Faith graduates from Prep School with Honors!

Faith and her batch mates prepare to march

My only daughter Faith’s graduation from preparatory schooling in Mater Carmeli School (MCS) – Novaliches last April 5, 2011 was extra special.

I mean it’s not every school year that you get the honor of walking across the school stage with your wife several times to give your daughter a medal or a ribbon for scholastic performance.

Last year, Faith as a kindergarten pupil was awarded an Academic Excellence medal as one of the brightest students of her batch. She was also awarded a Merit Ribbon for being judged “Best in Dance” among the prep pupils in her section, Kinder - Thriftiness.

This school year she bested herself by further improving her overall grades to be conferred a Medal for Outstanding Prep Pupils (9th Honors) and placing finalist to a number of Quiz Bee competitions held through the academic year.

The graduation ceremonies commence

The souvenir program declared that the graduation theme was “Carmelians: Partners towards Transformational Society, An Answer to Societal Change.”

Actually, I thought that theme was too deep even for a post grad student like me much less for a bunch of six year olds but I suppose you can never really go too young in inculcating our youth with values like patriotism and molding them to become agents of positive social change.

It was a wonderful warm weathered afternoon to graduate from prep school

The prep graduates walk on to their seats

The program started with an opening prayer which came in the form of singing a song by Fatima Soriano entitled “Believe Like a Child”. Ironically, Faith (whom we gave the formal name Maria Fatima) acted as conductress and led the assembly in singing the National Anthem.

My family is joined by Faith’s cousin Julia, Lola Charing and Sonny Boy’s special friend and MCS schoolmate Hannah

First time to go up the stage with Faith: Awarding of Medal for Outstanding Pupils
(9^th Honors)

Second time to up the stage with Faith: Awarding of Quiz Bee Winners

(Science – 3^rd Place)

The students sing their graduation theme song: “One Dream” by Lee Ann Womack

Our bright young graduate is warmly greeted by Cousin Julia….

...then joined by the other women in our lives

Group picture

The Mendoza family is proud of its youngest member

Just a thought… None of her older siblings will ever get the chance to be conferred a Loyalty Award by Mater Carmeli School. This is simply because of their strict definition that a loyalty awardee should be a student that studied there from kinder all the way up to fourth year high school. All her brothers started at MCS from prep. Only Faith started at MCS from Kinder.

But I do often tell Faith that only if she gets accepted in a school like Philippine Science High School or UP Integrated School should she consider transferring to another school. Otherwise, I personally would want to see her continue her studies at MCS. For all its shortcomings (what school doesn’t have at least one?) I have never regretted bringing our children to Mater Carmeli.

Faith is also congratulated by her nanny Ate Maymay and her sister along with her classroom adviser in Prep- Politeness, Teacher Marilyn O. Luteria

Dinner celebration at the new Hap Chan Restaurant along Pearl Drive in East Fairview, Quezon City

From the school, we celebrated Faith’s achievements at a new dining place called Pearl Drive not too far from our residence in West Fairview. There we went to this new branch of the locally popular Chinese restaurant – Hap Chan.

Sumptuous Chinese meal for this special occasion

Up close: Hap Chan’s delicious Yang Chow Fried Rice and Chicken

Congratulations, Faith…job well done!

We are all proud of Faith and what she has already achieved in her very young and clearly promising life.

I pray to God that she may have the grace to continue walking across this path of excellence not only in the field of her academics but also in the other equally important facets of her youthful existence.

Hurrah, Faith…and carry on!

Tree Planting at Mater Carmeli School, Novaliches!

March 31 marked the Pre-Elem Parent-Teachers’ Association last major activity for this school year 2010-2011. It was a tree planting activity for the kids in the Pre-Elementary Department. Dengue cases have continued to rise in the country and many parents like me and my wife Odette were understandably concerned about this persistent health danger.

As a response to this menacing health threat, officers of the PTA and the school administration agreed to have this tree planting activity along with the children of known mosquito repelling plants at the pre-school grounds.

