Professional Skills vs Academic Knowledge, Travel Goals, Embracing YOU

Are professional skills more valuable to graduates than academic knowledge? Does a higher degree get your foot in the door, or does your past work experience count for more? And beyond this, how valuable are professional skills vis-à-vis work experience or academic credentials?

I am having my first PhD classes this month. Despite my educational credentials and almost similar work experience vs. my partner who is into IT (I am currently in the education industry), our salaries have 8x disparity to his favor.

Education is very important. A degree is a winning ticket to turning lives around economically. More important than the school where you came from, is also the kind of degree you take as well as your character, goals and dreams.

An act of kindness can help you as much as the person you’re helping out.

Bucket List: Japan

Day 1: Tokyo Shinobuya
Day 2: Ghibli Museum
Day 3: Tokyo Dotonburi & Shibuya
Day 4: Shinkansen to Kyoto
Day 5: Kyoto
Day 6: USJ
Day 7: Osaka Castle
Day 8: Airpot to Kanzai

God, when we focus on You things get alright.

In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.

Ace water spa buffet fee and other menu, Paper and pencil assessment, Ethical considerations in assessment, #IWishMyTeacherKnew

Thinking of going to Ace Water Spa?

Here are their buffet rates:
Adults
P605/head weekdays
P715/head weekends
Kids (3-4.6ft in height)
P247.50/head

Separate access and payment to the spa

Spa access:
Adult - P550
Kids 4ft below - P250

Paper and pencil assessment
Paper and pencil type comprise the majority of classroom assessments I had as a student - from quizzes, to seat work to essay tests. I remember taking some performance-based assessments such as dance presentations, home economics skills demonstration and public speaking during elementary and high school. For college, my undergraduate course required a few TV and radio production classes which involved regular performances.

Paper and pencil assessments taught me valuable life skills such as taking down notes during class, mustering the courage to clarify what is not clear to me, and developing friendships with classmates who help me prepare for such exams.

Performance-based assessments, on the other hand, helped me directly learn new skills and processes.

Hat Tip, Escape The City

I have been a proud product of Philippine public school education. It is only now in post graduate that I have enrolled in a private institution. Generally, I consider my schooling as top notch. I was fortunate to have excellent and passionate teachers who valued us, their students, as if we were their own family.

However, my educational experience does not resonate with the majority of Filipinos.

Stories about teachers physically hurting non-performing students, school administrators manipulating honor roll, teachers giving out quizzes as punishment to students' behavior are real and illustrate lack of ethics when it comes to assessment of learning.

Though I have not directly experienced any such things, I am most able to resonate with the psychological strain that classroom assessment typically has on students.

I would like to meet a student who enjoys taking exams. Assessments, no matter how beneficial, remain a requirement students grudgingly take on. It is synonymous to pressure, cramming and manual labor.

School and learning are fun, but when assessment gets into the picture, the fun stops. Perhaps due to competition among learners, pressure from the family or society, and the feeling of being judged among other things, contribute to the negative psychological impact of classroom assessment.

#IwishmyteacherKnew
An American teacher, Kyle Schwartz gave out a simple question at the start of the school year to break the ice with a short essay prompt: I wish my teacher knew. The responses she got where overwhelming, with several students revealing deep and personal issues about their family, parents and dreams.

She shared some students' reply via Twitter and the hashtag #Iwishmyteacherknew became viral.

Best over good, Gatorade story, Writing a reflection paper

Choosing best over better over good
It's tough to become a good parent because kids force you to choose the best over the good and the better - when you feel like just sitting back and relaxing.

A lazy person like me makes a terrible parent. Instead of sleeping in the morning, I have to get up and help my kids prepare for school. Instead of serving my go to canned goods for a meal, I need to serve up healthy meals ideal for my active 8-year old boy. And so on.

I am so thankful for Ate Narcing. She has been making my life a heaven since she arrived.

How Gatorade Revived Itself

"This is my Jerry Maguire moment," she says. "I said, ‘It's okay if you want to fire me, but this is what we have to do, and we have to start saying no to a lot of stuff that retailers are asking us to do, that Wall Street is asking us to do, and we just have to serve the athlete and act like a sport-performance company. And it's going to be a long, hard journey.' And credit to him: He said, ‘Okay, we're in.' "

Read more here on how Sarah Robb O'hagan turned Gatorade into the sports hydration brand it is now. https://www.fastcompany.com/3018207/most-creative-people-2012/23-sarah-robb-ohagan

Writing a reflection paper
Enrolling in graduate school has me writing essays left and right. Reflection paper is a common type that I churn out regularly. The school has prescribed a way to do it:

1. Things you have learned from the topic
2. Way you have learned it
3. Things you learned which you were supposed to learn
4. How to apply things you have learned
5. Probable problem if you will apply it

Peer pressure and social norm captured in this video


BRAIN GAMES Hidden Camera: Peer Pressure from Joe Gabriel on Vimeo.

Property rentals and teaching kids how to code

Crazy genius ctto

Property for lease
For almost half a year now, one source of conflict between boss husband and I is my inability to finish off a possible money-making rental business. He wants me to prioritize this while I argue that my other money-making projects keep me busy to work on what he wants. Hopefully, as soon as I find time and will power to follow boss husband's call, I could use this start-up website which marries AirBnB, Lamudi and OLX: http://www.zipmatch.com/

Kid coders
My husband boss is a software architect. He knows several friends whom he considers superior in skill when it comes to bending codes. Just the same, he is the MKO (Vygotsky speak, more knowledgeable other) for all things technology.

