Toy Story 3

Watched it today with the wife and three kids and we all enjoyed it.

It's good.

No... it's a very good film.

If your heart is not touched by this film, then it is made of stone.
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Last shot at summer vacation

with family and sis-in-law's family

kainan na!

group pic

my two bosses

my two sons and nieces

my eldest amused to discover beach named after him

fake tattoo

dusk 1

dusk 2

Thank you Lord for a happy occasion and the safe trip.
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A Confirmation

And so it happened that we arrived 2:30pm at the parish church today for the appointed 3:00pm confirmation of my teener son. Quite early enough I thought, until we found out that we were actually too late. The mass confirmation rites were already finished, having started earlier at 1:30pm. Apparently, my son got the scheduled time wrong. So sorry -- mixup. My wife and I were aghast. My son had already attended the pre-confirmation seminars, we had forgone many other activities to make way for this, and the godparents came all the way from Cavite. Add the fact that the next scheduled confirmation rite was due yet in another year. As the bishop was just about to conclude the celebration mass, the church greeter suggested that we request the good bishop to grant our son a special private confirmation sacrament afterward. I thought it was worth a try although I was quite embarrassed to be making such a request, knowing all too well that bishops have tight schedules. We were not a special case that a bishop had to go to the trouble of disrupting his tight schedule. Didn't even know me personally. Besides, it was our fault. Thus when we approached the bishop and the parish priest to request a private confirmation, I was prepared for a rejection.

It turned out I underestimated the graciousness of the bishop and the parish priest. While the bishop obviously had enough worries about the time, he promptly coordinated with the parish priest to find a private suitable place within the church where he can conduct the confirmation rites just for our son. My son was finally confirmed in the sacristy by the bishop with no less than the parish priest assisting. No, he didn't rush it in any way. He conducted the confirmation with the full rites and a solemnity that was awesome. And no, they didn't mind the heat either, even as I saw perspiration trickling down their chins in the poorly ventilated, unairconditioned sacristy room.

Thanks and God bless you, your Excellency Bishop Honesto Ongtioco and Reverend Father Desiderio Martin. For me, my wife, my son and his godparents, today was an encounter with Christ.

Marriage is good, all the time

Marriage is good for the health -- global study

WELLINGTON – Despite the barbs of comedians and the spectacular bust-ups documented in the gossip magazines, marriage really is good for you, international research has found.

A study of nearly 34,500 people in 15 countries found married people are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse, clinical psychologist Kate Scott of New Zealand's University of Otago said Tuesday...

The study was based on the WHO World Mental Health surveys across developing and developed countries conducted over the past decade.
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If it is good for the health of the people, then it must be good for the health of society, which is good for mankind. The study just confirms there is a life and death reason behind natural law. Marriage is naturally designed to benefit people and society. Traditional marriage, that is.

Road sights and random thoughts

Often enough, I have told my children (specially this little tyke) just how lucky they are, so as to impress upon them how grateful they should be with what they have. I mean, just to have decent food, clothing and shelter. I know a lot of parents do this. So when we happen to pass by indigent people on the streets, I point them out and rub it in to my kids.
























On the way to the office yesterday morning, I got stuck in traffic precisely beside this homeless persons. Oblivious to their surroundings, these folks catch a restful sleep amidst all the heavy noise and pollution. After a day-long effort, they just plop down their tired bodies wherever a bit of warmth can induce slumber. I
imagine though, that they sleep more restfully than most people I know who have cozy bedrooms...oops, the traffic is moving.



What a stressful day in the office, whew! On the way home I got stuck in traffic (again), precisely at a point where I see this remarkable enterpreneur on the street. His disability does not prevent him from trying to eke out a living. I am wondering if he might have endured less stress during the day than I did. Notice the strategic location, the nifty umbrella, the store and transportation all rolled into one. Notice also the obiquitous politician's banners on the posts. "SAVE MONEY", huh? Homeless people, the daily struggle for survival, and politican's banners. Hmm, there is a poignant statement somewhere here. Got to tell this to my kids when I get home. Oops, the traffic is moving. /

On using a leash on kids

Got this questionnaire from a friend:

Hello, It's interesting how some parents/guardians opt to use a leash when outdoors with young kids (I usually see this at the mall).

I'm doing a short article for Baby mag about this and am asking parents' their ideas on the use of a leash. Pls. feel free to give your two cents

Here are the questions on my mind:

* What do you think about using a leash on kids (toddlers specifically) when outdoors? Do you think it's helpful/horrible/a brilliant tool for parents?

* Do/did you use one on any of your kids?

* Any experiences you'd like to relate, whether your own, those of friends/relatives or of strangers you've seen, concerning the leash?
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Here goes:

I have four kids, all boys, aged 21, 19, 15, and 4.

