I'm back!

Mabuhay!

After being away from the Philippines for almost 20 years, it feels good to see familiar faces and places. Most of my neighbors are still the same, just older.  There is more concrete and less trees.  But the ready smiles of Pinoys are ever present.

I can't wait to swim in the warm waters of our Philippine beaches.  We always packed jackets and blankets when we head over to the California shores - HMB, I miss you already!

I can't wait to eat real Philippine mangoes.  On the other side of the pond, they would sell Mexican mangoes and claim they were Philippine mangoes.  You can't fool a Pinoy!

I can't wait to eat my taho (soft soy with caramelized sugar and tapioca) from the street vendor at the entrance of our village.

I can't wait to eat my churros con chocolate at Dulcinea.

I can't wait to eat my bibingka (rice cake with kesong puti and salted duck egg coal-baked in a banana leaf) and puto bumbong (steamed purple rice) all year round.

I can't wait to drink my gatas ng kalabaw (milk from a water buffalo).

I can't wait to feel the warm rain on my skin.

I can't wait to gaze endlessly at humongous cumulus clouds in the azure sky, hovering over green fields of palay (rice fields).

I can't wait to....explore and experience the Philippines again!

From a local to a tourist and back again.

List of Preschools - Muntinlupa City and its environs

Bubutar is now more social and needs more interaction, so I started searching for preschools.

Babatar was very happy at Cambridge when we were in-between schools.  We both made good friends there.  Unfortunately, some of her former preschool teachers have moved on, so I decided to find another preschool for Bubutar.  On different occasions, we have enrolled him at two of the schools I listed below. 

If I haven't said it previously, we (Californians) were spoiled back home. You can easily locate anything and anyone with a strike of a key :o) Not so, in the Philippines. I compiled my own list of preschools and included brief observations for each location.

I found these schools by driving around, asking friends and other moms I meet at the supermarket, mall and park and searching in our village newsletter and local expat newspapers. The list is not complete nor is it arranged in any particular order. Please check online or the local phonebook...yes, we still use phonebooks here.

Some of the schools offer after-school and summer activities.

This is not a complete list.  I do not work for any of these schools or endorse them. Contact them directly for further details.   Always do a school visit and schedule a sit-in/trial class.

1. Toddlers Unlimited, 4th Floor, Festival Mall, Filinvest: 02-850-4064 or 0917-898-2557 or visit their website at www.toddlersunlimited.com.  Located in the mall, so if you don't like to expose your child to consumerism.  They have an indoor romp area.  Most play equipment are by Little Tikes. Galileo Enrichment Learning Program is offered at the same facility.
2. A+, 4th Floor, Festival Mall, Filinvest: 02-772-1662 to 63 or visit their website at www.aplus-is.com.  Locaated across from Toddlers Unlimited.  More updated and larger indoor play area than Toddlers Unilimited.  More classroom space than Toddlers.  Offers Mandarin classes.
3. The Little Apprentice Preschool (TLAP), Aspen Tower, Filinvest:  02-659-4168 or visit their website at www.thelittleapprenticepreschool.com  Outdoor, partially covered play area.  Classrooms do not have floor to ceiling walls, so noise level is high.  TLAP is located in the Aspen Tower condominium, so there are less to no distractions for the children or caregivers.
4. Gymboree, Westgate:  02-771-7529 or visit their website at http://www.gymboree-ph.com/aboutus.htm  Teachers are very warm and friendly.
   
   I was so thankful when I saw the Gymboree and The Little Gym signs because they were both familiar to my daughter.  They made my daughter's transition here easier. 
5. The Little Gym, BMW Autozentrum, Commerce Ave.:  850 4060 or +63 2 850 4061 or visit their website at http://www.thelittlegym.com.ph/ourprograms.html  My son wasn't ready yet for The Little Gym, but we will try again soon.
6. Cambridge School, Alabang Town Center (ATC), next to The Spa of Alabang:  02-659-1387 or 02-659-1406 or visit their website at http://cambridge.com.ph/alabang/  Teachers are warm and caring.  The location is convenient because its on the perimeter of ATC, near Makati Supermarket.  One can do errands while the kids are in class.  Indoor romp area.  Classes are separated by waist-high partitions/bookshelves, so noise levels can be high.  Parking including drop-off/pick-up can be a problem because of limited parking spaces and high volume of vehicular traffic.
7. Young Creative Minds, Madrigal Business Park (MBP):  02-850-6063 or 0917-5345121or visit their website at http://youngcreativeminds.multiply.com/  They are located in the MBP where Union Bank and alabang Auto Exchange are located, i.e. closer toAcacia and Commerce Avenues.
8. Esteban Early Development Center of the Australian International School, MBP:  02-807-9145 or visit their website at http://aismanila.org/pre_school_alabang.html  Small indoor play area but teachers are warm and friendly.
9. Kids First, Venture Building, MBP:  02-556-3887 or 02-703-3545 or 0917-833-8983.  They are located in the section of MBP where Citibank, Meralco, B Hotel and Shell Service Station are situated i.e., closer to Zapote Road.  Has indoor play area.