That is why at home, we are open to our kids using technology. Kids are only limited by two things: inappropriate content and wifi cut-off. Websites that are R-13 and beyond are totally inaccessible. Plus kids are not allowed to use gadgets alone in a locked room. Boss husband has also fixed the connections so that weekdays, wifi for them gets cut by 7PM and 8PM for weekends.

As much as possible, we expose them to what we do. Boss husband talks about his projects. I show them my portfolio and sends them snaps of my client meetings. So far, none of them are into coding or web development yet. That's fine and dandy.

When they finally develop the interest, will let them tinker with:

• https://scratch.mit.edu/about/ - MIT's Scratch project
• http://www.alice.org/index.php - Alice by Carnegie Mellon and other brand partners
• https://hourofcode.com/us - Latest and most popular so far supported by several IT giant companies

Pakialamera is a noun that describes a woman who meddles, which I think best describes me as I pursue the polymath within me. Yeah, long shot! Hehe!

All is well

When you get a message like this from your BOSS, my kids are my real boss, you feel a level of accomplishment that no amount of statistics can measure.

I am crying right now. 😂

I am so proud of me, and more so of my little ones. Perhaps it was the Wonder woman costume I helped her make, or the favor we gave her allowing her to visit her best friend. Perhaps even the Pokémon Go level up we helped her get. I dare not ask her why. Words may ruin the moment. It just feels so much like heaven.

How important is preschool education

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/preschool-waste-of-time-money-2016-8

A growing body of evidence suggests that preschool doesn’t offer kids anything they can’t get more easily — or more cheaply — through other means.

Chris Weller wrote about that and looking back, I agree. Finland starts late, schooling their kids at age seven. Yet their education remains top of the world.

Early childhood remains important development milestone that society especially families should protect and maximize. Yet as parents, we should not stress it too much. Life is a marathon after all. Starting strong doesn't equate finishing strong. Letting kids be is better than denying them of their childhood because of early schooling.

I fell into this trap once. I saw my kid's natural timidity as a weakness. We decided to send her to school early to address this. The extra three school years didn't change her into the spunky gal I wish her to be. Yet now that she's much older, I hear positive feedback about how she gets along well with all of her peers. Her mild personality allowed her to blend easily. She has been asked to lead too, both by her teachers and classmates.

Are you a millennial mom?

http://adage.com/article/agency-viewpoint/brands-empathy-connect-millennial-moms/305498/

I don't belong to the millennial generation. Yet there are emerging views that they adopt that I share and aspire too.

1. Everything in moderation.
Every one has a point when it comes to parenting. I will hear you out and respect your opinion. I may even subscribe to some of your ways, but it will always be my call. And my personal stand is moderation, because everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.

2. Unique is the operative word.
What works for you may not be great for me. As each of our kids are unique, so should our parenting. PETA is espousing a shift towards positive discipline. It means talking it with your kids about long term goals, providing structure and love, care and two way communication.

Human development theories: Erikson's Psychosocial Development and Kohlberg's Moral Development

