KMBI Mass Wedding Pushes Through Amidst Typhoon Falcon

How many couples have put off their plans of having a wedding ceremony because of financial limitations? It's not an uncommon sight in the Philippines, don't you think. My househelper says that it's the usual practice in their province to be kasal sa banig (married in bed/sleeping mat).

The sad truth, really, is that food, clothing, and shelter are immediate priorities and having a wedding ceremony would just be a big expense. This is the reason why KMBI provides annual mass weddings to selected couples throughout its 71 branches scattered around the country.

KMBI, or Kabalikat para sa Maunlad na Buhay, is a non-government organization that helps finance microentrepreneurs located in their 71 branches scattered around the country. Aside from the eradication of poverty, their programs aim for holistic transformation which is the reason behind the mass wedding project.

Even with the rains and the floods brough about by Typhoon Falcon, the simultaneous mass ecumenical wedding ceremonies were held last June 25, 2011 in KMBI's 65 branches nationwide. A total of 563 couples braved the stormy weather and exchanged vows. The ecumenical mass weddings gave couples of different spiritual backgrounds the opportunity to be joined as one. This is one of the organization’s major activities that are being taken cared of by their Transformation Department. It aims to reach one of the components of its SEES (Spiritual, Economic, Environmental, Social) program, which is to draw people near to God and have a deeper relationship with Him.

For more information about KMBI and their programs, you can visit www.kmbi.org.ph.


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Scared of Paypal Hacking

Last week, I read from a blogger friend's Facebook post about her Paypal account being hacked. Apparently, she sent more than $200 to a certain person. What's more disheartening is that her actual Paypal money is only around $90. The rest of the amount was charged to her credit card that is linked to her Paypal account. I became paranoid at that moment that I immediately changed my password.

Like her, my credit card is also linked to my account. I needed to link it to verify my account. This also allows me to make online credi card purchases without having to input my credit card details in merchant sites. I'd like to believe that it is a secure way to pay online.

A few days ago, another blogger friend shared that she also received a notification that she made an online purchase though she didn't really make one. She said that only a small amount was deducted from her Paypal funds. Still, for someone like me who's online earnings are processed through Paypal, a few dollars mean hours of research and tons of creative juices. It's still hard-earned money!

I'm still keeping my Paypal account because I have no other choice. All of my clients pay me through Paypal. All I can do right now is to be more vigilant by changing my password regularly. I also read articles not only about online hacking but also about rfid scanning or electronic pickpocketing. It's still best to be informed than sorry.

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Getting a pocket digicam

I've been using my Nikon D500 DSLR since November 2009. Since we use it frequently, we decided to hand over our old Canon digicam to my mother-in-law since her Olympus' lens got stuck. I bring my DSLR everywhere there are events, especially in blog events I attend.

But now I'm feeling kinda tired of carrying a bulky camera around. One time, I had to borrow my husband's 8MP HTC Desire HD because I had to attend an event in the morning and a movie premiere in the evening. The cinema would never allow me to get in without leaving my DSLR with them.

This is why I've been looking for affordable, yet efficient, pocket digicams. I've been looking at casio digital cameras exilim model because it's a bit affordable at 14 MP. I'm also looking at the possibility of getting another Canon but that would still depend on the price.

Do you have any recommendations?

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Remembering my MOCC days

I was an officer of the Citizen's Army Training Corps in my high school. Initially, I was reluctant to join the Midshipman Officer Candidate Course (MOCC) because I dread the thought of being bullied by my officers. Somehow, I was pressured to be in the course when I became a sophomore because my older sister was already an officer on her junior year in high school. Talk about sibling rivalry, hahaha!

I quit after a week, LOL! The following year, I joined the course again because I thought that I would be treated fairly with my sister being the Vice-Corps Commander and the officer-in-charge of MOCCs. Wrong move, though. My sister, being the "evow" that she is (LOL, she will kill me for this) was tougher, more strict, and eccentric than the ones before her. Imagine, she had us girls have our hair cut barber-style! So on my junior year, I was sporting a "Demi Moore" haircut which I despised so much. My only consolation is that I did not have a JS Prom. Well, that's another high school story.