The bigger schools may also have preschools. Contact them, too.  Some of the schools are De La Salle Santiago Zobel, The Learning Child, Paref Woodrose (all girls), Maria Montessori, MIT International School (K-12) and Virgin Mary Immaculate School.  Other schools in the area are Prep Camp, Brighton School, Southridge (all boys), Southville, San Beda, Manresa and Elizabeth Seton.

Additionally, TLC and Anima Christi Center have Special Education programs (SPED).  Anima Christi's info: 02-807-4169 or 02-842-6463 (pre-school, grade/high school, vocational).
Good luck!

I hope you find this list useful.

Toilet talk, toilet etiquette

So you stand in line at the (women's) restroom i.e., comfort room, "CR" or banyo in the local lingo and someone cuts in front of you. What do you do? Before you call the attention of that person, understand that, normally, you stand in front of the cubicle you would like to use. There is no single line. You can figure it out when you walk into the banyo. Determine if there is a single line or not by observing. The safest way to go is by asking the person ahead of you if there is a queue. If there is chaos in the CR, then the queue is non-existent.


When you walk into the cubicle, don't be surprised if the seat has footprints on it. It is not unusual for women and children to squat over the potty.

Not all bathrooms have toilet paper i.e., tissue or tisyu; soap; paper towel; hand dryer; toilet seat cover; toilet seat; a working faucet, flushing mechanism or water tank altogether.

If there is no flushing mechanism, sometimes they provide a bucket of water to flush down your present in the potty.


If there is no faucet, we use a dipper or tabo to take water from a pail (timba) of water i.e., if a pail of water is provided. I always hesitate using the water in the pail for handwashing. I would you use it to flush the toilet instead. I pack a hand sanitizer, wet wipes and/or alcohol in my purse. Pack liquid soap, too.


Women hog the sink to touch up their make up, brush their teeth or wash their dishes (yes, they do). You have to be assertive and let them know that you need to use the sink. I think consideration and courtesy was washed down the drain a while back.

Changing stations are not common. Now that Bubutar is bigger, I use pull-up diapers (or nappies in local lingo) so that he does not have to lie on a changing mat. I have often changed him on his stroller or in the corner of a restaurant because there is no counter space to change him.


On a side note: I did not find swim diapers for babies and toddlers in the local stores. I had to purchase them back home and shipped boxes of it here. The common practice is not to wear a diaper or to wear regular diapers and then wear a plastic diaper cover over it. It is not water proof and if you have tried soaking the diaper in water, it balloons in size. Regular diapers become heavy and uncomfortable. Huggies and Pampers both have swim diapers.

Update: I found swim diapers in Rustan's, but they are pricey. Ita about $15 for a pack of 5 diapers. If I remember correctly, one can purchase a pack of 12 swim diapers for about $10 at Target or Walmart. The diapers are discounted during summer months.

The toilet cubicles are tiny. You often would have to step over the toilet or scoot to one side of the potty to close the door. Attention, architects and interior designers, please take some initiative to change the layout of our bathrooms. Allot more space. Think of the parents or grandparents with babies on strollers and handicapped persons.

On another side note: You will notice signs in the CR requesting you not throw your tissue paper, etc. in the potty. My theory is that management does this because of the aging infrastructure, the system cannot cope with the increase in toilet use. This is an entirely different topic.

For the men, if there are no bathrooms or public urinals nearby, the outdoors is their bathroom. It is still common to see men relieving themselves against a pole, tree, wall or out in the open grassy field. Now, I understand why mom said never to sit on the grass or the sidewalk.


