Parenting Archive

My thoughts on parenthood, and what it's like to be a mom in the Philippines.

Afternoon Walk At Binondo

been planning for this walk since time immorial.. and finally! spent an afternoon with my girlfriends walking around Chinatown..

First stop (after a quick Divi shopping) was Waiying Fastfood at Benavidez Street:

We had Fried Noodles, Fried Rice (2 orders), Hakaw (3 orders), Pork Asado (1/4 lang), Fried Wanton (4 orders) and Hot Salad + Buko Pandan for dessert. We also ordered Cold Milk Tea (5 glass) as suggested by our waiter. Our total bill was 1505 PhP. ang mura di ba? at ang sarap! nag take out nga ako ng buchi (which my husband liked so much), buchi is 60 PhP for 3 pieces. Food and price aside, I think one of the reason why this restaurant is very popular is their staff.. every one of them is very accommodating and helpful. Our waiter suggested on what we should order and how much we should, like the Pork asado.. which he suggested we order just a quarter first. He was the one who mentioned about their fried wanton, which turns out to be a favorite.. we ordered another serving and another 2 for take out! Not only that, when we asked him to wrap the asado sauce for take out, he said he’ll just give us new sauce for take out.. nice! And they were really nice to take our photos even though the place is full:

argh! I know, plastic bag! haays.. food take outs.. I still don’t know what to do with them..

After our feast (Levy has to leave early.. kaines!) we started walking again.. from benavidez to Salazar and then to Ongpin street. Just before the bridge at Ongpin, we found a small store that sells Melona Ice Cream.. at nagulat kami! 25 PhP lang pala isa.. ignorante mode lang.. akala namin mahal LOL

And while Melona melts in our hands, I thought of asking this joke I found online:

3 women are eating popsicles, one is biting, one is licking, and one is sucking, which is married?

Which one? Tell me on the comment section!

Off to Ongpin, to look for Sati’s earrings and we end up at a store almost in front/side of Sta Cruz Church (if I remember correctly, this is also the place where I bought our now gone wedding ring haha).. a few inquiries here and there and I got the little girl a 14K standard gold for 900 PhP (originally 1500 PhP.. ay oo mga teh, ako ay reyna ng kabaratan!).. a few more walks and we stopped for a quick rest and water refill.. then we head back to the stall where we bought Sati’s earrings.. found a really cute earrings for me..got it for 300 PhP, original price is 500 PhP.. turns out, pag alis namin, may pumakyaw sa paninda nya. Maganda daw akong buena mano kaya pumayag sa tawad ko na 300 at totoo naman, based on my expereince pag nilapitan ko ang isang tindahan, dinudumog hehe

kaya ko naman nagustuhan ung hikaw for Sati (kahit wala sa budget) eh dahil sa de roskas sya (tama ba spelling ko) ay basta un, parang de tornilyo ba.. at least hindi na madali maalis ung pakaw unlike sa mga dati nyang hikaw.. mura nga halos every month naman nagpapalit kame..aysus! The swan earrings for me, I bought it kase feeling ko ugly duckling ako dati.. I mean hindi lang feeling, ugly duckling talaga ako.. and it has my birthstone! and yes, I feel I’m a swan now.. hehe

We end our walk with fried siopao..we found it along Ongpin street corner Bahama street (near Metrobank). It’s small store, almost unnoticeable but their fried siopao is very famous. I bought 8 pieces at 16 PhP each.. 4 pieces for my kids and 4 pieces for my “other” kids aka Kieth&Dylan.

Here’s our route during our Binondo Walk:

Green dot is Waiying Fastfood, Purple Dot is where we bought fried siopao and the yellow dots is the gold center.

It’s not the usual Binondo Walk and we did not even have enough photos to say we did walk on the streets of Binondo..first timers! hahaha so in our next visit, I will make our itinerary and as early as now, here’s our must stop list:

Chinatown Welcome Sign
Binondo Church
Binondo Fountain
Sta Cruz Church
Ride a Kalesa
Food trip (Waiying, Quick Snack, Estero, Shin Tai Shang, President’s Grand Palace etc)
Ongpin Bridge
Gold Shopping/window shopping (I saw this uber cool engagement ring and forgot to take a photo.. so next time..)