Eventually, I came to enjoy being in the corps. First, my all of co-MOCCs became like brothers and sisters to me. We bonded well that even the hardest tasks tend to be a bit easy. I also developed love for the training. I learned how to assemble and disassemble M16 rifles. I also learned map reading. We joined CAT-1 competitions and I also brought home medals from some of the competitions we joined. They were basically survival skills that I know I'll carry for life.

I don't know if my high school still has a Citizen's Army Training corps because some schools have already dissolved theirs. I wish that my boy gets the chance to be trained for CAT-1 officership. Until then, the closest thing he'll have to military training is his NERF and plastic barska scope.


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Time for a check-up

It's June once again and it's time to bring my boy to his orthopedic doctor for his annual check-up. He has scoliosis and we were advised to have his spine checked annually at least until he's 13. The last time we had his back checked, his upper spine was angled at 10 degrees while the lower spine was angled at 20 degrees. Although the S-form is evident, his doctor assured us that the curvature is still minimal and it may improve once he's older.

My husband's transfer to a new company had us changing to a different health provider. We are now using Medicard. I'm not yet sure if the cost of the scoliosis series X-ray will be covered by our new HMO. If it isn't, then, I would be compelled to shell out money for that. We may also need to change doctors depending on their list of accredited providers.

Somehow, I feel the need to find a supplemental insurance, something like the Medicare supplement they have in the States. We got the cheapest Caritas Health Shield plan for our houseboy and we pay only 1,500 pesos monthly for that. I wonder if there's also an inexpensive supplemental HMO that can provide coverage for services that our Medicard cannot. I better start searching the Insurance Information Institute website for that.


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Our PWD-friendly Barangay

When we moved into our home in 2007, the first thing I noticed were the number of people in wheelchairs on the streets and in our neighborhood shopping mall. Later on, we were informed that we were in the same barangay where the Tahanang Walang Hagdan is located. Tahanang Walang Hagdan (House with No Steps) is an industrial workshop and rehabilitation center for persons with disabilities (PWDs) particularly the ones in wheelchairs.

Now, we have become accustomed to not only seeing PWDs but also interacting with them. I am also glad that our barangay officials have made special structures to help them in their physical and mobile needs. Our small sidewalks have wheelchair ramps, something that you wouldn't normally see in small streets in the city. Our chapel also has a ramp so readers in wheelchairs can easily go up the altar. Our church choir are also PWDs from Tahanang Walang Hagdan and it's inspiring to see them offering their talents to the Lord during mass.

Our barangay is one-of-a-kind and I'm happy to have found a place like this. The support for PWDs is enormous. I bet if have a community pool, the barangay would install pool lifts for them. This is the perfect place to teach children love and respect for person with disabilities.


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A Night at The Airport

We were part of the unlucky travelers whose flights were cancelled last June 8 because of the heavy rains that came in the country. Initially, our 3:20 pm flight to Naga City was delayed for more than an hour. Then, once on the plane, we had to wait for another half hour on the runway because of the air traffic of incoming and outgoing flights. We had to disembark the aircraft a few minutes before 6 because of "sunset limitation." Apparently, the runway in Naga Airport is not lighted and it's not advisable to land after sunset.

We decided to have our flight re-booked to the earliest flight the following day (8:50am) and to spend a night in a budget hotel nearby. However, since 34 flights have been cancelled that day, all of the hotels were fully booked. It was already late and, with the heavy rains that night, we were sure to spend the night in a taxi cab should we decide to go home.

Since we had to go to the airport early the following day, we just decided to stay there and wait for our boarding time. We found a spot where the seats were cushioned and an electric outlet was nearby. It was all we needed to survive the night. Besides, we enjoyed the "adventure" we were having. It was the first time for me and my boy while my husband has been used to long waiting times at the airport during his travels.

