tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62383968778208793382024-03-14T04:10:33.856-05:00PARENTING JOURNEYparenting tips from pregnancy to discipline, on food preparation to health & wellness for kidsPapa Sezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16349147971452615464noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238396877820879338.post-51576973441502576812012-05-15T17:01:00.000-05:002012-05-15T17:23:12.065-05:00Another Benefit from Outdoor PlayDo your kids tend to prefer television or video games over playing outside? Well the results of this <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/lack-of-outdoor-life-blamed-for-high-rate-of-myopia-among-east-asian-kids/story-e6frg8y6-1226346595871">Australian study</a> might prod parents to encourage their children to stay outside more than mere few minutes each day.<br />
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The said study found out that the simple lack of exposure to sunlight increased the likelihood of myopia or near-sightedness. The contrast in school children's activities was conducted between Singaporean and Australian students who are spending 30 minutes and 3 hours outdoors, respectively. Myopia was found to be up to 90% in young adults in Singapore and other East Asian countries, while only 10% in Australia, up to 40% in Britain and a very low 3% in Africa.<br />
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The researchers believe that exposure to the sun's rays stimulates dopamine production, which in turn stops the eyeball from growing elongated and distorting the focus of light entering the eye.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/haglundc/4736600901/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_feMCpJ3RY4/T7LOReu5WfI/AAAAAAAAA60/m9c5Qdh0G0k/s1600/myopia+by+haglundc.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myopia by haglundc</td></tr>
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I am happy that Canadian schools have made it a policy to allot more time for outdoor activities, even during the winter months; and the government providing incentives for programs involving sports and physical activities, which not only prevent obesity and related lifestyle diseases, but possibly near-sightedness as well if these are done outdoors.<br />
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Now let's get our kids out of the house and play outdoors. Better yet, parents should play, exercise, walk or even just hang out with them under the sun. That's my cue to close my computer and head out...it's a <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.ca/2012/04/wonderful-spring.html">lovely spring afternoon</a> for the whole family to enjoy. Gotta go.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Wonderful Spring</b></span><br />
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<b> </b>by <i>Rica Emmanuele</i><br />
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Oh spring, oh spring </div>
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Oh wonderful spring </div>
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Snow waves goodbye </div>
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And birds start to sing </div>
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You bring back the flowers </div>
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You bring back fresh air </div>
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You bring back the leaves </div>
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Of trees high up there<br />
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Rivers start to flow<br />
Ice turns to water </div>
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It starts to get warm </div>
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Bringing refreshing rain showers </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/turtlemom_nancy/6842718778/" imageanchor="1" rel="nofollow" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6842718778_7490d029a5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy of turtlemom4bacon</i></td></tr>
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The kites start to fly </div>
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The boats getting rowed </div>
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The cars move along </div>
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On snow-free dry road </div>
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Oh spring, oh spring </div>
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Oh beautiful cool spring </div>
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After the cold winter </div>
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Comes a new beginning </div>
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1 </div>
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Today, on our thirteenth <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.ca/2011/03/twelve-years-and-counting.html" target="_blank">wedding anniversary</a>, </div>
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I just wanted to express my feelings deep inside </div>
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But which words to use, I find difficult to decide </div>
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2 </div>
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I could have written about our fave number thirteen </div>
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That we consider lucky for us and our children</div>
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In their <a href="http://experiencefatherhood.blogspot.ca/2009/11/choosing-name-for-baby.html" target="_blank">names the number</a> and our history written</div>
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3 </div>
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I could have written about blessings that came our way </div>
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Foremost are <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.ca/2010/09/every-child-is-blessing.html" target="_blank">our children</a> and the people we care for </div>
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Earthly resources and otherwise, we have much more </div>
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4 </div>
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I could have written about our wealth of experience </div>
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Our projects and adventures, successes and failures </div>
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Collected with passion to be where we wanna be </div>
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5 </div>
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I could have written about our vision of success </div>
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Many moments in our journey we chose happiness </div>
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Ov’r a life of meaningless races and pettiness </div>
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6 </div>
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I could have written about how wonderful you are </div>
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Beauty that is not only a sight to behold </div>
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But also evident to all ‘cause your heart is gold </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_R2SwCMWA-E/T25bUDBtdoI/AAAAAAAAA6s/Fleeq1I4Kqc/s1600/She%2527s%2BMy%2BBeautiful%2BWife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_R2SwCMWA-E/T25bUDBtdoI/AAAAAAAAA6s/Fleeq1I4Kqc/s400/She%2527s%2BMy%2BBeautiful%2BWife.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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7 </div>
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I could’ve written about your remarkable talents </div>
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The answer to “why is Rica such a great dancer?” </div>
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You’re artistic, learn quick, adroit and a go-getter </div>
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8 </div>
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I could’ve written about my luck that you're in my life </div>
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And the years we were friends, before you became my wife </div>
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And from thereon meaning, feeling, passion had been rife </div>
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9 </div>
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I could have written about how great you make me feel </div>
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That I can do anything, be what I wanna be </div>
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That despite of and because of, you’ll be there for me </div>
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10 </div>
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I could have written about thirteen years together </div>
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Starting with our first one and every year thereafter </div>
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But that would’ve taken volumes to write, years to finish </div>
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11 </div>
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I could’ve written thirteen reasons I’d marry you ‘gain </div>
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Though one is enough, the most important one at that </div>
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Because we love and have each other no matter what </div>
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12 </div>
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I could have written thirteen stanzas to make a point </div>
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Of how much I love you and how much you mean to me </div>
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I probably would, no matter how silly it’d be </div>
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13 </div>
