The Kids' Summer Activities

During summer vacation, we make it a point that our kids will engage in a hobby or sports activity. These activities help them develop their skills, talents and creativity. They also meet new friends and make them socialize.

Geoffrey enrolled at Ateneo's Chess Clinic. I already taught Geof the basics of Chess but here he learned to play with kids of his age and sometimes younger. Geof received the "Sportmanship" award and a gold medal for topping the Chess puzzles for beginners. Geof knows the moves the chess pieces but he still has to learn the strategies of the game, particularly, aiming for the check mate.

Julia, on the otherhand, enrolled at the Ateneo's Swimming Lessons. The first day was a nightmare for Julia because her coach asked her to do the bubbles. Not yet trained on the bubbles, Julia drank some water and cried running to her mommy. Apple then taught Julia how to do the breathing. After that brief trauma, Julia enjoyed her swimming lessons with her new coach (not the day one coach) who is more systematic and patient. She learned quickly and developed her confidence in the water. She practices her swimming skills with Apple at Celebrity Place.

Oh yes, the kids also enjoyed biking at the UP Diliman Oval during Sundays. We tried to teach Geof to bike on two wheels. Geof was struggling in his bicycle without the training wheels. His uncles from Malabon also tried teaching him. He still needs to learn how to balance and stir the handle properly. Julia, on the otherhand, enjoys riding her new bike (our gift on her 5th birthday).

Hooked on Greek Mythology

Last summer vacation, I bought Book One of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan for my son, Geoffrey. After two days, Geof finished reading it. Book Two, The Sea Monsters followed, then Book Three, The Titan's Curse and then Book Four, The Battle of the Labyrinth. I tried to buy Book Five, The Last Olympian but can't find a copy in any bookstore so far. Apple and I were also intrigued by the interest of Geof in reading the book that we also read the four books. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a modern tale with the characters of Greek Mythology as protagonists and villains. The gods, goddesses, half-bloods and monsters live in the modern world. You will find here gods like Poseidon described as wearing beach shorts, Hawaian shirt and sandals, Apollo driving a Maserati car and Mt. Olympus located at the Empire State Building in New York..

I remember reading the Mythology book by Edith Hamilton during my highschool days but I didn't developed a liking on the theme of myths. However, after reading Percy Jackson Books, my interest in Greek Mythology was ignited. Thus I tried to find a book on mythology and found one, Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology by Michelle M. Houle which is downloadable at scribd. This book is simple to read. It has illustrations and also review questions. It's a good introduction to Greek Mythology.

My First Experience with Onsen

Oct 2009.

Onsen is every woman’s dream. One will really fall - line, hook, and sinker - with Onsen. I was liberated and blissfully contented with my experience with Onsen.

Alright, Onsen is not a person (although one would really wish it is). It’s the Japanese public bath, with natural, mineral, hot water.

I made a mental decision to try out the Onsen as soon as I learned that I will be staying in Japan for two months. When the opportunity came, however, I was a bit fidgety and was on the verge of backing-out. Hey, I was brought up in a society incubated by Christianity for almost 400 years. The whole educational and socialization process I received taught me that I should only show my body to my partner. Read: Naked body = Malice. Now, that is a lot of baggage to shackle.

Needless to say, I have limited exposure to a naked body. More than that, the only naked body I’ve seen of a woman is myself! Well, of course I’ve seen also lots of pictures from educational and health books, but I don’t think that counts.

Public baths are separated by gender, but there are also common baths – but that is way too much for me to even imagine entering.

D-day comes. Ok, now what should I do. I was asking my Japanese friend and (self-appointed) guide Kaori every single step.

“This area is where we remove our clothes, and put them in lockers. You can bring a small towel to cover parts of your body.” Mmmm, others were doing it nonchalantly, I’d definitely look funny if I appear too prude. Ok, strip away.

Then we entered another door, where the public bath is supposed to be located. Just imagine the image that jumped out on me. So many naked women, walking here and there, no care about the world! I was the one who felt ashamed of their nakedness (as I’ve said, I had a lot of conceptual and cultural baggage).

“This is the public bath, but you have to wash yourself first.” On the side are ‘shower corners’ where you’ll find liquid soap, shampoo, a plastic basin, a plastic stool, and a hand-held shower.
After cleaning myself, I dip in the bath. It was pleasantly hot (40 C) and women were chatting in every corner, while some just enjoy their aloneness. Of course it’s an understatement to say that I observed every single event happening in the Onsen. It was a totally new experience for me and it’s justifiable for me to be curious.

Different women, all shapes, sizes, texture, age, disposition. Women I know, women who are strangers. All naked, all natural in their nakedness. I began to relax about my own. It totally gave me a whole new perspective about one’s body. And I began to celebrate our being women.

Now I appreciate why great painters in the world glorify the woman’s body. The curves, the slopes, the bulges, the voluptuousness …. in a strange way these are exactly what makes a woman’s body beautiful. Now, I am at peace with my own. Liberating is exactly the right word for this experience.