There are malls that have pay toilets. The fee is about 10 pesos per use and occassionally includes a pack of tissue. Alabang Town Center opened a family lounge in the recent past. It has an area for internet access and clean bathrooms with soap, lotion, etc. The down side is that if you are in the other end of the mall, you have to walk and walk and walk to get there. By the time we reach the family lounge, my toddler would have been screaming his head off because of his wet diaper. The lounge was placed in an out of the way place...unless you happen to be dining at Cyma, then its a stone's throw away.

Of course, if you stay in a hotel or stay in the more popular upscale malls, all I mentioned can be flushed away.

Do you want to go back to high school?

My 20th high school reunion is around the corner. I realized that some of my elementary and high school classmates have not matured. They still behave in the same childish way. They live by the belief that life is a popularity contest where there are endless social affairs to attend to. They are happiest when they have stepped on other people. So, do I want to relive high school? No! I would rather relive my university days where I found my independence, my self and true friends.

Its my birthday??

I was updating my personal list of things to do (to add to my list of lists of lists...) when I asked my daughter what day it was. She replied with a big surprised look on her face, "Mama, its your birthday!!"

Oh yeah, its my birthday and I forgot all about it :o)

How did I celebrate? Running around like a chicken with its head cut off....work really gets in the way.

First come, first served - NOT!

I see people lining up to hop on various public transportation - Great!


However, when you get to other places, forget the line. Its to each his own! For instance, I was applying for my social security number/card. The staff requested everyone to place their names on a numbered list; but do they follow it? No!


One month later, when I came back to pick up my social security number (mind you, I was picking up a slip of paper not the card...I digress. This is entirely another story in itself.), I follow the procedure of entering my name on the list. But after a few people cutting in front of me, I stood up before my name was called and asked for my slip with my number on it. Lo and behold, the lady behind the counter remembers me (amazing!) and hands me my slip. No questions asked.

Sometimes when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Boracay revisited

April 2009 - Spent four days and three nights at Discovery Shores in Boracay Island, Panay. Babatar proclaimed it the the "best-est vacation ever!", ranks next to our stay at the Shangri-la resort in Mactan, Cebu.

What planning? You think I learned from our previous holidays to the Philippines that reservations in the Philippines is not 24/7? No! It is not as easy as in the States where one can make trip arrangements on whim...to think, there are a lot of call centers based here!

I booked a last minute package deal with Seair. I was lucky to find an open travel office on a Saturday afternoon at the beginning of Holy Week. I was even luckier to find plane tickets and a place to stay. If you are not queasy about riding small airplanes, Seair has good deals to Boracay, Batanes, Palawan, etc. I think our plane was a 19-seater and we arrived in Caticlan in about 40 minutes. The boat ride from Caticlan to the jetty at Boracay was even quicker...no longer do the boats stop at the White Beach. Thank goodness!

Our first and last trip to Boracay was in January 2000. We are lucky to say we saw Boracay before it became commercialized. So when I say "before", I'm comparing it to Boracay in 2000.

A sea of advertisements in the form of banners, flags, tents and sails on boats welcomed us to Boracay. The White Beach, blue waters and coconut trees were my last pictures of Boracay not advertisements. I left Manila to get away from that and here I am being bombarded with it again. It was sign of the changes in Boracay. The drive from the jetty to Discovery Shores was short but we stopped a lot. There are so many motorcycles and tricycles on the narrow two lane road. A lot of times there is no place to park (to load or unload passengers or supplies) or walk. So walking on the road is not a pleasant experience, its hot, sticky, dusty and not safe. There are no sidewalks in some stretches. If you've been to the Catalina Islands in southern California, its not at all like that. I wish Boracay will learn from Catalina.

When we arrived at Discovery, the staff was welcoming and friendly. They provided as with an ice cold wet towel and a refreshing lychee drink. They immediately directed us to our room. I did not go to the front desk until the evening. What a relief! All we wanted to start off was freshen up and check out our beds. They read our minds.

