Mid-year Milestones

It's already half-way of 2009. I couldn't say that it has been so far, so good. I really feel like things are going too fast for me. The hours of a day are not enough for the things to be done, so I end up with this long list of carry over to-do's.

Meridian parents
But major accomplishments include having moved to our long-term residence here in Quezon City. Lois has just finished her summer orientation classes with Meridian International Learning Experience. She's an incoming preschooler. At the end of the class, her teachers talked to Paul and me. They said Lois has caught up with the routine of the class. Her being one of the oldest in the group shows, she silently holds the hand of her crying classmate. She has adjusted well. She talks with her teachers, showing to them her lovely dress. They described her as the gentle kind. Well, I'm fine with that.

Fitness buffs
And, another milestone, having enrolled at a gym near our place for wellness management. Yup, Paul and I are serious about living strong until the end. We've been gym regulars since Saturday. Doing cardio exercises and lifting weights. Monitoring what we eat and drinking milk. What I like about the gym is that it's population is just right. I don't know if it's because we go there during off-peak hours which is morning. So far, I've spotted several ABS-CBN 2 talents already, not that it matters, but maybe the place is really not so packed that's why celebrities prefer it over other facilities in the area.

So far, we're doing what Ms. Xhi, our trainer, listed us to do. The machines to use, number of reps and weights plus the diet. I guess though, we are failing at the diet. The plan says three glasses of milk and five servings of protein. My estimate is that I'm under consuming. This morning, one guy trainer there said it's best to not drop the weights of the machines. Maximum muscle workout is achieved when you continue to do your reps while holding the weights. I tried it and it's much harder. Wasn't able to do minimum repetitions for the arm lifts at 10lbs, but for the other workouts, was able to finish up to the second sets with much higher weights. Hehe!

Web newbie
On the hunt for the best commercial biz location for us, and it seems like the Lord has delivered once again. On my way home, I saw this row of small stores with one unit unoccupied. I inquired and found out the place is for rent. Fee is very much within the target budget we've allotted. Area is promising, best among all I've seen. Will submit the proposal tomorrow along with the processing fee. In about two weeks, we can start fixing the place and then, we're off to business.

form> function() & .class
Now that topic is business, let me announce the first Philippine web design conference. I've signed up and am hoping to win free tickets, that's a P1000 thing, that's why this announcement. I've visited the web site of the group who's hosting it, Philippine Web Designers Organization, and it looks promising. I hope the Philippines can become great at web design, and this is a good start.

Save the date, July 10 8am to 5pm at the Asian Institute of Management across Greenbelt 1 in Makati. Benefit from the genius of Rico Sta. Cruz - Creative Director, U.S. Auto Parts Philippines; Nap Lara - Software Developer, Friendster; Regnard Raquedan - Web & Usability Consultant; Jojo Esposa - Founder, Philippine Web Accessibility Group; Marco Palinar - User Interface/Web Design Consultant; Gail dela Cruz-Villanueva - Creative Director, Sheero Media; Luis Buenaventura II - Co-founder and Social Software Architect, Syndeo Labs; Director of Engineering, Exist Global. Honestly, have no idea who these people are but you can always google their credentials, right?

Schedule of activities on July 10 is:

* 08:00am-08:45am - Registration
* 08:45am-09:00am - Opening Remarks and Introduction to PWDO by Sophia Lucero
* 09:00am-09:45am - Design 101 by Rico Sta. Cruz
* 10:00am-10:45am - Interaction Design by Nap Lara
* 11:00am-11:45am - Web Standards, Accessibility, & Usability by Regnard Raquedan
* 12:00nn-12:45pm - Lunch
* 12:45pm-01:15pm - Disabled Friendly Awards by Jojo Esposa
* 01:15pm-02:00pm - Sponsor Talks
o Search-friendly Web Pages by Aileen Apolo of Google
* 02:00pm-02:45pm - Workflow by Marco Palinar
* 03:00pm-03:45pm - Industry Tips by Gail dela Cruz-Villanueva
* 04:00pm-04:45pm - State of the Web by Luis Buenaventura II
* 04:45pm-05:15pm - Panel Q&A

The event is still open for sponsors, if interested click here. Around 400 attendees are expected, and you could be one of them. Or like me, you can also earn your way in through the free ticket promo.

Joining the bandwagon

The talk about sexy star Katrina Halili and Dr. (though soon to be removed from his profession) Hayden Kho only brings upfront what has been there ever since. We all have scandals inside our self's closets. Yes, even the most innocent of us, because we are born with a sinful nature.

