Go The Distance by Michael Bolton

During the Recognition Day of my eldest, there was this portion that all the awardees from Grades 1-5 sang a special song. It was entitled “Go The Distance” by Michael Bolton.

I accompanied her during the 2 day practice at school and watched every step of their practice. On the portion for the group to sing the song it came just very natural that as if I was just listening to an ordinary presentation. But during the special day when all the awardees lined up on stage, wearing their medals and sang the song twice there’s this mix emotions of happiness, proud and hope. I am almost carried away with the performance and almost cried while taking the pictures.

Seeing those kids reaping the fruits of their labor, being my daughter as part of them, gave me more strength and inspiration to do my best in helping my kids achieve their dreams. The emotional and quiet part of the ceremony where teachers and parents were all eyes on those outstanding students rendering this very meaningful and encouraging song of Mr. Bolton.

To my daughter, my hearty congratulations and keep up the good work. Always remember this, in reaching your dreams a big hindrance lies to yourself. You will reap what you sow and you still have a long way to go to get on the finish line. Love yourself and study hard. I want that if the finish line is there to reap the fruits of your labor there is complete happiness in your heart and you will be proud of yourself for what you have achieve and do for yourself. Our love and prayers will always be with you. ♥♥♥

You reap what you sow

The month of March is such a busy month for both schools and parents. Lots of recognitions and graduations happen left and right. My daughter had their Recognition Day (for Grades 1-5) yesterday, March 26. She just finished her Grade 2 reaping the overall Top 3 for her level.

She was happy on that special day but kind of sad too. When she was in Grade 1 she got the overall Top 1 and now she ranked Top 3. She will turn 9 only this May so I need to explain things that will make her understand what might be the reason/s in such a way I will appease her mind. I am glad that after our heart to heart talk she understood what happened very well. I discussed with her the famous saying “you reap what you sow” and from there she picked things that maybe considered her shortcomings.

For the coming school year, I asked her to have this goal so that everything she will do will lead her in meeting that goal. Anyway, below are pictures during her Recognition Day.

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Recognition/Graduation Day of my boy

My boy just had their Recognition/Graduation Day in school yesterday. The affair started with a mass at 9:00am followed by a short break before the main event. Although the venue is near the mountains of Montalban you can still feel the heat of summer. The special day consisted of Nursery to Grade 2 students wherein the Top 5 students per level will be given recognition and served as the graduation day for the Preparatory students.

The school is being managed by Sisters of Charity of St. Anne Foundation and there are 25-30 students per section and only 2-3 sections per level. Below are pictures I was able to take during the affair.

Fabric & sewing needs' online store

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Summer is here and I’m sure most of you already have plans of what to do on this long vacation. Some kids may go on their summer classes while most mommies will take a long rest after a busy and tiring school year like me. Hehehe..

If you are planning to devote your time sewing then check out Fabric.com for some hot items on sale. They offer quality sewing products at the lowest possible price. They also offer free shipping on orders $35 or more.

Aside from culinary, sewing is one thing I want to learn. Although I have this little sewing machine to use on some repairs, I don’t have the basic idea on sewing. I wish I could make some clothes for my kids with a personal touch of mine. Wishful thinking!!! I guess TESDA will help me out with this wish of mine.

Philippines' Festivals: Kalanguya of Nueva Vizcaya town

Kalanguya Festival is a yearly gathering of the Kalanguya tribe of Nueva Vizcaya to celebrate their culture and tradition in songs, dances and rituals. Visitors are also encouraged to visit the Santa Fe shopping highway for souvenirs, the Imugan waterfalls and the Mountain Fresh Factory.

The Imugan Waterfalls located in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya is a 35-foot two-level falls with a shallow catch basin of refreshing mountain spring interestingly located between two mountains. Walk over streams and rivers emanating from the falls and enjoy trekking, exploration, swimming, fishing, and cultural immersion. The waterfalls is accessible by a 30-minute hike from Imugan poblacion which is about 30 minutes from the national highway.

Sports buzz: ABS-CBN welcomes Pacquiao

After being a Kapamilya and then Kapuso, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is back again as Kapamilya to ABS-CBN Network. The Filipino boxing hero and his highly-anticipated superfight with British superstar Ricky Hatton on May 2 will now be handled and aired over ABS-CBN. Even Kris Aquino mentioned at SNN that Jinky, Manny’s wife, confirmed to her the information and that it was Manny who are eager to renew his ties with ABS-CBN.

Manny is asking for support in his coming fight with Hatton and his next matches. Saying further that he dedicates his fight to the Filipino people and he will do his best to win every match. Good luck Manny! Our love and prayers will always be with you.

In the news: Nicole & the Subic Rape case

I first heard over the radio about the news while in the kitchen washing the dishes. The Subic rape victim “Nicole” flew to America for good, received P100,000 compensatory damages from Smith’s lawyers and terminating the services of Atty. Evalyn Ursua. Said information was delivered by her mother to Atty. Ursua.

People are now speculating of how this happening may affect the Subic Rape case, if any. The case is a criminal one and it is a case of People of the Philippines against Daniel Smith, according to Atty. Ursua. What will happen in the case is something to look forward too. But right now, Nicole is being subjected to many speculations and judgments of why she did such a thing?