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Life has been great these thirteen years, the next I am sure </div>
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Would be incredible, ‘cause we’re in for the long haul </div>
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Together in this our journey to our final goal.<br />
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Happy 13th, my dear, </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/2981387336_4b0ebb247f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/2981387336_4b0ebb247f.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Autumn falls..." by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/2981387336/">Paul Bica</a> </td></tr>
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In the midst of our thanksgiving dinner with friends and family, we expressed our appreciation for the support and encouragement during this period of difficulty and adjustment. As in the <a href="http://experiencefatherhood.blogspot.com/2009/11/our-daily-gratitude-ritual.html">nightly gratitude ritual</a> that we have started doing again, we emphasized the many things that we are thankful for, particularly good health, good friends and togetherness.<br />
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The other thing that everyone was thankful for that night was Mama Sez's success in using the <a href="http://mamasez.hubpages.com/hub/Modified-Pollo-Iberico-Roast-Spanish-Chicken">Modified Pollo Iberico recipe</a> on her very first turkey cooking. It was tasty to the bones!<br />
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'Twas the longest <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/04/planned-summer-activities-for-kids.html">summer ever for our kids</a>, that started in late March in the Philippines when the school year ended and continued through early September when they enrolled in their new schools halfway around the world.<br />
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Indeed, it was again a summer filled with adventures and new experiences for the whole family. You can say that we outdid ourselves again, way beyond our <a href="http://islandtravelphilippines.blogspot.com/2010/02/welcome.html">island travel adventure</a> in 2010, because this time we crossed the Pacific Ocean unto a different continent to start a new life.<br />
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You might have guessed by now the reason for the long pause in our blogging. With all the preparations and tying up loose ends prior to the travel, and the adjustments and settling down that followed, it was just nearly impossible for us to sit down and write. Although documenting and blogging everything we've been through to relocate a family of six would have been great, it was simply beyond our capacity as stress levels were almost always way up there...sky high!<br />
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In contrast, exactly six months ago before the peak of activities related to our relocation, Mama Sez was still inspired to write the poem below. I am belatedly posting it now as it was really intended to be sent out to inform everyone about our big move. Well, what else can I say but sorry for the delay. I am hoping for your understanding and continued support for our family and our online efforts.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-deol3P_oQMQ/Tn1hdtkcv8I/AAAAAAAAA6k/RjEWmq8zN5s/s1600/New+Beginning+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-deol3P_oQMQ/Tn1hdtkcv8I/AAAAAAAAA6k/RjEWmq8zN5s/s400/New+Beginning+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Mama Sez, 23 March 2011</td></tr>
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Cheers!<br />
<br />
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There were no specific studies aimed at directly answering the question, but related studies on biodiversity awareness, urbanization trends, and habits as well as internet and television usage among young people were cited to support the claim.<br />
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I would be cautious about any conclusion of direct causation without direct study, but I can see the logic behind the correlation. How can someone conserve something that he or she is not even aware of?<br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Mama+Sez">Mama Sez</a> and I have already made a stand on the need to limit television, computer and internet time for our kids. This is despite our current engagements online and the belief that much of the future developments would rely on the internet and related technologies. There has to be a balance; i.e. for our kids to be out there directly interacting with other kids and enjoy the outdoors while not falling behind what they need to know about technologies and the internet.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bas-boerman/4736564026/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4736564026_5b4c840e54.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Bas Boerman</td></tr>
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For television, it's way down there at the bottom of our list such that <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/11/in-this-small-house.html">we don't even have one in our house</a> right now. They can only watch specific programs or films at their grandparents' house, thus making sure that the purpose is interaction, relaxation and/or educational, and not merely to waste time and be "a-mused" (meaning not think). It may sound impossible to do but we know of many parents who have done it or still doing it, so there's no question whether or not it can be done.<br />
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Give it a try. We might see more naturalists, <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/">entomologists</a>, scientists, athletes, generally healthy individuals and better informed leaders among the next generations by reducing kids' television, computer and television time (by the way, electronic games is included in this list). The planet would be in better hands by ensuring that the leaders of tomorrow have a balanced perspective of life.<br />
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Learn some <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/TV-and-Child-Development-or-How-to-Minimize-Kids-TV-Viewing">tips on how to minimize kids' TV viewing from Mama Sez</a>.<br />
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A year after the invitation, we finally got to visit this world class resort which boasts of an 800-meter fine white sand beach, infinity pools and other water sports amenities, 9-hole golf course and other land sports facilities, and comforting casitas and hotel rooms, some of which feature a magnificent view of the South China Sea. It also has a SPA facility, superb restaurant, function rooms, mini-theater and a lot others. Thanks to the hospitality and generosity of my best friend Marites G. Felicisimo.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zsYXdUciZsM/Td233zfZvDI/AAAAAAAAAPA/ZARKhde0YCA/s1600/217259_220936794586407_100000102654000_1001965_3304191_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zsYXdUciZsM/Td233zfZvDI/AAAAAAAAAPA/ZARKhde0YCA/s400/217259_220936794586407_100000102654000_1001965_3304191_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Though a day of bonding was not enough for the kids to know each other very well and become true friends like their parents, they managed to enjoy the time spent together burying themselves in the sand, building sand castles, swimming, snorkeling, eating and chatting. Papa Sez managed to take his power nap on the lounge bed beside an infinity pool with the cool wind patting his cheeks and whispering to him <i>“This is the life”</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4mCRtaWNfc/Td27C_86YiI/AAAAAAAAAPM/T0VmTPm1_uw/s1600/222299_1853909585561_1175442201_31898423_7440690_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4mCRtaWNfc/Td27C_86YiI/AAAAAAAAAPM/T0VmTPm1_uw/s320/222299_1853909585561_1175442201_31898423_7440690_n.jpg" width="280" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rx4XNdpTv3s/Td24Oy1mMyI/AAAAAAAAAPE/NvJmRPb9u6Q/s1600/222551_220941354585951_100000102654000_1002022_2182688_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rx4XNdpTv3s/Td24Oy1mMyI/AAAAAAAAAPE/NvJmRPb9u6Q/s320/222551_220941354585951_100000102654000_1002022_2182688_n.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Late in the afternoon, while the rest were busy enjoying the infinity pool, Zeki and I sneaked out for a little golf putting and tour of the golf course driving my friend’s cart. I was having a great time and that left me unaware of the time if not for the setting of the sun. It was already dark and time for us to bid goodbye to this beautiful place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was like a mini <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/news/entomologists-to-swarm-back-to-los-banos/">UPEntomSoc Alumni homecoming</a> for there were six of us (UPES Alumni) who got together with our respective families. For the first time in so many years, we were able to update each other on what is happening in our personal lives. I cannot tell everything we talked about, otherwise this blog could become a best-selling novel; but briefly, I would like to share two heartwarming realizations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UKHfEY__az8/Td28NAwM4YI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/RDp0quWgdUs/s1600/217174_220937541252999_100000102654000_1001975_4224794_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UKHfEY__az8/Td28NAwM4YI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/RDp0quWgdUs/s320/217174_220937541252999_100000102654000_1001975_4224794_n.jpg" width="280" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EpEvRUF7EZw/Td28N5fVq3I/AAAAAAAAAPU/cpwki0Npt7k/s1600/217419_1853890785091_1175442201_31898339_4179972_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EpEvRUF7EZw/Td28N5fVq3I/AAAAAAAAAPU/cpwki0Npt7k/s320/217419_1853890785091_1175442201_31898339_4179972_n.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZT4KLLgM7rA/Td28O6t9qXI/AAAAAAAAAPY/z9rtem8LIE0/s1600/222219_221179691228784_100000102654000_1004253_6648687_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>1. Parenting can change one’s outlook, attitude and priorities in life. (i.e. a paradigm shift). It was very touching to see a friend whom I’ve known to be strong, domineering and brave suddenly becoming a willing servant to the needs of a child, with a growing weakness to the thought of losing him and with heightened circumspection in everything she does, especially driving (she now consciously regulates her speed), considering that a child she loves dearly depends on her. Another friend now gives time for medical check-ups and stress management so she can always be strong and well for her growing kids. In the language of personal effectiveness, this is like ‘sharpening the saw’. They were able to witness the change in <a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Papa+Sez">Papa Sez</a> as well, from being strict and uptight to a lighthearted fellow, playing with and caring for our children.<br />
