Hubby and I went to Greenhills (’twas his first time there) and while he looked at video games, I spotted a familiar-looking woman. She looked out of place because she was wearing turn-of-the-century costume (think Maria Clara) and had bushy eyebrows that could put Brooke Shields to shame. Then I remembered that she looked familiar because I saw her pic previously in Chuvaness’ blog. Although one can’t help but notice her in the crowd because of her appearance, I couldn’t really bear giving her a lingering look, baka maging kamukha nya baby ko, LOL. So I took one shot of her with the DLSR and off we went.

In the meantime, I can’t help but think the woman’s up to something:

1) Hmm, election-related kaya?
2) prelude to Independence Day 2010?
3) movie gimmick (a.k.a. Blusang Itim Part 2?)
4) Wow Mali???

If you have a good guess, just holler. Am curious, really curious

Through the powers of technology, the world is witnessing the unfolding drama that is the aftermath of the powerful Intensity 7 earthquake that hit the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Hundreds of thousands are believed to be still missing and trapped within the shattered buildings. For those of us in the Philippines, the quake in Haiti has some parallels, if you count the tragic July 1990 earthquake (magnitude 7.7) and more recently, Typhoon Ondoy. Three Filipino members of the UN peacekeeping contingent remain unaccounted for in the Haiti tragedy.

But unlike the 1991 Philippine earthquake where places like Baguio remained cut off from the rest of the world for several days, what happened in Haiti was immediately broadcast, tweeted and blogged to the rest of the world in a matter of minutes. Thanks to today’s technology, the world was made aware of the extent of the disaster. We expect the spirit of charity and volunteerism as well to rise as Help Haiti efforts have been made possible via Twitter, Facebook and the press of a cellphone button.

How to help Haiti? Here are high-tech ways to donate now:

If you’re residing in the United States, text “HAITI” to “90999″ and a donation of $10 will automatically be given to the Red Cross

Also at the forefront is Yele Haiti, an organization started by New York-based Haiti singer and native Wyclef Jean. Just text YELE to 501501 and a donation of $5 will be charged to the mobile phone user’s account. According to Wyclef’s popular Twitter acount (1.3 million followers), $400,000 was raised on the first day alone.

Donate now buttons are also available in the official websites of non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross, UNICEF, World Vision, Save the Children, CARE, among others.

Hollywood’s most generous showbiz couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have so far donated $1 million to Haiti through Doctors Without Borders (via usmagazine.com)

What is the 21st century classroom like? How is the educational setting evolving with recent advances in technology? How are students and teachers alike adapting to the change?

These, and other questions, were discussed at the just-concluded 1st Philippine Summit on Early Childhood Education sponsored by Wyeth Preschool Gold and Maximus Inventus in Fort Bonifacio Global City. In attendance were some 750 educators, program administrators, students, researchers, pediatricians, psychologists and other stakeholders in the important area of early learning.

Taking center stage were two well-respected experts in the field: Dr. George Morrison and literacy specialist, Ms. Laura Benson. They planed in to Manila just for the event and even took time to meet with some of us mommy bloggers. We agree with them that education in the early stages is crucial in child development. There’s a variety of educational methods and also different strategies for learning. My kids, for example, are traditionally-schooled but I know of some contemporaries who are home schooling their children. The important thing, I believe,is not to leave all learning to the schools and academics but also to foster the right environment in the home. To give opportunities for kids to be creative, to see the world and explore their latent talents and abilities. Yes, even while at play

In the age of television, computers and electronic games, reading and love for the written word shouldn’t be forgotten. Ms. Benson gave the following tips:

- Read to your children everyday.
- Fill up their ears with the language of books
- Create book club talk, discuss stories like you would in a book club
- Encourage your children to ask questions and wonder
- Encourage your children to write. “There’s a little bit of our soul on paper.”

With today’s advances in technology, Dr. Morrison acknowledged that there is a “generational divide” between older people and young children who grew up with computers and other high-tech tools around them. Parents and teachers should be able to keep up with the times. Dr. Morrison proposes some ways to achieve this:

- Be wiling to try new ways of using technology to help children learn new knowledge and skills.

- Lead by example. If kids see their moms using computers to access information and send emails, for instance, kids will come to understand that computers are a natural part of schooling and learning.

- Use computers and other modern tools to help children develop positive peer relationships, explore adult roles and improve their self-esteem. Kids can be made to play the roles of newscaster, weather forecaster and photographer so that they’ll be made more comfortable dealing with technology.

-Provide children safe access to the Internet. If possible, use a computer program, such as Cyber Sentinel, which blocks access to chat rooms and instant messages.

If you have other ideas on the topic, share them here

As of now, I just hope this typhoon isn’t as bad as what the weathermen are predicting. Typhoon Santi, change course, if you may. Or break it to us gently.