	Erickson’s Psychosocial Development theory			Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory
Stage of Basic Trust and Mistrust (From birth to 18 months)	At 18 months My mother remembers that I was given Carnation milk and my grandmother collected all the used cans and used them for her plants. I remember seeing a whole line of flowers growing from Carnation cans when I was a toddler. I was fortunate that my needs and wishes—feeding wise at least, were met and generously provided for, and now as an adult, building and nurturing relationships are easy.		Pre conventional Morality Stage 1 - Obedience and Punishment (Ages 2 to 5)	At 5 years old While my older sister was in school, I would sneak on her crayons and other stuff and play with them on my own. Then, before she comes back from school, I would make sure I have properly returned it because she gets upset when I use it without her permission. There was one vivid day I remember that she found out and she got mad at me and pinched me. I didn’t repeat that after I got hurt.
Stage of Autonomy and Shame (From 18 months to 3 years)	At 3 years old I remember falling from the stairs and hitting my head against my mother’s sewing machine. It was a bloody afternoon which left me scarred and the whole household fumbled. I accidentally stepped on the towel wrapped around me. I was given enough autonomy to play and explore the world around me, but was not spared from the consequences of wrong decisions, like in this case, draping clothes and stairs.		Pre conventional Morality Stage 2 - Individualism and Exchange (Ages 5 to 9)	At 9 years old One of the games we played as kids was the rubber band game. When it is your turn, you have to blow on a rubber band and if it lands on the other person’s rubber band, that will be yours. One of my friends would give me her rubber bands, but when we would play together, she would take several chances when it is her turn until she wins. She would only give me one chance when it is my turn. I didn’t complain, because in the end, she would give me rubber bands.
Stage of Initiative and Guilt (From 3 to 6 years)	At 4 to 5 years old Being the youngest, all of my siblings were already in school while I was left at home. My grandmother and mother told me that every June, before the classes would start, my neighbour and I would always plan to go to school and agree to wake up early so we could start school by ourselves. However, I was a late sleeper, and my neighbour would wake me up, as the other kids were already at school. Our parents allowed us to hatch our own plans but knew that we were too young to attend school and played along with our initiatives.		Conventional Morality Stage 3 - Interpersonal Relationships (Ages 7 to 12)	At 12 years old When together, my friends and I would conduct ourselves as hip and cool. We would play out jokes and stories from the TV shows we watched especially Ang TV. However, when our teachers are within reach, we keep quiet and get serious as if putting on a different kind of us.
Stage of Industry and Inferiority (From 6 to 12 years)	At 11 to 12 years old I became part of the Journalism Club during this stage and became part of the school’s official representative for competitions. Our English and Journalism teachers would regularly train us after class and I enjoyed the support and mentoring they provided, along with my classmates’ friendship and fun company. We were confident and together we achieved memorable things for the school and for ourselves.		Conventional Morality Stage 4 - Maintaining Social Order (Ages 10 to 15)	At 15 years old I remember that this is the first time I have become aware and passionate about obeying the traffic laws especially the no jaywalking. Even though there were no cars passing, I would wait for the Go green light before I cross the street.
Stage of Identity and Role Confusion (From 12 to 18 years)	At 15 years old My father passed away due to a long-time sickness. I remember being very sad, uninterested and confused about what course to take in college. I had no firm personal goal or path. I followed and copied some of my friends’ course choice, and was fortunate that I ended up in a degree I enjoyed. I believe that God’s plans prevailed despite my lack of direction and I am very thankful.		Post Conventional Morality Stage 5 - Social Contract and Individual Rights	At present I remember during the presidential debates, one candidate would always mention that the rule of law should be observed. Individual choices and behaviour are allowed, however, the rule of law must be observed. This was imminent when one presidential candidate wanted to present documents as proof of his claim when the debate organisers’ rule was that no documents are allowed.
Stage of Intimacy and Isolation (From 18 or 20 to 40 years)	At 25 years to present I have been blessed with a life partner husband and a loving family who support and encourage me. There is ample room to be myself, to follow my personal dreams—one of which is to become a teacher and have our own school—as well as to do life together as a family supporting alternative learning with the help of technology.		Post Conventional Morality Stage 6 - Universal Principles	At present As discussed in class, a great example was the priest who lied to the policemen in order to let main character Jean Valjean in the fictional story Les Misérables start a new life. The priest even gave robber Valjean his extra silverware so that he may use them for his needs. Even when the priest’s action conflicted with the laws and rules, the priest took the high ground of moral reasoning and instead forgave so that Valjean may have a fresh start. On a more personal and practical level, letting someone who is old, pregnant, with kid or carrying loads of bags to go first at the grocery counter illustrates support universal principle of generosity and goodness.
Stage of Generativity and Stagnation (From 40 to 60 years)	Not there yet, but parents and older relatives are generous to offer life tips and financial support to draw learnings from, very much like standing on the shoulder of giants.
Stage of Integrity and Despair (From 60 till death)	Not there too. Hearing from my parents, older family and friends, it’s wonderful to observe the quiet wisdom of our elderly as they allow us, younger people, to shape our own lives, only casually giving their inputs and trusting that there is an individual plan for each of us, plans that prosper and not harm, plans that give hope and a future.

Everybody wins

Everything else implies a winner and a loser. But this is not a game. If someone wins, everyone does not have to lose. And if someone loses, everyone else doesn’t win. Instead, we need to figure out how to come together and reconcile with one another. — @glennbeck https://medium.com/@glennbeck/disagree-or-be-fired-a0ae2deca9b6#---54-305.ld8hbj7dz

As a parent and a wannabe educator, I would like to promote an alternative mindset much different from competition we are all familiar with. 

In competitions, contenders battle it out for the first spot.  Each prepares and trains, but only one one gets to be awarded the ultimate competition title. This works in athletics, in school competitions, in promoting excellence and hard work. However, the trouble begins when we adopt this competition mindset to our daily lives. On the road, we feel like we must beat the other car and drive ahead. In the office, we refuse to help others who may reach higher than us.

We fail to understand that life has its ups and downs. Life has opportunities and right timing (TAMANG PANAHON ala Kalyeserye style). No matter how good we may be, our preparations and skills will not land us to the top spot unless the odds favor us as well. Adopting the mindset that we can all win recognizes that our time has not come yet, and we must keep on improving and growing until it comes. We can begin to feel truly happy for others who reach this success, because their triumph is not deducted from our capabilities to win.

We must not treat one another as enemies fighting the same battle where only one wins. Instead, let us think that life is a battle, yet all of us WINS at our own right time.

It's all a matter of perspective.

To Label or Not to Label Reflection Paper on Totoy Guro’s Special Education Labels in the Philippines

ctto

Totoy Guro is a blog written by a Filipino teacher. It is a personal space on the Internet where he shares his insights, notes and personal experiences as an educator in the Philippines. The article listing Totoy Guro’s reasons for espousing the use of “labels” for children with special needs (CSN) is a good insight from a teacher’s perspective. Totoy Guro enumerated that using labels for CSN strengthens the teachers’ roles because labels identify the exceptional students’ needs in the classrooms. He also opposed the use of euphemisms for exceptionalities as this prevents people from truly understanding what needs understanding. He said euphemisms promote gossips and unfair labels among children, parents and even teachers. Instead, he recommended public and classroom discussions to educate everyone about exceptionalities.