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2. True friendship can withstand the test of time and distance. We may have gained weight, added wrinkles, lost hair or grew gray hairs but how we looked at each other remained the same. No words are needed to show how we respect each other, value our friendship and cherish the moments we were together because we feel it in our hearts. Regardless of the career path we have chosen, ties of friendship remained strong.<br />
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I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Let's keep in touch and do this again someday.<br />
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We gave him our warm smile, said thank you and bid goodbye. As we walked home, I felt like crying because I was so touched with <i>Teacher’s</i> words. Consistent with what he told me during their first lesson, he sincerely believes in Rica’s <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/04/updates-on-summer-activities.html">musical giftedness. </a><br />
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I remembered Dr. Leonila Corpuz-Raros, the Mother of Philippine Acarology, my mentor, my friend. She saw me to be <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/about/the-founders/">the next Acarologist</a> who can continue with what she has started and who can have new beginnings in the field as well. She would also have me inherit her collections of specimens, books and journals…she believes in me. <br />
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For people of high standards, whom you look up to with high regard, to tell you they believe in you and in what good you can contribute to humanity is the best compliment you could ever ask for. It can erase any doubt you have in yourself and will motivate you to become better and pave the way in your pursuit of excellence. <br />
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As parents, we consciously show to our children our confidence in their capabilities because we understand that <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/02/believing-is-being.html">believing is being</a>. Yes, we should be someone who believes in them, but we must not fall into the trap of false praising. When the child is made to believe that he is already doing great in something, he might think that no further improvement is necessary and consequently halt the development of his full potential. Another trap we might fall into is becoming delusional (believing into something our child is not and making the child believe in it as well). Start with <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/04/discover-and-appreciate-your-talent-and.html">discovering and enriching your child’s true talents</a> then be <a href="http://dailyhappinesstips.blogspot.com/2009/12/daily-happiness-tip-43-appreciate.html">someone who appreciates</a> who he/she really is and who believes in his/her unique abilities.<br />
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For Rica it's music...and with her participation, we <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/04/planned-summer-activities-for-kids.html">programmed her summer activities</a> to include piano and guitar lessons. We hope to showcase what she has accomplished by the end of summer in a recital and music video (can't wait to share it with all of you...hehehe).<br />
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While the move is commendable, I would like to emphasize the need for us parents to go <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/our-support-is-beyond-earth-hour.html">beyond the one-hour Earth Hour</a> or the one-day Earth Day activities and do the right thing <i>every day</i> so that our generation would be able to bequeath to our children a better world than what we inherited from our parents. Such call for action was trumpeted about a year and a half ago in a <a href="http://experiencefatherhood.blogspot.com/2009/10/concrete-actions-parents-can-do-to-help.html">blog post to highlight the International Day of Climate Action</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.parents-journey.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.teeswater.ca/tswwp1/wp-content/uploads/Earth_Day_2011.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">logo courtesy of www.teeswater.ca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the same blog, I listed my top five concrete and practical actions that parents can do to help mitigate climate change. The following is a quick rundown:<br />
<ol><li><b>Reduce energy consumption.</b> This is the concrete action that was promoted in the <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/03/we-support-earth-hour.html">Earth Hour</a>. It has an immediate positive impact to the wallet on top of contributing to the long-term sustainability of our planet.</li>
<li><b>Eat less meat, more vegetables</b>. This action had to do with the energy requirements to produce meat as animals are secondary consumers that lose energy as heat, thus inefficient in converting biomass from plants. We also get the health benefits of eating more vegetables, nuts and fruits, while lowering the risks of certain cancers and lifestyle diseases by reducing meat in our diet. You might even wanna go for an ecologically sound alternative to eating meat as protein source-- <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/blog/celebrate-earth-day-everyday-via-entomophagy/">entomophagy</a>.</li>
<li><b>Buy local foods and products</b>. It's not just getting the freshest food on your table, but also helping the local economy become self-sufficient. This concrete action minimizes energy expenditure due to transport and packaging.</li>
<li><b>Travel less, travel efficiently</b>. Working closer to home has the obvious advantages of lowering fuel expenses and pollution. But more important to parents is the time that can be spent with the family or doing more worthwhile activities rather than commuting to and from office.</li>
<li><b>Educate, communicate.</b> This concrete action not only plants the seeds to better citizenship in our children and community, but also forces us to spend time talking to them. It's a great topic to discuss during dinner where everyone can contribute his/her own ideas.</li>
</ol><br />
To read the full arguments for the above listed concrete actions, <a href="http://experiencefatherhood.blogspot.com/2009/10/concrete-actions-parents-can-do-to-help.html">click this link to the original article "Concrete actions parents can do to help mitigate climate change"</a>.<br />
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The benefits of the above recommended concrete actions that anybody, particularly parents, can do is at least two-fold in that the positive impacts are both in the short- and long-term. Moreover, these are actions that can be done every day and not needing any special events, venues, skills, tools, group or expenses to do. In fact, we can do it on our own. But our individual actions have a huge impact if more of us do it every day.<br />
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So please share this information to family and friends so they, too, may adopt these practical steps/actions to save our planet. You may do so by clicking on the "like" or "tweet" buttons below, or sharing it via email or reposting it in your Facebook or blog.<br />
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</script>Papa Sezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16349147971452615464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238396877820879338.post-25484478441944471712011-04-17T04:10:00.001-05:002011-04-19T14:43:32.750-05:00Updates on Summer ActivitiesIt’s been two weeks since school days ended. I’m overjoyed with my kids’ progress and daily accomplishments as we all enjoy summer break and the warmth of Mister Sun. The<a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/04/planned-summer-activities-for-kids.html"> planned summer activities</a> we prepared have been our very useful guide. <br />
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Rica is doing great in her piano lessons and truly impressed her teacher right from the first session. Her teacher immediately decided to include Rica in the recital this coming month after observing her progress for two sessions only. Her teacher is very confident that she can beautifully play the piano pieces he’ll assign to her in such a short preparation time. He believes in Rica’s musical giftedness. It is indeed a blessing from God. Rica is also rehearsing several songs with Tito Jay (Lead Guitar) and Tito Ninong (Base) to be video recorded later to showcase her singing prowess. I can’t help it, <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2009/11/proud-mom-messed-up-video-coverage.html">I’m a proud Mama</a>.<br />
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While Rica has written two poems, Leon is progressing well in his Sci-Fi story. Rica can properly wash small clothing and steadily adds to the list of dishes she can cook. Leon, on the other hand, knows how to wash the dishes already. Our scientist-inventor wannabe, Leon, has learned that becoming who he wants to be entails a lot of patience and hard work for until today he is not done yet with his research proposal, but of course he is not giving up. <br />