Now you know why I glorify Onsen. My experience with it totally gave me a whole new perspective about myself, the body, and women-solidarity.

And yes, I am totally hooked with Onsen!

(Maybe it's just me. But I really find this curiously amusing: While in the bath, I transferred from the indoor to the outside pool where you'll feel the cold wind that signals the beginning of winter while you soak in the hot mineral water-filled pool. It was really bliss! While walking towards the pool, I gingerly try to cover my private part with my small towel - never mind the breast as I don't really have much. But I noticed that the Japanese women in the bath would cover their breast every time they get out of the pool, not their privates. Mmmm...another case of cultural difference on which part of the body is regarded more important? :)

Remembering Corazon - our lovable Mom

A Mother's Love Detremines How*

(Copyright by NicholasNicholas Gordon)

A mother's love determines

How we love ourselves and others.

There is no sky we'll ever see

Not lit by that first love.
Stripped of love, the universe

Would drive us mad with pain;

But we are born into a world

That greets our cries with joy.

How much I owe you for the kiss

That told me who I was!

The greatest gift--a love of life--

Lay laughing in your eyes.
Because of you my world still has

The soft grace of your smile;

And every wind of fortune bears

The scent of your caress

Corazon Coronel Oreta is our mom. What do I remember about my Mommy?
1. HARDWORKING: To proivde us a comfortable life and good education after my Dad passed away, my Mom worked as a pharmacist at the former Basa Air Base, Pampanga and managed a drug store ( I remember watching the store during school breaks) and a small karinderia (restaurant) for the air force men at Basa Air Base. She also travelled to Zamboanga, buying goods (blankets, textiles, etc) and sell them in Manila. She managed a canteen with my cousin, Ate Dina, at a tannery in Guiginto, Bulacan.

2. LOVES READING AND MOVIES: It was through her that I developed the hobby of reading pocket books and novels. I read almost all the books she read like Airport, Lust for Life, etc. She also loves watching movies just like my Daddy. I remember the last movie she watched with me and my sister, Cosette, at Recto, "The Deer Hunter" starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.

3. VERY PATIENT AND PERSISTENT: Despite her sickness (cancer), she never complained about the pain. I remember she wrote in one of her memoirs, "this pain is so small compared to what Jesus experienced during his crucifixion ..."

4. HER LIFE WAS FOR HER CHILDREN: She is a selfless mother. All her actions were for the good of her children - five of us (Rose, Lou, Jun, Andy and Cosette). She was not capable of giving us the luxuries of life, but she gave us our life, education and values which we cherish to this day. Our Mom died young - only 48 years old - I wonder how she will feel if ever she lived longer. We now have our own families and we owe our comfortable lives to Mom and Dad.

As a tribute to our mom and my children's lola, I named our daughter, Julia CORAZON.

Kids love your Moms!


*The poem above comes from the ff site: http://www.poemsforfree.com/molove.html - Copyright by Nicholas Gordon

Nurture Shock - New Thinking About Children

Based on researches conducted in the US about the science of children, Nurture Shock by Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman reveals that many of our assumptions about kids can no longer be counted on. This book reveals that “many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring.” Many of the assumptions about child development have actually “distorted parenting habits, school programs and social policies. “ With evidence revealed by researches (mostly in the US) on various aspects related to kids, the book teaches us “to think differently – more deeply and clearly – about children.” Here are some insights I got from the book:

The Inverse Power of Praise:
> Giving always the label that your kids are “smart” might cause them to under-perform. Some of these “smart” kids will tend to discount the importance of effort because they think that they already have the natural gift of intelligence.

> Excessive praise may distort the children's motivation; the kids may begin to do things merely to hear the praise, losing sight of intrinsic enjoyment.

> Excessivley praised kids by parents feel so much pressure and tend to focus only on the grade or achievement and not on the effort. Sometimes they may resort to cheating because they come to believe that failure is something so terrible that their parents won't accept.

> Praise the “process” more than the “outcome.” Praise your child for his/her effort, time and persistence to improve not only the achievement.

The Lost Hour:
> When kids grow and go to school, the number of hours of sleeping decreases from the usual 8 hours to 7 hours. At least one hour of sleeping time is lost. The loss hour has many impacts on the kids.

> A loss hour of sleep is equivalent to the loss of two years of cognitive maturation and development affecting the kid's IQ and academic performance.
> The lack of sleep weakens a child capacity to learn during the day.

> Recognizing the impact of the lack of sleep in kids, some schools in the US moved the school time start from 7:25 AM to 8:30 AM and found positive changes especially the brightest kids.

> School here in the Manila (e.g. Ateneo Grade School) starts at 7:30 AM. Kids have to wake up as early as 5:00 AM to be able to come to school on time because of the traffic during rush hours. To have at least 8 hours of sleep, kids should sleep at 9:00 PM. After reading this book, I ordered my son, Geof to sleep at 9:00 PM, but often this is not followed because he got used to waiting for us who sleep late (usually 10:30 PM). So parents must sleep early also to make their kids sleep early.