Classes were suspended this morning in Metro Manila. No wonder, my son waited for his school bus but it didn’t come.

The passage of commercial boats around Southern Luzon have also been suspended, spoiling the vacation plans of people who wanted to go home to provinces like Quezon, Batangas and Bicol for the long All Saints’ Day holiday, a time when Filipinos honor their dead.

And so far, the following Cebu Pacific flights for tomorrow (October 31, 2009) have been cancelled:

5J 851/852 (Zamboanga), 559/561/554 (Cebu), 781/782 (Ozamiz), 325/326 (Legazpi) 5J 379/ 380/ 381/ 382 (Cagayan de Oro), 961 (Davao), 651/652 (Tacloban), 993/994 (GenSan), 473/474 (Bacolod), 451/452 (Iloilo), 5J 521/522 (Naga), 331/332 (Kalibo), 821/822 (Virac), 108/109 (Hong Kong) and 801/802 (Singapore).

On hold at airport of origin as of Friday, Oct. 30: 5J 679 Shanghai, 804 Singapore, 502 Kuala Lumpur, 7600 Jakarta, 7522 Ho Chi Minh, 932 Bangkok and 311 Taipei

Flights 5J 582 (Cebu) and 972 (Davao) have already been cancelled.

The following Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights have also been cancelled for Oct. 31: PR819, PR820 (Manila-Davao v.v., PR453 (to General Santos); PR195, PR196 (Manila-Puerto Princesa v.v.) PR809 (to Davao); PR847 & 848 (Manila-Cebu v.v.) ; PR843 & 844 (Manila-cebu v.v.) PR853; PR189 & 190 (Manila-Roxas v.v.) ; PR391 & 392 (Tacloban-Manila v.v.); PR175 & 176 (Tagbilaran-Manila v.v.); PR191 & 192 (Tacloban-Manila v.v.) ; PR327 & 328 Kalibo-Manila v.v.); PR139 & 140 (Iloilo-Manila v.v.); PR131, 132, 133 & 134 (Bacolod-Manila v.v.); PR141 & 142 (Iloilo-Manila v.v.) PR823 (to Cebu); PR173 & 174 (Tagbilaran-Manila v.v.); PR183 (to Cagayan de Oro); PR181 & 182 (Manila-CDO v.v.) ; PR321 & 322 (Kalibo-Manila v.v.); PR281 & 282 (CDO-Manila v.v); PR123 & 124 (Zamboanga-Manila v.v.) ; PR226 (to Laoag); PR842 (Cebu-Manila); PR277 & 278 (Manila-Legaspi v.v.); PR167 & 168 (Manila-Dipolog v.v.) ; PR292 Dumaguete-Manila.

Cancelled PAL international flights for October 31 are: PR300 & 301 (Hong Kong,Manila) ; PR466 (Manila-Seoul); PR511 (Manila-Singapore) ; PR503 (Manila-Singapore); PR896 (Manila-Taipei); PR334 & 335 (Manila,Xiamen) ; PR591 & 592 (Manila, Saigon).

As of 5 p.m. of Oct. 30, the center of Typhoon Santi (international code name MIRINAE) {0921} was spotted at 230 kms East of Infanta, Quezon with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.

For more updates:

By TwitterButtons.com

Affected passengers can rebook flights without charges, for travel up to 7 days. Go to CEB ticketing offices or call 7020-888 or 032 2308888

It has been a day of nonstop rains in Manila, and elsewhere. I’ve stayed in bed all morning, with this trusty Mac on my lap – all the while staying glued to the reports of my friends on Plurk and Twitter. Something about brownouts, cancelled flights, floods reaching houses, people moving furniture, people wading in chest-deep waters, high way billboards being stripped down, and cars almost submerged in the floods. A bad day to be out, really. It’s that bad, and somebody even had to mention taking out Noah’s Ark.

Am just glad our little bungalow has been spared from nature’s fury. This is one of those times when we’re thankful to have a garage for the old car, and a cozy roof over our heads. I dread it when the post-storm accounting comes and out comes reports of our brethren drowning or are rendered homeless because they live near dikes, riverbanks, esteros, coastal areas etc. Hope not

It’s the monsoon season in the Philippines, and am just thankful Ondoy chose to lash out its strength on a Saturday, and some office workers like us are spared the pain of commuting to and from work, most likely getting stranded in the process. The last worse typhoon etched in my family’s memory was Milenyo which scared us to death with the fury of its winds, and the blackouts after. We had to stay in a hotel for the next few days.

In the meantime, here’s the latest weather forecast:

“Ondoy” packed maximum winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph, and was moving west-northwest at 19 kph.