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Zeki is progressing fast with his alphabet with the help of this <a href="http://literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.php#">website </a>I found. Nadine just had her first haircut from <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/02/hair-cut-at-mama-sezs-hair-salon.html">Mama Sez’s Salon</a>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l5LdUc9POvU/TaqsiKqpLTI/AAAAAAAAAO8/DEKQRFbX0Vw/s1600/5+boys+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l5LdUc9POvU/TaqsiKqpLTI/AAAAAAAAAO8/DEKQRFbX0Vw/s320/5+boys+pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The family had a day in the pool and the kids enjoyed the time with their cousins. While swimming pool resorts are just stone-throw away from our home, we would need to travel for more than 3 hours to reach the finest beach resort and this will happen next week. Punta Fuego here we come!!! The travel will be all worth it I know, because that beach is awesome plus we will be meeting friends and their families as well. <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Why-I-Love-Summer">Oooh, how I love summer</a>!!!<br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Papa+Sez">Papa Sez</a> and I believe in what Stephen Covey (author of <b>Seven Habits of Highly Effective People</b>) has shared - i.e. without involvement there will be no commitment. So we made consultations with them, especially the school-aged kids, before finalizing this table to ensure that the planned activities captured their interests and the targets set are achievable. When asked about activities that they consider FUN to do, ideas from Rica and Leon kept coming.<br />
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They decided to discontinue formal art lessons from their Tito Jay because apparently <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/06/fear-of-failure.html">Rica has been contemplating on guitar lessons</a> that she wanted to request from Tito Jay. They thought that two lessons from their uncle will be too much to ask. They even volunteered the household chores they wanted to learn this summer, so that our helper can relax a bit. Humility aside, we realized that we have added two considerate beings on earth.<br />
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There are activities specific to a child for <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/04/discover-and-appreciate-your-talent-and.html">talent enrichment</a> or skills development. Some activities are interactive while others would require them to work on their own. There are indoor as well as outdoor activities. It is obvious that we are trying to strike a balance among several considerations like fun/excitement, talent enrichment, skills development, learning, family bonding, budget and many others. <br />
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We have openly expressed our view about the <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/TV-and-Child-Development-or-How-to-Minimize-Kids-TV-Viewing">negative effect of too much television viewing</a> (computer use included) on child development but because we also recognize that in the <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/internet-access-can-be-new-equalizer.html">information age</a>, computer literacy is part of the need of growing children. Therefore, a regulated computer time is permitted on top of the weekly movie time with the family. <br />
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The table may seem overwhelming with activities but please note the frequency of each such that the activities listed will not happen all together in a given week. Swimming lessons, for example, will be over in two weeks and will be replaced by another activity of their choice on the third week.<br />
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Rica is already preparing her weekly timetable, awaiting the final schedule of her piano lessons, and this will be featured in the next post. The agreement is for them to have a fun and fruitful summer but not to exhaust themselves too much and forfeit the main goal in the process. Leon’s checklist of activities and applicable expected output will also be prepared so that he is able to track his accomplishments.<br />
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The Computer Time Log is posted to effectively regulate computer use...They are already enlisted for their swimming lessons...Leon’s tomato seedlings are almost ready for transplanting...They are energized and eager to start the summer ball rolling!!!<br />
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Having a preprogrammed <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-summer-specials.html">summer activities</a> will help parents ensure a worthwhile summer experience for their kids. This will also help you identify what is expected of you and give you time to prepare. Having a line-up of ready activities will prevent your kids from bugging you with “We are so bored Mom, what do we do now?” Discussing the plan, especially with the older kids, will make them understand what to expect and what is expected of them. Always remember: <i>No Involvement, No Commitment!</i><br />
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On top of everything, be sure to have fun yourself…Have a happy summer!!!<br />
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Our eldest Rica halted Zeki who was trying to pull his towel that was being stepped on by Nadine to prevent the latter from losing her balance. I later found out that the <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/blog/wasps/wasps-2-zekis-pet-grasshopper/">three-year old Zeki</a> was teasing the <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/03/nadines-christening-and-first-birthday.html">two-year old Nadine</a>, so the latter was trying to get back at his older brother by stepping on his towel. This scene is normal for a family with four growing kids... and we even thought that it’s cute.<br />
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When Zeki saw his shirt that I’m about to put in the baby bag, he protested with a loud voice that he doesn’t like to bring an extra shirt because he is a big boy already and only babies bring extra clothes. I just told him to lower his voice and explained that the shirt is necessary for accidental mess that may happen even to adults. Zeki then loudly insisted that he takes his bath together with his older brother <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-gold-medal-for-leon.html">Leon</a>, which I immediately acceded to. <br />
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Everything was going well until we heard Leon complain about Zeki wanting the <i>tabo</i> or water dipper only for himself. Oh dear, it's Zeki again…and this is not cute anymore! When he was done putting on his clothes, he yelled his complaint that we were taking so long to leave. We asked him again to lower his voice and told him that if he cannot control himself from shouting and causing trouble, we will cancel the family malling. Probably because of this threat, he started yelling and crying to pressure me to give a commitment to bring him to the mall in complete disregard of his behavior. It went further downhill from there on with everyone, including the nanny, already being bullied into submission to his whims.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-voXcSoTYHaY/TZgvHd8KVcI/AAAAAAAAAOs/PsTrzKq3K_4/s1600/tantrum%2Bmeans%2Bno%2Bfun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-voXcSoTYHaY/TZgvHd8KVcI/AAAAAAAAAOs/PsTrzKq3K_4/s400/tantrum%2Bmeans%2Bno%2Bfun.jpg" width="225" /></a>Though it was very tempting, Papa Sez and I tried so hard to avoid punishing Zeki. We understand that this is just <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/01/tantrum.html">another tantrum episode</a> and it’s a good thing we are still at home. But still we need to show him (and Nadine as well as she now likes to copy whatever Zeki does) that <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/02/discipline-methods-communication-and.html">we say what we mean and mean what we say</a> and his misconduct will not be rewarded. <br />
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The family event was cancelled and this brought Rica to tears. She is a very cooperative child and yet she was also penalized. We explained that this has to happen to teach her brother a lesson and she should fret no more because it will definitely push through in some other time. A little delay for discipline’s sake would not hurt and that it'll be better next time. It was also pointed out that being part of a group, there are things beyond our control. Her brother’s behavior and the consequence of that behavior is beyond her control. But because she is in control of her response to the situation, she can choose to cheer herself up and decide on alternative activities for the rest of the day. <br />
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As I write this blog while waiting for my husband's return, Rica was busy writing a story, Leon was reading a magazine, Zeki was playing with his blocks together with a playmate, and Nadine was chatting with our neighbors. Child temper tantrum spoiled our supposed to be fun day at the mall, a small price to pay for discipline. Anyway, we managed to have fun time at the comfort of our home with everyone wishing that our cancelled malling will happen soon and things will be better next time.<br />
