An Affair with Books

Start them young. That's what happened to me, and to my daughter too. I started reading books before I started primary school when I was around four going five years old. I love reading my cousin's books for her English class who was in fifth grade at that time.

My unforgettable first book, More Stories on Parade. The story is still clear on my mind where the sky is within reach of the people. The lady hang her comb and her pearls just as the sky went up so they became what we know now as the moon and the stars. That time I was amazed.

I read a lot as I was growing up. Bookstores are my favorite destinations whenever I go to the mall. I save money for the books I want to buy. I also did a lot of crossword puzzles when I was pregnant with my daughter. Maybe all these helped my daughter become a voracious reader too.

I bought her books even when she was still a baby. Soft books which she can flip over as I point her the graphics and tell her about them.

Just as it was then for me, bookstores are always in our itinerary whenever we go to the mall. She reads all kinds of books - from The Giving Tree, Dr. Seuss, Lemony Snicket, Luisa May Alcott to High School Musical, Junie B. Jones, etcetera.
My mother sends her activity books as well, mostly word games. My daughter is a wordsmith.

Her inclination varies. At this point she loves reading books about middle school life and well, tween/teen lit as they call it. She loves the Amelia series, also books by Sarah Mlynowski among other authors on her shelf my mind can grasp right now.

As you can see in the mosaic below, she reads her books while waiting for our food to be served. She can't wait to get home before she flips through the pages. She also got my habit of highlighting phrases/paragraphs which are worth remembering.

These are general steps we can apply to further motivate our pre-teens to read or make them interested if they are not yet into it:

1. One thing I know is to lead by example. Books, magazines and newspapers are all over the house. In no time will the children get the habit of picking them up and reading them which they also see their parents do.

2. I'm not one to discriminate books as long as the children can relate to them. Popular books are often the way to start to get them interested in reading.

3. Magazines are welcome in the house. We subscribe to my daughter's monthly dose of tween magazine, Total Girl. She gets to read my magazines on parenting, home and living as well as his dad's Top Gear collections.

4. Start a list. My daughter and I have a our list of the books we want to read in a month. There are usually three to four books in a month. My only rule is she has to finish one first before we buy the next on the list. So far, at this time, we have both disciplined ourselves on that area.

Have a great weekend! It's raining where I am and. A cup of coffee and a good book will be fine. :)

***More about books at Photohunt.

No Pictures Please

My daughter had her first haircut when she turned one at Kids Hair Salon, Galleria. Since then we go to our salon appointments together except when it will take me a longer time for my hair relaxing and coloring. We often take pictures of each other during our beauty sessions. But that was when she was younger.

At ten going eleven, she does not want me taking pictures of her while her hair's being done. Suplada na. She is entitled to her privacy. Fine. This mommy will not argue.

Do you see the mamarazzi in the mirror? :)


Here's our latest salon trip. I can't get anywhere near her for some pictures. My daughter is growing up fast.


When she is with her friends and cousins, they take pictures of each other like there is no tomorrow. But she feels awkward when I do that with her. She gets embarrassed.

I have been reading online articles about tweens. We all have passed that stage. We know attitudes develop, a different way of thinking of our tweens suddenly surprise us. We know all these will happen. It's different though when you are already the mother dealing with your child. Sometimes it stresses me out. But most of the time, I am a cool mom.

It is said that tweens need to test their independence. They act as adults sometimes but revert to their childish ways for most of the time. The changes they experience physically, emotionally and mentally are all parts of growing up. Mothers like me are just standing closely behind, far behind, hiding somewhere but still looking - willing and able to understand and support the changes that come with the transition as our children reach the different milestones in their lives.

***More sharing of mommy moments at Mommy Journey.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

I have a pending post about how frustrated I was with my internet service provider. I drafted it in notepad at the height of my disappointment with the rather slow response but I will discard it now.

My intermittent connection started last week and was immediately reported to their customer care center. The connection was totally cut-off last Monday night. The first two technicians did little help which was the cause of my exasperation. The third one finally fixed the physical lines. The problem has been solved after a night and two days.

