GV Mondays

Something I picked up from church yesterday :) 

Have a great week!

GV Mondays

Welcome to GV (Good Vibes) Mondays! From now on, I'll share something that hopefully will inspire at least one person to start their week right.

I got this line from my current nighttime read and it struck me because I'm in a stage where stuff keeps raining on my figurative parade. It's also typhoon season here in the Philippines and our old house couldn't keep up anymore so now I have to purge and pack our things before they get destroyed by the rain. At first I literally went crazy (thanks to my very active hormones) because of all the problems that this situation has caused; but then I realized that this is only temporary and I have to get a grip. I put my trust completely on Him and I look forward to what is in store for us after all this mess.

While things are not getting better, I find comfort that I am not alone because He is always with me and there is always a rainbow after the rain :)

By the way, I made the thing above using the Martha Stewart Craft Studio app on iPad. You can download it for free here.

7 Pinoy Children's Books I'll Read to My Future Children (and one that I won't) + Book Sales

It's National Children's Book Day today in the Philippines! Even if I didn't become a teacher, I'd still probably collect children's books. Filipinos do not lack creative storytellers and illustrators and it's amazing how one good storybook can connect people who have shared the same experience of listening to their parents read the story, or reading the story on their own, or reading it to their children.

It's also a plus that most Filipino children's books come in two languages. I hope parents make sure that they read both Filipino and English versions to their children. 

Here are some books that I'll read to my baby soon. The list isn't exhaustive (I don't have any Rene Villanueva books and one of my all-time favorites: The Boy Who Ate Stars in the list), these are just some of the books I pulled out from my collection because I missed reading/looking at them. You're never too old to appreciate children's books (and pick up a lesson or two).

A tale about two friends: one blind and one with eyesight. 

 Very classic. 

 This one's fun! It's a do-it-yourself pop up book!

 A wheelchair can be a lot of things to an imaginative child

Xilef is a boy with dyslexia

 Raquel and her awesome hair (and personality)

I think this is one of the first Pinoy children's books that targets math problem solving. 

And the book that I will not read to my child and is now part of my Inappropriately Funny Storybooks collection (more on that in the future):

It's published by Adarna during the 80's and features drunkards, an a-go-go dancer, and a girlfriend who works in a beerhouse.

BOOK SALES!

Who: Anvil Publishing

When: every weekend of July (July 20-22 and 27-29 are the remaining days) 
Where: 107 West Drive, Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Who: Scholastic

When: UP TO TOMORROW (July 18)

Where: 27th Floor Penthouse Prestige Tower Ortigas Center Pasig City and No 70 C Raymundo Ave Pasig City

I'm back!

It's been more than 3 months since I last posted anything! A lot has happened even if I was just at home most of the time trying not to overheat. If I was talking to a friend I haven't chatted with for three months asked me what's new, here are the two things I'd tell him/her (without boring my friend with details):

First, we got a dog!

Her name's Arya, named after Arya Stark of Winterfell :) She's turning one this Sunday (we got her when she was 10 months old), very playful, likes tummy scratches and cuddles. She can also be very feisty, chasing dogs twice her size! I love her! 

Second, we're going to have a (human) baby!

It looks like I just ate a lot for dinner here but I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant! It took us some time to share it to others because we announced before that I was pregnant but I had a miscarriage then. I found out I had antiphospholipid syndrome or APAS which caused the miscarriage. Now, I have to take aspirin and a shot (with a needle and all) of heparin, which is a type of blood thinner every single day to make sure my immune system won't attack the baby. The first trimester was kind of difficult and I was spotting every week but now I'm kind of enjoying every moment of it :) 

Chappy has even started talking to my tummy and sometimes I get confused if he's saying I love you to me or to our baby, haha.

We still don't know whether the baby is a boy or a girl but we love our baby bunny just the same!

So there's my quick update :) What's up with you?

Mother-Daughter Day at the Mind Museum

Mama and I had our mother-daughter day at the Mind Museum when they opened to the public. Never mind that I'm married and in my late-twenties. =p

Aedi the robot welcomed us.

They have interactive games.

There are A LOT of things they have to work on. Some of the exhibits felt random (too many toilets on display and arcade games on the second floor) and some of the signs were too wordy for young readers. It was a bit disappointing and underwhelming but it's still worth checking out especially if you have children. Children do not over-analyze so they'd probably have fun here. I've been to the Science Discovery Center in Mall of Asia and in my opinion, this place is equally enjoyable for the young ones. 

For more information, you could visit their site here.

International Women's Day: Phenomenal Woman (Maya Angelou)

Picture stolen from C's blog

 I dedicate this poem to all the phenomenal women in my life:

Phenomenal Woman

(Maya Angelou)

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

20x200: Everyone Needs Art

One of the misconceptions people have about art is that only the rich can afford it. Jen Bekman, the founder of 20x200 ("20 by 200") came up with this formula:

(limited editions x low prices) + the internet = art for everyone

That's when she started 20x200, a site which sells affordable limited-edition archival prints. They made art accessible to everyone! It was easy browsing through the site, you can filter your choices according to different categories (for example, you only want to browse through photographs then just select photographs). 

While browsing through the site, I saw these prints I'd want for our house:

Jericho. From the Series the West Bank by Philip Cheung

A Map of the Open Country of a Woman's Heart by D.W. Kellogg & Co.

In the Library by Tatsuro Kiuchi 

Shinjuku, 6:43 by Joseph O. Holmes

ny.11.#2 by Jennifer Sanchez

Despair by Yuji Yamada

Art should not only be seen as a financial investment. Art is an expression of yourself. Even if you're not the artist, you are attracted in a piece because you see a part of  yourself in it. But that's my personal opinion :)

For more information about affordable art, you can also look at my entry about the Art in the Park.