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</script>Mama Sezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13988802755406827366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238396877820879338.post-57911891700428851372011-04-01T05:39:00.000-05:002011-04-01T05:39:54.956-05:00Discover and Appreciate Your Talent and Work in Synergy: Lessons from TinkerbellAfter a hectic day with two recognition programs for our school kids, <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/07/fashion-dont-you-wanna-see-those.html">Rica</a> and <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/03/show-and-tell.html">Leon</a>, who were both Academic Excellence Awardees (Gold Medalists), two meetings and a birthday dinner for <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/03/nadines-christening-and-first-birthday.html">our two-year old daughter</a>, we still managed to wrap the day watching a <i>Tinkerbell</i> movie. It wasn’t our choice but it was what’s available in my brother’s collections that we haven’t watched yet, which turned out to be perfect for the day of recognition and birthday. <br />
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The story began with the birth of a new girl fairy. It was Rica who pointed out that fairies are born with every baby's first laugh. This particular fairy found out that she's going to be one of the <i>tinker</i>s, the fairies who make and fix things. She was then named <i>Tinkerbell</i>. <br />
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Watch how she found out she's a <i>tinker</i> and see her disinterest in her own talent right from the start (go to 04:50 in the video below).<br />
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She later longed to visit the mainland but learned that only <i>nature-talent</i> fairies are allowed to do so. Though she was good in doing the task assigned to her, employing her talent, she was never contented; she wanted to be something she was not meant to be. She tried her hand at <i>nature skills</i> but miserably failed in all of them. In fact,<i> Tinkerbell</i> destroyed all the preparations for spring in the pursuit of her misguided dream. When she realized the importance of her role as a <i>tinker</i> through her conversation with <i>Terrence</i>, the<i> light-keeper</i>, she decided to fix all the damages she made in no time such that spring can push through as scheduled. She invented machines that speed up the process of decorating flowers, <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/blog/does-the-moon-influence-insect-behavior/">lady beetles</a>, etc., and summoned the rest to help her out. Spring pushed through, <i>Tinkerbell</i> redeemed herself and was even allowed by <i>Queen Clarion</i> to visit the mainland. An adversity that turned into an opportunity.<br />
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The movie taught us many lessons but I will discuss two that I recommend to parents to seriously ponder upon: (1) how to discover and appreciate one's own talent, and (2) the importance of working in synergy. Let us guide our children in discovering their own talent and appreciate it rather than they wanting to become somebody else because they don’t see the value of their own talent and potential contribution. Feeling secured about their role in a group, a family, a community, or an institution will allow them to work in harmony with the rest toward the attainment of a common goal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8o9SJX005kc/TZWglpTuBDI/AAAAAAAAA5s/mqX-NbvoIj8/s1600/tickerbell+talent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8o9SJX005kc/TZWglpTuBDI/AAAAAAAAA5s/mqX-NbvoIj8/s320/tickerbell+talent.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>(1) Talent is something you were born with. Discovering, honing and appreciating it is very important in your <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/12/im-too-happy-to-be-irritated.html">happiness</a> and success. This is what we teach our children and what <i>Tinkerbell</i> failed to do in the beginning. We do not want them to pursue things just because others are doing it; otherwise they'll get frustrated and may become who they are not. Early in their childhood, we want them to try lots of different things to be able to discover their talents so they would know how to enhance that talent and to be grateful for having such. <b> </b><br />
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<b>Your talent is in action when you produce a great deal of output with less effort on your part but with so much happiness in your heart. When enhanced with the necessary skills and combined with knowledge, talent becomes strength. </b><br />
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(2) Synergy means 1 + 1 = 16. This is not poor mathematics but an illustration of the catalytic, unifying and empowering impact of creative cooperation exhibited by the fairies who worked together to save spring. When <i>Tinkerbell</i> learned to value differences, respect them and focus on her strength, she was able to prove her worth and opened new possibilities. She was able to work in synergy with the other fairies and they were able to accomplish a mission next to impossible. Appreciating the value of each and every individual’s contribution empowers everybody to deliver more than what is expected of them…that includes appreciating your own value. <b> </b><br />
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<b>Let us inculcate in the minds of our children the value of knowing and believing in thyself, the beauty of each person's uniqueness, and respect for these differences. Believe in the miracle of synergy wherein the whole becomes more than just the sum of its parts.</b><br />
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These lessons from the movie have the same essence in the response I made to my son’s query: “Mom, I am happy that I got a gold medal, but is Recognition Day important?”<br />
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Coming from Abba's Orchard School, a pure Montessori school since his Junior Casa days where pupils are not given numerical grades and are not ranked, today is his first Recognition Day ever and his second gold medal. The first one was when he won <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-gold-medal-for-leon.html">first place in a Spelling Bee</a>. In that school they were taught to compete only with oneself so they continue to strive for excellence, and at the same time they are encouraged to cooperate with others. Because they continued to live this <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Maria-Montessori-Method-of-Teaching-and-Our-Children#img_url_2705579">Maria Montessori value</a>, I was not surprised that even as transferees, they were able to adjust well and excel academically.<br />
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This was my response; “Yes Leon, in this school they are recognizing pupils with scholastic achievement, with consistent good manners, as well as those who excelled in Quiz Bees and Sports Competitions. This motivates children to perform well in those areas. But more than medals, plaques and trophies, we want you to strive to be THE BEST THAT YOU CAN BE and NOT focus on trying to outdo others (i.e. <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/02/believing-is-being.html">comparing and competing with others</a>). We do this by focusing on your talents and making them your strengths. You contribute more to the family and to society when you do more of the things that you do best, respecting what others do best but not to the point of wanting to be exactly like them.”<br />
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<i><b>Note</b>: One of Leon’s key talents is being a learner so we provide him the resources and opportunities for learning. He is also a science enthusiast and we support the experiments he wants to perform to test his ideas. He also has naturalistic intelligence so we let him explore his surroundings even if it means more <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/">insect</a> bites. His interpersonal intelligence allows him to share his ideas to his playmates and every new person he meets. We know that he can never be an athlete so we don’t force the issue on him. He takes swimming lessons and plays ball games for skills development but we know that athletics will never be his strength and this didn’t diminish our love for him, not even a notch.</i><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftiJj9lJ_Gc/TY5TAqrbb_I/AAAAAAAAA5k/T7sZonPq0LU/s1600/earth%2Bhour%2B2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftiJj9lJ_Gc/TY5TAqrbb_I/AAAAAAAAA5k/T7sZonPq0LU/s200/earth%2Bhour%2B2011.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Having known that the <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/03/we-support-earth-hour.html">Philippines was number one</a> in the past two years in terms of participation in this world event also contributed to the disappointment. Was it for real? Was it just for PR, full of noise but no substance? <br />
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When one reads carefully the claims of "resounding success", the figures actually reflect what we've been observing in the past three Earth Hour events. The <a href="http://www.wwf.org.ph/earthhour/">estimates of at least 15 million Filipinos</a> participating is about 15-17% of the population and that would mean only 1 out of 6 Filipinos. In 2010, we observed that ours was the <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/03/earth-hour-in-neighborhood.html">only unit in a six-door apartment complex</a> that switched the lights off. My estimate would be lower this year in our current location.<br />
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I guess we were hoping for wider participation in our own neighborhood and the high expectation turned into disappointment. My brother-in-law told us that night that Alabang households have been participating well in the past years. There might be a wide range of values in terms of percentage or degree of participation with certain communities still not seeing the impact their involvement would have in their own lives now and in the future.<br />
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It just means that we have so much to do to improve the present numbers and actually transform communities into aware and involved citizenry ready to <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/our-support-is-beyond-earth-hour.html">contribute beyond the sixty minutes</a> per year for our planet. We must realize that we are all in this together ...and together we can make it happen.<br />
