I guess it has been quite sometime since I last wrote something here.  Eversince summer time had begun last March, I’ve been been a bit busy with my family.  The kids are home all day, so I decided to spend some time with them, teaching and training them to help with house chores.  We let our househelp take a vacation for a few months while I personally do the chores around the house, of course, together with my kids.  This is the second summer vacation we’re doing this.  It is tough, though.  We all know how kids hate housechores.  I did, when I was young!  We can’t help but hear whining and complaining every now and then about who’s to do this and who’s to do that.  But I realized that this is part of life.  I wish for them to grow up independent, no matter what or where they choose to be in the future.  I know eventually, when they grow up and start living on their own, somehow, they will be thankful for learning this in their life.  

When I was young, I despised doing housechores.  I always thought my parents were always punishing me for making me work around the house.  But as I grew up, I realized that I’m actually in a much better position than many people I know who may be very successful in their careers, but know nothing about home work.  They can’t live without help, and I find that so pathetic!  Imagine waking up in the morning alone and you can’t even fix yourself your own breakfast, simply because you never learned how to cook an egg… isn’t that so sad? 

I love what I’m doing…  I’m so bonded with the children.  We are so much closer to each other and I can actually see them day after day learning to be responsible not only for themselves, but for each other.   They have become self-sufficient.  If they’re hungry, they can immediately fix themselves something to eat.  I do laundry and they make sure their clothes that I  have washed are nicely folded in their closets.  They know what they ask me to wash and they make sure they have them all after they’ve been washed.  That’s being responsible and learning to value the things that they own.  We plan dinner all together everyday.  If I can’t decide what’s for dinner, they suggest what they like to have, my son buys the stuff that I might need,  my eldest daughter helps me fix dinner, and our 4-year old insists on setting the dining table every night.   Here are some snapshots I took of my kids doing their own things last 2007… 

my son cooks, my baby sets the dining table, and my eldest feeds her little sister! 

"The goal in raising children is not to protect them from pain or undesirable circumstances, but to equip them with what they need to be responsible, independent and resilient adults" 

-Lori Radun, CEC – certified life coach and inspirational speaker for moms. (http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Teaching_Children_Independence_and_Responsibility.html)

I was just tagged by Arlene, so here I am giving y’all an idea of what my desktop looks like…..

…now I’m passing this tag to Emz, Marie Grace, and Janine.  Have a lovely day, ladies! 

A few days ago I wrote a thread about our preparation for my son’s graduation day, which was held last March 30.  We were supposed to be at the NDGM Gym at 4:30PM.  Yes, we arrived on time, but unfortunately, the ceremony did not begin till around 6PM.   We could not wait on our assigned seats, as our son informed us that we were required to wait outside the gym while waiting for the graduation rites to start.

The event was to commence with a procession, where each student had to walk together with his/her parents in the middle aisle, on a red carpet, upon entering the gym.  Then we were to proceed to our assigned seats.  It was going to be a nice procession.  There were 2 big projector screens up front where everyone could view each and every student walking in the middle aisle with his/her parents.  But since the weather was really hot and humid that day, by the time the procession began, we were already sticky and sweaty.  You can just imagine how we looked on those two big screens!  I was so relieved to see that the gym had those real big fans that sprinkled water as they swung from left to right.  That made the air inside the gym a bit cooler than the air outside.   

Anyway, the entire graduation ceremony ended a little after 8PM.  We took some pictures during and after the event, after which, we proceeded home to have our special dinner with the rest of our family members waiting for us.

Here are some of Angelo’s photos, including the pictures that we took on his Graduation day, that I collected to share with all of you… 

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Today was report card day.   I asked my Mr. Workaholic to get off work just for a few hours to accompany me as I had to go all the way to Caloocan City for Angelo’s report card, then back to Quezon City for Angela’s report card too. 

On a hot  and humid summer day like this, travelling all the way to Caloocan City was a such miserable experience.  Fortunately, my brother Jonas was on his way to pick Mom up at The Wave Ballroom, so we took a ride with him until North Avenue, where we got off and transferred to a taxi.  

Inspite of this hot and humid day, we were so happy to see the grades of Angelo as his report card was released to us this afternoon.  With a General Average of 90.8279, my son is number 1 in his class!  This is so wonderful!  We took a really quick late lunch at Max, then proceeded next to Angela’s  school at Quezon City.  Again, we were so elated to see her grades too!  They both did very well this schoolyear and we’re really very, very proud of them! 

Just as soon as we got home, the kids came running to greet us and were both excited to see their grades.  So proud of his accomplishment, Angelo asks Dad if he could attend that swimming party his class was going to have.  Well, what can else can Dad say?   

Anyway, so here I am, once again, bragging about our kids, who definitely make us feel their appreciation for all that we do for them!

