Pet Monkey

Taken in my auntie Mela’s house; Father’s Day 2009

I know I suck at photography. I love to take pictures but I just can’ t take good pictures. I just hope that the saying “practice makes perfect” applies to me (wink!). Will be trying to take pictures of more stuff like food, office furniture, landscape, animals and of course people.

The Kumon Method

The Kumon is an individualized learning where children get to learn at their own pace. It also stresses on the importance of learning by repetition (Please visit the Kumon website to learn more about the Kumon method). When Jenkins and I attended the parents’ orientation and hearing and reading about Kumon success stories, we were optimistic that the Kumon learning method will make learning math fun and much easier for our son who seemed to show hints of hating the subject. Kulay was optimistic with his first sets of kumon math worksheets but after working on worksheets and doing almost the same thing for about an hour everyday, Kulay started to hate his worksheet time. He says it’s just the same thing and he does it over and over every time. After three weeks, we decided to drop Kulay from Kumon.

Ineffective?

The kumon method may have been effective to other kids but definitely it is not for our son. We wanted our son to love math so we enrolled him to Kumon but it made him hate math more because of the repetitive work sheets. A child can never truly excel in a subject that he hates so we decided to stop giving Kulay those sheets that seem to make learning math unenjoyable.

I’m not sure if Kulay is getting any “input” whenever he goes to the Kumon learning center twice a week since we can’t see him once he’s with his teacher but if the Kumon is primarily just about kumon math worksheets (and I believe it is), I better search for better, printable math worksheets online or buy math workbooks and personally do something and assist my son in his journey to learning Mathematics. That would be a lot of savings when compared to the fees and expenses I will have to spend monthly on Kumon (1,800 pesos a month plus fare).

Enopi

I learned about Enopi three weeks ago while I was doing an online research on why my son is not responding well to Kumon. Some parents have recommended Enopi which happens to be the Korean counterpart of Kumon. Unlike Kumon, however, Enopi includes Critical Thinking Math lessons which, as I understand it, is the application of mathematical theories a child learns from basic math. So far, I have not read a single negative review about Enopi on the web yet. Since Kulay has not tried Enopi however we cannot say for sure if Enopi is really better than Kumon but again, if this is all about work sheets again, I better look for math learning materials and teach my child myself. Afterall, I know how to to do simple and elementary math operations and problem solving.

Lesson Learned

When we enrolled Kulay to Kumon, we thought the program is the magical solution that will help us raise a mathematically inclined child. It has not. The money we spent on enrolling Kulay to Kumon however at least compensated for a lesson I have learned: that I as a parent is the best teacher for my young child. I know my child best and I am the best person to identify the learning needs of my child. This isnt easy and I am not really sure if I can do it but if I can’t help Kulay with his individualized learning, then nobody else can. I might seek the help of others when I can no longer handle the mathematical lessons of my child but with shapes, counting and basic addition? Kulay deserves the best tutor in the world for these lessons: me.

Update

Kulay loves dinosaurs so we started to use this interest to teach him Math. I bought Dino Fun activity pack and another dinosuar activity/wipe out book (all printed by Priddy Books) and so far Kulay enjoys doing the math activities. He even insists that we do some of the activities before we go to sleep

Adidas and the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People’s Education
More than giving style and comfort it its consumers, Adidas also has programs that endeavor to benefit the community. Its major community program this year is the Adidas Wanted Old Shoes Promo which ended on May 31. The Wanted Old Shoes promo encouraged people to donate their old sports shoes to the less privileged and in exchange, get up to 1000 peso worth of discount for a new adidas purchase. Recipients of the Wanted Old Shoes promo were the indigenous people at the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People’s Education in Mintal, Davao City. Celebrity endorsers and Adidas representatives led by Adidas country manager Nolet Puno awarded the old shoes to the Pamulaan Center students during the ceremonial turnover at the University of Southeastern Philippines  Mintal Campus on June 19.

Representatives of Adidas Philippines and students at the Pamulaan Center during the Wanted Old Shoes turnover ceremony

I was able to witness the Wanted Old Shoes culmination program with fellow blogggers Blogie Robillo, Ria Jose , Richard Diongson, Chattee Lara and James Historia. Thanks to Patrick Laroco of Primetime Creatives for inviting bloggers to this awesome event.

The Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People’s Education

The Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People’s Education is the first educational institution in Asia dedicated to providing specialized education to the indigenous peoples. Launched in October 2005 and founded by Benjamin Abadiano, the first Filipino to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2004, the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People’s Education is home and school to students from 31 various indigenous tribes from all over the Philippines.

Lucky Girl: Papang and me in Davao City; 1978

Writing about the one special person whom I consider as the one who loved me the most is a challenging thing. For quite some time now, I have been planning on writing a special article for my father but always find it a very difficult thing to do. I always get overwhelmed with emotions to describe and recall those times– those many times I have always felt lucky to be the daughter of such a wonderful man.

Four years after Papang passed away, there are still a number of times that I wish he’s still here. I have always been financially dependent on my father. Ano kaya ang mararamdaman nia now that I am financially independent? sana nakita niya man lang ang mga cheke at receipts ng suweldo ko.

Papang used to tell me na isosoli ako ng asawa ko kasi hindi ako marunong magluto, ano kaya ang sasabihin nia kung natikman nia ang mga luto ko ngayon? Sana man lang natikman nia ang spaghetti na luto ko.

I have always been a stubborn child. Tatawanan nia kaya ako if he realized Kulay and I have the same characters and attitude? Would he be supportive of me deciding to become a full time mother?

