kiddie VALENTINES special !!!

and we thought Valentine Parties are 

for adults only... :) 

OF COURSE NOT!

Celebrate Love Day with your kids this 

Feb 10-11 at SM City !

They'll enjoy Unlimited Play, Magic Show, Story telling, 

Games, Face Painting, Loot bags, 

Snacks & so much more.

Kids who come in best Cupid Costume 

will win exciting prizes 

(1st prize will win 6 months of FREE Unlimited Play Pass !!!)

Please Call 332-3929 for more info.

anticipating chooseday, thinking of tuesdays with morrie

Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too – even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling.

What if today were my last day on earth? … 
Is this all? 
Is this all I want? 
Is something missing?...
I knew what he was saying. 
We all need teachers in our lives.

To know you’re going to die, and to be *prepared* for it at any time That’s better. That way you can actually be *more* involved in our life while you’re living. How can you ever be prepared to die?... Do what the Buddhists do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?’…once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.

… detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience *penetrate* you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you *fully*. That’s how you are able to leave it.…Take any emotion – love for a woman, or grief for a loved one…. if you hold back on the emotions – if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them – you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid. You’re afraid of the pain, you’re afraid of the grief. You’re afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails.But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. …
I have experienced that emotion. 
I recognize that emotion. 
Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment.
Same for loneliness: you let go, let the tears flow, feel it completely – but eventually be able to say, All right, that was my moment with loneliness. I’m not afraid of feeling lonely, but now I’m going to put that loneliness aside and know that there are other emotions in the world, and I’m going to experience them as well.

...For all the things we didn’t do. All the things we should have done. You can’t get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened. That doesn’t help you when you get to where I am. I always wished I had done more with my work; I wished I had written more books. I used to beat myself up over it. Now I see that never did any good.  
Make peace. 
You need to make peace with yourself 
and everyone around you. 

[these are my favorite quotes from the book :)]

KaEskwela is (heart)

this is a semi-repost  :) ...
one of the best decisions i made in 2010 was joining KaEskwela. it's my friend katie's lovegroup and it's not difficult to see why it is so. kaeskwela (in filipino) means "schoolmate". and you know how schoolmates and classmates are- no matter where they go or what happened to them years after, they always feel they belong (to the school, to each other) and that's the spirit we're banking on... Kaeskwela (http://www.kaeskwela.org/) is a group of volunteers who help public schools in the Philippines. being a volunteer (and a teacher too), i share the belief that education is a foundation for building better lives and nations. school kids must at least have or enjoy their journey towards that...this is the call of the group (might as well be a challenge to all): Think of the many ways you can help beyond just giving money: understand what a school needs, coordinate donations to respond to these needs, hold training sessions for teachers, assist in fund-raising events, help feed undernourished children -- you may have ideas, too, that could help your local school. soon, one school at a time, we can make dreams come true!


one dream shared by members since last year was to build a library for Lara Integrated School in San Fernando, Pampanga. the parents of the students have volunteered their labor to help build the library. the teachers have committed to help organize and run it. KaEskwela, have found book donors for the library---all's that missing is this certain sum of money to buy the building materials.

one of the few plans to earn such is the rummage sale...we had it in katipunan on september 24th and 25th. preparations and pricing is not easy but when you think of the possibility of earning for a cause, nothing's difficult :) we got us more that 11000 php in 2 days...that's a woot! (far from what we need though but still enough to keep our spirits high)... part2 of the rummage sale was november 12th and 13th...part 3 was january 12th (that time twas in banchetto pioneer, amidst the food offered by the caravan---we got us more than 4000php then)... part 4 will be on the 28th - at banchetto emerald. anything you can do to help (donate goods for the sale, buy goods during the sale, volunteer your time, share to others what our activity is about), please do. together let's help make dreams come true.

wowa's christmas

they say christmas is for kids...oh well that would always be the case, coz unlike adults they wont be thinking of the gifts to give but thinking about what gifts theyd get...my wowa is somewhat different coz he doesnt think much about the gifts hed get...he even begged me to buy gifts for his dozen friends in the neighborhood. i was worried he might be thinking of expensive gifts, but hey, he just wanted to give them play cards. i immediately went to the nearest thrift market in manila (divisoria) to buy those so when i go home for christmas, twud be ready for giving. my my he was so happy when he saw them, and he looked doubly happy giving those to this friends who seemed to be very happy getting them too. oh kids!

christmas day came...dear wowa was appreciative of the gifts he got too. here's what as far as i can remember:

GIFTS FOR HIS LONG-RUNNING BUSINESS PLAN (aka addition for his savings in the bank - ang pao) came from maam maricar, maam gudeh, lola salve, lolo daddy/lola mommy and tito jun...and wallet from his papa. as of now, he has more than a thousand (pesos) in the banks keeping, few hundreds in his wallet...and he plans of opening a small toy store next year. i so love his no-nonsense planning hence, all-out support! teeheehee.

GIFTS FOR HIS EVER-CURIOUS MIND came from tita irene (puzzle), tita dyali and ate luntian (coloring book and his usual supply of storybooks sometimes with authors/illustrators sig- bongga!), ninang anji (book- robindhood), tito edmar (book of stories), tita analyn and tito joven (puzzles- he loves puzzles, says theyre challenging),  tito kristoffer and tita sharon (project volcano straight from the US) and tita hanie (stamps). he loves each...and its really touching seeing the books by his bedside with a bookmark on the page where he stopped reading just like a grown man.

GIFTS FOR SCHOOL came from sir alvin (lunch container), ninang joyax (bottles of cologne), tita faith (sandal slippers) and kuya jikjik (hooded shirt). everything in-active use now!

GIFTS FOR THE EVER-PLAYFUL-ACTIVE HIM came from lola fely (a basketball), maam vicky (a soccer ball), tita jovelyn (phoenix beyblade set- blurting out 'i like that so much!), tito jz (assorted gummies - power munch) and me (pokemon cards in a big can- special request). he keeps on saying 'im glad i got this gift' everytime he sees/uses one.

this message comes with heartfelt thanks to them all for making wowas christmas fun and exciting. but most of all- thanks for being our 'help' as we guide him in his growing-up journey. happy new year!

i have found mr. right

this man loves to tell and listen

to stories like i do...he likes writing and

drawing like i do...he loves to dream

awake like i do...he loves like hell like

i do--- but he isn't mr. right.

this man is ever sweet like i am...

he likes chocolates and sweet talks

like i do... he loves to travel and

learn new things from other people

like i do--- but he isn't mr. right.

this man knows how to play guitar

and flute and harmonica like i do...

he likes singing and reading like i do

...he loves to love those who love

him like i do--- but he isn't mr. right.

this man doesn't know how to

play any musical instrument...he doesn't

even know how to play with watercolor

...he doesn't like talking to people much

but he loves---

he loves me when i'm sane and when i'm not.

he loves to cook for me and dine with me.

he loves to love the dreams i have.

he loves me like no other man can.

- i think, no, i know, i found mr. right!

new year...new rules

this will be short.
yes. 'coz from now on, i'd try
to write 'everything' as short as possible.
that's my rule #1.

rule#2. throw away trash (as in daily! from my room and from my life).
rule#3. sleep (this will be hard but it's worth trying).
rule#4. accept (esp.when i have no control over things/events/people).
rule#5. love (as if i have never done this before).

happy new year everyone!