My Origami Stars

Folding an Origami star is my favorite hobby. I’ve been a folder since 2005. Thanks to the mid-shift work schedule; my co-agents in the call center taught me how to do it.

Ori means to fold. Kami means paper. These are Japanese terms. So, Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. Washi is the origami paper. But I only use art papers that were made in the Philippines.

There are many different types of origami designs. But the star does wonders for me. I could last a whole day on a couch doing nothing but folding. Right now I’m working on filling a fishbowl which is almost half-full with tiny stars.

First Shot

I like pictures. I am fond of taking pictures of my kids. When my first child was born, we had to pay hundreds of riyals to get his baby pictures printed. Then, I collect the free camera films that go with each batch of printing; just to have another set of pictures. Thanks to the inventor of digital point and shoot cameras, I saved some cash from printing my second child's baby pictures. But as they grow older and get more engaged in different activities, my desire to capture each moment intensifies.

So, I got myself a digital SLR, Canon EOS 550D. No, I don’t aim to be a professional photographer. Just to have something to use and take my kids’ pictures vividly. I would say I got a great deal from cam4sell shop in Al Arouba Street. $720 (SAR 2,700) with 18 megapixels, a free bag and an 8 GB memory card is not bad.

As a starter, I read the manual and googled some facts. RAW and JPEG got me confused. RAW eats a lot of space from the memory card and images can be edited; while it seems JPEG have nicer shots. Thanks to a friend, she explained things to me. I tried shooting RAW and JPEG shots. I transferred them to the PC. Tried to edit but RAW requires me to be a proficient Photoshop user which I am not – yet. JPEG has been friendly; somehow, it allowed me to take advantage of the automatic image editing.

And here is the first shot I took. It's my daughter's favorite juice.

Manual settings: ISO 6400, f4.5, 1/125

Philippine Schools in Riyadh

School is over. It’s summer time. My kids are staying at home. Either they’re watching TV, eating, sleeping or are busy with facebook, ipod and iphone. Yup, social networking sites and gaming gadgets are the new recreation activities for the new generation. Nice but not so nice.

Gone are the days when children rush to the streets and play habulan, patintero, langit-lupa, sipa, jack and stone, taguan and tumbang-preso. The street is now not a friendly place to bum around. Not in the kingdom.

Classes will resume after two months and to prepare (yes, as early as now) I have been thinking about sending them to a new school. There used to be only one Philippine school in the city; so, there was no choice. Kids in school used to know each other very well. Now, I think there are about 10 schools and children have become estranged.

I asked around and listed all the Philippine schools. I’ve been hearing a lot of stories which I have to consider as I deliberate the fees, quality of teaching, expertise of the faculty, the policies, as well as the academic and extra-curricular activities.

1. Al Danah International School
2. Al Taj International School in Riyadh
3. Elite International School
4. Fawaq International Science School of the Philippines
5. Future Generation Philippine International School
6. International Philippine School in Riyadh
7. Millenium International School
8. Palm Crest International School
9. Riyadh International School
10. Second Philippine International School

Come to think of it, with approximately or maybe more than 2 million OFWs in KSA and with 10 Philipine schools in Riyadh alone, are Filipinos subtly migrating, not just working but establishing their families in the kingdom? It must be nice to live in the kingdom. Is it?

Anyhow, I must go back to mulling.

Oh, should you wish to get the school's contact information, please visit the Inter-Agency Committee on Philippine Schools Overseas website.

Ok, back to mulling again.

Who Moved My Cheese?

Out of despair, I bought this book last week. Though I have read it once, I promised myself to get a copy if chance permits. Good thing, it was on the rack. An office colleague actually lent me the book and at that time, I was hesitant to read it. I was going through a major life transformation back then and I thought I couldn’t have the luxury of reading. But the book has 95 pages only, so I gave in.

And again, it was worth it! The few minutes I consumed were literally and absolutely refreshing. The story about the mice and the little people is so life-like that anyone can get a feel for. Reading the story again and again most importantly when you’re going through something can uplift your spirit.

Among the writings on the wall mentioned in the book, these two are what I like most:

• Things change and they are never the same again.
• If you do not change, you can become extinct!

It is a must read! Even children would learn from Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. I would really say grab one, read, keep, read, keep and read again. Change is constant so we may need something that constantly reminds us to move with the cheese!

 

Got married. Got a new name.

Two of my girl friends recently tied the knot. And both are thinking of amending their legal documents to reflect their new family names. It is as if it’s a must. But is it?