As the three older kids are all already grown up and prefer to go out on their own, it is now only my 4 year-old tyke who remains excited (and insistent) to tag along with us outdoors, especially to the mall. In fact, one of his favorite lines is “Punta tayo SM!”. As he is a particularly frisky, strong-willed and adventurous toddler, most of the time it is my wife and I who feel we are on a leash whenever we are with him. Quite predictably whenever we are out, we find ourselves dragged to anything remotely resembling toy stores within his sight. He has an uncanny navigation system towards where the toys are, and has very powerful persuasive skills to boot. By the time we go home, more often than not, he is gleefully clutching a fresh acquisition.

Anyway, to answer the first question, I think parents using a leash on kids are motivated more by attentive care more than anything else. Granted it does look quite ridiculous, as leashes are commonly meant for, well…dogs. However, some kids are particularly frisky, too heavy to carry, hyper-adventurous (like mine), and there is always the risk of the kid breaking things in shops, causing injury to himself or worse - getting out of sight. There is little else more horrifying than losing sight of your kid in the populous outdoor. I guess the sincere concerns outweigh the image problem. The problem really here is how other people around you look at it. As long as it won’t cause any psychological problem or any sort of injury to the child, using a leash seems proportionately reasonable.

No, it never occurred to me to use a leash on any of my kids. With respect to the 4-year old, we make it a point that there is at least 2 or 3 adult companions (my wife and I plus 1 kuya or yaya), to accompany him. At any rate, I’m sure he would strongly protest if we attempted to put a leash on him. This got me into thinking. Maybe in the future when I am too old (and forgetful) to go out on my own, then it’s the turn of my grown-up children to accompany me. I hope by then they won’t ever consider using a leash.
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Dad and child at 13

Baby-faced boy Alfie Patten is father at 13

BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost — but said: “I think it’s a lot.”

Well, the 13-year old father has to think a lot more than how much nappies cost.

Daddy Alfie added:

“I didn’t know what it would be like to be a dad. I will be good, though, and care for it.”

It's good the young (a bit of an understatement) father has declared his commitment to care for the child (come to think of it, he's also a child). I empathize with him. After being a father myself to 4 kids these past 21 years, I could also say I'm still learning on how to be a dad myself. It's a real challenge that we can only pray that the child succeeds, I mean both children - father and son. I hope the time won't come that they will be fighting over toys. I myself have this continuing struggle with my own children on who gets to use our home computer first. Again I can only empathize with the boy-father. That's because I usually lose out to my kids in these types of struggles.

Which brings attention to Britain’s hugely expensive sex education programme in schools. I have this earlier post relating that Britain ponders about intensifying its already intensified sex education program. At this point I guess they really have to improve that sex education program for kids. The best approach now is to include an intensified program to teach young children on how to rear children.
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The Pope on Family and Marriage

As part of Pope Benedict XVI’s US visit, he gives a speech before the bishops of the United States. The text was provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of family and marriage. Here are some choice excerpts regarding the value of family and marriage:
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…In the family home we experience “some of the fundamental elements of peace: justice and love between brothers and sisters, the role of authority expressed by parents, loving concern for the members who are weaker because of youth, sickness or old age, mutual help in the necessities of life, readiness to accept others and, if necessary, to forgive them” The family is also the primary place for evangelization, for passing on the faith, for helping young people to appreciate the importance of religious practice and Sunday observance. How can we not be dismayed as we observe the sharp decline of the family as a basic element of Church and society?

Divorce and infidelity have increased, and many young men and women are choosing to postpone marriage or to forego it altogether. To some young Catholics, the sacramental bond of marriage seems scarcely distinguishable from a civil bond, or even a purely informal and open-ended arrangement to live with another person. Hence we have an alarming decrease in the number of Catholic marriages in the United States together with an increase in cohabitation, in which the Christ-like mutual self-giving of spouses, sealed by a public promise to live out the demands of an indissoluble lifelong commitment, is simply absent. In such circumstances, children are denied the secure environment that they need in order truly to flourish as human beings, and society is denied the stable building blocks which it requires if the cohesion and moral focus of the community are to be maintained.

…It is your task to proclaim boldly the arguments from faith and reason in favor of the institution of marriage, understood as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, open to the transmission of life. This message should resonate with people today, because it is essentially an unconditional and unreserved “yes” to life, a “yes” to love, and a “yes” to the aspirations at the heart of our common humanity, as we strive to fulfill our deep yearning for intimacy with others and with the Lord…
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What a great addition to our precana material. Viva il Papa Benedetto!

