While-You-Shop Nannies

Thought of shopping but nobody to take care of the kids? Come on, accept it. Sometimes you want to have a time for your own, sans the kid howling at the back because he wants to buy a new costume of Spiderman, right?

Try the playground in SM Malls. They are often found near the SM Department Store entrances or hair salons. There must be one playground on each floor of SM San Lazaro where you could leave your kids while you shop. Prices range from P50 to P100 for half an hour. Not bad.

I must have ignored them before, or I was simply less sensitive to such places but I find the idea really cool. Louna loved the place. At her age, I was of course obliged to stay with her so we played together inside the playground. There was one moment where I kept distance from her so I could observe her interactions with other kids. Well, she's not playing with them but she was attentive to her environment. At one point, I caught her eating popcorn because another kid was handing her some every so often. I guess, for Louna, it was the best part of the stay hehe.

The nannies seem to take good care of the kids, they even have first aid kits. I give them two thumbs up for that! Way to go!

This is a Special Announcement

Louna, our unica hija, finally walked today, at 1 year 2 months and 18 days old. The most awaited milestone has finally been accomplished.

It started with inciting her to walk hand in hand with her favorite toy (which she call Tetite). She just had her milk so she was actually on play mode. We walked together with Tetite in the middle, me barely giving any support to her. Then, little by little, I let go of Tetite and she continued walking. At first, she wanted me to hold her toy, to which I obliged. But 3 to 5 turns of the dining-room-turned-playground after, there she was, living the new adventure on her own. Obviously happy of her new discovery.

Congratulations Louna! We're very proud of you.

La Femme de Ménage

Frenchguy was ardently cleaning every angle of our house last night. Guess who's coming.. yung tagalinis namin!

Well, actually, to justify the act, it was our first meeting with la femme de ménage. It was to show her how clean we want our house to be. But me thinks, we could have left our house as it was and let the femme de ménage evaluate how much time she would need to clean it. Afterall, she's the expert, right?

Ako ba o si Frenchguy ang tama? Or tamad lang talaga ako?

I just hope Frenchguy won't do it everytime our femme de ménage comes. May pagka-pasaway din kasi to minsan e hehe.

Why I wanted to bring him to Pagsanjan Falls..

My frenchguy is a man of adventure. He loves taking risk, it's his stamina booster. He would rather do something exciting outside rather than stay at home. His first love is his kayak, not me. Before our vacation, he made me promise we'd do something else rather than eat and sleep the whole day with the family hehe. So, kayaker as he is, I thought Pagsanjan Falls might be a good getaway. To our disappointment, of course.

So I told him, he could have his one-week sortie kayak with his friends in May. Sans us.

Here's frenchguy in one of our sortie kayak in Queyras, south of France.

Pagsanjan Fell

Do I have to be ashamed that I worked and lived in Laguna but never visited the famous Pagsanjan Falls? In fact, this place frightens me. A Thai colleague was asked to pay a $50 tip after the ride. A pinay friend, with her Frenchy, backed out when upon arriving in Pagsanjan, they were harrassed by fellow pinoys haggling over exorbitant prices. Another french friend was asked to buy food for the two boatmen who asked another fee at the middle of the adventure to continue the ride and then another P2000 for the tip.. bat di na lang kaya sya nagpaampon?

But okay, I have to see it for myself. After an overnight stay in Pansol, Calamba (to celebrate Louna's birthday), we decided that a tour around Pagsanjan should be fun. Along with my whole family, off we went to that place. Just as we entered the town center, our vehicle suddenly transformed into a human magnet. At least 10 men followed us, putting both hands around their eyes then sticking them on the vehicle window to see the people inside. What a show! They already started to get on my nerves. I then asked the driver to move out of that area so I could ask Frenchguy to move at the back of the van just so I could get Filipino prices. But I told you, our vehicle transformed itself into a magnet. These hagglers suddenly became our escorts.

So, okay. What's the price? P660. Per boat? No, per head. Huwaaaaaaaaattttt?

Mga kababayan, with that amount, you could go up the Eiffel Tower - one of the most visited towers in the whole world (30,000 daily visitors during peak season). You could visit the Louvre Museum, the biggest museum in Europe where you could see the original Monalisa - me sukli ka pa nyan. You could visit 13th century wine caves in Burgundy with free wine tasting. So why the f*** should I pay equivalent amount in Pagsanjan?

Ano? Because the boatmen should consume all their energy just to bring you there? Oil ba na galing sa Iraq ang nananalaytay sa ugat nila? Sobrang mahal naman. E pamasahe na yan for two persons papuntang Zambales e. Me pambili ka na ng chitcharon nyan.

Natural park kasi. Ngek. Sige, go to world renowned natural parks like the Grand Canyon and see if you pay that amount.

My point is, why do we have to kill tourism in the Philippines? Why do we have to make the Philippines inaccessible to the Filipinos? Why do we have to level the prices with the prices practiced outside? Are we contented with 500 visitors daily ? Don't we want to aim more and create real jobs for Filipinos?

Call me kuripot or whatever but I don't support this kind of tourism (or however they may call it)!

Any violent reaction is accepted.

Picture taken in Jura, east of France.

Travelling with a Toddler

I should have known better. A business travel experience is nothing compared to travelling with a toddler. On a business trip, I only worry about wifi connections, miles upgrades and which film worthy enough to be seen onboard (moms don't have time to watch films anymore!).

On travelling with a toddler, I was preoccupied by the diapers, fresh wipes, feeding bottles, milk, food, updated vaccin records, vitamines, medicines with doctor's prescription, toys, extra clothes, baby bassinet availability and a lot more. Add to the fact that I instinctively add more than the normal dose to be sure I've got everything onboard. I also brought my cam to catch those precious moments on board, so add to my worry the batteries and the extra gigas to bring with me. All I thought was everything would be a breeze..

But moi is far from being perfect. If only I could rewind my travel, I would:
- not bring my 500-page pocket book which weighs half a kilo. Arrgh! - Yeah right. I had no time to read!
- pack all our stuffs in one small rolling suitcase. I had one very light backpack and another one for Louna's stuffs, all of which I could pile up on one stroller. But imagine once the airline staffs take the stroller. I had everything stack up on my tiny shoulders. Waaah!
- explain to all other passengers that when airline staffs announce that passengers accompanied with babies should board first, it's a no joke. Nakikipagsiksikan pa kasi ang mga mokong, parang wala pang designated seats sa loob. Ano ba yan.
- knock myself down (whichever way possible) to be able to sleep while Louna's sleeping

Buti na lang...
- Dubai Airport provides strollers to passengers. Pierre Cardin pa yan. Ain't that cool?

before / after

- Emirates planes have a long list of Disney movies. Louna adored the Bug's Life! That's luxury!
- A doll stroller comes in real handy. Louna could stray around the airport while Mom's resting.