Cool Summer Activities for Kids

More than the anticipation of Christmas time is the end of school year and start of the summer vacation. I like it when Phineas and Ferb can do so much during their vacation. It doesn't have to be expensive, you just have to be creative like them.

But for those who wants their kiddos to be occupied and learn something new, Blessed John Paul II Academy in Parañaque offers cool and fun summer classes in an affordable price.

1. INTRODUCTION TO PRESCHOOL

Are you worried that your child might refuse to go to school or won't let you leave them alone?
Let them attend a 3-day Free trial of Introduction to Preschool. Here, kids are familiarized with the school environment and routines. Parents can stay with them so they won't feel anxious. The teachers are very friendly and competent.

Classes starts on April 15, Monday to Friday (for 1 1/2 hour per session)
Age: for kids 3-5 years old
Fee: 3,000 for 10 sessions

2. ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT

Academic enhancement is for students who wants to excel in certain subject areas. It is a one-on-one tutorial with a competent teacher. 

Classes starts on April 15, Monday to Friday (one hour per session)
Age: Preschoolers and Grade School pupils
Fee: 3,000 for 10 sessions

3. TAEKWONDO

This Korean Martial Art doesn't only teach the kids how to defend themselves but also to instill them self-discipline and respect. This is also a good way to keep them fit. With continued training, they could be promoted to colored belts or join competition here and abroad.

Classes starts on April 15, Monday to Friday (for 1 1/2 hour per session)
Age: for kids 3 years old and up 
Fee: 3,000 for 16 sessions

4. ARTS AND CRAFTS

Squeeze out those creative juices from your little Picasso's with Arts and Crafts. Let your child express themselves through their art works. The program ends with an Art Gallery Show.

Classes starts on April 15, Monday to Friday (for 1 hour per session)
Age: for kids 6 years old and up
Fee: 25000 for 10 sessions (exclusive of art materials)

5. PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS

Kiddos nowadays are very techie, from smartphones to tablets to digital cameras. Swiping and clicking is as easy as wiping their noses. Photography for beginners will help them know the basics taking a photo.

Classes starts on April 15, Monday to Friday (for 1  hour per session)
Age: for kids 8 years old and up
Fee: 3,000 for 10 sessions

The School of the Future

Formerly called STI Academy of Parañaque, Blessed John Paul II Academy is a well respected educational institution for preschool and gradeschool, producing students who not only excel in the academics but also exhibit good moral and behavioral foundatins.

Through the years, this has been made possible by:

• a strong, comprehensive, innovative and values-driven academic and co-curricular program
• a safe and nurturing learning environment
• our highly-qualified and caring faculty
• a solid home-based partnership

We are dedicated to "Nurturing the Minds and Hearts" of young learners to help them achieve their highest potential---intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, creatively and spiritually.

Blessed John Paul II Academy is located at 4917 Gladiola St., Marimar II Village, Parañaque City (near SM Bicutan)

For inquiries you may call at 823 05 19 or email: johnpaul2academy@pldtdsl.net

Art Class

Computer Class

One-on-one Tutorial

Halooween

The Preschoolers

Online Security and Cybercrime Law

Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 will be enacted today, October 3, which aims to protects netizens.

(F.Y.I.: The Senators who voted for this are: Senators Sotto, Revilla, Lapid, Villar, Pimentel, Estrada, Legarda, Escudero, Lacson, Honasan, Cayetano, Recto and Marcos.)

The common cybercrimes committed are the following: 
1. Child pornography
2. Harassment or cyberbullying 
3. Trafficking, distribution, posting and dissemination of obscene materials 
4. Violation of Privacy
5. Computer vandalism (like transmission of harmful programmes)
6. Cyberterrorism
7. Cracking

Would  you wait to be a victim to try to understand? The law has its good points however like any other law passed, it has its loopholes and needed to be amended.

Watch this video.(Click link below)
  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pYHN9iC9I&feature=player_embedded


 Scary huh?

So be careful when you go online. Protect yourself by following these suggestions from Oracle Think Quest:

1. Do not let them know your out of town or your location 
    (that's why i don't use Four Square or a FB status that say's "shared 5 minutes ago in Tutuban, Divisoria)

2. Do no auto-connect to open wi-fi

3. Do not keep passwords in your computer (try changing them every now and then if you're not forget because I am forgetful hehehe)

4. Have a virus protection, spyware detector and firewall installed.

5. Do not open an email if you are not sure about it.

6. Make a back up of important files. (I don't think online storage is reliable too)

7. Update the security and privacy settings of your social media accounts. (For Facebook users, add friends that are close to you only. I know some people who just keep confirming friend requests because they're after the NUMBER of friends they have. Ow, come on! From you 1, 765 FB friends how may are your true friends?)