Many are not aware but according to the Civil Code of the Philippines Article 370, a married woman “may” use:

1. Her maiden first name and surname and add her husband’s surname, like: Maria Cruz-Santos (considering that Santos is the last name of Maria’s husband)

2. Her maiden first name and her husband’s surname, like: Maria Santos

3. Her husband’s full name, but prefixing a word indicating that she is his wife, like: Mrs. Juan Santos

Take note: A married woman has an option, not a duty, to use the surname of the husband. It’s not obligatory.  It’s a choice. On my search for a rule compelling a married woman to use the surname of her husband right after marriage, I couldn't find any. So, to those who want to amend their legal documents just because they got married, please keep in mind that it is not the name that you actually have to change; it should be the civil status of being married.

Using your husband’s last name is a representation of his responsibility to be a family man. You may just want to discuss and settle this between the two of you. Is he really up to it – being a family man? Hmm…

On the contrary, a woman may also refuse to use her husband’s name but doing this would question the commitment to the marriage and the mutual trust. Don’t you think so?

Now, how if a woman had used her husband’s last name in legal documents, i.e. passport, but for some reason would like to revert to using her maiden last name? The Philippine Passport Act of 1996 (Republic Act No. 8239) Section 5 states that a married woman may only be allowed to revert using her maiden name in her passport only after the death of husband and grant of divorce, annulment or nullity of marriage. 

Hmm, does that make you think twice?

Well, I think I’ve said too much. I guess it would be best to personally google some more legalities for your own good. I’m not an expert. I’m just merely stating and sharing what I learned and read from Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.

As they say, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one.”

The Soundtrack

On that early Saturday morning, I was still in bed when I grabbed the phone to check the time. 5:12 AM. Yes, it's still early. And I was still very sleepy. But I know by the time I put my phone down, I will drift off again; then I will be late at work by the time I wake up again. So, I logged on and checked what’s going on in the world while I was dreaming.

On Facebook, I saw this posted video of the song When you believe with a thumbnail of Mariah Carey’s picture and a caption saying “She’s too young to die.” Interesting and moving but not enough to wake me up. I scrolled for more and found a friend’s post saying “Rest in peace, my favorite singer of I Will Always Love You. Because of you, I’m still trying to reach the high notes unsuccessfully.” Then, I suddenly got on my feet and thought of who really died. That one really woke up my senses.

So, it’s Whitney. That’s sad. How come they’re taking away such good talents?

Well, Whitney has been a great companion. To me. Uh-huh, she was there during my first days in the kingdom. When there were only two TV channels – Arabic and French – and one FM radio station which I wasn’t aware of at that time. I could still remember my eagerness to buy the soundtrack album of The Bodyguard which (again, at that time) was hard to find since there were no malls back in 1993. Oh well, there was this one place, Euromarche, we used to think of as a mall because it was the only huge place that has almost everything people need. That’s where I bought the cassette tape and I somberly listened to her every song every day of my first month in Riyadh. The soundtrack was a relief.

I was only 13 then. Just imagine going to new place, new culture, no friends, nothing to do but bum around. We didn’t even have a land phone back then. Anyhow, there was no one to talk to. I was a complete stranger but Whitney was with me. And Francis Magalona, too. Oh shucks! They’re both gone. Oh my. I was about to add another name but I’d rather let the guy live his life. LOL.

Well, she’s at somewhere else; so, we just let her at peace.

Thank you, Whitney, for keeping me company. You can't just be forgotten.

Oregano

The image on the right is the oregano plant in our garage’s corner garden. Yes, we managed to have it grown despite the erratic hot and cold weather we have in the kingdom. It’s nice to have some familiar plants around, it makes the place homey.

My children are always having cough and colds lately. The unpredictable sudden change of weather temperature affects our health and because of this, we need to devise preventive actions. The frequent doses of antibiotics are not so convincing. A consultant once said that taking antibiotic over an extended period makes the bacteria immune or unresponsive to antibiotic treatment. Good thing we have at least one herb.

Oregano is a plant that lives a long time (perennial). It can grow as tall as 20-80 cm. It is known for its use in cooking and medication. It can cure stomach and respiratory ailments; it helps loosen mucus and force it out from the body. Old folks even mention that they also heal wounds, insect bites and sting. Mountaineers should take note of this.

