I’m a parent who is always on the lookout for worthwhile places to bring my kids to on Sundays. We don’t like to go to the mall often because there really is not much to do there but eat, shop and walk.
I bring my kids to outdoor places where they can play freely (and for free). I’d like my kids to have a little bit of culture too, so we bring them to museums every so often.
Now here’s an interesting place on the ground floor of the Benpres Building along Exchange Road in Pasig – the Lopez Memorial Museum.
The Lopez Memorial Museum began 50 years ago with founder Eugenio H. Lopez Sr.’s collection of Juan Lunas and Felix Hidalgos.
Today, the Lopez Memorial Museum boasts of an impressive collection, not only of artwork modern and classic alike, but also of books and historical artifacts.
The galleries at the Museum showcase the work of legendary modern Filipino artists – Fernando Amorsolo, Botong Francisco, Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok, and other luminaries of the local arts world.
The Museum also has a notable library with over 16,000 Filipiniana titles. Historical literary pieces that go back to the 1500s (‘De Moluccis Insulis’ by Maximilianus Transylvanus, which has the first printed account of Magellan’s expedition to the Philippines), old copies of periodicals such as Aguinaldo’s ‘La Republica Filipina’, and an extensive collection from the Spanish and American times make the library an interesting stop for some brain stimulation.
The Lopez Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary on February 18 and has lined up several events to highlight this special year:
- February 18: Launch of the coffee table book ‘Unfolding Half a Century: The Lopez Memorial Museum’ at the Rockwell Tent in Makati.
- February 19 -25: An interesting exhibit entitled ‘Threads: The Museum as Site for the Weaving of Tales’ at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall will feature the visual and performance arts by contemporary Filipino artists Jean Marie Syjuco, Ann Wizer, Myra Beltran, Jef Carnay, Ann Tiukinhoy Pamintuan, Leo Abaya and Kiri Dalena. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: After the Fact, Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, Lopez Museum, Threads exhibit, Unfolding Half a Century coffee table book
Red Ribbon unveils two equally luscious cakes this month – Chocolate Heaven and Roses & Kisses.
Roses & Kisses is a heart-shaped chocolate pound cake with rich chocolate fudge filling, topped with three pretty sugar roses and three Hershey’s creamy milk chocolate Kisses. Pre-order your sweetheart’s (or, heck, your own!) Roses & Kisses Valentine cake from now until February 9th, and your cake will be personalized with your and your loved one’s names.
Roses & Kisses is Red Ribbon’s limited Valentine offering, so it will only be available from February 12 to 14. For just Php330, this junior-sized Red Ribbon treat will surely make your Valentine celebration a notch sweeter!
Speaking of sweetness, Red Ribbon also launched another rich offering – Chocolate Heaven. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: desserts and cakes, Red Ribbon Cakes, Red Ribbon Chocolate Heaven, Red Ribbon Roses & Kisses Valentine cake
I have a teenager-in-the-making, and pretty soon she will be coming to me for skin care advice.
I hope she got my genes in this aspect, because I’ve been lucky all my life. I’ve never had bad acne breakouts in my life – not in my teenage years, and I hope not ever. That’s because I have dry/normal skin.
Oily skin is more prone to acne breakouts because the oil glands are more active. When the pores become clogged with oil and dirt from the environment, there’s a chance the pores would become infected. When they are, the pores swell, the skin around them becomes red, and pus forms as the body’s immune systems tries to fight off the infection. The most common bacterial cause of acne is Staphylococcus aureus. So yes, pimples are skin infections.
However, hormonal changes also contribute to acne attacks. With teenagers, the body is adjusting to the changing hormone levels. Testosterone causes oil glands to become over-productive.
It’s good to know these things so that acne breakouts can be prevented even before they happen. The hormonal aspect is inevitable – there’s nothing much one can do to prevent acne caused by hormonal changes.
However, observing proper skin care is still the key. Prevention is always best, because acne treatments are quite expensive. Plus, acne leave unsightly scars. So if you have a teenager, teach him/her the basics of skincare as soon as possible.
- Wash the face with a mild foaming wash at least twice a day – in the morning and at night before going to bed. Use a product that is appropriate for your skin type.
- An astringent or skin toner will usually be needed for oily skin to help tighten the pores. I am currently using Human Heart Nature’s tomato/lemongrass natural toner. It’s a safe product with no harmful synthetic chemicals, ideal for young skin. Lemongrass is said to be a natural toner and potent antiseptic, so it does help prevent pimples.
- Change your pillow case often. Dirt and oil from your face and hair accumulate on the surface of the pillow case.
- Keep hair away from the face - hair continuously brushing against the skin may be an irritant, making skin more sensitive to pimple-causing bacteria.
- Make sure your diet has enough Vitamins C, A and E – these are the vitamins for healthy and glowing skin.