On Graduation Ceremonies

Three of my sons (two in high school and one in elementary) graduated over the past five days, and over the same period I have heard a total of six student speeches: three welcome remarks and three valedictory addresses. There were quite a number of speeches by the usual school administrators, and the usual one-by-one interminable march to hand over the diplomas to the graduates. The whole graduation ceremony takes up a typical four hours (of agony - for me at least), which a parent spends by anticipating and intently watching their sibling march on his turn for a fleeting instant, and the rest of the time idling by. Aside from my son’s turn and the valedictory addresses, I must admit the rest of the proceedings didn’t catch my attention at all. The rest of the time is spent with mostly wandering thoughts, chatting with my wife, and the impatient hope for the program to soon come to an end. A good deal of energy though, is spent by vigorously fanning oneself in the overheated and stuffy school gym, and my uncomfortable barong tagalog didn’t help any.

It’s a good thing I anticipated this turn of events, as I brought some handy literature with me to while away the time. While reading, I was half-tuned to the proceedings though, as I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to click my camera once my son’s fleeting turn came up on the stage. There was this one guest speaker though, who seemed to be delivering a wonderful speech, as the audience burst out in laughter occasionally. However I didn’t manage to hear what it was all about, as the sound system seemed to have been designed for bionic ears, and so I turned back my attention to my book mostly.

A thing or two must be said though of the valedictory addresses. They were mostly delivered with good diction and oratorical prowess. I tried to strain my ears to every word that was being said, as I wanted to get a feel what the best-in-class has to say. Mostly the three graduation speeches I heard had a common theme: gratitude to parents, extolling the school, and some exhortation to be the best that you can be. It’s not a bad idea, but in all instances, I had a feeling that some standard written essay was being read in an oratorical style, rather than a speech being delivered from the heart. Deep inside, I was expecting an impassioned speech for love of country driven by the love of God and fellowmen, but I guess I was dreaming.

All of which brings me to reflect that these graduates are the future of our nation, which our great hero Jose Rizal realized so long ago. Dr. Jose Rizal composed the poem “A La Juventud Filipina”, where he exhorted the Filipino youth to use their abilities and skills to excel not only for their success but also for the success of the country. Our youth - the hope of the Fatherland. It was in 1879 when Rizal wrote that poem, when he was only 18 years old, somewhat the same age of our high school graduates right now. Many generations have passed since then - and we are still hoping that the hope becomes a reality.

So much so for “education”.

On the CBCP Pastoral Statement

The recent CBCP pastoral statement was received with mixed appreciation (or mis-appreciation). Personally, I certainly appreciated its adroit construction and prudent choice of words. If we look at it closely, items 1 and 2 lays the groundwork for the succeeding 4 statements. For me the most significant item is # 3, that they “strongly recommend the abolition of EO 464…”. This is a strong and very significant statement. Normally the Bishops would not go for a prescription that is best left for government and the political community to decide, but there you have it. Protagonists on all sides would probably focus on this one going forward, and this by itself would be a significant development in the search for truth. Then item # 4 further supports item # 3.

But lets take a look at # 5:

“5. Appeal to our senators and the ombudsman to use their distinct and different powers of inquiry into alleged corruption cases not for their own interests but for the common good;”

Appeal? The word appeal in this context is a trifle confusing here. I don’t intend to second-guess the wisdom of the bishops, but let me share what crossed my mind the moment I read this “appeal to the senators and ombudsman...”. Normally you don’t appeal to anyone to do the job that is normally expected of them specially when they are being PAID to do so, right? You just DEMAND it under normal circumstances. But these are abnormal times in abnormal situations and so I think I get the drift. I can sense a certain level of exasperation and frustration behind the word “appeal” here. Its as if repeated demands already failed and now we are on the point of appealing - a different tack in trying to draw positive action.

When repeated demands fail, try appealing.

Think in terms of cajoling, sweet-talking, coaxing, persuading.

Sometimes you get better results with these than being outright demanding.

Take my word for it. I always do it with my own 3-year old kid,










and I'm telling you it works...










sometimes.

Sunday morning at the park

Clear sky, fine weather, moist grass, lush trees, good company...












...and a happy child.











Perfect.

My First Lessons with Jollibee

I am heartfully grateful for the makers of this CD from Jollibee. Great job guys.
It is entitled "My first lessons with Jollibee - myself. my Family. my Community" produced by Star Recording Inc. It is an entertainment, instructional, musical video targeted for little tykes. Now I have this precocious 2 year, 10 month-old who spends a lot of gleeful periods enjoying this video. I myself have patiently watched it for the nth time, since he demands that I accompany him around the house most of the time. I am not complaining though, since it takes time off him wreaking havoc all over, and when he dances along, it is a priceless moment. Turn down the volume a bit, as I have never perfected this art of video capture.