And so, knowing my husband who also grew up hiking, he’s been using oregano to treat our kids. Every other night, he takes 2-3 leaves of oregano and washes them thoroughly. He will boil water and later dip the leaves for about a minute. Then, he squeezes them to take the extract; mix a few drops of lemon of honey just to get rid of the bitter taste and voila! There goes the home-made herbal syrup! Based on our experience, the oregano extract works best for dry cough. It helps us slacken off tight chest caused by the phlegm. Makes you want to doze off the whole night.

So, with the many unhealthy things going around us now, I hope this simple classic story of herbal medication would help. You may want to try it. But wait! If you choose to do herbal medication, please make sure you reach reliable and proven sources and remember: no two people are alike.

Paper or Plastic?

You choose. 

 

I am torn between two things and it’s hard to decide when you know both are useful but harmful.

 

I have been battling with myself on what to dispose both in the office and at home. Papers or plastics?

 

I love papers. I like writing on them. I love plastics, too. I like organizing my things with them.

 

Plastics are made from petroleum. They take years to decompose and when they do, they release more harmful chemicals. Their light weight makes them flown easily by the wind or float on the river and so they litter the earth and block the waterways. As a matter of fact, about 25% of the solid wastes in the Philippines were plastic products (yes, I care even from afar!). Though there have been recycling initiatives, the consumption of plastic is twice the number of those that have been recycled.

Papers are made from wood. Woods come from the forest. So, they basically harm the forest. In the Philippines (yes again, it just makes me worry it's one of the most polluted country on earth!), around 17.61 kilograms of papers were used by one person in a year. It will take about 125 liters of water to manufacture a kilo of paper and around 17 trees to produce a ton of paper. Ten years ago, it was found that around 12% of the total solid wastes collected are made of paper. Assuming that the numbers of the solid wastes have doubled by now, those junks could have produced around 108,862 kilograms of rice equivalent to a meal enough for 217,724 people.

 

Now what to do? I can’t stop using papers. I deal with them every day at work and at home – memos, reports, forms, magazines, tissues, paper cups. And I can’t stop using plastics, too. They’re all around me. The water I drink is in a plastic bottle and the groceries I bought were put in a plastic bag.

 

Reduce, reuse and recycle, they said. But how? A lot of sources have been telling us what items to recycle but what we first need to know is how to avoid using them.  I asked around and searched but so far, these are what I came up without sacrificing the consumption of either paper or plastic products.

1. Bring and use cloth bags to the store – any store! – bakery, meat shop, fishery and etc.

2. Either buy beverages in glass bottles or bring your own reusable steel/ceramic drinking mug.

3. Use silverware cutlery and kitchen wares instead of plastic.

4. Use cloth toys, diapers, napkins and rugs.

 

They seem either petty or an effort but they should make a big difference. I know, it’s not easy to get rid of an old habit especially when you refuse to keep it in mind. But the first step shouldn’t be too difficult to do.

 

Well, why don’t I try this and get back to you? I’ll see if the cloth bags will work!

 

 

 

 

 

Angelman, Down and Gondii

Sobs of Budoy’s mom caught my attention the other night. I am not a fan. I only watch it when the TV in the living room or in the kitchen are turned on by chance. And I don’t even literally watch it. I just listen. My hands and my eyes will always be busy with something else.

Budoy has the ‘happy puppet’ syndrome or what is known as the Angelman syndrome. It’s a neuro-genetic disorder illustrating a happy demeanor – jerky movements, frequent smiling – and intellectual delays. Budoy’s story is fiction but almost similar situations happen in real life – excluding the cerebral phenomenon he’s gone through.

People with Angelman syndrome are sometimes called angels because of their youthful and happy moods. We (in our family) also have an Angel. Like Budoy, she’s also in a special circumstance being with a Down syndrome. Despite the condition, she can help with the house chores and makes Mom and Dad always feel young.

Four years ago, I had the same heart-breaking sobs like Budoy’s mom. Sobs that almost literally pierced through my aorta. Sobs of regret and disappointment. My blood test resulted to a positive amount of toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite caused by warm-blooded animals like cats. Human can get infected by eating or drinking contaminated food or drink, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, using contaminated kitchen utensils and through contact or by ingestion of cat's feces.

A pregnant woman infected with toxoplasma gondii may spread to the developing baby during the pregnancy, during labor or delivery. This may sound alarming but the worst case scenario is having a baby with hydrocephalus, severe visual disability, severe mental retardation or other neurological problems.