It was expected to be 230 km west-northwest of Iba, Zambales by Sunday morning as it continues to move into the South China Sea. – via gmanews.tv

Central Luzon and the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Rizal, Quezon and Camarines Norte will experience stormy weather while the rest of Luzon will have rains and gusty winds with moderate to rough seas. Visayas will have Monsoon Rains while Mindanao will be cloudy with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Southwest will prevail over Visayas and Mindanao and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. – PAGASA weather forecast

NUKS NUMUN! is a popular phrase I hear from fellow bloggers these days. I figure that in this age of icanhazcheezburger, it’s a variation of the old and jaded Tagalog term of exclamation “naks naman!” (Wow!) As in “NUKS NUMUN! Buhay pa ba ang gumupit ng buhok mo, sis?”

Barely a month after getting the famous Ricky Reyes haircut, I was itching for change again. It was because my natural curls were showing themselves in their full unflattering glory, which made for an uneven field. It didn’t help that the hubby told me he wanted to see me get a perm before he flew home. So off I went to a Korean salon I’ve been eyeing for a long time, but haven’t tried, and conveniently located at the ground floor of the Pan Pacific hotel in Manila. Have to admit that I tried it just for kicks, as it wasn’t as busy as Tony and Jackey a few blocks away. And I really wanted to try a Korean digital perm.

It’s something that I won’t regret doing, as it made the whole process seem effortless. None of the icky smell that we traditionally know of the cold perm. I forgot the step-by-step process now but it did involve the usual procedure of shampooing/rinsing my hair, cutting (if necessary), drying, twirling my hair under curlers or hot rods and placing it under a rectangular heating machine.

The rods got a bit too hot at some point and I thought my scalp would burn, but the attendant remedied this by putting some sheets to make the procedure tolerable. Suffer for beauty, I say. So after less than two hours, the rods were removed and I was ready to embrace Miss Curly Me.

Too bad I don’t have pics of me in my new do, but you can see it somewhere in this blog where am seated beside chef Reggie Aspiras, hehe.

Something has to be said also about the salon owner and lone stylist Moa Hong. He’s young and looked every inch hip and stylish and knew what he was doing. The salon equipment were also very high-tech. At the time I was primped, there were also a bunch of students from Miriam College who availed of the hair rebonding treatment. What I noticed: their rebonding only took two hours or so, probably because of the state-of-the-art equipment. So, quality of work and service aside, I am going to this beauty nook again for my next treatment, or new hairstyle. Probably two or three months from now

As for new digital-permed hair, I liked it because it’s low maintenance. I can basically just get up and go. The salon recommended this nice-smelling wax to be applied after shower, which I bought. And the hubby got me as well this Curl Enhancer from Aveda, and it’s all good!

Digital perm cost: P2,500
Hair Rebonding cost: P2,000
(any length)

Genic Hair Salon
Ground Floor
Pan Pacific Hotel Manila
Tel. No. 496-5853

On an overcast Sunday, Claire invites me to Enchanted Kingdom to see something I don’t normally go out of my way of: a karting event. Specifically, it was the fifth leg of the Magnolia Karting Series held in the sprawling EK field. “You gotta see these boys from the Ready2Race team, they’re really good!” she says. I oblige, mainly because the kids and I haven’t been to Enchanted Kingdom for a long time. Secondly, I wanted to learn something new, and karting is it.

If you’re crazy about the F1 races, you’d relate to this. It appears that the Philippines has been doing very well in international karting competitions and might as well be on the way to producing the first F1 racer. I was surprised to learn that the sport is by far one of the most expensive to maintain too. Which fairly explains why today’s pool of young karters come from exclusive enclaves like the International School, De la Salle Zobel, Brent and the whole lot of them. Cost for buying your own go kart with an engine and maintaining it easily tops P1 million a year.

To cut a long story short, there were close to 20 races in several categories that day which filled the EK field with adrenaline, speeding tires and karts travelling at almost a lightning speed. Claire proved to be right: the R2R team dominated the ROK overall and 14-year old Rafael “Roby” Benito emerged champion in the final lap with a time of 13 minutes, 52.080 seconds. His closest competitor Javi Benitez of Jet Racing Team trailed at 13 minutes, 52.185 seconds. Following in the next two were the rest of the R2R karters, Joey Orduna (13:53.542) and Juha Turalba (13:55.116).

Benito attributed his win to intense preparation and five-kilometer jogs. Prior to this, he topped the KF3 class of the 2009 PAGCOR KF2-KF3 series, aside from winning a host of other events. He is also an A student at De La Salle Zobel and a serious piano player.

Thirteener Orduna, on the other hand, is a Grade 8 student at IS Manila and was the top Asian finisher in the World ROK Cup finals in Lonato Italy. He was 2007 MiniROK champion and the 2008 ROK Jr. Novice Champion in the Shell Super Karting Series.

