Educational Field Trip

It is the Field Trip Season. Together with the -ber months, private schools usually have their annual field trips on these months. Months that are usually rainy. Months that indicates more expenditures.

My daughter's class is having their "educational field trip" on the 26th of this month. They are set to go to two locations: the first one, to a doll factory, and the next is to watch a theater show. Costing 1550 per head, accompanying her (although, it is okay not to accompany her, but she is much too young to be left on her own on such a long trip) would mean a tiny bit more than three grand. That's just the field trip fee. It does not yet include our food for the trip and some pocket money I may need to bring just in case my daughter would like to buy other stuff. For only a day, our trip would at least cost me  4,000 to 4,500.

I must say that's its a little bit too much for an average-earner such as myself. The good thing is that, its not mandatory (she just need to do a make-up project). And even if my daughter really wanted to go, I told her that we just can't afford that right now. But, supposing we can afford it, the news of different accidents happening on the field trips of other schools is just as disturbing and frightening for a mom like me. My husband is even the first to tell us that it'll be much too dangerous to go.

So we are definitely not joining this year (we join two-years in a row of the previous trips). But I did promise to bring her to a different "pasyalan". A visit to a park, to a museum or a movie even. My husband can also come with us, and I just know that it'll be fun and cost much less. 

I just hope that the "field trip" thing would be abolish someday. Not that its not educational but the students have seen it all, every museum, every zoo and animal sanctuary, every factories of bread, dolls, and other things that the metro and other provinces near the metro has to offer. If it can't be abolish, better make it every other year. That way , the excitement of traveling for the child would still be there.

PTC Day- 1st Quarter

Last Saturday was PTC day. It was the usual card-giving day, and a little chat with your child's adviser. So, my daughter and I went to her school to get her report card. I dreaded this day because I know my daughter's score in her quarter finals examination. My daughter asked me, "Ma, natatakot ka ba?" I told her no, "Hinde ako takot anak, nervous lang si Mama. Pero kahit ano pa grades mo, okay na yun, naibili na kita ng gift e."

I relaxed a little while waiting for my turn to talk to her adviser. Turn out, there was nothing to worry about my baby. She was well-behaved in school. She's even one of the achievers (those who got the highest average), even if its only within her section and not in the over-all grade level. I am so proud of my girl! 

She is beaming while she makes kwento to her grandparents of her achievements. All smiles, I know how proud she is feeling at that moment. 

This is one of those things that I like with being a mother. Seeing your child all smiles, like its Christmas.

Doggie Instinct

            My family owns a two-year old aspin ("asong-pinoy"). A well-behaved dog, Icy gurads our house 24-hours a day.  A single sound in the midle of the night, and you'll be hearing her loud barks.

          Anyway, as my dad were cleaning the attic, he found this old football toy and he gave it to Icy. Smelling it and licking it, she looks happy playing with it. Then she accidentally steps on it, and it produces a loud sound. The way that Icy is behaving right now is that, we think that she thinks it is her pup, because the sound that toy is producing sounds like a loud cry of a puppy.

She doesn't want to let go!

She thinks its her pup

She's thinking where to put it.

         

Pastillas Part2

      So I promised that I'll be showing the final packaging of my pastillas business venture and here it is:

 

Pastillas with LOVE  :)

     I snapped this picture while it was displayed on my mother's stall in a wet market. I called it cookie pastillas because I shaped it that way, like a cookie. Parang lengua ang dating! It is sold either with sprinkles, langka flavor, coffee flavor or the plain variety.

       Oh, didn't I tell you guys that also do atchara? It's also a very promising home-based business. Till next... I'll write it next time.

Let's Start Cookin'!!

      My daughter has been watching all this Play-doh videos on Youtube. She wanted a kitchen-making play set. I told her that if she got good grades on her quarter exams, then I'll buy her one. She was so excited with that idea that she really did her best to study for her exams. Unfortunately, she got two subjects with very low scores. The first time that she showed me her exam results, she has this sad look and asked me whether I was still proud of her even if she got low scores. I was definitely disappointed and it showed on my face and she was quiet for sometimes, ignoring my presence and just went to taking her afternoon nap. 

        Seeing her so down just melted me. So I figured, hey, what the heck.. just give her a reward. At least for trying! And so, the last time I went to Divisoria to get some supplies for my shop, I did get her a kitchen set. I wasn't from Play-doh but she still gave me a very, very warm hug and the sweetest smile that shows how happy she was.

Got this Kitchen set for P800

 

What's inside the box.

Satisfaction -- Kuntento

I am in a battle with myself right now. I dunno what's wrong, pero nahihirapan ako. Nasasaktan. Hindi para sa sarili ko, pero para sa anak ko. 

I have been married for 8 years now. My only child, is 7 years old. She's in grade two. And as hard as it is na bumuhay ng pamilya, pinili naming mag-asawa na pag-aralin ang anak namin sa isang pribadong eskwelahan na malapit lamang sa aming tirahan. Nung maliit pa yung anak ko, around 2 or 3 years old, e issue ko na ito sa pagitan nya at ng ibang bata. Hindi siya naturalente na bibo, na palakwento. Nung maliit pa nga sya medyo bulol pa. Pero magaling sya sa puzzle at sa pagtago ng mga bagay na hindi kanya (mga laruan ng pinsan nya na nakakaligtaan itabi, kanya na daw yun!) Matagal bago nya na-memorize ang ABC at mga colors. She's 3.3 years old when she entered junior casa. She got an award not in any subject but an award in conduct. When she was 4, I transferred her into another school, yan na yung school kung nasaan sya ngayon. On her graduation sa preparatory, she got another award. Again it was for her conduct. Napakabait ng anak ko sa school.