Marami akong atraso sa tatay ko and perhaps I will forever bear the guity conscience of not being able to show my father the love that he needed and deserved.

Still I will always feel privileged and honored to be the daughter of the man I call my father.

I contacted one of those olivia Crocs sellers and asked stuff about her overrun crocs. She told me the olivia crocs she is selling has the same material (so I assumed croslite) and the same design as the authentic ones so I paid her right away excited about my new crocs.

Are Crocs Overruns really Authentic?

Wednesday after I arrived from accompanying my son Kulay to his first day in Kumon, I noticed the JRS package waiting for me. I opened it right away but lo and behold the overrun crocs I bought is not an overrun at all. It is a poor replica, not a production surplus (which is how I understood overrun means). I do not have to scrutinize the details, the difference is very evident even at a glance. The pair of black crocs I bought is just far different from the authentic one.

Lesson Learned

I just want to quote our helper when she saw my reaction when I brought out the crocs from the package: ” Sa SM na lang unta ka nag palit ti at least sigurado pa ka didto” — very good advice especially for people who hates to wear knock offs. If you can’t afford it do not buy it and don’t settle for replicas and yes, “authentic overruns”.  Go buy cheaper women’s shoes with its own designs and its own brand.

How to Identify Fake Crocs

So, how do you identify a fake crocs? Just google for “how to identify fake crocs” and I bet, you’ll get good post recommendations full of texts. What I will be showing here are some photos of the actual authentic olivia crocs that my mother in law owns (and which I borrowed to make the comparison) and the overrun crocs I bought from ebay:

I also have to add that the crocs I bought is not made of the authentic croslite materials.

If I have to use one word to describe my 31st birthday yesterday, May 18, I’ll have to use the word “perfect”. The first thing that I was able to appreciate when I woke up was the perfect weather: it was neither too hot nor raining– just ideal for us to have fun in the beach. Friends and relatives have also sent me text messages or left comments and offline messages in my yahoo messenger to greet me happy birthday, I even received greetings as early as 2am and my cellphone is still beeping with belated greetings up to now.

We left home before 7AM so we were able to arrive at the Davao Marina wharf (formerly Davao Beach Club)just in time for the first ferry trip to the Davao Pearl Farm. Sa sobrang lapit namin sa dagat, I almost forgot how it is to play like a child in beaches pero sinabayan ko talaga ang anak ko kaliligo that day swimming from one pool and beach to another the whole day. Tinanghali na nga kami ng lunch (2:30) at ang itim itim namin lalo na kami ni Kulay. As for the food, our merienda was great lalo na yung burger. Kulay also liked the spaghetti but I wasn’t able to appreciate our buffet lunch much dahil siguro bahaw na nang kumain kami or maybe I should cut back on going to buffet places dahil baka nagsasawa na ako hahahaha.

Some of our pics at the resort here:

Maranao Beach

Building a sand castle turned sand pyramind

Jenkins making the Kulay Merman

Kulay playing with Starfishes

Parola Wharf

At the Infinity Pool

Malipano Island

On our way to Malipano

What’s a Celebration without Food?

Our snacks: Burger, Fries and SpaghettiLate birthday lunch: Buffet at the Maranao Restaurant

Mandaya Pool and JacuzziBirthday Girl

The fun  wasn’t through yet after our Davao Pearl Farm Day Tour. We left the resort a quarter before four and headed to SM to watch Star Trek. By 10, everyone in the house (except Kulay who was already sleeping) feasted on my humble celebration cake

** Davao Pearl Farm Philippines is located in Kaputian, Samal Island. For Davao pearl farm day tour rates, packages and other information, you may contact +63 (82) 2219970. All photos in this article are taken with Sony T20 cybershot camera.

I have quite a busy pre birthday line up this year but there were a lot of changes in my original prebirthday schedule.  I wanted my prebirthday dinner Last May 16 to be a sort of reunion for my SMP batchmates so I invited all who are based in Davao that I have a contact number but only a few arrived (sigh!). People have jobs, emergency situation, etc. but at least some of them were able to come to the dinner.

Pre birthday dinner with friends at the Le Grandeur Cafe, Grand Men Seng Hotel; May 16

With my family

I ‘ll also treat my one and only brother Ian and his wife for a lunch at Marco Polo’s Cafe Marco on Sunday (patay na naman ang bulsa ko nito!) and I am still looking for a nice restaurant in Davao City where I can bring my parents in law for dinner on my birthday this Monday. My father in law told me they won’t be available until after 8 PM and so I have to look for a nice place that is open for diners until 10 in the evening (travel from Toril to downtown may take us around 40 minutes).

Jenkins, our son Kulay and I will be celebrating my birthday at the Davao Pearl Farm. I planned to celebrate my birthday with my friends in advance because I want to be with my family only on my birthday. I just want to have a quiet day with the most important people in the world– my son and my husband in a quiet relaxing place on my big day. We already have the Pearl farm day tour confirmation. I really wanted to have a sleep over in this place pero Jenkins told me mag day tour nalang kami dahil magastos na masiado kung mag overnight pa kami. I guess 7 hours in the place will give us enough time to have fun though. I just hope it won’t rain on my birthday. We will have a special dinner with my parents in law in the evening of May 18.

I also remember Inay, my paternal grandmother who has taken care of me and (over) protected me during all those ….years.

To all the fathers and grandparents who took on the responsibility of motherhood in caring and loving children whose mothers are away, cheers to you on Mother’s day (I hope my greetings in not yet too late).