Ode to Uncle Ces, Defining moment, Pickleball journey, Superhost

Thank you, Uncle for the wisdom, wit, and unwavering warmth  

  

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Conversations with Uncle Ces didn't just flowed; they cascaded from one topic to another, all rich with wisdom, sparked by inspired ideas, and punctuated by masterfully delivered punchlines. Masterfully, Uncle steers conversations to offer equal airtime to every soul seated at the table. These meals and visits forged my fondest memories with him.

His life was a testament to hard work and commitment. His genuine humor and profound humility made him the perfect companion for any occasion.

Uncle Ces championed a healthy lifestyle, passionately pursuing good health and nutrition. His vibrant love for life and unwavering devotion to family inspired everyone around him. In the academe, his pioneering contributions to duck raising, he was an exemplary dean of the college of agriculture, set a standard worth emulating.

But above all, his boundless love and the full, open-hearted welcome he extended to Ma Dahls and her family truly completed and rounded out our home.

Thank you, Lord, for the enduring gift of Uncle Ces' legacy. He has now found his peace with you and our dearly departed loved ones. May we, too, carve out meaningful, well-spent days, just as Uncle Ces did.

Defining Moment 

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The Challenge: A college entrance essay. The constraint: a rigid 750-word limit.

The Context: This monumental task collided head-on with the his school’s summative exams.

The Style: True to form, it was a race to the finish—a classic, eleventh-hour sprint. But from that pressure cooker, an essay ignited.

My heart simply swells to see the quality of the work he wrested from the deadline's grip. He didn't just meet the requirement; he conquered it.

I'm sharing his powerful output here:

One experience that has helped define me as a person was performing as a bassist for the first time. I did not know it at the time, but playing instruments in bands would become a regular part of my life. It was all because of that first performance. In December 2019, there was a church youth event, and one of the people who was involved in organizing the event asked me and my friends if we could play songs as a band. At that time, I was just beginning to learn bass. I wanted to learn bass because I had watched so many YouTube videos of people playing bass, and I became inspired. To prepare for the event, we had practices where we would play the songs together repeatedly, fix mistakes, and refine our parts until we could play them well. During the practices, I realized that playing in a band was not just about focusing only on my own part, but about paying attention and listening to everyone else's parts so that it would sound good. We kept practicing until the day of the event, and when it finally came, we were ready. It was a small gathering, but some people cheered and clapped for the songs we played. The performance went well. It was something that I had wanted to do ever since I started playing bass. It led me to continue to play bass after that. I kept playing bass and started learning new songs. By learning songs, I discovered that if I put enough effort and time into it, I could learn and master things that I thought I could never do. Breaking down hard riffs and solos into smaller parts, slowing them down, and playing them over and over again until I could play them properly showed me that I could be patient and persistent--two things I wasn't good at being. After a few years, I became a regular musician at church, playing bass, drums, and guitar. I also then joined a band at school and made new friends through music by meeting different musicians who shared my musical interests. It all started with that first performance, which led to many experiences that helped define who I am. 

Trust the journey. God has already plotted the path and will anchor your roots deep within His purpose.
Forge ahead in your walk. Your faith is your compass.

And here’s to an abundance of great music—a lifetime soundtrack of praise that rings out for Him!

We love you, always. Budi!

 

 

 

 

Pickleball journey

One fine day in December 2024, I traded the corporate grind for something wildly unexpected, my husband’s beginner pickleball class.

I’d teased him for those suspiciously long “games with friends,” warning that his new obsession might have family-wide consequences. Who plays sports for six straight hours, anyway?

Then I picked up a paddle and that was it. The sharp pop of the ball, the rush of movement, the laughter on the court, the sleek gear, the surge of endorphins. Everything clicked. I was hooked.

Fast-forward: we bought a ball machine (now “for rent” to fellow addicts), I’ve played in tournaments, earned a DUPR rating, and found a sport I can chase, sweat, and grow in.

Here’s to a life of pickleball—thank You, Lord, for the serve I never saw coming. Here's to meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones through pickleball games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superhost badge 

Two homes. Two stories.
One in Bay, another in Nuvali. Both born for different reasons, both now thriving on Airbnb. And just like that, Superhost status unlocked.

