Kinder Zoo

       Even if the days were unusually stifling hot, we managed to spend quality time with the kiddies during their summer vacation.  The boys had their swimming lessons, one at the Orchard in Dasmarinas Cavite, the other one inside Camp Aguinaldo.

      Thanks to Metrodeal, I purchased vouchers to Kinder Zoo which is a zoo within the Manila Zoo,  home to the controversial Mali the elephant. 

     

    The voucher, all of 96 pesos entitles the bearer entrance to Kinder Zoo plus two activities, either wall climbing, zip line, swimming, YES swimming, feeding the birds, butterfly catching or horse back riding.  But you have pay twenty pesos for the Manila Zoo entrance.  Without the voucher, that's 200 for the Kinder Zoo entrance plus 50 per activity.

       The staff were amazing! They were very accommodating, patiently explaining the activities and telling us to go around first and once the kids have decided what they wanted to try out, then we can get the stubs for the activities.  The animal trainers were very gentle with the animals and with the kids.  Not one kid or snake panicked.
                              

     Kinder Zoo is a small corner of the Manila Zoo, very clean and  fresh smelling.  The birds  (Kalaws) were actually on trees, along the path, we didnt notice they were there even if we've passed them several times.  The black pig was also enjoying a walk around the park.  Bachie, my nephew fell in love with the red bird, i forgot the name, he wanted to bring it home.  The kids fed the birds and rode on horses.  They also tried the zip line (not really very safe especially for small kids) and the wall climbing.  They had a blast! Of course they had to go swimming. Yes there is a pool inside Kinder Zoo, and the water's clean, amazing isnt it.  The boys had so much fun in the water we had to tell them it was the crocodiles time to bathe before they consented to leave the pool.




             

   Horse back riding is 300 pesos in Tagaytay, for 5 laps around the small oval, here, its only 50 for 2 laps.  just enough for kicks.  The horses are healthy,  so i assume the payment really goes for their food.  Its a great place for the school field trip because the kids can pet the animals.  Time will be better spent here than a field trip to Star City, that, dear teachers is not even remotely educational.

     My son also rode on the tortoise.  And the sweet monkey cuddled up to us and was friendly with everybody else.  It listens to commands in English!  Families can bring food and have a picnic, or buy food at the food stalls around the Zoo.  There's one just outside the Kinder Zoo.  Of course you can go around Manila Zoo, i think they're still  the same animals from when i was a kid.  The giraffes, lions and the deers either escaped or are dead.  There's only a handful of animals left, so the kids really had more fun at the Kinder Zoo.
                                         
    An affordable, educational  and fun filled day spent at the Zoo.  Bring water  because you will get thirsty with all the walking you'll be doing.  Plus a couple of hand towels and shirts for the kids.  The rest rooms are so clean, tissue and clean water are provided, much to my relief.  You leave your slippers outside since they provide slippers for the CR.

 Watch out for the Metrodeal or Ensogo promos so you can experience Kinder Zoo too!

     

I AM A Tupperware Woman of Conficence

Tupperware Women of Confidence 2012

What a wonderful surprise!

Out of hundreds of nominees for  Tupperware's Ten Women of Confidence, my life story was among the 15 chosen to be voted upon by facebook users, and then i got in the TOP TEN! And i didnt even have to sell a single tupperware product! Actually i didnt know anything about it until Tupperware people texted me to say that i was chosen!

The One Who Nominated  and the Nominee/ Winner

 This was so empowering and couldnt have come at a better time!  It was so nice to be well appreciated and i am so grateful to my little sister Jakie for nominating me.  I was never in the santa cruzan and i seldom get dressed or made up not even for weddings, but for a few days i got to be an artista!  There were ten of us, a student, a DJ, a breast cancer survivor, mothers, entrepreneurs, bloggers, all have touched lives in their chosen fields. 

Good Housekeeping  writers, stylists and artists

  As part of the prizes i and the rest of my new girlfriends had a photo shoot and interview for Good Housekeeping.  We had a makeup artist do our hair and make up, complete with a  stylist and a beautiful set of clothes with 4 inch heels,  which sadly were too dressy and expensive for my lifestyle. Everyone at the shoot from the writers to stylist to the photographer were soo young like they were still in college!  It was funny how they had to help me in my platforms and they had to teach me how to strike a pose.  It was kinda weird though talking about me, because in my line of work im never in the spotlight.  We also had a video shoot.  This one at Ascott Hotel Makati, they made us read lines, it was funny! And i got to wear a dress worth 7500!  Everything was so out of character, and so out of my comfort zone but i enjoyed it all. Not many people can say they experienced that.

