Productive Weekend

I've had a productive weekend. First, I've finished my first DIY project. It was a hooded panda towel for my son. I'll try to post a separate blog about it. I'm into sewing nowadays inspired by a lot of talented and innovative people at Pinterest! Pinterest is my new Facebook. I can just browse for hours and always find something worth pinning. You'll discover a lot from that website. If you have Pinterest, do follow me here. I have another project in mind that I hope to finish next week.

Another thing I've done this weekend is baking! A simple recipe I read in my friends blog. It's called Banana and Nutella Muffins. Check her blog here for ingredients and instructions. Based from the reaction of my expert taster, it's delicious!

I've cleaned up a bit too and organize some things in the house. I think I'm subconsciously preparing the house for my mother's arrival. Every week, I'm cleaning something. First the kitchen, then the bathroom, last week the garden. Next will be the bedroom. I'm throwing or recycling things that clutter. I want her to see that I am a responsible daughter. That I can keep our home tidy and running even if she's not around. But I desperately wish she would be around soon. I miss her. The first couple of months she's away, I'm still ok. But come the third, the fourth month until now, I am dying of waiting for her. I've been homesick without her and I am counting the days until I can hug her again. 

Oh, I've watched Les Miserables too! Such beautiful story! Inspirational. I should read more classic stories. But the language sometimes bored me to sleep. Teehee.

I've accomplished a lot of things today and I am able to blog all about it! I should do this every weekend (or everyday!)

How did you spend your weekends? Productive or so-so?

The Mind Museum

Science is a wonderful thing. It's in every aspect of our lives. That's why I wanted to expose my son to it even if he is just two years old. We decided to visit The Mind Museum and begin our journey of wonder there :)

What makes it more fun is that the exhibits are explained in a light way. No scientific name or complex explanation. Simple yet very informative. You get to experiment everything yourself. When you have a toddler whose fascination comes from touching everything, disasters are inevitable! I always worry about it whenever my son and I are in the mall or in a restaurant. But here in The Mind Museum that is no problem. It is design for the young ones (and the young at hearts) to be interacted with and to be explore. And explore we did!

We were welcomed by AEDI. AEDI is idea spelled backwards.

Life size T-Rex skeleton.

That's how big the T-Rex footprint is.

Whale shark or Butanding. My son is in character here!

Evolution of human race.

That big metal ball when touched will make your hair stands on end. :)

Chocolate, anyone?

Look up bawal ang sad pose! Riley with the giant clams found in the Philippines.

Future archaeologist. 

We were allowed three hours maximum to roam the place but we didn't need all that time to check everything out. The regular cost of a ticket is P600. Too expensive in my opinion but because my sister and I were teachers we paid only P150 each. Hurray to the simple privileges of a teacher! Two feet below children were free of charge. My son is 3'2 feet tall so I pay P450 for him alone. His entrance costs twice as much of me and my sister! Oh, well. He did have fun, that's what matters most.

I hope I can bring him to a zoo next time. :)

The Mind Museum

JY Campos Park 3rd Avenue

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Website:  http://www.themindmuseum.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themindmuseum?fref=ts

E13

This is what's left of my indelible ink when I voted earlier today:

I wash Riley's clothes by hand, clean his bottles, wash the dishes, and clean Lucky's aquarium (Riley's pet turtle). My hand is pretty used up. But anyway, this post is not about my motherly duties. This is about the automated election. My sister is not yet home and its already 1:30 in the morning! She served as a Board of Election Instructors (BEIs). According to her text, they had problems with the PCOS machine and so they were delayed in transmitting the results. Apparently, 1671 incidents of PCOS machine problems were also reported. It makes me wonder, if an automated election is better than manual. The result may be faster with this kind of election, but what about the troubles, the glitches, the accuracy? When we deal with a non-living, non-thinking, no conscience machine, it's hard to rely on it 100%. 

Ah well, I'm hoping that we vote the right candidate. And let's just hope the machines would not fail to say so.

UPDATE: My sister is home. According to her, transmitting the results took a long while. The modem is slow or not working. She's even unsure if all the votes were transmitted. That's just her experience. I would have to ask my brother who served as PCOS technician about his experience.  

The Right Kind of Way of Disciplining

I am only on page 6 of this book but I am learning more than I bargained for when I bought this. It's that effective to me that my ways have mellow if not totally change. Being a single parent, I always feel the need to discipline Riley ALL.THE.TIME! I feel that one little mistake needs to be corrected immediately. Or it would result in bad habit and he'll grow up to be a bad person. Being the toddler that he is and the control freak that I am, sometimes I easily lashed it out on him. How can I make him understand that what I am doing is for his own good? That I just want to teach him the appropriate behavior. Before I got this book, I thought that hitting or slapping or shouting would make him remember not to do awful things all the more. But the effects are opposite. Spanking and shouting are counterproductive. In fact, they teach children - how to shout; how to hit; how to be sneaky; how to fear; how to be ashamed; and how to take anger out on others. (p.4) It's difficult to justify the admonition "Don't hit!" while you're hitting your child for hitting. Hitting begets hitting - as well as anger, revenge, etc. (p.5)

I don't want my son to grow like that. I am changing my ways day by day. So when the stubborn playful Riley caught me in a foul temper, I psyched myself not to react instinctively. I pause and control myself. Or, I blurted out "Disciplining without shouting or spanking" and I will suddenly remember why I shouldn't hit him when he have done something unacceptable. I stop being a disciplinarian and I try (harder!) to respond gentler with him. It takes a lot of patience! 