Grateful for family and friends who made it happen. May every guest find the rest and comfort they deserve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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

Notes on Elisabeth Elliot's Love has a Price Tag

Elisabeth Elliot - missionary, mom, author

I first knew about Elisabeth Elliot from the movie Through Gates of Splendor. It documented their missionary days in a remote jungle in Ecuador and how their husbands were killed by the Auca people whom they have been praying for to share the gospel with - their husbands of barely five years.

Their story convinced me more to seek God's kingdom and live my life for Him.

Keep a Quiet Heart
Then I came across my sister's book written by Elisabeth, Keep a Quiet Heart. It is a compilation of writings on various topics like family, faith, even social issue commentaries. I read it three times from cover to cover and has been greatly blessed with her views and messages. Googled her and found out about her website which featured daily devotionals - http://www.elisabethelliot.org/.

It was sad to know she has stopped writing and speaking. She is a great blessing to the country of America, even to the world. So I decided to support her by getting another book: Love Has a Price Tag: Inspiring Stories That Will Open Your Heart to Life's Little Miracles. It will definitely not be the last book I will read by her.

Notes on Love Has a Price Tag

The purpose of life is to know God Photo credit:PraisePhotography.com

1. The purpose of life is to know God - we do this on our own. Others may point us closer to Him, yet the experience is all unique for every individual, personal.
2. When God made man, He made him in His own image. When He made the animals, His imagination roamed wide and free - The Adventures of Toby is an animation series that is not only top quality but parent approved.
3. If we give out love, there is ultimately no way on heaven or earth to avoid receiving and receiving far more than we could possibly give.
4. Life is full of things we can't do anything about, but which we are supposed to do so mething with. - My take on this, my son's special needs in class is NOT a problem but a purpose - to improve myself, that I may be able to love them more, and learn to trust God more.
5. Prayer is like incense. It costs a great deal. It doesn't seem to accomplish much (as we mortals assess things). It soon dissipates but God likes the smell.
6. Let thanksgiving be the habit of your life
7. God has no problems only plans. Corrie Ten Boom

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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!

Being a kindergartener mom - webbing, preschool diary, invented spelling, wushu

Chair artwork - what if they go to your pants when you sit on them?

Just came from a PTC (parent-teacher conference) with husband to discuss my two kids' progress at school.

According to her teacher, my kindergartener is well matured in class. She acts like a big sister, assisting those younger and seem to be needing help; keeping quiet when someone is acting roughly. However, she is also soft-spoken and timid.

Origin of kindergartenThe first kindergarten was established by Froebel in Bad Blankenburg in 1837. He renamed his Play and Activity Institute to a ‘kindergarten’ two years later in 1840. That Bad Blankenburg Infant school used play, games, songs, stories, and crafts to encourage children’s imagination and widen their physical and motor talents. "Kommt, lasst uns unsern Kindern leben" Come, let us live with our children’ turned into the catchphrase of the early childhood education.

Webbing and other preschool tricks
Among her teachers' tips to further enhance what she has been learning at school are the following activities:

1. Webbing - TeachPreschool.org defines webbing as a tool that may be used to: 
   • Webbing - build on a basic idea.
   • Webbing - illustrates how each idea builds off another.
   • Webbing - helps you think outside of the box.
   A case in point may be talking about a certain topic, for example, whales. Then, whatever my kid associates with it, like seeing a baby whale being born in a YouTube video, and then moving on towards the subject with inputs coming directly from the kid. Learning that is personal is more effective, teachers said.
   
   What webbing activity have you tried with your kid?
   
   
2. Diary - Encourage your kindergartener to keep her diary, not to start a private life, but to encourage writing and spelling. With reading skills go along writing skills. Letting your child have her own 'notebook' enforces both skills.
3. Invented spelling - It is natural for kindergarteners to miss vowels when writing down words. Yes, you may call it JEJEMON but this one is acceptable and unintentional, unlike the horrible JEJEMON lingo which has permeated the Philippine society of today.
4. Right vs wrong warnings - Being wrong or right is subjective, and for little minds, it is better to give them scenarios and explanations of how things are done. Simply stating that something is wrong or bad does not help. Carefully lay out how she ended up doing what was wrong. You are given a warning because you shouted at your brother when you could have called his name softly.

