We feel fortunate that every Sunday, the kids get a chance to learn how to bike at the NBO Bike Lessons ground in BGC. Well, actually Dana's getting better but Dylan still has a long way to go. 
It's another Sunday and we all went back to BGC in Taguig for another round of Free Bike Lessons courtesy of the National Bicycle Organization. This time, we arrived earlier than our first trip and we found that more people have become aware of the Free Bike Rides and Lessons since there were now more people riding their bikes. Let's see how the kids did this time :)
This is another first for Dylan education-wise. Today, he celebrated the school's 95th Year Anniversary together with his classmates, schoolmates, teachers and staff. They prepared a dance routine and performed it as part of the school's Foundation Day Celebration.
After a tiring day at the 2017 Manila International Book Fair yesterday, I didn't think we would have the energy to go bike riding today. But the kids were driven to learn and wanted to go biking and so we found ourselves at the BGC-PruLife UK Family Zone. 
It's that time of the year again when everyone is on their toes and itching to get into the 2017 Manila International Book Fair. Since we were here last year, we kind of knew what to expect. But this year, there's more in store because there was an additional exhibition space on the 2nd Floor which meant more books and stuff to browse and buy from. 
A great big Thank You to Mommy Myles, Daddy Jovy and Sir Ramil of Books for a Cause for granting us the privilege of receiving much-needed educational materials and furnishings from your former preschool. We are in awe of your generosity and your kindness will go a long way because all this will help so many generations of Special Education/Autism students. Thank You !
Today, we went on board the Mexican Training Tall Ship, BE Cuauhtemoc, while it was docked at the South Harbor. The ship was at our port as part of its 2017 Instruction Cruise where 4th Year cadets of the Heroic Naval Military school will circumnavigate the BE Cuauhtemoc across 15 ports and 12 countries. They are also celebrating their Centenary of the Constitution and the 35th Anniversary of the Ship. 
Continuing with the celebration of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabiliation Week, Dylan's class participated in a Film Showing (Day 3) and a Food Festival (Day 4).
Today is the opening of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation week at Dylan's school. All Special Education classes came together to participate in the opening ceremonies. Dylan isn't averse to attending large gatherings and is actually pretty stable when it comes to social events so I wasn't worried. He was actually pretty excited to participate when he found out that they were supposed to dance in front of everyone. 
Today is the scheduled Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill. To be honest, I completely forgot about it until we got to Dylan's school. Dylan and I always make it a point to be early in school so we arrived at 2PM. As we went through the gate, we clearly heard the sound of an alarm blaring and I knew immediately that it was the start of a fire/earthquake drill. 
"Manga Hokusai Manga will explore the similarities and differences between modern Japanese manga and Katsushika Hokusai's manga and introduce the charms of this unique field of Japanese culture". As soon as I read this blurb from a post on the Japan Foundation Manila's FB page, I was immediately intrigued and so penned in the date on our calendar. Anything that will get us to learn more about our favorite manga is worth a visit. Plus, admission is free! 
As part of the National Museum of the Philippines' celebration of International Museum Day as well as a post-Mother's Day activity, the National Museum in partnership with Dong-A Philippines sponsored the Doodling and Lettering for Mothers" workshop and Dana and I had the privilege to attend. We learned new tricks and were challenged to test our artistic capabilities. :)
Today is Mother's Day and as a treat, we all went to Ponte Rialto Ristorante Italiano to savor their authentic Italian dishes. It's been quite a while since we were last there and Patrick thought that since it was Mother's Day today, I deserve a treat and so here we are! 
Today marked the start of the new show schedule for the week at the National Planetarium. Last week, we were fortunate that we were able to watch "Journey to a Billion Suns" twice in a day when the National Planetarium released the news that they were extending their free entrance policy for the month of May. 
If we're talking about comfort food, Japanese ramen is what we want :) So, once we discovered Ramen Kuroda, we always want to eat there :) After our day at the National Planetarium, we were starving and in need of Ramen Kuroda's sustenance :)
This was our first time at Kaizen 10 Minute Haircut in SM City Manila. We were actually looking for a salon because Dylan needed a haircut and we simply chanced upon Kaizen while strolling around the mall. Little did we know how much of an enjoyable haircut experience we were to have.... 
The National Museum extended their "Free Admission to the National Planetarium" policy until May 30, 2017 in celebration of the National Heritage Month. Actually, I was anxiously waiting for this announcement and was hoping that they would extend since the original Free Admission policy was only until April 30. I thought that today was the best time to drop by since not many people can make time to visit except for those who live nearby. I was right. There wasn't much of a line and we were actually able to watch TWO shows! haha Okay, they were both "Journey to a Billion Suns" but still, we got to watch TWO shows! :) We'd like to tell you what to expect, what you can see while in the venue and other relevant information for your trip to the National Planetarium.
So Patrick has had the Hyundai Veloster for the week and this is the last day we're able to ride in it as a family. We took it for a ride to the 2017 Trans Sport Show. This post is about the day that we had - dining at Ma Mon Luk and stuff we bought while walking around SM Mall of Asia after we took a break from the Trans Sport Show. 