 ANGELO’S REPORT CARD

ANGELA’S REPORT CARD

just another proud mom…

Name:   Nicholas Francisco 
Date missing:   Feb. 13th 2008 
Time missing:   Approx 6:10pm 
Last seen:   Publicis Advertising Agency
City/State:   Seattle, Washington
Age dissapeared:   28
Sex:   Male
Race:   Half Filipino
Height:   5′11"
Weight:   160lbs
Hair:   Black
Eyes:   Brown
Build:   Medium build
Jewlery:   Just wedding ring
Scars/marks:   Mole under his jaw (left side)
Dental history:   Couple cavities
Medical history:   None
Last seen wearing:   Button down Light blue shirt, Jeans, white Asics Tennishoes with red Asics logo, black wool coat.
Education:   Multimedia w minor in Graphic design
Glasses/Contacts:   20/20
Smoking habits:   None
Drinking habits:   Socially - never seen drunk
Other habits:   Leaves toast in the toaster
Hobbies:   Screen printing / Fonts / Type setting / Old fasion print pressing / mechanically inclined  (details courtesy of findnicholasfrancisco.com)

Nicholas Francisco and his wife, Christine have 2 children, ages 4, and 2 1/2, respectively, and are expecting a baby on October this year. 

For any information on the abovementioned missing person, kindly send email to website.solutions@dcgwebdesign.com,

or contact King County Sheriff’s Office tip line:  (US) 206-296-3311

Today’s Daily Word - Thursday, April 3, 2008

Thank You, God, for the comfort of Your love.
I am comforted in a time of sweet communion with my Creator.
“Dear God, I find my greatest comfort in the assurance of Your love that fills my heart and upholds me. No matter what challenge or change may come into my life today or any other day, I will be strengthened and guided by Your love.“Thank You, God, for Your gentle love that fills, surrounds, and embraces all of humanity. May each person be soothed and comforted in the realization that life is eternal and that Your love knows no limitation.
“I know that Your love is given freely, dear God, and that whatever may transpire, I have every reason for hope. I am grateful that good is the natural outcome of Your love in my life and in the world.”
“Let your steadfast love become my comfort according to your promise to your servant.” —Psalm 119:76

Daily Word

Last week had been a busy one for me.  It was my son’s graduation from the grade school at Notre Dame of Greater Manila, and we had been busy preparing for the event.  On March 28th, I attended the Agape Mass held at the school gymnasium.  Fortunately, I was able to personally speak to the current director of the school, Fr. Oscar Lucas, regarding some concerns I had with certain school administration members during the past few weeks.  He had received the letter that I sent a few days back, and I was glad to hear that.  He gave an assurance that he would act upon the concerns that I had aired in my letter, and I was very grateful.  I am really looking forward to hearing from his office within the next few weeks.  

Anyway, my son was to wear a long-sleeved beige Barong Tagalog and black dress pants on his graduation day.  So we purchased a Barong Tagalog for him at the Barong Pilipino located at Ali Mall, Cubao.  It’s made of Organza.  Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk.   Unfortunately, when he tried it on when we got home, we discovered that it was a little bit too big for him.  So my daughter and I went back to the shop to have the Barong replaced to a smaller one.  I had to determine the exact length measurement of his arms to make sure we got the right size this time around.  A few days later, we were able to buy his black dress pants, which only needed a few alterations that I was able to do myself.

Barong Tagalog

The Barong Tagalog is an upper garment and known as the formal men’s wear of the Philippines.  Filipinos wear the Barong Tagalog in various formal events.    It started out as an attire to mark inferior status. When the early people of early Philippines settled in colonial society, they were subjected to numerous affronts to their dignity and sensibilities by their colonial masters.  When the Spaniards colonized  the Filipinos, they had to make it abundantly clear who was in control) through the imposition of a dress code. Men were not allowed to tuck their shirttails in . That was the mark of his inferior status. Second, the cloth material should be transparent so that he could not conceal any weapon that could be used against the masters . Third, was a precaution on thievery, pockets are not allowed on the shirt.

By the turn of the century a new middle class began to merge among the Filipinos. These were known as the principalia. They mastered Spanish laws and were able to obtain title to lands. They became successful in business and agriculture and …they were allowed to vote. They had all the trappings of power and status, but for one undeniable fact: they still had to wear their shirtails out, if only to remind them that they were still Indios (natives)

What the Spanish authorities did not smother was the Filipino’s determination to psychologically conquer their colonial masters through improvisation and reinterpretation. For example, Filipinos were forbidden to use imported silk and fabrics for their Barong.   So with the delicate material of luminous silky rich mixture, much finer than silk, they hand-embroidered the front with exquisite abandon.

 

The Barong Tagalog gained its power, prestige, and status when President Quezon, the first Filipino President declared it the National dress. The status of the lowly inferior Barong, thus became another symbol of the Filipinos’ "resistance to colonization”.

 

In contemporary times the Barong Tagalog is the power dress. Every visitor and foreign dignitary invited to a Malacanang Palace state function must, by necessity, invitations, specifically come in "Barong".

 

The Barong thus evolved from the mark of native inferiority, then to a peaceful symbol of rebellion, and lastly, as a token of our independence from our colonial sovereign.  Reflections of Asia

On my next thread, I will post the pictures that we took during and after the Graduation Ceremonies held last March 30, 2008