My two kids, one 39 months-old and another 18 months-old, both show their savage sides every now and then. We tried as much as we could to shelter them from prime time television because we do not want them oriented with violence, sex and materialism. Yet my 3 year old scoffs at her baby brother when he plays with her toys. Or sometimes, our baby boy would send his big sister crying because he hit her on the head for no reason at all. Yes, we really gravitate towards the me-side. We, for we are all human beings want us crowned kings of ourselves. And that is where the problem lies.

Selfishness, pride, lust, jealousy, fear, slothfulness. A lot of things fall in the category of sin. The world (advertising and media) only packages them as good and enticing that's why we're lured. But those who have been there know that a life of sex, vices and thrill is a life void of meaning. Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes, or to bring it closer, Donita Rose, Gary V. Ok, my celebrity examples are not that convincing, but I am 100% convinced that unless we realize that we are sinful and that we gravitate towards trouble we are doomed. Once we know who we are, helpless and mean, we must seek help.

The only genuine, victorious help comes from the Holy Spirit made clear by God's word made flesh in the persona of Jesus. Ok, you might think I'm losing it, but thanks for reaching this far. Only a life surrendered fully to God can be victorious. When I say victory, I mean the non-world, true-to-the-heart peace and joy.

March 2009 In Photos

Foreman Bong at our soon to be finished condo unit

Florence, Aliyah and Lois excited to cut Lola Inang's birthday cake

Lola Inang with camera-shy guests

Senior Citizen all

Carlos' dream room

Carlos on a bike with Tito Marvin - oops, cropped him out

Birthday girl ML - Mam Lorna :)

Our preschooler

Playing with macaronis

On the Road to 'Formal' Learning

We'll be enrolling Lois to Meridian International Learning Experience in April. Yes, we've taken the step towards school already. There is no question about the school anymore. We want the kids to learn to love God and our country, not just good old, education. This is also the reason why we'll be moving near the school. It's a lifestyle change for all of us.

Honestly, this was not our original plan. Our target was to send Lois to school by 2010 when she's already 4.5 years old. But things were changing. We were seeing Lois transform into a sponge with all the bad things getting absorbed. She would titter over John Lloyd's billboard in Edsa because she claims she is Sarah Geronimo. (Well, that's a bit better than being Marian Rivera, her original matinée idol.) She would be too shy when we're with other people. And she would hurt little Carlos as if he is not her relative.

So with great faith we scheduled for her assessment. I was hoping she could get to Nursery II already, so she will not be the oldest in her class. But her age by June does not meet the requirement. So I thought it's better that way, than be able to save up on a year and create a tortured pupil out of her. Off Lois went inside the Nursery I classroom while Daddy Paul and I were interviewed by the Directress of the School. She briefed us that Lois will be lovingly disciplined and that we should teach her English as by Prep, they will be introducing Mandarin already.

Funny, but I found myself fidgeting while Lois was inside the classroom. I was curious if she was participating, I was hopeful she was having fun, but I was also afraid that other kids might have told her something nasty that would make her hate school. It was just 30 minutes of waiting for Lois to finish her assessment, but it felt like the longest 30 minutes. Awww, I'm a parent of a pre-schooler I cannot believe it.

Learning on his own

BabyCenter.com says at age 16-months, kids could normally use up to 10 words. Well, our Carlos could easily dish out 20 words:

1. ball/shoot/dunk
2. bike
3. airplane
4. car
5. dog
6. taxi
7. bird
8. juice
9. mama
10. daddy/Poh
11. ate Lois
12. bubbles
13. hand/paa
14. tree/halaman
15. bye-bye
16. uh-oh
17. blocks
18. toys
19. cd
20. baby
21. light
22. moon/star/sun

No, I am not proud. I am euphoric. As the second-born, he did not receive the same attention and care as Lois. But he's ok. In fact, he's better. He shrugs himself up after he falls, he takes medicines without fussing, he eats ALL vegetables and fruits and he's happier.

What a blessed family we are.

No fun

After shopping for books at M/V Doulos, Grandma Dahls asked Lois:

Ma Dahls: Did you enjoy our Doulos trip?

Lois Sourly said: No!

Surprised, Ma Dahls asked: Why not?

Lois: Because the ship didn't move.

Ma Dahls: Why did it not move?

Lois: Maybe there's no gasoline.

