the big move: ten months after

If there’s such a thing as the equivalent of postpartum depression after moving out of your birth nest, I can safely say that we have passed that stage with flying colors.

So it’s actually been ten months since we’ve moved to our new home in Los Banos. It’s also been a couple of months since I last checked on my blog, and even longer since I posted anything in here. Finally, I got around to writing here again. I have a lot of news, lots of stuff going on with me, and our new life in our new home, the farm, and the kids. But the most important stuff I really want to share right now are the things we already thought we knew, but are learning over and over, especially since we went on our own.

wakeboard world

CamSur greeted us warmly once again, this time we brought the kids along and the rest of the family.

We headed to the southernmost south of Luzon on full road trip gear. First to attend Yaya’s wedding, second, to take a mini-vacation in CWC. Yes, we drove some 15 hours from Cainta to Camarines Sur. It was a very long, tiring drive that was way off our predefined itinerary.

We were ready for 12 hours on the road, ready to plunge into hotel beds after a tiring journey, and get up after a few hours rest to wash up, dress up and attend the wedding. But we didn’t expect that we were up for an all-nighter road trip and that we’ll be attending a wedding sleepless, unfed and unbathed.

Attending a wedding in the province is always an experience. The ceremony itself and the reception program is a melting pot of culture, beliefs and traditions as practiced by the families of the bride and groom. The one we attended was held in the town of Baao, Camarines Sur, where the boys’ Yaya hailed.

Baao is a nice, quiet town. There are signs of development as it is right beside Pili, the provincial capital. It was accessible yet remained rural, and income sources were mostly from farming activities. And just like Yaya, the people from Baao were beautiful and quiet and calm.

They boys’ were part of the entourage and Father was principal sponsor. We lost a significant amount of cash in the process, but we enjoyed the humor and simplicity of the occasion. And we didn’t feel shortchanged nor extorted—as we sometimes do in other provincial weddings, where names are called for cash gifts to the couple and the amount you give is counted right in your face as if to show how little you gave, or how much more other people need to give to match yours. We were glad to share some of our blessings with Yaya and his husband, as we owe a lot to her for taking good care of our little boys.

After lunch and the reception program, which Uri slept through, we were all very tired but eager for some airconditioning and bed rest. And so we headed to Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC), where we were booked for the night.

Turo and I were in CWC last Feb as we celebrated his birthday with a tour of the Bicolandia. We so loved it here we knew we had to bring the rest of the family along the next time.

I was worried at first that the kids will get bored because there’s not a lot to do except for wakeboarding, which they can’t, and swimming, which is nothing new to them. I was surprised at how much they enjoyed just watching wakeboarders do their stunts and tricks. We quietly spent a lovely afternoon by the cable park doing just that.

I was never a fan of man-made attractions, I always looked for something nature-y in every place I visit. But CWC changed this perspective altogether. CWC is a government-run facility, mind you. It sits within the vast provincial capitol grounds of Camarines Sur. You get official government receipts when your pay for your hotel accommodation. And, together with Caramoan Island, it has pulled in tourists from all walks of life, making the province the top tourist destination in the country at present.

I especially love the accommodation at CWC. It’s cheap, heck, it’s government rate. And the facilities demonstrate a hint of green and modern architecture. There are container vans converted into double rooms and family rooms. There are solar-powered log cabins and wooden cabanas, affordable tiki huts that have common toilets to cut back on costs. Even the cable park and the winch park has its own water treatment facility so water gets recycled every so often.

Wakeboarding is fast becoming Turo’s favorite sport. Brother tried his hand at it while we were there but the skimboarder had to curse wakeboarding before we even left Bicol. And while sports and me will never go well together, I can definitely say that once in my life I was able to successfully wakeboard, even for a few metres.