Actually, the plants chosen were not really “trees”. One is a shrub called Malvarosa and the other a bush called Lemongrass.

Malvarosa (Scientific name: Pelargonium graveolens)

A small branching hairy shrub, Malvarosa plants are also known by its other name, Rose geranium (English) most probably due to their fragrantly rose-scented leaves.

Cultivated primarily for its aromatic, medicinal and ornamental uses, its flowers and leaves are considered edible, the latter used as condiment, tea or used as flavoring in deserts, jellies and even vinegar. A remedy for cough and stomach aches, it is also used to stop bleeding, wound healing and for its antibacterial properties.

Lemongrass (Scientific name: Cymbopogon citratus)

Native to the Philippines, Lemongrass (‘tanglad’ in Tagalog) is a bush or may be described as a tall perennial grass. A related species, citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus) is similar to lemongrass but grows to 2 meters and has red base stems. Like Malvarosa plants, lemongrass is also used as an insect repellent and air freshener. Similarly, lemongrass plants have multiple uses in the kitchen. It is served as tea or included in fish soups and is often used as an ingredient in preparing Thai curry paste.

My wife Odette and Teacher Rosel Jimenez distribute the plants to the Prep students

The students including my daughter Faith start to transfer the plants to garden pots

Teacher Marilyn Luteria (Faith’s classroom adviser wearing a red orange shirt) help the kids replant

Placing garden soil on the replanted Malvarosa

Fragrantly scented mosquito repellents are now in place

Faith carefully waters the Malvarosa shrub

After the planting activity, Faith and the other students go back to the classroom

for graduation ceremonies practice

View of the blue sky and trees while lying on the Pre-Elem playground slide

All’s well and ends well.

The kinder students will have their own tree planting activity in the afternoon. Hopefully all the plants will be well maintained by the students, teachers and non-teaching staff so that the benefits of having these plants will go beyond this batch of pre-elementary students. It is hoped that these activities will also spur the participation of the elementary and high school departments so that everybody can contribute in the fight against dengue, making Mater Carmeli School-Novaliches a better and safer place to learn and grow in, during those early formative years.

27th Sampung Daliri, Atbp.

After hearing Mass two Sundays ago with Sonny and the family’s helper Maymay, I proceeded to Manila. I ate dinner at Kentucky Fried Chicken - Harrison Plaza before going to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the usual venue for University of Sto. Tomas Conservatory of Music’s Sampung Mga Daliri, Atbp.

Curiously, the 27^th version of this annual showcase of UST’s musical talents happened on the 27^th of February.

Unlike last year, Odette my wife wasn’t able to come with me to support our eldest son’s participation in the event who sang with the Chorus classes for the second time now as she wasn’t feeling well today.

Like last year, I barely made it to the singing of the national anthem and the concert’s first number, as latecomers were requested not to enter (Ludwig Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture”) while the performers where still playing.

I guess this year’s performance was extra special. As the program went on, it was obvious that the university’s Quadricentennial celebration had played a great influence to the underlying theme for this year’s version, drumming up a deep sense of history, nationalism and school pride.

In this regard, a flurry of traditional melodies flooded our senses with interpretations of “Lulay” by A Molina and Pandangguhan by R. Umali coupled later in the evening with a beautiful Kundiman medley comprised of patriotic songs “Sa Mahal Kong Bayan”, “Ang Aking Bayan”, “Lupang Hinirang” and “Kay Tamis ng Buhay” as conducted by Herminigildo Ranera.

More importantly, a special feature was made on Gerry de Leon’s “Ako’y Isang Tomasino” and a rendition of the original version of the UST Hymn composed by Julio Esteban-Anguita, (the Conservatory’s first Director) came as the concert’s glorious finale.

Interspersed all throughout the program were timeless melodies from operatic, classical, and Broadway favorites. I was quite impressed with the unorthodox performance of 10 young alumni pianists for their take on the grunge band Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Contagion). I went on a “graduation” mood listening to the march and dance from G. Verdi’s “Aida”. Earlier, my imagination ran creatively, trying to visualize the animal characters paraded in Saint Saens’ “Carnival of Animals”.