I am generally patient but a few times my patience is tested to its limit. You are tested when you are weakest. I am taking care of a lot of things the past months, weeks and days. The last thing I need is an inefficient ISP. Things that get in the way, big or small, are part of the refinement process as Joel Osteen shared.

How did I fare in my refinement process the past two days?

My patience went from good to okay to nowhere. When finally there was connection, we cannot browse when I plugged in the router. I blamed it to one of the technicians who thought of isolating the problem by dismantling the router without fixing the root cause which is a displaced and worn out connection in the post. Grrr. I was really frustrated why I even let him touch the router.

I tried my mighty best to find where in the settings of network connections and internet options could there be some reconfiguration that I needed to do so we can browse. I slept at two in the morning but nothing happened. That's me most of the time. I cannot leave something that proves to be a challenge to me. Anyway, I thought maybe because I changed the password of the broadband connection that's why we cannot browse. I updated the data of my router. It did not work.

After calling the customer care center this morning with the not-so-polite agent at the other end, I thought of checking again the router's LAN settings. I updated the password once more and checked "apply". Lo and behold, the internet connection using the router worked! I was so relieved. In this house, the router is not a luxury but a need.

I skipped clicking the "apply" function last night that's why it didn't work. Geez and I was blaming another person. I'm sorry, Mr. Technician if on my mind you were the culprit. I am reminded of these lessons again in this situation.

*Breathe and stay focused. Maybe I was so stressed out that I missed a step in updating the router's settings.
*Do not hold a person accountable unless there is enough evidence to do so, beyond reasonable doubt as they put it in court.
*If you are patient already, know still when to extend your patience. Be in control and do not let your emotions or temper control you. You will have more productive time knowing when to drop it and when to take it up.
*Don't sweat the small stuff.

Angels & Demons

I have read two of Dan Brown's books, The Da Vinci Code and Deception Point. I read the former in three days. It's a record for me until now. My issue with Dan Brown is once you get to read one of his books, you already know what to expect in the next books. The culprit is always the least you expect. It wasn't exciting anymore when I was reading Deception Point. I finished it just so I finished it.

Came DVC, the movie. Tom Hanks was not the Robert Langdon on my mind. And he definitely wasn't watching the movie. Who are my candidates as Robert Langdon? The perfect ones would be Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Robert de Niro or Pierce Brosnan if Brown's movies were filmed during the 70s or the 80s. My husband was thinking it could be Russel Crowe now. I don't think so. Maybe Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves(???), even Gary Sinise.

I must say Tom Hanks as Langdon looked better playing the role of a Harvard professor expert on religious and historic symbols and meanings in Angels & Demons than in DVC. His hair is trimmed here. I was really disappointed in DVC, the movie, because it failed to deliver the excitement the book offered. Sure, you cannot put every detail from the book to the wide screen. But definitely, there are ways to make an adaptation exciting and comparable with its source or reference especially if it is a best seller.

I have not read Angels & Demons. All my friends who have read it keep telling me then that it is more heart pounding and more entertaining than DVC. Maybe the reason why I was not disappointed with Angels & Demons, the movie, is because I have not read the book. I had no expectations. I just want to see a whodunit. There is nothing great about the movie but a lot better than DVC in terms of its breakneck pace. Vatican City was presented as a labyrinth of riddles and mysteries.

My thoughts at random:
* I picked the most unlikely traitor which is how a Dan Brown story goes. I was correct.

* A priest's wardrobe suits Ewan McGregor soooo well.

* Suspend your disbelief. In five minutes thereabouts, an hour's worth (maybe more) of leaps, chasing, solving puzzles happened. An assassin single-handedly implemented the kidnapping, staging of the priests execution in different areas, hiding the antimatter, what-have-you.

* Good effects of the explosion. So the antimatter just gives a beautiful glowing sky if it explodes up there but will ruin the whole Vatican City if it explodes on land.

* Vatican is a magnificent backdrop.