Why kids lie:
> Kids lie to avoid punishment and to get praise.
> Kids lie to increase their social power and sense of control.
> Kids lie as a coping mechanism – to get attention from peers.
> Kids learn to lie from us, adults also..
> Parents need to teach kids the worth of honesty just as much as they need to say lying is wrong. The more kids hear the message, the more quickly they will take this lesson to heart.

Other interesting topics in the book:
The Sibling Effect – Why siblings fight
The Science of Teen Rebellion – Why arguing with adults is a sign of respect and constructive.
Why Hannah Talks and Alyssa Doesn't – What's the right way to accomplish the goal of jump-starting infant's language skills.

Tools for the Digitally Creative

Apple and I are educators and we need to improve our teaching and learning skills by using advanced technology. With the advance digital tools available - some are free and some commercially available at reasonable price - we can create creative presentations and materials that can enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. Through the blog painless technology, I found this slide presentation - 70 Tools 70 Minutes - which is about various digital tools that you may use in creating digital outputs - images, audio, movies, blogs, etc. I have used some of the tools already and found them useful and simple to use. Try the links to these useful resources and explore what you can do with the various digital resources that are available in the internet - most of them are free!

70 Tools 70 Minutes

View more presentations from Silvia Tolisano.

Thai Cereals Cookies

Whenever our friend Jerry visits Manila, he brings Thai cereals cookies. Julia loves them. Like the Japanese, the Thais have also mastered the art of packaging simple food like cereals. I think the Filipinos are better in food preparation but they have to learn the art of packaging to make their food products appealing and enticing to buy.

A Good Time at Tagaytay's ZOOs by Geof

View of Taal volcano and lake

We had a nice time in Residence Inn and paradiZOO at Tagaytay City last March 14, 2010. First, we went to Residence Inn, a mini-zoo of wild animals. I was able to interact with a baby tiger. There, I was also able to touch a python. It was AWESOME! We discovered more animals like monkeys, birds, lions, tigers, owls and lots more snakes.

SSSSSSSSSnake!

Bee kingdom

ParadiZOO

We also went to paradiZOO, another attraction managed by the Residence Inn. A shuttle bus brought us there. It was a fifteen minute ride. There, I learned about farm animals, butterflies and bees. We even saw a bee hive! Mommy brought two bottles of honey. There was even a pet cemetery... spooky!!! Then finally before leaving the zoo, I bought a yummy strawberry milkshake which I shared with my sister Julia. We had a very good time. I wish I could go there again!

Blog written by Geof - 31 March 2010

Geof: "Look at bee hive...zzzzzzzzz!"

Remembering Dad

Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture” is both a book and a movie (This can be viewed at YouTube) which celebrates the dreams of his childhood that he has realized. “The Last Lecture” is Randy’s farewell lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 before he died of cancer in 2008. He delivered this lecture specifically for his three little children – the oldest then was Dylan at five years old – so when they get older they will know who their father was and hopefully they will learn lessons from Randy's life as a son, father, teacher and computer science professor.

After reading the book and watching the movie, I reflected about my past and my own father. My Dad also died very early at only 43 years old, when I was just only nine years old. What do I remember about him? Not so much now, but there are still images of him that really stick in my memories. Let me share a list of ten memories about him..

• He is strict and a disciplinarian. He keeps a narra wood which we were afraid he may use whenever he gets angry at us. But he never used it on us – not because we were behaved but because he loved us.


• He loves to tease people as a sign of his fondness (“lambing”) for them. He calls his closest friends and relatives names like “Kotat”, “Bulugan”, “Kukang”.


• He loves watching movies – only English movies, no Tagalog movies. I remember our regular trips at the movie houses in Cubao (Odeon, Remar, New Frontier) and Avenida (Dynasty, Galaxy, Cinerama, Ideal, Podmon).


• He loves to cook and eat. I remember that he loves to grill a specific type of fish similar to the Sanma in Japan and cooks adobo of a certain type of bird which he always buy whenever we come from Pampanga. He likes roasting chestnuts during Christmas.


• He loves San Miguel Beer. Every night he drinks one bottle of beer.


• He loves dogs – specifically the German Shepherds. Our dogs then were named Laika and Brutus. We have cages at the back of our house built for these dogs.


• He loves taking photos of his family and friends. We have family photo albums and in most of the pictures he is not there coz he’s the one taking them.


• He loves going outing with relatives usually swimming at Los Banos’ hot spring pools.


• He wants his kids to enjoy life with various activities and toys. He taught me how to play chess. He brought us to swimming lessons at San Beda College. I remember when in a toy store he asked me and my Kuya to choose the toy we want for Christmas. I chose a plastic military Jeep (similar to the Rat Patrol) and my brother got a wooden train.


• He was proud of his children. I remember occasions where he wants his friends to see my brother and I to show-off in a gun draw.

I wonder how will I be remembered by my two kids as a father. Geof, in the recent “Father and Son Day” at Ateneo, wrote me a letter and thanked me for teaching him in his Math lessons. I hope Geof becomes good in Math. That will be my legacy to him.