I still have 147 pages with this book but I think I already know what to do. I think I understand where my son is coming from. We don't want someone nagging at us all the time! Or someone who constantly controls everything. I want him to follow the rules because they are right and good and not out of fear. And in time, I hope he will grow up to be a good young boy. Isn't that what we all want for our children?

A Day at Tanay, Rizal

One of Delai Lama's rule: Every year go someplace you've never been before. I've never been to Rizal. It's an hour or so (depending on the traffic) away from Manila. Upon searching and reading different blogs about this province, I decided Tanay would be our destination this year.

First, we headed to Calinawan Cave. It comes from the word "linaw" or clear. Our tour guide told us that during the Japanese invasion, the cave serves as a hiding place for Filipino fighters. The cave has different sorts of stalactites and stalagmites. Which the tour guides are repeatedly reminding us not to touch. I thought I would feel suffocated inside and I constantly worry about my 2 year old son. But the cave is safe enough. There are low ceilings and steep part but as long as you took cautious steps and just be careful then you will be alright. It was like a workout when we finished touring the place! I was perspiring heavily and out of breath. It was a wonderful experience and a good exercise too!

From there, we went to Daranak Falls. The place was packed with tourist like us. Many children were already enjoying the cool water from the falls. It literally feels like the water have ice on it. From the shallow part, the water to me looks dirty but on the deeper part at the foot of the falls the water is semi clear. We had a nice time there but the only thing I complain is the comfort and shower rooms! They only have one CR with 5 cubicles. How would they accommodate hundreds (or thousands?) of people? Especially during summer season, they must think of things like that. 

To end our Tanay, Rizal adventure, we went to Tanay Lakeshore or Parola. When I saw pictures of this place in the internet, I thought it was a giant structure. But when I saw it, it's not that high! My thought, Hey I can climb that in seconds! Wrong. My knees were trembling after a few steps that I hold on to the railing so tight. Haha! Looks can be deceiving. I was a coward little girl. Because I have the camera, my sister was already scolding me for it took me forever to make it to the top. After few shots, I couldn't wait to descend. It was a funny experience! :)

Three places in one day. Rizal has satisfied the nature lover part of me.Will I return again to these places? Maybe. Maybe not. But if I ever visit again, maybe we'll try other spots like Daraitan River, Regina Rica, Kinabuan Falls and the Grotto. That's just some place you could visit in Rizal. But you could always explore and discover more!

Sony Cybershot DSC TX-20

Even before summer came, I was convincing my sister to buy a waterproof camera. I told her we could have all the fun posing underwater. And we do not have to worry about a thing. So upon my persuasion she bought a Sony Cybershot DSC TX-20 at Kimstore. It is cheaper there compare to SM outlets. There's only one way to put this gadget to the test: summer outing!

I'll tell you, I don't like this camera. I LOVE IT! We had fun having our underwater shots just as I predicted. We can bring it even if we're in pool and so we'd never miss any moments unlike with an ordinary camera. The 16.2 MP resolution brings crisp and clear images that I love. It is also very compact (small as a purse!) and yet very stylish. It has a touch screen monitor and easy to use. The only thing I didn't like is its battery. It drains fast. Or maybe we were using it for a longer time and we're taking pictures non-stop. But I can live with that. Aside from being waterproof, it is also shockproof and dustproof. One of the features of this camera that decides me to choose this among other waterproof camera is the panoramic shot.

Panoramic Shot - Click and just slide to the right and the TX20 will create a panoramic view for you!

The view of Daranak Falls in Tanay, Rizal. Our destination this summer.

Waters from the Daranak Falls are refreshing

Underwater shots are perfection! :)

To check the complete specifications of this camera, click in here.

Virtual Zoo

When my sister and I renewed our teacher's license at PRC last week, we didn't pass the chance of going to DIVISORIA! I heart Divisoria. It's hard not to like it because everywhere you look, there is a bargain. I promise not to buy anything but when I saw discounted items here and there, ahhh I lose self control. But it's all good since as I said it's very affordable. DV is one of my favorite places. Anyway, after we shopped, we went to Virtual Zoo. It is located at the fourth floor of Tutuban Center Mall. I thought I will have to force my son to take his picture there but no, no, no, to my surprise he likes the Virtual Zoo!

We  have to return to DV the following day because one of the bags that my sister bought has damage. That's a tip there for everyone. Check the items thoroughly before you buy it. They're cheap but some have damage on it. So we went again for the second time and this time, I brought my DSLR. The pictures are much better in my taste.

And the best thing about the Virtual Zoo is it's free!