Reading about students’ exceptionalities and special education (SPED) has opened my mind about the topic. The most experience and knowledge I have about it was a special classroom in my high school where the lone SPED teacher conducted lessons to students with disabilities. These students joined their class the same way regular students would, but gathered daily in the SPED room long after the regular students have gone home. Inside that room was a mystery unknown and uninteresting to me until now. 

Totoy Guro’s piece on using labels gave me an overview of what regular students, CSN, parents and teachers stand about exceptionalities. SPED and exceptionalities are facts of life everyone should accept, deal and live with respectfully of one another. As a parent and future educator, I know that having correct diagnosis of students’ learning disabilities is beneficial for the concerned student, parent and family of the student and most especially, the teacher. It is the start of addressing the necessary accommodations, therapy and changes in order to make the CSN succeed at school.

Totoy Guro has freely used the term label to mean this diagnosis. However, I understand also the possible negative reaction of those who oppose the use of labels for the stigma and wrong connotations they give. The same way that our society today has opted for politically correct phrases and terminologies in order to appease people groups coming from diverse backgrounds and concerns. Adopting politically correct phrases though is synonymous to watering down the issue, if not totally evading it. The problems with using labels then is miscommunication and lack of respect for those who are different from us. Job 6:25 KJV says, “How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?” Right words set us towards the correct path. Arguments divide people, familites and societies. We need and deserve truth all the time, but we need to serve it with love, respect, understanding and encouragement all the time too.

Reference/s

T. G. (2011, September 3). MY LIST WHY “LABELS” FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ARE GOOD [Web log post]. Retrieved June 19, 2016, from https://totoyguro.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/my-list-why-labels-for-children-with-special-needs-are-good/#comments

Life Direction and Puberty

When life is gray, where do you turn?

High School Challenges

Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines awardee and Ateneo de Manila University’s first visually-impaired Filipina summa cum laude Roselle Ambubuyog summarized her life story in colors. Green for her childhood days, red when she became blind, white for that time when she has accepted her disability, yellow for those years that despite her blindness there are supportive people around her who helped her accomplish her dreams, and so on. For me, my high school years were gray. Gray because I have never been as unsure of my life as I was then.

I was clueless as to what to do with my life. I didn’t know what course to take because I didn’t know what career I would enjoy best. While my friends and classmates were sure as to the steps they want to take after high school, I was drifting along. I was copying whatever sounded great. I guess I was most hesitant to make the first mature decision of my life: to choose a college degree.

I was also most disinterested about life when I was in high school. Perhaps it was due to hormonal changes, but I was most sluggish then. Nothing appeared interesting to me. My days would be the same day in and day out. School was fun and I have numerous fun friends, but life was monotonous. Everything was boring, everything was gray.

Lastly, I remember that back in high school, during my third year, my father died. It was one of the saddest days of my life. My father, whom I love and respect very much got sick of emphysema and was in pain for quite some months. Several weeks before Christmas, my brother fetched us from the province with the bad news that our dad passed away. I was crying all throught our trip home.

It was amazing that high school life consisted only of four years, but led to more colorful and difficult yet rewarding life ahead. I am most thankful of God’s mercies on my life because looking back, it is clear to me that by His loving kindness I came out fine and triumphant after high school.

“People plan their path, but the Lord secures their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Childhood Unforgettable Experiences

Decades after, my wacky family!

From a small, rural town to the big city

My earliest childhood recollection was being with my mom who worked very hard, helping my farmer father provide the best future for me and my siblings.

I come from a big family, with five older brothers and four older sisters. My parents believe that education is the optimum ticket to better our lives. With all 10 of us attending school, my parents worked hard together to make ends meet. Both my father and mother had little formal schooling, but they were active in our community, with my father being a baranggay capitan for about 19 years.

I remember that aside from tilling the lands, my father drove a public utility jeepney for a living; while my mother organized housewives and gave them jobs as needlewomen. She would get contracting jobs from various businessmen, some of whom were foreigners, and she would sometimes bring me along to her meetings with them. There was one very vivid childhood memory I have of those trips when I got offered my favorite native delicacy of kutsinta. No matter how much I wanted to taste it, I was overcame with shyness. I regretted that and I told I myself that I should not be timid especially when I know what I liked.

At school, I enjoyed studying. It became my parents’ pride that I would be chosen as our school’s representative in declamation contests and win. I remembered my mother drafted her own poems for me to recite during family reunions and community programs.

When I turned nine, my parents decided to enroll us in Manila. My older brothers and sisters who were in college level were already studying in various universities in Recto and were staying in different apartments and dormitories. My parents were offered a tiny bit of land to build a small house in Sampaloc, and my parents decided that it would be best for all of us to live and study in Manila. They bought the land and built the tiniest house I have ever seen. A 26-square meter abode was to become my new home, far from the verdant rice fields and vast tree-lined playing grounds that I loved.