Father and Son Day

February 26, 2010 was the Father and Son Day at the Ateneo Grade School (AGS) for Grade 4. It was a day that Geof has been excited about. The day started with Geof and I pitching the tent at the AGS grounds at about 4:00 PM. Then at 5:30 PM , we proceeded to the AGS Covered Courts to watch group praictice their Michael Jackson dance for the evening program. The Grade 4 kids and fathers were divided into four groups - each group performing an MJ dance. Our group - the Yellow Group had MJ's songs of "They don't really care about us" and "Smooth Criminal" as the backgorund music. The evening program started at 8:00 PM. The program was fun - the kids and parents enjoyed the games and performances - it was really funny to see the aging fathers dance. Before the program ended, the fathers and sons exchanged letters - containing personal messages of :
> Thank you Son/Dad for ...

> I am proud of you for ...

> I am sorry for ...

> I hope that ...

> I love you, Son/Dad.

I kept the letters at the files of Geof for him to read when he grows up.

It was a touching moment for both of us - Geof and I - sharing our thoughts between ourselves. After the program, we had our midnight snacks and then proceeded at the tent to rest and sleep. The next day at 7:00 AM, it was a new day for the fathers and sons to continue to share and live a fruitful life together.

The lesson in this activity is : "Enjoy one's company everyday."

Sagip Batis sa QC

Ondoy comes to my mind, whenever I see the pile of garbage dumped on the creeks and rivers. We have a creek near our subdivision at Carmell II in Quezon City. I always pass the bridge whenever I bring my daughter to school and recently I noticed the mess - plastic, paper, styro - dumped on the creek. It was an awful site and a smelly creek. Although our subdivision was not flooded by Ondoy, I feel that something needs to be done.

Clean-up

I  sent the photo to my former DLSU student, Onyx Crisologo, son of our congressman, Bingbong Crisologo and asked him to forward this to his father for possible action. I also plan to send a letter to our baranggay captain at Bahay Toro about the condition of the creek. I know our barangay can be relied on as I reported one case about a damaged manhole, and our barangay responded immediately. About two weeks passed and still no action. On the third week, I noticed workers cleaning the creek and garbage men collecting the sacks of garbage. The workers came from Quezon City Hall under the Oplan: Sagip Batis sa QC or Project Save the Stream. Cleaning the creek was so tedious and it took them about a week to completely remove the garbage.

 

After the clean-up! Wow!

Congratulations to the QC Environmental Protection Waste Management Department (EPWMD) for responding immediately to the problem. Thanks Onyx. I believe you will become a good councilor in our district.

POSTSCRIPT: Two weeks had past since this post and I noticed that the garbage is starting to pile up again. Di na ba tayo matututo?

To the residents of our subdivision and nearby areas, please protect our rivers and creeks. Keep them clean. HUWAG MAGTAPON NG BASURA SA ILOG!

Let us be responsible citizens. Be pro-active.

The Fisherman's Grill: Sisig, Buro at iba pa

Forty five minutes to an hour. That's the duration of the road trip (from the Balintawak toll plaza) to San Fernando, Pampanga. Every time we find an excuse, we hit the road and travel this route. After-all, I am married to a Kapampangan.

The common view that Kapampangans are good cooks is an understatement. Maybe when the gods distributed rewards, they handed the gift of taste to this region. They are great cooks and can whip magic in the kitchen!

Recently, we've discovered a restaurant that offers various Pampanga dishes at very, very (and I mean very) reasonable price. It's called Fisherman's Grill. It's just on the side of the road so you won't miss it.

Outside, it doesn't look too fancy, but it doesn't also look like the side-road 'carinderia.' It has that 'dignified-but-not-sosyal' look. Inside, it is clean and welcoming.

When you are ready to order, the waitress would lead you to the counter where all the available food/ dishes are on display. This is very helpful especially for an outsider who is not familiar with the names of the dishes on the menu (like moi). Once you've made your choice, your ordered dish is reheated/ re-sauteed/ re-fried to get that fresh-newly-cooked feel.

We had the pleasure of trying out the following dishes (on separate occasions, mind you): fried hito (catfish), fried lapu-lapu, fish sinigang (bittersoup), sauteed mixed-seafood, chopsuey, (mixed vegetable with pork meat and liver), pork sisig, and boiled (fresh) veggies with buro (fermented rice). All of these are really tasty, but I'd like to give a special ode-to-joy to two dishes that I've only learned to appreciate and enjoy after I married a Kapampangan: buro and sisig.

Buro is cooked rice mixed with 'flavoring' - either cooked fish or shrimp - placed in a tight container and left to ferment for days. When 'done,' the fermented-flavored rice is sauteed with generous amount of garlic (fried to golden brown), and seasoned with salt. In the past, just thinking about this food makes my stomach churn (I call it "panis" na kanin). But, there's always a first time. And, just like other 'first times,' I enjoyed the experience.