Personally, I thought this year’s concert did not top last year’s grandeur and rich variety of performances. But then again, very few performances to my mind could top a Les Miserables finale. Understandably, each year’s performance will be a harder act to follow. In a sense, Sampung Daliri has made it more and more difficult to outdo itself as the years go by.

Still, it was a wonderful celebration of music, a brief but reinvigorating respite from the hustle and bustle of our regular urban grind. As these musical celebrations do not come as often as we want them, I’m curious what lies ahead for next year’s version.

Quotable Quotes for a 20th Wedding Anniversary

DO WE REMEMBER?

A woman awakes during the night to find that her
husband was not in their bed.

She puts on her dressing gown and goes downstairs to
look for him.

She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a
hot cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be
in deep thought, just staring at the wall.

She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and
takes a sip of his coffee.

'What's the matter, dear?' she whispers as she steps
into the room, 'Why are you down here at this time
of night?'

The husband looks up from his coffee, 'I am just
remembering when we first met 20 years ago and
started dating. You were only 16. Do you remember
back then?' he says solemnly.

The wife is touched to tears thinking that her
husband is so caring, so sensitive.

'Yes, I do' she replies.

The husband pauses. The words were not coming
easily.

'Do you remember when your father caught us in the
back seat of my car?'

'Yes, I remember!' said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.

The husband continues. 'Do you remember when he
shoved the shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you
marry my daughter, or I will send you to jail for 20
years?'

'I remember that too' she replies softly.

He wipes another tear from his cheek and says...

'I would have been released today.'

Entitled “Do men remember anniversaries?” this funny story was forwarded to me roughly two years ago. I saw it again in my computer as I looked for good material in my computer and various sites in the internet for my own 20^th wedding anniversary which will be tomorrow, Jan. 26.

Levity aside, wedding anniversaries are excellent occasions for married couples to celebrate their love for one another and remember why they tied the knot in the first place!

The tradition to celebrate wedding anniversaries, particularly the silver (25^th) and golden (50^th) are said to have been traced to medieval Germanic Europe where silver and gold wreaths were given to the wives by their husbands, friends or neighbors in recognition of their long and harmonious relationship. During those times, these anniversaries were known respectively as silver wedding-day and golden wedding-day. In time, symbols in the said Germanic tradition expanded and had certain materials assigned to various stages of married life. In principle, commonly used household items were the assigned gifts to aid the young couple. In later years, luxurious gifts were given as the couple was expected to have obtained the things they would normally require in their daily lives.

In 1937, the American National Retail Jewellery Association came up with a more comprehensive list of symbolic materials for all the traditional wedding anniversaries for each year up to the 15^th anniversary and then for every fifth year after that until the 60^th anniversary. Still, the gifts may slightly vary from one country to another but the major anniversaries seem to have more or less the same gifts. For instance, many countries generally assign the following gifts to these major occasions: 5th Wooden, 10th Tin, 15th Crystal, 20th China, 25th Silver, 30th Pearl, 40th Ruby, 50th Golden, 60th Diamond.

Diamond is well known to be associated with the 75^th anniversary but in the United Kingdom it was also used for the 60^th anniversary after Queen Victoria’s 60 years reign was described as her ‘Diamond Jubilee’.

The traditional gift for a 20^th wedding anniversary was china. The modern assigned gift for the same occasion was changed to platinum.

There is also a list of flower gifts assigned to important wedding anniversaries. For the 20^th anniversary they assigned the flower Aster.

So what quotable quotes about wedding anniversaries did I see in the internet? A lot.

It goes without saying that each passing day and year for a married couple is or should be special but would probably differ in importance and meaning for every couple. Having said that, most quotations may actually be applicable not only for a given number of years together as a married couple. In addition wedding anniversary quotations can be funny, serious, tender or spicy. Often short but concise, it should warm up people with its wit and subtlety.

Take the case of the quotation attributed to Robert Bridges - “Unto us all, our days are love’s anniversaries. Each one in turn hath ripened something of happiness.”