Good Housekeeping Article

the rest of the Women of Confidence

We also had a make-up class, now this one i found really useful especially since the girl whom i liked doing my makeup no longer works in my office.  We used Tupperware Brands products which was great cause they were all free! Should i need new ones, i just have to order from my nearest Tupperware dealer, 30 days to pay!  

     

  

   

 Awarding was held at Sweet Bella in Greenbelt! Pink interiors, cutesy food, delish cakes! Oh so heavenly. I couldnt eat so well my dress might split at the seams!  Oh i also got a really nice bag from Aranaz!   It was so great to be a girly girl that day.  Such a rewarding, uplifting, empowering experience.

    Check out the December 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping and on the net, February issues of  Inquirer, Manila Standard and Manila Bulletin for the articles and photos.

  Thank you to Tupperware Brands Philippines.

   Thank you to my sister Jannell! I love you kiddo!   You deserve this more you know!

  

First Molars

     My son recently complained that his teeth hurt.  He wanted me to check if he had cavities.  He has excellent oral hygiene therefore he has very good teeth, save for one front tooth that turned brown after he tripped, again, while playing in the garden.  

      Verdict.... it isn't a cavity! I knew it!  His first permanent molar is slowly pushing its way hence, the tender gums.  A teaspoon of paracetamol for the pain should do the trick.  The first permanent molars, usually in the lower jaw, erupt at about 6-7 years of age.  Most parents  miss this because they do not replace any baby tooth.  First permanent molars come out in the space after the baby molars so the mommies and the daddies think their kids have had them since age 3 and that they, like the rest of the baby teeth, would fall out.  They go, "eat all the candy you want baby, you'll grow new ones anyways".  So when they finally see the dentist, but only after the kid's cheek gets swollen, they are told, "I'm sorry but your son's first permanent tooth needs to be pulled out", mommies go, "Whaaaat! He doesn't have any permanent tooth, they're all  baby teeth cause no tooth has ever fallen out.  How did that happen?" 

     Moral of the story, as soon as your son turns 2, visit your friendly neighborhood dentist... Or you can come to me (shameless plugging)!  She (or I) can check the oral condition of your child; whether there are cavities, usually nursing bottle caries; advise you on oral hygiene or interceptive treatment if necessary; or simply just so your child can get used to a dental visit.  And please, please do not use dentists name in vain.  Please don't scare your kids, "if you don't behave i'll bring you to the dentist so he will pull out your teeth!"  If you do, then do not appear shocked why your child keeps screaming during his dental appointment, or he refuses to open his mouth.

    Remember, dentists are friends, not enemies.  

    Now, open your mouth please.

     

I'm Back

     I've been away awhile... actually quite a long while... 2 months short of 1 year absence. I wanted to write about a lot of things like american idol, summer in the Philippines, my zit, my son's moving up ceremony to grade 1, etc etc etc.  My literary muse left me for a time so i ended up just talking to myself.  And playing fb games of course.

     Let's see, let me begin with something that's been bothering me for sometime.   My zit.  Well, not really acne, but my less than porcelain-like skin. Yeah so i'm vain, so is my helper, who isn't?  At least i'm realistic, i do not aim for Gretchen Barretto's face, though it's my wish upon falling stars, but i would really like to have invisible pores and smooth glowing skin sans make-up.  Unfortunately, i am allergic to most products, either makeup or cleansers, which is frustrating.  And my derma visits have been few and far between because i haven't been satisfied with the results of late.

       Pre-baby,  i had dewy, rosy skin courtesy of Let's Face It, but i can't achieve the same results with the same products now, 7 seven years later.  Is my skin tougher, i wonder? I tried diamond facials and glycolic peels with another derma, plus the nightly ritual which i dislike, but my pores still stare at me.  When i tried the trial kit from Avon, they really are affordable and they worked for my officemates, i grew zits the size of mung beans!  No Fair! So I shifted to Neutrogena blackhead eliminating cooling toner hopefully to tighten these stubborn pores, but without luck.  My son, while watching a tv commercial suggested that i try Pond's so i wont look old.  It bothered me that he didnt want me to look old even if i should have been more disturbed that he knew about Ponds' in the first place.