It was in Manila that I learned how to cross the busy, traffic-jammed streets, haggle in crowded public markets, and order fast food in Jollibee. My quiet, slow and steady life at the province was replaced with the congested city’s noise and quarrelsome, drug-dealing neighbors. So I turned to books, reading and learning. I enjoyed school more and was recognized for my efforts. When it was time for my elementary graduation practice, I had to rehearse with my teachers the speech that I was to deliver in front of our graduating class but I didn’t make it because I was feeling weak. During the actual graduation day, at the break of dawn, instead of wearing the white graduation dress, I was changing into a hospital gown. I was admitted for appendicitis and was operated on while my classmates were receiving their elementary diplomas.

Like a seedling removed from the plant nursery to grow in the open sun

Dr. Marc Reysio-Cruz of Capitol Medical City, Occupational Therapy in QC

Incredibooth time with the kids

Carlos' teacher told me that he may need a special education teacher since he has a hard time focusing and is hyperactive. A meeting with his teachers and the guidance counselor who evaluated him ended with a list of developmental pedia to consider.

I went with the nearest choice who was Dr. Reysio-Cruz. A parent-friend told me that he used to be a member of college-based organization Campus Crusade for Christ. Dr. Reysio-Cruz is also part of Headway School for Giftedness in Quezon City.

Developmental Pedia
It turns out that it's costly to consult with a dev-ped. A consultation ranged from P3,000 to P3,500 per session according to the Quezon City-based dev ped list given to me by his school. Their clinic's schedule is also very full. The earliest booking I got was three weeks after I called to be booked, only because I live near and the secretary's willing to put me in once a client backs out.

Fortunately, Carlos was seen two weeks after I asked for a schedule. One dev-ped clinic I called said their earliest vacancy is three months from the time I called.

However, when we got to the clinic of Dr. Reysio-Cruz, I was informed that he had an emergency meeting so another doctor will check Carlos. She was Dr. Jocelyn Sanchez of St. Luke's. She asked me questions about my pregnancy with Carlos along with his growing years. She would like to know the quirks I find about my little boy. I said he's more energetic compared with other boys and tends to focus on some tasks he prefers.

Dr. Jocelyn S. Sanchez - MD, Nuerodevelopmental Pediatrics
St. Lukes Medical Arts Bldg. Rm 533 Tuesdays and Saturdays 2-6PM by appointment
Telephone: 723-0101 local 6533

Diagnosing ADHD in 5-year olds
Aftewards, she had a one-on-one session with Carlos.

1. She made him do some block creations after she has built them. I heard she asked Carlos to build a bridge. 
2. Then it was time to do physical activities, like standing on one foot for some seconds, hopping, throwing and catching a tennis ball.
3. She asked Carlos to write.
4. She also showed Carlos photos and asked him about what he saw. Carlos had to describe the activities, relationships of the people in the photo. He was also asked to name all that he can see there.
5. She asked what Carlos' birthday was, where he lives, the name of his best friend. I would hear him answer confidently, but when the questions went to what he would do if he's tired or cold, his voice turned soft.

All the time, she was writing her notes.

Borderline ADHD with occupational therapy sessions
Aftewards, Carlos came out of the room and told me it was finish. I was called back in so she may explain her findings.

She said Carlos did well in the test though he would squirm in his place whether he was sitting or standing up. The little boy was in constant motion. She wanted to wait until he turns six years old when his brain reaches more development.

In the meantime, she suggests Carlos gets occupational therapy help in order to aid his schooling. Two to three times per week, she recommends. After three months of OT (occupational therapy) she would like to see him again, this time in her St. Lukes clinic.

Doctor also said she will email some recommendations for Carlos' school, which may include pairing Carlos with a role model, sitting him at the front.

Occupational Therapy in QC

1. Capitol Medical Center - Before session starts, Carlos need to be seen by a rehabilitation therapist first Telephone 372-3825 local 2106 P450/session
2. Child Therapy Center - Rm 1001 The One Executive Condo 5 West Ave, QC Telephone 502-4299 or 0917-843-8385 Teacher Raul P450/session
3. CHIPS - 441-5018 P1,500 initial evaluation P500/session Ms. Juliet

Anna Quindlen on Parenting, Patient Love for my Daughter, Playful Love for my Son, iTunes App Most Used

Famed author Anna Quindlen, in an interview shared her parenting insight:

Kids should have enough freedom on their own - once they know the rules.

I agree very much.

Kids are smart. You don't need to tell them often what to do. Plus, they pick up what you do. More is caught than taught. If there's one thing that should be stressed out to them again and again, like a broken recorder (this little kids won't have any clue what cassette tape recorders are!) are the rules, the virtues you hold dear.

A friend in her senior years sagely advised me, "Just remind them again and again."

Then I remembered. The stories my mother told me, told others, were repeated numerous times to drive her deepest values. And yes, I absorbed them. It worked! I got pissed hearing the story again and again. But looking back, my life echoed those wishes she repeated again, and again.



Anna Quindlen's Books

Got another parenting strategy now!

Patient love for my daughter
I love my kids, yet I don't know how to show it. I'm so interested with my work that I don't get to play with them often, not unlike when they were still toddlers.


Their maturing minds allow them to reason. They argue with me. I like it that I lose most of the times. My reasoning is often confusing - to the dismay of my husband.


One big challenge I face is overcoming myself when it comes with my daughter.

She's my Mini-Me alright. And we clash personalities.