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With <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/world-population-milestone-7-billion-in.html">human population hitting the 7 Billion</a> mark by the end of 2011, we should all look into what each one of us can do beyond the Earth Hour tonight (8:30 to 9:30PM when we all refrain from using electricity), and campaign for better daily practices keeping in mind our individual impact on the planet.<br />
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We will be writing about some ideas on how we can contribute beyond the one hour tonight. So please keep posted. <br />
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For now, spread the word and share this post to your friends so more people can get involved. Together we can make our planet a better and safer place to live in for all of us and our children.<br />
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<i>A poem I wrote for <a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Papa+Sez">Papa Sez</a> on our wedding anniversary:</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/35656880_427543b05a_m.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Panos Ipeirotis</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I am so lucky I found you,</div><div style="text-align: center;">You taught me things I never knew.</div><div style="text-align: center;">You make me laugh, you make me cry</div><div style="text-align: center;">You cheer me up, Oh yes you try.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We almost missed saying “I do,”</div><div style="text-align: center;">But angels whispered we are meant to…</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now, it’s been twelve years and counting</div><div style="text-align: center;">We are happy and rejoicing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you noticed in the past twelve years?</div><div style="text-align: center;">Together we conquered all our fears.</div><div style="text-align: center;">‘Coz we believed there’s nothing we can’t do,</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you’re with me and I’m with you.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Twelve colorful years and counting,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Precious moments swiftly passing.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sweet memories and lessons learned,</div><div style="text-align: center;">For every page of life we turned.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Our blessings we selflessly share</div><div style="text-align: center;">With whomever we meet along the way.</div><div style="text-align: center;">May he be bum or gem in street,</div><div style="text-align: center;">We all journey with the same two feet.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Twelve years of marriage, four kids in carriage,</div><div style="text-align: center;">With happy hearts we go on with the voyage.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Until the day we park our cart,</div><div style="text-align: center;">When death will tear our lives apart.</div><br />
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As he noticed the questioning look in my eyes he explained that he is looking for a good spot to view the <b>Laguna Lake</b> in that part of the mountain. He then pulled out a ring from the pocket of his jacket and popped the big question, which he said took him hours (holding the ring in bed) to figure out. Well, actually he admitted that even at that moment, he had no clear strategy except to let his thoughts become words.<br />
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He phrased his question like this, “Dear, would you like to be the mother of my kids? I think it’s time we build our family.” <br />
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He placed the ring on my finger…there was no resistance on my part but still no answer. Caught unprepared, I didn’t know how to respond appropriately. The first thing that came out was “Dear, I have no Christmas gift for you yet” remembering that it was a day before <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-christmas-dinner-2009.html">Christmas</a>. <br />
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“If you’ll tell me you are willing to be the mother of my children and to grow old with me, you have given me the best Christmas gift ever”, he said. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJ1rj9zuylo/TYms7Bvm6BI/AAAAAAAAA5c/ha0eEwH2qkg/s1600/Rica%2Bviewing%2BLaguna%2BLake%2Bfrom%2BNational%2BArts%2BCenter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJ1rj9zuylo/TYms7Bvm6BI/AAAAAAAAA5c/ha0eEwH2qkg/s400/Rica%2Bviewing%2BLaguna%2BLake%2Bfrom%2BNational%2BArts%2BCenter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our eldest child, now 11 years old, viewing Laguna Lake 12 years after the proposal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
That was the moment I said YES. However, I got too excited and failed to ask how many kids does he want to have. <br />
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It was a few weeks later that he said he wanted a big family with a DOZEN KIDS. Oh-oh, can I take back my YES answer? Just kidding, I didn’t even think of that. <br />
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<a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Papa+Sez">Papa Sez</a> is such a sensible person and we easily agreed that we will let the family grow as big as we can, ensuring that each and every child is given the emotional and financial support they need to be happy and become the best that they can be.<br />
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In a few days it will be <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/twelve-years-and-counting.html">our 12th wedding anniversary</a>. Papa Sez and I were in a sentimental mood as we recounted how our paths crossed and how we ended up taking this journey together.<br />
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I thanked him for the ‘dozen happiness-<i> isang dosenang saya</i>’ and he jokingly asked what that means because we have only been blessed with <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/09/every-child-is-blessing.html">four kids</a> and not 12. I am referring to the 12 years of being together as a couple…the 12 years of <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Happiness-is-an-Island-Travel-Adventure">happiness</a>. The day we decided to become husband and wife, we were ready to become parents as well, and now we savor the flavors of this <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/parenting-journey-to-happy-parenting.html">happy parenting journey</a>.<br />
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“I look forward to several dozen more happy years with you Papa Sez... ‘til death do we part”.<br />
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The nice melody and catchy lyrics, particularly the phrases directly quoted from Alexandra "Ching Chong, ling long, ting tong" gamely translated into English by Jimmy, easily became the LSS since yesterday. Since then, Mama Sez and I, our kids, especially our youngest Nadine, and even the extended family have used "Ching Chong" as a code to say "I love you". Not bad for a term meant to be derogatory became a term for endearment. Now that's positively being positive in a world still full of intolerance and bigotry.<br />
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I'd say let's continue to use <i>Ching Chong</i> as a reminder of how a person can be so wrapped-up with oneself and forgets to step into the shoes of others. Each one of us can be as guilty if hatred and jealousy overpower the values of tolerance and empathy. This simple phrase, <i>Ching Chong</i>, can say it all.<br />
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<i>Note: read more about <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/blog/wasps/wasps-7-a-super-moon-week/">super moon, tsunamis and bigotry in this WASPS</a>.</i><br />
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Although this almost 3-minute video began by getting one to imagine how big a quantity 7 billion is and followed by fascinating statistics on how fast we got to this number that will eventually reach 9 billion by 2045, the tone became less scary and more reassuring at about 60% through the video when it shifted to a discussion on balance.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejT2ZSZnIUA/TX45mGSQnBI/AAAAAAAAA5U/krS4g-ZVMZY/s1600/balance%2BNatGeo%2B7%2Bbillion%2Bvideo%2Bshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejT2ZSZnIUA/TX45mGSQnBI/AAAAAAAAA5U/krS4g-ZVMZY/s320/balance%2BNatGeo%2B7%2Bbillion%2Bvideo%2Bshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot from the National Geographic video below.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The focus on balance identifies the lopsided usage of earth's resources as a key problem as the required space for 7 billion human beings is obviously not that much. In the end, the video also celebrates diversity and encourages the 7 billion people to think about the implications of these numbers.<br />
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An in-depth <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/seven-billion/kunzig-text">report on population 7 billion</a> is also featured in the National Geographic website. It tries to answer the question "Can the planet take the strain?" by reviewing the arguments in the age-old population debate. I enjoin you to watch the video below and check out the <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/7-billion">special series</a>.<br />
<br />