     Anyways, I've been using Pond's clear solutions anti bacterial facial scrub with herbal clay for three days now.   Good news, no zits. Less oil.  Open pores, Check. Will get back to you in a week.  Meantime, off to mundane things like work.











     

Pedring and Quiel

The past week was wet and wild.

Pedring and Quiel wreaked havoc in Luzon.  In less than a day, streets were inundated with water.  Roofs were blown off, BMW's in hotel parking lots went  a-floating in the murky flood water.  Tempers were aflame... well, my temper mostly.

My job requires me to stay when everybody else has gone home.  I am obligated to spend some weekends and holidays in the office, sober, when everyone else is drunk.  I have to wait for that all important call that my services are needed, however long that might take, or wherever it may take me. 

My question is, does it always have to be me? Every time? As in everyday? Sure its part of my job, the implied but not stated part of the contract.  But we signed the same contract! Not unless theirs said "send her-always-not you-never you."  But after a minute, or two, or three of *&^%$#@ .... i stay.  I wait. 

And i do what Lighting McQueen does to prep himself, I close my eyes and ...."NO! I do not say speed, I am speed."  I tell myself, better be the helping hand than be the one waiting for help while clinging to a tree trunk that's being battered by the current.

Better go without food for a day than fall in line for days on end for some relief goods.

Better be cold and wet now than sit on the roof watching all your stuff being swept away except for the clothes on your back.

Better be in the safety of the office than surrounded by rising flood waters, waiting for a rescue boat to come and get you.

So I whisper a prayer for them.... from a lucky me... and wait.

Flying High

Once upon a time i was a frequent flyer of Cebu Pacific.

My job required me to be in Cebu away from my family.   I was a jet setter mother with tot and yaya in tow. A day after coming back from a vacation, i immediately log on, searching for promo fares so i could travel back home at the soonest available cheap fare.  They had promos each month, so i traveled every month. Boy was i glad of my credit card of almost 20 years (i am one loyal client, paging HSBC).  It reached its maximum potential those days.

I traveled too often that my son  recognized the fasten seatbelt sign and no smoking sign long before his ABC's.  He also looked forward to the Stewardess giving the safety instructions. while i enjoyed their in-flight games.  When you ask my son what he'd like to be when he grows up, he says, "a pilot".  Mommy says, "let's hope and see"

First Times

Yoohoo!

I am now a woman of the world!

I am empowered!

I am free!

And i owe it all to blogging...

Yeah yeah so its my first time.. No big deal. You've all had your firsts.. Let me enjoy mine. 

First times are mostly fun, its always a heady feeling to have tried and conquered  something new. Like a new badge to brag about.  There wouldnt be seconds and thirds without a first.  There is even a saying that goes, the firstborn is always borne out of love, the rest are borne out of habit. 

I think its mostly good to try things at least once. Except for drugs where once is never enough. I have a fear of heights, not so much of a phobia because i have no problems with plane rides.  But bungee jumping, hang gliding, parachuting, even the skywalk and roller coaster in a Cebu Hotel are a different matter.  There ws this time I tried to cross a hanging rope  bridge that was just tooo long, tooo high and tooo swingy.  I imagined myself falling to the raging river below.  Ok, so it wasnt raging, i don't think it was even that deep. But i'd have probably fainted from the drop alone.  And this guy friend of mine kept swinging the ropes to and fro, despite my strangled pleas for him to stop.  My lunch almost landed on his laughing face. Guess what?  We're not friends anymore!

I was as pale as i could ever get, cold sweat running in rivulets down my back. And then, along came this kid, who crossed it on a bike, "look ma, no hands" and smirking at me that its okay.   I wanted to scold him, where are your manners boy! I wanted to push him off the bridge!  Good thing i was frozen in place barely controlling my bladder, laughter and tears.    Mind over matter just didnt work that time.  And the other times after that.   And the really funny thing is i was only a few steps from the landing.  Well maybe next time.

NOT!