I dropped by SM Hypermart at Eton Centris with my daughter and our househelp last Friday, intending to give my 2-year old daughter a break from the home environment. I thought that the place was perfect for an Energizer bunny like her who is constantly skipping and hopping.
I liked that covered parking at Eton Centris is free of charge. That is hard to find in this day and age.
After finding a parking spot near the entry door, we went up the escalator. I could feel my daughter’s excitement at being in a new place. There is lots of space to run around! I asked our househelp to hold her tight and let go of her only after we have entered the supermarket.
I did not have a lot of things on my shopping list. But I said to myself, if my daughter liked to spend time in that place, then it was no problem. We had some time to spare.
Little did I know that we would not even last longer than five minutes there. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: centris station, eton centris, overeager security guard, security guard, sm hypermart, sm hypermart eton centris station
I went to the doctor recently after the dull pain on the right side of my head would not go away. I was afraid that it might be something serious, or something that could potentially turn into something serious.
I had a suspicion it was originating from my ear so I went to an ENT (ear, nose, throat) doctor. Whenever I am particularly concerned, I like going to a senior doctor just for the comfort of being examined by someone who I believe has seen enough cases to make a proper diagnosis.
I could have put off this visit since the pain was not too bothersome anyway. But a story my friend told me several years ago reminds me not to take ear infections lightly. There was this girl who liked cleaning her ears. One time, a piece of the cotton bud was left in her ear and it got infected as a result. She was not able to have the doctor check her until much later, when the infection had already spread to her brain. This made her very sick and led to her death. What’s worse was, she was pregnant when this all happened and her unborn child died with her.
So with a story like this, who wouldn’t be prompted to visit the doctor, right? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: ear cleaning, ear infection, fungal infection, otomycosis
The headlines in the first week of August shocked Filipinos: Ivan Padilla, leader of the car theft gang at 23, dead in a shootout with police agents.
It wasn’t his death that people talked about. Mostly, it was the fact that at age 23, he was a criminal, the leader of a gang that stole cars at gunpoint which they then sold cheap to finance their drug addiction.
When his mother was interviewed after his death, she deplored the manner by which her son was killed, even saying that he was an educated fellow, and should have been given a chance to reform. Ivan Padilla’s mother herself is in prison on drug charges.
Tags: ivan padilla, ivan padilla gang, raising children, Raising kids, young criminal
I was a grade school teacher once. Aside from the subjects I taught, it was also my task as a class teacher to prepare my class for school competitions.
It was hard for me because I have always disliked competitive environments. Competition tends to breed hostility among people and this always causes a lot of discomfort in me. Because of the pressure on the competitors to perform a certain task and outdo the others within a limited period of time, the results do not faithfully reflect the skills level or greatness of the participants all the time.
Judges are only human. Their personal biases and peculiar way of looking at things can influence their perception of things.
That is why I dislike contests where judges decide on the winners.
When children are involved, it has to be emphasized that competitions are merely activities to broaden their experiences and understanding of life.
Winning is not the be-all and end-all of competitions.
Tags: raising children, Raising kids, teaching children, teaching in the grade school, winning isn't everything
Having worked with foreigners for a number of years has often put me in situations where I have to explain the nuances of the Filipino culture. There were one or two instances when I felt that the comments on the Filipino way of doing things were somewhat harsh. Filipinos may be hospitable, polite and accommodating. But it is not at all acceptable when some observers are too quick to judge our culture.
LOUD PARTIES
We had a visiting professor from Central Europe who lived in an upper class subdivision in Metro Manila. One night, his neighbor had a party that annoyed him no end because of the noise that it created.
The next day, he came to our class and demanded that we explain to him why this kind of thing is allowed to happen in this country. Where he came from, noisy neighbors could be reported to the police. And the police authorities have the power to stop them.
Tags: filipino attitudes, filipino culture, philippine culture, understanding filipino ways
We purchased a pre-owned vehicle in 2008. One of its license plates was missing so we did not waste time applying for a replacement plate. It was registered by the first owner at the Land Transporation Office (LTO) Navotas so we had to apply for the replacement plate at the same LTO office.
We were given a copy of our Application for a License Plate and on the document was stamped the date of the scheduled release of the replacement plate which was 2 months from the date of the application.
We came back to LTO Navotas on the said date expecting to leave the place with our replacement license plate. Much to our disappointment, we were told that it was not yet ready. The date of release was extended to a month. A new date of release was stamped on the document. After a month, we came back. Same thing happened. This went on for a year until someone offered to purchase our vehicle at a price we could not resist. We ended up selling the vehicle in July 2009 still without the replacement plate. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: land transportation office, lto, LTO corruption, LTO inefficiencies, LTO navotas
Dear Mr. President,
If I may offer my humble opinion, I wouldn’t mind if you had a wang-wang (siren) on your vehicle.
After all, you are the new leader of this nation.
Perhaps, as an individual, you have always lived simply.
I understand that you do want want to come off as arrogant, flamboyant or taking advantage of your position.
But, sir, if you allow yourself to get stuck in traffic jams and your vehicle stops whenever the traffic light is red, would you not agree that of paramount concern here should be your safety rather than your image?
Your Security Chief is probably experiencing chest pains everyday from all the stress of having to ensure your safety each time you leave Malacanang Palace. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: noynoy aquino, noynoy aquino walang wang-wang, noynoy wang-wang, president aquino
I have been wanting to share my experiences in dealing with excess post-pregnancy weight. The weight issue is something that every woman has to grapple with at some point in their life, whether pregnant or not. But in the battle of the bulge, being pregnant seems to instantly to put most, if not all, women at a disadvantage.
When I was still single, I never had to worry much about gaining weight. I generally lived an active and healthy life. I jogged, walked, hiked, biked, played badminton and tried to eat nutritious meals whenever I could.
However, being pregnant can wreak havoc with one’s sound judgement. I knew what I needed to do for the sake of the child I was carrying. However, there were things I ended up doing in order for me to stay within the range of normal functioning, and that included devouring unhealthy foods. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: excess weight after pregnancy, losing post-pregnancy weight, losing weight, post pregnancy weight loss, Raising kids
I used to be so fearful of my son being introduced to the internet. I have heard enough stories of youngsters visiting sites with inappropriate content and have always dreaded what this does to their young minds.
My son learned to use a laptop when he was about 3 years old. He is very close to his father and seeing him use the laptop often aroused my son’s interest in it. First he would look at our picture albums. Afterwards, he learned to navigate his way through sites like You Tube. When I forbade him from watching car crashes on You Tube after catching him one time, he never again clicked on a Fast and the Furious or Need for Speed video. He has learned to temper his curiosity since the consequence is too difficult for him to bear – no more computer! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: do you let your child surf the web, internet and kids, kids and internet use, Raising kids
One time, I heard my son singing “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles. Being a Beatles fan myself, I had to stop and investigate. Of all the songs out there, how did my son take interest in that old hit?
I took a peek and saw him watching this You Tube video.
Being an avid reader and a music lover attracted him to it.
This is one great way of teaching and enriching skills in reading.
He now has learned “Hello Goodbye”, too, by the Beatles.
Tags: learn to read, Raising kids, teaching reading through song, toilet training, yellow submarine beatles, yellow submarine for kids
Recent Comments