3rd world pyro olympics

The 3rd world pyro olympics concluded last May 31 with the fellowship of fire and the pyromusical exhibition by the team La Mancha from the Philippines, and this year's 3rd world pyro olympics winner is the team from Italy. We were not able to watch all teams, but we were able to see China and Germany on the first Saturday and the fellowship of fire and team La Mancha's exhibition on the final Saturday. The pyromusical show by the Philippines was spectacular. The sky on the Manila Bay area lit up with a wonderful display of colors dancing to the music.

I was glad that they scheduled this year's contest on all Saturdays of May, as this gave a chance for more people to watch all teams. We got a good view of the fireworks display from one of the veranda restaurants in SM Mall of Asia. We chose Tagaytay Highlands Steakhouse on the first Saturday where they charge 1,500/pax with their set menu specifically for the spectators of the pyro olympics. This included a soup, salad, main course and dessert. Drinks are not yet included. I do not think that this really had the best view of the fireworks, but the steak was delicious ; )

Last Saturday we watched the fireworks with Joaqui! It was his first time to watch fireworks display and even though it was really way past his bedtime, he really watched the show and was trying very hard to keep himself awake. This time we tried the view from Italianni's and for me it was much better than from Tagaytay Highlands, although my husband Jeff preferred otherwise. Their set menu was much cheaper at 1,000/pax with soup, salad, main course, dessert and a drink. We were not supposed to watch that Saturday, but at the last minute decided to and made reservations only that afternoon. I have been watching the pyro olympics since its first year and this year was a memorable one for us because we were able to watch it with Joaqui. Next year, if it will be held here in the Philippines, we are planning to watch it on a yacht cruise ; )

choosing the right school

This is my entry for the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival 2nd Edition hosted by the working mom.

When I was still younger, it was one of my plans that if ever I would have children, I would send them to the best schools for them to get the best education. Now in a more technologically advanced age and living in a competitive world, education now plays a very important role in the progress of an individual's mind and country. Personally I believe that learning is a lifelong process and education does not begin and end in school. A person's well-being is more than the intellect, and education should provide a holistic approach for balancing the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual growth.

In elementary and high school, I was in a non-exclusive Catholic school. It was a parochial school and most of the students live in Rizal area and thus, almost everybody knows everybody. It gave me a sense of communion with my community and it helped me grow in my Catholic faith.

Since Joaqui would be approaching the preschool stage, my search for a school opened my mind on the different teaching methods such as Montessori, Waldorf, Progressive, Multiple Intelligence, Community/Religious, etc. They all have their advantages and disadvantages and many schools offer one or two methods.

Starting early or not, I believe the readiness to start should also come from our children and this is where I think toddler schools help. It exposes children to the informal school setting and they learn to socialize and develop age-appropriate skills. Joaqui is now in a play school and he enjoys the activities and shows eagerness to learn. This is also a time for us to bond since the moms and dads are able to join in these activities.

As parents we have our best intentions for our children's education and as much as we give importance in choosing the right school, we should also give importance to the kind of learning environment we provide at home.

Onamae wa nan tu desu ka?

This was a tag by Joanne ; )

For the instructions, add your name on the list and simply spell out your name using the given Japanese letter- translations below. Tag six of your friends and inform them of the tag. Have fun.

TRANSLATION: A - ka ----- G - ji ----- M - rin -----S - ari----- Y - fu B - tu ----- H - ri -----N - to ------T - chi -----Z - zi C - mi----- I - ki -----O - mo -----U - doD - te----- J - zu -----P - no ------V - ru E - ku -----K - me ----Q - ke ------W - meiF - lu-----L - ta ------R - shi ------X - na