Proud to be from Pandi

Yes, something world-class has FINALLY come out from Pandi, Bulacan - my hometown. For the longest time, it has been a quaint, little town unknown to the country. I'm sure it is still now, I just saw the town announcement that it has gained 2nd-class municipality status. Kudos! But the time of reckoning is upcoming with the opening of Amana Waterpark. It boasts of a wave pool that's the biggest in Asia along with 12 others. It is scheduled to open on March 28, 2009.

From what I've heard, they will be bringing in TV celebrity Jericho Rosales during the opening salvo. He's a surfing aficionado, maybe he'll ask him to do some tricks at the pool. If swimming at Amana is the same as surfing the beach waves, then surfers won't have to travel as far as La Union for the waves.

I'm really excited for Pandi as the resort will surely bring in jobs and improvement to my town. As early as now, I've heard they're limiting the hiring to Pandi residents. My brother tried applying as a bookeeper. I hope he gets it.

To get there via public transport, take the Sta. Maria, Bulacan route of bus lines. Then alight at Walter-Mart Sta. Clara in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Take a jeep to Pandi, at the Pandi Poblacion, take another jeep ride with the Bagbaguin signage. It'll pass there. Perhaps they'll come up with a direct route. I hopefully pray.

Entrance fee they say is P250/head.

And for the contact numbers, they are: 0922-8708428, 044-6612384, 044-6612383.

Why Web Design

It's not like Steve Jobs reflecting over his life when he gave a commencement speech at Stanford circa 2005. I haven't reached that nirvana yet. But there are minute parallelisms. Really, there is a big hand working out details of our intricate lives.

You see for the life of me, I could not recall being passionate over something. I remember my Communications 3 speech, when our teacher asked us to talk about ourselves, I said I am an observer. It's like the world spins and I view it from my point. Precisely because I have never been into something that much. Everything about me is normal, ordinary, plain, casual, fleeting. I see movies about living life to the fullest. I read about 'carpe diem'. I hear about lives being poured out for a cause. Then I started asking for that which I am created for. It took me years to figure out and accept that it was web design.

Push comes to shove

My husband had a lot to do with it. I always tell him that for me, sex is talk. So I would always rant about me not feeling life because there is nothing that anchors me to it. We prayed and the kids came. Immediately, we decided that I will quit my job to become a full time mom. I remember, I was awkwardly gravid with Lois when I saw this stay at home mom singing onstage for our Sunday worship service and I just felt right there and then that our decision was bliss. I would be the primary caregiver to Lois, who then was still unnamed. I had a vision of myself in charge of an organized household, nursing the satisfied baby. It was all that and more until Carlos came around, our second baby. Yes, I was gravely surprised when we found out I was carrying him. Mainly because life with Lois was not as picture-perfect as I thought it would be. The hard to find nannies didn't help, and those whom we'd like to settle with long-term has other plans. So with pregnancy hormones adding to my already unfulfilled emotions, I really longed for that which will define me.

Then Paul gave me an HTML & CSS book for my birthday, Elizabeth Castro's HTML, XHTML & CSS 6th Edition (Visual Quickstart Guide) . I read a few chapters of it until it got destroyed, because of poor handling. No love at first sight for me and web design. Then I finished another book I started reading earlier, God is in the Small Stuff: And it all Matters and one lesson there hit me - 'Learn something new and devote an entire year learning everything about it'. I listed several items I could focus on knowing, until I settled on web design. From then on, looking at web sites was never the same again. I got excited over checking source codes. How did they do that? Wow, this is great! Ooh, I'll save this in my favorites folder - until I ran out of disk space. Ok that's an exaggeration.

So now I am a student of the codes. I love web design the same way I love my kids.

Getting Serious

My dream regarding web design is to be able to translate concept to codes. It's better put in Filipino, gawin ang kayang isipin. I know I have still a lot to learn. My next order is JavaScript. Skills on graphic design is a must, that's why I'm learning everything all at the same time.

But I really am so into this already. For me, this is my share in helping the country. God willing, the web company my husband and I are putting up will flourish to become a positive world class contribution that can inspire Filipinos. It's my stake regarding my kids' future, never mind the financial aspect, but the enabling of the mind, of the will.

God bless Sling and Stone Web.

February 2009 in Photos

Mark & Mia finally got married, Feb 7

Much filled and entertained guests at Castillo-Cabral Nuptial

Daddy Paul with his old-time HS buddies

Lois no longer 2, but 3 years old

Happy 3rd birthday, Lois

Birthday girl Lois with friends and guests

Lois and Carlos ready for summer - thanks Ninang Marj for the matching swim wear :)

Enchanted Kingdom, Feb 28

Riding the train with Kuya Drei and Auntie Mary

Family picture with the triceratops