* I want to read more about The Illuminati, The Path of Illumination, the antimatter, the Church of Illumination.

It has touches of science versus religion but just enjoy the movie for its chills and thrills. I just might buy The Lost Symbol.

iBlog

I have been blogging for more than two years already but last Saturday, May 9, was the first time I attended the Philippine Blogging Summit. They are on their 5th year this 2009. I want to experience how they conduct sessions, see how it will be helpful in my various blogging pursuits. I am all the more encouraged to attend because I will be with my mommy blogger friends.

I want to discuss lengthily my take on what I have seen and heard from the speakers on my succeeding posts. I attended mid-way of the afternoon session. The sharing on problogging and evolution of bloggers were quite interesting. The whole concept is not really new to some of the attendees including me but the insights of the last two speakers were noteworthy.

My two cents, there is no hard and fast rule in blogging in terms of how you want to brand your blog or how you want to evolve as a blogger (if you want that at all). The owner is the brand if I may say that. It's hard work, yes, especially if you intend to maximize your blog's earning potential.

Will a blogging summit be complete without picture taking? Of course not. Thanks to Jane for letting me use our group picture.

Chats, Noemi, Dine, Jane, Julie, Me, Cookie, Salen
This picture of my fellow mommy bloggers is a nice segue to greet all the wonderful moms out there a belated Happy Mother's Day! And yes, my mother's day post will also follow and a gazillion more posts waiting to be keyed in. Not that millions of readers are waiting. I am actually talking to myself. Online activities take a back seat when schedule gets really hectic.

In the mean time, let me also share my contribution for the maiden issue of wmn.ph, Cool Party Ideas for Kids. The interactive e-zine, an affiliate of GMA 7, one of the leading media broadcasting company in the Philippines, is still in beta but help yourself, browse, read, and have fun exploring the site.


wmn.ph give you various topics day to day: fashion and style on Fashionable Mondays, all about relationships on Love a Lot Tuesdays, health and fitness tips on Wellness Wednesdays, money matters on Treat Yourself Thursdays, celebrations on Live it Up Fridays, home and leisure on Chill Out Weekends.

Enjoy the week ahead!

***More snapshots at WS.

Face Painting

Most kiddie parties have a stand-by artist for the kids' face painting spree. Kids love this. They think of the designs themselves and just tell the artist what to put on their cheeks or their hands.

This was taken during my nephew's seventh' birthday. My daughter chose a red butterfly design.

This was done in about ten minutes and lasted till the night. It will still be on her face the following day I guess but she needs to take it off before sleeping.


The finished product. My daughter loved her red butterfly face paint.


Her cousin preferred to have flowers all over her cheek. It's pretty too.


This was taken at Club Princess where my daughter and her friend had their arms painted with flower and a red lip giving a good pout. Spot the doting dads! Haha.


Face painting is a fun activity for the kids, both boys and girls. Here are some tips for a safe face painting from the various websites I read. I refresh myself of what could be possible allergens whenever my daughter will have a face painting activity.

1. Please make sure the face paints are non-toxic.
2. You can have a patch test first for your child to see if there will be any reaction on her skin.
3. Do not paint any area with open wounds.
4. Do not use craft glitters or sequins as they are sharp and can injure skin.
5. Ideally, brushes used for face painting should be cleansed and sanitize after use per child.
6. Wash face thoroughly with warm water and soap. As for me I remove my child's face paint using my hypoallergenic make-up remover before she freshen up thoroughly.

Enjoy your face painting. What's your favorite face paint? Me, I like yellow stars on my cheek.

***More painted pictures at Photo Hunt.

Kris Allen - Come Together

News the past weeks revolve around these four:

1. Swine flu
2. Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight
3. Korina-Mar marriage proposal on national television
4. Juday and Ryan's surprise wedding

I sure am looking forward to mid-week when American Idol is shown in this part of the globe. It's a welcome break from all the news that are hugging the headlines. One of them made a lot of eyebrows shoot to high heavens. One made me appreciate the skill and talent of a great boxer. One I find really sweet. And the other is making me worried.