1. OSWALD - moarimeikatate (sounds like american and states har....har...har...)

2. JUNELLE - zudotokutataku (Thank God I’m a Filipino! sounds like sadako. nyay! hehehe)

3. JACQUELINE - zukamikedokutakitoku (Ayay!! Unsaman ni perti mang taasa..wa ko kasabot nyahahaha)

4. LIRA LUZ - takishika taduzi ( sounds like a title of an anime show) it's cute!

5. Gracey - Katakamikuari (oh my, i'm glad i'm not japanese. Nothing sounds like it!

6. Vannie - Rukatotokiku (huh? ruka sounds cute!) hehehe

7. Farah - Lukashikari (hahaha! it's cute!)

8. Patricia - Nokachishikimikika (ang haba naman! ) : )

9. Jade - Zukateku (parang ang asim)

10. Jade - Zukateku (parang ang asim)

11. Issa - kiariarika (parang ang pangit pakinggan, hahaha!)

12. Joanne - zumokatotoe (ang kulet ng name..parang sumo =P)

13. Jeng - zukutoji (I'm turning Japanese, I'm turning Japanese..I rather think so!)

Why don't you find out your Japanese name: Happy, Sujee, Pheng, Dada and Lizette

my hands are full

We are now in week two of having no yaya. Yaya Rose went on vacation for two weeks that is why my hands are full in juggling my work and taking care of Joaqui. I'm blessed that my mother-in-law is always here to help us. On the first week, she stayed in our house to help me take care of Joaqui, so that I can at least have some time to work. Although I am home based, I still need to produce lines or else "wala akong sweldo." Now on the second week, we are staying in Valenzuela with Jeff's family, again so that I can still continue to work. This is one of the disadvantages of me being a subcontractor, I do not have LOAs unlike a regular employee, and it is for this reason that I am always saving a part of my income in cases like this, but at least this is only temporary. I would still not trade my status as a work-at-home mom. ; )

a visit to Manila Ocean Park

It was a slow Tuesday for us and since it was daddy's off from work, we went to Manila Ocean Park, which is the Philippines' first state-of-the-art oceanarium and open water marine habitat.

The journey through the oceanarium starts with Agos where there is an artificial waterfall, and water tanks displaying a variety of flora and fauna. There is also a touch pool where one can touch the creatures on display, except the small shark ; )

The Bahura showcases different coral life forms. Joaqui was fascinated with the different hues of the fishes he saw.

The four big distinct aquariums in Laot displays fish in all sizes.

At the Buhay na Karagatan, one can take the 25-meter walk along the underwater tunnel and see different kinds of sea creatures including stingray and whale shark.

The barracudas can be seen at Ang Kalaliman. There is also an overhang tank with a variety of rays swimming over. The different species of sharks can be viewed face-to-face in a separate tank.

It was a fun day for us at the Manila Ocean Park. Joaqui really enjoyed the experience, his first encounter with different sea creatures.

from one mom to another

Happy Mother's Day! Thanks Joey for this tag ;)


Myspace Mothers Day Comments

1. Just choose any Mothers' Day graphics from zwani to greet the mommies you know.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your blogs.
3. Tag other mommies you know.

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bloggerhappy
berryscrappy
Me,Myself+2
Confessions of a Supermodel Wannabe
Shopaholic Ties The Knot
Changing Lanes
Pit Stop
Practical Tips and More
The Working Mom
Joey M.D.
jengspeaks

my story of giving birth

My first entry for the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival

I have seen videos of actual women giving birth and I have heard different stories about it, and I have never thought that I would be telling my own story of what I think is one of the most joyous experiences of being a woman.

I was scheduled for my OB checkup that day and she did an IE. I was only 1 cm dilated and she told me that it would not be too long before "the D day" arrives. On the morning of next day, I saw some blood stain on my underwear and was a bit alarmed. My husband and I decided that we go to my OB's clinic and there she did an IE. I was already 2 cm dilated and she told me to go to the hospital and have myself admitted.