Juha Turalba, who is in Grade 10 at IS, won top honors in the Kartodromo de Coloane Circuit in Macau and was 2008 ROK 125 Champion. His father, Toti Turalba whom we met once before at the family-owned Malarayat golf estate, said: “Karting has given me the venue to really enjoy being a father and having a son. It has given me countless proud moments.” True enough, he acts as Juha’s coach, mechanic and inspiration on the track.”

Anyway, watch out for these young guys! Here’s our humble picture of the winning R2R team. Congratulations!

I’ve done a few local travelling in the last two months and will now have something to say about the two expressways that dot the opposite sides of Manila.

To the South is the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) which connects commuters going to and from Alabang, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite.

The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), on the other hand, is the gateway when you want to go to and from Bulacan, Pampanga, Olongapo, Tarlac, all the way to Pangasinan and Baguio.

As a commuter, I just can’t help but lament how the South Luzon Expressway has been left behind in road development. While travelling via NLEX is painless and hassle-free because of the world-class highway, the same cannot be said of the SLEX which suffers from perpetual bottleneck because of diggings and repairworks. Shame, shame, shame.

I wonder what this portends for tourism and investments in the two areas. Where would you rather plunk down real estate investments in? The South has impressed me as being overcrowded, and even that white elephant called the Metro Manila Skyway is a joke. Where else can you find a Skyway that suffers from traffic sometimes, and doesn’t really serve it’s purpose (besides being expensive) because it stops in Alabang??

As a tourist, I’ve avoided travelling to favorite places like Tagaytay because the image of being stuck in traffic along the SLEX haunts me. For instance, during my last trip attending the Pahiyas Festival in Quezon, we were stuck in traffic for more than an hour near an Avida Land development in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, on the way back to Manila. Just imagine how worse it can get when the rains and bad weather come.

In contrast, a recent drive to Pampanga took only one hour to get, from Manila to Angeles City. That was certainly impressive. It was just like travelling from Makati to Manila.

Of course, in the future, I hope things improve for commuters in the South of Manila but for now, as far as the roads are concerned, it’s being left very far behind.

I’ve been lucky enough to be a recipient of chocolate gifts recently. Even luckier because they are some of the world’s finest chocolates, coming from the two of the top producing countries, Belgium and Switzerland. If you ask me to tell the difference, I can’t, although am sure one would claim to be better and sweeter than the other.

First is this trio of chocolate packages from blog reader-turned-friend Marissa, who is based in the outskirts of Zurich, Switzerland. One brand is familiar, Lindt, while the other is called Cocktailbar and are shaped like liquor bottles. Most of all, they contain real shots of alcohol! The Lindt was delicately packed itself in pink with the most attractive feminine graphics – so Paris Hilton Tasting the savory pralines was another matter. We simply couldn’t have enough of it.

I figure that chocolate-making itself is an art. Before these confectioneries become desirable, they must first become presentable, right? Coming up with nibbles like those in the picture above requires special molds and the most exacting process. According to Wikipedia, Switzerland (which is famous for Toblerone) has the highest rate of chocolate consumption in the world.

The husband, on the other hand, sent us a box of Leonidas Chocolates, like he was wont to do during our courtship days. I love Leonidas! It’s one of the first Belgian brands to hit the Philippine shores, even before local makers started fashioning out their own, and labelled them Belgian chocolates too (or haven’t you noticed?)

An interesting factoid: there are more than 2,000 chocolate shops in Belgium, making the country a must-visit for those with a sweet tooth. Am certainly lucky to have gone there

Now, you just have to decide which of them you like better. Swiss or Belgian Chocolates? Both of them are certainly good!

This week in Barrio Siete, I speak about the ramifications of language and the many meanings it can conjure.

Take for instance Katrina Halili’s famous line in the Most Downloaded Video of the Year. Whereas other phrases can easily be translated from Tagalog to English, her utterance of “Binaboy ako” was lost on some experts. “I was swined” or “I was porkified” is kinda awkward and is just for joking. ” I was treated like a pig” is rather harsh for something that she probably enjoyed, if only it was kept more private.

Being “lost in translation” is something we always encounter. In this country of 7,107 islands, there exists several hundred dialects. A word in one province can have a nasty meaning in another, and this is where the riot comes in.

A few of the strange words that cropped up in the comments:

Utong sa Tagalog means nipples. In Ilocos, it’s perfectly okay to munch on utong because it means string beans

Utot as we in Manila know it is a fart, utot in Pangasinan is a mouse (via the Cath)

Asapu ke in Kapampangan means “I caught it.”

Cebuano speakers like moi find it normal to say “nalibugan ko” when am confused. In Manila, this will get you in big trouble

Read more here