if you want to, right after taking out from the box. If possible, assign one person to stand guard. A scary looking one, if there's any available.

5. Fill the cake with those candy flowers on stick, those like hardened icing, or have lots of extras. Or don't put any at all.

6. Lastly, have all the ballons just in one color. Or end up getting frowns and rolling eyes from the bratty ones if you gave the pink one to another.

*Posted on March 4, 2008

Ghost in you

Last year, we celebrated Halloween with dinner and dressing up to look scary. We went to the store looking like this, the three of us in the picture, those two, Ghie and Anne are my younger sisters. We went to the store to buy Coke and I don't know if it did any good because there are really few people who's outside that time. Well, it isn't just becuase of halloween because here in our place, when the clock strikes 5, the stores would start closing and by 6, there will be very few people out on the street.

When we reached the store, the two ladies there, said "nakakatakot" or "scary". They told us about how they envy us because we can go out and have fun, enjoy halloween while they are not allowed to close until 9:00 pm.

Then we went to the triangle park in front of our house trying to scare people but the best that we got is to have some vehicles slow down while pointing us to the children inside or take pictures.

What's the lesson to be learned here?

Well, the only lesson that this post can teach you is that too much make up is not good. Even if it's Halloween. :D

*Posted on February 25, 2008