At the hospital, my husband was not allowed inside their labor room. I was alone from 12 noon to 6 p.m. while they were monitoring my contractions. They were also watching my blood pressure as it was getting a little bit high. My OB came in at 6 p.m. and did an induction. The contractions became more painful, but I was able to tolerate it well. They then brought me to the delivery room. I tried pushing without anesthesia but my attempts were futile and I decided to have an epidural anesthesia. My OB said that after 1-1/2 hours, the effect of the anesthesia would wear off and that I should deliver my baby during that period. So I pushed and pushed, but my baby would not come out. A nurse would help push my tummy, but it was of no help. At that time, I wanted to punch the nurse who was pushing my tummy because it was so painful. My OB was seeing my baby's head, but he would not push through. After 1-1/2 hours of pushing, I was really, really tired and I know that my baby is also tired. It was then that my OB decided to do a Cesarean section and I consented. I was transferred to the operating room and was prepped and given spinal anesthesia. I was really, really scared of the spinal anesthesia and I had to curl up as best as I could so that the anesthesiologist could palpate the right vertebral space. All this time, I was holding a rosary and praying that all goes well. After some time, I felt numb from the neck down. I was awake and there was music playing inside the operating room, which helped me relax.

I think it was only after 5 or 10 minutes until I heard my baby's first cry. I was so relieved that I said, "Hay salamat, lumabas ka rin." This got everyone in the operating room laughing. They brought him to me and I kissed him so sweetly. I prayed and was so thankful that I got through okay and we had our bundle of joy. All the pain was well worth it.

Dance "Joaqui" Revolution

This is Joaqui's version of the papaya dance and more. He just loves to dance. When he looks at me and say, "dance! dance!" I have to sing his favorite dance tunes and will go nonstop...that I'll get tired singing before he gets tired of dancing. ; )

For Life!

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a
while and leave footprints on our hearts...and we are never, ever the same.
--
Anonymous

If you ask me how many friends I have, I will answer only a few. You might think I'm a snob or unapproachable or unfriendly. I would like to think that I'm not like that...it's just that frienships are valuable to me. These few friends I have are not ordinary friends because we have shared so much moments in our lives that all of us have grown into this friendship that we share. These are the people I know I could always count on no matter what happens, and these are my friends for life and that I hope my children will be friends with their children. There are times that some of us may not see each other for months nor hear from each other for weeks, but when we get together, we just pick up where we left off. Some of us may have done things we are not so proud of, but none of us have looked into each other in a judgmental way. We went from the happy-go-lucky yuppies to now married-with-kids stage. I have friends way back from high school and now we are godmothers to each of our children. There are those who went out and settled in another country, but everytime they come home, it is nothing but a happy reunion. Two weeks ago, Connie, a "kulangot friend" (I have a group of friends named kulangots) came back from the U.S. for vacation. Since her vacation is only three weeks, it was quite difficult to schedule a get-together and gather more or less 12 to 15 people in one place at one time, but after a dozen of text messages and a lot of convincing to some, it finally happened. It was like the gimiks we used to have when we were much younger and thinner (hahaha).

Of course, a lot of kamustahans and kwentuhans happned over a bucket of San Mig Light.

And because it was quite a long time since we have ALL seen each other, even belated birthdays are celebrated : )

No one knows for sure when the next get-together will happen, but it really does not matter because we will definitely see each other when we see each other.

catching up

Finally...a free time to do nothing but read emails, save pictures in my pc, browse the net and update my blog. For the last few weeks, whenever I'm infront of my pc, it has always been work, work and work. It's also partly my fault...sometimes my body says no, stop working already...but then I find myself transcribing or editing even on weekends.

So what's up with the Agustins lately? We went to Manila Zoo last April 12. Jeff was attending an event from Pinoy Photography and we just tagged along ; ) It was Joaqui's first time and it was my first time again...after many, many years. Joaqui was amazed with all the animals he saw...we even had our picture taken with the snakes. We didn't quite enjoy the trip around the zoo that much though because it was really, really hot that day.

We have also decided to enrol Joaqui at Gymboree and he will be starting his first gymplay class tomorrow. : ) We attended one trial class in Gymboree Shangrila and he had fun doing the activities...and I had fun too! Some people asked me why Gymboree...Well, at first I just wanted Joaqui to attend pre-preschool activities like a play school, so he can socialize with other kids and be familiar with teacher-student interactions. We also considered The Little Gym and Kindermusik...but I think Gymboree has the most affordable rates from all three (this was the deciding factor...hahaha). I find Gymboree's facilities much nicer and I also got positive feedbacks on their classes. We were not able to take pictures during his trial class, but tomorrow we will ; )