Day 191: Candy Fix

Definitely NOT nutritious but they sure ARE delicious!!! These hard candies have been part of our BCLP sessions the past several Saturdays. Aside from the cups of coffee that help keep us perky during the siesta hours, these sweet treats give us jolts of energy. 

I'm starting to love these strawberry and cream  & butter-caramel candies although I have to remember not to overindulge as they are really bad for the health...

Day 190: Up High

Little daredevil that she is...Cathleen Janelle didn't mind being high up on a stack of monoblock chairs. In fact, she warded off any attempts that Kuya Jarred made to get her (notice the blurry hand motion on the second picture).

Day 189: Toddler Play

The younger ones couldn't catch up with Kuya's busy city track and so they made their own track using his old Thomas the Train toddler train set. 

Of course, it's nothing as complicated as Kuya's big city set but it also makes use of tracks and the two girls can make the trains go around just by friction. It occupies them for about half an hour until the complexity of their older brother's set lure them to once again play with his track set. Then, riot sets in!

Day 188: P-Noy Time

Barely two weeks into the presidency, P-Noy is setting a trend it seems...

One of the things that the Filipino is quite known for worldwide is his weird concept of time and punctuality. For some reason, we are known for not having a good sense of time management - we think it's okay to be late for appointments, meetings and occasions. We get flacked by foreigners because of this.

For the 2nd or 3rd time since his inauguration, President Noynoy Aquino arrived late for an important event today...the Red Mass of the Catholic Church. When pressed for an explanation the next day, P-Noy blamed his tardiness on three things: staying up late for an event the previous night, brownouts at his place and an upset stomach. 


Much has been publicized about his "wang-wang" directive and I must say he's probably setting a good example but if he really wants to be the role model of the entire Filipino nation, he should start from the most basic behavior and that is having the courtesy to be on time for appointments. By dignifying his tardiness with excuses, he's sending the wrong message to the people - that it is okay to be late as long as you didn't use a siren/'wang-wang' or you lined up at the jeepney/MRT terminal.


This country has bigger problems to address and solve...let's move on to the more important stuff and avoid dwelling on the trivialities please!

Day 187: Kropek

On my way to pick up my son from school I crossed paths with a vendor selling old-time favorite Pinoy snacks. I hailed him to examine his inventory of goods. After careful thought, I ended up buying 5 packs of snack items consisting of kropek, pilipit and ampao. 

Long before Jack n Jill or Granny Goose came into the picture, children's snack time consisted of these simple favorites. I remember various occasions in my childhood when my sister and I together with cousins would enjoy these snacks whenever Mom would happen to pass by Chinatown in Binondo. 

These fun-filled childhood memories fill my mind as I munch on these crunchy goodies, after a customary dunk in spicy vinegar. Yum!

Day 186: City Life

It will be more than eight years now that I'd been living the promdi (provincial) life. Being born and raised in Manila/Quezon City for most of my life, it is still a puzzle to me (and to most people who know me) how I was able to appreciate and love the simple life. Knowing and seeing it is one thing but living it is entirely a different matter altogether. 

I was known as "lakwatsa" and "porma" girl in my younger days. The Greenhills Shopping Center was my hangout place and I remember needing to be updated with the latest fashion trend. That was one effect of growing up in a private all-girls school. I had this lopsided view about life and belongingness. I grew up believing I had to be "in" to feel that I fit in. I guess that was the reason why I never felt real happy during elementary and high school days. I was always measuring myself against my richer and well-placed classmates that I forgot that the most important thing was developing my own being and individuality. 

I was fortunate to learn this once I entered the country's state university where my classmates came from all walks of life and from all over the country. It was where kikay met jologs and sossy hobnobbed with geeky and it was sooooo okay. For the first time in my life, I felt that I belonged in this crazy world. 

I guess it was this awesome, mind-blowing and culture-shaking experience that made me  go for the unusual things in life - choosing to start a career right smack in Manila's pier area, deciding to move to Cebu for independence and finally settling for a laid back life in Northern Mindanao.

Shunning away from the busy city life has probably added several years to my life expectancy because of less stress, no pollution and a no-excess lifestyle. The lure of the bright lights only come once in a blue moon and is easily fixed through a brief vacation in the city. Looking at how well my children are - carefree, simple and happy, I know that hubby and I must be doing something right and have made the best decision we could ever make for the family - the rustic provincial living. 

Day 185: Turning a new leaf

This is the first day of my new life...I cherish within me the gifts lovingly shared by God.

Day 184: Miracles and Renewal

REBIRTH...RENEWAL...RECONCILIATION...Our very first Christian experience was the baptism we received as infants. At the time, our parents and godparents stood as "witnesses" for us. As we grew older in our walk of faith, we experience many challenges and reach numerous crossroads and in many instances, we lose touch with what it truly means and takes to be a Christian. Sometimes we get lost in the hustle and bustle of life or get lured by false contentment given by material things. 


Hubby and I were blessed by God to have been given an opportunity to renew ourselves with Him through the loving support of our BCBP community. Like doubting Thomas, we needed to see to believe and when we did, God's promise of eternal life became true and alive. Through our Baptism in the Holy Spirit, we were able to receive gifts of outrageous proportions. We were unworthy and yet the Lord poured out His bountiful blessings into us. 


It is life-changing...and it is indeed a true rebirth into God's loving arms. Praise Him now and forever!!!

Day 183: Toothbrush

Five toothbrushes all in a row...


It amazes me how our family has grown in just a span of 9 years. When hubby and I got married, I got used to seeing two sets of toothbrushes after every meal. Then, we were blessed with a son and when he turned one year old, he was given his own brush to use. The same happened with our first daughter. Recently, even our little bunsoy became part of the family brushing ritual by having her own tiny toothbrush to use. 

Can you guess which one goes with whom? 

Day 182: Savings

I don't remember at what age my parents first allowed me to bring money to school. From what I can dig up from my memory gap-filled mind is that as early as Kindergarten, I could already purchase stuff from the school canteen. At the time, we didn't use money but "chits" - our parents were the ones who exchanged real money for small laminated cards that had various denominations and gave these to us for use in school.  I know that I used to buy Cone Marshmallow Candy, Fruit Balls and Haw Flakes to bring home to my little sister then. 

Recently, hubby and I decided that it might be the right time already to allow Jarred to receive daily monetary allowance so that he will learn the value of money. The actual amount isn't much really (P10.00/day) but it's enough to teach him to save and keep a budget for whatever he wants to purchase for himself. He was told that he could actually do what he wishes with his allowance but advised that he could save up the money so that he could buy something really big for himself this Christmas.  For the past two weeks, every time he comes home from school, he automatically reaches for the coins in his pocket and places them inside a big blue vase. By weekend, he takes account of his savings and mentally calculates how much he still needs to purchase a most-coveted prize...a Hotwheels Color Shifters set.