Extra activities
One thing is certain, the kids will be starting on their new extra curricular activities soon. What I originally have in mind for my kindergartener is piano lessons. However, the choices available to us is a 5-15minute daily lesson which I find too short, or another one that is 1-hour every other day. The teacher in the latter is unknown to me, and I am not very comfortable with that.

So it might be Wushu lessons twice a week here at Quezon City, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5pm. Fee is P3k+/month exclusive of uniform, insurance and processing fee.

Feedback about my nursery kid
It has been a great relief that my youngest is fine at school. He's average. Before I enrolled him, my greatest fear would be that he would not pay attention to his teachers. Luckily, he participates in class and gives out correct answers. Areas to be improved were identified, like finding a dominant hand, strengthening his hand muscles, and listening and communication skills.

I think my role as a mom-teacher cannot be pushed any further that's why we might enroll him to Enopi for after-school practice sessions. I regularly give them worksheets to do at home and both of my kids grudgingly do them. I am too 20th-century for these digital learners.

Forming a letter 'T' with two cars

Enopi preschool
I have inquired last summer about Enopi, they are Korea's answer to Kumon, and they accept kids who have started attended formal school already. Their monthly charge is about P1600+/month which covers a two-hour per week schedule for one subject. They offer English and Math for preschoolers.

Focus on the main thing
Honestly, I felt low after hearing from my two kids' teachers. They were not bright stories at all. However, I am thankful still because at least we are given the chance to prepare and make adjustments with how to raise them to be the best that they can be, as God made them. I am a bit forced to emulate kids that show traits my little ones don't have - being outspoken and sociable. I fight myself though, thinking they are God's workmanship the way they are.

My heart's desire is to raise up kids who fear and love God and serve their countrymen rather than achievers who give in to the dark side of themselves.

Fashion and Science

Nature has the best science and fashion lessons to teach us. Came across this video through Twitter and was amazed at how they're actually learning from how flowers and leaves clothe themselves when designing for humans. I think I'd excuse the kids to go into fashion when they're this scientific. :)

Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

My 3 Takes: Post Typhoon Ondoy

Yesterday will go down to history for being the worst flood to hit the country. PAGASA said typhoon Ondoy carried unusual amount of rainfall
equivalent to six months' average in just six hours. News showed houses and cars under six meters of flood water.

We were personally clueless because power outage started 1pm until Sunday afternoon. To keep the kids entertained, we played a lot of
imagination games. It's really challenging to keep toddlers entertained during brownouts.

Sunday newspapers didn't help because they carried mostly political stories. One headline summarized a list of celebrities willing to 'invest' in the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino. Uhm, they say nothing in this world is free. I wonder what payments they would require once Noynoy's in power? Really scary thoughts, I think!

Going back to the Ondoy calamity, to me it illustrates the following:

1. That we as humans are frail beings without capacity to defend ourselves. Without electricity, we cant even have decent meals. Against the strong winds, we cAn't stand. Against the mighty flood, we are defenseless. We are mere dust in the wind. All possessions we have can be swept easily by an hour's rainfall.

2. The unusual amount of rain is our own doing called global warming. Here in the Philippines the awareness about its effect isn't widespread but all points lead to it. Irregular rain, unusually warm weather and unexplained flooding. There are ways we can all help, StopGlobalWarming.org offers great tips.

3. There are not enough scientists in our weather agency because there has never been an accurate forecast of weather occurrence since I can recall. Maybe they have become nurses abroad?

Good news today
God bless the MRT people for lowering fare today P10 flat rate- since Metro Manila
and other 29 provinces are under state if calamity. Thank you for your
sensitivity and concern.

Mid-year Milestones

It's already half-way of 2009. I couldn't say that it has been so far, so good. I really feel like things are going too fast for me. The hours of a day are not enough for the things to be done, so I end up with this long list of carry over to-do's.