It's summer and it's time for another car show! This time, we went to the 2017 Trans Sport Show held between April 20-23 at the SMX Convention Center. Patrick actually covered the event for Carmudi, so if you want to see better photos of the cars, check out the article here. The Trans Sport Show's main attraction is the Nostalgic and Contemporary Car Competition but there are other events like the Moto Builds Pilipinas and plenty of automotive after-sales, custom-build services and related businesses to complete the experience.
Minor plumbing problems are easy enough to fix if you have the right tools and a bit of courage. Knowing how to repair plumbing problems yourself can save you some money since you don't have to hire someone else to do it for you. I've replaced our faulty toilet fill valve on my own before and I found it to be easy enough. You actually just have to follow the instructions on the package! LOL Here's how the kids and I did it.
The best outings are those that happen unexpectedly. As is the case today when we went to Eastridge Athletic Park for a day of swimming simply because my sister Sha and her family were already there! She did mention that today might be the ideal time to meet up for the summer but we never actually finalized any plans. The Eastridge Athletic Park is located within the Eastridge Golf Club development in Binangonan Rizal. We were only able to get in because we were guests of a member but we had to pay an entrance fee of P200/head (adult) and P100/head (child) which I think were reasonable enough rates. We were able to bring in food and beverage (no corkage). 
Another food craving for Rodic's Tapsilog yielded a surprise trip to UP Town Center. Whenever we pass by the area, Patrick always wishes to visit the new shopping destination but we've always run out of time. Today, he finally fulfilled his wish and we spent about three hours just walking around the place and visiting the shops.
Occasionally, Patrick would leave us to cover a Press Conference while at the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS). We would find ourselves wandering around the Main Hall and the rest of the exhibits until he finished his work. I think the last time we attended a Press Conference as a family was for the Manila Speed Show with Marlon Stockinger. This time, we were allowed to attend Mazda's Luncheon Press Conference and what a blast we had! :)
We've always gone to the annual Manila International Auto Shows. This time, it's a bit special because it's Patrick's first MIAS event that he's covering under the Carmudi group. Though the event itself goes on for four days (March 30 - April 02) at the World Trade Center, we only came with him on the last day. But still, we all were excited at seeing all these brand new cars! :)
When you have a car as awesome as the Toyota 86 delivered to your home (in our case, as a test drive vehicle) what will you do? Well, of course! Take it for a spin! I remember the last time we had a Toyota 86 for a week, Patrick really did take it for a spin - drifting it at a parking lot no less! But, we're not doing that again. Instead, we just went for our favorites - Lego and great burgers at Charlie's Grind and Grill (Pasig).
Today, we celebrated Dana's birthday after finishing up with Dylan's doctor's check-up. When asked what she wanted to do for her birthday, there was no hesitation when she responded, "Sambokojin!". I guess, she enjoyed herself so much the last time we were there she wanted to experience it again. So, we all went back, together with Den and Edwin!
On February 19, Dana and I were fortunate to have won tickets to the ANA Yose 2017 - Rakugo in English show held at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza. Rakugo is a 400-year old Japanese sit-down comedy tradition where the performer, armed only with a fan and an oversized towel, enacts hilarious stories that fire up the imagination. This year's performance headlines Rakugo Master Kaishi Katsura with Asakichi Katsura (Rakugo Master), Eika Utsumi (Shamisen Musical Performer) and Lucky Mai (Traditional Comic performer).
I can't even begin to describe how hectic this week has been. For as long as I can remember, this has been the first and only time when my week has been packed with get-togethers with friends. So, I'm putting together all of these events in one blog post hehe It's really nice to catch up with friends, whether they're High School mates or former co-workers. It's fun!
For a while, the spirit of Christmas waned in our household because, really, the whole of 2016 has been more of "downs" than "ups". But, it's not in our nature to let that get us down for a long time so we rallied and with the help of Family and Framily (Friends who are Family), Christmas was a blast!
As Christmas approaches, I pay particular attention to the bazaars and toy fairs that are being held. I've already inked the Christmas Toys and Collectibles Fair 2016 on my calendar as soon as I saw their ads. I didn't really have any particular toy in mind but it's always a joy to browse. I just hated that it was in SM Megamall because parking is terrible there haha So, entrance was P100/head and off we went!
There are days when your plan seemed to go awry but actually ending up being better than you hoped. This was one of those days. Patrick and I were just supposed to do our errands and bring the kids back some Krispy Kreme (as they asked) but we were too early for their promo so I simply went back and brought the kids with me instead, so they had their Kids' Day Out!
Even with the proliferation of buffet restaurants in the Metro, we've never had the chance to visit one. When my niece, Den, called to invite us to dine at Sambokojin, we were ecstatic! :) We finally have an opportunity to eat both Japanese and Korean dishes until our stomachs burst! :) Here's how it went :)
Ever since we all saw the Cheetos Quesadilla teaser ad from Taco Bell on Facebook, we all wanted to try it out. Who wouldn't? It's got Cheetos, Cheese, and our favorite Quesadilla! So, when we planned to do our Christmas shopping in Cubao, particularly in Shopwise, we immediately put Cheetos Quesadillas on the agenda since there was a Taco Bell in Gateway Cubao! :)