We're now in Naga City and we're busy preparing for my niece's debut. The weather when we arrived was a total contrast from the weather in Manila. It was cloudy but not raining. We're thankful that we arrived here safely.

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RK Hotel in Subic

The last time we were in Subic, we stayed at Camayan Beach Resort. It was a great place to stay if you want to be close to the beach. To make things different this year, I chose a place which is near the duty free shopping areas, hehehe! Being right smack in the intersection of Argonaut and Rizal Highway, RK Hotel was in the perfect spot! Royal Duty Free, Puregold Duty Free, and the outlet stores were just a stone's throw away. There's also a Starbucks right across the street.

Can you spot our Black Beauty from this distance?

We were walk-in guests, actually, and we're just lucky to book a Superior Room for the night. It was priced at Php 3,000 which was ok for a budget hotel and it includes breakfast for two. Rap was free because he's still below 12 years but we had to pay for his breakfast the following day. Although they don't have an enclosed parking area, parking was secure. There was a guard on duty and there are outdoor lighting fixtures all over the place.

They also have a small swimming pool but it was cold and raining that evening so we decided not to swim. There's no bathtub in the bathroom but they do have a hot and cold shower. The room also had a mini-ref with two complimentary bottled water. We ate dinner at the in-house cafe downstairs which had surprisingly affordable and yummy food. I'm reserving a post about that in my food blog, though. *wink wink*

Photo courtesy of RK Hotel website.
I wasn't able to take a photo of our room but it looked exactly like this, at least before the boys messed it up.

RK Hotel is owned by a Korean national. As such, all of the appliances were Samsung. Rap said I perfectly fit in because my phones are Samsung, hahaha! The only problem we had was operating the air conditioning unit because the remote control was in Korean.

Should I recommend the place? Yes, especially if you want to be close to where the shopping areas and the fast food centers are. If you want to have a private beach front view, you have to try Camayan. However, if you want to enjoy the beach and still get a taste of Subic night life, you'll have to drive a little farther to the hotels found along Waterfront Road.

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Rap and The Kumon Method

Rap started training under the Kumon learning method just this summer. It was a mutual decision between me, him, and my husband. We all felt he need a little help in Math. Since he was also taking his piano lessons in SM Megamall, I enrolled him in Kumon Ortigas Center which was just near my husband's office



After an initial assessment, my boy was advised to start with Level A (Horizontal Addition and Subtraction). Of course, he found it easy because he's already an incoming 5th grader this school year. Since he only goes to the center twice a week, his teachers decided to give him two instead of just one take-home worksheet a day. This way, he'll be able to speed up and reach higher levels faster. Now, after a two months, he's now doing Level C (Multiplication and Division). Division is kind of his waterloo and he requested his teachers to just give him one worksheet a day.

I believe that the Kumon nethod is not for every child. It takes effort and discipline to be able to complete each take-home task. And because I'm a staunch promoter of individual learning style, I am not advising other parents to enroll their kids in Kumon not unless the kid wholeheartedly decides that it's the right learning method for him/her. There are so many ways in which a child can learn to develop his/her skills and Kumon is just one of them. The key is to find what works best for the child.



Ever since, I found Rap to be an individual learner. Answering worksheets work perfectly for him and this is the reason why I make reviewers for him before each of his trimester exams in the first place. We did not enroll him in Kumon just so he'll be good in Math and that he'll have no problems getting an it degree like his dad. He's doing Kumon because he wants to.

Rap will still continue with his Kumon worksheets even during the school year. I'm glad that his teacher agreed that he'll go to the center only once a week. He's aiming to be part of the honor roll and he told me that he'll need to be at least in Level I (Factorization, Square Roots, Quadratic Equation, Pythagorean Theorem) for that. I know my boy so well. He'll be able to do that, for sure.

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