Meridian parents
But major accomplishments include having moved to our long-term residence here in Quezon City. Lois has just finished her summer orientation classes with Meridian International Learning Experience. She's an incoming preschooler. At the end of the class, her teachers talked to Paul and me. They said Lois has caught up with the routine of the class. Her being one of the oldest in the group shows, she silently holds the hand of her crying classmate. She has adjusted well. She talks with her teachers, showing to them her lovely dress. They described her as the gentle kind. Well, I'm fine with that.

Fitness buffs
And, another milestone, having enrolled at a gym near our place for wellness management. Yup, Paul and I are serious about living strong until the end. We've been gym regulars since Saturday. Doing cardio exercises and lifting weights. Monitoring what we eat and drinking milk. What I like about the gym is that it's population is just right. I don't know if it's because we go there during off-peak hours which is morning. So far, I've spotted several ABS-CBN 2 talents already, not that it matters, but maybe the place is really not so packed that's why celebrities prefer it over other facilities in the area.

So far, we're doing what Ms. Xhi, our trainer, listed us to do. The machines to use, number of reps and weights plus the diet. I guess though, we are failing at the diet. The plan says three glasses of milk and five servings of protein. My estimate is that I'm under consuming. This morning, one guy trainer there said it's best to not drop the weights of the machines. Maximum muscle workout is achieved when you continue to do your reps while holding the weights. I tried it and it's much harder. Wasn't able to do minimum repetitions for the arm lifts at 10lbs, but for the other workouts, was able to finish up to the second sets with much higher weights. Hehe!

Web newbie
On the hunt for the best commercial biz location for us, and it seems like the Lord has delivered once again. On my way home, I saw this row of small stores with one unit unoccupied. I inquired and found out the place is for rent. Fee is very much within the target budget we've allotted. Area is promising, best among all I've seen. Will submit the proposal tomorrow along with the processing fee. In about two weeks, we can start fixing the place and then, we're off to business.

form> function() & .class
Now that topic is business, let me announce the first Philippine web design conference. I've signed up and am hoping to win free tickets, that's a P1000 thing, that's why this announcement. I've visited the web site of the group who's hosting it, Philippine Web Designers Organization, and it looks promising. I hope the Philippines can become great at web design, and this is a good start.

Save the date, July 10 8am to 5pm at the Asian Institute of Management across Greenbelt 1 in Makati. Benefit from the genius of Rico Sta. Cruz - Creative Director, U.S. Auto Parts Philippines; Nap Lara - Software Developer, Friendster; Regnard Raquedan - Web & Usability Consultant; Jojo Esposa - Founder, Philippine Web Accessibility Group; Marco Palinar - User Interface/Web Design Consultant; Gail dela Cruz-Villanueva - Creative Director, Sheero Media; Luis Buenaventura II - Co-founder and Social Software Architect, Syndeo Labs; Director of Engineering, Exist Global. Honestly, have no idea who these people are but you can always google their credentials, right?

Schedule of activities on July 10 is:

* 08:00am-08:45am - Registration
* 08:45am-09:00am - Opening Remarks and Introduction to PWDO by Sophia Lucero
* 09:00am-09:45am - Design 101 by Rico Sta. Cruz
* 10:00am-10:45am - Interaction Design by Nap Lara
* 11:00am-11:45am - Web Standards, Accessibility, & Usability by Regnard Raquedan
* 12:00nn-12:45pm - Lunch
* 12:45pm-01:15pm - Disabled Friendly Awards by Jojo Esposa
* 01:15pm-02:00pm - Sponsor Talks
o Search-friendly Web Pages by Aileen Apolo of Google
* 02:00pm-02:45pm - Workflow by Marco Palinar
* 03:00pm-03:45pm - Industry Tips by Gail dela Cruz-Villanueva
* 04:00pm-04:45pm - State of the Web by Luis Buenaventura II
* 04:45pm-05:15pm - Panel Q&A

The event is still open for sponsors, if interested click here. Around 400 attendees are expected, and you could be one of them. Or like me, you can also earn your way in through the free ticket promo.