It’s not easy teaching teenagers (especially boys!) these simple preventive steps, but it will all be worth it. Just keep prodding them, and hopefully they get the hang of washing their faces. 
Tags: acne treatment, Human heart Nautre lemongrass toner, prevention of acne, skin care for teenagers
So I signed up with Human Heart Nature a few weeks ago, and now I have a quite extensive stash of the products at home.
My family has been using the mandarin/aloe vera moisturizing shampoo/body wash (Php249.75/500 ml pump bottle) and the mango butter conditioner (Php99.75/200 ml bottle) – the whole family except V (and Nate because he can only use Cetaphil due to skin asthma). V’s head sweats excessively and, as it is, it kinda always smells sour. Teehee. This shampoo is mandarin-scented, adding a sweet-sour scent to her head. So, no, this shampoo isn’t for V. 
Maybe I will try the aloe vera-chamomile or banana next time.
Anyway, all the fragrance oils used for the shampoos and conditioners are derived from organic fruit oils. Natural plant extracts from avocado, calamansi, oranges, aloe vera, mangoes, among others, provide vitamins for hair, nourishing and strengthening hair naturally.
About twice a week, I use the organic lemongrass body scrub in the shower. It has ground brown rice as exfoliator and cocoa butter to moisturize and soften the skin. This body scrub leaves me so soft and smelling so fresh.
Tags: Human Heart Nature, Human Nature organic products, oraganic body scrub, organic bath products, organic beauty, organic beauty products, organic hair conditioner, organic shampoo
Our favorite doughnut store, Krispy Kreme, comes up with another new yummy treat - mini doughnuts!
These 20 sweet little things come in a Box of Minis with different flavors – peanut butter, blueberry, caramel, chocolate-vanilla, among others.
The peanut butter and caramel flavors (top row in photo below) are perfect with coffee. Meanwhile, kids will love the strawberry and bubblegum flavors (bottom row below). Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Krispy Kreme, Krispy Kreme Box of Minis, mini doughnuts
Last Saturday, I attended an event by Johnson’s Baby called “Baby Bedtime A to Zzzs”.
The event, hosted by Ms. Tin-Tin Bersola-Babao (still working despite being due to give birth the next day!), aimed to share the highlights of a US Study on a bedtime routine, as well as demonstrate the actual routine that parents and caregivers can incorporate into their babies’ bedtime schedule.
Guest speaker was Dr. Luis Rivera Jr., a pulmonary pediatrician and sleep specialist at Makati Medical Center. He spoke about Sleep 101.
- Baby Sleep 101
How important is sleep among babies? How much sleep is enough? Is the number of hours more important than the time of sleep? Here are some basics of the science of sleep that I learned from the event:
1. Babies do no sleep as deeply as adults do. Babies take longer to sleep and awaken more easily at night.
2. Sleep is not only necessary for rest. It’s also important for growth. Science has proven that growth hormones are released three times more during nighttime sleep than when awake.
3. Babies have the most opportunities for growth during the first few months in life, when they are asleep most of the time, and experience deep sleep often.
4. Sleep requirements lessen as kids grow older. Infants need as much as 16.5 hours of sleep per day. My 3.5-year old son needs about 11 1/2 hours. (Click photo below to see typical sleep requirements up to age 18.)
- Typical sleep requirements
5. Optimal sleep is important for kids (and parents!!!) to function properly. Lack of sleep among kids leads to poor behavioral and academic performance. (Lack of sleep among parents leads to royal crankiness!)
6. Parents can tell if their children are not getting enough good sleep – habitual snoring, snorting, pauses in between snoring or breathing, unusual sleeping positions, restlessness.
Children must get enough sleep and, more especially, nighttime sleep because that is when the growth hormones are most active.
- Bedtime Routine Improves Infant Sleep
Dr. Rivera also highlighted the findings of a US study by noted psychologist/pediatric sleep expert Jodi Mindell.
The three-week study, which included 58 mothers and their babies aged 7 to 18 months, evaluated baby’s sleep with the use of a before-bed routine together with the Johnson’s Baby bedtime range.
The before-bed routine included three steps: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: baby care, bath time, bedtime routine for babies, infant massage, Johnson's Baby Bedtime Discoveries, massage time, relaxation activities with baby
My family has been going to Lam Tin Tea House along Banawe Street in Quezon City often lately. I guess that’s just the way we are – when we find some new yummy place, we keep going and going until we get tired of the menu. Kinda like infatuation…
Lam Tin, a small no-fuss Chinese teahouse, is almost always full each time we go there on Sundays. I heard from two different sources that the chef at Lam Tin was pirated from Causeway Seafood Restaurant. I’m not sure how true, but the food is a winner in my books.
You don’t go to a place like this for the ambience. You go for the food.