Because of this, she gets grumpier. I see myself in her more. I fight back with anger, it doesn't work. The two persons I see are both unpleasant in my eyes. Got to draw back and reflect.

Got to be patient with my daughter. Bite my tongue when I don't have something good to say. Never let myself snap in front of her.

Yes, God has been teaching me patience all throughout these years. I don't want to fail at the cost of my daughter.

Playful love for my son
Thinking about my 4-year old son, I would suggest having kids when you're older. The older you can, the better. Why? Three things:

1. Kids' inherent playfulness - foolishness at times, is refreshing for my age.
2. Rough play is a free workout session. Or better yet, a kid serves as a giant plush toy that's so fun to hug tightly. There's a Filipino term that loses its meaning when translated - gigil!
3. Their ideas are colorful!

Trouble remembering your passwords - Get 1Password

Most used iTunes App for Work from Home Moms

• Email - Okay, this comes installed. I LOVE how Apple's Gmail and Yahoo may get instantly pushed notifications on my phone. Saves me a lot of in-front-of-the-computer time! Too bad Google Hosted App Emails for businesses have trimmed to five (5) free accounts maximum. I still know of an account with 200+ allowed users.
• 1Password - Computer and 1Password on my phone work together. I don't let my PC remember my passwords for security reasons.
• Kindle - Got Kindle, I'm solved! There are lots of classic books that are free, and bestsellers are cheaper in Kindle than the actual book. Choose your device and download one now!
• TuneIn Radio - My kids don't know radio as an individual device. For them, radio is car radio or music playing. Why not, we listen through the Internet. Local stations are there, along with all the world's radio stations. Talk about choices!

Parent's role, Missed playing with me, Benefits of swimming, No time for Strawberry Shortcake, Kid funny questions

Surrender your kids to God and spend the time necessary to uncover His plans for their lives.

Noticing that most of the kids' time are spent tinkering with the iPad, I once used it as a punishment tool.

One of the things I particularly admire about my girl is her obedience to rules and punishments, despite her upfront discontent about them. She's my rule guardian and punishment enforcer ally.

Me: No iPad for you until your birthday. (That was like a month of iPad-less days to go.)

Days and weeks went on and she would just look at her brother use it. She stood firm with her punishment, until I could no longer bear it and asked her.

Me: Don't you miss playing with the iPad?

Lois: No mom, I don't miss the iPad. I missed playing with you.

Swimming at the fine sand beach of Pagudpud

Swimming: Ideal exercise
Here are upsides to swimming I have recently learned:

• 30-45 minutes of swimming provide relaxation, toning, stretching and trimming down. Best if you can do different strokes per session. Back stroke is ideal for people suffering from back injuries and helps correct posture.
• 1 hour of swimming = 4 miles of moderate pace running
• 30 minutes of water exercises = 90 minutes at gym
• It's all about the water. Water pressure on our body is 800 times more than that of air. It's comparable to massage's pressure. Therefore, swimming improves blood circulation. It also helps even out cellulite.

No time for Strawberry Shortcake My girl received a Strawberry Shortcake activity book. She was eager to do them with me, but I declined since there was a deadline I was aiming for. It was also night time already. The following Friday morning, we could do them together. She reasoned out she has two classes - kinder class in the morning and piano lesson in the afternoon. The following day, Saturday, it's her schedule to use the computer and that's her Polly Pocket time. She definitely has no more time! 6-year old life questions Kids say the funniest things, right? They also ask the most difficult questions. Some of Lois' deep thoughts: What is heaven like? Why is their dad's middle name different from all the rest of us in the family? Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them. Marie of Aristocats

Which events and people will you remember 2011 for? 5-minute Bible stories for kids, Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and Recipe for successful achievements

2011 has been a colorful and eventful year.



I would summarize it to be a landmark year when it comes to web development - my work. With the release of Apple's iPad 2, tablet and mobile use has spiked so incredibly that web designers and developers have gone BUSY. Personally, I started with developing ecommerce sites and that's AWESOME.

In terms of personalities, names like Steve Jobs Kim Jong-Il, Prince William and Catherine Middleton made the year that has been emotionally stirring. Even causing others to ask soul-probing questions about life and love.

Politically, the freedom riots in the Middle East are changing how the world works. It's getting flatter by the day.

Lastly, 2011 has been full of global weirding tragedies which claimed lots of innocent lives. The Japan tsunami, Thailand flooding, and Sendong typhoon showed men's feebleness vs nature's wrath. These same events, however, highlighted men's ability to be bigger than himself when he chooses to serve others before his own needs.


Closer note
We have adopted a Tuesday and Thursday family activity of singing hymns, praying and reading Bible stories. The two kids love it! They want to do it daily.

The goal was to enforce family devotion, and provide parent-guided communication about God and faith. It was heart warming to get this Bible passage in one of my devotionals:

1 Corinthians 3:7 NLT
"It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow."

Our two kids were gifts from God, and He himself will watch over them and raise them up in a way that will please Him. Praise be to God!


Book trivia

This year, I finished reading The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, a gift to my husband from dear friends.

Here are cool tips I got from there:

• Bees moving in large masses are called swarms.
• To survive a stampede, determine first where they are headed and then get out of the way. If you cannot escape your only option is to run alongside the stampede to avoid getting trampled.