Wednesday and Thursday nights find me and my daughter sitting side by side our couch as we watch American Idol. Good thing there are replays at night. It's a guilty pleasure. My daughter roots for Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. When Anoop Desai left, my support shifted to Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta. Kris Allen though is tops for me among the four contenders. His talent shines as weeks go by, his confidence building up. I made a shoutout for him in his Twitter. How's that?

It's Rock and Roll week with The Slash as their mentor. Guns N' Roses is one of the bands I followed when I was in college. Kris did one of my favorite Beatles' songs, Come Together. But I love the version of Aerosmith more. :)

Back to Kris Allen. His performance was not one for the books but he did fine. I love the part where he slowed down and clapped with the audience clapping too. Cool. I hope he gets the votes. America, please vote for Kris Allen!

I'll upload the studio recording of this once available.

Restaurant City and Your Management Style

I have been playing Restaurant City for maybe four nights now. My sales is doing good. I have already reached the 10K bracket (but I bought a lot of fixtures so now, it's down to 8k). What I like about this game in Facebook is it's not time consuming. You open your restaurant, ensure that it is well-manned - you have your business running while you do other productive things.

Restaurant City can be a gauge of how good a leader and a manager one is in terms of the following aspects:

Customer Service
1. Do you provide your customers the basic needs like a clean wash room?
2. Are you able to divide the layout properly? How many square meters do you provide for the dining area and the wash room? How many tables and chairs do you provide to accommodate your customers without sacrificing their comfort?
3. Do you have the proper size of manpower versus the needs of your restaurant - its size and customer base.
4. Are you able to position your people properly such that they are able to attend to your customers promptly?
5. Do you excite your customers with the different menus that you offer?

People Management
1. Are you a hands-on manager? Do you give your people a free hand to manage their tasks once you have oriented them?
2. Are you well-manned? Do you encourage multi-tasking or each person has a specific role during their shift?
3. Do you schedule breaks or do you let your people reach their breaking point before you let them rest?
4. Do you let them eat properly or do you ration food?
5. Do you sack an employee on first offense? What policies have you laid about employee infractions?

Sales Building
1. Satisfaction rating translate to sales generally. Do you monitor the satisfaction rating and implement measures to arrest the decline? Do you implement strategies to continuously make it higher?
2. Again, do you have the right number of people to serve the number of customers that go into your store? Are they in the right position? Do you take note the number of walk-outs because of inefficient service (slow attending time, no available seats)?
3. Do you go around your neighboring restaurants to check what they are offering in their menu? Do you try to trade ingredients you need so you can offer something new to your customers?

Profit
1. How much of your sales go to manpower expense or renovation/face-lift expense?
2. Is your layout efficient to maximize your seating capacity versus your manpower? Does it complement the size of your restaurant?
2. How do you see renovation and buying additional fixtures and equipment, an expense or an investment?

I base my decisions in running my restaurant with the above questions. That is the reason why I get so excited with this game. I implemented the following as soon as I reached level 11, 10x10 floor area.

1. 1:4, 1 cook for every 4 tables.
2. 3 cooks all the time and 2 waiters.
3. An assigned cleaner if it's peak time.
4. Provided a waiting area with 2 seats. The customers actually wait for vacant seats.


EQ is very much needed too as there are times you have to work with your neighboring restaurants for ingredients you want to trade. If you're nice and you have what they need also, you just might get what you need.

A well-managed store (or department) makes the owner more productive as he or she can focus on other business opportunities that can make the company grow.

Remember though, for every computer game, there is a cheat sheet. Let's make it sound better, there are hints and guides you can find. But for all it's worth, challenge yourself first and make strategies on your own.

Restaurant City is like running your own business. See how it will grow. It will give you a sense of satisfaction knowing that this is also what you are doing managing your department or your unit in your line of work or even in your household.

Yes, the name of my restaurant is Serendipity. Obviously it was inspired by one of the most romantic movies I like, Serendipity, with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.


It's fun!