8. Be wary of websites that require your personal information. Verify first.

9. Do not believe everything you read/see online. (Verify again. Don't be so gullible!)

10. Take your time. Do not rush into things.

Cyberspace has become a parallel world to us. What's happening in the real world could and has been happening here. If the government can't protect you, protect yourself. Be a responsible netizen.

How to Make Special Kwek Kwek in 3 Easy Steps

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K

wek kwek has been a Pinoy street food for years. Kids, students, workers, oldies would queue up booths or store stand along the streets eager to skewer these orange eggs. I was just surprised one day that our housemaid had never known of this infamous snack. So we bought her twice just to feed her curiosity. And she did love it! Only problem is, it’s costly with ten pesos per stick of 4 eggs. So why don't we make our own kwek kwek but this time let’s make it extra extra special?

So here’s our Special Kwek Kwek Project!

Step 1. Boil the eggs. Completely submerged the eggs in water and let it boil in a minimum of 15 minutes.

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Step 2. Make the batter. Here’s the special part: instead of using flour and water, replace the usual batter with hotcake mix! Tadaah! Yes! And I love Maya Hotcake mix. Just follow the package’s instructions. And use either of these for coloring: a. orange food coloring b. annato powder (we call it atchuete) c. orange soda (try Royal True Orange or Mirinda, replacing water).

3. Deep fry. Removed the eggs' shell and coat them with a little flour or some of that hotcake mix so that the batter will stick on to the egg. Dip the eggs into the batter and scoop one by one with a spoon and deep fry them in cooking oil. 

Remove excess oil with kitchen paper towels and then taddddaaaah you have your own very very special kwek kwek! You may partner it with different sauces: a. vinegar with chopped cucumber and onion b. ketchup with mayonnaise c. soy sauce and vinegar with sugar and cornstarch to thicken it , and d. chilisauce. 

Happy eating!

Belle De Jeur Power Planner Fair

I’m super excited for the 2012 BDJ Fair at the SM MOA Music Hall on October 14! :)

Check out their activities and GET A CHANCE TO WIN Free BDJ 2013 Power Planners and many more special prizes from their lifestyle brands! TO WIN! --- Play an active role in the fair’s festivities. Pre-register in any of the following activities below.  Please note each activity is limited to a certain number of slots :) First come first served.

10:00AM-11:00AM Kick-Ass Krav Maga (50pax)
Unleash that Strong Bella inside you as you learn self-defense techniques from the expert coaches at IKMF-Philippines.  Be proud and confident in the knowledge that you can protect yourself!

11:00AM-11:30AM Style Me Over! (50pax)
Give yourself a style update with this mini-workshop by Jasmine Mendiola as she shows the ways you can look even more amazing!

1:00PM-3:00PM Bloggers Extraordinaire (200pax)
Listen in as Tricia Gosingtian discusses how she has kept her blog current and relevant amidst the constant changes of the blogging world; while Patty Laurel talks about her love for travel and her lifelong goal of visiting a new destination for every year she’s on this earth.

3:30PM-5:00PM Beauty Bootcamp (200pax)
Know the essentials of Georgina Wilson’s skin care routine as she shares how she keeps her skin fresh and glowing all day.  Erica Paredes teaches us the basic items we need for our kikay kits and demonstrates how to use them. 

5:30PM-7:00PM  Life Lessons (200pax)
PJ Lanot will get you all charged up and raring to go as he guides you toward the self-realization that the Power is in you all along!  Fitz Villafuerte from the Ready To Be Rich blog shares with us why we need to start planning for our future now.

7:30PM-9:00PM Fierce Fashion! (200 pax)
Watch as BDJ Girls sashay down the runway in stylish outfits from SM GTW, Ladies Wear and Parisian. Learn from stylist extraordinaire, Donna Cuna-Pita as she talks about the ways you can infuse fun, bright colors into your everyday work staples. 