Because it has just about 12 tables or so, it can only accommodate a limited number of guests at a time. Families and groups arrive one after another, though. So my family makes sure we get there before the lunch crowd does – around 11, 11:30 AM. Even so, the parking is already quite full by then.
The menu offers the usual Chinese fare. Breakfast – congee, dimsum (no dimsum cart here), noodle soups – starts at 7 AM, though I have not tried the congee yet.
V, wherever we bring her, will always love shao long pao, and Lam Tin’s passes her standards with flying colors!
Some of the dishes that have become our favorites are:
1. Noodle Feast (Php220) – This dish is large enough for my whole family to share. It’s basically flat noodles with different meat toppings – spicy pork, white chicken, wanton dumplings, and sliced beef (which we’d request to be taken out since we’re non-beef eaters. They’d happily oblige and replace with more wanton dumplings).
2. Fish Fillets in Tausi Sauce (Php180) – Classic Chinese dish. I love the freshness of the fish, and the crispness of the green peppers.
3. Lumpiang Shanghai (Php180) – Nate’s favorite at Lamtin. Because he’s allergic to seafood and chicken (among many other things), he’s limited to pork dishes. Nate can finish about 4, 5 pieces of lumpia. With lots of white rice! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: budget Chinese food in Quezon City, Chinese food, Chinese restaurants, Lamtin Teahouse
Last week, I got my first taste of chafed skin from running. It was very painful – raw skin plus sweat equals tears!
I got a 4-inch long chafed skin underneath the bra line, and another smaller area on the left side. The culprit was an ill-fitting bra. Yup, I wasn’t wearing a sports bra.
Read my tips on prevention of chafing at Project: Fit.
(Continued from Part 1)
After nine months of studying the Chinese Character Canon (CCC), where do I find myself?
Right now I think I have the literacy level of a Grade 2 student (though definitely NOT one who would be on top of her Chinese class, hehehe). I know this because I have a second-grader and her lessons are almost the same as the lessons I learned. I can read a few and make sense out of most of the contents of her school text book.
Whenever hub is watching his wu xia (kung fu movies) and Taiwanese telenovelas, I can read about 4 or 5 characters per line of subtitle. I could attempt to read all but the movie will have to be paused… for quite a few minutes. hehehe.
Here are my recommendations for those who are interested to learn Mandarin through the Chinese Character Canon:
1. If you are like me with no or little background of the Chinese language, do not expect to be conversant or literate immediately, or even within 2 or 3 months. It took about 6 months when I finally began reading the supplement books for me. Patience, patience.
I hear from my teachers, though, that the experience with younger kids is better. I suppose when the mind is clear and focused, like young minds are, learning is a lot faster and easier. Adults have a lot of distractions – tasks, responsibilities that were momentarily put aside for the hour – it’s sometimes hard to concentrate. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chinese Character Canon, Chinese language course, Dash Cultural and Educational Institute, learning Chinese, learning Mandarin
I finally finished Course 1 of the Chinese Character Canon at Dash Cultural and Educational Institute last December. It took me 9 months. This is a review of my learning experience.
About the Course:
The course has three books:
Book 1: Chinese Character Canon (CCC), with 13 main lessons. Each lesson is a poem on one general topic such as geography, ethics, Chinese history, animals, fruits and trees, etc.
Books 2 and 3: supplements to Book 1. They enforce the main lessons and demonstrate usage of characters in short stories, poems, songs, Chinese folktales and historical events.
On top of the books, I also had an hour of conversational Mandarin lessons each week. The course covers both reading and conversation, but not writing (which can be taken up in a separate course).
At the end of this basic course, a student is supposed to have mastered about 1,000 Chinese characters. Lessons can be taught either with simplified or traditional Chinese. I took the simplified Chinese course.
Each week I am supposed to attend 5 hours of class. For the first 5 months, I had classes three times a week. From month 6 to 9, I had classes everyday from Monday to Friday. I paid P6,000 per month ( I am not sure if this is the prevailing rate, as mine was the introductory one).
About the Student:
I am a native Filipino speaker with no Chinese lineage. My only exposure to the Chinese language and culture is through being with a full-blooded Chinese husband who is firmly rooted in his cultural foundations (read: he will never give up his wu xia movies and Chinese telenovelas). While V was attending Chinese tutorials in K1, I was forced to sit with and keep close watch on her (so she’d pay attention and not talk to everyone!).
In other words, I have nearly-zero background of the Chinese language. What motivated me to learn? The keen interest on the language. And, oh yeah, so I will be able to assist my younger kids V and Nate in their lessons and not endure hours of Chinese tutorials after school anymore.
About the Teachers and the Method: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Chinese Character Canon, Dash Cultural and Educational Institute, Learn Mandarin, learning Mandarin
