One of my resolutions: to re-read the writings of Dr. Jose Rizal all over again.Having imbibed his thoughts a long time ago in college, I remember how struck I was by his deep sense of nationalism, leaving no doubt that he deserves to be called the Philippines’ national hero.

In celebration of 150 years of Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines calls for nominations to the Rizal Awards. The Rizal Awards will be conferred on ten Filipinos and three foreigners who would be awarded in the Individual Category and ten institutions, societies, or organizations which embody the Rizal spirit.

“Rizal played a pivotal role of what it meant to be a Filipino,” says Dra. Serena Diokno, Chairperson of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. “and it is very important that we recognize the people and organizations of today who remain faithful and who continue to live by what the national hero has started.”

If you believe that a person from your community, organization, or company deserves to be a recipient of the Rizal Award, then send your nominations to the NHCP Office or e-mail them at rizalawards@nhcp.gov.ph on or before March 15, 2012.

Nominees must have done any of the following:

Achieved meritorious individual recognition in various professions, inspired by Rizal’s teaching and way of life; and

Promoted and encouraged civic and citizenship responsibility as model citizens—incorruptible patriots with the virtue of resisting temptations and misuse of wealth, influence, rank, or power.

To know more about Rizal@150 and the Rizal Awards, log on to www.nhcp.gov.ph or call the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (02) 524 9952.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I remember being pregnant with our daughter Lucia last year and see how so much of our life has changed with her arrival. Nothing beats coming home from my graveyard shift and collecting smiles from our sweet baby girl. The twins, who have easily adjusted to their role as older sisters, suddenly became camera savvy at recording their youngest sibling’s expressions for Facebook. With the baby around, I am reminded once again how Christmas is for children and how Christmas is about the baby in a manger who led us Christians to salvation.

Yes, Christmas is all about gifts… not just gifts of the tangible kind but also those which extend beyond material things. In our case, it was the gift of another life borne into this world and her continued health and growth. The gift of my older children’s transformations and knowing that they’ll soon be responsible adults. The gift of love and laughter from my loved ones. The gift of everything that God continues to bless us with and for which we will always be thankful.

Let me then thank you for reading this space in 2010. Unknown names and faces some of you may be…. still I thank you for your presence, otherwise there might not be a blog like this at all. From our house to yours…. a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!:)

Am putting this on my calendar: Sony Philippines’ first-ever three-day BIG Sale from May 28 to 30, 2010 at the Megatent in Ortigas, Pasig. Opening hours: 10 am to 9 p.m.

We’ve been warned: discounted items will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The early bird gets the worm

Sony’s wide array of products and gadgets will be on sale: VAIO laptops, Sony Cybershots, Bravia LCD TVs, Walkmans, Handycams, car stereos, Sony Ericsson phones and a whole lot more!

All existing promo bundles, cash discounts, free accessories, and 12 months 0% interest deals are all still applicable together with the new SALE prices.

What’s good, Sony’s most-valued dealers will be there, namely ~ Abenson, Anson’s, Automatic Centre, Avid, Western, Electroworld, CameraHaus, Robinsons Appliances and TCA.

So yeah, mark the date

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

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

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

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

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

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!