I do believe that Nicole went through in deep hardships when this case is being heard. She cried for justice and she got it. Why did she do it is really a big question? But I guess only Nicole can answer and justify it. Something all of us must take our hands off for now because it’s her life and we need to respect it. The best thing we can do is to pray for her that she finds strength, courage and enlightenment on what is the best thing for her to do in connection with the case.

The case is a criminal case and given that Nicole recanted her previous testimony it will still take a long way to really put a closure on it. Our prayers must not only go for Nicole but also to those handling the case that at the end of it the truth and justice will prevail for Nicole and Daniel.

Online Shopping: sale codes, big coupons & tips

I had been busy this past two weeks to attend to my kids’ school needs and reviewing them for the final exams. Right now I’m back and getting things done for my blogs.

When I continue my tasks at Shared Review, I found interesting information that I would like to share with you my dear readers and visitors because you might benefit from it. It is about a site found by one of the community members, Kakoa, that gives sale codes, big coupons and tips on how to get great deals on stuff at stores.

Just click here or the picture to lead you on that site. At this point of global crisis, saving money among our purchases is a big help. May you find the best deals.

Food bite: Chicken Inasal Recipe

Want to know a different way to cook chicken aside from frying and turbo chicken? Bacolod, the City of Smiles, has this popular chicken dish called “chicken inasal.” What makes it different and unique with other barbecue or grilled chicken is the way they marinate the chicken with different ingredients before grilling time.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken cut into 6 parts (legs, wings, breasts)
• 1 head garlic, macerated
• 2 tbsps. chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sinamak, (native coconut vinegar)
• 10 pieces calamansi, extract the juice
• 3 stalks tanglad (lemon grass), julienne
• salt and coarsely ground pepper

Basting sauce:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup atsuete (annatto seeds) oil
• salt and pepper
• large bamboo skewers
• charcoal for grilling

Marinating & cooking procedures:

In a mixing bowl, mix garlic, ginger, vinegar, a small amount of sugar, tanglad, calamansi juice, salt, and pepper then add the chicken meat. Lightly rub the marinade on the meat. Place chicken in the chiller and let sit for 30 minutes and then turn the meat and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Not advisable to marinate the meat overnight because the vinegar will break down the enzymes of the meat.

Then in a saucepan, over low fire, put margarine and annatto seeds for few minutes with continue stirring until the margarine melts and the annatto seeds are well infused and have developed a deep orange color. Turn off heat then add a small amount of salt and pepper to taste.

After marinating the chicken, put several slits on the part near the bone to help with cooking the meat fully. Skewer the meat and cook over hot charcoal grill, skin side down, basting it once in a while. As much as possible do not turn the meat more than twice since the result will be drier meat.

Serve while hot together with garlic rice and soy sauce with calamansi and siling labuyo (red chili peppers).

My kids' summer classes @ home

Summer is here and students are nearing to end the school year 2008-2009. Some parents are geared toward sending their kids to sports during summer like swimming, dancing, taekwondo and more. I do understand that these lessons help them develop discipline, patience and perseverance. Actually the school of my daughter handed over to them a swimming lesson application for Php2,500.00 for a 2 week session. I talked to hubby about it but we both agreed that it would be beneficial for the kids now that they prioritize mastering their academic lessons.

Let’s face it. In school, sometimes or often than not kids are tend not to master the topics due to different reasons. When they go up for another level and tackle the same topics it seems like it is their first time or only a little stick to their minds. I talked to my daughter and explain to her why she can’t go to swimming lesson for now and instead we will have a summer lesson for her and her brother at home. We will be discussing their previous lessons one at a time daily, do some exercises about it to assess their understanding of the topic discuss for the day. Though there are schools and institutions who handle summer classes and special trainings, we are out of tune for that because that is not included in the budget. LOL. Maybe next year.

For parents out there who have the budget and want to send their kids for summer lesson, Kumon is a great choice. It is a global educational institution that offers Math and English lessons. I heard good things about it from a relative who sent her son in Kumon for 4 years now and she is satisfied with it.

Have a happy and fruitful summer with your kids!!!

Math Time: Number Pyramid

My daughter who is currently in Grade 2 is about to finish the school year 2008-2009 till March 18. Her teachers gave instruction to finish all the magazines for submission. Yesterday night I helped her in answering the 6 volumes of her MATH-Talino magazine. I came across a topic which is quite unfamiliar. I read the instructions several times but it did not sink into my mind. LOL. So what I did, I open the computer and searched for the topic. When I read some information from a certain site that’s the time I fully understand the instructions and the relationships of the numbers in the pyramid.

In the number pyramid, the number above is the sum of the two numbers below it. Study the diagram below for some illustration and click here for additional online exercises:

Philippines' Festivals: 1st Abrenian Kawayan (Bamboo) Festival

The province of Abra celebrated its first Abrenian Kawayan (Bamboo) Festival during this year’s foundation day celebration last March 6-9. Since Abra is the major sources of bamboo and bamboo products in the north, the national and local government units decided to adopt another unique and festive celebration to showcase the said products.

