These Days

Last Saturday, we ventured to the south.  Cavite and Alabang used to be our home/playground and I looked forward to the change in scenery, even if part of the reason was housecleaning.=) We cleaned our house in Dasmarinas which was recently vacated by tenants.  Neil's first 15 months were spent here and it holds a lot of beautiful memories.  The house needed TLC. While Richard and yaya cleaned the house, Neil and I explored the old neighborhood. Borrowed the neighbor's car. By the neighbor's pool. Wide open space for walking and running around.   Enjoying the province. We were there for less than 2 hours because Richard needed to meet somebody in ATC.  A lot still needed to be done but we've hired a contractor to help with minor repairs and landscaping. Richard's appointment was very brief so we had time to go around ATC, still one of my favorite malls.  They've added a new building in front (used to be parking area).  It loo

Enrolling Neil in a regular school is one of the best decisions we made last year.  The regular exposure to his classmates and teachers (adults other than us) and different activities has significantly helped in his development.  His moving up program from Junior Nursery was last week, March 20.  This is his second time on the big stage.  ( First time here .) Opening number - Prayer Song/Lupang Hinirang For their class number, he has not been very participatory during practice (preferred to walk around or read) so he was out-of-synch most of the time.  But he enjoyed it, which matters more. After the performance, they were given awards.  Neil was Eager Reader.  Of course! =) We took a few portraits outside the auditorium. Then had lunch at Luk Yuen. A day to remember.=)

It's been a while since I used the DSLR... I did not bring it to the US, Baguio or the Pyrolympics.  I have favored the convenience of the point-and-shoot lately. Last Saturday, I decided to take pictures of Neil at the playground with the DSLR and I was reminded of why I used to carry it around almost everyday.  I must do this more often.=) Neil, March 17, 2012

March 18, 2012 SM Mall of Asia Overpass along EDSA Fireworks # 1 Us The annual Pyrolympics has become a very popular event in Manila.  We decided to go last Saturday because it was the last one.  Apparently, half of the city had the same idea.  The traffic and crowd was unbelievable.  We parked at Blue Wave, walked to the bayside and watched just the first show.  Even if I wanted to stick around, it was more practical to leave the place before everybody else. This was Neil's first Pyrolympics and he was really amazed, at the start.  Then he became less interested and even before the show ended, he already wanted to go home.  We were driving along Macapagal Blvd when the second show started.  I think that was better based on what little we saw.

The preaching last Sunday, Intrusion: Under the Tree, is from the book of Judges, specifically Gideon.  After roaming the desert for 40 years, the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua conquered Jericho and many other tribes and nations because the Lord was with them.   After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)  The mighty nation of Israel were conquered by their enemies and came into extreme hardship   because they forsook the Lord.  It was in this season when Gideon encountered the Lord. The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.  When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?

March 17, 2012 Last day in Junior Nursery. This photo isn't technically good (maximum zoom on the p&s) but I love it because it captures his personality.  He's an observer. One thing I love about being on flexi-time at work is that I can take Neil to school in the mornings and pick him up after.  I would be sad if I have to miss any of his school activities. This wasn't officially a school event but Richard and I were both there on his last day in Junior Nursery.  One of his classmates celebrated a birthday, thus the party hats.

I had very little time spent at home from the US trip before I had to leave again for a 3-day teambuilding in Baguio.  I literally just had about 4 hours to unpack, pack, take a shower and nap.  I did not even get to interact with Neil but what can one do?  Call of duty. This is a late post because I took very few photos on the p&s and I was not most in them.  So I had to copy from my colleagues, for proof.  We were in meetings most of the time and had very little opportunity to go around, but it' ok since I have seen most of the tourist spots from my last visit in 2008 with the family.  The BenCab Museum will have to be done some other time... Good morning, Baguio! As expected, I struggled with jetlag and work backlog while in Baguio.  It helped that there were interactive/physical team activities together with the presentations to keep me awake.  All good! In meetings like this, food is never missing! Of note are Seafood Island, Forest House, Cafe by the Rui

March 11. Someone you talked to today Em's last lakad with us before leaving for China for 2+ years. March 13. A sign Elevator # 23 March 14. Clouds By night.  I took this photo at midnight. March 15. Car Our 16-year old car. March 16. Sunglasses I don't wear these a lot. March 17. Green Construction site March 18. A corner of your home  I have to sort and iron these.

Intrusion - to put oneself deliberately in a situation where one is unwelcome or uninvited. Week 2 of VCF's current preaching series Intrusion is about Joshua and the battle of Jericho.  This is a popular story in the Bible and tells of how the Israelites conquered Jericho after 40 years in the desert.  They were armed and ready to finally take hold of the land promised to them. Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”  “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”(Joshua 5:13-14) In the verse, Joshua asked about whose side the man was on.  When God intrudes, it is never about sides, it's always about His will.  Even though Joshua was commander of the Israelites, he reco

Nido has an ongoing promo which runs until March 17 - free entrance to the Science Discovery Center in MOA with proof of purchase.  We drink a lot of Nido at home so we collected the labels and checked it out on Sunday, March 10. Futuristic theme inside. On the flight simulator. Inside the Digistar Planetarium. We loved the Ultimate Universe show! Astroboy! The robot that's supposed to play the piano. Playing with the iPad. The movie Ultimate Universe was awesome, best feature of this center in my opinion.  The rest of the exhibits could use some love (robot does not work, broken chairs inside the planetarium, wood and other supplies just stashed near the elevators).  For what you see, I think the P300 regular entrance fee is too much...  No wonder there weren't a lot of people there, even on a weekend. I don't know if they rotate or change any of the exhibits but it would help if the displays change every so often to encourage rep