But I also learned to be very particular with the 'buro' I eat - after all, it's still 'panis na kanin' (fermented rice) and hence, if the preparation is not good or clean, it can actually make your stomach upset. Needless to say, I only eat 'buro' prepared by someone I know, or restaurants with good reputation.

Fisherman's Grill, to my delight, prepares their buro to my standard - clean, tasty, well-cooked. It goes very well with fresh-boiled vegetables (ampalaya, talong, okra) and fried fish.

The other dish worth mentioning here is the 'sisig.' Given my parents' aversion to pig-fat (taba), I grew up avoiding it in my food (meticulously removing it in my dish). Naturally, sisig - a dish that brings together the pig's ear, liver, pork meat and taba - is something that I don't go ga-ga with. This dish is usually served in a hot plate (thus, all the pork-fat sizzles). The sisig preparation at Fisherman's Grill is worth coming back for. It is simple, no-frills, sauteed pig-innards, meat, fat and all - allowing the natural taste of the meat to come out. Just be careful not to eat too much, lest your blood pressure and cholesterol shoots up.

How reasonable is 'reasonable'?For four main dishes plus four cups of rice, two glasses of buko juice and one C2 iced tea, our total bill was only less than P600.00. At Fisherman's Grill, you can really say "mura na, manyaman pa (masarap pa)."

Exotic foods we dare you to try (I'm also daring myself to try:) Adobong Camaru (crickets) and Sizzling Puga (fish eggs).

To go to Fisherman's Grill: Take the flyover (McDo) and go straight until you reach the next intersection, then turn right. You will find the resto at the left side.

Nine C's of Leadership

"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? ... We've got a gang of bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, ... the President is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, ...we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind ....But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.' .. ... Stay the course? You've got to be kidding... This is a country, not the damned Titanic" - Lee Iacoca

Lee Iacoca's book "Where have all the leaders gone" was written for the Americans in 2007 challenging them to choose their leaders wisely in the 2008 US elections. But the book is very much relevant to the Philippines especially now that we are going to elect our new leaders in May 2010. As a matter of fact by just replacing the names/words like "George Bush" to "Gloria Arroyo", "USA" to "Philippines, etc. it would appear that Iacoca wrote this book for the Filipinos.

One of the highlights of the book is Iacoca's nine C's of leadership. He shares his ideas being a successful CEO about leadership and listed nine points or qualities that every true leader should have. Here is a slide presentation of his nine C's:

The Nine C’S Of Leadership

Iacoca concludes that the ninc C's are ideals, and there are very few people - even leaders- who have all of them. But if you look back in history, you'll notice that different times require a different emphasis. Examples : Jimmy Carter was elected because people care more about CHARACTER than Charisma. With Ronald Reagan and Barrack Obama, it was all about CHARISMA and COMMUNICATION. In the Philippines, Cory Aquino was elected because of her CHARACTER and CONVICTION, Erap, on the otherhand, had CHARISMA but he got ousted because he has poor character. Unfortunately, Gloria was elected using COMMUNICATION inappropriately (remember, Hello Garci!).

In the May 2010 Philippine elections, I believe the three most important C's to consider are CHARACTER (he knows what's right and wrong), COMPETENCE (he has a good team) and COURAGE (he takes a position even if it will lose votes or friends).

I just hope that our voters will not select our leaders because of another C which means CUTE! I noticed students during the Presidential forum at DLSU-Manila recently who were so "kilig" upon seeing the young and "cute" presidential candidate [who can not even answer a straight yes or no :-( ].

What about you, what C's would you consider in choosing our next president?

Note: I bought Iacoca's Where have all the leaders gone? at FullyBooked (Trinoma) at 80% OFF. What a bargain!

Fishballs atbp at UP

Fishballs, banana cue, karioka (sweet and chewy rice balls), sugar donuts, flavored corn - these are our favorite street foods at UP. Every Sunday, after hearing mass at the UP Chapel, we make it a point to buy one of these simple street foods at the UP Shopping Center.

Apple's favorite is the karioka. My favorites are the fish balls and the squid balls dipped in spicy sauce. The fish ball is a popular snack at UP since my college days here 30 years ago. The kolehiyas in UP used to say then: "Let's make tusok-tusok the fishballs." The kids love the sugar donuts, the corn with cheese flavor and the banana cue. Oh, I remember the banana cue - it has been our staple snack for two years during our Citizen's Military Training sessions at UP.
Street foods have gone a long way. Before, they used to be the food of the poor masses. Now, you will find street food carts inside air-conditioned malls with fancy brand names. The rich and famous are now eating fishballs, betamax(grilled chicken intestines), quek-quek (quail eggs), etc. But when can the poor eat the expensive caviar? :-(

Sundays at UP Diliman: "Best afternoon ever!"

I think it's clear that our family enjoys what we call "cheap thrills." In fact, that's what this blog site is all about - to discover fun and enjoyable things without having to spend a fortune.