Any suggestion?

Travel Focus: the Holy Land

Who isn’t fascinated with visiting the Holy Land ? History would tell us that both Christians and Muslims would love to go there. Both look forward to go on a pilgrimage tour there, but with a different focus.

For Christians, the desire to go there is primarily motivated by the desire to walk on the places where Jesus Christ and other Biblical characters or saints have walked on. These would include: Golgotha (or Calvary), the city of Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor (the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus), Jacob’s well in Nablus (said to be the site where Jesus had an encounter with a Samaritan woman). These are just but part of a list. As for Muslims, Jerusalem (along with Mecca and Medina ) is considered a holy site in Sunni Islamic tradition. According to Islamic traditions, their prophets are associated with Jerusalem including Muhammad, the Islamic prophet.

One good news about going on a tour to the Holy Land these days is that travellers there can now have the option of staying in Luxury Apartments Tel aviv. This is especially great for families and even couples travelling there together for the first time.

If you wish to check out more information about these Tel Aviv luxury apartments available in the Holy Land , one can also do online. While there are also hotels to choose from, you may just opt for the more familiar feeling of having your own apartment while touring the place. It’s like having a home away from home.

So if you’re up for a trip to the Holy Land , get yourself and your loved ones ready. Prepare the budget; book the flights and the apartment (you may choose to do this with a travel agency). Enjoy experiencing the Holy Land while you are there. And come back refreshed, changed J

Teaching Your Kids NOT To Be Shy

My second born went home last Monday, beaming with pride. He said his kuya was the one who lead the Alma mater song during the flag ceremony. Oh! I was overwhelmed, I almost cry. I have been telling them to participate in school and not to be shy.

As a kid, I was a very shy girl and I was an easy target to bullies. I do not want that to happen to my kids. I want them to be sociable and of course be the best they can be academically. My first born is now in Grade 3 and we have been telling him to always participate in school activities since he was in Grade 1 and now, he’s starting to pick up.

I think as parents, that’s the best thing we can do, push and support our kids. Let them know that we are here in every decision they made. Let me share with you some of the things we have been through to overcome shyness:

MTAP Seminars. I always let them join MTAP seminars every Saturday. I think being with their classmates for another day, beside the Monday- Friday schedule lets them enjoy socializing. And because of that, they kinda form a bond with their classmates, making them more confident with their social skills.

School Council Officers. Few weeks ago, I was busy preparing campaign paraphernalia for my first born. He run for P.R.O for the school council and of course we need to show our support even if it means not sleeping for 2 days. He lost but since I already explained to him that it’s the experience that counts, he’s happy with the result. In fact he was glad he run for P.R.O because he met new friends from upper grade level.

Canteen and Break time. I use to bring them food during lunch break but I realized, I can give them a break and let them eat with their classmates. Two days a week, they eat lunch at the school canteen with their friends.

In a way, I am lucky they love socializing too. They are not that super shy kind of kids unlike my third born. Third born will be in school next year and as early as now, I have been thinking of ways to make it easier for him:

Be at the school early, earlier than the the other students. Too many people overwhelms my third born and arriving in a school full of kids will scare him.
Assure him that I will be waiting for him outside. Oh yes, I think I have to stay on the school ground and wait for him. It is very important, specially for shy kids, that we do not break their trust. So I need to be there when he said I should be there waiting for him.
Talk to the teacher often. Let him know that me and his teacher are friends and that he can relax at the classroom.
Know the name of his classmates and ask him about them. It will challenge him to interact with his classmates so that he can tell something about them to mommy (talk about kids pleasing their parents).

So far, that’s what included on my strategy on how to over come shyness. I hope I can think of more ways and fun ways to help my third born overcome his shyness. I bet some moms at Seriously Fun Moms have something to say. If you have a shy kid, go check out the page to learn other ways in overcoming shyness.