Causes of Down and Angelman syndromes may both have something to do with chromosomes which is way beyond human control; but the misery, pain and suffering of the child and the parents are not different from those who will have evidences of the toxoplasmosis infection. Well, there’s hope. Because causes of toxoplasmosis could actually be put off. A healthy food intake and a hygienic environment should do the trick.

Anyhow, in God’s grace, my almost-toxoplasmosis-infected baby will turn 4 soon. Err, technically, she’ll be turning 1 this year, as having her born on a leap year, 29^th of February at 1:43 PM, the time that He chose to make me feel His unconditional love and presence.

Click here to learn more about toxoplasmosis. 

Health: The Net and Premiums

I’m immersed in my research. Talk about Filipino migrants, social media and health information. What do they have to do with each other?

Well, it should be a good research since not many studies about Filipino migrants are conducted. Considering that PhilHealth has recently issued a memorandum mandating a 100% increase in OFWs’ annual premium payments on health indemnities, communicating to Filipino migrants about health should be encouraged. Prevention is better than cure, as they say. And so, awareness is a means of prevention. Though the government offers adequate (?) and affordable (?) social health insurance coverage, isn’t it more sensible if we consciously and religiously take care of our own health?

So, save a dime. Save your life. Get online.

Maximize your time. Learn more about health issues using social media.

Facebook shouldn’t be just about Farmville or Mafia Wars.

Youtube shouldn’t just be about music videos.

Twitter shouldn’t just be about quotable quotes.

Oops, for your information, (we) OFWs will be compelled to…

Pay only Php 1,200.00 for the (annual or yearly but take note: it’s not monthly!) contribution if we do it anytime from January – June 2012. So, if you’re going for a two-year contract and you want to pay, like on, February 29 because it’s a leap year, you’ll have to shell out Php 2,400.00. Thereafter, Php 2,400.00 annual contribution will take effect on 01 July 2012. And so if you have a two-year commitment abroad…would you be so kind to do the math then? Thank you.

Open Universities

Almost there. Almost done. Soon, I hope, I will get that long-awaited degree. Soon, everything will pay off.

Learning is fun but doing it from afar is not easy. It’s more demanding than the mainstream. No holidays. No absences. No sick leaves. No excuses for lost projects. The resources are infinite and teeming. Homeworks are twice difficult and thrice the quantity. Study time is unlimited and the virtual classroom is as far as the North and South Poles. But how much more getting a graduate degree through distance learning? Make that demanding to the ⁿth power (dⁿ).

Moodle. Search engines. Open-access journals. Freewares. Research. These are what you will often encounter in distance learning. Thanks to social media, it makes learning a lot easier and interactive. Not to forget the online support group you get from schoolmates that substitute as the school bulletin, corridor, cafeteria, multi-purpose hall, clinic, counseling room, audio-visual room, library, gym and even a registrar’s office. Procrastination is a common disease but perseverance and optimism always give a lift.

Learning provides opportunity for self-improvement. It enriches knowledge and gives an indescribable self-worth. It extends acquaintance and creates camaraderie. Learning is beyond the horizon. Now that the House of Representatives ratified the Open Learning and Distance Education Act of 2011, the more Filipinos should take advantage of using the online media to learn. The said House Bill basically gives accreditation to distance education provided by higher education institutions for post-secondary and tertiary levels.

For the convenience of those wanting to pursue further or continue their studies or just simply curious, I have listed some of the universities who are now offering distance education degree programs. Visit their sites and ponder.

1. University of the Philippines Open University – www.upou.edu.ph
2. Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open University System – www.pup.edu.ph/OUS
3. Mindanao State University Wisdom International – www.msuwint-online.com
4. New Era University Vantage Education Management Online University – www.vem.edu.ph
5. West Visayas State University – www.wvsu.edu.ph
6. Cebu Technological University – http://ctu-online.edu.ph/
7. Central Luzon State University Open University – http://www.openuni-clsu.edu.ph
8. Philippine Women University - http://www.pwuonline.com/

Now, let me go back to my literature review. I just took a five-minute break. 

Why?

I owe myself a breather, so I will blog. I owe myself an indulgence, so I will blog. I owe myself a commitment, so I will blog. This site should be the frame of my beliefs and opinions.  This site should discuss, contend, rationalize and settle all my perceptions and feelings about anything under the sun. It should be short and snappy. It should be extensive and worthy. It should be revealing and witty. So, all that I will get from lurking, gawking and eavesdropping will be here in black and white. This is the journal, the pulpit, the soapbox of my thoughts...