<embed allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="slug=ngm-7billion&img=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/media/ngm-7billion/ngm-7billion_480x360.jpg&vtitle=7%20Billion,%20National%20Geographic%20Magazine&caption=%3Cp%3EWith%20the%20worldwide%20population%20expected%20to%20exceed%20seven%20billion%20in%202011,%20National%20Geographic%20magazine%20offers%20a%207-part%20series%20examining%20specific%20challenges%20and%20solutions%20to%20the%20issues%20we%20face.%20The%20magazine%20introduces%20the%20series%20with%20its%20January%20cover%20story%20%E2%80%9C7%20Billion,%E2%80%9D%20offering%20a%20broad%20overview%20of%20demographic%20trends%20that%20got%20us%20to%20today%20and%20will%20impact%20us%20all%20tomorrow.%3C/p%3E&permalink=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/specials/sitewide-redesign/ngm-7billion.html&share=true" height="321" name="flashObj" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" seamlesstabbing="false" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/sites/video/swf/ngplayer_syndicated.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="460"></embed><br />
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<br />
The recent tragedy in Japan, brought about by a series of earthquakes, followed by tsunamis, and then the partial nuclear meltdown in Fukushima brought the world together in prayers and cooperation in large part because of the availability of information in the traditional media and the internet. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oCSR8nmyYPo/TX4DJ8TqxXI/AAAAAAAAA5M/lc14kHZVp_8/s1600/Fukushima%2BJapan%2BCBS%2Bnews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oCSR8nmyYPo/TX4DJ8TqxXI/AAAAAAAAA5M/lc14kHZVp_8/s400/Fukushima%2BJapan%2BCBS%2Bnews.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map Of Japan showing evacuation zone around Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (courtesy of CBS News).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>However, the internet and cell phone was also used around noon today to spread unverified information about "radiation leaks from Fukushima hitting the Philippines at 4pm, with recommendation to stay indoors and to swab the neck (thyroid) area with betadine". Well meaning people forwarded the message in twitter, facebook, email and SMS to their families and friends so as to help them prepare for the impending danger.<br />
<br />
This of course pushed <a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Mama+Sez">Mama Sez</a> and me into action. We immediately searched the internet for updates and specifically looked for verification from major news network and government sources worldwide, the only ones we thought who'd be responsible enough to know and verify information before posting anything online. It turned out that the cited source, BBC News, has not posted any updates to indicate that radiation would reach the Philippines. We also used University and research organization websites to learn basic information about nuclear radiation leaks, precautions and handling of emergency situations. We eventually settled down about an hour later when we made judgment that the forwarded information was false. Our friend also later retracted the warning with a follow-up message saying that it is NOT true.<br />
<br />
I guess the only way to guard against misinformation, deliberate or not, is to stay calm and immediately try to verify before forwarding the message. Being able to use and send information over the internet and/or via cell phone text messaging is POWER to influence and move other people to action, and wielding <i>power</i> requires all of us to be <i>responsible</i> as well.<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzY8YHJWOTo/TVxnu1A0O0I/AAAAAAAAA4U/6A-OPlzJ5tU/s200/parenting+journey+screenshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lzY8YHJWOTo/TVxnu1A0O0I/AAAAAAAAA4U/6A-OPlzJ5tU/s400/parenting+journey+screenshot.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our previous banner/header reflecting the original blog title "Parenting Journey".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The new blog title or name is part of a series of actions that we're going to take to concentrate our blogging efforts. The decision to consolidate our blogs was reached a few months back. However, the first concrete step happened just a couple of weeks ago about the same time this <a href="http://experiencefatherhood.blogspot.com/2011/02/wanting-and-doing.html">apology was posted over at Fatherhood Adventures</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>What's with "Happy Parenting Journey"?</b><br />
<br />
In our analyses leading up to the decision to consolidate our many blogs, we uncovered a trend, i.e. our blogs have revolved around three main topics or niches: HAPPINESS, PARENTING and TRAVEL. <br />
<br />
If you've been following all our blogging efforts in the past year or so, having so many blogs have resulted in infrequent and inconsistent postings, which was more manifest in our other blogs: <a href="http://experiencefatherhood.blogspot.com/">Fatherhood Adventures</a>, <a href="http://islandtravelphilippines.blogspot.com/">Island Travel</a>, <a href="http://wannabehappynow.blogspot.com/">WannaBeHappyNow</a> and all its sub-blogs (<a href="http://dailyhappinesstips.blogspot.com/">Daily Happiness Tips</a>, <a href="http://happyquotes-happyimages.blogspot.com/">Happy Quotes Happy Images</a>, <a href="http://mydailylaughs.blogspot.com/">Daily Laughs</a> and <a href="http://dailythanku.blogspot.com/">Daily Thank You</a>). In short, we were spreading ourselves too thinly.<br />
<br />
Parenting Journey has been the most consistent, along with our Hubpages hubs by <a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Mama+Sez">Mama Sez</a> and <a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Papa+Sez">Papa Sez</a>, in generating most of our traffic, readership and online income than the rest of our other blogs combined. In fact, Parenting Journey has maintained its page rank and improved its number of subscribers in recent months.<br />
<br />
So after 16 months of blogging, Parenting Journey turns into <b>Happy Parenting Journey </b>to accommodate the three niches or topics we love to write about. What started as just a creative outlet that <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2009/10/who-needs-job.html">launched the online persona named "Mama Sez"</a> has become the flagship blog that will encompass happiness topics, parenting issues, travel experiences and personal reflections.<br />
<br />
Since we've seen the value of retaining our old posts in our other blogs, we will soon inform our readers, visitors and subscribers in those blogs that postings about happiness, fatherhood and travel will be continued in this blog instead. Invitation to visit, follow and subscribe to <b>Happy Parenting Journey</b> will also be sent out in the next few weeks.<br />
<br />
<i>Note: the URL http://www.parents-journey.blogspot.com will be retained for <b>Happy Parenting Journey</b>.</i><br />
<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.speedtest.net/result/1179413095.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.speedtest.net/result/1179413095.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our internet access speed; test taken 1 March 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I did mention in that article that our current access speed is <i>satisfactory</i> to meet our needs as bloggers (no one in the family is an online gamer and we're not into so much downloads). Or is it me merely lowering my expectations knowing that there are other parameters that I should also be concern about, such as reliability of connection and cost of service? Yes, it most likely is an adjustment of my standards to what is achievable for now.<br />
<br />
The above data of our internet access speed was taken from <a href="http://www.speedtest.net/global.php#0">speedtest.net</a>. In the same site, rankings of download and upload speeds by continent and by country are also available. The Philippines in the screenshot below with 1.5 mbps download speed is in the 141st place, which puts us within the bottom quartile (25%) of the 186 total countries in the list.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IqfWxVpJURM/TW0Iu26P32I/AAAAAAAAA4o/O89xmQcUM3E/s1600/speedtest+results+global+ranking+1+March+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IqfWxVpJURM/TW0Iu26P32I/AAAAAAAAA4o/O89xmQcUM3E/s400/speedtest+results+global+ranking+1+March+2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Global ranking of download and upload speeds courtesy of speedtest.net (click table to enlarge).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This despite having an estimated 30 million Filipinos online, because 69% of these actually use internet cafes for access (<a href="http://www.gmanews.tv/story/214021/ischools-unfazed-despite-lack-of-internet-access">according to Yahoo-Nielsen Net Index 2010</a>). Therefore, small internet cafes will continue to be an important contributor to economic growth of the country if access at home, in school or office does not improve significantly soon. It's been shown in a <a href="http://www.gmanews.tv/story/214021/ischools-unfazed-despite-lack-of-internet-access">World Bank study</a> that a 10% increase in broadband penetration accelerates growth for developing countries by 1.38%. This is an illustration of how access to information can boost economic activity. Therefore, making the internet accessible to many, if not all, becomes the new equalizer. <br />
<br />
But internet cafes are often clustered in urban centers. So how about populations in more remote areas? As usual, their prospects for economic growth will have to wait.<br />
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<br />
Explanations why fair does not necessarily mean equal include differences in the biology of each gender, including differences at the level of the brain to the level of manifested behavior (heard of "equal but different"?), cultural and religious tenets and conventional wisdom.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385343949?tag=parenjourn-20&camp=213761&creative=393545&linkCode=bpl&creativeASIN=0385343949&adid=08YY10Y8XAQTHH7FJTCH&" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/shine/myl/spousanomicsimage.jpg" width="131" /></a>Now, economics has something to say on how to the divide work between spouses to improve the chances of a happy life together. The concept of comparative advantage is raised as one main consideration on modern arrangements that work. <br />
<br />