Science Time: 8 planets in the Solar System

Yesterday my daughter was assigned to do a research about the 8 planets in the solar system. The internet really makes it easy when it comes to research matter as compared before my time wherein I need to look the topic among encyclopedias. Aside from Wikipedia, I also tried other references available and just summarized it.

Below is the list of the 8 planets in the solar system with a brief description:

MERCURY

The Planet Mercury is the closest planet to our sun and is the smallest planet in the solar system. It is named after a roman god. It has no natural satellites and no substantial atmosphere.

VENUS

The Planet Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. It is located between our Earth and Mercury. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Venus is covered with thick clouds that create a greenhouse effect that makes it very hot. Venus has no moons.

EARTH

Planet Earth is third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system. The Earth consists of a gaseous atmosphere, the hydrosphere (all water on Earth), the lithosphere, mantle, and core. Water in the form of the oceans covers approximately 70% of the earth's surface. The remaining 30% is land. There are five contientnts: Eurasia (Europe and Asia), America (North and South Amererica), Africa, Antaractica and Australia.

MARS

Planet Mars is also called the Red Planet or Red World. Mars is reddish in colour and was named after the god of war of the ancient Romans. Mars is the only planet whose surface can be seen in detail from the Earth. Mars is the fourth closest planet to the Sun and the next planet beyond the Earth.

JUPITER

The Planet Jupiter is the LARGEST PLANET in our Solar System. Jupiter has at least 39 moons and they include: Europa, Io, Callisto and Ganymede. Jupiter was explored in flybys in the 1970s by NASA's Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, and is currently being studied by the Galileo spacecraft.

SATURN

The Planet Saturn is the second largest planet. It is the next planet after Jupiter. Saturn is named after a Roman God and is famous for its beautiful rings. It has at least 31 moons. These include Titan, Hyperion, Mimas, Enceladus, Rhea, and Phoebe.

URANUS

The Planet Uranus is the third largest planet in the solar system, is a Gas Giant and is the seventh planet from the sun. Planet Uranus has rings like Planet Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune.

NEPTUNE

The Planet Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun. It is also known as the Blue Giant. Neptune is the fourth and outermost of the gas giant planets and also has rings. Its atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium. In Roman mythology Neptune was the god of the Sea.

Showbiz Buzz: Francis Magalona dead @ 44

At around 12:20pm, the famous king of Philippine rap, actor and TV host died at the age of 44 at The Medical City. It was August 8, 2008 when the actor made known of his sickness (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia - AML) to the public and since then Francis Magalona showed nothing but strong faith to God, a very strong and inspiring view of what he was undergoing through and continues the loved for his craft.

Francis Magalona or Kiko to his friends was the son of 1950's legendary actors and celebrity couple Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. Among the hit rap songs he made are “Mga Kababayan Ko,” “Ito ang Gusto Ko,” “Meron Akong Ano,” “Mga Praning,” and “Kaleidoscope World.” He left behind his wife Pia Arroyo and eight children--Unna, Nicolo, Francis Jr., Isabella, Elmo, Arkin, Clara, and actress Maxene Magalona.

What made Francis’ songs different from other rap songs was that he was able to mix rap music and love for being a Filipino. He made songs that truly left a mark in every Filipino’s heart, young and old, rapper or not. If you want to know more about Francis, what he went through, his treatments and more visits his multiply account here.

Bye my friend! Rest in peace in the hands of the Lord. Life maybe too short for you but you lived it well, full of colors, meanings and inspirations.

Travel Philippines: Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica

Hubby just came back last Friday from a 4 day business trip in the Bicol Region specifically in Naga and Legazpi cities. He visited their 2 radio stations there in preparation for their annual maintenance this coming Holy Week and for other technical concerns. Before he left I told him to take pictures of prominent landmarks in the cities so I can share it in my blog. Among the photos he was fortunate to take on his short visit is the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica located at Balatas Road, 4400 in Naga City. Below are pictures and short information about the said basilica.

The Our Lady of Peñafrancia Church was built in 1711 by Rev. Miguel Covarrubias and it houses the image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. He constructed this church in fullfillment of the vow he made during his youth. The second church was built in 1750 by Bishop Isidoro de Arevalo, repaired and improved in 1876-1877 by Bishop Francisco Gainza. The image was solemnly crowned by the Rt. Rev. Guillermo Piano on September 20, 1924.

The concept for the building the Basilica Minore came from Archbishop Pedro P. Santos in 1960. Construction began on April 18, 1976, but was delayed for a number of years due to finance problems and was not completed until September, 1981.

On May 22, 1982 it was dedicated as The Church of Nuestra Señora de Peña de Francia and it wasn't until May 22, 1985 that the Church was given the title of "Basilica Minore" from Rome after a request from the third Archbishop of Caceres, Leonardo Z. Legaspi.

The Peñafrancia Basilica Minore houses an image of the virgin Mary that was sculpted in 1710. It was commissioned by Miguel de Cobarrubias who moved to the Philippines from Spain with his family and believed that the virgin Mary had helped him numerous times in his life.