One thing that we as a family really enjoy is spending lazy afternoons at the UP (University of the Philippines-Diliman) Oval. Every Sunday, the UP-Oval is closed to traffic. Here, you will see joggers, bikers and children playing. At the grassy area surrounding the oval, you will find families on picnic, sleeping on mats, playing frisbee, and during summer, flying kites (I still remember our picnic and kite flying with the families of Renan, Joseph, Ronnie and Jun more than 2 years ago). If you happen to take a stroll, maybe you'll spot us there - with Geof flying his toy airplanes, Julia playing with her remote-controlled car, and Andy and I either sleeping or reading a nice book.

As Geof likes to say -"this is the best afternoon ever!"

Our Top Blog Posts in 2009

"Living the Good Life for Less" started with a blog post on "Delicious Ampalaya (Appetizers)" in December 11, 2008 and it has been more than one year that our family has been blogging about our adventures in food, shopping, traveling, books and movies. Here is a summary of our blog (up to Jan 7, 2010):

> Flag Counter: Readers from 76 different countries visited our blog with 56.1% from the Philippines, 22.8% from the USA and the rest from other countries.

> Sitemeter: There were about 5,472 total visits (upto Jan 7 - 9:50 AM) with an average of 13 visits per day and about 1.3 minutes visit length.

> Our Top Blog Posts (based on Sitemeter from the most recent 100 visits) were:

1. Our Favorites at Lola Idang: Lola Idang's at Visayas Ave., QC serves "lutong bahay" dishes like kare-kare, crispy hito and pancit.

2. Japanese Goma (Salad) Dressing: I like my salad (simple chopped cabbage) with the Japanese Goma. Apple brought more bottles from Tokyo and Daisy gave us a bottle as a Christmas pasalubong.

3. Anthony Bourdain eats Pampanga's Sisig: Oh, I miss the sisig! Do you know that original sisig from Pampanga is not served in a hot plate?

4. Pinoy Takoyaki: I am still on a Takoyaki hunt. I just tasted takoyaki at Robinson's Manila. Read my comments at my blog.

5. Takoyaki Balls, Upended- Bakudan!: Apple's blog post about takoyaki look-alike balls but bigger which she tried while looking for bargain shops at Okachimachi, Tokyo.

6. Suzhou Dimsum in Malate: A small but interesting Chinese restaurant that serves authentic Chinese delicacies. It has been one year since our last visit here.

7. A Garden Restaurant at UP Diliman: We just had our lunch here at Chateau Verde last Sunday (Jan 3). Still my favorite and now Geof's favorite is the Poached Fish Fillet.

Thankful for the Blessings in 2009

With the coming of the new year, we look back to the things that we are thankful for. We are thankful for:
1. Our family and friends - without them we would not have achieved our personal and professional accomplishments, and with them, these achievements have become more meaningful.
2. Our students. Being both educators, Andy and I are rooted on the ground because of our students. In a way, they are our biggest fans and critics - how they perform in their exams, project, thought papers, class discussions, computations, research papers, among others, clearly tell us how we fared as their teachers.
3. Our people. No matter what one says, Filipinos are still worth fighting for, and if necessary, dying for. It may sound like a broken record, even a cliche but we have seen so much heroism among our people, and it makes our hearts bleed when politicians wantonly use "the people" to justify their own selfishness.

Last Dec. 30, 2009 we witnessed the fireworks display at the QC Memorial Circle. It was a 15 minute thrill for the kids. Let's welcome the new year with hope and do our part to make our country better. Happy New Year to all.

Christmas Trees for the Planet

When you visit SM's The Block at North EDSA, Quezon City, you will see a display of Christmas Trees made from recycled materials. Recognizing the effects of man's actions on the environment and the impact of climate change on us, it is just fitting to increase public awareness on protecting the environment - thus these decorative trees are tributes to our planet. There is no need to cut a tree just to create you Christmas tree. You can use bottles, newspapers, old toys and electronic gadgets, waste materials like coconut husk, etc to create an innovative Christmas tree. What you need is a little imagination, artistic and creative skills, glitters and paint.. whola.. a Beautiful Tree for our Lord and for the Planet.

To the readers of "Living the Good Life for Less",

we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2010.

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon 2010!

Feasting on Cold Cuts, Cheese and Sausages at Le Gourmet

I was introduced by a friend to Le Gourmet at Shop Wise - Harrison Plaza (back of De La Salle University, Manila). The eating place is right inside the Shop Wise Supermart, beside the bread section.

The place is an innovative mix of "turo-turo" (point to what you like) and sit-down meal. Costumers are asked to order the cold cut of choice (offered at Le Gourmet), sold at a minimum of 100 grams per order. And they do have a wide array of cold cuts - from the simple (and cheap) to the more exquisite (and pricey).