Another is attributed to Beverly Nichols. He was quoted in saying something like “between prose and poetry, the first chapter in marriage is with the latter.” The rest is presumably with the former!

An anonymous person is said to have uttered “Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener!”

From Ogden Nash - “To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the loving cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it; whenever you’re right, shut up!”

Interestingly, an old Chinese proverb popularly used for anniversaries teaches us a similar bit of wisdom as, “married couples who love each other tell each other a thousand things without talking.”

Perfect for a silver wedding anniversary are Mark Twain’s famous words about marriage: “Love seems the swiftest, but the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.”

Consequently, Paul Sweeney summarizes everything in this quote: “A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year.”

Let me end with one of my personal favorites, a commonly used poignant quotation from Mignon McLaughlin, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”

As I ask for your prayers for my marriage, may the good Lord also bless your own marriages with peace, prosperity and happiness!

A Post-Christmas Winter Adventure at Winter Funland

It was a post-Christmas winter adventure.

The New Year had just started, the Christmas vacation had gone quite quickly and we were still yearning for another “major, major” fun activity at least before the resumption of work and classes.

Christmas lights along Roxas Boulevard still brightly lights the evening

That activity was one experience I had been planning for some time. To feel cool wintry weather complete with snow and all, without leaving the country! That’s what one of Star City’s famous attractions, “Winter Funland” claims to give its patrons.

Nearing Star City - home of the Winter Funland

I don’t know what those globes are - but they’re definitely not snow!

Not surprisingly, the entertainment center located at the reclamation area near Roxas Blvd. was still filled with people that weekend even in the evening, surely with the same intent of maximizing their remaining vacation time with loved ones.

A cowboy mime artist at work entertains the people

Long queues were everywhere along the area for rides and other attractions. The line for Winter Funland was very long. Longer than any other line I reckon. Long enough for us to even buy and eat some merienda while waiting in line for the winter area attraction.

Long queues everywhere

As we came near the entrance, we were given plastic bags for our electronic gadgets, protection I believe for the cold temperature and the moistness that might occur. Each of us was given a jacket before we entered the funland area. I think it was a good one hour before we got inside but it was all worth it!

Picture taking is not allowed inside the funland so I could fully explain the “fun” we all experienced inside. First of all, it was really darn cold! Chilly enough to put mist in our breaths and numbness to our hands and faces.

The freezing temperature enabled us to make snowballs from the ice you could shovel at one area. Maybe not enough for a snowman but you could have a decent snowball fight inside.

There were two designated areas where you could have your picture taken. One was beside an igloo and the other was a park scene with a wooden bench. We had our family pictures taken at both areas as our only visual memento inside this winter wonderland.

The main draw inside was of course the ice sled area! One climbs up a stairway leading to an elevated portion where you slide down the ice riding on some sort of an inflated rubber sled. It was a short ride but fast enough to give you a few thrills. I couldn’t fully control my descent as the sled tends to turn as you go down. If you’re not careful, you might just get a nasty bump here and there.

The kids obviously loved the ride despite the numerous people and icy temperature. I think we stayed for around thirty to forty five minutes inside before going out.

Small world - Relatives from my mother’s side were also there at Star City

Later that night inside the Star City premises, we met Tito Manoling along with some other relatives from my mother’s side of the family as we came out from Tropical Hut Restaurant where we had our dinner.

We didn’t go for any other rides but rather concentrated in scouring the tiangge section looking for interesting stuff to buy. That evening, the boys’ toy gun collection just got bigger and Faith also had a new toy to play with.

It is interesting to observe that most of the long lines had disappeared near the midnight hour. Mental note: If we wanted to try the Winter Funland attraction again, (or some other attractions) this was the best time to do so!

We’ll be back!

At this point of our lives, we do not have the resources to go to a country as a family to experience Christmas winter. But Winter Funland surely gave us a sufficing glimpse of things that are yet to come! In the meantime, from the looks of it, it was a fun ‘winter’ adventure bound to be repeated in the near future.