My child is in grade 2 now, at since nag-aral sya, never pa siya naka-receive ng merit sa kahit anong subject nya. It always break my heart kapag nauwi sya at iiyak kasi tinutukso sya ng friends nya, kasi hindi daw sya kasama sa mga achievers (achievers are those who got a grade of 90 up on every subject). Sabi ko, okay ay lang yun, na nasa 90+ lahat ng subjects nya, pwera sa Math. Na makakahabol pa sya. Pero hindi sya nakahabol. Kahit tumaas na yung grades nya sa Math (88!) hindi pa rin pasok sa mga achievers. Overtime, naging ok lang sa kanya na hindi talaga tataas pa yung grades nya sa Math nung nasa grade 1 sya. 

Pero it was different with me. Kahit anong sabi ko na okay lang yun. Sa isip, sa damdamin ko, na sana matalino rin yung anak ko. Na achiever din sya. Na sana, mataas lahat ng score nya sa mga exam nya. Na sana gaya sya ng ibang bata na magaling sa comprehension, na magaling sa Math. Na sana, hindi sya mahilig manood ng teleserye kundi magbasa ng madaming libro. Puro sana. Puro comparison. Pinukpok ko sya ng husto sa pagre-review. Pinainom ng vitamins na maraming Omega-3. Hinataw sa maraming worksheets at exercises. Pero ganun pa rin. Puro dissapointment pa rin sa part ko. At nung umiling na ko nung nakita ko mga score nya. I saw sadness in my child's eyes. I saw how sorry she was for failing me. THAT WAS BAD ON MY PART.

I should be proud of what my child can achieve. Kahit maliit na bagay, I know that she tries her best to make me proud. To make me smile, and make me happy.  I should be satisfied with her abilities, her intelligence, her strength.  I feel like that I don't have the right to judge her just because she got a low grade on her math exam, or on any other subject, for that matter. Her happiness is what's important. Because, if she's happy, she can be confident in anything. She can achieve anything that her heart would desire, ika nga.

And when  I look at her as she sleeps, I feel disappointed  with myself for being so shallow, so insecure. She's only 7 and she can read a whole English book! Kahit pa sabihin mo na half lang yung naiintindihan nya na mga words.

Never again, I am vowing that. 

I will always be proud of my princess. Sa kahit anong bagay, sa kahit anong score. Si Einstein at Bill Gates nga e drop-out di ba?! Malay mo, sa kanya pala ako yayaman! 

If my princess is happy, then I, too will be happy.  :)

Pilipinas: Mid-2014

Daming nangyayari sa Pilipinas ngayon. Daming hang-ups, daming balita. From the PDAF scam to DAP, to El Niño, hazing, the 2016 election, Chinese island-grabbing. Dami ano? Sa isang housewife na tulad ko, nakaka-windang ng utak kapag isa isa mo silang inisip.Ano ba meron sa Pilipinas at ganito ka-grabe ang problema ng mga Filipino? Ganun ba tayo ka-special kay Papa God para bigyan tayo ng samu't-saring problema? Kaya ba natin to?

Two senators are now detained for the PDAF scam. Now, PNoy is under trouble for the DAP. Sabi ng SC "unconstitutional" daw. Others wanted him impeached. Sino papalit kapag na-impeached si PNoy? Si Binay? OMG. Our government system sucks. IMHO, It really does. Canadian pays higher taxes than us, and they don't give a damn if they do because you know what? They know that their taxes will serve them. Better health services, better lives for those who still lives below poverty line. The Canadian government provides for their people. Sa Pilipinas? the BIR is really doing their job in collecting taxes from the Filipino people, but who serves the Filipino? Certainly not the government. Wala ngang health services na libre e. The taxes go, as seen in the PDAF scam, in the pockets of the politicians. The same politician na binoto natin para pagsilbihan tayo, but it is going the other way around. We are serving them, by giving them our hard earned money, through taxes. Pag hindi ka nagbayad ng tax, sasabihin ng BIR, obligasyon yan ng bawat Filipino, pero pwera mga politiko???  Hindi ba't obligation nila na pagsilbihan si Juan dela Cruz?

El Niño phenomenon naman, eto na yata ang summer na grabe ang init. As in. At July na ha, pero feeling summer pa rin ang peg ng mga kababayan natin. We'll see kapag may tumama na naman na baha at bagyo sa metro, news-breaking ulit. Then dun sila magahahakot ng mga basura sa drainage. Sabi nga "AMAZING!!!"  huh???

Dami ng problema pa ng Pinas, tapos ayaw pa tayo tantanan ng China sa Spratly-issue. Ayaw pa i-balato na lang sa atin e .

 

Eto pa isang  nakaka-windang, who would've thought na yung presyo ng garlic at ginger e tataas ng at least 300 per kilo?  Mas mahal pa sa baboy at baka. Hay. Pero ika nga ng isang ordinaryong Pinoy, lilipas din yan, gaya ng mga problema natin, lilipas din ang lahat. 

Matiisin e.

But as a nation, we are blessed. Sa dinami-dami ng problema ng Pilipinas simula pa ni kopong-kopong e I can humbly say na isa tayo sa fave ni Papa God. We fall, yet we rise again, as one nation and one people. With beauty and with grace. 

It truly is more fun in the Philippines.Weh? Di nga??