The bread, drinks, spreads, and other food items - which are available in the supermart - can be purchase alongside the cold cuts. - meaning, you can pay for these items at the cashier of Le Gourmet. If you wish, you can even order veggies and mayonnaise. The staff will heat the bread and slice the cold cuts for you, serve these in a platter, and voila you have an instant stomach-filling merienda (snacks)

I brought my family at Le Gourmet when we were in the vicinity of Harrison Plaza. We ordered 100 gms each of sweet ham, hungarian sausage, meat loaf and cheese, bread (breakfast rolls), three bottled drinks and 2 cups of brewed coffee. Five of us shared the meal (total cost about P300.00 or P60 per person). My son, Geof enjoyed the cold cuts so we ordered more for take-out. Apple plans to buy the sweet ham here for Christmas.

With this kind of service at Le Gourmet, you can taste different kinds of cold cuts and cheese - Hungarian, Austrian, German etc - without spending too much. By the way, you can also "make your own sandwich." The staff will prepare your sandwich, according to what you want to put inside, and you only pay for the exact amount of items you take.

At Le Gourmet, you can enjoy good quality cold cuts and bread at a very reasonable price. (Seating capacity is limited, though). I hope there are also Le Gourmet in other Shop Wise branches.

Celebrating Geof's BDay at Tempura

Geoffrey turned 10 yrs old last December 3, 2009. His original choice of resto - Amici (T. Morato Ave., QC) had no parking so we went to Thompson Square instead (also along T. Morato).

We went to Tempura Japanese Grill - Geof's choice, of course since it's his birthday. There were just too many choices in the menu and we were too lazy to choose, so we opted to try their promo called Kazoku (Family) Christmas Feast (there were sets A and B - we went for B). As it turns out, the package was a good deal.

The set is good for 4 persons at P899.00. It consists of Tori Chizu Maki, Tori Teriyaki, Tofu Steak, Tonkatsu, 4 Chahan (rice), 4 drinks and 4 coffee jelly. If the items in the set are ordered individually, the total would be P1200 (based on Andy's computation) - which means the promo set saves you P300.00.

The preparation of the food was to our liking. I particularly enjoyed the tofu steak - its fried tofu with toppings consisting of mushroom (thin slices of shiitake) sauteed in soy sauce, a bit of oyster sauce and mixed with bread-like crumbs (similar to the batter of tempura). The contrast of the blandness and softness of the tofu with the saltiness of the sauce was great. The other thing that caught my attention was the Tori Chizu Maki - a thin slice of chicken (tori) breast is rolled with nori (seaweed) and quickmelt cheese inside, prepared ala maki. It's then rolled on egg and breadcrumbs and fried. It's also Geof's new fave! The Tonkatsu and the Chicken teriyaki were also good, though not exceptional.

Even with the drinks - we were given choices, unlike in other establishments that forces you to have just one type of drink. Julia was happy with the Hi-C apple juice she had, and Andy was good with his coke. As for the chahan rice - I would have preferred a more sticky rice and not the "buhaghag" rice we Filipinos are so used too. The desert of coffee jelly with ice cream topped with chocolate was also excellent.

In all, we were happy with the food and the price. We were just a bit disappointed with the 'non-alertness' of the staff - it's hard to call their attention and they were not alert to look around if any of the costumers need something.

Verdict? We're satisfied; and their take of 'fusion' food made us curious enough to come back and taste the other items in their menu. The family set menu (B) is highly recommended.

In-Campus Relaxation at DLSU's Shalom Center

Teaching at De La Salle University under a trimestral system and four days a week class schedule is really tiring. Whenever I have a whole day class from morning until 9 PM, sometimes I need to find a place where I can take a short nap. It is impossible to sleep in the faculty room - there are many disturbances (students usually appear for consultation, colleagues come to you for a chat, etc...) and besides I might produce some snoring sound. So when DLSU-Manila opened the Shalom Center last October 2009, I discovered a hideaway for relaxation and sleeping. The Shalom Center is an in-campus relaxation and wellness facility for exclusive use of the faculty and staff. "The project is an integral component of the University’s wellness program for employees, which is aimed at helping them cope with work-related stress" (2401 DLSU Newsletter. The 300-square meter facility houses an air-conditioned lounge with comfortable sofa, a silent room, coffee area and media (tv/video) lounge. Every Thursday, you may get a reflexology massage for only P75.00.

Still this is far from the facilities provided by Google to its employees, but this is a start and a very welcome project. So whenever, I feel sleepy and need to energize, I visit the Shalom Center - a place where sleeping is the norm..... zzzZZZZZ!

You know you're in Japan when ...

For fun, I've listed some things that made a mark on me during my 2 months stay in Japan:

You know you're in Japan when ...

• You see commuters sleeping on train - whether they are sitting or standing!
  
• All train lines are color coded (Rule of thumb: follow the arrow and follow the color, you won't get lost - had been proven effective many many times!!).
  
• During autumn, one in every five females wear boots.
  
• Middle high school girls wear veeery short skirts - and that's their uniform!
  
• People wont establish eye-contact with you while walking (when they do, chances are they are not Japanese but Filipinos!).
  
• No matter the time, shops (and taxis) always have change for a 10,000 yen bill.
  
• All taxis have GPS.
  
• All trains use the same "voice" in their PA system (high-pitched female voice).
  