Watch this video as an introduction to a new book <i>Spousonomics: Using Economics to Master Love, Marriage and Dirty Dishes</i>, which is available at Amazon (click on the book icon to the left to learn more).<br />
<br />
<div><object height="324" width="576"><param name="movie" value="http://d.yimg.com/nl/techticker/site/player.swf"></param><param name="flashVars" value="browseCarouselUI=hide&vid=24170500&"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed width="576" height="324" allowFullScreen="true" src="http://d.yimg.com/nl/techticker/site/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="browseCarouselUI=hide&vid=24170500&"></embed></object></div><br />
Got the heads-up from a Yahoo article <a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/economics-the-key-to-happy-couples-division-of-labor-2455003/">Economics: the key to happy couples' division of labor</a> that featured this book and video.<br />
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<br />
The day got off on the wrong foot with issues carried over from last night. One of the issues has to do with school requirements, which was pushed over the edge when <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/02/believing-is-being.html">Leon</a> can't find his school ID a few minutes before the school shuttle service arrived. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Full-Your-Bucket-Positive-Strategies/dp/1595620036?ie=UTF8&tag=parenjourn-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1595620036&tag=parenjourn-20" width="133" /></a>After some leading questions from <a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Mama+Sez">Mama Sez</a>, Leon eventually remembered that he must have left it in the boy's comfort room in school yesterday when he changed his shirt. I was hard on him because of the ID and also because of what I eventually realized was just a misunderstanding of an agreement he had with his mom - on being responsible for getting up early and getting ready for school, which he thought was in effect only for a day, and that was yesterday. <br />
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<a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2010/06/fear-of-failure.html">Rica</a>, his older sister, also got her share of my displeasure, which was undeserved. All I wanted to do was to ask her to assist her brother on his requirement and in looking for his ID in school. I could have done it in a better way: without the angry and demanding tone, but in a respectful, empowering manner deserving of respect and cooperation from a person being requested. It was unfair and mean of me to scold her for responsibilities that wasn't hers in the first place and an expectation she wasn't fully aware of. <br />
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After some time to reflect on what just happened, I realized the impact my bucket dipping might have on my kids' mindset today. I cannot wait for them to get home to apologize and try to straighten things out. They are actually wonderful, responsible kids and they deserve to know.<br />
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<i>Note to self: <a href="http://www.insectexperts.com/blog/how-can-a-fly-change-your-world/">Don't sweat the small stuff</a>; do bucket filling, instead of bucket dipping.</i><br />
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</script>Papa Sezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16349147971452615464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6238396877820879338.post-25472332438666797862011-02-17T02:27:00.001-06:002011-02-17T02:30:45.860-06:00Healthy Hearts on Valentine's DayDespite our<a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/2011/01/busy-start-for-2011.html"> busier schedule that started this year</a>, Papa Sez managed to consistently post updates on <a href="http://insectexperts.com/">Insect Experts</a>, <a href="http://parents-journey.blogspot.com/">Island Travel</a> and<a href="http://hubpages.com/profile/Papa+Sez"> Hubpages</a>. It’s me who had been hibernating from the blogosphere, until the warmth I felt this past Valentine’s Day seemed to thaw my frozen blogging mode. I am now sharing how we spent the Hearts Day all for the sake of a “Healthier Heart and a Happier Us.”<br />
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“Us time” began when the school kids were off to school, and the younger ones were fed and bathed. We chose to wear clothes given by close relatives as Christmas present and ended up looking different from our usual selves…different in the positive sense I guess. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b1nGaMm_Dm0/TVzN0jSFPFI/AAAAAAAAAOE/V1xTqP5BsSk/s1600/Mama%2BSez%2Bunder%2Bthe%2BBamboo%2Bin%2BPook%2Bni%2BMariang%2BMakiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b1nGaMm_Dm0/TVzN0jSFPFI/AAAAAAAAAOE/V1xTqP5BsSk/s200/Mama%2BSez%2Bunder%2Bthe%2BBamboo%2Bin%2BPook%2Bni%2BMariang%2BMakiling.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SqndTj7aLe8/TVzN-d9V9EI/AAAAAAAAAOM/jptFADh1dsU/s1600/Mama+Sez+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SqndTj7aLe8/TVzN-d9V9EI/AAAAAAAAAOM/jptFADh1dsU/s200/Mama+Sez+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
We wanted to do our morning walk, breathe fresh air and appreciate nature because all these energize the heart. So we decided to visit <a href="http://islandtravelphilippines.blogspot.com/2011/02/pook-ni-mariang-makiling-rates-charges.html"><i>Pook ni Mariang Makilin</i>g</a> where you can walk all you can, climb all you want and feel the cool breeze all day. You also have the option to swim all day in the Olympic-size pool, if you wish. This is a nature park at the foot of Mt. Makiling in Los Baños. We appreciated flowers that only bloom beautifully in the forest, the damselflies playing by the creek, the soothing sound of flowing water and of course the luscious greens all around. The surrounding is so inviting for a photo shoot session we seldom engage ourselves in.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qcOExgoZY4I/TVzPEbPxk9I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/96o_sRIdk_U/s1600/Flowers+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qcOExgoZY4I/TVzPEbPxk9I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/96o_sRIdk_U/s200/Flowers+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqMTPL0yDkc/TVzPNP3_OFI/AAAAAAAAAOU/SFLWdFJgDDs/s1600/Papa+Sez+in+Olympic-size+swimming+pool+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqMTPL0yDkc/TVzPNP3_OFI/AAAAAAAAAOU/SFLWdFJgDDs/s200/Papa+Sez+in+Olympic-size+swimming+pool+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
There were also moments of reminiscing memories of Papa Sez doing his laps in the pool while I read a book on the side (poor me, I am not a swimmer). He even reenacted how he got wild <i>Lantana camara</i> flowers from a cliff in the same mountain just to offer me flowers during our second Valentine’s Day together, when funds are meager to pay for a classy bouquet. The flowers were very colorful and beautiful but the smell is…nevermind. It’s the thought that is so wonderful that I won’t tire thinking of over and over.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t8GExMgVLmU/TVzSEFZdpYI/AAAAAAAAAOY/wPNH7jhTbtg/s1600/Papa%2BSez%2Breaching%2Bfor%2BLantana%2Bcamara%2Bflowers%2Bin%2BPook%2Bni%2BMariang%2BMakiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t8GExMgVLmU/TVzSEFZdpYI/AAAAAAAAAOY/wPNH7jhTbtg/s200/Papa%2BSez%2Breaching%2Bfor%2BLantana%2Bcamara%2Bflowers%2Bin%2BPook%2Bni%2BMariang%2BMakiling.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHnfHdixCfU/TVzSWxdgYfI/AAAAAAAAAOg/lTFt47b4i9E/s1600/Papa+Sez+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHnfHdixCfU/TVzSWxdgYfI/AAAAAAAAAOg/lTFt47b4i9E/s200/Papa+Sez+in+Pook+ni+Mariang+Makiling.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
We got hungry and proceeded to a new restaurant that we thought would include healthy options in their menu. Unfortunately, we got hungry too soon that the first reastaurant we went to was not yet ready to serve lunch. This unfortunate event turned out to be fortunate for us because we stretched our mind to recalling this restaurant in Maahas, Los Baños, Laguna, that we visited with friends a few months back…The Herb Republic.<br />
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This restaurant offers only organically grown vegetables and meat from naturally grown chicken and pig that they themselves produced. Dishes are prepared with their finest herbs. Even the drinks are healthy as they are prepared without sugar and sweetened only by the herb called “Stivia.” All food in the menu are fresh and healthy and therefore good for the heart. We ordered the Herb Republic Salad, Basil Pesto Pasta, Mint Buko Lychee Cooler and Mint Watermelon Cooler. Hot Lemon Grass Tea was served as welcome drink.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KXnVch-Em7Y/TVzZVjfZd3I/AAAAAAAAAOk/9h48qCskJaI/s1600/Herb+Republic+Salad+and+Basil+Pesto+Pasta+plus+drinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KXnVch-Em7Y/TVzZVjfZd3I/AAAAAAAAAOk/9h48qCskJaI/s200/Herb+Republic+Salad+and+Basil+Pesto+Pasta+plus+drinks.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPbUp41QOoA/TVzZeiJBLfI/AAAAAAAAAOo/eRqss3elCRY/s1600/Mama+Sez+ready+for+the+Basil+Pesto+Pasta+of+Herb+Republic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPbUp41QOoA/TVzZeiJBLfI/AAAAAAAAAOo/eRqss3elCRY/s200/Mama+Sez+ready+for+the+Basil+Pesto+Pasta+of+Herb+Republic.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
Finally, home-bound after that heart-healthy lunch in a cozy hideout. We brought home ripe papayas and young coconuts or “buko” that we bought along the way…again for a healthy treat to be shared with the kids. <br />
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It was another Hearts Day celebration that is heart-warming and heart-healthy at the same time. My heart is beating fast as I look forward to the next.<br />
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P.S. Read about <b>Herb Republic</b> and <b>Pook ni Mariang Makiling</b> in <a href="http://islandtravelphilippines.blogspot.com/">Island Travel</a>.<br />
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