Posts from — September 2009

It’s been a while since we have watched a Filipino movie. A few weeks ago, we happened to rent The Great Raid in DVD. It is an English movie but the story brings a lot of the country’s history with it. It was good that my elder daughter RD watched it in-part. My husband took it as an opportunity to tell of some stories about our country’s roots and how our Asian neighbors, Spain, Japan, and America shaped its history. I’m sure it would be equally interesting to visit these countries to see the other side of the coin. For example, a trip to some towns in Spain like Padron Galicia or Santiago and see if there are back-references to what was going on back in Manila. It is quite likely that there is. It is probably even a good excuse for us to get a trip to these countries.

So what comes to your mind when you hear or read the word ‘chemist’? Before coming to Sydney, a chemist to me is a person wearing a white medical gown playing with some colored liquid in a science laboratory. Well, this all changed. Here, a chemist is essentially a pharmacy or shop selling medicines including over the counter and prescription, supplements and other health products like colonetix. So if you do happen to visit Australia and forgot to pack your vitamins, then all you have to do is to look around for a chemist.

As I’ve mentioned in a prior post, a musicale is now on my daughter’s school. These types of events would prompt any parent to bring out the camera! And so I did. As I was preparing it, I was pleasantly surprised to find some photos which I have not yet downloaded. It was fun to go through the photos but this also reminded me to be more rigid in saving these photos. Ideally, after downloading, I would have then saved in another backup drive before sending out to an offsite or online storage. People should be aware that the conveniences of the digital photograph format requires some work after the shutter has been pressed. These photos are snapshots of some memories. They are treasures.

My daughter RD is busy with a school-wide musicale ongoing. This year the school is presenting Alice in Wonderland! I already watched the opening show and was really entertained. I guess the best description is that it is ‘cute’. But certainly it will entertain audience using nappy rash cream, acne cream, or wrinkle cream! In short, it is a great musicale that would leave lasting memories not only for the audience but also the participants.

If you have a sibling or have more than one kid, then it is quite likely that you had some experience with those petty sibling fights. Perhaps even with siblings who are considered ‘best of friends’, there might have been some slight moments of misunderstanding. I guess that’s normal. After all, we’re humans. Even my kids to go into such ‘episodes’. The latest is in fact is really ’shallow’ as it is simply about having turns at playing with some huge exercise ball- the one sometimes used for targeting belly fat. Anyway, at the end of it, what I realized is that the true feelings still prevail: love. That is the part parents really cherish!

My daughter CN loves to go to birthday parties. It is good that most of them happen during the weekends so my husband is there to do the driving. However, yesterday was different. Not only is it a weekday. The party is also being held at a place which is out of my usual driving pattern. And as I am not too comfortable driving to places I am not familiar with, I knew this would be a challenge even with gps assistance. But then, I go back to my first sentence, I know CN would love to go. And so I eventually took on a deep breath to take on the challenge, all for love.

I was glad to learn in today’s news that a swine flu vaccine is just a couple of weeks away from being realized. I am sure it is something that will be welcomed by a lot of people. While the attention has probably gone down compared to when the first cases were discovered earlier this year, the threat of swine flu still exists. Those who have health cover like Blue Cross NC may also find an extra layer of assurance in the event that the unfortunate happens. Amidst all the excitement that the vaccine news has created, I am also saddened that, on this same day, I learned of a family who caught the flu thousands of miles away from where we are. But then I am reminded of the song: ‘why worry when you can pray!’. That sure is more potent than any V man can make.

Can we really tell what kids would likely be when they grow up? It could be a tough call to make. And even if I could, I probably would not impose what I think with my kids. My youngest daughter shows a lot of interest on ‘building stuff’ even before she could even walk. We sometimes fondly call her ‘little engineer’. And as she grows up, all the more we observe that she is keen to watch her dad work on screwdrivers or other general ‘fix-it’ tasks. We once visited a museum around Sydney which had a kid-sized mock construction site. And of course, she has her hands full on the industrial hand wheels. But then again, it may be too early to tell. Whatever course she would eventually pursue, we’ll always be proud parents to back her up.

Now is the time. I guess this is just but one of the themes that are being presented every time we hit the season of Spring. Time for what? Time to lose some unwanted kilos in time for summer. It is not really an annoyance but the more of these stuff come in, one can really tell that there is some big fuzz about getting the right shape for the next season. The schemes itself come in different shapes and sizes from apidexin to the huge gym equipments. To some extent, you can even get a feeling that all the fuzz easily shadows the financial situation the world is in right now.

It’s just over a week to go before the kids take a school holiday break. It is probably something that a lot of students look forward to. But hey, we parents also look forward to this short breathers. It is not only a perfect time to hunt for travel deals but also a time to just ‘recharge’ and prepare for the next term. And of course, it’s a great time for family bonding!

TIme really flies. We now find ourselves preparing for my daughter CN’s birthday party in the next coming weeks. One thing she wanted to have on the party is a game of piñata. Using an old box, I crafted a butterfly shaped piñata. All is now set except for the stick that would be used to hit it with. My husband suggested using his putting club as he not likely to use it anytime soon for a Myrtle beach golf game. Though as CN’s guests will be little kids we thought that might not be a good idea as they may even have a tough time to lift the club. And even if they do, they might not have enough strength to break the piñata. Any suggestions?

Safety is probably one of the most important things we would like to give to our children. I can still recall installing safety table corner ‘bumpers’ to cushion bumps when my kids were just toddlers. Of course there’s the cabinet locks and maybe door stoppers to prevent pinched fingers. As kids grow up, it could be natural for parents to attempt to go as far as they can. It may not even be surprising to find people providing or offering Tennessee injury lawyers whenever the situation requires. But then, I guess the marching order is really to be proactive in preventing injury. And hey, that’s why I called this post ‘Safety First’.

Spring is a popular season for many for a number of reasons. For me personally, I like it because it ends winter which I have to admit is my least favorite. The season is also known for the beautiful flowers that begin to captivate the surroundings. In Australia, it’s also a season for horse racing! And when people go to the race, it’s more than just the equestrian apparel which catches the spotlight. That is because these events also creates the opportunity for people to dress up in suits, dresses and of course, fancy hats. I know my daughters also enjoy spring because of the fact that they can start to wear lighter clothing. It also gives them more chances to play out and enjoy the cool but comfortable outdoors.

We just watched ‘Last Chance Harvey’ starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. It is a rather light movie and a somewhat predictable story line. It tells of a story of a man who, after going through some failures in life, decided to take a go at doing things right when he meets the ‘last chance’. I won’t go into details so as not to spoil the fun for anyone who’s yet to see it. I guess the highlight for me is when the main character in his tuxedo vest stood up to put up a speech/toast for his newly wed daughter. It was indeed a nice and brave stance when he took what is rightfully his: to take the honor and privilege of what no one could take away from him.

As we go deeper into spring, the changes in the surroundings become more evident. Other than flowers starting to bloom, you also see some of the insects come to life. Just recently, we saw a spider inside our house. We have some ’standby’ insecticide so there wasn’t much drama. It made me recall one instance when we didn’t have this ’standby’ that we had to use a yellow pages directory to do the work. Makes me appreciate these hard copies even with the obvious convenience of a web directory. But if it were a really huge spider, then I’d probably be tempted to throw the modem! (if that still doesn’t work, then yes, perhaps the computer).