From the email, tumblr and twitter world

I confess, I love reading heartwarming and inspiring literature. And I get that a lot from my email inbox, tumblr and twitter accounts. Facebook too. Sharing with you one of my 2011 favorites:

The recipe for successful achievements:

1. Enjoy your work.

2. Do your best.

3. Develop good working relationships.

4. Be open to opportunities.

Happy New Year!

My life in 150 words, brand ambassadors the Ritz-Carlton way, HTML for Babies

Smiley in the sky

148 words - My life is all about LEARNING

I am a girl from the farm who moved to the metro to get better education. After studying, worked in multimedia, communications and IT companies. While working, met life partner. Married at 25. Had first baby the following year and the year after that.

From then, family life became second phase of my life. Left corporate career to focus on child rearing. Then found a new calling in the language of HTML and CSS. Started working freelance while balancing home management and raising kids. Learning a lot in all these three categories.

Now, in preparation for my next life phase – social entrepreneurship, husband and I knowing all we can. Perfect timing because kids have started school too and are getting busy learning. Waiting for our cue. Claiming victory that is in Christ Jesus. Trusting in His curriculum yet failing daily. Trying again and again with His mercies.

Try writing about your life in 150 words too. It will simplify and focus your perspective. :)

After AIDA, the goal is advocacy
Learned that in doing business, maintaining a customer-client is as important as getting them. Turning them as brand ambassadors the way Apple does is the ultimate goal. How to achieve that? Here's Ritz-Carlton's approach:

Every employee can spend up to $2,000 on his/her own to help a customer. One story that stuck out in my mind was a guest who lost an engagement ring on the beach beside the hotel. When they mentioned it to a hotel employee, the employee went and purchased several metal detectors and, with the help of other employees, searched the beach and found the guest’s ring.
It’s safe to say that guest will be telling people about The Ritz-Carlton and the lost ring story for years to come. That kind of brand ambassador will bring in more new customers than any slogan or ad copy.

Source: SitePoint

HTML for Babies - Will you get one?

Cars 2, Rooftop hydroponic greenhouses, Edouard Martinet, Steve Jobs, parenting tip from Dr. Kevin Leman and Pinto Art Gallery in Antipolo

Thanks to the long weekend from P-Noy, my kids were able to go on a date with their Ma Dahls to see Cars 2 in 3D. They love it, of course.

"Carlos was very excited he kept on jumping on his chair," my little girl told me about her brother.

They got tired from too much fun that they slept early that day. Good start for this 3-day school week. :)

Planting fun and nobility
The world is going back to agriculture. Noting organic as the way to go. As a lass from the province, I am at home with the land. That's why I want my kids to experience slow life in the rural farms. We haven't had the chance to do that.

I have heard of hydroponic farms in Tagaytay which supplies salad greens to five-star restaurants in the metro. Hydroponic started in the Middle East where they used water to hasten the planting cycle. Now, this practice is being implemented in New York on un-utilized rooftops through Bright Farms.

Edouard Martinet - sculptor
It would be really freaky to see crawling insects like these. Seamlessly sculpted from metal, these creations look like they are the real deal.

Artists are really innovators and dreamers. They see things that aren't yet there, and their eyes perceive things that are already there in a very different way.

Goodbye Sir Steve Jobs
People don't know what they want until you show it to them. ~ Steve Jobs

10 Laws of Steve Jobs

One shining claim of the US is Steve Jobs and Apple - amidst the gloomy picture their country is painted now. The world respects this guy highly, because he changed the world several times. His personality and attitude settle for none and that make him stand out.

We have shifted to the Mac experience slowly some two years ago. They say that once you've experienced it, you won't settle for anything less. From a single Mac laptop to all things Mac in our house, that's how we've been Steve-fied.

The world will need another fountainhead that will steer excellence and perfection now that he left Apple as CEO.

Unhappy parents 

Dr. Kevin Leman  advises parents to utter, a simple and calm "I'm very unhappy with what I see/hear "...turn around and leave.

It works with 4, 10, 17, not to mention the 20 year old. I call it " parental poker". Every parent has to learn to play those cards just right. It works. Kids don't like it when mom/dad are unhappy!

I have tried the Leman book Have a New Kid by Friday and I agree 100% with his sensible parenting tips. Though sometimes I forget, being reminded consistently of parenting the Leman way proves effective.

Take for instance a conversation I had with my daughter's classmates' mom. She told me that her son didn't want to go to school anymore. When she investigated, her son admitted that he fears school because the teacher might get mad at him when he fails to write his name. The boy said the teacher looked like ghost when she got angry. My daughter never mentioned anything about her teachers getting mad. She is, perhaps, used to serious looking mom when I deal with her the Leman way.

Pinto Art Gallery in Antipolo, Rizal
My share of the long weekend climaxed yesterday, when together with my small group, we went to the Touch of Glory Prayer Mountain near the Gozon compound in Boso-Boso, Antipolo. After having our lunch there - I ordered their famous arrozcaldo, we visited Pinto Art Gallery. It was a gallery and a private collection exhibit hall of Dr. Joven Cuanang, a director of Neurology at St. Lukes Medical Hospital.