I love our room! It is very spacious and well appointed. The bed is comparable to the bed in the Presidential Suite in Shangri-la at Mactan. It had a pillow top and fluffy pillows and comforters. Discovery does not charge for extra comforters. We had two queen beds in the middle of the room and a day bed by the window. The bathroom had handheld and rain shower heads; a bidet (Babatar loves to use it!); floor to ceiling glass windows (The upper three quarters of the window is frosted. The bottom quarter is clear. Discovery planted bulbs amongst river rocks right outside the window). The sink is situated right outside the dressing area. They provided a sturdy metal rack (sort of looks like a shoe rack) under the sink where you can place your shoes or dirty towels. Babatar used the rack as her stepping stool when she brushes her teeth at the sink. Discovery provided two cotton bath robes and slippers. If you are on the heavier side, the robe might not go around the waist. What's the average size of a Filipina, 4?

The room had the usual amenities: safety deposit box, refrigerator, tv, coffee maker, AC. Extra amenities? Yes - a reliable, fast wi-fi internet access and a 32-inch flat screen tv and a DVD player, iPod docking station, radio-CD player. Papatar and Babatar enjoyed the TV! Discovery loans out DVDs for free. We borrowed children's movies twice but did not get to watch it because we were happily turning into prunes in the pool or burnt coconuts at the beach.

I forgot to mention as part of our warm welcome to Discovery, they provided us with pandan water. Its sugary water infused with pandan which is a shrub with long fragrant monocot leaves. The pandan provides the green tint on the water and a fragrant "smell" when you drink it. There were also three jars of goodies on the table: dried coconut strips, banana chips and a variety of cookies. You know which one was emptied first - the cookie jar! That takes me on a side note about cookies at Discovery. There's a jar of cookies at the front desk where my daughter and I would get our fill of cookies until we discovered there's another jar by the pool bar. Imagine swimming and eating your cookie at the same time. (By the way, the front desk is actually at the back by the beach.) We were chatting with the pool boy and mentioned that the cookies were yummy. After a quick dip, I decide to read my book on the lounge chair and lo and behold a shiny silver bowl of cookies (no charge) was awaiting the sun(burned) goddess! Bliss!

I now realized why the bath robe was too snug; its the cookies!

Discovery also gave me a foot scrub. Note that its not foot spa or massage. Its just a scrub, but relaxing in any case.

On side note, don't be surprised if the pool (and beach) boy suddenly and continously takes your clothes and starts folding it up neatly for you. He even lines up the slippers and tucks in the towel.

The breakfast and dinner buffets were nothing to get excited about. Sorry, Discovery Chef...can't remember his name. He is one of the chefs featured on the Selecta-brand ice cream commercial. Breakfast was included in our vacation package. On hindsight, we should have tried other restaurants in the area for dinner. The buffet price was not worth the selection, especially the Asian dinner buffet. However, I did enjoy the coffee. If I do take coffee for breakfast, I usually just drink a cup. While we were there, I had more than the usual. We ordered from the menu a few times. We were not disappointed - baked oysters in the shell on a bed of rock salt (must try this! The taste of the diced onion and the cheese reminded me of Macy's french onion soup in the iron kettle...remember the Macy's at Union Square, San Francisco had a small cafe at the lower level?), spaghetti bolognese, lechon kawali, Vietnamese chicken sandwich (had a creamy Srirachan sauce as dressing), grilled ham and cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese (used a different type of cheddar).

Boracay's White beach truly has the white powdery sand. It was perfect for building our mermaid. The beach is not as wide as it used to be and a green wispy algae was present at the shoreline. Because of the algae, we did not spend as much time in the water as we planned to. The algae was very thick in some locations of the beach such as the Boracay Terraces area. I heard that the the algae gets thicker during the summer months - April to June.

During our trip, Lolo Benny (no relation) celebrated his 88th birthday there. From the "R" stamped on the sand castle, the guests attending and the splendid fireworks show after dinner, we figured he must be the big wig of Rustans department store. (Rustans is like Nieman Marcus, Harrod's). My daughter and I enjoyed the fireworks display. It was a special welcome treat on our first night. (BTW, Discovery, please clean up after each fireworks display. The fireworks casings were all over the beach the following morning.)

Babatar also enjoyed herself with the kids activities each afternoon. She looked forward to it each day. She made friends with a five year old boy and they made arrangements to meet each other during the kids activity. The activities were simple but enough (paper bracelets, paper flate sea creatures, face painting, mosaic, etc.) for the kids' entertainment.

We will definitely go back but maybe not during summer when the algae is abundant.

http://www.discovery-shores-boracay.com/ppc/offer01-google-discovery.php?gclid=CNK2p5G7q5cCFUkupAodwwuPkA