BE A SUPERMODEL: Strut your Sexy Self! (24pax)
Walk the runway in styles that that are bold, daring and fun! Be part of the 24 models for the BDJ 2012 Fashion Show showcasing the trendiest ensembles from SM GTW and SM Ladies Wear.  You must submit a full body photo wearing fitted clothes with your vital statistics (bust, waist and hips size), height, weight, and contact no. Please send by October 3. We will pre-select models for a go-see on October 6.

To participate, email them at bdjfair@viviamoinc.com with the following details:

SUBJECT: The 2012 BDJ Fair: LIMITLESS!

Name

Email Address

Mobile

Activities/Talks to Join: 

1.       Top Choice -

2.       2nd Choice -

3.       3rd Choice -

What are you waiting for? Send them an email at bdjfair@viviamoinc.com  NOW!

Visit their website at www.belledejourpowerplanner.com  

Like their facebook account (facebook.com/BelledeJourPlanner)

Follow them on twitter! @BDJBuzz

See you Bellas at the BDJ Fair! :)

Bibliophile

Teaching preschoolers for six years now showed me the importance of reading. Usually pupils fail in this area more than mathematics, however, they still cannot solve word problems without first comprehending it.

I love reading and books. I deliberately labeled myself a bibliophile. If most kikay girls and shopaholics scouts the mall's beauty booth, I raid the bookstores.

Reading started as a leisure for me. Although I don't remember how I learned how to read or who taught me but I do recall how it started.

I was maybe 6 years old at that time when I saw a box of comics in my lolo's silong. Silong is that space under the house. Old houses used to have that. Anyway, these comics are not your Marvel or DC comics nor the famous Funny Komiks . They contain the classics (but at that time I don't know yet)  like Les Miserables, Romeo and Juliet and others. I think they might be the precursor of today's graphic novels.

this is the silong

( photo from Sasha Manuel)

I frequented the silong just to finish the whole box of comics. When I finished everything, that's when I started buying the typical comics from the newstand. 

 

Funny Komiks with Planet Op Di Eyps as cover

(from rakista.com)

From comics I switched to Tagalog romance novels (pocketbooks). My Tita and mom would buy a lot of those and they would swaps after reading, so I got to read a lot too and I was only 11 years old.

(from Tagalog Romance Pocketbooks)

 

From Tagalog  pocketbooks, I turned to English young adult books when I started High School. Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley Twins (followed by Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University) was popular at that time. Who could forget Elizabeth and Jessica?

 

 

 I became a certified "tambay" of our High School library. I began reading seriously. When I say seriously it means I stopped with the pa-cute-kilig-puro-crushes pocketbooks and started reading books like Sherlock Holmes, Siddharta Gautama and The Diary of Anne Frank.

 

 Reading became more than just leisure for me. I now read to learn; to learn about other people, other places, other worlds. In college, two books touched me most: The Good Earth and To Kill a Mockingbird. Honestly, I cried over these stories.

Fast forward to the present, now that I'm a preschool teacher and a mother, my list of books now includes children story books, parenting books and magazine, self-help books and even cook books. Whatever is your preference, reading is indeed important. I would like my own children to love reading and books as well, in spite of the emergence and powerful influence of online games and applications, social media and gadgets. I rather fill their room with books than to give them an iPad. Seriously! The feel of turning the pages of the book is still different from swiping the tablet's screen, don't you think? Well, well, well. I'll just leave you with this quote:

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.”
― Gustave Flaubert

Post script:

For the bibliophile like me, why don't you try creating your Goodreads account?

www.goodreads.com

 

Vaga Anima
 The Anything-Goes-Blog

I've been longing to create a blog, now here it is and I don't know what to write first. Ngek!

How about explaining what "Vaga Anima" means? Well, I would like to name my blog with a foreign phrase like my friend's "Tabula Rasa" which means a clean slate. But then, I asked myself, "And what phrase would that be, huh?". So I thought what would my blog be all about? Fashion? Food? Travel? These are the usual but I'm not an expert or the right person for those. So I decided, my blog will be whatever I want it to be: anything! 

I'm a huge Paulo Coelho fan so I was thinking of a Portuguese phrase that will describe this blog. But it was hard. Hmmmmm...

Then a thought came when I was reading Coelho's Aleph. I read " Life is the train not the station". Yes, I said. Life is a journey. So I thought of the phrase "wandering soul" and tried to google its foreign language translation into Hebrew, Portuguese, Japanese but nothing sounds attractive. Until I translated it into Italian: "vaga anima". 

the wandering soul

because Life is a journey