The facility lies behind a famous restaurant named Laya. I don't know if the people who eat there know about this treasure tucked behind the gate inside the Sierra Madre Grand Height Subdivision.

The Mediterranean inspired design of the whole place worked around the natural landscape of the place. There were trees shooting inside the roof of the veranda. Huge boulders of stones were incorporated at the main art gallery as if they were in exhibit too.

I also liked that in between the art houses are green gardens with welcoming lounge areas. The garden used endemic plants - saw black bamboos there - both ornamental and palatable ones. I only found out that citronella leaves look the same as lemon grass there.

Pinto Art Gallery is a place I will go back to - bringing the kids with me next time. There was a pre-nuptial photo session ongoing when we had our tour. And yes, we were toured by one of the artists in display there too - Mr. Jim. All the featured artists are Filipinos and they are AWESOME creations there. More power to Filipinos supporting the Philippines art and nature.

BMBE denial, panicky moms and proper way of praising, Fukuda Shihan, Alexa Mead, Malaria no more

Received text message from the Quezon City Hall's BMBE, that is Barangay Micro Business Enterprises, to call them up for the results of our application.

If approved, we will be exempted from BIR taxes such as income tax and the business will enjoy discounts when paying government taxes. Loans are also available at a very low and agreeable terms.

We applied early March 2011 and after about five months, the results are there. There was a provision in the BMBE Act that if the office in-charge does not finish the whole application process in 60 days, the application will be granted, to the benefit of the applicant.

We applied because we were developing the Baybayin App and thinking of the aral muna initiative. The tax breaks would be a big help for the new business.

However, upon reaching the second floor of the Business Processing Licensing Office of the QC City Hall, the one above the Treasurers' Office where there are rows and rows of red airport chairs and where you pay realty tax, the letter wad handed out.

Paula Hammond creates super thin batteries that releases energy rapidly

Our application was denied because we failed to convince them that our business is baranggay-based. It also argued that by baranggay, it should employ community dwellers - perhaps thef informal ones? The cashflow should be considerably micro too.

Didn't argue anymore. The person who handed the letter seems just there to hand out results. I'm sure if I contest the decision, I would have to write someone and ask for a re-examination and present photos, employment profiles and other convincing proof that your business deserves the tax breaks because it helps out the community in a very direct way.

Heard from a friend already that he got denied, and a previous talk with a QC BPLO guy revealed that they are carefully screening applicants because the benefits of BMBE are great.   


Living Strong
How would you like to live to the age of 98 as a 10-time black belt in martial arts? And to be a woman at that, is awesome. Or like Rhino of Bolt, Be-awesome!

Her motto: Be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically.

98-year old Keiko Fukuda of San Francisco, California has been promoted to the highest-ranking in the Japanese martial art of judo, the Judan: the 10th-degree black belt. Considered the pinnacle achievement in judo, living legend Fukuda is the first female to possess this extremely rare title in history. 

Panicky moms
Just found out that almost all of my little girls' previous classmates - she now belongs to the morning class, attend after school enhancement classes. Either Kumon or music, martial arts, dance classes.

I think this is a response to the Chinese, Indian and Singaporeans way of preparing their kids to this digital age. The Philippine education is down in the rankings. So parents take it upon themselves to equip their kids with whatever they need to succeed. As much as they can afford it, enroll in it.

Personally though, my family's stand is to let our kids learn something new every year, until they have found whatever it is they are made for. We started last year. Lois enrolled in swimming classes. For this year, Lois hasn't chosen anything new to learn. Her trial wushu lessons proved very difficult that she doesn't want any of it anymore. Instead, Carlos, our newbie preschooler who's not scheduled to take on any after school classes is enrolled in one-on-one tutorials with preschool teachers from her school. He keeps on saying he doesn't want to go to school because he doesn't know how to write or draw.

So to improve on his fine motor skills, he goes MWF for 45 mins. It has been going on for two weeks now. So far I have seen him write his name.

A different make-up artist
Real people painted to look like they are in paintings - this is the art and passion of Alexa Mead. It takes real courage and determination to pursue a field that hasn't been done before, and for that I look up to this artist. It's art in reverse, don't you think?

Her hyper-realist, 3D paintings move. So only photos, video coverage and actual people experiences may prove her creativity - because when her subjects take a bath, all of those work are gone.

Stamping out malaria
A father lost her precious 11-year old daughter to malaria in one Senegal village. Distraught, he vowed that malaria will not kill children any more - through the use of mosquito nets. He rallied his community to use mosquito nets, and has campaigned towards the habit of cleaning the house, ridding stagnant water.

From 3,500 malaria cases per year to zero, this man, named El Hadj Diop, did it! Now with the rising instances of dengue in the Philippines, this may prove very inspiring if not useful to prevent dengue cases.

Hollywood's David Arquette was impressed with this Sengalese man's effort to fight malaria with mosquito nets

Proper way of praising
Nurture Shock, a revolutionary book about parenting taught me one good thing one afternoon while I was waiting for my little boy's afternoon tutorial.

Praise works, but it may also backfire according to studies by Dr.  Carol Dweck. Instead of telling kids how really well they are, focus on their efforts and praise that. This gives them control and reinforces the fact that hard work is something they can use to succeed.  Try these praises:

I'm sure you worked hard on these drawings.

I like how you keep trying.