And so we left CamSur happy and rejuvenated and ready for another 12-hour driving stretch. I am proud at how much my kids enjoy traveling, even on long road trips such as this one, which is a first for them. We are definitely coming back, and we are tinkering with the possibility of an even longer trip on the road—maybe Davao? Who knows.

the toddler and the machine

Day in, day out, Ari pesters me with requests to play computer games. And while I remain impressed at how easily he has learned to navigate the computer, I get increasingly worried at how addicting the computer can be to my 4-year old.

Computers have become such a necessity nowadays even I find it hard to get by without accessing the internet at least once in a day. Working as an independent consultant, my netbook is practically my office–data storage, processing and presentation all happen here. I normally work from home and it should not come as a surprise that my kids are as interested in tinkering with the computer as they often see me do.

The computer is a fantastic learning tool. My kids plays number and alphabet games, puzzle and matching games using the computer. Imagine the cost of having to buy a new puzzle each week as Ari gets tired of the puzzles he’s already mastered putting together, or a new set of flash cards every so often because Uri’s already memorized all the pictures on them.

deciding family

I had been putting off writing another entry for more than a month now. I wasn’t really busy. I was occupied. With my favorite activity in the world. Planning. This time for something major and life-changing.

Just about the right enough number of doors opened and closed for us that led to what probably is the boldest decision we ever yet made for our family. We decided to let go of the ultimate comforts of our present home–free dwelling in my parent’s beautiful and well-ventilated house, a huge refrigerator and a full kitchen, free use of the family car, quiet suburban living minutes away from Manila.

After nearly four years, we are going to be on our own, away from stressful Manila, and closer to the foothills of beautiful Mt. Makiling. Because early next year, we are going to be residents of Los Banos. I could not be any more excited.

quality time needs quantity time

Most parents, if not all, want to spend time with their children. But some have difficulty fitting family time into their busy schedule. Work, children’s TV time and household chores always seem to get in the way of parent quality time with kids. And despite the best intentions, most parents find that spending special time with children does not happen unless parents mark a specific date and time in the family calendar.

Because our lives are so full of hurry and worry and all sorts of activities, we often find ourselves stressing on the importance of spending “quality time” with our children. Planning out of town trips, going to the zoo or theme parks, shopping for new toys, watching a movie, eating out, or any enjoyable activity that may also translate to a considerable amount of expense–a blowout or treat perhaps. I am guilty of this, especially when I come home from a business trip, and I know most parents are as well. This attitude may stem from the guilt of knowing that we do not have enough time to spend with our children or that we only spend time with them once we have everything else done.

DIY party

Uri’s second birthday party was held yesterday and it was a blast! I was so thrilled to have some of the guests thank me saying their kids really had a great time. Almost as rewarding as seeing your child enjoy in his own birthday celebration.

travelling with kids

Travel is probably our family’s third biggest expenditure, next to food and entertaining. We have not gone on vacation in a while but over the weekend, we accomplished one of our biggest travel milestones yet–going home to my in-laws on full commute to and fro. Well okay, we had taxi rides as well, but Turo and I took the kids and our overnight bags on buses, trains, jeepneys and multicabs going to Cavite and back home in Cainta.

why toddlers don’t share

It seems to be in speech development that Ari, who’s now 3, is lagging behind. Lately there’s been tremendous improvement in how he communicates what he feels and what he wants. But as for holding conversations, whether with other children or with adults, he has not mastered such skill just yet.

This situation is not something we would consider as a development delay. The fact that he is able to communicate whatever it is that he wants us to know is enough to avoid the buildup of frustration of not being understood or of being misunderstood–two separate issues but both very important for a child.

Recently however, Ari seems to be in a stage when he knows what he wants and knows what is his. He now has his own pillow, his own seat in the dining table, his own toys–to some extent an understanding of possession and ownership.

pearl island

Pearl Island can be reached via a 30-minute boat ride from the main coast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. As you know, the Visayas is home to specialized academic and research institutions on aquaculture and marine sciences. Pearl Island belongs to such category being a BFAR research center on pearl culture.