• There are so many luxury cars, and the most expensive and fancy looking among them are driven by middle-aged men.
  
• People work like slaves during the week, and party like kings during weekends.
  
• Stationary commuters stay on the left-side of the escalator, leaving the right-side open for those in a hurry (in Kyoto, however, stationary commuters stay on the escalator's right-side).
  
• People are very helpful. Even if they can't speak English, they will communicate with you using sign-language.
  
• Everyone has PASMO (or SUICA) train card.
  
• You see moms-on-bike with groceries in front, and the kid strapped at the back (or the other way around).
  
• You see so many 100 yen shops!

20/60: My Survival Cooking Dishes

20+1/60. Twenty main recipes in sixty days. This is how I summarize my survival cooking experience when I managed our household cooking chores during the two months that Apple was in Tokyo. I asked Geof how he rates the main dishes displayed in this slide show of my survival cooking dishes. Most of them were rated "5" except for the giniling and paksiw - rated "4" and the other dishes that he does not eat - ampalaya and chopsuey - he is not fond of vegetables and the pusit meat but he loves the sauce. Ofcourse aside from these 20 main dishes, there were others which required simple frying or heating of some ready-to-eat food like tocino, longganiza, hot dog, chicken nuggets, dried fish, pork chop, spare ribs, instant noodles and the fried dalagang bukid fish (Geof's favorite fish).

Daddy's survival cooking dishes from andyoreta

Fried Chicken ala Max's and chopsuey

I planned to cook other dishes like kilawin kapampangan and sinigang na hipon but was not able to cook them - I was busy lately. Over-all, the experience was very rewarding - imagine with these dishes I can set up a small carinderia .. or may be I will just play "Cafe World" and create my virutual restaurant at Facebook.

Read my other blogs on survival cooking.

Bargain Shopping in Tokyo

The legend is true: everything is expensive in Tokyo. That is, if you don't know where to look. Being in Tokyo for more than 6 weeks now, I've discovered some places where you can find not- so-expensive items.

1. Musashi-Koyama: The shopping area covers the whole street. Available are food stalls, shoes, house items, beauty products, Kimono shops, dried fish.

How to go there: From Meguro station (see Nambuko/green line station N-01 or Mita/Royal blue line station I-01), take the Meguro line going to the direction of Ookayama. Musashi Koyama is just 2 stations away from Meguro station.

2. Sugamo: This is an old-people's gathering area. The street market is only available 3 times a month - in every date where you find the number 4 (i.e. every 4th, 14th, and 24th of the month). The stalls, of course, are there the whole year round, with products the same as in the Musashi-koyama shopping street. But the street-vendors that sprout during the "number-4" days of the month sell food items that are not available in the regular stalls - vegetables, fruits, pickled veggies, sweetened fruits, street food, powdered (dried) snake and turtle, and other cooking ingredients that I have no idea about.

How to go there: Take the Mita/Royal blue line (station I-15) or the JR Yamanote line (station Sugamo).

3. Okachimachi: The items you'll find here are are the same as Sugamo and Mushashi-Koyama except that here there are fresh meat items, mostly sea produce (different kinds of fish, crabs, octopus)

How to go there: Take the Oedo/ Pink line (station E-09), or the Ginza/ Orange line (station G-15) or Hibiya/ Gray line (station H-16), or the JR Yamanote line (station Okachimachi). The street-shopping area is actually just below the JR Yamanote train.

4. Ueno: One station away from Okachimachi is Ueno. In fact, the shopping street of Okachimachi and Ueno are connected so most of the items in both areas are the same. But it was in Ueno that I found a shop run by an old couple, and sells souvenirs that are reflective of the Japanese colors, images, and textures.

How to go there: Take the Ginza/ Orange line (station G-16), or Hibiya/ Gray line (station H-17) or the JR Yamanote line (station Keisei-Ueno).

5. Asakusa: This is also known as the Old Edo (Tokyo). The shopping area is the street that leads to the Asakusa shrine. So the idea is to shop before or after visiting the shrine. Most of the items that are found here are souvenir items, sweets, and street food.

How to go there: Take the Ginza/ Orange line (station G-19) or Asakusa/ Red Orange line (station A-18).

Asakusa Shrine

As mentioned, most of the items available in these areas are very similar with each other -and the good thing is the prices of the same-type-items are also standard, save of course for some.

The trick, therefore, is to find the needle in the hay stalk. There are some shops that stand out in these places, but one must be prepared to engage in the routine I call "walk and check, walk and check."

Happy shopping!

Geof's Lego DC-3 Plane

Geoffrey is now creating airplanes with his Lego blocks. First, he requested me to print a picture of a DC-3 plane. He used the picture to create his DC-3 plane shown below.

"This is my plane, a lego DC-3. It seats 7, including the pilot and copilot. : ). It has 2 engines, a bathroom, a bar for drinks, a highly detailed cockpit. It took me 2 days to build this plane. hop ya like it!! (was ment to be misspelled) B-) - Geof Oreta